Category: Science

MIL-OSI Global: Corporate transparency is a step toward a greener economy, but further change is needed

Source: The Conversation – France – By Madlen Sobkowiak, Associate Professor in Social and Environmental Accounting, EDHEC Business School

Could corporate transparency be one of the solutions to climate change? Or, at the very least, could it be a way to hold businesses accountable for their environmental impacts? Not by itself, according to our paper, “Shaping nature outcomes in corporate settings”, recently published by The Royal Society.

Ninety-four percent of investors are doubtful of the validity of corporate sustainability reporting, citing unsupported claims, according to PwC’s Global Investor Survey 2023. And their skepticism is not unfounded.

Indeed, our paper shows that while corporate transparency is a crucial first step toward a more sustainable economy, it alone will not be enough to drive positive corporate nature outcomes. For change to actually happen, three critical steps are needed: linking corporate actions to their environmental impact, embedding nature outcomes into daily operations and aligning financial incentives with ecological goals.

The risk of greenwashing

Even if there is a growing push for nature-related regulation, and especially nature-related disclosures, companies have only started to provide information about their nature-related performance, impacts and risks. This is the essence of the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation (SFDR) that came into effect in 2021 and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) that came into effect in 2023. Both initiatives aim to strengthen transparency obligations on environmental, sustainable and governance (ESG) issues within the bloc. This is characteristic of a certain kind of governance, which uses mandated information disclosure as a way of regulating behaviour.

Does it work? Not on its own, as companies still struggle to fully understand their impacts on nature or the impacts of their supply chain. And they often lack the knowledge and expertise to navigate the evolving and complex landscape of national and international sustainability reporting requirements, let alone take meaningful action. This could result in the dilution of the concept of transparency and a rise in greenwashing, the process of making false or misleading environmental claims.

Greenwashing might distort relevant information that investors require to make decisions and, in the end, erode their trust in sustainability-related products and/or practices. A study commissioned by the European Union in 2023 found that 53% of green claims on products and services make vague, misleading or even unfounded claims, and 40% have no supporting evidence. In the United States, 68% of executives admitted to being guilty of greenwashing. In this context, the standardisation of sustainability reporting in the EU is necessary and overdue.

Three key factors for corporate accountability

My co-authors and I identify three conditions for information disclosures to positively impact nature outcomes: linking companies and ecosystems, translating aspiration into operations and shaping financial-system responsiveness.

Our current approach, which uses disclosure requirements to drive company behaviour, may be limited, because providing information does not in itself encourage companies to fully achieve nature-positive impacts.

Linking companies and ecosystems

This first condition means putting in place radical traceability that links company actions to outcomes in particular settings. This would create the potential for companies to be held accountable regardless of whether they publish data, as well as incentives for them to produce their own data rather than having to respond to requirements created by third parties.

One example is Cargill, a supplier for the food sector. In the company’s “South American Soy Sustainability Report”, it traces the soy it produces and purchases through its supply chain with locations in several South American countries. The sites are geospatially located with data on the degree of deforestation in each polygon obtained from satellite images. In this respect, traceability creates the possibility for nature accounts.

Translating aspirations into operations

This approach is about developing routines and tools that translate strategic intent into on-the-ground behaviour: in other words, linking knowledge and action. Even if companies are well informed about their impacts on nature, translating strategies to reduce impacts and restore nature into operational targets might be difficult. In this regard, it might be useful to translate ambitions into specific metrics that, once embedded in companies, create visibilities and routines that focus on making a change.

For example, Holcim Spain, an aggregates and cement producer, has developed a monitoring system to evaluate restoration processes by studying nature assets. It has also studied resources based on field samples by cataloguing flora, identifying vegetation, establishing the distribution of birds and insects, assessing the status of biodiversity in the quarry and developing strategies and action plans. Monitoring of activities has been undertaken using a biodiversity index developed in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)‘s Biodiversity Indicator and Reporting System.

Shaping financial-system responsiveness

The final requirement relates to identifying how financial-system actors can enable company actions. To put it another way, it is about aligning financial incentives with environmental goals.

Company owners and those who fund companies are the most powerful financial actors in this context. Financial stability relies on well-functioning ecosystems; indeed, recent studies have shown that climate change threatens it. Information governance could be used to draw investor attention to nature impacts, mirroring more developed interventions. An example of such a mechanism is the EU’s SFDR, which requires banks, insurers and asset managers to provide information about how they address sustainability risks.

Another example comes from ASN Bank, which specialises in sustainability banking products and has developed a biodiversity footprinting tool for financial institutions to estimate the impacts of an investment portfolio and identify hotspots therein.

Better information, less greenwashing

The more solid, standardised and transparent corporate sustainability information is shared, the better we can combat the greenwashing that undermines the credibility of sustainability efforts. But, while disclosure is key, it is time we take its limits into account. For businesses, this implies adopting governance approaches that shape action and ceasing to rely solely on reporting.

Madlen Sobkowiak ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. Corporate transparency is a step toward a greener economy, but further change is needed – https://theconversation.com/corporate-transparency-is-a-step-toward-a-greener-economy-but-further-change-is-needed-243215

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government signs NZ up to a decade’s more pine planting – Federated Farmers

Source: Federated Farmers

The Government’s announcement today of a 2035 climate target of a 51-55% emissions reduction has signed New Zealand up for a decade more of planting pine on productive land, Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Toby Williams says.

“In the past, New Zealand has signed up to Paris Agreement targets that are achievable only by either paying billions of dollars for international units or planting large areas of New Zealand in carbon forestry.

“The 2030 target of a 50% reduction in all greenhouse gas emissions in just the next five years is already completely beyond reach.

“Even by 2035, as half of New Zealand’s emissions are from agriculture, a target of 51-55% is still not feasible.

“All the target does is commit us to 10 more years of planting pines, because that’s the only way for our country to achieve such a steep reduction.”

Williams says New Zealand’s options for achieving the climate targets are simple.

“We can’t reduce our emissions to the extent required without trade-offs that would see New Zealand worse off.

“Treasury has estimated that the 2030 target, if we were to meet it, would cost up to $24 billion. The Prime Minister, when interviewed on Q+A with Jack Tame late last year, couldn’t commit to hitting the target, as he said it was very challenging.

“So, our only other options are to send billions of dollars overseas to buy offshore credits, or plant pine trees, destroying our iconic and world-famous landscapes.”

Last year, the Climate Commission suggested keeping an all-gases target and at least a 50% reduction, which would mean another 850,000 hectares of land converted to forestry.

“To paint a clear picture: that’s an area five times the size of our country’s treasured Molesworth Station,” Williams says.

“That would be devastating, forever changing the face of New Zealand.

“There is a very real risk that we could become the great pine plantation of the South Pacific – hardly something to be proud of.”

Williams says the Government needs to be setting climate targets that are realistic and achievable.

“Mr Luxon is right now facing an unachievable target for 2030 left to him by the previous Government.

“Signing up to an even more ambitious target for 2035 has simply created the same headache for a future Prime Minister.”

Parliament agreed in 2019 to set ‘split-gas’ targets for greenhouse gas reductions domestically. This means short-lived methane is treated differently to long-lived carbon dioxide.

Taking this split-gas approach to our international targets would see New Zealand in a position to set more achievable targets.

“Federated Farmers wrote to Climate Change Minister Simon Watts in October last year asking for a meeting to discuss a split-gas approach to an emissions target, but we didn’t get a reply,” Williams says.

“That’s extremely disappointing. It seems he doesn’t even want to hear our concerns for rural New Zealand, let alone understand them. It’s wilful blindness.

“We really need the Government to start setting achievable targets that don’t require huge levels of forestry, and we need the Government to use the most up-to-date science on the warming impact of methane.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Academician Lingyun Xiang was awarded the International Cultural Exchange Ambassador Certificate by the Ukrainian Ambassador to China

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Beijing, China, Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Recently, Professor Lingyun Xiang, a Foreign Academician of the National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine, was awarded the International Cultural Exchange Ambassador Certificate by the Embassy of Ukraine in China.

Ukrainian diplomat Gili and the Secretary to Professor Lingyun Xiang, a Foreign Academician of the National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine in China.

Ukraine, with its capital Kyiv, is located in Eastern Europe along the northern coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It shares borders with Belarus to the north, Russia to the northeast, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west, and Romania and Moldova to the south. Rich in mineral resources, Ukraine covers 603,700 square kilometers, making it the second-largest country in Europe by land area. The country is divided into 24 oblasts (provinces), one autonomous republic (the Republic of Crimea), and two cities with special status (the capital Kyiv and Sevastopol).

As of September 2022, Ukraine’s total population was 41.13 million (excluding the Crimea region). Ukraine is classified as a developing country with a highly advanced agricultural sector, though its industrial development, particularly in manufacturing, lags. Ukraine ranks as the fifth-largest exporter of IT services in the world. It is the largest market for software development, programming, and IT outsourcing services in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2021, Ukraine’s GDP was approximately $200 billion.

The National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine (Академія Інженерних Наук України) is one f Ukraine’s highest academic institutions. It originated as the Ukrainian Republic Branch of the Soviet Union Academy of Engineering. In 1998, it became a member of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS), a global alliance that includes engineering academies from 27 countries, such as the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

As of December 2023, the National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine has over 160 academicians, more than 130 corresponding members, and over 50 foreign academicians. The current president of the academy is Petro Mihailovich Talanchuk, who previously served as Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science, President of the National Technical University of Ukraine (formerly Kyiv Polytechnic Institute), a candidate in the 1994 Ukrainian presidential election, and currently an advisor to the President of Ukraine.

Professor Xiang was elected on July 22, 2024. He is also a recipient of the British King’s Medal and the European Outstanding Achievement Award, a Fellow of the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, a Lifetime Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering of the United Kingdom, and a Foreign Full Member of Academy of Engineering Sciences of Ukraine, a lifelong full-time professor of the European Union University, a lifelong professor (doctoral supervisor) of the National University of Maryland, a Special Term professor of Peking University Boya, a visiting professor of Beijing Union University, a visiting professor of Capital Normal University, a visiting professor of Shaanxi University of Science & Technology.

The MIL Network –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese satellite enterprises provide expanded, improved global services

Source: China State Council Information Office

Chinese space companies have been expanding their satellite services, including communication, navigation and remote sensing, while also accelerating the deployment of satellite constellations in pursuit of better services.

At the start of 2025, China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), which offers commercial launch and satellite in-orbit delivery services, completed the delivery of an intelligent remote sensing satellite, known as IRSS-1, to an Omani company.

Launched on Nov. 11, 2024, this one-meter resolution satellite weighs 95 kilograms and has a design life of five years. It will be used for surveys of land and forests, as well as urban planning and disaster monitoring.

The successful delivery of the satellite will play an important role in improving Oman’s remote sensing satellite application capabilities, the CGWIC said.

WIDE REMOTE SENSING COVERAGE

Users from around the world who log on to the website of Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd, can browse satellite images captured by the company’s Jilin-1 satellite constellation.

The Jilin-1 constellation, which had its first group of satellites launched back in October 2015, now features more than 117 satellites and is capable of observing any point on the globe about 40 times a day, according to Huang Jian, head of Chang Guang’s overseas business data application.

The Jilin-1 constellation can cover the world six times a year and the entire China 24 times annually, and so can provide frequent updates of satellite images of any location, Huang said, while adding that this capability supports the company’s overseas business expansion.

Chang Guang has been cooperating with more than 130 overseas users in providing services regarding land surveys, urban building investigations, agriculture and forestry.

In response to disasters and emergencies, the company has recently provided satellite images of fires and floods in different parts of the world, following a request from the United Nations.

Notably, the company is planning a new constellation consisting of 200 satellites, according to Xuan Ming, chairman and general manager of Chang Guang. This new constellation will have a spatial resolution of 20 centimeters and can cover the entire globe once a day.

Its temporal resolution, combined with the contribution of the Jilin-1 constellation, will make it possible to revisit any point on Earth within approximately three minutes.

EFFICIENT COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

The commercialization of China’s aerospace sector started in 2014, when the country’s State Council, in a guideline, encouraged private capital to participate in the construction of national civil space infrastructure.

Founded in 2018, Geespace is a science and technology innovation enterprise under the Chinese automaker Geely. It currently operates 30 satellites in three orbital planes, thereby achieving 24-hour coverage of 90 percent of the world, and provides satellite communication services to overseas users.

These satellites are part of the Geesatcom constellation. The low-orbit communication constellation can enable direct satellite connection for automotive autonomous driving, intelligent internet connection, smartphones and other consumer electronic products.

Geesatcom in June 2024 completed its first commercial deployment test in the Middle East. It will cooperate with a number of global operators in switching on a worldwide commercial application.

Through a combination of Geesatcom and its ground system, Geespace provides global medium-and-low-speed satellite communication operations, satellite-based high-precision positioning services and a satellite remote sensing AI service, according to Wan Yang, founder of Geespace.

In the future, Geespace expects to provide access to its satellite application services to clients in both Southeast Asia and Africa.

Another Chinese commercial satellite constellation, Spacesail, will provide satellite communication services to Brazil and broadband internet access for that country’s remote and under-served regions from 2026.

Spacesail is a low Earth orbit mega-constellation with full frequency bands and a multi-layer and multi-orbit design. Its commercial network construction was officially launched on Aug. 6, 2024.

The market for connecting smartphones directly to satellites has become increasingly promising. “Except for the North Pole and South Pole, almost any location on Earth, including oceans, deserts and remote mountainous regions where traditional communications are difficult to achieve, will enjoy a stable network connection — with smartphones directly connected to satellites,” said Wang.

By the end of June 2024, 546 commercial space enterprises were registered and effectively operating in China, China Space Foundation Secretary General Wang Cheng said in November last year at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China) in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong Province.

This booming development of Chinese commercial satellite companies was firmly supported by a series of related policies.

China has issued both a medium- and long-term development plan for civil space infrastructure for the period from 2015 to 2025, aiming to support and regulate the development of its commercial space industry.

The country is also mapping a development plan for civil space infrastructure from 2026 to 2035, according to Li Guoping, chief engineer at the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

MIL OSI China News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Marape calls US climate backtracking ‘irresponsible’ in rethink plea to Trump

PNG Post-Courier

In a fervent appeal to the global community, Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea has called on US President Donald Trump to “rethink” his decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and current global climate initiatives.

Marape’s plea came during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland, on 23 January 2025.

Expressing deep concern for the impacts of climate change on Papua New Guinea and other vulnerable Pacific Island nations, Marape highlighted the dire consequences these nations face due to rising sea levels and increasingly severe weather patterns.

