Source: Reserve Bank of India
|
Preliminary data on India’s balance of payments (BoP) for the fourth quarter (Q4), i.e., January-March 2024-25, are presented in Statements I and II. Key Features of India’s BoP in Q4:2024-25
BoP During 2024-25
(Puneet Pancholy) Press Release: 2025-2026/611 |
Source: Isle of Man
The Isle of Man Government has recently published a National Risk Appetite Statement (NRAS) with a focus on the eGaming sector and related industries.
The NRAS has been produced in response to the evolving threat landscape, particularly from serious and organised crime in East and Southeast Asia. The NRAS provides clear, actionable guidance for businesses to assess and manage risks in both new and existing relationships.
In conjunction with this cross-agency initiative, the Authority has updated its AML/CFT Handbook to reference the NRAS and provide guidance on where this should be considered by relevant persons in the course of their business activities.
The revised Handbook includes links to the NRAS Frequently Asked Questions, along with an update to the Business Risk Assessment guidance in section 2.2.8.
Source: Reserve Bank of India
|
The Reserve Bank of India, in consultation with the State Governments/Union Territories (UTs), announces that the quantum of total market borrowings by the State Governments/UTs for the quarter July – September 2025, is expected to be ₹2,86,696 Crore. The weekly schedule of auctions to be held during the quarter along with the name of States/UTs who have confirmed participation and tentative amounts indicated by them is as under:
The actual amount of borrowings and the details of the States/UTs participating would be intimated by way of press releases two/ three days prior to the actual auction day and would depend on the requirement of the State Governments/UTs, approval from the Government of India under Article 293(3) of the Constitution of India and market conditions. RBI would endeavour to conduct the auctions in a non-disruptive manner, taking into account the market conditions and other relevant factors and distribute the borrowings evenly throughout the quarter. RBI reserves the right to modify the dates and the amount of auction in consultation with State Governments/UTs. (Puneet Pancholy) Press Release: 2025-2026/613 |
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Source: Samsung
Visual and immersive storytelling is central to how a film is experienced on the big screen by moviegoers. As more people seek premier theatre experiences, filmmakers are increasingly embracing cinema LED screens over projectors to deliver their creations in a way audiences haven’t experienced before, fully immersing the viewer in the worlds they create.
Following the launch of the latest Samsung Onyx (ICD), Matīss Kaža, Golden Globes® winner, Academy Award® winner, and producer of the film ‘Flow’, shared his insights on how Onyx is pushing the boundaries in cinema.
Matīss Kaža is a Latvian director, writer, and producer, renowned for co-writing and co-producing the animated film Flow (2024), which won a Golden Globe® Award for Best Motion Picture – Animated, an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature, a Toronto International Film Festival – Best Animated Film, a European Film Awards for European Animated Feature Film, and more. His projects have a strong sense of authorship and cinematic vision that resonates beyond national borders.
Q: Could you tell us a bit about what the film Flow is about?
Flow is an animated film, without any dialogue, telling the story of a solitary, individualist cat who likes to be by himself. Then suddenly comes this huge flood, destroying the cat’s home and forcing it upon a boat with other animals. On this boat, the cat learns to collaborate and become friends with these animals to survive this new, beautiful and humanless world.
Matīss Kaža shares his experience of watching his work on Samsung Onyx (Poster: Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films)
Q: As a dialogue-free film, how does a Cinema LED screen enhance the viewing experience for the audience?
One of the goals of Flow as a dialogue-free film is to essentially have the audience come as close to the cat’s experience as possible, since the film is built around the contrast between the main protagonist and the world around it. Cinema is all about detailing in the visual storytelling, and this comes through on Onyx very well. The world is vividly colourful with the yellows, greens, and blues—and then the cat is dark gray. There’s a huge contrast that shines through when watching on the Onyx screen, with its vivid colours and deep blacks.
Flow, played on Samsung Onyx
Q: How did the team work through the movements of each of the animals?
We studied the movements of these real animals, down to the most meticulous detail, to make sure our approach to the film was naturalistic for the audience. For example, when something attracts the cat’s attention, rather than twisting its head to look, it would just twist the ear.
Each animal moves in different ways and has different silhouettes, weights, and verticality. It was important for us to nail this process when making the film for the audience to feel fully immersed in this world.
Q: How did it feel to watch Flow on the Samsung Onyx Cinema LED screen?
Many scenes in the film feature foreground and background interactions, and the audience can fully enjoy and experience exactly how we wanted the film to look. The movements are also very clear, and you can see how all the different characters have their particularities, down to the most subtle interactions. From the smallest twitching in the ear and the smallest gaze of the eye, or any little interaction, the level of detail on Onyx makes these perfectly visible for the audience.
“I would have to say that Flow on the Onyx screen really flows.”
Q: Did you notice anything new or different about Flow after seeing it on Samsung Onyx?
How vivid the colour was in the beginning – where the cat is still in its home, which is a lovely sculpture garden – really stood out to me. The finer details, like the little butterflies and critters flying around, give this emotion of calmness that might not be noticeable on other screens. The Onyx truly shows the film for what it is—there is very crisp detail and clarity—and it displays things that would go unnoticed in other situations.
“On the Onyx, these little details were perfectly visible –
details which give a lot to the atmosphere, to the peaceful tone of the scene,”
Flow, played on Samsung Onyx
Q: Water is a core element of the film. Can you tell us more about its purpose and how the team uses it to add to the story?
The most difficult part of making this movie is the water effect. The dynamics of the water in the storytelling is really important because it’s one of the central metaphors of the film.
On an Onyx screen, you can explicitly see the difference between the little waves in the puddle at the beginning and end of the film. These details are so important to the storytelling, and it really comes through here on the Onyx.
Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films
Q: How do the colour, image details, and storytelling jump out more on a screen like Onyx compared to other traditional methods?
Because there is no dialogue in this film, we relied solely on visual storytelling. In terms of visual storytelling, colour is essential—setting the right levels of contrast and the exact color palette—for the scene. It’s what creates the mood and the atmosphere.
These aspects are fundamental to the film and are captured precisely, just as we intended. Every detail and colour really shines on the Onyx screen.
“Cinema is all about the detail in the storytelling, It always comes through in the detail. And that comes through on the Onyx” says Matīss Kaža, co-writer and co-producer of animated film Flow (2024)
Q: As a filmmaker, do the capabilities of Onyx help inspire your creative direction for upcoming projects?
I love it when the theatrical experience has me in the middle of the experience, trying to decode what is going on. Filmmakers can do a lot of interesting things using environments, visuals, and powerful storytelling to put audience members in an active relationship with the film. The crispness and range of colours offered on the Onyx bring us back to why we love seeing motion pictures on the big screen. It’s super immersive, and the level of detailing is just incredible.
Q: Anything else you would like us to know?
“I do filmmaking for the cinema-going experience;
that’s where the film really shines.”
Cinemas are where you see the picture as you’re supposed to see it. Every cinematographer and director, I think, has had to come to terms with different cinemas showing different images when using traditional projection. With the uniform approach that the Onyx has, I think that problem might be solved.
