NewzIntel.com

Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research

    Source: The White House

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

    Section 1.  Purpose.  Dangerous gain-of-function research on biological agents and pathogens has the potential to significantly endanger the lives of American citizens.  If left unrestricted, its effects can include widespread mortality, an impaired public health system, disrupted American livelihoods, and diminished economic and national security.
    The Biden Administration allowed dangerous gain-of-function research within the United States with insufficient levels of oversight.  It also actively approved, through the National Institutes of Health, Federal life-science research funding in China and other countries where there is limited United States oversight or reasonable expectation of biosafety enforcement. 
    This recklessness, if unaddressed, may lead to the proliferation of research on pathogens (and potential pathogens) in settings without adequate safeguards, even after COVID-19 revealed the risk of such practices.

    Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States to ensure that United States federally funded research benefits American citizens without jeopardizing our Nation’s security, strength, or prosperity.  My Administration will balance the prevention of catastrophic consequences with maintaining readiness against biological threats and driving global leadership in biotechnology, biological countermeasures, biosecurity, and health research.

    Sec. 3. Stop Dangerous Gain-of-Function Research. (a)  The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), and in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies (agencies) identified by the Director of OSTP, shall establish guidance for the heads of relevant agencies, to the extent consistent with the terms and conditions of the funding, to immediately:
    (i)   end Federal funding of dangerous gain-of-function research conducted by foreign entities in countries of concern (e.g., China) pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6627(c), or in other countries where there is not adequate oversight to ensure that the countries are compliant with United States oversight standards and policies; and
    (ii) end Federal funding of other life-science research that is occurring in countries of concern or foreign countries where there is not adequate oversight to ensure that the countries are compliant with United States oversight standards and policies and that could reasonably pose a threat to public health, public safety, and economic or national security, as determined by the heads of relevant agencies.
    (b)  The Director of OSTP, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the APNSA, and in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the heads of other relevant agencies, shall establish guidance for the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the heads of other relevant agencies with respect to suspension of federally funded dangerous gain-of-function research, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the relevant research funding, at least until the completion of the policy called for in section 4(a) of this order.  Heads of agencies shall report any exception to a suspension to the Director of OSTP for review in consultation with the APNSA and the heads of relevant agencies.

    Sec. 4.  Secure Future Research Through Commonsense Frameworks.  (a)  Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Director of OSTP, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6627 and in coordination with the APNSA and the heads of relevant agencies, shall revise or replace the 2024 “United States Government Policy for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential” to:
    (i) strengthen top-down independent oversight; increase accountability through enforcement, audits, and improved public transparency; and clearly define the scope of covered research while ensuring the United States remains the global leader in biotechnology, biological countermeasures, and health research;
    (ii) incorporate enforcement mechanisms, including those described in section 7 of this order, into Federal funding agreements to ensure compliance with all Federal policies governing dangerous gain-of-function research; and
    (iii) provide for review and revision at least every 4 years, or as appropriate.

    (b)  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Director of OSTP, in coordination with the APNSA and the heads of relevant agencies, shall revise or replace the 2024 “Framework for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening” (Framework) to ensure it takes a commonsense approach and effectively encourages providers of synthetic nucleic acid sequences to implement comprehensive, scalable, and verifiable synthetic nucleic acid procurement screening mechanisms to minimize the risk of misuse.  The heads of all agencies that fund life-science research shall ensure that synthetic nucleic acid procurement is conducted through providers or manufacturers that adhere to the updated Framework.  To ensure compliance, the updated Framework shall incorporate the enforcement mechanisms described in section 7 of this order.  The Framework shall be reviewed and revised at least every 4 years, or as appropriate

    Sec. 5.  Manage Risks Associated with Non-federally Funded Research.  Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Director of OSTP, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the APNSA, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and the heads of other relevant agencies, shall develop and implement a strategy to govern, limit, and track dangerous gain-of-function research across the United States that occurs without Federal funding and other life-science research that could cause significant societal consequences.  This strategy shall include actions to achieve comprehensive, scalable, and verifiable nucleic acid synthesis screening in non-federally funded settings.  Any gaps in authorities necessary to achieve the goals of this strategy shall be addressed in a legislative proposal to be sent to the President, through the Director of OSTP and the APNSA, within 180 days of the date of this order.

    Sec. 6.  Increase Accountability and Public Transparency of Dangerous Gain-of-Function Research.  The Director of OSTP, in coordination with the APNSA and the heads of relevant agencies, shall ensure that the revised policy called for in section 4(a) of this order includes a mechanism whereby research institutions that receive Federal funding must report dangerous gain-of-function research, and to the maximum extent permitted by law, include research that is supported by non-Federal funding mechanisms.  The reporting mechanism shall provide a publicly available source of information about research programs and awards identified pursuant to this section, including, where permitted by law, those that have been stopped or suspended pursuant to sections 3(a) and 3(b) of this order, and all future programs and awards that are covered by the updated policy developed in section 4(a) of this order.  This reporting shall be conducted in a way that does not compromise national security or legitimate intellectual property interests of subject institutions.

    Sec. 7.  Future Enforcement Terms.  The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the heads of other relevant agencies shall, consistent with existing laws and regulations, include in every life-science research contract or grant award:
    (a) a term requiring the contractual counterparty or grant recipient to agree that its compliance in all respects with the terms of this order and any applicable regulations promulgated by the contracting or grant-offering agency is material to the Government’s payment decisions for purposes of 31 U.S.C. 3729(b)(4);
    (b)  a term requiring such counterparty or recipient to certify that it does not operate, participate in, or fund any dangerous gain-of-function research or other life-science research in foreign countries that could cause significant societal consequences or generate unnecessary national security risks, and that does not comply with this order and the policies ordered herein;
    (c)  a term stating that a violation of the terms of this order or any applicable regulations promulgated by the contracting or grant-offering agency by any grant recipient may be considered a violation of such term by the recipient’s employer or institution; and  
    (d)  a term stating that any grant recipient, employer, or institution found to be in violation of the terms of this order or any applicable regulations promulgated by the contracting or grant-making agency may be subject to immediate revocation of ongoing Federal funding, and up to a 5-year period of ineligibility for Federal life-sciences grant funds offered by the Department of Health and Human Services and other relevant agencies.

    Sec. 8.  Definitions.  For the purposes of this order,
    “dangerous gain-of-function research” means scientific research on an infectious agent or toxin with the potential to cause disease by enhancing its pathogenicity or increasing its transmissibility.  Covered research activities are those that could result in significant societal consequences and that seek or achieve one or more of the following outcomes:
    (a)  enhancing the harmful consequences of the agent or toxin;
    (b)  disrupting beneficial immunological response or the effectiveness of an immunization against the agent or toxin;
    (c)  conferring to the agent or toxin resistance to clinically or agriculturally useful prophylactic or therapeutic interventions against that agent or toxin or facilitating their ability to evade detection methodologies;
    (d)  increasing the stability, transmissibility, or the ability to disseminate the agent or toxin;
    (e)  altering the host range or tropism of the agent or toxin;
    (f)  enhancing the susceptibility of a human host population to the agent or toxin; or
    (g)  generating or reconstituting an eradicated or extinct agent or toxin.

    Sec. 9.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
    (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
    (d)  The Department of Health and Human Services shall provide funding for this order’s publication in the Federal Register.

                                   DONALD J. TRUMP

    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        May 5, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Pingree: Trump’s EPA Purge an Unconscionable Attack on Science and Public Health

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

    Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD):

    Dismantling the EPA’s Office of Research and Development is an unconscionable attack on science and public health. This so-called ‘reorganization’ is a thinly veiled attempt to extinguish the agency’s world-renowned scientific expertise by shuffling scientists to process chemical reviews for industry.

    EPA seems to be jumping at the chance to appease DOGE by eliminating federal programs that research new and emerging threats to America’s air and water, jeopardizing public health for the sake of “efficiency.”

     The administration’s claim that this restructuring serves the public interest ignores the basic facts: More than 1,000 critical scientific positions face elimination, including irreplaceable chemists, toxicologists, and environmental biologists. This action violates both congressional intent and federal law. Congress explicitly appropriated funds for EPA’s science and technology initiatives in the current budget—funds that cannot be legally impounded or diverted.

    ORD’s work is critical to addressing environmental hazards like PFAS contamination, assessing the health impacts of toxic chemicals, and responding to natural disasters. States rely on the expertise from ORD to meet their regulatory obligations, and dismantling this office will not only stall vital research but also strip the EPA and State partners of their ability to make informed, science-based decisions that protect public health. 

    This move follows a disturbing pattern of politically motivated purges within the EPA, where allegiance to the president and his fossil fuel allies takes precedence over expertise and public service. We’re witnessing the transformation of a vital regulatory agency into a rubber stamp for corporate polluters, with career scientists being displaced while industry influence expands. Such actions jeopardize the health and safety of all Americans, particularly those in vulnerable and underserved communities already bearing disproportionate environmental burdens.

    I have formally opposed this reckless plan and urge Administrator Zeldin to reverse course immediately. The integrity of the EPA’s scientific research must be preserved to ensure sound policymaking and the continued protection of public health and the environment. The American people will not stand by while their fundamental right to clean air, water, and a healthy environment is sacrificed for the profits of a few.

    In March, Pingree, alongside Senate Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), sounded the alarm over the EPA’s plans to dismantle ORD. In a scathing letter to EPA Administrator Zeldin, the ranking members warned this proposal is not just illegal, but would have devastating consequences for human health and the environment.  

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján Statement on President Trump’s 2026 Budget Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    Heinrich and Luján: “Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s budget will further tank the economy and throw working families under the bus. As New Mexico’s senators, we’ll fight back”
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) released the following statement onPresident Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Preliminary Budget Request, which proposes slashing critical investments that benefit New Mexico families to fund massive tax cuts for billionaires like Elon Musk:
    “Donald Trump’s budget doesn’t put New Mexico families first — it jeopardizes Medicaid and slashes nutrition programs and services hardworking people rely on, all to fund massive tax handouts to Trump, Elon Musk, and their billionaire donors.
    “This proposal would drive up the cost of health care, groceries, housing, and utilities; gut public school and pre-K funding; defund cancer research; weaken law enforcement’s ability to fight drug trafficking; and strip resources from wildland firefighters, farmers, Tribes, and rural communities. It also threatens our public lands — paving the way for Republicans’ massive sell-off. 
    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s budget will further tank the economy and throw working families under the bus. As New Mexico’s senators, we’ll fight back — to protect Medicaid and Social Security, defend every dollar we’ve secured for our communities, and keep putting New Mexico families first.”
    Among all of his proposed cuts, President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Preliminary Budget Request:
    HEALTH:
    Slashes funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by $33 billion (-26%).
    Slashes funding for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by $674 million. CMS helps ensure over 100 million Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health insurance by overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
    Cuts funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $18 billion or more than 40% — decimating funding for lifesaving medical treatments and cures.
    Decimates funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by cutting $3.6 billion — hollowing out the agency’s ability to save lives and protect Americans from health threats.
    Guts funding for substance use prevention and treatment and mental health services by $1 billion (roughly –15%) and eliminates the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — the agency with expertise in tackling the substance use and mental health crises.
    Eliminates the Title X program, which helps nearly 3 million patients get preventative care, birth control, cancer screenings, and more in every state.
    EDUCATION:
    Guts funding for the U.S. Department of Education by $12 billion (-15%).
    Eliminates all funding for Preschool Development Grants, which help states strengthen their early childhood education system and get parents the child care and pre-K they need.
    Eliminates and cuts dozens of elementary and secondary education programs (the vast majority of which are not specified), underscoring that President Trump’s vision for returning education to the states means state and local taxpayers will pay more to support students and educators at their local schools as a result of major cuts in federal funding.
    Eliminates several higher education programs, including TRIO, GEAR UP, Federal Work Study, Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS), and more, which help Americans pursue a postsecondary education and further their careers.
    Slashes funding for the U.S. Department of Labor by $4.6 billion (-35%).
    Proposes to “Make America Skilled Again” by cutting workforce training programs that help Americans develop skills and secure good-paying jobs by roughly a third. 
    Eliminates Job Corps and the Senior Community Service Employment Program.
    Eliminates AmeriCorps, which enables over 200,000 Americans to help serve communities across the country, including by responding to natural disasters, supporting veterans, fighting the opioid epidemic, helping older Americans age with dignity, and working in our schools, educating and supporting students.
    HOUSING:
    Eviscerates the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with a 43.6% cut.
    Slashes HUD rental assistance programs by 42.8% while foisting responsibility over those programs onto state and local governments. Over 10 million Americans rely on HUD rental assistance, the vast majority of whom are seniors, people with disabilities, and children. This will rip the roofs off Americans’ heads and put even more families at risk of homelessness.
    Eliminates or cuts federal programs most targeted to build more affordable housing and address this country’s housing supply shortage, including in Tribal country. 
    Eliminates the Community Development Block Grant that cities and towns across the country use to improve the quality of life for their citizens every day.
    PUBLIC SAFETY:
    Slashes the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) budget by at least $3.7 billion (-10%).
    Guts funding for grants to help keep communities safe by over $1 billion (-26%).
    Cuts funding for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) salaries and expenses by $545 million (-5%), endangering Americans’ safety.
    Cuts funding for Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) salaries and expenses by $212 million (-7%), weakening the agency’s capacity to crack down on drug trafficking. Also proposes shuttering major DEA offices in countries around the world, noting that those countries “are equipped to counter drug trafficking on their own.”
    Cuts funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) salaries and expenses by $468 million (-29%) as part of the administration’s ongoing attempt to dismantle the agency in charge of enforcing our country’s gun laws.
    Cuts $1.386 billion (-22%) from the U.S. Forest Service, gutting grant funding for state and Tribal wildfire risk reduction, volunteer fire departments, and much more. The proposal would cut at least 2,000 National Forest System staff positions, which will severely harm the administration’s stated goals of improving forest management.
    Cuts funding for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement account by $1.3 billion (-91%) which helps prevent human trafficking, stop drug trafficking, and much more, with direct implications for American communities.
    Proposes a reckless $209 million cut for NOAA’s weather satellites, which play a critical role in ensuring Americans have accurate weather forecasting and will result in a gap in observations when the current satellites retire early in the next decade.
    NUTRITION:
    Eliminates the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food assistance to low-income individuals 60 years of age and older to supplement diets and addressing potential nutrient deficiencies. The preliminary budget request does not mention any of the other 16 Nutrition Programs, including WIC, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the National School Lunch Program.
    PUBLIC LANDS:
    Cuts $900 million (- 30%) from National Park Service operations, abandoning national parks the administration says should now be transferred to the states, while providing no funding for states to manage massive new obligations that such a dramatic move would entail. This would incentivize states to sell off public lands to the highest bidder, threatening valued open space and areas of natural and historical value to local communities.
    AGRICULTURE:
    Guts funding for agricultural research, which is critical to ensuring American agriculture is competitive with the rest of the world and provides key resources to help farmers and ranchers prepare and adapt in an uncertain environment. Zeroes out foreign food aid that supports American farmers and is a lifeline for people living in extreme poverty across the world.
    TRIBES:
    Slashes $911 million (-24%) for core Tribal programs that uphold the federal government’s legally-obligated and court-ordered trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal nations. 
    Decimates core Tribal programs, including road maintenance, housing, and programs for children and families. 
    Nearly eliminates funding for construction of Tribal schools, which are already too often dilapidated, and cuts Tribal law enforcement funding by 20%.
    RURAL COMMUNITIES:
    Slashes investments in core Rural Development programs by $721 million, including investments in safe drinking water, affordable housing, and resources to bolster the rural economy.
    Cuts funding for the U.S. Department of Commerce by $1.9 billion (-18%). Outright eliminates the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), which helps economically distressed communities across America get ahead.
    Eliminates all Community Services Block Grant funding ($770 million) for community-based anti-poverty programs that help individuals and families access services to alleviate the causes of poverty.
    Eliminates funding to 27 states by zeroing out funding for 6 of 7 regional commissions, which provide grants in economically distressed communities for disaster mitigation, opioid crisis support programming, workforce training, and much more. This includes eliminating the Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC).
    The Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC) is one of eight authorized federal regional commissions and authorities, which are congressionally-chartered, federal-state partnerships created to promote economic development in their respective regions. Congress first authorized the establishment of the SBRC in 2008 to promote economic development in the southern border regions of New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Texas.
    Last year, Heinrich secured an expansion of the SBRC’s jurisdiction to include the following counties in New Mexico: Bernalillo, Cibola, Curry, De Baca, Guadalupe, Roosevelt, Torrance, Lea, and Valencia. These are in addition to Catron, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, Sierra, Socorro, Lincoln, Otero, Eddy, Doña Ana, and Chaves Counties in New Mexico, which are already included within the SBRC’s jurisdiction.
    In 2023, Heinrich led the introduction of the Southwest Border Regional Commission Reauthorization Act, legislation to reauthorize and fully fund the Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC). The bill was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and former-U.S. Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), and Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.).
    INFRASTRUCTURE:
    Cuts funding for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation by $600 million (-34%), gutting investments in key restoration projects.
    Cuts funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by $2 billion (-23%), slashing funding used to maintain our nation’s ports and harbors.
    Cuts funding for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) non-disaster grants that help communities prepare for disasters, support efforts to prevent violence and terrorism, prepare emergency responders, and more.
    Eliminates funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, ending support for more than 1,500 local public television and radio stations. 
    Eliminates funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the support provided to libraries and museums throughout the United States.
    Cuts funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by more than half by abandoning state and Tribal programs that build and maintain drinking water and sewer systems, starving states of longstanding federal funding provided to pay for states’ work enforcing federal laws, and decimating funding for cleaning up toxic Superfund sites. The request would also effectively eliminate research funding used to better understand the impacts on human health from polluted air and water and from toxic chemicals. 
    ENERGY:
    Slashes funding for the Department of Energy overall by $4.7 billion (-9.4%).
    Guts funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs by $2.572 billion (-74%) and proposes to rescind $15.25 billion from Infrastructure Law energy programs, which will raise energy costs for American consumers by halting vital innovation and energy projects.
    Eliminates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps 6 million American households heat and cool their homes.
    ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
    Slashes funding for the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Entrepreneurial Development Programs by $167 million, proposing the elimination of nearly all programs, including programs that support veterans as they work to start and grow a small business.
    Eliminates $291 million in funding for all current Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) financial assistance awards, which help leverage private capital to support the development of child care centers, housing, health care facilities, and small businesses. Since 2010, CDFIs have financed over 1.3 million businesses and 557,000 affordable homes.
    Completely eliminates the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provide funding for every state and every congressional district for cultural economic development and the creative economy.
    Guts funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by $1.5 billion, which would eliminate all manner of programs that create good jobs, help local economies, and support ocean research, health, and coastal resilience.
    More than halves funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a $5.2 billion (-57%) cut. Cuts funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science by $1.148 billion (-14%). Together, these proposed cuts would decimate America’s edge in essential scientific research that would otherwise drive future economic growth.
    FOREIGN ASSISTANCE:
    Guts funding for the U.S. Department of State and America’s international security, economic, and humanitarian assistance programs by $31.2 billion (-48%).
    Cuts funding for lifesaving and other humanitarian assistance by $4.7 billion (-54%), which will lead to preventable deaths and suffering across the globe, and threaten Americans’ safety and well-being by undercutting our efforts to stop disease outbreaks and prevent conflict. A cut of this magnitude will also lead to more migration of people fleeing poverty, conflict, and natural disasters.
    Slashes economic growth and development funding across multiple agencies and accounts by $6 billion (67%) and proposes the final dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
    Guts funding for global health initiatives by $6.2 billion (-62%).
    Reneges on our treaty dues for the United Nations (U.N.), U.N. Peacekeeping operations, and a majority of other international organizations.
    SPACE EXPLORATION:
    Cuts National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funding by $6 billion (-24%), the largest single-year cut to NASA in U.S. history, which would mark an incredible retreat for American leadership and ambition in space. Terminates the Artemis Campaign to establish a human presence on the Moon after the Artemis III mission. Slashes funding for the Science Mission Directorate by $3.43 billion (-47%), which would cancel numerous current and planned missions to better understand our universe, solar system, and Earth.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Achieves Improved Safety and Security of Biological Research

    Source: The White House

    PROTECTING AMERICANS FROM DANGEROUS GAIN OF FUNCTION RESEARCH: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to improve the safety and security of biological research in the United States and around the world. This Executive Order:

    • Ends any present and all future Federal funding of dangerous gain-of-function research in countries of concern like China and Iran and in foreign nations deemed to have insufficient research oversight.
    • Empowers American research agencies to identify and end Federal funding of other biological research that could pose a threat to American public health, public safety, or national security.
    • Prohibits Federal funding from contributing to foreign research likely to cause another pandemic. These measures will drastically reduce the potential for lab-related incidents involving gain-of-function research, like that conducted on bat coronaviruses in China by the EcoHealth Alliance and Wuhan Institute of Virology.
    • Protects Americans from lab accidents and other biosecurity incidents, such as those that likely caused COVID-19 and the 1977 Russian flu.

