Category: housing

MIL-OSI Global: Police in England and Wales to get more money – but increasing funding won’t necessarily mean less crime

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Graham Farrell, Professor of Crime Science, University of Leeds

Ian Dewar Photography/Shutterstock

Police spending will rise by a real-terms 2.3% per year between now and 2028-29, the government announced in its latest spending review, drawn from local council tax. The government says this will help its mission to put 13,000 neighbourhood police on the streets, and “keep communities safe”.

Police say this is far from enough to meet the government’s ambitions, particularly on cutting knife crime and violence against women, and that it is likely to be “swallowed up” by pay rises for police.

The awkward truth, however, is that marginal changes to police funding and hiring make little difference to crime either way. Austerity cuts of around 20% to policing budgets in the 2010s were accompanied by declining crime, including domestic violence and antisocial behaviour.

Widespread security improvements were responsible for the close to 90% reductions in many crime types. For example, engine immobilisers prevent car theft, and secure household doors and windows prevent burglary.

Crime has been declining across developed countries for decades. But those countries vary greatly in policing practices and funding, so it is clear more policing was not the cause.

American policing researcher pioneer David Bayley wrote in 1994:

The police do not prevent crime. This is one of the best kept secrets of modern life. Experts know it, the police know it, but the public does not know it. Yet the police pretend they are society’s best defense against crime and continually argue that if they are given more resources, especially personnel, they will be able to protect communities against crime. This is a myth.

This does not mean we don’t need police – we do. If there were no police, crime rates would soar. The issue here is diminishing marginal returns (we’re at the level where more funding doesn’t have the same effect).

But it means the spending review debate had little to do with crime prevention. Rather, it was about how senior staff in public services routinely seek more for their departments. And following the spending review, police chiefs gave themselves an escape clause by claiming the increase is insufficient.

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In recent years, we’ve learned problem-solving policing can reduce some crimes in some contexts. For example, burglary at construction sites can often be theft of building materials and tools, so the crime problem can be reduced through improved site management (rather than just more arrests).

However, problem-solving is not easy and so is not widely applied. Simply patrolling hotspots does not affect the crime opportunity structure (factors that tempt, facilitate or precipitate a particular cluster of crimes).

Additionally, all types of crime, except homicide, are more likely to recur, and relatively soon, after prior victimisation. And while policing to prevent repeat victimisation can reduce crime, it has fallen by the wayside in recent years.

A recent review by crime scientist Shannon Linning and colleagues examined the effect of more police hiring and more arrests on crime, concluding: “When a sensational crime happens, residents demand action. Often someone will cry for more police and more arrests … neither approach is likely to be helpful.”

This makes it rather awkward that the government has recently committed to recruiting 13,000 additional neighbourhood police.

Since most people don’t know the limitations of policing, both the government and the police have been able to maintain the illusion that more police means less crime. Academic police researchers will rarely admit it in case it risks their funding, and the media enjoy a perennially newsworthy topic. Taxpayers foot the bill as well as the emotional, financial and other costs of crime.

How to stop crime

There is, however, some room for optimism. What we have learned from the long-term international crime drop and dozens of small-scale successes against different crime types is that reducing crime opportunities is the best approach. With some strategic adjustment, there is much that police and government can do.

A particular focus for the government and police should be encouraging businesses to take more responsibility for crime. Knife manufacturers and retailers should be involved in introducing a ban on pointed kitchen knives, the most common homicide weapon in England and Wales. The gradual approach over many years that research (in which I was involved) recommended is too long: it should be done within this government’s term.

A lot of other crimes, including computer-enabled crimes, are generated, facilitated or hosted by businesses. Internet service providers and network providers benefit from advertising and payments, including when they are being used for crime (from stalking and sexual victimisation to fraud and terrorism).

Manufacturers benefit from theft of phones and other products that need replacing. Online marketplaces profit from usage and advertising when stolen goods are sold, which inadvertently encourages shoplifting, theft and robbery. Online banking and financial services also host significant amounts of fraud, and are now sometimes required to pay up to £85,000 compensation to victims.

Read more:
Child sexual exploitation and abuse is a multibillion-dollar industry – new report shows who benefits

Government and police should develop a portfolio of incentives and disincentives to promote private sector crime prevention, to include regulation and market-based incentives. When businesses have an economic incentive they are tremendously efficient at preventing crime, as car manufacturers showed by improving security that brought 90% reductions in car crime.

Reducing crime opportunities is also the best way to stop criminality. When young people do not get involved in easy crimes like shoplifting, they do not progress to further crime, including violence against women and girls.

In short, extra police funding will not reduce crime. A shift in strategy is what is really needed.

Graham Farrell receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.

– ref. Police in England and Wales to get more money – but increasing funding won’t necessarily mean less crime – https://theconversation.com/police-in-england-and-wales-to-get-more-money-but-increasing-funding-wont-necessarily-mean-less-crime-258977

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: CBSA investigation into prohibited devices leads to charges against residents of Laval and Saint-Eustache
Source: Government of Canada News (2)

Montreal, Quebec, June 18, 2025 – Scott Shein, 51, a resident of Laval, and John Papadimitriou, 52, a resident of Saint-Eustache, will appear in court on June 19, 2025, at the Laval courthouse to face 17 criminal charges. These charges were laid as part of a criminal investigation by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) into the illegal importation of a prohibited weapon and prohibited devices.

The CBSA investigation followed the interception of packages by Canada Border Services officers in April 2024 at the CBSA International Mail Processing Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. The investigation identified two individuals in Canada involved in importing a prohibited weapon and devices from the United States. Search warrants executed at the residences of the two accused on June 6, 2024, resulted in the seizure of additional evidence, including several weapons.

Scott Shein and John Papadimitriou are both charged with importing prohibited devices under subsection 159(1) of the Customs Act and paragraph 104(1)(a) of the Criminal Code, as well as conspiracy under subsection 465(1) of the Criminal Code.

Scott Shein faces three additional charges related to the importation and possession of prohibited weapons:
- one count under subsection 159(1) of the Customs Act for smuggling goods into Canada;
- one count under paragraph 104(1)(a) of the Criminal Code, for importing a prohibited weapon into Canada; and
- one count under subsection 91(2) of the Criminal Code, for possession of prohibited weapons.
John Papadimitriou faces the following charges:
- one count under paragraph 108(1)(b) of the Criminal Code for possessing a restricted firearm with an obliterated serial number;
- one count under subsection 99(1) of the Criminal Code for manufacturing a restricted firearm;
- three counts under subsection 102.1(1) of the Criminal Code for possessing computer data for the purpose of printing firearms using a 3D printer;
- one count under subsection 91(1) of the Criminal Code for being in possession of five restricted or prohibited firearms without authorization;
- one count under subsection 86(1) of the Criminal Code for improperly storing 14 firearms;
- two counts under subsection 91(2) of the Criminal Code for possessing 15 prohibited weapons and 14 prohibited devices; and
- one count under section 155 of the Customs Act for possession of four illegally imported prohibited devices.
A file concerning these offences was referred to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, and charges were laid on June 2, 2025. These charges are subject to validation by the court.

MIL OSI Canada News –
June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Golden calls for renewed investment in American shipyards at Boston Ship Repair

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

BOSTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) joined other members of Congress and the International Association of Machinists (IAM) Tuesday at Boston Ship Repair to call for the revitalization of America’s shipbuilding industry.

Golden, a member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) was joined by fellow committee member Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) at the invitation of Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08). The trio of lawmakers met with management from Boston Ship Repair and Machinists who work at the shipyard.

“America needs strong shipyards. On the defense front, we are lagging in the production of American warships necessary to meet current and future force needs. We also lack the commercial vessels we need to compete in the global economy,” Rep. Golden said. “The reality is simple: If we aren’t giving work to the men and women who power America’s shipyards, they will find new jobs and we will fall further behind. Congress needs to keep up demand for warships to sustain the world’s greatest Navy and we need to pass the SHIPS Act to strengthen our shipyards, our commercial fleet and our supply chains. Our future demands it.”

Currently, about 80 U.S.-flagged ships are engaged in international commerce compared to over 5,500 China-flagged vessels. China recently overtook the U.S. in Navy fleet size.

During HASC hearings last week, Golden questioned the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense (video) about the potential lapse in destroyer procurement in the FY26 Presidential budget request, and the risk it posed to Bath Iron Works, Maine’s shipbuilders, and the national defense.

The group has backed the U.S. Trade Representative penalties on Chinese ships and steps to incentivize the production and purchase of U.S.-built vessels. They are also championing the bipartisan SHIPS for America Act, which would rebuild the U.S. shipyard base and invest in recruitment and training of shipyard workers and mariners. The coalition is highlighting the need to efficiently utilize and grow domestic shipbuilding and repair capacity to increase the workforce at Boston Ship Repair and across the country.

“Our shipbuilding and ship-repair industries have a tremendous impact on our national security and our ability to maintain freedom of navigation for all nations,” said Rep. Lynch. “Today we are facing a critical shortage among our U.S. shipbuilding and repair capacity, and we are falling behind in production and upkeep of both our commercial and naval vessels. We must continue to make substantial federal investments in our shipyards and ship-repair facilities in order to maintain our position in the world. I am grateful to my congressional colleagues, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney and Jared Golden for traveling to Boston Ship Repair in South Boston today to join me to show support for our shipbuilding and ship-repair industry. My thanks as well to International Machinists Union VP David Sullivan, BSR owner Jon Cronin, CEO Ed Snyder, and IAM Local President Andre Lavertue and all the union members of the IAM for their continued support of our regional ship-repair industry.”

“Revitalizing American shipbuilding is critical to our national and economic security. It’s a bipartisan goal in Washington, and we need to use all of our available shipyard capacity to get the job done if we’re going to deliver on it,” said Rep. Courtney. “We must provide American shipyards and shipbuilders, like Boston Ship Repair, with the demand they need to make investments in their future and the future of our domestic shipbuilding industry.”

“American national and economic security depends on urgent and long overdue investments in our shipbuilding and repair industry,” said IAM Union Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “That’s why the IAM Union has led the way toward tougher trade rules on China, much-needed investments in U.S. shipyard workers, and a strong call for the efficient use of our existing shipyards, like Boston Ship Repair. We’re incredibly grateful for our champions in this fight, including Congressmen Lynch, Courtney and Golden.”

“We’ve invested in Boston Ship Repair because we believe in its potential—not just as a business, but as a critical national asset,” said Boston Ship Repair Owner Jon Cronin. “With a highly skilled union workforce, proven infrastructure, and the experience to deliver, BSR stands ready to be part of the solution to America’s shipyard capacity crisis. But we can’t do it alone. Without consistent work and federal investment, this vital facility — and the hundreds of jobs it sustains — are at risk. We’re calling on Congress and the Navy to recognize BSR not just as a shipyard, but as a strategic pillar of the defense industrial base. With immediate support, we can expand our capacity, modernize our infrastructure, and begin reducing the Navy’s repair backlog today — while preserving American maritime strength for generations to come.”

Boston Ship Repair is one of the largest docks on the Eastern and Gulf Coasts and can handle vessels up to 1,000 feet with a 105-foot beam. It provides vessel maintenance, repair, overhaul and conversion services for domestic, international and government customers.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Colorado Dentist Sentenced for Tax Evasion

Source: United States Attorneys General

A Colorado dentist was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison for tax evasion related to his use of an illegal tax shelter.

The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: since 2014, Ryan Ulibarri owned and operated Ulibarri Family Dentistry in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2016, Ulibarri purchased an abusive-trust tax shelter for $50,000. The tax shelter involved concealing income and creating false tax deductions through the use of a so-called business trust, family trust, charitable trust and a private family foundation, all of which Ulibarri created and controlled. From 2016 through 2023, Ulibarri used this tax shelter to conceal from the IRS over $5 million in income he earned from his dental practice and evade more than $1.6 million in federal and state income taxes owed on that income.

To set up the tax shelter, Ulibarri signed trust instruments that named him as trustee of the three trusts and foundation, and he opened bank accounts in the name of each entity. He further recruited friends to falsely sign his trust instruments as the purported creators of the trusts to make it seem as if Ulibarri himself was not the real creator. Ulibarri then transferred majority ownership of his dental practice to his business trust. He did this despite having been warned by attorneys and CPAs that, in Colorado, a trust could not own a dental practice.

Ulibarri then transferred over $5 million in income he earned from his dental practice into the bank accounts of the various trusts and foundation to create the illusion that the funds belonged to those entities, not him. In reality, Ulibarri retained complete control over those funds and used the funds to pay for personal expenses including his home mortgage, credit card bills, boats, luxury vacations, and professional baseball season tickets. Ulibarri also filed false tax returns for himself, his dental practice, the trusts, and his foundation that falsely reported the income he earned from his dental practice as income of the trusts. On those tax returns, Ulibarri also claimed fraudulent deductions for his personal living expenses which he disguised as trust expenses and charitable donations.

In total, Ulibarri caused a tax loss to the United States of $1.6 million.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Nina Y. Wang ordered Ulibarri to serve 3 years of supervised release, to pay a $150,000 fine and to pay $1,449,121 in restitution to the IRS and $166,966 in restitution to the Colorado Department of Revenue.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Special Agent in Charge Amanda Prestegard of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Denver Field Office made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Amanda R. Scott and Lauren K. Pope and Assistant Chief Andrew J. Kameros of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.

MIL Security OSI –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Kaine Host “The Big Beautiful Betrayal—Working Folks Pay While the Mega-Rich Profit” Spotlight Forum

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

June 18, 2025

WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), both members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Tuesday hosted “The Big Beautiful Betrayal—Working Folks Pay While The Mega Rich Profit,” a spotlight forum to highlight how President Donald Trump and Republicans’ tax bill would make major spending cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs that families across the country rely on in order to pay for a massive tax cut for the ultra-wealthy. The forum featured individuals who could be affected by the tax bill’s massive cuts to government programs and subject-matter experts.

Murphy emphasized the Republican tax bill will disproportionately harm working class Americans, while directly benefiting the top 1%: “Why this bill feels like a betrayal is because, as written, it makes life infinitely harder for the very people that we are supposed to be fighting hardest for: the people who are working every day, playing by the rules, often dealing with traumas and difficult life circumstances… Upwards of 40% of all American households, if this bill is implemented, will be poorer – poorer – because of it, while the very rich and the very affluent will be much richer. The very richest families in this country will get an average $270,000 tax cut because of this bill.”

Murphy stressed that tens of thousands of Americans will die due to the Republican tax bill’s cuts to Medicaid: “When you’re talking about almost $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, when you’re talking about throwing upwards of 16 million people off of their health care, you are talking about life and death stakes. This isn’t just about impacting the quality of someone’s life. This is about ending people’s lives. One research estimate is that 42,000 lives could be lost each year because of the disenrollments in [Medicaid] and the marketplace coverage.”

Murphy additionally highlighted that rural communities will be among those hardest hit by the Republican tax bill: “Up to 340 rural hospitals could close. 33 hospitals in Louisiana could close, 35 hospitals in Kentucky could close, 40% of the rural hospital capacity in Alaska could disappear if this bill is passed. So even if you keep your coverage, even if you are lucky enough not to be one of the people that are thrown off their care, your life could be impacted because your ability to get your loved one to an emergency room when you need it could disappear.”

Murphy concluded: “This is bad policy, but it’s fundamentally immoral. It’s a moral abomination. And what we know is that we have power, that this bill has not passed, it has not been signed by the president. And until it has passed and until it is on the way to the White House, then we need to use every bit of leverage that we have to try to stop something that is this deeply unethical and immoral, contrary to the very best traditions of this country, from becoming law.”

MIL OSI USA News –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NCDHHS Launches PATH NC – Statewide Child Welfare Information System to Support Better Outcomes for Children and Families
Source: US State of North Carolina

Headline: NCDHHS Launches PATH NC – Statewide Child Welfare Information System to Support Better Outcomes for Children and Families

NCDHHS Launches PATH NC – Statewide Child Welfare Information System to Support Better Outcomes for Children and Families
kcano1
Tue, 06/17/2025 – 12:11
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the launch of PATH NC (Partnership and Technology Hub for North Carolina), a new statewide information system that marks a major step forward in modernizing the administration of child welfare services. PATH NC equips child welfare staff with real-time data and decision-making tools to better protect children and to improve outcomes for children and families across the state.

Until now, North Carolina’s 100 county departments of social services, who administer child welfare services, have operated with a patchwork of independent data systems – nearly half of counties are still largely reliant on manual processes and paper records for child welfare operations. PATH NC will bring all 100 counties together for the first time into a unified system.

“PATH NC is more than a technology upgrade – it’s an investment in North Carolina’s children and families,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “By providing social services staff with better tools, clearer data and integrated support, we are laying the foundation for a safer, more responsive child welfare system that delivers better, more consistent results – no matter where you live.”

