Category: Science

MIL-OSI USA: New children’s books coming to Beaverton, Hillsboro and Tigard Oregon Department of Human Services offices

Source: US State of Oregon

span dir=”ltr”>Staff from the Beaverton Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Self Sufficiency and Oregon Eligibility Partnership programs, as well as some community volunteers, recently held a “book party.”

The party wasn’t the kind of party that’s about food, drinks and dancing. It was more about placing stickers in 980 books for pre-Kindergarten children. The Washington County Early Learning Hub donated the books as well as three new bookcases. The stickers provided information about Washington County Early Learning Hub resources for children and families. Community Partnership Coordinators, Kaylie Camp and Aubrey Stark, along with Oregon Eligibility Supervisor, Callie Herzig, led the stickering event. It included 10 volunteers from Just Create Community.

The books will be shared with two other ODHS Washington County offices, Tigard and Hillsboro Self-Sufficiency as well as in the ODHS Mobile Van.

Angela Day, Operations and Policy Analyst for the Self-Sufficiency and Child Welfare programs coordinated the books and bookshelves donation with the Washington County Early Learning Hub,

“Community engagement is important. We are working hard to engage with our community. One of the ways we are doing this is by having items available we can give out to families. Serving families and bringing literacy to children is beneficial for our community,” Day said.

Sandra Garcia Fresh, Operations and Policy Analyst; for Self-Sufficiency and Child Welfare programs also participated in the stickering event.

“The books create a more welcoming environment. Sometimes our offices all look the same. We have welcoming murals on the walls now, why not extend it to books. What’s better than having books available to read in your own language,” she said.

The books come in a variety of languages including: Arabic, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Somali, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. There are also a variety of cultures represented in the books.

“Families wait for services in our lobby with their children. These books provide entertainment for young children. Parents can use them to interact with their kids while waiting. All this further promotes literacy for children in Oregon. By having books available in multiple languages, we are enhancing accessibility for more families in our community. Over the last year, we have taken steps to make our offices more family oriented and trauma informed, this is another way for us to do that and build relationships with the community members that we serve. My stepmom always said “reading is a window into the world. If you learn to read, you can do anything” Callie Herzig, Oregon Eligibility Supervisor, said.

Begoña Rodriguez Liern is the Director of the Early Learning Washington County Hub (ELWC), which donated the books and bookshelves. The hubs are designated to create an efficient early learning system to ensure that all children, from prenatal to age eight, receive the necessary opportunities and supports for success in school. ELWC used Birth through Five funds to support this initiative.

“Serving the diverse population from Washington County required some digging to get the books we wanted on specific topics such as inclusion, and STEAM, (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). It is important for ELWC to support the children’s process around language acquisition as well as supporting the preservation of their native language. We also wanted to gussy up the offices, so they’d look more family-friendly, so we decided to give those spaces a lift up,” Rodriguez Liern said.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: China-Russia Library Union established in China

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) — The establishment of the China-Russia Library Union was announced at the Heihe Institute on Tuesday, the Zhongxinshe News Agency reported.

The new organization was established on the initiative of the Heihe Institute Library in the city of the same name in Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China and the Amur Regional Scientific Library. It represents the first platform for activating bilateral cooperation in the field of library science.

At the founding meeting held on the same day, the union’s board was elected and a mechanism for long-term cooperation was created.

The China-Russia Library Union aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the joint creation and sharing of digital resources and multilingual information services.

The scientific seminar, which was held as part of the founding meeting, was attended by the Director General of the Russian State Library, President of the Russian Library Association Vadim Duda, Director of the Library of the Harbin Institute of Technology Liu Hongwei and more than 70 experts from both sides.

According to experts, the Chinese-Russian Library Union will provide professional and intellectual support to promote the development of bilateral cultural and educational interaction and humanitarian cooperation. -0-

MIL OSI Russia News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Exclusive: Cooperation is based on the closeness of strategic interests of Russia and China – Russian expert

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

Moscow, May 6 /Xinhua/ — The Russian-Chinese partnership is based on the commonality of the two countries’ fundamental interests, and the upcoming contacts between the leaders will contribute to the deepening and expansion of strategic cooperation between Russia and China, said Alexander Lomanov, deputy director of the Russian Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

“Our cooperation is based on the closeness of strategic interests between Russia and China. But the very good personal understanding between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping is also a good positive factor that contributes to the development of our cooperation based on common strategic goals, similar political ideals and coinciding economic interests,” A. Lomanov commented on the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow in an interview with Xinhua.

“I am confident that new agreements will be reached that will make Russian-Chinese cooperation even more successful, future-oriented, stable and not subject to negative influences from third countries, not subject to outside interference,” he added.

According to A. Lomanov, in the current extremely difficult situation, Russia and China have gone through many trials and have become convinced that they are capable of being reliable partners for each other in difficult situations.

“The mutual political trust between our countries is perhaps unprecedented for any major powers in the modern world. There is no closer connection and deeper understanding between any other major powers like that between Russia and China,” A. Lomanov emphasized. –0–

MIL OSI Russia News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic joined the memorial event at Piskarevsky Memorial

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

On May 6, students, teachers and staff of the Polytechnic University took part in a memorial event at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery. They laid flowers at the Motherland monument and the mass grave of the Polytechnic students.

The participants of the action gathered at the Monument to the Fallen Polytechnicians, where they were addressed by the Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies of SPbPU, Maxim Pasholikov.

Today we remember the heroism of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. I hope that this event will become traditional for us. Some of you have already visited Piskarevskoye Cemetery, the largest memorial burial ground in the world, where more than half a million people are buried. Of these, only ten percent are military personnel, the rest are residents of the besieged city. An open book is engraved on one of the gravestones. Among those buried there are our polytechnicians, who were engaged in science, studied and were the heart of the Polytechnic Institute during the war. Every year on May 9, my family and I lay flowers at Piskarevskoye Cemetery. On this day, many Leningraders and St. Petersburgers come here to honor the memory of the fallen. Sometimes there are so many flowers that you can’t even see the memorial and the slabs. I would like you to have such a tradition, – shared Maxim Pasholikov.

The participants of the event were presented with St. George ribbons and flowers. After that, the polytechnicians walked several kilometers to the Piskarevsky Memorial.

Piskarevskoye Cemetery became the main burial place for the victims of the Leningrad siege. During the Great Patriotic War, trenches were dug on the cemetery’s territory for unmarked mass graves, where more than 470 thousand people were buried. The memorial began to be developed in 1955: the mounds of mass graves were raised, flowers and trees were planted. Later, a six-meter bronze statue of a woman holding an oak wreath was installed, which became a symbol of maternal grief and the memory of the dead. Her gaze is directed towards the mass graves.

Students, teachers and staff laid flowers and a wreath with the inscription “From the Polytechnicians” at the Motherland monument.

After that we went to grave #176, where the students and employees of our university, victims of the siege, found their final resting place. They were buried under a stone with an image of an open book, on which the date “1942” was carved.

During the hardest, frostiest and hungriest winter of 1941-1942, students belonged to the category of the population supplied with food at a minimum, that is, they received those same 125 grams of bread during the blockade. And the mortality rate among them was very high. Several hundred of our students are buried in grave No. 176. This is a memorial place for all polytechnicians, – said Ivan Kolomeitsev.

The participants of the procession laid flowers on the gravestone and honored the memory of the victims.

The first person to visit the Piskarevskoye Cemetery was a third-year student at the Institute of Metallurgical and Technical Sciences, Andrei Ushakov.

I moved to St. Petersburg from the Moscow region. For two and a half years, I have not been able to visit the memorial. But I am glad that such an event, organized by our university, helps to fill this gap. The residents of Leningrad accomplished a real feat, having endured the siege for 900 days. It is very important to remember this, because the tragic events had a huge impact on world history and the history of our country, – Andrey Ushakov noted.

Third-year student of the Institute of Mathematics, Economics and Telecommunications Anastasia Nikitina is a third-generation St. Petersburg resident. Their family also has a tradition of laying flowers at the Broken Ring memorial on May 9.

The memory of the heroism of the city where I was born and live is very dear to me. I think it is important that today we have gathered together to lay flowers at the Piskarevskoye Memorial. I admire that the Polytechnic pays great attention to preserving the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. For example, my mother and I watch the student video blog “Memory of Glory is Alive” with great interest. The stories on the information pedestals located on the territory of the university are also informative, – said Anastasia Nikitina.

Deputy Director of the Institute of Mechanics and Technology Maxim Ivanov annually takes part in the “Immortal Regiment” campaign with his family and tries to visit the Piskarevskoye Cemetery.

My parents have been telling me about the contribution of Polytechnicians to the Victory since childhood. After all, they met at the Polytechnic and studied together at the mechanical engineering department. It is important that our university has another campaign dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. It is nice to see that many students are participating in it. After all, we are passing on the memory of our ancestors, which should live forever, – shared Maxim Ivanov.

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.

MIL OSI Russia News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Pappas Receives Award for His Commitment to Increasing Access to Health Care, Supporting Nurses

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

This week Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) received the National Health Leadership Award from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) for his advocacy on behalf of nurses, as well as his support for increasing access to health care, expanded tuition assistance for aspiring nurses, and the bipartisan Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act.

The bipartisan I CAN Act would increase health care access, improve quality of care, and lower costs by removing the remaining barriers imposed by the federal government in the Medicare and Medicaid programs that prevent Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) from practicing the full scope of their education and clinical training to the level that is approved in the state where they practice.

“Nurses in New Hampshire and across the country continue to answer the call and serve our communities and provide patients with the highest level of care,” said Congressman Pappas. “I’m committed to continuing to support their work in Congress by strengthening nursing workforce development, increasing tuition assistance for aspiring nurses, and more. Passing the I CAN Act would allow nurses to provide care in settings consistent with their training and ensure those services are covered by Medicaid, increasing health care access, reducing wait times, and lowering costs. I’m honored to receive this award and will continue to advocate for our CRNAs and all health care workers.”

“Through his leadership, Representative Pappas continues to be a champion for patients’ access, including veterans, to healthcare,” said AANA President Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret), USAFR, NC. “He understands the important role CRNAs play in delivering quality, safe anesthesia care and has taken a leadership role on critical healthcare issues. Patients and veterans are unable to access timely anesthesia care. Representative Pappas knows care can’t wait and it is time to cut the red tape.”

BACKGROUND:

APRNs are nurses prepared at the master’s or doctoral level to provide primary, acute, chronic, and specialty care to patients of all ages and backgrounds, in all settings. Their qualifications enable them to treat and diagnose illnesses, advise the public on health issues, manage chronic disease, order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medication, and direct non-pharmacologic treatments for their patients. Over 40 years of vigorous, peer-reviewed research has verified the safety, quality, satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness of APRN care. This has led the National Academy of Sciences to call for the removal of laws, regulations, and policies that prevent APRNs from providing the full scope of health care services they are educated and trained to provide.

Currently, several federal statutes and regulations, as well as certain state practice acts and institutional rules, require physician oversight and limit APRN practice. These barriers reduce access to care, create disruptions in care, increase the cost of care, and undermine efforts to improve the quality of care. Specifically, the I CAN Act would remove remaining barriers in the Medicare and Medicaid programs that prevent APRNs from practicing to the full extent of their education and clinical training. Importantly, this bill does not expand scope of practice or impede upon state law. Rather, the bill would simply ensure that the federal government honors state laws, including New Hampshire state law, ensuring that Medicare and Medicaid patients living in states where nurses have already been granted full practice authority are permitted to choose to seek care from a nurse practitioner.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Xi’s upcoming visit to deepen China-Russia ties, bolster global peace

Source: China State Council Information Office

The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) participate in a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade, which marks the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from Wednesday to Saturday and attend in Moscow the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

More than 80 years ago, the peoples of China, the Soviet Union and other countries fought side by side and secured victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, opening a new chapter in human history.

As the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, the international community demands greater global efforts to face common challenges, and to build a community with a shared future.

Xi’s upcoming visit is expected to inject new momentum into the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Moreover, it will demonstrate the two major countries’ commitment to working with the rest of the world to safeguard the outcomes of the victory in World War II, uphold international fairness and justice, and maintain world peace and stability.

LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIP

History and reality show that China and Russia are good neighbors that cannot be moved away, and true friends who share weal and woe, support each other and achieve common development, Xi said in his phone conversation with Putin in February.

The coming visit marks Xi’s 11th trip to Russia since he became Chinese president. The two heads of state have met more than 40 times on different occasions over the years. Their close communication provides strategic guidance, under which China-Russia relations have matured into a resilient and stable partnership characterized by deepening political trust, closer strategic alignment and sustained practical cooperation.

In 2024, bilateral trade rose to 244.8 billion U.S. dollars, making China the largest trading partner of Russia for 15 consecutive years. In December 2024, the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline was fully completed. Cooperation in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, e-commerce, bio-medicine, scientific and technological innovation, as well as green energy continues to expand.

The two countries’ long-lasting friendship has grown increasingly popular among the two peoples. The mutual visa exemption agreement for group tours has encouraged more robust two-way travel. Hundreds of cultural events have been held in succession with the framework of the China-Russia Year of Culture.

Andrey Denisov, first deputy chair of Russia’s Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Russian ambassador to China, said the strategic guidance of the two heads of state is a key factor in ensuring the steady and long-term development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

The two leaders are expected to hold extensive and in-depth discussions on both bilateral cooperation and multilateral issues, and the Russian side has high expectations for that, he added.

INDELIBLE CONTRIBUTION

Over 80 years ago, China and Russia, as the main battlefields in Asia and Europe during World War II, made tremendous sacrifices and indelible contribution to the final victory.

In a signed article published by the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his visit to Russia in 2015, Xi quoted Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky as saying, “If we lost the memory of our past, our mind and soul would be lost in the darkness,” in a bid to express his remembrance of the history of the World Anti-Fascist War and earnest expectations for the two nations to join hands to maintain world peace and stability.

The bitter lessons drawn from World War II have taught mankind that the strong preying on the weak, the law of the jungle, warlike or hegemonic policies, the winner-takes-all mindset and zero-sum game do not benefit coexistence, peace or development of mankind, Xi wrote in the article.

Su-25 attack aircrafts fly over Red Square during the Victory Day military parade, which marks the 79th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

Noha Bakir, a professor of political science at American University in Cairo, said China and Russia, drawing lessons from history, shoulder the important responsibility of safeguarding international stability and cooperation amid today’s complex global landscape.

By studying, restoring and spreading the true history, people can better understand World War II and the post-war international order, thus they will resist the attempts to distort historical facts, he added.

Andrey Fesyun, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, said that under the guidance of the two heads of state, China and Russia will further jointly advocate the correct historical view of World War II, and work together to maintain global strategic stability, so as to make the due contributions of responsible major countries to the advancement of international fairness and justice.

SPEARHEADING PROGRESS

Eighty years ago, representatives from multiple countries, including China and the Soviet Union, gathered in the U.S. city of San Francisco, and signed the Charter of the United Nations, laying the cornerstone of the post-war international order.

The preamble to the charter solemnly states the commitment “to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.”

China and Russia have natural responsibilities to make joint efforts to steer and promote global governance in a direction that meets the expectations of the international community and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi when meeting with Putin in March 2023. And it was during Xi’s first visit to Russia in 2013 as Chinese president that he first proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries in the world, China and Russia have been working closely on the world stage. Beijing and Moscow firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, as well as the fundamental norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. They are also advocates of true multilateralism.

Media staff work at the press center of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

The two nations have also joined hands to promote political solutions to international and regional hot-spot issues. They have strengthened communication and coordination within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS and the Group of 20, and are jointly committed to advancing a multipolar world and the democratization of international relations.

Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan scholar on international relations, said that China and Russia collaborate through platforms like the SCO and BRICS, which has not only promoted a multipolar world, but also empowered the Global South with a greater voice in global governance and a bigger role in shaping the rules on major international issues.

Ilgar Velizade, head of the South Caucasus Club of Political Scientists from Azerbaijan, said that the growing strength of multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the SCO and BRICS represents a powerful embodiment of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

If countries engage in an active, constructive and sustainable dialogue focused on common interests, the world will be safer, the global economy more sustainable and humanity’s future far more promising, he said.

MIL OSI China News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Sex life of rare snail revealed

Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house

Date: 07 May 2025

In the video, a small egg, resembling a tiny hen’s egg, emerges from the neck of the unique land snail.

DOC has been managing a captive population of the threatened snails in chilled containers in Hokitika since 2006, when mining company Solid Energy started mining their habitat on the Mt Augustus ridgeline on the western side of the Stockton Plateau, near Westport.

DOC Ranger Lisa Flanagan, who filmed the egg being laid, has been looking after the snails in Hokitika for over 12 years. She says working with the snails isn’t the kind of job she ever imagined herself doing, but it’s constantly providing surprises.

“It’s remarkable that in all the time we’ve spent caring for the snails, this is the first time we’ve seen one lay an egg. We caught the action when we were weighing the snail. We turned it over to be weighed and saw the egg just starting to emerge from the snail.”

DOC Senior Science Advisor Kath Walker says having a hard shell in which to retreat from predators and dry conditions is a great strategy for the snails but brings some problems too – how to get sperm from your mate into your shell and any resultant eggs out!

“Powelliphanta have solved this by having an opening (a genital pore) on the right side of their body just below their head so that the snail only needs to peek out of its shell to do the business.

“It extends its penis out of this pore and into its mate’s pore, and its mate does the same, simultaneously exchanging sperm, which they can store until they each fertilise the sperm they’ve received to create eggs.

“As hermaphrodites, they have both male and female genitalia, so although they usually mate with another to cross fertilize their eggs, as carnivores which have to live at relatively low density, being able to occasionally self-fertilise must help with survival of the species.”

The captive management of Powelliphanta augusta snails has saved these animals from extinction and enabled us to learn more about the lives of these incredible creatures, which are only found in New Zealand.

Very little was known about the snails when they were taken into captivity, and we are discovering new things all the time, says Lisa.

“I just love watching their progress each month, weighing them, how their shells develop, and all the interesting things they do.

“Powelliphanta augusta are slow growing and long lived, not being sexually mature until they are about 8 years old and then laying only around 5 big eggs annually which can take more than a year to hatch. Some of our captive snails are between 25 and 30 years old – in this they’re polar opposites to the pest garden snail we introduced to New Zealand which is like a weed, with thousands of offspring each year and a short life.”

