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Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Trump is aiming to silence public media in the US – and if he succeeds, his supporters here will take note

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Bruce Wolpe, Non-resident Senior Fellow, United States Study Centre, University of Sydney

    The ABC dodged a bullet in the Australian election. The Albanese government supports the ABC. In the United States, however, the 2024 presidential election severely wounded public media in America.

    Fresh from his decisive victory in Congress – passage of the One Big Beautiful bill that locks in the legislation to prosecute Trump’s domestic policy agenda – Trump is demanding Congress cancel funding for public media, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). Hardliners in the US House of Representatives have already voted to end all federal funding for public media. The Senate will vote on this issue in mid-July.

    We have tale of two vital and powerful media institutions in Australia and the US. What happens over there can affect what happens here.

    Towards the end of Australia’s election campaign, Peter Dutton, then leader of the Liberal Party, opened up on the ABC. He looped in The Guardian for good measure. And he implied other media deserved his words:

    Forget about what you have been told by the ABC, The Guardian and the other hate media.

    Dutton’s words embellished previous policies under Coalition governments, with budget cuts to the ABC of over $500 million, and several inquiries into the degree of ABC’s neutrality and objectivity in its coverage of news and current affairs.



    Read more:
    Peter Dutton calling the ABC and the Guardian ‘hate media’ rings alarm bells for democracy

    Kim Williams, chair of the ABC, said the network would “perform well” under any scrutiny from a Dutton government. Dutton himself, shortly before the election, demanded the ABC show “excellence” in order to prove to taxpayers that its almost $1.2 billion annual budget was justified.

    The Coalition’s defeat aided the ABC’s victory in its longstanding quest for financial stability and future growth. The ABC can continue to build on the commitments established by the Albanese Labor government in 2023 – even though there are choppy waters for the ABC as its new leadership makes programming and staffing decisions for the years ahead.

    With a new Coalition shadow cabinet in place, we will see as future budgets play out whether they have changed their tune on their approach to the ABC.

    We will see how both the government and the Coalition react to Kim Williams’ powerful case he recently presented for “more investment for much-needed renewal” in the ABC.

    Public media in Trump’s America

    In America today, public media are facing Trump’s wrath.

    Trump’s hatred of mainstream media is legendary. For the past decade, Trump has called the major media outlets the “enemy of the people” – the same label that Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin used against those who dared to oppose him.

    In his second term, Trump is engaged in aggressive muscling of the enemies he sees in the media. The Associated Press is barred from the pool of journalists covering the president. Trump has silenced the Voice of America. The US ABC and CBS television networks have both settled lawsuits filed by Trump to seek damages for their broadcast coverage of him and the 2024 presidential campaign. The price to help avoid regulatory punishment by the government of those two networks: $US16 million (A$24.5 million) each.

    For a country that established freedom of the press under its Constitution, Trump’s attacks on news media are an ongoing assault on America’s democracy.

    Trump’s attacks on PBS and NPR show the existential threat they face.

    In 1967, Congress established and funded the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to bring to life public television and radio across America. Money from CPB supports the stations. The stations contract with PBS and NPR to help produce the programming they air, from the PBS NewsHour, Frontline and Sesame Street on PBS to Morning Edition and All Things Considered on NPR – and much more.

    Trump holds the same sentiment that Dutton expressed against the ABC – that the public broadcasters are biased toward the “extreme woke Marxist left”. Trump wrote on Truth Social that:

    Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of the most influential Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, was in-your-face direct on the case against public media:

    This bill’s real simple. Don’t spend money on stupid things, and don’t subsidize biased media.

    In late April, Trump ordered the firing of three of CPB’s five directors. On May 1, Trump issued an executive order that will savage public media’s existence:

    At the very least, Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage […] The CPB fails to abide by these principles to the extent it subsidizes NPR and PBS.“

    Public media has filed red-hot lawsuits against Trump and his officials for crushing the First Amendment free-speech rights of public televion and radio stations, and for cancelling funds appropriated by Congress. The court rulings in these cases will be crucial to the outcome.

    The last near-fatal threat to public broadcasting was in 1981, when President Ronald Reagan sought Congress’ approval to decimate its funding. Under Reagan conservatism, media belong in the private sector. The conservative’s political bias against public broadcasting framed the push to cancel government funding.

    But Congress rose up successfully against the Reagan cuts – led not only by Democrats but with Senate Republicans from rural states who understood how important public broadcasting was to their communities. Their budgets were trimmed, but PBS and NPR were not decapitated.

    Lessons for the ABC

    The same is true here: ABC stations in country areas are similarly held in high regard.

    The cuts to public media passed the US House by one vote on June 12.

    The Senate will vote in the coming days. We will see if some Senate Republicans who voted against Trump’s One Big Beautiful bill last week will stand up again and vote to buck Trump on this issue and protect public media in their states.

    If Trump succeeds in silencing public media in America, the Trump echo chamber in Australia will take note. Some hard conservatives in Canberra and the Murdoch media will likely leverage Congress’ approval of Trump’s order that PBS and NPR be punished for their left-wing bias and that public media should become the province of the private sector. Defunding public media in the US will sustain the sentiment that one day, under a future government here, the scythe will be wielded at the ABC.

    If the US Senate supports Trump, the fight for the ABC in Australia – not just over money, but over its role, responsibilities and standing in Australia – may not be over.

    Bruce Wolpe is a (non-resident) Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. The views expressed herein are his own. Wolpe served on the staff of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He worked on the Democratic staff in Congress on public broadcasting issues and was an executive with NPR. He is the author of two books on Trump and Australia.

    – ref. Trump is aiming to silence public media in the US – and if he succeeds, his supporters here will take note – https://theconversation.com/trump-is-aiming-to-silence-public-media-in-the-us-and-if-he-succeeds-his-supporters-here-will-take-note-260584

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s innovative solutions propel global shifts toward smarter, greener industries

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

    A staff member sets parameters before welding at Guangdong Lyric Robot Automation Co., Ltd. in Huizhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, June 27, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    As global industries accelerate their transition toward intelligence and sustainability, China’s innovative solutions form vital components of international supply chains, driving cross-sector transformation.

    Smarter factories 

    At Guangdong Lyric Robot Automation’s Huizhou facility in south China, an automated warehouse operates efficiently with only two staff members. Materials glide autonomously through storage systems, arriving precisely at workstations as needed. A central control screen displays real-time inventory levels, material usage frequency, and shelf capacity.

    “This system cuts operational costs by over 30 percent while boosting productivity by 40 percent,” said Duan Yajie, general manager of Lyric subsidiary Shunchu Intelligence. Overseas orders for such integrated solutions now constitute over 40 percent of the subsidiary’s total business.

    Lyric’s intelligent factories serve industry leaders across six countries. From battery plants in North America to a comprehensive automotive logistics center in Hungary, as well as sectors like renewable energy and AI computing, Lyric has supported clients in establishing digital factories using technologies such as intelligent sensing, precision control and execution systems.

    With subsidiaries in 14 countries, including the United Kingdom, Poland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, and the United States, Lyric has navigated cross-cultural challenges through co-developed standards. “Building consensus during the design phase helps prevent conflicts during implementation,” Lyric’s co-founder Lu Jiahong said.

    “Once rare on European streets, electric vehicles are now increasingly common, reflecting the combined efforts of Chinese equipment, battery and auto manufacturers,” she added.

    Powering energy revolution 

    EVE Energy Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese lithium battery company headquartered in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, is advancing its global manufacturing strategy with a new battery production base in Hungary’s Debrecen.

    The facility represents a transformative industrial upgrade for the region, introducing advanced manufacturing systems where agricultural production once dominated the local economy.

    “We’re bringing advanced industrial production to this region, creating employment while accelerating the energy transition,” stated EVE vice president Jiang Min. He added that the Debrecen base is scheduled to begin production in late 2026, while their overseas facility in Malaysia is already operational.

    Ranked fourth globally in cylindrical battery shipments and second in energy storage capacity for 2024, EVE Energy operates 12 production bases across Asia, Europe and North America. Its power batteries supply premier global automakers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar Land Rover.

    According to Jiang, the company continues to expand investments in carbon-reduction technologies. It has recently established a comprehensive resource recovery ecosystem with over 10 partners. “Collaborative expansion across the industrial chain creates mutual benefits,” Jiang said.

    A staff member operates a robot to perform synchronous action at a provincial embodied artificial intelligence robot innovation center in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, June 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Vision for intelligent machines 

    At Orbbec’s Shenzhen exhibition hall, a food-delivery robot navigates through display areas, skillfully avoiding obstacles.

    This agility comes from its 3D vision sensors, powered by the proprietary “MX6600” chip, which measures about 9 square millimeters. This chip processes depth-sensing data to enable high-precision spatial mapping.

    Currently, 7 out of 10 service robots in China use Orbbec sensors, while international clients grew by 77 percent year on year to 1,469 in 2024, including major companies like Nvidia and Microsoft.

    “We concentrate on foundational technologies,” said Huang Yuanhao, founder of Orbbec. “We are one of the few companies worldwide to cover all major 3D vision perception technology approaches, serving global robotics enterprises across various sectors, such as smart factories, warehouse logistics, construction automation, and intelligent inspection,” he added.

    Orbbec also offers rapid technical support to better serve its global users. “Some of our products have demanding technical service requirements, and excellent service is a major factor why overseas users choose us,” said Orbbec’s CFO Chen Bin.

    China’s global engagement is transitioning from manufacturing exports to integrated technological empowerment, said Yang Boru, professor at the School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong. As these innovative solutions expand worldwide, they have become key drivers of intelligent and sustainable industrialization, he added.  

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese initiatives to form a multipolar world order are based on a deep understanding of the current situation in the world – Russian expert

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    Moscow, July 10 /Xinhua/ — China’s latest initiatives to form a multipolar world order, in particular the concept of a community of shared destiny for mankind and the Global Civilization Initiative, are based on a deep understanding of the current situation in the world, says Russian sinologist and associate professor at the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Lomonosov Moscow State University Maria Semenyuk.

    In 2023, the Chinese side put forward the Global Civilization Initiative. “China’s latest initiatives aimed at forming a new, multipolar world order, including the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind and the Global Civilization Initiative, are based on a deep understanding of the current international situation and meet the aspirations of not only the Chinese people, but also the peoples of many other countries,” M. Semenyuk said in an interview with Xinhua, adding that it is no coincidence that they have found a lively response not only in Russia, but also in many countries of the Global South.

    According to the Russian expert, the significance of such concepts and initiatives lies in China’s constant and tireless efforts aimed at forming a new vector of development for countries and civilizations: without abandoning previous experience and its cultural essence in favor of renewal or assimilation, to carry out modernization based on historical experience and preserving cultural identity.

    As the sinologist noted, exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations are a necessary condition for global mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence, and the key to this is “closeness of hearts,” that is, humanitarian cooperation.

    “I have been translating Chinese literature for over 15 years, as well as book and cultural projects in this area. I am pleased to see how more and more Chinese books of various genres are appearing on the shelves of our stores and that for our readers such books are no longer “exotic”, but something relevant and interesting,” M. Semenyuk emphasized, reporting that a decision has already been made to launch a number of new projects in the area of mutual translation, publishing and cultural exchanges between Russia and China. “We have already begun working on new lists of books for translation,” she added.

    From July 10 to 11, the ministerial meeting of the Global Dialogue among Civilizations is taking place in Beijing. According to M. Semenyuk, this event will become a landmark in the current global situation.

    “It will be a clear signal that the world’s civilizations are truly united by a common desire for peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom, and that instead of ideological confrontation, it is necessary to carry out concrete work on rapprochement, mutual exchange and the creation of a global network of dialogue in order to successfully confront the challenges of the new era,” the sinologist noted.

    According to her, the current international situation is characterized by instability and contradictions. “In conditions when dangerous judgments about the so-called “civilizational superiority” are again gaining supporters, the principles of the Global Civilization Initiative – to promote dialogue among civilizations while respecting and protecting the diversity of world civilizations – and the principles of inclusiveness, mutual learning and harmonious coexistence of civilizations are especially relevant,” M. Semenyuk emphasized. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: School smartphone bans reflect growing concern over youth mental health and academic performance

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Margaret Murray, Associate Professor of Public Communication and Culture Studies, University of Michigan

    New laws that ban smartphones or social media for youth are being introduced across several Western nations. SeventyFour/iStock via Getty Images

    The number of states banning smartphones in schools is growing.

    New York is now the largest state in the U.S. to ban smartphones in public schools. Starting in fall 2025, students will not be allowed to use their phones during the school day, including during lunch, recess or in between classes. This bell-to-bell policy will impact almost 2.5 million students in grades K-12.

    By banning smartphones in schools, New York is joining states across the country. The bans are happening in both traditionally liberal and conservative states.

    Alabama, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and West Virginia all passed legislation in 2025 that requires schools to have policies that limit access to smartphones. The policies will go into effect in the 2025-2026 school year. This brings the total to 17 states, plus Washington, D.C., that have phone-free school legislation or executive orders.

    I’m a professor who studies communication and culture, and while writing a book about parenting culture, I’ve noticed the narrative around smartphones and social media shifting over the past decade.

    A turning tide

    Statewide cellphone policies are gaining momentum, with many states aiming to restrict use of the devices in classrooms.
    Thomas Barwick/Digital Vision via Getty Images

    According to the Pew Research Center, 67% of American adults support banning smartphones during class time, although only 36% support banning them for the entire school day. Notably, a majority of Republican, Democratic and independent voters all support bans during class time.

    More broadly, parent-led movements to limit children’s use of smartphones, social media and the internet have sprung up around the country. For example, the Phone-Free Schools Movement in Pennsylvania was launched in 2023, and Mothers Against Media Addiction started in New York in March 2024. These organizations, which empower parents to advocate in their local communities, follow in the footsteps of organizations such as Wait Until 8th in Texas and Screen Time Action Network at Fairplay in Massachusetts, which were formed in 2017.

    The concerns of these parent-led organizations were reflected in the best-selling book “The Anxious Generation,” which paints a bleak picture of modern childhood as dominated by depression and anxiety brought on by smartphone addiction.

    Phone-free schools are one of the four actions the book’s author, Jonathan Haidt, recommended to change course. The other three are no smartphones for children before high school, waiting until 16 for social media access, and allowing more childhood independence in the real world.

    Haidt’s research team collaborated with The Harris Poll to survey Gen Z. They found that almost half of those age 18-27 wish social media had never been invented, and 21% wish smartphones had never been invented. About 40% of Gen Z respondents supported phone-free schools.

    The Pew Research Center found that almost 40% of kids age 8-12 use social media, and almost 95% of kids age 13-17 use it, with nearly half of teens reporting that they use social media almost constantly.