NCDHHS’ goal for PATH NC was not merely to create a system that collects information, but also to improve child welfare practice through evidence-based tools and actionable insights for the workforce. While developing the new system, the department worked in close collaboration with county leaders to fully redesign the state’s Structured Decision-Making (SDM) tools. Nationally certified by Evident Change for accuracy and consistent results, the new SDM tools within PATH NC help frontline staff better identify and assess risk and safety concerns when responding to reports of child abuse or neglect.

Over the last five years, NCDHHS has worked hand-in-hand with North Carolina’s county departments of social services to plan, develop and test both PATH NC and the SDM tools. The department’s projected total investment for the new system’s design, development, training and implementation is approximately $65 million. An early review of cases supported by PATH NC and the new SDM tools shows promising results – county intake decisions are consistently aligned with state policies and best practice in child protective services.

“We’ve built PATH NC from the ground up in collaboration with county leaders to ensure it meets the current, real-world needs of North Carolina’s child welfare social workers,” said NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Opportunity and Well-Being Michael Leighs. “It’s designed to improve the everyday experience of staff while making it easier to track, report and respond to what’s happening in real time. PATH NC is a critical part of our work to transform the child welfare system and improve the lives of children and families in North Carolina.”

The new system aligns with NCDHHS’ broader efforts to strengthen system oversight and modernize service delivery. Key features of PATH NC include:
- Mobile-Friendly Design – The system supports documentation from the field, including some offline functionality, so that staff can update case records while conducting assessments, facilitating family visits, attending court and more.
- Decision-Making Tools – PATH NC’s new certified SDM tools provide built-in risk and safety assessments, dashboards and real-time alerts for county staff and supervisors.
- Advanced Capabilities – The system features global search functionality, comprehensive data analytics and dashboards. The platform also has the capability to add automated policy support functions and dedicated portals for providers and families in the future.
- Comprehensive Case Management – Fully implemented, PATH NC will include modules for intake, assessment, in-home services, foster care, adoption, financials, licensing and eligibility all together in one system.
- Data Accessibility – Once all counties have transitioned to PATH NC, staff will be able to access statewide data, including a family’s full history with child welfare services, regardless of whether they move or transfer to a different county.
- Integrated Systems – PATH NC is designed to interface with other child-serving systems such as NC Medicaid, the NC Department of Public Instruction and other partner agencies in the future, which will streamline information sharing and reduce administrative burden across the system.
The statewide rollout of PATH NC began June 2, 2025, with an initial cohort of 15 counties using the system to support child welfare intakes and assessments. Over the next eight months, all remaining counties will transition to PATH NC for intake and assessment. Implementation for ongoing case management modules will begin in early 2026 and is anticipated to be completed in summer 2026. This phased rollout allows NCDHHS to provide targeted training and individualized support as each cohort of counties prepares to transition to PATH NC. The department will continue to update and improve the system based on user feedback throughout the implementation process.

“PATH NC is going to be a game changer for the state, and we’re excited to be among the first counties leading the way,” said Christa Smith, Director of Forsyth County DSS. “The system gives our staff the right tools to make timely, informed decisions, and it gives our supervisors the data they need to identify trends and improve practice. We look forward to seeing everything PATH NC will do for us and our DSS partners across the state.”

PATH NC is a critical step forward in NCDHHS’ ongoing effort to transform child welfare in North Carolina through systemic change, increased access to services, better data and stronger alignment among state and county systems. By streamlining documentation processes and providing real-time access to child welfare data for users across the system, PATH NC offers more opportunity for state and county staff to pinpoint trends or challenges in child welfare practice and address them sooner – ultimately leading to a stronger system and better outcomes for children and families.

To learn more about ongoing initiatives to transform child welfare services in North Carolina, read NCDHHS’ Transforming Child Welfare in North Carolina: A Unified Vision for Children and Families.

Click here for NCDHHS B-roll footage of PATH NC for intake and assessments.

El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte anunció hoy el lanzamiento del centro de colaboración y tecnología PATH NC (Partnership and Technology Hub for North Carolina), un nuevo sistema de información estatal que marca un importante paso adelante en la modernización de la administración de los servicios de bienestar infantil. PATH NC equipa al personal de bienestar infantil con datos en tiempo real y herramientas de toma de decisiones para proteger mejor a los niños y mejorar los resultados para los niños y las familias en todo el estado.

Hasta ahora, los 100 departamentos de servicios sociales del condado de Carolina del Norte que administran los servicios de bienestar infantil han operado con una mezcla de sistemas de datos independientes: casi la mitad de los condados todavía dependen en gran medida de procesos manuales y registros en papel para las operaciones de bienestar infantil. PATH NC reunirá a los 100 condados por primera vez en un sistema unificado.

“PATH NC es más que una actualización tecnológica: es una inversión en los niños y las familias de Carolina del Norte”, dijo el secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte, Dev Sangvai. “Al proporcionar al personal de servicios sociales mejores herramientas, datos más claros y apoyo integrado, estamos sentando las bases para un sistema de bienestar infantil más seguro y receptivo que ofrece resultados mejores y más consistentes, sin importar dónde viva”.

El objetivo del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés) para PATH NC no era simplemente crear un sistema que recopile información, sino también mejorar la práctica de bienestar infantil a través de herramientas basadas en evidencia e información procesable para la fuerza laboral. Mientras desarrollaba el nuevo sistema, el departamento trabajó en estrecha colaboración con los líderes del condado para rediseñar completamente las herramientas de toma de decisiones estructuradas del estado (Structured Decision-Making, o SDM, por sus siglas en inglés). Las nuevas herramientas de SDM dentro de PATH NC están certificadas a nivel nacional por Evident Change por su precisión y resultados consistentes y ayudan al personal de primera línea a identificar y evaluar mejor los riesgos y las preocupaciones de seguridad al responder a los reportes de abuso o negligencia infantil.

Durante los últimos cinco años, el NCDHHS ha trabajado mano a mano con los departamentos de servicios sociales del condado de Carolina del Norte para planificar, desarrollar y probar tanto PATH NC como las herramientas de SDM. La inversión total proyectada del departamento para el diseño, desarrollo, capacitación e implementación del nuevo sistema es de aproximadamente $ 65 millones. Una revisión temprana de los casos respaldados por PATH NC y las nuevas herramientas de SDM muestra resultados prometedores: las decisiones de admisión del condado están alineadas consistentemente con las políticas estatales y las mejores prácticas en los servicios de protección infantil.

“Hemos construido PATH NC desde cero en colaboración con los líderes del condado para garantizar que satisfaga las necesidades actuales y reales de los trabajadores sociales de bienestar infantil de Carolina del Norte”, dijo Michael Leighs, subsecretario de Oportunidades y Bienestar del NCDHHS. “Está diseñado para mejorar la experiencia diaria del personal al tiempo que facilita el seguimiento, la presentación de informes y la respuesta a lo que está sucediendo en tiempo real. PATH NC es una parte fundamental de nuestro trabajo para transformar el sistema de bienestar infantil y mejorar las vidas de los niños y las familias en Carolina del Norte “.

El nuevo sistema se alinea con los esfuerzos más amplios del NCDHHS para fortalecer la supervisión del sistema y modernizar la prestación de servicios. Las características clave de PATH NC incluyen:
- Diseño compatible con dispositivos móviles: el sistema admite documentación desde el campo, incluidas algunas funciones fuera de línea, para que el personal pueda actualizar los registros de casos mientras realiza evaluaciones, facilita visitas familiares, asiste a la corte y más.
- Herramientas de toma de decisiones: Las nuevas herramientas certificadas de SDM de PATH NC proporcionan evaluaciones integradas de riesgos y seguridad, tableros y alertas en tiempo real para el personal y los supervisores del condado.
- Capacidades avanzadas: el sistema cuenta con funcionalidad de búsqueda global, análisis de datos completos y tableros. La plataforma también tiene la capacidad de agregar funciones automatizadas de apoyo de políticas y portales dedicados para proveedores y familias en el futuro.
- Gestión integral de casos: Completamente implementado, PATH NC incluirá módulos para admisión, evaluación, servicios en el hogar, cuidado de crianza, adopción, finanzas, licencias y elegibilidad, todo en un solo sistema.
- Acceso a datos: Una vez que todos los condados hayan hecho la transición a PATH NC, el personal podrá acceder a los datos de todo el estado, incluido el historial completo de una familia con los servicios de bienestar infantil, independientemente de si se mudan o se transfieren a un condado diferente.
- Sistemas integrados: PATH NC está diseñado para interactuar con otros sistemas de servicio infantil como NC Medicaid, el Departamento de Instrucción Pública de Carolina del Norte y otras agencias asociadas en el futuro, lo que agilizará el intercambio de información y reducirá la carga administrativa en todo el sistema.
El despliegue estatal de PATH NC comenzó el 2 de junio de 2025, con un conjunto inicial de 15 condados que utilizan el sistema para apoyar las admisiones y evaluaciones de bienestar infantil. Durante los próximos ocho meses, todos los condados restantes harán la transición a PATH NC para admisiones y evaluaciones. La implementación de los módulos de gestión de casos en curso comenzará a principios de 2026 y se espera que se complete en el verano de 2026. Esta implementación gradual permite al NCDHHS proporcionar capacitación específica y apoyo individualizado a medida que cada conjunto de condados se prepara para la transición a PATH NC. El departamento continuará actualizando y mejorando el sistema en función de los comentarios de los usuarios durante todo el proceso de implementación.

“PATH NC va a cambiar las reglas del juego para el estado, y estamos entusiasmados de estar entre los primeros condados que lideran el camino”, dijo Christa Smith, directora del Departamento de Servicios Sociales del condado de Forsyth. “El sistema brinda a nuestro personal las herramientas adecuadas para tomar decisiones oportunas e informadas, y brinda a nuestros supervisores los datos que necesitan para identificar tendencias y mejorar la práctica. Esperamos ver todo lo que PATH NC hará por nosotros y nuestros socios del Departamento de Servicios Sociales en todo el estado “.

PATH NC es un paso crítico en el esfuerzo continuo del NCDHHS para transformar el bienestar infantil en Carolina del Norte a través de un cambio sistémico, un mayor acceso a los servicios, mejores datos y una mayor alineación entre los sistemas estatales y del condado. Al agilizar los procesos de documentación y proporcionar acceso en tiempo real a los datos de bienestar infantil para los usuarios de todo el sistema, PATH NC ofrece más oportunidades para que el personal estatal y del condado identifique tendencias o desafíos en la práctica de bienestar infantil y los aborde antes, lo que en última instancia conduce a un sistema más sólido y mejores resultados para los niños y las familias.

Para obtener más información sobre las iniciativas en curso para transformar los servicios de bienestar infantil en Carolina del Norte, lea Transforming Child Welfare in North Carolina: A Unified Vision for Children and Families del NCDHHS.

Haga clic aquí para ver el video adicional del NCDHHS de PATH NC para la admisión y las evaluaciones.
Jun 18, 2025

MIL OSI USA News –
June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: News 06/12/2025 Blackburn, Booker, Boozman, Rosen, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Honoring Female Veterans

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate June 12, 2025, as “Women Veterans Appreciation Day” to honor the women who have served in the Armed Forces both on and off the battlefield throughout American history. June 12 marks the signing of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948:

“From the women who disguised themselves to fight in the American Revolution and Civil War to the Hello Girls of World War I to today’s brave female service members, women have always answered the call to defend our nation,” said Senator Blackburn. “Millions of female veterans have served our country throughout its history, and Women Veterans Appreciation Day honors their courage, sacrifice, and vital contributions to our military.”

“Since the Revolutionary War, women have proudly served in our armed forces with skill, sacrifice, and a deep commitment to defending the pillars of our nation’s democracy,” said Senator Booker. “By designating June 12 as Women Veterans Appreciation Day, we honor the over three million women who have served valiantly in our armed forces. This recognition is long overdue, and we as a country are forever indebted to these women for their bravery.”

“Our nation can be proud to honor and recognize the invaluable contributions and achievements of our women in uniform,” said Senator Boozman. “The Natural State is home to 19,000 female veterans who have served with valor, dedication and courage and I am proud to join my colleagues to celebrate their vital efforts as well as champion policies that ensure they receive the care and benefits they’ve earned.”

“Women in Nevada and across the nation have served our country selflessly as members of our military, and we are forever grateful for their heroism and sacrifice,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan resolution to honor women veterans and the incredibly important role they’ve played in defending our nation. I will always work to advocate for all our nation’s veterans.”

“On Women Veterans Appreciation Day, we honor the millions of American women whose service has strengthened both our military and our nation,” said Senator Collins. “As we prepare to celebrate the 250^th birthday of the United States Army, it is fitting that we recognize the vital contributions that women have made throughout the history of America’s armed forces. Over the years, their roles have expanded from support positions to senior leadership, and at every step, women have answered the call of duty, serving with courage, skill, and distinction.”

Click here for resolution text.

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MIL OSI USA News –

June 19, 2025
PM Modi’s Call sparks village-level movement; “Yoga for One Earth, One Health” to guide celebrations

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

In a nationwide show of unity and enthusiasm, Gram Panchayats across India are preparing to make the upcoming International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2025 a historic grassroots celebration. This momentum follows a personal appeal from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, in a letter addressed to Gram Pradhans, urged them to spearhead community-level participation and integrate yoga into daily life.

“Yoga has positively transformed lives not only in India but across the world,” the Prime Minister wrote, emphasizing the transformative impact of yoga and the importance of making it a collective practice. This year’s IDY also marks a decade of its observance on the global stage, making it a significant milestone in India’s cultural and wellness journey.

The theme for IDY 2025, “Yoga for One Earth, One Health,” reflects the interconnectedness of individual health, community well-being, and environmental balance. PM Modi described yoga as a timeless part of India’s heritage and a vital tool for achieving a balanced and harmonious life.

Across the country, panchayats are taking up the Prime Minister’s call with fervour. Villages are organising regular yoga sessions, public demonstrations of the Common Yoga Protocol, and community outreach events in schools, anganwadis, health centres, and open public spaces. These efforts aim to make IDY 2025 a jan-andolan—a people’s movement that reaches every corner of rural India.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush and Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, praised the collective spirit of the nation. He noted that the overwhelming response from Gram Panchayats demonstrated the inspiring influence of Prime Minister Modi. “His heartfelt call has transformed IDY into a mass movement, with villages across the country embracing yoga as a vital part of rural life,” the Minister said.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district, Om Prakash Yadav, Sarpanch of Pariyari village, shared that the Prime Minister’s letter had a profound impact on his community. Motivated by the message, the village initiated weekly yoga sessions at the Panchayat Bhavan and introduced yoga competitions for school children. A special ‘Yoga Yatra’ was also organised to foster awareness and unity.

In Madhya Pradesh, Sunil Kumar W, Gram Pradhan of Bandakpur in Damoh district, expressed gratitude for the Prime Minister’s initiative, calling it a historic moment for rural India. He shared that the panchayat is preparing a large community yoga session under the Common Yoga Protocol, accompanied by an awareness campaign to ensure every household is informed and involved.

Similarly, in Khera Kursi village of Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh, Sarpanch Pawani Mishra expressed pride and appreciation for the Prime Minister’s outreach. Inspired by the letter, the panchayat established an open-air yoga site in their hilly terrain, which now hosts daily sessions. Women’s groups have also launched campaigns promoting the theme “Health is Wealth,” while schools have conducted painting and essay competitions on Prosperity through Yoga’ to engage children.

In his message, the Prime Minister urged Gram Pradhans to ensure inclusive participation, encouraging involvement from children, youth, women, and the elderly alike. He expressed confidence that these grassroots efforts would make yoga a household practice and turn IDY 2025 into a deeply meaningful national celebration.

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: Rosneft’s Green Investments Reach RUB 74 Billion in 2024

Source: Rosneft

Headline: Rosneft’s Green Investments Reach RUB 74 Billion in 2024

The 5th of June is World Environment Day and the aim is to raise public interest in actions that protect ecosystems. In Russia, this date coincides with Ecologist’s Day.

Rosneft carries out a wide range of activities and projects aimed at preserving a healthy environment. In 2024, the Company’s green investments totalled 74 billion roubles, which was a 16% increase on the previous year. Over the past three years, this figure totalled almost 200 billion roubles.

The key components of the Company’s long-term environmental agenda are captured in the Rosneft 2030: Reliable Energy and Global Transition strategy. The top priorities in this field for the Company and its subsidiaries are the implementation of programmes to remediate land, including historical heritage land; the improvement of pipeline reliability; and the preservation of water resources and biodiversity in the regions where the Company operates.

For instance, in 2024, Samotlorneftegaz completed a large-scale programme to remediate historical heritage lands, with the total area exceeding 2.2 thousand hectares. Approximately 85% of all remediation works were carried out by the Company’s own environmental department. The project has led to the development of new technologies and unique experiences that are in demand by other enterprises.

Rosneft devotes considerable attention to reforestation activities, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of ecosystems, preserving biodiversity, and combating climate change. The Company is working in partnership with the Government of the Krasnoyarsk Territory to develop a far-reaching environmental forestation project. This project aims to unlock the region’s forests’ climate-regulating potential and to promote sustainable development. In 2024, the Company and its subsidiaries planted almost 11 million trees of various types in the regions where they operate.