“The effects of climate change are not just theoretical for us; they have real, devastating impacts on our fragile economies and our way of life,” he said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that while it was within President Trump’s prerogative to prioritise American interests, withdrawing the United States — the second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide– from the Paris Agreement without implementing measures to curtail coal power production was “totally irresponsible”, Marape said.

“As a leader of a major forest and ocean nation in the Pacific region, I urge President Trump to reconsider his decision.”

He went on to point out the contradiction in the US stance.

US not closing coal plants
“The United States is not shutting down any of its coal power plants yet has chosen to withdraw from critical climate efforts. This is fundamentally irresponsible.

“The science regarding our warming planet is clear — it does not lie,” he said.

Marape further articulated that as the “Leader of the Free World,” Trump had a moral obligation to engage with global climate issues.

[embedded content]
PNG Prime Minister James Marape’s plea to President Trump. Video: PNGTV

“It is morally wrong for President Trump to disregard the pressing challenges of climate change.

He must articulate how he intends to address this critical issue,” he added, stressing that effective global leaders had a responsibility not only to their own nations but also to the planet as a whole.

In a bid to advocate for small island nations that are bearing the brunt of climate impacts, PM Marape announced plans to bring this issue to the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

He hopes to unify the voices of PIF member countries in a collective statement regarding the US withdrawal from climate negotiations.

US revived Pacific relations
“The United States has recently revitalised its relations with the Pacific. It is discouraging to see it retreating from climate discussions that significantly affect our region’s efforts to mitigate climate change,” he said.

Prime Minister Marape reminded the international community that while larger nations might have the capacity to withstand extreme weather events such as typhoons, wildfires, and tornadoes, smaller nations like Papua New Guinea could not endure such impacts.

“For us, every storm and rising tide represents a potential crisis. Big nations can afford to navigate these challenges, but for us, the stakes are incredibly high,” he said.

Marape’s appeal underscores the urgent need for collaborative and sustained global action to combat climate change, particularly for nations like Papua New Guinea, which are disproportionately affected by environmental change.

Republished with permission.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Why the WHO has recommended switching to a healthier salt alternative

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Xiaoyue (Luna) Xu, Scientia Lecturer, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

goodbishop/Shutterstock

This week the World Health Organization (WHO) released new guidelines recommending people switch the regular salt they use at home for substitutes containing less sodium.

But what exactly are these salt alternatives? And why is the WHO recommending this? Let’s take a look.

A new solution to an old problem

Advice to eat less salt (sodium chloride) is not new. It has been part of international and Australian guidelines for decades. This is because evidence clearly shows the sodium in salt can harm our health when we eat too much of it.

Excess sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, which affects millions of Australians (around one in three adults). High blood pressure (hypertension) in turn increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, among other conditions.

The WHO estimates 1.9 million deaths globally each year can be attributed to eating too much salt.

The WHO recommends consuming no more than 2g of sodium daily. However people eat on average more than double this, around 4.3g a day.

In 2013, WHO member states committed to reducing population sodium intake by 30% by 2025. But cutting salt intake has proved very hard. Most countries, including Australia, will not meet the WHO’s goal for reducing sodium intake by 2025. They WHO has since set the same target for 2030.

The difficulty is that eating less salt means accepting a less salty taste. It also requires changes to established ways of preparing food. This has proved too much to ask of people making food at home, and too much for the food industry.

There’s been little progress on efforts to cut sodium intake.
snezhana k/Shutterstock

Enter potassium-enriched salt

The main lower-sodium salt substitute is called potassium-enriched salt. This is salt where some of the sodium chloride has been replaced with potassium chloride.

Potassium is an essential mineral, playing a key role in all the body’s functions. The high potassium content of fresh fruit and vegetables is one of the main reasons they’re so good for you. While people are eating more sodium than they should, many don’t get enough potassium.

The WHO recommends a daily potassium intake of 3.5g, but on the whole, people in most countries consume significantly less than this.

Potassium-enriched salt benefits our health by cutting the amount of sodium we consume, and increasing the amount of potassium in our diets. Both help to lower blood pressure.

Switching regular salt for potassium-enriched salt has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death in large trials around the world.

Modelling studies have projected that population-wide switches to potassium-enriched salt use would prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from cardiovascular disease (such as heart attack and stroke) each year in China and India alone.

The key advantage of switching rather than cutting salt intake is that potassium-enriched salt can be used as a direct one-for-one swap for regular salt. It looks the same, works for seasoning and in recipes, and most people don’t notice any important difference in taste.

In the largest trial of potassium-enriched salt to date, more than 90% of people were still using the product after five years.

Excess sodium intake increases the risk of high blood pressure, which can cause a range of health problems.
PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

Making the switch: some challenges

If fully implemented, this could be one of the most consequential pieces of advice the WHO has ever provided.

Millions of strokes and heart attacks could be prevented worldwide each year with a simple switch to the way we prepare foods. But there are some obstacles to overcome before we get to this point.

First, it will be important to balance the benefits and the risks. For example, people with advanced kidney disease don’t handle potassium well and so these products are not suitable for them. This is only a small proportion of the population, but we need to ensure potassium-enriched salt products are labelled with appropriate warnings.

A key challenge will be making potassium-enriched salt more affordable and accessible. Potassium chloride is more expensive to produce than sodium chloride, and at present, potassium-enriched salt is mostly sold as a niche health product at a premium price.

If you’re looking for it, salt substitutes may also be called low-sodium salt, potassium salt, heart salt, mineral salt, or sodium-reduced salt.

A review published in 2021 found low sodium salts were marketed in only 47 countries, mostly high-income ones. Prices ranged from the same as regular salt to almost 15 times higher.

An expanded supply chain that produces much more food-grade potassium chloride will be needed to enable wider availability of the product. And we’ll need to see potassium-enriched salt on the shelves next to regular salt so it’s easy for people to find.

In countries like Australia, about 80% of the salt we eat comes from processed foods. The WHO guideline falls short by not explicitly prioritising a switch for the salt used in food manufacturing.

Stakeholders working with government to encourage food industry uptake will be essential for maximising the health benefits.

Bruce Neal receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and MTP Connect, for research on potassium-enriched salts. All funds are administered by UNSW Sydney and The George Institute for Global Health.

Xiaoyue (Luna) Xu 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. Why the WHO has recommended switching to a healthier salt alternative – https://theconversation.com/why-the-who-has-recommended-switching-to-a-healthier-salt-alternative-248436

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: NSU and Kim Il Sung University to cooperate in scientific and educational spheres

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

A delegation from Kim Il Sung University, the leading university in the DPRK, visited Novosibirsk State University. During the visit, representatives of the two universities agreed to intensify inter-university cooperation, the priority areas of which are student and faculty mobility, joint scientific conferences and scientific research in the following priority areas – chemistry, mathematics, information technology and new materials. To more effectively organize joint work, the parties will prepare a roadmap (work plan) for the coming year.

Kim Il Sung University was represented by Rector Kim Seung Chan, deans of the faculties of Materials Science and Chemistry, Director of the Institute for Advanced Technology Development, Director of the Department of International Relations, Head of the Department of Juche Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy, and Head of the Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature. NSU was represented by Rector, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Fedoruk, deans Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics And Faculty of Natural Sciences Igor Marchuk and Vladimir Reznikov, Head of the Education Export Department Evgeny Sagaydak. Also present at the meeting was Svetlana Malina, Head of the Department of Professional Education and Higher Education of the Ministry of Education of the Novosibirsk Region.

Mikhail Fedoruk, Rector of NSU, mentioned the long-standing historical ties not only between Russia, but also between Novosibirsk and North Korea, stressed that it is a great honor for NSU to be friends with Kim Il Sung University, and expressed readiness to implement joint projects in the educational and scientific spheres in the very near future.

“In the current historical period, the traditional Korean-Russian friendly relations have turned into a comprehensive strategic partnership. We hope that in the future, cooperation between our two universities will expand to a new, higher level in accordance with the common interests and aspirations of the peoples,” said the rector of the North Korean university, Kim Seung-chan, in his welcoming speech.

The universities agreed to cooperate in the following areas:

– organization of student internships from one to three months, conducting research work at NSU and research institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences;

– joint research in the field of cutting-edge technologies;

– inviting teachers to teach courses;

– preparation of joint scientific publications.

— Novosibirsk State University is one of the leaders in the field of education export and international cooperation. We, as a ministry, support the expansion of cooperation between the two universities and are ready to provide all possible assistance in organizing joint events, conferences and internships, — emphasized Svetlana Malina.

Among the upcoming events that North Korean university students can take part in are: International scientific student conference of NSU, which has been held practically since the university’s founding, traditionally in April, and will be held for the 63rd time this year; and Big Mathematical Workshop, which is organized by Mathematical center in Akademgorodok and the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of NSU. The workshop has been held for 5 years, usually in the summer, and in 2024 it became international for the first time – students from one of the Chinese universities took part in it. NSU also invited a student delegation from a North Korean university to take part in the events of Interweek, which will be held at the end of April.

In 2026, Kim Il Sung University celebrates its 80th anniversary, and a delegation from NSU plans to take part in an international scientific conference organized by the North Korean university as part of the anniversary events.

The two universities are also considering the possibility of jointly preparing schoolchildren for admission to Russian universities on the basis of SUNC NSU.

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 –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Reverend Warnock to Vote Against Kennedy Leading America’s Health Care System Following Concerning Nomination Hearing

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

Senator Reverend Warnock to Vote Against Kennedy Leading America’s Health Care System Following Concerning Nomination Hearing

During a Wednesday Senate Finance committee hearing, Senator Reverend Warnock questioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Senator Reverend Warnock’s questioning defended the importance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which employs over 10,000 hardworking Georgians
Senator Reverend Warnock expressed concerns over disturbing comments and long-held beliefs of Kennedy that would threaten health care costs, quality, and access for millions of Georgians and Americans
Senator Reverend Warnock: “The CDC is an agency filled with hard-working, dedicated public health servants. They wake up every single day working to keep us safe. We don’t think often enough about their work because it’s easy not to celebrate folks who are protecting you from that which doesn’t appear because of the work that they’re doing”

Watch Senator Warnock at Wednesday’s Senate Finance committee hearing HERE
Washington, D.C. – Today, during a Senate Finance committee hearing on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Senator Reverend Warnock (D-GA) pressed Kennedy on disturbing comments and long-held beliefs of Kennedy that would threaten health care costs and thousands of Georgia health care jobs.
“Mr. Kennedy, you have compared the CDC’s work to Nazi death camps. You’ve compared it to sexual abusers in the Catholic Church. You’ve also said that many of them belong in jail,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “For me, those are disturbing characterizations of the CDC workers that I know, who are trying to keep the American public safe every single day.”
During the line of questioning, Senator Warnock also asked the nominee about the bureaucratic hoops many people in Georgia have to jump through in order to access health care. This line of questioning led to Kennedy admitting that people in these situations need health care as opposed to programs, like work requirements in Georgia, one of the many barriers to entry for Medicaid in the state.
“A woman I think of all the time, her name is Heather. She’s a traveling nurse from Dalton, Georgia who falls into the Medicaid coverage gap. Heather experienced a series of small strokes leaving her unable to work full time. She’s dedicated her life to caring for patients, but now she can’t afford her own medical care out-of-pocket costs because she doesn’t make enough to qualify for tax credits to buy private insurance. What does Heather need? Does she need work requirements, or does she need access to health care so she can finally get healthy and get back to work?” Senator Warnock asked Kennedy.
“The individual that you described would need healthcare and not a work requirement,” said Kennedy.
Senator Warnock has long championed efforts to expand affordable health care access, starting with his advocacy to close the health care coverage gap in Georgia. Last year, the Senator visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia for the first time as Senator to learn about the agency’s efforts to protect public health, including work to combat the maternal mortality crisis and how federal funding plays a role in keeping Georgia and the country safe from infectious diseases. In addition to pushing for solutions to close the coverage gap, Senator Warnock led a delegation of Georgia lawmakers in urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide tools to Medicaid non-expansion states like Georgia to help them protect health care access for Medicaid enrollees who lose eligibility after the end of the public health emergency declaration. Senator Warnock made his first visit to Georgia’s legislative session as a U.S. Senator last year, highlighting the need to expand Medicaid for more than 640,000 Georgians.
Watch the Senator’s full remarks and line of questioning HERE.
See below a full transcript of the exchanges between Senator Warnock and Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.:
Senator Reverend Warnock (SRW): “I want to talk to you first about the CDC, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I’m proud of the work that the CDC does, proud that it’s located in Georgia, with more than 10,000 employees in my state. If confirmed, you would be the cabinet secretary over the CDC. Representing HHS is about 29% of the federal budget, CDC is a part of that.
“Do you agree that the CDC’s work is critical to Georgia, critical for our country, and the health of the entire world?”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK): Yes, Senator.
SRW: Senator Isakson, my Republican predecessor would have agreed with that, bless his memory, he was a fierce advocate for the CDC, as am I. The CDC is an agency filled with hard-working, dedicated public health servants.
“They wake up every single day working to keep us safe. We don’t think often enough about their work because it’s easy not to celebrate folks who are protecting you from that which doesn’t appear because of the work that they’re doing. So grateful for the work that the CDC employees do, some of them are members of my church. I saw that deep commitment firsthand when I visited the CDC just last summer.
“Mr. Kennedy, you have compared the CDC’s work to Nazi death camps. You’ve compared it to sexual abusers in the Catholic Church. You’ve also said that many of them belong, this is a direct quote, many of them belong in jail. For me those are disturbing characterizations of the CDC workers that I know who are trying to keep the American public safe every single day and as you are presented as the nominee for this position, I need to know, do you stand by those statements that you, you made in the past or do you retract those previous statements?”
RFK: “Senator, I don’t believe that I ever compared the CDC to Nazi death camps. I support the CDC, my job is not to dismantle or harm the CDC, my job is to empower the scientists if I’m privileged to be confirmed.”
SRW: “So, you retract those statements?”
RFK: “I’m not retracting it. I never said it.”
SRW: “Well, actually I have a transcript. Let me read your words, you said ‘That the institution CDC and the vaccine program is more important than the children that is supposed to protect and you know it’s the same reason we had a pedophile scandal in the Catholic Church it’s because people were able to convince themselves that the institution of the church was more important than those little boys and girls who were being raped’
“That’s pretty provocative language you said in another statement to me ‘This is like Nazi death camp. […] What happened to these kids? 1 in 31 boys in this country, their minds are being robbed from them.”
RFK: “I was not comparing the CDC to Nazi death camps, I was comparing the injury rate to our children to other atrocities and I wouldn’t compare the, of course, the CDC to Nazi death camps to any extent.
“And any statement that I made has been interpreted that way, I don’t agree with that.”
[…]
SRW: “It sounds like you stand by those statements?”
RFK: “My objective is to support the CDC. There’s nothing I’m going to do that is going to harm CDC. I want to make sure that our science is gold standard science, that it’s free from that same government oversight investigation committee, and that the panels [… ] within CDC. I think 97% of the people on it had conflicts. I don’t believe that that’s right. I think we need to end those conflicts and make sure that scientists are doing unobstructed science.”
SRW: “Last week the White House gagged HHS and the CDC, preventing them from communicating all important public health information to anyone. Including our allies in the United States and global disease prevention. Do you agree with that action?”
RFK: “I was not consulted on it, but that’s pretty much standard operating procedure for the incoming administration.”
SRW: “So you agree with the action that gagged HHS and CDC from communicating important public health information?”
RFK: “That directive made sure that no use public health and only non-essential travel and mass communications were temporarily suspended, pending the confirmation of a new HHS secretary, this is standard operating procedure for administration.”
SRW: “I don’t think what we’ve seen over the last several days is standard operation for a new administration. I think we’re seeing some unprecedented actions, but you agree with it.
“Last night mem members of the CDC, along with other federal employees were actually invited to resign, these buyouts. I actually got text messages from folks I know from the CDC (who work) for the CDC that do this important work who got that note. It’s really important because my experience is that when you send out that kind of note, the folks who resign are the folks who you least likely want to see resign.
“They got other options, they’re gifted folks, they’ve got a lot of expertise. A lot of them are doing this work because of their patriotism, because of their commitment. Do you agree with the buyouts that were presented to CDC employees just last night?”
RFK: “I agree the vast majority of the scientists and experts at CDC are patriots and government servants.
SRW: “Can you tell me yes or no? […] Ok, you agree with the buyouts.”
“In our meeting, I asked you to confirm your support for the Affordable Care Act. You also mentioned that you and President Trump want to fix the ACA by making premiums more affordable.
“Did you know that tax credits that help families afford health insurance and save George’s an average of $531 per month per person are set to expire at the end of the year? Did you know that?”
RFK: “I do.”
SRW: “Do you support Congress extending these tax credits so that Americans can continue to afford health care?
*RFK gives non “Yes” or “No” response
SRW: “I think that the fact that you find it difficult to answer basic questions is deeply troubling for me as you present yourself as a nominee to run HHS.
SRW: “Based on our conversations, it’s my understanding that you support work requirements and Medicaid. In 2020, President Trump approved a proposal from Georgia state leaders requiring Georgians to jump through a number of onerous bureaucratic hoops and fill out even more paperwork, to verify work and get access to health care.
“I asked this as someone who represents a state that has not expanded Medicaid, the federal government, because of this waiver, spent $70 million on Georgia’s Medicaid waiver. 82% of that went to administrative costs.
“The point that I’m making is that the folks that they’re insisting need to work, 90% of those folks are working. They are caregivers or they have a disability.
“Let me give you one example. A woman I think of all the time, her name is Heather. She’s a traveling nurse from Dalton, Georgia who falls into the Medicaid coverage gap. Heather experienced a series of small strokes leaving her unable to work full time. She’s dedicated her life to caring for patients, but now she can’t afford her own medical care out-of-pocket costs because she doesn’t make enough to qualify for tax credits to buy private insurance.
“What does Heather need? Does she need work requirements, or does she need access to health care so she can finally get healthy and get back to work?
RFK: “The individual that you described would need healthcare and not a work requirement.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Even as the tide turned for fur, crocodile leather kept selling in high-end fashion. But for how much longer?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Enterprise, Torrens University Australia