    Phone-free schools are also part of the larger trend of states and nations resisting Big Tech, the large technology companies that play a significant role in global commerce.

    In May 2025, two U.S. senators introduced the Stop the Scroll Act, which would require mental health warnings on social media.

    New laws that ban smartphones or social media for youth are being introduced across several Western nations. Australia has banned all social media for those under 16.

    After a fatal stabbing at a middle school in eastern France on June 10, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the same day that he wants the European Union to set the minimum age for social media at 15. He argued that social media is a factor in teen violence. If the EU doesn’t act within a few months, Macron has pledged to enact a ban in France as soon as possible.

    The impact on learning

    Research suggests that students are less focused in class when they have access to cellphones.
    isuzek/E+ via Getty Images

    Although this trend of restricting use of phones in school is new, more states may adopt smartphone bans in the future. Bell-to-bell bans are viewed as especially powerful in improving academic performance.

    Some research has suggested that when children have access to a smartphone, even if they do not use it, they find it harder to focus in class. Initial research has found that academic performance improves after the bans go into effect.

    Test scores fell across the U.S. during the pandemic lockdown and have not returned to prepandemic levels. Some states, such as Maine and Oregon, are almost a full year behind grade level in reading. Not a single state has recovered in both math and reading.

    Statewide bans free local school districts from having to create their own technology bans, which can lead to heated debates. Although a majority of adults approve of banning smartphones in class, 24% oppose it for reasons such as wanting to be able to contact their kids throughout the day and wanting parents to set the boundaries.

    However, 72% of high school teachers say that phones are a major distraction. Anecdotally, schools report that students like the bans after getting used to the change.

    I signed the Wait Until 8th pledge mentioned in the article, promising not to give my kids a smartphone or social media until at least the end of 8th grade.

    – ref. School smartphone bans reflect growing concern over youth mental health and academic performance – https://theconversation.com/school-smartphone-bans-reflect-growing-concern-over-youth-mental-health-and-academic-performance-259962

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What is the Strait of Hormuz and why is it so important for global shipping?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Belinda Clarence, Law Lecturer, RMIT University

    During the recent conflict between Iran and Israel, Iran threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s major shipping routes.

    Would that be possible, and what effects would it have?

    The Strait of Hormuz is a choke point at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. It is used to transport about 20% of global daily oil consumption.

    Iran effectively controls this crucial shipping route because it is a coastal state bordering this narrow stretch of water. The strait is too narrow to avoid navigating waters claimed by Iran. This raises thorny legal questions about whether it is really possible for Iran to block the strait, and what recourse other states have if it does.

    This geographical reality is far from new, and the legal frameworks governing international maritime activity have developed over centuries. At its heart is the lex mercatoria — the “law of merchants” — a body of transnational commercial law that emerged organically from the practices of traders operating across borders.

    Within this broader framework sits the lex maritima, or customary maritime law, which has long adapted to the hazards of shipping across vast oceans.

    The lex maritima originated from the shared practices of seafarers and merchants. Its purpose? To manage the unpredictable nature of maritime trade that demands coherent and stable rules.

    One of the most enduring principles of this legal tradition is the idea of mare liberum, or “the free sea”, set out by Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius in 1609. He argued the high seas should remain open to all for peaceful navigation and trade. This conveniently legitimised the ambitions of European colonial powers, granting them unfettered access to global maritime routes at a time when control over sea-based trade promised immense economic and strategic advantage.

    The shifting boundaries of maritime law

    One of the most fundamental questions in maritime law is: where do a nation’s territorial waters end, and the high seas begin?

    After the second world war, a series of conferences culminated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), where the customary 3 nautical miles (5.56km) of territorial waters states could claim as their own was extended. This narrow limit was rooted more in historical naval range – the so-called “cannon shot rule” – than in modern geopolitical or environmental realities.

    In 1959, Iran took the unusual step of unilaterally extending its territorial sea to 12 nautical miles, despite not being a party to UNCLOS. Two decades later, following the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the US Embassy hostage crisis, Washington grew increasingly anxious about the security of oil flows from the Persian Gulf. These concerns intensified during the Iran-Iraq War, especially as Iran began using small islands in the Strait of Hormuz to deploy military forces and threaten commercial shipping.

    UNCLOS and the new rules of the sea

    One of the key compromises of UNCLOS was an extension of territorial waters for states that ratified the treaty. In exchange, UNCLOS replaced the older concept of “innocent passage” – which allowed only surface navigation through territorial seas – with the broader notion of “transit passage”. Under this regime, vessels and aircraft from other states are granted the right to travel not only on the surface, but also under the sea and through the air above straits used for international navigation.

    While 169 states have ratified UNCLOS, both Iran and the United States remain notable holdouts. This means Iran does not enjoy the broader 12-nautical-mile limit recognised under UNCLOS, and the US cannot claim the agreement’s protections for transit passage through strategic choke points.

    While the geopolitical and legal tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz may seem far removed from the world of private commerce, the global economy continues to function thanks to a powerful legal tool: the contract. Contracts offer a predictable framework that allows trade across borders without parties needing to trust one another personally.

    The Strait of Hormuz is bordered by active, assertive states such as Iran, which means the potential for interstate conflict is relatively high. This doesn’t mean commercial contracts are irrelevant to the recent dispute in the Strait of Hormuz — far from it. But their influence is more indirect.

    What can be learned?

    Without significant political change in Tehran, it’s unlikely either Iran or the US will shift its position on adopting UNCLOS. Yet despite Iran’s repeated threats to close the strait, it has never followed through — and the US Navy continues to maintain a steady presence in the region. For now, a fragile but persistent equilibrium holds.

    Belinda Clarence 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. What is the Strait of Hormuz and why is it so important for global shipping? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-strait-of-hormuz-and-why-is-it-so-important-for-global-shipping-260920

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New study investigates miscarriage prevention guidance Researchers from the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh are looking into the use of progesterone for early pregnancy bleeding in Scotland.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Researchers from the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh are looking into the use of progesterone for early pregnancy bleeding in Scotland.
    Bleeding in the earliest stages of pregnancy is known as threatened miscarriage. It affects 1 in 5 pregnant women and whilst many pregnancies will continue normally, up to a third of women with early pregnancy bleeding may go on to lose the pregnancy. The hormone progesterone has been shown to reduce the risk of pregnancy loss in women experiencing bleeding who have had one or more previous miscarriages.
    In 2021, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) made the decision to recommend that women with early pregnancy bleeding, who have had an ultrasound scan confirming ongoing pregnancy, and have had at least one miscarriage should be offered progesterone to protect against early miscarriage. However, research shows that progesterone is not equally effective in all women and appears to be more beneficial to those who have had several previous miscarriages. In addition, as with any medication used in pregnancy, the benefits of treatment need to be balanced against any possible unforeseen effects on babies.
    The PROTEA Study, funded by the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office, and led by Dr Andrea Woolner, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen who is also an Honorary Consultant Obstetrician and Early Pregnancy Lead at NHS Grampian, is now underway across all Scottish health boards to fully evaluate this approach. The team will find whether the current ‘blanket’ approach is the most appropriate and understand how progesterone treatment is implemented in practice.
    As well as whether miscarriage is prevented, the team will also look at any impact in later pregnancy and early neonatal life as well as the costs associated with the current approach.
    They will use routinely collected NHS data to study what happens to pregnancies for women who present with early pregnancy bleeding and are appealing to all early pregnancy unit staff in all 14 Scottish Health Boards to keep helping them collect data on early pregnancy information until the study closes in 2027.
    The information collected will explore whether progesterone treatment affects the risk of other complications in pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia and if it has any effect on babies.

    We will monitor for any other effects progesterone might have, be that beneficial or potentially harmful, on the rest of the pregnancy and babies.” Dr Andrea Woolner

    Professor Colin Duncan, from the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh who is collaborating with Dr Woolner on the project, said: “We all want to ensure the best possible outcomes for women and babies.
    “This study allows us to explore the uptake, effectiveness and impacts of progesterone supplementation in threatened miscarriage in the real world by looking outcomes from the whole of Scotland.
    “The impressive record system within Scotland means we are ideally placed to carry out this important research.”
    Dr Woolner said: “We believe it is critical that this research is undertaken to follow up on the important findings from the clinical trials investigating this treatment to understand how progesterone may work in real-world settings and provide much-needed information on the benefits, safety, and consequences of progesterone use is made available as this treatment becomes part of normal care.
    “We will use routine data collected within Scottish hospitals to observe how well progesterone works in terms of preventing miscarriage when used across the population and what additional NHS resources are needed to support this service. We will monitor for any other effects progesterone might have, be that beneficial or potentially harmful, on the rest of the pregnancy and babies.”
    Vicki Robinson, Chief Executive Officer at the Miscarriage Association, said: “Miscarriage can be an incredibly painful and isolating experience, and research like this is vital to ensuring that care and treatment are grounded in strong, evidence-based guidance.
    “We’re pleased to be working alongside researchers and patients on this important study.”

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Trump’s Tariffs Against BRICS Will Hurt US Trade Positions – Russian Economist

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    Moscow, July 10 /Xinhua/ — The introduction of customs duties on goods from BRICS countries by the United States may lead to the country finally losing its role as an arbiter in global trade, Igbal Guliyev, dean of the financial economics department at MGIMO University of the Russian Foreign Ministry, expressed this opinion in an interview with TASS.

    US President Donald Trump’s statement about the possible introduction of 10% tariffs on BRICS goods marks the beginning of a new phase of economic conflict, a Russian economist believes. According to him, the BRICS countries are forming a new architecture in the financial, technological and institutional spheres, challenging the dominance of the dollar. The US response in the form of tariff pressure is intended to destabilize this alternative model. However, such measures may have the opposite effect.

    According to I. Guliyev, the reaction of the BRICS countries will be symmetrical and strategically thought out. This could lead to the acceleration of de-dollarization and the creation of a new system of international settlements, which will become the birth of a truly multipolar trading system. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Rugby headgear can’t prevent concussion – but new materials could soften the blows over a career

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Draper, Professor of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Canterbury

    The widely held view among rugby players, coaches and officials is that headgear can’t prevent concussion. If so, why wear it? It’s hot, it can block vision and hearing, and it can be uncomfortable.

    Headgear was originally designed to protect players from cuts and abrasions. But players still hope it will offer them a degree of protection against the collisions they experience in the game. Some players adopt it after previous concussions.

    We’re now seeing increasing numbers of professional players opting in. The Irish men’s team, for example, field up to five players each match sporting headgear. In Japan, it’s mandatory for juniors. And more parents in New Zealand are making their children wear it, too.

    The exact specifications for rugby match kit – boots, shorts, shoulder pads and
    headgear – are regulated through World Rugby’s Law 4 and Regulation 12. In 2019, the governing body launched a trial enabling players to wear headgear with new technical specifications in training and matches.

    The specifications have meant manufacturers can take advantage of novel “isotropic” materials that can potentially reduce the impact forces experienced by players.

    Conventional headgear is composed of soft foams that flatten when a player’s head collides with the ground or another player. As such, they can only minimally absorb those collision forces.

    Isotropic materials behave differently. They can absorb impacts from multiple directions and may offer a level of protection against the effects on a player’s head of a tackle or other collision event.

    Given these changes, and in light of recent research, we may need to change the narrative around rugby headgear: while it may not prevent concussion, it might reduce the total contact “burden” experienced by players in a game and over a whole season. And this could have benefits for long-term brain health.

    Impacts across seasons and careers

    Contact in rugby – through tackles, at the breakdown, and in scrums and lineouts – leads to players experiencing a number of collisions or “head acceleration events”. This contact is most commonly head to ground, head to body or head to head.

    By having players use “smart” mouthguards with embedded micro-accelerometers and gyroscopes to capture head movements, researchers can now measure each collision and each player’s contact load in a game – and potentially over a career.

    A player’s total contact load is found by adding together the magnitude of the impacts they experience in a game. These are measured as “peak linear accelerations” or “peak rotational accelerations”.

    While past research and media attention has focused on concussion, it has become clear the total contact burden in training and matches – the total “sub-concussive knocks” through head acceleration events – may be as important, if not more so.

    One of our own research projects involved following 40 under-16 players wearing smart mouthguards for all training and matches across one season. Peak Linear accelerations are measured as a g-force (g). Activities such as such as running, jumping and shaking the head would measure under 8g, for example, whereas heading a soccer ball might measure 31g.

    The results of our study showed the players differed greatly in their cumulative exposure over a whole season, from 300g to nearly 14,000g. These differences would be amplified further over an entire rugby career.

    Some of the variation is likely due to a player’s team position, with loose forwards having a greater burden than others. But it also seems some players just enjoy the contact aspects of the game more than others.

    Rugby is an impact sport: the Ireland and England women’s teams clash in 2025.
    Getty Images

    Potential benefits of new headgear materials

    Researcher Helen Murray at the University of Auckland has highlighted the need for more research into the burden of collisions, rather than just concussions, over a rugby career. In particular, we need to know more about its effect on future brain health.

    We hope to contribute to this by following our existing cohort of players through their careers. In the meantime, our research has examined the potential of existing rugby headgear and new isotropic materials to mitigate peak accelerations in rugby collisions.

    Using the field data collected from male and female players over the past four seasons, we have designed laboratory testing protocols to compare the conventional and newer materials.

    The results suggest the new forms of headgear do have the potential to reduce the impact burden for players.

    We found 55–90% of head acceleration events do involve direct contact with the head. As such, collision-mitigation headgear could be beneficial. And our laboratory testing produced an estimated 30% reduction in peak linear accelerations with the headgear compared to without.

    The nature of concussion is complex and related to the size of an impact as well as its direction and angle. For instance, we observed the concussions experienced by the junior players occurred between 12g and 62g – well below the male threshold of 70g requiring professional players to be removed from the field for a head injury assessment.

    Currently, it seems unlikely headgear can prevent concussion. But it does appear new headgear materials could significantly reduce the total impact burden for players during their careers. And this may help safeguard their future brain health.

    Nick Draper receives funding from the Health Research Council, Cure Kids, the Neurological Foundation, Canterbury Medical Research Foundation, Pacific Radiology Group, the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust, and the UC Foundation.

    – ref. Rugby headgear can’t prevent concussion – but new materials could soften the blows over a career – https://theconversation.com/rugby-headgear-cant-prevent-concussion-but-new-materials-could-soften-the-blows-over-a-career-258912

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese vice premier calls for boosting basic pharmaceutical research, sci-tech innovation

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

    Chinese vice premier calls for boosting basic pharmaceutical research, sci-tech innovation

    Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits Peking University’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Beijing, capital of China, July 10, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    BEIJING, July 10 — Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong on Thursday stressed the need for efforts to enhance basic research and technological innovation capabilities in the pharmaceutical field.

    Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited Peking University’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences to learn about medical research and development, as well as the construction and operations of key laboratories, and listened to opinions from various relevant parties at a symposium.

    Efforts should be made to strengthen collaborative research and policy implementation centering on people’s health, and to advance the development of innovative drugs and medical facilities, thereby providing strong support to advance the Healthy China initiative, Liu said.

    Noting the positive momentum of China’s pharmaceutical innovation in recent years, Liu called for joint research efforts from enterprises, universities, research institutions and medical institutions, and for full use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to accelerate the development of life and health databases.

    He also urged efforts to expand high-level opening up, and to deepen international exchange and cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical technology so as to better safeguard the health and well-being of the people.

    Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits Peking University’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Beijing, capital of China, July 10, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DelBene Highlights Impact of Trump’s Nutrition Cuts on Washington Families

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

    Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) highlighted the historic and devastating cuts to federal food programs in President Trump’s megabill that he recently signed into law. Joined by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, nutrition advocates, educators, and local food providers, DelBene underscored that thousands of Washington families and children will go hungry because of the cuts in this law.

    Last week, Congressional Republicans sent a massive bill to President Trump that slashes over $200 billion from SNAP, imposes new burdens on states, and jeopardizes food assistance for families, children, and seniors across the country. These cuts, along with ones made to Medicaid and student loan repayment programs, were made to fund another massive tax giveaway to ultra-wealthy people and large corporations. The law is estimated to add over $4 trillion to the national debt.

    In Washington, 900,000 people receive SNAP with an average benefit of only $6 per day. Because of Trump’s new law, more than 130,000 residents could lose some or all of their benefits under this legislation. The state has said that all SNAP recipients in Washington will see their benefits cut to some degree.

    “No one should go hungry in the wealthiest country on Earth. This Republican megabill imposes cruel, unnecessary cuts that hurt working families, children, veterans, and seniors just to fund tax breaks for billionaires,” said DelBene. “These cuts will make it harder for people to feed their families and for local food banks to meet the growing need. I’ll continue fighting back against these harmful policies.”

    “President Trump’s cruel bill will literally take food away from thousands of Washington children to pay for tax cuts for billionaires,” said Governor Bob Ferguson. “For many families, they’re already working to stretch every dollar. Hunger impacts kids’ performance in school, their health and their physical development. These cuts will adversely impact a generation of kids into the future.”

    “In recent years, we’ve seen firsthand how interconnected food security is with housing, healthcare, education, and employment. SNAP plays a vital role in the safety net. When benefits are reduced—especially at the scale we are now seeing—families don’t just feel the impact, they’re forced into impossible choices: rent or groceries, medication or meals,” said Carla Rankin, Executive Director, Arlington Food Bank. “While food banks like ours work tirelessly to bridge the gap, we are not a substitute for strong federal nutrition programs. We rely on public support, private donations, and an army of volunteers—and those resources are not infinite.”

    “What we anticipate with these SNAP and Medicaid cuts is we’re going to have increased demand on our services, because right now, we’re only serving about 50% of the eligible population for WIC, so we know our caseload is really going to increase,” said Nicole Flateboe, Executive Director, Nutrition First. “The One Big Beautiful Bill has also cut Medicaid, which we rely upon for establishing eligibility for our clients, so, that’s going to just create increased administrative burden and red tape for getting these folks on the program.”

    Organizations represented at the event included Arlington Community Food Bank, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Volunteers of America Western Washington, Arlington School District, Arlington Farmers Market, Washington State University SNAP-Ed, and Nutrition First.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Advances Additional $16 Million for Construction of Agricultural Research Service Facility at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced she advanced $16 million in additional funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s (UNL) Innovation Campus through the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

    The funding was included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which now awaits consideration on the Senate Floor.

    “The USDA Ag Research Service facility located at UNL will be a hub for world class agricultural innovation. That’s why I was pleased to advocate for this funding to construct the second phase of the ARS Center, which will continue to help attract students, scientists, and industry leaders who are focused on turning valuable research into tangible products for our farmers and ranchers,” Fischer said.

    Fischer also secured additional funding and provisions for Nebraska, which include:

    • $1.5 million for the National Drought Mitigation Center at UNL;
    • Prioritizing ARS research for the beef industry at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska; and
    • Requiring the USDA to streamline contracting and procurement services for livestock research facilities to help USMARC with cost overruns on facility improvements.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bill to Fund Key Agricultural Programs in Maine Clears Appropriations Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured significant funding and provisions for projects in Maine in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. 

    The measure, which was advanced by a unanimous vote of 27-0, provides $27.1 billion in discretionary funding.  Committee markup of the FY 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill is an important step that now allows the bill to be considered by the full Senate.  

    “By assisting Maine’s farmers and investing in critical agricultural research and nutrition programs, this bill would support rural communities throughout the state,” said Senator Collins.  “As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to champion this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”   

    Bill Highlights:

    Local Projects: More than $25 million for Congressionally Directed Spending projects in Maine.

    PFAS Research: $10 million, an increase of $3 million above the FY 2025 enacted level, for the Center of Excellence for PFAS solutions throughout Agricultural and Food Systems in conjunction with the University of Maine.

    Potato Research: Maintains full funding for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s potato research programs.

    Potatoes in School Breakfast: Maintains provision that allows school food authorities to provide potatoes through the School Breakfast Program.

    Farm Loss: Includes language directing the Farm Services Agency to provide a report to the Committee on what factors are leading to agricultural production and farm loss in New England, and to include historical and projected data on acreage and crop types. 

    Neurology Drug Program: $5 million for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Neurology Drug Program to support the development of policies and guidance to keep pace with emerging brain science.

    Nutrition: Fully funds nutrition assistance programs that support low-income women, children, and seniors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Israel’s relocation plan for Palestinians and fading hopes for a ceasefire

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    This article was first published in The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email newsletter. Sign up to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox.

    It was revealing this week to read reports of Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Donald Trump (his third White House visit since Trump’s inauguration in January). There was no sense that the US president upped the pressure on the Israeli prime minister to soften Israel’s conditions in order to secure a ceasefire. Instead the pair appears to have discussed the prospect of moving large numbers of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip to countries what would, as Netanyahu put it, “give Palestinians a better future”.

    If Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, has his way, the future for those Palestinians who want to stay put does indeed look pretty bleak. And the 57,000 people who, according to figures collated by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, have lost their lives since the Israeli assault on Gaza began back in October 2023, have no future at all.

    But the plan for the future of Gazan Palestinians that Katz unveiled this week will horrify many too. It involves the construction of a “humanitarian city” at Rafah, close to the Egyptian border at the very southern end of the Strip. Under the plan, people entering the city will be searched for weapons and checked for affiliation to Hamas. Once in, they will not be allowed to leave, except to depart from Gaza altogether.

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    This immediately prompted critics to accuse the Israeli government of ethnic cleansing. James Sweeney, an expert in human rights and international law at the University of Lancaster, believes that, if Israel were to carry out Katz’s plan, there would be strong case against political and military leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He argues that the plan amounts at the very least to the forcible transfer of civilians prohibited under the Geneva conventions and the Rome statute, which underpins the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    The snag, as Sweeney sees it, is going to be enforcing international law. While there is an ICC warrant out for the arrests of Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, the Israeli prime minister was able to visit Washington without fear of being apprehended. The US doesn’t recognise the ICC and, indeed, the prosecutor that issued the warrant against Netanyahu and Gallant is now subject to US sanctions.



    Read more:
    Plans to relocate Gazans to a ‘humanitarian city’ look like a crime against humanity – international law expert

    Of course, what happens in Gaza tends to reverberate throughout the region. If hundreds of thousands of Palestinian citizens are moved out of Gaza, it’s likely to be to one of the neighbouring countries. When the idea of a Trump Riviera was first mooted earlier this year, the US president said the Palestinian population could be rehomed in Egypt or Jordan – something both those countries pushed back against with alacrity.

    And the powerful Gulf States, which Trump was keen to woo as business partners when he made a tour of the region in May, are also deeply concerned about Israel’s conduct of its military campaign in Gaza. Geopolitics aside, their populations are broadly sympathetic to the Palestinian people, so a plan to force them out of their homes is unacceptable for Gulf leaders.

    Scott Lucas, an expert in Middle East politics at University College Dublin, gives us a broader view of the region. He describes what he calls two “kaleidoscope moments” when one event has changed the entire region. The first was the Hamas attack of October 7. This brought to an abrupt end the process of normalisation of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The second was the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which has further isolated Israel. Lucas believes for there to be any hope of regional stability and the furthering of Israeli relations with the rest of the region, the war in Gaza must end.



    Read more:
    As Netanyahu meets Trump in Washington, what hope for peace in Gaza? Expert Q&A

    Ali Mamouri, a Middle East scholar at Australia’s Deakin University doesn’t believe there’s much chance of this happening any time soon. Part of this is political: Netanyahu still depends on the far-right elements of his coalition represented by national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich. They remain steadfastly opposed to even a ceasefire and want to see Israel expel Palestinians by hook or by crook.

    Also, by prolonging the war, Netanyahu can keep delaying his corruption trial (incidentally, Donald Trump has called for the charges to be dropped altogether).

    And the idea of full statehood for Palestine remains anathema for Israel, as Netanyahu made clear this week talking with journalists after his meeting with Trump when he made clear his insistence that far from pulling Israeli troops out of Gaza, Israel would keep full control of all security matters there: “Now, people will say: ‘It’s not a complete state, it’s not a state.’ We don’t care,” he said.

    Mansour concludes: “The coming weeks will reveal whether Israel chooses the path of compromise and coexistence, or continues down a road that forecloses the possibility of lasting peace.”



    Read more:
    The US has high hopes for a new Gaza ceasefire, but Israel’s long-term aims seem far less peaceful

    Europe must step up over Ukraine

    Just as the picture remains bleak in Gaza, the prospects for peace remain very slim in Ukraine. Although given Donald Trump’s mercurial approach to foreign affairs, it’s also fair to say that anything is possible.

    This week the US president decided to recommence US arms supplies to Ukraine, having previously frozen military aid (although he insists this was done by his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and that he was “blindsided” by the move). His relationship with Putin appears to have soured – for the present at least. He said: “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

    And at the most recent Nato summit in The Hague on June 25, Trump put his signature to a declaration that Russia poses “long-term threat … to Euro-Atlantic security” and that Nato member states retain “their enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine”.

    But Stefan Wolff, an expert in international security at the University of Birmingham, believes that Nato’s European members cannot bank on the US as a reliable long-term partner. There are few signs that the US is pressuring Russia to compromise on its maximalist aims, which remain unchanged since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. So Russia remains the most urgent threat to European security. And it’s a threat that Europe will need to prepare to confront, if necessary without US assistance.

    But there are signs that many European countries are preparing to do just that, Wolff writes. Increased commitments to defence spending are a strong start. As he concludes: “They will not turn Europe into a military heavyweight overnight. But they will buy time to do so.”



    Read more:
    US backs Nato’s latest pledge of support for Ukraine, but in reality seems to have abandoned its European partners

    Understandably, much of the reporting of the war in Ukraine has focused on the human tragedy unfolding in the war-torn country: the enormous casualty list on both sides, civilians killed or forced from their homes in the fighting, and the Ukrainian citizens forced to live under Russian occupation.

    But a new film, which premiered recently at the Tribeca film festival, looks at War Through the Eyes of Animals. Janine Natalya Clark, an expert in transitional justice at the University of Birmingham, has done similar. Clark interviewed a number of Ukrainian natural scientists including botanists, ornithologists, herpetologists (who study reptiles and amphibians) and a marine biologist. She asked them to make sound recordings in their area to reflect on how the war is affecting Ukraine’s flora and fauna.

    What emerged was extraordinary and reflects how the conflict has affected the natural world in both positive and negative ways. Clark believes that this information will be invaluable when it comes to rebuilding Ukraine and in securing justice and reparations for the damage done – not just to humans, but to Ukraine’s animals and the habitats in which they live.



    Read more:
    Sound recordings can give us an animal-eye view of the war in Ukraine

    In Russia, meanwhile, a controversial measure introduced by the Putin government is dividing public opinion. In some parts of the country, schoolgirls who become pregnant are being paid more than 100,000 roubles (nearly £900) for giving birth and raising their babies.

    Jannifer Mathers, a Russia expert at Aberystwyth University, looks at the rise of pronatalism in the face of declining populations and finds it’s not just an issue in Russia, but for many other countries as well, including the US.



    Read more:
    Russia is paying schoolgirls to have babies. Why is pronatalism on the rise around the world?

    World Affairs Briefing from The Conversation UK is available as a weekly email newsletter. Click here to get updates directly in your inbox.

    – ref. Israel’s relocation plan for Palestinians and fading hopes for a ceasefire – https://theconversation.com/israels-relocation-plan-for-palestinians-and-fading-hopes-for-a-ceasefire-260933

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to observational study of gabapentin and risk of dementia and cognitive impairments

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    An observational study published in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine looks at gabapentin prescription for chronic pain and the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment. 

    Prof Ian Maidment, Professor in Clinical Pharmacy, Aston University, said:

    “This study found an association between gabapentin and dementia. It was an observation study and therefore conclusions about causality cannot be drawn. Furthermore, the research did not control for length of treatment or dose of gabapentin. Other similar recent studies have failed to find a link. Therefore, overall the jury is out on whether gabapentin causes dementia.”

    Prof Martin Prince, Professor of Epidemiological Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, said:

    “This is an interesting pharmaco-epidemiological study, using a retrospective (historical) cohort design, and reporting a significant increased risk of dementia incidence among those prescribed gabapentin for chronic low back pain. The authors are right to stress that they are reporting an association, and not necessarily a causal link. As I will discuss, confounding and reverse causality are tenable explanations for the observed effects. The strengths of the study include a large sample size, a long surveillance period, a state of the art propensity matching on a large number of potential confounding factors, and additional confounders controlled for in the analysis.

    “There are some issues apparent with the research.

