Category: Science

MIL-OSI Security: IAEA and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Partner to Bridge Gap in Global Childhood Cancer Care

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital entered a significant new partnership to address inequality in global childhood cancer care at the Agency’s Rays of Hope Forum in Ethiopia today.

St. Jude, based in Memphis, Tennessee in the United States, is investing US $4.5 million over three years for the IAEA to support countries in expanding access to paediatric radiotherapy and to strengthen health systems, with the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Each year, an estimated 400,000 children develop cancer globally. While survival rates exceed 80% in high-income countries with accessible care, over 90% of children with cancer reside in LMICs, where survival rates remain below 30%.

A major contributor to this disparity is limited access to advanced clinical imaging, which is critical for accurate diseases classification, treatment planning and monitoring. Without it, children face delays or errors in diagnosis, significantly impacting outcomes.

Access to paediatric radiotherapy is severely limited in LMICs, despite its importance in treating nearly half of all childhood cancers. A 2021 IAEA study highlighted major challenges in these settings, including equipment access or insufficiencies, and a critical shortage of specialized radiation medicine professionals for childhood cancers.

“Children should not die of cancer simply because of where they are born. Every child, everywhere, deserves the same chance to survive and thrive,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “By closing the gap in access to cancer care, we can ensure that children, regardless of their geographic location or economic status, have equal opportunities for successful treatment. Survival should be a reality, not a privilege.”

The collaboration between the IAEA and St. Jude aims to strengthen national capacity in childhood cancer care and control and to improve access to paediatric radiotherapy by training specialists—essential for improving survival and outcomes for children with cancer. The partnership focuses on delivering technical resources, curricula and guidance documents for radiation oncologists, radiotherapy technicians and medical physicists, and supporting their implementation in selected LMICs. Through the imPACT Review assessment tools for childhood cancer, the collaboration also will assess capacities and needs of health systems and strengthen national cancer control programmes.

“Over the past decade, St. Jude has expanded its global presence in pursuit of increasing childhood cancer cure rates worldwide. A critical step in our mission is ensuring children everywhere have access to necessary diagnostics and treatment,” said James R. Downing, MD, president and CEO of St. Jude. “Partnering with IAEA highlights that commitment and will help save countless lives.”

This marks the launch of the IAEA’s Rays of Hope for Childhood Cancer, under the wider IAEA Rays of Hope initiative. Rays of Hope has expanded life-saving cancer care to thousands of patients in LMICs around the world since launching in 2022. Securing more than €90 million already from dedicated donors and partners, including governments mobilizing national resources, has helped close the gap in global radiation medicine. Building on this impact, the IAEA is working with St. Jude to expand the initiative to focus on the gap in childhood cancer care.

“Limited access to specialized care for children with cancer has a negative impact on their chances to be cured,” said Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, MD, St. Jude executive vice president and director of St. Jude Global. “Significant gaps in the quality of radiotherapy services exist in LMICs when compared to what is routine practice across high-income countries. This effort with IAEA will help strengthen the national capacity to treat children with cancer, and increase access to the vital diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy that will improve the survival rate and quality of life for children affected by cancers where these treatments play a prominent role.”

Following today’s signing, the first phase of the Rays of Hope for Childhood Cancer initiative will focus on jointly developing technical products and guidance documents—referred to as Global Goods—and organizing a series of events to support their effective adoption and use by countries. Addressing childhood cancer is a multifaceted challenge requiring a comprehensive approach where the IAEA and St. Jude play key roles. It involves complex procedures that require sophisticated decision-making and highly technical skills that require specialized training. For paediatric radiotherapy specialists, partnership trainings and Global Goods will reduce knowledge gaps and enhance the quality of care their patients receive.

IAEA

The IAEA has over 60 years of experience supporting countries in the fight against cancer, including childhood cancer. Through its Human Health Programme, the IAEA has helped countries around the world to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease by developing and applying nuclear and radiation techniques. Its medical expertise across nutrition, radiology, nuclear medicine, radiobiology, radiation oncology, medical physics and dosimetry has advanced cancer care capacities through coordinated research projects, educational materials, e-learning modules, curricula, guidance documents, scientific publications, international codes of practice, databases, quality assurance activities, audit services, databases, the Human Health Campus and the implementation of the Technical Cooperation Programme. Through its Technical Cooperation Programme, it helps countries strengthen cancer care by providing equipment, training and technical assistance in diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. Operating across four global regions, the programme tailors support to local needs and promotes regional collaboration.

The IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, launched in 2022, builds on this work to accelerate access to radiotherapy and medical imaging in low-resource settings. Through Rays of Hope the IAEA promotes comprehensive cancer care where it is needed most and has designated regional anchor centres to serve as knowledge and capacity building hubs for radiation medicine.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, is a global leader in the research and treatment of childhood cancer, sickle cell disease and other life-threatening pediatric diseases. St. Jude is the only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the U.S. childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened in 1962. St. Jude is extending its mission to help more children around the world. In 2018, St. Jude and World Health Organization launched the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer to increase survival rates from 20% to 60% by 2030 for six of the most common forms of childhood cancer. The St. Jude Global Alliance is a global network with a shared vision of improving care and increasing survival rates of children with cancer and blood disorders worldwide. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read the St. Jude Progress blog, and follow St. Jude on social media @stjuderesearch.

MIL Security OSI –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: IAEA and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Partner to Bridge Gap in Global Childhood Cancer Care

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital entered a significant new partnership to address inequality in global childhood cancer care at the Agency’s Rays of Hope Forum in Ethiopia today.

St. Jude, based in Memphis, Tennessee in the United States, is investing US $4.5 million over three years for the IAEA to support countries in expanding access to paediatric radiotherapy and to strengthen health systems, with the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Each year, an estimated 400,000 children develop cancer globally. While survival rates exceed 80% in high-income countries with accessible care, over 90% of children with cancer reside in LMICs, where survival rates remain below 30%.

A major contributor to this disparity is limited access to advanced clinical imaging, which is critical for accurate diseases classification, treatment planning and monitoring. Without it, children face delays or errors in diagnosis, significantly impacting outcomes.

Access to paediatric radiotherapy is severely limited in LMICs, despite its importance in treating nearly half of all childhood cancers. A 2021 IAEA study highlighted major challenges in these settings, including equipment access or insufficiencies, and a critical shortage of specialized radiation medicine professionals for childhood cancers.

“Children should not die of cancer simply because of where they are born. Every child, everywhere, deserves the same chance to survive and thrive,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “By closing the gap in access to cancer care, we can ensure that children, regardless of their geographic location or economic status, have equal opportunities for successful treatment. Survival should be a reality, not a privilege.”

The collaboration between the IAEA and St. Jude aims to strengthen national capacity in childhood cancer care and control and to improve access to paediatric radiotherapy by training specialists—essential for improving survival and outcomes for children with cancer. The partnership focuses on delivering technical resources, curricula and guidance documents for radiation oncologists, radiotherapy technicians and medical physicists, and supporting their implementation in selected LMICs. Through the imPACT Review assessment tools for childhood cancer, the collaboration also will assess capacities and needs of health systems and strengthen national cancer control programmes.

“Over the past decade, St. Jude has expanded its global presence in pursuit of increasing childhood cancer cure rates worldwide. A critical step in our mission is ensuring children everywhere have access to necessary diagnostics and treatment,” said James R. Downing, MD, president and CEO of St. Jude. “Partnering with IAEA highlights that commitment and will help save countless lives.”

This marks the launch of the IAEA’s Rays of Hope for Childhood Cancer, under the wider IAEA Rays of Hope initiative. Rays of Hope has expanded life-saving cancer care to thousands of patients in LMICs around the world since launching in 2022. Securing more than €90 million already from dedicated donors and partners, including governments mobilizing national resources, has helped close the gap in global radiation medicine. Building on this impact, the IAEA is working with St. Jude to expand the initiative to focus on the gap in childhood cancer care.

“Limited access to specialized care for children with cancer has a negative impact on their chances to be cured,” said Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, MD, St. Jude executive vice president and director of St. Jude Global. “Significant gaps in the quality of radiotherapy services exist in LMICs when compared to what is routine practice across high-income countries. This effort with IAEA will help strengthen the national capacity to treat children with cancer, and increase access to the vital diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy that will improve the survival rate and quality of life for children affected by cancers where these treatments play a prominent role.”

Following today’s signing, the first phase of the Rays of Hope for Childhood Cancer initiative will focus on jointly developing technical products and guidance documents—referred to as Global Goods—and organizing a series of events to support their effective adoption and use by countries. Addressing childhood cancer is a multifaceted challenge requiring a comprehensive approach where the IAEA and St. Jude play key roles. It involves complex procedures that require sophisticated decision-making and highly technical skills that require specialized training. For paediatric radiotherapy specialists, partnership trainings and Global Goods will reduce knowledge gaps and enhance the quality of care their patients receive.

IAEA

The IAEA has over 60 years of experience supporting countries in the fight against cancer, including childhood cancer. Through its Human Health Programme, the IAEA has helped countries around the world to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease by developing and applying nuclear and radiation techniques. Its medical expertise across nutrition, radiology, nuclear medicine, radiobiology, radiation oncology, medical physics and dosimetry has advanced cancer care capacities through coordinated research projects, educational materials, e-learning modules, curricula, guidance documents, scientific publications, international codes of practice, databases, quality assurance activities, audit services, databases, the Human Health Campus and the implementation of the Technical Cooperation Programme. Through its Technical Cooperation Programme, it helps countries strengthen cancer care by providing equipment, training and technical assistance in diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. Operating across four global regions, the programme tailors support to local needs and promotes regional collaboration.

The IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, launched in 2022, builds on this work to accelerate access to radiotherapy and medical imaging in low-resource settings. Through Rays of Hope the IAEA promotes comprehensive cancer care where it is needed most and has designated regional anchor centres to serve as knowledge and capacity building hubs for radiation medicine.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, is a global leader in the research and treatment of childhood cancer, sickle cell disease and other life-threatening pediatric diseases. St. Jude is the only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the U.S. childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened in 1962. St. Jude is extending its mission to help more children around the world. In 2018, St. Jude and World Health Organization launched the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer to increase survival rates from 20% to 60% by 2030 for six of the most common forms of childhood cancer. The St. Jude Global Alliance is a global network with a shared vision of improving care and increasing survival rates of children with cancer and blood disorders worldwide. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read the St. Jude Progress blog, and follow St. Jude on social media @stjuderesearch.

MIL OSI NGO –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: NSU has completed an internship program for foreign specialists in the field of engineering InteRussia

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

The Novosibirsk State University has completed the InteRussia internship program for foreign engineering specialists, which ran from June 2 to 27. Akademgorodok was visited by 17 students from 14 countries, including Chile, Jordan, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Albania, Serbia, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Indonesia, Ecuador, Uzbekistan, and Tanzania. This was the first experience for the university in holding such a long event with the participation of young researchers from different countries.

The internship was organized by the Gorchakov Fund, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the ANO “Mezhdunarodniki” with the support of the Directorate of the World Youth Festival and the Presidential Grants Fund.

Adelina Kozulina, an employee of the NSU Education Export Department and coordinator of the InteRussia international internship, summed up the results of the project and commented:

— This is our second experience of holding an international internship Interussia together with the Gorchakov Fund. I think that this time the experience was very positive. The guys were friendly and sociable, they really successfully integrated into our team and the academic atmosphere. It was very easy to interact and communicate with them. This time we had a wider geography, the participants came from different countries. For the NSU Education Export Department, this was a very interesting experience.

For a month, young researchers were trained at the university in two promising areas – “Artificial Intelligence and Medicine” and “Modern Quantum and Information Technologies in Electronics and Photonics”. The event resulted in the preparation and presentation of their own scientific project.

Evgeny Pavlovsky, Head of the Laboratory of Streaming Data Analytics and Machine Learning Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of NSU and the head of the Artificial Intelligence and Medicine department, noted at the school’s closing ceremony:

— I am glad that we successfully held and completed this school, which involved very talented young researchers. Thanks to this internship, you not only learned something new, but also got imbued with the special atmosphere of Akademgorodok. You made new contacts and will continue to work together. I am sure that you can become those who will shape our good future with artificial intelligence both in healthcare and in other areas.

Artur Pogosov, professor of the Department of Semiconductor Physics Physics Department of NSU, Head of the Department of General Physics at NSU Physics Department, thanked the participants for their energy, attention and curiosity:

— Quantum mechanics and quantum computing is an amazing and complex field of knowledge, based on deep philosophical ideas. As a rule, our students spend an entire academic year to master this area. For you, it was rather a quick and unexpected jump. But even this short period allowed you to see the complexity, beauty and mystery of the quantum world. I wish you success in your further studies, research, a brilliant career and future.

The school participants thanked the organizers and noted the special friendly atmosphere that had developed during the internship. They also expressed confidence that they would interact and continue their joint research work.

Annageldi Khydyrov, Turkmenistan:

— I work as a leading programmer and developer in the field of AI. This is not my first trip to Russia. This time I chose the direction of “Artificial Intelligence and Medicine”. My experience here will be very helpful for my further research. The professors taught at the highest level, we not only studied theory, but also practiced. Previously, I was little familiar with the use of AI in medicine, thanks to this internship, new horizons of understanding opened up for me. We became very close friends with all the participants, I am sure that we will continue to cooperate.

Bashar Firas Issaf Al-Sayegh, Jordan:

— I chose quantum technologies because I have a basic background in physics and am currently deciding in which area to continue my studies and research. This international internship allowed me to make a choice regarding the topic of my master’s and later doctoral dissertations. This concerns the technical side and training. I would also like to note the social aspect. It was a wonderful experience for all participants. We met people from all over the world, we talked about our cultures, languages, traditions, heritage and religions. This is a unique experience for me as well, because now I know that there are people on this planet who have the same ambitions, needs and human feelings. I am returning home more confident and with a stock of interesting stories.

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 –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: IAEA and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Partner to Bridge Gap in Global Childhood Cancer Care

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital entered a significant new partnership to address inequality in global childhood cancer care at the Agency’s Rays of Hope Forum in Ethiopia today.

St. Jude, based in Memphis, Tennessee in the United States, is investing US $4.5 million over three years for the IAEA to support countries in expanding access to paediatric radiotherapy and to strengthen health systems, with the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Each year, an estimated 400,000 children develop cancer globally. While survival rates exceed 80% in high-income countries with accessible care, over 90% of children with cancer reside in LMICs, where survival rates remain below 30%.