    ESTABLISHING SAFE AND SECURE OVERSIGHT OF DANGEROUS GAIN OF FUNCTION RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES: This Executive Order will increase the safety and security of biological research for Americans without impeding U.S. innovation.

    • For decades, policies overseeing gain-of-function research on pathogens, toxins, and potential pathogens have lacked adequate enforcement, transparency, and top-down oversight. Researchers have not acknowledged the legitimate potential for societal harms that this kind of research poses.
    • The Biden Administration allowed dangerous gain-of-function research with insufficient levels of oversight and actively approved Federal life-science research funding in China and other countries.
    • The 2024 United States Government Policy for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential (“DURC/PEPP”) and the 2024 Framework for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening are the latest examples of inadequate policies that rely on self-reporting and fail to protect Americans from dangerous research practices.
    • This Order pauses research using infectious pathogens and toxins in the United States that may pose a danger to American citizens until a safer, more enforceable, and transparent policy governing such research can be developed and implemented. It directs the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Security Advisor (NSA) to work with funding agencies to develop such a policy within 120 days.
    • Unlike previous policies, this Order contains enforcement and reporting mechanisms that will strengthen oversight and discourage subjective interpretation of policies that researchers have used in the past to evade biosafety and biosecurity oversight.

    SAFEGUARDING THE FUTURE AND PROMOTING AMERICAN BIOTECHNOLOGY DOMINANCE: President Trump is driving us into the Golden Age of American Innovation that will lead us to a safer, healthier, and more prosperous America.

    • This Order protects Americans from dangerous gain-of-function research that manipulates viruses and other biological agents and toxins, but it does not impede productive biological research that will ensure the United States maintains readiness against biological threats and continues to drive global leadership in biotechnology, biosecurity, and health research.
    • President Trump has long theorized that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and has consistently pushed for transparency in investigating its origins.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Crikey, ChatGPT’s gone bush! How AI is learning the art of Aussie slang

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ross Yates, Lecturer, Project Management, Edith Cowan University

    Shutterstock

    Ever tried to explain why a sausage would be referred to as a “snag” while overseas, or why the toilet is the “dunny”? If you found this challenging, spare a thought for large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, which have to contend with slang terms from all over the world.

    Is it possible for AI to decipher the strange “code” that is Australian slang, given all the nuance and cultural references loaded into it?

    Cracking the code

    LLMs don’t “understand” language like we do. Rather, they are trained on massive quantities of online text data (including websites, news articles and books) to learn patterns between words. They can then mimic these patterns to produce human-like responses.

    So it follows that unless AI systems can mingle with people in informal real-world settings – or can access TV shows such as Kath and Kim – they’re unlikely to grasp the finer points of our real-world conversations.

    Take words such as “cooked” and “random”, which can have different meanings in different contexts. Or consider the phrase “flat out like a lizard drinking”. What could it mean? Is the speaker comparing themselves to a thirsty reptile sprawled out under a dripping tap?

    The phrase actually refers to being very busy, by using the visual metaphor of a lizard’s fast-moving tongue. While an AI may not make this connection, many people living in Australia will have a lifetime of experience that helps them understand the message being conveyed.

    To further complicate matters, Aussie slang continues to evolve, and doesn’t always follow the rules of grammar and structure.

    Slang phrases tend to follow a looser sentence structure and are often filled with idioms, metaphors, abbreviations and culturally-specific humour. Australian language expert Roland Sussex estimates we use more than 5,000 abbreviations and diminutives.

    Slang also changes from one generation to the next. For instance, one 2010 study suggests older Australians are more likely to shorten words with an “ie” or “o” sound, such as “truckie” instead of “truck driver” and “ambo” instead of ambulance. Young Australians, meanwhile, are more likely to clip words or add an “s”, such as “mobes” for mobile phone.

    Are we there yet?

    Can AI chatbots learn Aussie slang? There is evidence many are already developing a broad understanding of the most frequently used terms and their current interpretations.

    For example, “give it a crack” and “mozzie” are both understood by Amazon’s Alexa.

    In 2021, Alexa partnered with local celebrity Sophie Monk and comedy duo The Inspired Unemployed to incorporate a large collection of Aussie slang into its vocabulary. The personal AI assistant even comes with an Aussie accent feature.

    Keeping up-to-date with changing Aussie slang terms, interpretations and regional dialects is a resource-intensive undertaking. Nonetheless, ChatGPT and other LLMs have made progress on this front, as this example shows:


    ChatGPT/screenshot

    Some chatbots, such as Perplexity AI, can scour the internet in real-time to try and find the best possible response to an input.

    Trying to peek inside

    LLMs continue to advance in their sophistication and capabilities. The most recent models such as GPT 4o, DeepSeek and Claude 3.7 even incorporate “thinking” to tackle more complex tasks by displaying an internal “thought process” before revealing their answer.

    However, research has shown many AI models, when prompted, won’t always reveal the full “chain-of-thought” they followed to arrive at a particular answer.

    This makes it harder for us to understand the models’ intentions and reasoning processes. So while they may be learning to adapt and respond to our niche slang and cultural references, in many ways they remain a black box.

    Beyond that, AI models can only regurgitate our own slang back to us. They can’t grasp why it is meaningful. Nor do they understand the important role slang plays in our society.

    Aussie slang is born out of millions of interactions and conversations – and LLMs can only ever respond to our use of it. To create it remains an entirely human endeavour.

    Ross Yates 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. Crikey, ChatGPT’s gone bush! How AI is learning the art of Aussie slang – https://theconversation.com/crikey-chatgpts-gone-bush-how-ai-is-learning-the-art-of-aussie-slang-253939

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: Fold Holdings Appoints Matthew McManus as Chief Operating Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PHOENIX, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fold Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLD) (“Fold” or the “Company”), the first publicly traded bitcoin financial services company, announces the appointment of Matthew McManus as Chief Operating Officer, effective April 21, 2025.

    In his new role, Mr. McManus will spearhead Fold’s operational strategy, partnering closely with senior leadership to accelerate growth, optimize performance, and solidify the Company’s leadership position at the forefront of the bitcoin financial revolution.

    Matthew brings extensive experience to Fold, having previously served as Chief Product Officer at Unchained Capital, Inc., where he led product strategy, development, and execution. Prior to his tenure at Unchained Capital, Mr. McManus held key roles helping globally recognized brands including Twitter, Capital One, PBS & PBS KIDS, National Geographic, and Marriott. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Science, Systems, and Technology from Cornell University’s College of Engineering. His technical foundation, deep domain expertise and proven experience scaling high-performing teams, aligns strongly with Fold’s strategic vision for 2025 and beyond.

    “We are excited to welcome Matthew to Fold as our new Chief Operating Officer,” said Will Reeves, CEO of Fold. “He brings exactly the kind of leadership Fold needs. His experience driving operational excellence and innovation within fintech will be instrumental as we continue to expand our footprint and empower consumers through accessible bitcoin solutions.”

    For more information about Fold and its innovative bitcoin financial services, please visit FoldApp.com.

    About Fold
    Fold (NASDAQ: FLD) is the first publicly traded bitcoin financial services company, making it easy for individuals and businesses to earn, save, and use bitcoin. With over 1,485 BTC in its treasury, Fold is at the forefront of integrating bitcoin into everyday financial experiences. Through innovative products like the Fold App and Fold Card, the company is building the bridge between traditional finance and the bitcoin-powered future.

    For investor inquiries, please contact:
    Orange Group
    Samir Jain, CFA
    FoldIR@orangegroupadvisors.com

    For media inquiries, please contact:
    Elev8 New Media
    Jessica Starman, MBA
    media@foldapp.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement from Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson on the Retirement of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jonathan Jackson – Illinois (1st District)

    Statement from Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson on the Retirement of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    May 5, 2025

    I join Leader Hakeem Jeffries and my colleagues across the House in honoring the incredible legacy of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a true champion for the people of Illinois and a fearless advocate for justice, equity, and compassion.

    From her early days as a consumer advocate to her distinguished service in Congress, Jan has never wavered in her commitment to uplifting the voices of the voiceless and standing firm in defense of our most vulnerable communities. Her leadership on the House Energy and Commerce Committee—particularly her tireless work to lower prescription drug costs and defend Medicare and Social Security—has made a profound impact on families across this country.

    Congresswoman Schakowsky has also been a guiding light within the Progressive Caucus and a fierce protector of consumer rights. Her dedication to principled public service and her unwavering progressive vision has helped shape the conscience of our Caucus and our country.

    On a personal note, I am deeply grateful for her mentorship, her wisdom, and her friendship. She has been an inspiration not only to me, but to generations of advocates and public servants in Chicagoland and beyond. Though she will be missed in the halls of Congress, her legacy will endure in the movements she helped build and the lives she helped transform.

    I wish Congresswoman Schakowsky and her family every blessing as they begin this next chapter. Thank you, Jan, for your service, your courage, and your unwavering heart!

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What are the key risk factors for developing knee osteoarthritis? We reviewed the evidence

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christina Abdel Shaheed, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney

    Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease, affecting more than 3 million Australians and over 500 million people worldwide.

    The knee is the most commonly affected joint, but osteoarthritis can also affect other joints including the hips and hands. The condition causes painful and stiff joints.

    For someone with knee osteoarthritis, simple activities that many people take for granted such as walking, going up and down stairs or squatting can be very challenging.

    There’s currently no cure for osteoarthritis. Most available treatments, such as exercise, walking aids and medicines (including paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), focus on managing symptoms. But it’s important to consider how we can prevent knee osteoarthritis in the first place.

    With this in mind, we undertook a systematic review to summarise the risk factors for developing knee osteoarthritis. Our findings, published today in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, can help us better understand how to lower the risk of this condition.

    What we found

    We gathered data from studies which followed people over time, to see which risk factors were associated with developing knee osteoarthritis. We included a total of 131 studies, involving more than 5 million people.

    We identified more than 150 factors that influenced the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.

    Some key factors which increased the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis included being overweight or obese, past knee injury and occupational physical activity such as lifting heavy objects and shift work.

    We also found several other possible risk factors, including:

    • eating large amounts of ultra-processed foods (which include “junk foods”, sugary drinks and processed meats)

    • poor sleep quality (for example, sleeping less than six hours a day or having 1–2 restless nights per week)

    • feeling depressed.

    Being overweight or obese and past knee injury together accounted for 14% of the overall risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.

    In other words, if we were able to completely remove these two risk factors, we could potentially reduce the incidence of knee osteoarthritis in the population by 14%.

    Females had almost double the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis, and older age was slightly related to developing knee osteoarthritis.

    Osteoarthritis of the knee affects millions of people worldwide.
    Towfiqu barbhuiya/Pexels

    Protective factors

    On the other hand, we found some factors may lower the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. These included following a Mediterranean diet (which includes plenty of vegetables, olive oil, nuts, fruit and healthy fats found in fish), and following a diet higher in fibre.

    Avoiding the things which increase the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis such as a diet high in ultra-processed foods, knee injury, weight gain and heavy lifting can also help a person reduce their risk of developing the condition.

    Exercise is an effective treatment for knee osteoarthritis. It can reduce pain and improve function.

    There was not enough information in our study to determine what types of physical activity (for example, walking, running, swimming) and how much time spent doing these activities could lower the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis, so this is an important area for future research.

    How can we explain these links?

    The studies we included did not generally explore the possible mechanisms linking key risk factors with the development of knee osteoarthritis.

    However other research may provide some helpful insights. Knee injury can lead to instability of the knee joint and additional wear on the knee which can lead to knee osteoarthritis. Similarly, occupational physical activity such as kneeling, squatting, climbing or heavy lifting can increase the risk of wear and tear on the knee.

    Poor sleep has been linked to weight gain and depression.

    The duration and quality of sleep has been found to affect how much we eat and the hormones responsible for regulating metabolism. Depression has been linked to reduced physical activity which can lead to weight gain. Carrying extra weight can increase the load on the knee and contribute to knee osteoarthritis.

    Shift work can lead to bad food choices and lack of sleep, which in turn can increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis.

    So it seems that while the risk factors we found may be contributing individually to the development of knee osteoarthritis, they may also be interacting together to increase the risk.

    It’s not clear why women are at greater risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. However this is likely to be due to a combination of factors, including lifestyle, biological and hormonal factors.

    A Mediterranean diet is high in polyphenols, which can reduce inflammation in the body and destruction of cartilage. It may lower the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis in this way.

    Lifestyle changes could reduce the risk of knee osteoarthritis.
    PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

    Most risk factors are modifiable

    There were some limitations with the available evidence. Most studies were based on populations from the United States, or did not report on ethnicity. We know little about the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis in certain groups such as people from Hispanic, African and Southeast Asian backgrounds. We need more studies exploring risk factors in other countries and populations.

    Nonetheless, a review like this allows us to better understand what can be done to lower the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.

    We found most risk factors associated with developing knee osteoarthritis are modifiable, which means they can be changed or better managed with healthy diet and lifestyle choices. Eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight and taking proactive steps to prevent injuries in the workplace and sporting communities can potentially lower a person’s risk of developing the condition.

    Public health strategies aimed at encouraging healthy eating and weight loss (for example, subsidised nutrition programs and education programs starting from a young age to promote optimal diet and physical activity) could reduce the burden of knee osteoarthritis and have broader health benefits as well.

    Programs like these, as well as reducing heavy lifting in the workplace where possible, should be the focus of government strategies to address the burden of this painful condition globally.

    Christina Abdel Shaheed holds grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Medical Research Future Fund.

    David Hunter receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Medical Research Future Fund.

    Lyn March is on the executive committee of the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health (a pro-bono role). This alliance advocates to the World Health Organization for a global strategy for addressing musculoskeletal health that includes promoting osteoarthritis prevention.

    Vicky Duong receives funding from Lenity Australia and the Medical Research Future Fund.

    – ref. What are the key risk factors for developing knee osteoarthritis? We reviewed the evidence – https://theconversation.com/what-are-the-key-risk-factors-for-developing-knee-osteoarthritis-we-reviewed-the-evidence-253722

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: How Wildfires Reshape Landscapes

    Source: US Geological Survey

    The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: How Wildfires Reshape Landscapes

    Exploring USGS’s Role in Understanding Postfire Changes

    Background

    Wildfires have long played a crucial role in reshaping and rejuvenating landscapes. They can clear out dead vegetation, return nutrients to the soil, and promote the growth of diverse plant species. However, the aftermath of wildfires also brings significant changes to the environment, some of which pose challenges to ecosystems and dangers to local communities. The USGS conducts extensive research to understand these changes and to develop strategies for hazard mitigation and recovery in fire-prone communities.

    The Good: The Beneficial Role of Fire in Landscapes

    First, let’s discuss “the good” and why wildfires are a natural part of forest and rangeland habitats. While wildfires can have destructive effects, they play a beneficial role in many ecosystems:

    • Nutrient Cycling. Fires consume dead and decaying matter, returning nutrients to the soil, which promotes new plant growth.
    • Habitat Diversity. By clearing dense vegetation, fires create a mosaic of different habitats, supporting a variety of plant and animal species.
    • Pest and Disease Control. Fires can reduce populations of pests and pathogens, contributing to the overall health of forests and grasslands. 

    The Bad: How Wildfires Alter Landscapes

    Next, let’s discuss “the bad” and how wildfires potentially negatively alter the landscape:

    • Soil Becomes Water-Repellent. Intense heat from wildfires can cause soils to become hydrophobic, meaning they repel water. This occurs when organic materials in the soil are vaporized by the heat, and upon cooling, these vapors condense and form a waxy coating around soil particles. As a result, rainwater cannot easily penetrate the soil, leading to increased surface runoff and a higher risk of flash flooding.
    • Streams Become Polluted. After a wildfire, ash and debris can be washed into nearby rivers and streams during rainfall. This runoff may contain elevated levels of nutrients, sediments, and heavy metals, which can degrade water quality and pose risks to aquatic life and human health. For instance, following Colorado’s 2020 Cameron Peak Fire, water supplies experienced significant contamination, highlighting the long-term impacts wildfires can have on water resources.
    • Slopes Become Unstable. Vegetation plays a vital role in stabilizing soil on slopes. When wildfires destroy this vegetation, the roots that bind the soil together decay, increasing the likelihood of landslides and debris flows, especially during subsequent rainstorms. The USGS has developed models to assess and predict these post-wildfire debris-flow hazards, aiding in the development of early warning systems and mitigation strategies.
    • Invasive Plants Can Spread. Wildfires can create opportunities for invasive plant species to establish themselves in burned areas. These species often outcompete native vegetation, leading to reduced biodiversity and altered ecosystem functions. The USGS collaborates with land managers to monitor these changes and develop strategies to promote the recovery of native plant communities. 

    The Ugly: The Future Impacts of Wildfires on Society

    Lastly, “the ugly.” Wildfires are not going away. In fact, wildfires in the United States are becoming more frequent, intense, and destructive. Several factors contribute to this trend, including prolonged droughts and increasing urban development in fire-prone areas. Scientists predict that future wildfire seasons will last longer, burn larger areas, and pose even greater challenges for communities, ecosystems, and emergency responders. The increasing severity of wildfires will have profound effects on public safety, public health, and the economy. For example, some ways wildfires will continue to be problematic include:

    • More Frequent Disruptions. Longer fire seasons will lead to more evacuations, power outages, and damage to infrastructure. Areas that were once considered safe may now face a growing threat of wildfire.
    • Air Quality and Health Concerns. Wildfire smoke contains harmful pollutants that can worsen respiratory illnesses, particularly for children, the elderly, and individuals with preexisting health conditions. Regions far from active fires can still experience dangerous air quality levels due to drifting smoke.
    • Economic Costs. Wildfires already cost billions of dollars annually for firefighting efforts, property damage, and lost economic productivity. As fires become more extreme, these costs are expected to rise, placing strain on local, state, and federal budgets.
    • Water and Food Security. Wildfires can damage watersheds, leading to long-term impacts on water supply and quality. Agricultural areas near fire zones may also suffer losses, reducing food production and increasing prices.

    The USGS plays a vital role in helping communities recover from wildfires and prepare for future events. By partnering with federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of the Interior, and state Geological Surveys, the USGS is driving innovation in fire science and management. These partnerships ensure that responders and decision-makers have the best available information to protect lives, property, and natural resources.

    The USGS employs more than 100 scientists whose research focuses on fire-related topics, including using high-resolution remote sensing to characterize vegetative fuel loads; applying the latest satellite technology to detect fires and map wildfire perimeters; evaluating best practices to reduce wildfire risks; and assessing post-wildfire flooding and debris-flow hazards. This work also includes creating and sharing best practices to support recovery across landscapes. Together, USGS expertise and monitoring capabilities are greatly improving the safety of first responders and the public-at-large.

    Researchers across the USGS are working with the interagency fire community to expand the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and other rapid-computing capabilities. For example, the USGS uses artificial intelligence with satellite imagery to detect fire boundaries and develop burn severity maps, and to identify distribution and abundance of fire-adapted invasive species like cheatgrass in the Great Basin.

    The USGS Wildland Fire Science Strategy aligns with national initiatives as defined in the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. Developed by a broad swath of stakeholders at all levels, the Cohesive Strategy calls for science and management that promote resilient landscapes and fire-adapted communities for safe and effective wildfire responses.

    Preparing for the Future

    While wildfires are a natural part of many ecosystems, things are changing and society must take proactive steps to protect lives, property, and the environment from the growing wildfire threat. Given the increasing risks, wildfire management strategies must evolve. Investments in forest management, improved building codes, early warning systems, and resilient infrastructure will be crucial in reducing wildfire impacts. The USGS and other agencies will continue to play a key role in researching fire behavior, mapping high-risk areas, and providing vital information to help communities adapt.

    Understanding both the positive and negative impacts of wildfires is essential for effective land management. The USGS’s comprehensive research and collaboration with other agencies enhance public safety, inform policy decisions, and promote resilient ecosystems in the face of wildfire events.

    As part of the wildfire community, USGS is deeply connected to the people and landscapes we serve. Wildfires often affect our colleagues, friends, and neighbors, underscoring the importance of our mission to provide critical fire science. Each new fire reminds us of our shared responsibility to understand, adapt to, and mitigate wildfire risks in the face of future challenges.

    Case Study: The January 2025 Los Angeles Fires

    In January 2025, Southern California faced an unprecedented wildfire crisis as extreme Santa Ana winds fueled four large wildfires (the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Kenneth Fires) and dozens of smaller blazes that scorched the region. The fires burned more than 40,000 acres, destroyed 12,000 structures, and led to at least 30 fatalities. Amid this devastation, the USGS delivered essential science and information that supported fire response efforts, assessed postfire hazards, and aided recovery in impacted communities.

    The USGS worked alongside federal and state agencies, providing critical tools and information for every stage of the fire management.