    1. The most significant is that the title of the paper (which refers only to chronic low back pain) appears to be misleading. Closer reading of the research methods reveals that the inclusion criteria were actually “chronic pain (ICD- 10- CM G89.29), chronic pain syndrome (ICD- 10- CM G89.4), lumbar radiculopathy (ICD- 10- CM M54.16), or chronic low back pain (ICD- 10- CM M54.5)”. This is a much broader group, and would include, among other conditions, post-herpetic neuralgia and painful diabetic and other peripheral neuropathies, which are particularly common indications for prescription of gabapentin. There is an inconclusive literature linking shingles episodes to an increased risk of dementia (and suggesting that the Shingrix vaccine may lower the risk), and recent research using the UK biobank linking multisite chronic pain with the incidence of dementia and hippocampal atrophy (1). None of this body of potentially relevant research was referenced or discussed in the current paper. Confounding by indication therefore remains a distinct possibility – the condition that gabapentin is treating, rather than the drug itself being responsible for the increased dementia risk. Of note is that use of gabapentin would likely be reserved for those with more severe pain, and therefore a more severe underlying condition. While the investigators clearly sought to limit the potential for confounding by indication (for example by excluding from consideration individuals prescribed gabapentin for epilepsy), their efforts are likely to have been only partially successful. Reverse causality must always be considered in dementia cohort studies given the 20 years or more interval between the earliest detectable signs of Alzheimer’s Disease (from neuroimaging and blood biomarkers) and clinical onset. Those diagnosed with dementia would not, strictly speaking, have been dementia-free at cohort inception. It is possible that the CNS effects of Alzheimer’s disease modulate pain processing and appreciation, leading to more complaints of more severe pain, at multiple sites. Hence that Alzheimer’s disease caused the pain, and, ultimately the Gabapentin prescription, not vice versa. Or that there is an underlying common cause, for example inflammation, that is driving both the neurodegeneration and the neuropathic pain.
    2. I could not understand why mild cognitive impairment, frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy Bodies were listed as factors that were propensity matched at baseline, when the onset of mild cognitive impairment and all cause dementia were outcomes of interest and hence presumably excluded at baseline? It isn’t very clearly explained. It is possible that those with MCI at baseline were left in when assessing dementia as an outcome, but excluded when assessing MCI as an outcome. But leaving FTD and DLB cases in at baseline (with the implicit assumption that they could be considered as remaining at risk for developing AD or vascular dementia), seems to be an odd approach.  
    3. Since, apparently, separate diagnostic codes for Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular dementia were available, I am surprised that no attempt was made to explore whether the association with gabapentin prescription was similar or different across the two sub-types. The relationship of gabapentin use to both AD polygenic risk scores, and AD-specific blood biomarkers would also be another area for future research.”
    1. W. Zhao, L. Zhao, X. Chang, X. Lu, & Y. Tu, Elevated dementia risk, cognitive decline, and hippocampal atrophy in multisite chronic pain, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 120 (9) e2215192120, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2215192120 (2023).

     

    Prof Tara Spires-Jones, Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, Group Leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute, and Past President of the British Neuroscience Association said:

    “This study by Eghrari and colleagues examined medical records from over 24,000 people in the US and found that prescription of the medication gabapentin for chronic pain was associated with a higher risk of developing dementia.  While authors used statistical methods to try and account for other risk factors, this type of study cannot prove that gabapentin was the cause of increased dementia risk.  One very important factor that was not examined in this study is levels of physical activity.  People with chronic pain requiring gabapentin may have been less physically active, which is a known risk factor for developing dementia.”

     

    Prof Sir John Hardy, Group Leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, said:

    “While this is interesting, one has to worry that these types of findings are artefactual and result (for example) from a marginal acute effect on cognitive performance rather than effects on the underlying disease.”

     

    Dr Leah Mursaleen, Head of Clinical Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

    “Research shows that nearly half (45%) of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed if 14 health and lifestyle risk factors are addressed by people and society. At the moment, there’s not enough evidence to suggest pain medications are linked to higher dementia risk, but this research gives us interesting insights.

    “This large observational study looked at health records of over 26,000 people in the US diagnosed with chronic lower back pain and who were prescribed gabapentin within a 10-year period. They found gabapentin prescription was associated with an increased risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment, especially in people under the age of 65.

    “Some of the strengths of this research was the large sample size and some dementia risk factors were considered, such as age and high blood pressure.

    “However, this study only shows an association between gabapentin prescriptions and mild cognitive impairment or dementia, so we do not know if the medication is directly causing the higher risk. Gabapentin dosage wasn’t recorded, and there was no information on how long people were on the medication. 

    “Because this study only used health records of people with chronic pain, we cannot rule out other factors that might be influencing the findings. And previous studies looking at people prescribed gabapentin for other conditions like seizures, didn’t show a link between the medication and higher dementia risk.

    “Managing chronic pain is very important and if anyone has any concerns about the medication they are receiving, they should speak to their doctor.”

    ‘Risk of dementia following gabapentin prescription in chronic low back pain patients’ by Nafis B Eghrari et al. was published in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine at 23:30 UK time on Thursday 10 July. 

    DOI: 10.1136/rapm-2025- 106577

    Declared interests

    Prof Ian Maidment: No declarations of interest

    Prof Martin Prince: No conflicts of interest to report

    Prof Tara Spires-Jones: I have no conflicts with this study but have received payments for consulting, scientific talks, or collaborative research over the past 10 years from AbbVie, Sanofi, Merck, Scottish Brain Sciences, Jay Therapeutics, Cognition Therapeutics, Ono, and Eisai. I am also Charity trustee for the British Neuroscience Association and the Guarantors of Brain and serve as scientific advisor to several charities and non-profit institutions.

    Prof Sir John Hardy: Have consulted for Eisai

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Vice Premier of the State Council of China calls for increasing fundamental research and scientific and technological innovation in pharmaceuticals

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong on Thursday stressed the need to enhance fundamental research and scientific and technological innovation capacity in the pharmaceutical field.

    Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, visited the Institute of Materia Medica of Peking University, where he learned about the pharmacological research and development, construction progress and operation of key laboratories, and held a symposium to hear opinions and suggestions from various interested parties.

    According to the Vice Premier of the State Council, it is necessary to intensify joint research and policy implementation, putting people’s lives and health first, and promote the development of innovative drugs and medical equipment, thereby providing strong support for the promotion of the Healthy China initiative.

    Noting the positive dynamics of innovative development of Chinese pharmaceuticals in recent years, Liu Guozhong called for joint research efforts by enterprises, universities, research institutes and medical institutions, stressing that new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data should be fully utilized to accelerate the formation of databases related to life and health.

    Liu Guozhong also called for expanding high-level opening-up and deepening international exchanges and cooperation in pharmaceutical technology to better protect people’s health and well-being. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Fashion helped the pride come out’: First Nations fashion as resistance, culture and connection

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design and Society, University of Technology Sydney

    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images of deceased people.

    First Nations garments have always held deep meaning. What we wear tells stories about culture, Country and community.

    From the moment of invasion, clothing and adornment were removed and used to erase our cultural presence. But resistance never stopped.

    Today, First Nations designers, artists and community members continue to reclaim garments as acts of survival, empowerment and self-determination.

    Cultural practices like cloak-making and adornment are linked to wellbeing. They restore pride, connect to ancestors and Country, and build community.

    First Nations fashion designers and artists create exquisite items that represent culture, speak back to colonisation, and contribute to healing.

    A shared experience

    Like so many others, what I wear is deeply personal. I have my dad’s old Aboriginal rugby guernsey. He wore it for years. Now I wear it. It’s a piece of him I get to carry.

    It’s a part of what links me to my research in understanding First Nations fashion and style as living expressions of who we are.

    I had the chance to yarn with 20 Aboriginal Knowledge Holders from Tarntanya (Adelaide), Naarm (Melbourne) and Warrane (Sydney) about their fashion and style choices.

    Like many of the people I spoke to in this study, we use First Nations fashion and style as a way to stay connected to culture and community and express identity and resistance.

    Fashion as connection and solidarity

    For many of the Knowledge Holders I spoke with, wearing First Nations clothing and adornment connects them to culture and community.

    It becomes a way to share who they are and stand together in a world that has tried to silence and erase them.

    The Knowledge Holders wear everything from subtle pins and badges to bold hoodies, t-shirts and merch with Aboriginal flag motifs and slogans. Some choose delicate shawls or clothing with cultural artworks.

    As one Knowledge Holder put it, it’s “a contribution, a brick in the wall” that helps the building of identity and belonging.

    For mob living off-Country in cities or overseas, wearing culture becomes an important way to stay connected.

    This sense of connection can also show up in the most ordinary places.

    Several Knowledge Holders shared how wearing an Aboriginal shirt in places like the supermarket often sparks a moment of connection. Sometimes they approach others, sometimes they’re the ones approached.

    Fashion as pride and cultural practice

    For most of the Knowledge Holders, wearing First Nations clothing affirms their Aboriginality and gives them a sense of pride.

    For some, it’s about proudly showing who they are, especially in a society where racism still exists. That pride runs through generations.

    Some talked about how they weren’t always allowed to show their First Nations identity openly, but now they can wear cultural clothing freely, all of the time.

    The Knowledge Holders wear First Nations fashions at work, in shops, when travelling overseas, at graduations and especially at cultural events or protests.

    Another Knowledge Holder shared how fashion filled a gap, giving First Nations people the words and symbols to express their culture and identity.

    This Knowledge Holder declared, “fashion helped the pride come out”.

    Others shared that even though wearing these clothes can mean dealing with racism or ignorance, they still choose to show that pride.

    Fashion as identity and protest

    For many of the Knowledge Holders, First Nations fashion and style is a way to strengthen their identity, share culture and protest.

    They talked about wearing protest clothing as a clear political statement, especially at marches, NAIDOC events or on Invasion Day.

    For many, clothing is how they show who they are, both to themselves and to others.

    One Knowledge Holder said

    if I don’t wear something Indigenous, they wouldn’t know that I was.

    Some pointed out that First Nations fashion and style can be an important sign for them, especially if they feel they “pass” as non-Indigenous or look ethnically ambiguous.

    But not all Knowledge Holders use fashion to show their identity. One told me they only wear First Nations clothing in solidarity with others, not as personal expression.

    There’s more to learn and do

    First Nations fashion and style is so much more than just clothing. It’s memory, resistance and a story we carry on our bodies.

    As one of the Knowledge Holders put it:

    we wasn’t allowed to be proud of it. Now we can wear [an Aboriginal] t-shirt whenever, all day every day.

    That says it all. But there’s still work to do. We need to keep learning and understanding about all the different layers and identities that shape these experiences.

    There is more research to be done to include more voices, like those of diverse genders and sexualities, Torres Strait Islanders and regional fashion scenes.

    And it’s not just about research. We need more policies, more exhibitions, more programs and more platforms that celebrate First Nations fashion and style.

    Treena Clark has received funding through the University of Technology Sydney Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellowship scheme.

    – ref. ‘Fashion helped the pride come out’: First Nations fashion as resistance, culture and connection – https://theconversation.com/fashion-helped-the-pride-come-out-first-nations-fashion-as-resistance-culture-and-connection-258816

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump has flagged 200% tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals. What do we produce here, and what’s at risk?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joe Carrello, Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne

    Tanya Dol/Shutterstock

    US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Australia’s pharmaceutical exports to the United States has raised alarm among industry and government leaders.

    There are fears that, if implemented, the tariffs could cost the Australian economy up to A$2.8 billion. That’s both in direct exports and as inputs to third countries that produce drugs also hit by tariffs.

    The proposed tariffs come amid growing pressure from pharmaceutical lobby groups in the US for Trump to use trade negotiations as a tool to make changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and raise Australian drug prices.

    In response, Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated the government would not compromise the integrity of the PBS to do a deal with the Trump administration. Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie also confirmed bipartisan support for the PBS.

    Our largest export market for pharmaceuticals

    The US is Australia’s biggest pharmaceutical export market, accounting for 38% of total Australian pharmaceutical exports and valued at $2.2 billion last year.

    About 87% of exports to the US consist of blood plasma products, mainly from manufacturing giant CSL. These are used for transfusions in a range of medical and surgical situations.

    In a submission to the US Commerce Department, which is reviewing the sector, CSL called for tariffs to be phased in over five years, and for an exemption for certain biotech equipment.

    Trump floated proposed tariffs potentially as high as 200%. But he also said these would not be imposed for “about a year, a year and a half” to allow negotiations to take place.

    If tariffs are eventually implemented, there are fears domestic manufacturing may suffer, with negative flow-on effects for Australian research and innovation in the sector.

    How does the PBS work?

    The PBS is an Australian government program aimed at providing affordable prescription medicines to Australians.

    It helps reduce the cost of essential medications, ensuring access to treatments for a wide range of medical conditions. Medicines included on the PBS are subsidised by the government, with the patient making a capped co-payment. More than 900 medicines were listed on the scheme in 2023–24, costing the government $17.7 billion.

    Decisions to list medications on the PBS are made by the health minister based on recommendations from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. The committee evaluates the clinical effectiveness, safety, cost-effectiveness (“value for money”) and estimated financial impact of new medications.

    If approved, the PBS uses this information to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies, helping to keep prices affordable.

    How does the US system compare?

    This contrasts with the US system, which operates more under free-market principles. In the US, pharmaceuticals are subsidised through private health insurance or government programs such as Medicaid. Neither directly negotiates with pharmaceutical companies.

    The fragmented nature of the US system enables pharmaceutical companies to maintain higher prices, as there is no central authority to enforce cost controls. Studies have shown that prices for pharmaceuticals in the US are, on average, 2.78 times those in 33 other countries.

    In addition, in the US pharmaceutical companies are granted extensive patent protections. These provide exclusive rights to sell their drugs for a certain period.

    This exclusivity often leads to monopolistic pricing practices, as generic competitors are barred from entering the market until the patent expires.

    In Australia, patents also exist. But the PBS mitigates their impact by negotiating prices and promoting the use of cost-effective alternatives, such as generics, once they become available.

    Industry lobbying

    US pharmaceutical industry bodies have long criticised the PBS. They claim the scheme “undervalues new innovative medicines by setting prices based on older inferior medicines and generics, and through use of low and outdated monetary thresholds per year of life gained from clinically proven treatments”.

    The slow process to list drugs on the PBS has also attracted criticism. The advisory committee meets only three times a year, with resources currently being stretched beyond capacity.

    In response to these criticisms, the Australian government commissioned a review, which was completed in 2024. It provided 50 recommendations to ensure Australians can continue to access effective, safe and affordable medicines in an equitable and timely way.

    The government has established an advisory group to work on implementing these recommendations. However, it is unclear whether proposed changes will appease the powerful US pharmaceutical industry.

    I am responsible for evaluating new health technologies for consideration of government subsidy through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)

    – ref. Trump has flagged 200% tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals. What do we produce here, and what’s at risk? – https://theconversation.com/trump-has-flagged-200-tariffs-on-australian-pharmaceuticals-what-do-we-produce-here-and-whats-at-risk-260909

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump has flagged 200% tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals. What do we produce here, and what’s at risk?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joe Carrello, Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne

    Tanya Dol/Shutterstock

    US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Australia’s pharmaceutical exports to the United States has raised alarm among industry and government leaders.