apple2499/Shutterstock

Dotted across northern Australia are 21 saltwater crocodile farms, home to around 130,000 crocodiles. Their skins are turned into crocodile leather, long sought for use in luxury handbags, belts and other items.

While fur lost favour due to welfare concerns about animals such as mink, chinchillas and arctic foxes raised for their skins, crocodile leather has kept selling. Australia dominates the global market of saltwater crocodile skins, producing almost 60% of all such skins traded internationally.

But the industry now faces real headwinds. Major retailers and fashion events in Australia and internationally are phasing out or banning crocodile and other exotic skins due to growing concerns over animal welfare.

The Northern Territory government’s crocodile farming plan acknowledges shifting consumer demand and increasing scrutiny as the industry’s largest threat.

Most of the world’s crocodile leather comes from Australian farms.
Venus Angel/Shutterstock

Feathers, fur and now skins

Early animal rights activists in the 19th century focused on feathers due to concern about the enormous environmental damage done by plume hunters killing ostriches and egrets. Only later did activists turn their focus to fur.

In the early 20th century, countries such as the United States and Britain enacted bans or restrictions on feathers. In this century, sentiment has largely turned against wearing real fur, though faux fur and vintage fur are still popular.

But even as feathers went out of fashion, new animal products were arriving. By 1928, exotic skins such as crocodile, alligator and snake began commercialisation in Europe and the US. By the 1970s, they were widely used in fashion.

That looks to be changing.

By 2026, department store David Jones will phase out all exotic skins, including ostrich, crocodile, alligator, lizard and snake. The move builds on the company’s existing animal welfare policies, which already prohibit the sale of fur, angora rabbit wool and foie gras (duck or goose liver).

The 2025 Melbourne Fashion Festival will also ban exotic leathers, while London Fashion Week will be the first of the “Big Four” fashion weeks to follow suit.

In recent years, the kangaroo leather industry has also come under pressure due to concerns over animal welfare. California banned it altogether, and a full US ban is under consideration.

Feathers are also under increasing scrutiny, with fashion weeks in Copenhagen, Helsinki and Melbourne announcing feather bans starting this year.

These decisions reflect a growing shift toward ethical fashion, driven by consumer demand and rising awareness of animal welfare.

Fur has lost its appeal for many consumers.
ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock

Exotic leather, native species

Crocodile leather is described as an “exotic” skin, even though saltwater crocodiles are native to Australia.

Two-thirds of Australia’s skins come from the Northern Territory, while Queensland and Western Australia have smaller industries.

Crocodile farms operate by harvesting eggs from the wild and raising the animals in captivity. In the wild, they are protected from hunting. But in farms, they are legally considered stock or production animals, which means they lose these protections.

When we farm animals, it’s common to think of them as resources waiting to be used for our purposes.

But the fashion backlash suggests another way of thinking is emerging. My research points to a more animal-centric perspective on how animal-derived materials are produced for fashion.

Crocodile farms emerged as a way to protect these reptiles from being hunted to extinction. But the industry is now under increasing scrutiny.
RWK007/Shutterstock

From unregulated hunting to farmed crocodiles

Skin hunters nearly drove the saltwater crocodile to extinction in Australia. An estimated 300,000 animals were killed for their skins between 1945 and 1970. Saltie populations fell as low as 3,000 animals before authorities acted.

Freshwater crocodiles, too, were hunted for their skins from 1959. After both species were protected in the 1970s, their populations rebounded.

Crocodile farming started in Queensland in 1972, and in the Northern Territory in 1979.

In 1975, the international Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora on trading endangered animals came into effect, in part to regulate the trade of exotic animals in luxury products.

But this agreement doesn’t rule out uses for fashion. As crocodile experts at the International Union for Conservation of Nature write:

[…] crocodile farming was seen not only as a way to reduce pressure on the wild populations, but also as a means through which commercial incentives for the conservation of crocodilians could be generated.

As the website of one Australian crocodile farm states, crocodiles are a “natural renewable resource with considerable potential for sustainable commercial use”.

By 2018, the crocodile farming industry was worth A$26.7 million to the Northern Territory’s economy. Around 100,000 juvenile crocodiles are raised annually on farms. The NT industry plans to expand in coming years, with a target of 50,000 skins annually.

Trends in fashion heavily influence how crocodiles are farmed. While saltwater crocodiles can live up to 70 years in the wild, it takes three to four years for a crocodile to reach 1.5 metres, at which point their skins can make larger fashion items.

But in recent years, crocodiles have been slaughtered at around two years. Their smaller skins are used for smaller accessories.

Welfare concerns

The crocodile farming industry promotes its sustainability and positive economic impacts on First Nations communities. But this has come under question in recent years, with the release of documentaries featuring ex-crocodile farm workers, while activists from the Farm Transparency Project flew drones over crocodile farms and released footage of slaughtering practices in an effort to increase scrutiny and draw media coverage.

This image of a crocodile in a Northern Territory farm was taken by activists using a drone.
Farm Transparency Project, CC BY

Animal welfare organisations such as the RSPCA have long opposed the practice.

In 2023, the federal government announced an update of the code of humane treatment of wild and farmed crocodiles to incorporate new science and techniques, according to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. The updated code was expected late last year but has not been released.

In response, NT Crocodile Farmers Association chief Jodi Truman said the industry “supports independent audits to ensure humane treatment”. She added:

[…] animal rights activists have made clear that they are against all farms and the farming of all animals.

This drone image taken by animal activists shows the slaughter of crocodiles at a NT farm.
Farm Transparency Project, CC BY

What’s likely to happen?

While commercial operators and governments plan to expand, there are now real barriers to the industry’s growth.

For decades, animal derived products such as fur, feathers and leather have been prized in fashion. But consumers are increasingly less comfortable with how these products are made. That’s the thing about fashion – it changes.

The author has previously been a member and lower-house candidate for the Animal Justice Party in Victoria.

– ref. Even as the tide turned for fur, crocodile leather kept selling in high-end fashion. But for how much longer? – https://theconversation.com/even-as-the-tide-turned-for-fur-crocodile-leather-kept-selling-in-high-end-fashion-but-for-how-much-longer-245471

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall to HHS Nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in Senate Finance Hearing: What Does Making America Healthy Again Look Like?

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. voted in support of President Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing today.
Senator Marshall highlighted America’s chronic disease epidemic and the impact ultra-processed foods have had on our national health. Additionally, Senator Marshall questioned RFK Jr. about the impact of his proposed initiatives on American agriculture.
As the founder of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Caucus, Senator Marshall has been vocal in his support of RFK Jr. and the MAHA movement. In his hearing, RFK Jr. emphasized his holistic approach to leading HHS and what making America healthy again means: increasing access to fresh foods, ensuring medical transparency, and supporting America’s farmers and ranchers by working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) every step of the way.
You may click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full remarks.
Highlights from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Responses to Senator Marshall Include:
On RFK Jr.’s Vision to Make America Healthy Again:
“We’re having epidemics of all these chronic illnesses, autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, allergic diseases, obesity. When my uncle was president, 3% of Americans were obese. Today, 74% of Americans are obese or overweight. No other country has anything like this. In Japan, the obesity rate is still 3%.”
“Epidemics are not caused by genes. Genes may provide the vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin. Something is poisoning the American people, and we know that the primary culprits are our changing food supply – the switch to highly chemical-intensive processed foods.”
“We don’t have good science on all these things, and that is deliberate. That’s a deliberate choice not to study the things that are truly making us sick, that are not only contributing to chronic disease, to mortalities, from infectious disease. We need to get a handle on this because if we don’t, it’s an existential threat.”
“Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong, or because we get one of these culture war issues that we’ve been talking about today wrong, it’s going to be destroyed if we continue down this trajectory of chronic disease. We need to fix our food supply, and that’s the number one.”
On RFK Jr. supporting America’s farmers and ranchers:
“What we need to do is we need to support the farmers. We need the farmers as partners if we’re going to make the MAHA work – and I don’t want a single farmer to go out of business under our watch.”

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Living on orchard and enjoying outdoors fostered love for environment in EIT student | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

37 seconds ago

Growing up on a Twyford orchard and living an outdoor life fostered a love for the environment which led Jordyn Campbell to study Environmental Management at EIT.

This has proved to be a good move with Jordyn, who finished the NZ Diploma in Environmental Management (Level 6) last year, currently doing conservation surveying and monitoring work. She is working for SPS Biota| Biosecurity & Environmental Services, collecting data about the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug and Spongy Moth – both serious pests and risks to NZ fruit and vegetable industries. This project started in October and runs until April 2025.

Jordyn, 20, attended Iona College in Havelock North and won a Year 13 scholarship in 2022 to study at EIT. A Year 13 Scholarship, which is offered annually by EIT, covers one year of tuition fees. The Scholarship supports school leavers across the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti regions to study any one of EIT’s degrees or selected level 5 diploma programmes that lead into a degree by providing one year FREE study.

Jordyn Campbell completed the NZ Diploma in Environmental Management (Level 6) at EIT last year and is looking forward to completing her Bachelor of Applied Science (Biodiversity Management).

Jordyn entered the Environmental Management programme in 2023, completing her level 5 NZ Diploma in Environmental Management, and has loved every moment.

“I live on an orchard, too, so I decided to study more about the environment around me, because I’ve been growing up in a rural area.”
She says choosing EIT to study at was an easy decision, especially when she won the Year 13 scholarship.

“It was close to home and easier to study there, especially since I liked the sound of the programme. The scholarship also helped me make the decision.”

Jordyn says that her new job is working on behalf of the Ministry for Primary Industries and involves searching for evasive species of Spongy Moths and Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs in Napier, Hastings and Havelock North.

“We have an app called Field Maps and it has all the locations on it, which are indicated by dots on the map. You complete forms depending on if you get a sample or you’re just doing a trap clearance, and then it will change the colour of the dots on the map. There are 63 traps for the Spongy Moth and six traps for the Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs across Hawke’s Bay.”

This year Jordyn will be completing her final year of study to achieve the Bachelor of Applied Science (Biodiversity Management). As for the future, Jordyn is leaning towards working in biosecurity, but she does not rule out studying further.

She says that wherever she winds up, she will not forget what she has learned from EIT. She has no hesitation in recommending the institute to others.

“I like EIT because you get to know everyone on a very personal level, including the lecturers. You are not just a number to them, you’re an actual person and you get one-on-one help from them.”

Environmental Management Lecturer Dr Glen Robertshaw says: “I think this is a fantastic opportunity for Jordyn, who I know really enjoyed our level 6 Biosecurity course”.

“It is also a real validation of the value of our programme and demonstrates that what we are teaching can lead to employment locally. It’s great to think that one of our students is helping to protect the local horticulture industry from invasive species that could potentially devastate it.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: What is a ‘vaginal birth after caesarean’ or VBAC?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Dahlen, Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and HDR, Midwifery Discipline Leader, Western Sydney University

MVelishchuk/Shutterstock

A vaginal birth after caesarean (known as a VBAC) is when a woman who has had a caesarean has a vaginal birth down the track.