    • Real-Time Fire Mapping. The USGS National Civil Applications Center generated wildfire boundary maps for the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires. Using satellite imagery, these maps were delivered to Incident Commanders each morning to inform daily firefighting strategies and evacuation plans.
    • Ecological Research and Recovery. The USGS Western Ecological Research Center advised land managers on fire behavior and postfire recovery strategies. This included addressing erosion risks, invasive species management, and advising how to use native vegetation to restore burned areas. The Suppression and Planning Actions for Restoring Communities and Species (SPARCS) team collaborated directly with resource managers to assess their needs and provide support.
    • Postfire Hazard Assessments. The USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center led assessments of postfire debris flow risks in the steep terrain of the Santa Monica Mountains. Working with the California Geological Survey and other partners, USGS scientists mapped soil burn severity and modelled the likelihood and volume of debris flows during future storms. This data will help the National Weather Service issue warnings and guide local recovery efforts.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Diamondback Energy, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial and Operating Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIDLAND, Texas, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) (“Diamondback” or the “Company”) today announced financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

    FIRST QUARTER 2025 AND RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

    • Average oil production of 475.9 MBO/d (850.7 MBOE/d)
    • Net cash provided by operating activities of $2.4 billion; Operating Cash Flow Before Working Capital Changes (as defined and reconciled below) of $2.5 billion
    • Cash capital expenditures of $942 million
    • Free Cash Flow (as defined and reconciled below) of $1.5 billion; Adjusted Free Cash Flow (as defined and reconciled below) of $1.6 billion
    • Declared Q1 2025 base cash dividend of $1.00 per share payable on May 22, 2025; implies a 2.9% annualized yield based on May 2, 2025 closing share price of $136.81
    • Repurchased 3,656,044 shares of common stock in Q1 2025 for $575 million excluding excise tax (at a weighted average price of $157.15 per share); repurchased 1,965,180 shares of common stock to date in Q2 2025 for $255 million excluding excise tax (at a weighted average price of $129.71 per share)
    • Total Q1 2025 return of capital of $864 million; represents ~55% of Adjusted Free Cash Flow (as defined and reconciled below) from stock repurchases and the declared Q1 2025 base dividend
    • As previously announced, closed acquisition of certain subsidiaries of Double Eagle IV Midco, LLC (“Double Eagle”) on April 1st
    • Closed drop down transaction to Viper Energy, Inc. (“Viper”), a subsidiary of Diamondback, on May 1st

    UPDATED 2025 GUIDANCE HIGHLIGHTS

    As a result of recent commodity price volatility, Diamondback is reducing activity in order to prioritize free cash flow generation. The Company believes this revised plan enhances capital efficiency and provides flexibility to (i) cut additional capital if prices weaken further or (ii) resume its original 2025 plan if commodity prices strengthen.

    • Full year oil production of 480 – 495 MBO/d (857 – 900 MBOE/d)
    • Full year 2025 cash capital expenditures guidance of $3.4 – $3.8 billion
    • The Company expects to drill 385 – 435 gross (349 – 395 net) wells and complete between 475 – 550 gross (444 – 514 net) wells with an average lateral length of approximately 11,500 feet in 2025
    • Q2 2025 oil production guidance of 485 – 500 MBO/d (866 – 900 MBOE/d)
    • Q2 2025 cash capital expenditures guidance of $800 – $900 million
    • Implies full year 2025 oil production per million dollars of cash capital expenditures (“MBO per $MM of CAPEX”) of 49.4, ~10% better than the Company’s original full year 2025 guidance provided in February 2025

    OPERATIONS UPDATE

    The tables below provide a summary of operating activity for the first quarter of 2025.

    Total Activity (Gross Operated):          
      Number of Wells Drilled
    		   Number of Wells Completed
    Midland Basin                 124             116  
    Delaware Basin                 2             7  
    Total                 126             123  
    Total Activity (Net Operated):          
      Number of Wells Drilled
    		   Number of Wells Completed
    Midland Basin                 116             112  
    Delaware Basin                 2             7  
    Total                 118             119  
     

    During the first quarter of 2025, Diamondback drilled 124 gross wells in the Midland Basin and two gross wells in the Delaware Basin. The Company turned 116 operated wells to production in the Midland Basin and seven gross wells in the Delaware Basin, with an average lateral length of 11,978 feet. Operated completions during the first quarter consisted of 30 Wolfcamp A wells, 28 Lower Spraberry wells, 22 Wolfcamp B wells, 17 Jo Mill wells, eight Middle Spraberry wells, four Dean wells, four Barnett wells, three Third Bone Spring wells, three Wolfcamp D wells, two Second Bone Spring wells and two Upper Spraberry wells.

    FINANCIAL UPDATE

    Diamondback’s first quarter 2025 net income was $1.4 billion, or $4.83 per diluted share. Adjusted net income (as defined and reconciled below) for the first quarter was $1.3 billion, or $4.54 per diluted share.

    First quarter 2025 net cash provided by operating activities was $2.4 billion.

    During the first quarter of 2025, Diamondback spent $864 million on operated drilling and completions, $21 million on capital workovers and non-operated drilling and completions and $57 million on infrastructure, environmental and midstream, for total cash capital expenditures of $942 million.

    First quarter 2025 Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA (as defined and reconciled below) was $2.9 billion. Adjusted EBITDA net of non-controlling interest (as defined and reconciled below) for the first quarter was $2.8 billion.

    Diamondback’s first quarter 2025 Free Cash Flow (as defined and reconciled below) was $1.5 billion. Adjusted Free Cash Flow (as reconciled and defined below) for the first quarter was $1.6 billion.

    First quarter 2025 average unhedged realized prices were $70.95 per barrel of oil, $2.11 per Mcf of natural gas and $23.94 per barrel of natural gas liquids (“NGLs”), resulting in a total equivalent unhedged realized price of $47.77 per BOE.

    Diamondback’s cash operating costs for the first quarter of 2025 were $10.48 per BOE, including lease operating expenses (“LOE”) of $5.33 per BOE, cash general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses of $0.72 per BOE, production and ad valorem taxes of $2.98 per BOE and gathering, processing and transportation expenses of $1.45 per BOE.

    As of March 31, 2025, Diamondback had $1.3 billion in standalone cash and no borrowings outstanding under its revolving credit facility, with approximately $2.5 billion available for future borrowings under the facility and approximately $3.8 billion of total liquidity. As of March 31, 2025, the Company had consolidated total debt of $14.1 billion and consolidated net debt (as defined and reconciled below) of $12.3 billion, up from consolidated total debt of $13.2 billion and consolidated net debt of $13.0 billion as of December 31, 2024.

    DIVIDEND DECLARATIONS

    Diamondback announced today that the Company’s Board of Directors declared a base cash dividend of $1.00 per common share for the first quarter of 2025 payable on May 22, 2025 to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 15, 2025.

    Future base and variable dividends remain subject to review and approval at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors.

    COMMON STOCK REPURCHASE PROGRAM

    During the first quarter of 2025, Diamondback repurchased ~3.7 million shares of common stock at an average share price of $157.15 for a total cost of approximately $575 million, excluding excise tax. To date, Diamondback has repurchased ~30.2 million shares of common stock at an average share price of $137.55 for a total cost of approximately $4.2 billion and has approximately $1.8 billion remaining on its current share buyback authorization. Subject to factors discussed below, Diamondback intends to continue to purchase common stock under the common stock repurchase program opportunistically with cash on hand, free cash flow from operations and proceeds from potential liquidity events such as the sale of assets. This repurchase program has no time limit and may be suspended from time to time, modified, extended or discontinued by the Board at any time. Purchases under the repurchase program may be made from time to time in privately negotiated transactions, or in open market transactions in compliance with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and will be subject to market conditions, applicable regulatory and legal requirements and other factors. Any common stock purchased as part of this program will be retired.

    FULL YEAR 2025 GUIDANCE

    Below is Diamondback’s updated guidance for the full year 2025, which includes second quarter production, cash tax and capital guidance. Given recent weakness in commodity prices, the Company is reducing its activity levels and lowering its capital budget to prioritize free cash generation. Diamondback will continue to closely monitor the macro environment and has flexibility to (i) cut additional capital if prices weaken further or (ii) resume its original 2025 plan if commodity prices strengthen.

      2025 Guidance 2025 Guidance
      Diamondback Energy, Inc. Viper Energy, Inc.
         
    2025 Net production – MBOE/d 857 – 900 (from 883 – 909) 74.5 – 79.0
    2025 Oil production – MBO/d 480 – 495 (from 485 – 498) 41.0 – 43.5
    Q2 2025 Oil production – MBO/d (total – MBOE/d) 485 – 500 (866 – 900) 40.0 – 43.0 (72.5 – 78.0)
         
    Unit costs ($/BOE)    
    Lease operating expenses, including workovers $5.65 – $6.05 (from $5.90 – $6.30)  
    G&A    
    Cash G&A $0.60 – $0.75 $0.80 – $1.00
    Non-cash equity-based compensation $0.25 – $0.35 $0.10 – $0.20
    DD&A $14.00 – $15.00 $15.50 – $16.50
    Interest expense (net of interest income) $0.40 – $0.65 (from $0.25 – $0.50) $2.00 – $2.50
    Gathering, processing and transportation $1.40 – $1.60 (from $1.20 – $1.40)  
         
    Production and ad valorem taxes (% of revenue) ~7% ~7%
    Corporate tax rate (% of pre-tax income) 23%  
    Cash tax rate (% of pre-tax income) 19% – 22% (from 17% – 20%) 21% – 23%
    Q2 2025 Cash taxes ($ – million)(1) $340 – $400 $10 – $15
         
    Capital Budget ($ – million)    
    Operated drilling and completion $2,780 – $3,090 (from $3,130 – $3,440)  
    Capital workovers, non-operated properties and science $280 – $320  
    Infrastructure, environmental and midstream(2) $340 – $390 (from $390 – $440)  
    2025 Total capital expenditures $3,400 – $3,800 (from $3,800 – $4,200)  
    Q2 2025 Capital expenditures $800 – $900  
         
    Gross horizontal wells drilled (net) 385 – 435 (349 – 395) (from 446 – 471 (406 – 428))  
    Gross horizontal wells completed (net) 475 – 550 (444 – 514) (from 557 – 592 (526 – 560))  
    Average lateral length (Ft.) ~11,500′  
    FY 2025 Midland Basin well costs per lateral foot $550 – $590 (from $555 – $605)  
    FY 2025 Delaware Basin well costs per lateral foot $860 – $910  
    Midland Basin completed net lateral feet (%) ~95%  
    Delaware Basin completed net lateral feet (%) ~5%  
    (1) Includes approximately $170 million of cash taxes related to the Viper dropdown transaction.
    (2) Includes approximately $60 million in estimated midstream capital expenditures for the full year 2025.
       


    CONFERENCE CALL

    Diamondback will host a conference call and webcast for investors and analysts to discuss its results for the first quarter of 2025 on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. CT. Access to the webcast, and replay which will be available following the call, may be found here. The live webcast of the earnings conference call will also be available via Diamondback’s website at www.diamondbackenergy.com under the “Investor Relations” section of the site.

    About Diamondback Energy, Inc.

    Diamondback is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Midland, Texas focused on the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves primarily in the Permian Basin in West Texas. For more information, please visit www.diamondbackenergy.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, which involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding Diamondback’s: future performance; business strategy; future operations (including drilling plans and capital plans); estimates and projections of revenues, losses, costs, expenses, returns, cash flow, and financial position; reserve estimates and its ability to replace or increase reserves; anticipated benefits or other effects of strategic transactions (including the recently completed Endeavor merger, the recently completed Double Eagle acquisition and other acquisitions or divestitures); and plans and objectives of management (including plans for future cash flow from operations and for executing environmental strategies) are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “model,” “outlook,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions (including the negative of such terms) as they relate to Diamondback are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Although Diamondback believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, they involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, in many cases, beyond Diamondback’s control. Accordingly, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and Diamondback’s actual outcomes could differ materially from what Diamondback has expressed in its forward-looking statements.

    Factors that could cause the outcomes to differ materially include (but are not limited to) the following: changes in supply and demand levels for oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids, and the resulting impact on the price for those commodities; the impact of public health crises, including epidemic or pandemic diseases and any related company or government policies or actions; changes in U.S. energy, environmental, monetary and trade policies, including with respect to tariffs or other trade barriers, and any resulting trade tensions; actions taken by the members of OPEC and Russia affecting the production and pricing of oil, as well as other domestic and global political, economic, or diplomatic developments, including any impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war on the global energy markets and geopolitical stability; instability in the financial markets; inflationary pressures; higher interest rates and their impact on the cost of capital; regional supply and demand factors, including delays, curtailment delays or interruptions of production, or governmental orders, rules or regulations that impose production limits; federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing, including the effect of existing and future laws and governmental regulations; physical and transition risks relating to climate change; those risks described in Item 1A of Diamondback’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2025, and those risks disclosed in its subsequent filings on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, which can be obtained free of charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and Diamondback’s website at www.diamondbackenergy.com/investors.

    In light of these factors, the events anticipated by Diamondback’s forward-looking statements may not occur at the time anticipated or at all. Moreover, Diamondback operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment and new risks emerge from time to time. Diamondback cannot predict all risks, nor can it assess the impact of all factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by any forward-looking statements it may make. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this letter or, if earlier, as of the date they were made. Diamondback does not intend to, and disclaims any obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements unless required by applicable law.

     
    Diamondback Energy, Inc.
    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (unaudited, in millions, except share amounts)
           
      March 31,   December 31,
       2025    2024
    Assets      
    Current assets:      
    Cash and cash equivalents ($560 million and $27 million related to Viper)         $         1,816     $         161  
    Restricted cash                   225               3  
    Accounts receivable:      
    Joint interest and other, net                   257               198  
    Oil and natural gas sales, net ($146 million and $149 million related to Viper)                    1,334               1,387  
    Inventories                   117               116  
    Derivative instruments                   267               168  
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets                   67               77  
    Total current assets                   4,083               2,110  
    Property and equipment:      
    Oil and natural gas properties, full cost method of accounting ($22,019 million and $22,666 million excluded from amortization at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively) ($6,097 million and $5,713 million related to Viper and $2,279 million and $2,180 million excluded from amortization related to Viper)                   83,727               82,240  
    Other property, equipment and land                   1,452               1,440  
    Accumulated depletion, depreciation, amortization and impairment ($1,148 million and $1,081 million related to Viper)                   (20,283 )             (19,208 )
    Property and equipment, net                   64,896               64,472  
    Funds held in escrow                   208               1  
    Equity method investments                   383               375  
    Derivative instruments                   61               2  
    Deferred income taxes, net ($249 million and $185 million related to Viper)                   235               173  
    Other assets                   200               159  
    Total assets         $         70,066     $         67,292  
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity      
    Current liabilities:      
    Accounts payable – trade         $         124     $         253  
    Accrued capital expenditures                   754               690  
    Current maturities of debt                   914               900  
    Other accrued liabilities                   761               1,020  
    Revenues and royalties payable                   1,575               1,491  
    Derivative instruments                   75               43  
    Income taxes payable                   550               414  
    Total current liabilities                   4,753               4,811  
    Long-term debt ($822 million and $1,083 million related to Viper)                   12,996               12,075  
    Derivative instruments                   93               106  
    Asset retirement obligations                   586               573  
    Deferred income taxes                   9,887               9,826  
    Other long-term liabilities                   8               39  
    Total liabilities                   28,323               27,430  
    Stockholders’ equity:      
    Common stock, $0.01 par value; 800,000,000 shares authorized; 287,287,926 and 290,984,373 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively                   3               3  
    Additional paid-in capital                   33,125               33,501  
    Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)                   5,352               4,238  
    Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)                   (7 )             (6 )
    Total Diamondback Energy, Inc. stockholders’ equity                   38,473               37,736  
    Non-controlling interest                   3,270               2,126  
    Total equity                   41,743               39,862  
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity         $         70,066     $         67,292  
     
    Diamondback Energy, Inc.
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
    (unaudited, $ in millions except per share data, shares in thousands)
           
      Three Months Ended March 31,
        2025       2024  
    Revenues:      
    Oil, natural gas and natural gas liquid sales         $         3,657     $         2,101  
    Sales of purchased oil                   374               116  
    Other operating income                   17               10  
    Total revenues                   4,048               2,227  
    Costs and expenses:      
    Lease operating expenses                   408               255  
    Production and ad valorem taxes                   228               119  
    Gathering, processing and transportation                   111               77  
    Purchased oil expense                   382               117  
    Depreciation, depletion, amortization and accretion                   1,097               469  
    General and administrative expenses                   73               46  
    Merger and integration expense                   37               12  
    Other operating expenses                   39               14  
    Total costs and expenses                   2,375               1,109  
    Income (loss) from operations                   1,673               1,118  
    Other income (expense):      
    Interest expense, net                   (40 )             (39 )
    Other income (expense), net                   27               (3 )
    Gain (loss) on derivative instruments, net                   226               (48 )
    Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt                   —               2  
    Income (loss) from equity investments, net                   8               2  
    Total other income (expense), net                   221               (86 )
    Income (loss) before income taxes                   1,894               1,032  
    Provision for (benefit from) income taxes                   403               223  
    Net income (loss)                    1,491               809  
    Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest                   86               41  
    Net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc.         $         1,405     $         768  
           
    Earnings (loss) per common share:      
    Basic         $         4.83     $         4.28  
    Diluted         $         4.83     $         4.28  
    Weighted average common shares outstanding:      
    Basic           289,612       178,477  
    Diluted           289,612       178,477  
     
    Diamondback Energy, Inc.
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (unaudited, in millions)
           
      Three Months Ended March 31,
        2025       2024  
    Cash flows from operating activities:      
    Net income (loss)          $         1,491     $         809  
    Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:      
    Provision for (benefit from) deferred income taxes                   6               52  
    Depreciation, depletion, amortization and accretion                   1,097               469  
    (Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt                   —               (2 )
    (Gain) loss on derivative instruments, net                   (226 )             48  
    Cash received (paid) on settlement of derivative instruments                   85               (4 )
    (Income) loss from equity investment, net                   (8 )             (2 )
    Equity-based compensation expense                   18               14  
    Other                   24               16  
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:              
    Accounts receivable                   (6 )             (95 )
    Income tax receivable                   3               12  
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets                   6               89  
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities                   (374 )             (110 )
    Income taxes payable                   135               70  
    Revenues and royalties payable                   84               (35 )
    Other                   20               3  
    Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities                   2,355               1,334  
    Cash flows from investing activities:      
    Additions to oil and natural gas properties                   (942 )             (609 )
    Property acquisitions                   (750 )             (153 )
    Proceeds from sale of assets                   41               12  
    Other                   (2 )             (1 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities                   (1,653 )             (751 )
    Cash flows from financing activities:      
    Proceeds from borrowings under credit facilities                   2,277               90  
    Repayments under credit facilities                   (2,538 )             (80 )
    Proceeds from senior notes                   1,200               —  
    Repayment of senior notes                   —               (25 )
    Repurchased shares under buyback program                   (575 )             (42 )
    Proceeds from partial sale of investment in Viper Energy, Inc.                   —               451  
    Net proceeds from Viper’s issuance of common stock                   1,232               —  
    Dividends paid to stockholders                   (290 )             (548 )
    Dividends/distributions to non-controlling interest                   (95 )             (44 )
    Other                   (36 )             (71 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities                   1,175               (269 )
    Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents                   1,877               314  
    Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period                   164               585  
    Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period         $         2,041     $         899  
     
    Diamondback Energy, Inc.
    Selected Operating Data
    (unaudited)
               
      Three Months Ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    Production Data:          
    Oil (MBbls)                   42,835               43,785               24,874  
    Natural gas (MMcf)                   100,578               107,249               50,602  
    Natural gas liquids (MBbls)                   16,961               19,615               8,653  
    Combined volumes (MBOE)(1)                   76,559               81,275               41,961  
               
    Daily oil volumes (BO/d)                   475,944               475,924               273,341  
    Daily combined volumes (BOE/d)                   850,656               883,424               461,110  
               
    Average Prices:          
    Oil ($ per Bbl)         $         70.95     $         69.48     $         75.06  
    Natural gas ($ per Mcf)         $         2.11     $         0.48     $         0.99  
    Natural gas liquids ($ per Bbl)         $         23.94     $         19.27     $         21.26  
    Combined ($ per BOE)         $         47.77     $         42.71     $         50.07  
               
    Oil, hedged ($ per Bbl)(2)          $         70.06     $         68.72     $         74.13  
    Natural gas, hedged ($ per Mcf)(2)         $         3.34     $         0.82     $         1.36  
    Natural gas liquids, hedged ($ per Bbl)(2)         $         23.94     $         19.27     $         21.26  
    Average price, hedged ($ per BOE)(2)          $         48.89     $         42.76     $         49.97  
               
    Average Costs per BOE:          
    Lease operating expenses         $         5.33     $         5.67     $         6.08  
    Production and ad valorem taxes                   2.98               2.77               2.84  
    Gathering, processing and transportation expense                   1.45               1.17               1.84  
    General and administrative – cash component                   0.72               0.69               0.76  
    Total operating expense – cash         $         10.48     $         10.30     $         11.52  
               
    General and administrative – non-cash component         $         0.24     $         0.20     $         0.34  
    Depreciation, depletion, amortization and accretion         $         14.33     $         14.22     $         11.18  
    Interest expense, net         $         0.52     $         0.42     $         0.93  
    (1) Bbl equivalents are calculated using a conversion rate of six Mcf per one Bbl.
    (2) Hedged prices reflect the effect of our commodity derivative transactions on our average sales prices and include gains and losses on cash settlements for matured commodity derivatives, which we do not designate for hedge accounting. Hedged prices exclude gains or losses resulting from the early settlement of commodity derivative contracts.
       


    NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

    ADJUSTED EBITDA

    Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure that is used by management and external users of our financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies. The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc., plus net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest (“net income (loss)”) before non-cash (gain) loss on derivative instruments, net, interest expense, net, depreciation, depletion, amortization and accretion, depreciation and interest expense related to equity method investments, (gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, if any, non-cash equity-based compensation expense, capitalized equity-based compensation expense, merger and integration expenses, other non-cash transactions and provision for (benefit from) income taxes, if any. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of net income as determined by United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful because the measure allows it to more effectively evaluate the Company’s operating performance and compare the results of its operations from period to period without regard to its financing methods or capital structure. The Company adds the items listed above to net income (loss) to determine Adjusted EBITDA because these amounts can vary substantially from company to company within its industry depending upon accounting methods and book values of assets, capital structures and the method by which the assets were acquired. Further, the Company excludes the effects of significant transactions that may affect earnings but are unpredictable in nature, timing and amount, although they may recur in different reporting periods. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income as determined in accordance with GAAP or as an indicator of the Company’s operating performance or liquidity. Certain items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing a company’s financial performance, such as a company’s cost of capital and tax structure, as well as the historic costs of depreciable assets. The Company’s computation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies or to such measure in our credit facility or any of our other contracts.

    The following tables present a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc. to the non-GAAP financial measure of Adjusted EBITDA:

    Diamondback Energy, Inc.
    Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA
    (unaudited, in millions)
               
      Three Months Ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024   March 31, 2024
    Net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc.         $         1,405     $         1,074     $         768  
    Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest                   86               216               41  
    Net income (loss)                   1,491               1,290               809  
    Non-cash (gain) loss on derivative instruments, net                   (141 )             (51 )             44  
    Interest expense, net                   40               34               39  
    Depreciation, depletion, amortization and accretion                   1,097               1,156               469  
    Depreciation and interest expense related to equity method investments                   21               30               23  
    (Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt                   —               —               (2 )
    Non-cash equity-based compensation expense                   23               24               21  
    Capitalized equity-based compensation expense                   (5 )             (8 )             (7 )
    Merger and integration expenses                   37               30               12  
    Other non-cash transactions                   (19 )             2               2  
    Provision for (benefit from) income taxes                   403               115               223  
    Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA                   2,947               2,622               1,633  
    Less: Adjustment for non-controlling interest                   146               118               86  
    Adjusted EBITDA attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc.         $         2,801     $         2,504     $         1,547  
     


    ADJUSTED NET INCOME

    Adjusted net income is a non-GAAP financial measure equal to net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc. plus net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest (“net income (loss)”) adjusted for non-cash (gain) loss on derivative instruments, net, (gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, if any, merger and integration expense, other non-cash transactions and related income tax adjustments, if any. The Company’s computation of adjusted net income may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies or to such measure in our credit facility or any of our other contracts. Management believes adjusted net income helps investors in the oil and natural gas industry to measure and compare the Company’s performance to other oil and natural gas companies by excluding from the calculation items that can vary significantly from company to company depending upon accounting methods, the book value of assets and other non-operational factors. Further, in order to allow investors to compare the Company’s performance across periods, the Company excludes the effects of significant transactions that may affect earnings but are unpredictable in nature, timing and amount, although they may recur in different reporting periods.

    The following table presents a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc. to the non-GAAP measure of adjusted net income:

    Diamondback Energy, Inc.
    Adjusted Net Income
    (unaudited, $ in millions except per share data, shares in thousands)
       
      Three Months Ended March 31, 2025
      Amounts   Amounts Per Diluted Share
    Net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc.(1)         $         1,405     $         4.83  
    Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest                   86               0.30  
    Net income (loss)(1)                    1,491               5.13  
    Non-cash (gain) loss on derivative instruments, net                   (141 )             (0.49 )
    Merger and integration expense                   37               0.13  
    Other non-cash transactions                   (19 )             (0.07 )
    Adjusted net income excluding above items(1)                   1,368               4.70  
    Income tax adjustment for above items                   26               0.09  
    Adjusted net income(1)                   1,394               4.79  
    Less: Adjusted net income attributable to non-controlling interest                   74               0.25  
    Adjusted net income attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc.(1)         $         1,320     $         4.54  
           
    Weighted average common shares outstanding:      
    Basic                     289,612  
    Diluted                     289,612  
    (1) The Company’s earnings (loss) per diluted share amount has been computed using the two-class method in accordance with GAAP. The two-class method is an earnings allocation which reflects the respective ownership among holders of common stock and participating securities. Diluted earnings per share using the two-class method is calculated as (i) net income attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc, (ii) less the reallocation of $6 million in earnings attributable to participating securities, (iii) divided by diluted weighted average common shares outstanding for the respective periods.
       


    OPERATING CASH FLOW BEFORE WORKING CAPITAL CHANGES AND FREE CASH FLOW

    Operating cash flow before working capital changes, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, represents net cash provided by operating activities as determined under GAAP without regard to changes in operating assets and liabilities. The Company believes operating cash flow before working capital changes is a useful measure of an oil and natural gas company’s ability to generate cash used to fund exploration, development and acquisition activities and service debt or pay dividends. The Company also uses this measure because changes in operating assets and liabilities relate to the timing of cash receipts and disbursements that the Company may not control and may not relate to the period in which the operating activities occurred. This allows the Company to compare its operating performance with that of other companies without regard to financing methods and capital structure.

    Free Cash Flow, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, is cash flow from operating activities before changes in working capital in excess of cash capital expenditures. The Company believes that Free Cash Flow is useful to investors as it provides measures to compare both cash flow from operating activities and additions to oil and natural gas properties across periods on a consistent basis as adjusted for non-recurring tax impacts from divestitures, merger and integration expenses, the early termination of derivative contracts and settlements of treasury locks. These measures should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net cash provided by operating activities as an indicator of operating performance. The Company’s computation of Free Cash Flow may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. The Company uses Free Cash Flow to reduce debt, as well as return capital to stockholders as determined by the Board of Directors.

    The following tables present a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of net cash provided by operating activities to the non-GAAP measure of operating cash flow before working capital changes and to the non-GAAP measure of Free Cash Flow:

    Diamondback Energy, Inc.
    Operating Cash Flow Before Working Capital Changes and Free Cash Flow
    (unaudited, in millions)
     
      Three Months Ended
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024
    Net cash provided by operating activities         $         2,355     $         2,341  
    Less: Changes in cash due to changes in operating assets and liabilities:      
    Accounts receivable                   (6 )             (103 )
    Income tax receivable                   3               (3 )
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets                   6               (24 )
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities                   (374 )             114  
    Income taxes payable                   135               138  
    Revenues and royalties payable                   84               59  
    Other                   20               (100 )
    Total working capital changes                   (132 )             81  
    Operating cash flow before working capital changes                   2,487               2,260  
    Additions to oil and natural gas properties                   (942 )             (933 )
    Total Cash CAPEX                   (942 )             (933 )
    Free Cash Flow                   1,545               1,327  
    Merger and integration expenses                   37               30  
    Treasury locks                   1               —  
    Adjusted Free Cash Flow         $         1,583     $         1,357  
     


    NET DEBT

    The Company defines the non-GAAP measure of net debt as total debt (excluding debt issuance costs, discounts, premiums and unamortized basis adjustments) less cash and cash equivalents. Net debt should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, total debt, the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Management uses net debt to determine the Company’s outstanding debt obligations that would not be readily satisfied by its cash and cash equivalents on hand. The Company believes this metric is useful to analysts and investors in determining the Company’s leverage position because the Company has the ability to, and may decide to, use a portion of its cash and cash equivalents to reduce debt.

    Diamondback Energy, Inc.
    Net Debt
    (unaudited, in millions)
                           
      March 31, 2025   Net Q1 Principal Borrowings/(Repayments)   December 31, 2024   September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   March 31, 2024
      (in millions)
    Diamondback Energy, Inc.(1)         $         13,269     $         1,200     $         12,069     $         12,284     $         11,169     $         5,669  
    Viper Energy, Inc.(1)                   830               (261 )             1,091               830               1,007               1,103  
    Total debt                   14,099     $         939               13,160               13,114               12,176               6,772  
    Cash and cash equivalents                   (1,816 )                 (161 )             (370 )             (6,908 )             (896 )
    Net debt         $         12,283         $         12,999     $         12,744     $         5,268     $         5,876  
    (1) Excludes debt issuance costs, discounts, premiums and unamortized basis adjustments.
       


    DERIVATIVES

    As of May 2, 2025, the Company had the following outstanding consolidated derivative contracts, including derivative contracts at Viper Energy, Inc. The Company’s derivative contracts are based upon reported settlement prices on commodity exchanges, with crude oil derivative settlements based on New York Mercantile Exchange West Texas Intermediate pricing and Crude Oil Brent pricing and with natural gas derivative settlements based on the New York Mercantile Exchange Henry Hub pricing. When aggregating multiple contracts, the weighted average contract price is disclosed.

      Crude Oil (Bbls/day, $/Bbl)
      Q2 2025   Q3 2025   Q4 2025   Q1 2026
    Long Puts – Crude Brent Oil   50,000       36,000       21,000       4,000  
    Long Put Price ($/Bbl)   $58.30       $56.39       $55.00       $55.00  
    Deferred Premium ($/Bbl)   $-1.50       $-1.50       $-1.47       $-1.45  
    Long Puts – WTI (Magellan East Houston)   96,000       102,000       65,000       15,000  
    Long Put Price ($/Bbl)   $55.10       $54.75       $54.62       $55.00  
    Deferred Premium ($/Bbl)   $-1.59       $-1.61       $-1.63       $-1.66  
    Long Puts – WTI (Cushing)   152,000       146,000       86,000       25,000  
    Long Put Price ($/Bbl)   $55.53       $54.40       $53.98       $55.00  
    Deferred Premium ($/Bbl)   $-1.59       $-1.55       $-1.55       $-1.32  
    Basis Swaps – WTI (Midland)   71,000       76,000       76,000       —  
      $1.05       $1.05       $1.05       —  
    Roll Swaps – WTI   25,000       25,000       25,000       —  
      $0.93       $0.93       $0.93       —  
      Natural Gas (Mmbtu/day, $/Mmbtu)
      Q2 2025   Q3 2025   Q4 2025   FY 2026 FY 2027
    Costless Collars – Henry Hub   690,000       690,000       690,000       620,000     40,000  
    Floor Price ($/Mmbtu)   $2.49       $2.49       $2.49       $2.77     $3.00  
    Ceiling Price ($/Mmbtu)   $5.28       $5.28       $5.28       $6.33     $6.65  
    Natural Gas Basis Swaps – Waha Hub   610,000       610,000       610,000       460,000     240,000  
      $-0.88       $-0.88       $-0.88       $-1.62     $-1.48  
    Natural Gas Basis Swaps – Houston Ship Channel   13,407       20,000       20,000       40,000     —  
      $-0.49       $-0.49       $-0.49       $-0.37     —  

    Investor Contact:
    Adam Lawlis
    +1 432.221.7467
    alawlis@diamondbackenergy.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor has the chance to do something big in its second term. What policy reforms should it take on?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University

    Dan Breckwoldt/Shutterstock

    Labor’s historic election victory means the Albanese government has a rare opportunity to pursue a big, bold reform agenda. The scale of the victory all but guarantees a third term in office after the next election in 2028, and entrenches Anthony Albanese’s authority as prime minister.

    The government may opt to play it safe and limit its legislative agenda to the policies it took to the election. But if it was to chance its arm, which substantial changes should it pursue that could make a real difference to Australia’s long-term future?

    We asked three experts to nominate the top policy priorities for a second Albanese government. Here are their responses.

    Yee-Fui Ng

    Associate Professor of Law, Monash University

    Advancing Voice and Truth with Indigenous Australians should be a priority. This would build on the comprehensive rejection of the politics of division by the Australian people.

    After the defeat of the Voice referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition, the Coalition reignited the culture wars by criticising “woke” schools and Peter Dutton’s attack on Indigenous welcome to country at Anzac Day ceremonies.

    But that negative message did not resonate with modern multicultural Australia, with its diverse population and identities. Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong’s victory speeches on Saturday night emphasised a kinder and more inclusive politics, where all Australians are recognised and no one is left behind.

    The Labor government now has a strong mandate to take more significant action on Indigenous issues. Aboriginal people experience higher rates of incarceration, and significant disparities in health, education and employment compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Reform measures could be introduced through legislation, rather than by trying to change the constitution.

    Closing the gap and revisiting Voice and Truth should be a priority for the second Albanese government.
    ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock

    Another pressing reform is bolder action on climate change. There is a growing urgency to tackle the effects of global warming, with an increase in environmental degradation and natural disasters globally.

    Peter Dutton’s proposal to build seven nuclear reactors on Australian soil was comprehensively repudiated at the election.

    European countries have harnessed the potential of regenerative energies, with the proliferation of wind farms and electric cars. Australia needs to lift its game and be on the same path towards a more sustainable future.

    We are custodians of the Earth for future generations. It is incumbent on the Labor government to put forward a stronger agenda for a cleaner, more liveable planet.

    Helen Hodgson

    Professor at Curtin Law School and Curtin Business School, Curtin University

    Second terms are often regarded as the best time strategically for governments to legislate difficult, but necessary reforms. It will be no different for the re-elected Albanese government, which will command a large majority in the new parliament.

    Genuine tax reform should be a priority for Labor over the next three years, starting with a reduction in the 50% capital gains tax (CGT) discount and taxing superannuation withdrawals on high balance accounts.

    While many people consider negative gearing to be the main concern in relation to investment in housing, reforming the CGT discount would be a more effective way to address increases in housing prices.

    Negative gearing is only effective as a wealth-building strategy if there is a payoff at the end through the concessional taxation on the capital gain. Reducing the CGT discount would limit the appeal of negative gearing.

    It would also flow through to other forms of investment that might not be delivering productivity gains, including some investments within family trusts.

    Reforming CGT would revisit a contentious Labor policy that was roundly rejected at the 2019 election. But the housing crisis has deepened since then and many voters would now see an overhaul as necessary and timely.

    The second recommendation I would make would be to address the inequalities that arise from tax exempt superannuation. Prior to 2007, withdrawals from super funds were taxed concessionally, but were not fully exempt.

    In the retirement phase, members are required to withdraw a minimum amount from their superannuation accounts. But these days they do it totally tax-free.

    The government should consider taxing these withdrawals, subject to a tax credit that reflects the tax paid by the fund prior to retirement phase. It would also be subject to the existing Seniors and Pensioners Tax Offset, which can reduce the amount of tax paid.

    The rates of these credits could be tweaked to ensure that only those in the wealthiest 20% are affected. This would level the playing field so the tax payable by most retirees with modest superannuation balances would fall within these two concessions.

    These two reforms would help reduce wealth inequality in Australia and raise funds for social spending, including increases in the JobSeeker payment.

    Intifar Chowdhury

    Lecturer in Government, Flinders University

    Despite being one of the most pressing concerns for young Australians, mental health did not get much airtime during the election campaign.

    This is striking given the evidence. According to the 2024 Australian Youth Barometer, 98% of young people aged 18–24 report feelings of anxiety or depression, and nearly 40% experience a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year. These aren’t fringe numbers, they are endemic.

    Labor has pledged $1 billion to expand access to free public mental health care, with a welcome focus on young people. But funding more services is only part of the solution.

    Experts argue that simply increasing the number of people given access to treatment and support won’t go far enough if those people only receive short term or fragmented care. A more meaningful step would be to double the number of free sessions available to people suffering complex mental health needs. Good care takes time, trust and continuity.

    More fundamentally, the current policy focus remains too clinical. By contrast, the most effective models for youth care are more holistic. Many young people grappling with mental illness are also dealing with unstable housing, drug use, educational disruption, or loneliness.

    Psychosocial supports such as social workers, peer mentors and housing liaisons, are essential to wraparound care. Yet, they remain underfunded.

    The new Medicare Mental Health Centres and Youth Specialist Care Centres, which were promised by Labor during the campaign, should not just offer more of the same. Policymakers must rethink the model entirely: multidisciplinary, community-driven, culturally safe, and youth-informed.

    They must also address why young men, who make up a majority of suicide deaths, are the least likely to seek help.

    Mental health policy should be local, flexible, and expansive. Right now, it still feels centralised, cautious, and underdone.

    Improving the mental health and wellbeing of all Australians, especially young people, would be a valuable way of ensuring the government doesn’t squander the time and space its been given by voters to do something truly valuable and reformative.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Labor has the chance to do something big in its second term. What policy reforms should it take on? – https://theconversation.com/labor-has-the-chance-to-do-something-big-in-its-second-term-what-policy-reforms-should-it-take-on-255849

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Members Markey, Velázquez Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Make Small Business Innovation Programs Permanent Ahead of September Expiration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Bill Text (PDF) | One-Pager 

    Washington (May 1, 2025) – Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today introduced the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025, which would make permanent and expand the Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program (SBIR/STTR). House Committee on Small Business Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) is introducing companion legislation in the House.

    For over 40 years, the SBIR and STTR programs have delivered more than $70 billion in research and development (R&D) funding to over 30,000 small businesses nationwide, ushering in technological breakthroughs that have benefited everyday Americans across the country and strengthened our national security. The SBIR and STTR programs are set to expire on September 30, 2025, if they are not reauthorized by Congress.

    “Thanks in part to the SBIR/STTR programs, America has experienced a ‘golden age of innovation’ over the last forty years. And now, as Trump’s reckless tariffs threaten to decimate our most effective innovators–our small businesses–and the Administration slashes research dollars to institutions, it is even more urgent that we make the SBIR and STTR programs permanent,” said Ranking Member Markey. “These programs work because they prioritize merit and promote competition, and I am committed to ensuring that they retain their initial intent of fostering innovation in truly small businesses. I thank Ranking Member Velázquez for her partnership in promoting innovation through small businesses and providing certainty for these programs for decades to come.”

    “For over 40 years, SBIR and STTR have helped America’s small businesses lead the way in cutting-edge research and innovation,” said Ranking Member Velázquez. “At a time when the Trump administration is working to dismantle vital public programs, it is more important than ever to protect what works. This bill gives these programs the long-term support they need by providing stable funding, expanding access, and strengthening safeguards against foreign threats. I am proud to work with Ranking Member Markey to secure the future of these programs.”

    Specifically, the SBIR and STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025 would:

    • Make permanent the SBIR and STTR programs. Permanently authorizing the SBIR and STTR programs would give both small businesses and government agencies the stability needed to continue their collaboration to spur innovation.
    • Maintain competitiveness of SBIR and STTR programs. The legislation maintains the program’s 40-year long practice of facilitating merit-based competition to determine which innovative small businesses receive awards. This legislation would place no caps or limits on small businesses or the number of awards they can receive to ensure unbridled innovation for America.
    • Increase research funding for small businesses and partnering research institutions. Agencies, over the course of 7 years, would be required to allocate at least 7 percent of their extramural R&D budgets to SBIR and 1 percent to STTR—up from 3.2 percent and 0.45 percent, respectively. 
    • Strengthen commercialization efforts. Agencies often fail to identify SBIR/STTR-funded technologies that demonstrate a solution to their needs, fueling a belief that many technologies simply do not showcase commercialization potential. Requiring agencies to designate a Technology Commercialization Official and undergo acquisition training would result in a greater number of SBIR/STTR technologies being commercialized by the federal government. 
    • Maintain bipartisan foreign due diligence efforts. The legislation extends the bipartisan due diligence program until 2030.   
    • Dismantle barriers to broaden participation. The time and resources required to develop an SBIR/STTR proposal can be a significant barrier to entry for many small businesses, particularly those who have limited resources. By reauthorizing the Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST) Program and allowing agencies to use a portion of their SBIR/STTR funding to assist businesses in developing competitive proposals, the bill would help diversify the applicant pool and bring in new participants, including those from states that have historically received fewer awards. The bill also allows agencies to use a portion of their SBIR and STTR funding to establish internship and fellowship opportunities to spur innovation with a targeted effort to reach women and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. 

    Massachusetts has the highest per-capita award rate of any state and is the second largest recipient of SBIR/STTR awards in the country, receiving more than 24,000 SBIR awards totaling $8.3 billion, and 2,000 STTR awards totaling over $720 million.