A major contributor to this disparity is limited access to advanced clinical imaging, which is critical for accurate diseases classification, treatment planning and monitoring. Without it, children face delays or errors in diagnosis, significantly impacting outcomes.

Access to paediatric radiotherapy is severely limited in LMICs, despite its importance in treating nearly half of all childhood cancers. A 2021 IAEA study highlighted major challenges in these settings, including equipment access or insufficiencies, and a critical shortage of specialized radiation medicine professionals for childhood cancers.

“Children should not die of cancer simply because of where they are born. Every child, everywhere, deserves the same chance to survive and thrive,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “By closing the gap in access to cancer care, we can ensure that children, regardless of their geographic location or economic status, have equal opportunities for successful treatment. Survival should be a reality, not a privilege.”

The collaboration between the IAEA and St. Jude aims to strengthen national capacity in childhood cancer care and control and to improve access to paediatric radiotherapy by training specialists—essential for improving survival and outcomes for children with cancer. The partnership focuses on delivering technical resources, curricula and guidance documents for radiation oncologists, radiotherapy technicians and medical physicists, and supporting their implementation in selected LMICs. Through the imPACT Review assessment tools for childhood cancer, the collaboration also will assess capacities and needs of health systems and strengthen national cancer control programmes.

“Over the past decade, St. Jude has expanded its global presence in pursuit of increasing childhood cancer cure rates worldwide. A critical step in our mission is ensuring children everywhere have access to necessary diagnostics and treatment,” said James R. Downing, MD, president and CEO of St. Jude. “Partnering with IAEA highlights that commitment and will help save countless lives.”

This marks the launch of the IAEA’s Rays of Hope for Childhood Cancer, under the wider IAEA Rays of Hope initiative. Rays of Hope has expanded life-saving cancer care to thousands of patients in LMICs around the world since launching in 2022. Securing more than €90 million already from dedicated donors and partners, including governments mobilizing national resources, has helped close the gap in global radiation medicine. Building on this impact, the IAEA is working with St. Jude to expand the initiative to focus on the gap in childhood cancer care.

“Limited access to specialized care for children with cancer has a negative impact on their chances to be cured,” said Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, MD, St. Jude executive vice president and director of St. Jude Global. “Significant gaps in the quality of radiotherapy services exist in LMICs when compared to what is routine practice across high-income countries. This effort with IAEA will help strengthen the national capacity to treat children with cancer, and increase access to the vital diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy that will improve the survival rate and quality of life for children affected by cancers where these treatments play a prominent role.”

Following today’s signing, the first phase of the Rays of Hope for Childhood Cancer initiative will focus on jointly developing technical products and guidance documents—referred to as Global Goods—and organizing a series of events to support their effective adoption and use by countries. Addressing childhood cancer is a multifaceted challenge requiring a comprehensive approach where the IAEA and St. Jude play key roles. It involves complex procedures that require sophisticated decision-making and highly technical skills that require specialized training. For paediatric radiotherapy specialists, partnership trainings and Global Goods will reduce knowledge gaps and enhance the quality of care their patients receive.

IAEA

The IAEA has over 60 years of experience supporting countries in the fight against cancer, including childhood cancer. Through its Human Health Programme, the IAEA has helped countries around the world to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease by developing and applying nuclear and radiation techniques. Its medical expertise across nutrition, radiology, nuclear medicine, radiobiology, radiation oncology, medical physics and dosimetry has advanced cancer care capacities through coordinated research projects, educational materials, e-learning modules, curricula, guidance documents, scientific publications, international codes of practice, databases, quality assurance activities, audit services, databases, the Human Health Campus and the implementation of the Technical Cooperation Programme. Through its Technical Cooperation Programme, it helps countries strengthen cancer care by providing equipment, training and technical assistance in diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. Operating across four global regions, the programme tailors support to local needs and promotes regional collaboration.

The IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, launched in 2022, builds on this work to accelerate access to radiotherapy and medical imaging in low-resource settings. Through Rays of Hope the IAEA promotes comprehensive cancer care where it is needed most and has designated regional anchor centres to serve as knowledge and capacity building hubs for radiation medicine.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, is a global leader in the research and treatment of childhood cancer, sickle cell disease and other life-threatening pediatric diseases. St. Jude is the only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the U.S. childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened in 1962. St. Jude is extending its mission to help more children around the world. In 2018, St. Jude and World Health Organization launched the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer to increase survival rates from 20% to 60% by 2030 for six of the most common forms of childhood cancer. The St. Jude Global Alliance is a global network with a shared vision of improving care and increasing survival rates of children with cancer and blood disorders worldwide. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read the St. Jude Progress blog, and follow St. Jude on social media @stjuderesearch.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Nokia signs revolving credit facility with its pricing mechanism linked to the company’s sustainability targets
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release
Nokia signs revolving credit facility with its pricing mechanism linked to the company’s sustainability targets
- Nokia’s financing strategy maintains steadfast link with its sustainability strategy with EUR 1.5 billion multicurrency revolving credit facility.
- New facility builds on previous work in this area including sustainability-linked guarantee facility and sustainable finance framework.
- Pricing mechanism linked to reduction of Nokia’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
26 June 2025
Espoo, Finland – Nokia announced today the recent signing of a EUR 1.5 billion five-year multicurrency revolving credit facility (“RCF”) with two one-year extension options, and continues with a sustainability pricing mechanism linking the margin of the RCF to two key RCF sustainability targets outlined below. The margin of the RCF will increase or decrease depending on Nokia’s progress towards reaching these targets. The new RCF will replace the EUR 1,412 million RCF agreement dated 18 June 2019.

Nokia’s key RCF sustainability targets include annual target observation periods and dates, with RCF pricing adjustments impacting the following year:
Reduction of absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (“GHG”)
Reduction of absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions.

Nokia’s financing strategy is linked to its sustainability strategy and today’s announcement builds on previous sustainable finance activities. These activities include linking the margin of Nokia’s revolving credit facility to Nokia’s sustainability targets in 2019, Nokia’s first sustainability-linked guarantee facility in 2022, as well as the launch of Nokia’s sustainable finance framework in 2023.

Nokia is committed to reducing its Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions. Nokia has a Net-Zero target of 2040 which is approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), ensuring that Nokia’s greenhouse gas emissions targets and paths towards those targets are independently validated.

Further information on the detailed operational approach Nokia has taken to reducing GHG emissions can be found in the Net-Zero climate transition plan detailing Nokia’s commitments and targets as well as the actions being taken to decarbonize in selected scopes. In March 2025, Nokia published its 2024 Annual Sustainability Statement, prepared for the first time in accordance with the provisions of the newly applicable EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and with the requirements of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards.

“We’re delighted with the strong support and commitment from our key banking partners in this refinancing transaction that connects our financing strategy with our sustainability priorities,” said Marco Wirén, Chief Financial Officer, Nokia.

“Nokia’s sustainability approach is centered on protecting and creating value for our company, and our stakeholders. We are committed to our climate transition plan, which is built to deliver efficiency and innovations in our value chain. Continuing to link the pricing of the revolving credit facility to our science-based climate goals is a strong step forward demonstrating our commitment to our sustainability targets,” said Subho Mukherjee, Vice President of Sustainability, Nokia.

Resources and additional information
Web Page: Nokia Sustainability
Web Page: Nokia’s journey to Net-Zero
Statement: Sustainability Statement

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

Media inquiries
Nokia Press Office
Email: press.services@nokia.com

Follow us on social media
LinkedIn X Instagram Facebook YouTube

The MIL Network –
June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Nokia signs revolving credit facility with its pricing mechanism linked to the company’s sustainability targets
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release
Nokia signs revolving credit facility with its pricing mechanism linked to the company’s sustainability targets
- Nokia’s financing strategy maintains steadfast link with its sustainability strategy with EUR 1.5 billion multicurrency revolving credit facility.
- New facility builds on previous work in this area including sustainability-linked guarantee facility and sustainable finance framework.
- Pricing mechanism linked to reduction of Nokia’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
26 June 2025
Espoo, Finland – Nokia announced today the recent signing of a EUR 1.5 billion five-year multicurrency revolving credit facility (“RCF”) with two one-year extension options, and continues with a sustainability pricing mechanism linking the margin of the RCF to two key RCF sustainability targets outlined below. The margin of the RCF will increase or decrease depending on Nokia’s progress towards reaching these targets. The new RCF will replace the EUR 1,412 million RCF agreement dated 18 June 2019.

Nokia’s key RCF sustainability targets include annual target observation periods and dates, with RCF pricing adjustments impacting the following year:
Reduction of absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (“GHG”)
Reduction of absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions.

Nokia’s financing strategy is linked to its sustainability strategy and today’s announcement builds on previous sustainable finance activities. These activities include linking the margin of Nokia’s revolving credit facility to Nokia’s sustainability targets in 2019, Nokia’s first sustainability-linked guarantee facility in 2022, as well as the launch of Nokia’s sustainable finance framework in 2023.

Nokia is committed to reducing its Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions. Nokia has a Net-Zero target of 2040 which is approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), ensuring that Nokia’s greenhouse gas emissions targets and paths towards those targets are independently validated.

Further information on the detailed operational approach Nokia has taken to reducing GHG emissions can be found in the Net-Zero climate transition plan detailing Nokia’s commitments and targets as well as the actions being taken to decarbonize in selected scopes. In March 2025, Nokia published its 2024 Annual Sustainability Statement, prepared for the first time in accordance with the provisions of the newly applicable EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and with the requirements of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards.

“We’re delighted with the strong support and commitment from our key banking partners in this refinancing transaction that connects our financing strategy with our sustainability priorities,” said Marco Wirén, Chief Financial Officer, Nokia.

“Nokia’s sustainability approach is centered on protecting and creating value for our company, and our stakeholders. We are committed to our climate transition plan, which is built to deliver efficiency and innovations in our value chain. Continuing to link the pricing of the revolving credit facility to our science-based climate goals is a strong step forward demonstrating our commitment to our sustainability targets,” said Subho Mukherjee, Vice President of Sustainability, Nokia.

Resources and additional information
Web Page: Nokia Sustainability
Web Page: Nokia’s journey to Net-Zero
Statement: Sustainability Statement

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

Media inquiries
Nokia Press Office
Email: press.services@nokia.com

Follow us on social media
LinkedIn X Instagram Facebook YouTube

The MIL Network –
June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Airbus eyes further growth with Chinese market

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

Guests attending the delivery ceremony of the 700th A320 family aircraft assembled by Airbus Tianjin to Chengdu Airlines pose for a group photo in front of the A320neo aircraft in Tianjin, north China, July 8, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Forty years after delivering its first aircraft to the Chinese mainland, Airbus is eyeing further growth in the biggest single-country market for its aircraft.

Currently, about 2,200 Airbus planes are in service in China, accounting for more than 50 percent of China’s civil aviation market, compared with less than 10 percent in 1995, according to Airbus China.

Despite decades of rapid development, China’s aviation industry is far from saturation and still has huge potential for growth, said George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and CEO of Airbus China. Airbus estimates that China will need approximately 9,000 new planes over the next 20 years.

As an example of high-tech cooperation between China and Europe, the collaboration between Airbus and China encompasses research and development, manufacturing and final assembly, operational support, dismantling, and recycling after retirement.

Since its launch in 2008, the Tianjin Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line (FAL) has produced about one-third of the more than 2,000 Airbus aircraft currently in service in China’s fleet, and has also delivered planes to customers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The second A320 Family FAL in Tianjin is expected to be completed by the end of this year and start production early next year, which is expected to double its production capacity in China.

Currently, approximately 200 suppliers in China support the production of Airbus’ commercial aircraft, with the total value of such industrial cooperation exceeding 1 billion U.S. dollars a year, according to Airbus China.

As part of the celebrations marking 40 years of Airbus’ business in China, a refurbishment project for the first Airbus aircraft — an A310 — that was delivered to China in 1985 and retired in 2006, was jointly launched by Airbus, the China Civil Aviation Science Popularization Foundation, and the Civil Aviation Museum in Beijing on June 25.

Cooperation between Airbus and China is a win-win model, which not only has contributed to China’s aviation industry and the global aviation industry chain but also has significantly increased Airbus’ market share in China, while enhancing its competitiveness and industrial resilience, said Xu.

“China’s suppliers, such as Aviation Industry Corporation of China and many private enterprises, have shown strong competitiveness. On the basis of competitiveness, we will deepen cooperation with various suppliers and cooperate with China’s supply chain to achieve a win-win situation,” said Xu. “I believe that China will play a very important role in helping to strengthen the global aviation supply chain in the future.”

In the future, there is much potential to be tapped in terms of cooperation in decarbonization, digitalization and intelligence, said Xu, adding that China has many strengths in these areas.

“Airbus is committed to being a trustworthy long-term partner of China’s civil aviation and contributing more to the high-quality development of China’s civil aviation,” Xu said.

MIL OSI China News –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: SPbPU joined the Board of Trustees of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

On June 26, the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University named after B.N. Yeltsin was held in Bishkek. Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University took part in it. The Council, formed in the spring of 2025, is called upon to promote the development of KRSU. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Chairman of the State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiev, who was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of KRSU.

In his speech, he emphasized the strategic importance of the university for training highly qualified personnel who will contribute to the development of Kyrgyzstan.

KRSU is the flagship of higher education in our country. We must pay special attention to the quality of students’ training, because they will be the ones who will manage various sectors of the economy and state institutions in the future, Kamchybek Tashiev noted.

The Board of Trustees includes 16 representatives of government agencies, academic, public and commercial organizations, industrial enterprises of Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Among the Russian members of the Board of Trustees of KRSU are the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation on Education, Chairman of the Council of ANO “Eurasia” Alena Arshinova, Managing Director for New Technologies and Projects of the Rostec State Corporation Maxim Nagaitsev, Rector of the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University Dmitry Ivanov, Director of JSC “Petersburg Tractor Plant” Sergey Serebryakov. The Polytechnic University was represented by the Rector, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy. All members of the Board of Trustees of KRSU were unanimous in their assessment of the importance of creating a single educational space of Russia and Kyrgyzstan and the flagship role of KRSU in this integration process.

The key topic of discussion was the KRSU development strategy until 2030 and the long-term vision until 2040. Acting Rector of the University Sergey Volkov presented a plan for the transformation of the university, including the creation of engineering and technical, biomedical and socio-humanitarian clusters. Particular attention is paid to the training of specialists in the field of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and nuclear medicine. SPbPU, as a curator university, will assist in updating educational programs and developing a research base.