DOC has established new populations of the snail in the wild and reintroduced them into new and rehabilitated habitat. Work is ongoing to ensure a sustainable population in these areas. A captive population will be managed until there is confidence of the survival of the species in the wild.

Aotearoa has one of the highest numbers of threatened and at risk species in the world. Once these species are gone, they are gone for good.

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Members appointed to the PM’s Science, Innovation and Technology Advisory Council
Source: Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment MBIE (2)

The members are:
- Merryn Tawhai
- Sir Peter Gluckman
- Craig Piggott
- Komal Mistry-Mehta
- Malcolm Johns
- Dr John Roche, who was also announced as the new Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor.
The chair of the council is the Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti. Dr John Roche will be Deputy Chair. Biographies of the members will be published soon.

Collectively, the members bring a whole-of-economy perspective to the investment decisions made in our Science, Innovation and Technology system. Members are nominated for 3 years and can hold a maximum of 2 terms.

This council, announced as part of the science reforms earlier this year, will be focussed on ensuring our science system is driving economic growth and improving the quality of life for New Zealanders now and into the future. This will involve:
- identifying focused priorities
- identifying areas that could be deprioritised
- identifying opportunities for commercialisation
- ensuring that the science, innovation and technology system is aligned with New Zealand’s economic strategy.
MBIE will be secretariat and will soon arrange an initial meeting.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –
May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Choosing singlehood? Here are 5 tips for thriving while being single
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Yuthika Girme, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Many people spend their 20s and 30s figuring out who they are and building a life as an independent adult. At the same time, society often tells them they should be looking for love, settling down and starting a family. These milestones are still widely seen as markers of adulthood and success.

But what does this mean for the growing number of singles in their 20s and 30s?

In Canada, singlehood among young adults has been steadily increasing. Despite these changing trends, cultural narratives continue to centre romantic relationships as the ideal. Being single is still often seen as a temporary stage, rather than a legitimate or fulfilling way of life.

As an associate professor, I lead the Singlehood Experiences and Complexities Underlying Relationships lab at Simon Fraser University. My research focuses on understanding when single and coupled people can thrive and be happy.

Here is what I’ve learned over the years about the experiences of single adults in their 20s and 30s.

Ready to make a change? The Quarter Life Glow-up is a new, six-week newsletter course from The Conversation’s UK and Canada editions. Every week, we’ll bring you research-backed advice and tools to help improve your relationships, your career, your free time and your mental health – no supplements or skincare required. Sign up here to start your glow-up at any time.

Singlehood is increasingly common

In Canada, 59.8 per cent of 25- to 29-year-olds and 37.6 per cent of 30 to 34-year-olds report not being in a married or common-law relationship.

The proportion of 20- to 34-year-olds who are not in such relationships increased to 60.3 per cent in 2021 from 50.5 per cent in 1996.

Even among those who eventually want a committed relationship, many are delaying these decisions. The average age of marriage in Canada has increased by almost eight years since the 1970s, to 31.2 years old in 2020 from 23.3 years old in 1971.

These trends may reflect a variety of factors: a greater focus on career development, wanting to prioritize travel, having difficulties with dating or simply a preference for singlehood during early adulthood.

They may also reflect an increasing number of people who identify as “single at heart” and consciously choose to remain single because they value their freedom and solitude.

The pressure to partner persists

Despite the growing number of people in their 20s and 30s who are single, whether by choice or circumstance, the societal pressure to partner up and settle down persists. This is largely because our society focuses heavily on coupling, marriage and having children.

Certainly, wanting romantic partnership and a family are common and valid life choices. But placing romantic relationships on a pedestal can come at the expense of singlehood.

Single people are often viewed as incomplete simply because they do not have a partner. A research study I conducted with colleagues shows that single people often feel excluded, left out and pitied for being single, which can undermine their well-being. They may also face negative stereotypes, such as being seen as selfish, heartless, loners or antisocial.

Read more:
Would you be happy as a long-term single? The answer may depend on your attachment style

These cultural narratives don’t just come from society — single people can internalize them, too, which can have negative consequences.

In another research study, we examined what we call “relationship pedestal beliefs” — the extent to which people believe they need to be in a romantic relationship to be truly happy. We found that singles who endorse these beliefs are more likely to fear being single, and in turn, report lower life satisfaction.

How to be a thriving single?

How can singles lead happy, secure and satisfying lives, despite facing societal messages about the importance of romantic relationships?

To explore this question, my colleagues and I reviewed the existing literature on singlehood to better understand when singles are coping versus thriving. We found that, while some single people struggle with solo living and the desire to partner, many are happy and thriving.

Here are some factors associated with happy singlehood:
1. Feeling secure with yourself. Single people who are secure and feel comfortable trusting and depending on close relationships are some of the happiest singles. They report the highest levels of life satisfaction and emotion regulation skills. Secure singles are open to the idea of romantic partnership, but are also happy and comfortable being single.
2. Having supportive friendships. Single people tend to invest in their friendships more than partnered people. Single people who invest in their friendships feel like they belong, report higher self-esteem and are happier with their single status.
Single people tend to invest in their friendships more than partnered people.
(Shutterstock)
1. Being able to meet your needs for intimacy. Single people still have sexual and intimacy needs. Research show that when single adults are able to meet these needs, they are happier being single and desire romantic relationships less. At the same time, sexually satisfied singles are more likely to enter romantic relationships over time.
2. Being older. As people approach their 40s, they are happier with being single. This is likely because singles in midlife learn to invest in their single lives and are less likely to feel the pressure to conform to societal expectations.
3. Holding values that prioritize freedom, fun and creativity. Research shows single people who personally value freedom, fun and creativity report greater happiness.
Being single in one’s 20s and 30s can be a prominent time for people to focus on their self-development, careers, aspirations and relationships with family, friends and community. These are important building blocks to a happy live — regardless of whether people lead their lives single or choose to partner.

Yuthika Girme receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

– ref. Choosing singlehood? Here are 5 tips for thriving while being single – https://theconversation.com/choosing-singlehood-here-are-5-tips-for-thriving-while-being-single-254669
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Xbox showcases Asian and Pacific Islander voices enriching the gaming world
Source: Microsoft

Headline: Xbox showcases Asian and Pacific Islander voices enriching the gaming world
Summary

Celebrating API Culture and Creativity: Xbox honors the rich cultural heritage and creativity of Asian and Pacific Islander communities, showcasing how these diverse voices have enriched the gaming world.

Highlighting Games Inspired by API Heritage: Discover games like Tchia and Ecco the Dolphin, which draw inspiration from API cultures and the importance of protecting the environment, providing players with an immersive experience of the Pacific Islands.

Supporting API Creators in Gaming: Xbox continues to support and amplify API voices in the gaming industry, ensuring their stories and contributions inspire future generations and promote a deeper understanding of both cultural heritage and ocean conservation.
The Pacific Islands are defined by the deep connection between the land, sea, and the people who call it home. The ocean isn’t just a backdrop; it’s central to the identity, culture, and spiritual life of Pacific Islander communities. However, with rising sea levels threatening these islands, this vital connection is at risk. Coastal erosion, infrastructure damage, and the loss of cultural heritage sites are just a few of the challenges these communities face.

Through gaming, we have a unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in these cultures, raise awareness, and foster a collective commitment to preserving them.

Games like Ecco the Dolphin provide a way to engage players with environmental themes, teaching the importance of ocean conservation. Released in 1992, Ecco allowed players to experience the wonders of the ocean, while also highlighting the need to protect marine ecosystems. This month, we’re thrilled to share an exclusive interview with Ed Annunziata, where he announces a brand new Ecco the Dolphin game in development and reflects on the inspiration behind Ecco and the game’s lasting impact on environmental storytelling in gaming.

For creator Ed Annunziata, the goal was simple: “I wanted to create a game that sparked curiosity and respect for the ocean.”

Today, games like Tchia, inspired by the creators’ childhood in New Caledonia, carry on that message. The game lets players explore a beautiful island world filled with vibrant landscapes and cultural heritage, offering a unique window into the richness of Pacific Islander life hoping to inspire a deeper understanding of Pacific Islander culture and the need to protect these environments.

Xbox is proud to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by highlighting games that we hope inspire the next generation to take global action. Together, we can raise awareness and work to preserve these vital cultures and communities for future generations. Join us in creating A Wave of Change.

Discover Games Shaped by the Asian and Pacific Islander Community

This May, immerse yourself in a curated collection of games that highlight the incredible creativity and storytelling from API developers and creators. These games offer a window into the vibrant cultures of the Pacific Islands and Asian communities, showcasing how their unique perspectives have enriched the gaming world.

Check out a few highlights from our full Xbox Game Collections celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month:

Tchia – Join Tchia on her tropical open-world adventure as she sets off to rescue her father from the cruel tyrant, Meavora, ruler of the archipelago. Climb, glide, swim, and sail your boat around beautiful islands as you explore a physics-driven sandbox. Face the fabric soldiers created by Meavora in open encounters where your creativity gives you the edge. Take control of any animal or object you can find, make new friends and jam on your fully playable Ukulele. A poetic coming-of-age story inspired by New Caledonia.

Play Tchia Today

Windbound – Shipwrecked on an uncharted island, explore, adapt and navigate the land and seas to stay alive. You are a warrior, caught at sea and tossed on to the shores of a mysterious paradise. With no boat, food or tools, just the will to survive, craft tools and weapons to hunt and defend yourself against nature itself. Explore and secrets of the past are revealed.

Play Windbound Today

Coral Island – Coral Island is a vibrant, laid-back reimagining of farm sims. Be who you want and experience enchanting island living at your own pace. Live off the land, tend animals, build relationships with a diverse cast of townsfolk, and make the world a more harmonious place.

Play Coral Island Today

Summer in Mara – Take care of your own island and explore the ocean in this farming adventure. Summer in Mara mixes farming, crafting and exploring mechanics in a tropical archipelago with a colorful style and strong narrative. Unravel the mystery and find your way home.

Play Summer in Mara Today

Discover Movies highlighting Asian and Pacific Islander Cultures on Xbox:

Moana 2 – Walt Disney Animation Studios’ animated musical reunites Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After hearing from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey into long-lost waters for an adventure. Warning: Some flashing-lights scenes in this film may affect photosensitive viewers.

Watch Moana 2 Today

Raya and the Last Dragon – Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Raya and the Last Dragon” travels to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together in harmony long ago. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people.

Watch Raya and the Last Dragon Today

Lilo & Stitch – On the lush and tropical Hawaiian Islands, an independent little girl named Lilo adopts what she thinks is an innocent puppy, completely unaware that he is a mischievous creature who has escaped from a faraway planet.

Watch Lilo & Stitch Today

Big Hero 6 – From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes an action-packed comedy adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada and his personal companion robot Baymax, who team up with a band of unlikely heroes to save the city of San Fransokyo from a criminal plot.

Watch Big Hero 6 Today

Spotlighting Ecco the Dolphin Creator Ed Annunziata

Q: Ecco the Dolphin has been praised for raising awareness about ocean conservation. What inspired you to use a video game to communicate such an important environmental message, and what do you hope players take away from their experience in the ocean world you created?

A: Long ago, back in the 8-bit days, I used to make educational games for the Apple II. I knew even then the potential of games to enlighten. I made a bunch of games in 6502 Assembler, or my favorite, Machine Language.

Eventually, I got to work on ‘Voyage of the Mimi’, a TV show about a young boy (Ben Affleck at 12) and his grandfather, who studied whale migration on his boat, Mimi. It was a great show, and I got to work on the Apple II science games that went along with it.

Once I started learning about whales (and making games about them), I became obsessed with the subject matter.

I read everything I could get my hands on. No internet, only libraries and books that I purchased from bookstores. Like the novel, ‘The Sounding’, by Hank Searls. This story was from the point of view of a sperm whale. I was enthralled by the notion that not only were these creatures sentient but probably as smart as we are!

My heart was always in video games, even though I made learning games for a living at the time. I started to dream about a game where you experience life as a dolphin. I chose a dolphin because I figured it’s as close to a person as all the whales. But when I considered the actual play mechanics, I had to prototype it.

Q: The Pacific Islander community holds a deep spiritual and practical connection to the ocean, which is central to their culture. How do you think games like Ecco the Dolphin can help players understand the significance of ocean preservation and the cultures that rely on it?

A: Imagine a culture connected directly to the ocean’s ecosystems over generations. Growing and evolving together, humans contribute to the ecosystem rather than taxing it. Over time, they would learn about all the ocean cycles and how to get into sync with them. Anything that fosters a connection between humans and the ocean should be enthusiastically embraced.

Q: As a pioneer in the gaming industry, what role do you think the gaming community plays in raising awareness about global issues like environmental sustainability, particularly when it comes to protecting ocean ecosystems?

A: If I may be forthright with my bias about gamers. I feel gamers possess a higher than average IQ than the average human. Not only because they are frequently fully engaged and challenged mentally with real-time systems and information technology, but they are highly socially connected as well. Like the ocean, a gaming community is an ecosystem – games like Ecco can and should be a conduit to join these realms.

A big part of the game is understanding the ocean as a singular biological system that is made up of systems that interact with each other. This is a complex biological dance that humans can be a part of.

I have high expectations of gamers for all the above-stated reasons. But there is something else gamers possess that can make the difference, and that is love. A universal love of games and gaming gives us all something we all share, when games like Ecco reach the hearts of gaming communities, that love can really make things happen in the real world.

Q: What does the future hold for gaming’s favorite Dolphin?

A: Me and the entire original team are going to Remaster the original Ecco the Dolphin and Tides of Time games. Then we will make a new, third game with contemporary play and GPU sensibilities. Stay tuned to eccothedolphin.com

Gaming with Impact

Rewards members in the United States can earn and donate points to organizations supporting Asian and Pacific Islander communities with Xbox. The organizations below will be available on the Rewards hub:
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC – AAJC works through strategic policy advocacy, active community education, and impactful litigation to advance the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.
- AAPI Equity Alliance – AAPI Equity Alliance (AAPI Equity) is dedicated to improving the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through civic engagement, capacity building, and policy advocacy.
- Stop AAPI Hate – Stop AAPI Hate advances equity & justice by dismantling systemic racism & building a multiracial movement to end anti-Asian American & Pacific Islander hate through community empowerment, solidarity & advocacy for comprehensive solutions.
Xbox players 18 and older can earn Rewards points in various ways, such as playing games, completing Game Pass Quests (terms apply), and purchasing games and other eligible items at the Microsoft Store (exclusions apply). Start earning for impact today and redeem your points for great rewards. Donate your points on the Rewards hub or on the Rewards redeem page.

Wallpapers and Dynamic Backgrounds

The Xbox Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month design is available today as an Xbox wallpaper and dynamic background on console – follow these steps to apply the dynamic background:
- Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
- Select Profile & system > Settings > General > Personalization > My background > Dynamic backgrounds.
You can choose between Games, Xbox, or Abstract dynamic backgrounds. Choose the background art that you want with the A button.
MIL OSI Economics –
May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Landsat at Work: Satellites Help with Complex Crop and Water Issues
Source: US Geological Survey
Breadcrumb

News
Landsat at Work: Satellites Help with Complex Crop and Water Issues

California faces challenges in trying to produce so much of our food
In just one example of the benefits of monitoring, growers in a 100,000-acre area of California—an area about the size of Bakersfield—saw a 13% reduction in groundwater pumping in the first year of using information derived from Landsat and other sources. That resulted in savings of roughly $40 million.

Supplies of groundwater for irrigation are more predictable than surface water, which can fluctuate with drought, but groundwater is not infinite. If too much groundwater is pumped out, wells can go dry and land can sink, leading to infrastructure issues. Monitoring groundwater use can help prevent problems like these.

‘Users of Landsat on a Daily Basis’

Many types of crops grow in California, which supplies more than a third of the country’s vegetables and three-fourths of its fruits and nuts, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Using remote sensing data like Landsat to map crops field by field reveals how many acres are growing. That lets various commodity boards such as the Almond Board of California and the California Walnut Board estimate the volume of crop that’s available to market to the world. And using remote sensing to know how much water those crops are using helps growers optimize groundwater use, management and regulatory compliance.

“We are significant users of Landsat on a daily basis,” said Joel Kimmelshue, founding partner and principal soil and agricultural scientist at Land IQ.

This Land IQ map of California shows a large number of crop types throughout the Central Valley and other areas. Courtesy of Land IQ

Land IQ maps more than 50 California crops on 15 million producing acres of land with a very high (97+%) degree of accuracy. The company also provides monthly crop water consumption estimates, with Landsat and other satellite information as a fundamental starting point coupled with data-driven models. An extensive ground data collection system helps calibrate and validate the satellite results.

Background photo: This is an irrigated pistachio grove near Chowchilla, California. California produces most of the pistachios in the United States, with 488,000 acres in 2024. USDA photo taken November 9, 2018, by Lance Cheung.

Nearly 40 groundwater sustainability agencies and irrigation districts use Land IQ’s crop water use estimates, including the Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MKGSA) in the San Joaquin Valley.

Several years ago, MKGSA made the difficult decision to put restrictions on groundwater use in reaction to sustained drought and a new California state law. MKGSA needed a way to measure growers’ groundwater usage, but under a tight deadline, there wasn’t nearly enough time to install water meters to monitor 65,000 acres of irrigated cropland.

So MKGSA turned to Land IQ to estimate the total amount of water used by crops, which is based on evapotranspiration (ET), a combined loss of water through evaporation and plant transpiration.

MKGSA growers were initially given 2.5 acre-feet of groundwater per acre of land in 2022—enough to cover each acre with 2.5 feet of water—beyond precipitation or surface water that their crops also use. Every month, they can check their groundwater consumption for the previous month on a dashboard to see how their “water budget” is going and what they have left for the rest of the year. If they don’t use all their allocated groundwater in one year, the unused amount remains available for them in the future.