Rosneft is committed to the principles of the circular economy and is taking positive steps to implement them across its operations. Improving the efficiency of waste management processes is one of the priority goals of the Company’s 2030 strategy. The Company’s production enterprises have been successfully implementing zero-waste technologies that enable the production of artificial soil – an environmentally friendly construction material – from drilling cuttings.

Furthermore, the Company’s Samara Group enterprises recycled almost 300 tonnes of exhausted catalyst. A total of 8,000+ tonnes of non-ferrous and ferrous metals were sent for processing by the Achinsk, Saratov, Syzran, Kuibyshev, Novokuibyshevsk refineries, RN-Vankor and Bashneft subsidiaries.

Approximately 4,500 tonnes of waste oils and emulsions were sent for processing by the Kuibyshev Refinery, the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, RN-Vankor and Bashneft enterprises.

Biodiversity conservation is another important area of Rosneft’s environmental activities. For over a decade, the Company has been implementing annual initiatives to replenish Russia’s aquatic bioresources. In 2024, Rosneft’s enterprises released over 21.7 million young fish into the country’s water bodies.

Volunteers from the Company, its subsidiaries and design institutes are also actively involved in various environmental initiatives and contribute to the development of a culture of rational and responsible consumption of natural resources. Employees and their children participate in activities involving the planting of greenery, with a view to enhancing both urban and natural recreational areas. These activities form part of federal environmental campaigns such as Green Spring, Memory Garden, Water of Russia, Clean Shores, etc.

For more than 15 years, Samotlorneftegaz volunteers have been organising cleanup days to treat the shoreline of Lake Kymyl-Emtor as part of the nation-wide campaign Water of Russia.

Samara oil workers assist the staff of the Botanical Garden of Samara University in a number of ways. These include the removal of deadwood and leaves, the purchase of rare plant species and plant seedlings, and the restoration and improvement of springs in the region. In 2024, volunteers in the Samara region collected over 30 cubic metres of rubbish from the banks of the Volga and Sok rivers. Volunteers from the Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company participated in an environmental race, collecting a total of 930 kg of household waste.

In 2024, RN-Nyaganneftegaz oil workers collected approximately 3 tonnes of household rubbish from the shoreline of the Nyagan-Yugan River.

On the eve of Victory Day, Rosneft employees organised the cleaning of parks, memorial complexes and monuments dedicated to the Soviet people’s military achievements during the Great Patriotic War.

The Company’s initiatives play a significant role in preserving natural resources by organising campaigns to collect used batteries, plastic, and waste paper for recycling. In 2024, Rosneft employees recycled over 1,100 kg of waste batteries, uninterruptible power supplies, and disposable batteries. They also handed over seven tonnes of plastic for recycling and collected approximately 180 tonnes of waste paper.

Rosneft volunteers actively promote environmental education among young people, organising environmental quests, workshops, quizzes and eco-classes for schoolchildren. For instance, in 2024, Orenburgneft implemented the Eco-School project, collecting more than 10 tonnes of waste paper, over 70 kg of batteries, and over 17 kg of plastic caps with the help of students from regional schools.

For the past 14 years, the company has organised annual environmental safety competitions, which contribute to raising the level of environmental awareness and encourage subsidiaries to develop their expertise and improve their work in this area.

The public highly appreciated the successful environmental activities of Rosneft’s subsidiaries. In 2024, the Company’s Syzran, Novokuibyshevsk and Kuibyshev refineries received top honours at the nationwide Russian Environmental Leader contest.

Department of Information and Advertising
Rosneft
5 June 2025

MIL OSI Global Banks –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: Rosneft Supports Construction of a Large Cultural Centre in Yakutia

Source: Rosneft

Headline: Rosneft Supports Construction of a Large Cultural Centre in Yakutia

The foundation stone laying ceremony of the Multifunctional Cultural Centre took place in the administrative centre of Botuobuya village in the Tas-Yuryakh district of Yakutia. Rosneft and the Republic of Sakha signed a financing agreement for its construction at the IX Eastern Economic Forum.

Aysen Nikolaev, the head of the Sakha Republic, attended the ceremony and thanked the oil company for helping to implement the project, which is very important for the Republic.

Rosneft actively supports social projects aimed at creating favourable living conditions in the regions where it operates. The Company pays great attention to cultural and educational projects.

The centre will become the focal point of the village’s social and cultural life. The 1,533-square-metre building houses a cinema-concert hall equipped with ergonomic seating and state-of-the-art sound, lighting and video technology. The centre will also house an exhibition hall, a library, a reading room and a billiards room, as well as spaces for creative and folklore activities. There is a multipurpose sports hall for basketball, volleyball, mini-football and other activities.

The project also involves equipping the building with modern heating, water supply and ventilation systems. The building’s architecture combines modern solutions with national traditions.

Rosneft focuses on supporting educational, social, cultural and outreach projects in Yakutia. A new building for the Small Academy of Sciences, complete with a boarding school for 100 children, has opened in the village of Chapayevo in the Khangalassky District. The building was constructed and equipped by Rosneft. The Academy has become a hub for research and project activities involving schoolchildren from across the Far East region. A training centre called the ‘Factory of Oil and Gas Full Cycle Processes’ was established on the basis of the Regional Technical College in the town of Mirny for the practical training of oil and gas industry specialists.

In the village of Tas-Yuryakh, oil workers have created a comfortable environment for local residents by renovating the school rooms for robotics, 3D modelling and the school press centre. In addition, the school boasts a TV studio, a language laboratory, a history museum and a local history museum with exhibitions and educational displays, as well as a modern stadium and a children’s playground.

For reference:

Rosneft is represented in Yakutia by Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha, the enterprise responsible for developing the Srednebotuobinskoye oil and gas condensate field. The enterprise is one of Rosneft’s three largest production assets in Eastern Siberia. It is responsible for developing 11 licence blocks, including the Central Block and the Kurungsky licence block of the Srednebotuobinskoye oil and gas condensate field.

Department of Information and Advertising
Rosneft
April 18, 2025

MIL OSI Global Banks –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Great British Railways in action – passengers benefit from track and train being united on South Eastern Railway
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Great British Railways in action – passengers benefit from track and train being united on South Eastern Railway

Collaboration has seen consistently low levels of cancellations, with operational costs expected to reduce by £50 million every year.
Credit: South Eastern Railway

Southeastern and Network Rail unite to operate under a single, more efficient leadership team known as South Eastern Railway

under public ownership, Southeastern are delivering some of the lowest cancellation rates nationally and has forecast a £50 million reduction in taxpayer subsidy

South Eastern Railway marks a significant milestone towards Great British Railways and creating clear accountability for performance, delivering better public transport

Southeastern and Network Rail Kent route have united under a single leadership team to drive investment and efficiency and deliver for passengers and freight in an important step towards Great British Railways (GBR). Further regional arrangements will come into place as other services transfer into public ownership.

Operating as the South Eastern Railway team and overseen by Managing Director Steve White, the streamlined structure will allow for a more responsive railway with a common purpose and clear accountability for railway performance across the network.

Already under public ownership, Southeastern has been able to work increasingly closely with Network Rail, which manages railway infrastructure, for over a year. This collaborative approach has resulted in greater efficiency with better, faster decisions for customers and taxpayers, leading to an improved railway. For example:

consistently low levels of cancellations

customer satisfaction at 86%

subsidy required to operate Southeastern expected to reduce by £50 million year on year

Joint planning has led to more efficient and innovative solutions for reducing delays. This includes enabling engineers to access the track during the day to carry out repairs more efficiently, while maintaining a service for customers. Collaboration has also seen the railway trial drones up and down the network to identify and reduce incidents of trespass. More joined-up working also means matching trains to when passengers want to take them, delivering at least £3 million a year in additional revenue for the rail industry.

This is a significant milestone in the government’s plans to overhaul the railways through the creation of Great British Railways, uniting train and track with the sole focus of delivering for passengers.

This new integrated, collaborative approach across the south-east sets the path for how GBR will operate, including the high standards expected before the branding is given to operators. The standards, which will be tailored for each operator, will revolve around delivering high-performing, better-coordinated, more efficient and more responsive services.

Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said:

Track and train are 2 sides of the same coin, but for too long they have operated independently of each other – leaving customers and taxpayers to bear the consequences of this illogical approach.

Uniting track and train leadership in the south-east is the first step in our journey to create a railway we can all be proud of; delivering the government’s Plan for Change with better connectivity, leading to more growth, jobs and homes and ultimately to the creation of Great British Railways.

Under the new ways of working, South Eastern Railway have further plans to deliver for passengers and taxpayers over the next year/few years. This includes:

investing over £40 million in station improvements, including the country’s largest Access for All Scheme at Hither Green

modernising the rolling stock on the Metro service to deliver more accessible and passenger-focused journeys

fitting passenger trains with thermal imaging cameras and AI CCTV to monitor tracks and give early indications of issues that should be addressed before they affect customers – improving performance and reducing delays

recruiting the next generation of talent for a more inclusive and diverse workforce and delivering real social value and social mobility

South Eastern Railway Managing Director, Steve White, said:

We know that for our customers, what matters most is a railway they can depend on, is reliable and responsive when things go wrong. By joining together track and train under a single leadership team, with accountability for the whole railway instead of different parts, we can remove friction and make better, faster decisions to deliver a better service.

This new way of working puts customer needs front and centre, and will deliver a more joined up, responsive and sustainable railway.

This follows on from a watershed moment last month when South Western Railway (SWR) services became the first to transfer back into public control since the passing of the Public Ownership Bill, ending almost 30 years of fragmentation and waste under privatisation.

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Published 18 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Olivier Sterck, Associate professor, University of Oxford

Humanitarian needs are rising around the world. At the same time, major donors such as the US and the UK are pulling back support, placing increasing strain on already overstretched aid systems.

Global humanitarian needs have quadrupled since 2015, driven by new conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza. Added to these are protracted crises in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and DR Congo, among others. Yet donor funding has failed to keep pace, covering less than half of the requested US$50 billion in 2024, leaving millions without assistance.

Notably, the US recently slashed billions of US dollars from global relief efforts. The slashed contributions once made up to half of all public humanitarian funding and over a fifth of the UN’s budget. Other donors have been cutting aid as well.

As funding shortfalls widen, humanitarian agencies increasingly face tough choices: reducing the scale of operations, pausing essential services, or cancelling programmes altogether. Disruptions to aid delivery have become a routine feature of humanitarian operations.

Yet few rigorous studies have provided hard evidence of the consequences for affected populations.

A recent study from one of the world’s largest refugee camps in Kenya fills this gap.

Our research team from the University of Oxford and the University of Antwerp was already studying Kakuma camp and then had an opportunity to see what happened when aid was cut. We observed the impact of a 20% aid cut that occurred in 2023.

The study reveals that cuts to humanitarian assistance had dramatic impacts on hunger and psychological distress, with cascading effects on local credit systems and prices of goods.

Kakuma refugee camp

Kakuma is home to more than 300,000 refugees, who mostly came from South Sudan (49%), Somalia (16%), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (10%). They have been housed here since 1992. With widespread poverty, lack of income opportunities, and aid making up over 90% of household income, survival in the camp hinges on humanitarian support from UN organisations.

When the research began in late 2022, most refugees in Kakuma received a combination of in-kind and cash transfers from the World Food Programme. Transfers were worth US$17 per person per month, barely enough to cover the bare essentials: food, firewood and medicine.

Over the span of a year, the research team tracked 622 South Sudanese refugee households, interviewing them monthly to monitor how their living conditions evolved in response to the timing and level of aid they received. We also gathered weekly price data on 70 essential goods and conducted more than 250 in-depth interviews with refugees, shopkeepers, and humanitarian staff to understand the broader impacts.

Then came the cut. In July 2023, assistance was reduced by 20%, just as the research team was conducting its eighth round of data collection. This sudden reduction in humanitarian aid created a rare opportunity to assess the effects of an aid cut on both recipients and the markets they depend on.

Consequences of aid cut

The 20% cut in humanitarian aid had cascading effects, affecting not just hunger, but local credit systems, prices, and well-being.

1. Hunger got worse. As a Somali refugee interviewed by the researchers put it: “After the aid reduction, the lives of refugees become hard. That was the money sustaining them. […] Things are insufficient, and hunger is visible.”

Food insecurity was already widespread before the cut, with more than 90% of refugees classified as food insecure. Average caloric intake stood below 1,900 kcal per person per day – well under the World Food Programme’s 2,100 kcal target and about half the average daily calorie supply available to a US citizen.

Food insecurity further increased following the aid cut, with caloric intake falling by 145 kcal, a 7% decrease. The share of households eating one meal or less increased by 8 percentage points, from about 29% to 37%. At the same time, dietary diversity narrowed, indicating that households tried to mitigate the negative impacts of the aid cut by reducing the variety of foods they consumed.

2. Credit collapsed. As a refugee shopkeeper of Ethiopian origin reported: “When we give out credit we have a limit; since the aid is reduced, the credit is also reduced.”

Cash assistance in Kakuma is delivered through aid cards, which refugees routinely use as collateral to access food on credit. When transfers are delayed or unexpected expenses arise, refugees hand over their aid cards as a guarantee to trusted shopkeepers, allowing them to borrow food against next month’s aid.

But when assistance was cut, the value of this informal collateral plummeted. Retailers, fearing default, reduced lending or refused lending altogether. Informal credit from shopkeepers shrank by 9%. Many refugees reported being refused food on credit or having to repay past debt before receiving any new goods.

3. Households liquidated assets. With no access to credit, households began selling off possessions and drawing down food reserves. The average value of household assets fell by over 6% after the aid cut.

4. Psychological distress increased. The aid cut reduced self-reported sleep quality and happiness, indicating that reductions in aid go beyond physical impacts and also have psychological effects.

5. Prices fell. With reduced expenditure and purchasing power, the demand for food dropped, and food prices went down, partially offsetting the negative effects of the aid cut.

Implications

The study carries two major policy implications.

First, aid in contexts like Kakuma should not be treated as optional or discretionary, but as a structural necessity. It is the backbone of daily life. Mechanisms are needed to protect it from abrupt donor withdrawals.

Second, informal credit is not peripheral, it is central to economic life in refugee settings. In many camps, shopkeepers act as retailers and de facto financial institutions. When aid transfers serve as both income and collateral, cutting them risks collapsing this fragile credit system. Cash transfer programmes must therefore be designed with these dynamics in mind.

Olivier Sterck receives research funding from the IKEA Foundation, the World Bank, and The Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO).

Vittorio Bruni is affiliated with Oxford University

– ref. What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture – https://theconversation.com/what-happens-when-aid-is-cut-to-a-large-refugee-camp-kenyan-study-paints-a-bleak-picture-259055

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Nigeria’s economy is growing but rural poverty is rising: 5 key policies to address the divide

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stephen Onyeiwu, Professor of Economics & Business, Allegheny College

The Nigerian economy grew at a robust rate of 3.4% in 2024, the highest it has been since 2019 (except 2021 when the COVID rebound occurred).

This should have been cheering news, worthy of firecrackers and champagne-popping. Rather it came with a catch: the country’s poverty profile worsened.

In its annual review of the country, the World Bank applauded Nigeria for its economic reforms. These include the removal of fuel subsidies, liberalisation of the foreign exchange market and maintenance of a contractionary monetary policy. This is a policy of raising interest rates, reducing money supply and increasing borrowing costs to rein in inflation.

But the bank also drew attention to the fact that the country’s poverty profile has become grim. About 31% of Nigerians lived in poverty prior to the COVID-19 epidemic. Since then, an additional 42 million have become poor, increasing the poverty rate to about 46% in 2024.

Poverty is even worse in Nigeria’s rural communities: 75.5% live on US$2.15 or less per day (based on 2017 prices). The average poverty rate for sub-Saharan African countries was 36.5% in 2024 and 0.8% for East Asia and the Pacific.

Nigeria’s poverty rate would have been higher if the multidimensional poverty index had been used. In addition to income, the index considers access to education, health, decent housing, nutrition, sanitation, electricity and water. Access to these critical services has worsened for many Nigerians, despite improvements in macroeconomic stability.

Read more:
Poor rural infrastructure holds back food production by small Nigerian farmers

A challenge for policy makers is how to translate impressive macroeconomic outcomes into high-paying jobs, lower poverty rates and access to health, good sanitation, education, electricity and affordable housing. The question is even more acute for people in rural areas.

As an economist who has studied the Nigerian economy for over four decades and lived in a rural community, I believe Nigeria needs a radical shift in its economic policy approach.

One major step should be a change in the country’s growth drivers. Oil, information and communications technology and finance are the major drivers of growth in Nigeria.

These sectors are not employment-intensive, and they require skills that most Nigerians don’t have. Because of the lack of employment opportunities in these sectors, most Nigerians gravitate towards the informal sector, which accounts for about 90% of employment in the country.