An important event was the approval of the project for the construction of a new campus of KRSU for 15,000 students. A land plot of 30 hectares has already been allocated near the state residence “Ala-Archa”. The construction is financed by the Russian Federation, and the design will begin immediately after the signing of the intergovernmental agreement.

Another initiative was the creation of the KRSU Endowment Fund, the first in the Kyrgyz Republic. The fund will accumulate donations and direct investment income to support students, scientific grants and infrastructure development. Members of the board of trustees, including representatives of Gazprom and Rostec, expressed their willingness to participate in its formation.

The meeting raised issues of combating corruption in universities, expanding the network of regional colleges of KRSU and developing bilingual education programs. Kamchybek Tashiev called for strengthening efforts to preserve the Russian language in the educational space of Kyrgyzstan.

The Russian language is not only a communication tool, but also a key to advanced knowledge. We must resist attempts to displace it, he stressed.

The meeting ended with agreements on further cooperation. Russian universities, including SPbPU, will provide expert and methodological support to KRSU, and industrial partners will assist in the employment of graduates.

I am confident that the combined efforts will allow KRSU to become not only the leading university in Kyrgyzstan, but also one of the leaders in education in Central Asia, summed up Igor Maslov, Head of the Russian Presidential Administration for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.

On June 27, a meeting of the Governing Council of KRSU was held. It was chaired by Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky. At the meeting, Sergey Volkov was unanimously elected as the rector of KRSU for 5 years. The Polytechnic University congratulates Sergey Volkov on his appointment to the position and wishes him success in implementing the ambitious development tasks of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University.

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 –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The experience and wisdom of the CPC in building a socially oriented state serve as a beacon for other countries and peoples – First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

MINSK, June 30 /Xinhua/ — The experience and wisdom of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in building a socially oriented state and socialism with Chinese characteristics serve as a beacon for other countries and peoples, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus (CC CPB) Sergei Syrankov said in an interview with a Xinhua correspondent in Minsk the other day.

According to him, the CPC has shown the world by its example that the ideas of socialism can be successfully implemented in the state. “The focus on increasing the well-being of the masses instead of elite groups gives a colossal result for the state and society. Now the ideas of socialism with Chinese characteristics are in great demand in other countries. The experience and wisdom of the CPC in terms of building a socially oriented state and socialism with Chinese characteristics act as a beacon for other countries and peoples. China shows how to fight for its freedoms and how to become stronger on the path to building global socialism,” noted S. Syrankov.

He noted that thanks to the CPC, the Chinese people have achieved outstanding results in the economy, finance, science, technology, culture, and art. “We see how China’s infrastructure is developing by leaps and bounds: high-speed highways and roads are being built, and construction complexes of any complexity are being quickly erected. All of this has become possible only thanks to the CPC’s focus on serving the people. In fact, we see that China’s wealth is not in the hands of some oligarchic elite or Western corporations, but is working for the benefit of the people,” the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus emphasized.

S. Syrankov especially noted that thanks to the CPC, the people of China became free and independent. “It was the CPC that directed the Chinese people to the great struggle against imperialism. And now, after 104 years, we see that only the strength of spirit and wisdom of the CPC allow us to successfully overcome all the difficult moments in relations with the United States and other Western countries focused on unfair competition, sanctions, pressure, intimidation, and wars,” he said.

In addition, S. Syrankov emphasized that it was the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping who carried out economic reforms under the slogan “Chinese Dream”, which contributed to the high rates of economic growth of the country and an increase in the well-being of the nation.

“The Chairman of the PRC Xi Jinping is a leader who acts exclusively in the interests of the Chinese people. He understands and feels the needs of ordinary Chinese citizens and is focused on maximizing their well-being. He is demanding of himself and his subordinates, does not allow weaknesses and is focused on constant self-discipline. It is precisely these approaches that allow the Chairman of the PRC to receive recognition, love and support from the masses of China,” S. Syrankov emphasized.

He also drew attention to the fact that relations between China and Belarus are at the highest level – all-weather and comprehensive strategic partnership. This became possible due to the high level of trust that has formed between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

“Trust determines the development of all areas of our relations: economy, trade, culture, art, security. It is worth noting that the visit of the President of Belarus to China in early June 2025 outlined the further vector of development of our relations. Among them are the deepening of scientific and technological cooperation, the involvement of Belarusian enterprises in complex production processes of Chinese companies. We also see further deepening of cooperation between the two countries not only in the sphere of economy, science, but also in inter-party interaction,” summed up S. Syrankov. -0-

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 30, 2025
President Murmu begins two-day visit to Gorakhpur, to open AYUSH university

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

President Droupadi Murmu will embark on a two-day visit to Uttar Pradesh from Monday, during which she will attend the first convocation ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Gorakhpur.

According to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office, the President will also inaugurate the state’s first AYUSH University in Pipri, Bhathat on July 1. The new university is aimed at boosting traditional medicine and holistic healthcare education across Uttar Pradesh.

This marks President Murmu’s fourth visit to Gorakhpur over the past seven years, once again at the invitation of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. It will also be the second time in recent years that a sitting President has visited both AIIMS and a major university in the city, underscoring Gorakhpur’s rising profile at the national level.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has personally reviewed the 31-kilometre route from the city to Pipri to ensure all preparations are in place. The President is also expected to offer prayers at the Gorakhnath Temple, where arrangements have been made for meals that reflect her dignity and stature.

Security measures have been tightened in and around Gorakhpur. SP (City) Abhinav Tyagi confirmed that the AIIMS auditorium and campus are under full security cover, with OPD services at AIIMS suspended on June 30. Authorities have declared a five-kilometre radius around the Circuit House as a no-fly zone and put in place a three-tier security system.

In April, Chief Minister Yogi laid the foundation stone for the 500-bed ‘Powergrid Vishram Sadan’ at AIIMS Gorakhpur. The facility, aimed at supporting patients and their families, is being developed under the CSR initiative of Power Grid Corporation of India at a cost of Rs 44 crore.

-IANS

June 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: My shins hurt after running. Could it be shin splints?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Krissy Kendall, Senior Lecturer in Exercise and Sports Science, Edith Cowan University

lzf/Getty

If you’ve started running for the first time, started again after a break, or your workout is more intense, you might have felt it. A dull, nagging ache down your shins after you exercise.

Should you push through? Or could it be the sign of something more serious?

Shin splints are one of the most common and preventable injuries among runners, whether new or seasoned.

The good news is they can usually be treated effectively in a few weeks. But it’s important to recognise when to take a break. Knowing the simple ways to treat and prevent shin splints can prevent a more serious injury, and get you back on track faster.

What are shin splints?

Shin splints, medically known as medial tibial stress syndrome, are a common overuse injury.

They cause pain along the inner border of the tibia (shinbone), usually triggered by repetitive stress on the lower leg. Your leg may also feel tender or swell.

Shin splints are a type of periostitis, which means inflammation of the tissue lining the bone. The pain often fades with rest but quickly returns once activity resumes.

This kind of injury is especially common in sports such as football, rugby, and track and field, affecting between 4% and 35% of athletes, and up to 20% of runners. It can also affect dancers and military recruits.

What puts you at risk?

Shin splints can appear soon after sudden changes to your physical activity or exercise routine.

For example, you may have started exercising more often or for longer, or more intensely (such as running uphill or for longer distances).

A variety of factors can add fuel to the fire. They generally fall into two types:
- activity-related (what you do with your body)
- biomechanical (how your body moves or is built).
Aside from sudden spikes in training, activity-related risks include playing sport or running on hard surfaces or exercising in poorly designed shoes. For example, studies of soldiers have shown exercising in unsuitable or worn-out boots increases their risk of overuse injuries in the lower legs, including shin splints.

Diet may make a difference, too. There is evidence not eating enough calcium can make you more susceptible to shin splints. A vitamin D deficiency may also contribute, since it’s vital for calcium absorption.

Biomechanical risks can include a higher body mass index (BMI), having one leg longer than the other, tight calf muscles or flat feet (low or unusually inflexible arches).

If your feet roll in too much when you walk or run – often called flat feet or fallen arches – you’re also more susceptible.

While some studies suggest female athletes may experience shin splints more often than males, we need more research to fully understand why.

In short, shin splints aren’t just a bone issue. They reflect a complex mismatch between how much or hard you train and how your body tries (and sometimes fails) to adapt.

How can I tell if it’s something worse?

Shin splints are typically less severe than a stress fracture. This is a small crack in the bone caused by repeated impact or overuse, and usually requires a longer recovery period.

A stress fracture often causes sharp, localised pain that worsens with activity and may even hurt at rest or when touched.

A simple test can help you decide whether to seek additional advice: if you are unable to hop on one leg about ten times without sharp pain, it’s time to talk to a physio, sports doctor or podiatrist.

They can assess your symptoms and suggest treatment options. Imaging such as an x-ray or MRI may be used to rule out more serious conditions.

Treatment: rest, rehab, and return

The first and most important treatment is rest. Usually, shin splints resolve over three to four weeks. Continuing to train during the healing process will only prolong recovery and increase the risk of more serious injury.

Other effective strategies include:
- applying ice and compression to reduce swelling
- using anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen or naproxen
- doing calf stretches to improve flexibility
- wearing supportive shoes or orthotics helps keep your feet and legs properly aligned, reducing strain on the muscles around your ankles and giving your shin splints a better chance to heal.
You’ll want to be pain-free for at least three weeks before gradually resuming your exercise routine.

When returning, go slow and build up the amount and intensity of exercise gradually.

Prevention is the best treatment

Preventing shin splints is all about balance and preparation. Here are some evidence-based tips:
- warm up thoroughly and stretch your calves and Achilles tendon regularly
- use shock-absorbing insoles or orthotics if you experience ongoing pain, have flat feet, or your shoes wear out unevenly – it’s best to speak with a podiatrist or physiotherapist to find out what’s right for you
- check your shoes — replace them when worn out or every 240 kilometres
- vary your training surface (mix in grass or softer tracks)
- strengthen the muscles of the lower leg and hips to improve the way you move
- increase mileage and intensity gradually.
Strengthening your lower leg muscles can prevent further injury.

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. My shins hurt after running. Could it be shin splints? – https://theconversation.com/my-shins-hurt-after-running-could-it-be-shin-splints-259370
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Senior-friendly toys fuel growth of China’s silver economy

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

Inside a senior care home, lively elders gathered around a tabletop hockey game, sharpening their minds and savoring the moment.

These brain-teasing games, once seen as children’s play, are quickly becoming the latest craze among older adults.

As China’s population ages rapidly, the once-overlooked market for senior-friendly toys is emerging as a new pillar of the booming silver economy.

For Guan Weijiang, a toy merchant in Yiwu, a bustling trade hub in east China, the shift is quite evident.

Over the past year, his online store has experienced a surge in demand for fitness and brain-training toys among older customers. Consumers aged 50 and above now make up 30 percent of his user base.

“Our two best-selling toys fall into the fitness and puzzle categories. They’re not physically demanding, but they’re fun and perfect for elderly users to exercise or pass the time,” Guan said.

“There’s actually quite a bit of overlap between toys for children and those for the elderly, as both help improve reflexes, grip strength and coordination. In fact, some children’s toys can be easily adapted for seniors with just a few simple tweaks,” Guan explained.

Recognizing the potential of senior-friendly toys as a promising niche, he decided to seize the opportunity. Within just three months of launching over 10 products designed specifically for elderly users, his shop’s sales far exceeded expectations.

On one of China’s leading e-commerce platforms, Taobao, searches for “senior-friendly toys” jumped 124 percent year on year, with transaction volumes increasing by over 70 percent. Consumers aged 55 and above now make up a growing proportion of buyers, and their purchasing frequency is accelerating.

Seeing the expanding market, an increasing number of toy manufacturers across China are shifting their focus to meet the demands of older consumers.

According to Cheng Xin from Taobao’s toys and collectibles team, the platform is seeing a wave of new shops selling toys for the elderly, with some newly established and many others converted from former children’s toy stores.

“Toys are no longer just for children or symbols of pop culture. They are lifelong hobbies that can bring joy and mental enrichment to consumers of all ages,” Cheng said, adding that Taobao plans to launch a dedicated category for senior-friendly toys, along with tailored operational support for the segment.

The rise of senior-friendly toys is not only creating new consumer demand but also catalyzing transformations across traditional industries.

Yunhe County in Zhejiang Province, widely known as China’s “Wooden Toy Capital,” stands out as a particularly striking example.

Building on decades of industrial experience, Yunhe is now integrating wooden toys with elderly care to develop an innovation-driven industry chain focused on cognitive wellness and entertainment.

The key to this transformation lies in shifting from “fun” to “function.” So far, local manufacturers have developed over 200 wooden toys designed to improve hand-foot coordination and help slow memory loss among older adults.

According to Yin Qian, president of Zhejiang Mimi Zhikang Technology Co., the company has developed over 100 wooden puzzle toys that are both entertaining and mentally stimulating.

To enhance the cognitive and rehabilitative benefits of its products, the company collaborated with the Health Science Center (HSC) of Xi’an Jiaotong University and an Alzheimer’s prevention group based in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province.

So far, the company has secured more than 30 patents and supplies products to over 500 elderly care institutions across the country.

Meanwhile, Yunhe is also eyeing international markets. In recent years, the county has expanded exports of its wooden toys to senior schools, nursing homes and community centers overseas.

“In 2024, our products were successfully exported to Germany, Japan, and other markets, where they’ve been warmly received by elderly users,” Yin said.

In the first quarter of this year, the company’s sales of elderly-oriented wooden toys rose 50 percent year on year.

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, China’s elderly population is projected to grow by more than 10 million annually over the next decade. By 2035, the silver economy is expected to account for 9 percent of China’s GDP, up from 6 percent today.

Data from market research firm iiMedia Research shows that China’s elderly care industry reached 12 trillion yuan (about 1.68 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2023, up 16.5 percent year on year. The silver economy is projected to hit around 30 trillion yuan by 2035, accounting for about 10 percent of GDP.

The innovation in niche segments is opening up new avenues in the silver economy, according to Zhang Jinsong, secretary general of the Elder Education on Aging Committee of China Gerontological Society.

“The silver economy is poised to evolve from meeting basic needs to fulfilling aspirations for quality and enjoyment,” he said. “That shift will unleash enormous potential.”

MIL OSI China News –

June 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Occupational therapists tackle obstacles in the home, from support to cook a meal, to navigating public transport

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Hitch, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Deakin University

Occupational therapists (OTs) have been in the spotlight this month after the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) froze NDIS payments for these services at $193.99 per hour for the sixth year.