    There are fears that, if implemented, the tariffs could cost the Australian economy up to A$2.8 billion. That’s both in direct exports and as inputs to third countries that produce drugs also hit by tariffs.

    The proposed tariffs come amid growing pressure from pharmaceutical lobby groups in the US for Trump to use trade negotiations as a tool to make changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and raise Australian drug prices.

    In response, Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated the government would not compromise the integrity of the PBS to do a deal with the Trump administration. Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie also confirmed bipartisan support for the PBS.

    Our largest export market for pharmaceuticals

    The US is Australia’s biggest pharmaceutical export market, accounting for 38% of total Australian pharmaceutical exports and valued at $2.2 billion last year.

    About 87% of exports to the US consist of blood plasma products, mainly from manufacturing giant CSL. These are used for transfusions in a range of medical and surgical situations.

    In a submission to the US Commerce Department, which is reviewing the sector, CSL called for tariffs to be phased in over five years, and for an exemption for certain biotech equipment.

    Trump floated proposed tariffs potentially as high as 200%. But he also said these would not be imposed for “about a year, a year and a half” to allow negotiations to take place.

    If tariffs are eventually implemented, there are fears domestic manufacturing may suffer, with negative flow-on effects for Australian research and innovation in the sector.

    How does the PBS work?

    The PBS is an Australian government program aimed at providing affordable prescription medicines to Australians.

    It helps reduce the cost of essential medications, ensuring access to treatments for a wide range of medical conditions. Medicines included on the PBS are subsidised by the government, with the patient making a capped co-payment. More than 900 medicines were listed on the scheme in 2023–24, costing the government $17.7 billion.

    Decisions to list medications on the PBS are made by the health minister based on recommendations from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. The committee evaluates the clinical effectiveness, safety, cost-effectiveness (“value for money”) and estimated financial impact of new medications.

    If approved, the PBS uses this information to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies, helping to keep prices affordable.

    How does the US system compare?

    This contrasts with the US system, which operates more under free-market principles. In the US, pharmaceuticals are subsidised through private health insurance or government programs such as Medicaid. Neither directly negotiates with pharmaceutical companies.

    The fragmented nature of the US system enables pharmaceutical companies to maintain higher prices, as there is no central authority to enforce cost controls. Studies have shown that prices for pharmaceuticals in the US are, on average, 2.78 times those in 33 other countries.

    In addition, in the US pharmaceutical companies are granted extensive patent protections. These provide exclusive rights to sell their drugs for a certain period.

    This exclusivity often leads to monopolistic pricing practices, as generic competitors are barred from entering the market until the patent expires.

    In Australia, patents also exist. But the PBS mitigates their impact by negotiating prices and promoting the use of cost-effective alternatives, such as generics, once they become available.

    Industry lobbying

    US pharmaceutical industry bodies have long criticised the PBS. They claim the scheme “undervalues new innovative medicines by setting prices based on older inferior medicines and generics, and through use of low and outdated monetary thresholds per year of life gained from clinically proven treatments”.

    The slow process to list drugs on the PBS has also attracted criticism. The advisory committee meets only three times a year, with resources currently being stretched beyond capacity.

    In response to these criticisms, the Australian government commissioned a review, which was completed in 2024. It provided 50 recommendations to ensure Australians can continue to access effective, safe and affordable medicines in an equitable and timely way.

    The government has established an advisory group to work on implementing these recommendations. However, it is unclear whether proposed changes will appease the powerful US pharmaceutical industry.

    I am responsible for evaluating new health technologies for consideration of government subsidy through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)

    – ref. Trump has flagged 200% tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals. What do we produce here, and what’s at risk? – https://theconversation.com/trump-has-flagged-200-tariffs-on-australian-pharmaceuticals-what-do-we-produce-here-and-whats-at-risk-260909

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese’s China mission – managing a complex relationship in a world of shifting alliances

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Laurenceson, Director and Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute (UTS:ACRI), University of Technology Sydney

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leaves for China on Saturday, confident most Australians back the government’s handling of relations with our most important economic partner and the leading strategic power in Asia.

    Albanese’s domestic critics have lambasted him for meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping before United States President Donald Trump. They are also aggrieved at his refusal to label China a security threat.

    But neither criticism really stacks up.

    An Albanese-Trump meeting would have happened last month on the sidelines of a G7 gathering in Canada. It was Trump who left early, standing up more leaders than just Albanese.

    Nor is Albanese the first Australian prime minister to meet a Chinese president before an American one. His predecessor Tony Abbott caught up with Xi a few weeks after coming to office in 2013, before he had a chance to meet President Barack Obama.

    ‘Friends, not foes’

    Meanwhile, polling indicates just one in five Australians see the relationship with China first and foremost as “a threat to be confronted”. Rather, a clear two-thirds majority see it as “a complex relationship to be managed”.

    Albanese is also regarded as more competent than his opposition counterpart in handling Australia’s foreign policy generally – and better at managing the China relationship specifically.

    The prime minister’s Chinese hosts also have an incentive to ensure his visit is a successful one.

    In the past fortnight, China’s ambassador in Canberra, Xiao Qian, has penned opinion pieces in two of Australia’s biggest media outlets, insisting Australia and China are “friends, not foes” and touting the “comprehensive turnaround” in bilateral ties since Labor won government in May 2022.

    Beijing and Washington view each other as their geopolitical priority. Beijing can make it harder for Washington to enlist security allies such as Canberra in this rivalry by maintaining its own strong and constructive bilateral ties with Australia.

    And quite apart from the competition with the US, China relied on Australia last year as its fifth largest import source.

    Plenty of complaints

    None of this is to say Albanese’s visit will be easy, because Australia-China relations are rarely smooth.

    Canberra continues to have many complaints about China’s international behaviour.

    For example, Foreign Minister Penny Wong recently signed a joint statement with her counterparts in Washington, Tokyo and New Delhi expressing “serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions” by China in the East and South China Seas, and the “abrupt constriction […] of key supply chains”.

    Wong has also said the government remains “appalled” by the treatment of Australians imprisoned in China, including Dr Yang Jun, who is facing espionage charges he strongly denies.

    Defence Minister Richard Marles has voiced Canberra’s alarm at Beijing’s “no limits agreement” with Moscow, and claimed China has

    engaged in the biggest conventional military build-up since the end of the second world war.

    However, this assessment is contested by independent Australian analysts.

    Beijing also has plenty of complaints. They include Canberra’s ongoing pursuit of closer military cooperation with the US and UK through the AUKUS pact.

    There is also the commitment to forcing the sale of the lease to operate the Port of Darwin that is currently held by a Chinese company.

    Reliable trading partner

    Albanese has already made clear his visit to China will have a strong economic focus.

    While grappling with security challenges, any Australian government, Labor or Coalition, must face the reality that last year, local companies sold more to China – worth A$196 billion – than our next four largest markets combined.

    China is also, by far, Australia’s biggest supplier, putting downward pressure on the cost of living.

    Research produced by Curtin University, commissioned by the Australia-China Business Council, finds trade with China increases disposable income of the average Australian household by $2,600, or 4.6% per person.

    In an ideal world, Australia would have a more diversified trading mix.

    But again, any Australian government or business must grapple with the reality that obvious major alternative markets, like the US, are not only less interested in local goods and services, but are walking away from their past trade commitments.

    Under the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement signed two decades ago, Australian exporters selling to the US faced an average tariff of just 0.1%. But nowadays Washington applies a baseline tariff of 10% on most Australian imports.

    Meanwhile, owing to the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement struck in 2015, Beijing applies an average tariff of just 1.1%.

    No wonder more Australians now say China is a more reliable trading partner than the US.

    This also explains Alabese’s response when he was asked in April if he would support Trump’s trade war against China:

    It would be extraordinary if the Australian response was “thank you” and we will help to further hurt our economy

    Likewise, Trade Minister Don Farrell is adamant Australia’s interests will determine the Albanese government’s choices, not “what the Americans may or may not want”.

    We don’t want to do less business with China, we want to do more business with China.

    Deeper trade ties with Asia, including China, are not just about making a buck. Wong has stressed the national security implications of a strong economic relationship:

    [It is] an investment in our security. Stability and prosperity are mutually reinforcing.

    All of this means Albanese’s six-day visit to China is shaping up to be time well spent.

    James Laurenceson 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. Albanese’s China mission – managing a complex relationship in a world of shifting alliances – https://theconversation.com/albaneses-china-mission-managing-a-complex-relationship-in-a-world-of-shifting-alliances-260404

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Why Texas Hill Country, where a devastating flood killed more than 120 people, is one of the deadliest places in the US for flash flooding

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Hatim Sharif, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio

    A Kerrville, Texas, resident watches the flooded Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025. Eric Vryn/Getty Images

    Texas Hill Country is known for its landscapes, where shallow rivers wind among hills and through rugged valleys. That geography also makes it one of the deadliest places in the U.S. for flash flooding.

    In the early hours of July 4, 2025, a flash flood swept through an area of Hill Country dotted with summer camps and small towns about 70 miles northwest of San Antonio. More than 120 people died in the flooding. The majority of them were in Kerr County, including more than two dozen girls and counselors at one summer camp, Camp Mystic. Dozens of people were still unaccounted for a week later.

    The flooding began with a heavy downpour, with more than 10 inches of rain in some areas, that sent water sheeting off the hillsides and into creeks. The creeks poured into the Guadalupe River.

    A river gauge at Hunt, Texas, near Camp Mystic, showed how quickly the river flooded: Around 3 a.m. on July 4, the Guadalupe River was rising about 1 foot every 5 minutes at the gauge, National Weather Service data shows. By 4:30 a.m., it had risen more than 20 feet. As the water moved downstream, it reached Kerrville, where the river rose even faster.

    Flood expert Hatim Sharif, a hydrologist and civil engineer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, explains what makes this part of the country, known as Flash Flood Alley, so dangerous.

    What makes Hill Country so prone to flooding?

    Texas as a whole leads the nation in flood deaths, and by a wide margin. A colleague and I analyzed data from 1959 to 2019 and found 1,069 people had died in flooding in Texas over those six decades. The next highest total was in Louisiana, with 693.

    Many of those flood deaths have been in Hill County. It’s part of an area known as Flash Flood Alley, a crescent of land that curves from near Dallas down to San Antonio and then westward.

    The hills are steep, and the water moves quickly when it floods. This is a semi-arid area with soils that don’t soak up much water, so the water sheets off quickly and the shallow creeks can rise fast.

    When those creeks converge on a river, they can create a surge of water that wipes out homes and washes away cars and, unfortunately, anyone in its path.

    Hill Country has seen some devastating flash floods. In 1987, heavy rain in western Kerr County quickly flooded the Guadalupe River, triggering a flash flood similar to the one in 2025. Ten teenagers being evacuated from a camp died in the rushing water.

    San Antonio, at the eastern edge of Hill Country, was hit with a flash flood on June 12, 2025, that killed 13 people whose cars were swept away by high water from a fast-flooding creek near an interstate ramp in the early morning.

    Why does the region get such strong downpours?

    One reason Hill Country gets powerful downpours is the Balcones Escarpment.

    The escarpment is a line of cliffs and steep hills created by a geologic fault. When warm air from the Gulf rushes up the escarpment, it condenses and can dump a lot of moisture. That water flows down the hills quickly, from many different directions, filling streams and rivers below.

    As temperature rise, the warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, increasing the downpour and flood risk.

    A tour of the Guadalupe River and its flood risk.

    The same effect can contribute to flash flooding in San Antonio, where the large amount of paved land and lack of updated drainage to control runoff adds to the risk.

    What can be done to improve flash flood safety?

    First, it’s important for people to understand why flash flooding happens and just how fast the water can rise and flow. In many arid areas, dry or shallow creeks can quickly fill up with fast-moving water and become deadly. So people should be aware of the risks and pay attention to the weather.

    Improving flood forecasting, with more detailed models of the physics and water velocity at different locations, can also help.

    Probabilistic forecasting, for example, can provide a range of rainfall scenarios, enabling authorities to prepare for worst-case scenarios. A scientific framework linking rainfall forecasts to the local impacts, such as streamflow, flood depth and water velocity, could also help decision-makers implement timely evacuations or road closures.

    Education is particularly essential for drivers. One to two feet of moving water can wash away a car. People may think their trucks and SUVs can go through anything, but fast-moving water can flip a truck and carry it away.

    Officials can also do more to barricade roads when the flood risk is high to prevent people from driving into harm’s way. We found that 58% of the flood deaths in Texas over the past six decades involved vehicles. The storm on June 12 in San Antonio was an example. It was early morning, and drivers had poor visibility. The cars were hit by fast-rising floodwater from an adjacent creek.

    This article, originally published July 5, 2025, has been updated with the death toll rising.

    Hatim Sharif 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. Why Texas Hill Country, where a devastating flood killed more than 120 people, is one of the deadliest places in the US for flash flooding – https://theconversation.com/why-texas-hill-country-where-a-devastating-flood-killed-more-than-120-people-is-one-of-the-deadliest-places-in-the-us-for-flash-flooding-260555

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Will my private health insurance cover my surgery? What if my claim is rejected?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yuting Zhang, Professor of Health Economics, The University of Melbourne

    shurkin_son/Shutterstock

    The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has fined Bupa A$35 million for unlawfully rejecting thousands of health insurance claims over more than five years.

    Between May 2018 and August 2023 Bupa incorrectly rejected claims from patients who had multiple medical procedures, with at least one of those procedures covered under their health insurance policy.

    Instead of paying the portion of the treatment that was covered, Bupa’s automated systems wrongly rejected the entire claim.

    Bupa admitted these errors were due to system problems and poor staff guidance, and has started to recompensate members.

    So you may be worried whether your private health insurance will cover you for the procedures you need.

    Here’s what you need to know about the different types of hospital cover. And if your claim is rejected, what to do next.

    From basic to gold

    As of March 2025, 45.3% of Australians have private health insurance for hospital cover. There are four tiers: basic, bronze, silver and gold.

    Each tier has a minimum set of “clinical categories”. These are groups of hospital treatments that must be covered.

    For example, basic hospital cover only has three mandatory inclusions: rehabilitation, hospital psychiatric services and palliative care. But this is “restricted” cover, meaning patients will often still have to pay substantial out-of-pocket costs for these services.

    Basic cover is entry-level cover, mainly for people who want to avoid the Lifetime Health Cover loading and the Medicare Levy Surcharge. These are both ways of encouraging people to take up private health insurance while young and keeping it, especially people on higher incomes.

    At the other end of the scale is gold cover, which includes unrestricted cover for all defined clinical categories, including pregnancy and birth.