By continuing to urge Nigerians to be patient for economic reforms to have a positive impact on their living conditions, the Tinubu administration appears to assume that improvements in macroeconomic performance will eventually manifest in lower unemployment and poverty rates. This notion of “trickle-down economics” is misconceived and illusory.

The government needs to intentionally create transmission mechanisms through which economic growth and macroeconomic stability can raise living standards.

Fostering growth with development

Concerted efforts will be needed to target poverty in general, and rural poverty in particular.

Five key policies could get Nigeria closer to this goal:

Building productive capacities: People who live in rural areas in Nigeria are eager to work and full of creative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit. But they lack the resources and opportunity to fully unleash their potential.

Building their productive capacities would entail giving them access to basic education, technical and managerial skills, and other productive resources such as tools, equipment, finance and land. The government should identify the comparative advantage of different rural communities, and put in place policies that encourage those communities to use their comparative advantage and distinctive competencies.

Opportunity to diversify incomes: In developed countries, many people hold multiple jobs. Most rural dwellers in Nigeria, however, rely on agriculture as their only source of livelihood.

Because of limited access to inputs and modern technology, and outdated agricultural practices, their productivity is often very low. Their low income makes it difficult to save and invest in education, health and housing.

Non-agricultural activities, especially manufacturing, need to be located in rural communities, to give rural dwellers the opportunity to diversify their income sources.

Agriculture-led industrial strategy: This would involve the location of manufacturing plants close to the sources of agricultural raw materials.

Nigerian manufacturers locate their factories in urban areas. The result of urban-biased development strategy in Nigeria has been the lack of employment opportunities in rural communities, and a decline in the rural population, from about 85% in 1960 to 46% in 2023.

Moving manufacturing to rural areas would require massive investment in infrastructure such as electricity, water, roads and health services.

Read more:
Nigeria’s new blue economy ministry could harness marine resources – moving the focus away from oil

Ending patriarchy and male domination: Women disproportionately bear the burden of rural poverty in Nigeria. A study in rural south-east Nigeria found that the poverty rate among women was 98%, compared to 85% for men. Men are often given preference regarding access to land, education, skills acquisition and financial inclusion.

Women are also imbued with the responsibility of caring for children, the elderly and the sick, as well as household chores. This leaves them with little time for paid work or opportunities to acquire marketable skills.

Ability to absorb shocks and vulnerability: Rural poverty is often exacerbated by shocks and vulnerability such as extreme weather conditions, attacks by insurgents and other criminal groups, and illness. With no safety nets, and little or no saving, most rural dwellers are unable to withstand shocks.

The Tinubu administration plans to disburse N25,000 (about US$17) each to 60 million Nigerians. But these kinds of support are too small, non-pervasive, irregular and unpredictable.

Read more:
Nigeria needs to close the financial inclusion gap for women smallholder farmers

What India and China have to teach

Nigeria could do well to borrow from the Indian model of an institutionalised safety net.

India issues “ration cards” to eligible households. The cards enable poor people to purchase essential food items such as grains, milk, eggs, cooking oil and bread at subsidised prices from designated stores.

Nigeria could finance this kind of programme with a special tax on oil companies and financial institutions, which frequently post huge after-tax profits.

China has had an impressive record of poverty reduction. Using the US$1.90 poverty line, China’s poverty rate decreased from 88.1% in 1981 to 0.3% in 2018.

The fall in rural poverty is even more dramatic, from 96% in 1980 to 1% in 2019.

This reduction was accomplished in stages, starting with an increase in agricultural productivity. It then shifted focus to the development of non-agricultural sectors of the economy, including manufacturing. These sectors were able to draw surplus labour from the agricultural sector, giving them skills that led to higher wages and poverty alleviation.

Read more:
Poor rural infrastructure holds back food production by small Nigerian farmers

Next steps

The World Bank in its report noted that addressing pressing social and humanitarian challenges remains critical to ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth in Nigeria.

Cash transfers and social assistance programmes could provide temporary relief for the poor in rural communities. But a long-term solution is to build their productive capacities and transform rural communities in ways that provide opportunities for income diversification.

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

– ref. Nigeria’s economy is growing but rural poverty is rising: 5 key policies to address the divide – https://theconversation.com/nigerias-economy-is-growing-but-rural-poverty-is-rising-5-key-policies-to-address-the-divide-257152

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Nigeria’s economy is growing but rural poverty is rising: 5 key policies to address the divide

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stephen Onyeiwu, Professor of Economics & Business, Allegheny College

The Nigerian economy grew at a robust rate of 3.4% in 2024, the highest it has been since 2019 (except 2021 when the COVID rebound occurred).

This should have been cheering news, worthy of firecrackers and champagne-popping. Rather it came with a catch: the country’s poverty profile worsened.

In its annual review of the country, the World Bank applauded Nigeria for its economic reforms. These include the removal of fuel subsidies, liberalisation of the foreign exchange market and maintenance of a contractionary monetary policy. This is a policy of raising interest rates, reducing money supply and increasing borrowing costs to rein in inflation.

But the bank also drew attention to the fact that the country’s poverty profile has become grim. About 31% of Nigerians lived in poverty prior to the COVID-19 epidemic. Since then, an additional 42 million have become poor, increasing the poverty rate to about 46% in 2024.

Poverty is even worse in Nigeria’s rural communities: 75.5% live on US$2.15 or less per day (based on 2017 prices). The average poverty rate for sub-Saharan African countries was 36.5% in 2024 and 0.8% for East Asia and the Pacific.

Nigeria’s poverty rate would have been higher if the multidimensional poverty index had been used. In addition to income, the index considers access to education, health, decent housing, nutrition, sanitation, electricity and water. Access to these critical services has worsened for many Nigerians, despite improvements in macroeconomic stability.

Read more: Poor rural infrastructure holds back food production by small Nigerian farmers

A challenge for policy makers is how to translate impressive macroeconomic outcomes into high-paying jobs, lower poverty rates and access to health, good sanitation, education, electricity and affordable housing. The question is even more acute for people in rural areas.

As an economist who has studied the Nigerian economy for over four decades and lived in a rural community, I believe Nigeria needs a radical shift in its economic policy approach.

One major step should be a change in the country’s growth drivers. Oil, information and communications technology and finance are the major drivers of growth in Nigeria.

These sectors are not employment-intensive, and they require skills that most Nigerians don’t have. Because of the lack of employment opportunities in these sectors, most Nigerians gravitate towards the informal sector, which accounts for about 90% of employment in the country.

By continuing to urge Nigerians to be patient for economic reforms to have a positive impact on their living conditions, the Tinubu administration appears to assume that improvements in macroeconomic performance will eventually manifest in lower unemployment and poverty rates. This notion of “trickle-down economics” is misconceived and illusory.

The government needs to intentionally create transmission mechanisms through which economic growth and macroeconomic stability can raise living standards.

Fostering growth with development

Concerted efforts will be needed to target poverty in general, and rural poverty in particular.

Five key policies could get Nigeria closer to this goal:

Building productive capacities: People who live in rural areas in Nigeria are eager to work and full of creative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit. But they lack the resources and opportunity to fully unleash their potential.

Building their productive capacities would entail giving them access to basic education, technical and managerial skills, and other productive resources such as tools, equipment, finance and land. The government should identify the comparative advantage of different rural communities, and put in place policies that encourage those communities to use their comparative advantage and distinctive competencies.

Opportunity to diversify incomes: In developed countries, many people hold multiple jobs. Most rural dwellers in Nigeria, however, rely on agriculture as their only source of livelihood.

Because of limited access to inputs and modern technology, and outdated agricultural practices, their productivity is often very low. Their low income makes it difficult to save and invest in education, health and housing.

Non-agricultural activities, especially manufacturing, need to be located in rural communities, to give rural dwellers the opportunity to diversify their income sources.

Agriculture-led industrial strategy: This would involve the location of manufacturing plants close to the sources of agricultural raw materials.

Nigerian manufacturers locate their factories in urban areas. The result of urban-biased development strategy in Nigeria has been the lack of employment opportunities in rural communities, and a decline in the rural population, from about 85% in 1960 to 46% in 2023.

Moving manufacturing to rural areas would require massive investment in infrastructure such as electricity, water, roads and health services.

Read more: Nigeria’s new blue economy ministry could harness marine resources – moving the focus away from oil

Ending patriarchy and male domination: Women disproportionately bear the burden of rural poverty in Nigeria. A study in rural south-east Nigeria found that the poverty rate among women was 98%, compared to 85% for men. Men are often given preference regarding access to land, education, skills acquisition and financial inclusion.

Women are also imbued with the responsibility of caring for children, the elderly and the sick, as well as household chores. This leaves them with little time for paid work or opportunities to acquire marketable skills.

Ability to absorb shocks and vulnerability: Rural poverty is often exacerbated by shocks and vulnerability such as extreme weather conditions, attacks by insurgents and other criminal groups, and illness. With no safety nets, and little or no saving, most rural dwellers are unable to withstand shocks.

The Tinubu administration plans to disburse N25,000 (about US$17) each to 60 million Nigerians. But these kinds of support are too small, non-pervasive, irregular and unpredictable.

Read more: Nigeria needs to close the financial inclusion gap for women smallholder farmers

What India and China have to teach

Nigeria could do well to borrow from the Indian model of an institutionalised safety net.

India issues “ration cards” to eligible households. The cards enable poor people to purchase essential food items such as grains, milk, eggs, cooking oil and bread at subsidised prices from designated stores.

Nigeria could finance this kind of programme with a special tax on oil companies and financial institutions, which frequently post huge after-tax profits.

China has had an impressive record of poverty reduction. Using the US$1.90 poverty line, China’s poverty rate decreased from 88.1% in 1981 to 0.3% in 2018.

The fall in rural poverty is even more dramatic, from 96% in 1980 to 1% in 2019.

This reduction was accomplished in stages, starting with an increase in agricultural productivity. It then shifted focus to the development of non-agricultural sectors of the economy, including manufacturing. These sectors were able to draw surplus labour from the agricultural sector, giving them skills that led to higher wages and poverty alleviation.

Read more: Poor rural infrastructure holds back food production by small Nigerian farmers

Next steps

The World Bank in its report noted that addressing pressing social and humanitarian challenges remains critical to ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth in Nigeria.

Cash transfers and social assistance programmes could provide temporary relief for the poor in rural communities. But a long-term solution is to build their productive capacities and transform rural communities in ways that provide opportunities for income diversification.

– Nigeria’s economy is growing but rural poverty is rising: 5 key policies to address the divide
– https://theconversation.com/nigerias-economy-is-growing-but-rural-poverty-is-rising-5-key-policies-to-address-the-divide-257152

MIL OSI Africa –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Olivier Sterck, Associate professor, University of Oxford

Humanitarian needs are rising around the world. At the same time, major donors such as the US and the UK are pulling back support, placing increasing strain on already overstretched aid systems.

Global humanitarian needs have quadrupled since 2015, driven by new conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza. Added to these are protracted crises in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and DR Congo, among others. Yet donor funding has failed to keep pace, covering less than half of the requested US$50 billion in 2024, leaving millions without assistance.

Notably, the US recently slashed billions of US dollars from global relief efforts. The slashed contributions once made up to half of all public humanitarian funding and over a fifth of the UN’s budget. Other donors have been cutting aid as well.

As funding shortfalls widen, humanitarian agencies increasingly face tough choices: reducing the scale of operations, pausing essential services, or cancelling programmes altogether. Disruptions to aid delivery have become a routine feature of humanitarian operations.

Yet few rigorous studies have provided hard evidence of the consequences for affected populations.

A recent study from one of the world’s largest refugee camps in Kenya fills this gap.

Our research team from the University of Oxford and the University of Antwerp was already studying Kakuma camp and then had an opportunity to see what happened when aid was cut. We observed the impact of a 20% aid cut that occurred in 2023.

The study reveals that cuts to humanitarian assistance had dramatic impacts on hunger and psychological distress, with cascading effects on local credit systems and prices of goods.

Kakuma refugee camp

Kakuma is home to more than 300,000 refugees, who mostly came from South Sudan (49%), Somalia (16%), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (10%). They have been housed here since 1992. With widespread poverty, lack of income opportunities, and aid making up over 90% of household income, survival in the camp hinges on humanitarian support from UN organisations.

When the research began in late 2022, most refugees in Kakuma received a combination of in-kind and cash transfers from the World Food Programme. Transfers were worth US$17 per person per month, barely enough to cover the bare essentials: food, firewood and medicine.

Over the span of a year, the research team tracked 622 South Sudanese refugee households, interviewing them monthly to monitor how their living conditions evolved in response to the timing and level of aid they received. We also gathered weekly price data on 70 essential goods and conducted more than 250 in-depth interviews with refugees, shopkeepers, and humanitarian staff to understand the broader impacts.

Then came the cut. In July 2023, assistance was reduced by 20%, just as the research team was conducting its eighth round of data collection. This sudden reduction in humanitarian aid created a rare opportunity to assess the effects of an aid cut on both recipients and the markets they depend on.

Consequences of aid cut

The 20% cut in humanitarian aid had cascading effects, affecting not just hunger, but local credit systems, prices, and well-being.

1. Hunger got worse. As a Somali refugee interviewed by the researchers put it: “After the aid reduction, the lives of refugees become hard. That was the money sustaining them. […] Things are insufficient, and hunger is visible.”

Food insecurity was already widespread before the cut, with more than 90% of refugees classified as food insecure. Average caloric intake stood below 1,900 kcal per person per day – well under the World Food Programme’s 2,100 kcal target and about half the average daily calorie supply available to a US citizen.

Food insecurity further increased following the aid cut, with caloric intake falling by 145 kcal, a 7% decrease. The share of households eating one meal or less increased by 8 percentage points, from about 29% to 37%. At the same time, dietary diversity narrowed, indicating that households tried to mitigate the negative impacts of the aid cut by reducing the variety of foods they consumed.

2. Credit collapsed. As a refugee shopkeeper of Ethiopian origin reported: “When we give out credit we have a limit; since the aid is reduced, the credit is also reduced.”

Cash assistance in Kakuma is delivered through aid cards, which refugees routinely use as collateral to access food on credit. When transfers are delayed or unexpected expenses arise, refugees hand over their aid cards as a guarantee to trusted shopkeepers, allowing them to borrow food against next month’s aid.

But when assistance was cut, the value of this informal collateral plummeted. Retailers, fearing default, reduced lending or refused lending altogether. Informal credit from shopkeepers shrank by 9%. Many refugees reported being refused food on credit or having to repay past debt before receiving any new goods.

3. Households liquidated assets. With no access to credit, households began selling off possessions and drawing down food reserves. The average value of household assets fell by over 6% after the aid cut.

4. Psychological distress increased. The aid cut reduced self-reported sleep quality and happiness, indicating that reductions in aid go beyond physical impacts and also have psychological effects.

5. Prices fell. With reduced expenditure and purchasing power, the demand for food dropped, and food prices went down, partially offsetting the negative effects of the aid cut.

Implications

The study carries two major policy implications.

First, aid in contexts like Kakuma should not be treated as optional or discretionary, but as a structural necessity. It is the backbone of daily life. Mechanisms are needed to protect it from abrupt donor withdrawals.

Second, informal credit is not peripheral, it is central to economic life in refugee settings. In many camps, shopkeepers act as retailers and de facto financial institutions. When aid transfers serve as both income and collateral, cutting them risks collapsing this fragile credit system. Cash transfer programmes must therefore be designed with these dynamics in mind.

– What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture
– https://theconversation.com/what-happens-when-aid-is-cut-to-a-large-refugee-camp-kenyan-study-paints-a-bleak-picture-259055

MIL OSI Africa –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Video highlights risks of cassowary feeding
Source: Tasmania Police

Issued: 18 Jun 2025

Open larger image

A “Be cass-o-wary” sign

Authorities are urging people to avoid unlawfully feeding wildlife after a close encounter with a cassowary.

Security video from south Mission Beach on May 09 shows a habituated male cassowary and his chick approaching a home in the hopes of being fed.

The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation is urging people in cassowary habitat to stop feeding them.

Wildlife Ranger Jeff Lewis said feeding cassowaries changes their behaviour, creating significant risks for people and our iconic endangered birds.

“This incident is one of several cassowary interactions in the area which are linked to unlawful feeding,” Mr Lewis said.

“Thankfully the mother and child were able to get inside to safety, but it’s an important reminder to not interfere with wildlife.

“In April, a man in his seventies was kicked in the leg by a cassowary which approached him expecting food. He was treated for a cut to his leg and was lucky the injuries weren’t worse.

“These incidents are stark examples of the dangers of feeding cassowaries.

“Local wildlife rangers have been warning people of the risks, installing signage and providing education, but the unlawful feeding persists.

“When cassowaries associate humans with food, they can become impatient and aggressive, particularly when accompanied by chicks.

“We encourage anyone with information in relation to unlawful feeding to report it to the Department.”

If you encounter a cassowary displaying concerning behaviour or see one injured, contact 1300 130 372. For general sightings.