In Australia, about 12% of women have a vaginal birth for a subsequent baby after a caesarean. A VBAC is much more common in some other countries, including in several Scandinavian ones, where 45-55% of women have one.

So what’s involved? What are the risks? And who’s most likely to give birth vaginally the next time round?

What happens? What are the risks?

When a woman chooses a VBAC she is cared for much like she would during a planned vaginal birth.

However, an induction of labour is avoided as much as possible, due to the slightly increased risk of the caesarean scar opening up (known as uterine rupture). This is because the medication used in inductions can stimulate strong contractions that put a greater strain on the scar.

In fact, one of the main reasons women may be recommended to have a repeat caesarean over a vaginal birth is due to an increased chance of her caesarean scar rupturing.

This is when layers of the uterus (womb) separate and an emergency caesarean is needed to deliver the baby and repair the uterus.

Uterine rupture is rare. It occurs in about 0.2-0.7% of women with a history of a previous caesarean. A uterine rupture can also happen without a previous caesarean, but this is even rarer.

However, uterine rupture is a medical emergency. A large European study found 13% of babies died after a uterine rupture and 10% of women needed to have their uterus removed.

The risk of uterine rupture increases if women have what’s known as
complicated or classical caesarean scars, and for women who have had more than two previous caesareans.

Most care providers recommend you avoid getting pregnant again for around 12 months after a caesarean, to allow full healing of the scar and to reduce the risk of the scar rupturing.

National guidelines recommend women attempt a VBAC in hospital in case emergency care is needed after uterine rupture.

During a VBAC, recommendations are for closer monitoring of the baby’s heart rate and vigilance for abnormal pain that could indicate a rupture is happening.

If labour is not progressing, a caesarean would then usually be advised.

Giving birth in hospital is recommended for a vaginal birth after a caesarean.
christinarosepix/Shutterstock

Why avoid multiple caesareans?

There are also risks with repeat caesareans. These include slower recovery, increased risks of the placenta growing abnormally in subsequent pregnancies (placenta accreta), or low in front of the cervix (placenta praevia), and being readmitted to hospital for infection.

Women reported birth trauma and post-traumatic stress more commonly after a caesarean than a vaginal birth, especially if the caesarean was not planned.

Women who had a traumatic caesarean or disrespectful care in their previous birth may choose a VBAC to prevent re-traumatisation and to try to regain control over their birth.

We looked at what happened to women

The most common reason for a caesarean section in Australia is a repeat caesarean. Our new research looked at what this means for VBAC.

We analysed data about 172,000 low-risk women who gave birth for the first time in New South Wales between 2001 and 2016.

We found women who had an initial spontaneous vaginal birth had a 91.3% chance of having subsequent vaginal births. However, if they had a caesarean, their probability of having a VBAC was 4.6% after an elective caesarean and 9% after an emergency one.

We also confirmed what national data and previous studies have shown – there are lower VBAC rates (meaning higher rates of repeat caesareans) in private hospitals compared to public hospitals.

We found the probability of subsequent elective caesarean births was higher in private hospitals (84.9%) compared to public hospitals (76.9%).

Our study did not specifically address why this might be the case. However, we know that in private hospitals women access private obstetric care and experience higher caesarean rates overall.

What increases the chance of success?

When women plan a VBAC there is a 60-80% chance of having a vaginal birth in the next birth.

The success rates are higher for women who are younger, have a lower body mass index, have had a previous vaginal birth, give birth in a home-like environment or with midwife-led care.

For instance, an Australian study found women who accessed continuity of care with a midwife were more likely to have a successful VBAC compared to having no continuity of care and seeing different care providers each time.

An Australian national survey we conducted found having continuity of care with a midwife when planning a VBAC can increase women’s sense of control and confidence, increase their chance to be upright and active in labour and result in a better relationship with their health-care provider.

Seeing the same midwife throughout your maternity care can help.
Tyler Olson/Shutterstock

Why is this important?

With the rise of caesareans globally, including in Australia, it is more important than ever to value vaginal birth and support women to have a VBAC if this is what they choose.

Our research is also a reminder that how a woman gives birth the first time greatly influences how she gives birth after that. For too many women, this can lead to multiple caesareans, not all of them needed.

Hannah Dahlen receives funding from NHMRC, ARC and MRFF.

Hazel Keedle and Lilian Peters 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. What is a ‘vaginal birth after caesarean’ or VBAC? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-vaginal-birth-after-caesarean-or-vbac-247572

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: ‘Digital doppelgangers’ are helping scientists tackle everyday problems – and showing what makes us human

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alicia (Lucy) Cameron, Principal Research Consultant & Team Leader, Data61, CSIRO

cybermagician/Shutterstock

As rising seas lap at its shore, Tuvalu faces an existential threat. In an effort to preserve the tiny island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, its government has been building a “digital twin” of the entire country.

Digital twins are exactly what they sound like – a virtual double or replica of a physical, real-world entity. Scientists have been creating digital twins of everything from molecules, to infrastructure, and even entire planets.

It’s also now possible to construct a digital twin of an individual person. In other words, a “digital doppelganger”.

A doppelganger is someone who looks spookily like you but isn’t. The word originated in German, and literally means a “double walker”. A number of industries are now using digital doppelgangers for a range of reasons. These include enhancing athletic performance, offering more personalised healthcare and improving workplace safety.

But although there are benefits to this technology, there are significant risks associated with its development. Having digital doppelgangers also forces us to reflect on which of our human attributes can’t be digitally replicated.

Modelling complex systems

The development of digital twins has been enabled by advances in environmental sensors, camera vision, augmented reality and virtual reality, as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

A digital twin allows us to build and test things in cyberspace – cheaply and without risk – before deploying in the real world.

For example, we can build and stress-test infrastructure such as bridges or water supply pipes under a variety of conditions. Once built, we can use digital models to maintain the infrastructure proactively and prevent disastrous and costly structural breakdowns. This technology is a game-changer for planning and engineering, not only saving billions of dollars, but also supporting sustainability efforts.

Of course, replicating individual humans requires much more complex modelling than when building digital twins of bridges or buildings.

For a start, humans don’t live in a structured world, but rather inhabit complex social and physical environments. We are variable, moody and motivated by any number of factors, from hunger to tiredness, love to anger. We can change our past patterns with conscious thought, as well as act spontaneously and with creativity, challenging the status quo if needed.

Because of this, creating perfect digital twins of humans is incredibly challenging – if not impossible. Nevertheless, digital doppelgangers are still useful for a number of purposes.

The digital patient

Clinicians increasingly use scans to create virtual models of the human body, with which to plan operations or create artificial body parts.

By adding extra biometric information (for example, blood chemistry, biomechanics and physiological responses), digital models can also mirror real-world bodies, live and in real time.

Creating digital patients can optimise treatment responses in a move away from one-size-treats-all healthcare. This means drugs, dosages and rehabilitation plans can be personalised, as well as being thoroughly tested before being applied to real people.

Digital patients can also increase the accessibility of medical expertise to people living in remote locations. And what’s more, using multiple digital humans means some clinical trials can now be performed virtually.

Scaled up further, this technology allows for societal-level simulations with which to better manage public health events, such as air pollution, pandemics or tsunamis.

The digital athlete

Imagine being able to train against a digital replica of an upcoming opponent.

Sports scientists are increasingly working with digital athletes to trial and optimise strength and conditioning regimes, as well as test competitive play. This helps to increase the chances of winning as well as prevent injuries.

Researchers at Griffith University have been pioneers in this space, creating models of real athletes. They have also trialled wearable sensors in patches or smart clothing that can measure a range of biomarkers: blood pressure and chemistry, temperature, and sweat composition.

CSIRO and the Australian Sports Commission have also used digital humans to improve the performance of divers, swimmers and rowers.

The digital worker

As well as building virtual replicas of sports people, scientists at CSIRO have also being building virtual simulations of employees in various workplaces, including offices and construction sites.

This is helping them analyse movements, workflows and productivity – with the broader aim of preventing workplace injuries. For example, scientists can use a model of a digital worker to assess how heavy items are lifted in order to better understand how this puts strain on different parts of the body.

With 6.1 million Australians impacted by musculoskeletal conditions, preventing workplace injuries can not only improve lives, but save the economy billions of dollars.

Digital dopplegangers can help prevent workplace injuries.
Rose Marinelli/Shutterstock

Responsible development of digital doppelgangers

Building a digital doppelgangers requires a lot of very personal data. This can include scans, voice and video recordings, or performance and health data.

Personal data can also be harvested from an array of other sources. These include as cars, mobile phones, and internet-connected smart devices.

The creation of data-hungry digital replicas is forcing us to redefine legal rights. Think copyright, deepfakes and identity theft or online scams.

The power of this technology is inspiring. But ensuring a future in which we live happily alongside our digital doppelgangers will require governments, technology developers and end-users to think hard about issues of consent, ethical data management and the potential for misuse of this technology.

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. ‘Digital doppelgangers’ are helping scientists tackle everyday problems – and showing what makes us human – https://theconversation.com/digital-doppelgangers-are-helping-scientists-tackle-everyday-problems-and-showing-what-makes-us-human-247574

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Reed Announces Committee Leadership Assignments for 119th Congress

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, after the Senate Appropriations Committee fully organized, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) announced his full slate of committee and subcommittee assignments for the 119th Congress.
Senator Reed will continue serving on four ‘A’ committees: Armed Services; Appropriations; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and the Select Committee on Intelligence. These assignments include two of the three ‘Super A’ Committees: Armed Services and Appropriations.
Senator Reed will serve as Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and as the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG), which has jurisdiction over a diverse group of agencies responsible for regulating the financial and telecommunications industries; collecting taxes and providing taxpayer assistance; providing small business assistance; overseeing the White House and judicial branch operations, and the District of Columbia; construction and management of federal buildings; and overseeing the Federal workforce.
With these assignments, Reed is well-positioned to deliver for Rhode Island while overseeing the U.S. Department of Defense and federal spending decisions through the appropriations process.
“These key committee posts help me fix our roads and bridges, strengthen our economy, deliver for Rhode Island, and chart a responsible fiscal path. My new assignment on the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee provides another tool to support small business growth, expand economic opportunity, boost Rhode Island’s broadband connections, and ensure the health and safety of our financial markets,” said Reed. “As Congress grapples with a range of complex challenges, I will do everything in my power to help lower prices for working families and ensure Rhode Islanders’ needs are met. I will continue to be a relentless advocate for our state and focus on the issues that Rhode Islanders care about. And I will promote and uphold the constitutional role of Congress, including Congress’s power of the purse. ”
ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
Senator Reed is the Ranking Member of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), military services operating across the domains of land, sea, air, cyberspace, and space, and all DOD agencies, including their budgets and policies, and national security aspects of nuclear energy. Each year, SASC is tasked with producing and passing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
In 2024, under Reed’s leadership as SASC Chairman, Congress passed the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorized $883.7 billion for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the national security programs of the U.S. Department of Energy. The NDAA offers a blueprint to equip, supply, and train U.S. forces; provide for military families; and strengthen oversight of the Defense Department and military programs. The defense industry is a high-tech sector that contributes to Rhode Island’s economic growth, generates good-paying jobs, and has been a resilient segment of the state’s economy. According to the latest Rhode Island data, the defense industry generated over $4.3 billion in annual economic impact for Rhode Island and a total employment share of 6.2 percent of the state’s workforce.
In addition to his leadership on the Armed Services Committee, Reed is also a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, which provides him with additional oversight responsibilities in determining how defense dollars are spent.
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
Senator Reed will continue to serve as Rhode Island’s only member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, which controls the funding of the federal government.
Senator Reed is the third most senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. He works tirelessly to direct federal funding to the Ocean State to create jobs, strengthen infrastructure, and support economic and community development initiatives.
Senator Reed will give up his leadership post on the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch in order to help lead the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.
The FSGG subcommittee drafts the spending plan and oversees annual funding for financial-related agencies including the U.S. Department of Treasury; the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It is responsible for funding the Executive Office of the President and federal election security initiatives. The panel also has jurisdiction over two dozen key agencies and programs that have a direct impact on Rhode Island, including:
– The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which supports local entrepreneurs and small businesses with outreach and loans and also provides loans following federally-declared disasters.
– The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which helps ensure competition in broad sectors of the economy and helps protect consumers from false advertising and business practices.
– The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has jurisdiction over telecommunications and broadband matters.
– The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which provides funding for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas nationwide and to Rhode Island.
– The Federal Election Commission (FEC), with has jurisdiction over federal campaign finance laws.
– The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages federal properties in Rhode Island and nationwide.
– The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund which provides hundreds of millions annually to generate economic growth in local communities and provide access to credit and technical assistance to underserved areas.
Additionally, Senator Reed will serve on five other Appropriations Subcommittees: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS); Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H); Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA); and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD).
BANKING, HOUSING & URBAN AFFAIRS
A champion of affordable housing, consumer protection, and mass-transit, Senator Reed will continue serving as a key member of the Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee, which has broad oversight over our nation’s financial institutions, capital markets, consumer finance, monetary policy, and housing and mass-transit programs.
Senator Reed is the most senior Democratic member of the panel, but Senate rules dictate that members may only serve atop one full committee at a time.
Senator Reed has used his Banking Committee post to author Wall Street reform and consumer protection laws, including his ‘warrants law,’ which forced the return of over $10 billion dollars to taxpayers. He also successfully urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to focus greater attention on climate risk disclosures for public companies. The committee also oversees federal housing policy and authorizes mass-transit investments, and Senator Reed used his role on the committee led to create two affordable housing funds: the Housing Trust Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund.
It was Senator Reed’s leadership on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, coupled with his work on the Appropriations Committee, that earned him a spot as one of twenty members of the bipartisan working group that was tasked with developing the CARES Act (Public Law No. 116-136). Senator Reed was the driving force behind the successful effort to create the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) in the CARES Act and successfully secured a small state minimum of $1.25 billion in the law. Senator Reed continues to play an active role in pushing legislation to direct additional federal funds to states and local governments to help save lives and address the economic impact caused by the pandemic.
As America faces an affordable housing crisis, which worsened during the pandemic, Senator Reed will play a key role in providing relief for renters and homeowners, and helping to revitalize communities by expanding the supply of affordable housing. Reed will also use his seat on this committee to boost mass-transit infrastructure in order to help connect communities and more Americans to jobs and economic opportunity.
Senator Reed will serve on three key Banking subcommittees: Economic Policy; Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection; and Securities, Insurance, and Investment.
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
By virtue of his leadership of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Reed is also an ex officio member of the high-profile Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which oversees the U.S. Intelligence Community. As an ex officio member of the panel, Senator Reed regularly participates in open and closed-door briefings and hearings with top intelligence officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the National Security Agency (NSA), but he does not vote in committee.
The Intelligence Committee was established in 1976 to oversee the range of civilian and military agencies and departments that make up the U.S. Intelligence Community, and has wide influence over U.S. national security and foreign policy.
The President of the United States is required by law to ensure that the Intelligence Committee is kept “fully and currently informed” of intelligence activities. As a result, U.S. intelligence agencies must notify the Committee of its activities, including covert actions.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: 100s of NZ species highly vulnerable to climate change

Source: Department of Conservation

Date: 30 January 2025

The assessment looked at 1145 species of birds, bats, lizards, and frogs, as well as land-based invertebrates and plants, to identify the most vulnerable which can then be prioritised for conservation action to help protect them from climate change impacts.

