WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 8, 2025)—Today, the Trump administration announced it would shutter the “weather and climate disasters database,” a crucial tool built by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that helps the public track extreme weather events. Since 1980, the database has allowed the public to keep track of the costs related to these events.
In response, John Noël, Greenpeace USA Deputy Climate Program Director, said: “This is the next escalation in the administration’s all out war on climate action – and everyday people are the ones bearing the brunt. It begs the question: who benefits from not tracking the cost of disasters?
“Now, the administration and its cronies are going beyond denying the science to attempting to obscure the consequences. If the government stops tracking the costs of extreme weather events, it becomes easier for the fossil fuel industry and their political allies to deny or downplay climate impacts entirely.
“The ultimate goal is to shield oil and gas corporations from accountability for climate damages. But momentum is building nationwide to make polluters pay their fair share, as more states move forward with climate superfund bills and climate litigation. The Trump administration can “archive” this incredibly important data, but they cannot erase real pain and suffering felt by communities experiencing extreme weather events.”
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
On May 21, VDNKh will celebrate three years since the opening of the modern biotechnology center “Biotech Museum” and the K.A. Timiryazev State Biological Museum in pavilions No. 30 and 31. Both exhibitions are located within the walls of restored cultural heritage sites of federal significance.
Pavilion No. 30 “Microbiological Industry” was built in 1939. Initially, it was dedicated to oil crops, as evidenced by the surviving wooden carved pediment with images of oil plant flowers, including sunflowers. In 1954, the pavilion housed the “Cotton” exposition. In the mid-1960s, the pavilion was repurposed again and received its current name. The exposition told about the study and widespread use of microorganisms in the national economy and healthcare.
In 2019–2022, a comprehensive restoration of the historic building was carried out. The fountain next to the pavilion, which had not worked for over 40 years and was almost completely destroyed, was also restored. During the restoration, specialists laid new utility lines and replaced the fountain equipment.
The restored pavilion No. 30 “Microbiological Industry” now houses the center of modern biotechnology “Museum “Biotech”. Its exhibition is a visual story about biotechnology and its practical application in everyday life.
Here you can get acquainted with the history of the development of the domestic microbiological industry, modern biotechnologies that are used in the food industry, medicine, agriculture, waste recycling and other industries that are no less important for humanity. Visitors can learn about the creation of vaccines, genetics, city farms, bioreactors, as well as other innovative and familiar technologies. Seminars, master classes, lectures, conferences and other educational events are regularly held for them. Since its opening, the museum has been visited by more than 62 thousand people.
Pavilion No. 31 “Geology”, built in 1954, was called “Flax, Hemp and Other Bast Crops” until 1956. In 1956-1957, its name was “Bast and Wool Industry”, in 1958 – “Linen and Wool Industry” and only since 1959 – “Geology”. The author of the pavilion is one of the most versatile Soviet architects Leonid Pavlov. He also designed several stations of the Moscow metro and the V.I. Lenin Museum in Gorki Leninskiye.
In 2017, during restoration work in the pavilion, archival films from the 1950s-1980s were discovered, telling about the achievements of Soviet science, technology and agriculture. At one time, these films were used as a support by local guides: after the end of the tour, they showed thematic films to guests in small cinema halls that were opened in many VDNKh pavilions.
Three years ago, the K.A. Timiryazev State Biological Museum was opened in the restored pavilion. In May 2022, a permanent exhibition “12 Signs of Living Things” opened here, the creation of which was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the museum’s founding. Its exposition tells about what life is from a scientific point of view. The exhibition presents 12 sections that correspond to the 12 main signs of a living being. These are the unity of chemical composition, diversity of life, metabolism and energy, movement, reproduction and others. Here you can see works of contemporary art made specifically for the exhibition. Since the opening of the museum, it has been visited by more than 133 thousand people.
The opening of new entertainment and museum facilities corresponds to the objectives of the national project “Tourism and Hospitality”. The development of the Museum City at VDNKh is a key part of the strategy for promoting the capital’s hospitality industry and the strategy for developing VDNKh until 2030.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
Greenpeace says that Federated Farmers’ intent to ‘go to battle’ over methane targets is yet another example of the agri-business lobby group’s selfish approach to life on our collective home.
Federated Farmers, Beef + Lamb and Dairy NZ have been pushing for methane targets aligned with ‘no additional warming’ – an approach that has been harshly criticised by climate scientists, the Climate Commission and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson says “The New Zealand dairy industry is the country’s worst climate polluter. The oversized dairy herd is cooking the climate with superheating methane emissions, yet agri-industry lobby groups refuse to play their part in tackling the climate crisis, instead leaving it to the rest of us to clean up their mess.
“Yet again, Federated Farmers are attempting to convince us that they are the exception to the rule. But this new concept they’re promoting – no additional warming – is not based on science. They’ve simply come up with a way to count emissions differently so that they can justify doing less.”
Methane emissions are responsible for a third of global heating to date, and the agricultural industry is the single biggest source. Those emissions are rising faster than at any other time in history.
“The consequence of the livestock industry selfishly absconding their climate responsibility is that everyone else has to pick up the slack. Or, alternatively, that we all suffer the consequences of more floods, storms, fires and droughts. All of which affect frontline farming communities first,” says Larsson.
Greenpeace says the key flaw in no additional warming is that it ignores the historic pollution caused by intensive livestock farming.
“It’s a bit like expecting your mortgage to magically be written off. The catch is that your debt still exists, it’s just that someone else will have to pay for it. Ignoring the historic methane emissions from agriculture won’t make that pollution – or its warming impact – go away.”
Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis
Washington, D.C.— Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, this week introduced the Autonomous Vehicle Advancement Act, groundbreaking legislation aimed at transforming autonomous vehicle (AV) deployment in the United States. The Autonomous Vehicle Advancement Act seeks to move the nation beyond policy discussions and toward practical implementation of self-driving technology.
“For nearly a decade, Washington has talked about autonomous vehicles without meaningful action,” Lummis said. “This legislation cuts through the red tape and establishes a clear path forward for getting safe autonomous vehicles on American roads where they can save lives, create jobs, and maintain our technological leadership. Wyoming is a highway state and ensuring that autonomous vehicles are integrated in the safest way possible remains my number one priority.”
Background:
The bill addresses two critical components for AV advancement:
1. It requires federal agencies to implement recommendations from the landmark 2016 federal report on autonomous vehicles within one-year, jumpstarting progress on long-dormant policy objectives.
2. Most significantly, the legislation establishes a comprehensive roadmap for achieving commercially viable Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles – advanced self-driving systems that require minimal to no human intervention. The Secretary of Transportation will be tasked with identifying essential needs and regulatory barriers that must be addressed to facilitate widespread deployment.
Read the full bill text here.
Source: Ministers for the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
Australian solar pioneer 5B has been selected as the first project to receive funding from the Australian Government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot Program to help expand Australia’s solar manufacturing industry.
Funding of up to $46 million will go to the Australian based company to increase manufacturing capacity of its highly innovative ‘Maverick’ – an automated solar deployment system using prefabricated, prewired panels. The technology has the potential to drastically speed up and scale up the roll out of solar farms, reducing the cost and labour intensity of current methods.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said ARENA is excited to be announcing 5B as the first project under the Solar Sunshot Program to support solar manufacturing in Australia to accelerate the renewable energy transition.
“This project represents the best of homegrown Australian technology and innovation in solar and we are proud to support 5B’s goals of making solar deployment faster, cheaper, safer and more efficient.
“ARENA has a vision of reaching 1 terawatt of installed solar PV in Australia by 2050 to achieve our renewable energy ambitions. Projects like this are what we need to get there.”
“Today represents a step towards building Australia’s resilience in the solar value chain as the global demand for renewable energy technologies, products and knowledge intensifies.”
5B CEO David Griffin said this funding would drive down 5B’s Australian production costs by 25% and accelerate 5B’s ability to offer large customers lower cost energy alongside the safety, speed and land efficiencies unique to the 5B Maverick solution.
“It means we can further strengthen our team, creating opportunities from the factory floor, in our field deployment crews, and specialists working on gigawatts of solar farm designs.”
The funding will support the expansion of 5B’s Australian manufacturing capacity in solar to produce at least 200 MW of Maverick units at their Adelaide manufacturing facility over the next three years. The Maverick systems will support the demand for increased deployment of large-scale solar across Australia.
About Solar Sunshot
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is delivering the $1 billion Solar Sunshot Program to support innovation in Australia’s solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing industry.
Solar Sunshot was announced by the Australian Government in March 2024 and aims to uncover and support innovation to drive scale and diversity in a critical industry.
Australia benefits from strong renewable energy potential, high-quality, abundant raw materials, and a long track record of excellence in research and development.
Solar Sunshot aims to harness these advantages so that Australia can strengthen and diversify its supply chains and create economic opportunities.
Round 1A offers $500 million of capital and production-linked funding for solar PV manufacturing innovation, with a focus on modules, inputs to modules and deployment systems (closed).
Round 1B offers $50 million of funding to support solar PV manufacturing studies, including feasibility and engineering studies (remains open).
Funding to 5B has been awarded under Round 1A of the Program.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Tourists enter Suzhou Archaeological Museum in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province on May 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Shuo)
The overwhelming number of visitors flocking to the newly opened Suzhou Archaeological Museum came as a surprise to the curator Cheng Yi.
Cheng said he had expected 3,000 to 4,000 visitors at most on the first day, mostly those with archaeological knowledge or professionals in the field. “We ended up receiving 7,000 to 8,000 people — many of them ordinary citizens and tourists from outside the city,” he said.
Located in the eastern city of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, the museum opened on May 17, right before China Tourism Day and International Museum Day, which fall on Monday and Sunday, respectively.
Cheng believes the upcoming Children’s Day, which coincides with the Dragon Boat Festival holiday from May 31 to June 2, will bring another peak in visitors, as the museum will hold a special exhibition of ancient toys unearthed in Suzhou for the occasion. An even greater influx is expected during the summer holidays.
Suzhou Archaeological Museum reflects a growing nationwide enthusiasm for archaeology-themed tourism. In recent years, archaeological and historical museums across China have become trending destinations, often requiring online reservations and drawing long queues.
People have not only gained interest in traditionally famous museums like the Palace Museum, but are also eager to explore remote ancient sites such as Yanmen Pass in Shanxi Province.
According to Cheng, it is meaningful to build such an archaeological museum in Suzhou, which was a hub of cultural and economic exchanges in the Yangtze River Delta in ancient times, and the significance is beyond public archaeological education. “It also stirs pride in our hometown,” he said.
He believes the country’s economic development and growing national strength have played a significant part in fostering public interest in history and culture.
“In the past, when people struggled to make a living, they wouldn’t think about these things. Today, people feel proud of China’s achievements. This represents the revival of an ancient civilization,” he said.
Cheng noted that the country is also vigorously promoting a national project on tracing the origins of Chinese civilization, and as more and more cultural relics are unearthed, the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization is being substantiated.
As archaeology as an academic discipline becomes more widely known to the public, Cheng believes that presenting the full process from relics’ excavation to museum display both meets the needs of professionals and captures the interest of the general public.
A hallmark of archaeological museums, according to Cheng, is that the exhibits are authentic, since they were all unearthed by experts and verified through scientific methods before display.
“What was this object used for?” “Who was buried here?” “Are all the relics real?” Cheng was surrounded by visitors bombarding him with such questions.
Many visitors were interested in a large tomb of the ancient Eastern Wu state. It is believed to have belonged to the family of Sun Quan, founding king of the Wu State during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), though the exact identity of the tomb’s occupant remains unknown.
Despite having been looted, the large tomb has largely retained its structure, with its architectural design, passageways, and side chambers all faithfully presented. After its excavation was completed in 2018, the tomb was divided into parts and stored at a facility due to the lack of a proper display venue, until the Suzhou Archaeological Museum was constructed. The tomb parts were carefully delivered to the museum and recombined to show visitors the tomb’s original appearance.
A 62-year-old visitor excitedly took pictures and repeatedly told nearby visitors his childhood memories about the tomb. “I used to live here as a child and played on these mounds,” said the visitor who declined to give his name. “I had no idea that such a grand tomb lay underneath.”
Yan Xinfeng, a warehouse keeper who moved from Sanmenxia in central China’s Henan Province to work in Suzhou years ago, is a fan of historical dramas and often visits museums. “After visiting this archaeological museum, I realized Suzhou’s history is older than I thought, and ancient people were far more advanced than I imagined, as they created so many such intricate items,” he said. “I feel proud.”
After visiting, 9-year-old Xu Xuhan said she was impressed by a hairpin unearthed from the Eastern Wu tomb, which might help identify the tomb’s owner.
“I love history and want to know how our civilization started,” she said. The third-grader has not yet taken history lessons at primary school, but said she had learnt a lot from a number of museums across China she visited with her parents.
“I want to become an archaeologist when I grow up,” she said.
Many of the exhibits at the museum are newly discovered artifacts that help fill gaps in archaeological knowledge from the Neolithic Liangzhu culture, to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (770 B.C.-221 B.C.) and beyond.
For instance, a pottery shard offers clues that the Wu and Yue regions, which cover the current-day Suzhou, were once under the rule of the Qin Empire (221 B.C.-207 B.C.), as the Chinese characters inscribed on it were written in the Qin script. Numerous other artifacts on display also support the idea that the area was a hub of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
More notably, the museum also houses archaeological tools and explains excavation methods to highlight archaeology as a science and dispel public misconceptions.
“There was a time when people thought archaeology was just tomb-raiding,” Cheng said. He added that the museum is looking to use virtual reality and artificial intelligence in the future to let the public experience archaeological digs firsthand.