    You can generally change your level of cover at any time. When you upgrade to include new services or increase benefits for existing services, you will need to serve new waiting periods for those new or increased benefits.

    A common waiting period is 12 months for pre-existing conditions (any ailment, illness or condition that you had signs or symptoms of during the six months before upgrading, even if undiagnosed), and for pregnancy and birth-related services. But there is generally only a two-month waiting period for psychiatric care, rehabilitation or palliative care, even if it’s for a pre-existing condition.

    It’s a good idea to review your policy every two years because your health needs and financial circumstances can change.

    How much do companies pay out?

    The proportion of premiums that are paid out to cover medical claims is known as the “average payout ratio”. And this has been about 84–86% over most of the past 20 years.

    This does not mean your health insurer will pay out 84–86% of your individual claim. This national average accounts for the percentage of all premiums in any one year, across all insurers, that’s paid out in claims.

    The payout ratios vary by insurer and are slightly higher for not-for-profit health insurers than for-profit insurers.

    That’s because for-profit health insurers have pressure to deliver profits to shareholders and have incentives to minimise payouts and control costs.

    If not properly managed, these incentives may result in higher out-of-pocket expenses and denied claims.

    Why has my claim been rejected?

    Common reasons for claims to be rejected include:

    • the policy excluded or restricted the clinical category

    • the waiting period was not served

    • incorrect information (for example, a doctor billed an incorrect item number)

    • what’s known as “mixed coverage” (as in the Bupa scandal), where not everything in a claim is covered, but the entire claim is declined.

    What if I think there’s an error?

    If your health insurance company refuses your claim, you can request a detailed explanation in writing.

    If you believe your claim has been incorrectly denied, you can make a formal complaint directly with the insurer. For this you need to check your policy documents, and gather supporting evidence. This may include detailed invoices, medical reports, referral letters and correct item numbers.

    If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the health fund’s internal review, or the fund doesn’t respond with the specific time-frame (for instance, 30–45 days), you can escalate your complaint.

    You can get in touch with the Commonwealth Ombudsman (phone: 1300 362 072). This provides a free, independent complaint handling service for a range of consumer issues, including health insurance.

    Bupa customers concerned about a “mixed coverage” claim can contact the company directly.

    What can governments do?

    The Bupa scandal, along with ongoing concerns about transparency and rising out-of-pocket costs, highlights the need for policy reforms to better protect consumers.

    The government should require health insurers and health-care providers to give clear estimates of all potential out-of-pocket costs for a procedure before it happens. This would avoid unexpected bills and help consumers make informed decisions about their health care.

    The government could also let the ACCC or the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority conduct regular, independent audits of insurers’ claims systems and practices.

    Yuting Zhang has received funding from the Australian Research Council (future fellowship project ID FT200100630), Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Victorian Department of Health, National Health and Medical Research Council and Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network. In the past, Professor Zhang has received funding from several US institutes including the US National Institutes of Health, Commonwealth fund, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She has not received funding from for-profit industry including the private health insurance industry.

    – ref. Will my private health insurance cover my surgery? What if my claim is rejected? – https://theconversation.com/will-my-private-health-insurance-cover-my-surgery-what-if-my-claim-is-rejected-260702

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA to Brief Media on New Mission to Study Earth’s Magnetic Shield

    Source: NASA

    NASA will hold a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT on Thursday, July 17, to share information about the agency’s upcoming Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, or TRACERS, mission, which is targeted to launch no earlier than late July.
    The TRACERS mission is a pair of twin satellites that will study how Earth’s magnetic shield — the magnetosphere — protects our planet from the supersonic stream of material from the Sun called solar wind. As they fly pole to pole in a Sun-synchronous orbit, the two TRACERS spacecraft will measure how magnetic explosions send these solar wind particles zooming down into Earth’s atmosphere — and how these explosions shape the space weather that impacts our satellites, technology, and astronauts.
    Also launching on this flight will be three additional NASA-funded payloads. The Athena EPIC (Economical Payload Integration Cost) SmallSat, led by NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is designed to demonstrate an innovative, configurable way to put remote-sensing instruments into orbit faster and more affordably. The Polylingual Experimental Terminal technology demonstration, managed by the agency’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program, will showcase new technology that empowers missions to roam between communications networks in space, like cell phones roam between providers on Earth. Finally, the Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss (REAL) CubeSat, led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, will use space as a laboratory to understand how high-energy particles within the bands of radiation that surround Earth are naturally scattered into the atmosphere, aiding the development of methods for removing these damaging particles to better protect satellites and the critical ground systems they support.
    Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website at:
    nasa.gov/live
    Participants include:

    Joe Westlake, division director, Heliophysics, NASA Headquarters
    Kory Priestley, principal investigator, Athena EPIC, NASA Langley
    Greg Heckler, deputy program manager for capability development, SCaN, NASA Headquarters
    David Miles, principal investigator for TRACERS, University of Iowa
    Robyn Millan, REAL principal investigator, Dartmouth College

    To participate in the media teleconference, media must RSVP no later than 10 a.m. on July 17 to Sarah Frazier at: sarah.frazier@nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. 
    The TRACERS mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
    This mission is led by David Miles at the University of Iowa with support from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. NASA’s Heliophysics Explorers Program Office at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the mission for the agency’s HeliophysicsDivision at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The University of Iowa, Southwest Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of California, Berkeley, all lead instruments on TRACERS that will study changes in the Earth’s magnetic field and electric field. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare contract.
    To learn more about TRACERS, please visit:
    nasa.gov/tracers
    -end-
    Abbey Interrante / Karen FoxHeadquarters, Washington301-201-0124 / 202-358-1600abbey.a.interrante@nasa.gov / karen.c.fox@nasa.gov
    Sarah FrazierGoddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland202-853-7191sarah.frazier@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: What is the ‘Seven Mountain Mandate’ and how is it linked to political extremism in the US?

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Art Jipson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton

    People pray before Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance at a town hall hosted by Lance Wallnau on Sept. 28, 2024, in Monroeville, Pa. AP Photo/Rebecca Droke

    Vance Boelter, who allegedly shot Melissa Hortman, a Democratic Minnesota state representative, and her husband, Mark Hortman, on June 14, 2025, studied at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas. The group is a Bible school linked to the New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR.

    The NAR is a loosely organized but influential charismatic Christian movement that shares similarities with Pentecostalism, especially in its belief that God actively communicates with believers through the Holy Spirit. Unlike traditional Pentecostalism, however, the organization emphasizes modern-day apostles and prophets as authoritative leaders tasked with transforming society and ushering in God’s kingdom on Earth. Prayer, prophecy and worship are defined not only as acts of devotion but as strategic tools for advancing believers’ vision of government and society.

    After the shooting, the Christ for the Nations Institute issued a statement “unequivocally” denouncing “any and all forms of violence and extremism.” It stated: “Our organization’s mission is to educate and equip students to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through compassion, love, prayer, service, worship, and value for human life.”

    But the shooting has drawn attention to the school and the larger Christian movement it belongs to. One of the most important aspects of NAR teachings today is what is called “the Seven Mountain Mandate.”

    The Seven Mountain Mandate calls on Christians to gain influence, or “take dominion,” over seven key areas of culture: religion, family, education, government, media, business and the arts.

    With over three decades of experience studying extremism, I offer a brief overview of the history and core beliefs of the Seven Mountain Mandate.

    ‘Dominion of Christians’

    The Seven Mountain concept was originally proposed in 1975 by evangelical leader Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. Now known as “Cru,” the Campus Crusade for Christ was founded as a global ministry in 1951 to promote Christian evangelism, especially on college campuses.

    United by a shared vision to influence society through Christian values, Bright partnered with Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth With A Mission, a major international missionary training and outreach organization, in the 1970s.

    The Seven Mountain Mandate was popularized by theologian Francis Schaeffer, who linked it to a larger critique of secularism and liberal culture. Over time, it evolved.

    C. Peter Wagner, a former seminary professor who helped organize and name the New Apostolic Reformation, is often regarded as the theological architect of the group. He developed it into a call for dominion. In his 2008 book “Dominion! How Kingdom Action Can Change the World,” he urged Christians to take authoritative control of cultural institutions.

    For Wagner, “dominion theology” – the idea that Christians should have control over all aspects of society – was a call to spiritual warfare, so that God’s kingdom would be “manifested here on earth as it is in heaven.”

    Bill Johnson.
    Doctorg via Wikimedia Commons

    Since 1996, Bill Johnson, a senior leader of Bethel Church, and Johnny Enlow, a self-described prophet and Seven Mountain advocate, among others, have taken the original idea of the Seven Mountain Mandate and reshaped it into a more aggressive, political and spiritually militant approach. Spiritual militancy reflects an aggressive, us-vs.-them mindset that blurs the line between faith and authoritarianism, promoting dominion over society in the name of spiritual warfare.

    Their version doesn’t just aim to influence culture; it frames the effort as a spiritual battle to reclaim and reshape the nation according to their vision of God’s will.

    Lance Wallnau, another Christian evangelical preacher, televangelist, speaker and author, has promoted dominion theology since the early 2000s. During the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Wallnau, along with several prominent NAR figures, described Donald Trump as anointed by God to reclaim the “mountain” of government from demonic control.

    In their book “Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate,” Wallnau and Johnson explicitly call for Christian leadership as the only antidote to perceived moral decay and spiritual darkness.

    The beliefs

    Sometimes referred to as Seven Mountains of Influence or Seven Mountains of Culture, the seven mountains are not neutral domains but seen as battlegrounds between divine truth and demonic deception.

    Adherents believe that Christians are called to reclaim these areas through influence, leadership and even, if necessary, the use of force and to confront demonic political forces, as religion scholar Matthew Taylor demonstrates in his book “The Violent Take It By Force.”

    Diverse perspectives and interpretations surround the rhetoric and actions associated with the New Apostolic Reformation. Some analysts have pointed out how the NAR is training its followers for an active confrontation. Other commentators have said that the rhetoric calling for physical violence is anti-biblical and should be denounced.

    NAR-aligned leaders have framed electoral contests as struggles between “godly” candidates and those under the sway of “satanic” influence.

    Similarly, NAR prophet Cindy Jacobs has repeatedly emphasized the need for “spiritual warfare” in schools to combat what she characterizes as “demonic ideologies” such as sex education, LGBTQ+ inclusion or discussions of systemic racism.

    In the NAR worldview, cultural change is not merely political or social but considered a supernatural mission; opponents are not simply wrong but possibly under the sway of demonic influence. Elections become spiritual battles.

    This belief system views pluralism as weakness, compromise as betrayal, and coexistence as capitulation. Frederick Clarkson, a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates, a progressive think tank based in Somerville, Massachusetts, defines the Seven Mountain Mandate as “the theocratic idea that Christians are called by God to exercise dominion over every aspect of society by taking control of political and cultural institutions.”

    The call to “take back” the culture is not metaphorical but literal, and believers are encouraged to see themselves as soldiers in a holy war to dominate society. Some critics argue that NAR’s call to “take back” culture is about literal domination, but this interpretation is contested.

    Many within the movement see the language of warfare as spiritually focused on prayer, evangelism and influencing hearts and minds. Still, the line between metaphor and mandate can blur, especially when rhetoric about “dominion” intersects with political and cultural action. That tension is part of an ongoing debate both within and outside the movement.

    Networks that spread the beliefs

    This belief system is no longer confined to the margins. It is spread widely through evangelical churches, podcasts, YouTube videos and political networks.

    It’s hard to know exactly how many churches are part of the New Apostolic Reformation, but estimates suggest that about 3 million people in the U.S. attend churches that openly follow NAR leaders.

    At the same time, the Seven Mountain Mandate doesn’t depend on centralized leadership or formal institutions. It spreads organically through social networks, social media – notably podcasts and livestreams – and revivalist meetings and workshops.

    André Gagné, a theologian and author of “American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times,” writes about the ways in which the mandate spreads by empowering local leaders and believers. Individuals are authorized – often through teachings on spiritual warfare, prophetic gifting, and apostolic leadership – to see themselves as agents of divine transformation in society, called to reclaim the “mountains,” such as government, media and education, for God’s kingdom.

    This approach, Gagné explains, allows different communities to adapt the action mandate to their unique cultural, political and social contexts. It encourages individuals to see themselves as spiritual warriors and leaders in their domains – whether in business, education, government, media or the arts.

    Small groups or even individuals can start movements or initiatives without waiting for top-down directives. The only recognized authorities are the apostles and prophets running the church or church network the believers attend.

    The framing of the Seven Mountain Mandate as a divinely inspired mission, combined with the movement’s emphasis on direct spiritual experiences and a specific interpretation of scripture, can create an environment where questioning the mandate is perceived as challenging God’s authority.

    Slippery slope

    These beliefs have increasingly fused with nationalist rhetoric and conspiracy theories.

    The ‘Appeal to Heaven’ flags symbolize the belief that people have the right to appeal directly to God’s authority when they think the government has failed.
    Paul Becker/Becker1999 via Flickr, CC BY

    A powerful example of NAR political rhetoric in action is the rise and influence of the “Appeal to Heaven” flags. For those in the New Apostolic Reformation, these flags symbolize the belief that when all earthly authority fails, people have the right to appeal directly to God’s authority to justify resistance.

    This was evident during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, when these flags were prominently displayed.

    To be clear, its leaders are not calling for violence but rather for direct political engagement and protest. For some believers, however, the calls for “spiritual warfare” may become a slippery slope into justification for violence, as in the case of the alleged Minnesota shooter.

    Understanding the Seven Mountain Mandate is essential for grasping the dynamics of contemporary efforts to align government and culture with a particular vision of Christian authority and influence.

    Art Jipson 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. What is the ‘Seven Mountain Mandate’ and how is it linked to political extremism in the US? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-seven-mountain-mandate-and-how-is-it-linked-to-political-extremism-in-the-us-260034

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Ivey Announces Medicaid Commissioner Stephanie Azar to Chair State Employees’ Insurance Board, Appoints Bo Offord as Agency Commissioner

    Source: US State of Alabama

    MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday announced she will appoint Bo Offord to serve as commissioner of the Alabama Medicaid Agency. Stephanie McGee Azar, after leading the Medicaid Agency for over 13 years, will become the chief executive officer of the State Employees’ Insurance Board of Directors (SEIB).

    “As Alabama’s longest consecutively serving Medicaid commissioner, Stephanie Azar has proven herself a skillful manager of the state’s public health insurance program for low-income families,” said Governor Ivey. “She successfully directed annual Medicaid budgets for more than 13 years and shepherded the passage of legislation to create and fund the first Alabama Medicaid Reserve while maintaining a balanced budget. I am grateful to Stephanie for her years of invaluable service, and I am confident she will continue to serve the state well through her new position at SEIB.