Of the species assessed, 351 or 31% were classified as highly vulnerable to climate change by the mid-21st century, rising to 746 (65%) by late century.

Anni Brumby, DOC Senior Science Advisor and the report’s lead author, New Zealand is a hotspot for seabirds and known as the world’s seabird capital, which makes the changing climate a global survival issue.

“Seabirds travel internationally, but many depend on New Zealand’s territory for their breeding grounds. When we looked at climate change pressures such as projected sea level rise and warmer temperatures, fifty per cent of seabirds were assessed as highly vulnerable to climate change by mid-century.

“Snares penguin only breeds on one island and may have nowhere to go if climate conditions change drastically.

“Tara iti/fairy tern – New Zealand’s rarest bird – was found to be particularly vulnerable to climate change, as projected higher spring tides and increased storm surges could impact their Northland beach breeding ground and warmer temperatures could put additional stress on adults, chicks and eggs.”

All five New Zealand bat species were assessed as vulnerable by the late 21st century. Bats are already under pressure from predators, habitat loss, and human disturbance, which will only get more extreme as climate change progresses.

Many native plants identified as highly vulnerable in the assessment are already critically endangered and confined to rare ecosystems. Most South Island limestone dependent plants were assessed as highly vulnerable, such as the Castle Hill buttercup.

Pīngao, a taonga coastal plant species, is highly vulnerable to projected increases in coastal flooding and sea surges.

Reptiles and frogs already have small, highly fragmented populations. Climate change is predicted to increase the impact of current pressures, including habitat loss and introduced predators. The most vulnerable lizards include both alpine and coastal species.

Alpine invertebrates, including Paparoa tunnelling wētā, were also found to be vulnerable, as they may get increasingly squeezed out of their habitats with nowhere to go as the climate warms.

Anni says the large number of species assessed as highly vulnerable reflects the specialised habitats and threatened status of many native species due to small population sizes, limited distributions, and low reproductive rates.

“DOC’s ongoing work programme is focused on prioritising species and habitats where we can make the most difference. We know that when pressures are managed through tools such as invasive pest eradication, nature is restored and in turn, species and habitats become more resilient in the face of pressures including climate change.

“We also need innovative solutions such as establishing ‘insurance’ populations of rare species that could become extinct in a single extreme weather event and implementing nature-based solutions to help control climate-related erosion, for example.

“This information isn’t only useful for DOC – we also expect that other agencies, environmental NGOs, iwi, and communities will find this valuable data helpful to take action for nature,” Anni says.

DOC will continue its climate change adaptation research with risk assessments underway, focusing on highly vulnerable species to help identify any immediate action needed to prevent irreversible losses.

View the report

Trait-based climate change vulnerability assessments of terrestrial taxa in Aotearoa New Zealand

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: More extreme weather predicted for subants
Source: Department of Conservation

Date: 30 January 2025

“Up until now, we’ve lacked information on the climate change impact on subantarctic islands,” Drew Bingham, DOC Principal Science Advisor says.

“We knew we had to take a deeper look and identify actions needed to ensure the survival of the taonga species that depend on the islands for their survival.”

The study focuses on 11,300-ha Campbell Island, 740km south of Dunedin. Its terrain is steep, rugged and covered in extensive peat. The highest point is 569m.

“Meteorological observations were made over 83 years, which was an excellent base to start with, and gave us confidence in identifying past trends,” Drew says.

“The pattern we’ve observed is a general increase across all climate indicators related to warmer conditions. This is expected to continue into the future.

“Increases in temperatures, rainfall and wind are projected for Campbell Island. Winter rainfall is expected to be particularly heavy, with a warmer atmosphere storing more water vapour and increasing the severity and intensity of downpours.”

Drew says these climate projections have implications for conservation management on Campbell and other subantarctic islands.

“Extensive rainfall events and slips will potentially have the biggest impact on nesting birds. We’d also like to find out more about how sea level rise and storm surges will affect sea lions.

“Increasing the resilience of the subantarctic islands and keeping them pest-free becomes even more important in the face of climate change, especially given the wealth of biodiversity on many of the islands.

“The project to remove pests from Campbell island’s neighbour, Maukahuka/Auckland Island, is a great example, and will boost the climate change resilience of Auckland Island and by extension, the surrounding Southern Ocean.”

Data from the study shows the following trends and records for Campbell Island’s climate:
- An increase in the average daily temperature over the past 83 years.
- A decrease in the number of cold days over the past 83 years.
- An increase in annual rainfall since 1970 (an additional annual rainfall of 79mm per decade).
- The three warmest years and four wettest years on record were after 2011.
Drew says further research is still needed to assess the impact of the projected weather on Campbell Island’s species in more detail.

“This climate report is a good start as we look at ways to help our taonga species on the subantarctic islands adapt to climate change.”

Visit DOC’s website to download the report on the study.

The climate and weather of Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku: historic observations and projected changes (PDF, 3,100K)

Background information

Campbell Island is part of New Zealand’s subantarctic World Heritage Site. It is the most southerly of the five New Zealand subantarctic groups.

Campbell Island is home to six species of albatross, including black-browed, grey-headed, light-mantled sooty and a small population of Gibson’s wandering albatross. Several critically endangered birds including the Campbell Island teal and Campbell Island snipe are found nowhere else. It has around 128 native vascular plants, which include several endemic herbs and grasses.

The island’s rat-free status was confirmed in 2006, following rat eradications in the early 2000s.

The Maukahuka project aims to eradicate feral pigs, feral cats and mice from Auckland Island so the island’s animals and plants can thrive. Visit DOC’s website for more information: Restoring Auckland Island – the Maukahuka project.

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

MIL OSI New Zealand News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Lutnick Commits to Championing Alaska Fishermen & “Freedom Fish” as Commerce Secretary

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan
01.29.25
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, today received commitments from Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Commerce, to visit Alaska, champion the interests of Alaska’s fishermen and seafood industry, help implement President Trump’s “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential” executive order, and work to advance the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project. Sen. Sullivan highlighted the serious challenges facing Alaska and America’s fishermen, including the decade-long unfair, non-reciprocal seafood trade relationship between the U.S. and Russia, which was fixed by executive orders Sen. Sullivan secured in 2022 and 2023. Sullivan noted the Commerce Department’s important role in enforcing the comprehensive ban on the import of Russian seafood and advocating for America’s fishing communities.
Sen. Sullivan posed his questions to Mr. Lutnick during his confirmation hearing before the committee.
[embedded content]
Below is a full transcript of Sen. Sullivan’s exchange with Mr. Lutnick.
Sen. Dan Sullivan: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Lutnick, congratulations to you and your family. Thank you for that very powerful opening statement. I appreciated our meeting. I’m really enjoying this hearing, all the focus on fish. It’s great. In all seriousness, certain secretaries, most secretaries, in my view, have not embraced their role that they are really important to our fishing community. As you and I talked about, this is really important to my state. Alaska is the superpower of seafood. Over two-thirds of all seafood harvested in America—commercial, subsistence, sport—is harvested in Alaska’s waters. Over two-thirds. So we’re it. We’re the 800-pound gorilla. Tens of thousands of Alaskans are connected to this industry. We are a huge powerhouse in terms of American exports. Mr. Lutnick, the vice president, in his opening statement, called you a “product guy,” a “sales guy,” a “good dude.” That’s a quote from the vice president. Good dude. I want to also maybe give you the title of “Godfather of American Fishermen” or the patron saint of American fishermen…
Howard Lutnick: This is working for me.
DS: …to keep a focus on these communities, on these great Americans—just look at Deadliest Catch and things like that—and to be a leader on focusing on them. That does not always happen. As a matter of fact, it usually hasn’t happened with the Secretaries of Commerce. Can you commit to me on doing that?
HL: Well, I love to fish, and I’m happy to commit to you. The fishermen of the United States of America are one of our great assets. It’s easy for me to promise to take care of them.
DS: Great. Since you love to fish, this next question might be the easiest one you get all day. I need a commitment from you to come to Alaska. You can bring the family.
HL: As long as I can bring my family, we’re coming.
DS: You can go fishing—but to meet these great American fishermen who are my constituents. It’d be great for you to get up there soon to meet them. Can I get your commitment to do that as well?
HL: It’s my pleasure.
DS: Great. Let me mention—we already talked about it: The last four years have been tough on my state. This is a chart I’ve shown all over the place—the Last Frontier Lock Up, we called it. 70 executive orders and actions from the Biden administration singularly focused on shutting down Alaska. 70. Fortunately, this is now a thing of the past. We want to get rid of that. On day one, the President issued this executive order, President Trump. It’s called “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.” It’s long, right? It’s very detailed. The Secretary of Commerce is mentioned in it. One of the lines in there: “It’s the policy of the United States”—this is from President Trump on day one—”to fully avail itself of Alaska’s vast lands and resources for the benefit of the nation and the American citizens who call Alaska home.” You’re mentioned in this, the Secretary of Commerce. Can I get your commitment to work with me on implementing every aspect of this really great Trump day one executive order?
HL: Yes.
DS: Great. Thank you. You mentioned disrespect for our fishermen. You and I talked about what we’ve been enduring for the last ten years. Russia instituted a ban on any exports of American seafood in 2014, and yet we had open borders essentially for them, for the last ten years, taking market share. Literally the most disrespectful, unfair trading situation I could see anywhere in the world. They were coming after our market share. Our fishermen in America could not export one fish to Russia. I worked really hard to get that changed. We got a ban, and then the Russians start sending their fish to China to essentially create a loophole, then to come into the U.S. We shut that down finally. Can you work with me to make sure we don’t have that incredibly unfair—Russia bans everything and they can import everything here. Ridiculous. Same with China. You’re a sales guy, a products guy. I want you to commit to me to promote American “freedom fish,” Alaska “freedom fish,” and don’t allow “communist fish” from Russia and China coming into our markets. Can you commit…
HL: We’ve got to get rid of those communist fish.
DS: So can I get a commitment on that?
HL: I do.
DS: Excellent. No “communist fish.” Freedom fish is what we want. Finally, Mr. Lutnick, the chairman is going to focus this committee a lot on energy, which I think is great. I know you care about unleashing our extraordinary energy potential. One of the big areas of focus of the Trump day-one EO on unleashing Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential is moving forward and finally getting done this massive Alaska LNG project that we’ve been working on for a number of years. We got all of the permits during the Trump administration. Of course, Biden blocked those. This would create thousands of jobs, would revitalize the American steel industry, would—estimates are—would reduce our trade deficit by about $10 billion a year. Can you commit to work with me, the President—who’s very focused on that in his EO, the secretaries of Interior and Energy, and other cabinet officials, including our Asian allies, to make this project a reality, which will be great for the country, great for our workers, great for our trade deficit, and really boost America’s national security?
HL: I can.
DS: Thank you.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Relentless focus on literacy & numeracy at school

Source: New Zealand Government

As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

“A world-leading education system is a key driver to economic growth. We want all children to be proficient and confident in reading, writing and maths so they grow up and live the lives they want. Our future playwrights and songwriters need to have a mastery of literacy and numeracy as much as our future mechanical engineers, doctors and electricians.

“From this week all state schools will benefit from a clear, detailed and knowledge-rich curriculum grounded in the science of learning.

“Students will benefit from explicit teaching through structured teaching of literacy and mathematics that doesn’t leave learning to chance. They will also benefit from consistent assessment tools so those students who need targeted interventions will get them earlier to bring them up to speed.

“We are ensuring teachers get the professional learning, development and resources they need to teach the new curriculum confidently. They will know what to teach, when, and how.

“Our $30 million investment will ensure 433,000 students have access to high-quality maths workbooks, tactile resources and online supports. This will help teachers and parents see the progress their children are making,” Ms Stanford says.

“No matter where you are in the country, parents can have confidence this Government is putting the foundations in place so their child can strive to do their best at school.

“As we embed structured approaches to literacy and numeracy in 2025, work will continue in the background, including updating every curricula area up to Year 13, revitalising NCEA, and delivering equitable property outcomes.

“I wish all educators, tamariki, and parents the very best for the start of the new school year.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: KEY MOMENTS: In Back-to-Back Nomination Hearings, Luján Presses RFK Jr. and Howard Lutnick on their Commitment to Working for the American People

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, pressed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Howard Lutnick in their respective nomination hearings on their commitment to preserving programs that provide critical services for New Mexicans. Senator Luján pressed both nominees on their commitment to upholding the law and serving the American people – not being a rubber stamp for the President.

In the nomination hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become Secretary of Health and Human Services, Senator Luján questioned Mr. Kennedy on his understanding of the importance of Medicaid and pressed Mr. Kennedy for his commitment to protect Medicaid from cuts. Mr. Kennedy did not commit to not cutting Medicaid if asked to by the President.

In the nomination hearing for Howard Lutnick to become Secretary of Commerce, Senator Luján questioned Mr. Lutnick on whether he would commit to not cutting funding that has been awarded to connect thousands of New Mexicans to the internet. Despite Mr. Lutnick’s acknowledgement of the importance of broadband buildout, he would not commit to maintaining crucial support for broadband.

Key Moments from the Nomination Hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become Secretary of Health and Human Services:

Watch the exchange with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. here.

On Medicare:

Sen. Luján: Do you know how many babies born in this country are covered through Medicaid?

Mr. Kennedy: I would guess, I don’t know the answer, I would guess about 30 million.

Sen. Luján: I have it Mr. Kennedy, about 41% or 1.4 million babies, births are financed by Medicaid according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Sen. Luján: If President Trump asks you to cut Medicaid will you do it?

Mr. Kennedy: It’s not up to me to cut Medicaid, it’d be up to Congress.

Sen. Luján: Mr. Kennedy, if you don’t want to answer, I’ll move on.

On Native American Health:

Sen. Luján: What are you going to do when programs are eliminated to require the inclusion of Native Americans in clinical trials when it comes to life-saving medicine?

Mr. Kennedy: I’m going to do everything I can to make sure there are Native American trials.