“Every detail and color really shines on the Onyx screen,” says Matīss Kaža, co-writer and co-producer of animated film Flow (2024)
Source: Reserve Bank of India
The expression ‘Banking System’ or ‘Banks’ means the banks and any other financial institution referred to in sub-clauses (i) to (vi) of clause (d) of the explanation below Section 42(1) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. No. of Scheduled Commercial Banks as on Current Fortnight:120 Ajit Prasad Press Release: 2025-2026/606 |
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Source: ASEAN
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, Nararya S. Soeprapto, attended the 46th Asia-Europe Foundation Board of Governors Meeting (ASEFBoG46) on 26-27 June 2025 in Kraków, Poland. The Meeting noted the report on the work of the ASEF Management, reviewed the implementation of ASEF’s ongoing initiatives, and approved its project proposals for 2025 and 2026. The Board of Governors also deliberated ways to enhance ASEF’s visibility and profile, and to further promote cultural and people-to-people connectivity between Asia and Europe.
The post Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN attends the 46th Asia-Europe Foundation Board of Governors Meeting appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: Samsung
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow applicants at Chandigarh University
In the buzzing classrooms of Khaitan Public School, spirited debates and whiteboard sketches gave way to something bigger — a new generation of changemakers emerging through Samsung Solve for Tomorrow. The national innovation contest, launched on April 29, 2025, continues to energize students across the country, and its recent roadshows in Ghaziabad, Delhi, Noida and Chandigarh are proving just how powerful young minds can be when given the right tools.
The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow programme empowers 14-22-year-olds to identify real-world problems and build tech-based solutions using design thinking. The winning four teams receive INR 1 crore, expert mentorship from Samsung and IIT Delhi, investor connects, and prototyping support to help them bring their vision to life.
In recent weeks, the Samsung team engaged with students at Khaitan Public School in Ghaziabad, Lingua Institute and Galgotias College in Delhi, and ITS College in Noida, sparking curiosity and inviting questions from teens eager to make a difference.
For Ishita, a class 12 student from Khaitan Public School, the roadshow was a wake-up call. “I always thought innovation was something for scientists or tech giants. But now I see that even a student like me can solve a local issue using creativity and tech,” she said, already brainstorming a solution around water conservation in her locality.
Her classmate Tanya Chaudhary came in with a rough idea to help senior citizens navigate healthcare access. “After the session, I feel like I finally know how to start. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow gave me the confidence to build something that matters,” said Tanya.
Astha Nautiyal, also from Khaitan, wants to use AI to address the rise in teenage anxiety. “Mental health is something we all deal with, but no one talks about it enough. I want to create something that helps teens feel seen and supported,” she said.
Enthusiasm was at its peak at Khaitan Public School in New Delhi
At Galgotias, students discussed a range of topics — from pollution control to AI-based traffic solutions. One group even explored using recycled materials to build smart street furniture that serves both utility and sustainability goals.
The open houses weren’t just information sessions — they were a platform for exchange, inspiration, and self-belief. Students walked out not just with ideas, but with a roadmap.
“Through Solve for Tomorrow, I got the opportunity to treat my ideas not just as a concept but a working prototype. What started as a classroom project is now being shaped with feedback from mentors and experts across disciplines. Meeting other young innovators has been incredibly motivating—it made me believe that with the right support, even students like me can solve real-world problems that impact millions. I am really motivated to apply,” said Mahak Singh, Chandigarh University.
As the roadshows continue to roll across India, these open houses in Delhi-NCR are proving that innovation doesn’t start in labs — it starts in classrooms, in conversations, and in the minds of students who dare to ask what if?
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow isn’t just shaping ideas — it’s shaping a generation that’s ready to solve, lead, and inspire.
Source: Thales Group
Headline: Thales and KONGSBERG to establish new major Defence communications joint venture in Norway
Thales and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace have agreed to combine two of their businesses – KONGSBERG’s secure communications unit and Thales’ crypto and secure communications business in Norway – in a joint venture designed to meet the growing connectivity needs of defence forces in Norway, NATO countries and other nations. This new company is a response to European armed forces’ call for greater interoperability, sovereignty, and the urgent need for large-scale equipment delivery.
Source: Samsung
On June 27, Samsung Electronics released the 2025 edition of its Sustainability Report.
The report provides a comprehensive overview of the company’s strategies, initiatives and performance in environmental, social and governance — highlighting ongoing efforts to achieve sustainable growth amid rapidly evolving industry dynamics and geopolitical uncertainty.
[Environment]
Building on its New Environmental Strategy announced in September 2022, Samsung remains committed to reaching net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions, maximizing resource circularity and addressing complex environmental challenges through technological innovation. Notably, the company is expanding its use of renewable energy to meet rising demand and reduce carbon emissions against the backdrop of rapid growth in AI technologies and related industries.
In pursuit of its 2030 net zero target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) Division recorded a renewable energy transition rate of 93.4% as of the end of 2024. By applying high-efficiency energy technologies across seven product categories, it reduced average power consumption by 31.5% compared to 2019. Additionally, the DX Division signed new solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) at its Gumi and Gwangju sites to diversify renewable energy sourcing.
As part of its goal to apply recycled materials to all plastic components by 2050, Samsung incorporated recycled content into 31% of the plastic parts used in its products as of 2024.
The company also operates a range of e-waste collection programs in approximately 80 countries, including Korea, to strengthen global recycling and recovery systems.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s Device Solutions (DS) Division aims to reach net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050 through continued investment in large-scale regenerative catalytic systems (RCS) for integrated process gas treatment and expanded use of renewable energy.
All global DS Division sites received the highest Platinum “Zero Waste-to-Landfill” certification from UL Solutions, a leading environmental and safety certifier. In addition, all Korean manufacturing sites earned top-tier certification from the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) for excellence in water resource management.
[Social and Governance]
Samsung is strengthening its health and safety management systems with the goal of achieving zero major industrial accidents and a top-tier global lost time injury rate (LTIR) by 2030, ensuring a safe, healthy workplace for all employees.
In 2024, the company conducted human rights risk assessments across Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East to identify and address key concerns. Based on stakeholder input from international organizations, NGOs and academia, Samsung developed and implemented a human rights risk management plan.
Within the supply chain, Samsung expanded the scope of third-party audits to 33 second-tier suppliers. Beginning in 2025, the company will implement a more advanced, integrated Supplier Code of Conduct to respond proactively to evolving global regulations.
Through the Samsung Software‧AI Academy for Youth (SSAFY) — one of the company’s flagship corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs — Samsung invested 37.5 billion won in 2024 to train approximately 2,200 young software professionals. This year, the program will introduce eight new AI training courses and upgrade infrastructure to support hands-on use of AI models. The Samsung Hope Stepping Stone program assisted 14,362 youth preparing to transition from protective care, opening new centers in North Chungcheong Province and Daejeon. Another center is scheduled to open in Incheon in 2025 to support more young people in need.
Furthermore, Samsung upholds privacy protection, information security, compliance and ethical management as core business priorities. A company-wide governance framework is in place to ensure effective oversight.
This year’s report aligns with global disclosure standards and is integrated with Samsung’s Sustainability website to improve accessibility.
The full 2025 Samsung Electronics Sustainability Report can be downloaded here.
Source: Samsung
On June 27, Samsung Electronics released the 2025 edition of its Sustainability Report.
The report provides a comprehensive overview of the company’s strategies, initiatives and performance in environmental, social and governance — highlighting ongoing efforts to achieve sustainable growth amid rapidly evolving industry dynamics and geopolitical uncertainty.