Cassowaries can inflict serious injuries to people and pets by kicking out with their large, clawed feet. People are asked to Be cass-o-wary at all times in the Wet Tropics.
- Never approach cassowaries.
- Never approach chicks – male cassowaries will defend them.
- Never feed cassowaries – it is illegal, dangerous and has caused cassowary deaths.
- Always discard food scraps in closed bins and ensure compost bins have secure lids.
- Slow down when driving in cassowary habitat.
- Never stop your vehicle to look at cassowaries on the road.
- Keep dogs behind fences or on a leash.
MIL OSI News –
June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Solar Panels Give Edge to Tomatoes Grown Underneath

Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Science Sometimes Ends With a Taste Test

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory wanted to find out whether tomatoes would grow better using a specifically designed light filter that leverages a rapidly emerging photovoltaic cell technology that’s more flexible, lightweight, and inexpensive. Image by Wayne Hicks, NREL

Experiments lead to a greater understanding, deeper insights, and sometimes they even bear fruit. That was certainly the case last summer at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where researchers nurtured a dozen tomato plants.

Tucked into a corner on the second floor of the Field Test Laboratory Building, the plants were housed in two custom greenhouses. Six were exposed to the full solar spectrum, serving as a control to the six plants grown under less light. The reduced sunlight reaching the other plants was filtered through purplish panels so that only the spectrum most beneficial to the tomatoes would reach them.

The experiment was meant to prove the effectiveness of what is called a BioMatch, which enables the exact spectrum of light that best suits the physiological needs of the plant to pass through organic semiconducting materials found in solar cells. Now in the second year of the multi-disciplinary project known as “No Photon Left Behind,” the researchers determined limiting the spectrum made the tomatoes grow faster and bigger than those under direct sunlight.

“When light comes into contact with a plant, there are a lot of things that can happen. Different physiological pathways are triggered based on the type and amount of light. Those physiological pathways often determine productivity of the plant,” said Bryon Larson, an NREL chemist with expertise in organic photovoltaics (OPV) and principal investigator on the project. “We are studying what happens to plants when sunlight is filtered into only the spectrum and dose the plant needs, which is the plant light requirement, and we can produce that through the concept of BioMatched spectral harvesting, while using the light plants don’t need to make electricity with transparent OPV modules.”

Earlier Efforts Focused on Algae

Researchers grew the tomatoes adjacent to a lab space devoted to algae. In fact, the initial experiments on this project involved algae. They covered bottles containing the single-cell organism with a BioMatched photovoltaic filter intended to stimulate optimal growth. Rather than the months it takes to grow tomatoes, the work on algae proved fruitful over a single weekend.

Lieve Laurens, a plant biologist who heads NREL’s algae research, serves as the co-PI on the project. “We demonstrated that the cells grew faster, yielding more biomass, even though a large part of the spectrum was removed and the algae received fewer photons overall,” she said. “We found that photosynthetic algae had a much higher rate of converting photons to electrons to biomass, so it was great. So naturally we asked the question if the same effects would translate to plants and crops, where you could get the same yield with only the light spectrum the crop needs, without needing to bounce back the light it doesn’t need as wasted photons.”

Those findings showed the science was sound, provided preliminary data, and gave the researchers confidence to make their pitch for funding from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. A dedicated greenhouse would have been ideal, but the scientists had to make do with the available space.

NREL researchers Bryon Larson and Lieve Larens pose in the Field Test Laboratory Building where a variety of plants are grown, including tomatoes. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL

Photovoltaics capture sunlight and convert it to electricity. The OPV filters for the algae and the tomatoes do not generate electricity, but the eventual goal would be to incorporate BioMatched materials into semitransparent solar panels that supply power to a greenhouse while letting plant light shine through.

“When full spectrum light shines on a plant, the light contains both productive and damaging photons, and plants have to deal with un-needed light by expending energy to protect itself,” Larson said. “Algae have to do that. Regular plants have to do that. If you were to take the useful vs non-useful wavelengths of light that you need to separate out, collect the non-useful part for electricity and send the other bit through for plant growth, you’ve now designed a system that’s overall more efficiently using solar energy because it’s spectrally binning it into different functions—plant growth through photosynthesis versus electricity generation through photovoltaics. This is a unique element of our work, hence, No Photon Left Behind.”

The makeshift greenhouses each stand about eight feet tall, four feet wide. The sunlight coming into the room appears from a wall of windows behind the plants and skylights above them. Three evaporative coolers on the roof keep moist air circulating. A refrigerator sits on the other side of the room, filled with ripe beefsteak tomatoes. Many are the size of a baseball. The tomatoes won’t win any prizes for looks; they were plucked on a schedule, which gave the skin on some of the fast-growing fruit time to split.

Seth Steichen, a biologist who works with Laurens, has kept a close watch on the tomatoes, assisted by Kelly Groves. They have seen the plants grown under the OPV BioMatched Light stretch higher than the neighboring plants treated to full sun exposure. Even though the control plants receive 30% more light, the OPV plants are selectively bathed in the slice of the solar spectrum they crave.

“For laboratory experiments, these particularly bright tomatoes are pretty much unheard of,” Steichen said. “Basically, no one does lab experiments on these. Because of their size, their relatively long lifecycle, those are the reasons why they’re not commonly used for lab experiments. These are the most commonly grown variety of tomato in greenhouses in the U.S., so that is the reason why these are growing here right now, to make the most real-world connection possible.”

The regularly conducted tests considered such factors as size, weight, and photosynthetic yield, which measures how well the plants convert light into biomass. The tomatoes grown under BioMatched filters came out ahead.

“By and large, these are slightly more efficient in terms of photosynthetic yield than the control plants,” Steichen said, gesturing toward the plants under the filtered light. “The overall concept here is that you can still remove some of the light and convert it to electrons while still maintaining the same amount of fruit yield. This is just a test of whether or not that works with this given light-filtering chemistry, basically.”

Researcher Seth Steichen inspects tomato plants in NREL’s Field Test Laboratory Building. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL

Plants Absorb Light To Fuel Growth

The most widely used solar cells are inorganic and made from a singular material, specifically silicon. But NREL researchers have been pioneering work in solar cells based on organic semiconductors, which are made using synthetic chemistry. These organic photovoltaic devices have shown promise and potential to produce highly efficient cells that are also flexible, lightweight, and inexpensive.

Larson has accumulated a database of organic semiconductor properties during his more than 15 years at NREL, which allows him to select—or BioMatch—compounds that will produce the right spectrum for a particular plant. Plants convert light to chemical energy needed for growth. After calculating the amount of light a plant needs, the team uses a software program they created to generate BioMatch compositions based on a given plant light requirement. The team then scales up thin-film deposition processes to produce appropriate filters to allow only the desired spectrum to reach the plants. To show the reverse is also true, they have shown the anti-BioMatch filters will quickly starve a plant of light.

“I was worried when summer arrived nine months into the project, ideal conditions for tomato experiments,” Larson said about the shift from experimenting with algae. “What if we’re taking too big of a jump going from these single-cell organisms to far more complicated multicellular plants?”

But being able to put the BioMatch concept to test against growing tomatoes, he said, “is a bit of a dream come true. I mean, the fact that we got to grow tomatoes in the first year was way ahead of what the project was originally drawn up to do.” The confidence gained from experimenting with model algae strains convinced the researchers to take advantage of the summer growing season right then rather than wait until the second year of the project.

“When you’re doing experiments that rely on the weather, you don’t have much of a choice but to ‘make hay when the sun is shining’ as they say,” Larson said. “It was a choice to pull forward the experiment. Not wait for it. It panned out.”

The research could play an important role in the emerging field of agrivoltaics, in which various plants are grown near and beneath rows of solar panels, or help design next-generation energy-efficient greenhouses. The panels can be tailored to BioMatch the ideal light spectrum a plant needs, regardless of what species, or where on the planet you want to grow it, within reason.

But How Do They Taste?

With the experiment concluded that revealed the tomatoes grown beneath the OPV had accelerated growth, one final test had to be conducted.

“We’ve been all just licking our lips, waiting for the taste test,” said Larson, adding that he would be “personally very sad” if the tomatoes turned out to be tasteless given how promising the plants appeared by eye. The light reaching the tomatoes activates different functions, such as making sugar to sweeten the fruits and proteins to change the texture. “The taste test will be the final hurrah.”

Unlike most experiments conducted at NREL, this project ended with a taste test. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL

Science demands variables, so Larson purchased organically grown industry reference greenhouse tomatoes as part of the test. He chopped up the various tomatoes, put them on plates, and mixed them up so even he could not tell which were which. Only the labels on the bottom of the plates held the answer. The researchers tried the tomatoes by themselves, with some salt, with some pepper, with some crackers, and then ranked each in order of preference.

The store-bought tomatoes came in last place. The consensus was split between whether the tomatoes grown under the OPV were a favorite, or the control tomatoes grown under regular sunlight. Larson said he took those results as a win for Steichen and the biology team, who were responsible for caring for the tomatoes six days a week for nearly five months.

With the initial experiment completed, and tasty at that, the researchers are on their way to a greater understanding of the interplay between light and plant growth.

Learn more about NREL’s research in the areas of bioenergy and bioeconomy, organic photovoltaic solar cells, and agrivoltaics.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Rebuilding lives after returning home: policymakers, practitioners, civil society and academia meet at the 2nd Reintegration Conference in Rotterdam

Source: Frontex

A return journey can be a new beginning.

The 2nd Reintegration Conference in Rotterdam organised recently by Frontex brought together experts, Member States and reintegration partners committed to supporting people who return to their home countries.

Reintegration means helping returnees rebuild their lives back home, whether it’s support to find housing, launch a business, or access healthcare or training. It’s about turning return into a real opportunity.

“Reintegration is not the end of a journey. It is the beginning of a new one. And it is our responsibility to help people start that new journey with dignity, with support, and with hope,” said Hans Leijtens, Frontex Executive Director, in his opening speech.

This was the second Reintegration Conference organised by the Agency. It reinforced collaboration between policymakers and those who work directly with returnees to provide the best possible support. The programme addressed the challenges faced by people involved in the reintegration process, such as inclusive reintegration and gender-specific challenges. The Conference also included workshops to share experiences, exchange know-how and best practices.

The EU Reintegration Programme, fully funded and centrally managed by Frontex, offers to Member States the possibility to provide returning migrants with concrete, tailored assistance in their own countries.

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Montenegro and Moldova: Parliament welcomes EU membership progress

Source: European Union 2

MEPs welcome Montenegro´s objective to join the EU in 2028 and praise Moldova’s EU membership efforts in resolutions adopted on Wednesday.

Importance of political stability in Montenegro

Parliament calls for political stability in Montenegro and substantial progress regarding electoral and judicial reforms as well as the fight against organised crime and corruption. In a report adopted by 470 votes in favour. 102 against and 77 abstentions, MEPs stress that Montenegro remains the leading candidate in the EU enlargement process and point to the overwhelming support of its citizens and the majority of political actors for joining the EU in 2028. Parliament welcomes the country’s full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, including EU sanctions against Russia, and commends Montenegro for its support for the international rules-based order at the United Nations.

Fight against foreign interference

Parliament is however seriously concerned by malign interference, cyber-attacks, hybrid threats, disinformation campaigns and efforts to destabilise Montenegro, including attempts to influence its political processes and public opinion. These discredit the EU and undermine the country’s progress towards EU membership.

The rapporteur on Montenegro Marjan Šarec (Renew Europe, Slovenia) said: “It is important to note that the adoption of necessary legislation involved cooperation between both coalition and opposition parties. This reflects a high level of awareness that the European path is the only right one for Montenegro, with no viable alternative. Montenegro’s achievements thus far provide a solid foundation for addressing future challenges, which are numerous and far from easy. The fight against organised crime and corruption, judicial reform, and the prevention of influence from third countries are of critical importance for meeting democratic standards.”

MEPs praise Moldova’s EU membership efforts

Commending Moldova’s exemplary commitment to advancing its progress towards EU membership, a report approved by MEPs by 456 votes in favour to 118 against with 51 abstentions recognises that EU-Moldova relations have entered into a new phase. Cooperation has intensified alongside sustained efforts by the government in Chișinău to align Moldova’s laws with those of the EU (the so-called “EU acquis”). Despite significant internal and external challenges, such as the effects of Russia’s continuing war against neighbouring Ukraine and Moscow’s interference in Moldova’s democratic processes, MEPs welcome the Moldovan government’s progress on meeting the EU’s enlargement requirements and the country’s ambition to open negotiations on more enlargement-related issues. MEPs call on the European Commission to enhance its support for Moldova to achieve these objectives.

Russian interference in Moldova’s democratic processes
MEPs note that in both Moldova’s recent constitutional referendum on European integration and the 2024 presidential election Moldovans reaffirmed their support for EU membership and the government’s pro-European reform agenda. Despite being subject to a massive hybrid campaign by Russia and its proxies, MEPs say both the referendum and the election were held professionally and “with an extraordinary sense of duty and dedication”. They also note that the country’s parliamentary elections in autumn 2025 will be crucial for the continuation of Moldova’s pro-European trajectory and warn about the likely intensification of foreign, in particular Russian, malign interference and hybrid attacks.

The rapporteur on Moldova Sven Mikser (S&D, Estonia) said: “We commend Moldova’s strong commitment to EU integration and acknowledge the country’s strategic importance for Europe. The Moldovan authorities have demonstrated remarkable determination to pursue reforms and align with EU values despite facing major challenges and external pressure by the Kremlin and its proxies.”

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gareth J. Fraser, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, University of Florida

The shark in ‘Jaws’ became a terrifying icon. Universal Pictures via Getty Images

The summer of 1975 was the summer of “Jaws.”

The movie was adapted from a novel by Peter Benchley.
Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The first blockbuster movie sent waves of panic and awe through audiences. “Jaws” – the tale of a killer great white shark that terrorizes a coastal tourist town – captured people’s imaginations and simultaneously created a widespread fear of the water.

To call Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece a creature feature is trite. Because the shark isn’t shown for most of the movie – mechanical difficulties meant production didn’t have one ready to use until later in the filming process – suspense and fear build. The movie unlocked in viewers an innate fear of the unknown, encouraging the idea that monsters lurk beneath the ocean’s surface, even in the shallows.

And because in 1975 marine scientists knew far less than we do now about sharks and their world, it was easy for the myth of the rogue shark as a murderous eating machine to take hold, along with the assumption that all sharks must be bloodthirsty, mindless killers.

People lined up to get scared by the murderous shark at the center of the ‘Jaws’ movie.
Bettmann Archive via Getty Images

But in addition to scaring many moviegoers that “it’s not safe to go in the water,” “Jaws” has over the years inspired generations of researchers, including me. The scientific curiosity sparked by this horror fish flick has helped reveal so much more about what lies beneath the waves than was known 50 years ago. My own research focuses on the secret lives of sharks, their evolution and development, and how people can benefit from the study of these enigmatic animals.

The business end of sharks: Their jaws and teeth

My own work has focused on perhaps the most terrifying aspect of these apex predators, the jaws and teeth. I study the development of shark teeth in embryos.

Small-spotted catshark embryo (Scyliorhinus canicula), still attached to the yolk sac. This is the stage when the teeth begin developing.
Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida

Sharks continue to make an unlimited supply of tooth replacements throughout life – it’s how they keep their bite constantly sharp.

Hard-shelled prey, such as mollusks and crustaceans, from sandy substrates can be more abrasive for teeth, requiring quicker replacement. Depending on the water temperature, the conveyor belt-like renewal of an entire row of teeth can take between nine and 70 days, for example, in nurse sharks, or much longer in larger sharks. In the great white, a full-row replacement can take an estimated 250 days. That’s still an advantage over humans – we never regrow damaged or worn-out adult teeth.

Magnified microscope image of a zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) jaw. They have 20 to 30 rows of teeth in each jaw, each a new generation ready to move into position like on a conveyor belt. Humans have only two sets!
Gareth Fraser, University of Florida

Interestingly, shark teeth are much like our own, developing from equivalent cells, patterned by the same genes, creating the same hard tissues, enamel and dentin. Sharks could potentially teach researchers how to master the process of tooth renewal. It would be huge for dentistry if scientists could use sharks to figure out how to engineer a new generation of teeth for human patients.

Extraordinary fish with extraordinary biology

As a group, sharks and their cartilaginous fish relatives – including skates, rays and chimaeras – are evolutionary relics that have inhabited the Earth’s oceans for over 400 million years. They’ve been around since long before human beings and most of the other animals on our planet today hit the scene, even before dinosaurs emerged.

Sharks have a vast array of super powers that scientists have only recently discovered.

Their electroreceptive pores, located around the head and jaws, have amazing sensory capabilities, allowing sharks to detect weak electrical fields emitted from hidden prey.