Sen. Luján: Will you commit to finalizing the Congressionally mandated FDA guidance to increase clinical trial diversity?

Mr. Kennedy: Yes.

Sen. Luján: Will you commit to reinstating all of the pages that were eliminated and people that were fired from this administration that have this responsibility?

Mr. Kennedy, in part: I cannot commit to that.

On Autism Services:

Sen. Luján: I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record and article from Autism Speaks titled “Do Vaccines Cause Autism” and I’ll note that the first sentence states “Vaccines do not cause autism.”

Key Moments from the Nomination Hearing for Howard Lutnick to become Secretary of Commerce:

Watch the exchange with Howard Lutnick here.

Sen. Luján: If you’re asked to cut that program (broadband access) by the President of the United States, will you?

Mr. Lutnick: I work for him.

Sen. Luján: Is your response that if the president asks you to cut broadband infrastructure funding, you will do that? Is that what I just heard?

Mr. Lutnick, in part: I work for the President of the United States, and I am here to executive his policies.

Sen. Luján: We have a responsibility to communicate to each other for the people we work for. It’s not that you just work for Donald Trump sir, you work for the American people if you get this position.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK redoubles Horizon push as Kyle forges deeper R&I links with EU
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

UK Science and Tech Secretary announces renewed push to turbo-charge UK-EU science and technology links, to tackle shared global challenges.
UK Science and Tech Secretary announces renewed push to turbo-charge UK-EU science and technology links, to tackle shared global challenges

Peter Kyle met colleagues in the European Commission, yesterday, to discuss how to strengthen and deepen European science and tech ties

New campaign to drive UK participation in Horizon Europe, and UK joins cutting-edge European research consortia

New plans have been unveiled to make Britain’s science and technology links with the EU stronger and deeper, following a fruitful visit to Brussels by the UK’s Science and Technology Secretary, to meet some of the new slate of European Commissioners.

Today (Thursday 30 January) the government is announcing the launch of a new nationwide advertising campaign to further boost UK participation in Horizon Europe, the world’s largest programme of research collaboration. The UK is also joining 4 European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs) to further boost collaborative ties between researchers, across the Channel.

The EU is an innovation powerhouse – spending over €380 billion on R&D in 2023(1) – and fostering deep and high-quality links between the continent’s brightest minds, and the UK’s, will be critical if we are to seize the promise for science and tech innovations to support the Government’s Missions to grow the economy, fix the NHS and improve health outcomes and deliver clean energy under the Plan for Change. As the plan sets out, promoting innovation and world-class research will be foundational to rebuilding the foundations of the economy, and kickstarting growth.

The recent AI Opportunities Action Plan – this government’s plan to unleash AI to deliver a decade of national renewal – also highlighted how close cooperation with our European allies on the latest technologies will be critical to our shared prosperity and wellbeing. An example of this is the UK’s involvement in the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which is developing a world-class supercomputing infrastructure across the European continent.

Peter Kyle’s visit saw him hold high-level talks with Commissoners Zaharieva, Kubilius, and McGrath, to discuss how the UK and the EU can tackle some of the biggest problems facing the world, and grow our economies, by working together to seize the enormous potential of science and tech breakthroughs from AI to life sciences.

UK Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

There is no question about it: we stand our best chance of tackling the great challenges of our era, from climate change to public health, to growing economies that work for everyone, by bringing the brightest minds from across the UK and the European Union, together.

The UK is determined to give our researchers, innovators and businesses the opportunities and platforms they need to bring their great ideas to life, to the benefit of us all – all of which is highlighted by our new Horizon ad campaign. I’m pleased to have had such fruitful conversations with my European friends and colleagues, on taking this vital partnership even further.

Recent, initial signs suggest UK association to Horizon is trending in the right direction. For instance, in the latest ERC Synergy Grants, in which the UK hosted 18 projects – the second highest number. But the government is determined to go even further to help our innovators seize this opportunity.

The advertising campaign will bring the potential benefits of Horizon participation to life by shining a light on examples of businesses and researchers, right across the UK, who have benefited from funding. That includes Nova Innovation, a company developing turbines for the tidal energy industry, and Electra Commercial vehicles, who are developing electric trucks that can go further without needing to recharge.

It is part of comprehensive action to support the effective uptake of opportunities in Horizon Europe, including events, financial and networking support. The roadshow events across the country have offered insights into bidding and networking opportunities, while Pump Priming grants, in collaboration with the British Academy and Innovate UK, are designed to support the establishment of consortia and development of high-quality applications.

There are further plans to help British business people and researchers network with potential European R&D partners, as Innovate UK will take UK delegations to Italy, Germany and Spain for a series of Horizon Europe Brokerage events. These events will also help those involved work on how to build the best possible bids for Horizon funding together with their overseas colleagues.

The 4 European Research Infrastructure Consortia the UK is joining are:

European Holocaust Research Infrastructure

European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science

Low Frequency Array

International Centre for Advanced Studies on River-Sea Systems

These partnerships will enable UK researchers to collaborate on projects ranging from historical research, to astronomy, to advanced river systems studies.

Sources

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/

DSIT media enquiries

Email press@dsit.gov.uk

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Published 30 January 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: If the government wants science to have an economic impact it has to put its money where its mouth is
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Gaston, Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

jittawit21/Shutterstock

Billed as the most significant change to the science system in 30 years, last week’s announcement of major structural changes to scientific research institutions was objectively a big deal.

But the devil will be in the details. The proposed reforms are focused on the economic impact of the science sector and are based on the first of two reports from the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG).

Success will depend on how they are implemented and, most of all, on the sector receiving sufficient funding.

The government’s reforms include:
- the merger of seven public Crown Research Institutes to create three larger Public Research Organisations (PROs)
- the creation of a fourth new PRO focused on “advanced technology” such as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and potentially cleantech
- the disestablishment of Callaghan Innovation and the creation of a new agency called “Invest New Zealand” to target international investment
- the creation of a new national intellectual property policy, meaning scientists working in PROs and in the university system are on a level playing field when it comes to commercialisation
- the establishment of a Prime Minister’s Science, Innovation and Technology Advisory Council to provide strategic direction and oversight.
As the reforms move forward, the government will have to answer several questions. For example, how will the expertise relating to advanced technologies, much of which currently sits within our university sector, be moved into the new PRO?

And how will the funding model be changed as these new PROs are established?

Long running issues

Overall, the higher level changes are positive. Reforms have been a long time coming and are based on years of discussion within the crown research sector.

But we need to look at the reforms in the context of the science advisory group’s first report.

The report is strongly and deliberately focused on the potential economic impact of science and research. The authors outline how this must be supported by a properly functioning system.

According to the authors, a lack of strategy from the highest level of government is a barrier for the sector.

It is clear the advisory group recommends structural change (such as the PRO model). But it is also explicit that sufficient research funding is a necessary condition for these reforms to work:

The SSAG stands firmly of the view that our parsimonious attitude to research funding is a core reason that New Zealand has become an outlier in performance on productivity growth.

Barriers to progress

The advisory group identified certain cultural attitudes, such as New Zealand’s “number-eight wire” thinking, as a reason the country doesn’t value research as it should. The group also strongly advocated for bipartisan agreement on funding systems and investment levels.

The group had strongly positive things to say about research in the social sciences and mātauranga Māori through the lens of economic growth.

There is no debate that research into Māori culture and knowledge is an obligation of the New Zealand research system and that this should be largely determined by experts in mātauranga Māori. We will be recommending a distinct funding stream in the proposed National Research Foundation.

Unfortunately, this government’s defunding of the social sciences and humanities, announced in December, suggests it has already made its mind up on the value of these disciplines.

Missing the bigger picture

Reading the full report, there is the sense that while the government announcement has taken the most visible recommendations for change, it has missed the bigger picture: the need for sufficient funding to strengthen the sector as a whole and help New Zealand become internationally competitive.

This means we need to benchmark ourselves against other countries and their economic and scientific performance. According to the report:

The international analysis is clear: we are spending significantly less than comparable countries spend from the public purse on [research and development].

The authors emphasise that for countries with low expenditure, improved research and development activity is especially important for GDP growth. New Zealand should take note – it is an outlier both as a low investor and a poor economic performer.

These messages are not new.

Steven Joyce, science minister in the National-led government between 2011 and 2016, advocated for the National Science Challenges as a way to justify increased government investment to the sector. But issues with the implementation costs effectively killed off his promise of increased funding.

Labour’s science minister between 2022 and 2023, Ayesha Verrall, had a similar argument about needing to establish research “priorities” in order to justify increased spending. Again, it never happened.

It is possible the current reforms will be more effective in providing justification for increased investment.

But this time we need to put the horse before the cart by investing money in the system – one that has been underfunded for years and which has only recently seen further funding cuts and job losses.

And this has to happen before the system absorbs the implementation costs of these reforms.

Nicola Gaston receives funding from TEC as Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and from the Marsden fund administered by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

– ref. If the government wants science to have an economic impact it has to put its money where its mouth is – https://theconversation.com/if-the-government-wants-science-to-have-an-economic-impact-it-has-to-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is-248299
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Baldwin Questions Commerce Secretary Nominee if He Will Cut Funding for Wisconsin Tech Hubs

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) questioned Howard Lutnick, nominee for Secretary of the Department of Commerce (DOC), in the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on if he will cut funding for the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub. The questioning comes as the Trump Administration holds up federal funding approved by Congress and already awarded to states, local governments, and nonprofits. The Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub was awarded a $49 million investment to grow the state’s personalized medicine and biohealth sector – advancing research and innovation, growing our economy and creating jobs, and boosting American competitiveness in a cutting-edge industry.
“Wisconsin has a rich history of innovation and making things, and our Tech Hub is going to carry that into the future, creating good paying jobs, growing our Made in Wisconsin economy, and revolutionizing health care as we know it. But, cutting funding for it puts it all at risk,” said Senator Baldwin. “Cutting this investment would put Wisconsin jobs on the line, hurt our economy, and put breakthroughs that could keep families healthy out of reach. I will keep fighting to get what Wisconsin is owed so we can continue to grow our economy and keep families healthy.”
On Monday night, the Trump Administration ordered a freeze on federal grants and loans. While the Administration continues to send mixed signals about the future of this order, which now faces challenges in court, Senator Baldwin asked Mr. Lutnick to confirm whether funding for Wisconsin’s Tech Hub would be impacted. Mr. Lutnick was not able to provide an answer.
If the Committee approves his nomination to be DOC Secretary, Howard Lutnick will advance to a confirmation vote by the whole Senate.
A full video of Senator Baldwin’s questions is available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Australia – International project to support Australia’s transition to clean energy with next-gen electrolysers – Swinburne University

Source: Swinburne University

An international team is developing new electrolysers to support Australia’s transition to clean energy.

Led by Swinburne University of Technology researchers Associate Professor Rosalie Hocking and Associate Professor Andrew Ang, the project will strengthen Australia’s capability in domestic manufacturing for renewable technologies, positioning the country as a leader in the global energy transition.

“This grant enables us to tackle key challenges in scaling up electrolysers by innovating catalyst design and electrode manufacturing, advancing CO₂ reduction technologies for a sustainable energy future,” says Associate Professor Hocking.

Hydrogen electrolysers enable the production of clean hydrogen from water using renewable electricity. This process provides a high-energy, low-emission alternative for sectors that are challenging to electrify, such as heavy transport and industrial processing.

By 2050, CSIRO predicts that manufacturing of hydrogen electrolysers industry could generate $1.7 billion in revenue and 4,000 jobs, plus $1.2 billion and 1,000 jobs from installation services. Associate Professor Ang says a key part of making this a reality is reducing costs.

“The cost of manufacturing is often overlooked in new technologies despite being a critical consideration in any scalable technology.”

“By scaling up these cutting-edge electrode systems, the project will contribute to the development of next-generation electrolysers that support Australia’s transition to clean energy.”

The international collaboration between Swinburne’s Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering team and Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon (RMUTP) in Thailand will examine innovative ways to fabricate catalysts materials and Australia’s capacity to scale those technologies.

This project aims to develop innovative copper oxide (CuOx) and multimetal oxide catalyst systems for the production of value-added C2+ products, such as hydrocarbons and syngas, using renewable energy in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers.

By advancing catalyst design and optimising manufacturing techniques, the project addresses key challenges related to cost and scalability in the deployment of hydrogen production technologies.

Associate Professor Hocking says that international partnerships are essential for building Australia’s science and research capabilities.

“Employing innovative techniques like thermal spray will help position Australia as a global leader in renewable technology development.”

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senators Markey and Cruz Reintroduce Bill to Keep AM Radio in New Vehicles

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Bill Text (PDF)
Washington (January 29, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today reintroduced the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. This legislation would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge.
“As we witness more tragic climate change-induced disasters like the wildfires in Los Angeles, broadcast AM radio continues to be a critical tool for communication. AM radio is a lifeline for people across the country for news, sports, and especially emergency information,” said Senator Markey. “Tens of millions of listeners across the country have made clear that they want AM radio to remain in their vehicles. Our AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act heeds their words and ensures that this essential tool doesn’t get lost on the dial.”
“During weather disasters or power outages, AM radio is consistently the most reliable form of communication and is critical to keep millions of Texans safe. AM radio has long been a haven for people to express differing viewpoints, allowing free speech and our robust democratic process to flourish for decades. I am honored to once again partner with Sen. Markey on this bipartisan legislation on behalf of our constituents who depend on AM radio and public airwaves for access to news, music, talk, and emergency alerts,” said Senator Cruz.
Cosponsors in the Senate include Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jim Justice (R-W.V.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wy.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and John Hoeven (R-N.D.).
In May 2023, Senators Markey and Cruz led their colleagues in introducing the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act passed through the Senate Commerce Committee in July 2023 and passed through the House Energy and Commerce Committee in September 2024.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Celebrates Progress Made for Colorado Students in New Education Data
Source: US State of Colorado

DENVER – Today, Governor Polis highlighted the progress that Colorado has made as shown by the most recent NAEP scores, while acknowledging that there is more work ahead to support students and educators.

“The Nation’s Report Card is a valuable resource as we work to boost student achievement and outcomes here in Colorado. Today’s release shows that while Colorado is holding its own and has made important progress, it’s clear that we have a lot more work to do to help all students achieve at grade level or above. When the last set of NAEP scores came out in 2022, we acted on the insights and took action to boost math achievement, including passing legislation to create new out-of-school time opportunities centered around STEM, supporting math-focused teacher preparation and professional development, and helping schools acquire high quality instructional math materials. We believe the groundwork laid through these sustained efforts will lead to steady improvements in the years ahead. Colorado will continue to pursue every avenue to get our students the support they need, including free preschool and kindergarten that’s saving families thousands each year to afterschool programming for math and science, support for innovation in our schools, ensuring parents in education deserts have more quality choices, and increased per pupil funding. Everything should be on the table to ensure every student can succeed across our entire state,” said Governor Jared Polis.