[Environment]
Building on its New Environmental Strategy announced in September 2022, Samsung remains committed to reaching net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions, maximizing resource circularity and addressing complex environmental challenges through technological innovation. Notably, the company is expanding its use of renewable energy to meet rising demand and reduce carbon emissions against the backdrop of rapid growth in AI technologies and related industries.
In pursuit of its 2030 net zero target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) Division recorded a renewable energy transition rate of 93.4% as of the end of 2024. By applying high-efficiency energy technologies across seven product categories, it reduced average power consumption by 31.5% compared to 2019. Additionally, the DX Division signed new solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) at its Gumi and Gwangju sites to diversify renewable energy sourcing.
As part of its goal to apply recycled materials to all plastic components by 2050, Samsung incorporated recycled content into 31% of the plastic parts used in its products as of 2024.
The company also operates a range of e-waste collection programs in approximately 80 countries, including Korea, to strengthen global recycling and recovery systems.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s Device Solutions (DS) Division aims to reach net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050 through continued investment in large-scale regenerative catalytic systems (RCS) for integrated process gas treatment and expanded use of renewable energy.
All global DS Division sites received the highest Platinum “Zero Waste-to-Landfill” certification from UL Solutions, a leading environmental and safety certifier. In addition, all Korean manufacturing sites earned top-tier certification from the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) for excellence in water resource management.
[Social and Governance]
Samsung is strengthening its health and safety management systems with the goal of achieving zero major industrial accidents and a top-tier global lost time injury rate (LTIR) by 2030, ensuring a safe, healthy workplace for all employees.
In 2024, the company conducted human rights risk assessments across Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East to identify and address key concerns. Based on stakeholder input from international organizations, NGOs and academia, Samsung developed and implemented a human rights risk management plan.
Within the supply chain, Samsung expanded the scope of third-party audits to 33 second-tier suppliers. Beginning in 2025, the company will implement a more advanced, integrated Supplier Code of Conduct to respond proactively to evolving global regulations.
Through the Samsung Software‧AI Academy for Youth (SSAFY) — one of the company’s flagship corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs — Samsung invested 37.5 billion won in 2024 to train approximately 2,200 young software professionals. This year, the program will introduce eight new AI training courses and upgrade infrastructure to support hands-on use of AI models. The Samsung Hope Stepping Stone program assisted 14,362 youth preparing to transition from protective care, opening new centers in North Chungcheong Province and Daejeon. Another center is scheduled to open in Incheon in 2025 to support more young people in need.
Furthermore, Samsung upholds privacy protection, information security, compliance and ethical management as core business priorities. A company-wide governance framework is in place to ensure effective oversight.
This year’s report aligns with global disclosure standards and is integrated with Samsung’s Sustainability website to improve accessibility.
The full 2025 Samsung Electronics Sustainability Report can be downloaded here.
Source: Samsung
From menu boards and discount offers to promotional advertisements, digital signage has become an essential medium for delivering information in retail spaces. Now, a new display has emerged — one that can show images without a continuous power supply.
On June 8, Samsung Electronics launched the 32-inch Color E-Paper — an ultra-low-power digital signage solution capable of delivering rich, high-quality visuals.
Behind this innovative product lies Samsung’s proprietary Color Imaging Algorithm technology, developed through close collaboration between the Visual Display (VD) Business and Samsung Research at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Newsroom spoke with two key figures behind its development — Daewoong Cho from the VD Business and Iljun Ahn from Samsung Research — to learn more about the creation of Color E-Paper.
▲ (From left) Iljun Ahn from Samsung Research and Daewoong Cho from the VD Business
Paradigm Shift: Ultra-Slim, Ultra-Light and Ultra Low-Power
The Color E-Paper sets a new benchmark for digital signage — redefining hardware, operational methods and content expressiveness.
The globally released EM32DX model (32-inch) sports an ultra-slim profile, measuring just 8.6 millimeters at its thinnest point, and boasts a lightweight structure, weighing only 2.5 kilograms with the battery.
▲ Daewoong Cho from the VD Business
“We designed the device to be ultra-slim and ultra-light so that it can be installed easily, even in tight spaces,” said Cho, who led Color E-Paper’s hardware development. “This versatility means it can serve as a menu board at a café entrance or be mounted on a wall to function as a seasonal, emotionally resonant interior display.”
One of the biggest advantages of the Color E-Paper is its ultra-low power consumption, as it draws 0.00W1 while displaying a static image. This allows content to remain visible for extended periods on battery power alone, significantly reducing energy usage in retail environments. Changing the display image requires only a minimal amount of power as well. In addition, as part of Samsung’s commitment to sustainability, the product incorporates recycled plastics in its exterior and comes in eco-friendly packaging.
▲ Content for the Color E-Paper can be easily created, replaced and managed through the Samsung VXT platform.
▲ Samsung VXT enhances the Color E-Paper experience with content visibility optimization, a preview function that ensures color accuracy before deployment, and other convenient features.
A Display That Runs Without a Continuous Power Supply
The secret behind the Color E-Paper’s ultra-low power consumption is its distinctive method of displaying images.
▲ Iljun Ahn from Samsung Research
“While conventional LCD signage uses a backlight to illuminate images, the Color E-Paper arranges six colors of digital ink in precise locations — just like printing on paper,” said Ahn, who participated in developing the product’s image enhancement technology. “This is also what gives the display its eye-friendly visual texture.”
The display consists of millions of microcups, each containing four colored ink particles (red, yellow, white and blue). When an electrical signal is applied to each cup, the designated ink particles rise to the surface to produce six colors.
“This process closely resembles the printing principle by which ink adheres to paper,” Ahn explained. “Once an image is formed, it can be semi-permanently retained without any further power consumption.”
Rich Images With Just Six Colors Through Samsung’s Proprietary Technology
The Color E-Paper’s strengths go far beyond power efficiency. The product can reproduce vibrant, natural hues using only six colors thanks to Samsung Electronics’ independently developed Color Imaging Algorithm.
“Conventional products had limitations in accurately reproducing input colors, and issues such as distortion and noise occurred . A solution was needed to overcome these challenges, so the VD Business and Samsung Research joined forces to come up with one,” said Ahn.
The starting point for developing the Color Imaging Algorithm, which enhances both color expressiveness and visibility, was the Human Visual System (HVS). The algorithm was built around a key aspect of human vision: the eye perceives the average color across a certain region, rather than focusing on the colors of individual pixels.
“By leveraging this trait, it’s possible to create the perception of different colors by naturally combining the six colors. The key lies in optimizing the ratio and arrangement of those combinations to avoid any color distortion,” Ahn added.
▲ The Color E‑Paper’s color-rendering process, powered by the Color Imaging Algorithm.
Calculating Color Ratios: Probability Map Extraction
Conventional e‑paper relies on error-diffusion2 techniques to approximate digital images using a limited color palette. While effective, these methods carry significant drawbacks, as they are prone to visual distortion and suffer from slow computation speeds.
To overcome these limitations, Samsung devised an innovative approach that calculates the probability of placing certain colors within arbitrary regions, allowing for more precise color expression.
▲ The Color Imaging Algorithm computes color-specific weights as probability distributions.
By computing color weights as probabilities, the Color E-Paper can render nearly 2.5 million distinct hues using just six colors — a dramatic 40-fold increase in color richness compared to the roughly 60,000 hues achievable with conventional methods.