ABOVE: This panel of three images shows the same area of central California, near Tulare and Visalia southeast of Fresno, in July 2024. Left: A Landsat image, one of the satellite sources of information for Land IQ’s mapping. Middle: A Land IQ monthly map of crop types, which also includes wheat at a more muted fuchsia. Right: A Land IQ monthly map of evapotranspiration, which ranges from red at no evapotranspiration through orange, yellow and green up to blue, with the highest level. This area of California has a number of dairies as well, which can be seen in some of the areas that do not have a color-coded crop type. The middle and right images are courtesy of Land IQ.

“Without the Land IQ data, farmers couldn’t plan. They were just doing what they used to do, what their grandfathers did, what their great-grandfathers did. And that wasn’t working. We were overdrafting the groundwater system. They had to make a change,” said Aaron Fukuda, interim general manager of the MKGSA and general manager of the Tulare Irrigation District, which is a member of the MKGSA.

“At the core of all of it is the ET data. Pull that out, and the heart of the system falls apart.” – Aaron Fukuda

MKGSA’s growers have four years of Land IQ data to look back on now. In addition to keeping track of their water budgets, they can find the average of how much water is used by a certain tree crop, like almonds, or another perennial crop. “They’re fine-tuning their irrigation to get to the optimum yields based on water availability, yields and commodity pricing,” Fukuda said.

For growers of annual crops such as corn or wheat, once they know how many acre-feet of groundwater each crop type needs, they can plan out what to plant in each field based on how much water they have to “spend.”

MKGSA’s plan, a revision from an earlier plan rejected by the state, is paying off. In a comparison of two drought years—2021 to 2022—groundwater pumping went down 13%, saving 20,000 acre-feet of water and roughly $40 million, based on a drought-year value of water at $2,000 per acre-foot, Fukuda said. In other words, that’s 6.5 billion gallons, enough water to supply a city like Santa Barbara for more than a year and a half.

Plus, because the revised plan met the state’s requirements, MKGSA is being considered to avoid a “probation” period in which the state would take over the sustainability planning. That would cost growers tens of millions of dollars in fees annually, Fukuda said.

“Because we’ve implemented the allocation system, because we’re cutting back, we’re making the hard decisions; because we’re monitoring and we are showing results, we are hoping to avoid probation.”

One reason Landsat is so valuable to companies like Land IQ and customers like the MKGSA and its growers is because the data is offered to the public at no cost, said Diya Chowdhury, Land IQ spatial sciences team lead. “That allows us to pass that cost savings down to our clients. There’s a limited budget, and it allows us to work within that.”

Chowdhury estimates that overall, Land IQ includes Landsat data in 90 percent of its crop mapping and ET projects, which also include Arizona, Australia and Mexico.

Landsat’s annual value in 2023 was calculated to be $25.6 billion for myriad uses, including the agriculture industry. Landsat is a partnership that began between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA more than 50 years ago, by far the longest-running Earth observation satellite program in the world. The data are made available through the USGS.

Some Land IQ projects need to look at imagery from decades ago. “Landsat is considered to be the industry standard due to the historical record of data,” Chowdhury said.

The two current satellites collect fresh imagery of every spot of land on Earth every eight days, a benefit to Land IQ. “It gives us a time series of data to work with,” she added. “We’re looking at crops, which is a dynamic system. You need to consider how things are evolving and changing over time.”

Landsat Next is planned with three satellites that would collectively capture a new view of the Earth’s surface every six days.

The company uses artificial intelligence (AI) methods—specifically machine learning—to be able to incorporate all of the remote sensing and ground data into its work.

Looking ahead, Landsat’s role is expected to grow as technology evolves.

AI methods will continue to be useful as plans for the next generation of Landsat satellites include even more remote sensing data. A trio of satellites is planned to launch in late 2030/early 2031 as Landsat Next, capturing far more detail about features of the Earth’s surface more frequently than current Landsat satellites, including more information about crop conditions.

Landsat is crucial for Land IQ’s work, Kimmelshue said, and “for the people that use those ground-validated results. That’s the real critical part: for them to manage the short water that we have in many places in the western United States.”

Disclaimer: This web page contains hypertext links to information created and maintained by other organizations. USGS is not responsible for the content of any off-site pages. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement or recommendation by the United States Government.

MIL OSI USA News –
May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: John Swinney’s Programme for Government speech
Source: Scottish National Party

Presiding Officer,

Tomorrow will mark one year since I was honoured to be elected as the First Minister of this country that I love.

I spoke then of my ambition to create a vibrant economy in every part of our country, my determination to tackle the challenges faced by our beloved National Health Service, and my hope that we can come together as a Parliament, and as a country, to focus on solutions rather than allowing our disagreements to dominate.

Over the past year, amidst real challenges, amidst deep uncertainty on the global stage, progress has been made. In ways big and small, a corner is being turned. This is a government that is working hard and determined to get Scotland on track for success.

That progress has been evident in the way we do our business here in our Parliament. The fact that four parties were able to come together, to negotiate in good faith, and pass a budget that delivers record funding for our National Health Service, is testament to what is possible.

Today’s Programme for Government is presented in that same spirit. It contains many of the fruits of our budget process – with elements within it that are there only because of the co-operation of other parties.

But this is also a programme by an SNP government, a government that cares deeply about Scotland, a government that has total confidence in Scotland’s ability to rise to any challenge and to weather any storm.

Presiding Officer, before I turn to those elements that are in the Programme for Government, I want to talk about some measures that are not included.

With a year to go until the end of this parliament, there are clearly, limits on the amount of legislation we can present. This government – and I personally – remain entirely committed to tackling misogynistic abuse against women. Regrettably I do not believe there is sufficient parliamentary time to make progress through a standalone Bill which I would plan to bring forward at the start of the next Parliament. We will however take the action we can in this Parliament by adding sex as a protected characteristic to existing hate crimes legislation to protect women and girls and by taking further steps in our policy, to tackle unacceptable abuse of women and girls in our society.

Conversion Practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity are harmful and abusive. Over this coming year, we will seek to work with the United Kingdom government to deliver a legislative ban across England, Wales and Scotland. But if agreement is not possible, we will publish legislation in the first year of the next parliamentary term. Members of the LGBTQI+ community should have no doubt that we will work with them to protect and to defend their rights.

Times are tough, presiding oofficer and times are changing, in ways that I know bring real anxiety to our citizens, real fear to many in our business community. But my promise to the people of Scotland is that amidst the uncertainty there is one thing they can be sure of: this is a government that will always seek to do what is best for Scotland. As First Minister, I will always put the needs and interests, the hopes and dreams of the people of Scotland first.

When I became First Minister a year ago, I heard loud and clear people’s concerns about the health of Scotland’s NHS.

They would tell me about their many positive experiences of high-quality care from the dedicated staff in the NHS, experiences of treatment and care that are, invariably, world class. But they also spoke of difficulties accessing that care. Waiting times that were unacceptable, adding to anxiety. Systems that they felt did not put patients first.

Presiding officer, there are many issues that compete on a daily basis for the attention of a First Minister, but what could be more important than our National Health Service?

So I am proud that the £30 million that we committed has not just delivered the 64,000 additional NHS appointments and procedures between April 2024 and the end of January 2025 that we promised, but over 40,000 more than planned. An extra 105,000 vital, additional appointments and procedures that are helping to reduce waiting lists and waiting times. We have met the children and adolescents’ mental health waiting time standards, with over 90 per cent now seen within 18 weeks of their referral.

More cancer patients are now treated faster. Compared with a decade ago, 16 per cent more patients receive care within the 31-day standard and 11 per cent more within the 62-day standard.

Statistics, yes, but behind each one a person who has received the sort of reliable and effective care from the National Health Service that they deserve.

Progress, yes, but with a very clear understanding that there is more, much more to do.

And that is why a renewed and stronger NHS is at the very heart of this Programme for Government.

Getting our NHS on track is about reform that is fundamentally patient-centred, it is about investment, and it’s about increasing productivity and capacity.

This approach makes it possible for us to deliver more than 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in 2025-26.

The additional investment secured through the Scottish budget will enable us to expand specialist regional centres; technology will mean more efficient use of operating theatres. The result, a 50 per cent increase in the number of surgical procedures we can deliver compared with last year.

There will be a renewed focus on cancer diagnosis and treatment, targeted investment so that health boards can clear backlogs and substantially improve waiting times.

Presiding officer, I could spend the whole statement just talking about the steps we are taking to access the National Health Service, but before moving on, I will highlight one other area that I know is of particular concern for many people.

While many people’s experience of their GP is excellent, for many others there is deep frustration over the difficulty making appointments and what has been described as the 8am lottery.

This is of central importance to me. That is why we are acting to reduce pressure and increase capacity in the system, so that it is easier for people to get the care that they need, when they need it.

That includes in the year ahead a further expansion of Pharmacy First services – with pharmacies being the right first port of call for many ailments.

But it also means the delivery of an extra 100,000 appointments in GP surgeries focused on key risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking.

This year, primary care, including GPs, is receiving a bigger share of new NHS funding, and we are committed to not only increasing GP numbers but protecting Scotland’s advantage which means substantially more GPs per head in Scotland compared to elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Presiding officer, members across the chamber will know that, alongside the NHS, our constituents are also deeply exercised by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. We have experienced a decade and more of financial insecurity, higher prices and squeezed real incomes. Life feels substantially tougher for very many of those that we serve.

The economy means jobs, growth and investment, and I will talk about all of these elements.

But above all, the economy is about people’s quality of life, it is about their own household budget, their ability to pay the bills.

This Scottish government will always do what it can to deliver the best deal for the people of Scotland. In concrete terms that means a commitment to keep Council Tax bills – already over 30 per cent lower on average in Scotland than in England – substantially lower than elsewhere in the UK.

Water bills – already 20 per cent lower than in England – will remain lower, as will income tax for the majority of workers in Scotland.

Prescriptions will continue to be free here in Scotland.

Eye appointments, free.

Bus travel for young, disabled and older people in Scotland – free.

Scotland will continue to pay no tuition fees.

Parents will continue to benefit from a package of early learning and childcare worth more than £6000 for every eligible child.

Free school meals, which save the average family £400 per child per year, will be expanded, and more breakfast clubs introduced.

Together, this is my cost-of-living guarantee. A package that year on year delivers savings for the people of Scotland, a package that exists nowhere else in the United Kingdom.

And, Presiding Officer, it is a package of cost-of-living support that we are always looking to enhance where we can.

That is why we took the decision in the budget to restore a winter fuel payment for Scottish pensioners, with the poorest receiving the most. Those payments will be made this year.

And it is why we are committed to doing even more.

Last year, in the face of severe budget pressures, we took the difficult decision to end the peak fares pilot on our railways.

But now, given the work that we have done to get Scotland’s finances in a stronger position, and hearing also the calls from commuters, from climate activists and from the business community, I can confirm that, from the 1st of September this year, peak rail fares in Scotland will be scrapped for good.

A decision that will put more money in people’s pockets and mean less CO2 is pumped into our skies.

Once again, tens of thousands of Scots saving money.

Once again, a better deal for people because they live in Scotland.

Better for Scots because there is a government that always strives for what is best for Scotland.

Alongside the cost-of-living pressures – the consequence of a series of body blows from austerity and Brexit to the spike in inflation and energy costs that followed Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine – new threats are emerging that have the potential to cause extensive damage to the Scottish economy.

Tariffs will impact directly on many Scottish exporters to the United States, while a US recession and a global trade war, will have effects direct and indirect on almost every sector of our economy.

Presiding officer, this Programme for Government has been published earlier than usual, in part because it allows a clear year of delivery on the NHS and other public services, delivery in those areas that matter in the day-to-day lives of our citizens. But it is also being published now because of the scale of the looming economic challenge that we face.

For the sake of Scottish jobs, for the sake of protecting people’s quality of life, we are taking new steps, accelerating action, to ensure Scotland’s economy is better placed to ride the economic storms.

Members will see the detailed and extensive section on the economy in the Programme for Government document, with action on planning reform, skills, housing investment, support for our rural economy including our vital food and drink sector, promotion of Scotland the brand and more. But I want to highlight three particular initiatives designed to respond directly and specifically to the challenges we now face.

First, working with Scottish Development International across their 34 international offices, we will deliver a new 6-point Export Plan, to enable Scottish exporters to diversify and to grow markets. This includes:
- more support for SME’s to participate in trade missions in both established and emerging markets;
- additional grant funding to help companies unlock specific, targeted international growth; and,
- bespoke support in key sectors – technology, life sciences, renewables and hydrogen – to maximise international opportunities.
Second, to enable emerging Scottish companies to grow, we will create a new Proof of Concept fund, with a focus on supporting the commercialisation of research projects with significant economic potential. We will deliver an improved Ecosystem fund to further enhance Scotland’s already effective start-up environment, including action to transform the number of women who start and scale up businesses.

We must not forget, even amidst the gathering clouds, that Scotland is an innovative nation, and that opportunities exist which can deliver real and significant benefits now and in the future. This government will prepare for the challenges but we also seek to position Scotland to make the most of the many and significant economic opportunities that still exist.

Third, we will deepen our commitment to a just transition and an industrial future for Scotland. As members will be aware, the Deputy First Minister is actively engaging with potential investors to ensure a green industrial future for the Grangemouth site. A key element in the success of this work is the development of carbon capture in Scotland, which is why it is now vital that the UK government provides support not only to carbon capture projects in England, but also to the Acorn project in Scotland’s northeast.

The Scottish Government has previously committed up to £80 million to make this happen if the UK Government, in turn, made the commitments necessary for the project to progress. Given the importance of this project for the Scottish economy, given its place at the very heart of the green reindustrialisation that is my ambition, and I trust the ambition of all parties in this chamber, my government is now willing, as part of a wider package of investment in industrial transformation, to remove that cap and increase the amount of Scottish funding that is available to make Acorn a reality should the project be given the go ahead by the United Kingdom Government.

I know that many in this chamber share my concern that Scotland is little more than an afterthought to a UK government that is willing to invest in a supercomputer in the southeast of England, weeks after cancelling the supercomputer for Edinburgh. A UK government that moved heaven and earth to save Scunthorpe but will not do the same for Grangemouth. Perhaps with swift action from the UK Government to support Acorn, which in turn will help us deliver the future that Grangemouth deserves, the Prime Minister will do the right thing by Grangemouth.

Presiding officer, working to deliver a stronger NHS, giving the people of Scotland the best cost-of-living support of any part of the UK, and action to protect Scotland’s economy and maximise our economic potential in the face of global challenges, this is a government with what is best for Scotland at its heart.

Since becoming First Minister last year, I have sought to focus government efforts on four central priorities.

We seek a wealthier Scotland, higher standards of living for the people of Scotland, with action to grow Scotland’s economy.

A fairer Scotland, with Scotland’s growing wealth shared more fairly so that we can remove the scourge of child poverty in our land.

A greener Scotland, with action to maximize the benefits felt by the people of Scotland from our renewable energy wealth, benefits in terms of lower bills and well-paid jobs, and action to reduce emissions and protect and restore our stunning natural environment.

And we seek public services that meet, and indeed exceed, the expectations of the people of Scotland. Have no doubt, many already do. But where action is needed to reform and renew, this government will take it.

Progress for Scotland underpins each of our priorities and is at the heart of everything we will do.

I want a Scotland that we can be proud of, a Scotland that is the best it can possibly be.

That ambition is what gets me up every single morning.

And, at the very heart of that, is the eradication of child poverty.

Last year, when I presented my Programme for Government, I referred to the eradication of child poverty as the moral compass of my government. It remains so. It will until there is no single child left in poverty in Scotland.

It is also, I said, the greatest investment in our country’s future that we can possibly make.

And in these times of cost-of-living pressures, that investment becomes ever more important, for these things disproportionately hurt our society’s poorest.

That is why, over the course of this Parliament, we increased the Scottish Child Payment from the original proposal that was put to us of a £5 payment to £27.15 and created a broader package of family payments which can be worth roughly £25,000 by age 16.

Our policies are making a difference. On average, the lowest income households with children are estimated to be £2,600 a year better off this year as result of Scottish Government policies. By 2029-30 it is expected to grow to an average of £3,700.

The proportion of children living in relative poverty has reached its lowest level since 2014-15, and Scotland is making deeper, quicker progress here than in the rest of the UK.

And while the Joseph Rowntree Foundation predicts child poverty will rise in other parts of the UK by 2029, policies such as our Scottish Child Payment, and our commitment to end the cruel two-child limit, “are behind Scotland bucking the trend”.

But if we want to truly eradicate child poverty in Scotland, we must go further, and I recognise that. We are taking the steps to lift the two-child limit and remain on track to deliver this measure to lift more children out of poverty next April.

It is also about making sure that public services are more joined up in their response, more family- and person-centred, so that vulnerable families receive the focused help they need rather than simply the help that is available.

And, in the coming year, we will consult on, develop, and publish a Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan for 2026-31 – outlining the actions we will take with our partners for low-income families across Scotland to keep us on the journey to meet our poverty reduction targets for 2030. I can assure members that this will focus on reducing household costs, boosting incomes through social security, and helping more people into fair and sustainable jobs. All of which play a central part in tackling not only the symptoms but the root causes of poverty in our society.

Presiding officer,

There is always much more that we are doing than can be mentioned in a short parliamentary statement.

I would encourage members, and their constituents, to read the Programme for Government with care.

They will see our ongoing commitment to achieving net zero by 2045. Action to maximize the environmental and economic benefits from our vast renewable energy wealth. Steps to decarbonise heating and further decarbonise our transport network.

To give just one example, I am proud that we have achieved our target of installing 6,000 public charge points for electric vehicles – 2 years ahead of schedule. But more is needed, which is why, in the year ahead, we will introduce a new rural and island EV infrastructure grant, supporting our commitment to approximately 24,000 additional public electric vehicle charge points by 2030.

They will notice the priority we are giving to the ABCs of education, with action in partnership with local government, parents, carers, pupils and schools, to raise attainment and address problems of attendance, to tackle head on behavioural challenges in our classrooms and reform the curriculum so that young Scots are fully equipped to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of this new age.

There is action to help regenerate our town centres.

Investment in thousands of new homes.

Record funding for the culture sector.

New protections for renters.

Expansion of dental provision.

A focus on additional support needs in our schools and much, much more.

Presiding officer, it is a Programme for Government, but also a programme for a better Scotland.

A programme for a stronger NHS, for a more resilient Scotland, for a wealthier Scotland.