    “The Small Business Technology Council (SBTC) is pleased to offer its endorsement to the bicameral SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025. The SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025 will build on the successes of the programs, while maintaining what has made them successful in the first place. We particularly appreciate the SBIR/STTR programs being made permanent, a long-overdue step for programs that have proven their worth for over 40 years in the case of SBIR. Small businesses thrive on certainty and making these programs permanent sends a powerful message to small businesses that the government will continue to be a reliable partner and customer for them. SBTC also supports increasing the SBIR and STTR allocations, for the first time since 2011. These programs continue to provide an enormous return on the taxpayer investment, and deserve to a larger investment of Federal R&D expenditures,” said Jere Glover, Executive Director of Small Business Technology Council.

    “The New England Innovation Alliance, a coalition of small, disruptive innovation businesses located in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, strongly supports The SBIR and STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025 introduced by Senator Edward Markey, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Representative Nydia Velázquez, Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee,” said the New England Innovation Alliance. “The SBIR and STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025 would maintain the competitive, merit-based fundamentals of the programs to ensure the best technology is developed to keep America as the world leader. The measure appropriately recognizes that there should be no arbitrary award caps, submission limits, or forced graduation from programs.”

    “Startups in medical technology face a daunting timeline of development, FDA clearance, and coverage determination. The CMS process alone can take more than five years. As a result, the industry has seen private investment move to other sectors with quicker returns. SBIR grants fill a critical gap in early-stage capital for healthcare innovation, a key growth driver for the Commonwealth. MassMEDIC deeply appreciates Sen. Markey’s leadership, collaboration, and commitment to building upon the success of the SBIR program and enthusiastically endorses his SBIR and STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025,” said Brian Johnson, President of MassMEDIC.

    “VentureWell supports the strategic emphasis on entrepreneurial support in the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025, particularly the expansion of the I-Corps program. By recognizing that SBIR and STTR funding is essential—but not alone sufficient—for bridging the ‘valley of death’ between research and commercialization, this legislation rightly positions the federal government as a proactive partner in cultivating top-tier innovators and ensuring their work produces the maximum return on America’s investment in science,” said Phil Weilerstein, President and CEO of VentureWell.

    The legislation is also endorsed by the National Small Business Association (NSBA).

    Ranking Member Markey has been a longtime champion of the SBIR and STTR programs. In 2011, during his time serving in the House of Representatives, Ranking Member Markey played an integral role in SBIR and STTR’s reauthorization efforts. This reauthorization effort was the last time the program’s budget was increased significantly. Ranking Member Markey also introduced a reauthorization bill to improve the programs in 2019 and advocated on behalf of SBIR and STTR small businesses to the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In March 2025, Ranking Member Markey attended a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing titled, “Golden Age of American Innovation: Reforming SBIR-STTR for the 21st Century,” where his witness highlighted the success of the SBIR/STTR programs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huffman, Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan Bills to Strengthen Protections for Migratory Birds

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

    May 05, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – Today, in honor of Migratory Bird Day on May 10th, U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced two bills to strengthen conservation efforts for protected species of birds across the country. These bills – the Migratory Bird Protection Act and the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act – will give the United States the tools to build upon existing efforts to protect migratory birds and the most threatened species of seabirds.

    “As the world faces an escalating biodiversity crisis, now is a critical moment to establish strong, clear, and lasting protections for migratory bird species,” said Rep. Huffman. “By codifying the ACAP agreement, the United States can reaffirm its leadership in conservation and encourage other nations to implement robust standards to protect endangered seabirds around the globe. By formalizing the process and providing more tools, our bills will strengthen longstanding protections and help commercial and business interests comply – marking a big step forward in conservation efforts both at home and across the globe.”

    “Bucks and Montgomery Counties are home to some of the most ecologically rich bird habitats in America, supporting hundreds of diverse and migratory species,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “But many of these birds are now facing extinction-level threats. As Co-Chair the Animal Protection Caucus, I’m committed to advancing concrete, science-based solutions to protect these vulnerable species, strengthen habitat conservation, and ensure long-term ecological resilience. This bipartisan legislation is a critical step toward that mission.”

    The Migratory Bird Protection Act will safeguard and strengthen longstanding protections for millions of North America’s migratory birds by providing clarity on how the United States implements the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). This legislation directs the Department of Interior to provide regulatory certainty on “incidental take” – killing or injuring birds by otherwise legal activities – by commercial activity. The bill will help ensure the United States meets the conservation goals of the MBTA, which has formed the backbone of our nation’s migratory bird conservation efforts for over 100 years.

    The Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act will help implement the International Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) – which protects some of the world’s most endangered seabirds from international fishing threats. Every year, thousands of albatrosses and petrels die from encountering longline fishing equipment during their migration to nest and find food. Although the United States has attended and contributed to ACAP meetings regularly since the Agreement’s signing in 2001, it has not yet joined the 13 member countries that have signed as parties.

    Today’s bills will build upon existing efforts to protect migratory bird species by codifying and clarifying crucial conservation standards.

    “Together the Migratory Bird Protection Act and the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act strengthen bird conservation,” said Steve Holmer, Vice President of Policy at American Bird Conservancy. “By respectively encouraging industries to adopt best mitigation practices and advancing international collaboration these bills prevent bird mortality. Thank you to Representatives Huffman and Fitzpatrick for their steadfast leadership.”

    “The Migratory Bird Protection Act and the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act are critical steps for reversing the alarming decline in bird populations, which has seen the loss of over 3 billion birds since 1970. These bills will enhance vital protections and foster international cooperation to help ensure the survival of migratory birds and seabird species. Thank you, Representatives Huffman (D-CA) and Fitzpatrick (R-PA), for introducing these important bills that will help preserve America’s birds for current and future generations,” said Jesse Walls, Senior Director of Government Affairs at National Audubon Society.

    “Bird watching in America is more popular than ever, and yet our backyards and skies are graced with a decreasing number of our feathered friends,” said Steve Blackledge, Senior Director of Conservation Campaigns at Environment America. “We’re grateful to Representatives Jared Huffman and Brian Fitzpatrick for their bipartisan bill, which will protect long-distance flyers and make sure the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is enforced.”

    “Now more than ever, Congressional action is needed to conserve our country’s migratory birds,” said Ed Arnett, CEO of The Wildlife Society. “Thanks to the leadership of Representative Huffman, the Migratory Bird Protection Act will implement a streamlined permitting approach that provides greater certainty for project stakeholders as well as long-term benefits for migratory bird species. Given that more than three billion birds have been lost in the past half century, we encourage Congress to swiftly pass this commonsense bill.”

    “Defenders of Wildlife applauds Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) for introducing this critical bill at a time when North American birds are increasingly under threat,” said Robert Dewey, Vice President of Government Relations at Defenders of Wildlife. “Migratory birds, ranging from greater flamingos and American white pelicans to red-winged blackbirds and bald eagles, represent some of our most iconic species, but damage from industrial waste, overdevelopment and climate change has led to an estimated loss of 2.9 billion North American birds since 1970. This bill counters the ongoing and politically motivated attacks on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by ensuring that migratory birds unintentionally killed or harmed by industrialization, development and other human activities are protected under the Act. We urge all those in Congress to support what has historically been a bipartisan endeavor to protect North American birds.”

    “With three-quarters of North America’s birds in decline it’s now more important than ever to step up and provide strong protections for them. It’s crucial for the federal government to adhere to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and I encourage Congress to pass this commonsense legislation and give birds a fighting chance at survival,” said Tara Zuardo, Senior Campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity.

    “America’s bird populations are under unprecedented threat from a variety of hazards,” said Abby Tinsley, Vice President for Conservation Policy at the National Wildlife Federation. “The bipartisan Migratory Bird Protection Act would help address these challenges by clarifying protections passed more than a century ago while encouraging measures that will limit unnecessary deaths. Congress should act swiftly to pass this commonsense bill.”

    The Migratory Bird Protection Act is endorsed by Defenders of Wildlife, Audubon, Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, The Wildlife Society, The National Wildlife Federation, National Resource Defense Council, and Environment America.

    The Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act is endorsed by Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy.

    Migratory Bird Protection Act:

    • Text of the bill can be found here.
    • A one-pager of the bill can be found here.

    Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act:

    • Text of the bill can be found here.
    • A one-pager of the bill can be found here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Colleagues Demand to Know Who Killed Minority Business Development Agency, Why & Where’s the Money Going?

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined her colleagues in demanding that Keith Sonderling, the purported Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), promptly turn over key documents and information related to the dismantling of the agency and recent funding termination notices sent to all grantees by a member of Elon Musk’s DOGE, including Wisconsin’s office.
    “In one MBDA termination notice reviewed by our offices, the Department claims the grant is being terminated because it ‘is unfortunately no longer consistent with the agency’s priorities and no longer serves the interests of the United States and the MBDA Program,” wrote Baldwin and the lawmakers in a letter to Sonderling. “The termination notice further states that, ‘MBDA is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda.’ … [T]he notice is silent about why the grants are inconsistent with the MBDA’s priorities and programs—which Congress, nor the Department, set by statute. And it suggests the DOC or others in the Administration may be using funding appropriated for the MBDA for other, unrelated purposes.”
    Baldwin and the Senators questioned Sonderling about the notice terminating all MBDA grants, which was signed by Nate Cavanaugh, a member of Elon Musk’s DOGE and “Under the Authority of Keith Sonderling, Acting Undersecretary of MBDA.”
    “This raises significant questions regarding Mr. Cavanaugh’s precise role at DOC and the mechanism by which you or other members of DOC leadership delegated him authority to terminate MBDA grants on behalf of the Department,” Baldwin and the lawmakers continued. “Our offices have also obtained information indicating you may not have been aware these termination notices were being sent out by Mr. Cavanaugh under your authority, which would raise further questions about who is actually running the Department: Secretary Lutnick or Elon Musk and DOGE?”
    This letter follows Baldwin demanding  Secretary Lutnick, on March 25 and April 17, answer questions about the gutting of MBDA despite his testimony before the Commerce Committee stating he would not support doing so.
    Senator Baldwin worked with Republicans to include the Minority Business Development Act of 2021 as an amendment to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), making the MBDA permanent and increasing its funding authorization and reach. Baldwin then worked to bring a new Minority Business Development Center to Wisconsin, along with a $1.61 million grant to support its work assisting small businesses.
    The full letter is available here and below.
    Acting Under Secretary Sonderling:
    On March 25, 2025, and April 17, 2025, we sent letters to Secretary Howard Lutnick raising serious concerns about the apparent dismantling of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), despite his testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation stating he would not support doing so. In our April 17 letter, we requested specific documents and information that would help address our outstanding questions and concerns regarding the MBDA. On April 24, 2025, we received a letter from the Department of Commerce (DOC) Acting Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs purporting to respond to our April 17 letter. This response, however, contained a mere three sentences related to the MBDA and failed to answer or meaningfully address any of our requests. Given Secretary Lutnick’s apparent disregard for our concerns about the Department’s actions against the MBDA, we are now requesting you provide documents and information related to this inquiry.
    Since our most recent letter, our offices have obtained information demonstrating that DOC has canceled all MBDA grants—further dismantling an agency Congress statutorily authorized, despite Secretary Lutnick’s testimony to the contrary. In one MBDA termination notice reviewed by our offices, the Department claims the grant is being terminated because it “is unfortunately no longer consistent with the agency’s priorities and no longer serves the interests of the United States and the MBDA Program.” The termination notice further states that, “MBDA is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda.” Beyond these conclusory assertions, however, the notice is silent about why the grants are inconsistent with the MBDA’s priorities and programs—which Congress, not the Department, set by statute. And it suggests the DOC or others in the Administration may be using funding appropriated for the MBDA for other, unrelated purposes.
    Raising further concerns, the termination notice was signed by Nate Cavanaugh—who we understand to be part of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—and is signed “Under the Authority of Keith Sonderling, Acting Undersecretary of MBDA.” Mr. Cavanaugh has reportedly been interviewing employees at the General Services Administration and overseeing efforts to dismantle another agency, the U.S. Institute of Peace. The termination notice indicates that Mr. Cavanaugh now has a DOC e-mail address. This raises significant questions regarding Mr. Cavanaugh’s precise role at DOC and the mechanism by which you or other members of DOC leadership delegated him authority to terminate MDBA grants on behalf of the Department. Our offices have also obtained information indicating you may not have been aware these termination notices were being sent out by Mr. Cavanaugh under your authority, which would raise further questions about who is actually running the Department: Secretary Lutnick or Elon Musk and DOGE?
    Given the lack of responsiveness from the Department to date, we reiterate the requests raised in our April 17, 2025 letter, and request the following additional documents and information no later than May 14, 2025:
    A complete description of Mr. Cavanaugh’s position at DOC, including his title, job description, date(s) of employment, any salary, any benefits, supervisor, and direct reports. Please also identify all other federal e-mail addresses assigned to or used by Mr. Cavanaugh of which you are aware.
    Documents sufficient to show Mr. Cavanaugh’s delegated authority to execute termination notices to MBDA grantees.
    Documentation sufficient to show your appointment as Acting Under Secretary for Minority Business Development Agency and the date of such appointment.
    A complete description of your decision to delegate your authority to Mr. Cavanaugh for the purpose of terminating MBDA grants, including the extent to which Secretary Lutnick or any other senior DOC official was involved in making this decision.
    A complete description of the types of funded activities that are considered “consistent with the agency’s priorities” and “serve[] the interests of…the MBDA program.”
    A detailed explanation of how the MBDA intends to “repurpos[e] its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda,” including any specific program or activity that has received or is expected to receive repurposed funding.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: VERAXA Biotech Enters Co-discovery Alliance with OmniAb for a Novel Bispecific Antibody Drug Conjugate Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VERAXA Biotech AG (“VERAXA”), an emerging leader in designing novel cancer therapies and proposed de-SPAC acquisition target of Voyager Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: VACH, “Voyager”), announced today a co-discovery alliance with OmniAb, Inc. (NASDAQ: OABI, “OmniAb”) for the development of a novel bispecific antibody drug conjugate (“bsADC”) program targeting solid tumors. The collaboration brings together OmniAb’s suite of transgenic antibody discovery solutions with VERAXA’s proprietary antibody drug conjugate (“ADC”) linker technology and conjugation expertise to support next-generation therapeutic discovery.

    “This partnership brings together two highly complementary technologies to create a new class of bispecific ADCs,” commented Christoph Antz, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder of VERAXA. “Bispecific ADCs represent a powerful opportunity to address difficult-to-treat solid tumors, and this collaboration fits squarely within our mission to drive innovation through targeted partnerships. Strategic collaborations will continue to be a mainstay in VERAXA’s pipeline growth strategy, and today’s announcement marks the second major initiative within the past six months, following our first radiopharmaceutical alliance late last year. We look forward to advancing this discovery program alongside OmniAb and deliver novel therapeutic solutions for patients with significant unmet needs.”

    Under the terms of the agreement, VERAXA will initiate a novel bispecific antibody drug conjugate program addressing two attractive target molecules in cancer medicine. The Company will utilize OmniAb’s suite of transgenic antibody discovery solutions to source high-quality human antibody leads, which are naturally optimized through in vivo affinity maturation. VERAXA will subsequently establish the bsADC lead candidate by applying its proprietary linker technology and conjugation routine and will be responsible for preclinical validation. The resulting bsADC program will be jointly owned by both parties. Both parties will share any future revenues resulting from the program’s continued development, licensing and commercialization.

    About VERAXA Biotech

    At VERAXA, we are building a premier engine for the discovery and development of next-generation antibody-based therapeutics, including bispecific ADCs, bispecific T cell engagers and other innovative formats. Powered by a suite of transformative technologies and guided by rigorous quality-by-design principles, we are rapidly advancing our pipeline of ADCs and proprietary BiTAC formats into clinical development and beyond. VERAXA was founded on scientific breakthroughs made at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, a world-renowned institution known for pioneering life science research and cutting-edge technologies. For more information, please visit www.veraxa.com.

    On April 22, 2025, VERAXA entered into a definitive business combination agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) with Voyager Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company and special purpose acquisition company targeting the healthcare sector (NASDAQ: VACH, “Voyager”). Upon closing of the Business Combination Agreement, VERAXA is expected to become a publicly traded company listed on NASDAQ.

    About Voyager Acquisition Corp.

    Voyager is a special purpose acquisition company with a bold mission: to revolutionize the healthcare sector through a merger, stock purchase, or business combination. Our team of experienced executives includes unparalleled expertise in investing, operations, and medical innovation, supported by a vast network of connections. With these strengths, we not only seek to drive success but commit to scaling companies to unprecedented heights in the healthcare industry. For more information, please visit https://www.voyageracq.com.

    Participants In the Solicitation

    Voyager, VERAXA, and their respective directors, executive officers, other members of management and employees may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from Voyager’s stockholders with respect to the Business Combination. Investors and security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names and interests in the Business Combination of Voyager’s directors and officers in Voyager’s filings with the SEC, including, when filed with the SEC, the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus, amendments and supplements thereto, and other documents filed with the SEC. Such information with respect to VERAXA’s directors and executive officers will also be included in the proxy statement/prospectus. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described below under the heading “Additional Information and Where to Find It”.

    Non-Solicitation

    This press release is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the potential transaction and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of Voyager or VERAXA, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release includes certain statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about future events or Voyager’s or VERAXA’s future financial or operating performance. For example, statements regarding VERAXA’s anticipated growth and the anticipated growth and other metrics, statements regarding the benefits of the Business Combination, and the anticipated timing of the completion of the Business Combination are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “project,” “strive,” “budget,” “forecast,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology.

    These forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future results of Voyager and VERAXA are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the industry in which VERAXA operates, as well as the beliefs and assumptions of Voyager’s management and VERAXA’s management. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to, without limitation, (i) known and unknown risks, including the risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in the final prospectus of Voyager relating to its initial public offering filed with the SEC, including those under “Risk Factors” therein, and other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by Voyager; (ii) uncertainties; (iii) assumptions; and (iv) other factors beyond Voyager’s or VERAXA’s control that are difficult to predict because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. They are neither statements of historical fact nor promises or guarantees of future performance. Therefore, VERAXA’s actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements and Voyager and VERAXA therefore caution against relying on any of these forward-looking statements.

    These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Voyager and its management, VERAXA and its management, as the case may be, are inherently uncertain and are inherently subject to risks, variability and contingencies, many of which are beyond Voyager’s or VERAXA’s control. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (i) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Business Combination Agreement and any subsequent definitive agreements with respect to the Business Combination; (ii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Voyager, VERAXA, or others following the announcement of the Business Combination and any definitive agreements with respect thereto; (iii) the inability to complete the Business Combination due to the failure to obtain consents and approvals of the shareholders of Voyager, to obtain financing to complete the Business Combination or to satisfy other conditions to closing, or delays in obtaining, adverse conditions contained in, or the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals required to complete the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement; (iv) changes to the proposed structure of the Business Combination that may be required or appropriate as a result of applicable laws or regulations or as a condition to obtaining regulatory approval of the Business Combination; (v) projections, estimates and forecasts of revenue and other financial and performance metrics, projections of market opportunity and expectations, and the estimated implied enterprise value of VERAXA; (vi) VERAXA’s ability to scale and grow its business, and the advantages and expected growth of VERAXA; (vii) VERAXA’s ability to source and retain talent, the cash position of VERAXA following closing of the Business Combination; (viii) the ability to meet stock exchange listing standards in connection with, and following, the consummation of the Business Combination; (ix) the risk that the Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations of VERAXA as a result of the announcement and consummation of the Business Combination; (x) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of VERAXA to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain key relationships and retain its management and key employees; (xi) costs related to the Business Combination; (xii) changes in applicable laws, regulations, political and economic developments; (xiii) the possibility that VERAXA may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors; (xiv) VERAXA’s estimates of expenses and profitability; (xv) the failure to realize estimated shareholder redemptions, purchase price and other adjustments; and (xvi) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the filings by Voyager with the SEC. There may be additional risks that neither Voyager nor VERAXA presently know or that Voyager and VERAXA currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of Voyager or VERAXA speak only as of the date they are made. None of Voyager or VERAXA undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect any changes in their respective expectations with regard thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

    Additional Information and Where to Find It

    In connection with the Business Combination Agreement, Voyager and/or VERAXA intend to file relevant materials with the SEC, including the Registration Statement, which will include a proxy statement/prospectus of Voyager, and will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC. This communication is not intended to be, and is not, a substitute for the proxy statement/prospectus or any other document that Voyager has filed or may file with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. When available, the definitive proxy statement and other relevant materials for the proposed transaction will be mailed or made available to stockholders of Voyager as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed transaction.

    Before making any voting or investment decision, investors and stockholders of Voyager are urged to carefully read, when they become available, the entire registration statement, the proxy statement/prospectus, and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to these documents, and the documents incorporated by reference therein, because they will contain important information about Voyager, VERAXA, and the proposed transaction. Voyager’s investors and stockholders and other interested persons will also be able to obtain copies of the registration statement, the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus, other documents filed with the SEC that will be incorporated by reference therein, and all other relevant documents filed with the SEC by Voyager in connection with the Transaction, without charge, once available, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to Voyager at the address set forth below.