CT scan of the head of a small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) as it hatches. Skin denticles cover the surface, and colored rows of teeth are present on the jaws.
Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida

Their skin is protected with an armor of tiny teeth, called dermal denticles, composed of sensitive dentin, that also allows for better drag-reducing hydrodynamics. Biologists and engineers are also using this “shark skin technology” to design hydrodynamic and aerodynamic solutions for future fuel-efficient vehicles.

Fluorescent skin of the chain catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer).
Gareth Fraser, University of Florida

Some sharks are biofluorescent, meaning they emit light in different wavelengths after absorbing natural blue light. This emitted fluorescent color pattern suggests visual communication and recognition among members of the same species is possible in the dark depths.

Sharks can migrate across huge global distances. For example, a silky shark was recorded traveling 17,000 miles (over 27,000 kilometers) over a year and a half. Hammerhead sharks can even home in on the Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate.

Greenland sharks exhibit a lengthy aging process and live for hundreds of years. Scientists estimated that one individual was 392 years old, give or take 120 years.

Still much about sharks remains mysterious. We know little about their breeding habits and locations of their nursery grounds. Conservation efforts are beginning to target the identification of shark nurseries as a way to manage and protect fragile populations.

Tagging programs and their “follow the shark” apps allow researchers to learn more about these animals’ lives and where they roam – highlighting the benefit of international collaboration and public engagement for conserving threatened shark populations.

Sharks under attack

Sharks are an incredible evolutionary success story. But they’re also vulnerable in the modern age of human-ocean interactions.

Sharks are an afterthought for the commercial fishing industry, but overfishing of other species can cause dramatic crashes in shark populations. Their late age of sexual maturity – as old as 15 to 20 years or more in larger species or potentially 150 years in Greenland sharks – along with slow growth, long gestation periods and complex social structures make shark populations fragile and less capable of quick recoveries.

Take the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), for example – Jaws’ own species. Trophy hunting, trade in their body parts and commercial fishery impacts caused their numbers to dwindle. As a result, they received essential protections at the international level. In turn, their numbers have rebounded, especially around the United States, leading to a shift from critically endangered to vulnerable status worldwide. However, they remain critically endangered in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Protections and conservation measures have helped white sharks make a comeback.
Dave Fleetham/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

“Jaws” was filmed on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts. After careful management and the designation of white sharks as a prohibited species in federal waters in 1997 and in Massachusetts in 2005, their populations have recovered well over recent years in response to more seals in the area and recovering fish stocks.

You might assume more sharks would mean more attacks, but that is not what we observe. Shark attacks have always been few and far between in Massachusetts and elsewhere, and they remain rare. It’s only a “Jaws”-perpetuated myth that sharks have a taste for humans. Sure, they might mistake a person for prey; for instance, surfers and swimmers can mimic the appearance of seals at the surface. Sharks in murky water might opportunistically take a test bite of what seem to be prey.

But these attacks are rare enough that people can shed their “Jaws”-driven irrational fears of sharks. Almost all sharks are timid, and the likelihood of an interaction – let alone a negative one – is incredibly rare. Importantly, there more than 500 species of sharks in the world’s oceans, each one a unique member of a particular ecosystem with a vital role. Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, and inhabit every ocean, both the shallow and deep-end ecosystems.

Most recorded human-shark interactions are awe-inspiring and not terrifying. Sharks don’t really care about people – at most they may be curious, but not hungry for human flesh. Whether or not “Jaws” fans have grown beyond the fear of movie monster sharks, we’re gonna need a bigger conservation effort to continue to protect these important ocean guardians.

Gareth J. Fraser receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

– ref. 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology – https://theconversation.com/50-years-after-jaws-researchers-have-retired-the-man-eater-myth-and-revealed-more-about-sharks-amazing-biology-258151

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gareth J. Fraser, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, University of Florida

The shark in ‘Jaws’ became a terrifying icon. Universal Pictures via Getty Images

The summer of 1975 was the summer of “Jaws.”

The movie was adapted from a novel by Peter Benchley.
Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The first blockbuster movie sent waves of panic and awe through audiences. “Jaws” – the tale of a killer great white shark that terrorizes a coastal tourist town – captured people’s imaginations and simultaneously created a widespread fear of the water.

To call Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece a creature feature is trite. Because the shark isn’t shown for most of the movie – mechanical difficulties meant production didn’t have one ready to use until later in the filming process – suspense and fear build. The movie unlocked in viewers an innate fear of the unknown, encouraging the idea that monsters lurk beneath the ocean’s surface, even in the shallows.

And because in 1975 marine scientists knew far less than we do now about sharks and their world, it was easy for the myth of the rogue shark as a murderous eating machine to take hold, along with the assumption that all sharks must be bloodthirsty, mindless killers.

People lined up to get scared by the murderous shark at the center of the ‘Jaws’ movie.
Bettmann Archive via Getty Images

But in addition to scaring many moviegoers that “it’s not safe to go in the water,” “Jaws” has over the years inspired generations of researchers, including me. The scientific curiosity sparked by this horror fish flick has helped reveal so much more about what lies beneath the waves than was known 50 years ago. My own research focuses on the secret lives of sharks, their evolution and development, and how people can benefit from the study of these enigmatic animals.

The business end of sharks: Their jaws and teeth

My own work has focused on perhaps the most terrifying aspect of these apex predators, the jaws and teeth. I study the development of shark teeth in embryos.

Small-spotted catshark embryo (Scyliorhinus canicula), still attached to the yolk sac. This is the stage when the teeth begin developing.
Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida

Sharks continue to make an unlimited supply of tooth replacements throughout life – it’s how they keep their bite constantly sharp.

Hard-shelled prey, such as mollusks and crustaceans, from sandy substrates can be more abrasive for teeth, requiring quicker replacement. Depending on the water temperature, the conveyor belt-like renewal of an entire row of teeth can take between nine and 70 days, for example, in nurse sharks, or much longer in larger sharks. In the great white, a full-row replacement can take an estimated 250 days. That’s still an advantage over humans – we never regrow damaged or worn-out adult teeth.

Magnified microscope image of a zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) jaw. They have 20 to 30 rows of teeth in each jaw, each a new generation ready to move into position like on a conveyor belt. Humans have only two sets!
Gareth Fraser, University of Florida

Interestingly, shark teeth are much like our own, developing from equivalent cells, patterned by the same genes, creating the same hard tissues, enamel and dentin. Sharks could potentially teach researchers how to master the process of tooth renewal. It would be huge for dentistry if scientists could use sharks to figure out how to engineer a new generation of teeth for human patients.

Extraordinary fish with extraordinary biology

As a group, sharks and their cartilaginous fish relatives – including skates, rays and chimaeras – are evolutionary relics that have inhabited the Earth’s oceans for over 400 million years. They’ve been around since long before human beings and most of the other animals on our planet today hit the scene, even before dinosaurs emerged.

Sharks have a vast array of super powers that scientists have only recently discovered.

Their electroreceptive pores, located around the head and jaws, have amazing sensory capabilities, allowing sharks to detect weak electrical fields emitted from hidden prey.

CT scan of the head of a small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) as it hatches. Skin denticles cover the surface, and colored rows of teeth are present on the jaws.
Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida

Their skin is protected with an armor of tiny teeth, called dermal denticles, composed of sensitive dentin, that also allows for better drag-reducing hydrodynamics. Biologists and engineers are also using this “shark skin technology” to design hydrodynamic and aerodynamic solutions for future fuel-efficient vehicles.

Fluorescent skin of the chain catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer).
Gareth Fraser, University of Florida

Some sharks are biofluorescent, meaning they emit light in different wavelengths after absorbing natural blue light. This emitted fluorescent color pattern suggests visual communication and recognition among members of the same species is possible in the dark depths.

Sharks can migrate across huge global distances. For example, a silky shark was recorded traveling 17,000 miles (over 27,000 kilometers) over a year and a half. Hammerhead sharks can even home in on the Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate.

Greenland sharks exhibit a lengthy aging process and live for hundreds of years. Scientists estimated that one individual was 392 years old, give or take 120 years.

Still much about sharks remains mysterious. We know little about their breeding habits and locations of their nursery grounds. Conservation efforts are beginning to target the identification of shark nurseries as a way to manage and protect fragile populations.

Tagging programs and their “follow the shark” apps allow researchers to learn more about these animals’ lives and where they roam – highlighting the benefit of international collaboration and public engagement for conserving threatened shark populations.

Sharks under attack

Sharks are an incredible evolutionary success story. But they’re also vulnerable in the modern age of human-ocean interactions.

Sharks are an afterthought for the commercial fishing industry, but overfishing of other species can cause dramatic crashes in shark populations. Their late age of sexual maturity – as old as 15 to 20 years or more in larger species or potentially 150 years in Greenland sharks – along with slow growth, long gestation periods and complex social structures make shark populations fragile and less capable of quick recoveries.

Take the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), for example – Jaws’ own species. Trophy hunting, trade in their body parts and commercial fishery impacts caused their numbers to dwindle. As a result, they received essential protections at the international level. In turn, their numbers have rebounded, especially around the United States, leading to a shift from critically endangered to vulnerable status worldwide. However, they remain critically endangered in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Protections and conservation measures have helped white sharks make a comeback.
Dave Fleetham/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

“Jaws” was filmed on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts. After careful management and the designation of white sharks as a prohibited species in federal waters in 1997 and in Massachusetts in 2005, their populations have recovered well over recent years in response to more seals in the area and recovering fish stocks.

You might assume more sharks would mean more attacks, but that is not what we observe. Shark attacks have always been few and far between in Massachusetts and elsewhere, and they remain rare. It’s only a “Jaws”-perpetuated myth that sharks have a taste for humans. Sure, they might mistake a person for prey; for instance, surfers and swimmers can mimic the appearance of seals at the surface. Sharks in murky water might opportunistically take a test bite of what seem to be prey.

But these attacks are rare enough that people can shed their “Jaws”-driven irrational fears of sharks. Almost all sharks are timid, and the likelihood of an interaction – let alone a negative one – is incredibly rare. Importantly, there more than 500 species of sharks in the world’s oceans, each one a unique member of a particular ecosystem with a vital role. Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, and inhabit every ocean, both the shallow and deep-end ecosystems.

Most recorded human-shark interactions are awe-inspiring and not terrifying. Sharks don’t really care about people – at most they may be curious, but not hungry for human flesh. Whether or not “Jaws” fans have grown beyond the fear of movie monster sharks, we’re gonna need a bigger conservation effort to continue to protect these important ocean guardians.

Gareth J. Fraser receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

– ref. 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology – https://theconversation.com/50-years-after-jaws-researchers-have-retired-the-man-eater-myth-and-revealed-more-about-sharks-amazing-biology-258151

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese premier stresses innovation, boosting demand to propel growth

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

NANJING, June 18 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged efforts to promote innovation and expand effective demand to propel sustained improvement in the economy.

Li made the remarks during an inspection tour from Monday to Wednesday in east China’s Jiangsu Province. During the tour, he underlined efforts to foster a strong atmosphere for starting businesses and making achievements, and to stimulate vitality for high-quality development in the process of deepening reform and opening up.

While inspecting a local machinery company, Li called for actively applying technologies such as artificial intelligence and clean energy to promote the upgrade of the construction machinery industry in line with the global trend.

Efforts should focus on aligning innovation with industry needs, advancing major original breakthroughs and technological innovations, and accelerating both industrialization and market applications, Li said.

He also stressed the need to carry out in-depth basic research, promote cross-disciplinary integration and innovation, and strengthen cooperation to secure the leading position in future sci-tech and industrial development.

At a local home appliance company, Li learned about the effects of the country’s consumer goods trade-in program, and urged the company to make good use of relevant policies to unleash consumption potential.

Noting that the country’s market is vast and continuously growing, Li said that China welcomes enterprises from all countries to invest and start businesses here.

“We will further increase policy support and service guarantees to create a favorable environment for foreign-funded enterprises to develop and thrive in China,” he said.

During the tour, Li also underlined efforts to better leverage the role of the China-Europe Railway Express and cross-border e-commerce to enhance economic and trade exchanges between China and Central Asia, expand their cooperation areas, and promote mutual benefit in the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road.

Jiangsu has a solid economic foundation, and also has higher development requirements, Li said, urging the province to better leverage its economic strength to make more contributions to the overall development of the country.

MIL OSI China News –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Alexander Stadium celebrates the completion of Commonwealth Games-funded Legacy transformation project.

Source: City of Birmingham

Alexander Stadium, host venue during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, has marked a new chapter in its 48-year history following the completion of its Legacy Capital Redevelopment Programme.

The two-year Commonwealth Games-funded Capital programme included redevelopment work at Alexander Stadium and the neighbouring Perry Park, and has produced new and improved infrastructure to inspire future generations.

This significant milestone was celebrated last week at Alexander Stadium where key stakeholders and partners in the project, including the beloved mascot Perry the Bull, came together to recognise the success and explore the new facilities on offer.

Improvements at the Stadium include a new 120-station health and fitness suite, a new third generation artificial pitch for football and rugby, a new cycle studio and a refurbished indoors athletics hall. The permanent lighting arrangement in the main stadium has been designed to future proof future growth and the securing of other major televised events.

At Perry Park, the redevelopment work includes a replacement children’s playground and new sports activation zone for the community, with new routes around the park and reservoir for running, walking and cycling.

The improvements, which are part of wider regeneration work in Perry Barr and is set to provide the local community and visitors alike with access to green spaces and high-quality facilities for sport and recreation all year round.

Following the additional capital works, the stadium continues to be a world-class sporting venue and is set to welcome the European Athletics Championship in August 2026, the first time the UK has hosted the Championship.

The Stadium also continues to be the home to Birchfield Harriers Athletics club, the most successful athletics club in the country, who have occupied the stadium since 1975; and Birmingham City University, who relocated part of their sports and science campus to the Stadium in 2023.

Cllr Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care said: “I am delighted to hear about the successful redevelopment of Alexander Stadium and Perry Park, cementing its position as a world-class international sports venue.

“With the European Athletics Championships arriving in 2026 and the UK Athletics Championship and English Schools Athletics Championships amongst other events taking place at Alexander Stadium this summer, it is an exciting time for sport in Birmingham.

“The completed regeneration of Alexander Stadium delivers a lasting Commonwealth Games legacy in promoting sport and recreation for not just the people of Perry Barr but the whole city to enjoy all year round.”

Katie Sadleir, CEO at Commonwealth Sport said: “Alexander Stadium’s transformation is an inspiring example of the continued legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

It embodies the Commonwealth Sport Movement’s ambition to create lasting impact beyond the field of play — delivering world-class facilities, enhancing community wellbeing, and inspiring the next generation of athletes.

We are proud to see this legacy come to life in Perry Barr, and look forward to seeing the Stadium thrive as a hub for sport, learning and community engagement for years to come.”

Nicola Turner, CEO at United by 2022 said “United By 2022 is incredibly proud to support the opening of the Perry Fitness Centre as a lasting legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

As the custodians of the Games’ community legacy — and of course, the much-loved mascot Perry the Bull — we are thrilled to see these facilities come to life for local residents. These improvements represent more than just bricks and mortar; they are a catalyst for stronger community engagement, healthier lifestyles, and greater access to sport and recreation for all. We can’t wait to see the positive impact they will have in the years to come.”

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Executive Director for Place, Sport England, said:

“The legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games still shines strongly in the city and wider West Midlands. We have a long history with Birmingham and the Alexander Stadium – one that that we’re really proud of. We are investing in partners and places that need the most help in getting people active. We look forward to seeing the local communities of Birmingham enjoy and use these facilities to give them the opportunities they deserve and seeing the legacy of the Commonwealth Games live on.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Is Mark Carney turning his back on climate action?

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Deborah de Lange, Associate Professor, Global Management Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University

The G7 summit in Alberta, hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney, has ended with only passing mention of fighting climate change, including a statement on wildfires that is silent on the pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This is puzzling. Canadians didn’t opt for Conservative Pierre Poilievre, considered by some to be an oil and gas industry mouthpiece, in the last federal election. Instead, voters gave Carney’s Liberals a minority government.

Carney was the United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance and was behind the UN-backed Net-Zero Banking Alliance, so some Canadians might have assumed he’d prioritize climate action if he won the election. Instead, Carney has described developing fossil fuel infrastructure as “pragmatic.”

But it’s unclear how a country grappling with abysmal air quality due to wildfires fuelled by global warming will benefit from further global fossil fuel development and its related emissions.

Read more:
Wildfire smoke can harm your brain, not just your lungs

Warming rapidly

Canada is warming faster than most of the globe. Its leaders should be laser-focused on mitigating climate change by reducing fossil fuel use to the greatest extent possible, as soon as possible.

This decades-long understanding of how to approach climate action has been repeatedly explained by experts and is well known to governments globally. Canada’s prime minister was once one of those experts.

Carney now has a tremendous opportunity to lead by steering Canada in a clean direction.

Canada is at the forefront of clean technology, with numerous business opportunities emerging, particularly in areas like circular economy international trade. These opportunities not only support Canada’s commitment to meeting its Paris Agreement targets but also help expand and diversify its global trade.