As China places greater emphasis on history and culture, and as traditional Chinese aesthetics grow in popularity among the public, more museums of this kind will open to the public across the country, Cheng believes.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (May 21):
Question:
According to a research publication released by the Legislative Council Secretariat last month, the number of research and development (R&D) personnel per million population in Hong Kong is significantly lower than that of neighbouring regions, and the proportion of local research postgraduates is continuously declining. There are views that research postgraduates also face multiple challenges in employment and the transformation of research outcomes. If such issues are not addressed in a timely manner, Hong Kong’s future innovation development and economic restructuring will be affected. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that according to the aforesaid research publication, Hong Kong currently has only 4 809 researchers per million population, lagging far behind Singapore and South Korea, whether the Government has drawn up specific measures to attract and nurture local R&D talent, particularly in STEM fields; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it has set specific targets and timelines to increase the number of local R&D personnel in the next three years;
(2) given that according to the aforesaid research publication, in the 2022-2023 academic year, only 63 per cent of research postgraduates from universities funded by the University Grants Committee secured full-time employment within six months after graduation, and only 11.6 per cent of graduates could manage to find jobs directly related to their studies, whether the Government has tailor-made support measures to address the employment challenges faced by research postgraduates, so as to help them maximise their potential and meet the needs of the local R&D industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) as there are views pointing out that while Hong Kong’s R&D outcomes reach international standards, they fall short in terms commercialisation and industrialisation, whether the Government will strengthen efforts to promote industry-academia-research collaboration to enhance the industrialisation of R&D outcomes and foster the development of an innovative economy; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government has all along been dedicated to promoting the development of innovation and technology (I&T), with a view to driving economic restructuring and more diversified development. Apart from the nation’s clear support for Hong Kong’s development into an international I&T hub under the 14th Five-Year Plan, the recently promulgated 2024-2035 master plan on building China into a leading country in education also proposed to establish an integrated co-ordinating mechanism for education, technology and talent, strengthening the supportive role of education for science and talent, closely tying in with the development of technological innovative centres in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the development of a highland for high-level calibre and platform for attracting talent, and enhancing the overall efficacy of the innovation system.
The replies from the Education Bureau and the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau to the Hon Tang Fei’s question are as follows:
(1) and (2) The Government has been expanding the local research and I&T talent pool through a multi-pronged approach. On the front of nurturing talent, the Government guides the University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities to align their planning with the nation’s strategy of invigorating China through science and education, and support the goal of developing Hong Kong into an international I&T hub, including setting the key performance indicators in the 2022 Policy Address with 35 per cent of the students pursuing UGC-funded programmes to study in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) subjects. In addition, publicly-funded research postgraduate (RPg) places have been gradually increased from 5 595 in the 2022/23 academic year to 7 200 places in the 2024/25 academic year. Together with the gradual uplift of the over-enrolment ceiling from 70 per cent in the 2021/22 academic year to 100 per cent, institutions could flexibly enrol 14 400 RPg students at most, which is an increase of more than half, to constantly expand the I&T and research talents of Hong Kong.
Additionally, the STEM Internship Scheme under the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) subsidises undergraduates and postgraduates taking full-time STEM-related programmes to enrol in short-term internships, so as to foster their interest early in pursuing careers in I&T after graduation. The Research Talent Hub under the ITC also provides funding support for eligible companies or organisations to engage university graduates to conduct research and development (R&D) work.
For attracting talent front, the InnoHK Research Clusters has successfully attracted R&D talents from all over the world to Hong Kong, with over 2 500 local, overseas and Mainland researchers involved, and has provided training for over 1 200 PhD students. The ITC will launch the Frontier Technology Research Support Scheme, with a view to attracting international top-notch talents to conduct basic research in frontier technologies in Hong Kong and nurture local researchers.
According to the report “Hong Kong Innovation Activities Statistics 2023” released by the Census and Statistics Department in December 2024, the number of R&D personnel has reached 43 403 in 2023, which has increased steadily over the years.
(3) With an aim to enhance the I&T ecosystem and Hong Kong’s competitiveness on the I&T front, the Government has been promoting collaboration among the industry, academic and research sectors through various measures, and adopting a multi-pronged approach to support commercialisation of R&D outcomes of local universities. For example, the $10 billion Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme under the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) funds, on a matching basis, research teams from universities with good potential to become successful start-ups to transform and commercialise their R&D outcomes, while industry sponsorship is a mandatory requirement. Furthermore, the ITF will continue to provide annual funding to the Technology Transfer Office of each of the eight UGC-funded universities, thereby supporting the development of innovative ideas and R&D outcomes into new products or services. The R&D centres set up by the Government have also been taking forward industry-driven applied R&D work that suits market needs and transferring technologies to the industries through contract researches, licensing arrangements, etc to commercialise their R&D outcomes. Meanwhile, the Government facilitated the establishment of the Hong Kong New Industrialisation Development Alliance. Pooling together talent and resources from various fields, the Alliance aims to serve as a platform for collaboration among the Government, industry, academia, research and investment sectors. With a view to promoting co-operation among enterprises and organisations, we believe that the Alliance will also be conducive to the promotion of transformation and commercialisation of R&D outcomes.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 21, 2025.
Australian para sport has issues everywhere – here’s what must be fixed ahead of the Brisbane Paralympics Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Raw, Lecturer, Sport Management, Swinburne University of Technology Bratislav Kostic/Shutterstock Australia’s underwhelming performance at the 2024 Paris Paralympics has raised serious questions about how well our adaptive sport system is working. The Paris games returned our lowest medal tally since 1988, from our smallest team since
What’s the difference between skim milk and light milk? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Murray, Senior Lecturer, Nutrition, Swinburne University of Technology bodnar.photo/Shutterstock If you’re browsing the supermarket fridge for reduced-fat milk, it’s easy to be confused by the many different types. You can find options labelled skim, skimmed, skinny, no fat, extra light, lite, light, low fat, reduced fat,
AI is now used for audio description. But it should be accurate and actually useful for people with low vision Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Locke, Associate Researcher in Digital Disability, Centre for Culture and Technology, Curtin University Chansom Pantip/Shutterstock Since the recent explosion of widely available generative artificial intelligence (AI), it now seems that a new AI tool emerges every week. With varying success, AI offers solutions for productivity, creativity,
NZ Budget 2025: science investment must increase as a proportion of GDP for NZ to innovate and compete Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Gaston, Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Shutterstock/Olivier Le Queinec A lack of strategy and research funding – by both the current and previous governments – has been well documented, most comprehensively in the first report
Starvation of Gaza – a distressing continuation of a decades-old plan SPECIAL REPORT: By Jeremy Rose Reading an NBC News report a couple of days ago about a Trump administration plan to relocate 1 million Gazans to Libya reminded me of a conversation between the legendary Warsaw Ghetto leader Marek Edelman and fellow fighter and survivor Simcha Rotem that took place more than quarter of a
Spotify continues to change music. What’s next – will AI musicians replace music made by humans? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Spotify was started, according to its official claims, because its founders “love music and piracy was killing it”. In Mood Machine, music journalist Liz Pelly argues this is rewriting history. In fact, she
Feats of the human body behind Tom Cruise’s stunts in Mission: Impossible movies Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol He’s leapt from cliffs, clung to planes mid-takeoff and held his breath underwater for as long as professional freedivers. Now, at 62, Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt for one final mission – and
After another call with Putin, it looks like Trump has abandoned efforts to mediate peace in Ukraine Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham After a two-hour phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on May 19, US president Donald Trump took to social media to declare that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately start negotiations” towards a ceasefire and an end to
The public service has a much smaller gender pay gap than the private sector. It’s a big achievement Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leonora Risse, Associate Professor in Economics, University of Canberra NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock After two years of publishing the gender pay gaps of Australia’s private-sector companies, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has released public-sector employer data for the first time. The report shows a stark contrast between the private
For making stars, it’s not just how much gas a galaxy has that matters – it’s where it’s hiding Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbara Catinella, Professor and Senior Principal Research Fellow, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia One of the galaxies mapped by WALLABY: the red shade shows the atomic hydrogen gas content of the galaxy, overlaid on an optical image showing the stars.
The Queensland melioidosis outbreak is still growing. What’s keeping this deadly mud bug active? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University ap-studio/Shutterstock The outbreak of the deadly “mud bug” melioidosis in north Queensland has not yet abated since it began at the start of this year. So far there have been 221 cases and 31 deaths from the disease
‘Outdated and irrelevant’: what do young Australians think of their schooling? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jun Eric Fu, Senior Research Fellow, Youth Research Collective, The University of Melbourne LBeddoe/Shutterstock Australia’s school system – and whether it is doing its job – is often under the microscope from politicians, experts and parents. The most recent NAPLAN results in 2024 triggered a wave of
Culture at the core: examining journalism values in the Pacific ANALYSIS: By Birte Leonhardt, Folker Hanusch and Shailendra B. Singh The role of journalism in society is shaped not only by professional norms but also by deeply held cultural values. This is particularly evident in the Pacific Islands region, where journalists operate in media environments that are often small, tight-knit and embedded within traditional communities.
The band is breaking up: has the Coalition stopped making sense? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Visitor, School of History, Australian National University I remember seeing footage, several years ago, of a jubilant Malcolm Turnbull, then prime minister and Liberal leader, speaking in Tamworth to loyal members of the National Party. These were the rank and file who had spent weeks
Health chief ‘conductor of an orchestra who’s never played an instrument’ ANALYSIS: By Ian Powell In February 2025, Dr Diana Sarfati resigned, not unexpectedly, as Director-General of Health after only two years into her five-year term. As a medical specialist, and in her role as developing the successful cancer control agency, she had extensive experience in New Zealand’s health system. However, she did not conform to
RBA cuts interest rates, ready to respond again if the economy weakens further Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock speaks at a forum during the World Bank/IMF meetings in Washington in April. Jose Luis Magana/AP The Reserve Bank of Australia cut the official interest rate for the
The Coalition is on a break, but the Nationals risk finding their former partner doesn’t want them back Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda Botterill, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University In the weeks since the federal election, there’s been much speculation about the future of the Coalition agreement. In their soul-searching, it seemed possible the Liberals might pull the pin, given the degree of their
Israel slammed over ‘cynical’ sidestep of global rulings on Gazan humanitarian aid Asia Pacific Report Israel has been accused of “manipulation” and “cynical” circumvention of global decisions calling for unrestricted humanitarian aid access to the besieged Gaza enclave. “In a clear act of defiance against international humanitarian obligations, the occupying state has permitted only nine aid trucks to enter the Gaza Strip — covering both the devastated
Keith Rankin Analysis – The Aratere and the New Zealand Main Trunk Line Analysis by Keith Rankin. Government-owned Kiwirail is supposed to be presiding over the New Zealand Main Trunk (Railway) Line, from Auckland to Invercargill. As such it runs a ferry service (The Interislander) between New Zealand’s North and South Islands. We are being told by Kiwirail (and see today’s report on Radio NZ) that the only
. The letter calls for all Republicans to unify around the bill containing the President’s agenda.
The letter to the President in part states:
“Now, Congress must act to fully and permanently implement your America First agenda for which over 77 million Americans voted. Thankfully, your One, Big, Beautiful Bill would accomplish this. It would provide you with the resources you need to permanently secure the border, remove barriers needed to truly unleash American energy production, protect Americans by making a once-in-a-lifetime investment in military technology that once seemed like science fiction, give working class families tax cuts worth thousands of dollars each, and ensure your administration has the tools needed to deport illegal alien murders and rapists.”
The governors emphasized the need to unify around the bill and the opportunity it presents not just to enact the President’s agenda, but to save taxpayers $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years.
Other governors who signed the letter include: Governor Kay Ivey (AL), Governor Mike Dunleavy (AL) Governor Sarah Sanders (AR), Governor Brian Kemp (GA), Governor Brad Little (ID), Governor Mike Braun (IN), Governor Kim Reynolds (IA), Governor Jeff Landry (LA), Governor Mike Kehoe (MO), Governor Tate Reeves (MS), Governor Greg Gianforte (MT), Governor Jim Pillen (NE), Governor Kelly Armstrong (ND), Governor Henry McMaster (SC), Governor Bill Lee (TN), Governor Greg Abbott (TX), Governor Spencer Cox (UT), Governor Glenn Youngkin (VA), Governor Patrick Morrisey (WV), and Governor Mark Gordon (WY).
Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the U.S. faces evolving and pressing threats, missile defense plays an essential role in deterring and defeating adversary missiles and other threats against the nation. Days after his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the implementation of a next-generation missile defense shield for the nation.
Today, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, joined U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a fellow SASC member, President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein at the White House to announce the administration’s plan for a Golden Dome missile defense system for America.
Click here to watch the announcement
“Providing for the common defense of American citizens is our first Constitutional responsibility,” said Cramer. “Over the last couple of decades, adversaries have sharpened their capabilities and threats are no longer far off in the distance. We need to modernize our missile defense infrastructure so we can protect our homeland from catastrophic, modern missile attacks. I applaud President Trump’s innovative and bold vision to create a safer, more secure America and Congress is ready to work with him to make it a reality.”
The president also announced the nomination of General Guetlein to lead the implementation of this effort. Last month, General Guetlein joined Cramer and SDA Director Derek Tournear to visit the University of North Dakota and tour the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences and the National Security Corridor at the College of Engineering & Mines. The group also visited Grand Forks Air Force Base, Cavalier Space Force Station and viewedongoing U.S. Space Force activities in North Dakota.
“I strongly endorse General Guetlein for the role in leading the Golden Dome project,” said Cramer. “I don’t know anyone better equipped to do it than him.”
Since the recent explosion of widely available generative artificial intelligence (AI), it now seems that a new AI tool emerges every week.
With varying success, AI offers solutions for productivity, creativity, research, and also accessibility: making products, services and other content more usable for people with disability.
Directed by blind director Adam Morse, it showcases an AI-powered feature that uses audio cues, haptic feedback (where vibrating sensations communicate information to the user) and animations to assist blind and low-vision users in capturing photos and videos.
Javier in Frame showcases an accessibility feature found on Pixel 8 phones.
The ad was applauded for being disability inclusive and representative. It also demonstrated a growing capacity for – and interest in – AI to generate more accessible technology.
AI is also poised to challenge how audio description is created and what it may sound like. This is the focus of our research team.
Audio description is a track of narration that describes important visual elements of visual media, including television shows, movies and live performances. Synthetic voices and quick, automated visual descriptions might result in more audio description on our screens. But will users lose out in other ways?
AI as people’s eyes
AI-powered accessibility tools are proliferating. Among them is Microsoft’s Seeing AI, an app that turns your smartphone into a talking camera by reading text and identifying objects. The app Be My AI uses virtual assistants to describe photos taken by blind users; it’s an AI version of the original app Be My Eyes, where the same task was done by human volunteers.
There are increasingly more AI software options for text-to-speech and document reading, as well as for producing audio description.
Audio description is an essential feature to make visual media accessible to blind or vision impaired audiences. But its benefits go beyond that.
Traditionally, audio description has been created using human voices, script writers and production teams. However, in the last year several international streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Prime have begun offering audio description that’s at least partially generated with AI.
Yet there are a number of issues with the current AI technologies, including their ability to generate false information. These tools need to be critically appraised and improved.
Is AI coming for audio description jobs?
There are multiple ways in which AI might impact the creation – and end result – of audio description.
However, in the audio description industry many are worried AI could undermine the quality, creativity and professionalism humans bring to the equation.
The language-learning app Duolingo, for example, recently announced it was moving forward with “AI first” development. As a result, many contractors lost jobs that can now purportedly be done by algorithms.
On the one hand, AI could help broaden the range of audio descriptions available for a range of media and live experiences.