    Contact

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Canada to host wreath-laying ceremony at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Cenotaph to mark the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands and Victory in Europe

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Toronto, ON –Veterans Affairs Canada will host a wreath-laying ceremony at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Cenotaph. Christine McDowell, Associate Deputy Minister, Veterans Affairs Canada will be joined by Veterans of the Second World War, residents of Sunnybrook, Dr. Andy Smith, CEO Sunnybrook Veterans Centre, Harman Idema, Consul-General of the Netherlands, and other dignitaries.

    There will be a photo op and interview opportunities with Veterans and other dignitaries following the ceremony.

    Location:   Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Cenotaph
                             2075 Bayview Avenue
                         Toronto, ON  M4N 1J7

    Date:           Tuesday, 6 May 2025

    Time:          10:30 EDT

    Notes for media:

    Media who wish to participate must register by 08:30 EDT on Tuesday, 6 May 2025 by contacting media@veterans.gc.ca with their name and media outlet. Media members are asked to arrive no later than 10:00 EDT.

    Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs and we will work with you to enable your participation.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Smucker Announces 2025 Congressional App Challenge

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lloyd Smucker (PA-16)

    WASHINGTON– Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11) is pleased to announce the opening of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge (CAC), a nationwide app development competition for middle and high school students.

    The CAC accepts apps written in any programming language and designed for any platform, including desktop/PC, web, mobile, raspberry Pi, and more. The competition is open to all students who meet the eligibility requirements, regardless of coding experience.

    The Challenge’s portal is now open. Students can register and submit their applications until October 30, 2025. 

    “I look forward to seeing students’ apps from across Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District. Having visited local schools in York and Lancaster County, I am certain that students will create truly innovative and creative applications. I encourage students to participate in the Congressional App Challenge to apply their classroom lessons to this unique STEM-based challenge,” said Rep. Smucker. 

    Students of all skill levels are strongly encouraged to participate. Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of local judges, and winners will be honored by their Member of Congress. Their apps are eligible to be featured on display in the U.S. Capitol building, on house.gov and on the Congressional App Challenge website.

    This is the third year that Congressman Smucker’s office will be participating in the Congressional App Challenge. The CAC was created to inspire students to pursue careers in STEM and computer science. With America’s global competitiveness increasingly tied to technological innovation, the CAC aims to foster future leaders by equipping them with valuable digital skills. 

    For further information about the Congressional App Challenge, please visit www.CongressionalAppChallenge.us

    # # # 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senior Design Project Aims for the Sky

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Once the realm of science fiction, the prospect of utilizing electric vertical take-off and lift (eVTOL) aircraft has gained much popularity, especially due to their convenience and ability to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. However, like electric vehicles, they use batteries to store and power the vehicle. The batteries needed to propel and sustain eVTOL vehicles in flight are bulky and heavy. As a result, these energy-density challenges limit the range of electrically powered aircraft and rotorcraft.

    At UConn’s College of Engineering (CoE), groups of engineering students — working in conjunction with mentors from CoE and from Sikorsky Aircraft — are embracing these challenges and creating senior design projects that might, one day, appear in eVTOL control systems.

    The capstone Senior Design Program features engineering seniors working with faculty and industry engineers to solve real-world engineering problems. Leading manufacturi

    ng companies, pharmaceutical and medical firms, consulting practices and utilities present the College with design challenges or problems they are encountering in their businesses. Working with CoE, they assign a technical representative from their company to help guide and mentor the senior engineering students as they work to properly frame the problem and develop meaningful solutions.

    According to Liang Zhang, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the students have responded enthusiastically and creatively to a variety of difficult barriers and expectations.

    “Students are required to utilize the open-source flight control software PX4, implemented from within Simulink, to add a pilot-assist mode to the flight-control software,” Zhang explains. “This flight mode, when engaged, will help the pilot maintain an optimal flight regime for energy efficiency. Students need to acquire their hardware, thoroughly test its energy usage with a payload, and analyze flight data to determine the optimal flight envelopes. Then they develop a user-enabled flight mode to assist the remote pilot in maintaining an energy-efficient flight. Finally, they need to test this flight mode and prove its effectiveness.”

    Students Neo Joseph, Kevin Loja, and James Weber.

    The project team uses a flight drone and runs various tests for each built-in flight mode, including different speeds and altitudes. For each variation, they record the time and the power consumption upon completion. Using these recorded values, they determine which of the built-in flight modes is most efficient. Once they assess what makes a flight mode efficient, they program and test a new flight mode that optimizes throttle, speed, and other settings to save power.

    These challenges, says James Weber, a senior working on the eVTOL project, are as difficult as they sound. And even in the best of circumstances, he adds, there have been obstacles they didn’t anticipate, from purchasing tools and software, learning how to fly a drone, and being continually grounded by bad weather. But each setback, he admits, including breaking a drone propeller, has been a learning opportunity, and has forced their team to find creative solutions.

    “The biggest challenges have been learning how to use and master the required software,” Weber says, “along with connecting various applications and getting virtual operating systems aligned and working properly. We’re almost done with running tests with our physical drone and will soon move to developing and simulating our new flight mode. I am enjoying the challenge, even with the stress of so much being out of our control.”

    The Senior Design team’s drone.

    Senior Kevin Loja is the project manager for this senior design assignment. Overall, he says, it has been a valuable learning experience when it comes to control systems, helicopters, drones, and aviation.

    “We learned a lot about helicopter and drone flight during the fall semester, especially since our sponsors were very insistent on establishing a good background on these subjects,” Loja says. “Currently, I would say our biggest challenge right now, as Jim points out, is the weather. Storrs is a very windy place, making it difficult to schedule days where we can safely fly our drone to gather the data we need to develop our flight mode. We’ve adjusted to each setback and keep moving forward.”

    Weber, Loja and groupmate Neo Joseph work with their faculty advisor, Shalabh Gupta, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “The students,” Gupta says, “have put great effort in overcoming various challenges associated with collecting flight data that will be used to optimize energy efficiency. This project, like many other senior design projects, has significant practical value in addition to providing valuable hands-on learning experiences for our students.”

    Weber, Loja and Joseph earned second-place in the electrical and computer engineering departmental Senior Design awards on May 2.

    The team also meets weekly with their advisors from Sikorsky to discuss progress and challenges. In addition to the testing, they are building a statistical data model. Their project, Gupta adds, is about 60 percent completed, and the final white paper will be presented in May.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Special Report: The People Will Never Forget – Chinese-Russian Friendship Passed Down from Generation to Generation

    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/Chongqing, May 5 (Xinhua) — The Yangtze River flows swiftly in Wanzhou District of Chongqing Municipality, southwest China, not far from the Three Gorges Dam. There is a quiet cemetery in the picturesque Xishan Park. Under the shade of pine and cypress trees, a white dove of peace spreads its wings on a marble tombstone, preparing to take off, while a fighter jet pierces the sky.

    The monument is engraved with an inscription in Russian and Chinese: “Here lie the ashes of the commander of the Soviet volunteer air squadron, who died heroically in the war of the Chinese people against the Japanese invaders, Grigory Akimovich Kulishenko /1903-1939/. July 7, 1958.” A bronze bust of the hero is installed in front of the tombstone.

    “When the war of resistance against the Japanese invaders was going on, Soviet Air Force Captain G. Kulishenko arrived in China to fight side by side with the Chinese people. “I am experiencing the misfortune of the Chinese workers as if I were experiencing the misfortune of my homeland,” he said with feeling. The pilot died heroically on Chinese soil. The Chinese people have not forgotten the hero, and ordinary Chinese people – mother and son – have been guarding his grave for more than half a century,” – during his visit to Russia in 2013, Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping told the story of G. Kulishenko with deep emotion, speaking at MGIMO.

    Today, tall and majestic camphor trees grow around G. Kulishenko’s tombstone, planted by Chinese cemetery guardians many years ago.

    “IT IS OUR DUTY”

    After the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression entered the phase of a conflict of attrition, Kulishenko and his colleagues led two squadrons of DB-3 heavy bombers (the pilots affectionately called them “Dasha”) to Chengdu. Liu Qun, who worked as a translator for Kulishenko at the time, wrote an article in which he recalled that this “heavenly warrior” had a simple face and a strong build, “slightly black hair, the color of the eyes like those of the Chinese, thick eyebrows and tall stature” and was somewhat similar to a Shandong resident (a resident of Shandong, one of the provinces of China – Xinhua note).

    In addition to carrying out air strikes against the Japanese army, Kulishenko also had the important task of training Chinese pilots. Liu Qun says that before each flight, he would explain to each Chinese pilot the daily flight program, the aircraft control method, etc. Before sitting in the front cockpit, he would watch the other pilots sit in the control cabin and press the brake. Kulishenko also gave detailed comments after landing and sometimes flew three or four flights in a row as an instructor to correct mistakes. “I never saw him show the slightest impatience or fear of difficulties in front of the young pilots who were learning to fly,” Liu Qun writes.

    On October 14, 1939, G. Kulishenko, leading a bomber group of the volunteer air force to aid China, raided the Japanese airfield in Hankou, causing heavy losses to the Japanese army. On the way back, he was intercepted by the enemy. The Soviet pilot received gunshot wounds to the chest and left shoulder. The enemy also hit one of the engines of his bomber. In order to protect the planes and people on the ground, G. Kulishenko refused to jump with a parachute and decided to make an emergency landing on the Yangtze in the Chenjiaba area of Wanxian County /now Wanzhou District of Chongqing – Xinhua note/. Two of his comrades swam to the shore, but the wounded Kulishenko was carried away by the current, and he died a heroic death.

    Upon learning of this, the residents of Wanxian, without any agreement, set out to search along the river and 20 days later found the pilot’s body more than 10 kilometers from the crash site. They held a memorial service and a funeral according to Chinese custom.

    In 1958, the Wanxian County People’s Government built a special cemetery for G. Kulishenko and ceremoniously reburied him. For more than 60 years, Chinese woman Tan Zhonghui took over as the grave’s caretaker, and her son Wei Yingxiang continued the work. “This is our duty, gratitude, and the conscience inherent in the Chinese people,” Wei Yingxiang said. He told reporters that his greatest wish is to ensure that the heroes buried in a foreign country are not alone, and that their heroic deeds and stories of friendship are passed down from generation to generation.

    “THE PEACE MEDAL” – “THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE AWARDS FOR ME”

    Nikolai Chuikov, the grandson of Soviet Marshal Vasily Chuikov, emotionally told journalists that he had heard many stories similar to that of Captain G. Kulishenko, and the Chinese people have always had deep feelings for the Soviet heroes buried on Chinese soil. According to him, the Soviet Union helped China fight the Japanese invaders, and China resolutely supported the USSR in the Great Patriotic War. The friendship that arose during the World Anti-Fascist War is a common heritage of both sides, our interlocutor is sure.

    Marshal Vasily Chuikov had close ties to China. He had studied Chinese, was familiar with China’s national characteristics, and visited the country four times. From late 1940 to March 1942, he served as the chief Soviet military adviser in China. The Marshal was directly involved in developing the war plan against Japan and maintained close contacts with the commanders of the Eighth Army and the New Fourth Army, which operated under the CPC.

    On the main battlefield of World War II in Asia, the Chinese people and army fought tenaciously against Japanese aggression, destroyed and tied up a large number of Japanese aggressor forces. With the sacrifice of 35 million lives, they finally won a great victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and made a great contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

    N. Chuikov, 65, heard many stories about China from his grandfather as a child. For many years, he has been devoted to promoting good relations between Russia and China and is currently the deputy chairman of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society. He has a medal that means a lot. In May 2015, during a visit to Russia, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with representatives of Russian veterans and presented them with commemorative medals. N. Chuikov was among them.

    He called the Peace Medal the most valuable award for himself, as it was presented personally by the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping. Our interlocutor said that he is proud of the medal, which inspires him to work harder.

    “The Chinese and Russian peoples have cemented a deep friendship with their blood and lives, laying a solid foundation for Chinese-Russian relations and friendship between the two peoples for generations,” Xi Jinping’s words at the meeting with veterans made a particularly deep impression on N. Chuikov. “This is also an important reason why relations between Russia and China remain at a high level,” he said.

    In September 2015, he was invited to China to attend the commemorative celebration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The grand military parade was amazing, and China impressed him with its national strength and pace of development, he said.

    Speaking at the anniversary celebration, Xi Jinping said: “Let us firmly remember the great truth of history: Justice wins! Peace wins! The people win!”

    It was unforgettable! – said N. Chuikov. – This is the voice of China, conveying to the world the need to adhere to justice, protect peace and cooperate.

    UNDERSTAND HISTORY AND PASS ON FRIENDSHIP FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

    The fallen heroes “will never be forgotten by the Russian people, the Chinese people and the peoples of the world,” wrote Chinese President Xi Jinping in an opinion piece published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta 10 years ago, on the eve of his participation in the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and his visit to the Russian Federation.

    Where they once shared a common hatred of the enemy and fought against aggression, the history of China and Russia fighting side by side touches people even in peacetime. Every Qingming Festival, Chinese people lay flowers at memorial sites in Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing, Changchun and elsewhere to show that they have not forgotten. The names of more than 200 Soviet pilot heroes who died resisting Japanese occupation are engraved on a monument in the Nanjing Pilots’ Memorial Hall. During this year’s festival, an elementary school student wrote in childish handwriting, “I want to be a pilot when I grow up,” while an 89-year-old man left a wish, “Peace in the world.”

    “Thank you, Grandpa, for the Victory!” — read the banners on the streets of Moscow in May. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. For Natalia Khryukina, chairwoman of the Association of Descendants of Volunteer Pilots Who Fought in China in 1937-40, the upcoming May 9 will have a special memorable significance.

    Her father, Timofey Khryukin, was a bomber squadron commander in the Soviet Air Force volunteer squadron that helped China. He flew combat aircraft, fighting the Japanese in the skies over Nanjing, Wuhan, and other places. Returning to the USSR, he fought valiantly in the Great Patriotic War.

    N. Khryukina said that her father described China’s terrain as difficult, with high mountains and numerous gorges. Flying a bomber in such conditions was a difficult test and valuable experience for Soviet pilots of that time. “When my father returned home and went to fight in the North, his Chinese experience was very useful to him,” she recalls.

    According to our interlocutor, her generation grew up listening to songs such as “Russians and Chinese are brothers forever.” The friendship established by the Russian and Chinese peoples who fought side by side is still being passed down from generation to generation without weakening, N. Khryukina emphasized. With close interaction and under the strategic leadership of the leaders of the two countries, Russian-Chinese relations maintain a high level of development, she said.

    In recent years, N. Khryukina has been collecting historical materials, organizing exchange events in primary and secondary schools, and inviting Chinese teenagers to communicate with their Russian peers. This gives young people the opportunity to understand the history of their ancestors’ persistent struggle, to understand the origins of friendship between Russia and China and to continue to pass it on from generation to generation, she is sure. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Agriculture Student Scholarship Recipients Announced in Saskatchewan

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on May 5, 2025

    Today, Saskatchewan students pursuing a post-secondary education in agriculture were awarded the Agriculture Student Scholarship.

    “It’s encouraging to see such passionate and knowledgeable youth in this year’s Agriculture Student Scholarship submissions,” Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison said. “Saskatchewan producers are generational leaders when it comes to innovation and sustainability and that is why we continue to invest in the education of our future industry leaders. Congratulations to this year’s recipients.”  

    Abbey Norek is this year’s Agriculture Student Scholarship grand-prize $6,000 winner.

    Norek’s winning video highlighted an urban-rural disconnect when it comes to agriculture. She proposed education and advocacy as key solutions to this issue. Demonstrating strong personal commitment to this topic, she discussed her experience building a school garden using recycled materials, leading outreach programs on her family farm and lobbying for agriculture electives in her school division.  

    Norek is excited about encouraging other young people involved in agricultural education.

    “What it really comes down to is education and spreading awareness about what farming is really like so more people can build trust in it,” Norek said. “Hopefully more young people want to come into this amazing industry.”  

    Noah Skoropad from Chamberlin, Rebecca Mayerle from Tisdale and Ty Annand from Nipawin were all awarded $3,000 as the runners-up. The recipients will be attending post-secondary at the University of Saskatchewan in the fall at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources seeking a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degrees.  

    For more information on the scholarship winners and their submissions, visit: www.saskatchewan.ca/ag-public-trust.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: To the brink and back: How near-death experiences can change how people work

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Akierah Binns, PhD Management Candidate, University of Guelph

    New research on near-death experiences challenges conventional ideas about success, motivation and workplace culture. (Shutterstock)

    What happens when someone comes close to death and then returns to everyday life, including work? For some, the experience can be transformative.

    Near-death experiences (NDEs) are deeply personal experiences that some people report after a close brush with death. These experiences can include sensations such as floating above one’s body, reviewing moments from one’s life, encountering spiritual beings and feeling a profound sense of unity and love.

    Although NDEs have been studied since the 1970s, we know relatively little about how they affect people after the event. Research suggests people who have near-death experiences may feel increased empathy, spiritual growth, a sense of purpose and even change how they approach their jobs.

    Our recent study explored how near-death experiences impact people’s return to work. We interviewed 14 working adults who had a near-death experience as a result of medical crises such as a heart attack or accidents such as a car crash. What we found challenges conventional ideas about success, motivation and workplace culture.

    Doing meaningful work

    One of the most common changes expressed by the participants in our study was a desire to do work that felt meaningful and aligned with their newfound purpose in life.

    After their near-death experiences, many wanted to spend time doing work that mattered to them and made a positive difference.

    “I was not interested in doing nonsense … I just was not gonna waste my time on nonsense,” one participant told us. Her perspective shifted dramatically after her heart began beating abnormally for 20 minutes and she lost consciousness.

    Others described similar shifts. Many participants changed their careers by focusing on different work priorities, switching jobs or even starting their own companies. One participant described quitting a high-earning job after being headhunted. She started her own business, which allowed her to use her own NDE to support individuals through the end-of-life process.

    As one participant put it:

    “I like to say that when I woke up in that hospital bed, I had a knowing that the character I was playing was no longer working for me and I had to change characters, and changing that character meant changing that job.”

    Rethinking motivation

    Another significant shift reported by participants was a reprioritization of their values, which, in turn, shifted their attitudes towards work and their careers.

    After experiencing a near-death experience, many lost interest in external measures of success such as salary, fancy titles and prestige. Across the study’s participants, all reported no longer being motivated by extrinsic factors, such as money or receiving recognition for work.

    Instead, they focused on internal alignment and authenticity. Rather than being driven by external rewards, participants were motivated by personal growth and making a positive difference.

    In some workplaces, employee motivation is driven by extrinsic incentives such as bonuses, promotions or external recognition. However, after their NDEs, participants reported being driven by their own internal benchmarks or purpose.

    As one of our interviewees said:

    “The motivation that was there came from this very strange, deep place that I wanted to all of a sudden make a huge impact, you know, in every part of my life … It’s hard to come out of this experience and not feel there’s a reason why you’re here, and you hate to say it, but you feel you have this special gift now. And it’s like why and how am I going to apply this? So, with work, I approach it that way as well.”

    Relational transformations

    We also found that near-death experiences transformed how people interacted with and related to others at work. This is consistent with previous research that shows distinct personality and attitude changes reported by survivors of NDES. Specifically, NDEs shift individual outlooks on life and can serve as catalysts for transformation, influencing how people relate to others.

    Before their near-death experience, many participants viewed workplace relationships as task-oriented and transactional. But afterward, those same relationships became more meaningful to them.

    Colleagues, clients and customers were no longer viewed as just business contacts. Instead, several participants spoke of their service and sales interactions as small acts of relationship-building rather than simply being economic exchanges.

    One participant said:

    “My relationships across the board are deeper, are more connected with people, a hundred per cent … I was a decent salesman before but this is, like, bringing spirituality into a quote-unquote sales position, which blows my mind.”

    One of the most common changes described by participants was a desire to do work that felt meaningful and aligned with a newfound sense of purpose.
    (Shutterstock)

    Lessons for the rest of us

    What does this mean for those of us who haven’t had a near-death experience?

    The participants in our study said their near-death experiences reoriented them to what really matters in life. The after-effects challenge traditional organizational values that celebrate hyper-productivity at the expense of meaning and high-quality relationships. As previous studies suggest, workers engaged in meaningful work eventually manifest greater productivity and accomplishment as opposed to burnout as a result of overwork.

    As interest in workplace well-being continues to rise — particularly in the wake of COVID-19 and the “great resignation” — NDE survivors may be ahead of the curve.

    The after-effects of a near-death experience align with what workers tend to want from their jobs. Workers generally want to satisfy three fundamental needs: economic security, meaningful work and high-quality relationships. Our results suggest that NDE after-effects result in reductions in the importance of satisfying the drive for economic security and elevate the significance of meaningful work and authentic relationships.