The NDIA also cut travel payments for OTs who visit people in their home and community by 50%.

Health Minister Mark Bulter says it’s important people on the NDIS aren’t paying more for therapy and support than they would pay in the health or aged care system.

But OTs are concerned this could affect therapists’ viability, including their ability to support people with disability in their homes and communities.

But what can OTs actually do? And why is it often better to do this in a person’s home and community?

Who might see an OT?

Imagine trying to get back to your daily life after a major health setback, such as a car accident or stroke, or an episode of a long-term condition or disability, such as depression or arthritis. The things you used to do with ease can become difficult and exhausting.

After such a setback, your home or community can also feel like an obstacle course. Maybe you can’t carry the laundry basket out to the line anymore, or you’re struggling to keep up with your children.

This is where occupational therapy can make a real difference. OTs are health professionals that enable people to do the things they need, want and love to do in daily life, from getting dressed to cooking dinner, gardening to driving.

Occupational therapists work with people of all ages. They overcome barriers by changing the environments and objects we use, teaching new skills, rehabilitating old ones and tweaking the way we tackle tasks.

What can OTs do in the home and community?

Seeing people in their own homes and communities allows the therapist to get a more accurate picture of a person’s strengths and abilities, which can be difficult to understand in a clinic.

OTs use their skills and creativity to provide personalised care, tailored to individual needs and circumstances.

An older person with dementia might, for example, cause alarm by putting a plastic kettle on the stove of a hospital kitchen. But they could make their cup of tea perfectly safely at home with their stove top kettle.

OTs can support home and community mobility, such as checking a wheelchair passes smoothly through doorways and can manoeuvre in tight spaces such as bathrooms.

But they can also advise on kitchen aids and seating to save energy for people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, to support them continuing to cook family meals.

In their work with neurodivergent people of different ages, an OT might help an autistic teen develop sensory strategies to deal with their busy and noisy school day.

For other people, OT support might help them navigate their local public transport system. Learning and practising skills where they’re used makes it easier to carry them over into everyday life.

What does the research say?

Research shows home and community OT can lead to better activity and participation than clinic-based therapy. It’s also cost-effective.

For stroke survivors, OT makes everyday tasks like showering or getting dressed easier.

OT at home eases burden and stress for the parents of children with cerebral palsy and carers of people with dementia.

OT at home helps older people with ongoing health issues to be more actively involved in their communities.

Community OT is also effective in supporting recovery for people with mental health problems, enabling them to enjoy community and leisure activities, seek and maintain employment and enhance physical activity.

OT focuses on helping you do the things that keep you well and independent, which means fewer trips back to the hospital. OTs can spot and solve trip hazards within homes, for example, before a frail person has a fall.

People who get OT at home soon after leaving hospital are less likely to be readmitted. Emerging research also suggests OT can work jointly with paramedics when someone falls at home by visiting and offering immediate treatment that prevent avoidable hospital stays.

There are some downsides, such as limited access in disadvantaged communities. While telehealth can address some barriers, it is not suitable in every case.

How do Australians access OTs?

There are many pathways to access OT services, but the complexity of the health-care system means the process is challenging to navigate.

OT services can also be costly, due to severely limited funding, equipment and transport costs.

OT is available as part of Home Care Packages and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme for older people.

OT has also played a key role in supporting NDIS participants since the scheme’s inception. However, waiting lists often stretch for many months and not everyone knows about what OT can offer.

You can also access community OT through Medicare Chronic Disease Management plans, local community health centres and councils and through private health insurance rebates.

Thanks to Lana O’Neil (Occupational Therapist at Western Health in Victoria) and Sarah McCann (Senior Occupational Therapist at Western Health) for sharing their clinical expertise for this article.

Danielle Hitch 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. Occupational therapists tackle obstacles in the home, from support to cook a meal, to navigating public transport – https://theconversation.com/occupational-therapists-tackle-obstacles-in-the-home-from-support-to-cook-a-meal-to-navigating-public-transport-259807

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s cutest mammal is now Australia’s cutest three mammals

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Dodd, PhD Student in Evolutionary Biology and Taxonomy, The University of Western Australia

The long-eared kultarr (_A. auritus_) is the middle child in terms of body size, but it has by far the biggest ears. Ken Johnson

Australia is home to more than 60 species of carnivorous marsupials in the family Dasyuridae. Almost a quarter of those have only been scientifically recognised in the past 25 years.

Other than the iconic Tasmanian devil, chances are most of these small, fascinating species have slipped under your radar. One of the rarest and most elusive is the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger), a feisty insect-eater found in very low numbers across much of the outback.

To the untrained eye, the kultarr looks very much like a hopping mouse, with long legs, a long tail and a tendency to rest on its hind legs. However, it runs much like a greyhound – but its tiny size and high speed makes it look like it’s hopping.

Kultarr or kultarrs?

Until now, the kultarr was thought to be a single widespread species, ranging from central New South Wales to the Carnarvon Basin on Australia’s west coast. However, a genetic study in 2023 suggested there could be more than one species.

With backing from the Australian Biological Resources Study, our team of researchers from the University of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum and Queensland University of Technology set out to investigate.

We travelled to museums in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth to look at every kultarr that had been collected by scientists over the past century. By combining detailed genetic data with body and skull measurements, we discovered the kultarr isn’t one widespread species, but three distinct species.

Three species of kultarrs

The eastern kultarr (A. laniger) is the smallest of the three, with an average body length of about 7.5cm. It’s darker in colour than its relatives, and while its ears are still big, they are nowhere near as big as those of the other two species.

The eastern kultarr is now found on hard clay soils around Cobar in central NSW and north to around Charleville in southern Queensland.

The eastern kultarr (A. laniger) is the smallest of the three species.
Pat Woolley

The gibber kultarr (A. spenceri) is the largest and stockiest, with an average body length of around 9cm. They are noticeably chunkier than the other two more dainty species, with big heads, thick legs and much longer hindfeet.

As its name suggests, the gibber kultarr is restricted to the extensive stony deserts or “gibber plains” in southwest Queensland and northeast South Australia.

The gibber kultarr (A. spenceri) is largest and stockiest.
Ken Johnson

The long-eared kultarr (A. auritus) is the middle child in terms of body size, but its ears set it apart. They’re nearly as long as its head.

It’s found in patchy populations in the central and western sandy deserts, living on isolated stony plains.

The long-eared kultarr (A. auritus) is the middle child in terms of body size, but it has by far the biggest ears.
Ken Johnson

Are they threatened?

All three species of kultarr are hard to find, making it difficult to confidently estimate population sizes and evaluate extinction risk. The long-eared and gibber kultarrs don’t appear to be in immediate danger, but land clearing and invasive predators such as cats and foxes have likely affected their numbers.

The three species of kultarr seem to now inhabit smaller areas than in the past.
Cameron Dodd

The eastern kultarr, however, is more of a concern. By looking at museum specimens going back all the way to the 1890s, we found it was once much more widespread.

Historic records suggest the eastern kultarr used to occur across the entirety of arid NSW and even spread north through central Queensland and into the Northern Territory. We now think this species may be extinct in the NT and parts of northwest Queensland.

What’s next?

To protect kultarrs into the future, we need targeted surveys to confirm where each species still survives, especially the eastern kultarr, whose current range may be just a shadow of its former extent. With better knowledge, we can prioritise conservation actions where they’re most needed, and ensure these remarkable, long-legged hunters don’t disappear before we truly get to know them.

Australia still has many small mammal species that haven’t been formally described. Unless we identify and name them, they remain invisible in conservation policy.

Taxonomic research like this is essential – we can’t protect what we don’t yet know exists. And without action, some species may disappear before they’re ever officially recognised.

The authors wish to acknowledge the important contributions of Adjunct Professor Mike Westerman at La Trobe University to the research discussed in this article.

Cameron Dodd receives funding from the Australian Biological Resources Study and Society of Australian Systematic Biologists.

Andrew M. Baker receives funding from the Federal Government, State Governments, Australian Biological Resources Study and various Industry sources.

Kenny Travouillon receives funding from Australian Biological Resources Study.

Linette Umbrello receives funding from the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) National Taxonomy Research Grant Program (NTRGP)

Renee Catullo 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. Australia’s cutest mammal is now Australia’s cutest three mammals – https://theconversation.com/australias-cutest-mammal-is-now-australias-cutest-three-mammals-260006

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Australia’s cutest mammal is now Australia’s cutest three mammals

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Cameron Dodd, PhD Student in Evolutionary Biology and Taxonomy, The University of Western Australia

The long-eared kultarr (_A. auritus_) is the middle child in terms of body size, but it has by far the biggest ears. Ken Johnson

Australia is home to more than 60 species of carnivorous marsupials in the family Dasyuridae. Almost a quarter of those have only been scientifically recognised in the past 25 years.

Other than the iconic Tasmanian devil, chances are most of these small, fascinating species have slipped under your radar. One of the rarest and most elusive is the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger), a feisty insect-eater found in very low numbers across much of the outback.

To the untrained eye, the kultarr looks very much like a hopping mouse, with long legs, a long tail and a tendency to rest on its hind legs. However, it runs much like a greyhound – but its tiny size and high speed makes it look like it’s hopping.

Kultarr or kultarrs?

Until now, the kultarr was thought to be a single widespread species, ranging from central New South Wales to the Carnarvon Basin on Australia’s west coast. However, a genetic study in 2023 suggested there could be more than one species.

With backing from the Australian Biological Resources Study, our team of researchers from the University of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum and Queensland University of Technology set out to investigate.

We travelled to museums in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth to look at every kultarr that had been collected by scientists over the past century. By combining detailed genetic data with body and skull measurements, we discovered the kultarr isn’t one widespread species, but three distinct species.

Three species of kultarrs

The eastern kultarr (A. laniger) is the smallest of the three, with an average body length of about 7.5cm. It’s darker in colour than its relatives, and while its ears are still big, they are nowhere near as big as those of the other two species.

The eastern kultarr is now found on hard clay soils around Cobar in central NSW and north to around Charleville in southern Queensland.

The eastern kultarr (A. laniger) is the smallest of the three species.
Pat Woolley

The gibber kultarr (A. spenceri) is the largest and stockiest, with an average body length of around 9cm. They are noticeably chunkier than the other two more dainty species, with big heads, thick legs and much longer hindfeet.

As its name suggests, the gibber kultarr is restricted to the extensive stony deserts or “gibber plains” in southwest Queensland and northeast South Australia.

The gibber kultarr (A. spenceri) is largest and stockiest.
Ken Johnson

The long-eared kultarr (A. auritus) is the middle child in terms of body size, but its ears set it apart. They’re nearly as long as its head.

It’s found in patchy populations in the central and western sandy deserts, living on isolated stony plains.

The long-eared kultarr (A. auritus) is the middle child in terms of body size, but it has by far the biggest ears.
Ken Johnson

Are they threatened?

All three species of kultarr are hard to find, making it difficult to confidently estimate population sizes and evaluate extinction risk. The long-eared and gibber kultarrs don’t appear to be in immediate danger, but land clearing and invasive predators such as cats and foxes have likely affected their numbers.

The three species of kultarr seem to now inhabit smaller areas than in the past.
Cameron Dodd

The eastern kultarr, however, is more of a concern. By looking at museum specimens going back all the way to the 1890s, we found it was once much more widespread.

Historic records suggest the eastern kultarr used to occur across the entirety of arid NSW and even spread north through central Queensland and into the Northern Territory. We now think this species may be extinct in the NT and parts of northwest Queensland.

What’s next?

To protect kultarrs into the future, we need targeted surveys to confirm where each species still survives, especially the eastern kultarr, whose current range may be just a shadow of its former extent. With better knowledge, we can prioritise conservation actions where they’re most needed, and ensure these remarkable, long-legged hunters don’t disappear before we truly get to know them.

Australia still has many small mammal species that haven’t been formally described. Unless we identify and name them, they remain invisible in conservation policy.

Taxonomic research like this is essential – we can’t protect what we don’t yet know exists. And without action, some species may disappear before they’re ever officially recognised.

The authors wish to acknowledge the important contributions of Adjunct Professor Mike Westerman at La Trobe University to the research discussed in this article.

Cameron Dodd receives funding from the Australian Biological Resources Study and Society of Australian Systematic Biologists.

Andrew M. Baker receives funding from the Federal Government, State Governments, Australian Biological Resources Study and various Industry sources.

Kenny Travouillon receives funding from Australian Biological Resources Study.

Linette Umbrello receives funding from the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) National Taxonomy Research Grant Program (NTRGP)

Renee Catullo 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. Australia’s cutest mammal is now Australia’s cutest three mammals – https://theconversation.com/australias-cutest-mammal-is-now-australias-cutest-three-mammals-260006

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 30, 2025
President Droupadi Murmu to visit UP today for AIIMS Gorakhpur convocation

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

President Droupadi Murmu is set to begin her two-day visit to Gorakhpur on Monday and will attend the first convocation ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Gorakhpur.

According to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), on July 1, she is scheduled to inaugurate Uttar Pradesh’s first AYUSH University in Pipri, Bhathat, a key initiative aimed at strengthening traditional medicine and holistic healthcare education in the state.

This will be President Murmu’s fourth visit to Gorakhpur in the last seven years, once again at the invitation of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The event also marks the second time in recent years that a sitting President has visited AIIMS and a major state university in Gorakhpur, highlighting the city’s growing national importance.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath personally reviewed the 31-kilometre route to be taken by the President from the city to Pipri, ensuring that all arrangements meet the highest standards.

He has also directed that the Gorakhnath Temple, where the President is expected to offer prayers, provide specially prepared meals reflecting her stature and dignity.

Security has been significantly tightened. SP (City) Abhinav Tyagi confirmed that the AIIMS auditorium and campus are under full security cover, with OPD services suspended for June 30. A 5-km radius around the Circuit House has been declared a no-fly zone, and a three-tier security system is in place.

Earlier in April CM Yogi laid the foundation stone for a 500-bed ‘Powergrid Vishram Sadan’ at AIIMS Gorakhpur. The rest house, aimed at supporting patients and their families, is being developed for Rs 44 crore under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of Power Grid Corporation of India. (IANS)

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: NSU will be the first in Russia to conduct pharmacological research using accelerator mass spectrometry

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

A new research area, Innovative Biomaterials and Methods of Their Research, is being opened at the NSU-NNC Collective Use Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. The work will be carried out within the framework of the strategic project, Center for the Integration of Personalized Biomedicine, Pharmacy, and Synchrotron Binary Technologies, which received support from the Priority 2030 state program.