Eco-industrial parks

Canada already has exemplar eco-industrial parks — co-operative businesses located on a common property that focus on reducing environmental impact through resource efficiency, waste reduction and sharing resources. Such industrial communities are in Halifax and in Delta, B.C. They represent significant investment opportunities.

Vacant urban land could be revitalized and existing industrial parks could boost their economic output and circular trade by building stronger partnerships to share resources, reduce waste and cut emissions.

Read more:
A sustainable, circular economy could counter Trump’s tariffs while strengthening international trade

Canada would benefit economically and environmentally by building on existing expertise and expanding successful sustainability strategies to achieve economic, environmental and social goals.

But by continuing to invest in fossil fuels, Canada misses out on opportunities to diversify trade and boost economic competitiveness.

The secret to China’s success

Real diversification makes Canada less vulnerable to economic shocks, like the ones caused by the tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump.

Fossil fuel reliance increases exposure to global economic risks, but shifting to cleaner products and services reduces climate risks and expands Canada’s global trade options. China’s economic rise is partly a result of this strategy.

That’s seemingly why Trump is so fixated on China. China today is a serious competitor to the U.S. after making smart trade and economic decisions and forging its own path, disregarding American pressure to remain a mere follower.

Investing in its huge Belt and Road Initiative, China also aligned itself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It’s building diplomatic bridges with many Belt and Road countries in southeast Asia as Trump’s America alienates its partners, pulling out of the Paris Agreement and cutting foreign aid.

As another one of the America’s mistreated partners, Canada was poised to forge its own path under Carney. Instead, Carney is supporting American oil and gas by encouraging Canadian pipeline projects.

Clean innovation is the path forward

Canadian oil and gas is a concentrated industry controlled by a wealthy few, primarily Americans. More pipelines would therefore mean more sales of fossil fuels to other countries, with the beneficiaries mostly American.

Fossil fuel investments reduce Canada’s diversification because the resources used to further these projects could go elsewhere — toward clean diversification. With almost unlimited clean economy options across many sectors, clean diversification would broaden Canada’s economic and trade portfolios and reduce American control.

Read more:
Why Canada’s Strong Borders Act is as troublesome as Donald Trump’s travel bans

This is International Business 101, and would make the Canadian economy more competitive through innovation, while reducing the country’s climate risk.

California, often targeted by Trump for its policies, has been a leader in clean innovation, making its economy the envy of the world.

Read more:
California is planning floating wind farms offshore to boost its power supply – here’s how they work

My recent research shows that clear, decisive choices like those made in California will be key to Canada’s future success. Canada must make choices aligned with goals — a core principle of strategic management.

My research also suggests Canada must restructure its energy industry to focus on renewable energy innovation while reducing fossil fuel reliance. Increased renewable energy innovation, as seen in patent numbers, leads to higher GDP.

Contrary to common beliefs, pollution taxes boost the economy in combination with clean innovation. But when the government supports both the fossil fuel industry and clean industries, it hinders Canada’s transition to a cleaner future.

Trapped by the fossil fuel industry?

Do Canadian taxpayers truly want to keep funding an outdated, polluting industry that benefits a wealthy few, or invest in clean industries that boost Canada’s economy, create better jobs and protect the environment? To differentiate Canada from the United States, it would make sense to choose the latter.

Carney should consider refraining from pushing for the fast-tracking of polluting projects. If he doesn’t, Canada will become more uncompetitive and vulnerable, trapped by the fossil fuel industry.

Read more:
Mark Carney wants to make Canada an energy superpower — but what will be sacrificed for that goal?

Carney’s support for pipelines may have stemmed from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s implicit support for Alberta sovereignty. She made veiled threats to Canada at a critical juncture, when Trump was making repeated assertions about annexing Canada.

Alberta didn’t vote for Carney. But Canadians who care about mitigating climate change did.

Banks that felt pressure to at least recognize sustainable finance during the Joe Biden administration joined Carney’s Net-Zero Banking Alliance.

But as soon as Trump came to power a second time and walked away from the Paris Agreement, many American banks abandoned the alliance. Canadian banks followed suit, and Carney remarkably missed another moment to show Canadian leadership by stopping their exit.

In fact, Carney seems to have abandoned his own organization to appease Trump as the president made multiple 51st state threats. The prime minister had the chance to differentiate Canada and demonstrate his own leadership. Instead, he seems to have easily turned his back on his principles under pressure from Trump.

Deborah de Lange receives funding from SSHRC and ESRC. She is affiliated with The Liberal Party of Canada and The Writers’ Union of Canada.

– ref. Is Mark Carney turning his back on climate action? – https://theconversation.com/is-mark-carney-turning-his-back-on-climate-action-258737

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Governor Hochul is a Guest on “The Briefing With Jen Psaki”

Source: US State of New York

ast night, Governor Hochul was a guest on MSNBC’s “The Briefing with Jen Psaki.”

AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Governor Hochul: Do you want to know what I really think?

Rebecca Lewis, City & State: Please.

Governor Hochul: It’s bullshit. How dare they—

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Jen Psaki, MSNBC: Couldn’t have said it better myself. That was New York Governor Kathy Hochul, today, reacting to the arrest of New York City Comptroller and Mayoral candidate Brad Lander. And Governor Kathy Hochul joins me. Now, Governor, thank you so much for being here with me tonight.

You rushed down to the courthouse today after Brad Lander was arrested to demand his release. We heard a little bit from him earlier. Can you just walk us through what happened today, including your interaction with officers at the building?

Governor Hochul: Yes, and thank you for your coverage of this deeply troubling story that seems to be unfolding all across our country, Jen. I literally was in a part of Brooklyn, known as Little Haiti. I was walking the streets talking to people who were so frightened — living in the shadows of a once vibrant street was now almost a ghost town because people are terrified. And then while I’m out there trying to meet these people, let them know we’re, we see them, we’re gonna support them.

Then I get the word that one of our elected officials for the City of New York has been arrested. And I know Brad Lander. I went right down there. And I wanted to see him. I went up to the ninth floor. And they wouldn’t let me come in. But I had a chance to talk to ICE officers and the people in charge, and my Head of Homeland Security came down and Head of my Counterintelligence and all the professionals that I work with. We all stood there and I said, “I’m not leaving until you let him out. I want him released. Because what are the charges? What are you possibly saying? We all saw the video.”

And after about an hour of me waiting and talking to a lot of people, they said they’d release him without charges, but Brad Lander has all the attorneys and attention on this he needs. I mean, he can take care of himself. I’m confident of that, but what I cannot get out of my mind are all the people that are so terrified right now are the ones who go into those courtrooms following the law and the procedure — told, show up this date for your court appearance. And then they’re sitting ducks while they’re in the courtroom. They withdraw their legal status and they walk out and they’re captured.

This is beyond the pale, and we have to stand up and call it out for what it is and say we are a better country than this. And the voices that we heard during the marches over the last weekend, the people who stood up there, the elected officials who are doing their part — we have to stand up and say no more. And I’ll tell you this, as I said, under eight hours of questioning in Congress just a few days ago — I will work with the Trump administration to remove the people he said he was going after. I will help you get the criminals out of here, the ones who are violent criminals who are hurting other people, the human traffickers, the people who are dealing in drugs, people with guns — I want them gone.

I’ll help you but don’t take care of the home healthcare aides, the 160 who are gonna lose their jobs that I’ve met today and talked to. They’ll lose their jobs and they lose their status. And you know what? That means there’s 160 vulnerable New Yorkers who are gonna lose their caregivers and the people who work in the restaurants and hospitality, let them get jobs, pay their taxes, be part of our communities – like my grandpa was a migrant farm worker. Everybody comes and starts out and struggles. But you know what? Over time it works. It’s the American dream, and that dream is dissipating by the moment here in this country, and we cannot let it go.

Jen Psaki, MSNBC: No question about it. And I know, and I just mentioned that you had announced today the State is dedicating $50 million for legal assistance for immigrants. And I want to ask you about that in one moment.

I think one of the things that was so striking about today, many things was that, you know, Brad Lander was released without charges. You said earlier today that to your knowledge, the charges have been dropped and that he walks out of there free man.

But the US Attorney’s Office said that it is investigating his action still and would decide later whether to charge him with a crime. This is all on video, which we played the full video. Are you confident there won’t be charges? And I raise this because he’s just escorting immigrants to the courthouses who are trying to abide by their court hearings.

Governor Hochul: That’s all he is doing, and he did it without any fanfare over a number of times. Just a lot of people are volunteering. These people are terrified. I mean, these are our neighbors. These are people who’ve lived among us for many, many years sometimes. And people are just doing the right thing. They’re showing their humanity. He showed up and just escorting someone and speaking to him and just trying to let him know it’s going to be okay. The best we can. And then you have them ripped apart and terrorized the way they were and go after elected officials. I mean, no, no. It’s wrong. It’s wrong.

And again, we will help the Trump administration — we have been doing this for years — get rid of the true criminals. But coming here to seek asylum as they have for the last few years, or coming with temporary protected status like 300,000 Venezuelans did. And people from Haiti. They had legal status when they came. So when you take it away, once they’re here, it’s just like a cruel joke on them.

So, they’re not the criminals. Let’s find them a legal pathway. Let’s give them work authorization. I know the Trump administration is capable of doing this. They can do this, and there’ll be a lot of employers, including the people in my State, New York — I have 400,000 open jobs as we speak. They’re not taking someone’s job. They’ll be doing an important service to us.

Let’s have a conversation. Let’s ask Congress. Why you won’t do something as simple as passing common sense, bipartisan legislation to reform our immigration laws, find legal pathways. Yes, we have to secure our borders. No one doubts that, but the people who are here and already contributing, come on. We’re a nation of immigrants. That’s why we’re so great.

Jen Psaki, MSNBC: I mentioned a couple times that you announced the $50 million for legal assistance, which is very powerful and as Brad Lander mentioned, a lot of these people don’t have legal representation.

Governor Hochul: That’s right.

Jen Psaki, MSNBC: This tactic though, which I called dirty earlier because I think it’s dirty of these agents showing up at courthouses and kind of stalking people who don’t have criminal records are not trying to, are just trying to abide by what they’re supposed to be doing. Is there anything you can do as Governor to stop those tactics or other Governors can ban together and do?

Governor Hochul: No, they’re not allowed in New York state courts. You know, and, and let’s think about this, when this was passed a few years ago, law enforcement supported this because people who’ve been victims of the crimes are witnesses of crimes, if they think that if they go in to be involved in the criminal justice system to maybe to solve a crime, that they could be removed instantaneously. We want to make sure that we are working to protect our community. People are safer when people feel they can come forward, but apparently in federal courthouses, here in New York City and all across America, they’re basically staking out people who walk in the front door to keep an appointment they were given. They’re told to go before this judge on this date or check in.

I mean, a heartbreaking story just a couple weeks ago. A mom takes her two boys, 19 and 20-year-old down to make sure they’re legally checking in as they’re told to do. Guess what? She walks out without them. Because they took them away from her. And she doesn’t know where they are. We’re all human beings.

Jen Psaki, MSNBC: Yeah.

Governor Hochul: If we can’t find some compassion in our hearts at this moment and do what’s right, history will judge us very poorly. That’s why we’re urging the administration — go after the really bad ones like you said you would. That’s my plea. Go after the bad ones. We’ll help you. Every state will help you. But can we just leave these law abiding people alone? Can we just do that?

Jen Psaki, MSNBC: There are so many stories, like the ones you mentioned and the ones we saw play out today. Governor Kathy Hochul, I know you’ve had a day, so thank you so much for being here with us, helping explain all of the video footage we’ve just showed everybody watching. Really appreciate you being here.

Governor Hochul: Alright, thank you, Jen.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Proteas building a legacy of winning trophies

Source: South Africa News Agency

After ending a 27-year wait to win an International Cricket Council’s Test Championship (ICC), the national men’s cricket team, Proteas Men, have only just started to build momentum towards a culture of winning.

In a thrilling final against Australia, the Proteas Men secured a historic victory with a five-wicket win on day four at Lord’s in England on Saturday. This was the first senior Men’s trophy since the 1998 ICC Knockout victory.

“We hope that this can be the start of a lot more of these trophies. As much as we have achieved what we achieved in the past 18 – 24 months, this is not a big legacy as of yet. We will speak again in two to three years. We want to start a culture of winning trophies for the country,” Proteas men’s Captain Temba Bavuma said in Johannesburg at a media briefing.

The men’s national cricket team received an electrifying welcome with jubilation, song and dance from supporters on their arrival at OR Tambo International Airport, on Wednesday morning.

“Seeing so many people welcome us at the airport was quite overwhelming. It was different from the last time we came back from the world cup in 2023. You don’t really realise what you have done until you start to interact with people.

“To see the emotion, to hear the things they have got to say; it gives you an insight into what we have done. As a team we are proud that we have been able to achieve something like this, but we are even happier that we have made our people proud,” Bavuma said.

READ | Cricket world champions arrive home

This marked South Africa’s first-ever appearance in a World Test Championship Final, and their triumphant performance signalled a landmark achievement for the nation’s cricketing history.

This as Australia, currently ranked number one in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, entered the final as favourites and defending champions.

The Proteas, ranked second, rose to the occasion and delivered a memorable performance, cementing their status as one of the world’s elite test sides.

The Captain expressed how the team’s journey has not been an easy one.

“As a team we have our story. It wasn’t a simple and easy one. We have overcome a lot and managed to get to where we are. The biggest thing is that we have embraced everything that means to be a South African,” he said.

The cricket team hopes this inspires budding cricketers and the nation.

“Similarly to them, in their quest, their journey for what they want to achieve, as long as they keep having that passion, keep pushing against what people think is the unachievable.

“We have been confident enough that we have been playing good cricket. We have been getting ourselves in a position where we can be in finals. Just like with anything, you got to keep going and keep being relentless.

“There was always that belief that at some point the harder we knock on that door, that it was going to happen,” Bavuma said.

He said the beauty about international cricket is that there is always more games to play.

“There’s the Zimbabwe tournament that leads into the start of the new test cycle [which] we will be setting our eyes on what we want to achieve over there. There is always something that we are working towards, it’s a legacy that we want to achieve [and] and trying to put together as a team.

“The legacy is not done yet. For now, we want to enjoy what this moment has brought to us,” Bavuma said.

Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) head of national teams, Enoch Nkwe, said this victory will have a huge impact on generations to come.

He said this restores a lot of faith and belief in South African cricket.

“We look at this format as a foundation to key fundamentals to other formats and the growth of cricket, not only in South Africa, but globally. What is encouraging is this is going to motivate a 15-year-old. We are going to ensure from behind the scenes that will continue to build these building blocks through this format,” Nkwe said.

The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, said the team’s win gives the nation hope.

“People should see themselves when they watch our national teams, and that is what we are doing in cricket. They are following in the footsteps of rugby. We are a socially cohesive country [and] a rainbow nation, and you can see this.

“We are the best sporting nation in the world. We have the strongest women and men in the world. We have the fastest runners, the best soccer players, [and] we have the best rugby players and cricket team,” the Minister said.

The Proteas men’s head coach Shukri Conrad also expressed his joy at the warm reception the team received upon their arrival at the airport.

“I am absolutely ecstatic to see people come out in their hundreds. It makes this win even more special. We won a few days ago but it hasn’t sunk in. To get a reception like this… it starts to sink in. The guys have been great, but the fans have been better,” Conrad said. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Social Justice Secretary: “Scrap damaging welfare reforms”

Source: Scottish Government

Call for UK Government to follow Scottish Government lead on social security.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has urged the UK Government to protect and enhance social security rather than making cuts.

The UK Government’s Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill has been published today, which includes the details of the first set of changes to ill-health and disability benefits. The Scottish Government will not mirror the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) changes in Adult Disability Payment in Scotland.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

“The UK Government’s proposed reforms will be hugely damaging to those who rely on social security support, particularly during the ongoing cost of living crisis. These plans have yet to be passed at Westminster, so there is still time for the UK Government to step back from this damaging policy and I strongly urge them to scrap their harmful proposals.

“The UK Government’s own analysis highlights how the proposals will push 250,000 more people across the UK into poverty – including 50,000 children. With around half of all children in poverty in Scotland living in a household with a disabled person, the changes threaten to undermine the progress that we are making to reduce child poverty, and the work of the UK Government’s Child Poverty Taskforce.

“That the UK Government is prioritising deep cuts to disabled people’s support is made even worse by their failure to abolish the two-child limit, which is estimated to have pushed more than 35,000 children into poverty since July last year.

“The reforms do not reflect the Scottish Government’s values. We will not let disabled people down or cast them aside as the UK Government has done. We will not cut Scotland’s Adult Disability Payment.

“The UK Government should follow our lead and protect the social security safety system, rather than dismantling it. If they do not, then disabled people can draw no other conclusion than the UK Government remain content to balance the books on the backs of the most vulnerable.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: MOU signed with Homes England to help deliver city centre vision
Source: City of Plymouth

Plymouth’s ambitions to provide thousands of homes in the city centre have taken a step closer with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Homes England.