Centred on delivery, providing hope, it is a programme that seeks what is best for Scotland, a Programme for Government that gets our nation on track for success.
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: AI therapy may help with mental health, but innovation should never outpace ethics

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ben Bond, PhD Candidate in Digital Psychiatry, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Pavlova Yuliia/Shutterstock

Mental health services around the world are stretched thinner than ever. Long wait times, barriers to accessing care and rising rates of depression and anxiety have made it harder for people to get timely help.

As a result, governments and healthcare providers are looking for new ways to address this problem. One emerging solution is the use of AI chatbots for mental health care.

A recent study explored whether a new type of AI chatbot, named Therabot, could treat people with mental illness effectively. The findings were promising: not only did participants with clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety benefit, those at high-risk for eating disorders also showed improvement. While early, this study may represent a pivotal moment in the integration of AI into mental health care.

AI mental health chatbots are not new – tools like Woebot and Wysa have already been released to the public and studied for years. These platforms follow rules based on a user’s input to produce a predefined approved response.

What makes Therabot different is that it uses generative AI – a technique where a program learns from existing data to create new content in response to a prompt. Consequently, Therabot can produce novel responses based on a user’s input like other popular chatbots such as ChatGPT, allowing for a more dynamic and personalised interaction.

This isn’t the first time generative AI has been examined in a mental health setting. In 2024, researchers in Portugal conducted a study where ChatGPT was offered as an additional component of treatment for psychiatric inpatients.

The research findings showed that just three to six sessions with ChatGPT led to a significantly greater improvement in quality of life than standard therapy, medication and other supportive treatments alone.

Together, these studies suggest that both general and specialised generative AI chatbots hold real potential for use in psychiatric care. But there are some serious limitations to keep in mind. For example, the ChatGPT study involved only 12 participants – far too few to draw firm conclusions.

In the Therabot study, participants were recruited through a Meta Ads campaign, likely skewing the sample toward tech-savvy people who may already be open to using AI. This could have inflated the chatbot’s effectiveness and engagement levels.

Ethics and Exclusion

Beyond methodological concerns, there are critical safety and ethical issues to address. One of the most pressing is whether generative AI could worsen symptoms in people with severe mental illnesses, particularly psychosis.

A 2023 article warned that generative AI’s lifelike responses, combined with the most people’s limited understanding of how these systems work, might feed into delusional thinking. Perhaps for this reason, both the Therabot and ChatGPT studies excluded participants with psychotic symptoms.

But excluding these people also raises questions of equity. People with severe mental illness often face cognitive challenges – such as disorganised thinking or poor attention – that might make it difficult to engage with digital tools.

Ironically, these are the people who may benefit the most from accessible, innovative interventions. If generative AI tools are only suitable for people with strong communication skills and high digital literacy, then their usefulness in clinical populations may be limited.

There’s also the possibility of AI “hallucinations” – a known flaw that occurs when a chatbot confidently makes things up – like inventing a source, quoting a nonexistent study, or giving an incorrect explanation. In the context of mental health, AI hallucinations aren’t just inconvenient, they can be dangerous.

Imagine a chatbot misinterpreting a prompt and validating someone’s plan to self-harm, or offering advice that unintentionally reinforces harmful behaviour. While the studies on Therabot and ChatGPT included safeguards – such as clinical oversight and professional input during development – many commercial AI mental health tools do not offer the same protections.

That’s what makes these early findings both exciting and cautionary. Yes, AI chatbots might offer a low-cost way to support more people at once, but only if we fully address their limitations.

Effective implementation will require more robust research with larger and more diverse populations, greater transparency about how models are trained and constant human oversight to ensure safety. Regulators must also step in to guide the ethical use of AI in clinical settings.

With careful, patient-centred research and strong guardrails in place, generative AI could become a valuable ally in addressing the global mental health crisis – but only if we move forward responsibly.

Ben Bond receives funding from Research Ireland.

– ref. AI therapy may help with mental health, but innovation should never outpace ethics – https://theconversation.com/ai-therapy-may-help-with-mental-health-but-innovation-should-never-outpace-ethics-255090

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Tove Jansson: lessons in life from her beloved Moomin characters

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Barbara Tesio-Ryan, ECDS Postdoctoral Fellow in European Languages, University of Edinburgh

This year marks the 80th anniversary of The Moomins, the Finnish/Swedish trolls that have delighted generations of children, becoming a cultural phenomenon in their own right. While posterity will likely remember her as the inventor of Moomins, Tove Jansson was in fact a strikingly multi-talented creative force.

Born in Helsinki in 1914, the daughter of artists, Jansson grew up surrounded by creativity, allowing her to develop her own in many different ways. During a career that spanned over 70 years, her work included illustrations, cartoons, paintings, murals, theatre productions, children’s books and beautifully crafted novels.

The main thing in life is to know your own mind.

Snufkin, Moominsummer Madness

In 1929, aged 15, Jansson began her career as a cartoonist. Her illustrations were first published in Garm, the Finnish satirical magazine for which she later became the in-house illustrator.

Her work as a cartoonist, before and during the war, gave her an outlet to be outspoken and express her militant anti-fascism and opposition to the war. For a woman at that time to assert her views so boldly and publicly was an act of defiance in itself, and she later recalled how liberating it had been to be able to be “so beastly to Hitler and Stalin” through her daring cartoons.

This is part of a series of articles celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Moomins. Want to celebrate their birthday with us? Join The Conversation and a group of experts on May 23 in Bradford for a screening of Moomins on the Riviera and a discussion of the refugee experience in Tove Jansson’s work. Click here for more information and tickets.

No one was spared, and her cartoons captured the megalomania of the main political figures of the time, as well as the impact of the war on everyday life. During the strenuous war years, Jansson refined her craft as an illustrator, and also, crucially, learned the importance of laughter in ushering light into the darkness. This is a skill that would characterise her entire output, both as an artist and as a writer.

Everything looks worse in the dark, you know.

Moominmama, The Moomins and the Great Flood

She used humour as a tool to both critique and understand life and the world around her. Through the act of making art, Jansson brought light and lightness when life got darker.

While Jansson had been sketching some variation of Moomintrolls her whole life, it was during the war that she began creating their Moominvalley world and imagining stories for them.

In 1991, she wrote that the Moomins had come to her as an escape from the horrors of the war: “Perhaps it was understandable that I suddenly felt an urge to write something that was to begin with ‘once upon a time’.”

When her first Moomin book, Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen (The Moomins and the Great Flood), was published in 1945, Finland had been through the second world war, as well as the “winter war” and the “continuation war” with Russia. So, while it was published during a time of peace, darkness surrounded the origin of the Moomins.

This dichotomy of light and darkness pervades all the Moomin books. Often a catastrophe is waiting to happen, or has just happened, and how the Moomins react to those events is central to the story itself. This is what makes those books so universal and so timeless.

The Moomins are so special because they are normal. Not everyone is a hero and not every day is great. There is space for both sadness and joy in Jansson’s tales, and this is why we keep reading them, because they are just like life itself.

It would be awful if the world exploded. It is so wonderfully splendid.

Snufkin, Comet in Moominland

In the first two Moomin books, Moomins and the Great Flood, and Comet in Moominland, natural catastrophes mirror the horrors of the war and postwar era (such as the atomic bomb). Environmental disasters are also ongoing threats to the the creatures of Moominvalley.

These are often, and mainly, brought by the sea, and can be fully appreciated only by someone like Jansson who lived between coastal and island landscapes most of her life. The natural landscape of Finland and Sweden, Jansson’s two homelands, are an essential part of her art.

Moominvalley in particular is a decidedly Nordic landscape, and was in fact inspired by her grandparents’ house on the island of Blidö, and by the Pellinki archipelago. It was here that Jansson spent many happy summers with her family, and later, with her partner Tuulikki Pietilä.

There is a humbleness to be learned in living by the sea, and a respect for the power of nature that Jansson captured beautifully in so many of her creations, such as The Summer Book.

In Moominpappa at Sea, where Moominpappa goes on an existential journey to find his purpose in life again, the relationship to the sea also becomes pivotal to his personal development: “There was the sea – his sea – going past, wave after wave, foaming recklessly, raging furiously, but, somehow, tranquil at the same time. All Moominpappa’s thoughts and speculations vanished. He felt completely alive from the tips of his ears to the tip of his tail. This was a moment to live to the full.”

The Moomins’ unconditional love and respect for nature also translates beautifully into an acceptance of all of life’s diversity. The Moomin’s universe is one where everyone is welcomed and loved for whoever they are and however they feel.

One of the biggest teachings of Jansson’s work for any reader at any age, is that all feelings are valid, and learning to accept this simple and profound truth makes life so much easier. As Moominpappa says: “For if you’re not afraid, how can you really be brave?”

You seem to be yourself again. Actually, you’re nicer that way.

Mymble, Moominvalley in November

Jansson’s motto, labora et amare (work and love), did indeed mark her existence. She worked incessantly and loved fiercely. Well ahead of her time, Jansson lived her sexuality with a freedom that was truly revolutionary for her time (Finland, like many other countries, decriminalised homosexuality only in 1971).

What characterised this artist’s life and career was the ambition and the courage to live differently. To create and to love without boundaries and without fear. And this is perhaps Jansson and her Moomins’ most important legacy.

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

– ref. Tove Jansson: lessons in life from her beloved Moomin characters – https://theconversation.com/tove-jansson-lessons-in-life-from-her-beloved-moomin-characters-255280

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The UK is falling behind in tackling microplastic pollution – here are three ways the government can catch up

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Antaya March, Director – Global Plastics Policy Centre, University of Portsmouth

SIVStockStudio/Shutterstock

Microplastics – fragments of plastic smaller than 5mm – are accumulating in the environment. They’re found in soil, water, food, even in human lungs, placentas and blood. These plastic particles shed from items we use daily, such as synthetic clothes, tyres, plastic packaging and paint.

Scientists, medical professionals and environmental bodies have raised growing concern about the potential impacts of microplastics on environments and human health. Studies suggest that microplastics could affect soil health, reduce food productivity and compromise ecosystem functioning. As a result, economic growth may be hindered.

Some nations are acting. French regulations require that filters are put on new washing machines to capture microfibres. The EU has recently targeted microplastic inputs from artificial turf and paint and has passed rules to limit microplastic discharges in wastewater treatment.

US states are beginning to regulate microplastic contamination in drinking water. In fact, California has set some of the world’s first safe water testing requirements for microplastic contamination.

Yet, the UK hasn’t kept pace. There is still no national plan to reduce emissions. There are no legal targets for reducing microplastic pollution, no limits and no timeline for action. The only regulation to date (a 2017 ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics) addresses just a fraction of the problem. Microbeads only account for less than 5% of the microplastics ending up in the environment.

With evidence building and risks mounting, the UK urgently needs a more coordinated response. Drawing on insights from leading UK scientists and policy experts, here are three ways the UK can begin to close the gap.

1. A national roadmap

The UK has no coordinated plan to reduce microplastic pollution. Microplastics are mentioned in several UK government strategies – such as the Plan for Water and Environmental Improvement Plan – but these don’t have clear targets, timelines or regulatory action.

A national roadmap can tackle the problem more effectively by expanding the narrow scope of the microbeads ban to cover major sources of both primary (intentionally manufactured) and secondary microplastics (produced from the breakdown of larger plastics).

To make this feasible, design standards for plastic products need to focus on reducing microplastics shedding upstream, rather than relying on clean-up alone.

As with any effective regulation, measurable targets to reduce microplastics entering the environment can be paired with a programme for monitoring – so human exposure and microplastic levels in air, water and soil can be tracked to assess whether policies are working.

2. Regulate the biggest sources

The ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics was an important early step, but it only scratches the surface. Most microplastic pollution comes from larger, less visible sources: car tyres, synthetic textiles, paint and fertilisers made from sewage sludge. These everyday sources account for most microplastic emissions, yet remain largely unregulated in the UK.

Read more:
Car tyres shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment – urgent action is needed

By making manufacturers responsible for the highest levels of microplastic pollution, a widespread industry shift can be achieved. That includes setting standards to reduce fibres shedding from textiles and requiring filters in washing machines, addressing tyre wear and road runoff in the transport sector and phasing out the use of contaminated sludge and plastic mulch films in agriculture. These are not distant or unrealistic goals. Many could be achieved by updating existing waste, water and environmental regulations.

Paint is a big source of microplastics.
r.classen/Shutterstock

To date, the government has eschewed precaution and tended to shelve action where evidence of harm is still emerging. While research continues to evolve, existing scientific evidence provides a strong basis for meaningful policy actions today. What’s missing is a shift in focus – from marginal sources to the main drivers – and the political will to prioritise real reductions over symbolic moves.

3. Tackle plastic production

Most microplastics begin as larger plastic products that slowly break down over time. We need to reduce how much plastic is produced and used in the first place.

The UK government’s stated aims for creating an economy in which less resources are used overall there is greater reuse of existing resources (otherwise known as a circular economy) focus on reducing waste and improving material use, but they don’t yet address how overproduction of plastics contributes to microplastic pollution.

Setting targets to cut the volume of single-use plastic on the market would help prevent microplastics polluting the environment. Simplifying how products are designed and labelled can also enable safer disposal, reuse or recycling and reduce how much plastic breaks up.

At the same time, alternatives (including biodegradable or bio-based plastics) must be carefully assessed. Without proper oversight, these substitutes risk repeating many of the same problems. Reducing plastic demand remains one of the most effective ways to tackle the microplastics crisis at its root. Consumers can also help by supporting policies that reduce plastic use and choosing to buy products that don’t produce as many microplastics.

With microplastics now pervasive across ecosystems, waiting for more evidence risks further accumulation. Setting clear targets and strengthening regulation in the sectors that contribute most to emissions is essential.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Antaya March receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation.

Stephanie Northen receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation.

– ref. The UK is falling behind in tackling microplastic pollution – here are three ways the government can catch up – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-is-falling-behind-in-tackling-microplastic-pollution-here-are-three-ways-the-government-can-catch-up-255465

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Are kids resilient? Societies and families need to offer supports and relationships to nurture resilience
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Elena Merenda, Assistant Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-Humber

“Kids are resilient.” You have heard this before, right? You might have even said it, with the best of intentions.

Resilience sometimes seems like a buzzword and is used in ill-defined ways. If adults praise children’s resilience without addressing their needs, this leaves children vulnerable to harm.

Resilience doesn’t mean being unaffected by adversity — it means having the tools, relationships and supports to cope with it.

Part of my role as a child development specialist with expertise in therapeutic play, as well childhood loss and grief, is consulting work with families and educators. I see children acting out in classrooms, withdrawing at home or having difficulties processing and regulating emotions and behaviours. Finding the right supports for a child often means many things.

Offering children the environments and relationships that build resilience includes:
- Adequate social infrastructure and resourcing to ensure families can meet basic needs in dignified ways (for example, they can access nutritious food and safe and sustainable housing);
- Parent communities and support groups so parents aren’t expected to parent in isolation;
- Parents and caregivers who have access to mental health support;
- Emotionally safe classrooms that focus on supports for the whole child, not just academically rigorous ones.
In the everyday, children need adults who are well enough to care for them and present enough to notice their struggles.

Many families with deep needs

The 2024 National Report Card on Child and Family Poverty from Campaign 2000, a network of organizations committed to ending child and family poverty in Canada, reveals that in 2022, nearly one in five children were growing up in poverty.

The child poverty rate rose by two and a half percentage points from the previous year, representing the largest annual increase in child poverty on record. Lone-parent households, most of them led by women, are disproportionately affected, with one in five relying on social assistance.

Read more:
Child poverty is on the rise in Canada, putting over 1 million kids at risk of life-long negative effects

As financial insecurity deepens and government supports like the Canada Child Benefit lose their effectiveness due to high costs of living, parents are under formidable financial pressure that impacts their parenting capacity and personal wellness.

Mental health gaps

Mental Health Research Canada’s 2023 report, Exploring the Mental Health Landscape of Canadian Parents, reveals that younger parents, especially those under 30, are facing self-reported elevated levels of anxiety and depression since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The data also suggests that parents of children under two years of age are more likely to receive a new mental health diagnosis, likely due to decreased contact with health-care providers during the pandemic.

What happens when parents are overwhelmed? Children feel it, and they need support to bounce back from it.

The pressures parents face are not isolated. In a 2025 study on the perceptions of kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 educators in Ontario regarding their students’ developmental and academic skills and their own mental health during the 2021 to 2022 school year, teachers reported increased anxiety and slower developmental progress in children.

Read more:
From full-day learning to 30 minutes daily: The effects of school closures on kindergarteners

Healthy development can’t be taken for granted

If we only skim headlines that children displayed resilient capacities during the pandemic without looking deeper at how the pandemic also impeded healthy development, we are missing the full picture.

It is only through longitudinal study — examining how kids are doing across time — that we’ll be able to fully understand impacts. For example, data from the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth shows about one in five youth who felt their mental health was good in 2019 no longer felt that way four years later.

Read more:
Pandemic babies’ developmental milestones: Not as bad as we feared, but not as good as before

The 2023 Raising Canada Report, based on research conducted by researchers at the University of Calgary and McGill University and published by the non-profit organization Children First Canada, reports on violence, poverty, mental health struggles and online sexual exploitation affecting Canadian children.

The report reveals there were 40 child homicides in 2022, and rates of hospital visits for self-harm and suicide attempts among youth have doubled over the past decade.

These alarming reports suggest many families and children are struggling, lacking the resources they need to process their experiences and heal.

Building your child’s and your own resilience

Parental burnout is real — and compassion for oneself is the first step in supporting children.

A few minutes of undistracted time with your child matters.
(Shutterstock)

Here are a few strategies parents can try to use, even when worn down:

Focus on connection. A few minutes of undistracted time with your child — reading a book, going for a walk or simply talking without a phone nearby — builds connection and safety. When children feel a sense of safety and connection with their parent, they are more likely to share their thoughts and emotions. When children feel safe enough to verbalize their emotions, they are more inclined to process challenging times.

Name and normalize emotions. Help your child build emotional vocabulary by labelling feelings for them in your day-to-day interactions. Saying things like “I noticed you looked frustrated when your Lego broke. That’s OK. It’s hard when things don’t go as planned” helps children to learn how to identify and name their emotions which is the first step in taming emotions.