But AI audio description may also cost jobs rather than create them. The worst outcome would be a huge amount of lower-quality audio description, which would undermine the value of creating it at all.
AI shouldn’t undermine the quality of assistive technologies, including audio description. Ground Picture/Shutterstock
Can we trust AI to describe things well?
Industry impact and the technical details of how AI can be used in audio description are one thing.
What’s currently lacking is research that centres the perspectives of users and takes into consideration their experiences and needs for future audio description.
Accuracy – and trust in this accuracy – is vitally important for blind and low-vision audiences.
If AI tools simply fabricate content rather than make existing material accessible, it would even further distance and disadvantage blind and low-vision consumers.
We can use AI for accessibility – with care
AI is a relatively new technology, and for it to be a true benefit in terms of accessibility, its accuracy and reliability need to be absolute. Blind and low-vision users need to be able to turn on AI tools with confidence.
In the current “AI rush” to make audio description cheaper, quicker and more available, it’s vital that the people who need it the most are closely involved in how the tech is deployed.
Kathryn Locke is employed as a researcher on the Australian Research Council’s discovery grant, “Diversifying audio description in the Australian digital landscape”.
Tama Leaver receives funding from the Australian Research Council. This work is supported by the discovery grant, “Diversifying audio description in the Australian digital landscape”. He is a chief investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The 78th World Health Assembly is held in Geneva, Switzerland, May 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
The World Health Assembly (WHA), the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), adopted the global pandemic agreement on Tuesday.
The “pandemic agreement” proposes the establishment of a series of new platforms and mechanisms aimed at comprehensively reforming the existing systems for pandemic surveillance, prevention, and response. It seeks to promote research and equitable sharing of pandemic-related products, adjust the production and distribution order of such products, and further improve the global public health governance system, with a particular focus on addressing fairness challenges in international health development.
WHO member states, meeting on Monday in Committee A of the WHA, approved a resolution calling for adoption of the pandemic agreement. According to a press release on the WHO website, the resolution outlines several steps to advance global preparedness and pave the way for the agreement’s implementation.
It includes the launch of a process to draft and negotiate an annex to the agreement that would establish a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS) through an Intergovernmental Working Group. The result of this process will be considered at next year’s WHA. Once the Assembly adopts the PABS annex, the pandemic agreement will then be open for signature and consideration of ratification, including by national legislative bodies.
Following the adoption of the agreement, the Chinese delegation told Xinhua that China has been actively engaged in the agreement negotiation process. Guided by the vision of building a global community of health for all, China has upheld true multilateralism, advocated for greater solidarity and cooperation among countries, and supported the WHO in playing its central coordinating role.
The Chinese delegation also noted that China has worked with all parties to improve the global health governance system and strengthen global capacity for prevention, preparedness, and response. On technical issues such as pandemic prevention and surveillance, China maintained a science-based approach, put forward constructive textual proposals, and actively contributed to the drafting process, playing an important role in promoting consensus among member states.
In addition, China, along with countries including Brazil, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, actively responded to the legitimate concerns of developing countries regarding equitable access to health products under the framework of the Group for Equity. These efforts demonstrated China’s image as a responsible major country.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the assembly that “the WHO pandemic agreement will run among the most significant achievements in the history of this organization and of global health,” underscoring that it places humanity in a stronger position than ever before to prepare for and respond to pandemics.
In November 2021, a special session of the WHA established an intergovernmental negotiating body tasked with drafting a pandemic agreement under the WHO framework to enhance global capacities for pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response.
On April 16 this year, the WHO announced that, following more than three years of intensive negotiations, member states had reached a consensus on the draft text of the agreement, which was then submitted for consideration at the 78th session.
If you’re browsing the supermarket fridge for reduced-fat milk, it’s easy to be confused by the many different types.
You canfind options labelled skim, skimmed, skinny, no fat, extra light, lite, light, low fat, reduced fat, semi skim and HiLo (high calcium, low fat).
So what’s the difference between two of these common milks – skim milk and light milk? How are they made? And which one’s healthier?
What do they contain?
Skim milk
In Australia and New Zealand, skim milk is defined as milk that contains no more than 1.5% milk fat and has at least 3% protein. On the nutrition information panel this looks like less than 1.5 grams of fat and at least 3g protein per 100 millilitres of milk.
Light milk is sometimes spelled “lite” but they’re essentially the same thing.
While light milk is not specifically defined in Australia and New Zealand, the term “light” is defined for food generally. If we apply the rules to milk, we can say light milk must contain no more than 2.4% fat (2.4g fat per 100mL).
In other words, light milk contains more fat than skim milk.
You can find the fat content by reading the “total fat per 100mL” on the label’s nutrition information panel.
How about other nutrients?
The main nutritional difference between skim milk and light milk, apart from the fat content, is the energy content.
Any milk sold as cow’s milk must contain at least 3% protein (3g protein per 100mL of milk). That includes skim or light milk. So there’s typically not much difference there.
Likewise, the calcium content doesn’t differ much between skim milk and light milk. It is typically about 114 milligrams to 120mg per 100mL.
You can check these and other details on the label’s nutrition information panel.
How are they made?
Skim milk and light milk are not made by watering down full-cream milk.
Instead, full-cream milk is spun at high speeds in a device called a centrifuge. This causes the fat to separate and be removed, leaving behind milk containing less fat.
Here’s how fat is removed to produce skim and light milk.
Who should be drinking what?
Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend we drink mostly reduced-fat milk – that is, milk containing no more than 2.4g fat per 100mL. Skim milk and light milk are both included in that category.
The exception is for children under two years old, who are recommended full-cream milk to meet their growing needs.
The reason our current guidelines recommend reduced-fat milk is that, since the 1970s, reduced-fat milk has been thought to help with reducing body weight and reducing the risk of heart disease. That’s because of its lower content of saturated fat and energy (kilojoules/calories) than full cream milk.
However, more recent evidencehas shown drinking full-cream milk is not associated with weight gain or health risks. In fact, eating or drinking dairy products of any type may help reduce the risk of obesity and other metabolic disorders (such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes), especially in children and adolescents.
The science in this area continues to evolve. So the debate around whether there are health benefits to choosing reduced-fat milk over full cream milk is ongoing.
Whether or not there any individual health benefits from choosing skim milk or light milk over full cream will vary depending on your current health status and broader dietary habits.
For personalised health and dietary advice, speak to a health professional.
Margaret Murray 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.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The momentum generated by government policies aimed at stabilizing foreign investment, combined with the rapid growth of green and artificial intelligence-driven economies, will deliver strong tailwinds for foreign companies in China this year, said foreign business executives.
With rising global economic headwinds and uncertainty over United States’ trade policies, many global enterprises are opting to consolidate their presence in China, with plans to maintain or expand investment.
China’s stable and business-friendly environment supported a modest rebound in foreign direct investment in March, with actual FDI inflows into the Chinese mainland increasing by 13.2 percent year-on-year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.
Marelli Holdings Co Ltd, a Saitama, Japan-headquartered multinational automotive parts manufacturer with more than 50 manufacturing facilities across the world, will expand its engineering team from 800 to 1,000 in China over the next three years.
“Many opportunities arise from Chinese automakers’ rapid shift toward electrification and intelligence, especially in the form of software-defined vehicles, which are setting new benchmarks for speed, scale and innovation,” said David Slump, the group’s president and CEO.
With China and the US agreeing to de-escalate trade tensions last week, Slump said that these two countries are major markets for Marelli.
“We are closely monitoring and assessing the situation, and are committed to minimizing any impact on our operations and customers,” said Slump. He added that the company is already exporting advanced products and solutions from China to other markets, including Europe, Mexico and Southeast Asia.
Also upbeat about the Chinese market, British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced in March an investment of $2.5 billion to establish in Beijing its sixth global strategic R&D center, and further expand its biotech innovation partnerships and local manufacturing capabilities.
The new facility will advance early-stage research and clinical development and will be enabled by a new AI and data science laboratory.
Susan Galbraith, executive vice-president, oncology R&D, Astra-Zeneca, said that having two of its six global strategic R&D centers in China reflects the group’s confidence in China’s world-class biomedical innovation ecosystem and reinforces the nation’s critical role in its global R&D strategy.
Ji Wenhua, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies, which is part of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said that China’s well-developed industrial bases, strong supply chain resilience and policy emphasis on innovation continue to make it an attractive destination for global capital.
According to China’s 2025 Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment, the country will support pilot regions in effectively implementing opening-up policies related to areas such as value-added telecommunication, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, providing whole-journey services for foreign-invested projects in these sectors.
The action plan also supports foreign businesses to participate in China’s new industrialization, with a focus on high-tech fields. Global capital has been welcomed in service sectors such as elderly care, culture and tourism, sports, healthcare, vocational education and finance.
As part of its strategy to strengthen operations in China, US express transportation service provider FedEx Corp announced in mid-May that it would enhance its international export services from Shanghai.
The cutoff times for same-day outbound shipments from Shanghai to Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, India and Africa will be further extended.
The foreign trade value of foreign-invested businesses reached 4.1 trillion yuan ($567.51 billion) in China between January and April, up 1.9 percent year-on-year, accounting for 29 percent of China’s total foreign trade value, statistics from the General Administration of Customs showed.
In the meantime, Jiangsu province, a major hub for foreign-invested companies, recorded 864.25 billion yuan in foreign trade value, up 7.2 percent year-on-year, according to Nanjing Customs.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Locke, Associate Researcher in Digital Disability, Centre for Culture and Technology, Curtin University
Since the recent explosion of widely available generative artificial intelligence (AI), it now seems that a new AI tool emerges every week.
With varying success, AI offers solutions for productivity, creativity, research, and also accessibility: making products, services and other content more usable for people with disability.
Directed by blind director Adam Morse, it showcases an AI-powered feature that uses audio cues, haptic feedback (where vibrating sensations communicate information to the user) and animations to assist blind and low-vision users in capturing photos and videos.
Javier in Frame showcases an accessibility feature found on Pixel 8 phones.
The ad was applauded for being disability inclusive and representative. It also demonstrated a growing capacity for – and interest in – AI to generate more accessible technology.
AI is also poised to challenge how audio description is created and what it may sound like. This is the focus of our research team.
Audio description is a track of narration that describes important visual elements of visual media, including television shows, movies and live performances. Synthetic voices and quick, automated visual descriptions might result in more audio description on our screens. But will users lose out in other ways?
AI as people’s eyes
AI-powered accessibility tools are proliferating. Among them is Microsoft’s Seeing AI, an app that turns your smartphone into a talking camera by reading text and identifying objects. The app Be My AI uses virtual assistants to describe photos taken by blind users; it’s an AI version of the original app Be My Eyes, where the same task was done by human volunteers.
There are increasingly more AI software options for text-to-speech and document reading, as well as for producing audio description.
Audio description is an essential feature to make visual media accessible to blind or vision impaired audiences. But its benefits go beyond that.
Traditionally, audio description has been created using human voices, script writers and production teams. However, in the last year several international streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Prime have begun offering audio description that’s at least partially generated with AI.
Yet there are a number of issues with the current AI technologies, including their ability to generate false information. These tools need to be critically appraised and improved.
Is AI coming for audio description jobs?
There are multiple ways in which AI might impact the creation – and end result – of audio description.
However, in the audio description industry many are worried AI could undermine the quality, creativity and professionalism humans bring to the equation.
The language-learning app Duolingo, for example, recently announced it was moving forward with “AI first” development. As a result, many contractors lost jobs that can now purportedly be done by algorithms.
On the one hand, AI could help broaden the range of audio descriptions available for a range of media and live experiences.
But AI audio description may also cost jobs rather than create them. The worst outcome would be a huge amount of lower-quality audio description, which would undermine the value of creating it at all.
AI shouldn’t undermine the quality of assistive technologies, including audio description. Ground Picture/Shutterstock
Can we trust AI to describe things well?
Industry impact and the technical details of how AI can be used in audio description are one thing.
What’s currently lacking is research that centres the perspectives of users and takes into consideration their experiences and needs for future audio description.
Accuracy – and trust in this accuracy – is vitally important for blind and low-vision audiences.
If AI tools simply fabricate content rather than make existing material accessible, it would even further distance and disadvantage blind and low-vision consumers.
We can use AI for accessibility – with care
AI is a relatively new technology, and for it to be a true benefit in terms of accessibility, its accuracy and reliability need to be absolute. Blind and low-vision users need to be able to turn on AI tools with confidence.
In the current “AI rush” to make audio description cheaper, quicker and more available, it’s vital that the people who need it the most are closely involved in how the tech is deployed.
Kathryn Locke is employed as a researcher on the Australian Research Council’s discovery grant, “Diversifying audio description in the Australian digital landscape”.
Tama Leaver receives funding from the Australian Research Council. This work is supported by the discovery grant, “Diversifying audio description in the Australian digital landscape”. He is a chief investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Gaston, Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
A lack of strategy and research funding – by both the current and previous governments – has been well documented, most comprehensively in the first report by the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG), released late last year.
If there is one word that sums up the current state of New Zealan’s research sector, it is scarcity. As the report summarises:
We have an underfunded system by any international comparison. This parsimony has led to harmful inter-institutional competition in a manner that is both wastefully expensive in terms of process and scarce researcher time, and is known to inhibit the most intellectually innovative ideas coming forward, and of course it is these that can drive a productive innovation economy.
The latest example is last week’s cancellation of the 2026 grant application round of the NZ$55 million Endeavour Fund “as we transition to the science, innovation and technology system of the future”. Interrupting New Zealand’s largest contestable source of science funding limits opportunities for researchers looking for support for new and emerging ideas.
Changes to the Marsden Fund, set up 30 years ago to support fundamental research, removed all funding for social science and the humanities and shifted focus to applied research. This is despite fundamental research in all fields underpinning innovation and the international ranking of our universities.
New Zealand has an opportunity to change its economy based on the potential of emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, cleantech and quantum technologies. Other countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom, already consider quantum technologies a priority and fund them accordingly.
But when it comes to strategy, the composition of the boards of new Public Research Organisations, set up as part of the government’s science sector reform, are skewed towards business experience. Where there is scientific expertise, it tends to be in established industries. The governance of the proposed new entity to focus on emerging and advanced technologies is yet to be announced.
Critical mass requires funding and strategy
Scientists have been calling for a science investment target of 2% of GDP for a long time. It was once – roughly a decade ago – the average expenditure within the OECD; this has since increased to 2.7% of GDP, while New Zealand’s investment remains at 1.5%.
The SSAG report repeatedly refers to the lack of funding, and it would be the obvious thing to see addressed in this year’s budget. But expectations have already been lowered by the government’s insistence there will be no new money.