    The stories of near-death experience survivors offer a kind of blueprint for reimagining how we work. For employees, that might mean re-evaluating what success looks like or exploring roles that align more closely with personal values. For employers, it might involve fostering workplace cultures that prioritize connection, purpose and well-being.

    One participant offers a lasting reminder for all of us seeking more meaning in our life and jobs: “It’s about relationships, not achievements.”

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. To the brink and back: How near-death experiences can change how people work – https://theconversation.com/to-the-brink-and-back-how-near-death-experiences-can-change-how-people-work-254443

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Science in Action: Scientist from the State University of Management Scientists Speaks at a Forum in St. Petersburg

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    From April 28 to 29, Alexey Terentyev, Chief Researcher of the Scientific Research Coordination Department of the State University of Management, took part in the plenary session of the III International Scientific and Practical Conference “Modeling of Modern Information Systems in the Context of Digital Transformation”, which was held at the St. Petersburg State Transport University.

    The conference participants were researchers, teachers, doctoral students, postgraduate students of universities, representatives of non-profit organizations, enterprises, IT companies, regional and federal government bodies. They discussed Russian and international experience, results and prospects for the development of mathematics and information technology in transport, the growth of scientific knowledge in the field of mathematical modeling, numerical methods and software packages.

    A SMU scientist presented a report on the topic “Methods of decision-making theory under conditions of uncertainty for applied problems of transport logistics.”

    On April 29, Alexey Terentyev visited the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPb FRC RAS) to exchange experience in fundamental areas of research in the field of decision theory.

    As a result of fruitful communication, a common interest was identified in conducting joint research aimed at developing and elaborating original mathematical methods of modeling in complex control systems based on decision theory.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 05.05.2025

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Junior Named Key Into Public Service Scholar

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Andy Zhang ’26 (CLAS, CAHNR) has been selected as a Key into Public Service Scholar by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s oldest academic honor society and a leading national advocate for the value of liberal arts and sciences education.

    The program annually recognizes 20 exceptional arts and sciences students with a demonstrated interest in pursuing careers in local, state, and federal government. This year, over 800 students applied for the honor.

    Zhang, an economics and environmental sciences major, will receive a $5,000 scholarship and will participate in a Washington, D.C., conference providing training, mentorship, and opportunities for reflection on pathways to active citizenship.

    “This award perfectly aligns with a lot of my interests given that it has a strong focus on liberal arts, public service, and natural sciences,” says Zhang. “It is a wonderful opportunity as I look towards my future.”

    Zhang is president of UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government and is involved in a number of environmental groups on campus. He is president and founder of the UConn chapter of Plant Futures, an organization focused on addressing the climate crisis through a plant-centric future.

    He is a student ambassador for the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources and a sustainability intern for the Office of Sustainability.

    Zhang served as a food policy intern for Friends of the Earth and was a Forge Fellow for the Roosevelt Network, where he engaged in weekly economic policy programming and collaborated with other fellows to deliver a policy critique on energy democracy.

    “What really sets Andy apart is his combination of originality and high energy,” says economics professor Richard Langlois. “His energy and enthusiasm help explain his success as an organizer and booster of environmental causes on campus. It is contagious energy, and other students want to be swept along.”

    Zhang was a sustainability intern for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a fellow for the Paragon Policy Fellowship, and a Different Maker Mentor for the UConn Natural Resources Conservation Academy.

    This summer, he will work at the New York State Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Bureau, where he will continue to contribute to meaningful statewide climate action.

    Following graduation, he plans to pursue a law and public policy degree with the goal of shaping equitable food and climate policy at the federal level. Zhang hopes to do that either working in the federal government or at a nonprofit organization.

    Zhang grew up in Sandy Hook and was a third grader at Sandy Hook Elementary School on the day of the mass shooting in December 2012.

    “It wasn’t until college that I began to fully understand how that experience shaped me,” says Zhang. “What has stayed with me most is the power of community — the way people came together in the aftermath, supported one another, and built something stronger. That sense of collective care and resilience is what drives me now, whether I’m advocating for climate justice, building coalitions, or serving in student government. I believe public service is ultimately about showing up for others, especially in times of crisis.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New City Art Centre exhibition explores Scottish art in the wake of war

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Out of Chaos: Post-War Scottish Art 1945 – 2000
    17 May 2025 – 12 October 2025
    Free Admission

    Opening this summer, the City Art Centre presents Out of Chaos: Post-War Scottish Art 1945 – 2000, a compelling new exhibition that charts the story of Scottish art in the tumultuous years following the Second World War. Featuring over 60 works—paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, and photographs—the exhibition draws exclusively from the City Art Centre’s acclaimed collection of Scottish art.

    The exhibition brings together work from some of the most significant artists of the period, including Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, John Bellany, Elizabeth Blackadder, John Byrne, Calum Colvin, Victoria Crowe, Alan Davie, Pat Douthwaite, Joan Eardley, Ian Hamilton Finlay, William Gillies, Morris Grassie, Peter Howson, William Johnstone, Bet Low, Will Maclean, Alexander Moffat, James Munro, Eduardo Paolozzi, Tom Pow, Barbara Rae, Anne Redpath, Jon Schueler, and Maud Sulter.

    The post-war era was a period of seismic shifts – political and social, scientific and cultural. Emerging from the events of the Second World War, communities lived with the legacies of conflict while looking ahead to the future. Contemporary artists responded to these rapidly changing times, addressing both traditional and modern themes in their work as they pushed the boundaries of creativity. By the end of the century, the artistic landscape was entirely transformed. 

    Timed to complement the forthcoming exhibition John Bellany: A Life in Self-Portraiture, Out of Chaos offers broader context to Bellany’s career by surveying the major movements and developments in post-war Scottish art. Visitors will explore a wide range of approaches, from figurative and landscape art to abstraction, pop art, and the rise of new media.

    Among the highlights are a wind-swept Catterline landscape by Joan Eardley, a bronze cast of the haunting sculpture Horse’s Head by Eduardo Paolozzi, a large-scale environmental triptych by Elizabeth Ogilvie, and the avant-garde Fallen Angels, a rare surviving painting by Tom Pow. 

    The exhibition also introduces several recent acquisitions, such as Alan Robb’s striking Surrealist-inspired oil painting Cool House, James Munro’s sleek 1980s sculpture Pick Up Trio, and Morris Grassie’s preparatory sketches for The Sou’Westers, Arbroath. Notably, a drawing by Milein Cosman capturing the first-ever Edinburgh International Festival in 1947 will be on display for the first time at the City Art Centre.

    Curator Dr Helen Scott said:

    Between 1945 and 2000 far-reaching changes took place across politics, society, culture and science, and contemporary artists were compelled to react to these developments – from the tensions of the Cold War to the rise of mass consumerism and popular culture. Artists working through these years analysed and questioned everything, repeatedly challenging conventions and reshaping the artistic landscape. Looking back now, the pace of change was incredible.

    I’m really looking forward to sharing this exhibition with our visitors – both those who lived through this dynamic period and younger generations as well. There is a wide array of artistic forms and styles on display here, so really there’s something for everyone.

    Council Leader Jane Meagher, City of Edinburgh Council said:

    Out of Chaos offers a powerful reflection on how Scottish artists responded to a rapidly changing world. These works capture the resilience, imagination, and innovation that shaped the nation’s cultural identity in the post-war era.

    The City Art Centre continues to champion our cultural heritage, and Out of Chaos is a powerful reminder of how art helps us understand and navigate times of change.

    The exhibition opens on Saturday 17 May 2025, and continues until 12 October 2025. Admission is free. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Keynote address by President Pierre Tremblay at the 2025 Canadian Nuclear Association conference

    Source: Government of Canada News

    April 17, 2025 

    – Check against delivery –

    Introduction 

    Good morning, everyone. 

    Thank you, Jill, for that kind introduction.  

    Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered here today in Ottawa on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe peoples. 

    I respectfully recognize the relationship that First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples have with the land and waters that all Canadians live in and enjoy. Please take a moment to reflect and offer our gratitude to the Indigenous Nations and communities who are the traditional caretakers of these lands and waters. 

    As mentioned, I am Pierre Tremblay, President of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, or CNSC, and I couldn’t be happier to be speaking to you today on behalf of the regulator.  

    My 40 years in Canada’s nuclear sector have been very rewarding. My career has given me a deep appreciation and respect for the people who work in the sector and their shared focus on safety and the culture that supports it.   

    For my remarks this morning, I will share my perspective on the nuclear landscape here in Canada – both our focused oversight of the existing fleet and our readiness to regulate new nuclear. 

    I also want to provide updates on how the CNSC is working to become more efficient in delivering its priorities. And finally, I will offer my thoughts on furthering our own engagement efforts and strengthening trust with all people in Canada – as well as our expectations of industry and proponents.   

    Nuclear in Canada

    This is an important and interesting time for Canada’s nuclear sector – we must step up and face the moment.  

    We recognize the sector will continue to evolve and we will continue to be ready to regulate and respond to advancements without compromising safety. 

    As the regulator, we are expected to continue our efforts to manage regulatory burden, expedite reviews and maintain a competent and talented workforce, innovating and leveraging new techniques, approaches and technologies to find even greater efficiencies.  

    As we do all of this, we will never compromise on safety. The industry must do the same. Together, we can all ensure the deployment of safe nuclear projects. 

    While Canada’s nuclear sector is complex and changing, the continued safe operations of the existing fleet is paramount and fulfilling our mandate and delivering on our important job here at home remains my top priority.  

    We also need to continue to ensure readiness to regulate new technologies and approaches. The CNSC is committed to reviewing and regulating safe nuclear projects in Canada, including new reactors, large and small. 

    That is why we value our strong relationships with international partners such as the US NRC and the United Kingdom’s ONR.  

    And why we are heartened to know they are equally committed and value our ongoing collaboration. 

    There is a drive to build new nuclear and expand infrastructure in support of the growing electricity market; this includes, for example, the appropriate extraction of minerals.  

    Luckily, the CNSC as a life cycle regulator is an extremely capable organization. But the responsibility does not sit with us alone. We need others to engage meaningfully. Only then will the sector move forward. 

    New nuclear

    From my perspective at the regulator, Canada’s nuclear sector continues to be one of this country’s strengths. The mechanisms and tools are in place. But there is a need to embrace the moment. 

    Now, what do I mean by this? 

    More provinces are now looking at carbon-free technologies. Nuclear is naturally seeing more interest. 

    This includes the potential for new units in Ontario and New Brunswick. We are also seeing the sector expand to include new provinces and sites in Saskatchewan and Alberta. 

    On April 4, the Commission issued a Nuclear Power Reactor Construction licence to Ontario Power Generation to construct 1 General Electric Hitachi BWRX-300 reactor at its Darlington New Nuclear Project site in Clarington, Ontario.

    This is the first power reactor licence to construct that the CNSC has issued in its 25 years. And actually, the first power reactor licence to construct in Canada in over 50 years.  

    The CNSC will continue to work with all provincial partners to ensure regulatory clarity and efficiency. 

    With this evolution in the sector, the concept of the traditional nuclear host community in Canada is evolving along with the technology. This requires a change in how the CNSC informs and engages with all people in Canada, a need to continue to modernize our regulatory framework, and a willingness to evolve together. 

    The CNSC at its core 

    This gets to the heart of the CNSC – how we operate, what our priorities and focus are. All of these considerations are essential to the nuclear sector in Canada.  

    The CNSC is a globally recognized, mature nuclear regulator, with all the governance needed to provide strong regulatory oversight. 

    Whether this is working alone or in collaboration the CNSC is willing to evolve and work to improve the regulatory framework and identify efficiencies.  

    Collaboration and regulatory efficiency

    We are open to recognizing and altering how we achieve our goal to ensure the safety of all people in Canada.  

    While we will never reduce our high standards for safety and security that we have established, we recognize there may be different ways to get the same result. And this is where we remain open.

    It is not for me or the CNSC to tell industry how to pivot, but as technology continues to evolve and the sector continues to modernize, there are opportunities to revisit how we work together.  

    Remote monitoring and access to data is something industry is – and should be – considering. Remote access supports efficiency, as the regulator can access more real-time information. 

    The CNSC will evolve along with the sector. We welcome the suggestions and will engage in a meaningful way to identify improvements. 

    But improvement begins at home, and the review of the CNSC’s regulatory framework identified an opportunity to ensure clarity of requirements for SMRs, such as ensuring we are using a technology-neutral, risk-informed, performance-based approach.

    We recognize and are committed to ensuring that our regulations are risk-informed and set out clear performance objectives.  

    For example, exploring amendments to the Nuclear Security Regulations that respond to changes in security threats and adapt to technological advancements.  

    The CNSC as a lifecycle regulator is committed to delivering effective and timely regulatory decisions for nuclear projects. 

    SMRs and other advances in technology continue to afford us the ability to identify challenges and turn them into opportunities to modernize and evolve.

    CNSC readiness 

    I have already mentioned that we are refocusing our energies here at home – there is a need to focus on mission critical and safety significant issues in our existing nuclear fleet, and to be efficient and timely in our work. 

    This of course must be balanced with a readiness for new technologies, techniques and activities – all of which require us to conduct meaningful engagement and consultation with the Indigenous Nations and communities whose rights and interests may be impacted by nuclear activities.  

    Delivering on this considerable agenda means that talent management is vital to ensure that we have the capacity to support our work. 

    This capacity comes from a diverse workforce. We know from experience that our workplace is stronger, better and more capable when it is diverse. We remain unabashedly committed to diversity in the workplace. 

    That is why the CNSC continues to focus efforts on supporting diversity across the nuclear sector. 2025 will see our third Indigenous Girls in STEM workshop, which provides Indigenous girls an inclusive space to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM subjects. The workshop enables them to do so in a way that weaves together learning with Indigenous culture, knowledge and traditions.

    Diverse voices are vital to fostering innovation and lead to better decision-making and better safety outcomes. Complex challenges like those we face in the nuclear sector require varied perspectives. 

    The path to positive results

    I will now offer my thoughts on how we further our engagement efforts and strengthen trust with all people in Canada – this, I believe, is the recipe for success.   

    We are committed to continuing our collaboration, engagement and consultation with Indigenous Nations and communities in support of advancing reconciliation. The CNSC is also committed to engaging with the public and interested parties as part of improving our regulatory processes. 

    We remain flexible and open minded around how we execute our mandate and our requirements. This will enable us to find new ways of working that serve all involved – and we will never compromise on safety.  

    Barriers need to be removed, support and capacity provided and a commitment to meaningful engagement. All of this will allow us to address the key challenges to meaningful engagement, finding tangible solutions to enable an effective path forward for advancing reconciliation. 

    Meaningful engagement and inclusion of Indigenous peoples in relation to the nuclear sector is something that the whole of Government and the nuclear sector must be committed to and actively support. 

    There are a number of examples across the nuclear sector where we have seen some promising relationship-building and partnerships. 

    One such example is the Neya Wabun Guardian Program established through the long-term relationship agreement between the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation or AOPFN, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, AECL and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, CNL. 

    This program establishes an AOPFN monitoring presence at Chalk River Laboratories, enabling reporting back to their leadership. The environmental monitoring program weaves together science with Indigenous Knowledge and values which is an important step towards reconciliation. 

    AOPFN have been willing to engage meaningfully and are working hard to the benefit of their nation and community.  

    The equity partnership between the Saugeen Ojibway Nation or SON and Bruce Power supports the global fight against cancer and provides new economic opportunities within SON Territory, including an equity stake and a revenue-sharing program benefiting the community directly.

    It is important to highlight these partnerships that provide many groups – Indigenous Nations and communities, environmentalists, community members – with access and opportunities to participate.  

    At the CNSC we have made material changes to demonstrate that we are listening and responding to the interests and concerns of rights holders. 

    For example, during our part two hearing for OPG’s application for a licence to construct an SMR at the Darlington site – the Darlington New Nuclear Project, we listened, heard and learned, which led to important and impactful changes to this proceeding that demonstrated inclusivity and recognition of the rights holders. 

    We changed the physical layout of the room by removing the standard stage under the Commission, so we were all on the same level. The Commission also benefitted from the time that was dedicated for Indigenous ceremony, song and prayer. 

    These efforts enhanced the experience of all hearing participants, resulting in a more inclusive and collaborative environment, which in turn serves to continuously strengthen trust.  

    The Commission has also revised its practices, addressing feedback from rights holders and providing more time to ensure the perspectives of rights holders are heard. 

    It is also focused on transparency in its hearing process. Understanding that the public is entitled to hearing information and documentation and that such transparency serves to build and maintain trust in the regulatory process.  

    We must do more. And we are committed to doing more.

    The CNSC remains committed to consultation, engagement and collaboration with Indigenous Nations and communities.  

    This is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act or “UNDA”, which was passed by Canadian Parliament in 2021.

    UNDA requires the development and implementation of an action plan in consultation and collaboration with Indigenous peoples. It also requires we ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the UN Declaration. 

    In addition to supporting the Action Plan efforts, the CNSC actively works to establish long-term relationships with Indigenous Nations, supporting capacity building, enabling studies and data gathering through our funding programs, and collaborating on monitoring and oversight activities, joint assessments and reporting to the Commission.

    Recently, the Federal Court of Canada issued its decision on the Judicial Review application brought by Kebaowek First Nation, KFN, challenging the Commission’s authorization to CNL to construct a Near Surface Disposal Facility.  

    This decision recognizes the CNSC’s “broad, inclusive approach to consultation” and finds that the Commission’s decision concerning the impacts of the proposed NSDF is reasonable. The Court also directed CNL and the CNSC to resume consultation with KFN with a view to implementing the UNDRIP free, prior and informed consent standard 

    There is a need for us to better understand from the perspective of Indigenous Nations and communities what free, prior and informed consent means to them. We need to better understand these perspectives so that we can work together to move forward.  

    All of this is an example of how we are evolving to address the ever-changing landscape. 

    In short, we’re doing our part and expect industry to do the same.  

    Conclusion

    We are at a critical juncture in history. And we have lots to do.  

    The CNSC will be here making sure that safety remains top of mind for everyone. 

    And we will continue to work hard to provide clarity on our expectations and requirements. In return, we expect everyone else to engage and to deliver as well.  

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: EXL named a Leader and Star Performer in Everest Group Payment Integrity Solutions PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EXL [NASDAQ: EXLS], a global data and AI company, announced that it has been named a Leader and Star Performer in the Everest Group Payment Integrity Solutions PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025.

    The Everest Group cites EXL’s diverse, adaptable payment integrity solution engagement models, which are integrated with generative AI, natural language processing and machine learning as key drivers of their performance. Using robust data and advanced technology, EXL is able to offer end-to-end payment integrity outcomes for enhanced claim validation, fraud detection and coverage gap analysis.

    “Transparency, trust and technology have become the cornerstones of payment integrity as payers and providers increasingly work together to deliver the best possible care,” said Vivek Jetley, president and head of healthcare and life sciences and insurance, EXL. “We are proud to receive the Everest Group Leader designation for the second straight year and also be recognized as one of only two Star Performers in the report. We are looking forward to making new investments in the year ahead to help deliver even more powerful, fully transparent payment integrity solutions to our clients.”

    As part of this assessment, Everest Group presented a detailed analysis of 24 payment integrity solutions providers. Firms were evaluated based on their vision, capabilities and market impact. Researchers determine an organization’s positioning based on Everest Group’s annual industry survey tracking interactions with leading industry stakeholders, client reference checks and ongoing analysis of the industry market.

    “The payment integrity market is shifting from post-pay recovery to proactive pre-pay accuracy, driven by AI-enabled fraud detection, real-time claims validation, and predictive risk modeling,” says Ankur Verma, vice president at Everest Group. “EXL has responded to these evolving demands with a near-real-time monitoring solution for provider demographics and data integrity, while also adopting outcome-based pricing models in line with client expectations. Combined with improved client feedback, these advancements have positioned EXL as a Leader and a Star Performer in Everest Group’s Payment Integrity Solutions PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025.”

    To read more about the report and to see how EXL compares to its competition, click here. For more information about EXL’s solutions for the healthcare industry, click here.

    About EXL

    EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a global data and AI company that offers services and solutions to reinvent client business models, drive better outcomes and unlock growth with speed. EXL harnesses the power of data, AI, and deep industry knowledge to transform businesses, including the world’s leading corporations in industries including insurance, healthcare, banking and capital markets, retail, communications and media, and energy and infrastructure, among others. EXL was founded in 1999 with the core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. We are headquartered in New York and have approximately 60,000 employees spanning six continents. For more information, visit www.exlservice.com.

    About Everest Group

    Everest Group is a leading global research firm helping business leaders make confident decisions. Everest Group’s PEAK Matrix® assessments provide the analysis and insights enterprises need to make critical selection decisions about global services providers, locations, and products and solutions within various market segments. Likewise, providers of these services, products, and solutions, look to the PEAK Matrix® to gauge and calibrate their offerings against others in the industry or market. Find further details and in-depth content at www.everestgrp.com.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Investing in agriculture reduces poverty and inequality: economic model finds the best funding mix for 10 African countries

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of Pretoria

    Africa faces challenges in reducing extreme poverty and inequality. In 2024, 8.5% of the global population was living in extreme poverty (that is, on less than US$2.15 a day). Nearly 67% of these people were living in sub-Saharan Africa.