Model self-regulation, and when you feel overwhelmed, label your feelings. Try saying, “I’m feeling really worried right now, so I’m going to take a few deep breaths.” This teaches children that big feelings are a normal human experience. It also models for children healthy coping strategies.

Ask for help and accept support. Parenting shouldn’t be done alone. Ask for help. Find a community of like-minded parents who can talk through big and small moments with you. Let your child see that it’s OK to ask for help — this is how you build resilience.

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

– ref. Are kids resilient? Societies and families need to offer supports and relationships to nurture resilience – https://theconversation.com/are-kids-resilient-societies-and-families-need-to-offer-supports-and-relationships-to-nurture-resilience-253789
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: ‘Milkshake tax’: there’s growing evidence that expanding the UK’s sugar levy could help tackle obesity

Source: The Conversation – UK – By David M. Evans, Professor of Sociotechnical Futures, University of Bristol Business School, University of Bristol

Luis Molinero/Shutterstock

The UK government is considering expanding its sugar tax on fizzy drinks to include milkshakes and other sweetened beverages, as part of new proposals announced in April 2025. The Treasury confirmed it plans to move forward not only with broadening the tax but also with lowering the sugar threshold that triggers it from 5g to 4g of sugar per 100ml.

The changes, dubbed by critics as the “milkshake tax”, would end the current exemption for dairy-based drinks, as well as plant-based alternatives such as oat and rice milk. Chancellor Rachel Reeves first signalled the potential expansion in the 2024 budget, suggesting the soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), to give it its official name, could be widened to cover a broader range of high-sugar drinks.

Based on our research into dietary change, conducted as part of the H3 project on food system transformation, we see this as a welcome and timely development.

Not everyone shares this optimism. Opponents of what they see as “nanny state” interventionist policies argue that the SDIL has failed to deliver any real improvements to public health. In a UK newspaper’s straw poll, for example, 88% of respondents claimed the sugar tax has not significantly reduced obesity rates. Shadow Chancellor Melvyn Stride described the proposed expansion as a “sucker punch” to households, particularly given the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Scepticism around these proposals is not surprising. Many people, regardless of political affiliation, are wary of additional taxation. And indeed, there is evidence suggesting that fiscal tools such as taxes and subsidies can be blunt instruments. They are also often regressive, placing a disproportionate burden on lower-income households.

These concerns are valid – but they don’t quite apply to the SDIL.

Crucially, the SDIL is not a tax on consumers. It is levied on manufacturers and importers, who are incentivised to reduce the sugar content of their products to avoid the charge. According to Treasury figures, since the introduction of the SDIL, 89% of fizzy drinks sold in the UK have been reformulated to fall below the taxable threshold.

For instance, the Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group Suntory invested £13 million in reformulating drinks like Ribena and Lucozade, removing 25,000 tonnes of sugar, making the products exempt from the levy. This means households aren’t priced out of soft drinks – they can simply choose reformulated and presumably cheaper versions.

It’s true that the UK is still grappling with a serious obesity problem. In England alone, 29% of adultsand 15% of children aged two to 15 are obese.

But the SDIL is having an effect. Excessive sugar consumption is consistently associated with rising obesity rates in the UK and globally. There has been a clear reduction in the sales of sugar from soft drinks, and the SDIL is reported to have generated £1.9 billion in revenue since its introduction in 2018.

Early signs suggest health benefits, too. One study found a drop in obesity rates among 10 to 11-year-old girls following the levy’s implementation. Another analysis suggests that the greatest health benefits will be seen in more deprived areas, and that it may actually help to narrow some health inequalities for children in England.

Read more:
Child obesity is linked to deprivation, so why do poor parents still cop the blame?

Shifting responsibilty

The government’s 2016 announcement of the sugar tax gave manufacturers time to reformulate products before the tax’s introduction in 2018.

Of course, the SDIL is no silver bullet. There are many contributing factors to the obesity epidemic, ranging from genetic predisposition to “obesogenic” environments – social contexts that promote unhealthy eating and sedentary behaviour, such as areas with a lot of fast food restaurants, limited access to healthy food options and a lack of pavements, parks, or safe places to exercise.

Questions remain about the negative health effects of reformulated drinks, some of which still contain high levels of sweeteners or additives. And in the broader context of the need for food system transformation, focusing solely on soft drinks may be too narrow an approach.

Read more:
Are artificial sweeteners okay for our health? Here’s what the current evidence says

But the SDIL’s success lies not just in outcomes but in its design. It shifts responsibility from individuals to industry, encouraging systemic change rather than simply blaming people for making “bad” choices. The government’s 2016 announcement of the levy gave manufacturers a two-year head start, allowing them to reformulate and get their products to market before it took effect in 2018.

It’s also telling that the idea of taxing milkshakes has sparked such outrage, while most people now accept the high taxation of tobacco. That’s because smoking, as a public health issue, has matured: its risks are well understood and widely acknowledged. Obesity, meanwhile, is still catching up, despite posing similar health threats, including as a leading cause of cancer.

In the UK, there’s still a strong social stigma around discussing diet and weight. But given the scale and urgency of the obesity crisis, it could be time to overcome this reluctance. Effective change will require bold, systemic policies – not just public awareness campaigns – but multipronged and targeted interventions that reshape the economic and cultural environments in which people make food choices.

Expanding the SDIL may not be a cure-all, but the evidence so far suggests it’s a smart step in the right direction.

David M. Evans receives funding from the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund (grant ref: BB/V004719/1).
He is affiliated with Defra (the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) as a member of their Social Science Expert Group.

Jonathan Beacham receives funding from the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund (grant ref: BB/V004719/1).

– ref. ‘Milkshake tax’: there’s growing evidence that expanding the UK’s sugar levy could help tackle obesity – https://theconversation.com/milkshake-tax-theres-growing-evidence-that-expanding-the-uks-sugar-levy-could-help-tackle-obesity-255646

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Alzheimer’s: certain combinations of prescription drugs may slow progression of the disease, says mice study

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Silvia Maioli, Associate professor and Principal Researcher, Neurobiology, Karolinska Institutet

Certain prescription drugs combinations had different effects on the mice. roger ashford/ Shutterstock

Millions of older adults take five or more prescription drugs every day to manage chronic illnesses. While polypharmacy is often necessary, this practice has also been linked to many negative health outcomes in older adults – including memory problems, increased risk of falls and greater frailty.

The most common prescription drugs involved in polypharmacy are those used to treat conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and depression. Importantly, these same conditions are also known risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.

This raises an important question: could polypharmacy have any influence on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease?

Our recent research in mice suggests that certain prescription drugs combinations might actually have a positive effect on memory and signs of Alzheimer’s disease. However, these effects appeared to differ depending on whether the mouse was male or female.

To better understand how polypharmacy may affect Alzheimer’s disease, we designed an experiment using mice that were genetically altered to develop Alzheimer’s-like brain changes. These mice had amyloid plaques – clumps of protein in the brain that, with time, are linked with memory loss and considered a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease .

We tested two different combinations of five commonly prescribed drugs, including: analgesics (painkillers), antithrombotics (to prevent blood clots), lipid-modifying agents (such as statins, which lower cholestrol), beta-blockers (which help controlling arrythmias and hypertension) and Ace inhibitors (used to treat cardiovascular conditions), as well as antidepressants.

Both groups of mice were given paracetamol, aspirin, an antidepressant, a statin and a blood pressure drug. The only differences between the two groups were the specific types of statin and cardiovascular drugs used. The first group were given simvastatin and metoprolol, while the second group was given atorvastatin and enalapril.

We gave these prescription drug combinations to both male and female mice. We then tested their memory, examined their brains for signs of disease and analysed blood samples for disease-related markers.

Our findings showed that polypharmacy has both positive and negative effects on Alzheimer’s disease progression. The effects largely depended on which specific drug combinations were used as well as the sex of the mice.

The first drug combination had beneficial effects in male mice. These mice showed better memory, reduced signs of Alzheimer’s pathology in the brain (such as the number and size of amyloid plaques) and fewer signs of the disease in their blood. This suggested that polypharmacy delayed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

In females, however, the same combination had very little to no effect on signs and symptoms of the disease.

But for the mice in the second combination group, the results were different. The benefits previously seen in males disappeared. In female mice, their memory worsened.

Certain drug combinations reduced signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the male mice’s brains, such as the size and number of amyloid plaques.
nobeastsofierce/ Shutterstock

We also looked at what happened when some of the drugs were taken on their own. In some cases, they had beneficial effects for the female mice – improving memory and signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain. For instance, the statin simvastatin improved memory and reduced signs of brain inflammation in female mice when the drug was taken on its own.

Polypharmacy and brain health

These results show how complex the effects of polypharmacy can be, especially in the context of a brain disease such as Alzheimer’s. They also suggest that men and women may respond differently to certain drug combinations.

This is not surprising. Biological sex is known to influence how drugs are absorbed and metabolised and their effect on the body. When it comes to polypharmacy, these differences can become more pronounced, having an even stronger effect on drug safety and efficacy.

This could partly help explain why the same drug combinations had very different effects in the male and female mice in our study. Other possible explanations for why certain drug combinations only improved signs and symptoms of the disease in male mice include sex differences in hormone levels and differences in immune responses that may influence how drugs work in the brain. Understanding these mechanisms will be key to tailoring safer and more effective treatments for the disease.

Our study confirms that current, universal prescribing approaches for older adults may not be ideal.

It’s also worth noting that older women are more likely to be polypharmacy users compared to men. This highlights the importance of understanding the effects of polypharmacy that are specific to men and women, and developing more personalised prescribing approaches.

Future translational studies (from mice to humans) looking at how drug combinations affect Alzheimer’s in males and females are also warranted to help reduce risks and improve healthcare in the ageing population.

The global population is continuing to age, which means that an even greater number of people are going to be at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This is why it’s so important we understand all of the causes of the disease and how it can be prevented.

Silvia Maioli receives funding from The Swedish Research Council, Alzheimerfonden, King Gustaf V:s and Queen Victorias Foundation, The private initiative “Innovative ways to fight Alzheimer´s disease – Leif Lundblad Family and others”, Margaretha af Ugglas Foundation, The regional agreement on medical training and clinical research (ALF) between Stockholm County Council and Karolinska Institutet, Gun och Bertil Stohnes Stiftelse, Stiftelsen Gamla Tjänarinnor

Francesca Eroli received funding from Stiftelsen För Gamla Tjänarinnor and Gun och Bertil Stohnes Stiftelse.

– ref. Alzheimer’s: certain combinations of prescription drugs may slow progression of the disease, says mice study – https://theconversation.com/alzheimers-certain-combinations-of-prescription-drugs-may-slow-progression-of-the-disease-says-mice-study-254243

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Aspartame: the artificial sweetener is calorie-free but not risk-free – a nutritionist explains

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hazel Flight, Programme Lead Nutrition and Health, Edge Hill University

Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

Sugar — sweet, satisfying, and everywhere. From fresh fruit and honey to processed table sugar and drinks, it sneaks into nearly everything we eat. While delicious, sugar delivers what nutritionists call “empty calories” — energy without any essential nutrients. And with overconsumption linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and dental problems, it’s no wonder health authorities are urging us to cut back.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting added sugar to less than 10% of daily calorie intake, while the BMJ suggests even lower: no more than six teaspoons (25g) per day for women and nine teaspoons (38g) for men.

In response, many people are turning to non-nutritive sweeteners — sugar alternatives that deliver sweetness without the calories. These include popular options like aspartame, sucralose, stevia and monk fruit extract. Found in many diet drinks, sugar-free snacks and low-calorie foods, these sweeteners are designed to help manage weight and blood sugar levels.

But not all that tastes sweet is sweet in effect. Let’s zoom in on one of the most controversial sugar substitutes: aspartame.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was discovered in 1965 and is 180–200 times sweeter than sugar. It was first regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974 and approved for use in dry foods in 1981. Today, it’s estimated to be found in over 6,000 food and drink products and 600 pharmaceutical items.

Aspartame was initially embraced as a tool to help reduce obesity and support diabetics, offering a sweet fix without the sugar spike. But despite decades of use, its safety is still the subject of intense scientific and public debate.

Potential benefits

Aspartame has a similar taste to sugar, albeit much more intense, but comes with almost no calories, making it attractive for those who’re weight-conscious. With obesity rates soaring globally, even small calorie savings can matter.

Aspartame does not raise blood glucose levels, making it a preferred choice for those managing type 2 diabetes. However, other research has found potential associations with metabolic syndrome and diabetes risk, suggesting that aspartame should be used as part of a controlled diet rather than a straight swap for sugar.

While assessments suggest that aspartame is safe within current intake guidelines, concerns persist.

Potential risks

Some people may experience side-effects like headaches, dizziness, or mood changes. There’s emerging evidence linking aspartame to neurodegeneration, strokes and even dementia.

Aspartame can increase levels of phenylalanine and aspartic acid in the brain, which is a serious concern for people with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare inherited disorder where the body cannot break down phenylalanine. This causes it to accumulate in the blood and brain, potentially leading to brain damage. People with PKU must avoid aspartame completely.

One study reported symptoms after consuming aspartame including irritability, migraines, anxiety and insomnia, especially with excessive consumption.

In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified aspartame) as “possibly carcinogenic”, though it remains approved for consumption within existing safety limits. Some studies suggest a link to cancer, but conclusions remain mixed.

Read more:
Aspartame: popular sweetener could be classified as a possible carcinogen by WHO – but there’s no cause for panic

It’s also advised that pregnant women avoid aspartame, as research suggests it may affect the placenta’s structure and function.

Artificial sweeteners, despite being calorie-free, may trick the brain into craving more sweetness. This could lead to increased appetite and weight gain rather than weight loss. In fact, several studies have found a positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and obesity.

Gut health matters

Emerging evidence suggests that aspartame and other sweeteners may disrupt the gut microbiome, the community of bacteria that play a key role in digestion, immunity and even mood. This disruption can negatively affect digestive health and immune function, potentially increasing the risk of infections and other health issues.

Read more:
Artificial sweetener could harm your gut and the microbes that live there – new study

Aspartame may offer a tempting sugar-free fix, but it’s not without its risks. The World Health Organization advises against using non-sugar sweeteners for weight control and research continues to reveal complex links between aspartame and chronic diseases, from neurological issues to gut health concerns.

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

– ref. Aspartame: the artificial sweetener is calorie-free but not risk-free – a nutritionist explains – https://theconversation.com/aspartame-the-artificial-sweetener-is-calorie-free-but-not-risk-free-a-nutritionist-explains-254318

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Tenney Introduces the No Subsidies for Gender Transition Procedures Act

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), and Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-2) introduced the No Subsidies for Gender Transition Procedures Act to prohibit taxpayer funding for gender transition procedures covered by Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act.

The bill would also deny the medical expense tax deduction for gender transition procedures. Eliminating federal spending on these procedures could save American taxpayers $200 million. Currently, 25 states and Washington, D.C. have Medicaid policies that explicitly cover transgender-related health care. Additionally, over 276,000 of the 1.3 million transgender adults in the U.S. are enrolled in Medicaid, highlighting the potential fiscal impact of these coverage policies.

“Taxpayers should never be forced to fund dangerous and irreversible gender transition surgeries. The No Subsidies for Gender Transition Procedures Act sets a sweeping precedent by applying to both adults and minors and applying to as many federal funding streams as possible,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “This will ensure that regardless of the age of the individual looking to mutilate themself, the American taxpayer will not be forced to subsidize it. We are working to ensure that not a dime of federal funds can be used to pay for gender transition procedures.”

“Americans overwhelmingly agree that hard-earned taxpayer dollars should not go toward paying for harmful gender transition procedures,” said Senator Marshall. “This legislation delivers on President Trump’s promise, eliminates taxpayer-funded transgender procedures on both minors and adults, and defends our nation’s values. As the reconciliation process continues, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation and ensure it is included in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”

“Taxpayers shouldn’t fund dangerous, ideological experiments,” said Congressman Crenshaw. “This is about protecting vulnerable Americans from irreversible harm dressed up as ‘care.’ Health care should be based on science, not activism.”

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MIL OSI USA News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN – Conclave: More and more Cardinals from the countries entrusted to the Dicastery for Evangelization gather in the Sistine Chapel

Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

Tuesday, 6 May 2025

Foto d’archivio

by Fabio BerettaVatican City (Agenzia Fides) – With the image of Christ and the Last Judgment painted by Michelangelo on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, the Cardinals are gathering in Conclave to elect the successor of Peter. An election in which an increasing number of cardinals from the countries under the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches – are participating.To date, a total of 1,123 ecclesiastical districts (i.e., Archdioceses, Dioceses, Territorial Abbeys, Apostolic Vicariates, Apostolic Prefectures, Missions sui iuris, Apostolic Administrations, and Military Ordinariates) are subject to the Dicastery for Evangelization. Most of them are in Africa (525) and Asia (481), followed by the Americas (71) and Oceania (46).The Conclave of June 1963When John XXIII died on June 3, 1963, 82 Cardinals were still alive, all of whom had the right to participate in the election of the Successor of Peter. The rule that today prohibits Cardinals over the age of 80 from participating in the Conclave was introduced by Paul VI in 1970. Thus, the College of Cardinals that elected Pope Paul VI included Cardinals over the age of 80.Nevertheless, only 80 of them entered the Sistine Chapel. Two Cardinals did not come to Rome: the Hungarian József Mindszenty (the communist regime forbade him from leaving the country) and Carlos María Javier de la Torre, Archbishop of Quito, Ecuador (absent due to health reasons). A total of 29 nations were represented.A total of seven cardinals from the territories then under the jurisdiction of the Congregation Propaganda Fide participated in the Conclave that year: Peter Tatsuo Doi (Japan, Archbishop of Tokyo, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan), Valerian Gracias (India, Archbishop of Bombay, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India), Laurean Rugambwa (Tanzania, Bishop of Bukoba), Thomas Tien Ken-sin (China, Archbishop of Beijing, Apostolic Administrator of Taipei), and Norman Thomas Gilroy (Australia, Archbishop of Sydney, Primate of Australia, Grand Prior for Australia-New South Wales of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem).The Conclaves of 1978Paul VI was the first Pope to expand the boundaries of the College of Cardinals by appointing numerous non-European cardinals. After the death of the Pope (on August 6, 1978), who decided to exclude Cardinals over eighty from voting with the Motu Proprio “Ingravescentem Aetatem” of 21 November 1970 and modified some norms of the Conclave with the Apostolic Constitution “Romano Pontifici Eligendo” of 1 October 1975, a total of 111 cardinals were eligible to vote.At the conclave in August 1978, however, only 108 people entered the Sistine Chapel: Valerian Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, John Joseph Wright, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, and Bolesław Filipiak, Dean Emeritus of the Roman Rota, were all absent from the Conclave for health reasons.A total of 18 cardinals from the so-called mission territories took part in the election of John Paul I, including one cardinal who works in the Roman Curia and one French cardinal who heads an archdiocese in North Africa: Bernardin Gantin (Benin, President of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”), Lawrence Trevor Picachy (India, Archbishop of Calcutta, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India), Justinus Darmojuwono (Indonesia, Archbishop of Semarang), Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro (Pakistan, Archbishop of Karachi), Stephen Kim Sou-hwan (South Korea, Archbishop of Seoul, Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang), Thomas Benjamin Cooray (Sri Lanka, Archbishop of Colombo, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Sri Lanka), Joseph Marie Trinh-nhu-Khuê (Vietnam, Archbishop of Ha Noi), Maurice Michael Otunga (Kenya, Archbishop of Nairobi, President of the Episcopal Conference of Kenya, Military Vicar for Kenya), Victor Razafimahatratra (Madagascar, Archbishop of Antananarivo, President of the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar), Dominic Ekandem (Nigeria, Bishop of Ikot Ekpene, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria), Hyacinthe Thiandoum (Senegal, Archbishop of Dakar, President of the Episcopal Conference of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau), Owen McCann (South Africa, Archbishop of Cape Town), Laurean Rugambwa (Tanzania, Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam) Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga (Uganda, Archbishop of Kampala), Paul Zoungrana (Burkina Faso, Archbishop of Ouagadougou), Joseph-Albert Malula (Democratic Republic of Congo, Archbishop of Kinshasa), Pio Taofinu’u (Samoa, Bishop of Samoa and Tokelau), Reginald John Delargey (New Zealand, Archbishop of Wellington, President of the New Zealand Bishops’ Conference).In 1978, a second Conclave took place just over a month after the first, as John Paul I died after only 33 days of pontificate. During this brief period, there were no Consistories, and when the cardinals met again in the Sistine Chapel in October of that year, the cardinals were the same ones who had met a few weeks earlier. They all held the same offices. Forty-six nations were represented in both Conclaves.The 2005 ConclaveThe first Conclave of the third millennium began with the reform of the conclave, which John Paul II initiated in 1996 with the Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis.” That year, the cardinals were accommodated for the first time in the new guesthouse Casa Santa Marta (instead of in the halls of the Apostolic Palace), which had been built specifically for this purpose. In the conclave that led to the election of Benedict XVI, 117 Cardinals were eligible to vote. A total of 115 entered the Sistine Chapel: Adolfo Antonio Suárez Rivera (Archbishop Emeritus of Monterrey, Mexico) and Jaime Lachica Sin (Archbishop Emeritus of Manila, Philippines) were unable to travel to Rome for health reasons.At the time of John Paul II’s death, the eligible Cardinals came from 52 nations on all continents. In total, there were seventeen cardinals from countries entrusted to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, some of whom headed dicasteries and bodies of the Holy See: Wilfrid Fox Napier (South Africa, Archbishop of Durban), Gabriel Zubeir Wako (Sudan, Archbishop of Khartoum), Telesphore Placidus Toppo (India, Archbishop of Ranchi), Armand Gaétan Razafindratandra (Madagascar, Archbishop of Antananarivo), Bernard Agré (Ivory Coast, Archbishop of Abidjan), Emmanuel Wamala (Uganda, Archbishop of Kampala), Christian Wiyghan Tumi (Cameroon, Archbishop of Douala), Frédéric Etsou-Nzabi-Bamungwabi (Democratic Republic of Congo, Archbishop of Kinshasa), Francis Arinze (Nigeria, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments), Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi (Japan, Archbishop Emeritus of Tokyo), Michael Michai Kitbunchu (Thailand, Archbishop of Bangkok, President of the Thai Bishops’ Conference), Stephen Fumio Hamao (Japan, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People), Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (Nigeria, Archbishop of Lagos), Ivan Dias (India, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples), Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja (Indonesia, Archbishop of Jakarta, Military Bishop of Indonesia), Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Mân (Vietnam, Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh), Peter Turkson (Ghana, Archbishop of Cape Coast).The 2013 ConclaveWhen Benedict XVI announced to the world his resignation from the Petrine Ministry during a Consistory in February 2013, 117 eligible cardinals were present, but only 115 entered the Sistine Chapel. Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja (Archbishop Emeritus of Jakarta, Indonesia) and Keith Michael Patrick O’Brien (Archbishop Emeritus of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland) were absent for health reasons.During the conclave that led to the election of Pope Francis, 17 Cardinals from the territories entrusted to the Missionary Dicastery arrived in Rome. As in previous Conclaves, several of these cardinals served in the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia: Peter Turkson (Ghana, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace), Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don (Sri Lanka, Archbishop of Colombo), Robert Sarah (Guinea, President of the Pontifical Council ‘Cor Unum’), George Alencherry (India, Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly), Oswald Gracias (India, Archbishop of Bombay), Polycarp Pengo (Tanzania, Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam), John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan (Nigeria, Archbishop of Abuja), John Njue (Kenya, Archbishop of Nairobi), Wilfrid Fox Napier (South Africa, Archbishop of Durban), Gabriel Zubeir Wako (Sudan, Archbishop of Khartoum), Telesphore Placidus Toppo (India, Archbishop of Ranchi), Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya (Democratic Republic of Congo, Archbishop of Kinshasa), John Tong Hon (China, Bishop of Hong Kong), Théodore-Adrien Sarr (Senegal, Archbishop of Dakar), Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (Nigeria, Archbishop of Lagos), Ivan Dias (India, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples), Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Mân (Vietnam, Archbishop of Hô Chí Minh).The 2025 ConclaveAt the time of Pope Francis’s death, there are 252 cardinals alive, of whom 135 arepotential electors for the Conclave that begins on May 7. Of these, 133 will enter the Sistine Chapel, as two of them, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Archbishop Emeritus of Valencia, and Cardinal John Njue, Archbishop Emeritus of Nairobi, are absent for health reasons.It will be a Conclave with Cardinals from 66 nations. Among them are 34 from the territories under the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for Evangelization. Some of them come from other countries but exercise their ministry in these mission countries, just as some are active in the Roman Curia: Giorgio Marengo (Italy, Apostolic Prefect of Ulan Bator, Mongolia), Virgílio do Carmo da Silva (East Timor, Metropolitan Archbishop of Dili), Dieudonné Nzapalainga (Central African Republic, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangui), Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla (South Sudan, Metropolitan Archbishop of Juba), Jean-Paul Vesco (France, Metropolitan Archbishop of Algiers), Soane Patita Paini Mafi (Tonga, Bishop of Tonga), Anthony Poola (India, Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad), Ignace Bessi Dogbo (Ivory Coast, Metropolitan Archbishop of Abidjan), Protase Rugambwa (Tanzania, Metropolitan Archbishop of Tabora), Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kinshasa), Stephen Chow Sau-yan (China, Bishop of Hong Kong), Antoine Kambanda (Rwanda, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kigali), Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi (Japan, Metropolitan Archbishop of Tokyo), William Goh Seng Chye (Singapore, Archbishop of Singapore), John Ribat (Papua New Guinea, Metropolitan Archbishop of Port Moresby), Stephen Brislin (South Africa, Metropolitan Archbishop of Johannesburg), Désiré Tsarahazana (Madagascar, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toamasina), Filipe Neri Ferrão (India, Metropolitan Archbishop of Goa and Damão), Cristóbal López Romero (Spain, Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco), Lazarus You Heung-sik (South Korea, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy), Sebastian Francis (Malaysia, Bishop of Penang), Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo (Indonesia, Metropolitan Archbishop of Jakarta), Arlindo Gomes Furtado (Cape Verde, Bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde), Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij (Thailand, Archbishop Emeritus of Bangkok), Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda (Japan, Metropolitan Archbishop of Osaka-Takamatsu), Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar, Metropolitan Archbishop of Yangon), Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson (Ghana, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences), John Atcherley Dew (New Zealand, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington), Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don (Sri Lanka, Metropolitan Archbishop of Colombo), Philippe Nakellentuba Ouédraogo (Burkina Faso, Archbishop Emeritus of Ouagadougou), Jean-Pierre Kutwa (Ivory Coast, Archbishop Emeritus of Abidjan), Joseph Coutts (Pakistan, Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi), Robert Sarah (Guinea, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments), Peter Ebere Okpaleke (Nigeria, Bishop of Ekwulobia). (Agenzia Fides, 6/5/2025)
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MIL OSI Europe News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Dingell Leads Introduction of Bipartisan Legislation to Remove PFAS from Firefighter Gear

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI), co-chair of the PFAS Task Force, along with Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Tom Kean, Jr. (R-NJ), Dina Titus (D-NV), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), today reintroduced the bipartisan Protecting Firefighters and Advancing State-of-the-Art Alternatives Act (PFAS Alternatives Act), to support development of next-generation PFAS-free turnout gear for firefighters and better protect firefighters from the dangers of their work. Sunday, May 4 was International Firefighters’ Day.

Studies have shown that all three layers of firefighter turnout gear contain Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), a class of fluorinated chemicals known as “forever chemicals.” PFAS chemicals are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic, and are linked to harmful human health effects, including reproductive and developmental harms, weakened immune systems, and cancer – the leading cause of firefighter death.

“Firefighters’ jobs are already dangerous enough without worrying about the long-term health risks of being exposed to dangerous PFAS in their turnout gear,” said Dingell. “The PFAS Alternatives Act will remove this unnecessary occupational hazard and help protect firefighters as they work every day to protect us.”

“America’s firefighters charge into danger to save the lives of others,” said Graves. “This bipartisan legislation will help develop the next generation of firefighting gear to keep them safe—while they work to protect our families, our communities, and our country.”

“Firefighters risk their lives every day to keep us safe,” said Bonamici. “The dangers they face shouldn’t come from the gear meant to protect them. I’m grateful to join several of my colleagues to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will spur the development of turnout gear free from dangerous PFAS chemicals and improve the long-term health of the country’s firefighters.”

“Our firefighters put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe, and their health and safety must remain a top priority,” said Kean. “That starts with ensuring their gear is free from harmful chemicals that pose serious long-term health risks. I’m pleased to once again co-lead the PFAS Alternatives Act to eliminate toxic substances from firefighter equipment and support the long-term well-being of these brave men and women.”

“Firefighters put their health and safety on the line every day to protect our communities. They run in as others run out,” said Titus. “They shouldn’t have to worry about hazardous substances in their own turnout gear. I’m working with my colleagues to support the development of next-generation gear that is more resistant to soot and other chemicals while eliminating exposure to dangerous toxins like PFAS.”

“Firefighters risk enough without being exposed to cancer-causing chemicals in the very gear meant to protect them,” said Fitzpatrick. “The PFAS Alternatives Act takes targeted, bipartisan action to eliminate these toxic substances and accelerate safer solutions. It’s time we matched our gratitude with real protections—as Co-Chair of the PFAS Task Force, I am committed to leading efforts like this to do exactly that.”

“First responders deserve first rate gear. They put their lives on the line every day to save ours. We must not make those who risk their lives wear even riskier equipment and handle even more dangerous materials,” said Ivey. “PFAS are directly linked to cancer. And as a kidney cancer survivor, I know the hardship, uncertainty and fear any family would experience being exposed to cancer causing materials. I want to thank my colleagues for this bipartisan effort.”

“Firefighters risk their lives to protect the community and in many cases they are exposed to toxic chemicals,” said Thompson. “The PFAS Alternatives Act is commonsense legislation that invests in safer, more effective equipment to better protect our first responders from these toxins.”

The PFAS Alternatives Act would:
– Accelerate the development of PFAS-free turnout gear through research, development, and testing of PFAS-free turnout gear materials.
– Facilitate the development of safer turnout gear materials that reduces the dangers firefighters face, including enhanced protection against primary and secondary exposure to particulates and byproducts of combustion; reduced maintenance that includes contamination resistance and greater ease of cleaning; visible warning indicators to alert firefighters to hazardous exposures or the need for decontamination; and consideration of body composition in turnout gear design.
– Support guidance and training for firefighters on best practices for reducing harmful exposures through the proper wearing, cleaning, and caring for next-generation turnout gear.
– Involve the firefighting industry in the development process by requiring grant applicants to utilize the leadership, experience, and knowledge of firefighters to ensure the next-generation turnout gear will be both effective and practical for the everyday demands of firefighting.

The PFAS Alternatives Act would authorize $25 million annually for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to support the development of new materials, and an additional $2 million annually to support guidance and training.

The PFAS Alternatives Act is endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters.

“The science is clear. Exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals is driving alarming rates of cancer in the fire service,” said IAFF General President Edward Kelly. “The PFAS Alternatives Act is critical legislation that will help introduce next-generation, PFAS-free gear to better protect fire fighters and ensure we have a voice in developing the very products we rely on for safety. The IAFF is grateful to Rep. Dingell for championing this legislation, and we urge Congress to swiftly pass this bill.”

MIL OSI USA News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI: CNL Team Recognized With CNIC 2024 Ecosystem Innovation Award for Production of Promising New Medical Isotope

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHALK RIVER, Ontario, May 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology organization, is pleased to announce that it has been recognized by the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC) alongside the Sylvia Fedoruk Centre and Advanced Cyclotron Systems Inc. for being the first in Canada to produce Actinium-225, a promising new medical isotope in the fight against cancer, using a cyclotron and Radium-226 targets. The team was honoured with this year’s CNIC Ecosystem Innovation Award at the annual awards ceremony held in Ottawa, Ontario on April 15^th.

The CNIC Awards are an annual celebration of the growth and success of Canadian isotope industry and the contributions and innovations of its members and leading Canadian individuals in government and industry. CNIC provides a platform for its community to nominate individuals and organizations who have demonstrated leadership and championed advocacy in the industry. Receiving the Ecosystem Innovation Award, which recognizes a major milestone or initiative in Canada’s isotope industry, recognizes CNL’s ongoing efforts to establish this first-of-a-kind production process in Canada, which brings a significant increase in the quantity of this material to market, and unlocks further research and clinical trials.

“While Actinium-225 drugs have shown incredible potential to serve as a transformative cancer treatment, clinical trials and eventual drug approvals have been impeded by the tight supply scenario of Actinium-225,” commented Ram Mullur, CNL’s Vice-President of Isotopes. “More than seven years ago, CNL set out to address that challenge with the generator route of production of Actinium-225, and we are now moving ever-closer to industrial-scale production. This was enabled through the services and products provided by our collaborators, including the Sylvia Fedoruk Centre, and Advanced Cyclotron Systems. This achievement is also in support of Actineer, which is a joint venture founded in 2023 by ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM), a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, and CNL. On behalf of CNL, I want to thank the CNIC for recognizing CNL, our collaborators and partners, and the people who are working so hard to bring this vision to life.”

“The Fedoruk Centre is proud to participate in this achievement with CNL. The work depended on access to the Saskatchewan Cyclotron Facility, which is owned by the University of Saskatchewan and operated by the Fedoruk Centre. Together, we have advanced the production of an exciting new medical isotope here in Canada,” commented John Root, Executive Director of the Fedoruk Centre. “We must thank the federal and provincial governments who funded the cyclotron and infrastructure to make this innovation possible.”

“The first demonstration of Actinium-225 production by CNL using ACSI’s TR-24 Cyclotron and targetry system is an important milestone for both organisations. I believe that we will continue this successful collaboration in developing technology that will help in achieving worldwide reliable supply of Actinium-225,” stated Richard Eppich, President and CEO of ACSI.

CNL is currently working as part of a network of organizations to establish a reliable, industrial-scale production process for Actinium-225. “CNL has come a long way in the last seven years, and this award recognizes all of the hard work we have put in to help achieve this unmet need in the radiopharmaceutical industry,” added Mullur. “But I am pleased to say that we are just getting started, and continue to refine, optimize and improve all aspects of the production process, from development through to the extraction and distribution of the final product. And with each step, our optimism continues to grow that this isotope has the potential to serve as a safe and effective treatment for a variety of cancers.”

To learn more about CNL, including its work to produce Actinium-225, please visit www.cnl.ca.

About CNL
As Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology laboratory and working under the direction of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), CNL is a world leader in the development of innovative nuclear science and technology products and services. Guided by an ambitious corporate strategy known as Vision 2030, CNL fulfills three strategic priorities of national importance – restoring and protecting the environment, advancing clean energy technologies, and contributing to the health of Canadians.

By leveraging the assets owned by AECL, CNL also serves as the nexus between government, the nuclear industry, the broader private sector and the academic community. CNL works in collaboration with these sectors to advance innovative Canadian products and services towards real-world use, including carbon-free energy, cancer treatments and other therapies, non-proliferation technologies and waste management solutions.

To learn more about CNL, please visit www.cnl.ca.

About the Sylvia Fedoruk Centre
The Fedoruk Centre is a not-for-profit corporation with the University of Saskatchewan (USask) as its sole member and an independent board of directors appointed by the USask board of governors. The Fedoruk Centre board is responsible for providing high-level strategic direction and oversight of Fedoruk Centre operations.

For more information about the Fedoruk Centre, visit: www.fedorukcentre.ca

About Advanced Cyclotron Systems Inc.
Advanced Cyclotron Systems, Inc. (ACSI) is a world leader in the design and manufacturing of cyclotron systems. With over 30 years of experience and more than 60 cyclotron systems installed, ACSI can provide a wide range of equipment and services worldwide. ACSI cyclotrons are used for the commercial production and distribution of PET and SPECT nuclides by internationally recognized companies and leading universities and research facilities. ACSI cyclotrons are designed, manufactured, and assembled in Richmond, Canada.

ACSI offers a full spectrum of cyclotron systems ranging from PET cyclotrons to medium and high energy accelerators. All ACSI manufactured cyclotrons have variable energy and employ external ion source technology, offering the highest beam current output available on the market.