The report’s second high-level theme is the engagement of government with scientific strategy. Government announcements to date seem focused on attracting international investment through changes to tax settings and regulation. I would argue this is a matter of focusing on the wrapping rather than the present: the system itself needs to be attractive to investors.
Creating a thriving research sector is also a matter of scale. International cooperation is one way for New Zealand to access efficiencies of scale. And work on building international partnerships is one area of positive intent. But we need to look at our connectivity nationally as well, and use investment to build this further.
Countries with greater GDPs than New Zealand’s invest much more in research as a proportion of GDP. It means the size of these other countries’ scientific ecosystems – if measured by total expenditure – is three to four times New Zealand’s on a per capita basis.
A matter of scale
Per-capita scale matters because it tells us how easy it is for researchers to find someone else with the right skillset or necessary equipment. It tells us how likely it is for a student to find an expert in New Zealand to teach them, rather than needing to go overseas.
And it tells us how quickly start-up companies in emerging technologies will be able to find the skilled employees they need. A thriving university system that attracts young people to develop the research skills needed by advanced technology companies is a key part of this challenge.
The government’s science sector reform aims to increase its contribution to economic growth. But research contributes to economic growth when scientists can really “lean in” with confidence to commercialising and translating their science.
That can’t happen if budgets don’t fund the critical mass, connectivity and resources to stimulate the transition to a thriving science system.
Nicola Gaston receives funding from the Tertiary Education Commission as the Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. She also receives funding from the Marsden Fund. All research funding goes to the University of Auckland to pay the costs of the research she is employed to do.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A study published in BMJ Open looks at the association between herpes simplex virus type 1 and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr Sheona Scales, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK:
“There’s an increasing amount of evidence that suggests our body’s response to certain viruses could put us at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in later life.
“These recent findings from a large study using US health records propose that infection with HSV-1 – a common virus that causes cold sores – may be associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers also state that taking medicines to treat HSV-1 infections could reduce the risk, but this is still very early work and needs more investigation.
“Despite the large sample size, this research has limitations partly due to only using health records and administrative claims data. Most people infected with HSV-1 don’t have any symptoms so some infections might not have been recorded. Infections predating the information recorded are also not available. Although cases were matched with controls, diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, especially in the early stages, remains a challenge.
“The study authors found that some people receiving medicines to treat HSV-1 infections had a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, however a lot more work is needed to unpick this.
“We know there are 14 established risk factors for dementia, and there’s not enough evidence to include infections in this list. This study doesn’t tell us if infections are causing the risk, it only shows an association. Further research is needed to understand what the underlying biology around this is.”
Prof Cornelia van Duijn, Professor of Epidemiology at the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, said:
“Again a carefully conducted study adding to the growing evidence that various common viruses may determine the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, in particular in the elderly (70+ years).
“Matching Alzheimer’s patients carefully with controls in the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus claims database, the study further shows that treating those with an active herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) infection with antiherpetic medication reduces the risk and postpones the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Smaller but significant effects are also seen for HSV-2 and varicella zoster virus (VZV). With many GPs and the population being unaware of the dementia related benefits of treating HSV infections and preventing VZV activation through vaccination, it is time to call for actions informing those working in primary care as well as the population at large.”
Dr David Vickers, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada, said:
“Declining HSV-1 rates in the U.S. since the late-70’s challenge the authors’ claim that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will surge without intervention. This pharma-funded research exaggerates the role of HSV-1, failing to appreciate its absence in 99.56% of AD cases. The observed 17% hazard reduction with antiherpetic drugs translates to a mere nine-month delay in AD onset, offering no meaningful relief to the US$305 billion costs for treatment.
“The study’s data source makes its findings ungeneralisable, and it overstates a minor infection as a ‘public health priority’ to justify unnecessary treatment.”
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, said:
“This study reports that diagnosis of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection is associated with increased risk of diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia. Scientists examined data from almost 700,000 people in a medical insurance claims database and found that in addition to an increased proportion of people with Alzheimer’s disease having a diagnosis of HSV-1, people with HSV-1 who were treated for the viral infection with “antiherpetic” medication were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who did not have treatment.
“This is a well-conducted study adding to strong data in the field linking HSV-1 and other viral infections to increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, but it is important to note that HSV-1 infection, which is extremely common in the population, is by no means a guarantee that someone will develop Alzheimer’s.
“Why viral infections may increase risk of dementia is not fully understood, but the most likely explanation is that infections increase inflammation in the body and contribute to age-related brain inflammation. More research is needed to understand the best way to protect our brains from Alzheimer’s disease as we age, including a better understanding of links between viral infection and Alzheimer’s risk.”
Dr Richard Oakley, Director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said:
“This study adds to the growing interest in a possible link between the virus that causes cold sores and Alzheimer’s disease. Results from this observational study suggested that people with recorded cold sore infections were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and interestingly those prescribed antiviral drugs had a slightly lower risk.
“But this doesn’t prove that cold sores cause Alzheimer’s disease, or that antivirals prevent it. The data came from insurance records, often based on self-reported symptoms which may miss or misclassify infections, and didn’t track how often people had cold sores or how consistently they took medication.
“Much more research is needed to explore exactly how viruses might be involved and before we can draw firm conclusions. It is critical we explore every avenue to understand the complex causes of the diseases which cause dementia – infections are a growing area of interest.
“If you are worried about a cold sore or your general health, be sure to seek the appropriate help from a health professional.”
From the Spanish SMC:
Prof Alberto Ascherio, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (United States) and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, said:
“This is a high-quality study that stands out mainly for its sample size. The results confirm previous findings that people with a history of cold sores have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and that this risk appears to be reduced in people who receive antiviral treatment.
“This is an observational study based on electronic data of varying quality, so the conclusions cannot be considered definitive. For example, the vast majority of cold sore episodes are not reported in medical records, so the study’s conclusions apply to a highly selected subgroup of individuals with clinical episodes of cold sores, perhaps due to clinical severity or the presence of other factors. For this reason, it would be premature for people with cold sores to worry about having an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, there is growing evidence that viral infections may affect the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and it is important to initiate more definitive research.”
From the Australian SMC:
Prof Ashley Bush, Clinical Lead Mental Health Mission at The Florey, Australia, said:
“This is an important, large, case-control epidemiology study that shows that people suffering with Alzheimer’s disease or with other Alzheimer-like dementia (e.g. fronto-temporal dementia) are substantially (about 80%) more likely to have been infected with the viruses that cause cold sores, genital herpes, chicken pox or shingles. Further, people who were taking antivirals for cold sores were 17% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over a 15 year period.
“These findings come in the wake of another recent report1 that showed that shingles vaccination decreased the probability of a new dementia diagnosis during the follow-up period of 7 years by 2%. Some scientists like Prof Ruth Itzhaki in Manchester and the late Rob Moir at Harvard have proposed that dementias like Alzheimer’s are provoked by viral infection. Herpes virus lives dormant in nerve cells, and it is thought that the pathology of the dementia is brought about by a defence to these infection gone wrong.
“It is unlikely that viral infection can explain all causes of dementia, but these recent papers implicate the infections are playing a role in accelerating these diseases. It certainly encourages more research in this direction and as to whether lifelong antivirals should be considered as preventive therapy for people who have had one of these infections.”
1(Pomirchy M, Bommer C, Pradella F, Michalik F, Peters R, Geldsetzer P. Herpes Zoster Vaccination and Dementia Occurrence. JAMA. 2025 Apr 23; Epub 2025 Apr 23)
Prof Brenda Gannon, Professor of the Health Economics of Ageing at the University of Queensland, said:
“This research provides further evidence for the link between the common cold sores from HSV1 and Alzheimer’s Disease. The study now proposes that people with HSV who are treated with anti-viral medicine are less likely to develop AD. Using large scale administrative data from the US, the findings are suggestive of a protective effect of anti-viral treatment. This could be beneficial for Australians who suffer from the common cold sores and who would benefit from anti-viral treatment for their cold sores. It does not mean it could reduce the probability of AD.
“Further research would be required to ensure the study is more widely representative, since the authors note that not all populations are included in the data, e.g. those over 65 who receive free health care (Medicare). The study does not provide detail on who may benefit, for example does it help disadvantaged groups more, and who does it work together with other non-pharmacological treatments for lifestyle improvement.
“Overall, the study indicates some potential, but much more research would be required to determine if the anti-viral therapies for people with cold cores, is in fact going to reduce their probability of getting Alzheimer’s disease.
“As the authors state, it does not indicate cause and effect, but they do find it a potential avenue to explore further.
“The study did not include public involvement – but inclusion of the public, even on an advisory capacity would be useful, to help design the research questions and relevant factors included in the study.
“From a health economics perspective, it is unlikely that anti-viral therapy would be funded for the Australian population, until further evidence on effectiveness in prevention and then cost-effectiveness overall, including additional use of health care resources, is provided. More details on the health and socio-economics status of individuals are also warranted, to help determine who may benefit from the therapy.”
‘Association between herpes simplex virus type 1 and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease: a retrospective case control study’ by Yunhao Liu et al. was published in BMJ Open at 23.30 on Tuesday 20 May.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093946
Declared interests
Cornelia van Duijn: “I receive funding from GSK (related to VZV vaccination) and NovoNordisk (unrelated to virus treatment/prevention), and have received funding from JNJ/Jansen Pharmaceutics (unrelated to virus treatment/prevention).”
David Vickers: “I have no interests or conflicts, financial or otherwise, to declare.”
Tara Spires-Jones: “I have no conflicts with this study but have received payments for consulting, scientific talks, or collaborative research over the past 10 years from AbbVie, Sanofi, Merck, Scottish Brain Sciences, Jay Therapeutics, Cognition Therapeutics, Ono, and Eisai. I am also Charity trustee for the British Neuroscience Association and the Guarantors of Brain and serve as scientific advisor to several charities and non-profit institutions.”
Ashley Bush: “I have no relevant conflicts.”
Brenda Gannon: “No COI”
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.
Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, today reintroduced the Embracing anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curricula and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act, which would block federal funding for medical schools and accrediting institutions that force students to affirm ideological beliefs and prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
“Medical schools should be in the business of training our future doctors to save lives—not indoctrinating students with anti-American DEI ideology. The EDUCATE Act would make sure the government isn’t wasting your money on woke struggle sessions and blatant discrimination in medical schools,” said Kennedy.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) joined Kennedy in reintroducing the bill in the Senate.
“For too long the radical Left has used our education system to advance their woke DEI agenda rather than advancing scientific achievement. This has now injected itself into medical schools across the nation putting the lives of countless Americans in danger all to appease the woke mob. I am proud to be leading this legislation to once again put merit above social justice quotas,” said Schmitt.
Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) reintroduced the bill in the House of Representatives.
“American medical schools are the best in the world and should remain free from discrimination, politicization, and acceptance of anything other than excellence. The EDUCATE Act bans race-based mandates at medical schools, protects the First Amendment and civil rights of students, and promotes objective, science-based medicine. Excluding individuals based on appearance or beliefs in the name of diversity is wrong and debases the integrity of the profession. Doctors must be taught to treat patients with the highest quality of care regardless of who they are. This includes dealing with other medical professionals who may not look like they do. I have dedicated my life to serving others as a physician and will not stand for discrimination in our nation’s institutions of medicine,” said Murphy.
Kennedy and Murphy also authored this op-ed in the Washington Examiner urging Congress to pass their EDUCATE Act.
The EDUCATE Act would block federal funding from medical schools that:
Direct, compel or incentivize students, faculty or staff to affirm or adopt certain ideological tenets.
Take any action that would deprive a student of educational opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his or her status as a student on the basis of race or ethnicity.
Require a course of instruction that directs or compels students, faculty or staff to state, pledge, recite, affirm or adopt certain ideological tenets.
Maintain a DEI or equivalent office within the medical school.
Require or incentivize an individual to complete a diversity statement that affirms or capitulates to DEI as a condition of the person’s being admitted to or employed by a school.
Do No Harm, America First Policy Institute, Eagle Forum, Heritage Action and CPAC support the EDUCATE Act.
“Do No Harm applauds Congressman Murphy and Senator Kennedy for their relentless work to end harmful DEI practices and to restore integrity to American medical schools. For too long, accrediting bodies and medical colleges have prioritized identity politics over merit and expertise—putting patients’ health at serious risk. President Trump’s Administration has taken critical steps to dismantle these political activists’ grip on medical education, even causing some accreditors and schools to suspend their discriminatory practices. But the EDUCATE Act could enshrine the President’s actions into law, thereby eradicating DEI programs from medical education permanently,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, founder and Board Chairman of Do No Harm.
“Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are an offshoot of Critical Race Theory—designed to promote race-stereotyping, race-exclusion, and indoctrination into divisive far-left ideologies. When publicly funded universities and medical schools teach students to make snap judgments about each other and our broader society based on skin color, they are conditioning them to reject foundational American commitments, including equal treatment and opportunity for all, administrative impartiality, and due process. Congressman Murphy’s bill is an essential first step toward restoring academic excellence and truth-seeking as the focal points of medical education so that tomorrow’s health professionals are prepared to provide exceptional care to every patient, regardless of their race or sex,” said Dr. Michael Shires, Ph.D., Vice Chair of Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute.
“DEI has invaded US medical schools like a virus in recent years—harming these institutions and the public as well. Senator Kennedy’s EDUCATE Act is the cure. We urge the Senate to move this bill forward,” said Kris Ullman, President of the Eagle Forum.
Full text of the EDUCATE Act is available here.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
Tuesday’s forum featured former agency officials from FDA, ACF, CMS, and HRSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) today led their colleagues in kicking off a two-day spotlight forum, entitled “Trump’s Destruction of HHS: Mass Firings, Reorganization, and the Human Harm Caused.” The forum is examining the human harm caused by the Trump Administration’s sweeping reorganization and mass terminations at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“The whole point of what we’re doing is to try to bring to the attention of the American people what the reality is of the Trump Administration’s attack on the federal workforce and many federal programs. These are programs that are not abstract in what they do—they really affect the lives of young people and the wellbeing, the health of our country. And these things have to built overtime—to get the expertise, the have the infrastructure, to have an established set of procedures where you can actually deliver services that make a difference…” said Senator Welch. “It’s a real threat because when you erode that foundation that has been established over time at an institution, it’s not as though a year later, two years later, you can come in and flip a switch and you’re back to where we were. Damage is done.”
Watch the livestream here:
Senator Welch also thanked fired federal workers, many of whom have traveled to the Capitol every week to meet with lawmakers and raise awareness of the harm caused by Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce.
The first day of the two-day forum featured testimony from Dr. Robert Califf, the former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Dr. Meg Sullivan, the former Acting Secretary for Administration for Children and Families (ACF); Ms. Chiquita Brooks La-Sure, the former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); and Ms. Carole Johnson, the former Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Tomorrow’s forum will feature Dr. Anne Schuchat, the former Principal Deputy Director, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Ms. Trina Dutta, the former Chief of Staff, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Dr. Sean Bruna, the former Senior Advisor, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); Professor Alison Barkoff, the former Administrator for Administration for Community Living (ACL); and Dr. Jeremy Berg – former Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at NIH.
Senator Welch was joined today by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
Watch the livestream here.
A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit (or ‘mission’), in most cases to a member country. Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, in the context of a request to use IMF resources (borrow from the IMF), as part of discussions of staff monitored programs, or as part of other staff monitoring of economic developments.
The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision.
An IMF team, led by Mr. Fabian Bornhorst, visited the Netherlands during May 7–20 to conduct the 2025 Article IV consultation. The following statement was issued at the end of the visit:
The Dutch economy is among the most developed countries globally and has drawn strength from integration in global value chains. In recent years, it has weathered shocks well, yet its resilience is being tested, again—this time by trade tensions and geoeconomic fragmentation. Fiscal buffers are ample, and the financial system is well-positioned to absorb shocks. At the same time, the economy is operating at capacity and inflation is elevated. And increasingly binding constraints—in the labor market, housing, emissions space, and the electricity grid—are limiting the ability to grow and adapt. Futureproofing the economy will therefore require policies that both tackle bottlenecks and expand supply capacity, and align with a long-term vision for sustainable growth. Reforms, complementary to EU initiatives, should aim to increase labor input and firm productivity, expand the availability of SME financing, and effectively manage the green and demographic transitions.
Outlook
After a weak start, domestic demand is projected to drive growth in 2025 even as trade tensions affect momentum. Real GDP growth is projected to reach 1.1 percent this year. Fundamentals remain strong: unemployment is low, wage growth is robust, and real household purchasing power is solid—supporting private consumption. However, tariffs, trade tensions, and lower trading partner growth are expected to dampen external demand. Combined with uncertainty over future trade policies and less favorable financial conditions, these factors hold back investment and weaken consumer confidence. With a cooling economy, the small positive output gap is expected to close next year; medium-term growth will converge to its estimated potential of 1.2 percent.
Elevated inflation is projected to decline gradually and reach the 2 percent target in late 2026. Inflation is projected at 3 percent in 2025. Wage growth has been robust, although real wages have not reached pre-pandemic levels. Going forward, wage growth is projected to moderate as indicated by recent collective wage agreements and early signs of easing labor market tightness. Fiscal measures, on net, will contribute positively to inflation in 2025 and 2026, as the roll-back of some reduced VAT rates and the increase in excise rates are partly offset by energy subsidies and the freeze on social housing rents. As the trade shock reverberates through the global economy, deflationary forces are expected to arise from lower global growth and energy prices, and appreciation of the euro.
Risks
Downside risks to growth dominate and arise mainly from trade tensions. Possible direct effects from new/higher U.S. tariffs on currently exempt items (e.g., pharmaceuticals) would lower exports. More generally, rising geoeconomic fragmentation and stronger-than-expected indirect effects from global trade disruptions pose downside risks to growth. The disruption to supply chains could be more severe than expected, leading to upward price pressures even in the context of subdued growth. Policy makers should stay vigilant and nimble. Barring more extreme scenarios, automatic stabilizers in the fiscal framework are sufficient to weather shocks. Domestically, uncertainties in economic policy and the extent to which growth bottlenecks are binding represent risks to the outlook. These can be addressed by implementing consistent, forward-looking, and confidence-building measures.
Fiscal Policy
Fiscal policy is geared to supporting households in the near term, while aiming to keep the deficit below 3 percent of GDP by 2030. In view of many, and competing, demands, it is welcome that revised plans in the Spring Memorandum adhere to the trend-based fiscal policy (the Dutch Medium-Term Fiscal Framework) and are in line with national fiscal rules. Key measures in 2025 to support household purchasing power include income tax relief, extending reduced fuel excise duties, energy subsidies, and rent support. To meet the deficit target by 2030, spending cuts in public administration, international cooperation, education, and asylum are proposed. The plans, however, are more backloaded than before, and, in many cases, specific measures have yet to be formulated.
Pivoting fiscal policy from stimulating demand to expanding supply would help the economy grow and adapt. Fiscal policy is set to provide an impulse of around 1 percent of GDP in 2025-26. As household real incomes now exceed pre-pandemic levels and the economy is operating at capacity with elevated inflation, broad fiscal support is no longer needed. Scaling back demand support is timely and advisable. While underspending and revenue overperformance could deliver a neutral fiscal stance—as in 2024—proactively identifying and implementing measures would allow for steering the adjustment. To boost the supply capacity of the economy, the government should invest in infrastructure, education, and R&D, foster investment to increase the housing supply and productivity, implement growth-enhancing tax reforms, and tackle bottlenecks from nitrogen and electricity grid congestion. Fostering private and increasing public investment will also contribute to reducing the high external current account surplus.
Better aligning policies with long-term goals would improve the effectiveness of fiscal policy. For example, while freezing social rents provides immediate support to some households, it weakens the financial health of housing associations and limits investment to expand and upgrade the housing stock—key to addressing shortages. Extending the reduction of fuel excises disincentivizes the clean energy transition, countering efforts to reduce implicit fuel subsidies and foster EV adoption through subsidies. Limited inflation adjustment of income tax brackets—including to finance reduced VAT rates—offsets previous income tax relief, disproportionately affects poorer households, and disincentivizes labor supply. Education and R&D spending cuts are at odds with fostering high levels of human capital and innovation. In this context, the announced tax and benefits system reform is welcome, offering an opportunity to simplify and align policies.
Tackling medium-term spending pressures through structural fiscal reforms will increase fiscal room to maneuver. With a low debt-to-GDP ratio of 43.4 percent, the fiscal position is strong. Moreover, deficits and debt are projected to remain structurally below 3 and 60 percent of GDP through 2030. However, projections also indicate that, by 2050, spending on health, ageing, and climate change will increase by about 4 percent of GDP. Ambitions to scale up defense spending beyond 2 percent of GDP adds to these pressures. Addressing cost drivers early would free fiscal room to maneuver, including: (i) reversing the reduction of health deductibles, increasing health care co-payments, and adjusting the basic policy package while supporting solidarity; (ii) linking the retirement age one-to-one to greater life expectancy for tax-funded old-age pensions; and (iii) moving away from fuel subsidies to revenue-generating carbon pricing and taxation.
Implementing the planned tax reforms would support growth. The Building Blocks Tax report rightly recommends streamlining inefficient and ineffective tax expenditures, including abolishing reduced VAT rates. This would lower compliance costs, broaden the tax base, and may open the door to a lower tax rate. Speedy implementation of the proposed capital income taxation reform (‘Box 3’) would align investment incentives by taxing capital income more consistently. and encouraging better resource allocation. Together, the reforms will foster higher investment, productivity, and growth.
Financial Sector Policies
Risks to financial stability are elevated and have risen, warranting continued close monitoring. Trade policy tensions and uncertainty have increased financial market volatility and weighed on investor confidence in recent months. More volatility in asset prices could trigger periodic margin calls, particularly on pension funds’ derivatives. Elevated inflation still poses non-negligible risks for insurers. While household and corporate indebtedness is declining, it remains well above the euro area average. In real estate, developments in the commercial sector signal reduced risks. However, the residential market shows renewed signs of overheating. Nominal and real house prices, as well as sales, have picked up again, and housing valuations remain among the highest in Europe.
Even so, the financial sector remains resilient to shocks as buffers are ample and commensurate to risks, and the macroprudential policy stance is broadly appropriate. Banking, insurance, and pension fund (PF) fundamentals remain sound. Banks are well capitalized and liquid. Bank profits remain robust and loan delinquencies low, despite a pick-up in corporate bankruptcies, which reflects normalization following phasing out of pandemic support. The countercyclical capital buffer has been maintained at the 2 percent positive neutral rate since May 2024. Other buffers for the largest banks remain in a 0.25‑2 percent CET1-to-risk-weighted-assets ratio range. The insurance sector is profitable and solvent. Funding ratios of occupational PFs have declined as interest rates fell but are rebounding ahead of the system’s transition to defined-contribution schemes and stood comfortably at 120 percent, on average, at end-2025Q1. PFs are resilient to liquidity risks in adverse stress scenarios and can raise cash at short notice if needed from repo or other money markets to meet margin calls on interest derivatives.
Addressing access to homeownership through policies that increase housing supply would allow recalibrating borrower-based macroprudential measures towards minimizing financial risks. Housing market risks continue to be mitigated by structural factors including rising real disposable incomes, the large share of fixed-rate mortgages, and full legal recourse in case of default. The maximum LTV limit was lowered to 100 percent in 2018. Eligibility for, and duration of the mortgage interest deductibility were tightened, and the maximum rate reduced. Mortgage risks are further mitigated by the recent extension of risk-weight floors until November 2026. Efforts to ensure a clear legal basis for supervisory authorities’ regular access to granular transaction and loan-level data for risk monitoring and analysis—to identify pockets of vulnerability as they emerge—should continue. Still, as recommended in the 2024 IMF Financial Stability Assessment Program (FSAP) report, to cool the housing market, maximum LTV limits should be progressively lowered even more, to 90 percent, mortgage interest deductibility gradually removed, and borrowers further incentivized to lower exposures to interest-only mortgages. A significant increase in housing supply is needed to boost housing affordability, facilitate broad access to the property ladder, and to reduce banking and insurance risks from residential mortgage exposures. This will require reconsideration of the roles of housing associations and private investors, revisiting rent controls, revising land-use policies and streamlining building regulations.
The pension reform will strengthen PFs financial sustainability, and offers an opportunity to improve intergenerational fairness, and rebalance portfolios. Most defined-benefit schemes (DBs) have faced financial pressure since 2008. Many have struggled to index benefits in the low-interest-rate environment, and some were forced to cut benefits. Also, DBs asset allocations do not reflect age-related risk preferences. This has raised concerns about intergenerational fairness. Together, these factors weakened confidence in the system. The transition to defined-contribution schemes will alleviate pressures from ageing on PFs sustainability. It will also allow for portfolio allocations that better align with risk preferences of age cohorts, including more investments in equity, while maintaining a high degree of solidarity and collective risk-sharing. Notably, about 80 percent of plans are expected to combine individual investment accounts with collective investments that bundle assets and distribute returns across individual accounts.
Addressing Growth Bottlenecks
A legally-robust and future-oriented nitrogen strategy is urgently needed. Developers now face permit uncertainty, investors lack confidence, and farmers remain in limbo, as environmental targets slip further out of reach. Recognizing the urgency, the government is developing a strategy that includes shifting from deposition to direct emission measurement and extending the timeline to halve emissions by 5 years. More details on possible measures are paramount. Economic considerations suggest that fees on emitters are the most cost-effective and efficient way to reduce emissions. To avoid tax increases for the average farmer, a system of feebates—where emissions-intensive farming pays fees that fund rebates for lower emission practices—offers a balanced approach. Socially-acceptable solutions and emission reductions have been achieved through a combination of taxation, regulation, subsidies, and science-based guidance.
Plans to relieve electricity grid bottlenecks and ready the grid for the green transition should be accelerated and paired with dynamic pricing. The government’s strategy focuses on expediting high-voltage grid extensions and streamlining permitting. There are plans to guarantee debt issuance by the grid operator of about 4.4 percent of GDP to facilitate grid expansion. However, in the meantime, connection wait-times remain too long. Efforts to manage grid pressures should also include increasing storage capacity and incentivizing energy efficiency of households and industry, while helping the energy-poor adapt. To better manage demand, energy savings could be further incentivized by promoting greater use of dynamic metering and pricing. These are effective in shifting consumption to off-peak periods, help consumers save money, and reduce the need for extra capacity to meet peak demand.
Strengthening Labor and Firm Productivity
Labor market reforms should continue to focus on enhancing human capital. Given the aging population and labor shortages, it is critical to fully utilize the potential of workers across all generations and smaller firms. Reforms should improve educational outcomes and vocational training to address skill shortages and enhance lifelong learning. Recent progress to address labor market duality, such as reducing false self-employment, are welcome. Introducing mandatory disability insurance and strengthening pension arrangements for the self-employed are important measures to be implemented.. Additionally, better integration of workers with a migratory background would be facilitated by stepped-up language training, job search support, and recognition of qualifications acquired abroad.
Policies to support firm productivityshould address several key areas. First, business dynamism should be promoted by reducing entry/exit barriers to enhance firm-level allocative efficiency. Second, productivity-enhancing investment should be increased by improving the investment climate and addressing growth bottlenecks, advancing digitalization, and encouraging R&D. Third, productivity spillovers should be fostered by investments with large spillover effects (e.g., research parks and networks) to build connections among firms, research institutions, and regions. Fourth, efforts are needed to support firms to grow from start-ups to scale-ups and beyond. Plans to equalize tax treatment of stock options for small firms are welcome and should be expanded to include eliminating the reduced profit tax rate for SMEs as well as providing a menu of financing options along a firm’s development stages.
Domestic Capital MarketReforms
Capital market reforms would help expand SME financing by improving valuations, stimulating investor demand for both equity and debt instruments, and simplifying debt issuances.
Improving valuations—thereby increasing the amount of capital firms can raise when they issue stocks or bonds—will require increasing the size and liquidity of secondary markets. This should be combined with measures to narrow information gaps, such as easing investor benchmarking, to help reduce investor risk, and with reforming the Bankruptcy Act and securities laws to help investors shorten the settlement cycle for transferable securities and reallocate capital from failed startups more quickly. The authorities should also continue to push forward EU-level reforms, as integration into a larger, EU-wide capital market would also improve liquidity, and hence valuations.
Increasing PFs’ and insurers’ investments in domestic venture capital and other equity funds would also increase equity market size and raise valuations. The pension reform offers such an opportunity. Higher pension investment, including from abroad, in domestic equity may also be supported at the EU level by revised legal and supervisory requirements for pan-European private pension products that allow for more venture capital investment.
Standardizing and simplifying procedures for smaller-denomination corporate debt securities issuance, lowering the minimum denomination, making pricing more transparent, and leveraging online platforms and other dealer markets would help increase retail investor participation and make more debt capital available to firms.