For the first time in Russia, the method of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) will be used to study the pharmacokinetics of peptides, hemostatic composites and structural analysis of fossil tissues. The long-term result of the project will be the creation of a standardized approach to assessing the transdermal delivery of peptides, accelerating the development of new therapeutic agents and increasing the accuracy of predicting their clinical effectiveness, creating and introducing new synthetic functional materials for medical use, such as hemostatic materials and selective hemosorbents. Previously, this high-tech research method was used mainly for radiocarbon dating of archaeological finds, geological objects and paleontological samples.

Accelerative masses of spectrometry (UMS) – a supers -sensitive method of absolute measurement of isotopic relations, based on the calculation of single atoms. Of greatest interest for medical research are the capabilities of the UMS in the registration of radioglerod-S-14. The accuracy of the method is so high that it allows you to carry out reliable measurements of the concentration of the S-14 isotope with its share of 1E-15 from the total carbon content. The unsurpassed sensitivity of the UMS gives a number of advantages, such as a small amount of test for analysis and the possibility of analyzing a carbon -containing sample located in any aggregate state. Therefore, for UMS-analysis in the simplest performance, about 2-4 mg of dry matter, 10 mg of a sample of biological tissues and less than 50 μl of fluid will be required. Due to the extremely small content of the radiocarod in the biosphere, the isotopic ratio of the S-14/S-12 is 1E-12-the radioactivity of the laid drugs necessary for accurate registration by the UMS method is several times less than the natural level of radiation. This allows you to safely conduct multiple studies, including involving children as subjects, which is very important when developing children’s forms of drugs due to significant differences in metabolism in adults and children. Currently, the world has accumulated a large array of data on the use of UMS in clinical studies of drugs to select personalized assistance to cancer patients, new drugs developed with the use of UMS are received on the market.

There are about 200 UMS installations in the world, and about 30 large UMS centers with two or more installations. In Russia, there is only one such center — the UMS Center of Collective Use of the NSU-NNC, which has two accelerator mass spectrometers — the first domestic high-voltage one, developed by scientists from the G.I. Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences 15 years ago, and a low-voltage MICADAS, manufactured in Switzerland. The center conducts research, most of which is aimed at radiocarbon dating of various objects, for customers from all over Russia, as well as from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, North Korea, Transnistria, etc. Most of the customers are scientific organizations, research institutes, and universities.

— Our UMS center is registered in the international database of radiocarbon laboratories as “AMS Golden Valley” and successfully passed GIRI certification in 2022. Over the years of our work, we have conducted more than 10 thousand UMS analyses, with the measurement results published more than 80 scientific articles, including in the Nature publishing group, and annually fulfilled more than 40 contracts for UMS measurements. There is a scientific reserve for introducing a radiocarbon label into organic compounds (styrene) and materials (polymer nano- and microspheres), into the composition of the viral membrane, as well as for studying the distribution of toxic substances and the penetrating ability of aerosol particles in organs, — says Ekaterina Parkhomchuk, Director of the UMS Center of Collective Use at NSU-NNC.

The new direction of research work implies active participation of students and young scientists willing to do scientific work in this field. Students will be involved in sample preparation procedures, as well as in studying hemostatics. Young scientists will work in a single team with experienced researchers and experts in the field of UMS application.

— Within the framework of this direction, we intend to orient our UMS installations towards use in the field of biomedicine. For example, to create labeled compounds for medical purposes for the purpose of further studying their distribution and biological action in a living organism. The sensitivity of the UMS method significantly exceeds the capabilities of other methods for determining isotopic ratios. Such studies are rare and complex, and no one else conducts them in Russia. For example, studying the depth of penetration of a drug through the skin, its effectiveness at various stages of diseases, and routes of elimination from the body. Such work has already been carried out by specialists from our center, and we try to involve students and postgraduates in them, — explained Ekaterina Parkhomchuk.

It is planned that medical centers, pharmaceutical companies and research institutes will be involved in the cooperation.

It is already known that one of the first projects will be the assessment of transdermal delivery of peptides – organic substances formed by amino acid chains. The effectiveness of their impact with this route of delivery to the body has not been fully studied due to the lack of reliable methods for studying this process. UMS research can fill the gap and provide an answer to this question.

Along with projects in the field of pharmacology and innovative medicine, the research staff of the NSU-NNC UMS Collective Use Center will continue to work on radiocarbon dating of archaeological and paleontological materials in the same volume, since the need for these studies among scientists of many specialties – archaeologists, soil scientists, paleontologists and geologists – remains very high.

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 –

June 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Unsafe and unethical: bed shortages mean dementia patients with psychiatric symptoms are admitted to medical wards

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cindy Towns, Senior Lecturer in General Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Otago

Getty Images

New Zealand’s mental health crisis is well documented in the government’s 2018 inquiry, He Ara Oranga, which shows one in five people experience mental illness or significant mental distress.

However, an almost singular focus on care of young people obscures the psychiatric needs of older adults.

Failure to account for these needs has resulted in physicians facing pressure to admit psychiatric patients to medical wards that are not designed or resourced to care for them. This compromises patient safety and rights as well as fundamental standards of care.

Our new research highlights the clinical, ethical and legal consequences of this practice and calls for urgent action.

Dementia includes psychiatric features

The memory deficits of dementia are well known but the condition also includes psychiatric presentations. These are known collectively as the “behavioural and psychiatric symptoms of dementia” (BPSD). When severe, they can include intrusive behaviour, violence and inappropriate sexual conduct. Such patients require admission and specialist treatment.

However, New Zealand has a severe shortage of psychiatric beds for older adults. Even more concerning is that despite well recognised demographic trends and clinical concerns, bed numbers have decreased over time rather than increased.

Reports that Dunedin plans to slash the number of psycho-geriatric beds by 50% reflect a lack of government insight into the risks this large and growing patient cohort poses.

Hospitals routinely expect medical wards to admit dementia patients presenting with BPSD when no psycho-geriatric bed is available. Yet it is impossible for staff on medical wards to adhere to even basic standards of care.

Poor design

A lack of single rooms means medical teams cannot provide the security and minimisation of light and noise people with dementia require. Single rooms need to be prioritised for transmissible infections, delirium and terminal care.

Medical wards are also not designed for aggressive patients. People can enter and exit freely, potential weapons (scissors, for example) are accessible, there are no seclusion rooms or low-stimulus areas, and nursing stations are not secure.

Medical staff are not trained in de-escalation or restraint and ward pharmacists are not specialised in the medications required to treat BPSD.

Those presenting with physical or sexual violence also need dedicated security, well beyond what healthcare assistants on “patient watches” can provide. Most healthcare assistants are women, which creates a grossly inadequate level of safety when managing violent male patients.

The experience of Wellington general medicine staff documents numerous assaults on nurses and intrusive and frightening behaviour. Staff have been punched, hit, bitten and threatened. One nurse was stabbed while attending to another patient in a multi-bed room.

Admissions have included physically robust patients who have seriously assaulted family or carers. This includes one man who committed a fatal assault and another who was sexually aggressive and stabbed a family member.

High rates of mixed-gender bedding in hospital wards raise the risk of harm. The United Kingdom banned hospitals from placing men and women in the same room in 2010. Yet despite concerns for patient safety, New Zealand has no prohibition on this practice.

Poor policy

By comparison, Australia proposed a risk stratification approach more than 20 years ago whereby severe dementia patients would be managed in secure units with dedicated security staff and specialist psycho-geriatric care.

This model is used throughout Australia in policy and planning. In New Zealand, severe dementia is defaulted to medical wards even in cases where patients are presenting solely due to extreme violence.

According to the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights, patients are entitled to an appropriate standard of care. Admitting someone with dementia to medical wards that cannot meet basic standards of care clearly breaches this right.

BPSD admissions also significantly compromise the rights of other patients. The risks are again demonstrable rather than potential. International media reports have documented male dementia patients assaulting female patients in medical wards without the necessary security measures.

Medical staff in New Zealand hospitals have also witnessed numerous incidents of intrusion and harassment as well as assaults of other patients by dementia patients inappropriately admitted to medical wards with BPSD.

We should also recognise indirect impacts of people with severe dementia being admitted on medical wards. Many patients wait overnight for admission, increasing their risk for complications, and breaching rights to privacy and dignity.

When psychiatric patients occupy medical beds, they contribute to admission delays, complications and rights breaches for medical patients awaiting beds.

Urgent need for more psycho-geriatric beds

Wellington general medicine teams have raised serious concerns about dementia admissions for many years. Yet there are no secure areas and no additional psycho-geriatric beds.

We need to ask why the practice continues when harm is so obvious. The answer appears to be about cost. When physicians relent and admit psychiatric patients, the risks are high but the financial cost is low. The consequences are born by elderly and frail patients seldom able to advocate for themselves.

Change relies on health leaders and funders caring about safety, rights and basic standards of care. Unfortunately, the Wellington experience and the decision to cut beds in Dunedin suggest change will not happen unless physicians consistently refuse the admission of psychiatric patients. But this is a morally distressing position to be put in.

New Zealand must urgently address the shortage of psycho-geriatric beds. Until these are in place, temporary secure accommodation must be made available under the care of mental health specialists.

Medical teams can no longer be expected to manage the mental health crisis as well as their own medical workloads. It is unsafe, unethical and untenable for all involved.

Cindy Towns 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. Unsafe and unethical: bed shortages mean dementia patients with psychiatric symptoms are admitted to medical wards – https://theconversation.com/unsafe-and-unethical-bed-shortages-mean-dementia-patients-with-psychiatric-symptoms-are-admitted-to-medical-wards-257634

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko congratulated inventors and innovators on their professional holiday

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators (VOIR) Dmitry Chernyshenko congratulated its representatives on their professional holiday.

Dmitry Chernyshenko congratulated inventors and innovators on their professional holiday

13 hours ago

“Our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has approved new national projects for technological leadership. The key to their successful implementation is the development and implementation of breakthrough science-intensive technologies and solutions. It is your innovative ideas and projects that help move domestic science and industry forward,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

He added that today the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators already unites more than 100 thousand like-minded people.

“In turn, the Government pays special attention to the development of the scientific sphere and the creation of a modern educational infrastructure. The national project “Youth and Children” is aimed at supporting and developing talents from the earliest age – from school to university. Friends! I wish all inventors success, inspiration, bright discoveries and inventions for the benefit of our country,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

Inventor and Innovator Day is celebrated in Russia every last Saturday of June. This year, on June 28, the National Center “Russia” is hosting a series of popular science events aimed at popularizing the developments of Russian scientists and inventors within the framework of the priorities of the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation. The organizer of the holiday is the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators.

As part of the ceremonial part, the III All-Russian VOIR Festival “Science and Inventions for Life” will be launched, which will take place in 15 regions of the country, and will involve more than 400 thousand people, 250 experts from leading scientific and educational organizations of Russia.

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 –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: “It Is Those Who Can Least Afford It Who Are Going To Be Hit The Hardest”– In Speech on Senate Floor, Cantwell Shows How GOP’s Budget Sells Out the American People

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

06.29.25

“It Is Those Who Can Least Afford It Who Are Going To Be Hit The Hardest”– In Speech on Senate Floor, Cantwell Shows How GOP’s Budget Sells Out the American People

Cantwell: From kicking 17 million Americans off Medicaid & other health insurance to effectively cancelling state AI protections, the budget proposed by Congressional Republicans is a cash grab for corporations & the rich — at the expense of everyone else

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as the Senate prepares to vote on a new budget that would gut $930 billion from Medicaid, funnel resources to special interests via massive corporate tax breaks, and add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) delivered a speech on the Senate floor to highlight how various provisions included in the 940-page document ultimately sell out the American people.

“This bill would make the entire health care system less responsive and more expensive for everyone by dismantling Medicaid and shifting more of the cost burden on to states — and threatening the very existence of rural hospitals. This bill also sells spectrum out from under our national defense and safety agencies and forces states to choose between protecting their citizens from dangerous AI or providing broadband service, and just gives away big breaks to companies like Meta — that’s Facebook — or Google, who I’m sure at this point in time don’t really need that additional tax break. Clearly, though, the most [egregious] and certainly most destructive part of the bill, of this reconciliation, is the changes to health care,” Sen. Cantwell said.

“You’re going to increase the cost of uncompensated care. You’re going to make people wait to go to emergency rooms and then they’re going to be sicker,” she said. “It’s ten times more expensive to deal with somebody at an emergency room than just get health insurance and get covered.”

“Yes, extending the 2017 tax cuts does help some middle-class families, and we would support that. But all the hits in other areas — like health insurance — mean they will lose money overall. The lowest 20% of income brackets are hit even harder. In this massive bill, it is those who can least afford it who are going to be hit the hardest,” Sen. Cantwell concluded.

Her speech can be watched in full HERE; a transcript is HERE.

Sen. Cantwell, who serves as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, has been fighting this proposed budget every step of the way.

To sound the alarm on proposed Medicaid cuts, Sen. Cantwell hosted a virtual press conference on Friday with Republican leaders from red states – Utah, North Carolina, and Missouri. On Monday, she delivered another speech on the Senate floor highlighting the story of the Winterrose family in Richland, WA, who rely on Medicaid to ensure their 5-year-old daughter can live at home. Last month, she convened a group of health care providers across Washington state for a virtual press conference to highlight statewide opposition to the cuts. The same day, 23 Republican members of the Washington state legislature sent a letter to the entire Washington state federal congressional delegation, urging the delegation to “protect Medicaid funding for Washington State.”

When details of her Republican colleagues’ plan to slash Medicaid were made public earlier this year, Sen. Cantwell toured the state to hear from folks who would be directly impacted by the cuts. Doctors, patients, and health care providers in Seattle, Spokane, the Tri-Cities, and Wenatchee warned that such cuts would devastate Washington state’s health care system and limit access to lifesaving care.

Sen. Cantwell also released a snapshot report highlighting the impact that Medicaid cuts would have on Washington state’s highly-ranked long-term care system for seniors and people with disabilities. In February, she released a snapshot report that demonstrated how cuts would harm health care access in Washington state, and she followed up with a report in March that dove into impacts on the Puget Sound region. Last week, the Senator released a fact sheet that warned of dire consequences for reproductive health care in Washington state if the Republican reconciliation bill is passed.

In her remarks today, Sen. Cantwell also discussed new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), available here, of the impact of the Republican plan’s cuts to Medicaid. In addition, a Joint Economic Committee (JEC) fact sheet, available here, provides updated estimates for all 50 states and D.C. of the estimated number of people losing their health insurance. The JEC data broken down by Congressional District is available here.