    “Meanwhile, Bo Offord has diligently helped guide the Alabama Medicaid Agency for close to two decades, serving as assistant general counsel, deputy general counsel and general counsel. He has demonstrated the necessary expertise to ensure the Agency remains on the sound footing Commissioner Azar established, and I look forward to his leadership as he assumes his new role of Medicaid commissioner.”

    A graduate of The University of Alabama and Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, Offord began practicing law in 2007. Since he joined the Alabama Medicaid Agency in 2010, he has represented and advised the Medicaid Agency in probate, circuit and appellate matters, as well as in complex federal regulatory issues.

    “It is an honor to be appointed by Governor Ivey to serve as the next commissioner of the Alabama Medicaid Agency,” said Offord. “I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Alabama in this capacity. I had the privilege to work with Commissioner Azar for 15 years, witnessing firsthand her professionalism and leadership. I am certain she will have nothing but success at the State Employees Insurance Board.”

    Offord’s appointment is effective July 16, 2025.

    An official headshot of Bo Offord is attached.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: This tropical plant builds isolated ‘apartments’ to prevent battles among the aggressive ant tenants it relies on for survival

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Guillaume Chomicki, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, Durham University

    When aggressive ant species come in contact, deadly conflicts ensue G. Chomicki

    In the middle of the South Pacific, a group of Fijian plants have solved a problem that has long puzzled scientists: How can an organism cooperate with multiple partners that are in turn competing for the same resources? The solution turns out to be simple – compartmentalization.

    Imagine an apartment building where unfriendly neighbors might clash if they run into each other, but smart design keeps everyone peacefully separated. In our new research published in the journal Science, we show how certain plants build specialized structures that allow multiple aggressive ant species to live side by side inside them without ever meeting.

    Ants and plants cooperate in Fijian rainforest

    Squamellaria plants are epiphytes – meaning they don’t have roots attached to the ground, and instead grow on another plant for physical support. They live high up in the rainforest canopy, in the South Pacific.

    Because they don’t have direct access to the soil’s nutrients, Squamellaria plants have evolved an original strategy to acquire what they need: In a mutually beneficial relationship, they grow structures that appeal to ants looking for a place to live. This kind of long-term relationship between species – whether helpful or harmful – is called symbiosis.

    Here’s how it works in this case. The base of the Squamellaria plant stem forms a swollen, hollow structure called a domatium – a perfect place for ants to live. Domatia gradually enlarge to the size of a soccer ball, containing ever more plant-made houses ready for ants to move into. Each apartment can house a colony made up of thousands of ants.

    A multicompartment Squamellaria (S. tenuiflora) in its natural habitat: rainforests in Fiji. This large plant likely contains a dozen or more compartments.
    G. Chomicki

    The relationship between the ants and the plants is mutualistic, meaning both parties benefit. The ants gain a nice sturdy and private nest space, while the plants gain essential nutrients. They obtain nitrogen and phosphorus from the ants’ feces and from detritus – including dead insects, plant bits and soil – that the ants bring inside the domatium.

    However, tropical rainforest canopies are battlegrounds for survival. Ants compete fiercely for nesting space, taking over any hollow branch or space under tree bark. Any Squamellaria ant house would thus be at risk of being colonized and taken over by other incoming ants, disrupting the existing partnership.

    Until now, it was unclear how the cooperative relationships between ants and plants remain stable in this competitive environment.

    Walls keep the peace

    Our first hint about what keeps the peace in the Squamellaria real estate came when we discovered several ant species living in the same plant domatium. This finding just didn’t make sense. How could aggressively competing ant species live together?

    We investigated the structure of domatia using computed-tomography scanning, which revealed an interesting internal architecture. Each plant domatium is divided into distinct compartments, with thick walls isolating each unit. Independent entrances prevent direct contact between the inhabitants of different units. The walls safeguard the peace as they prevent encounters between different ant species.

    A 3D model of a Squamellaria tenuiflora domatiium based on CT-scanning data reveals its compartmentalization. Each color-coded cavity is a distinct ‘ant apartment,’ isolated of the others, but connected to the outside.
    S. Renner & G. Chomicki

    Back in the lab, when we removed the ant apartments’ walls, placing inhabitants in contact with their neighbors, deadly fights broke out between ant species. The compartmentalized architecture is thus critical in preventing symbiont “wars” and maintaining the stability of the plant’s partnership with all the ants that call it home. By minimizing deadly conflicts that could harm the ants it hosts, this strategy ensures that the plant retains access to sufficient nutrients provided by the ants.

    This research reveals a new mechanism that solves a long-standing riddle – the stability of symbioses involving multiple unrelated partners. Scientists hadn’t previously discovered aggressive animal symbionts living together inside a single plant host. Our study reveals for the first time how simple compartmentalization is a highly effective way to reduce conflict, even in the most extreme cases. The ant colonies are living side by side, but not really together.

    What’s next

    The key to conflict-free living of multipartner symbioses discovered in these Fijian plants – compartmentalization – is likely important in other multispecies partnerships. However, it remains unknown whether compartmentalization is widespread in nature. Research on cooperation between species has long focused on pairwise interactions. Our new insights suggest a need to reinvestigate other multispecies mutualistic symbioses to see how they maintain stability.

    Guillaume Chomicki receives funding from UKRI.

    Susanne S. Renner received previous funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG)

    – ref. This tropical plant builds isolated ‘apartments’ to prevent battles among the aggressive ant tenants it relies on for survival – https://theconversation.com/this-tropical-plant-builds-isolated-apartments-to-prevent-battles-among-the-aggressive-ant-tenants-it-relies-on-for-survival-260674

    MIL OSI –

  • Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 sets stage for India’s rise as a global sporting powerhouse

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    For generations, sports in India were seen as a pastime squeezed between schoolwork and exams — a hobby on dusty fields rather than a career to aspire to. Limited infrastructure and a societal focus on academics meant few dared to dream of donning the national colours. But over the years, that narrative has steadily transformed, and today, with the launch of Khelo Bharat Niti 2025, India is set to redefine its sporting destiny.

    Launched under the vision ‘From Grassroots to Glory’, the landmark policy is poised to reshape the country’s sports ecosystem. Integrating with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Khelo Bharat Niti aims to bridge the gap between classrooms and playgrounds, recognizing sports as an essential component of holistic development. It prioritizes women’s empowerment, outreach to marginalized and tribal communities, and active engagement with the Indian diaspora.

    A Vision for the 2036 Olympics

    With its eyes set firmly on the global stage, India’s ambitious roadmap includes a strategic push to become a sporting powerhouse by the 2036 Olympics — and to stake its claim as a potential host. This vision is backed by substantial funding: for FY 2025–26, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has been allocated ₹3,794 crore, marking a 130.9% increase from FY 2014–15. Of this, ₹1,000 crore is earmarked for the flagship Khelo India programme alone.

    Building the Sporting Ecosystem

    The policy focuses on talent identification at the grassroots level, competitive leagues, world-class training, and sports science support. It calls for significant private sector participation through public-private partnerships, corporate social responsibility, and innovative funding models, laying the groundwork for a sustainable sports industry.

    Sports are also being positioned as a major economic driver, with an emphasis on boosting sports tourism, hosting international events, and nurturing sports startups. The goal is to transform sports from a niche pursuit into a vibrant sector generating livelihoods and national pride.

    A Network of Opportunity

    Since its inception in 2016–17 and subsequent expansion in 2021, Khelo India has firmly established itself as a cornerstone of India’s sports revolution. The initiative has approved 326 sports infrastructure projects, committing over ₹3,124 crore to enhance athletic facilities across the nation. Furthermore, it has been instrumental in creating a robust support system for athletes by establishing 1,045 Khelo India Centres and 34 State Centres of Excellence, complemented by 306 accredited academies. This expansive network provides comprehensive support to nearly 2,850 athletes, covering their training needs, equipment, medical care, and stipends. Khelo India also organizes several annual flagship events, including the Khelo India Youth Games, University Games, Para Games, and Winter Games. These 17 editions of events have collectively drawn over 50,000 athletes, showcasing a significant increase in participation and competitive opportunities within the Indian sports landscape.

    One of the programme’s standout initiatives is KIRTI (Khelo India Rising Talent Identification), which scouts talent aged 9–18 through 174 Talent Assessment Centres. It aims to propel India into the top-10 sporting nations by 2036, and top-5 by 2047.

    Further, the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival is set to take place at Srinagar’s Dal Lake this August, featuring five sports and over 400 athletes — a testament to the policy’s vision of broadening India’s sporting horizons.

    Institutional Support for Excellence

    The National Sports University, established in Imphal in 2018, is another pillar supporting this vision. The university focuses on sports sciences, management, coaching, and research, training India’s next generation of elite athletes and sports professionals. With global partnerships and a motto of Sports Excellence through Education, Research and Training, it aims to bridge education with high-performance sport.

    Stories Beyond the Arena

    The impact of these initiatives is visible in countless inspiring journeys. Para-athlete Rohit Kumar, a PhD scholar in Delhi, credits government support for creating equal opportunities for athletes like him. “Progress is possible only when supported by the government and society,” he says. He sees Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 — especially its integration with the NEP — as a transformative step for athletes who wish to balance sports and education.

    Athlete Samantha Saver Siddi, from India’s historic Siddi community, echoes this optimism. Practising at Bengaluru’s Jay Prakash Narayan Sports Academy while pursuing her arts degree, Samantha dreams of winning medals for India and credits the policy for creating an environment where such dreams can thrive.

    Towards a Sporting Nation

    India’s medal tallies — from 57 at Incheon 2014 to 69 at Jakarta 2018, and a record 107 at Hangzhou 2023 — highlight a nation on the rise. As India aims to elevate its global standing, Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 is set to be the blueprint for nurturing talent, expanding opportunities, and building a culture where sports and academics stand shoulder to shoulder.

    With its youth population of over 65%, India has the numbers — and now, the resolve — to transform playground dreams into podium moments. The journey from dusty fields to Olympic podiums is no longer a distant dream, but a goal within reach.

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study of projections of heat deaths in England and Wales under difference climate scenarios

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A study in PLOS Climate looks at projections of future heat deaths in England and Wales given different climate scenarios. 

    Dr Raquel Nunes, Assistant Professor in Health and Environment at the University of Warwick, said:

    “The study highlights the importance of mitigation and adaptation for future heat-health outcomes. While it presents valuable future projections, it relies on pre-defined assumptions and scenarios, largely omitting the urgent need to transition from reactive to anticipatory strategies.

    “The forecast of a third consecutive UK heatwave so far this summer – and the increasing frequency, intensity and duration of such events – underscores the urgent need to shift from reactive to anticipatory strategies. Heat-related deaths and illnesses are both preventable and avoidable, yet they expose systemic failures and highlight the need for socially inclusive and institutionally embedded adaptation across governance, infrastructure, and health and care services to prevent increasing vulnerabilities and inequalities.”

    Dr Akshay Deoras, Research Scientist at the University of Reading, said:

    “If floods and storms are the loud alarms of climate change, extreme heat is its silent killer. It is disproportionately lethal, often going unnoticed until it’s too late. With another heatwave bearing down on the UK, this warning feels more urgent than ever.

    “This new comprehensive study makes the threat clear. It analyses heat-related mortality across fifteen plausible combinations of climate and socioeconomic scenarios, capturing a wide range of possible futures for England and Wales. It simultaneously accounts for climate change, population growth and ageing, and adaptive capacity. This multi-driver approach avoids the underestimation of future health burdens that can occur when only one driver is considered.

    “The results show that heat is not only claiming more lives, but that power outages and an aging population could make things far worse if adaptation doesn’t keep pace. Even under the most optimistic scenarios, heat-related deaths are set to rise sharply by mid-century. One of the limitations of the study is that temperature exposure is assigned at the regional level using population-weighted averages, which may not fully reflect local microclimates, potentially masking local hotspots of risk.

    “To save lives, we must cut greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen adaptation strategies at the same time. Crucially, the study highlights the power of natural, passive cooling techniques, such as shutters, shading, and cool roofs, which work even when the electricity fails. These solutions not only protect people but also avoid the trap of relying on air conditioning, which drives further global warming. As the UK experiences fewer cold extremes and more frequent and deadly heatwaves, protecting older adults must be at the heart of climate and public health planning—before this silent threat becomes an undeniable crisis.”

    Prof Richard Allan, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading, said:

    “Warming of the climate is making heatwaves more severe and dangerous. The new study paints a concerning picture of the future in which a greater intensity of summer heat compounds with an ageing, more vulnerable population to increase the risk of death. 

    “The research finds danger to people from persistent heat diminishes in scenarios involving deeper cuts in climate warming greenhouse gases but remain concerningly large, meaning that adaptation of our infrastructure and culture is also needed as well as rapidly transitioning to a low carbon society. 

    “The study also notes a concurrent reduction in mortality from cold extremes and may underestimate the adaptive measures that could be adopted in response to hot conditions but underscores the importance of avoiding the worst case storylines by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving our resilience to worsening weather extremes.”

    ‘Projections of heat related mortality under combined climate and socioeconomic adaptation scenarios for England and Wales’ by Rebecca Cole et al. was published in PLOS Climate at 7pm UK time on Thursday 10 July 2025.

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000553

    Declared interests

    Richard Allan: “No conflicting interests”

    Dr Akshay Deoras: “I receive funding from UKRI and DSIT/Met Office.”

    Raquel Nunes: “No conflicts of interest”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Justice Department efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans likely violate constitutional rights

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University

    New American citizens recite the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony in Miami on Aug. 17, 2018. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

    The Trump administration wants to take away citizenship from naturalized Americans on a massive scale.

    While a recent Justice Department memo prioritizes national security cases, it directs the department to “maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence” across 10 broad priority categories.

    Denaturalization is different from deportation, which removes noncitizens from the country. With civil denaturalization, the government files a lawsuit to strip people’s U.S. citizenship after they have become citizens, turning them back into noncitizens who can then be deported.

    The government can only do this in specific situations. It must prove someone “illegally procured” citizenship by not meeting the requirements, or that they lied or hid important facts during the citizenship process.

    The Trump administration’s “maximal enforcement” approach means pursuing any case where evidence might support taking away citizenship, regardless of priority level or strength of evidence. As our earlier research documented, this has already led to cases like that of Baljinder Singh, whose citizenship was revoked based on a name discrepancy that could easily have resulted from a translator’s error rather than intentional fraud.

    A brief history

    For most of American history, taking away citizenship has been rare. But it increased dramatically during the 1940s and 1950s during the Red Scare period characterized by intense suspicion of communism. The United States government targeted people it thought were communists or Nazi supporters. Between 1907 and 1967, over 22,000 Americans lost their citizenship this way.