Managing the Green Transition
To meet national and European climate goals, stronger policies will be needed, including to reduce uncertainty and build public support. The current policy settings are projected to fall short of the 2030 goals. Clear and consistent policies are required to provide investment certainty for the private sector. The EU climate agenda—including introduction of CBAM and phasing out of free ETS allowances and expansion of ETS coverage—will facilitate progress. These measures may impact purchasing power. Lower-income households may struggle to adapt even though the burdens of ETS reforms across different income groups are estimated to be uniform relative to consumption. To manage these challenges, implementing compensatory funds and other targeted fiscal tools can help balance policy trade-offs and enhance public support.
Recalibrating transport policies can prevent a decline in fiscal revenues and address congestion, while meeting climate targets and managing electricity demand. By 2035, revenue from transport is projected to decline by 0.5 percent of GDP, while electricity demand could rise by 20 percent with electrification of the vehicle fleet. These challenges would be best addressed with congestion pricing in urban areas and distance-based charges.
Supporting EU Reforms
The authorities should continue to push for rapid implementation of EU-wide reforms, including as the Netherlands stands to gain from these initiatives. With its mature markets, enhancing EU-wide competition by cutting intra-EU trade barriers would complement national efforts to boost business dynamism and productivity. EU-level actions to foster intra-EU labor mobility—recognition of professional qualifications, pension portability—are complementary to addressing labor and skill shortages at home. A European Savings and Investment Union (SIU) would broaden investment opportunities for Dutch savers and allow Dutch firms to more easily tap a wider pool of European savings. Finally, completing the EU energy market would ensure better connectivity and energy security, lower prices, and also lower investment needs to match increasing demand.
* * * * *
The IMF team thanks the authorities and other counterparts for the constructive policy dialogue and productive collaboration.
After a two-hour phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on May 19, US president Donald Trump took to social media to declare that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately start negotiations” towards a ceasefire and an end to the war. He did, however, add that the conditions for peace “will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be”.
With the Vatican, according to Trump, “very interested in hosting the negotiations” and European leaders duly informed, it seems clear that the US has effectively abandoned its stalled mediation efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
It was always a possibility that Trump could walk away from the war, despite previous claims he could end it in 24 hours. This only became more likely on May 16, when the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia for more than three years predictably ended without a ceasefire agreement.
When Trump announced shortly afterwards that he would be speaking to his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts by phone a few days later, he effectively mounted the beginning of a rearguard action. This was further underlined when, shortly before the Trump-Putin call, Vice-President J.D. Vance, explicitly told reporters that the US could end its shuttle diplomacy.
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The meagre outcomes of the talks between Russia and Ukraine – as well as between Trump and Putin – are not surprising. Russia is clearly not ready for any concessions yet. It keeps insisting that Ukraine accept its maximalist demands of territorial concessions and future neutrality.
Putin also continues to slow-walk any negotiations. After his call with Trump, he reportedly said that “Russia will offer and is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement”, including “a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time, should relevant agreements be reached.”
The lack of urgency on Russia’s part to end the fighting and, in fact, the Kremlin’s ability and willingness to continue the war was emphasised the day before the Trump-Putin call. Russia carried out its largest drone attack against Ukraine so far in the war, targeting several regions including Kyiv.
There has been no let-up in the fighting since. And the fact that Putin spoke to Trump while visiting a music school in the southern Russian city of Sochi does not suggest that a ceasefire in Ukraine is high on the Russian leader’s priority list.
A large part of the Kremlin’s calculation seems to be its desire to strike a grand bargain with the White House on a broader reset of relations between the US and Russia. It is signalling clearly that this is more important than the war in Ukraine and might even happen without the fighting there ending.
This also appears to be driving thinking in Washington. Trump foreshadowed an improvement in bilateral relations by describing the “tone and spirit” of his conversation with Putin as “excellent”. He also seemed pleased about the prospects of “large-scale trade” with Russia.
Abandoning European allies
Trump is on record as saying that there would be no progress towards peace in Ukraine until he and Putin get together. But it is worth bearing mind that very little movement towards a ceasefire in Ukraine – let alone a peace agreement – occurred after the last phone call between the two presidents in February.
Part of this lack of progress has been Trump’s reluctance to put any real pressure on Putin. And despite agreement in Brussels and preparations in Washington for an escalation in sanctions against Russia, it is unlikely that Trump will change his approach.
In this context, the sequence in which the calls occurred is telling. Trump and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had a short call before the former spoke with Putin. Zelensky said he told Trump not to make decisions about Ukraine “without us”.
But rather than presenting Putin with a clear ultimatum to accept a ceasefire, Trump apparently discussed future relations with Putin at great length before informing Zelensky and key European allies that the war in Ukraine is now solely their problem to solve.
This has certainly raised justifiable fears in Kyiv and European capitals that, for the sake of a reset with Russia, the US might yet completely abandon its allies across the Atlantic.
However, if a reset with Russia at any cost really is Trump’s strategy, it is bound to fail. As much as Putin seems willing to continue with his aggression against Ukraine, Zelensky is as unwilling to surrender. Putin can rely on China’s continued backing while Zelensky can count on support from Europe.
Supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine is essential for China to keep Moscow on side in its rivalry with the US. And for Europe, supporting Ukraine has become an existential question of deterring and containing a revisionist Russia hell-bent on restoring a Soviet-style sphere of influence in central and eastern Europe.
In a world that has been in flux since Trump’s return to the White House, these are some of the emerging constants. And they make a US-Russia reset highly improbable.
Even if it were to happen, it would not strengthen Washington’s position with Beijing. Walking away from Ukraine and Europe now will deprive the US of the very allies it will need in the long term to prevail in its rivalry with China.
By abandoning his mediation between Moscow and Kyiv, Trump may have broken the deadlock in his efforts to achieve a reset with Russia. But getting this deal over the line will be a pyrrhic victory.
Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol
He’s leapt from cliffs, clung to planes mid-takeoff and held his breath underwater for as long as professional freedivers. Now, at 62, Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt for one final mission – and he’s still doing his own stunts.
With Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the saga reaches its high-stakes finale. But behind the scenes of death-defying spectacles lies a fascinating question: just how far can the human body be pushed – and trained – to pull off the seemingly impossible?
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to consider the capabilities – and limits – of the human body in being able to achieve these awesome heights. How much is it possible to train to achieve the apparently impossible?
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Breathing underwater
In Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Hunt navigates an underwater vault to recover a stolen ledger. Cruise wanted to film this all in one take and sought help from freediving instructors in order to hold his breath for the required time – over six minutes!
The average human can hold their breath for about 30 to 90 seconds. That’s without training. Although there’s an innate diving reflex built into the human body that allows it to temporarily adapt to immersion underwater.
The response is to lower the heart rate and redirect blood to the body’s core, essentially enabling it to lower its metabolic demand and preserve the function of the vital organs, like the brain and heart.
All well and good, but consider now the need to swim, as well as resist the pressure of the water pressing on the lungs. And also while fighting that desperate urge as a result of rising CO₂ to take a deep breath – which, underwater, would be catastrophic.
And if the diver’s oxygen levels fall too low, they might black out and lose consciousness. That’s why shallow water drowning is a real risk here.
That’s where freediving training comes into play. With practice, there are several ways you can increase the time you’re able to remain underwater. These include mastering breathing techniques to retain the maximum amount of air in the lungs. Sustained practice might also lead to increased oxygen storage capacity in the bloodstream.
This process takes months to years to attain and might lengthen the immersion time, on average, to around five minutes. What Cruise managed to achieve was nothing short of exceptional.
The official trailer for Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning.
Free climbing – and that scene
Mission Impossible films often open with Ethan Hunt working his way up some impossibly sheer building or cliff face with the agility of a mountain goat. He appears to be free climbing without a harness, and at the start of Mission: Impossible 2, clinging on with just one hand. While Cruise used safety wires to secure himself, the climbing was 100% real.
Then, of course, how could we forget that scene? The one in the original Mission: Impossible – where he has to suspend all limbs, centimetres from the ground, to prevent himself from setting off the alarms.
Although Cruise hasn’t revealed his specific training regime for these stunts that I can see – performing any of these actions would require an exceptionally strong back and core.
The muscles of our backs keep the spine straight and upright. Some span the space between back and limb, such as latissimus dorsi, or “lats”. These sheets of muscle, prized by bodybuilders, are also particularly valuable to climbers – allowing you to perform a chin-up, or pull yourself up that rock face.
Besides this, many other muscles are needed for extreme climbing – those that enable a strong grip, allow for reaching and “push offs”, and maintain tension and hold. It’s no wonder climbing is considered one of the best whole-body workouts.
It’s no surprise that Cruise is known to have trained extensively for this. To understand even an element of the difficulty he may have faced, you could try adopting that vault heist pose, with your belly in contact with the floor, and see how long you can hold it. I won’t tell you how pitiful my own attempt was.
What a blast
Hunt has also escaped a fair few explosions in his time, from a helicopter in the Channel tunnel to a detonating fish tank in Prague. In Mission: Impossible 3, on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, another helicopter launching a missile triggers an explosion that sends Hunt smashing into a car. Again, Cruise did it all himself, for the price of two cracked ribs.
Pyrotechnics were used for the explosion, but of course, they couldn’t be used to lift Cruise up and deposit him against the car. The solution? A series of wires were used to drag him sideways. Never has the direction “brace, brace” been so apt.
And just so you know, broken or bruised ribs are far from fun. Some describe them as one of the most painful injuries you can experience, since the simple acts of coughing, sneezing and merely breathing exacerbate the pain.
But Tom Cruise picks himself up yet again, dusts himself off and gets on with it. His motivation? He has reportedly claimed that he wants the audience to experience what it really feels to be in that moment. And what a good sport he is.
This article won’t self-destruct in five seconds.
Dan Baumgardt 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.
The outbreak of the deadly “mud bug” melioidosis in north Queensland has not yet abated since it began at the start of this year.
So far there have been 221 cases and 31 deaths from the disease in 2025. This encompasses a 400% increase in cases in Cairns and a 600% increase in Townsville compared to the average over previous years.
Fortunately, case numbers have begun to drop. Queensland Health reports new cases weekly, and in the most recent reporting period – up to May 6 – seven new cases were recorded, down from a peak of 29 cases in the week to February 16.
However, people are still contracting and dying from this disease. So what’s keeping it active in Queensland, and are there any promising vaccines on the horizon?
What is melioidosis?
Melioidosis is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei which lives in soil, mud and groundwater, usually not causing any harm. But B. pseudomallei can cause disease in humans and animals if it enters the skin via a cut. Or it can be inhaled in water droplets and enter the lungs.
The disease generally takes one to four weeks to establish itself, meaning people don’t develop symptoms immediately after they’ve been exposed.
Melioidosis most commonly presents as pneumonia. However chronic skin infections, called cutaneous infections, occur in 10–20% of cases. Melioidosis can also lead to blood infections.
Symptoms of the pneumonia form include fever, headache, difficulty breathing, muscle pain, chest pain and confusion.
We don’t understand cutaneous infections as well as we do lung infections with melioidosis. Cutaneous infections are also less responsive to standard antibiotic treatments due to the nature of the chronic wound. For example, the bacteria can form a slimy layer called a biofilm. This can help the bacteria produce proteins which can block the antibiotics from working.
Melioidosis occurs most commonly in tropical areas, such as Thailand. But it’s also regarded as endemic in northern Australia, occurring in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Nonetheless, the scale of the current outbreak in north Queensland is highly unusual.
Anyone can contract melioidosis, but certain medical conditions can increase a person’s risk. These include diabetes, liver, kidney or lung disease, cancer, or other conditions which might compromise the patient’s immune system.
During the current Queensland outbreak 95% of cases have been in people with risk factors such as diabetes or lung disease.
How is melioidosis spreading in Queensland?
Melioidosis increases during periods of high rainfall and flooding, and this has been the case in the current outbreak. However, patterns have begun to emerge suggesting the bacterium may now be spreading in other ways.
Experts have suggested that while the Townsville cases can be explained by flooding and correlate to high levels of rainfall, the Cairns cases do not match with this explanation.
One suggestion is that the construction of the Bruce Highway upgrade south of Cairns has caused an increase in cases due to clay soil particles becoming airborne during construction.
It’s not an entirely new idea. The movement of soil during highway construction and urban expansion has been investigated as a potential mode of transmission during previous spikes of melioidosis cases in far north Queensland.
The infrastructure body responsible for the upgrade has pledged to follow expert health advice as investigations continue.
Could B. pseudomallei be evolving and becoming more deadly?
This potential change in how the disease is spreading, and the increased number of cases and deaths, might indicate the organism is evolving to spread more easily and become more deadly. Genome analysis is ongoing to determine this.
Notably, bacteria found in the environment can acquire genes from other bacteria in soil and water. This may give them enhanced abilities to survive in unfavourable conditions and be more resilient to changes in their natural habitat, as well as potentially infect human hosts more effectively.
In a warming climate with increased rainfall, the bacterium behind melioidosis is likely to be a prime candidate for this kind of change.
There’s currently only one way to treat melioidosis, which involves receiving intravenous antibiotics in hospital for several weeks, followed by up to six months of oral antibiotics.
Against a backdrop of urgent calls for more research and increased public awareness around melioidosis, there may be hope on the horizon.
Researchers at the University of California have developed a vaccine which produces a protein that mimics the proteins in B. pseudomallei, leading to an immune response against this bacterium. The vaccine has been successful in mouse models and will continue to a further animal trial, which, if successful, will lead to human trials.
It seems melioidosis is a problem that’s not going away.
If you live in an affected region such as tropical Queensland or the NT, limit exposure to mud and water as much as possible. If you’re spending time in muddy areas, use appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves and boots. You can also protect yourself by covering any open wounds and wearing a respirator if you’re working closely with water.
Monitor for symptoms and see a doctor if you feel unwell. More information is also available from Queensland Health.
Thomas Jeffries 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.
NEW YORK, May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — XWELL, Inc. (Nasdaq: XWEL) (“XWELL” or the “Company”), a pioneer in science-proven, accessible wellness, today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025. With a growing portfolio of in-airport and off-airport wellness brands, XWELL continues to redefine what wellness access looks like –connecting high-impact, science-backed care to everyday consumers wherever they are. From leading the nation’s biosecurity response to building tech-forward wellness spaces in transportation hubs and neighborhoods alike, XWELL is extending wellness beyond the elite and into real life.
Operating Highlights:
Reported first quarter 2025 revenue of $7.0 million.
The Company continues its focus on returning to overall profitability. For the first quarter ended March 31, 2025:
Total cost of sales decreased approximately 6% from the 2024 first quarter.
Total operating expenses decreased approximately 11% from the 2024 first quarter.
Secured a three-year extension of its Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the “CDC”).
Successfully closed a private placement in January 2025, comprising of the Company’s Series G Convertible Preferred Stock and Series Warrants for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $4 million before deducting offering expenses payable by the Company.