A previous version of the bill included a provision that would have required the federal government to sell off millions of acres of public land. On Tuesday, Sen. Cantwell held a virtual press conference with the mayor of Boise, professional climbers, a leader from outdoor gear retailer REI, and a spokesperson for a hunting and angling advocacy group to fight back – yesterday, the provision was dropped.

Earlier this week, Sen. Cantwell criticized new reconciliation bill language released by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) which forces states receiving Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding to choose between expanding broadband or protecting consumers from harms caused by artificial intelligence for ten years. Cruz’s new language would also auction spectrum critical to national defense: “The newly released language by Chair Cruz continues to hold $42 billion in BEAD funding hostage, forcing states to choose between protecting consumers and expanding critical broadband infrastructure to rural communities,” Sen. Cantwell said earlier this week. “Forty state attorneys general oppose the AI moratorium that would leave every American vulnerable to AI-assisted fraud, theft, and abuse at a time when we should be strengthening consumer protections. This bill would auction off spectrum essential for military drone operations and risk grounding both civilian and military aircraft due to interference with airplane altimeters. It would jeopardize our weather tracking radar systems and the bands we rely on for WiFi connectivity. And for what? So telecommunications companies—the same ones that failed to protect Americans from Salt Typhoon—can profit and Trump can hawk more of his $47.45 phone plans. This is a fundamental threat to our national defense and a massive giveaway to China.” Sen. Cruz claims that the ten-year moratorium on states’ enforcement of AI laws applies only to a new $500 million appropriation. However, concerns remain that the bill’s text still leverages broadband funding to deny states the ability to protect their citizens from AI-assisted fraud, theft, and abuse.

The Senate is currently scheduled to vote on the budget bill late tonight or early tomorrow morning. If the bill passes the Senate, it will go back to the House for at least 72 hours of consideration before a House vote.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Flexible programs build diverse talent pool

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

A student (L) talks with an employer during a campus job fair held at Qinghai College of Architectural Technology in Xining, northwest China’s Qinghai Province, April 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

A new academic trend is gaining ground in universities across China. Students are increasingly spending their evenings and weekends pursuing micro-majors, which are short-duration educational programs designed to empower them with practical skills needed in the job market.

Such programs constitute a key step in enhancing graduate employability and align the higher education system with the country’s economic needs, the Ministry of Education said.

In a recent guideline aimed at improving public welfare, the central government called on universities to deepen the integration of industry and education by developing micro-major programs that target skills in high demand.

Guo Peng, director of the ministry’s Department of Development Planning, said in early June that the guideline supports universities in establishing micro-major programs to strengthen students’ employment and entrepreneurial capabilities.

Unlike traditional academic programs, micro-majors are nondegree programs comprising three to 10 courses. They feature flexible schedules, shorter terms and curriculums centered around knowledge that is interdisciplinary, advanced and practical.

In March, the ministry launched a plan aimed at accelerating the trend and establishing 1,000 micro-major programs nationwide. The objective was to create an innovative talent pool that can quickly adapt to industrial shifts.

Universities across the country have responded to the new trend.

This month, Jiangnan University in Jiangsu province started enrollment for 19 new micro-majors for the 2025 academic year. These include eclectic programs such as embodied artificial intelligence and robotics, Chinese liquor, biopharmaceuticals and entrepreneurial design.

Classes are held in the evenings, over the weekends, or during condensed short terms to avoid conflict with primary studies. Upon finishing a micro-major program, students receive a certificate, but it has no bearing on their GPA, the university said.

In Shanghai, 33 institutes have established 298 micro-majors focused on emerging industries such as the digital, green and low-altitude economies, according to the municipal education bureau.

Wang Haoxu, a student majoring in international communication at Tsinghua University in Beijing, has registered for a micro-major in public health to build cross-disciplinary skills.

As a student of liberal arts, Wang said he wants to pursue fields that intersect with science and technology to enhance his scope of employment in the future. “Having a cross-disciplinary background may also lead to a higher salary,” he added.

Most micro-major programs are practice-oriented, according to Wang. For example, a program on nutrition and health offers immediately applicable lessons on healthier eating, while another on global health and governance uses case studies to inculcate a problem-solving framework.

“Public health is a practice-oriented discipline. Much of the knowledge we acquire in theory can be applied in practice,” he said, adding that the program is more about building a foundational literacy that is useful in the real world.

One of the most appealing features of such programs is that they give students a competitive edge, Wang said. “If I enter the media industry, the (additional) knowledge will give me an advantage over students from the same major and help me form my own unique strengths.”

Beyond career prospects, Wang has discovered unexpected parallels between the two disciplines he has chosen. The public health program’s strong emphasis on evaluation is similar to the focus on effectiveness in international communication, he said.

International communication students are sometimes required to provide policy advice to government departments on issues such as public opinion management.

“If you don’t understand the entire process and the regulatory logic of the medical field, it’s very difficult to give targeted recommendations,” Wang said.

The new trend is also breaking down the wall between campus and society.

Since 2023, Soochow University in Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu, has opened some of its micro-majors to the public. The educational leadership-plus program is offered for free to primary and secondary school teachers in western China to build up the regional teaching workforce. The university’s precision radiology program is open to undergraduate students of nine other universities to foster collaboration.

Yan Changjie, director of the academic affairs office at Yangzhou University in Jiangsu, said the traditional process of establishing a new academic major may take years from application to the first graduating class, by which time the industry may have already changed.

“Micro-majors are nimble. Those with positive feedback are expected to supplement a traditional degree and could even be developed into a full-fledged major,” Yan said.

Fan Xiudi, director of the Education Evaluation Research Center at Tongji University in Shanghai, said the programs are a necessary and practical way for universities and enterprises to provide more diverse options for college students and other members of the public.

Although micro-majors can’t substitute for traditional degree programs, they represent a way for higher education to serve national needs and are bound for greater development in the future, she added.

However, Fan warned that institutions must focus on quality, rather than simply follow a trend.

“These programs should be diverse and constantly adjusted to meet the real needs of students and professionals,” she said. “If micro-majors focus more on quality and flexibility, they will gain broader recognition and have a positive impact.”

MIL OSI China News –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Earth is trapping much more heat than climate models forecast – and the rate has doubled in 20 years

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney

NASA, CC BY-NC-ND

How do you measure climate change? One way is by recording temperatures in different places over a long period of time. While this works well, natural variation can make it harder to see longer-term trends.

But another approach can give us a very clear sense of what’s going on: track how much heat enters Earth’s atmosphere and how much heat leaves. This is Earth’s energy budget, and it’s now well and truly out of balance.

Our recent research found this imbalance has more than doubled over the last 20 years. Other researchers have come to the same conclusions. This imbalance is now substantially more than climate models have suggested.

In the mid-2000s, the energy imbalance was about 0.6 watts per square metre (W/m2) on average. In recent years, the average was about 1.3 W/m2. This means the rate at which energy is accumulating near the planet’s surface has doubled.

These findings suggest climate change might well accelerate in the coming years. Worse still, this worrying imbalance is emerging even as funding uncertainty in the United States threatens our ability to track the flows of heat.

Energy in, energy out

Earth’s energy budget functions a bit like your bank account, where money comes in and money goes out. If you reduce your spending, you’ll build up cash in your account. Here, energy is the currency.

Life on Earth depends on a balance between heat coming in from the Sun and heat leaving. This balance is tipping to one side.

Solar energy hits Earth and warms it. The atmosphere’s heat-trapping greenhouse gases keep some of this energy.

But the burning of coal, oil and gas has now added more than two trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. These trap more and more heat, preventing it from leaving.

Some of this extra heat is warming the land or melting sea ice, glaciers and ice sheets. But this is a tiny fraction. Fully 90% has gone into the oceans due to their huge heat capacity.

Earth naturally sheds heat in several ways. One way is by reflecting incoming heat off of clouds, snow and ice and back out to space. Infrared radiation is also emitted back to space.

From the beginning of human civilisation up until just a century ago, the average surface temperature was about 14°C. The accumulating energy imbalance has now pushed average temperatures 1.3-1.5°C higher.

Ice and reflective clouds reflect heat back to space. As the Earth heats up, most trapped heat goes into the oceans but some melts ice and heats the land and air. Pictured: Icebergs from the Jacobshavn glacier in Greenland, the largest outside Antarctica.
Ashley Cooper/Getty

Tracking faster than the models

Scientists keep track of the energy budget in two ways.

First, we can directly measure the heat coming from the Sun and going back out to space, using the sensitive radiometers on monitoring satellites. This dataset and its predecessors date back to the late 1980s.

Second, we can accurately track the build-up of heat in the oceans and atmosphere by taking temperature readings. Thousands of robotic floats have monitored temperatures in the world’s oceans since the 1990s.

Both methods show the energy imbalance has grown rapidly.

The doubling of the energy imbalance has come as a shock, because the sophisticated climate models we use largely didn’t predict such a large and rapid change.

Typically, the models forecast less than half of the change we’re seeing in the real world.

Why has it changed so fast?

We don’t yet have a full explanation. But new research suggests changes in clouds is a big factor.

Clouds have a cooling effect overall. But the area covered by highly reflective white clouds has shrunk, while the area of jumbled, less reflective clouds has grown.

It isn’t clear why the clouds are changing. One possible factor could be the consequences of successful efforts to reduce sulfur in shipping fuel from 2020, as burning the dirtier fuel may have had a brightening effect on clouds. However, the accelerating energy budget imbalance began before this change.

Natural fluctuations in the climate system such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation might also be playing a role. Finally – and most worryingly – the cloud changes might be part of a trend caused by global warming itself, that is, a positive feedback on climate change.

Dense blankets of white clouds reflect the most heat. But the area covered by these clouds is shrinking.
Adhivaswut/Shutterstock

What does this mean?

These findings suggest recent extremely hot years are not one-offs but may reflect a strengthening of warming over the coming decade or longer.

This will mean a higher chance of more intense climate impacts from searing heatwaves, droughts and extreme rains on land, and more intense and long lasting marine heatwaves.

This imbalance may lead to worse longer-term consequences. New research shows the only climate models coming close to simulating real world measurements are those with a higher “climate sensitivity”. That means these models predict more severe warming beyond the next few decades in scenarios where emissions are not rapidly reduced.

We don’t know yet whether other factors are at play, however. It’s still too early to definitively say we are on a high-sensitivity trajectory.

Our eyes in the sky

We’ve known the solution for a long time: stop the routine burning of fossil fuels and phase out human activities causing emissions such as deforestation.

Keeping accurate records over long periods of time is essential if we are to spot unexpected changes.

Satellites, in particular, are our advance warning system, telling us about heat storage changes roughly a decade before other methods.

But funding cuts and drastic priority shifts in the United States may threaten essential satellite climate monitoring.

Steven Sherwood receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Mindaroo Foundation.

Benoit Meyssignac receives funding from the European Commission, the European Space Agency and the French National Space Agency.

Thorsten Mauritsen receives funding from the European Research Council, the European Space Agency, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish National Space Agency and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research.

– ref. Earth is trapping much more heat than climate models forecast – and the rate has doubled in 20 years – https://theconversation.com/earth-is-trapping-much-more-heat-than-climate-models-forecast-and-the-rate-has-doubled-in-20-years-258822

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Mr Smith or Gary? Why some teachers ask students to call them by their first name

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Nicole Brownlie, Lecturer in Education, University of Southern Queensland

Johnny Greig/ Getty Images

When you went to school, did you call your teacher Mrs, Ms or Mr, followed by their surname? Perhaps you even called them Sir or Miss.

The tradition of addressing teachers in a formal manner goes back centuries. For many of us, calling a teacher by their first name would have been unthinkable.

But that’s not automatically the case anymore. Some teachers in mainstream schools now ask students to call them by their first name.

Why is this? And what impact can teachers’ names have in the classroom?

There’s no rule

There’s no official rule in Australia on what students should call teachers.
Naming is usually decided by schools or individual teachers. This is no official training on this topic before teachers start in classrooms.

Some primary school teachers now use first names or a less formal name such as “Mr D”. Teachers say this helps break down barriers, especially for young students or those who are learning English as an additional language.

High schools are more likely to stick with tradition, partly to maintain structure and boundaries, especially with teenagers. Using formal titles can also support early-career teachers or those from minority
backgrounds assert their authority in a classroom.

But even so, some high school teachers are using their first names to foster a sense of trust and encourage students to see them as a partner in learning, rather than simply an authority figure.

What does the research say?

Research – which is mainly from the United States – suggests names have an impact on how students perceive their teachers and feel about school.

In one study of US high school students, teenagers described teachers they addressed with formal titles as more distant and harder to connect with. Teachers who invited students to use their first name were seen as more supportive, approachable and trustworthy.

A secondary school principal in the state of Maryland reported students felt more included and respected when they could use teachers’ first names. It made classrooms feel less hierarchical and more collaborative.

A 2020 US study on teaching students doing practical placements found those who used their first name observed greater student engagement than those who did not. This came as a surprise to the student teachers who expected students would not respect them if they used their first names.

These findings don’t necessarily mean titles are bad. Rather, they show first names can support stronger teacher-student relationships.

It’s important to note society in general has become less formal in recent decades in terms of how we address and refer to each other.

So, what should students call their teachers?

What works in one school, or even one classroom, may not work in another.

For example, for Indigenous students or students from non-English speaking households, name practices that show cultural respect and mutual choice can be vital. They help create a sense of safety and inclusion.

But for other teachers, being called by their title may be a key part of their professional persona.

That’s why it’s important for naming decisions to be thoughtful and based on the needs of the teacher, students and broader school community.

The key is to treat naming as part of the broader relationship, not just a habit or automatic tradition. Whether students say “Mrs Lee” or “Jess” matters less than whether they feel safe, respected and included. It’s about the tone and relationship behind the name, not simply what someone is called.

Nicole Brownlie 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. Mr Smith or Gary? Why some teachers ask students to call them by their first name – https://theconversation.com/mr-smith-or-gary-why-some-teachers-ask-students-to-call-them-by-their-first-name-259790

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: RFK Junior is stoking fears about vaccine safety. Here’s why he’s wrong – and the impact it could have

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Julie Leask, Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney

The United States used to be a leader in vaccine research, development and policymaking. Now US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr is undermining the country’s vaccine program at the highest level and supercharging vaccine skepticism.

Two weeks ago, RFK Jr sacked the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices responsible for reviewing the latest scientific evidence on vaccines. RFK Jr alleged conflicts of interest and hand-picked a replacement panel.