Optimizing Color Arrangement: Color Sampling
Along with color ratios, the way colors are arranged also plays a critical role in color rendition quality. Building on the probability map, Samsung developers applied blue-noise-based3 sampling (arrangement)to assign colors on a pixel-by-pixel basis, ensuring uniform and smooth color rendering.
▲ The blue-noise-based color sampling process
▲ (Left) Grocery store promotions brought to life in vivid color on a Samsung Color E-Paper display; (Right) A magnified view of the onion demonstrates how various color combinations naturally render shades and hues.
This advanced Color Imaging Algorithm technology significantly reduces eye strain and delivers images with soft, natural boundaries — just like printed material.
▲ Samsung’s Color Imaging Algorithm technology overcomes the shortcomings of conventional e-paper.
A Globally Acclaimed Technology With a Bright Future
With reactions like “I thought it was real paper!” and “Where’s the power cable?”, people are often surprised or impressed when they see the Color E‑Paper for the first time. The innovation drew significant attention at this year’s edition of Europe’s largest display exhibition, Integrated Systems Europe, where it won three Best of Show at ISE 2025 awards.
“I felt so proud when I heard that a global brand, one that had previously insisted on analog signage only, began seriously considering a digital transformation after seeing the Color E‑Paper at ISE 2025,” Daewoong Cho recalled.
“The natural, paper-like color of the Color E-Paper will offer consumers a fresh experience across various commercial settings. We plan to introduce it in a range of sizes, from small to large displays.”
“We are continuing our research with the goal of being able to render a broader range of colors more effectively. Samsung Research and the VD Business will keep working in close partnership to deliver the next breakthrough in display technology,” added Iljun Ahn.
With its paradigm-shifting power efficiency and color accuracy, the Samsung Color E‑Paper is leading the evolution of digital signage. Driven by a spirit of continuous innovation, Samsung’s product developers are committed to enhancing visual experiences in commercial spaces — setting a new standard for the displays of tomorrow.
1 Based on IEC 62301 standards from the International Electrotechnical Commission. Power consumption below 0.005W is indicated as 0.00W.
2 This method diffuses the quantization error — introduced during image quantization — by distributing it in specified proportions to adjacent pixels, ensuring the errors become visually less noticeable across the entire image.
3 Unlike white noise, blue noise is concentrated in the high-frequency spectrum, distributing fine-grained, evenly spaced patterns without large blotches — enabling smoother and more natural image rendering on displays.
Source: Samsung
From menu boards and discount offers to promotional advertisements, digital signage has become an essential medium for delivering information in retail spaces. Now, a new display has emerged — one that can show images without a continuous power supply.
On June 8, Samsung Electronics launched the 32-inch Color E-Paper — an ultra-low-power digital signage solution capable of delivering rich, high-quality visuals.
Behind this innovative product lies Samsung’s proprietary Color Imaging Algorithm technology, developed through close collaboration between the Visual Display (VD) Business and Samsung Research at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Newsroom spoke with two key figures behind its development — Daewoong Cho from the VD Business and Iljun Ahn from Samsung Research — to learn more about the creation of Color E-Paper.
▲ (From left) Iljun Ahn from Samsung Research and Daewoong Cho from the VD Business
Paradigm Shift: Ultra-Slim, Ultra-Light and Ultra Low-Power
The Color E-Paper sets a new benchmark for digital signage — redefining hardware, operational methods and content expressiveness.
The globally released EM32DX model (32-inch) sports an ultra-slim profile, measuring just 8.6 millimeters at its thinnest point, and boasts a lightweight structure, weighing only 2.5 kilograms with the battery.
▲ Daewoong Cho from the VD Business
“We designed the device to be ultra-slim and ultra-light so that it can be installed easily, even in tight spaces,” said Cho, who led Color E-Paper’s hardware development. “This versatility means it can serve as a menu board at a café entrance or be mounted on a wall to function as a seasonal, emotionally resonant interior display.”
One of the biggest advantages of the Color E-Paper is its ultra-low power consumption, as it draws 0.00W1 while displaying a static image. This allows content to remain visible for extended periods on battery power alone, significantly reducing energy usage in retail environments. Changing the display image requires only a minimal amount of power as well. In addition, as part of Samsung’s commitment to sustainability, the product incorporates recycled plastics in its exterior and comes in eco-friendly packaging.
▲ Content for the Color E-Paper can be easily created, replaced and managed through the Samsung VXT platform.
▲ Samsung VXT enhances the Color E-Paper experience with content visibility optimization, a preview function that ensures color accuracy before deployment, and other convenient features.
A Display That Runs Without a Continuous Power Supply
The secret behind the Color E-Paper’s ultra-low power consumption is its distinctive method of displaying images.
▲ Iljun Ahn from Samsung Research
“While conventional LCD signage uses a backlight to illuminate images, the Color E-Paper arranges six colors of digital ink in precise locations — just like printing on paper,” said Ahn, who participated in developing the product’s image enhancement technology. “This is also what gives the display its eye-friendly visual texture.”
The display consists of millions of microcups, each containing four colored ink particles (red, yellow, white and blue). When an electrical signal is applied to each cup, the designated ink particles rise to the surface to produce six colors.
“This process closely resembles the printing principle by which ink adheres to paper,” Ahn explained. “Once an image is formed, it can be semi-permanently retained without any further power consumption.”
Rich Images With Just Six Colors Through Samsung’s Proprietary Technology
The Color E-Paper’s strengths go far beyond power efficiency. The product can reproduce vibrant, natural hues using only six colors thanks to Samsung Electronics’ independently developed Color Imaging Algorithm.
“Conventional products had limitations in accurately reproducing input colors, and issues such as distortion and noise occurred . A solution was needed to overcome these challenges, so the VD Business and Samsung Research joined forces to come up with one,” said Ahn.
The starting point for developing the Color Imaging Algorithm, which enhances both color expressiveness and visibility, was the Human Visual System (HVS). The algorithm was built around a key aspect of human vision: the eye perceives the average color across a certain region, rather than focusing on the colors of individual pixels.
“By leveraging this trait, it’s possible to create the perception of different colors by naturally combining the six colors. The key lies in optimizing the ratio and arrangement of those combinations to avoid any color distortion,” Ahn added.
▲ The Color E‑Paper’s color-rendering process, powered by the Color Imaging Algorithm.
Calculating Color Ratios: Probability Map Extraction
Conventional e‑paper relies on error-diffusion2 techniques to approximate digital images using a limited color palette. While effective, these methods carry significant drawbacks, as they are prone to visual distortion and suffer from slow computation speeds.
To overcome these limitations, Samsung devised an innovative approach that calculates the probability of placing certain colors within arbitrary regions, allowing for more precise color expression.
▲ The Color Imaging Algorithm computes color-specific weights as probability distributions.
By computing color weights as probabilities, the Color E-Paper can render nearly 2.5 million distinct hues using just six colors — a dramatic 40-fold increase in color richness compared to the roughly 60,000 hues achievable with conventional methods.
Optimizing Color Arrangement: Color Sampling
Along with color ratios, the way colors are arranged also plays a critical role in color rendition quality. Building on the probability map, Samsung developers applied blue-noise-based3 sampling (arrangement)to assign colors on a pixel-by-pixel basis, ensuring uniform and smooth color rendering.