“XWELL began 2025 with strong momentum,” commented Ezra Ernst, Chief Executive Officer of XWELL. “With our renewed CDC partnership, continued discipline in operations, and a clear growth plan in wellness and beauty, we believe we are expanding what accessible wellness looks like — anchored in science, backed by biosurveillance, and designed for everyday life.”
Liberating Wellness, Inside and Outside Airports
XWELL’s multi-brand strategy is designed to unify wellness experiences under a single, accessible platform — from express treatments in airport terminals to full-service spas in communities.
In March 2025, the Company announced plans to acquire select medical spas in high-demand metropolitan areas, including Orlando, Dallas and Salt Lake City, extending its presence beyond travel hubs and into the everyday wellness routines of consumers.
“Our vision is a seamless continuum of care,” added Ernst. “From biometric screenings at the airport to advanced skin and body treatments on Main Street, we believe that we are democratizing access to trusted, science-proven wellness.”
Science-Proven Wellness, Real-World Impact
Through XpresCheck and HyperPointe, XWELL continues to operate at the frontlines of biosurveillance and digital healthcare infrastructure.
In March 2025, XWELL secured a three-year extension of its Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program (“TGS”), operated with CDC and Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings. The TGS program, which has been supported by the CDC under contract number 75D30125C20439, provides early detection of emerging pathogens, safeguarding national health through airport-based biosurveillance in eight major hubs.
XpresCheck and HyperPointe, which helped power national COVID-19 testing and reporting during the pandemic, now serve as the operational and technological core of this next phase of strategic, science-driven wellness program.
Expanding the XWELL Ecosystem
XpresSpa® remains the airport wellness category leader, operating 28 locations across major U.S. and international airports. Each are being upgraded to reflect XWELL’s science-driven approach to wellness, offering premium wellness tech, retail, and self-care services. XWELL is actively broadening its retail product portfolio to feature a range of cutting-edge wellness offerings. These offerings include state-of-the-art wellness devices, nutritional supplements, and innovative wellness patches — each designed to support holistic health and cater to the evolving needs of today’s wellness-conscious consumers.
Naples Wax Center®, the Company’s first off-airport brand, operates a group of upscale hair removal locations with core products and service offerings from face and body waxing to a range of skincare and cosmetic products. In December 2024, the Company announced the planned opening of a new Naples Wax location in Estero, Florida, and is pursuing plans to open an additional 6 locations across Florida during 2025.
Consistent with XWELL’s strategy to extend its footprint into transportation hubs, the Company expects to open an XWELL location in New York City’s Penn Station in mid-2025. The tech-forward spa is being designed to serve commuters and tourists with quick-access, self-led wellness services in a high-traffic urban setting.
Liquidity and Financial Condition
As of March 31, 2025, the Company had approximately $3.7 million of cash and cash equivalents (excluding restricted cash), approximately $7.3 million in marketable securities, total current assets of approximately $14.8 million, and no long-term debt.
In January 2025, the Company announced the closing of its private placement offering the Company’s newly designated Series G Convertible Preferred Stock and Series Warrants. The aggregate gross proceeds of the private placement were approximately $4.0 million, before deducting offering expenses payable by the Company.
Summary First Quarter 2025 Financial Results
Total Revenue
Total revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, was approximately $7.0 million compared to approximately $8.7 million for the 2024 first quarter. The decrease in revenue was primarily driven by lower XpresTest revenue and XpresSpa revenue offset by Priority Pass revenue, which is a new revenue stream for the three months ended March 31, 2025.
Revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, primarily consisted of approximately $4.3 million from XpresSpa locations and approximately $2.2 million from XpresTest, which includes XWELL’s bio-surveillance partnership and its HyperPointe business. Naples Wax Center accounted for approximately $552,000 of revenue.
The Company noted that revenue from the CDC bio-surveillance program in the first quarter of 2025 was lower than anticipated due to timing of the extension. Revenue is expected to be made up in subsequent quarters.
Total Cost of Sales
Total cost of sales for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, was approximately $5.7 million, compared to approximately $6.1 million for the 2024 first quarter.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, were approximately $4.3 million, compared to approximately $4.2 million for the 2024 first quarter. The increase was primarily due to the increase in accounting, legal and public company costs for the 2025 first quarter.
Total Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, were approximately $4.5 million, compared to approximately $5.1 million for the 2024 first quarter.
Operating Loss
Operating loss for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, was approximately $3.2 million, compared to approximately $2.4 million for the 2024 first quarter.
Net Loss Attributable to XWELL
Net loss attributable to XWELL for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, was approximately $4.7 million, compared to approximately $2.5 million for the 2024 first quarter.
The Company noted that it incurred higher than normal one-time expenses during the first quarter of 2025, primarily related to accounting, seasonal costs, and other non-recurring items.
Investor Conference Call
The Company intends to host an investor conference call and webcast in the next several weeks to highlight updates on growth initiatives and forthcoming programs. Additional details will be provided approximately one week prior to the event.
About XWELL, Inc.
XWELL, Inc. (Nasdaq: XWEL) is a global wellness company on a mission to liberate science-proven wellness for all. Through a portfolio of brands that include XpresSpa®, Treat®, Naples Wax Center®, XpresCheck®, and HyperPointe™, XWELL delivers accessible, real-world wellness across travel, retail, and clinical settings.
For more information on XWELL’s offerings, visit www.XWELL.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These include statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “should,” “seeks,” “future,” “continue,” or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relating to expectations about future results or events are based upon information available to XWELL as of the date of this press release, and are not guarantees of the future performance of the Company, and actual results may vary materially from the results and expectations discussed. Additional information concerning these and other risks is contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning XWELL, or other matters and attributable to XWELL or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. XWELL does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date hereof.
Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences (JIES) publishes international research on social and natural sciences, focusing on significant environmental issues. JIES is published on behalf of the VVM, a network of environmental professionals in the Netherlands.
Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences aims to provide a stimulating, informative and critical forum for intellectual debate. It features perspectives on the processes responsible for environmental change, the impact of that change on nature and society, and possible solutions.
COMBINED GENERAL MEETING AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS DATED 20 MAY 2025
Press release
Paris, 20 May 2025
Combined General Meeting
The General Meeting of shareholders of Societe Generale was held on 20 May 2025 at CNIT Forest, 2, Place de la Défense, 92092 Puteaux and was chaired by Mr. Lorenzo Bini Smaghi.
Quorum was established at 64,34% (vs 55.61% in 2024):
687 shareholders participated by attending the General Meeting in person at the place where it was held on 20 May 2025;
1,057 shareholders were represented at the General Meeting by a person other than the Chairman;
13,140 shareholders voted online;
2,400 shareholders voted by post;
8,767 shareholders, including 2,500 online, representing 1.07% of the share capital, gave proxy to the Chairman;
A total of 26 051 shareholders were present or represented and participated in the vote.
The agenda item, with no vote, was an opportunity to present and discuss with shareholders the Group’s climate strategy and social and environmental responsibility.
In addition, 9 shareholders sent 56 written questions prior to the General Meeting. The answers were made public before the General Meeting on the institutional website.
All the resolutions put forward by the Board of Directors were adopted, in particular:
The 2024 annual company accounts and annual consolidated accounts;
The dividend per share was set at EUR 1.09. It shall traded ex-dividend on 26 May 2025 and will be paid from 28 May 2025;
The renewal of two independent directors for 4 years: Mr. William Connelly and Mr. Henri Poupart-Lafarge;
The appointment of two independent directors for 4 years: Mr. Olivier Klein and Mrs. Ingrid-Helen Arnold;
The renewal of Mr. Sébastien Wetter’s mandate as Director representing the employee shareholders;
The compensation policy for the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, the Deputy Chief Executive Officers and the Directors;
The components composing the total compensation and the benefits of any kind paid or awarded for the 2024 financial year to the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer and the Deputy Chief Executive Officers;
The authorisation granted to the Board of Directors to purchase ordinary shares of the Company was renewed for 18 months up to 10% of the share capital;
The authorisation for capital increases, enabling the issue of shares in favour of employees under a company or group saving plan, was renewed for 26 months;
The amendments to the Articles of Association to take account of the entry into force of the “Loi Attractivité” (no. 2024-537 dated 13 June 2024).
The detailed voting result is available this day on the Company’s website in the item “Annual General Meeting”.
Board of Directors
Following the renewals and appointments of directors, the Board of Directors is composed of 15 directors, including (i) 2 directors re-elected by the employees in March 2024 and (ii) 1 director representing employee shareholders appointed by the General Meeting and one non-voting director.
Accordingly, the Board of Directors is composed as follows:
Mr. Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Chairman;
Mr. Slawomir Krupa, Director;
Mrs. Ingrid-Helen Arnold, Director;
Mr. William Connelly, Director;
Mr. Jérôme Contamine, Director;
Mrs. Béatrice Cossa-Dumurgier, Director;
Mrs. Diane Côté, Director;
Mrs. Ulrika Ekman, Director;
Mrs. France Houssaye, Director elected by employees;
Mr. Olivier Klein, Director;
Mrs. Annette Messemer, Director;
Mr. Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Director;
Mr Johan Praud, Director elected by employees;
Mr. Benoît de Ruffray, Director;
Mr. Sébastien Wetter, Director representing employees shareholders;
Mr. Jean-Bernard Lévy, Non-voting Director (“censeur”).
The Board of Directors is made up of 41,7% women (5/12) and 91,7% independent directors (11/12) if we exclude from the calculations the three directors representing the employees in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article L. 225-23 of the Commercial Code, paragraph 2 of Article L. 225-27 of the Commercial Code and the AFEP-MEDEF code. In order to ensure compliance with a forthcoming legislative change scheduled for mid-2026, the Board of Directors has already decided, for the General Meeting of May 2026, that shareholders will be invited to replace a man director, whose term of office will expire, by a woman director.
The Board of Directors held after the General Meeting has decided that, as of 20 May 2025, the Board committees will be composed as follows:
Audit and Internal Control Committee: Mr. Jérôme Contamine (chairman), Mrs. Diane Côté, Mrs. Ulrika Ekman, Mr. Olivier Klein and Mr. Sébastien Wetter;
Risk Committee: Mr. William Connelly (chairman), Mrs. Ingrid-Helen Arnold, Mrs. Béatrice Cossa Dumurgier, Mrs. Diane Côté, Mrs. Ulrika Ekman, Mr. Olivier Klein and Mrs. Annette Messemer;
Compensation Committee: Mrs. Annette Messemer (chairwoman), Mr. Jerome Contamine, Mr. Benoit de Ruffray and Mrs. France Houssaye;
Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee: Mr. Henri Poupart-Lafarge (chairman), Mr. William Connelly, Mme Diane Côté and Mr. Benoit de Ruffray.
Biographies
Mr. William Connelly is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington (US). He began his career in 1980 at Chase Manhattan Bank, where he worked for 10 years, before joining Baring Brothers from 1990 to 1995. He then held various executive positions within ING Group NV from 1995 until he became a member of The Management Board, where he was responsible for Wholesale Banking from 2011 to 2016. He was also the CEO of ING Real Estate from 2009 to 2015. In addition to his mandate as an independent director of Societe Generale since 2017, he currently is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amadeus IT Group and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aegon until the second half of 2025. He also served as an independent director of Singular Bank from February 2019 to April 2023. During its session on 10 April 2025, the Societe Generale Board of Directors selected William Connelly for the Chairmanship as of the General Meeting which will be held on 27 May 2026. He will succeed Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, who has been Chairman since 2015, and will have completed his third term.
Mr. Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Graduate of École polytechnique, the École nationale des ponts et chaussées and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He began his career in 1992 at the World Bank in Washington D.C. before moving to the French Ministry of the Economy and Finance in 1994. He joined Alstom in 1998 as Head of Investor Relations and was in charge of Management Control. In 2000, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Transmission and Distribution at Alstom, a position he held until 2004. He was Chief Financial Officer of Alstom from 2004 until 2010 and became President of Alstom Grid from 2010 to 2011. On 4 July 2011, he became Chairman of Alstom Transport, before being appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in February 2016, a position he held until June 2024. Since then, he has been Chief Executive Officer and Director of Alstom.
Mr. Olivier Klein, Graduated from the Panthéon‑Sorbonne University in 1978 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, from the National School of Statistics and Economic Administration (ENSAE) in 1980, and from HEC’s graduate course in Finance in 1985. He began his career at the BFCE in 1985 and served as manager of the Foreign Exchange and Rate Risk Management Advisory Department, then as Director of the BFCE’s Investment Bank, and finally as Regional Director of its corporate bank. He joined the Caisse d’Epargne group in 1998 and was Chairman of the Executive Board of the Caisse d’Epargne Ile‑de‑France Ouest from 2000 to 2007 and then of the Caisse d’Epargne Rhône‑Alpes from 2007 to 2009. In January 2010, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Banking and Insurance of the BPCE group until September 2012. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the BRED group from October 2012 to May 2023. He was a Member of the Supervisory Board of BPCE and its Risk Committee between 2019 and May 2023. He is Chief Executive Officer of Lazard Frères Banque SA and Managing Partner since September 2023. Since 1986, He is teaching macroeconomics and monetary policy at HEC. He is a director of Rexécode since 2018.
Mrs. Ingrid-Helen Arnold, Graduated from the University of Applied Sciences Ludwigshafen in 1997 with a master’s degree in economics. She began her career at SAP SE in 1996, where she held various responsibilities related to innovation and digital transformation. In 2014, she was appointed Chief Information Officer and Business Processes and extended Member of the SAPExecutiveCommittee. From 2016 to April 2021, she was President of SAP Business Data Network group in Palo Alto (United States) and SAP SE Walldorf (Germany). In 2021, she joined the Südzucker group as Chief Digital Officer and Information tehcnology and member of the Group’s Executive Committee. She is Chief Executive Officer of KAKO GmbH since June 2024. She was a member of the Supervisory Board and a member of the Heineken group Audit Committee from 2019 to 2023. She is a member of the TUI group Supervisory Board since 2020.
Mr. Sébastien Wetter holds a Master degree in Fundamental Physics and graduated from the Lyons Business School (EM Lyon). He began his career at Societe Generale in 1997 in the Strategy and Marketing Division of Societe Generale’s retail bank. Working in the Group’s Organisation Consulting Department from 2002, he performed a range of roles in the Corporate & Investment Banking arm and helped roll out the Group-wide participatory Innovation programme. As of the end of 2005, he joined the Commodities Market Department as Chief Operating Officer holding a global remit, before becoming Head of Business Development in 2008. From 2010 until 2014, he served as General Secretary in the Group’s General Inspection and Audit Division. In 2014, he joined the Sales Division of the Corporate & Investment Bank arm where he held a number of positions: Head of marketing for major French and international clients, then in 2016, Global Chief Operating Officer responsible for the sales teams covering financial institutions. From 2020 to December 2022, he has been a banker managing Societe Generale’s relationship with international financial institutions. He has been a member of the of the Supervisory Board of the Fonds Commun de Placement d’Entreprise (FCPE) since May 2024.
The regulatory declarations on the absence of conflicts of interest and the absence of convictions mentioned on page 140 of the Universal Registration Document filed by Societe Generale on 12 March 2025 with the French market authority (AMF) under number D.25-00088, relating notably to the three directors whose terms of office are renewed remain valid and the two new directors appointed with effect from the General Meeting of 20 May 2025 have made the same regulatory declarations.
Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with around 119,000 employees serving more than 26 million clients in 62 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective – to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.
The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:
French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank.
Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG.
Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.
Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).
In case of doubt regarding the authenticity of this press release, please go to the end of the Group News page on societegenerale.com website where official Press Releases sent by Societe Generale can be certified using blockchain technology. A link will allow you to check the document’s legitimacy directly on the web page.
Headline: DHS Makes $360 Million Available to Communities to Increase Number of Trained Firefighters and Keep Communities Safe
DHS Makes $360 Million Available to Communities to Increase Number of Trained Firefighters and Keep Communities Safe
Additional $36 Million to be Made Available for Research to Improve Firefighter Health and SafetyWASHINGTON – Under the leadership of President Trump, states and localities will be empowered to manage disasters and emergencies
These fire grant programs align with that vision by helping communities build the response capabilities they need to keep their citizens and communities safe
Today, FEMA announced that $360 million in funding are available to help keep communities and firefighters safe through the Fiscal Year 2024 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program
FEMA will award SAFER grants directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations across the country to help them increase or maintain the number of trained firefighters available in their communities
FEMA also announced that applications will be accepted for $36 million available through the FY 2024 Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grant program
These funds help strengthen community fire prevention programs and support scientific research on innovations that improve firefighter safety, health and well-being
In 2024, there were approximately 4,200 home fire fatalities in the United States, including 61 firefighters
To help keep communities and firefighters safer, FEMA will award SAFER funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to assist in increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing, provide adequate fire protection from fire and fire-related hazards and fulfill traditional missions of fire departments
The purpose of the FP&S grant program is to award grants directly to fire departments, national, regional, state, local, Tribal Nation and non-profit organizations such as academic (e
g
, universities), research foundations, public safety institutes, public health, occupational health and injury prevention institutions for fire prevention programs and to support firefighter health and safety research and development such as clinical studies that address behavioral, social science and cultural research
The application period for both the FY24 SAFER and FP&S programs will open at 9 a
m
ET on May 23, 2025, and close on July 3, 2025, at 5 p
m
ET
Over the years, SAFER funds have had a big impact in communities around the nation
The Medway (Massachusetts) Fire Department received $741,443 in SAFER funds to hire four new firefighters
Chief Jeff Lynch said the award had measurable impacts on the department’s staffing levels and response times
For example, because of the presence of a firefighter hired using SAFER funds, the department was able to respond with extra personnel to a house fire on March 20, 2019
The firefighters rescued the family’s pet dog and stopped the fire in time to save their house and belongings
The FP&S grant program has also made a difference for the fire service
The Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association (CVVFA) advocates for all fire service in their region, which includes departments in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia
The group has received more than $3
5 million in FP&S funding since 2016, spread out over eight awards
CVVFA used that funding to build ResponderSafety
com and the Responder Safety Learning Network (RSLN
org), their resources and programming
The grant funds have also supported nationwide outreach and education
Products include 48 online training modules on roadway incident response safety for firefighters; multiple training videos in topics like safe backing up of apparatus and high visibility; and public service announcements featuring emergency services personnel who survived being struck on the roadway and family members of responders who were struck and killed in the line-of-duty
Since 2005, the SAFER program has awarded approximately $5
2 billion in grant funding and the FP&S grant program has awarded nearly $900 million since its inception in 2002
The FY 2024 SAFER and FP&S Notices of Funding opportunity and technical assistance documents for both programs are available at www
grants
gov and on the FEMA website here: SAFER and FP&S
Additional information about upcoming webinars to assist applicants is also available on the FEMA website
NASA and its international partners will soon receive scientific research samples and hardware after a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Thursday, May 22, for its return to Earth. Live coverage of undocking and departure begins at 11:45 a.m. EDT on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. The Dragon spacecraft will undock from the zenith, or space-facing, port of the station’s Harmony module at 12:05 p.m. and fire its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the station under command by SpaceX’s Mission Control in Hawthorne, California. After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down on Friday, May 23, off the coast of California. NASA will post updates on the agency’s space station blog. There is no livestream video of the splashdown. Filled with nearly 6,700 pounds of supplies, science investigations, equipment, and food, the spacecraft arrived at the space station on April 22 after launching April 21 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the agency’s SpaceX 32nd commercial resupply services mission. Some of the scientific hardware and samples Dragon will return to Earth include MISSE-20 (Multipurpose International Space Station Experiment), which exposed various materials to space, including radiation shielding and detection materials, solar sails and reflective coatings, ceramic composites for reentry spacecraft studies, and resins for potential use in heat shields. Samples were retrieved on the exterior of the station and can improve knowledge of how these materials respond to ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, charged particles, thermal cycling, and other factors. Additionally, Astrobee-REACCH (Responsive Engaging Arms for Captive Care and Handling) is returning to Earth after successfully demonstrating grasping and relocating capabilities on the space station. The REACCH demonstration used Astrobee robots to capture space objects of different geometries or surface materials using tentacle-like arms and adhesive pads. Testing a way to safely capture and relocate debris and other objects in orbit could help address end-of-life satellite servicing, orbit change maneuvers, and orbital debris removal. These capabilities maximize satellite lifespan and protect satellites and spacecraft in low Earth orbit that provide services to people on Earth. Books from the Story Time from Space project also will return. Crew members aboard the space station read five science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related children’s books in orbit and videotaped themselves completing science experiments. Video and data collected during the readings and demonstrations were downlinked to Earth and were posted in a video library with accompanying educational materials. Hardware and data from a one-year technology demonstration called OPTICA (Onboard Programmable Technology for Image Compression and Analysis) also will return to Earth. The OPTICA technology was designed to advance transmission of real-time, ultra-high-resolution hyperspectral imagery from space to Earth, and it provided valuable insights for data compression and processing that could reduce the bandwidth required for communication, lowering the cost of acquiring data from space-based imaging systems without reducing the volume of data. This technology also could improve services, such as disaster response, that rely on Earth observations. For more than 24 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge, and conducting critical research for the benefit of humanity and our home planet. Space station research supports the future of human spaceflight as NASA looks toward deep space missions to the Moon under the Artemis campaign and in preparation for future human missions to Mars, as well as expanding commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit and beyond. Learn more about the International Space Station at: https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station -end- Julian Coltre / Josh FinchHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600julian.n.coltre@nasa.gov / joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Sandra Jones / Joseph ZakrzewskiJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
NASA is demonstrating new microgravity fluids technologies to enable advanced “no-moving-parts” plant-watering methods aboard spacecraft.
Crop production in microgravity will be important to provide whole food nutrition, dietary variety, and psychological benefits to astronauts exploring deep space. Unfortunately, even the simplest terrestrial plant watering methods face significant challenges when applied aboard spacecraft due to rogue bubbles, ingested gases, ejected droplets, and myriad unstable liquid jets, rivulets, and interface configurations that arise in microgravity environments. In the weightlessness of space, bubbles do not rise, and droplets do not fall, resulting in a plethora of unearthly fluid flow challenges. To tackle such complex dynamics, NASA initiated a series of Plant Water Management (PWM) experiments to test capillary hydroponics aboard the International Space Station in 2021. The series of experiments continue to this day, opening the door not only to supporting our astronauts in space with the possibility of fresh vegetables, but also to address a host of challenges in space, such as liquid fuel management, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), and even urine collection. The latest PWM hardware (PWM-5 and -6) involves three test units, each consisting of a variable-speed pump, tubing harness, assorted valves and syringes, and either one serial or two parallel hydroponic channels. This latest setup enables a wider range of parameters to be tested—e.g., gas and liquid flow rates, fill levels, inlet/outlet configurations, new bubble separation methods, serial and parallel flows, and new plant root types, numbers, and orders. Most of the PWM equipment shipped to the space station consists of 3-D printed, flight-certified materials. The crew assembles the various system configurations on a workbench in the open cabin of the station and then executes the experiments, including routine communication with the PWM research team on the ground. All the quantitative data is collected via a single high-definition video camera. The PWM hardware and procedures are designed to incrementally test the system’s capabilities for hydroponic and ebb and flow, and to repeatedly demonstrate priming, draining, serial/parallel channel operation, passive bubble management, limits of operation, stability during perturbations, start-up, shut-down, and myriad clean plant-insertion, saturation, stable flow, and plant-removal steps.
The recent results of the PWM-5 and -6 technology demonstrations aboard the space station have significantly advanced the technology used for passive plant watering in space. These quantitative demonstrations established hydroponic and ebb and flow watering processes as functions of serial and parallel channel fill levels, various types of engineered plant root models, and pump flow rates—including single-phase liquid flows and gas-liquid two-phase flows. Critical PWM plumbing elements perform the role of passive gas-liquid separation (i.e., the elimination of bubbles from liquid and vice versa), which routinely occurs on Earth due to gravitational effects. The PWM-5 and -6 hardware in effect replaces the passive role of gravity with the passive roles of surface tension, wetting, and system geometry. In doing so, highly reliable “no-moving-parts” plumbing devices act to restore the illusive sense of up and down in space. For example,
hundreds of thousands of oxygenating bubbles generated by a passive aerator are 100% separated by the PWM bubble separator providing single-phase liquid flow to the hydroponic channel, 100% of the inadvertent liquid carry-over is captured in the passive water trap, and all of the bubbles reaching the bubble diverter are directed to the upper inlet of the hydroponic channel where they are driven ever-upward by the channel geometry, confined by the first plant root, and coalesce leaving the liquid flow as a third, redundant, 100% passive phase-separating mechanism.
The demonstrated successes of PWM-5 and -6 offer a variety of ready plug-and-play solutions for effective plant watering in low- and variable-gravity environments, despite the challenging wetting properties of the water-based nutrient solutions used to water plants. Though a variety of root models are demonstrated by PWM-5 and -6, the remaining unknown is the role that real growing plants will play in such systems. Acquiring such knowledge may only be a matter of time.
Project Lead: Dr. Mark Weislogel, IRPI LLC Sponsoring Organization: Biological and Physical Sciences Division
This article is for students grades 5-8. The International Space Station is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. It serves as a home where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live. The space station is also a unique science laboratory. Several nations worked together to build and use the space station. The space station is made of parts that were assembled in space by astronauts. It orbits Earth at an average altitude of approximately 250 miles. It travels at 17,500 mph. This means it orbits Earth every 90 minutes. NASA is using the space station to learn more about living and working in space. These lessons will make it possible to send humans farther into space than ever before.
The first piece of the International Space Station was launched in November 1998. A Russian rocket launched the Russian Zarya (zar EE uh) control module. About two weeks later, the space shuttle Endeavour met Zarya in orbit. The space shuttle was carrying the U.S. Unity node. The crew attached the Unity node to Zarya. More pieces were added over the next two years before the station was ready for people to live there. The first crew arrived on Nov. 2, 2000. People have lived on the space station ever since. More pieces have been added over time. NASA and its partners from around the world completed construction of the space station in 2011.
______________________________________________________________________ Words to Know Airlock: an air-tight chamber that can be pressurized and depressurized to allow access between spaces with different air pressure. Microgravity: a condition, especially in space orbit, where the force of gravity is so weak that weightlessness occurs. Module: an individual, self-contained segment of a spacecraft that is designed to perform a particular task. Truss: a structural frame based on the strong structural shape of the triangle; functions as a beam to support and connect various components. ______________________________________________________________________
The space station has the volume of a six-bedroom house with six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a 360-degree view bay window. It is able to support a crew of seven people, plus visitors. On Earth, the space station would weigh almost one million pounds. Measured from the edges of its solar arrays, the station covers the area of a football field including the end zones. It includes laboratory modules from the United States, Russia, Japan, and Europe.
In addition to the laboratories where astronauts conduct science research, the space station has many other parts. The first Russian modules included basic systems needed for the space station to function. They also provided living areas for crew members. Modules called “nodes” connect parts of the station to each other. Stretching out to the sides of the space station are the solar arrays. These arrays collect energy from the sun to provide electrical power. The arrays are connected to the station with a long truss. On the truss are radiators that control the space station’s temperature. Robotic arms are mounted outside the space station. The robot arms were used to help build the space station. Those arms also can move astronauts around when they go on spacewalks outside. Other arms operate science experiments. Astronauts can go on spacewalks through airlocks that open to the outside. Docking ports allow other spacecraft to connect to the space station. New crews and visitors arrive through the ports. Astronauts fly to the space station on SpaceX Dragon and Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Robotic spacecraft use the docking ports to deliver supplies
The space station has made it possible for people to have an ongoing presence in space. Human beings have been living in space every day since the first crew arrived. The space station’s laboratories allow crew members to do research that could not be done anywhere else. This scientific research benefits people on Earth. Space research is even used in everyday life. The results are products called “spinoffs.” Scientists also study what happens to the body when people live in microgravity for a long time. NASA and its partners have learned how to keep a spacecraft working well. All of these lessons will be important for future space exploration. NASA currently is working on a plan to explore other worlds. The space station is one of the first steps. NASA will use lessons learned on the space station to prepare for human missions that reach farther into space than ever before.
Are you interested in a career that is related to living and working in space? Many different types of jobs make the space station a success. Here are a few examples: Astronaut: These explorers come from a wide variety of backgrounds including military service, the medical field, science research, and engineering design. Astronauts must have skills in leadership, teamwork, and communications. They spend two years training before they are eligible to be assigned to spaceflight missions. Microgravity Plant Scientist: These scientists study ways to grow plants in the microgravity environment of space. Growing plants on future space missions could provide food and oxygen. Plant scientists design experiments to be conducted by astronauts on the space station. These test new techniques for maximizing plant growth. Fitness Trainer: Spending months on the space station takes a toll on astronauts’ bodies. Fitness trainers work with astronauts before, during, and after their space station missions to help keep them strong and healthy. This includes creating workout plans for while they’re living and working in space.
International Space Station Home Page Spot the Station Video: #AskNASA What Is the International Space Station? Read What Is the International Space Station? (Grades K-4)