On Wednesday, RFK Jr announced the US would stop funding the global vaccine alliance, Gavi, because he claimed that “when the science was inconvenient today, Gavi ignored the science”. RFK Jr questioned the safety of COVID vaccines for pregnant women, as well as the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine.

On Thursday, when the new Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met, the person who first drew RFK Jr into vaccine scepticism, Lyn Redwood, shared disproved claims about a chemical called thimerosal in flu vaccines being harmful.

The undermining of regulation, advisory processes and funding changes will have global impacts, as debunked claims are given new levels of apparent legitimacy. Some of these impacts will be slow and insidious.

So what should we make of these latest claims and funding cuts?

Thiomersal is a distraction

Thiomersal (thimerosal in the the US) is a safe and effective preservative that prevents bacterial and fungal contamination of the vaccine contained in a multi-dose vial. It’s a salt that contains a tiny amount of mercury in a safe form.

Thiomersal is no longer used as a preservative in any vaccines routinely given in Australia. But it’s still used in the Q fever vaccine.

Other countries use multi-dose vials with thiomersal when single-dose vials are too expensive.

In the US, just 4% of adult influenza vaccines contain thiomersal. So focusing on removing vaccines containing thimerosal is a distraction for the committee.

COVID vaccines in pregnancy prevent severe illness

On Wednesday, RFK criticised Gavi’s encouragement of pregnant women to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

A COVID-19 infection before and during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage two- to four-fold, even if it’s only a mild infection.

Conversely, there is good evidence vaccination during pregnancy is safe and can reduce the chance of hospitalisation of pregnant people and of infants by passing antibodies through the placenta.

In Australia, pregnant people who have never received a primary COVID-19 vaccine are recommended to have one. However, they are not generally recommended to have booster unless they have underlying risk conditions or prefer to have one. This is due to population immunity.

COVID-19 vaccine advice should adapt to changes in disease risk and vaccine benefit. It doesn’t mean previous decisions were wrong, nor that vaccine boosters are unsafe.

RFK’s criticism of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy may influence choices individuals make in other countries, even when unvaccinated pregnant women are encouraged to consider vaccination.

The diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine is safe

RFK Jr also questioned the safety of the combined diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine as he announced the withdrawal of US funding support for Gavi.

In the early 2000s, three community-based observational studies reported a possible association between increased chance of death in infants and use of the DTP vaccine.

A few subsequent studies also reported associations, with higher risk in girls, prompting a World Health Organization (WHO) review of safety.

Real world studies are complicated and the data can be difficult to interpret correctly. Often, the very factors that influence whether someone gets vaccinated can also be associated with other health risks.

When the WHO committee reviewed all the studies on DTP safety in 2014, it did not indicate serious adverse events. It concluded there was substantial evidence against these claims.

What will de-funding Gavi mean for vaccination rates?

Gavi, the vaccine alliance, supports vaccine purchasing in low-income countries.

The US has historically accounted for 13% of all donor funds.

However, RFK Jr said Gavi needed to re-earn the public trust and “consider the best science available” before the US would contribute funding again.

Gavi predicted in March that the impact of US funding cuts could result in one million deaths through missed vaccines.

Could something like this happen in Australia?

Australia is fortunate to be buffered from these impacts.

Our vaccine advisory body, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, has people with deep expertise in vaccination. We have robust decision processes that weigh evidence critically and make careful recommendations to government.

Our governments remain committed to vaccination. The federal government released the National Immunisation Strategy in mid-June with a comprehensive plan to continue to strengthen our program.

The federal government also announced A$386 million to support the work of Gavi from 2026 to 2030.

All of this keeps our vaccine policies strong, preventing disease and increasing life expectancy here and overseas.

But to mitigate the possible influence of the US in Australia, our governments, health professionals and the public need to be ready to rapidly tackle the misinformation, distortions and half-truths RFK Jr cleverly packages – with quality information.

Julie Leask receives research funding from NHMRC, WHO, US CDC, NSW Ministry of Health. She received funding from Sanofi for travel to an overseas meeting in 2024. She has consulting fees from RTI International and the Task Force for Global Health.

Catherine Bennett has received honoraria for contributing to independent advisory panels for Moderna and AstraZeneca, and has received NHMRC, VicHealth and MRFF funding for unrelated projects. She was the health lead on the Independent Inquiry into the Australian Government COVID-19 Response .

– ref. RFK Junior is stoking fears about vaccine safety. Here’s why he’s wrong – and the impact it could have – https://theconversation.com/rfk-junior-is-stoking-fears-about-vaccine-safety-heres-why-hes-wrong-and-the-impact-it-could-have-259986

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: RFK Junior is stoking fears about vaccine safety. Here’s why he’s wrong – and the impact it could have

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Julie Leask, Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney

The United States used to be a leader in vaccine research, development and policymaking. Now US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr is undermining the country’s vaccine program at the highest level and supercharging vaccine skepticism.

Two weeks ago, RFK Jr sacked the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices responsible for reviewing the latest scientific evidence on vaccines. RFK Jr alleged conflicts of interest and hand-picked a replacement panel.

On Wednesday, RFK Jr announced the US would stop funding the global vaccine alliance, Gavi, because he claimed that “when the science was inconvenient today, Gavi ignored the science”. RFK Jr questioned the safety of COVID vaccines for pregnant women, as well as the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine.

On Thursday, when the new Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met, the person who first drew RFK Jr into vaccine scepticism, Lyn Redwood, shared disproved claims about a chemical called thimerosal in flu vaccines being harmful.

The undermining of regulation, advisory processes and funding changes will have global impacts, as debunked claims are given new levels of apparent legitimacy. Some of these impacts will be slow and insidious.

So what should we make of these latest claims and funding cuts?

Thiomersal is a distraction

Thiomersal (thimerosal in the the US) is a safe and effective preservative that prevents bacterial and fungal contamination of the vaccine contained in a multi-dose vial. It’s a salt that contains a tiny amount of mercury in a safe form.

Thiomersal is no longer used as a preservative in any vaccines routinely given in Australia. But it’s still used in the Q fever vaccine.

Other countries use multi-dose vials with thiomersal when single-dose vials are too expensive.

In the US, just 4% of adult influenza vaccines contain thiomersal. So focusing on removing vaccines containing thimerosal is a distraction for the committee.

COVID vaccines in pregnancy prevent severe illness

On Wednesday, RFK criticised Gavi’s encouragement of pregnant women to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

A COVID-19 infection before and during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage two- to four-fold, even if it’s only a mild infection.

Conversely, there is good evidence vaccination during pregnancy is safe and can reduce the chance of hospitalisation of pregnant people and of infants by passing antibodies through the placenta.

In Australia, pregnant people who have never received a primary COVID-19 vaccine are recommended to have one. However, they are not generally recommended to have booster unless they have underlying risk conditions or prefer to have one. This is due to population immunity.

COVID-19 vaccine advice should adapt to changes in disease risk and vaccine benefit. It doesn’t mean previous decisions were wrong, nor that vaccine boosters are unsafe.

RFK’s criticism of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy may influence choices individuals make in other countries, even when unvaccinated pregnant women are encouraged to consider vaccination.

The diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine is safe

RFK Jr also questioned the safety of the combined diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine as he announced the withdrawal of US funding support for Gavi.

In the early 2000s, three community-based observational studies reported a possible association between increased chance of death in infants and use of the DTP vaccine.

A few subsequent studies also reported associations, with higher risk in girls, prompting a World Health Organization (WHO) review of safety.

Real world studies are complicated and the data can be difficult to interpret correctly. Often, the very factors that influence whether someone gets vaccinated can also be associated with other health risks.

When the WHO committee reviewed all the studies on DTP safety in 2014, it did not indicate serious adverse events. It concluded there was substantial evidence against these claims.

What will de-funding Gavi mean for vaccination rates?

Gavi, the vaccine alliance, supports vaccine purchasing in low-income countries.

The US has historically accounted for 13% of all donor funds.

However, RFK Jr said Gavi needed to re-earn the public trust and “consider the best science available” before the US would contribute funding again.

Gavi predicted in March that the impact of US funding cuts could result in one million deaths through missed vaccines.

Could something like this happen in Australia?

Australia is fortunate to be buffered from these impacts.

Our vaccine advisory body, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, has people with deep expertise in vaccination. We have robust decision processes that weigh evidence critically and make careful recommendations to government.

Our governments remain committed to vaccination. The federal government released the National Immunisation Strategy in mid-June with a comprehensive plan to continue to strengthen our program.

The federal government also announced A$386 million to support the work of Gavi from 2026 to 2030.

All of this keeps our vaccine policies strong, preventing disease and increasing life expectancy here and overseas.

But to mitigate the possible influence of the US in Australia, our governments, health professionals and the public need to be ready to rapidly tackle the misinformation, distortions and half-truths RFK Jr cleverly packages – with quality information.

Julie Leask receives research funding from NHMRC, WHO, US CDC, NSW Ministry of Health. She received funding from Sanofi for travel to an overseas meeting in 2024. She has consulting fees from RTI International and the Task Force for Global Health.

Catherine Bennett has received honoraria for contributing to independent advisory panels for Moderna and AstraZeneca, and has received NHMRC, VicHealth and MRFF funding for unrelated projects. She was the health lead on the Independent Inquiry into the Australian Government COVID-19 Response .

– ref. RFK Junior is stoking fears about vaccine safety. Here’s why he’s wrong – and the impact it could have – https://theconversation.com/rfk-junior-is-stoking-fears-about-vaccine-safety-heres-why-hes-wrong-and-the-impact-it-could-have-259986

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Scientists look to black holes to know exactly where we are in the Universe. But phones and wifi are blocking the view

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Lucia McCallum, Senior Scientist in Geodesy, University of Tasmania

ESA / Hubble / L. Calçada (ESO), CC BY

The scientists who precisely measure the position of Earth are in a bit of trouble. Their measurements are essential for the satellites we use for navigation, communication and Earth observation every day.

But you might be surprised to learn that making these measurements – using the science of geodesy – depends on tracking the locations of black holes in distant galaxies.

The problem is, the scientists need to use specific frequency lanes on the radio spectrum highway to track those black holes.

And with the rise of wifi, mobile phones and satellite internet, travel on that highway is starting to look like a traffic jam.

Why we need black holes

Satellites and the services they provide have become essential for modern life. From precision navigation in our pockets to measuring climate change, running global supply chains and making power grids and online banking possible, our civilisation cannot function without its orbiting companions.

To use satellites, we need to know exactly where they are at any given time. Precise satellite positioning relies on the so-called “global geodesy supply chain”.

This supply chain starts by establishing a reliable reference frame as a basis for all other measurements. Because satellites are constantly moving around Earth, Earth is constantly moving around the Sun, and the Sun is constantly moving through the galaxy, this reference frame needs to be carefully calibrated via some relatively fixed external objects.

As it turns out, the best anchor points for the system are the black holes at the hearts of distant galaxies, which spew out streams of radiation as they devour stars and gas.

These black holes are the most distant and stable objects we know. Using a technique called very long baseline interferometry, we can use a network of radio telescopes to lock onto the black hole signals and disentangle Earth’s own rotation and wobble in space from the satellites’ movement.

Different lanes on the radio highway

We use radio telescopes because we want to detect the radio waves coming from the black holes. Radio waves pass cleanly through the atmosphere and we can receive them during day and night and in all weather conditions.

Radio waves are also used for communication on Earth – including things such as wifi and mobile phones. The use of different radio frequencies – different lanes on the radio highway – is closely regulated, and a few narrow lanes are reserved for radio astronomy.

However, in previous decades the radio highway had relatively little traffic. Scientists commonly strayed from the radio astronomy lanes to receive the black hole signals.

To reach the very high precision needed for modern technology, geodesy today relies on more than just the lanes exclusively reserved for astronomy.

Radio traffic on the rise

In recent years, human-made electromagnetic pollution has vastly increased. When wifi and mobile phone services emerged, scientists reacted by moving to higher frequencies.

However, they are running out of lanes. Six generations of mobile phone services (each occupying a new lane) are crowding the spectrum, not to mention internet connections directly sent by a fleet of thousands of satellites.

Today, the multitude of signals are often too strong for geodetic observatories to see through them to the very weak signals emitted by black holes. This puts many satellite services at risk.

What can be done?

To keep working into the future – to maintain the services on which we all depend – geodesy needs some more lanes on the radio highway. When the spectrum is divided up via international treaties at world radio conferences, geodesists need a seat at the table.

Other potential fixes might include radio quiet zones around our essential radio telescopes. Work is also underway with satellite providers to avoid pointing radio emissions directly at radio telescopes.

Any solution has to be global. For our geodetic measurements, we link radio telescopes together from all over the world, allowing us to mimic a telescope the size of Earth. The radio spectrum is primarily regulated by each nation individually, making this a huge challenge.

But perhaps the first step is increasing awareness. If we want satellite navigation to work, our supermarkets to be stocked and our online money transfers arriving safely, we need to make sure we have a clear view of those black holes in distant galaxies – and that means clearing up the radio highway.

Lucia McCallum 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. Scientists look to black holes to know exactly where we are in the Universe. But phones and wifi are blocking the view – https://theconversation.com/scientists-look-to-black-holes-to-know-exactly-where-we-are-in-the-universe-but-phones-and-wifi-are-blocking-the-view-259977

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Scientists look to black holes to know exactly where we are in the Universe. But phones and wifi are blocking the view

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Lucia McCallum, Senior Scientist in Geodesy, University of Tasmania

ESA / Hubble / L. Calçada (ESO), CC BY

The scientists who precisely measure the position of Earth are in a bit of trouble. Their measurements are essential for the satellites we use for navigation, communication and Earth observation every day.

But you might be surprised to learn that making these measurements – using the science of geodesy – depends on tracking the locations of black holes in distant galaxies.

The problem is, the scientists need to use specific frequency lanes on the radio spectrum highway to track those black holes.

And with the rise of wifi, mobile phones and satellite internet, travel on that highway is starting to look like a traffic jam.

Why we need black holes

Satellites and the services they provide have become essential for modern life. From precision navigation in our pockets to measuring climate change, running global supply chains and making power grids and online banking possible, our civilisation cannot function without its orbiting companions.

To use satellites, we need to know exactly where they are at any given time. Precise satellite positioning relies on the so-called “global geodesy supply chain”.

This supply chain starts by establishing a reliable reference frame as a basis for all other measurements. Because satellites are constantly moving around Earth, Earth is constantly moving around the Sun, and the Sun is constantly moving through the galaxy, this reference frame needs to be carefully calibrated via some relatively fixed external objects.

As it turns out, the best anchor points for the system are the black holes at the hearts of distant galaxies, which spew out streams of radiation as they devour stars and gas.

These black holes are the most distant and stable objects we know. Using a technique called very long baseline interferometry, we can use a network of radio telescopes to lock onto the black hole signals and disentangle Earth’s own rotation and wobble in space from the satellites’ movement.

Different lanes on the radio highway

We use radio telescopes because we want to detect the radio waves coming from the black holes. Radio waves pass cleanly through the atmosphere and we can receive them during day and night and in all weather conditions.

Radio waves are also used for communication on Earth – including things such as wifi and mobile phones. The use of different radio frequencies – different lanes on the radio highway – is closely regulated, and a few narrow lanes are reserved for radio astronomy.

However, in previous decades the radio highway had relatively little traffic. Scientists commonly strayed from the radio astronomy lanes to receive the black hole signals.

To reach the very high precision needed for modern technology, geodesy today relies on more than just the lanes exclusively reserved for astronomy.

Radio traffic on the rise

In recent years, human-made electromagnetic pollution has vastly increased. When wifi and mobile phone services emerged, scientists reacted by moving to higher frequencies.

However, they are running out of lanes. Six generations of mobile phone services (each occupying a new lane) are crowding the spectrum, not to mention internet connections directly sent by a fleet of thousands of satellites.

Today, the multitude of signals are often too strong for geodetic observatories to see through them to the very weak signals emitted by black holes. This puts many satellite services at risk.

What can be done?

To keep working into the future – to maintain the services on which we all depend – geodesy needs some more lanes on the radio highway. When the spectrum is divided up via international treaties at world radio conferences, geodesists need a seat at the table.

Other potential fixes might include radio quiet zones around our essential radio telescopes. Work is also underway with satellite providers to avoid pointing radio emissions directly at radio telescopes.

Any solution has to be global. For our geodetic measurements, we link radio telescopes together from all over the world, allowing us to mimic a telescope the size of Earth. The radio spectrum is primarily regulated by each nation individually, making this a huge challenge.

But perhaps the first step is increasing awareness. If we want satellite navigation to work, our supermarkets to be stocked and our online money transfers arriving safely, we need to make sure we have a clear view of those black holes in distant galaxies – and that means clearing up the radio highway.

Lucia McCallum 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. Scientists look to black holes to know exactly where we are in the Universe. But phones and wifi are blocking the view – https://theconversation.com/scientists-look-to-black-holes-to-know-exactly-where-we-are-in-the-universe-but-phones-and-wifi-are-blocking-the-view-259977

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Cities are heating up the planet – how they can do more to fight climate change
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Hurlimann, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne

Quality Stock Arts/Shutterstock

Cities have a central role to play tackling climate change. They contribute 67–72% of the greenhouse gas emissions which are heating up the planet.

At the same time, cities are increasingly at risk from global warming. Flood, fire and drought are affecting everything from the cost of insuring homes and businesses, through to impacts on health and safety.

This is critical given 90% of Australians live in urban areas. Globally, cities are home to more than four billion people.

Our new study identifies 16 priority actions to address climate change in the construction and management of cities.

Building smarter

Climate change must be a key consideration when designing, building and managing our cities. The emissions generated need to be minimised and eventually eliminated.

We must build in locations, and in ways, that reduce climate risks. But policies governing how our cities are designed and constructed don’t achieve this.

A recent study of three local government areas identified only limited action on adaptation and mitigation. Other research has found few urban development policies include carbon reduction goals that meet international targets.

The National Housing Accord will see more than one million houses built by 2029. These new homes must address the climate challenge.

16 areas for priority action

The priority areas in our new study were informed by interviews with more than 150 stakeholders working in urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, sustainability, construction and property.

Priority areas for minimising damaging emissions generated by cities.
CC BY

The actions they identified cover the entire life cycle of the built environment.

One of the first barriers to overcome is the perceived lack of agency among industry professionals to initiate or demand climate action. They perceive others, such as property owners or clients, to have more influence.

Climate change risks should be identified in the early stages of planning new developments, backed up by effective tools to make risk identification and action easier:

There were areas that were identified as being flood prone or risk prone. But there was no strategy to deal with what happens to those areas – An urban planner

Once specific projects are being considered it is important to prioritise early stage climate assessments, supported by policies which mandate climate action:

Everyone has good intentions but without big formal legislation around it, everyone’s just sort of making their way in the dark – A construction industry professional

In the design stage, steps to improve the climate knowledge and skills of the workforce beyond disciplinary boundaries is critical. The selection of low-impact products and materials will also help ensure design is more climate responsive.

Climate action must be embedded in all stages of design and construction of Australian cities.
GagliardiPhotography/Shutterstock

The highest number of hurdles to climate action were found to occur during the costing and approvals stage. Participants spoke of a highly competitive building industry. If climate change initiatives introduced at an earlier stage aren’t required by law, they are likely to be cut.

unless there’s something in it for them in terms of return on investment, it’s going to be hard to get them to do it, unless we make them – An urban planner

During the construction phase, product and material substitutions that have detrimental environmental impact should be eliminated. Innovation should be encouraged:

If you want to push the envelope a little bit in terms of using recycled materials […] that’s a bit of a barrier. To push innovation is difficult – A landscape architect

Post-construction

Once construction is complete and buildings and public spaces are being used, it is important to invest in a thorough evaluation process. Building users should be involved to ensure buildings are maintained for optimal climate outcomes:

[We] tried to achieve the six star rating […] the client has to maintain it [the building] for a year, and that’s when things start to fall off – An architect

When it comes to area upgrades or building renewals, advocating for reuse and materials circularity is important. But the custom of demolishing and building anew, is hard to shift:

The reuse of the existing building obviously generates significantly less waste and involves less material. So, design decisions and strategic decisions around using existing buildings is really important – An urban designer

Working together

This is a time of significant change in our urban areas.

We need to make sure climate action is embedded in every stage of decision making. This may mean more efficient use, and reuse, of the existing built stock. This will require an overhaul of policies regarding building retrofits, and a change in mindsets.

The priority actions to address climate change in cities can be implemented across a range of levels for:
- individual professionals – pursue development of their climate change skills, including opportunities provided by professional associations
- professional practices – review internal processes to ensure climate action is mainstreamed across projects, and in company decision making
- universities teaching built environment professional degrees – embed climate change knowledge, skills, and competencies across the curriculum
- governments at all levels – review policy settings to mandate mitigation and adaption.
By addressing these actions, we can collectively work towards achieving our emission reduction targets and making sure our cities minimise climate change risks.

Anna Hurlimann received funding for the research reported in this article from the Australian Research Council – Discovery Grant DP200101378, with co-chief investigators Georgia Warren-Myers, Alan March, Sareh Moosavi and Judy Bush. She is a member of the Planning Institute of Australia.

Sareh Moosavi received funding for the research reported in this article from the Australian Research Council – Discovery Grant DP200101378, with co-chief investigators Anna Hurlimann, Georgia Warren-Myers, Alan March, and Judy Bush.

– ref. Cities are heating up the planet – how they can do more to fight climate change – https://theconversation.com/cities-are-heating-up-the-planet-how-they-can-do-more-to-fight-climate-change-259391
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Upgrading national grid to power AI future to be tackled at AI Energy Council
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Upgrading national grid to power AI future to be tackled at AI Energy Council

The Technology and Energy Secretaries will chair the second meeting of the AI Energy Council today.
AI Energy Council helping to power new AI breakthroughs.

Second meeting to focus on bringing the energy grid up to speed to power the next wave of AI breakthroughs.

Major tech and energy companies to attend, following £2 billion to accelerate the use of AI in boosting productivity and growth across the UK.

Comes in addition to reforming the connections process so data centres can quickly get up and running – increasing investment and speeding up breakthroughs using AI.

The energy demands to drive the processing power needed for new waves of AI breakthroughs, and the future energy needs of the wider AI sector will be on the agenda as the AI Energy Council gathers today (30 June).

With energy providers, tech companies, energy regulator Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator (NESO) convening, this second meeting will discuss how to work together to forecast how much energy will be needed to deliver a twenty-fold increase in compute capacity over the next 5 years.

Compute represents the key building block of AI development. It captures the vital resources which make AI models work, such as the processing power which allows them to be trained on data and process information. By increasing the UK’s capacity, it will give scientists and AI companies from across the UK access to the systems they need for their cutting-edge research – making the next big breakthrough from personalised medical treatments, more sustainable air travel, or developing new tools in the fight against climate change.

The meeting is also expected to cover which sectors are likely to quickly adopt AI and how this could drive significant shifts in energy demand. Discussions will focus on what assumptions need to be made to accurately forecast that demand, ensuring the energy system is prepared for AI.

Chaired by the Technology and Energy Secretaries, the meeting comes hot on the heels of the UK government announcing £2 billion to deliver the AI Opportunities Action Plan.

The Action Plan serves as a blueprint to turbocharge the use of AI, whether it’s in hospitals to help diagnose patients more quickly, in schools to help with lesson planning so teachers have more time in front of the whiteboard, or delivering new AI Growth Zones which will unlock scores of new investment and jobs to revitalize local communities and deliver the economic growth driving the government’s Plan for Change.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Peter Kyle said:

Giving our researchers and innovators access to the processing power they need will not only maintain our standing as the world’s third-biggest AI power, but put British expertise at the heart of the AI breakthroughs which will improve our lives, modernise our public services, and spark the economic growth which is the cornerstone of our Plan for Change.

We are clear-eyed though on the need to make sure we can power this golden era for British AI through responsible, sustainable energy sources. Today’s talks will help us drive forward that mission, delivering AI infrastructure which will benefit communities up and down the country for generations to come without ever compromising on our clean energy superpower ambitions.

Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband said:

We are making the UK a clean energy superpower, building the homegrown energy this country needs to get bills down for good and create new jobs as part of our Plan for Change.

Bringing together the biggest players in AI and energy will help us discuss the role AI can play an important role in building a new era of clean electricity for our country, and meeting the power demands of new technology as we build a clean power system for families and businesses.

With energy providers, tech companies, energy regulator Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator (NESO) convening today, they’ll discuss how to work together to forecast how much energy will be needed to deliver this twenty-fold increase in compute capacity over the next 5 years. The meeting is also expected to cover which sectors are likely to quickly adopt AI and how this could drive significant shifts in energy demand.

The meeting will consider the future energy needs of the AI sector more widely, as the government also continues to move forward with its plans to roll out AI Growth Zones across the country. These hotbeds of AI development will unlock billions in investment and deliver scores of new jobs across the country, with communities throughout the UK having already expressed an interest in being home to future growth zone sites.

Since establishing the AI Energy Council in January, government has been deepening its work both Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to deliver fundamental reforms to the UK’s connections process. Once final signoffs from Ofgem are in place, this could mean more than 400GW of additional capacity is freed up from the grid connection queue – turbocharging the AI projects which are vital to economic growth.

Further Information

The Technology and Energy Secretary are joined at today’s meeting by representatives of:

Google

Microsoft

Amazon Web Services

Equinix

Brookfield

ARM

Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA)

National Energy System Operator (NESO)

Ofgem

National Grid

Energy Networks Association

Scottish Power

Nuclear Industry Association

EDF Energy

International Energy Agency

DSIT media enquiries

Email press@dsit.gov.uk

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 3000

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Published 30 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell, Red State Leaders Warn Entire Communities Will Suffer if Residents Lose Health Insurance Due to Medicaid Cuts

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
06.29.25
Cantwell, Red State Leaders Warn Entire Communities Will Suffer if Residents Lose Health Insurance Due to Medicaid Cuts
Misguided legislation would leave 16 million Americans without health insurance; Officials on the ground in MO, UT, and NC say fewer federal resources means more uninsured Americans, cuts in services, and even hospital closures – with states & counties left to pick up the slack
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined local leaders from red states for a virtual press conference to warn that cutting 16 million Americans off of health insurance will put a dramatic strain on the budgets and health of their communities.
“Policies in this legislation hamper the abilities for states to fund their Medicaid programs,” said Sen. Cantwell. “To make up for lost federal dollars, state governments will have to consider cutting reimbursements to providers, cutting types of services, cutting people from Medicaid rolls, or raising everyone’s taxes. All these decisions lead to poor health outcomes. They increase the cost for taxpayers and strain our healthcare system.”
“We have a dramatic shortage of mental health beds in our state, and our jails have come become the largest repository for individuals,” said Steve Hobbs, Missouri Association of Counties Executive Director and former Missouri State Representative (R-21), who called into the virtual presser from inside a skid steer at his farm. “Any changes to the premium tax would have a huge impact on our rural hospitals — all of our hospitals, our nursing homes, and so we’re really concerned about those changes as well.”
“No one knows exactly where the shrapnel will fall, but it will be a very large change to our state budget and the services that we can provide. So I’m really hoping we can find some other, better way forward,” said Utah State Representative Ray Ward (R-19).
In total, 16 million Americans – including over 300,000 Washingtonians – will lose the health care coverage they need to get regular check-ups, behavioral health care, family planning services, long-term care, urgent care, and more if the pending reconciliation bill passes the U.S. Senate and is signed into law. Those living in rural areas – which have a higher proportion of residents who rely on Medicaid for health insurance coverage, and where smaller hospitals operate on slimmer margins – would be hit hardest.
People without health insurance tend to wait until their health problem is an emergency before seeking care in local hospitals. This leads to more crowded emergency rooms for everyone. And hospitals must factor the uncompensated cost of additional uninsured patients into already strained finances – finances which are especially strained at rural hospitals.
The additional stress and costs to the system will be shared by everyone as premiums rise, hospitals close or cut services, and localities increase taxes to keep up with greater demand for first responders and law enforcement.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published its updated analysis, available here, after the House of Representatives narrowly passed their budget reconciliation bill with over $800 billion in cuts and significant changes to Medicaid. A Joint Economic Committee (JEC) fact sheet, available here, provides updated estimates for all 50 states and D.C. of the estimated number of people losing their health insurance. The JEC data broken down by Congressional District is available here.
Sen. Cantwell was joined at today’s virtual press conference by:
Steve Hobbs, Missouri Association of Counties Executive Director and former Missouri State Representative [link to footage]
Ray Ward, Utah State Representative (R-19) [link to footage]
Kevin Leonard, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Executive Director [link to footage]
Wendy Sisk, CEO of Peninsula Behavioral Health
Tristan Twohig, Emergency Department Registered Nurse at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane
Video of today’s virtual press conference is available HERE; a transcript is available HERE.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 30, 2025