▲ The blue-noise-based color sampling process
▲ (Left) Grocery store promotions brought to life in vivid color on a Samsung Color E-Paper display; (Right) A magnified view of the onion demonstrates how various color combinations naturally render shades and hues.
This advanced Color Imaging Algorithm technology significantly reduces eye strain and delivers images with soft, natural boundaries — just like printed material.
▲ Samsung’s Color Imaging Algorithm technology overcomes the shortcomings of conventional e-paper.
A Globally Acclaimed Technology With a Bright Future
With reactions like “I thought it was real paper!” and “Where’s the power cable?”, people are often surprised or impressed when they see the Color E‑Paper for the first time. The innovation drew significant attention at this year’s edition of Europe’s largest display exhibition, Integrated Systems Europe, where it won three Best of Show at ISE 2025 awards.
“I felt so proud when I heard that a global brand, one that had previously insisted on analog signage only, began seriously considering a digital transformation after seeing the Color E‑Paper at ISE 2025,” Daewoong Cho recalled.
“The natural, paper-like color of the Color E-Paper will offer consumers a fresh experience across various commercial settings. We plan to introduce it in a range of sizes, from small to large displays.”
“We are continuing our research with the goal of being able to render a broader range of colors more effectively. Samsung Research and the VD Business will keep working in close partnership to deliver the next breakthrough in display technology,” added Iljun Ahn.
With its paradigm-shifting power efficiency and color accuracy, the Samsung Color E‑Paper is leading the evolution of digital signage. Driven by a spirit of continuous innovation, Samsung’s product developers are committed to enhancing visual experiences in commercial spaces — setting a new standard for the displays of tomorrow.
1 Based on IEC 62301 standards from the International Electrotechnical Commission. Power consumption below 0.005W is indicated as 0.00W.
2 This method diffuses the quantization error — introduced during image quantization — by distributing it in specified proportions to adjacent pixels, ensuring the errors become visually less noticeable across the entire image.
3 Unlike white noise, blue noise is concentrated in the high-frequency spectrum, distributing fine-grained, evenly spaced patterns without large blotches — enabling smoother and more natural image rendering on displays.
Source: Reserve Bank of India
Ajit Prasad Press Release: 2025-2026/603 |
Source: Panasonic
Headline: Panasonic Connect Wins First Place at CVPR 2025 VidLLMs Competition, the World’s Premier Image Recognition Conference
The VidLLMs Workshop, held for the first time at CVPR 2025, was a competition to test the performance of video large language models (VidLLMs). Panasonic Connect entered the “Complex Video Reasoning & Robustness Evaluation” category.(For details, please check the VidLLMs Workshop – CVPR 2025 website.)
In the “Complex Video Understanding” task, video recognition AI is evaluated on how well it can handle various and difficult situations using 214 third-person perspective videos containing complex contexts and 2,400 sets of free-form descriptive questions.
The videos cover 11 complex categories, including grasping temporal order, understanding emotions and social backgrounds, and reasoning based on common sense, requiring understanding in situations close to reality. In addition, questions that deliberately ask about objects or events that are not shown, or questions that are misleading, are included to test the AI’s ability to prevent hallucinations (misidentification of facts). Moreover, answers are required to be free-form descriptions in natural language, testing the ability to express according to the context.
Traditional AI models have a correct answer rate of about 75%, while humans show high accuracy at 97%, indicating that there is still a significant performance gap between AI and humans in this field.
Source: Reserve Bank of India
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Source: ASEAN
MANILA, 27 June 2025 – ASEAN reaffirmed its collective commitment to protect and promote the rights of migrant workers through a series of back-to-back workshops held in Manila, the Philippines, from 23-27 June.
Organised under the auspices of the ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (ACMW), the events were hosted by the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Key support was provided by the ASEAN Secretariat, the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the TRIANGLE in ASEAN and PROTECT programmes, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) through the Migration, Business and Human Rights Programme in Asia.
Secretary Atty. Hans Leo J. Cacdac of DMW graced the workshop series and emphasised the importance of regional coherence and migrant-centred policies. “At the core of fair and ethical recruitment lies the belief in the inherent dignity and rights of every individual,” said Secretary Cacdac in his opening remarks.
Representatives of labour ministries and labour attachés of ASEAN Member States, recruitment agencies, employers’, workers’ and civil society organisations from the region were trained in the first two days on migration governance, case management, crisis response, gender-responsive approaches to migrant protection, and other aspects of labour attaché services.
During the Workshop on Regional Actions on Fair and Ethical Recruitment Practices on 25–26 June, participants identified gaps and concrete actions around recruitment fees, transparency and access to remedies, with an emphasis on operationalising the “employer-pay” principle. The Checklist for ASEAN Member State Governments, Labour Recruiters, and Employers on Fair Recruitment and Decent Employment Practices adopted by the ASEAN Labour Ministers in April 2025 was socialised for completion this year.
On 27 June, participants deliberated on developing a checklist to track progress of the voluntary-based operationalisation of the ASEAN Guidelines on Effective Return and Reintegration for Migrant Workers. The checklist seeks to benchmark national progress in the reintegration programmes of returning migrant workers. Mainstreaming reintegration in labour migration policies was acknowledged to be pivotal in light of post-pandemic recovery, climate challenges, and technological disruptions.
These workshop series were the realisation of the Action Plan of the ASEAN Consensus on Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. They contribute to the realisation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, particularly its goals of a resilient, inclusive, and people-centred ASEAN.
Photo credit: Department of Migrant Workers of the Philippines
The post ASEAN advances labour migration governance from recruitment to reintegration appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: ASEAN
In wrapping up his Official Visit to Morocco, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today shared his views with Maghreb Arabe Presse on the potential of the ASEAN-Morocco Sectoral Dialogue Partnership, which includes the areas of trade and investment, energy and climate change, education and youth, tourism and culture, and connectivity, among others. SG Dr. Kao also expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to learn more about the trajectory of Morocco’s national development, especially through his meetings with high-level Moroccan government officials. He further shared his perspectives on ways to further strengthen ASEAN-Morocco ties, particularly by promoting people-to-people ties, cultural and academic exchanges, facilitating private sector engagement and building institutional linkages. Maghreb Arabe Presse—is the official Moroccan news agency based in Rabat, established in 1959. It serves as the primary source of news and information for the Kingdom of Morocco, both domestically and internationally.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN engages in an interview with Maghreb Arabe Presse appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: ASEAN
In wrapping up his Official Visit to Morocco, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today shared his views with Maghreb Arabe Presse on the potential of the ASEAN-Morocco Sectoral Dialogue Partnership, which includes the areas of trade and investment, energy and climate change, education and youth, tourism and culture, and connectivity, among others. SG Dr. Kao also expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to learn more about the trajectory of Morocco’s national development, especially through his meetings with high-level Moroccan government officials. He further shared his perspectives on ways to further strengthen ASEAN-Morocco ties, particularly by promoting people-to-people ties, cultural and academic exchanges, facilitating private sector engagement and building institutional linkages. Maghreb Arabe Presse—is the official Moroccan news agency based in Rabat, established in 1959. It serves as the primary source of news and information for the Kingdom of Morocco, both domestically and internationally.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN engages in an interview with Maghreb Arabe Presse appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: African Development Bank Group
A high-level delegation from the African Development Bank, led by the Secretary General, Vincent Nmehielle and the Director General for Central Africa, Léandre Bassolé, has concluded a consultation mission to the Republic of Congo in preparations for the Bank’s 2026 Annual Meetings which will be hosted in Brazzaville.