The versatility, high beam current and exceptional quality of ACSI cyclotrons are the reasons why many of the world’s most prestigious universities and research centers, as well as some of the most successful commercial radioisotope producers have chosen ACSI cyclotrons to meet their radioisotope production needs.

ACSI headquarters and manufacturing facility is located in Richmond, BC, Canada.

For more information, please visit www.advancedcyclotron.com.

CNL Contact:
Philip Kompass
Director, Corporate Communications
1-866-886-2325
media@cnl.ca

Sylvia Fedoruk Centre Contact:
Daniel Hallen
USask Media Relations
daniel.hallen@usask.ca
306-966-6922

Advanced Cyclotron Systems Inc. Contact
Alex Zyuzin
Director of Research & Business Development
azyuzin@advancedcyclotron.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/13192f18-235c-42e2-8bce-2e97b6df9c16

The MIL Network –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to trial of online dialectical behavioural theory for emotion dysregulation in people with chronic pain

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

May 6, 2025

Results from a trial published in JAMA Network Open looks at online dialectical behavioural theory for emotion dysregulation in people with chronic pain.

Dr Whitney Scott, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Health Psychology, IoPPN, King’s College London, said:

“This is an interesting trial that further highlights the importance of psychologically-based treatments to support the well-being of people with persistent pain. The online delivery format builds on a growing trend towards digital therapeutics to address significant challenges with treatment accessibility.

“This is a relatively small trial that provides support for a larger study. It’s great to see that a larger trial is planned which can help to further understand the impact of the intervention, including in the longer-term. At present, while promising, there is a limit to what we can conclude from this study in terms of its impacts on future practice.

“If the larger trial shows similar results, this will add to an established body of evidence showing the efficacy of psychologically-based treatments for people with pain. For example, there is already moderate quality evidence from a number of randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) that cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) improves distress in people with pain when compared to treatment as usual. The current RCT also uses a treatment as usual control group.

“It’s also important to say that the iDBT-Pain treatment overlaps with elements of traditional CBT and other cognitive-behavioural approaches (mindfulness-based stress reduction, ACT). These treatments have already been widely studied and used in clinical practice to support people with persistent pain to respond more effectively to emotions. So, iDBT very much builds on the tools we already have to support people with pain.

“The study reported good effects for emotion dysregulation, depression, and pain intensity that were maintained at 21-week follow-up. However, effects for anxiety and sleep problems were not maintained. No significant improvements were observed for pain interference with daily life. This is another key outcome in the pain field and one that is often the target of cognitive-behavioural treatments for people with persistent pain.

“The online delivery format has the potential to increase accessibility for many people. However, this may not be true for everyone. It’s plausible that people with very high levels of emotion dysregulation, the key target of this intervention, may struggle with the remote format and may need an in-person format. Notably, people with ‘personality disorders’ were excluded which may represent individuals that particularly struggle with emotion dysregulation.”

Dr Franziska Denk, Reader in Neuroscience, King’s College London, said:

“To my mind, this paper will not significantly change our understanding of how to treat people with pain.

“It has faced the same challenge faced by almost all behavioural intervention trials: how to placebo control effectively.

“As it was carried out, this study ends up comparing apples and oranges: in the treatment group, we have people who are being listened to, affirmed and guided by medical professionals and their peers as part of an intensive 8-week treatment programme; in the ‘placebo’ group, we have people to whom nothing happens (as that is what ‘treatment in the community’ basically means). Obviously, the ones who are being cared for actively will fare better.”

‘Online Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Emotion Dysregulation in People
With Chronic Pain’ by Nell Norman-Nott et al. was published in JAMA Network Open at 16:00 UK time on Tuesday 6th May.

DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.6908

Declared interests

Dr Whitney Scott:I have received research funding from the International Association for the Study of Pain and National Institute for Health and Care Research for projects investigating online delivery of psychological treatment (specifically acceptance and commitment therapy) for people with persistent pain. I have received funds for travel to conferences where I have presented on some of this work. I also provide teaching on psychosocial aspects of persistent pain management as part of my paid employment.

Dr Franziska Denk: I have no conflicts in relation to this paper.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: FDA Announces Expanded Use of Unannounced Inspections at Foreign Manufacturing Facilities

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

For Immediate Release:
May 06, 2025

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its intent to expand the use of unannounced inspections at foreign manufacturing facilities that produce foods, essential medicines, and other medical products intended for American consumers and patients. This change builds upon the agency’s Office of Inspection and Investigations Foreign Unannounced Inspection Pilot program in India and China and aims to ensure that foreign companies will receive the same level of regulatory oversight and scrutiny as domestic companies.
“For too long, foreign companies have enjoyed a double standard—given advanced notice before facility inspections, while American manufacturers are held to rigorous standards with no such warning. That ends today. This is a key step for the FDA as part of a broader strategy to get foreign inspections back on track,” said FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary, M.D, M.P.H.
In addition, the FDA will evaluate the agency’s policies and practices for improvements to the foreign inspection program to ensure that the FDA is the gold standard for regulatory oversight. These changes will include clarifying policies for FDA investigators to refuse travel accommodations from regulated industry including lodging and transportation arrangements (taxi, limousine, and for-hire vehicle transit), to maintain the integrity of the oversight process.
The FDA conducts approximately 12,000 domestic inspections and 3,000 foreign inspections each year in more than 90 countries. While U.S. manufacturers undergo frequent, unannounced inspections, foreign firms have often had weeks to prepare, undermining the integrity of the oversight process. Despite the advanced warning that foreign firms receive, the FDA still found serious deficiencies more than twice as often than during domestic inspections.
Only in specific programs and cases are the FDA’s domestic inspections pre-announced to assure that appropriate records and personnel will be available during the inspection. But regulated companies do not have the authority to negotiate the day or time of the inspection— nor should foreign companies have the capability to do so either. With this shift, the FDA is further ensuring that every product entering the U.S. is safe, legitimate, and honestly made. Unannounced inspections will also help expose bad actors—those who falsify records or conceal violations—before they can put American lives at risk. The FDA is authorized to take regulatory action against any firm that seeks to delay, deny, or limit an inspection, or refuses to permit entry for an unannounced drug or device inspection.
“The FDA’s rigorous, science-based global inspections of manufacturing facilities ensure that the food and drug products that enter the U.S. marketplace, and the homes of American consumers, are safe, trusted, and accessible,” said FDA Assistant Commissioner for Inspections and Investigations Michael Rogers. “These inspections provide real-time evidence and insights that are essential for making fact-based regulatory decisions to protect public health.”
The FDA’s global inspections generate real-time intelligence that strengthens enforcement and keeps American families safe. Every inspection goes through a classification assignment process to enable an appropriate regulatory response. Even inspections that yield a “No Action Indicated” provide important regulatory intelligence that strengthens the safety net for American consumers. This expanded approach marks a new era in FDA enforcement—stronger, smarter, and unapologetically in support the public health and safety of Americans. For more information about FDA inspections, visit the Inspections Database Frequently Asked Questions and Inspections Yield Valuable Results, Regardless of Classification.
###

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The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

Inquiries

Consumer:
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Content current as of:
05/06/2025

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MIL OSI USA News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: African women at higher risk of pre-eclampsia – a dangerous pregnancy complication

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Annettee Nakimuli, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Makerere University

Pre-eclampsia is a danger to pregnant women. It’s a complication characterised by high blood pressure and organ damage, arising during the second half of pregnancy, in labour or in the first week after delivery.

It plays a major role in about 16% of the deaths of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.

And it’s on the rise: between 2010 and 2018, the incidence of pre-eclampsia in Africa jumped by around 20%.

Pre-eclampsia usually occurs in young mothers during a first pregnancy. Girls under the age of 18 years are most at risk. The probability that a 15-year-old girl will die from complications of pregnancy is one in 150 in developing countries, versus one in 3,800 in developed countries, according to the World Health Organization.

Not only does pre-eclampsia pose a serious health threat to women, it also harms babies. It contributes to stillbirth, preterm birth and low birth weight.

Yet we still do not know enough about pre-eclampsia. This gap has driven my research into the disease.

I conducted the first genetic case-control study on pre-eclampsia among African women in comparison to European women over a decade ago for my PhD research.

My work revealed that both African and European populations have a gene (KIR AA genotype) that increases the chance of pre-eclampsia. However, African women are at greater risk of pre-eclampsia than other racial groups. This is because they’re more at risk of carrying a fetus with a C2-type HLA-C gene from the father. African populations have a higher frequency of this gene, which raises the likelihood of risky mother-fetus combinations.

An additional finding from my research is that genetic protection from pre-eclampsia works differently across populations – and African populations carry unique protective genes. However, even with these additional protections, African women are at greater risk of developing severe pre-eclampsia due to the other challenges, like access to healthcare and socio-economic constraints.

There’s inequality in the treatment of the condition too. In my experience, wealthier and better-educated African women often receive the necessary diagnosis and treatment. Poorer and less-educated African women too often do not.

Pre-eclampsia research, especially in Africa, requires a lot more funding, as does broader research related to the maternal health of African women.

Pre-eclampsia in Uganda

Around 287,000 women worldwide die during pregnancy and childbirth every year. Shockingly, 70% of these are African women.

Most of these deaths are preventable. For example, around 10% are the result of high blood pressure-related conditions during pregnancy.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health recorded in 2023 that out of 1,276 maternal deaths reported, 16% were associated with high blood pressure.

Hospitals are being overwhelmed by patients with the illness. For example, Kawempe National Referral Hospital in Kampala receives around 150 patients with the condition every month. It has set up a special ward to treat them.

The maternal mortality rate (death due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth) in Uganda is 284 per 100,000 live births. In Australia it is 2.94. The neonatal mortality rate (death during the first 28 completed days of life) is 19 per 1,000 live births in Uganda against 2.37 in Australia. Infant mortality (death before a child turns one) is 31 per 1,000 live births in Uganda versus 3.7 in Australia, according to the WHO’s Global Health Observatory.

This stark contrast highlights an enormous gap in care that the two countries’ pregnant mothers and babies receive.

Part of the problem in Uganda, as in many developing countries, is persistent challenges in healthcare infrastructure. There are shortages of healthcare workers, medical supplies and facilities, particularly in the rural areas.

Early detection is key

As a clinician and researcher working at the centre of Uganda’s healthcare system, I witness mothers arriving at hospitals already in a critical condition, with limited options to treat the complications associated with pre-eclampsia. It is heartbreaking.

The condition is both preventable and treatable if caught early. My research focuses on identifying biological signs of the likelihood of complications during pregnancy, using data analysis informed by Artificial Intelligence.

These predictive biomarkers, as they are called, enable us to categorise patients based on their risk levels and identify those most likely to benefit from specific treatments or preventive measures.

The precise causes of pre-eclampsia are not certain, but factors beyond genetics are thought to be problems with the immune system and inadequate development of the placenta. But much of what researchers know comes from work done in high-income countries, often with a limited sample size of African women.

Consequently, the findings may not apply directly to the genetics of sub-Saharan African women. My research addresses this knowledge gap.

Building on my findings about genetic determinants, I am leading a research team at Makerere University to design interventions tailored to specific prevention and treatment strategies for African populations.

Raising pre-eclampsia awareness

Research alone is not enough. There is an urgent need to bridge the gap between research and practice.

During my fieldwork, I have witnessed first-hand how many Ugandan women are not aware of pre-eclampsia’s warning signs and miss out on vital prenatal care. These warning signs often include headache, disturbances with vision, upper pain in the right side of the abdomen and swelling of the legs.

But we can develop screening algorithms so that healthcare professionals can rapidly diagnose women at higher risk early in their pregnancy. Timely intervention, including specific treatment and plans for delivery, would reduce the risk of adverse outcomes for both mother and baby.

In my capacity as a national pre-eclampsia champion appointed by Uganda’s Ministry of Health, I am spearheading initiatives to raise awareness and improve access to maternal healthcare services.

Through community outreach programmes and educational campaigns, we want to empower all women, rich and poor, with knowledge about the condition and encourage them to seek medical assistance at an early stage.

More resources must be allocated to genetics research to realise our goals of prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of pre-eclampsia and its associated complications.

This investment will drive the development of predictive technology for precise diagnosis, and enable timely intervention for at-risk mothers.

Moreover, investigating the genetic roots of pre-eclampsia could lead to novel therapies that reduce the need for costly medical procedures or prolonged care for those affected.

This would reduce the strain on already overburdened African healthcare systems.

– African women at higher risk of pre-eclampsia – a dangerous pregnancy complication
– https://theconversation.com/african-women-at-higher-risk-of-pre-eclampsia-a-dangerous-pregnancy-complication-249222

MIL OSI Africa –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: African women at higher risk of pre-eclampsia – a dangerous pregnancy complication

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Annettee Nakimuli, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Makerere University

Pre-eclampsia is a danger to pregnant women. It’s a complication characterised by high blood pressure and organ damage, arising during the second half of pregnancy, in labour or in the first week after delivery.

It plays a major role in about 16% of the deaths of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.

And it’s on the rise: between 2010 and 2018, the incidence of pre-eclampsia in Africa jumped by around 20%.

Pre-eclampsia usually occurs in young mothers during a first pregnancy. Girls under the age of 18 years are most at risk. The probability that a 15-year-old girl will die from complications of pregnancy is one in 150 in developing countries, versus one in 3,800 in developed countries, according to the World Health Organization.

Not only does pre-eclampsia pose a serious health threat to women, it also harms babies. It contributes to stillbirth, preterm birth and low birth weight.

Yet we still do not know enough about pre-eclampsia. This gap has driven my research into the disease.

I conducted the first genetic case-control study on pre-eclampsia among African women in comparison to European women over a decade ago for my PhD research.

My work revealed that both African and European populations have a gene (KIR AA genotype) that increases the chance of pre-eclampsia. However, African women are at greater risk of pre-eclampsia than other racial groups. This is because they’re more at risk of carrying a fetus with a C2-type HLA-C gene from the father. African populations have a higher frequency of this gene, which raises the likelihood of risky mother-fetus combinations.

An additional finding from my research is that genetic protection from pre-eclampsia works differently across populations – and African populations carry unique protective genes. However, even with these additional protections, African women are at greater risk of developing severe pre-eclampsia due to the other challenges, like access to healthcare and socio-economic constraints.

There’s inequality in the treatment of the condition too. In my experience, wealthier and better-educated African women often receive the necessary diagnosis and treatment. Poorer and less-educated African women too often do not.

Pre-eclampsia research, especially in Africa, requires a lot more funding, as does broader research related to the maternal health of African women.

Pre-eclampsia in Uganda

Around 287,000 women worldwide die during pregnancy and childbirth every year. Shockingly, 70% of these are African women.

Most of these deaths are preventable. For example, around 10% are the result of high blood pressure-related conditions during pregnancy.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health recorded in 2023 that out of 1,276 maternal deaths reported, 16% were associated with high blood pressure.

Hospitals are being overwhelmed by patients with the illness. For example, Kawempe National Referral Hospital in Kampala receives around 150 patients with the condition every month. It has set up a special ward to treat them.

The maternal mortality rate (death due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth) in Uganda is 284 per 100,000 live births. In Australia it is 2.94. The neonatal mortality rate (death during the first 28 completed days of life) is 19 per 1,000 live births in Uganda against 2.37 in Australia. Infant mortality (death before a child turns one) is 31 per 1,000 live births in Uganda versus 3.7 in Australia, according to the WHO’s Global Health Observatory.

This stark contrast highlights an enormous gap in care that the two countries’ pregnant mothers and babies receive.

Part of the problem in Uganda, as in many developing countries, is persistent challenges in healthcare infrastructure. There are shortages of healthcare workers, medical supplies and facilities, particularly in the rural areas.

Early detection is key

As a clinician and researcher working at the centre of Uganda’s healthcare system, I witness mothers arriving at hospitals already in a critical condition, with limited options to treat the complications associated with pre-eclampsia. It is heartbreaking.

The condition is both preventable and treatable if caught early. My research focuses on identifying biological signs of the likelihood of complications during pregnancy, using data analysis informed by Artificial Intelligence.

These predictive biomarkers, as they are called, enable us to categorise patients based on their risk levels and identify those most likely to benefit from specific treatments or preventive measures.

The precise causes of pre-eclampsia are not certain, but factors beyond genetics are thought to be problems with the immune system and inadequate development of the placenta. But much of what researchers know comes from work done in high-income countries, often with a limited sample size of African women.

Consequently, the findings may not apply directly to the genetics of sub-Saharan African women. My research addresses this knowledge gap.

Building on my findings about genetic determinants, I am leading a research team at Makerere University to design interventions tailored to specific prevention and treatment strategies for African populations.

Raising pre-eclampsia awareness

Research alone is not enough. There is an urgent need to bridge the gap between research and practice.

During my fieldwork, I have witnessed first-hand how many Ugandan women are not aware of pre-eclampsia’s warning signs and miss out on vital prenatal care. These warning signs often include headache, disturbances with vision, upper pain in the right side of the abdomen and swelling of the legs.

But we can develop screening algorithms so that healthcare professionals can rapidly diagnose women at higher risk early in their pregnancy. Timely intervention, including specific treatment and plans for delivery, would reduce the risk of adverse outcomes for both mother and baby.

In my capacity as a national pre-eclampsia champion appointed by Uganda’s Ministry of Health, I am spearheading initiatives to raise awareness and improve access to maternal healthcare services.

Through community outreach programmes and educational campaigns, we want to empower all women, rich and poor, with knowledge about the condition and encourage them to seek medical assistance at an early stage.

More resources must be allocated to genetics research to realise our goals of prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of pre-eclampsia and its associated complications.

This investment will drive the development of predictive technology for precise diagnosis, and enable timely intervention for at-risk mothers.

Moreover, investigating the genetic roots of pre-eclampsia could lead to novel therapies that reduce the need for costly medical procedures or prolonged care for those affected.

This would reduce the strain on already overburdened African healthcare systems.

Annettee Nakimuli receives funding from the Gates Foundation, GSK and the Royal Society.

– ref. African women at higher risk of pre-eclampsia – a dangerous pregnancy complication – https://theconversation.com/african-women-at-higher-risk-of-pre-eclampsia-a-dangerous-pregnancy-complication-249222

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Gang Member Sentenced for Obstructing Justice

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

JAMES GRAHAM, also known as “Little Cuz,” 25, formerly of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for an offense stemming from his participation in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang. On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging Graham and 15 other 960 gang members with various offenses, including racketeering, narcotics trafficking, firearm possession, murder, attempted murder and assault, and obstruction of justice offenses.

On November 22, 2017, 960 members Zaekwon McDaniel, Tahjay Love, and Malik Bayon shot at Clarence Lewis and Antonio Santos who were in a car at a restaurant in Waterbury. Lewis sped from the scene at a high-rate of speed and crashed into a house at the intersection of Wolcott Street and Dallas Avenue in Waterbury. Lewis, 22, and Santos, 20, were pronounced dead at the scene. On October 19, 2019, Graham and Love, who were incarcerated in state custody, assaulted another inmate who they believed had reported to law enforcement Love’s role in the shooting.

On February 14, 2024, a jury found Graham guilty of obstruction of justice, and Love, McDaniel, Bayon guilty of offenses related to their participation in 960 and the deaths of Lewis and Santos.

Graham is currently serving a 52-year state sentence for murder, robbery, and firearm offenses related to his role in the murder of an 18-year-old victim in Hamden on November 13, 2017. Judge Dooley ordered Graham’s federal sentence to run concurrently with his state sentence.

Love, McDaniel, and Bayon await sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Waterbury Police Department, ATF, and U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Southington Police Department, Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, and the DEA Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo, who were cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

###

MIL Security OSI –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Applauds Trump’s Ban of Wuhan-Style Gain-of-Function Research

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Published: May 6, 2025
Order comes after Ernst fought for years to end batty experiments of pandemic potential.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban all federal funding of risky gain-of-function research in China, Iran, and other countries and blocking all federal funding for foreign research that could cause another pandemic.
“I have been fighting for years to end the insane practice of sending tax dollars to China for sketchy pseudoscience,” said Ernst. “Thankfully, President Trump is ending the batty experiments, like those conducted in Wuhan, that are dangerous and wasteful. This is a great win for the American people and common sense. I will continue working to expose and halt all taxpayer-funded risky research of pandemic potential in malign foreign countries!”
Background:
Ernst has led the charge in Washington to stop tax dollars from being sent for risky research overseas.
An Ernst-requested investigation exposed how EcoHealth sent over $1 million U.S. tax dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for risky experiments on bat coronaviruses. She also secured an audit by the Department of Defense’s Inspector General of risky research in China paid for by the Pentagon and hidden from the public by Biden’s Pentagon.
She fought to permanently debar the Wuhan Institute of Virology and defund EcoHealth Alliance from receiving U.S. tax dollars.
Ernst efforts also led to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defunding EcoHealth and promising to cut off any taxpayer dollars used for research of pandemic potential.
In her $2 trillion blueprint to slash waste in Washington, Ernst pointed to the millions being sent to China for secretive risky research.
Last month, she introduced the AFAR Act to end the insane practice of funding sketchy animal experiments in China with American tax dollars. Ernst also introduced the TRACKS Act to require every penny sent to foreign adversaries or entities of particular concern, such as terrorist groups including the Taliban, to be accounted for and disclosed to the public for scrutiny.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 7, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK-India Free Trade Deal: A Deal For Growth
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

News story

UK-India Free Trade Deal: A Deal For Growth

The UK has secured the best deal India has ever agreed, providing businesses with security and confidence to trade with the fastest-growing economy in the G20.
Secretary of State Jonathan Reynolds with Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal

Delivering Economic Growth

The core mission of this Government is to deliver economic growth that raises living standards and puts money in people’s pockets, and that is exactly what this deal will do. We estimate that it will increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, add £4.8billion a year to our economy and boost wages by £2.2 billion every year in the long run. ^{footnote 1} This is the best deal India has ever agreed to. It delivers on our manifesto commitment to create trade relationships that unlock new opportunities for businesses across all our nations and regions.

Case study – Standard Chartered

Standard Chartered is a leading UK-based international banking group with a presence in 53 of the world’s most dynamic markets. It is the largest and oldest foreign bank in India, acting as a ‘super connector’ of cross-border trade and investment by driving commerce and prosperity through its unique diversity for more than 165 years.

Saif Malik, CEO, UK and Head of Coverage, UK, Standard Chartered, said:

The UK-India Free Trade Agreement is a significant achievement. It will create new opportunities for UK and Indian businesses, enable greater access to one of the world’s largest and most dynamic markets, and drive growth and innovation across the UK-India corridor.

We welcome this strong commitment to partnership and prosperity.

Case study – UPS

UPS is one of the world’s largest companies, with 2024 revenue of $91.1 billion, and provides a broad range of integrated logistics solutions for customers in more than 200 countries and territories, including connecting the United Kingdom and India.

Markus Kessler, Managing Director, UPS UK, Ireland and Nordics, said:

We welcome the announcement of this important agreement between two countries that are both vital markets in our global network.

We look forward to continuing to help businesses of all sizes across the UK reach new customers in one of the world’s most populous and dynamic countries.

Future-Proofing Our Economy

This deal gives UK businesses first-mover advantage with a new economic superpower. Currently the biggest country in the world by population, India is projected to move from its fifth-largest global economy to third in the next three years, thanks to the highest growth rate in the G20. ^{footnote 2} By the end of the decade, it will be home to an estimated 60 million middle-class consumers, whose numbers are projected to grow to a quarter of a billion by 2050. ^{footnote 3} And by 2035, their demand for imports is on course to top £1.4 trillion. ^{footnote 4} The enormous scope of this market, where British goods and services are already sought after, represents an equally huge opportunity for UK businesses in the decades to come.

Case study – John Smedley Ltd

Established in 1784 in Lea Mills, Derbyshire, John Smedley Ltd is a UK-based manufacturer and retailer of luxury knitwear.

Bill Leach, Global Sales Director, John Smedley Ltd, said:

India is one of the fastest growing luxury markets in the world, and we are very excited about the UK- India Free Trade Agreement coming to fruition.

John Smedley knitwear is already sold in over 50 countries around the world, and now that the FTA has been finalised, we shall very much look forward to ensuring that an ever-increasing number of discerning luxury consumers in India will enjoy greater access to The World’s Finest Knitwear.

We are thankful to DBT for their significant efforts in bringing this FTA to successful conclusion.

Cutting costs for UK-India trade

From day one, this deal will support businesses across the United Kingdom by making it cheaper, easier, and quicker to trade with India. The deal will slash costs on UK exports, including whiskies and gin, cosmetics, medical devices, advanced machinery and lamb. Based on current trade alone, India’s tariff cuts amount to £400m in the first year, going up around £900m after 10 years. ^{footnote 5} And that’s before factoring in the savings from speedier and easier trade from improved customs and digital commitments. This immediate relief represents a major advantage our businesses will enjoy over their international competitors, helping them to invest, expand, and support more high-quality jobs.

Case study – Smith+Nephew

Smith+Nephew designs and manufactures technology that takes the limits off living. Smith+Nephew’s products include: Advanced Wound Management; orthopaedics and a robot assisted surgery system; and joint preservation and soft tissue orthopaedics.

Deepak Nath, Chief Executive Officer, Smith+Nephew, said:

Given the size of the Indian economy and its healthcare system, India is an important location for Smith+Nephew. The Free Trade Agreement offers the potential to build trading links in the healthcare sector.

We hope that the Free Trade Agreement will enable Smith+Nephew’s innovative medical technologies to support more healthcare professionals to return their patients to health and mobility.

Delivering opportunities for High-Growth Sectors

This deal supports the UK’s world-leading high-growth sectors identified in the Industrial Strategy, including:

Slashing tariffs for UK’s large and varied advanced manufacturing sectors, including for automotives, electrical machinery and high-end optical products.

Giving the clean energy industry brand new and unprecedented access to India’s vast procurement market, as India makes the switch to renewable energy, alongside their growing energy demand.

Unlocking new opportunities for medical devices firms within the life sciences sector, with reduced tariffs and rules of origin that factor in the UK’s complex supply chains and ensure that businesses can reap the benefits.

Enshrining copyright protections for the creative sector, enabling our exporters to feel confident exporting to India with a commitment that works will continue to be protected for at least 60 years. India will also commit to engaging on aspects of Copyright and Related Rights. This deal addresses the interests of UK creators, rights holders, and consumers, including around Public Performance Rights and Artist Resale Rights, which acknowledge the importance of payment rights. India will also conduct an internal review of their copyright protection terms.

Guaranteeing access for the UK’s world-class financial and professional business services sectors to India’s growing market. This is on top of securing India’s foreign investment cap for the insurance sector, ensuring UK financial services companies are treated equally to domestic suppliers, and encouraging the recognition of professional qualifications.

Securing India’s best ever commitments on digital trade for our Digital and technology sectors, such as promoting digital systems and paperless trade, helping UK businesses of all sizes take the opportunities on offer in this huge and rapidly expanding market.

Case study – Premier League

The Premier League is the world’s most-watched football competition, reaching 1.6 billion viewers in 189 countries around the world. The global success of the Premier League makes it one of the UK’s most significant soft power assets, amplifying British cultural values and generating economic growth and inward investment.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said:

India continues to be incredibly important to the Premier League and its clubs. It is a vibrant country that presents exciting opportunities and significant potential. The Premier League’s recent announcement of an office opening in Mumbai demonstrates our commitment to build on longstanding work to engage local fans, develop grassroots and elite football and further promote the game in India.

The continued growth of the Premier League and UK businesses in India will have a positive impact on our domestic economy and we welcome the news of this new trade deal secured by Government, which will support UK businesses operating in India.

Case study – EY

EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fuelled by sector insights, a globally connected, multidisciplinary network and a diverse ecosystem of partners, EY teams provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.

Rohan Malik, EMEIA and UKI Government & Public Sector Managing Partner, EY, said:

This agreement is poised to accelerate an economic partnership that is already thriving, with the value of total trade between the UK and India having more than doubled from £16.6bn to £40bn over the last decade.

British businesses stand to benefit substantially from enhanced access to one of the world’s largest export markets and a skills pool that can fuel strategically important UK sectors, including professional services and emerging industries based around data and AI.

Case study – Concrete Canvas Ltd

Concrete Canvas Ltd is a Wales-based low-carbon concrete manufacturer.

William Crawford, Director of Concrete Canvas Ltd, said:

India is a dynamic and vibrant economy and an increasingly important market for Concrete Canvas products. A UK-India FTA will help to accelerate our plans for growth by reducing trade barriers and making us more competitive.

This is welcome news for both UK and Indian businesses!

Case study – Biopanda

Biopanda is a Belfast-based medtech manufacturer which exports in vitro test kits for clinical laboratories, veterinary practice, and food safety laboratories.

Philip McKee, Sales Manager at Biopanda, said:

Biopanda have been supplying a range of diagnostic products to the Indian market throughout the past ten years.

We value the business we have done already throughout India and with the introduction of the UK-India FTA this should benefit in increased trade with the removal of export barriers.

This will hopefully increase the market access, allowing our distributors throughout India to provide a larger range of our highly accurate clinical diagnostic products at a lower price to the consumer.

Unlocking Opportunities Nationwide

Through our Plan for Change, this government will raise living standards in every part of the United Kingdom. This deal supports that goal, unlocking new opportunities in every region and nation.

This deal also opens a huge new market for iconic UK brands, securing India’s best ever tariff offer and providing access to India’s growing middle-class consumer base, which will give iconic UK brands the opportunity to expand their reach and influence. This access includes cutting tariffs on whiskies from 150% to 75% at entry into force, following to 40% after 10 years, as well as on other agri-food products such as soft drinks dropping from 33% to 0% after seven years, and lamb dropping from 33% to 0% at entry into force. Separately high-end cars will benefit from a drop from over 100% to 10% under a quota. We have also secured India’s best ever agreement on Rules of Origin, which enables UK businesses to take advantage of these new lower tariffs.

This deal will also support consumers as they benefit from the best of India and greater variety as our trading relationship grows, including clothing, footwear, and iconic food and drink. New commitments will also help protect consumers from spam texts from India, which could include requiring opt-out or prior consent.

Case study – Chivas Brothers Ltd

Chivas Brothers Ltd is part of the Pernod Ricard group of companies and exports over £2bn of Scotch whisky and gin every year, including brands like Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet and Beefeater. India is amongst Chivas Brothers’ largest export markets and the biggest consumer of whisky worldwide by volume. The UK-India trade agreement will help solidify and potentially expand on Pernod Ricard’s existing investments, which includes a €200m distillery construction in the Indian state of Maharashtra and £100m in bottling facilities in Dumbarton, Scotland.

Jean-Etienne Gourgues, Chivas Brothers Chairman and CEO, said:

The announcement of a free trade agreement in principle between the UK and India is a welcome boost for Chivas Brothers during an uncertain global economic environment.

India is the world’s biggest whisky market by volume and greater access will be a game changer for the export of our Scotch whisky brands, such as Chivas Regal and Ballantine’s. The deal will support long term investment and jobs in our distilleries and bottling plants in Scotland, as well as help deliver growth in both Scotland and India over the next decade. Slàinte to the UK Ministers and officials who steered the deal though long negotiations.

Case study – Diageo

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with a collection of brands across spirits and beer categories sold in more than 180 countries around the world. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoﬀ, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a leading player in India’s beverage alcohol sector and is among the top 10 fast-moving consumer goods companies in India by market capitalisation. Diageo has 50 manufacturing facilities across India, employs over 3,300 people directly in market with a further 100,000 jobs supported throughout its value chain. India is one of Diageo’s largest markets globally and accounts for almost half of its total global spirits volume.

Diageo Chief Executive Debra Crew said:

The UK-India Free Trade Agreement is a huge achievement by Prime Ministers Modi and Starmer and Ministers Goyal and Reynolds, and all of us at Diageo toast their success. It will be transformational for Scotch and Scotland, while powering jobs and investment in both India and the UK.

The deal will also increase quality and choice for discerning consumers across India, the world’s largest and most exciting whisky market.

Enhancing Security through our partnership

The UK and India already enjoy a deep and broad partnership built on our shared principles as two democracies, our commitment to the rules-based international order, strong ties in areas including culture, education, food, and sport, and of course through our living bridge – with some 1.9 million people with Indian heritage calling the UK their home. ^{footnote 6}

This agreement encourages collaboration between our two complementary economies. It creates a framework to promote closer ties on innovation – including on new technologies in areas like agriculture, health, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy. And our agreement on business mobility will help experts on both sides deliver their services, enabling us to capitalise on the economic transformation that technology will bring over the course of this century.

Through this deal, we are showing the world that we stand for free, fair, and open trade. In an increasingly unstable and volatile world, this provides businesses with the confidence that they need to grow and expand. And as India’s approach to global trade changes, so can this deal. We have agreed in numerous areas that, if India offer a better deal to a different country, we can come back to the table to renegotiate for the UK.

Case study – Coltraco Ultrasonics

Coltraco Ultrasonics are high-exporting advanced manufacturers of ultrasonic instrumentation and systems, exporting 90% manufactured output to 120 countries. Coltraco have twice won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade and have exported to India for 30 years. Since 2019, Coltraco have won the contract for nearly 200 ships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard and support in-service use and maintenance of their ultrasonic watertight integrity instrumentation on board.

Professor Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE, Chairman Coltraco Ultrasonics Limited & Director-General The Durham Institute of Research, Development & Invention, said:

Coltraco Ultrasonics is strongly supportive of the India FTA Trade Agreement and proud to have modestly contributed to and advising the British negotiating team on various chapters.

The UK private sector can now, because of the India FTA, the Windsor Framework CPTPP, and a variety of other UK FTAs, look out to the world, balancing our exporting and investment opportunities between the USA, the EU and Asia Pacific.

It is a tremendous success and we thank British and Indian Civil Servants for their public service in the UK-India FTA.

Unlocking Access to India’s Untapped Procurement Market

For the first time, UK businesses will have guaranteed and unprecedented access to India’s vast procurement market, covering goods, services and construction. UK businesses will be granted brand new access to approximately 40,000 tenders with a value of at least £38 billion a year. ^{footnote 8} This will unlock significant opportunities spanning a range of sectors, including transport, healthcare and life sciences and green energy. Alongside this UK firms will, for the first time, have access to India’s procurement portal, connecting them to the information they need to make the best out of these opportunities – which will grow as India builds the infrastructure necessary for an economic superpower with the world’s largest population.

UK companies will also get exclusive treatment under the ‘Make in India’ policy, which currently provides preferential treatment for federal government procurement to businesses who manufacture or produce in India. However, this unprecedented treatment will mean that if at least 20% of a company’s product or service is from the UK, they will be treated as a ‘Class Two local supplier’– granting them the same status that is currently only ever given to Indian businesses.

Protecting Our Values

Throughout the negotiations, we have championed our values – securing India’s first ever chapters on anti-corruption, consumer protections, labour rights, the environment, gender equality, and development. We have protected the NHS, defended the UK’s interests, ensured the points-based immigration system is not affected, upheld our high food standards, and maintained our animal welfare commitments throughout. This deal demonstrates our commitment to both workers and businesses, staying true to our values while driving economic growth.

1. DBT CGE modelling. See Technical Annex

2. World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024

3. Projections are calculated using the methodology described in DBT’s Global Trade Outlook, February 2023

4. Ibid.

5. The methodology for estimating the value of duties can be found in Annex 5 of the technical annexes accompanying the UK-India FTA Scoping assessment

6. 2021 England and Wales Census; 2021 NI Census; 2011 Scottish Census

7. DBT inward investment results 2023 to 2024 (HTML version) – GOV.UK; ; Grant Thornton, Britain meets India 2024; Grant Thornton, India meets Britain tracker: 2023.

8. This analysis utilises Top 200 Entity data from India’s e-procurement dashboard, for the financial years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, which is not exhaustively used by all federal government agencies for all procurements. Therefore, several entities included within India’s market access schedule cannot be included within the analysis. This analysis does not take into account restrictions on access as a result of Make in India, the chapter thresholds and tenders for goods or services not covered by the government procurement chapter.

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Updates to this page

Published 6 May 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
May 7, 2025