    Everything changed in 1967 when the Supreme Court decided Afroyim v. Rusk. The court said the government usually cannot take away citizenship without the person’s consent. It left open only cases involving fraud during the citizenship process.

    After this decision, denaturalization became extremely rare. From 1968 to 2013, fewer than 150 people lost their citizenship, mostly war criminals who had hidden their past.

    Sen. Joseph McCarthy appears at a March 1950 hearing on his charges of communist infiltration at the State Department.
    AP Photo/Herbert K. White

    How the process works

    In criminal lawsuits, defendants get free lawyers if they can’t afford one. They get jury trials. The government must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt” – the highest standard of proof.

    But in most denaturalization cases, the government files a civil suit, where none of these protections exist.

    People facing denaturalization get no free lawyer, meaning poor defendants often face the government alone. There’s no jury trial – just a judge deciding whether someone deserves to remain American. The burden of proof is lower – “clear and convincing evidence” instead of “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Most important, there’s no time limit, so the government can go back decades to build cases.

    As law professors who study citizenship, we believe this system violates basic constitutional rights.

    The Supreme Court has called citizenship a fundamental right. Chief Justice Earl Warren in 1958 described it as the “right to have rights.”

    In our reading of the law, taking away such a fundamental right through civil procedures that lack basic constitutional protection – no right to counsel for those who can’t afford it, no jury trial, and a lower burden of proof – seems to violate the due process of law required by the Constitution when the government seeks to deprive someone of their rights.

    The bigger problem is what citizenship-stripping policy does to democracy.

    When the government can strip citizenship from naturalized Americans for decades-old conduct through civil procedures with minimal due process protection – pursuing cases based on evidence that might not meet criminal standards – it undermines the security and permanence that citizenship is supposed to provide. This creates a system where naturalized citizens face ongoing vulnerability that can last their entire lives, potentially chilling their full participation in American democracy.

    The Justice Department memo establishes 10 priority categories for denaturalization cases. They range from national security threats and war crimes to various forms of fraud, financial crimes and, most importantly, any other cases it deems “sufficiently important to pursue.” This “maximal enforcement” approach means pursuing not just clear cases of fraud, but also any case where evidence might support taking away citizenship, no matter how weak or old the evidence is.

    This creates fear throughout immigrant communities.

    About 20 million naturalized Americans now must worry that any mistake in their decades-old immigration paperwork could cost them their citizenship.

    A two-tier system

    This policy effectively creates two different types of American citizens. Native-born Americans never have to worry about losing their citizenship, no matter what they do. But naturalized Americans face ongoing vulnerability that can last their entire lives.

    This has already happened. A woman who became a naturalized citizen in 2007 helped her boss with paperwork that was later used in fraud. She cooperated with the FBI investigation, was characterized by prosecutors as only a “minimal participant,” completed her sentence, and still faced losing her citizenship decades later because she didn’t report the crime on her citizenship application – even though she hadn’t been charged at the time.

    A woman receives a U.S. flag after passing her citizenship interview in Newark, N.J., on May 25, 2016.
    AP Photo/Julio Cortez

    The Justice Department’s directive to “maximally pursue” cases across 10 broad categories – combined with the first Trump administration’s efforts to review over 700,000 naturalization files – represents an unprecedented expansion of denaturalization efforts.

    The policy will almost certainly face legal challenges on constitutional grounds, but the damage may already be done. When naturalized citizens fear their status could be revoked, it undermines the security and permanence that citizenship is supposed to provide.

    The Supreme Court, in Afroyim v. Rusk, was focused on protecting existing citizens from losing their citizenship. The constitutional principle behind that decision – that citizenship is a fundamental right which can’t be arbitrarily taken away by whoever happens to be in power – applies equally to how the government handles denaturalization cases today.

    The Trump administration’s directive, combined with court procedures that lack basic constitutional protections, risks creating a system that the Afroyim v. Rusk decision sought to prevent – one where, as the Supreme Court said, “A group of citizens temporarily in office can deprive another group of citizens of their citizenship.”

    The authors 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. Justice Department efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans likely violate constitutional rights – https://theconversation.com/justice-department-efforts-to-strip-citizenship-from-naturalized-americans-likely-violate-constitutional-rights-260353

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: International students’ stories are vital in shaping Canada’s future

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Emilda Thavaratnam, PhD student, Leadership and Higher Education, University of Toronto

    Over the past decade, international students have navigated a complex and challenging landscape shaped by neoliberal policies.

    Neoliberal economic and political ideology upholds entrepreneurship, individualism, free trade, open markets, minimal government intervention and reduced public services for citizens.



    Read more:
    What exactly is neoliberalism?

    Neoliberal governance has transformed higher education into a mechanism for economic growth, shifting the burden of funding onto students.

    As my doctoral research examines, international students in Ontario’s colleges of applied arts and technology face barriers related to neoliberal restructuring. Drawing on interviews with students and front-line staff, my study examines experiences across five key themes: pre-arrival, housing insecurity, pandemic survival, precarious labour and future aspirations.

    Through these challenges, the resilience and drive of international students to build community reveal powerful forms of everyday resistance.

    This has been seen through their front-line work during the pandemic, their persistent pursuit of education and their collective efforts to challenge marginalization. Their stories are vital in shaping Canada’s social, economic and educational fabric.

    Shifts towards neoliberal education

    Since the late 1970s, higher education in Ontario and elsewhere has experienced significant changes. In the province, public funding per student has steadily declined, shifting the cost onto students, with higher educational institutions adopting models of privatization and corporatization to survive.

    Though higher education continues to serve the public good, these changes reflect a broader adaptation to the new economic realities driven by market principles.

    As David Harvey, a scholar of urban and political economy, explains, neoliberal approaches hold that economic growth and prosperity occur when markets are allowed to operate with minimal government regulation. Over time, these approaches have shaped policies and practices globally across various sectors, including education, media, corporations and international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund.

    Neoliberal policies are presented as naturally occurring or unavoidable; however, this framing prioritizes market principles over social protections and often masks the deeper political and social dynamics.

    Education as a product serving the job market

    Neoliberal values have reshaped the purpose and practice of higher education. The problem with this market-driven approach is it often prioritizes individual gain and profit over social equity and the public good. This shift aligns learning with market-oriented approaches.

    Scholars concerned with the adverse effects of neoliberal education policy highlight how education is often treated as a product designed to serve economic interests, with measurable outcomes and links to the job market becoming the primary focus.

    This shift is evident when policymakers and institutions prioritize competition, performance, metrics and individual achievement — often at the expense of collaboration, critical thinking and shared goals.

    COVID-19 pandemic

    The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the effects of neoliberal ideology in higher education, revealing both the precarity of post-secondary finance and living conditions for many international students.



    Read more:
    The pandemic exposed the vulnerability of international students in Canada

    When colleges and universities faced pandemic closures and uncertain enrolment, international students came under scrutiny as learners who pay high fees. They contribute more than $21 billion annually to the Canadian economy and pay an average of five times more than domestic students.

    It also became clear that international students make significant contributions to Canada by working on the front lines in sectors such as health care, long-term care and food supply chains.

    At the same time, this situation revealed broader tendencies rooted in the neoliberal market logic.

    During the pandemic, the federal government acknowledged how it has positioned international students as a flexible, commodified labour resource integral to the Canadian economy and essential services. For example, in April 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced it would “temporarily lift the 20 hour per week work restriction on study permit holders working off-campus during their academic session, provided they are working in an essential service or function.”

    While international student contributions are vital, this framing begs deeper questions around the protection of international students’ labour rights, student well-being and potential exploitation.

    Housing, food insecurity, high tuition

    Before the pandemic, many international students struggled with housing, food insecurity and tuition payments due to work restrictions and financial constraints.

    With the current cap in place as of 2024, it’s ironic that international students have been treated as both “essential” and “disposable” simultaneously.

    Despite facing housing insecurity, food shortages and inaccessible health care, international students have continued to demonstrate their resilience and resistance. Their efforts extend beyond individual acts of survival.

    Post-pandemic protest

    International students have also organized petitions, protests and advocacy campaigns to challenge unjust policies.

    For example, in November 2022, hundreds of students (domestic and international) rallied at the Ontario legislature in Toronto under the banner “Need or Greed.” A coalition of student associations representing 120,000 students united to protest.

    The protests were partly a response to unfair and unpredictable jumps in already high tuition fees for international students: the average undergraduate international tuition fees in Ontario rose from about $35,000 to just under $50,000 between 2018 and 2025. The coalition urged the provincial government and Colleges Ontario to freeze tuition for international students.

    Following these efforts, nationwide protests erupted in August 2024 when 70,000 international student graduates faced possible deportation due to tightened immigration rules. Students set up encampments outside the Prince Edward Island legislative assembly for three months to protest the 25 per cent cut in permanent resident nominations, which left many students in limbo.

    A notable aspect of this activism was the solidarity shown from labour organizations and people across the country. Laura Walton, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, joined the protests in solidarity, stating: “Your right is our fight.”

    The Naujawaan Support Network, an advocacy group for youth and international students based in Brampton, Ont., issued a statement declaring:“International students are not the cause of the crisis, but we are being made into scapegoats.”



    Read more:
    International students cap falsely blames them for Canada’s housing and health-care woes

    Power of collective organizing

    Collective organizing and calls for action are powerful acts of resistance that transcend the neoliberal ideology of individualism. Through petitions and protests, international students demonstrate a profound commitment to their education and aspirations.

    As Canada continues to welcome international students, and post-secondary institutions, governments and public sector organizations navigate turbulent economic times, it’s essential to uphold the rights of international students.

    It’s also essential to provide the support necessary for them to succeed and affirm their value as vital members of the community.

    International students’ resilience offers a valuable lesson about the human capacity to reframe challenges and persist. Students and citizens across the country have a role in celebrating their contributions and building bridges to foster more resilient communities.

    Emilda Thavaratnam 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. International students’ stories are vital in shaping Canada’s future – https://theconversation.com/international-students-stories-are-vital-in-shaping-canadas-future-258271

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Gene-edited pigs may soon enter the Canadian market, but questions about their impact remain

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Gwendolyn Blue, Professor, University of Calgary

    The Canadian government is currently considering approving the entry of gene-edited pigs into the food system.

    Using CRISPR gene-editing technology, genetic changes can be created precisely and efficiently without introducing foreign genetic material. If approved, these pigs would be the first gene-edited food animals available for sale in Canadian markets. My research examines how including the public in decision-making around emerging applications of genomics can help mitigate potential harms.

    These pigs are resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a horrible and sometimes fatal disease that affects pigs worldwide. PRRS has significant economic, food security and animal welfare implications.



    Read more:
    What is gene editing and how could it shape our future?

    The United States Food and Drug Administration recently greenlit the commercial production of gene-edited pigs. Will the Canadian government follow suit?

    AquAdvantage and EnviroPig

    In 2016, Canada approved the first transgenic animal for human consumption — an Atlantic salmon called AquAdvantage salmon that contains DNA from other species of fish.

    This approval came more than 25 years after the genetically modified fish was created by scientists at Memorial University in Newfoundland. The approval and commercialization of AquAdvantage salmon faced strong public opposition on both sides of the border, including protests, supermarket boycotts and court battles. In 2024, the company that produced AquAdvantage salmon announced that it was shutting down its operations.



    Read more:
    The science and politics of genetically engineered salmon: 5 questions answered

    In 2012, the Canadian government approved the manufacture of a transgenic pig known by its trade name, EnviroPig. Created by scientists at the University of Guelph, EnviroPigs released less phosphorus than conventionally bred pigs.

    EnviroPig did not make it to market; the same year, the University of Guelph ended the EnviroPig project. Funding for the project had been suspended, in part because of consumer concerns.

    Government regulation

    Some researchers argue that government regulation of gene-edited animals should be less restrictive than for transgenic techniques. Gene editing introduces genetic changes that can occur with conventional animal breeding that is not subject to regulation. Gene-edited crops in Canada are treated the same as conventionally bred crops.

    Others insist that stringent government regulation is necessary for gene editing to identify potential problems and ensure that laws keep up with industry and scientific ambition. Regulation plays a vital role in minimizing risk, encouraging public involvement and building trust.

    Social science research has, for decades, demonstrated that resistance to biotechnology is not because of the public’s lack of knowledge, as is often argued by biotechnology proponents. Public resistance to biotechnology is better understood as a rejection of potential harms imposed by governments and industry without public input and consent.

    Ethical, moral, cultural and political concerns

    At present, little opportunity exists for public engagement in Canadian assessments of gene-edited animals.

    Similar to the U.S., Canada does not have specific gene technology regulation. Rather, the federal government relies on pre-existing environmental and food safety legislation. Canadian regulatory agencies use a risk, novelty and product-based approach to assess animal biotechnology. From a regulatory standpoint, distinctions between technical processes — like transgenic modification versus gene editing — are less important than the safety of the final product.

    The Canadian government has recently updated its federal environmental and health regulations. This includes introducing mandatory public consultations for animals (vertebrates, specifically) created using biotechnology.

    Even with these changes, there’s still room for improvement. Public engagement is limited to consultations conducted within a short time frame. Interested parties are invited to provide scientific information about potential risks of animal biotechnology to human health or the environment, but comments that address ethical, moral, cultural or political concerns are not taken into consideration.

    More broadly, regulatory and academic debates about the gene editing of animals are largely informed by scientists and industry proponents with considerably less input from the public, Indigenous communities and social sciences and humanities researchers.

    Consulting the public

    From a social standpoint, the process by which gene editing is assessed matters as much as the safety of the final product. Inclusive public engagement is essential to ensure that the production of gene-edited food animals aligns with societal needs and values.

    Reactions to gene technologies are based on underlying values and beliefs, and sustained opportunities for public reflection and deliberation are vital for responsible innovation.

    Important questions should be addressed: Who will reap the benefits of gene-editing techniques? Who will bear the costs and harms? What are the potential implications, including hard-to-anticipate social and political changes? How should decision-making proceed to ensure that Canadians have sufficient opportunities for input?

    Currently, for the gene-edited pigs, members of the public can submit comments to the government until July 20, 2025.

    Public reactions to previous biotech food animals in Canada — including AquAdvantage salmon and the EnviroPig — show that lack of inclusive engagement can contribute to the rejection of animal biotechnology.

    Gwendolyn Blue receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She is a member of Gene Editing for Food Security and Environmental Sustainability, a multi-university consortium based at McGill University, and funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Gene-edited pigs may soon enter the Canadian market, but questions about their impact remain – https://theconversation.com/gene-edited-pigs-may-soon-enter-the-canadian-market-but-questions-about-their-impact-remain-260627

    MIL OSI –