Source: African Development Bank Group
As countries gathered in Bonn for the 62nd session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB62), a high-level side event titled “Making the Investment Case for African NDCs”, co-organized by the African Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), brought much-needed focus to the importance of making African Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) more holistic, implementable, and investment-ready.
The event provided a timely platform to elevate African perspectives and showcase ongoing efforts to align climate ambition with long-term development priorities and financial viability as countries prepare their next generation of NDCs (NDC 3.0).
Opening the discussion, Margaret Athieno Mwebesa, Commissioner of Uganda’s Climate Change Department, welcomed the Bank’s ongoing technical support in conducting the stock take for Uganda’s current Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as part of the NDC 3.0 process. She emphasized the critical link between financing and implementation, noting:
“Without investments, our NDCs are as good as useless. With less than 10% of Uganda’s NDC financing mobilized as of 2024, we must do more to make our climate plans truly bankable.”
In a compelling keynote, Prof. Anthony Nyong, Director for Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, highlighted the urgency of scaling support for climate investment in Africa and the need for strengthened partnerships: “Africa does not lack ambition. What it needs is partnership, investment, and systems-level support,” he stated. “Let us move beyond doom and gloom. Africa is ripe for climate-smart investment—home to 70 percent of its infrastructure yet to be built, rich in renewables, and holding vast reserves of arable land and critical minerals.”
He also highlighted the Bank’s Climate financing milestones—growing from nine percent to 55 percent climate finance commitment between 2016 – 2023 and outlined tools such as the Africa NDC Hub, Adaptation Benefits Mechanism, and Climate Action Window, all designed to unlock investment-ready, country-driven climate actions.
Ms. Sung-Ah Kyun, Associate Director of Climate Strategy and Delivery of the EBRD and co-Chair of the MDB Policy and Country/Client Engagement Working Group, added, “MDBs have been collectively working to support countries in developing and implementing their NDCs and LTS, including at sectoral and subnational levels, and are accelerating these efforts through the MDB LTS Program, launched at COP28 and hosted under World Bank’s Climate Support Facility”
The event featured a moderated country dialogue, exploring the evolving experiences of Botswana, Ghana, and Zimbabwe in developing and implementing their NDCs.
Representing Ghana, Seidu Issifu, Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, reflected on Ghana’s progress and outlook. He emphasized the country’s financing needs—between $9.3 billion and $15 billion for the 2021–2030 period—and called for increased support in identifying and scaling sectoral investment opportunities, especially in energy, transport, and agriculture.
From Botswana, Balisi Gopolang, Director of Climate Change, shared lessons learned from their second NDC submission. He noted that while the initial INDC process was new and unfamiliar, Botswana is now better positioned to mobilize partnerships, with a focus on energy investments that span both mitigation and adaptation goals.
Lovemore Dhoba, Deputy Director for Climate Change in Zimbabwe, presented the country’s recently submitted NDC 3.0, which prioritizes the integration of cross-cutting issues such as gender and youth. He reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to aligning climate ambitions with development priorities through effective institutional coordination.
The panel discussion, moderated by Uzoamaka Nwamarah, Climate Change Advisor, The Commonwealth Secretariat, brought together experts from development partners and UN agencies to reflect on how they are supporting African countries in strengthening NDCs.
Davinah Milenge Uwella, Chief Programme Coordinator at the African Development Bank, spoke about Africa NDC Hub, hosted by the Bank, which brings together 21 other member partners to coordinate Technical Assistance support to African countries to prepare and implement NDCs, Long-Term Strategies, National Adaptation Plans and Biennial Transparency Report.
She emphasized the Africa NDC Hub’s ongoing role in providing coordinated technical assistance, with over 10 countries provided with NDC and strategies development support. Paola Ridolfi, Climate Change Adviser at the World Bank, emphasized the importance of evidence-based investment planning and highlighted the role of the World Bank’s Country Climate and Development Reports in unlocking climate finance and aligning investments with development pathways.
From UNDP, Catherine Diam-Valla, Co-Lead of the UNDP Climate Promise 2025, highlighted the broad footprint of the Climate Promise initiative, supporting countries to embed NDCs into national development frameworks, strengthen climate budgeting and transparency systems, and build access to carbon markets.
Chiagozie Udeh, Programme Specialist at UNFPA, stressed the need for NDCs to reflect population dynamics, gender equality, and youth empowerment for inclusive, people-centered climate action. “The climate crisis is not just about emissions—it’s about people. We must ensure our NDCs are responsive to social realities.”
The session also featured a technical presentation by Lucy Naydenova, Adaptation Benefits Mechanism Expert at the African Development Bank, on a practical guide for a holistic approach to NDC 3.0, focusing on how adaptation outcomes can be monetized to crowd in private investment.
Prof. Nyong concluded by affirming the “Bank’s commitment to working hand-in-hand with partners—governments, MDBs, the private sector, and civil society to ensure that Africa’s climate goals are not only well-articulated, but well-financed and effectively implemented.”
Source: African Development Bank Group
It’s a warm morning in Kigali. Motorbikes weave through early traffic, shopkeepers arrange displays, and entrepreneurs bustle in pursuit of their ideas. Rwanda is home to over 4 million youth aged between 14 and 35 years, or about 39% of the total population.
Source: World Trade Organization
Ambassador Clare Kelly of New Zealand said: “New Zealand is delighted to be able to support the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism with this recent contribution. It is part of our ongoing commitment to supporting sustainable fisheries, ocean health, fishers and their communities. Through this contribution, we aim to assist developing and least-developed countries in implementing the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, ensuring that they have the tools and capacity to join global efforts to protect marine ecosystems.”
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “I am grateful for the contribution from New Zealand, a leader in global efforts to rein in harmful fisheries subsidies. As I highlighted at the UN Ocean Conference 2025, the Agreement, once it enters into force, will provide developing and least-developed countries with technical and financial support to build the capacity needed to upgrade fisheries management and integrate sustainability considerations into their fisheries policies.
New Zealand’s contribution to the WTO Fish Fund will help ensure we get off to a running start in providing this essential support.”
The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies will enter into force upon its acceptance by two-thirds of WTO members. One hundred and two WTO members have formally accepted the Agreement. Nine more formal acceptances are needed for the Agreement to come into effect.
Because the new Agreement will involve adjustments and enhancements to WTO members’ legislative and administrative frameworks, their transparency and notification obligations, and their fisheries management policies and practices, Article 7 of the Agreement provides for the creation of a voluntary funding mechanism to finance targeted technical assistance and capacity building to help developing and LDC members with implementation.
On 6 June, the WTO Fish Fund opened a Call for Proposals, inviting developing and LDC members that have ratified the Agreement to submit requests for project grants aimed at helping them implement the Agreement. WTO members can access the application portal here.
The Fund is operated by the WTO, with the support of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank Group. These core partners bring together relevant expertise to support members seeking assistance to implement the Agreement.
More information on the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism is available here.
Source: World Trade Organization
The Goods Trade Barometer is a composite leading indicator for world trade, providing real-time information on the trajectory of merchandise trade relative to recent trends. Barometer values greater than 100 are associated with above-trend trade volumes, while barometer values less than 100 suggest that goods trade has either fallen below trend or will do so in the near future.