    To tackle these significant issues of poverty and inequality, it is essential to identify the locations of the most impoverished individuals. This enables investments to focus on generating growth and productivity that are both inclusive of poor people and sustainable.

    About 70% of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa live in rural areas. Most (65% to 70%) are employed in agriculture. Agriculture also contributes 30%-40% to the gross domestic product (GDP).

    Despite its importance, agriculture is underfunded. African countries don’t have enough of their own resources to finance agriculture, and external funding is becoming more scarce.

    The region thus desperately needs an innovative plan to finance agriculture for economic development.

    In a recent study we analysed
    how different ways of funding agricultural investment would affect inclusive growth and the wider economy in 10 African countries. Raising taxes, cutting budgets and external support were the different funding options we explored.

    We created economic models that would help countries with tight budgets understand the trade-offs and choose the best options.

    Our study found that investing more in agriculture – especially with external financing – was best at raising incomes and reducing poverty, particularly in rural areas. External funding avoids the higher costs of domestic financing. But a mix of both is also effective.

    Regardless of the country, all financing options resulted in increased rural incomes, reducing poverty and hunger. This shows that investment in agriculture has a positive impact both nationally and in rural contexts.

    The model

    Our paper uses an economic simulation model which looks at the big picture and also at more detail. It works out how changes in agricultural spending affect people’s lives (in terms of their income and expenditure) as well as the overall economy.

    The countries studied were Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Rwanda, Gabon, Malawi, eSwatini, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. We chose them based on the availability and accessibility of the data required.

    The model worked out the results of different financing strategies:

    • Increase in taxes (direct ones like household income and property tax or indirect ones like VAT or sales tax). The idea is that spending more on agriculture would be compensated for by higher tax revenues. These would come from households’ growing income and property taxes.

    • Reduction in non-agricultural investment spending. Here, the proportion of government investment dedicated to agriculture remains fixed. So there has to be less investment elsewhere.

    • Increase in government external borrowing or development assistance.

    Key findings

    We found that external financing boosted both national and rural incomes the most. But variations in the exchange rate may trigger an increase in domestic prices and a subsequent decline in export volumes. That could make a country less competitive economically.

    Despite this, the associated costs are generally lower than those of internal financing, aside from Mozambique’s rural income results.

    Between the two internal financing mechanisms tested, the option of reducing non-agricultural investment raised both national income and rural income in all countries except eSwatini.

    So that option should play a key role along with external financing.

    This finding is encouraging for fiscally constrained countries as the modelling showed that domestic financing improved the countries’ agency in sustainable growth.

    In a final modelling phase, the models explored how the policy interventions could transform poverty and inequality outcomes. They did this by following the intricate interplay of income and price dynamics. After a surge in agricultural investments following the policy scenarios, the findings showed a more pronounced reduction in poverty and inequality rates across all nations. There was one notable outlier — Angola. In Angola, investments channelled into the services sector have sparked the most substantial decreases in poverty and inequality, driven by the deep interconnectivity between services and its expansive oil industry.

    Even a small increase in public investment led to a clear drop in poverty, with agriculture investments having the biggest impact, followed by industry and services. Malawi showed the most substantial reduction in poverty. There were also noticeable effects in Rwanda, Botswana, eSwatini and Angola.

    Other countries showed mild impacts, maintaining low poverty levels.

    What can be done

    Scenario modelling can offer valuable insights for policy making because it is forward-looking. It also highlights the implications of strategic priorities.

    The study’s findings show that to achieve inclusive economic growth, countries should aggressively invest in agriculture, using a mix of external and domestic fiscal sources.

    On the back of the findings we made the following proposals.

    African governments are dependent on development aid because of limited domestic finances and weak growth prospects. This gets in the way of their ability to raise funds in the markets. However, if concessional financing is attainable and exchange rate impacts are controllable, external financing should remain a preferable option for financing agriculture investments.

    In the medium term, governments must focus on:

    • cutting unproductive non-agricultural spending

    • eliminating waste

    • ensuring cost-effectiveness.

    Savings should be redirected to agriculture.

    Over the medium term, there should be a focus on reforming tax policies. Direct and indirect taxes should be increased to fund agricultural investment. But maintaining transparency in using tax revenues is crucial. This encourages public support and local ownership of tax reforms by demonstrating their benefits.

    In the long term, governments should synchronise national development plans with ambitious agricultural growth initiatives.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Investing in agriculture reduces poverty and inequality: economic model finds the best funding mix for 10 African countries – https://theconversation.com/investing-in-agriculture-reduces-poverty-and-inequality-economic-model-finds-the-best-funding-mix-for-10-african-countries-252820

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Marine fossil found in South Africa is one of a kind, thanks to unusual preservation

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Sarah Gabbott, Professor of Palaeontology, University of Leicester

    A fossilised creature found in a South African roadside quarry 25 years ago has finally got an official name. The small, segmented, crustacean-like creature, dated to 444 million years ago, can now be introduced as Keurbos susanae. It belongs to the arthropod group of animals, which accounts for about 84% of all known species that exist today, including insects, spiders and crabs.

    Palaeontologist Sarah Gabbott explains what’s so unusual about her discovery, which she named as part of the process of describing it scientifically.

    What can you tell us about this creature and the environment it lived in?

    The fossil is about 50cm long and has 46 almost identical segments. Projecting from each is a delicate, gill-like structure. It would probably have looked like a bit like a horseshoe crab and the gills would have been for absorbing oxygen from the water it lived in. Its insides are exquisitely well-preserved, which is very unusual for fossils – normally only the hard, more decay-resistant external features would be preserved. You can see bundles of muscle fibres that would have powered the limbs, tendons and an internal scaffold structure that gave the animal rigidity.

    We think it would have spent most of its life living on, or more likely just above, the seafloor, probably walking and swimming in an undulatory (waving) motion.

    It lived in the immediate aftermath of the end Ordovician extinction event more than 440 million years ago, caused by glaciations (the spread of icy conditions) across vast swaths of the planet. This extinction wiped out about 85% of Earth’s species. The marine basin that Keurbos susanae inhabited was probably very cold and at times covered with sea ice.

    It was a relatively hostile environment in other ways too. Our analyses of the chemistry of the shales – the sediments on the sea bed where this animal and others lived, now turned to rock – shows that they were deposited under anoxic conditions (that is, there was no oxygen circulating freely in the water). And at times free hydrogen sulfide occurred in the sediment porewaters (the water in tiny spaces between grains of sediment) and even above the seafloor. Not much could live in these conditions and this was critical to this fossil’s amazing preservation.

    It meant the carcass was not scavenged by other animals after it died. Also, the chemistry was important in the process whereby the soft tissues, which should usually rot away rapidly, became mineralised quickly after death. This turned the animal’s anatomy to mineral which survived for hundreds of millions of years until it was discovered.

    It is preserved “inside out”.

    Keurbos susanae is a new genus and species which we are still trying to place among other early arthropods. The fact that its insides are better preserved than its outside makes it difficult to compare with other fossils that are preserved the “other way round”.

    How did you find the fossil and what else has been found in that area?

    The site is in the Cedarberg mountains, north of Cape Town. To collect fossils in this area you need a permit granted by the Council for Geoscience. Fossil-bearing rocks are protected by law because of their heritage and scientific value.

    Fossil hunting in these rocks takes a lot of hard work and patience, splitting open the shales with a hammer and chisel. These shale rocks are what’s left of layers of silt that were once on the sea floor. The fossils here are super rare: you can dig and split shale for days and not find a single fossil! But we know there are some in there because of discoveries made previously.

    I found two specimens. The first one is complete but the second one only has the middle part of the body preserved.

    In the same rocks we have found some of the earliest vertebrate fossils with mineralised teeth, called conodonts. They were eel shaped and predatory. Also eurypterids (sea scorpions), arthropods with powerful swimming appendages, which would have cruised through the frigid waters. There are also orthocones – a type of chambered cephalopod – like the mollusc fossils called ammonites, which have been found in large numbers, but with a straight shell instead of coiled.

    Why has it taken 25 years to describe Keurbos susanae scientifically?

    Two reasons really.

    First, because of the nature of preservation, where all the insides are perfectly preserved but the outside (the carapace or body covering) is absent, it is just difficult to interpret and compare to other fossils. And secondly because the specimen’s head and legs are missing and these are key characteristics that palaeontologists would use to help them to understand the evolutionary relationships of such fossils.

    If more specimens were to be found, with their heads and legs, we could be more certain about where this fossil fitted in the scheme of life. But the site where I found it has been covered in a lot of rock from quarrying activity. So we decided to describe what we had in the meantime, and not wait for more examples.

    The fossil’s name, Keurbos susanae, refers to the place where I found it and to my mother, Sue, who encouraged me to follow a career that made me happy, whatever that might be.

    Sarah Gabbott receives funding from Natural Environmental Research Council; National Geographic. She is affiliated with Green Circle Nature Regeneration CIC a not for profit Environmental Community Interest Company in the UK

    – ref. Marine fossil found in South Africa is one of a kind, thanks to unusual preservation – https://theconversation.com/marine-fossil-found-in-south-africa-is-one-of-a-kind-thanks-to-unusual-preservation-255256

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Menopause symptoms may be critical to understanding Alzheimer’s disease risk in women

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jasper Crockford, Medical Science Master’s Student, University of Calgary

    Hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, urinary tract infections, irregular periods, low libido, trouble sleeping, brain fog, mood swings — and in rare cases, even a burning tongue sensation. What might all these symptoms have in common? They can all be signs of menopause.

    But could these symptoms hint at a greater story? New research suggests that menopause symptoms are not just immediate hurdles to overcome; they might also hold clues about a person’s future health, including their risk for conditions like dementia. However, to understand this connection, we must first understand what menopause is and how it affects the brain and body.

    Symptoms may emerge during the hormonal changes of menopause.
    (FreePik)

    What is menopause?

    Menopause marks the natural end of a woman’s menstrual periods, typically occurring in their late 40s or early 50s. Officially, menopause describes the specific day when someone has gone a full year without a period.

    However, menopause doesn’t happen overnight. It often starts years earlier with a phase called perimenopause. During this time, the body prepares for menopause, and hormone levels — especially estrogen — fluctuate. This transition can last several years, often bringing symptoms like irregular periods, hot flashes, mood swings and more.

    Once periods stop completely, a woman enters postmenopause. Unfortunately, symptoms don’t always end here; some may persist for years, and new symptoms may appear.

    These stages — perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause — are all part of the same journey, though each person’s experience is unique.

    An all too similar patient’s journey

    While menopause is a natural process, its symptoms can feel anything but. Some people may experience mild or no symptoms, while others struggle with numerous and severe symptoms that disrupt daily life.

    Symptoms like anxiety can make socializing difficult, sleep problems can lead to exhaustion and brain fog can make even simple tasks feel daunting. Together, these challenges can affect thoughts, feelings and social lives — key aspects to overall health.

    Symptoms like anxiety can make socializing difficult, sleep problems can lead to exhaustion and brain fog can make even simple tasks feel daunting.
    (FreePik)

    Why menopause matters beyond the present

    Understanding menopause and its symptoms is just the beginning. Beyond being a transitional phase, the challenges of menopause may offer a unique window into future brain health.

    Take Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, marked by progressive memory loss, emotional and personality changes, and eventually, a loss of independence. Women are twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer’s disease. In the past, research thought this difference was because women live longer than men, but new research suggests that menopause-related hormone changes may also play a critical role.

    Estrogen helps protect memory, strengthen neural connections, regulate mood and remove harmful proteins from the brain. When estrogen levels fall, these health benefits may weaken.
    (FreePik)

    The role of hormones in brain health

    During menopause, the ovaries stop producing eggs, triggering significant hormonal changes. One major change is the drop in estrogen, a hormone not only essential for reproduction, but also brain health.

    Estrogen helps protect memory, strengthen neural connections, regulate mood and remove harmful proteins from the brain. When estrogen levels fall, these health benefits may weaken, possibly leaving the brain and body more vulnerable to harmful changes.

    During these hormonal changes, menopause symptoms may also emerge. While symptoms were once thought to be temporary, albeit uncomfortable, side-effects of menopause, these symptoms may also signal underlying brain changes linked to dementia risk.

    Future cognitive and behavioural health

    While past research has examined how individual menopausal symptoms may relate to dementia risk, our research team (led by Dr. Zahinoor Ismail, a physician-scientist) asked: could the number of symptoms experienced also indicate early warning signs of dementia?

    We explored this by analyzing changes in:

    1. Cognition (for example, memory, thinking, and problem-solving) and

    2. Behaviour (for example, emotions, personality, and social interactions).

    While cognitive changes are often top of mind when thinking about dementia, behavioural changes are equally important but frequently overlooked, and might also be early warning signs.

    We examined data from 896 postmenopausal participants in the CAN-PROTECT study, an online Canadian project on aging and brain health. Participants recalled the type and number of symptoms they experienced during perimenopause and completed tests assessing their current cognition and behaviour.

    Among the participants, 74.3 per cent experienced perimenopausal symptoms — an average four symptoms per person — with hot flashes (88 per cent) and night sweats (70 per cent) being most common.

    Menopause symptoms may signal underlying brain changes linked to dementia risk.
    (Shutterstock)

    Our findings revealed that experiencing more symptoms during perimenopause was associated with greater cognitive and behavioural changes later in life, suggesting the burden of perimenopausal symptoms not only affected immediate well-being, but could also signal long-term brain health risks.

    While the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, these findings highlight the importance of recognizing menopausal symptoms as potential early indicators of future brain health.

    Interestingly, participants who used estrogen-based hormone therapies for perimenopausal symptoms showed fewer behavioural changes than non-users, suggesting a possible role for estrogen in dementia risk reduction. However, further research is critical to clarify the timing and long-term effects of hormone therapy.

    It’s important to understand that these findings show a relationship between symptom burden and later brain health, but do not prove that one causes the other. We still need more research to understand why a connection exists and how it works.

    Menopause is more than a life transition; it may offer critical insights into long-term brain health.
    (FreePik)

    Why this research matters

    Our research highlights a crucial link: experiencing multiple perimenopausal symptoms may be related to cognitive and behavioural changes, which are early risk markers of dementia. Recognizing these symptoms as potential warning signs could help health care providers identify risks sooner and explore ways to protect brain health over time.

    Menopause is more than a life transition; it may offer critical insights into long-term brain health. Supporting research like CAN-PROTECT, which is still recruiting participants, can help us uncover how menopause experiences shape dementia risk, paving the way for earlier interventions and better outcomes.

    Zahinoor Ismail receives funding from Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

    Jasper Crockford and Maryam Ghahremani do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Menopause symptoms may be critical to understanding Alzheimer’s disease risk in women – https://theconversation.com/menopause-symptoms-may-be-critical-to-understanding-alzheimers-disease-risk-in-women-253216

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Mark Carney wants to make Canada an energy superpower — but what will be sacrificed for that goal?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Leah Levac, Associate Professor of Community Engagement and Political Science, University of Guelph

    Canada’s recent federal election was regularly dubbed one of the most consequential of the last 50 years. Economic and sovereignty threats from United States President Donald Trump were key issues in the campaign. In response, pledges about energy infrastructure and resource development played an important role in party platforms.

    We have been studying impact assessments, the uneven consequences of resource development and sustainable energy transitions for over 15 years. We’re concerned about what and who may be overlooked as the government moves to become “an energy superpower,” in part by getting projects “done faster and better.”

    We’re also interested in how the newly elected Liberal government can support more just energy transitions — that is, moving toward low carbon energy and economies that prioritize equity for workers and communities.



    Read more:
    How to ensure Alberta’s oil and gas workers have jobs during the energy transition

    Challenges with Liberal promises

    The Liberal Party platform includes renewed attention to an east-west energy corridor. It also promises to speed up and streamline the review of major resource projects and “get big projects built quickly” by “shifting the focus of project review from ‘why’ to ‘how.’”

    The platform also promises more support for Indigenous participation in major projects and commits to using Gender-Based Analysis Plus — or GBA Plus — in policies and programs. GBA Plus is a method for assessing how diverse groups of people experience policies, programs and initiatives.

    Through our research, we have advocated strongly for applying GBA Plus in the resource sector, including by centring community knowledge in impact assessments and proposing strategies for improving how Indigenous women’s experiences and knowledge are considered in impact assessments.

    Over the last year, we also produced — along with our colleague Deborah Stienstra — two major research reports for the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. Both were on the application of GBA Plus in regional assessments for offshore wind in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

    Regional assessments are a planning tool used before specific projects are proposed. They help identify important issues to consider if specific project assessments — for instance, for critical mineral mines, offshore wind projects or other resource developments — are conducted. If done well, regional assessments can help with more equitable and efficient project planning and development in the long run.

    What do the findings from our work in this area suggest in terms of how the Liberal government should proceed with its energy vision?

    Duty to consult

    The 2019 Impact Assessment Act requires meaningful execution of the duty to consult with Indigenous people affected by a major economic development.

    The Liberal Party made important promises to advance Indigenous participation in major projects and to double capacity support so more Indigenous communities can take an active role in project decisions at various stages.

    But what the Liberal platform overlooks is Indigenous Peoples’ right to resist and refuse developments in their territories, or how specifically to ensure that Indigenous women and gender-diverse people are meaningfully engaged.

    Moving forward, the Liberals must meet their constitutional duty to consult with Indigenous Peoples, while being guided by the United Nations’ principle of free, prior and informed consent per legislation that confirms Canada’s commitment to the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

    GBA Plus

    During the campaign, the Liberal Party reiterated its support for GBA Plus by listing it as one of six key themes in its Make Canada Strong vision.

    The Liberals seemingly recognize that GBA Plus is an important tool for advancing equity for women, gender-diverse people, people with disabilities and racialized people by:

    “Identifying direct and indirect benefits of programs (e.g. job opportunities, access to programs and services) … and considering how these benefits will be distributed across diverse groups.”

    The Liberal platform does not explicitly raise GBA Plus in relation to becoming an “energy superpower.” But GBA Plus has been gaining attention in the resource sector — particularly in relation to the development of specific projects — since the requirement to consider “the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors” was included in the 2019 Impact Assessment Act.

    GBA Plus needs to be applied in project-specific assessments (for specific developments, such as mines and hydroelectric dams) and in planning assessments (like regional assessments).

    In our work on the regional assessments for offshore wind in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, we demonstrate the value of applying GBA Plus throughout all impact assessment processes.

    Doing so helps strengthen community engagement efforts, identify potential effects early, determine the data sources required for monitoring those effects, fill data gaps and highlight barriers that prevent diverse groups of people from benefiting from energy projects.

    For example, without adequate child-care options, many women cannot access the high-paying jobs that sometimes accompany resource projects. The Liberal government’s support for GBA Plus must therefore be explicitly incorporated into its energy proposals.

    What and who is lost with fast tracking

    A just energy transition is one concerned not only with planetary survival, but also with the effects of the transition on people who will be most affected.

    The Liberal party’s vision for becoming an energy superpower includes “conventional energy resources” (like oil) as well as clean and renewable energy (like solar and hydro) and critical minerals needed to support decarbonization and energy transitions.

    We disagree with the Liberal Party’s commitment to “shifting the focus of project review from ‘why’ to ‘how.’”

    We need to ask how — and even whether — an energy project contributes to a just transition. Answering questions about whether projects will meet climate commitments and help advance equity for workers and communities is critical. These questions are best asked early, during planning phases and as part of regional assessments, before specific projects are proposed.

    The duty to consult, GBA Plus and just energy transitions are interconnected and necessary commitments for sustainable energy production.

    Together, they can contribute to a relationship with Indigenous Peoples that recognizes their sovereignty and to a more equitable and sustainable future. But these commitments cannot be meaningfully realized when fast-tracking development, because they require time and relationship-building.

    Prioritizing fast-tracking — thereby falling short on these priorities and legal commitments — will backfire. It will lead to delays rather than more efficient processes, and will worsen existing inequities.

    Leah Levac receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She does research on behalf of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, which receives funding from the the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, other federal departments (e.g., WAGE) and non-government organizations for work related to advancing GBA Plus practice in impact assessments and elsewhere.

    Jane Stinson is affiliated with the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, which receives funding from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, other federal departments (eg. WAGE) and non-government organizations for work related to advancing GBA Plus practice in impact assessments and elsewhere.

    Leah M. Fusco receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She does research on behalf of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, which receives funding from the the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, other federal departments (e.g., WAGE), and non-government organizations for work related to advancing GBA Plus practice in impact assessments and elsewhere.

    – ref. Mark Carney wants to make Canada an energy superpower — but what will be sacrificed for that goal? – https://theconversation.com/mark-carney-wants-to-make-canada-an-energy-superpower-but-what-will-be-sacrificed-for-that-goal-255079

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –