NewzIntel.com

Category: Statistics

  • MIL-OSI USA: Marine Economy Satellite Account, 2023

    Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis

    The Marine Economy Satellite Account statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show the marine economy accounted for $511.0 billion, or 1.8 percent, of current-dollar U.S. gross domestic product in 2023, an increase from $482.4 billion in 2022 (tables 2 and 3). The marine economy accounted for $826.6 billion, or 1.7 percent, of current-dollar gross output in 2023 (table 8).

    Real (inflation-adjusted) gross domestic product (GDP) for the marine economy increased 2.9 percent from 2022 to 2023 (table 1), compared with a 2.9 percent increase for the overall U.S. economy. Marine economy compensation increased 9.4 percent, or $19.1 billion, and employment increased 4.5 percent, or 111,000 full- and part-time employees.

    Today’s release also reflects updated statistics for 2014–2022. Gross output, value added, employment, and compensation were updated to include the results of the 2023 comprehensive update and the 2024 annual update of the National Economic Accounts, which includes the Industry Economic Accounts. The updated statistics reflect newly available and revised source data.

    Marine economy by activity

    To estimate the marine economy by activity, this satellite account reorganizes industry value added (or GDP) and gross output statistics and presents the data in a framework that reflects marine-related activities. Marine economy activities fall into the following 10 general categories:

    1. Living resources, marine
    2. Construction, coastal and marine
    3. Research and education, marine
    4. Transportation and warehousing, marine
    5. Professional and technical services, marine
    6. Minerals, offshore
    7. Utilities, coastal
    8. Ship and boat building, nonrecreational
    9. Tourism and recreation, coastal and offshore
    10. National defense and public administration

    Marine economy real gross output—principally a measure of the marine economy’s inflation-adjusted sales or receipts, which includes sales to final users in the economy (GDP) and sales to other industries (intermediate inputs)—increased 3.5 percent, or $22.7 billion, in 2023 (tables 7 and 9). Marine economy activity highlights for 2023 include the following:

    • Tourism and recreation, coastal and offshore increased $8.6 billion, or 4.0 percent, to a level of $225.1 billion, making it the largest contributor to the growth in 2023 marine economy real gross output.
    • Minerals, offshore increased $6.8 billion, or 9.6 percent, to $77.2 billion, making it the second-largest contributor to the overall growth.
    • Living resources, marine increased $1.7 billion, or 5.1 percent, to $34.4 billion.
    • Ship and boat building, nonrecreational decreased $68 million, or 0.3 percent, to $19.5 billion, making it the largest offset to the overall growth in 2023 marine economy real gross output.

    Marine economy by industry

    Industry statistics show the contributions of industries to the marine economy, including their impact on value added (or GDP by industry), gross output, employment, and compensation.

    Marine economy industry highlights for 2023 include the following:

    • Government, as a share of marine economy current-dollar value added, was the largest industry group and accounted for 32.6 percent, or $166.4 billion (table 6), and was the largest industry group for compensation ($101.3 billion) and for employment (about 793,000 full- and part-time jobs).
    • Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing was the second-largest industry group as a share of the marine economy and accounted for 12.7 percent, or $64.7 billion, of current-dollar value added.
    • Transportation and warehousing accounted for 10.7 percent, or $54.7 billion, of marine economy value added.
    • Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services accounted for 10.3 percent, or $52.6 billion, of value added and was the second-largest industry group for employment (about 652,000 full- and part-time jobs) in 2023, with the second-largest level of compensation ($26.8 billion).

    The Marine Economy Satellite Account Estimation Methods

    The Marine Economy Satellite Account (MESA) measures the economic activity associated with the marine economy, identifies the industries responsible for producing these goods and services, and measures the output, value added, compensation, and employment associated with that production. Like other BEA satellite accounts, the MESA was built on BEA’s comprehensive supply and use framework. The supply and use tables (SUTs) provide a detailed look at the relationships among industries and how each industry contributes to GDP. In practice, the MESA is a rearrangement of the published SUTs with new estimation methods that isolate marine-related spending and production. A variety of private and public data sources were used to identify marine-related spending and production to develop the MESA estimates.

    An important feature of the MESA is the presentation of estimates of gross output and value added by marine economic activity, in addition to the standard presentation of estimates by industry. This allows for the marine economy to be better analyzed in areas where significant economic activity occurs across a variety of industries.

    The geographic scope of the MESA includes the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans within the Exclusive Economic Zone (approximately 200 nautical miles off the U.S. coast) as well as marginal seas, such as the Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound, Long Island Sound, San Francisco Bay, and others. Also included is the U.S. shoreline directly along these bodies of water. Furthermore, the Great Lakes are included up to the international boundary with Canada.

    For additional information on the marine economy statistics as well as the data sources and methodology that underlie their preparation, refer to “Defining and Measuring the U.S. Ocean Economy.”

    The Marine Economy Satellite Account was produced in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    Data Availability

    The complete set of detailed annual statistics for 2014–2023 are available on BEA’s website. Statistics include data on marine economy gross output and value added presented by both industry and activity as well as employment and compensation presented by industry.

    For Marine Economy Satellite Account definitions and more, visit “Additional Information.”

    Next release: Spring 2026
    Marine Economy Satellite Account, 2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 23 Xinjiang Stores Offer Tax Refunds to Foreign Tourists

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) — Uzbek tourist Mirakbar Usmanov was recently given a tax refund of over 500 yuan on his purchase of a mobile phone and other goods at a shopping mall in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This is the first time that Xinjiang has implemented a tax refund model for foreign tourists upon purchase rather than upon exiting the country, the Urumqi Evening newspaper reported.

    As of the end of May 2025, 23 retail outlets in Xinjiang have been approved to provide value-added tax (VAT) refund services to foreign visitors upon purchase, according to local tax authorities.

    In April of this year, the Chinese authorities announced a set of measures to further optimize the relevant policy. Thanks to the innovation, money can now be returned instantly after making a purchase, whereas previously it was only possible upon leaving the country.

    After presenting his passport, filling out a foreign buyers refund application form and pre-authorizing his credit card at the aforementioned shopping center, Mirakbar Usmanov paid for his purchases with his card and received his refund immediately.

    Under the new measures, the minimum purchase amount for tax refund has been lowered. Now, overseas travelers can apply for tax refunds by spending at least 200 yuan (about $27.83) at the same store in one day, provided they meet other requirements, according to a notice jointly released by the Ministry of Commerce and five other departments.

    The circular also outlines measures to increase the number of tax refund points, expand the supply of goods and improve the quality of services provided. Thus, the opening of such points in large shopping areas, pedestrian streets, tourist sites, resort areas, cultural centers, airports, passenger transportation points and hotels is encouraged.

    In addition, the range of products offered is expected to expand, especially branded products, consumer goods popular in the country, smart devices, intangible cultural heritage products, handicrafts and other products.

    According to observations by Xinjiang shopping mall operators, smartphones, smart home appliances, drones, branded watches, shoes, clothes and space vehicles are the most popular purchase choices among foreign tourists visiting Xinjiang.

    According to industry experts, Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, may well become the first choice for Central Asians looking to visit China for shopping, due to its geographical proximity and the ongoing implementation of the exit tax refund policy.

    Let us recall that Xinjiang borders eight countries, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

    According to statistics, from May 1 to May 21, the inbound foreign passenger flow at Urumqi Tianshan Airport increased by 75.7 percent year-on-year and exceeded 8,900 person-times, accounting for about 14.47 percent of the country’s total. Broken down by country, the largest share was from citizens of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Tajikistan and other countries. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How illicit markets fueled by data breaches sell your personal information to criminals

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Thomas Holt, Professor of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University

    Criminals often buy illicit information with cryptocurrencies. Boris Zhitkov via Getty Images

    Every year, massive data breaches harm the public. The targets are email service providers, retailers and government agencies that store information about people. Each breach includes sensitive personal information such as credit and debit card numbers, home addresses and account usernames and passwords from hundreds of thousands – and sometimes millions – of people.

    When National Public Data, a company that does online background checks, was breached in 2024, criminals gained the names, addresses, dates of birth and national identification numbers such as Social Security numbers of 170 million people in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. The same year, hackers who targeted Ticketmaster stole the financial information and personal data of more than 560 million customers.

    As a criminologist who researches cybercrime, I study the ways that hackers and cybercriminals steal and use people’s personal information. Understanding the people involved helps us to better recognize the ways that hacking and data breaches are intertwined. In so-called stolen data markets, hackers sell personal information they illegally obtain to others, who then use the data to engage in fraud and theft for profit.

    The quantity problem

    Every piece of personal data captured in a data breach – a passport number, Social Security number or login for a shopping service – has inherent value. Offenders can use the information in different ways. They can assume someone else’s identity, make a fraudulent purchase or steal services such as streaming media or music.

    The quantity of information, whether Social Security numbers or credit card details, that can be stolen through data breaches is more than any one group of criminals can efficiently process, validate or use in a reasonable amount of time. The same is true for the millions of email account usernames and passwords, or access to streaming services that data breaches can expose.

    This quantity problem has enabled the sale of information, including personal financial data, as part of the larger cybercrime online economy.

    eg: In headline of the following chart, U.S. doesn’t need periods.

    The sale of data, also known as carding, references the misuse of stolen credit card numbers or identity details. These illicit data markets began in the mid-1990s through the use of credit card number generators used by hackers. They shared programs that randomly generated credit card numbers and details and then checked to see whether the fake account details matched active cards that could then be used for fraudulent transactions.

    As more financial services were created and banks allowed customers to access their accounts through the internet, it became easier for hackers and cybercriminals to steal personal information through data breaches and phishing. Phishing involves sending convincing emails or SMS text messages to people to trick them into giving up sensitive information such as logins and passwords, often by clicking a false link that seems legitimate.

    One of the first phishing schemes targeted America Online users to get their account information to use their internet service at no charge.

    Selling stolen data online

    The large amount of information criminals were able to steal from such schemes led to more vendors offering stolen data to others through different online platforms.

    In the late 1990s and early 2000s, offenders used Internet Relay Chat, or IRC channels, to sell data. IRC was effectively like modern instant messaging systems, letting people communicate in real time through specialized software. Criminals used these channels to sell data and hacking services in an efficient place.

    In the early 2000s, vendors transitioned to web forums where individuals advertised their services to other users. Forums quickly gained popularity and became successful businesses with vendors selling stolen credit cards, malware and related goods and services to misuse personal information and enable fraud.

    One of the more prominent forums from this time was ShadowCrew, which formed in 2002 and operated until being taken down by a joint law enforcement operation in 2004. Their members trafficked over 1.7 million credit cards in less than three years.

    Forums continue to be popular, though vendors transitioned to running their own web-based shops on the open internet and dark web, which is an encrypted portion of the web that can be accessed only through specialized browsers like TOR, starting in the early 2010s. These shops have their own web addresses and distinct branding to attract customers, and they work in the same way as other e-commerce stores. More recently, vendors of stolen data have also begun to operate on messaging platforms such as Telegram and Signal to quickly connect with customers.

    Cybercriminals and customers

    Many of the people who supply and operate the markets appear to be cybercriminals from Eastern Europe and Russia who steal data and then sell it to others. Markets have also been observed in Vietnam and other parts of the world, though they do not get the same visibility in the global cybersecurity landscape.

    The customers of stolen data markets may reside anywhere in the world, and their demands for specific data or services may drive data breaches and cybercrime to provide the supply.

    The goods

    Stolen data is usually available in individual lots, such as a person’s credit or debit card and all the information associated with the account. These pieces are individually priced, with costs differing depending on the type of card, the victim’s location and the amount of data available related to the affected account.

    Vendors frequently offer discounts and promotions to buyers to attract customers and keep them loyal. This is often done with credit or debit cards that are about to expire.

    Some vendors also offer distinct products such as credit reports, Social Security numbers and login details for different paid services. The price for pieces of information varies. A recent analysis found credit card data sold for US$50 on average, while Walmart logins sold for $9. However, the pricing can vary widely across vendors and markets.

    Illicit payments

    Vendors typically accept payment through cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin that are difficult for law enforcement to trace.

    Bitcoin is often used as payment for elicit information because it’s difficult to trace.
    AP Photo/Charles Krupa

    Once payment is received, the vendor releases the data to the customer. Customers take on a great deal of the risk in this market because they cannot go to the police or a market regulator to complain about a fraudulent sale.

    Vendors may send customers dead accounts that are unable to be used or give no data at all. Such scams are common in a market where buyers can depend only on signals of vendor trust to increase the odds that the data they purchase will be delivered, and if it is, that it pays off. If the data they buy is functional, they can use it to make fraudulent purchases or financial transactions for profit.

    The rate of return can be exceptional. An offender who buys 100 cards for $500 can recoup costs if only 20 of those cards are active and can be used to make an average purchase of $30. The result is that data breaches are likely to continue as long as there is demand for illicit, profitable data.

    This article is part of a series on data privacy that explores who collects your data, what and how they collect, who sells and buys your data, what they all do with it, and what you can do about it.

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

    – ref. How illicit markets fueled by data breaches sell your personal information to criminals – https://theconversation.com/how-illicit-markets-fueled-by-data-breaches-sell-your-personal-information-to-criminals-251586

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Detroit voters have an opportunity to pick a mayor who will ease zoning, improve transit and protect long-term residents

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Brian J. Connolly, Assistant Professor of Business Law, University of Michigan

    Five of Detroit’s mayoral candidates discuss their ideas for the future of the city. Detroit PBS

    Five of the nine candidates in Detroit’s mayoral contest debated on May 29, 2025, during the annual Mackinac Policy Conference.

    When asked about outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan’s 11-year tenure, many of the candidates praised him for skillfully steering Detroit through bankruptcy and attracting new business investment.

    But the candidates also saw an opportunity to do more.

    “Without a doubt, we have to ensure that more investment comes back into our neighborhoods and that we’re activating our commercial corridors,” the race’s front-runner, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, said.

    Helping Detroit residents improve their neighborhoods will be an important task for the city’s next mayor. I do not live in Detroit, but my family lived there for generations before my grandparents joined the white flight from the city in the 1970s. And my research on housing, infrastructure and land use law offers some ideas for how the next mayor could encourage investment while at the same time improving social equity.

    Duggan’s legacy

    By most accounts, the Motor City under Duggan has been an urban revitalization success story.

    Once the nation’s murder capital, its crime rate has fallen dramatically.

    And after experiencing the largest-ever municipal bankruptcy, the city boasts an investment-grade credit rating. For the past two years, the city has gained population after decades of losses. But many of the city’s neighborhoods, from Brightmoor to Jefferson-Chalmers, have not experienced the same economic surge as its booming downtown.

    Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood has an artsy vibe – and a high crime rate.
    Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    In the city center, offices are being converted to apartments, Michigan’s second-tallest building is rising along with other new developments, and the city has hosted major national events such as the NFL draft. Yet some of Detroit’s outlying areas still suffer from disinvestment and abandonment, poor infrastructure, underperforming schools and crime.

    Many Detroiters are concerned the city’s boom might displace longtime residents if it causes housing prices to increase dramatically or removes affordable homes from the market.

    Detroit’s voters will narrow the field to two candidates on Aug. 5. To help voters evaluate the candidates’ positions between now and then, here are some research-backed ideas for improving life in the city.

    Make it easy to build

    Detroit’s next mayor can make it easier to build new homes and businesses in the city’s neighborhoods.

    Repopulating neighborhoods reduces visual blight, brings life to vacant areas and improves the city’s fiscal health by bringing in new tax revenue. Population growth also supports neighborhood businesses that create jobs and serve the community. And it will mitigate the city’s recent, steep growth in housing prices by adding new supply to the market.

    Easing zoning and building rules is a good place to start. U.S. cities such as Minneapolis and Portland have recently reformed zoning laws to simplify housing construction. They’ve also modified single-family zoning citywide to allow multiplexes and accessory dwelling units. Those interventions have resulted in a small increase in new housing. Even more construction has taken place in cities such as Denver that have allowed higher-density development along major corridors – projects that can be more easily scaled and financed due to their larger size and attractiveness to investors.

    To date, Detroit has not adopted any of these reforms.

    Another way to spur building is to offer developers a predictable approval process. Even if cities maintain building height restrictions, setbacks and design requirements – things Detroit has maintained – predictable procedures reduce development costs and assure investors that projects can be completed on time. For example, cities can shorten the time it takes to review a project. They can also avoid city council or planning commission public hearings with subjective review criteria, which Detroit currently allows under its zoning laws.

    Detroit’s initial efforts to update its zoning in 2018 stalled. Yet the city has an opportunity to become the nation’s easiest place to build, and doing so will ensure that it remains affordable while attracting investment.

    Improve transit service

    Detroit’s next mayor can aid its neighborhoods by improving transit service.

    Without a regional transit system, southeast Michigan remains heavily car-dependent. Yet a 2017 study showed less than half of low-income Detroiters own cars. And of those who don’t own a car, 43% missed work, an appointment or something else due to a lack of transportation. Although this study is several years old, these statistics likely haven’t changed much due to rising costs of housing and car ownership.

    Today, nearly one-third of Detroiters live in poverty – meaning, for a family of four, they earn less than US$32,000 per year – yet the national average annual cost of car ownership exceeds $12,000. Giving lower-income Detroiters a low-cost, reliable means to get to work would benefit the city’s neighborhoods, residents and businesses.

    Expanding transit service has other benefits, too. Transit reduces traffic, encourages the healthy habit of walking to and from stops and improves air quality. Transit investments also increase land values around stations and brings new businesses to these neighborhoods. In addition to serving the needs of working Detroiters, more frequent and reliable bus service would increase neighborhood property values, according to research.

    Make property taxes fairer

    Since the city’s emergence from bankruptcy 11 years ago, housing wealth in Detroit has grown by $4.6 billion.

    Although a rise in land values signals investor confidence in the city and benefits its homeowners, high prices limit Detroiters’ ability to afford housing, the wealth is not shared with everyone, and there is heightened risk of displacing low-income residents.

    And, as candidates frequently mentioned during the debate, after more than 40 years of tax increases to make up for sliding property values, the city has one of the highest effective property tax rates in Michigan, over 2.8%, making housing even less affordable. Nevertheless, Detroit routinely abates taxes for major commercial developments such as Hudson’s Detroit and several downtown hotels, which some residents view as unfair.

    Detroit’s next mayor has an opportunity to reduce the property tax burden for residents and businesses, improve the system’s fairness, and use increasing land prices and new development for public benefit.

    Duggan proposed a land-value tax to replace the city’s property tax in 2023. Unlike property taxes, land-value taxes place a levy on the value of land, not structures on the land. These taxes create an incentive for owners to develop their properties for productive use rather than speculate on underutilized land.

    In a city like Detroit, with thousands of vacant properties, a land-value tax would encourage development by limiting the benefits of long-term land speculation. For lower-income homeowners and renters, the city could avoid displacement through exemptions and other mechanisms.

    Duggan’s proposal failed in the Michigan Legislature, which needs to approve changes to the property tax. But Detroit’s next mayor could revive this push.

    The next mayor could also press the Legislature for other tools, such as the authority to levy development impact fees to build parks and schools or provide social services in neighborhoods affected by new development.

    Michigan law allows the formation of special assessment districts, business improvement zones and other special taxing entities to provide public infrastructure. Expanding these tools may allow Detroit to leverage rising property values to provide public benefits such as streets or parks.

    Importantly, the city can gain better public services and infrastructure while encouraging development. Tools such as the city’s community benefits ordinance, which requires developers of large projects to negotiate with neighbors for services and amenities, look good on paper but can delay projects or mistake individuals’ interests for community needs. Similarly, affordable housing mandates often lead to counterproductive results such as discouraging new development or raising costs on market-rate housing.

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

    – ref. Detroit voters have an opportunity to pick a mayor who will ease zoning, improve transit and protect long-term residents – https://theconversation.com/detroit-voters-have-an-opportunity-to-pick-a-mayor-who-will-ease-zoning-improve-transit-and-protect-long-term-residents-254540

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Reproducibility may be the key idea students need to balance trust in evidence with healthy skepticism

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sarah R. Supp, Associate Professor of Data Analytics, Denison University

    Reproducing results can increase trust in scientific studies. Huntstock via Getty Images

    Many people have been there.

    The dinner party is going well until someone decides to introduce a controversial topic. In today’s world, that could be anything from vaccines to government budget cuts to immigration policy. Conversation starts to get heated. Finally, someone announces with great authority that a scientific study supports their position. This causes the discussion to come to an abrupt halt because the dinner guests disagree on their belief in scientific evidence. Some may believe science always speaks the truth, some may think science can never be trusted, and others may disagree on which studies with contradicting claims are “right.”

    How can the dinner party – or society – move beyond this kind of impasse? In today’s world of misinformation and disinformation, healthy skepticism is essential. At the same time, much scientific work is rigorous and trustworthy. How do you reach a healthy balance between trust and skepticism? How can researchers increase the transparency of their work to make it possible to evaluate how much confidence the public should have in any particular study?

    As teachers and scholars, we see these problems in our own classrooms and in our students – and they are mirrored in society.

    The concept of reproducibility may offer important answers to these questions.

    Reproducibility is what it sounds like: reproducing results. In some ways, reproducibility is like a well-written recipe, such as a recipe for an award-winning cake at the county fair. To help others reproduce their cake, the proud prizewinner must clearly document the ingredients used and then describe each step of the process by which the ingredients were transformed into a cake. If others can follow the directions and come up with a cake of the same quality, then the recipe is reproducible.

    Think of the English scholar who claims that Shakespeare did not author a play that has historically been attributed to him. A critical reader will want to know exactly how they arrived at that conclusion. What is the evidence? How was it chosen and interpreted? By parsing the analysis step by step, reproducibility allows a critical reader to gauge the strength of any kind of argument.

    We are a group of researchers and professors from a wide range of disciplines who came together to discuss how we use reproducibility in our teaching and research.

    Based on our expertise and the students we encounter, we collectively see a need for higher-education students to learn about reproducibility in their classes, across all majors. It has the potential to benefit students and, ultimately, to enhance the quality of public discourse.

    The foundation of credibility

    Reproducibility has always been a foundation of good science because it allows researchers to scrutinize each other’s studies for rigor and credibility and expand upon prior work to make new discoveries. Researchers are increasingly paying attention to reproducibility in the natural sciences, such as physics and medicine, and in the social sciences, such as economics and environmental studies. Even researchers in the humanities, such as history and philosophy, are concerned with reproducibility in studies involving analysis of texts and evidence, especially with digital and computational methods. Increased interest in transparency and accessibility has followed the rising importance of computer algorithms and numerical analysis in research. This work should be reproducible, but it often remains opaque.

    Broadly, research is reproducible if it answers the question: “How do you know?” − such that another researcher could theoretically repeat the study and produce consistent results.

    Reproducible research is explicit about the materials and methods that were used in a study to make discoveries and come to conclusions. Materials include everything from scientific instruments such as a tensiometer measuring soil moisture to surveys asking people about their daily diet. They also include digital data such as spreadsheets, digitized historic texts, satellite images and more. Methods include how researchers make observations and analyze data.

    To reproduce a social science study, for example, we would ask: What is the central question or hypothesis? Who was in the study? How many individuals were included? What were they asked? After data was collected, how was it cleaned and prepared for analysis? How exactly was the analysis run?

    Proper documentation of all these steps, plus making available the original data from the study, allows other scientists to redo the research, evaluate the decisions made during the process of gathering and analyzing information, and assess the credibility of the findings.

    This short video, made by the National Academies, explains the key concepts in reproducing scientific findings and notes ways the process can be improved.

    Over the past 20 years, the need for reproducibility has become increasingly important. Scientists have discovered that some published studies are too poorly documented for others to repeat, lack verified data sources, are questionably designed, or even fraudulent.

    Putting reproducibility to work: An example

    A highly contentious, retracted study from 1998 linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. Scientists and journalists used their understanding of reproducibility to discover the flaws in the study.

    The central question of the study was not about vaccines but aimed to explore a possible relationship between colitis − an inflammation of the large intestine − and developmental disorders. The authors explicitly wrote, “We did not prove an association between measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and the syndrome described.”

    The study observed just 12 patients who were referred to the authors’ gastroenterology clinic and had histories of recent behavioral disorders, including autism. This sample of children is simply too small and selective to be able to make definitive conclusions.

    In this study, the researchers translated children’s medical charts into summary tables for comparison. When a journalist attempted to reproduce the published data tables from the children’s medical histories, they found pervasive inconsistencies.

    Reproducibility allows for corrections in research. The article was published in a respected journal, but it lacked transparency with regard to patient recruitment, data analysis and conflicts of interest. Whereas traditional peer review involves critical evaluation of a manuscript, reproducibility also opens the door to evaluating the underlying data and methods. When independent researchers attempted to reproduce this study, they found deep flaws. The article was retracted by the journal and by most of its authors. Independent research teams conducted more robust studies, finding no relationship between vaccines and autism.

    Each research discipline has its own set of best practices for achieving reproducibility. Disciplines in which researchers use computational or statistical analysis require sharing the data and software code for reproducing studies. In other disciplines, researchers interpret nonnumerical qualities of data sources such as interviews, historical texts, social media content and more. These disciplines are working to develop standards for sharing their data and research designs for reproducibility. Across disciplines, the core principles are the same: transparency of the evidence and arguments by which researchers arrived at their conclusions.

    Reproducibility in the classroom

    Colleges and universities are uniquely situated to promote reproducibility in research and public conversations. Critical thinking, effective communication and intellectual integrity, staples of higher-education mission statements, are all served by reproducibility.

    Teaching faculty at colleges and universities have started taking some important steps toward incorporating reproducibility into a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses. These include assignments to replicate existing studies, training in reproducible methods to conduct and document original research, preregistration of hypotheses and analysis plans, and tools to facilitate open collaboration among peers. A number of initiatives to develop and disseminate resources for teaching reproducibility have been launched.

    Despite some progress, reproducibility still needs a central place in higher education. It can be integrated into any course in which students weigh evidence, read published literature to make claims, or learn to conduct their own research. This change is urgently needed to train the next generation of researchers, but that is not the only reason.

    Reproducibility is fundamental to constructing and communicating claims based on evidence. Through a reproducibility lens, students evaluate claims in published studies as contingent on the transparency and soundness of the evidence and analysis on which the claims are based. When faculty teach reproducibility as a core expectation from the beginning of a curriculum, they encourage students to internalize its principles in how they conduct their own research and engage with the research published by others.

    Institutions of higher education already prioritize cultivating engaged, literate and critical citizens capable of solving the world’s most challenging contemporary problems. Teaching reproducibility equips students, and members of the public, with the skills they need to critically analyze claims in published research, in the media and even at dinner parties.

    Also contributing to this article are participants in the 2024 Reproducibility and Replicability in the Liberal Arts workshop, funded by the Alliance to Advance Liberal Arts Colleges (AALAC) [in alphabetical order]: Ben Gebre-Medhin (Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mount Holyoke College), Xavier Haro-Carrión (Department of Geography, Macalester College), Emmanuel Kaparakis (Quantitative Analysis Center, Wesleyan University), Scott LaCombe (Statistical and Data Sciences, Smith College), Matthew Lavin (Data Analytics Program, Denison University), Joseph J. Merry (Sociology Department, Furman University), Laurie Tupper (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Mount Holyoke College).

    Sarah Supp receives funding from the National Science Foundation, awards #1915913, #2120609, and #2227298.

    Joseph Holler receives funding from the National Science Foundation, award #2049837.

    Peter Kedron receives funding from the National Science Foundation, award #2049837 and from Esri.

    Richard Ball has received funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the United Kingdom Reproducibility Network.

    Anne M. Nurse and Nicholas J. Horton do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Reproducibility may be the key idea students need to balance trust in evidence with healthy skepticism – https://theconversation.com/reproducibility-may-be-the-key-idea-students-need-to-balance-trust-in-evidence-with-healthy-skepticism-251771

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s labor market shows steady growth amid policy support

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) — China’s labor market has seen moderate and steady development momentum this year thanks to comprehensive efforts including a series of employment protection policies, said Chen Yongjia, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

    Employment support plans have been systematically formulated to expand opportunities in key sectors, leading industries, urban and rural grassroots, and micro, small and medium enterprises, he said during the latest edition of the China Economic Roundtable, a multimedia discussion program hosted by Xinhua News Agency.

    According to him, a comprehensive package of policy measures has been implemented, which includes increasing the limit of lending for maintaining and expanding jobs, expanding the coverage of subsidies for creating new jobs, continuing measures such as the return of funds for employment stabilization and subsidies for upgrading skills, to maximize the potential of the policy.

    As for training in needs-oriented skills, large-scale vocational training has been organized to continuously improve the qualification level of the economically active population, he noted.

    China is also focusing on targeted support to ensure full employment for key groups. It has released a new package of 17 measures to promote employment for young people and provide strong unemployment protection for target groups, the official added.

    Chen Yongjia assured that China will promptly take additional measures to expand employment, thereby providing a reliable foundation for strengthening the fundamental foundations of economic development and social stability.

    Official data shows that the number of Chinese college graduates is likely to reach 12.22 million in 2025, up 430,000 from last year.

    China’s labor market has remained generally stable in recent weeks, with the average survey unemployment rate in China’s cities and towns falling from 5.2 percent in March to 5.1 percent in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s Equipment Upgrade Program Effectively Stimulates Domestic Demand

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) — Jiangsu Tengsheng Textile Technology Group Co., Ltd. has been a hub of activity since the beginning of the year. Its participation in the national equipment renewal campaign has opened a promising path to a bright future for the textile manufacturer.

    “After the upgrade is completed, our equipment will reach the leading standards in the domestic industry,” said Chen Guichun, deputy general manager of the company based in east China’s Jiangsu Province. “We expect this upgrade to improve our efficiency by more than 5 percent and increase our unit output by about 20 percent.”

    The company’s efforts are part of China’s massive trade-in program for equipment upgrades and consumer goods replacement, which was launched in March 2024. The program involves various government departments using ultra-long-term special government bonds to accelerate the implementation of related measures to stimulate investment and consumption.

    The People’s Bank of China (PBOC, the central bank) announced last month that it would increase the refinancing quota for technological innovation and technical transformation from 500 billion yuan (about $69.6 billion) to 800 billion yuan. In addition, the regulator also cut the refinancing rate to 1.5 percent from 1.75 percent.

    This innovation is part of the PBOC’s structural monetary instruments aimed at expanding domestic demand, said Ding Zhijie, director of the PBOC Financial Institute. “This will ensure continued support for the implementation of the equipment renewal program and the replacement of consumer goods with new ones under the trade-in scheme,” he stressed in the latest edition of the all-media discussion program “China Economy Roundtable” organized by Xinhua News Agency.

    “It took only four months from the time we applied to receiving government support, which is a very effective indicator for us,” said Xu Guoqiang, assistant manager of Chilwee Group Co., Ltd., a battery manufacturing subsidiary in east China’s Zhejiang Province.

    According to him, the company invested a total of 60 million yuan in upgrading the equipment, of which more than 8 million yuan was provided by the state.

    Likewise, many other companies in the country’s key industries have begun upgrading their equipment and are reaping the benefits. In April, the added value of China’s major high-tech manufacturing and digital products sectors grew 10 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    In the year since the campaign was launched, it has successfully identified the huge potential of the country’s domestic market. In the first four months of this year, investments in the acquisition of equipment and devices grew by 18.2 percent year-on-year. According to the State Statistical Service, the share of the indicator in the overall investment growth for the period was 64.5 percent.

    Ding Lin, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said at a roundtable that China, as the world’s second-largest economy with a population of more than 1.4 billion, has huge potential to expand domestic demand.

    To this end, the country should explore more approaches to increasing household incomes and expanding consumer potential, while continuing to optimize its policies in the area of consumption support, he stressed.

    In addition to accelerating equipment upgrades across the country, Ding Lin said the NDRC will allocate 800 billion yuan in ultra-long-term special government bonds to support the country’s major national strategies and strengthen security capabilities in key areas. Ding Lin called this a “proactive move” to stimulate effective investment.

    “We will accelerate the development of the project and the distribution of funds in order to achieve tangible results as soon as possible,” he concluded. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Transformative urban development initiatives empower India’s middle class

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Over the past decade, several ambitious government initiatives have significantly reshaped urban living in India, bringing improved housing, transport, and connectivity to millions. These programmes have not only enhanced infrastructure but have also strengthened the sense of security and pride among middle-class and low-income families.

    Since its launch in 2015, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) has emerged as a beacon of hope for many seeking affordable housing. With a central assistance commitment of ₹1.97 lakh crore, of which ₹1.69 lakh crore has been disbursed so far, the scheme has witnessed remarkable progress.

    Between 2014 and May 2025, more than 1.16 crore houses were sanctioned, construction has commenced on over 1.12 crore units, and more than 92.72 lakh homes have been completed or handed over to beneficiaries. Beyond the statistics, these homes represent stability, dignity, and empowerment for families across urban India, marking a significant stride in the nation’s urban welfare agenda.

    Urban transport has also received an unprecedented boost with the rapid expansion of metro rail networks. India’s metro system, now operational in 29 cities, has expanded to 1,013 kilometres by May 2025, a striking increase from just 248 kilometres in 2014. The approval of 34 new metro projects covering 992 kilometres further underscores the Government’s commitment to enhancing urban mobility. Daily ridership has soared from 28 lakh passengers in 2013 to over 1.12 crore today.

    The pace of commissioning metro lines has increased ninefold, with an average of six kilometres of new track becoming operational each month, compared to less than one kilometre monthly before 2014. The annual budget allocation for metro rail projects has also surged more than six times, reflecting the prioritisation of urban transport in the national development agenda.

    The Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme, introduced in 2016, has revolutionised regional air travel by making it affordable and accessible to the common citizen. With 88 airports, including two water aerodromes and thirteen heliports, connected through 625 routes, UDAN has facilitated over 1.49 crore passengers to fly at economical rates. The scheme has played a pivotal role in boosting tourism, enhancing healthcare access, and fostering trade in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. India’s airport network has more than doubled, growing from 74 airports in 2014 to 160 in 2025, supported by ₹4,023.37 crore in Viability Gap Funding to sustain connectivity in underserved regions.

    Ensuring transparency and consumer protection in the housing sector has been a key priority with the enactment of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) in 2016. The legislation mandates every state and union territory to establish regulatory authorities that maintain public portals detailing registered real estate projects. As of March 2025, these authorities have addressed over 1.4 lakh consumer complaints, thereby enhancing accountability and rebuilding trust in the real estate market.

  • MIL-OSI Russia: In the first four months of 2025, the number of Uzbek tourists increased by 23.6 percent

    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

    Tashkent, June 5 (Xinhua) — The number of Uzbek tourists in the first four months of this year increased by 23.6 percent compared to the same period last year, the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan reported on Thursday.

    “According to the National Statistics Committee, 2.1 million citizens of Uzbekistan traveled to foreign countries for tourism purposes in January-April 2025. Their number increased by 404.5 thousand people or 23.6 percent compared to the same period last year,” the report says.

    About 1.7 million Uzbeks reportedly traveled abroad to visit relatives. Other reasons for foreign travel included tourism, medical treatment, study and business trips. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Measles outbreaks continue with risk of holidays causing surge

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Measles outbreaks continue with risk of holidays causing surge

    Latest UKHSA data shows outbreaks continuing, with 109 cases confirmed in April and 86 so far in May.

    The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) today publishes its monthly update on measles cases in England, which shows outbreaks continuing, with 109 cases confirmed in April and 86 so far in May. Cases have predominantly been in unvaccinated children aged 10 years and under, with on-going outbreaks in a number of regions and London reporting almost half of all cases in the past 4 weeks.

    There has also been a global increase in measles cases including Europe over the last year and the Agency is concerned, that with travelling for holidays or to visit family this summer, there is a risk this could lead to another surge of measles cases in England.

    The latest measles epidemiology report on the UKHSA Data Dashboard today reports:

    • since 1 January there have been 420 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England
    • 109 measles cases were confirmed in April and to date 86 in May (number of laboratory confirmed measles cases by month of symptom onset, data reporting lags impact on most recent 4 weeks and therefore the figures are likely to be an underestimate)
    • the majority (276/420, 66%) of these cases were in children aged 10 years and under, but there are also cases being reported in young people and adults
    • London has seen the highest number of cases overall this year (162/420, 39%) and in the last 4 weeks (35/75, 47%)
    • a number of other regions are also reporting outbreaks – with 25% (19/75) of cases in the North West, and 11% (8/75) in the West Midlands in the last 4 weeks

    Since the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1968, at least 20 million measles cases and 4,500 deaths have been prevented in the UK.

    However, measles remains endemic in many countries around the world, and with declines in MMR vaccine uptake observed over the last decade, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have also seen large measles outbreaks in Europe and other countries. 

    An analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) Europe and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), reported 127, 350 measles cases in the European Region for 2024, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997.

    This year outbreaks have been seen in several other European countries, including France, Italy, Spain and Germany, and WHO recently reported that Romania, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria currently have among the largest number of measles cases worldwide.

    In England, the decline of the uptake of childhood vaccinations including MMR in the past decade (well below the WHO 95% target) means that many thousands of children are left unprotected with the risk of outbreaks linked to nurseries and schools.

    London has the lowest MMR uptake rates compared with other English regions (MMR2 uptake at 5 years is just 73.3% in London compared to English average of 83.9%).

    From Autumn 2023 to summer 2024, England experienced the biggest outbreak of measles since 2012, particularly affecting young children. Since the peak last year cases have declined but local outbreaks continue.

    Measles is one of the most highly infectious diseases and spreads rapidly among those who are unvaccinated. The UKHSA is concerned that more outbreaks may occur again on a larger scale this summer as families with unvaccinated children and adults travel to countries where there are outbreaks.

    It is important that anyone travelling for summer holidays or to visit family, especially parents of young children, check that all members of their family have received both their MMR vaccines.

    Getting vaccinated means you are also helping protect others who can’t have the vaccine, including infants under 1 year and people with weakened immune systems, who are at greater risk of serious illness and complications from measles.

    Dr Vanessa Saliba, Consultant Epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency:

    It’s essential that everyone, particularly parents of young children, check all family members are up to date with 2 MMR doses, especially if you are travelling this summer for holidays or visiting family. Measles cases are picking up again in England and outbreaks are happening in Europe and many countries with close links to the UK.

    Measles spreads very easily and can be a nasty disease, leading to complications like ear and chest infections and inflammation of the brain with some children tragically ending up in hospital and suffering life-long consequences. Nobody wants this for their child and it’s not something you want to experience when away on holiday.

    The MMR vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and your family from measles. Babies under the age of 1 and some people who have weakened immune systems can’t have the vaccine and are at risk of more serious complications if they get measles. They rely on the rest of us getting the vaccine to protect them.

    It is never too late to catch up, if you’re not sure if any of your family are up to date, check their Red Book or contact your GP practice. Don’t put it off and regret it later.

    Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said:

    Tens of thousands of additional MMR vaccinations were delivered following NHS action last year to protect children against measles, mumps and rubella, and the recent increase in cases seen in England and Europe should act as an important reminder to ensure your child is protected.

    Too many babies and young children are still not protected against the diseases, which are contagious infections that spread very easily and can cause serious health problems. MMR jabs are provided free as part of the NHS routine immunisation programme – and I would encourage all parents to act on invites or check vaccination records if they think they may have missed their child’s vaccination.

    The first MMR vaccine is offered to infants when they turn one year old and the second dose to pre-school children when they are around 3 years and 4 months old. 

    Around 99% of those who have 2 doses will be protected against measles and rubella. Although mumps protection is slightly lower, cases in vaccinated people are much less severe. 

    Anyone, whatever age, who has not had 2 doses can contact their GP surgery to book an appointment. It is never too late to catch-up. 

    It’s particularly important to check you’ve had both doses if you are: 

    • about to start college or university 
    • travelling overseas
    • planning a pregnancy 
    • a frontline health or social care worker 
    • if you work with young children or care for people as part of your work

    For more information on measles, mumps and rubella see the UKHSA resource: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mmr-for-all-general-leaflet

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: IT threat evolution in Q1 2025. Mobile statistics

    Source: Securelist – Kaspersky

    Headline: IT threat evolution in Q1 2025. Mobile statistics

    IT threat evolution in Q1 2025. Mobile statistics
    IT threat evolution in Q1 2025. Non-mobile statistics

    Quarterly figures

    According to Kaspersky Security Network, in the first quarter of 2025:

    • A total of 12 million attacks on mobile devices involving malware, adware, or unwanted apps were blocked.
    • Trojans, the most common mobile threat, accounted for 39.56% of total detected threats.
    • More than 180,000 malicious and potentially unwanted installation packages were detected, which included:
      • 49,273 packages related to mobile bankers
      • 1520 mobile ransomware Trojans.

    Quarterly highlights

    Attacks on Android devices involving malware, adware, or potentially unwanted apps in the first quarter of 2025 increased to 12,184,351.

    Attacks on users of Kaspersky mobile solutions, Q3 2023 – Q1 2025 (download)

    This growth was largely due to the activity of Mamont banking Trojans and Fakemoney scam apps, along with the discovery of fake popular brand smartphones that came preloaded with the Triada backdoor, capable of dynamically downloading any modules from a server. Triada’s modules possess a variety of features. They can substitute URLs in the browser, block connections to specific servers, or steal login credentials for social media and instant messaging services like TikTok, WhatsApp, Line, or Telegram. A module that steals crypto from wallets is worth separate mention. We tracked down several of the scammers’ wallets, the balances suggesting that a total of at least $270,000 had been stolen. The stolen amount in TRON cryptocurrency alone was $182,000.

    A profitability chart for the threat actor’s TRON wallets (download)

    The first quarter saw the discovery of a new banker that attacks users in Turkey: Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Bankurt.c. It masquerades as an app for viewing pirated movies.

    The Trojan uses DeviceAdmin permissions to gain a foothold in the system, obtains access to Accessibility features, and then helps its operators to control the device remotely via VNC and steal text messages.

    Mobile threat statistics

    The number of detected Android malware and unwanted app samples increased compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, totaling 180,405.

    Detected malicious and potentially unwanted installation packages, Q1 2024 – Q1 2025 (download)

    Looking at the distribution of detected installation packages by type, we see that the typical frontrunners, RiskTool and adware, dropped to the third and fourth spots, respectively, in the first quarter. Banking Trojans (27.31%) and spy Trojans (24.49%) ranked as the most common threats.

    Distribution of detected mobile apps by type, Q4 2024* – Q1 2025 (download)

    * Data for the previous quarter may differ slightly from previously published data due to certain verdicts being retrospectively revised.

    The revision was prompted by a sharp increase in Mamont banker installation packages in the first quarter. Agent.akg, which steals text messages, accounted for the largest number of spy Trojan installation packages.

    Share* of users attacked by the given type of malicious or potentially unwanted apps out of all targeted users of Kaspersky mobile products, Q4 2024 – Q1 2025 (download)

    * The total may exceed 100% if the same users experienced multiple attack types.

    The first quarter saw a sharp rise in the number of users attacked by Trojans. This was driven by a large number of detected devices preloaded with the Triada Trojan and the increased activity of Fakemoney scam apps, which tricked users into sharing their personal data by promising easy money. The increase in the number of users who encountered banking Trojans was, again, due to the activity of the Mamont family.

    TOP 20 most frequently detected types of mobile malware

    Note that the malware rankings below exclude riskware and potentially unwanted apps, such as adware and RiskTool.

    Verdict %* Q4 2024 %* Q1 2025 Difference in p.p. Change in ranking
    Trojan.AndroidOS.Fakemoney.v 30.33 26.41 –3.92 0
    DangerousObject.Multi.Generic. 13.26 19.30 +6.04 0
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.db 0.08 15.99 +15.91
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.da 1.56 11.21 +9.65 +14
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.bc 10.79 7.61 –3.17 –2
    Backdoor.AndroidOS.Triada.z 0.00 4.71 +4.71
    Trojan.AndroidOS.Triada.hf 0.00 3.81 +3.81
    Trojan.AndroidOS.Triada.fe 0.00 3.48 +3.47
    Trojan.AndroidOS.Triada.gn 2.56 2.68 +0.13 +3
    Trojan-Clicker.AndroidOS.Agent.bh 0.51 2.58 +2.07 +27
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.ef 0.00 2.44 +2.44
    Trojan-Downloader.AndroidOS.Dwphon.a 3.40 2.19 –1.21 –2
    Trojan.AndroidOS.Fakemoney.u 0.02 1.88 +1.86
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Agent.rj 3.63 1.86 –1.77 –7
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.ek 0.00 1.83 +1.83
    Trojan.AndroidOS.Triada.ga 4.84 1.74 –3.10 –11
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.eb 0.00 1.59 +1.59
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.cb 1.09 1.56 +0.47 +4
    Trojan.AndroidOS.Triada.gs 3.63 1.47 –2.16 –13
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.dn 0.00 1.46 +1.46

    * Unique users who encountered this malware as a percentage of all attacked users of Kaspersky mobile solutions.

    Nearly the entire list was occupied by the aforementioned Fakemoney apps and various Mamont banking Trojan variants, along with preloaded Backdoor.AndroidOS.Triada.z, and Trojan.AndroidOS.Triada.hf malicious apps. Additionally, remaining among the most prevalent Android malware were modified messengers with the embedded Triada Trojan (Triada.fe, Triada.gn, Triada.ga, Triada.gs) and the preloaded Dwphon Trojan. What is interesting is the inclusion of the Trojan-Clicker.AndroidOS.Agent.bh sample on the list. This is a fake ad blocker that, conversely, inflates ad views.

    Region-specific malware

    This section describes malware families that mostly focused on specific countries.

    Verdict Country* %**
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Coper.a Turkey 96.85
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Rewardsteal.ks India 94.36
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Coper.c Turkey 94.29
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Rewardsteal.jp India 93.78
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.BrowBot.w Turkey 92.81
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Rewardsteal.ib India 92.79
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Rewardsteal.lv India 92.34
    Trojan-Spy.AndroidOS.SmForw.ko India 90.71
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.UdangaSteal.k India 90.12
    Trojan-Dropper.AndroidOS.Hqwar.bf Turkey 88.34
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Agent.rg India 86.97
    Trojan-Dropper.AndroidOS.Agent.sm Turkey 82.54

    * The country where the malware was most active.
    ** Unique users who encountered this Trojan variant in the indicated country as a percentage of all Kaspersky mobile security solution users attacked by the same variant.

    The first quarter saw a somewhat smaller number of “selective” malicious apps than before. As usual, Turkey experienced a prevalence of banking Trojans: Coper, equipped with RAT capabilities enabling attackers to steal money through remote device management; BrowBot, which pilfers text messages; and the banking Trojan droppers Hqwar and Agent.sm. In India, users faced Rewardsteal banking Trojans which stole bank details by pretending to offer money. Additionally, the UdangaSteal Trojan, previously prevalent in Indonesia, and the SmForw.ko Trojan, which forwards incoming text messages to another number, also spread to India.

    Mobile banking Trojans

    Number of installation packages for mobile banking Trojans detected by Kaspersky, Q1 2024 – Q1 2025 (download)

    The increase in the number of installation packages for banking Trojans was primarily driven by Mamont. Its creators apparently follow a MaaS model, enabling any scammer to get a custom variant generated for a fee. As a result, a large number of unrelated cybercriminals are spreading distinct versions of Mamont.

    When it comes to the percentage of users targeted, various versions of Mamont are also mainly at the top.

    Top 10 mobile bankers

    Verdict %* Q4 2024 %* Q1 2025 Difference in p.p. Change in ranking
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.db 0.41 38.07 +37.67 +18
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.da 7.71 26.68 +18.98 +1
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.bc 53.25 18.12 –35.13 –2
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.ef 0.00 5.80 +5.80
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Agent.rj 17.93 4.43 –13.50 –3
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.ek 0.00 4.37 +4.37
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.eb 0.00 3.80 +3.80
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.cb 5.39 3.71 –1.67 –4
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Mamont.dn 0.00 3.48 +3.48
    Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Creduz.q 0.00 1.43 +1.43

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: IT threat evolution in Q1 2025. Non-mobile statistics

    Source: Securelist – Kaspersky

    Headline: IT threat evolution in Q1 2025. Non-mobile statistics

    IT threat evolution in Q1 2025. Non-mobile statistics
    IT threat evolution in Q1 2025. Mobile statistics

    The statistics in this report are based on detection verdicts returned by Kaspersky products unless otherwise stated. The information was provided by Kaspersky users who consented to sharing statistical data.

    The quarter in numbers

    In Q1 2025:

    • Kaspersky products blocked more than 629 million attacks that originated with various online resources.
    • Web Anti-Virus detected 88 million unique links.
    • File Anti-Virus blocked more than 21 million malicious and potentially unwanted objects.
    • Nearly 12,000 new ransomware variants were detected.
    • More than 85,000 users experienced ransomware attacks.
    • RansomHub was involved in attacks on 11% of all ransomware victims whose data was published on data leak sites (DLSs). Slightly under 11% encountered the Akira and Clop ransomware.
    • Almost 315,000 users faced miners.

    Ransomware

    Law enforcement success

    Phobos Aetor, a joint international effort by law enforcement agencies from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France and several other countries, resulted in the arrest of four suspected members of 8Base. They are accused of carrying out more than 1000 cyberattacks around the world with the help of the Phobos ransomware. The suspects were arrested in Thailand and charged with extorting more than $16 million dollars in Bitcoin. According to law enforcement officials, the multinational operation resulted in the seizure of more than 40 assets, including computers, phones, and cryptocurrency wallets. Additionally, law enforcement took down 27 servers linked to the cybercrime gang.

    An ongoing effort to combat LockBit led to the extradition of a suspected ransomware developer to the United States. Arrested in Israel last August, the suspect is accused of receiving more than $230,000 in cryptocurrency for his work with the group between June 2022 and February 2024.

    Vulnerabilities and attacks, BYOVD, and EDR bypassing

    The first quarter saw a series of vulnerabilities detected in Paragon Partition Manager. They were assigned the identifiers CVE-2025-0288, CVE-2025-0287, CVE-2025-0286, CVE-2025-0285, and CVE-2025-0289. According to researchers, ransomware gangs had been exploiting the vulnerabilities to gain Windows SYSTEM privileges during BYOVD (bring your own vulnerable driver) attacks.

    Akira exploited a vulnerability in a webcam to try and bypass endpoint detection and response (EDR) and encrypt files on the organization’s network over the SMB protocol. The attackers found that their Windows ransomware was being detected and blocked by the security solution. To bypass it, they found a vulnerable network webcam in the targeted organization that was running a Linux-based operating system and was not protected by EDR. The attackers were able to evade detection by compromising the webcam, mounting network drives of other machines, and running the Linux version of their ransomware on the camera.

    HellCat leveraged compromised Jira credentials to attack a series of companies, including Ascom, Jaguar Land Rover, and Affinitiv. According to researchers, the threat actors obtain credentials by infecting employees’ computers with Trojan stealers like Lumma.

    Other developments

    An unidentified source posted Matrix chat logs belonging to the Black Basta gang. The logs feature information about the gang’s attack techniques and vulnerabilities that it exploited. In addition, the logs contain details about the group’s internal structure and its members, as well as more than 367 unique ZoomInfo links that the attackers used to gather data on potential victims.

    BlackLock was compromised due to a vulnerability in the threat actor’s data leak site (DLS). Researchers who discovered the vulnerability gained access to confidential information about the group and its activities, including configuration files, login credentials, and the history of commands run on the server. DragonForce, a rival ransomware outfit, exploited the same security flaw to deface the DLS. They changed the site’s appearance, and made BlackLock’s internal chat logs and certain configuration files publicly available.

    The most prolific groups

    This section highlights the most prolific ransomware groups by number of victims that each added to their DLS during the reporting period. RansomHub, which stood out in 2024, remained the leader by number of new victims with 11.03%. Akira (10.89%) and Clop (10.69%) followed close behind.

    The number of the group’s victims according to its DLS as a percentage of all groups’ victims published on all the DLSs reviewed during the reporting period (download)

    Number of new modifications

    In the first quarter, Kaspersky solutions detected three new ransomware families and 11,733 new variants – almost four times more than in the fourth quarter of 2024. This is due to the large number of samples that our solutions categorized as belonging to the Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Gen family.

    New ransomware variants, Q1 2024 – Q1 2025 (download)

    Number of users attacked by ransomware Trojans

    The number of unique KSN users protected is 85,474.

    Number of unique users attacked by ransomware Trojans, Q1 2025 (download)

    Attack geography

    Top 10 countries and territories attacked by ransomware Trojans

    Country/territory* %**
    1 Oman 0.661
    2 Libya 0.643
    3 South Korea 0.631
    4 China 0.626
    5 Bangladesh 0.472
    6 Iraq 0.452
    7 Rwanda 0.443
    8 Pakistan 0.441
    9 Tajikistan 0.439
    10 Sri Lanka 0.419

    * Excluded are countries and territories with relatively few (under 50,000) Kaspersky product users.
    ** Unique users whose computers were attacked by ransomware Trojans as a percentage of all unique Kaspersky product users in the country/territory

    TOP 10 most common ransomware Trojan families

    Name Verdict* %**
    1 (generic verdict) Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Gen 25.10
    2 WannaCry Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Wanna 8.19
    3 (generic verdict) Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Encoder 6.70
    4 (generic verdict) Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypren 6.65
    5 (generic verdict) Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Agent 3.95
    6 Cryakl/CryLock Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Cryakl 3.16
    7 LockBit Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Lockbit 3.15
    8 (generic verdict) Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Phny 2.90
    9 PolyRansom/VirLock Virus.Win32.PolyRansom / Trojan-Ransom.Win32.PolyRansom 2.73
    10 (generic verdict) Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod 2.66

    * Unique Kaspersky product users attacked by the specific ransomware Trojan family as a percentage of all unique users attacked by this type of threat.

    Miners

    Number of new modifications

    In the first quarter of 2025, Kaspersky solutions detected 5,467 new miner variants.

    New miner variants, Q1 2025 (download)

    Number of users attacked by miners

    Miners were fairly active in the first quarter. During the reporting period, we detected miner attacks on the computers of 315,701 unique Kaspersky product users worldwide.

    Number of unique users attacked by miners, Q1 2025 (download)

    Attack geography

    Top 10 countries and territories attacked by miners

    Country/territory* %**
    1 Senegal 2.59
    2 Kazakhstan 1.36
    3 Panama 1.28
    4 Belarus 1.22
    5 Ethiopia 1.09
    6 Tajikistan 1.07
    7 Moldova 0.90
    8 Dominican Republic 0.86
    9 Kyrgyzstan 0.84
    10 Tanzania 0.82

    * Excluded are countries and territories with relatively few (under 50,000) Kaspersky product users.
    ** Unique users whose computers were attacked by miners as a percentage of all unique Kaspersky product users in the country/territory.

    Attacks on macOS

    The first quarter saw the discovery of a new Trojan loader for macOS. This is a Go-based variant of ReaderUpdate, which has previously appeared in Python, Crystal, Rust, and Nim versions. These loaders are typically used to download intrusive adware, but there is nothing stopping them from delivering any kind of Trojan.

    During the reporting period researchers identified new loaders from the Ferret malware family which were being distributed by attackers through fake online job interview invitations. These Trojans are believed to be part of an ongoing campaign that began in December 2022. The original members of the Ferret family date back to late 2024. Past versions of the loader delivered both a backdoor and a crypto stealer.

    Throughout the first quarter, various modifications of the Amos stealer were the most aggressively distributed Trojans. Amos is designed to steal user passwords, cryptocurrency wallet data, browser cookies, and documents. In this campaign, threat actors frequently modify their Trojan obfuscation techniques to evade detection, generating thousands of obfuscated files to overwhelm security solutions.

    TOP 20 threats to macOS

    (download)

    * Unique users who encountered this malware as a percentage of all attacked users of Kaspersky security solutions for macOS.
    * Data for the previous quarter may differ slightly from previously published data due to certain verdicts being retrospectively revised.

    As usual, a significant share of the most common threats to macOS consists of potentially unwanted applications: adware, spyware tracking user activity, fake cleaners, and reverse proxies like NetTool. Amos Trojans, which we mentioned earlier, also gained popularity in the first quarter. Trojan.OSX.Agent.gen, which holds the third spot in the rankings, is a generic verdict that detects a wide variety of malware.

    Geography of threats to macOS

    TOP 10 countries and territories by share of attacked users

    Country/territory Q4 2024* Q1 2025*
    Spain 1.16% 1.02%
    France 1.52% 0.96%
    Hong Kong 1.21% 0.83%
    Singapore 0.32% 0.75%
    Mexico 0.85% 0.74%
    Germany 0.96% 0.74%
    Mainland China 0.73% 0.68%
    Brazil 0.66% 0.61%
    Russian Federation 0.50% 0.53%
    India 0.84% 0.51%

    * Unique users who encountered threats to macOS as a percentage of all unique Kaspersky product users in the country/territory.

    IoT threat statistics

    This section presents statistics on attacks targeting Kaspersky IoT honeypots. The geographic data on attack sources is based on the IP addresses of attacking devices.

    In the first quarter of 2025, the share of devices that attacked Kaspersky honeypots via the Telnet protocol increased again, following a decline at the end of 2024.

    Distribution of attacked services by number of unique IP addresses of attacking devices (download)

    The distribution of attacks across Telnet and SSH remained virtually unchanged compared to the fourth quarter of 2024.

    Distribution of attackers’ sessions in Kaspersky honeypots (download)

    TOP 10 threats delivered to IoT devices:

    Share of each threat uploaded to an infected device as a result of a successful attack in the total number of uploaded threats (download)

    A significant portion of the most widespread IoT threats continues to be made up of various Mirai DDoS botnet variants. BitCoinMiner also saw active distribution in the first quarter, accounting for 7.32% of detections. The number of attacks by the NyaDrop botnet (19.31%) decreased compared to the fourth quarter of 2024.

    Geography of attacks on IoT honeypots

    When looking at SSH attacks by country/territory, mainland China’s share has declined, while attacks coming from Brazil have seen a noticeable increase. There was also a slight uptick in attacks coming from the United States, Indonesia, Australia, and Vietnam.

    Country/territory Q4 2024 Q1 2025
    Mainland China 32.99% 20.52%
    India 19.13% 19.16%
    Russian Federation 9.46% 9.16%
    Brazil 2.18% 8.48%
    United States 4.90% 5.52%
    Indonesia 1.37% 3.99%
    Hong Kong 2.81% 3.46%
    Australia 1.31% 2.75%
    France 3.53% 2.54%
    Vietnam 1.41% 2.27%

    The share of Telnet attacks originating from China and India dropped, while Brazil, Nigeria, and Indonesia took a noticeably larger share.

    Country/territory Q4 2024 Q1 2025
    China 44.67% 39.82%
    India 33.79% 30.07%
    Brazil 2.62% 12.03%
    Russian Federation 6.52% 5.14%
    Pakistan 5.77% 3.99%
    Nigeria 0.50% 3.01%
    Indonesia 0.58% 2.25%
    United States 0.42% 0.68%
    Ukraine 0.79% 0.67%
    Sweden 0.42% 0.33%

    Attacks via web resources

    The statistics in this section are based on detection verdicts by Web Anti-Virus, which protects users when suspicious objects are downloaded from malicious or infected web pages. Cybercriminals create malicious pages on purpose. Websites that host user-created content, such as forums, as well as compromised legitimate sites, can become infected.

    Countries and territories that serve as sources of web-based attacks: the TOP 10

    This section contains a geographical distribution of sources of online attacks blocked by Kaspersky products: web pages that redirect to exploits, sites that host exploits and other malware, botnet C&C centers, and so on. Any unique host could be the source of one or more web-based attacks.
    To determine the geographical source of web-based attacks, domain names were matched against their actual IP addresses, and then the geographical location of a specific IP address (GeoIP) was established.

    In the first quarter of 2025, Kaspersky solutions blocked 629,211,451 attacks launched from online resources across the globe. Web Anti-Virus detected 88,389,361 unique URLs.

    Geographical distribution of sources of web-based attacks by country/territory, Q1 2025 (download)

    Countries and territories where users faced the greatest risk of online infection

    To assess the risk of online infection faced by PC users in various countries and territories, for each country or territory, we calculated the percentage of Kaspersky users on whose computers Web Anti-Virus was triggered during the reporting period. The resulting data reflects the aggressiveness of the environment in which computers operate in different countries and territories.

    These rankings only include attacks by malicious objects that belong in the Malware category. Our calculations do not include Web Anti-Virus detections of potentially dangerous or unwanted programs, such as RiskTool or adware.

    Country/territory* %**
    1 North Macedonia 10.17
    2 Albania 9.96
    3 Algeria 9.92
    4 Bangladesh 9.92
    5 Tunisia 9.80
    6 Slovakia 9.77
    7 Greece 9.66
    8 Serbia 9.44
    9 Tajikistan 9.28
    10 Turkey 9.10
    11 Peru 8.78
    12 Portugal 8.70
    13 Nepal 8.38
    14 Philippines 8.33
    15 Romania 8.26
    16 Sri Lanka 8.20
    17 Bulgaria 8.19
    18 Madagascar 8.14
    19 Hungary 8.12
    20 Egypt 8.12

    * Excluded are countries and territories with relatively few (under 10,000) Kaspersky product users.
    ** Unique users targeted by web-based Malware attacks as a percentage of all unique Kaspersky product users in the country/territory.

    On average during the quarter, 6.46% of users’ computers worldwide were subjected to at least one web-based Malware attack.

    Local threats

    Statistics on local infections of user computers are an important indicator. They include objects that penetrated the target computer by infecting files or removable media, or initially made their way onto the computer in non-transparent form. Examples of the latter are programs in complex installers and encrypted files.

    Data in this section is based on analyzing statistics produced by anti-virus scans of files on the hard drive at the moment they were created or accessed, and the results of scanning removable storage media. The statistics are based on detection verdicts from the OAS (on-access scan) and ODS (on-demand scan) modules of File Anti-Virus. The data includes detections of malicious programs located on user computers or removable media connected to the computers, such as flash drives, camera memory cards, phones, or external hard drives.

    In the first quarter of 2025, our File Anti-Virus detected 21,533,464 malicious and potentially unwanted objects.

    Countries and territories where users faced the highest risk of local infection

    For each country and territory, we calculated the percentage of Kaspersky product users on whose computers File Anti-Virus was triggered during the reporting period. These statistics reflect the level of personal computer infection in various countries and territories across the globe.

    The rankings only include attacks by malicious objects that belong in the Malware category. Our calculations do not include File Anti-Virus detections of potentially dangerous or unwanted programs, such as RiskTool or adware.

    Country/territory* %**
    1 Turkmenistan 47.41
    2 Tajikistan 37.23
    3 Afghanistan 36.92
    4 Yemen 35.80
    5 Cuba 32.08
    6 Uzbekistan 31.31
    7 Gabon 27.55
    8 Syria 26.50
    9 Vietnam 25.88
    10 Belarus 25.68
    11 Algeria 25.02
    12 Bangladesh 24.86
    13 Iraq 24.77
    14 Cameroon 24.28
    15 Burundi 24.28
    16 Tanzania 24.23
    17 Niger 24.01
    18 Madagascar 23.74
    19 Kyrgyzstan 23.73
    20 Nicaragua 23.72

    * Excluded are countries and territories with relatively few (under 10,000) Kaspersky product users.
    ** Unique users on whose computers local Malware threats were blocked, as a percentage of all unique users of Kaspersky products in the country/territory.

    On average worldwide, local Malware threats were recorded on 13.62% of users’ computers at least once during the quarter.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s employment market posts steady development amid policy support

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

    BEIJING, June 5 — China has seen moderate and steady development momentum in the job market this year thanks to combined efforts including a series of pro-employment policies, an official said.

    A systematic employment support plan has been advanced, focusing on expanding opportunities in strategic sectors, key industries, urban-rural grassroots communities, and small enterprises, said Chen Yongjia, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, on the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency.

    A comprehensive policy package has been implemented. Measures include raising loan quotas for job stabilization programs, broadening eligibility for job expansion subsidies, and extending policies such as skills enhancement allowances to maximize policy effectiveness, he said.

    Regarding demand-driven skills training, large-scale vocational training programs have been launched to elevate workers’ technical competencies, he noted.

    China has worked to provide targeted assistance for key groups. A new round of 17 youth-focused employment policies has been issued, offering tailored support for graduates and young job seekers to safeguard their employment prospects, Chen added.

    China will roll out additional pro-employment measures in a timely manner to further underpin economic growth and social stability, he said.

    Official data shows that the number of college graduates in China is likely to reach 12.22 million in 2025, an increase of 430,000 from last year.

    China’s job market has remained generally stable recently, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate on average down from 5.2 percent in March to 5.1 percent in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s domestically produced 9-valent HPV vaccine aims to boost immunization coverage

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) — China’s medical device administration has approved the launch of the country’s first domestically produced 9-valent HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, ending a decade of foreign dominance in the Chinese market.

    The new vaccine, called Cecolin 9, was included in a list of approved drugs released Wednesday by China’s National Medical Products Administration.

    “The approval of Cecolin 9 not only opens up more opportunities for women to be vaccinated in China, but may also expand the availability and coverage of vaccination, helping to reduce the risk of cervical cancer,” said Zhang Jun, director of the Institute of Public Health at Xiamen University and a leading scientist on the vaccine development team.

    HPV vaccines are commonly used to prevent cervical cancer in women, as well as genital cancers and warts in both men and women.

    Cecolin 9, which targets nine HPV strains, was developed by Xiamen University, Xiang An Key Laboratory of Biomedicine and Xiamen Innovax Biotech Co., Ltd.

    With the approval of Cecolin 9, China has become the second country in the world after the United States to have independent self-sufficiency in the production of highly valent HPV vaccine.

    Compared with bivalent HPV vaccines, which are effective against two high-risk genotypes (HPV 16 and 18), 9-valent HPV vaccines additionally protect against five high-risk genotypes (HPV 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58) and two low-risk genotypes (HPV 6 and 11), and have been shown to be more effective in protecting against cervical cancer.

    After 18 years of hard work, Chinese researchers have overcome major technical challenges in producing virus-like particles (VLPs) from several HPV types using the E. coli platform and completed key clinical trial processes.

    Since 2019, five targeted clinical trials have been conducted in China, in which the new vaccine has demonstrated a favorable safety profile and a strong immune response comparable to similar international drugs on the market.

    Statistics show that there are approximately 700,000 cases of HPV-related cancer worldwide each year, including about 530,000 cases of cervical cancer. At the same time, the vaccination method can effectively prevent HPV infection by 94 percent.

    In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global programme to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer, aiming to ensure that 90% of girls are fully vaccinated against HPV by age 15 by 2030.

    In line with the WHO programme, China’s National Health Commission has launched an action plan to eliminate cervical cancer for the period 2022-2030, which urges expansion of HPV immunisation coverage across the country. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Atos to deliver key IT services and applications for UEFA Nations League Finals™ 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

                                                                    Press Release

    Atos to deliver key IT services and applications for UEFA Nations League Finals™ 2025

    Paris, France – 5 June, 2025 – Atos, the Official Information Technology Partner of UEFA National Team Football, will deliver key IT services and applications support for the UEFA Nations League Finals™(UNLF) 2025, taking place from June 4 to June 8, 2025, in Germany. Atos’ expertise will once again support hundreds of millions of fans worldwide to share the electrifying experience of one of the highest profile football tournaments.

    To provide the best experience for all stakeholders, from the European football family to fans and media, Atos will be responsible for managing core IT planning and operations systems all requiring the highest level of reliability, efficiency and security. These solutions include:

    • Event Management systems including accreditation, access control solutions, competitions solutions, radio communication and service desk services.
    • Diffusion system like the football service platform, the mobile app, the website including some embedded gaming functionalities such as match predictor and quiz about competitions.
    • End-to-end cybersecurity services, from compliance and threat intelligence to on-the-ground and hybrid-cloud security.

    Since the inception of their partnership in 2022, Atos have assisted UEFA on a day-to-day basis to manage, improve, and optimize its complex technology landscape and in facing new technology challenges. In a new data consumption era, large sport associations need to keep pace with the expectations of their audiences, especially the youth fan base, who are craving for more personalization, technology and data, engagement and real-time information. To meet these challenges, Atos and UEFA have been striving to continuously introduce innovations driving immersive fan experiences with secure, real-time data and deliver best-in class, AI-powered IT solutions.

    Atos, helped make the UEFA EURO 2024™ a tremendous success, supporting over 200 applications, over 6 million app download, almost 1.3 billion email and app push notifications, and a cumulated live audience of over 5 billion. Atos and UEFA also introduced innovative applications like the Football Service Platform, providing data and statistics such as results, line-ups, live match events, players status and ranking of all UEFA teams, transforming all stakeholders’ experience.

    The entire Atos team, from the IT Command Center of UEFA in Nyon (Switzerland) to the delivery centers in Madrid and Barcelona (Spain), as well as Egypt, Poland, Romania and France are committed on daily basis to making sure UEFA is well-prepared to deliver exceptional experiences to fans around the world.

    “We are excited to feel the competition pressure building up as we enter the last stages of UEFA Nations League preparation. Our team is working tirelessly to make sure we once again deliver a secure, flawless and innovative service to UEFA and provide all football fans with an unforgettable tournament experience.” said Nacho Moros, Head of Atos Major Events.

    “Since the beginning of our partnership with Atos in 2022, we have been making advances in the quality of services we are introducing and providing to all the Football stakeholders. We are confident that the 2025 edition of the Nations League will once again leverage the most advanced technologies to provide all football fans an amazing experience”, stated Hosni Ajala, Chief of ICT at UEFA.

    Atos has been serving its partners and customers through a dedicated in-house sports and major events division (“Major Events”) for over 3 decades, giving it an unmatched experience and the flexibility to serve its customers regardless of their exposure, size and scale. From global events to local competitions, Atos consistently strives to deliver technology excellence to its entire customer base. 

    Atos has been involved with the Olympic Movement since 1992 and the Paralympic Movement since 2002 and is the Official Digital Technology Partner of the European Olympic Committees, as well as the official Digital partner for Special Olympics International. The company is also the Official Information Technology Partner of UEFA National Team Football. Most recently, Atos has been instrumental in delivering successful leading-edge IT services for iconic events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 or inspiring events such as Invictus Games Vancouver 2025 or the Special Olympics Torino Winter Games 2025. 

    To learn more about Atos solutions for sporting events and major events, visit  Atos Major event. 

    ***

    About Atos Group

    Atos Group is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 72,000 employees and annual revenue of c. € 10 billion, operating in 68 countries under two brands — Atos for services and Eviden for products. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, Atos Group is committed to a secure and decarbonized future and provides tailored AI-powered, end-to-end solutions for all industries. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

    The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

    Press contact

    Laurent Massicot – laurent.massicot@atos.net – 33 (0)7 69 48 01 80

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Germany: German general government debt up in 2024 by €57 billion to €2.7 trillion, debt ratio down from 62.9% to 62.5%

    Source: Deutsche Bundesbank in English

    General government debt in Germany increased by €57 billion in 2024 to €2.69 trillion. Central government debt grew the most, by €36 billion. State and local governments recorded an increase of €15 billion and €14 billion, respectively. Debt between central, state and local government, which is factored out when calculating the figure for general government debt, also climbed. The Bundesbank determines Germany’s general government debt as per the definition set out in the Maastricht Treaty, which is harmonised across the EU.
    The debt ratio, meaning the ratio of debt to nominal gross domestic product (GDP), fell by 0.4 percentage point to 62.5%. Taken by itself, the increase in nominal GDP reduced the debt ratio by 1.8 percentage points. This outweighed the expansion in debt.
    The €57 billion increase in debt was significantly lower than the general government (Maastricht) deficit (€119 billion) published by the Federal Statistical Office. The smaller increase in debt was mainly due to the fact that a large portion of the deficit could be financed by drawing on available bank deposits. In addition, central government was able to limit its borrowing because it was receiving repayments on assistance loans previously granted (during the coronavirus pandemic and to support the energy sector). Such repayments (like the granting of funds before them) do not change the deficit, but do impact the debt level.

    Year

    Debt level (€ billion)

    GDP (%)

    Change indebt level (€ billion)

    2024

    2,689

    62.5

    57

    2023

    2,632

    62.9

    61

    2022

    2,571

    65.0

    67

    2021

    2,504

    68.1

    156

    2020

    2,348

    68.1

    272

    2019

    2,076

    58.7

    -11

    2018

    2,086

    60.8

    -46

    2017

    2,133

    64.0

    -50

    In addition to national debt, EU Member States also take on debt collectively at the European level. Around €70 billion of this debt can be ascribed to Germany, an amount equivalent to 1.6% of the country’s GDP. Consolidated EU debt totalled €169 billion in 2023. In 2024, it is estimated to have risen to €282 billion. Ultimately, this joint debt is largely serviced through the EU budget, and Member States therefore have a share in it through their financial contribution to the EU budget. Germany’s financial contribution currently amounts to around one-quarter.

    Year

    Consolidated debt of EU institutions and bodies (€ billion)*

    Germany’s financial contribution (€ billion)

    GDP (%)

    2024

    282

    70

    1.6

    2023

    169

    43

    1.0

    2022

    110

    28

    0.7

    2021

    58

    15

    0.4

    * Maastricht debt of EU institutions and bodies less claims of the EU on Member States. It primarily consists of the debt-financed grants to Member States made since 2021 under the Next Generation EU scheme. Source: Eurostat, 2024. The figures for 2024 contain shares estimated by the Bundesbank. 
    Background: The EU Member States report data on their general government fiscal balance and debt to the European Commission each year at the end of March and end of September in what are known as EDP notifications. The Bundesbank calculates Maastricht debt, the definition of which is harmonised across the European Union. Germany’s Maastricht debt is largely based on the “debt of the general government budget”, which is calculated using national government finance statistics methodology. The Federal Statistical Office published its figures for this on 26 March 2025. In terms of methodology, Maastricht debt has a broader definition so as to make it comparable across Europe. This means that it generally works out significantly higher than the debt level recorded in the government finance statistics (by €180 billion in 2024).

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI German News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Elderly daycare emerges to meet needs of Chinese families

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

    Staff members cut hair for clients at an elderly care center in Shenyang City, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, March 5, 2025.(Xinhua/Bai Yongquan)

    Almost every morning in Panjin, a city in northeast China’s Liaoning Province, 68-year-old Yang Yonghua walks to a neighborhood elderly care center accompanied by his son, a local barbecue restaurant owner. At this care center, he socializes, crafts things, shares meals and receives therapy with friends.

    This is China’s burgeoning model of daytime elderly care, a hybrid solution bridging home care and full-time nursing homes.

    Dubbed “elderly kindergarten,” these centers offer a structured schedule — breakfast, activities, lunch, naps, afternoon therapy, dinner and evening freshening up, all before families return for pickup.

    “It’s more interesting than home,” Yang said, reflecting the sentiment of many seniors finding unexpected joy in this new routine. His son, grappling with late-night shifts at the diner, found immediate relief after the center started operation in the summer of 2023.

    This shift in terms of elderly care is being propelled by both an urgent need and national policy. China’s population aged 60 and over had surpassed 310 million as of the end of 2024, accounting for 22 percent of its citizens, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Recognizing that many seniors have deep ties to their communities and families, authorities are promoting neighborhood-based solutions.

    The Ministry of Civil Affairs mandated community-level daytime centers offering daily care, meals, hygiene aid, emergency response and companionship. Local governments have tailored these mandates into concrete services — bathing assistance, medical escort and housekeeping.

    In the Seni District of Nagqu in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, seniors pay just 20 yuan (around 2.78 U.S. dollars) daily for lunch and dinner and more than a dozen services ranging from mahjong to therapy, while northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is aiming for 90-percent coverage of such facilities this year.

    The city of Hengshui in Hebei Province in north China has integrated businesses and community resources in launching 22 model hubs combining long-term stays, daycare, entertainment and dining for the elderly.

    The impact of such initiatives resonates deeply for families like that of Li Shihua, 88, who has dementia. Attending a daycare center which specializes in cognitive care in northeast China’s Dalian, her health has steadily improved, according to her family. Structured monitoring and medication management bring order and vitality to residents at this facility, significantly easing caregiver and family strain.

    Notably, innovations continue to unfold. Cities like Beijing and south China’s Guangzhou are piloting “co-care” spaces merging childcare and eldercare, supported by free public venues and subsidized utilities.

    Underpinning this expansion is a push for the establishment of standards. Authorities have released 51 national or industry benchmarks covering safety, quality and facility ratings — alongside over a hundred local standards.

    Experts believe that for people navigating work and filial duty, these daytime havens are more than a convenience. Instead, they’re becoming indispensable threads in the fabric of family life, offering community and care where it matters most — close to home. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 5, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 5, 2025.

    Final counting shows polls understated Labor in 2025 election almost as much as they overstated it in 2019
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne With almost all primary votes now counted to two-party preferred (as I explained on May 29), Labor has won the national two-party vote by a 55.3–44.7 margin,

    Resignation of PM’s press secretary highlights gaps in NZ law on covert recording and harassment
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Mudgway, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Canterbury Getty Images The sudden resignation this week of one of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s senior press secretaries was politically embarrassing, but also raises questions about how New Zealand law operates in such cases. A Stuff investigation revealed the

    One year ago, Australia scrapped a key equity in STEM program. Where are we now?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Vieira, Lecturer, Education Futures, University of South Australia ThisIsEngineering/Pexels In June 2024, the Australian government ended the Women in STEM Ambassador program. The decision followed a report that urged a broader, intersectional approach to diversity in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). For

    The pursuit of eternal youth goes back centuries. Modern cosmetic surgery is turning it into a reality – for rich people
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Gibson, Associate Professor of Sociology, Griffith University The Conversation, CC BY-SA Kris Jenner’s “new” face sparked myriad headlines about how she can look so good at 69 years old. While she’s not confirmed what sort of procedures she’s undergone, speculation abounds. As a US reality TV

    Woodside’s North West Shelf approval is by no means a one-off. Here are 6 other giant gas projects to watch
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Hepburn, Professor, Deakin Law School, Deakin University GREG WOOD/AFP via Getty Images The federal government’s decision to extend the life of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas plant in Western Australia has been condemned as a climate disaster. The gas lobby claims more gas is needed to

    Unprecedented heat in the North Atlantic Ocean kickstarted Europe’s hellish 2023 summer. Now we know what caused it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew England, Scientia Professor and Deputy Director of the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, UNSW Sydney Westend61/Getty Images In June 2023, a record-breaking marine heatwave swept across the North Atlantic Ocean, smashing previous temperature records. Soon after, deadly heatwaves broke out across large areas

    Bowel cancer rates are declining in people over 50. But why are they going up in younger adults?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Mahady, Associate Professor, Gastroenterologist & Clinical Epidemiologist, Monash University Thirdman/Pexels Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Australia, with more than 15,000 cases diagnosed annually. It’s also the second most common cause of cancer-related death. Recently, headlines have warned of an uptick in cases

    Australian kids BYO lunches to school. There is a healthier way to feed students
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liesel Spencer, Associate Professor, School of Law, Western Sydney University Getty Images/ courtneyk Australian parents will be familiar with this school morning routine: hastily making sandwiches or squeezing leftovers into containers, grabbing a snack from the cupboard and a piece of fruit from the counter. This would

    Australia’s charity sector is growing – but many smaller charities are doing it tough
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Faulkner, Senior Marketing Scientist, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, University of South Australia Revenue for Australia’s charity and not-for-profit sector has reached record highs, and total donations have grown. But the story isn’t the same everywhere, and some smaller charities may be struggling. That’s according to the latest edition

    Taylor Swift now owns all the music she has ever made: a copyright expert breaks it down
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wellett Potter, Lecturer in Law, University of New England On Friday, Taylor Swift announced she now owns all the music she has ever made. This reported US$360 million acquisition includes all the master recordings to her first six albums, music videos, concert films, album art, photos and

    The secret to Ukraine’s battlefield successes against Russia – it knows wars are never won in the past
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Sussex, Associate Professor (Adj), Griffith Asia Institute; and Fellow, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University The iconoclastic American general Douglas Macarthur once said that “wars are never won in the past”. That sentiment certainly seemed to ring true following Ukraine’s recent audacious attack on

    Politics with Michelle Grattan: historian Emma Shortis warns against falling into Trump’s trade traps
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to have his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump this month, against a background of increased steel and aluminium tariffs and US pressure on Australia to boost its defence spending. How Australia

    Extreme weather events have slowed economic growth, adding to the case for another rate cut
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney Australia’s economy slowed sharply in the March quarter, growing by just 0.2% as government spending slowed and extreme weather events dampened demand. That followed an increase of 0.6% in the previous quarter. The national accounts report from

    Young people who witness domestic violence are more likely to be victims of it. Here’s how we can help them
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristin Diemer, Associate Professor of Sociology, The University of Melbourne In our national discussions on domestic and family violence, much of the focus is rightly on the women experiencing the violence and how best to help them. But another vital, less acknowledged part of the puzzle is

    Gluten intolerance and coeliac disease can both cause nausea, bloating and pain. What’s the difference?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yasmine Probst, Professor, School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences. Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, University of Wollongong fotodrobik/Shutterstock Around one in ten Australians say they follow a gluten-free diet. This means eliminating common foods – such as bread, pasta and noodles – that contain gluten, a protein

    How physicists used antimatter, supercomputers and giant magnets to solve a 20-year-old mystery
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Finn Stokes, Ramsay Fellow in Physics, University of Adelaide Cindy Arnold, Fermilab Physicists are always searching for new theories to improve our understanding of the universe and resolve big unanswered questions. But there’s a problem. How do you search for undiscovered forces or particles when you don’t

    Ahead of the Brisbane Olympics, it’s time for Australia to get serious about esports
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig McNulty, Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology, Queensland University of Technology Roman Kosolapov/Shutterstock Most of us have heard of esports but many don’t realise the fast-growing world of competitive video gaming features tournaments, university scholarships and billions of dollars in revenue. As we approach the 2032 Brisbane

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 4, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 4, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Final counting shows polls understated Labor in 2025 election almost as much as they overstated it in 2019

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    With almost all primary votes now counted to two-party preferred (as I explained on May 29), Labor has won the national two-party vote by a 55.3–44.7 margin, although this may drop to a 55.2–44.8 margin once the remaining votes from Bradfield come in.

    Labor’s two-party share is over two points higher than in any poll taken in the final week before the election.

    Final primary votes were 34.6% Labor (up 2.0% since the 2022 election), 31.8% Coalition (down 3.9%), 12.2% Greens (steady), 6.4% One Nation (up 1.4%), 1.9% Trumpet of Patriots (down 2.2% from United Australia Party in 2022), 7.4% independents (up 2.1%) and 5.7% others (up 0.6%).

    The table below shows the primary vote and two-party estimates of all ten polls conducted in the final week before the election, with the election results at the bottom. When polls gave a breakdown for Trumpet of Patriots, independents and others, I’ve combined these for an all Others total. Bold numbers in the table represent estimates that were within 1% of the result.

    Fieldwork dates for the Ipsos poll were not released, but it was published in The Daily Mail on election day, so it was presumably taken in the last week. Published primary votes in this poll included 5% undecided, which I have redistributed proportionally to the parties listed.

    In 2019, all the polls gave Labor between a 51–49 and a 52–48 lead. The actual result was a Coalition win by 51.5–48.5.

    This year, all polls had Labor between a 51–49 and a 53–47 lead and the actual result was a Labor win by 55.3–44.7. The two polls (Freshwater and Ipsos) that had Labor below a 52–48 lead were particularly poor.

    The polls understated Labor’s primary vote and overstated the Coalition’s. Labor won the primary vote by 2.7 points, when nearly all polls had the Coalition ahead (Redbridge was tied). The Freshwater and Ipsos polls performed badly in overstating the Coalition’s vote.

    The Greens were mostly overstated, while One Nation was overstated by every pollster except Morgan.

    Preference flow assumptions compounded the polls’ problems. If I plug the election primary votes into my 2022 preference flows spreadsheet, I get a Labor two-party lead of 55.3–44.7, the same as the actual result.

    Newspoll had higher One Nation preference flows to the Coalition than in 2022. If they’d used 2022 flows, Labor would have led by about 53–47. YouGov used data from its MRP polls that gave the Coalition both a higher share of One Nation and Greens preferences than in 2022. If they’d used 2022 flows, Labor would have led by 54.2–45.8.

    We won’t have data on preference flows by party for some time, but it’s likely that One Nation preferences did become more pro-Coalition. However, Greens and independent preferences compensated by becoming more pro-Labor.

    Respondent-allocated polls from Essential, Resolve, Freshwater, Redbridge and Spectre all suggested this would be the case. YouGov may have used MRP polls earlier in the year to allocate preferences. Labor was doing badly on preferences earlier.

    The poll graph that I used in my pre-election articles is below. There was a surge to Labor in March and April. Labor had been polling poorly from December to February and may have lost an election held then. The polls told us that Labor had recovered to an election-winning position, but they understated the magnitude of that win.

    The best two polls were not the final polls, but a Morgan poll taken two weeks from the election that gave Labor a 55.5–44.5 lead. Morgan’s final two polls both gave Labor a 53–47 lead. The other good poll was a Redbridge poll of 20 marginal seats that gave Labor a 54.5–45.5 lead a week before the election (actual result 54.8–45.2 to Labor across these seats).

    Redbridge would have been better if they’d stuck with their 54.5–45.5 to Labor in the marginal seats in this poll, but they dropped back to 53–47 to Labor in the poll published on election day.

    The final YouGov MRP poll predicted Labor would win 84 of the 150 seats, understating Labor by ten seats. An exit poll of early voters from the first two days of early in-person voting correctly had swings to Labor.

    While public polling was poor at this election, Liberal internal polling was worse. This article in The Australian published the day before the election said the Coalition was confident of gaining ten seats from Labor. Labor actually gained 14 seats from the Coalition.

    The worst seat polls

    I’m not going to relate every seat poll in this election, but there were some seat poll stinkers.

    I referred to JWS seat polls of Ryan, Brisbane and Griffith on April 18. These polls gave the Liberal National Party a 57–43 lead over Labor in Ryan, with the Greens a distant third on primary votes. In Brisbane, Labor led the LNP by 51–49. In Griffith, Labor led the LNP by 51–49, but the LNP led the Greens by 53–47.

    In Ryan, the Greens made the final two and defeated the LNP by 53.3–46.7. If Labor had made the final two, they would have won by 57.8–42.2. In Brisbane, Labor crushed the LNP by 59.0–41.0. In Griffith, Labor and the Greens made the final two, and a two-party count between Labor and the LNP had Labor winning by 65.9–34.1.

    I referred to a Compass seat poll of McMahon on April 11. This poll gave right-wing independent Matt Camenzuli 41% of the primary vote, the Liberals 20% and Labor incumbent Chris Bowen just 19%. Bowen actually won 45.5% of the primary vote, the Liberals 26.8% and Camenzuli just 9.8%.

    I referred to KJC polls of four seats on April 27. These polls gave the Liberals a 49–45 lead including undecided in Tangney and a 46–41 lead in Blair. In Richmond, the Greens led Labor by 39–34. In Hunter, Labor led the Nationals by 45–41.

    Labor actually won Tangney by 57.0–43.0 and Blair by 55.7–44.3. In Richmond, the Greens did not make the final two, and Labor would have beaten them easily if they had. In Hunter, One Nation instead of the Nationals made the final two, with Labor winning by 59.0–41.0. Had the Nationals made the final two, Labor would have won by a similar 59.5–40.5.

    Recount results and Greens senator defects to Labor

    In Liberal-held Bradfield, Teal Nicolette Boele defeated the Liberals by 26 votes after a recount, overturning an eight-vote Liberal lead on the original count. The Liberals could challenge this result in the courts, but Boele will be seated until the courts decide.

    In Goldstein, the partial recount of primary votes for Teal incumbent Zoe Daniel and Liberal Tim Wilson was completed on May 31. Wilson won by 175 votes, down from 260 before the recount started.

    With these results, the final seat outcome of the election is 94 Labor out of 150, 43 Coalition and 13 for all Others. That’s a Labor majority of 38 by the UK method.

    Western Australian Greens Senator Dorinda Cox, who was elected in 2022, defected to Labor on Monday. This gives Labor 29 of the 76 senators and the Greens ten. Labor will still need either the Coalition or the Greens to reach the 39 votes required for a Senate majority. Cox’s six-year term will expire in June 2028.

    South Korea and Poland elections

    On Tuesday the centre-left candidate won the South Korean presidential election that had been called early after the previous right-wing president was impeached and removed from office. On Sunday the Law and Justice (PiS) candidate won the Polish presidential election, defeating a pro-Western centrist.

    Donald Trump’s US national ratings have improved since his nadir in late April. I wrote about these events for The Poll Bludger on Wednesday.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Final counting shows polls understated Labor in 2025 election almost as much as they overstated it in 2019 – https://theconversation.com/final-counting-shows-polls-understated-labor-in-2025-election-almost-as-much-as-they-overstated-it-in-2019-256981

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s homegrown 9-valent HPV vaccine expected to boost immunization coverage

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

    A nurse shows human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines developed by Chinese researchers at the provincial Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, May 18, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China’s drug regulator has approved the country’s first domestically developed 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, ending over a decade of foreign dominance in the market.

    The vaccine, Cecolin 9, has been included on a list of approved medical products that was made public by the National Medical Products Administration on Wednesday.

    “The approval of Cecolin 9 not only offers more vaccination options for eligible women in China, but is also expected to improve vaccine accessibility and coverage, reducing the risk of cervical cancer further,” said Zhang Jun, dean of the School of Public Health at Xiamen University and a leading member of the vaccine development team.

    HPV vaccines are commonly used to prevent cervical cancer in women, as well as genital cancers and warts in both men and women.

    Cecolin 9, which targets nine HPV strains, was developed by Xiamen University, the Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory and Xiamen Innovax Biotech Co., Ltd., marking a breakthrough in China’s ability to produce high-valency HPV vaccines independently.

    China is now the second country — after the United States — capable of supplying 9-valent HPV vaccines.

    Compared to bivalent HPV vaccines, which are effective against two high-risk genotypes (HPV 16 and 18), 9-valent HPV vaccines protect against an additional five high-risk genotypes (HPV 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58) and two low-risk genotypes (HPV 6 and 11), and provide better protection against cervical cancer.

    Over 18 years of research, scientists overcame major technical challenges in producing virus-like particles (VLPs) from multiple HPV types using an E. coli platform, and completed crucial clinical trial validation processes.

    Five related clinical trials have been conducted across China since 2019, and the vaccine has demonstrated a favorable safety profile and a strong immune response, comparable to those of similar international products.

    Statistics show that globally, approximately 700,000 cancer cases each year are associated with HPV, including an estimated 530,000 cases of cervical cancer. Vaccination is up to 94 percent effective in preventing HPV infection.

    In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer, aiming for 90 percent of girls to be fully vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15 by 2030.

    In alignment with the WHO strategy, China’s National Health Commission launched a cervical cancer elimination action plan for the 2022-2030 period, urging the expansion of HPV vaccination coverage nationwide.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Gas supply reducing faster and sooner than previously forecast

    Source: Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE)

    “Natural gas reserves continue to reduce faster and sooner than previously forecast,” says Karlene Tipler, Head of Data Service Delivery, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.

    “In 2024 natural gas proven plus probable (2P) reserves reduced from 1300 PJ to 948 PJ. The reduction in natural gas reserves is largely driven by field operators reducing their estimates of gas readily extractable in the ground by 234 PJ. The remaining reduction of 119 PJ reflects the portion of gas reserves that were used during the year.

    “Contingent natural gas reserves, which is gas that exists in the ground, but cannot be extracted due to current economic or technical conditions, has increased by 184 PJ or 10% on last year’s figure.

    “Some of this increase can be attributed to natural gas reserves being downgraded to contingent resources. A significant contributor to this is Pohokura field, which included a large volume of contingent gas which had previously not been reported.

    “As economic and technical conditions change, some contingent gas may have the potential to be upgraded to 2P reserves.”

    “Decreases in the majority of gas reserves were partially offset by the Turangi field, whose reserves were revised upward by 22 PJ. This resulted in a net increase, after accounting for 2024 production, of 2 PJ.

    “Natural gas delivered from gas fields also reduced 22% in 2024 compared to 2023. The greatest contributors to this were Pohokura, Maui, Mangahewa, and Kupe fields, who between them dropped 109 TJ/day compared to last year’s data.

    “Previous forecasts had annual gas production falling below 100 PJ by 2029, but due to revised production forecasts we now expect to reach this level by 2026.”

    Read the full Petroleum Reserves 2025 data release:

    Petroleum reserves data

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stats NZ information release: Value of building work put in place: March 2025 quarter

    Value of building work put in place: March 2025 quarter – information release

    5 June 2025

    Value of building work statistics estimate the value and volume of work put in place on construction jobs in New Zealand.

    Key facts
    In the March 2025 quarter:

    • the seasonally adjusted total building volume was flat compared with the December 2024 quarter – residential rose 2.6 percent, and non-residential fell 3.9 percent
    • total building value was $7.6 billion, down 10 percent from the March 2024 quarter.

    Statistics remain provisional for the latest three quarters and are updated each quarter.

    Visit our website to read this information release and to download CSV files:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Bowel cancer rates are declining in people over 50. But why are they going up in younger adults?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Mahady, Associate Professor, Gastroenterologist & Clinical Epidemiologist, Monash University

    Thirdman/Pexels

    Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Australia, with more than 15,000 cases diagnosed annually. It’s also the second most common cause of cancer-related death.

    Recently, headlines have warned of an uptick in cases among younger adults, noting bowel cancer cases in people under 50 in Australia are among the highest in the world.

    While this is very worrying, it’s also important to note the rate of new cases of bowel cancer in Australia overall has actually been falling over the past 20 years or so. Most cases of bowel cancer still occur in adults over 50, and thanks to a national screening program in this age group, rates are declining.

    So why are rates increasing in younger people, and what can we do to mitigate the risk?

    National screening is working

    Australia was one of the first countries to commence population-based screening for bowel cancer. The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program was introduced in 2006. A kit is sent in the mail every two years to adults aged 50–74.

    This simple poo test detects microscopic amounts of blood that may indicate the presence of cancer or a precancerous lesion, leading to earlier detection and higher rates of survival.

    Despite the effectiveness of the program, participation rates are less than optimal at around 40%. We could see even further declines in rates of bowel cancer if more people took part.

    How about younger adults?

    In contrast to the falling incidence of bowel cancer in older people, emerging data over the past few years paints a different picture for people under 50.

    Research I did with colleagues showed an increase in both bowel and rectal cancer from 1982 to 2014 in Australia in people under 50.

    A recent preprint (a study yet to be peer-reviewed) includes data up to 2020, and further supports this trend. It suggests people born in the 1990s have two to three times the risk of bowel cancer compared to those born in the 1950s.

    Similar trends have been noted in many countries, however international data suggests the rates of young-onset bowel cancer in Australia are among the highest in the world.

    What’s driving this increase?

    At the moment the causes are unclear. Some studies have focused on diet and lifestyle, obesity, and consumption of red meat.

    However, diet as a cause of any disease is notoriously difficult to study. This is because it requires long-term data on what people eat, and following them up for the development of the disease (called an observational study).

    If there are positive findings in the observational study, researchers may then test their hypothesis in a randomised controlled trial where one group eats a certain food (such as red meat) and the other does not, and then compare rates of bowel cancer in each group over time.

    Due to the near impossibility of conducting these types of trials – as participants would need to follow strict dietary guidelines for years – dietary causes are challenging to prove.

    More recent research has focussed on the potential role of E. coli infection in childhood, proposing that infection with some strains may lead to early DNA changes and subsequent increased cancer risk. Other research is looking at the role of an altered gut microbiome. These hypotheses warrant further work.

    Ultimately, we don’t know why bowel cancer rates have been increasing in younger adults.
    Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

    What can people do to reduce their risk?

    It’s important to watch for any new or concerning symptoms. Any blood in your poo, particularly if it’s a new symptom, or a change in your regular bowel habits, are good reasons to promptly book a doctor’s appointment.

    And while the bowel cancer screening kits are sent to adults from age 50 every two years, as of 2024 people aged 45–49 can request a kit to be sent to them.

    Because the participation rate in the bowel cancer screening program is less than optimal, people over 50 who receive the kit in the mail are strongly encouraged to do the test as soon as possible. Increasing screening participation rates remains one of the most important ways we can reduce the burden of bowel cancer in Australia.

    Suzanne Mahady 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. Bowel cancer rates are declining in people over 50. But why are they going up in younger adults? – https://theconversation.com/bowel-cancer-rates-are-declining-in-people-over-50-but-why-are-they-going-up-in-younger-adults-257728

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes the Fifth Review under the Policy Coordination Instrument for Rwanda

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    June 4, 2025

    • The IMF Executive Board today concluded the fifth review under the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI). The PCI continues to support Rwanda’s reform agenda aimed at maintaining macroeconomic stability, promoting sustainable and inclusive growth, and advancing climate-resilient development.
    • Rwanda’s economic growth remains among the strongest in sub-Saharan Africa, despite rising fiscal and external pressures linked to large investment projects and reduced concessional financing. Continued fiscal consolidation, supported by stronger domestic revenue mobilization and spending efficiency, is essential to safeguard macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability.
    • Program performance under the PCI has been strong. All quantitative targets were met, and most reform commitments were implemented, including in SOE governance, monetary statistics, and digital public financial management. The approval of the comprehensive tax policy package and the rollout of the Global Master Repurchase Agreement were implemented with a delay. Rwanda continues to demonstrate leadership in integrating climate considerations into macroeconomic policy and leveraging institutional reforms to mobilize climate finance.

    Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the fifth review under the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) for Rwanda.[1]

    Rwanda’s economy expanded by 8.9 percent in 2024, driven by a rebound in agriculture and continued strength in the services and construction sectors. Inflation remained within the National Bank of Rwanda’s 2–8 percent target band, reflecting tight monetary policy and improved domestic food supply. The current account deficit widened in 2024 due to strong consumer and capital goods imports, but reserves remained adequate at 4.7 months of imports as of end-year.

    Going forward, the fiscal position will be under pressure from the large infrastructure investment in the New Kigali International Airport and the expansion of RwandAir, as well as the recent pension reform. Public debt is expected to peak in FY2025/26, with the PCI debt anchor now projected to be reached in 2033. Accelerating domestic revenue mobilization and maintaining a credible fiscal consolidation path are crucial to restoring policy space and ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability. Continued vigilance is also needed to manage risks from SOEs, rising debt service costs, and constrained access to concessional financing.

    Monetary policy should remain data-driven to contain inflation and support external adjustment. Exchange rate flexibility will be essential to absorb shocks, while reforms to strengthen FX market functioning should continue. Close oversight of credit expansion—including in the microfinance sector—and improved monitoring of large exposures are important to safeguard financial stability.

    Program implementation under the PCI remains strong. All quantitative targets were met and most structural benchmarks for this review were completed, including those on SOE governance, PFM digitalization, and monetary statistics expansion. The remaining two structural benchmarks on the Cabinet approval of the comprehensive tax policy package and the rollout of the Global Master Repurchase Agreement were implemented with a delay. The authorities continue to build on the strong foundation established under the now-completed RSF. Progress on climate-related reforms has remained strong, including efforts to implement a climate budget tagging system, develop green taxonomies, and advance the climate finance agenda. Developing a pipeline of viable, bankable green projects will be essential to fully leverage available resources and sustain momentum.

    At the conclusion of the Executive Board’s discussion, Mr. Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director, and Acting Chair, made the following statement:

    “Rwanda’s economy has demonstrated impressive resilience, recording strong growth supported by robust activity in the services, construction, and agriculture sectors. Inflation has remained within the NBR target range, aided by prudent monetary policy and improved domestic food supply. However, the macroeconomic environment has become more complex due to a need to implement difficult reforms against the background of worsening external conditions, including aid withdrawals and regional tensions.

    “Sustaining fiscal consolidation remains vital to preserving macroeconomic stability and ensuring debt sustainability. The recently adopted tax reform package is a welcome step toward broadening the tax base and enhancing equity and efficiency. Continued expenditure rationalization and close monitoring of fiscal risks, particularly from SOEs and the ambitious priority investment project, are essential. The fiscal implications of pension reform and the financing needs for the priority infrastructure project must be carefully managed to maintain fiscal discipline.

    “Monetary and financial policies remain focused on stability, but vigilance is warranted. Inflationary pressures from fiscal loosening and tax policy changes may necessitate a tightening of the policy stance. Greater exchange rate flexibility is crucial to support external adjustment and safeguard reserve adequacy. The authorities’ efforts to modernize the monetary policy framework and strengthen FX market functioning are welcome. Enhancing risk monitoring, particularly in the microfinance sector, and large exposures, along with building additional capital buffers, will be key to safeguarding financial stability.

    “Rwanda continues to advance structural reforms under the PCI, including improvements in SOE governance, public financial management digitalization, and financial sector statistics. Progress on climate-related reforms under the RSF is commendable. Looking ahead, Rwanda’s efforts to build a pipeline of bankable green projects and improve climate finance coordination will be instrumental in mobilizing additional resources. Continued commitment to reform and strong engagement with development partners will be critical to sustaining progress and supporting Rwanda’s ambitious development agenda.”

    [1] The PCI arrangement was approved on December 12, 2022.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Tatiana Mossot

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/04/pr-25178-rwanda-imf-concludes-the-5th-review-under-the-policy-coor-instrument

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Education update and positive destinations for our school leavers

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    The Highland Council, Education Committee met today (Wednesday 4 June 2025) and received a comprehensive overview of recent developments in the Education and Learning Service, including positive school leaver destinations and an update on the refreshed attainment strategy and the Education and Learning management restructure.

    Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: “The set of reports presented to us today, show positive steps in the educational journey of all our learners across Highland and the positive contribution they will bring as part of our ‘Workforce for the Future’ ambitions.

    “The last few months, has been as is always expected at this time of year, challenging for our senior phase learners as they have prepared for and taken their SQA exams, finalised apprenticeships and completed portfolios and module-based learning. I commend the pupils and staff for all their efforts and hope that as we draw near to the school summer holidays, pupils take some down time to reflect on what they do next in terms of learning, life and work.

    “It is encouraging to see the positive destination statistics for our school leavers be that in employment, education, or training, which have produced the most positive figures we have seen in the last 5 years with 96.5% of 2,692 pupils achieving sustained destinations on leaving school.” 

    Cllr Finlayson added: “A refreshed attainment strategy with input from central officers, headteachers, and unions has positively progressed since our February Education Committee, and its strategic focus and workstreams will be discussed at our head teachers conference.

    “At Committee today, we also received an update on the Education and Learning management restructure, a new area-based model with 8 operational areas. The changes deliver a simplified and streamlined structure, providing clear lines of responsibility and accountability.

    “Improving outcomes for all our Highland learners remains a key priority and all of today’s reports outline the continued vision and commitment of The Highland Council’s Education and Learning Service and that of our partner services to move positively forward on our journey to excellence.”

    The report can be accessed here (Item 11)

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Gen Z and the sustainability paradox: Why ideals and shopping habits don’t always align

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Melise Panetta, Lecturer of Marketing in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University

    Often praised as the ‘sustainability generation,’ Gen Z has been at the forefront of calls for ethical production, environmental accountability and climate-conscious living. (Shutterstock)

    As the summer shopping season kicks off, all eyes are on Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 and whose purchasing power wields significant influence over market trends.

    Often lauded as the “sustainability generation,” a closer look reveals a complex internal struggle: despite their strong desire for eco-conscious living, many Gen Z consumers find themselves drawn to the allure of fast, affordable, trend-driven consumption.

    This discrepancy between belief and action, known as the “attitude-behaviour gap,” is a defining characteristic of Gen Z consumerism. While it’s not unique to Gen Z, it’s particularly pronounced due to their vocal environmentalism and their immersion in a hyper-consumerist digital world.

    Understanding consumer behaviour at a deeper level means looking past stated preferences and focusing instead on the economic, technological and cultural forces that shape real-world decisions.

    The rise of the eco-conscious Gen Z consumer

    There’s no denying Gen Z’s pronounced environmental awareness compared to other generations.

    Raised in the era of climate crisis and corporate responsibility, they gravitate toward brands that reflect their values. Over 75 per cent say sustainability matters more than brand name, and 81 per cent are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products.

    This isn’t merely performative — Gen Z actively integrates sustainability into their lives. They’re more likely than any other generation to research a brand’s ethics and environmental impact before buying, often using social media to guide decisions.

    More than 70 per cent discover sustainable products via platforms like Instagram and TikTok, fuelling social movements like Who Made My Clothes and supporting businesses like LastObject, a company that uses digital crowdfunding to engage environmentally conscious consumers.

    They’re also behind the rise of the second-hand market, which is expected to hit US$329 billion globally by 2029. With 40 per cent of Gen Z — the highest rate of any age group — shopping resale, platforms like Depop and ThredUp have seen explosive growth.

    Gen Z’s consumer behaviour is also influencing the spending habits of older generations. According to the World Economic Forum, increased spending on sustainable brands by groups like Generation X is being driven, in part, by Gen Z’s values, behaviours and expectations.

    Gen Z’s push for sustainable consumption is shifting the market and everyone in it.

    When values clash with spending habits

    Fast fashion, frictionless e-commerce and the constant churn of social media trends have created a marketplace where sustainable intentions are easily sidelined.

    Viral phenomena like Shein hauls — videos where social media influencers flaunt dozens of ultra-cheap outfits — spotlight the contradiction.

    In the first 19 weeks of 2025 alone, Shein’s app amassed over 54 million downloads, a staggering number that underscores how affordability and instant gratification often win out over sustainability. Built on rapid production and ultra-low prices, Shein’s model encourages frequent, high-volume purchases — the antithesis of the “buy less, buy better” ethos that underpins sustainable consumption.

    And this pattern extends far beyond fashion. The wider consumer landscape rewards speed and low cost at every turn. Gen Z came of age with one-click ordering and next-day delivery — conveniences that are now baseline expectations for shoppers. These days, nearly half of Gen Z consumers prioritize fast shipping, despite its high environmental cost.

    Meanwhile, the social media platforms where they discover new eco-conscious brands are the same ones pushing relentless trend cycles that encourage over-consumption, from gadgets to clothing and lifestyle products.

    Sustainability often comes with a steep price tag, one many young Gen Z consumers simply can’t afford. Brands like Patagonia or Allbirds are aspirational, but in the context of the cost-of-living crisis, fast-fashion giants like Zara, H&M and TJX Companies offer more budget-friendly options.

    Navigating the ‘attitude-behaviour’ gap

    The disconnect between Gen Z’s values and their consumption patterns isn’t about hypocrisy. Rather, it’s about navigating a system where sustainable choices are harder, more expensive and often less visible.

    Gen Z’s struggle shows that living sustainably in a world designed for speed, savings and social validation is an uphill battle — even for the generation most determined to make a difference.

    Bridging this gap demands action on several fronts. For businesses, it means innovating to make sustainable options more affordable and accessible. Transparency in supply chain practices and clear communication about environmental impact are also key to building trust with consumers.

    For Gen Z themselves, transparency about the true cost of consumption is vital. Fostering critical thinking about marketing messages and the impact of social media trends can empower them to make choices that more consistently align with their values.

    As the summer unfolds and consumer spending rises, the choices made by Gen Z will be a significant indicator of our collective path towards a more sustainable economy. Their ideals are a powerful force for change, but translating those ideals into consistent action remains the critical challenge.

    Melise Panetta 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. Gen Z and the sustainability paradox: Why ideals and shopping habits don’t always align – https://theconversation.com/gen-z-and-the-sustainability-paradox-why-ideals-and-shopping-habits-dont-always-align-257601

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Rosanna Costa: The power of data for a smart world

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

    It is an honor and a privilege to welcome you to the Sixth Statistics Conference of the Central Bank of Chile, which we are hosting in a particularly meaningful year for our institution as we celebrate its centennial. Over the past 100 years, the evolution of the economy-and of statistics in particular-has been closely interlocked with dynamic and ever-changing environments and faced with a future that is advancing rapidly and full of promising and challenging changes.

    This sixth edition of the Statistics Conference, whose title – “The Power of Data for a Smart World”- resonates strongly in this moment of our history. If there is one lesson the past century has taught us, it is that knowledge, grounded in solid information and rigorous analysis, guides the path to progress and stability. We are also opening the window to new developments that offer us opportunities and challenges, because they provide tools, but at the same time demand more information, of better quality and greater timeliness.

    In recognition of these one hundred years, I would like to revisit them through the lens of statistics-and from there, open the door to the next century.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Education Secretary’s speech on attendance at regional conference

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Education Secretary’s speech on attendance at regional conference

    The Education Secretary addresses 200 education leaders from the Midlands on our mission to drive up school attendance.

    Good morning, everyone, and thank you so much for being here.  

    And thank you to Carol and the DfE team for your hard work to bring us all together. 

    It’s great to see you gathered here today.  

    I know we’ve all come for the same reason.  

    And it’s not for the chance to check out this great football stadium and imagine what could have been had we not got into education. 

    We’re all here today because we care deeply about the children of this country. 

    Their education, their lives, their futures. 

    They are at the centre of your schools, and they are at the centre of what this government wants to achieve. 

    And as Secretary of State for Education, my time, my energy, my ideas, my drive, my passion – it all belongs to them, the children of this country. 

    Not just some children, all children. 

    That’s my vision for education: 

    Excellence – for every child. 

    High and rising standards – for every child. 

    Opportunity – for every child. 

    In practice, that means four things.  

    It starts with you, great leaders, and all you do to empower our great teachers. 

    Because you know the importance of top-class teaching. 

    You understand how it can transform young lives.  

    So great teachers and great leaders are the first step – they are always the first step when it comes to learning. 

    The second step is what they teach – the curriculum.  

    And you’ll know that our curriculum and assessment review is working hard on that right now. 

    We’ll bring in a curriculum that is broad and deep and rich – ready to set children up for the future.  

    The next step is building a self-improving system. How you as leaders and we as government combine to deliver better life chances for children. 

    Those are three big steps, but it’s the fourth and final one that we’re focusing on today – breaking down the barriers to learning. 

    And in particular: attendance. 

    It’s fundamental.  

    Children can’t benefit from fantastic teachers if they’re not in school. 

    They can’t benefit from a cutting-edge curriculum if they’re not in school. 

    They can’t benefit from your hard work, or from everything this government is doing, if they’re not in school. 

    We all know why that matters. Why at times it’s so frustrating. 

    It’s at the root of what motivates me, what lifts me up and pushes me out the front door every morning.  

    Because across this country, in our towns and cities, in our classrooms and playgrounds, we still see the weight of background hold so many children back. 

    Children from certain parts of the country, children growing up in poverty, children with special educational needs. 

    And we must recognise that absence is at the centre of their stories. 

    It takes those early gaps that show up between children – and it crowbars them further apart. 

    I’ve seen it happen – and I know you have too. 

    When I was a child, skipping school was never an option.  

    My mam saw that I went off to school every day – and that was the end of it.  

    My schools were places I wanted to be. I had teachers who made me feel like I belonged in their classroom.  

    And so even on those grey and drizzly mornings – off to school I went, because that was the place for me. 

    But there were children on my street who weren’t so lucky. 

    They started by missing a day here or there. Testing the boundaries. 

    And when nobody stopped them, that day here or there turned into a day a fortnight, a day a week, until suddenly they were out of school more than they were in school. 

    I’d see them hanging around the park, or outside the corner shop – but rarely in the classroom. 

    I saw that process play out time and again – and I saw the damage it did. 

    I saw how it held children back from becoming all that they could be. 

    You’ll have seen it too. 

    And it’s this time of year when the effects become clear. 

    Because we meet today in the middle of exam season.  

    Children all over the country are squeezing in some last-minute revision. 

    But as education leaders, you’ll all know – the key to exam success is not cramming but consistency. 

    It’s the hard work – from days into weeks, weeks into months, months into years – that’s the foundation for success in exams.  

    And we build that foundation for our children through attendance. 

    Children in school, day in, day out.  

    So the smiles on results day in August – they are built on consistently showing up for school from September to July.  

    We know that, there’s solid data behind it, but I’m sure you all see it across your schools and in your trusts and local authorities: top class attendance leads to top class exam results. 

    But you’ll also know that there will be children in August, standing on the steps in front of your schools, not smiling but frowning. 

    Who feel the sting of disappointment when they open their envelopes.  

    Children who were held back from doing their best because they just weren’t in school enough this year, or last year, or the years before that. 

    Because those missed days – they may have felt harmless at the time – but they add up.  

    And children carry that extra weight with them into the exam room, and on into life beyond school. 

    The truth is that this is happening to far too many children. 

    This morning, children across the country are taking GCSE maths exams, so I’ll sprinkle some statistics into my speech today. 

    This statistic should shock us all. 

    1 in 5 children are persistently absent from our schools. 

    That’s 1.5 million, missing roughly a day every other week. 

    1.5 million. This isn’t a side issue, it’s not a niche problem to talk about in between the big education conversations.  

    This is the big education conversation. 

    Getting children back in school every day, back learning every day, back building towards a brighter future every day.  

    That’s the challenge for me, for you, for parents, for everyone in this room, for anyone across the country who cares about our children’s futures. 

    On that, I’m incredibly ambitious. 

    And since we’re meeting here at Villa Park, I hope you’ll allow me one or two football analogies, especially as my private secretary James, who is with me today, is a lifelong Aston Villa fan. 

    James tells me that since Villa were promoted from the Championship to the Premier League in 2019,  attendance at matches here in this stadium, as a percentage of max capacity, has gone from the mid-70s to the high-90s. 

    Only 2 or 3 seats in every hundred sitting empty on match day. 

    I want to see the same in our schools. And then I want to see even better. 

    We need to go from Championship to Premier League. 

    And the way we do that is by each recognising our joint responsibility to our children. 

    Government, schools, parents – working together to get children back in the classroom. 

    Parents have the responsibility to send their children to school. Of course they do.  

    But what schools do matters too. We can see it in the data. 

    Because within local authorities or trusts – there are similar schools, facing similar challenges, but with very different records on attendance. 

    Some doing really well. But in others we need to see more progress. 

    About two thirds of the difference can be explained by things like where the schools are and the communities they serve.  

    And I’m sure a bit reflects the complexities of schooling that we just can’t measure. 

    But there is a chunk, a big chunk, that is under the control of school leaders. 

    The data is clear – your leadership matters.  

    And we’re arming you with that data. You now have access to AI-powered reports for each of your schools. 

    You can see how each school’s performance compares with 20 similar schools.  

    As well as tailored tips for how to get attendance moving again. 

    And I’m pleased to say reports at trust and local authority level will be available soon. 

    Because that’s where you as system leaders come in, where you can think strategically across your schools. 

    On resourcing. 

    On accountability. 

    On data. 

    You can make a big difference on attendance, you can make a big difference in the lives of those absent children. 

    And as far as I’m concerned, that’s not just an opportunity, it’s a responsibility – one that I sincerely hope you can live up to. 

    So think about what more your schools can do to reach that child who misses too many Monday mornings.  

    What more your schools can do to work with those parents who don’t yet see the importance of attendance. 

    What more your schools can do to make sure every child knows they belong in the classroom. 

    We as government are right here with you – we are determined to do more to support you, determined that you as leaders have what you need to get the job done. 

    Just in the last few weeks we’ve improved our data tools for you.  

    These tools are now harnessing the power of AI to help you quickly identify and address problems as they arise. 

    We’ve also given secondary schools year 6 transition data – because we know, and you do too, that the jump from one school to the next is a key moment for attendance.  

    Giving you the right data means you can support the right children sooner. 

    But we’re going further to give you what you need. 

    We’re launching up to 90 new RISE Attendance and Behaviour Hubs.  

    These will be specially appointed schools.  

    They’ll work hand in hand with up to 500 schools with the most complex challenges. 

    And they’ll lead regional networks – for schools to come together, to share what works, and to learn from each other. 

    We’re also boosting funding by up to £49 million to give mental health support to 900,000 more young people in schools this year. 

    And we’re rolling out school-based nurseries and free breakfast clubs in our primary schools – teaching children from an early age that school is where they belong. 

    Attendance is a generational challenge. This will take grit, it will take graft, and it will take persistence – not for weeks or months but for years.  

    I know you don’t shy away from a challenge when it comes to the futures of our children. 

    You’ve faced huge challenges before, the covid pandemic is just one example.    

    You’ve come out fighting, and you’ve delivered – time and again. 

    And your hard work to get children back in the classroom is beginning to turn the tide. 

    Here’s another statistic – one I’m deeply proud of and you should be to: our children have spent 3 million more days in the classroom this year than last. 

    3 million – what a turn around.  

    So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all you’ve done to get attendance back moving in the right direction.  

    I can assure you, that hard work will make such a difference to all those children.  

    To the jobs they go on to get,  

    to the pay they go on to earn,  

    to the lives they go on to live. 

    But we can’t stop here. This isn’t the end of our journey on attendance. It’s just the beginning.  

    Now is the time to kick on, now is the time to take our action to the next level. 

    So thank you for coming today,  

    thank you for your hard work,  

    and thank you for your continued commitment to getting our children back in the classroom – once and for all.

    DfE media enquiries

    Central newsdesk – for journalists 020 7783 8300

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Housing Bill: Greens condemn SNP ‘rhetoric over reality’ as action on empty homes ditched

    Source: Scottish Greens

    04 Jun 2025 Housing

    Empty homes in Scotland must be used to tackle the housing emergency.

    More in Housing

    The Scottish Greens have condemned the SNP Government for voting down plans to bring more empty homes back into use.

    The proposals, which were put forward by the Greens as amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill, would have empowered councils to issue compulsory sales orders on long-term unoccupied residential properties.

    Recent Scottish Government statistics have shown that 31,596 homes in Scotland are classified as having been empty for more than a year. This is more than the number of homelessness applications made across Scotland last year. It means the powers proposed by the Greens would have been a key step towards alleviating the housing emergency.

    However, the SNP and the Conservatives voted down the plans at Stage 2 of the Bill process. They did so despite polling commissioned by the Scottish Greens showing that the majority of people (69%) want to see powers introduced that would force owners of derelict homes to sell up.

    Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman, who brought the amendment, said that the Government’s decision not to back the proposals showed it wasn’t serious about considering all options to tackle the housing emergency.

    Ms Chapman said: 

    “The Scottish Government agrees that we are in the midst of a growing housing emergency. But, once again, we’re seeing that its rhetoric isn’t translating into reality.

    “Home ownership is a distant dream for people all over Scotland. Too many people are trapped in the private rented sector or are having to live with their parents or sleep on friends’ sofas because rents are so high. Seeing empty, neglected homes in their area must feel like a kick in the teeth.

    “The compulsory sales orders amendment that I brought forward would have rapidly opened up thousands of homes to Scottish people. Instead of backing a near-instant boost to affordable housing supply, the SNP has opted to do nothing.

    “Every abandoned flat and empty plot is a missed opportunity to provide a secure home for someone who desperately needs it. The Scottish Greens will continue to do all we can to bring these vacant spaces back into use.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Copyleaks Named No. 2 on TIME’s List of World’s Top EdTech Rising Stars of 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Copyleaks, a pioneering AI content analysis and governance platform used by enterprises, educational institutions, and individual users across the globe, has been named No. 2 on the second edition of the World’s Top EdTech Rising Stars of 2025. This prestigious award is presented by TIME and Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The ranking recognizes the fastest-growing education technology companies worldwide based on revenue growth and industry impact.

    Chosen from a global pool of more than 7,000 edtech companies, Copyleaks was the only U.S.-based company to break into the top five. The company was recognized for its cutting-edge innovation in AI content detection and its pivotal role in helping educators and institutions uphold trust, transparency, and academic integrity in an increasingly digital world.

    “As AI continues to shape the future of education, maintaining integrity and transparency is paramount,” said Alon Yamin, CEO and co-founder of Copyleaks. “Being recognized by TIME as a Rising Star in EdTech underscores our dedication to delivering trusted solutions that help institutions navigate this new era with confidence and clarity.”

    The World’s Top EdTech Companies 2025 list recognizes companies primarily focused on developing and providing educational technologies, products, or services. Data was gathered from company applications, annual reports, media monitoring, and other public sources to support the research. Additionally, Statista worked with specialized data partners HolonIQ and LexisNexis PatentSight to further strengthen the data quality.

    The ranking is built on the research and analysis of the companies across two dimensions:

    1. Financial Strength: Revenue, funding data, and company disclosures were analyzed.
    2. Industry impact: Analyzed quality and impact of product or service portfolio, and the quality and value of the company’s intellectual property.

    Companies received scores in each of these dimensions, which are then combined into an overall score. The 350 companies with the highest scores, which have demonstrated an extraordinary impact on the industry and strong financial performance, were awarded.

    Copyleaks’ leading platform leverages advanced, multi-layered AI to detect both AI-generated and plagiarized content with up to 99% accuracy. Built for transparency and trust, it delivers verifiable insights into content authorship. As educational institutions face growing challenges around AI misuse, Copyleaks empowers them with the tools to trace content origins and promote academic integrity and authentic student work.

    Statista publishes hundreds of worldwide industry rankings and company listings with high-profile media partners. This research and analysis service is based on the success of statista.com, the leading data and business intelligence portal that provides statistics, relevant business data, and various market and consumer studies and surveys.

    To learn more about Copyleaks and its solutions, visit www.copyleaks.com.

    About Copyleaks
    Copyleaks is a leading AI text analysis platform empowering businesses and educational institutions to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of genAI confidently. With an award-winning suite of AI-powered tools trusted by millions, Copyleaks ensures AI governance, empowers responsible AI adoption, safeguards IP, protects intellectual property, and maintains academic integrity with comprehensive AI and plagiarism detection.

    For additional information, visit our Website or follow us on LinkedIn.

    The MIL Network –