While the current barometer reading of 103.5 (represented by the blue line in the chart) exceeds both the baseline value of 100 and the quarterly trade volume index (represented by the black line), the decline in export orders and the temporary nature of frontloading suggest that trade growth may slow in the months ahead as enterprises import less and start to draw down accumulated inventories.
The most predictive barometer component, the new export orders index (97.9), has dipped below its baseline value of 100 into contraction territory, signalling weaker trade growth later in the year. On the other hand, most other barometer components have risen above trend. Transport-related indices, including air freight (104.3) and container shipping (107.1), reflect increased movement of goods. The automotive products index (105.3) also is above trend due to resilient vehicle production and sales. The electronic components index (102.0) has climbed above trend after underperforming in 2023 and 2024. Finally, the raw materials index (100.8) shows only modest growth, just above baseline.
World merchandise trade volume growth moderated in the fourth quarter of 2024 but it is likely to rebound in the first quarter of 2025 based on the goods barometer and preliminary trade data. The WTO Secretariat’s Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report of 16 April 2025 projected stable trade growth of 2.7% for 2025 under a low-tariff scenario reflecting policy conditions at the start of the year, and a ‑0.2% contraction under actual policies in place as of mid-April. Subsequent developments, including US-China and US-UK trade agreements as well as higher tariffs on steel and aluminium, have nudged the forecast up and down slightly leaving the overall outlook basically flat at 0.1%. However, trade contraction is possible, for example if US reciprocal tariffs are reinstated, or if trade policy uncertainty spreads globally.
The full Goods Trade Barometer is available here.
Further details on the methodology can be found in the technical note here.
Source: Thales Group
Headline: The European Space Agency awards Thales Alenia Space the study of the SIRIUS mission to monitor Urban Heat Islands from space
Madrid, June 26, 2025 – The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a contract to Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), to perform the mission consolidation study of the SIRIUS mission (Space Based Infra-Red Imager for…
Source: Microsoft
Headline: Building security that lasts: Microsoft’s journey towards durability at scale
In this blog you will hear directly from Microsoft’s Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Azure and operating systems, Mark Russinovich, about how Microsoft operationalized security durability at scale. This blog is part of an ongoing series where our Deputy CISOs share their thoughts on what is most important in their respective domains. In this series you will get practical advice and forward-looking commentary on where the industry is going, as well as tactics you should start (and stop) deploying, and more.
In late 2023, Microsoft launched its most ambitious security transformation to date, the Microsoft Secure Future Initiative (SFI). An initiative with the equivalent of 34,000 engineers working across 14 product divisions, supporting more than 20,000 cloud services on 1.2 million Azure subscriptions, the scope is massive. These services operate on 21 million compute nodes, protected by 46.7 million certificates, and developed across 134,000 code repositories.
At Microsoft’s scale, the real challenge isn’t just shipping security fixes—it’s ensuring they’re automatically enforced by the platform, with no extra lift from engineers. This work aligns directly to our Secure by Default principle. Durable security is about building systems that apply fixes proactively, uphold standards over time, and engineering teams can focus on innovation rather than rework. This is the next frontier in security resilience.
Read the blog ›
When SFI began, Microsoft made rapid progress: teams addressed vulnerabilities, met key performance indicators (KPIs), and turned dashboards green. Over time, sustaining these gains proved challenging, as some fixes required reinforcement and recurring patterns like misconfigurations and legacy issues began to re-emerge in new projects—highlighting the need for durable, long-term security practices.
The pattern was clear: security improvements weren’t durable.
While key milestones were successfully achieved, there were instances where we did not have a clearly defined ownership or built-in features to automatically sustain security baselines. Enforcement mechanisms varied, leading to inconsistencies in how security standards were upheld. As resources shifted post-delivery, this created a risk of baseline drift over time.
Moving forward, we realized that our teams need to establish explicit ownership, standardize enforcement design, and embed automation at the platform level because it is essential to ensure long-term resilience, reduce operational burden, and prevent regression.
To transform security from a reactive effort into an enduring capability, Microsoft launched a company-wide initiative to operationalize security durability at scale. The result was the creation of the Security Durability Model, anchored in the principle to “Start Green, Get Green, Stay Green, and Validate Green.” This framework is not a slogan—it is a foundational shift in how Microsoft engineers build, enforce, and sustain secure systems across the enterprise.
At the core of this effort are Durability Architects—dedicated Architects embedded within each division who act as stewards of persistent security. These individuals champion a “fix-once, fix-forever” mindset by enforcing ownership and driving accountability across teams. One example that catalyzed this effort involved cross-tenant access risks through Passthrough Authentication. In this case, users without presence in a target tenant could authenticate through passthrough mechanisms, unintentionally breaching tenant boundaries. The mitigation initially lacked durability and resurfaced until ownership and enforcement were systemically addressed.
Microsoft also applies a lifecycle framework they call “Start Green, Get Green, Stay Green, Validated Green.” New features are developed in a secure-by-default posture using hardened templates, ensuring they “Start Green.” Legacy systems or existing features are brought into compliance through targeted remediation efforts—this is “Get Green.” To “Stay Green,” ongoing monitoring and guardrails prevent regression. Finally, security is verified through automated reviews, and executive reporting—ensuring enduring resilience.
Learn more
Recognizing that manual security checks cannot scale across an enterprise of this size, Microsoft has heavily invested in automation to prevent regressions. Tools such as Azure Policy automatically enforce best practices like encryption-at-rest or multifactor authentication across cloud resources. Continuous scanners detect expired certificates or known vulnerable packages. Self-healing scripts autocorrect deviations, closing the loop between detection and remediation.
To embed durability into the operational fabric, review cadences and executive oversight play a critical role. Security KPIs are reviewed at weekly or biweekly engineering operations meetings, with Microsoft’s top leadership, including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Executive Vice Presidents (EVPs), and engineering leaders receiving regular updates. Notably, executive compensation is now directly tied to security performance metrics—an accountability mechanism that has driven measurable improvements in areas such as secret hygiene across code repositories.
Rather than building fragmented solutions, Microsoft focuses on shared, scalable security capabilities. For example, to maintain a clean build environment, all new build queues will now default to a virtualized setup. Customers will not have the option to revert to the classic Artifact Processor (AP) on their own. Once a build is executed in the virtualized CloudBuild environment, any previously allocated resources in the classic CloudBuild will be either decommissioned or reassigned.
Finally, durability is now a built-in requirement at development gates. Security fixes must not only remediate current issues but be designed to endure. Teams must assign owners, undergo gated reviews or durability, and build enforcement mechanisms. This philosophy has shifted the mindset from one-time patching to long-term resilience.
Durable security isn’t just about fixing vulnerabilities—it’s about ensuring security holds over time. As Microsoft learned during the early days of its Secure Future Initiative, lasting protection requires organizations to mature operationally, culturally, and technically. The following framework outlines how to evolve toward security durability at scale:
1. Stages of security durability maturity: Security durability evolves through distinct operational phases that reflect an organization’s ability to sustain and scale secure outcomes, not just achieve them temporarily.
2. Dimensions of security durability: To embed durability across the enterprise, organizations must mature along five integrated dimensions:
3. Key milestones in security durability evolution: Microsoft’s implementation of durable security revealed critical transformation points that signal organizational maturity:
Each milestone builds a stronger foundation for durability and aligns incentives with sustained security excellence.