New NAEP data shows that:
- Colorado is #1 in the nation in change since 2022 in scale scores for all students and Black students in 8th grade reading.
- Colorado is #2 in the nation for change since 2022 scale score for all students in 8th grade math.
- Colorado matched or outpaced the nation in change since 2022 for all students in every grade and subject.
- Colorado is #1 in the nation for improvement over the last decade (2013 to 2024) for Black students in 8th grade reading.
- Colorado is #2 in the nation for improvement over the last decade (2013 to 2024) for Black students in 4th grade reading.
- Colorado outpaced the nation for improvement over the last decade (2013 to 2024) for Black students in every grade and subject.
- Colorado outpaced the nation over the last decade (2013 to 2024) for Hispanic students in 8th grade reading and math.
As Chair of the National Governors Association, Governor Polis launched Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success to support Governors in driving innovative education policies. Let’s Get Ready aims to help Governors form policies that better evaluate outcomes for state investments in education and improve outcomes for learners at all stages of their education journey. The initiative also focuses on the ways states can meet the future needs of the workforce and strengthen the economy by preparing students for success in and outside of the classroom.

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MIL OSI USA News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Warren Slams RFK Jr. for Dangerous Conflicts of Interest, Profiting From Anti-Vaccine Conspiracies

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
January 29, 2025
Kennedy answers raise fresh questions about his ethics agreement
Kennedy could profit from anti-vaccine lawsuits he can influence as Health Secretary
Warren: “Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it…Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy will keep cashing in.”
Round 1 Questioning (YouTube) | Round 2 Questioning (YouTube)
Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and member of the Senate Finance Committee, questioned Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), about his dangerous conflicts of interest and record of profiting from anti-vaccine conspiracies.
Mr. Kennedy has made nearly $2.5 million in referral fees from the law firm Wisner Baum, in connection with lawsuits against vaccine makers. Mr. Kennedy receives a 10% contingency fee in these cases if the plaintiffs win, and his ethics agreement indicates he will continue to receive these payments even if he is confirmed as HHS Secretary. However, during his confirmation hearing, Mr. Kennedy initially appeared to agree to not accept any compensation from lawsuits against drug companies while serving as HHS Secretary, stating, “Well, I will certainly commit to that while I’m Secretary.” He then backtracked and did not clearly commit to ending this arrangement — through which he can profit off of anti-vaccine lawsuits even if he is confirmed as HHS Secretary.
If Mr. Kennedy does maintain his financial stake in anti-vaccine lawsuits, he will have a serious conflict of interest. Senator Warren highlighted seven ways Mr. Kennedy could benefit financially from anti-vaccine lawsuits and increase his payouts, including:
Publishing anti-vaccine conspiracies on government letterhead to influence juries;
Appointing anti-vaccine people to the CDC vaccine panel;
Opening vaccine manufacturers to lawsuits by removing vaccines from special compensation programs;
Making more injuries eligible for compensation even with no causal evidence;
Change vaccine court processes to make it easier to bring junk lawsuits to get vaccines pulled from the market; and
Turn over FDA data to his connections at law firm Wisner Baum, for their use in lawsuits.
Senator Warren also asked Mr. Kennedy if he would take responsibility for more than 80 deaths in Samoa after Mr. Kennedy spread anti-vaccine conspiracies in the country. Mr. Kennedy refused to take responsibility.
Transcript: Hearing to consider the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., of California, to be Secretary of Health and Human ServicesSenate Committee on Finance January 29, 2025
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Kennedy, I want to start with something that I think you and I agree on: Big Pharma has too much power in Washington. You’ve said that, President Trump asked you to, “clean up corruption and conflicts.” Sounds great. You’ve said you will “slam shut the revolving door” between government agencies and the companies they regulate. That also sounds great.
So here’s an easy question: will you commit that when you leave this job, you will not accept compensation from a drug company, a medical device company, a hospital system, or a health insurer for at least four years—including as a lobbyist or board member?
Mr. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services: Can you just repeat the last part of the question? Can I commit to what?
Senator Warren: Sure, you’re not going to take money from drug companies in any way shape or form?
Mr. Kennedy: Who? Me?
Senator Warren: Yes. You.
Mr. Kennedy: I’m happy to commit to that.
Senator Warren: Good, that’s what I figured. I said, it’s an easy question to start with. And I think you’re right on this question –
Mr. Kennedy: I don’t think any of them want to give me any money, by the way.
Senator Warren: Let’s keep going. You are right to say yes because every American has the right to know that every decision you make as our number one health officer is to help them—not to make money for yourself in the future.
So, I want to talk more about money. I’m looking at your paperwork right now. In the past two years, you’ve raked in $2.5 million from a law firm called Wisner Baum. You go online, you do commercials to encourage people to sign up with Wisner Baum to join lawsuits against vaccine makers. And for everyone who signs up, you personally get paid, and if they win their case, you get 10% of what they win. So, if you bring in someone who gets $10 million, you walk away with a million dollars.
Now, you just said that you want the American people to know that you cannot be bought, your decisions won’t depend on how much money you could make in the future, you won’t go work for a drug company after you leave HHS. But you and I both know there’s another way to make money.
So, Mr. Kennedy, will you also agree that you also won’t take any compensation from any lawsuits against drug companies while you are Secretary and for four years afterwards?
Mr. Kennedy: Well, I will certainly commit to that while I’m Secretary. But I do want to clarify something because you make me sound like a shill. I put together that case. I did the science day presentation to the judge on that case to get it into court, the docket hearing –
Senator Warren: Mr. Kennedy, it’s just a really simple question. You’ve taken in $2.5 million, I want to know if you will commit right now that not only will you not go to work for drug companies, you won’t go to work suing the drug companies and taking your rake out of that while you are Secretary and for four years after.
Mr. Kennedy: I will commit to not taking any fees from drug companies while I’m Secretary. I –
Senator Warren: No, I’m asking about fees from suing drug companies. Will you agree not to do that?
Mr. Kennedy: You are asking me to not sue drug companies, and I’m not going to agree to that –
Senator Warren: No. You can sue drug companies as much as you want.
Mr. Kennedy: I am not going to agree to not sue drug companies or anybody.
Senator Warren: So, let’s do a quick count here of how, as Secretary of HHS, if you get confirmed, you could influence every one of those lawsuits. Well, let me start the list.
You could publish your anti-vaccine conspiracies, but this time on U.S. government letterhead – something a jury might be impressed by.
Mr. Kennedy: I don’t understand that.
Senator Warren: You could appoint people to the CDC vaccine panel who share your anti-vax views and let them do your dirty work.
You could tell the CDC vaccine panel to remove a particular vaccine from the vaccine schedule.
You could remove vaccines from special compensation programs, which would open up manufacturers to mass torts.
You could make more injuries eligible for compensation even if there’s no causal evidence.
You could change vaccine court processes to make it easier to bring junk lawsuits.
You could turn over FDA data to your friends at the law firm, and they could use it however it benefitted them.
You could change vaccine labelling.
You could change vaccine information rules.
You could change which claims are compensated in the vaccine injury compensation program.
There’s a lot of ways you can influence those future lawsuits and pending lawsuits while you are Secretary of HHS, and I’m asking you to commit right now that you will not take a financial stake in every one of those lawsuits so that what you do as Secretary will also benefit you financially down the line.
Mr. Kennedy: I will comply with all the ethical guidelines.
Senator Warren: That’s not the question. You and I—you have said repeatedly—
Mr. Kennedy: You are asking me—Senator, you’re asking me not to sue vaccine—pharmaceutical companies.
Senator Warren: No, I am not. My question is: stop enriching yourself.
Look, no one should be fooled here. As Secretary of HHS, Robert Kennedy will have the power to undercut vaccines and vaccine manufacturing across our country. And for all his talk about “follow the science” and his promise that he won’t interfere with those of us who want to vaccinate our kids, the bottom line is the same: Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it.
Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in.
Mr. Kennedy: Senator, I support vaccines, I will—I support the childhood schedule, I will do that. The only thing I want is good science, and that’s it.
Senator Warren: How about then saying you won’t make money off what you do as Secretary of HHS?
Chair Mike Crapo: Before we go to Senator Tillis, I think it would be important for me to make it very clear that Mr. Kennedy has gone through the same Office of Government Ethics process as every single other nominee in the Finance Committee this year and in previous administrations. In addition to listing his assets, including the items that you’ve identified, he has signed an ethics letter that has been reviewed by the Office of Government Ethics concerning any possible conflict in light of its functions and the nominee’s proposed duties. And we have a letter from the Office of Government Ethics that he has complied completely with all applicable laws and regulations governing conflicts of interest.
Senator Warren: Mr. Chairman, point of information here: have we had a single nominee come through who’s made two and a half million dollars off suing one of the entities that it would be regulating and plans to keep getting a take of every lawsuit in the future? Have we had that before?
Chair Crapo: I haven’t reviewed the past documentation of every other nominee’s financial interests, and so no. But I know that every single time we get a nominee, their financial interests are attacked. That’s why we have the Office of Government Ethics. That’s why they’ve reviewed everything that’s in his record, and that’s why he has even—I think, and I don’t know that I want to ask him to get into it—but he has listed his assets and has gone through a discussion of the responsibilities under our ethics laws and is complied with all of those requirements.
Round 2
Senator Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Kennedy, I want to ask about your role in a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa. In July 2018, two children died immediately after receiving a measles vaccine that nurses had mistakenly mixed with a muscle relaxant. The nurses get charged with manslaughter, but the vaccination rates go down.
I asked you about this in my office. You told me flatly that your visit to Samoa had nothing to do with vaccinations. We now know that’s not true. I have the documentation. You met with the Prime Minister, you talked about vaccinations. You met with an anti-vaccine influencer who described the meeting as “profoundly monumental for this movement.”
So what happens? Vaccinations go down. There’s a measles outbreak, and children start dying, but you double down. You didn’t give up just four days after the Prime Minister declared a state of emergency. 16 people already dead. You sent a letter to him promoting the idea that the children had died not from measles but from a “defective vaccine.” You launched the idea that a measles vaccine caused these deaths.
You are a very influential man. In fact, you are called the leader of the disinformation dozen. UNICEF and WHO, the World Health Organization, investigated this. They say the claims are false. It is not biologically possible what you claimed, and yet, ultimately, more than 70 people died because they didn’t get vaccines.
So my question is, do you accept even a scintilla, just even a sliver of responsibility for the drop in vaccinations and the subsequent deaths of more than 70 people? Anything you’d do differently?
Mr. Kennedy: No, absolutely not. After the—there were two incidents in which children died in 2015 and again in 2018. 2015, it was from the measles vaccine. That’s what the New Zealand General Hospital found. The government of Samoa banned the measles vaccine after 2018. I arrived in July of the next year, after the ban had been in place for a year, and the measles—
Senator Warren: Mr. Chairman, understanding that you wanted to hold this to a minute, and then I don’t get to present all the facts and documentation I’ve got. How about if we just decide to make entries for the record on exactly what the record shows about Mr. Kennedy’s participation? And I think he’s answered the yes or no question. He takes no responsibility.
Chair Crapo: Senator Warren, we will do that. And Mr. Kennedy, and to all the senators, every senator knows that following this hearing, they will be able to ask you questions off the record, and you will be able to put answers back onto the record. So please give that answer. I apologize that we’re shutting you off for giving a full response right now.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. Announces Departure

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

Tenure Marked by Violent Crime Declines, White Collar Fraud Crackdown, Dismantling Drug Traffickers, and Expansion of Civil Rights

RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr., announced today that he is stepping down on Monday, February 3, 2025, after leading the Office since November 2021. President Joseph Biden nominated Easley on September 28, 2021, and the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed him on November 21, 2021. He was officially sworn in on November 26, 2021.

“It has been the highest honor to serve as the top federal law enforcement official for Eastern North Carolina – a place I was born, raised, and am proud to call home,” said Easley. “The men and women of the Eastern District are among the hardest working in the nation – steadfast in the mission to keep America safe. Together, we helped drive down violent crime, turbocharged white-collar prosecutions, protected civil rights, and stemmed the tide of narcotics into our communities. We did it through partnering, shoulder to shoulder, with local law enforcement and community leaders to solve our region’s most challenging problems. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, and staff who give so much to see justice done every day.”

“U.S. Attorney Easley is the kind of partner every sheriff hopes for – sharp, decisive, and committed to results. He didn’t just talk about law enforcement partnerships; he made them real, partnering with sheriffs for solutions and backing them up with action. Under his leadership, we made real progress— violent crime down, overdose deaths falling, and tighter collaboration. Easley set a new gold standard for what it means to lead in federal law enforcement,” said Eddie Caldwell, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the North Carolina Sheriffs Association.

“We are deeply grateful for the years that U.S. Attorney Easley served at the helm of the Eastern District of North Carolina. His leadership, particularly through collaborative efforts, like the VCAP initiative, played a critical role in prosecuting violent offenders. His work has significantly contributed to our goal of making Raleigh one of the safest cities in the nation. He will be greatly missed,” said Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson.

Expansion of Resources to Make Communities Safer

U.S. Attorney Easley fought to significantly expand investigative and prosecutorial resources in the District, including a nearly 17% increase in prosecutors and new legal support staff and investigators. Much of the new personnel were allocated through a competitive national application process, with no district in the nation receiving more new prosecutors than the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC). The Office’s productivity and strong law enforcement partnerships also led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to add an additional team of agents to partner on violent crime reduction across the District.

Easley and his Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) team also worked with Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership to have Raleigh named a National Public Safety Partnership Site (PSP). The program aims to lower crime rates and improve quality of life through intensive training and technical assistance (TTA) to enhance gun violence investigations, constitutional policing, community engagement, crime analysis, and the use of technology in crime reduction.

Driving Down Violent Crime and Dismantling Drug Traffickers

Throughout his tenure, Easley and his team have led the charge to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in the District by launching a Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) with formal coordination sites in Raleigh, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Rocky Mount, New Bern, and the Albemarle Region. The VCAP strategy built deeper ties and sustained partnerships with law enforcement, with VCAP sites showing double-digit percentage declines in homicides since 2022, for example, Raleigh (↓37%), Fayetteville (↓39%), Wilmington (↓15%), and Rocky Mount (↓67%).

VCAP is a collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local police departments, sheriff’s offices, and district attorney’s offices to identify and prosecute the most significant drivers of violence, specifically targeting shooters and the gunrunners who arm them. Notable cases include the 20-year sentence for a Crabtree Valley Mall robbery and the carjacking, the sentencing of a Crips Gang member for multi-state gun trafficking; the indictment of two Sampson County men allegedly responsible for a quintuple murder, the prosecution of gang members with fully-automatic machine guns; and gun smuggling to Mexico.

VCAP provides a forum for structured inter-agency coordination, intelligence-led policing, and deployment of federal Task Force Officers to bring federal technology to address local gun violence.

In 2022, 2023, and 2024, EDNC prosecuted over 850 individuals for firearms offenses and took over 750 guns off the streets.

In addition to VCAP, Easley revamped the Office’s Organized Crime & Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) by expanding the use of federal wiretaps, embedding federal agents alongside prosecutors, and increasing financial investigations. During Easley’s tenure, the Office achieved a #1 national rank for the number of OCDETF cases and #1 for the number of OCDETF defendants convicted of violence. Easley encouraged partners to prioritize national-scale cases with strong local impact, dismantling the trafficking, distribution, and money laundering pillars of criminal enterprises.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Notable cases include the 75-year sentence of a national leader of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club for narcotics trafficking and violence; the indictment of 16 members of the Hell’s Angels and Red Devils motorcycle gangs as part of an alleged violent criminal enterprise; the 40-year sentence for a narcotics trafficker operating from a daycare; the prosecution of the leader of white supremacist organization for armed drug trafficking; the 35-year sentence of a violent Fayetteville fentanyl trafficker; the conviction of a Raleigh Police officer for drug trafficking; the conviction of two fentanyl traffickers with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel; the conviction of a Rocky Mount Blood Gang leader for drug trafficking and COVID-19 fraud; the 40-year sentence of a drug trafficker linked to the murder, dismemberment and disposal of a confidential informant; the prosecution of a former Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy for drug trafficking and bid-rigging; and the 50-year sentence of a violent Sampson County Blood Gang leader for armed drug trafficking.

Attacking the Fentanyl Epidemic

Easley also prioritized the prosecution of cases involving counterfeit pills and overdose deaths arising from fentanyl poisoning. An Elizabeth City man was sentenced to 20 years for trafficking heroin and fentanyl after causing an overdose death, a Raleigh man received a 15-year sentence after assisting in the distribution of fentanyl that killed a young woman, and a Snapchat fentanyl trafficker whose counterfeit pills led to an overdose death received 13 years in prison.

To help local law enforcement get justice for victims of fentanyl poisoning and their families, Easley launched Overdose Death Investigation Trainings to train more than 200 law enforcement officers and prosecutors across the District on building fentanyl death cases.

Easley also worked to reduce demand for opioids through outreach and education through the Heroin Education Action Team (HEAT), including educational events in local communities and schools. The team launched a powerful new educational video to teach students and communities about the dangers.

Protecting America’s National Security, Sensitive Technology, and Cybersecurity

Under Easley’s leadership, the Office prioritized national security cases involving domestic and international terrorism, international cybercriminals, and protecting sensitive technology from foreign adversaries. The prosecutions included a man accused of attempting to join ISIS and convictions against five members of a white supremacist plot to attack the energy grid, an anti-government bombmaker teaching how to target law enforcement, and a U.S. Army Major convicted of shipping guns to Ghana. The Office also extradited and pursued a groundbreaking case against one of the FBI’s most wanted cybercriminals responsible for tens of millions of dollars in losses from widescale ransomware attacks, including on a hospital.

Easley also built deeper ties with the DOJ’s National Security Division and the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry & Security to launch a Disruptive Technology Strike Force (DTSF) cell to protect innovation in the Research Triangle’s high-tech sector. The DTSF partners with law enforcement and industry to protect advanced technology from unlawful acquisition by foreign adversaries. As home to the Research Triangle Park, world-class research institutions, and some of the Department of Defense’s largest installations, the EDNC hosts critical technology that malign foreign actors seek to obtain. The Raleigh DTSF cell is only one of fifteen in the country.

Surge in White Collar Fraud and Corruption Enforcement

Under Easley’s leadership, the Office saw a significant surge in white-collar enforcement, with white-collar caseloads increasing 115% in a year. Cases included the prosecution of a former Morgan Stanley financial advisor who defrauded investors in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, an ENT doctor sentenced to 25 years for defrauding Medicaid, a man who laundered $40mm in narco-linked crypto, and a plant manager who dumped tens of thousands of gallons of toxic waste into the Cape Fear River. The Office also prosecuted a $15-million-dollar COVID fraud scheme involving more than 20 businesses and individuals.

These cases arose from the launch of dedicated working groups focused on Securities Fraud, Money Laundering, Public Health, Environmental Crimes, and other priority areas. The Office also launched an annual Economic Crimes Summit to build deeper ties with investigators across about 30 different agencies.

Easley also launched an Illicit Finance Task Force with the Treasury Department to combat transnational money laundering by targeting third-party money launders and money-transmitting businesses utilizing cryptocurrency, banking, and brokerages to run dirty money through the American financial system.

Expanding Civil Rights Enforcement

Easley launched the Office’s first dedicated Civil Rights Team to enhance the Office’s civil rights enforcement. The team includes dedicated coordinators in both the Civil and Criminal Divisions and a designated Human Trafficking Coordinator. The Civil Rights Initiative emphasizes community engagement and law enforcement training.

As a part of the effort, the Office trained more than 200 officers in de-escalation, use of force, and community engagement strategies. The Office also hosted multiple outreach events through its United Against Hate Initiative to build stronger relationships between law enforcement and the community and to educate communities on how to identify and report hate crimes.

Easley also launched two human trafficking task forces – one in the Raleigh-Cary area and one in Southeastern North Carolina – to bring together law enforcement and community resources to share intelligence and investigative leads, provide specialized training, and promote greater public-private coordination to rescue and stabilize victims.

Strong Civil Practice

For the past three years, the EDNC’s Civil Division has ranked in the top 10 among large districts in the number of cases filed or responded to per AUSA. The Division has consistently ranked #1 in the Fourth Circuit for Affirmative Civil Rights and Affirmative Fraud cases and has ranked in the top five nationally compared to other large districts. EDNC’s Financial Litigation Program (FLP), responsible for collecting debts owed to the U.S. Government, collected over $58 million in the last three fiscal years.

About U.S. Attorney Easley

Prior to his appointment as the U.S. Attorney, Easley was a partner at a large international law firm focused on internal investigations and trial court work in state and federal courts.

Born in Southport, North Carolina, Easley attended the University of North Carolina, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honors and distinction in political science. He later received his law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

MIL Security OSI –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: InspireSemi Announces Administrative Update Webinar for Shareholders

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia and AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Inspire Semiconductor Holdings Inc. (“InspireSemi” or the “Company”), a chip design company that provides revolutionary high-performance, energy-efficient accelerated computing solutions for High Performance Computing (HPC), AI, graph analytics, and other compute-intensive workloads, is pleased to announce that it will provide an administrative update by live webinar on February 5, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

This will primarily be an open forum for shareholders to clarify any remaining questions regarding the previously announced voluntary delisting from the TSX Venture Exchange, which was completed on December 31, 2024. A more general business update will also be scheduled shortly.

You can also view a related list Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on the company website at: FAQ document.

To join the live webinar please use the following Zoom information:

Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86160306729?pwd=TfhZhAA4v2YvdbsbIhJws8cQD3fcj5.1

Webinar ID: 861 6030 6729
Passcode: 060367

Phone one-tap:
+13462487799,,86160306729#,,,,*060367# US (Houston)
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Join via audio:
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International numbers available: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kf1d3JWW8

About InspireSemi

InspireSemi provides revolutionary high-performance, energy-efficient accelerated computing solutions for High-Performance Computing (HPC), AI, graph analytics, and other compute-intensive workloads. The Thunderbird I ‘supercomputer-cluster-on-a-chip’ is a disruptive, next-generation datacenter accelerator designed to address multiple underserved and diversified industries, including financial services, computer-aided engineering, energy, climate modeling, cybersecurity, and life sciences & drug discovery. Based on the open standard RISC-V instruction set architecture, InspireSemi’s solutions set new standards of performance, energy efficiency, and ease of programming. InspireSemi is headquartered in Austin, TX.

For more information visit https://inspiresemi.com
Follow InspireSemi on LinkedIn

Company Contact
Jack Cartwright, CFO (Interim)
(737) 471-3230
invest@inspiresemi.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (“forward-looking statements”). Statements concerning InspireSemi’s objectives, goals, strategies, priorities, intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations and estimates, and the business, operations, financial performance and condition of InspireSemi are forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” (or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or come to pass.

Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information regarding the Delisting and any future listing. Forward-looking information is based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans, strategies or beliefs as of the date of this presentation, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of InspireSemi, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors may be based on information currently available to the Company including information obtained from third-party industry analysts and other third-party sources and are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. Any and all forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect management’s expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Forward-looking information reflects management’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to them and on assumptions they believe to be not unreasonable in light of all of the circumstances. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.

The MIL Network –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Making Higher Education More Affordable
Source: US State of New York

Governor Kathy Hochul today unveiled her plan to offer free community college tuition for adult learners ages 25 to 55 in New York State. The Governor highlighted her proposal at Onondaga Community College to showcase the region’s readiness for Micron to support New York State as a global hub for Semiconductor manufacturing and R&D. The plan, part of Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State, furthers her commitment to creating more workforce development opportunities to ensure every New Yorker has the opportunity to pursue a degree or credential for jobs in high-demand fields.

“When my dad got a college education, our whole family got a shot at a better life – and I want New Yorkers to have that opportunity,” Governor Hochul said. “Under my plan, every New Yorker will have the chance to pursue a free associate degree at SUNY and CUNY community colleges to help fill the in-demand jobs of tomorrow.”

New York State Opportunity Promise

Governor Hochul is steadfast in her commitment to making higher education more affordable and building the workforce that New York needs. The FY 2025 Enacted Budget included an historic expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program to help more New Yorkers cover the cost of college. Additionally, the Governor has continued to expand workforce development, apprenticeship, and microcredential programs to prepare New Yorkers for in-demand jobs. The Governor’s free community college proposal, NYS Opportunity Promise, is the next level of this commitment by making an associate degree more affordable and obtainable.

Across New York State, there are more than four million working-age adults who do not have a college degree or credential. The Governor’s proposal would cover tuition, fees, and books at any SUNY or CUNY community college for these adult learners who have never earned a degree and are pursuing an associate degree in a high demand field, including nursing, teaching, technology, and engineering.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “SUNY’s community colleges are incredible engines of upward mobility, and Governor Hochul’s Free Community College plan will literally change the lives of New Yorkers seeking a degree in a high-demand field. SUNY campuses like Onondaga Community College are leading the way in meeting the needs of our adult learners and regional employers.”

New York as a National Workforce Hub

Upstate New York has been designated as a National Workforce Hub to dramatically expand domestic memory chip manufacturing in the United States. Federal and state incentives played a key role in securing Micron’s $100 billion investment in the White Pine Industrial Park in the town of Clay in Onondaga County – one of the largest economic development projects in U.S. history.

In total, the project is expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs statewide, including an average of 5,600 construction jobs per year paying federal prevailing wage. When complete, the complex will include the nation’s largest clean room space at approximately 2.4 million square feet, grow domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and enhance our national security by expanding the United States’ chipmaking capacity.

Additionally, Governor Hochul announced earlier this month that GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor manufacturer in Saratoga County, will invest $575 million to build a new center for advanced packaging and testing, along with $186 million for research and development at its Malta facility over the next decade.

State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. joined as Onondaga Community College President Warren Hilton updated the Governor on the campus’s readiness to expand enrollment in academic programs tied to in-demand jobs. Included in the tour was the construction site for the $15 million, 5,000 square-foot Micron Simulation Lab at the campus, which is critical to help train students. The clean room is expected to be fully operational during the summer of 2026.

Under my plan, every New Yorker will have the chance to pursue a free associate degree at SUNY and CUNY community colleges to help fill the in-demand jobs of tomorrow.”

Governor Kathy Hochul

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “No one is doing more to prepare New York State for the future than Governor Hochul, and Onondaga Community College is a key partner in that effort. Innovative, cutting-edge industries are growing in New York State because our dynamic workforce is being well-equipped with the skills needed to succeed in the good-paying jobs we are helping to create. Governor Hochul’s proposal to provide free community college tuition to students pursuing high-demand occupations in strategic industries will help to further promote sustainable economic opportunity for all.”

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “A knowledgeable workforce is essential to securing a strong future for New York State and offering no-cost higher education will open doors to in-demand careers. I thank Governor Hochul for prioritizing workforce development initiatives that are transforming the lives of New York families.”

Onondaga Community College President Hilton said, “During the last five years, our faculty has worked tirelessly to create academic programs aimed at educating and preparing students for valuable and rewarding careers in industries where workers are needed most. Our staff has done an outstanding job supporting those students during their time on campus. We are grateful to all Central New York employers who see the value in our students, the education they receive here, and their willingness to give them the opportunity to be successful in the workforce.”
Since Micron announced it was building the largest semiconductor facility in Clay, NY, Onondaga Community College has seen significant changes in enrollment in workforce development programs leading to direct jobs in the industry, as well as programs preparing New Yorkers for indirect job opportunities, including:
- Electromechanical Technology, up 168 percent
- Architectural Design, up 114 percent
- Construction Management, up 96 percent
- Fire Protection Technology, up 58 percent
- Supply Chain Management, up 57 percent
- Surgical Technology, up 26 percent
- Paramedic, up 21 percent
- Cybersecurity, up 17 percent
- Mechanical Technology, up 13 percent
- Physical Therapist Assistant, up 6 percent
- Computer Science, up 4 percent
Onondaga Community College has many paths to electromechanical technology, which includes 112 students this year. Several students have already been offered jobs after graduation. Sixteen are expected to graduate this May with an associate degree, while 30 students are on track to complete the one-year credential program, which typically leads to an associate degree. The campus also has more than 300 students taking related courses in Onondaga County high schools.
MIL OSI USA News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Geyser Season on Mars

Source: NASA

This Oct. 29, 2018, image from the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captures geysers of gas and dust that occur in springtime in the South Polar region of Mars. As the Sun rises higher in the sky, the thick coating of carbon dioxide ice that accumulated over the winter begins to warm and then turn to vapor. Sunlight penetrates through the transparent ice and is absorbed at the base of the ice layer. The gas that forms because of the warming escapes through weaknesses in the ice and erupts in the form of geysers.
HiRISE, or the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, is a powerful camera that takes pictures covering vast areas of Martian terrain while being able to see features as small as a kitchen table.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025