Neil Hook, Director – Homes England South and London
Tracey Lee, Chief Executive – Plymouth City Council
Council Leader Tudor Evans – Plymouth City Council
Eamonn Boylan, Interim CEO – Homes England

Council leader Tudor Evans and Homes England CEO Eamonn Boylan signed the partnership document which is the next step in strengthening the working relationship between the two organisations.

A new strategic partnership will accelerate the delivery of high-quality homes in Plymouth, supporting a transformational regeneration of the city centre and surrounding areas. These homes will play a key role in unlocking the economic potential of recent dockyard investments and help create a vibrant city where people can live, work, eat, shop, and socialise.

This initiative aligns with the UK Government’s Strategic Defence Review, which identifies defence as a new engine for national growth. The Continuous At Sea Deterrent programme represents a generational investment in national security—and Plymouth is set to benefit directly.

“Plymouth is at the forefront of a new era of economic opportunity,” said Tudor Evans. “By investing in affordable, high-quality housing, we’re not only supporting our defence capabilities but also creating a thriving, inclusive city for future generations.”

The provision of affordable homes is central to retaining local talent, attracting new families, and ensuring that all communities benefit from this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

Our city centre currently has around 800 homes in it. The top 20 English cities have an average of 8,000 homes, and regeneration over the last 20 years in Newcastle, Manchester, Salford, Sheffield and Leeds has shown that more housing in city centres plays a key part in rejuvenating them.

City centres need to be more than shops, they need to be about culture, leisure, events and festivals, and places to live. There are also 8,000 people on the housing list and while the city centre was built for retail after the war, now is the time to bring people to live in the city centre again.

The proposal is for a shared delivery plan to work together over five years to deliver a strategy for a series of transformative investments, acquisitions and developments which are rooted in the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan.

Interventions are designed to act a catalyst and market-making investments, that will allow the public sector to create the right conditions and confidence for the private sector to invest and deliver the wider regeneration of the city centre.

Councillor Evans added: “We have been working with Homes England on our vision for the city centre and this is another important step along the road to making a vision a reality.

“With change of this scale in the pipeline, we need to set out and confirm common goals, get clarity of what we are working towards and be clear about how we are going to bring others along on the journey.”

Eamonn Boylan, Chief Executive of Homes England, said: “Our new Memorandum of Understanding with Plymouth City Council is an important step in strengthening our commitment to the area.

“We’ll work side-by-side with the council to help achieve their vision for the city centre and support them to deliver 10,000 new homes for the people of Plymouth.”

Extensive work is underway to develop shared ambitions with the agreed shared outcomes. They are:
- Pioneering Urban Regeneration: Redefining the city centre as a dynamic hub of activity, focusing on homes and culture and diversification.
- Delivering Nationally Significant Urban Regeneration: The city centre is nationally significant as a post war response to planning and urban design. Options will be considered to unlock a nationally significant urban extension in the heart of the city centre and look at how models can be pioneered that can be replicated elsewhere
- Fostering Sustainable Development: The partners will consider ways to create a model of urban development that minimises environmental impact while maximising community benefits.
- Empowering Local Businesses and Unlocking Private Investment: By strategically deploying government funding and leveraging private sector expertise, the vision is for a city centre that encourages market-led private sector investment and development. This includes working with landowners, leaseholders and occupiers to identify opportunities for joint investment.
- Championing Social Justice via the Growth Alliance Plymouth (GAP) Through targeted initiatives and inclusive policies, there is potential to improve access to quality housing, education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.
- Catalysing Private Sector-Led Development: Strategically deploying government funding and leveraging private sector expertise to encourage market led private sector investment and development.
- Linking delivery to future planning policy: Homes England will work with the Council, Department for Transport, and MHCLG to shape a masterplan for Plymouth that delivers sustainable growth across all housing types and tenures. This will require an ambitious planning framework and a supply chain capable of delivering high quality homes and a population that can afford to live and work in Plymouth. The GAP work will continue to focus on skills, training and education that underpin these broader themes.
- Embedding long term delivery goals into ways of working. The GAP programme will be the framework from which resourcing, delivery outcomes and ambition are embedded into the Council.
This ambitious work programme will be overseen by a Strategic Investment and Regeneration Board attended by senior representatives from the Council and Homes England.

The Council has embarked on a number of transformational projects designed to inject life, new uses and new visitors into the city centre. As well as the transforming the public realm of Old Town Street and New George Street, Armada Way, other projects in the pipeline include the former Civic Centre which is destined to be a city centre campus with a focus on blue/green skills as well as homes.
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Ticks carry decades of history in each troublesome bite

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sean Lawrence, Assistant Professor of History, West Virginia University

The black-legged tick, or deer tick, _Ixodes scapularis_, can transmit Lyme disease and other health hazards. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

When you think about ticks, you might picture nightmarish little parasites, stalking you on weekend hikes or afternoons in the park.

Your fear is well-founded. Tick-borne diseases are the most prevalent vector-borne diseases – those transmitted by living organisms – in the United States. Each tick feeds on multiple animals throughout its life, absorbing viruses and bacteria along the way and passing them on with its next bite. Some of those viruses and bacteria are harmful to humans, causing diseases that can be debilitating and sometimes lethal without treatment, such as Lyme, babesiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

But contained in every bite of this infuriating, insatiable pest is also a trove of social, environmental and epidemiological history.

In many cases, human actions long ago are the reason ticks carry these diseases so widely today. And that’s what makes ticks fascinating for environmental historians like me.

Ticks can be tiny and hard to spot. This is an adult and nymph Ixodes scapularis on an adult’s index finger.
CDC

Changing forests fueled tick risks

During the 18th and 19th centuries, settlers cleared more than half the forested land across the northeastern U.S., cutting down forests for timber and to make way for farms, towns and mining operations. With large-scale land clearing came a sharp decline in wildlife of all kinds. Predators such as bears and wolves were driven out, as were deer.

As farming moved westward, Northeasterners began to recognize the ecological and economic value of trees, and they returned millions of acres to forest.

The woods regrew. Plant-eaters such as deer returned, but the apex predators that once kept their populations in check did not.

As a result, deer populations carrying borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, grew rapidly. And with the deer came deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis). When a tick feeds on an infected deer, it can take up the bacteria. The tick isn’t harmed, but it can pass the bacteria to its next victim. In humans, Lyme disease can cause fever and fatigue, and if left untreated it can affect the nervous system.

The eastern U.S. became a global hot spot for tick-borne Lyme disease starting around the 1970s. Lyme disease affected over 89,000 Americans in 2023, and possibly many more.

Californians move into tick territory

For centuries, changing patterns of human settlements and the politics of land use have shaped the role of ticks and tick-borne illnesses within their environments.

In short, humans have made it easier for ticks to thrive and spread disease in our midst.

In California, the Northern Inner Coast and Santa Cruz mountain ranges that converge on San Francisco from the north and south were never clear-cut, and predators such as mountain lions and coyotes still exist there. But competition for housing has pushed human settlement deeper into wildland areas to the north, south and east of the city, reshaping tick ecology there.

A range map for the western black-legged tick.
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

While western black-legged ticks (Ixodes pacificus) tend to swarm in large forest preserves, the Lyme-causing bacterium is actually more prevalent in small, isolated patches of greenery. In these isolated patches, rodents and other tick hosts can thrive, safe from large predators, which need more habitat to move freely. But isolation and lower diversity also means infections are spread more easily within the tick’s host populations.

People tend to build isolated houses in the hills, rather than large, connected developments. As the Silicon Valley area south of San Francisco sprawls outward, this checkerboard pattern of settlement has fragmented the natural landscape, creating a hard-to-manage public health threat.

Fewer hosts, more tightly packed, often means more infected hosts, proportionally, and thus more dangerous ticks.

A tick’s mouth is barbed so it can hold on as it draws blood over hours.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Six counties across these ranges, all surrounding and including San Francisco, account for 44% of recorded tick-borne illnesses in California.

A lesson from Texas cattle ranches

Domesticated livestock have also shaped the disease threat posed by ticks.

In 1892, at a meeting of cattle ranchers at the Stock Raiser’s Convention in Austin, Texas, Dr. B.A. Rogers introduced a novel theory that ticks were behind recent devastating plagues of Texas cattle fever. The disease had arrived with cattle imported from the West Indies and Mexico in the 1600s, and it was taking huge tolls on cattle herds. But how the disease spread to new victims had been a mystery.

A 1905 illustration of Rhipicephalus annulatus, a hard tick that causes cattle fever.
Nathan Banks, A treatise on the Acarina, or mites. Proceedings of the United States National Museum

Editors of Daniel’s Texas Medical Journal found the idea of ticks spreading disease laughable and lampooned the hypothesis, publishing a satire of what they described as an “early copy” of a forthcoming report on the subject.

The tick’s “fluid secretion, it is believed, is the poison which causes the fever … [and the tick] having been known to chew tobacco, as all other Texans do, the secretion is most probably tobacco juice,” they wrote.

Fortunately for the ranchers, not to mention the cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sided with Rogers. Its cattle fever tick program, started in 1906, curbed cattle fever outbreaks by limiting where and when cattle should cross tick-dense areas.

Engorged ticks feed on a calf’s ear.
Alan R Walker, CC BY-NC-SA

By 1938, the government had established a quarantine zone that extended 580 miles by 10 miles along the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas Brush Country, a region favored by the cattle tick.

This innovative use of natural space as a public health tool helped to functionally eradicate cattle fever from 14 Southern states by 1943.

Ticks are products of their environment

When it comes to tick-borne diseases the world over, location matters.

Take the hunter tick (Hyalomma spp.) of the Mediterranean and Asia. As a juvenile, or nymph, these ticks feed on small forest animals such as mice, hares and voles, but as an adult they prefer domesticated livestock.

For centuries, this tick was an occasional nuisance to nomadic shepherds of the Middle East. But in the 1850s, the Ottoman Empire passed laws to force nomadic tribes to become settled farmers instead. Unclaimed lands, especially on the forested edges of the steppe, were offered to settlers, creating ideal conditions for hunter ticks.

As a result, farmers in what today is Turkey saw spikes in tick-borne diseases, including a virus that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a potentially fatal condition.

Where to check for ticks and how to remove them.

It’s probably too much to ask for sympathy for any ticks you meet this summer. They are bloodsucking parasites, after all.

Still, it’s worth remembering that the tick’s malevolence isn’t its own fault. Ticks are products of their environment, and humans have played many roles in turning them into the harmful parasites that seek us out today.

Sean Lawrence has nothing to disclose.

– ref. Ticks carry decades of history in each troublesome bite – https://theconversation.com/ticks-carry-decades-of-history-in-each-troublesome-bite-257110

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: AI helps tell snow leopards apart, improving population counts for these majestic mountain predators

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Eve Bohnett, Assistant Scholar, Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, University of Florida

Snow leopards are hard to find and count, which makes protecting them difficult. zahoor salmi/Moment via Getty Images

Snow leopards are known as the “ghosts of the mountains” for a reason. Imagine waiting for months in the harsh, rugged mountains of Asia, hoping to catch even a glimpse of one. These elusive big cats move silently across rocky slopes, their pale coats blending so seamlessly with snow and stone that even the most seasoned biologists seldom spot them in the wild.

Travel writer Peter Matthiessen spent two months in 1973 searching the Tibetan plateau for them and wrote a 300-page book about the effort. He never saw one. Forty years later, Peter’s son Alex retraced his father’s steps – and didn’t see one either.

Researchers have struggled to come up with a figure for the global population. In 2017, the International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassified the snow leopard from endangered to vulnerable, citing estimates of between 2,500 and 10,000 adults in the wild. However, the group also warned that numbers continue to decline in many areas due to habitat loss, poaching and human-wildlife conflict. Those who study these animals want to help protect the species and their habitat – if only we can determine exactly where they live and how many there are.

Traditional tracking methods – searching for footprints, droppings and other signs – have their limits. Instead of waiting for a lucky face-to-face encounter, conservationists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, led by experts including Stéphane Ostrowski and Sorosh Poya Faryabi, began deploying automated camera traps in Afghanistan. These devices snap photos whenever movement is detected, capturing thousands of images over months, all in hopes of obtaining a rare glimpse of a snow leopard.

But capturing images is only half the battle. The next, even harder task is telling one snow leopard apart from another.

Are these the same animal or different ones? It’s really hard to tell.
Eve Bohnett, CC BY-ND

At first glance, it might sound simple: Each snow leopard has a unique pattern of black rosettes on its coat, like a fingerprint or a face in a crowd. Yet in practice, identifying individuals by these patterns is slow, subjective and prone to error. Photos may be taken at odd angles, under poor lighting, or with parts of the animal obscured – making matches tricky.

A common mistake happens when photos from different cameras are marked as depicting different animals when they actually show the same individual, inflating population estimates. Worse, camera trap images can get mixed up or misfiled, splitting encounters of one cat across multiple batches and identities.

I am a data analyst working with Wildlife Conservation Society and other partners at Wild Me. My work and others’ has found that even trained experts can misidentify animals, failing to recognize repeat visitors at locations monitored by motion-sensing cameras and counting the same animal more than once. One study found that the snow leopard population was overestimated by more than 30% because of these human errors.

To avoid these pitfalls, researchers follow camera sorting guidelines: At least three clear pattern differences or similarities must be confirmed between two images to declare them the same or different cats. Images too blurry, too dark or taken from difficult angles may have to be discarded. Identification efforts range from easy cases with clear, full-body shots to ambiguous ones needing collaboration and debate. Despite these efforts, variability remains, and more experienced observers tend to be more accurate.

Now people trying to count snow leopards are getting help from artificial intelligence systems, in two ways.

Spotting the spots

Modern AI tools are revolutionizing how we process these large photo libraries. First, AI can rapidly sort through thousands of images, flagging those that contain snow leopards and ignoring irrelevant ones such as those that depict blue sheep, gray-and-white mountain terrain, or shadows.

Unique spots and spot patterns are key to telling snow leopards apart.
Eve Bohnett, CC BY-NC-ND

AI can identify individual snow leopards by analyzing their unique rosette patterns, even when poses or lighting vary. Each snow leopard encounter is compared with a catalog of previously identified photos and assigned a known ID if there is a match, or entered as a new individual if not.

In a recent study, several colleagues and I evaluated two AI algorithms, both separately and in tandem.

The first algorithm, called HotSpotter, identifies individual snow leopards by comparing key visual features such as coat patterns, highlighting distinctive “hot spots” with a yellow marker.

The second is a newer method called pose invariant embeddings, which operates similar to facial recognition technology: It recognizes layers of abstract features in the data, identifying the same animal regardless of how it is positioned in the photo or what kind of lighting there may be.

We trained these systems using a curated dataset of photos of snow leopards from zoos in the U.S., Europe and Tajikistan, and with images from the wild, including in Afghanistan.

Alone, each model worked about 74% of the time, correctly identifying the cat from a large photo library. But when combined, the two systems together were correct 85% of the time.

These algorithms were integrated into Wildbook, an open-source, web-based software platform developed by the nonprofit organization Wild Me and now adopted by ConservationX. We deployed the combined system on a free website, Whiskerbook.org, where researchers can upload images, seek matches using the algorithms, and confirm those matches with side-by-side comparisons. This site is among a growing family of AI-powered wildlife platforms that are helping conservation biologists work more efficiently and more effectively at protecting species and their habitats.

A view from an online wildlife-tracking system suggests a possible match for a snow leopard caught by a remote camera.
Wildbook/Eve Bohnett, CC BY-ND

Humans still needed

These AI systems aren’t error-proof. AI quickly narrows down candidates and flags likely matches, but expert validation ensures accuracy, especially with tricky or ambiguous photos.

Another study we conducted pitted AI-assisted groups of experts and novices against each other. Each was given a set of three to 10 images of 34 known captive snow leopards and asked to use the Whiskerbook platform to identify them. They were also asked to estimate how many individual animals were in the set of photos.

The experts accurately matched about 90% of the images and delivered population estimates within about 3% of the true number. In contrast, the novices identified only 73% of the cats and underestimated the total number, sometimes by 25% or more, incorrectly merging two individuals into one.

Both sets of results were better than when experts or novices did not use any software.

The takeaway is clear: Human expertise remains important, and combining it with AI support leads to the most accurate results. My colleagues and I hope that by using tools like Whiskerbook and the AI systems embedded in them, researchers will be able to more quickly and more confidently study these elusive animals.

With AI tools like Whiskerbook illuminating the mysteries of these mountain ghosts, we have another way to safeguard snow leopards – but success depends on continued commitment to protecting their fragile mountain homes.

Eve Bohnett receives funding from San Diego State Research Foundation and Wildlife Conservation Society. She is affiliated with University of Florida.

– ref. AI helps tell snow leopards apart, improving population counts for these majestic mountain predators – https://theconversation.com/ai-helps-tell-snow-leopards-apart-improving-population-counts-for-these-majestic-mountain-predators-258154

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 19, 2025