4. Measuring security durability: Tracking the stickiness of security work requires a shift from traditional risk metrics to durability-focused indicators. Microsoft uses the following to monitor progress:
By February 2025, the durability push resulted in:
Where previous improvements faded, new ones held firm—validating the durability model.
Microsoft’s journey offers valuable takeaways for organizations of all sizes.
Security doesn’t persist by accident. It needs:
Teams across security, development, and operations must be aligned and coordinated—using the same metrics, tools, and gates.
Security must be everyone’s job—and leadership must reinforce that relentlessly. At Microsoft, security became part of performance reviews, executive dashboards, and everyday conversation.
As EVP Charlie Bell put it: “Security is not just a feature, it’s the foundation.”
That mindset—combined with consistent leadership pressure—is what transforms short-lived security into long-term resilience.
The Secure Future Initiative proves that durable security is achievable—even at hyperscale.
Microsoft is showing that lasting security can be achieved by investing in:
The playbook isn’t just for tech giants. Any organization—whether you’re securing 20 cloud services or 20,000—can adopt the principles of security durability
Because in today’s cyberthreat landscape, fixing isn’t enough.
A new world of security.
To see an example of the Microsoft Durability Strategy in action, read this case study in the appendix below. Learn more about the Microsoft Security Future Initiative and our Secure by Default principle.
To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.
Security Durability Case Study
Eliminating pinned certificates: A durable fix for secret hygiene in MSA apps
SFI Reference: [SFI-ID4.1.3]
Initiative Owner: Microsoft Account (MSA) Engineering Team
Overview
As part of the Secure Future Initiative (SFI), the Microsoft Account (MSA) team addressed a critical weakness identified through Software Security Incident Response Plans (SSIRPs): the unsafe use of pinned certificates. By eliminating this legacy pattern and embedding preventive guardrails, the MSA team set a new bar for durable secrets management and secure partner onboarding.
The challenge: Pinned certificates and hidden fragility
Pinned certificates were once seen as a strong trust enforcement mechanism, ensuring that only specific certificates could be used to establish connections. However, they became a security and operational liability:
The durable fix: Secure by default and enforced by design
The MSA team implemented a durability-first solution grounded in engineering enforcement and operational pragmatism:
| Strategy | Action |
| Code-Level Blocking | All code paths accepting pinned certificates were hardened to prevent adoption. |
| Temporary Allow Lists | Existing apps using pinned certificates were allow-listed to prevent immediate outages. |
| Default Deny Posture | New apps are automatically blocked from using pinned certificates, enforcing secure defaults. |
This “fix-once, fix-forever” approach ensures the issue doesn’t resurface—even as new partners onboard or systems evolve.
Sustained impact and lifecycle integration
To maintain progress and ensure no regression, the MSA team aligned remediation with each partner’s SFI KPI milestones. Services were removed from the allow list only after completing their transition, closing the loop with full compliance and operational readiness.
This work reinforced several Security Durability pillars:
Lessons and model for the future
This case is a model for how Microsoft is shifting from reactive security work to systemic, enforceable, and scalable durability models. Rather than patching the same issue repeatedly, the MSA team eliminated the root cause, protected the ecosystem, and created a repeatable blueprint for other risky cryptographic practices.
Key takeaways
Source: Microsoft
Headline: PadChest-GR: A bilingual grounded radiology reporting benchmark for chest X-rays
In our ever-evolving journey to enhance healthcare through technology, we’re announcing a unique new benchmark for grounded radiology report generation—PadChest-GR (opens in new tab). The world’s first multimodal, bilingual sentence-level radiology report dataset, developed by the University of Alicante with Microsoft Research, University Hospital Sant Joan d’Alacant and MedBravo, is set to redefine how AI and radiologists interpret radiological images. Our work demonstrates how collaboration between humans and AI can create powerful feedback loops—where new datasets drive better AI models, and those models, in turn, inspire richer datasets. We’re excited to share this progress in NEJM AI, highlighting both the clinical relevance and research excellence of this initiative.
It is estimated that over half of people visiting hospitals have radiology scans that must be interpreted by a clinical professional. Traditional radiology reports often condense multiple findings into unstructured narratives. In contrast, grounded radiology reporting demands that each finding be described and localized individually.
This can mitigate the risk of AI fabrications and enable new interactive capabilities that enhance clinical and patient interpretability. PadChest-GR is the first bilingual dataset to address this need with 4,555 chest X-ray studies complete with Spanish and English sentence-level descriptions and precise spatial (bounding box) annotations for both positive and negative findings. It is the first public benchmark that enables us to evaluate generation of fully grounded radiology reports in chest X-rays.
Spotlight: Blog post
How can we rigorously evaluate and understand state-of-the-art progress in AI? Eureka is an open-source framework for standardizing evaluations of large foundation models, beyond single-score reporting and rankings. Learn more about the extended findings.
This benchmark isn’t standing alone—it plays a critical role in powering our state-of-the-art multimodal report generation model, MAIRA-2. Leveraging the detailed annotations of PadChest-GR, MAIRA-2 represents our commitment to building more interpretable and clinically useful AI systems. You can explore our work on MAIRA-2 on our project web page, including recent user research conducted with clinicians in healthcare settings.
PadChest-GR is a testament to the power of collaboration. Aurelia Bustos at MedBravo and Antonio Pertusa at the University of Alicante published the original PadChest dataset (opens in new tab) in 2020, with the help of Jose María Salinas from Hospital San Juan de Alicante and María de la Iglesia Vayá from the Center of Excellence in Biomedical Imaging at the Ministry of Health in Valencia, Spain. We started to look at PadChest and were deeply impressed by the scale, depth, and diversity of the data.
As we worked more closely with the dataset, we realized the opportunity to develop this for grounded radiology reporting research and worked with the team at the University of Alicante to determine how to approach this together. Our complementary expertise was a nice fit. At Microsoft Research, our mission is to push the boundaries of medical AI through innovative, data-driven solutions. The University of Alicante, with its deep clinical expertise, provided critical insights that greatly enriched the dataset’s relevance and utility. The result of this collaboration is the PadChest-GR dataset.
A significant enabler of our annotation process was Centaur Labs. The team of senior and junior radiologists from the University Hospital Sant Joan d’Alacant, coordinated by Joaquin Galant, used this HIPAA-compliant labeling platform to perform rigorous study-level quality control and bounding box annotations. The annotation protocol implemented ensured that each annotation was accurate and consistent, forming the backbone of a dataset designed for the next generation of grounded radiology report generation models.
Our approach integrates advanced large language models with comprehensive manual annotation:
Data Selection & Processing: Leveraging Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service (opens in new tab) with GPT-4, we extracted sentences describing individual positive and negative findings from raw radiology reports, translated them from Spanish to English, and linked each sentence to the existing expert labels from PadChest. This was done for a selected subset of the full PadChest dataset, carefully curated to reflect a realistic distribution of clinically relevant findings.
Manual Quality Control & Annotation: The processed studies underwent meticulous quality checks on the Centaur Labs platform by radiologist from Hospital San Juan de Alicante. Each positive finding was then annotated with bounding boxes to capture critical spatial information.
Standardization & Integration: All annotations were harmonized into coherent grounded reports, preserving the structure and context of the original findings while enhancing interpretability.
PadChest-GR not only sets a new benchmark for grounded radiology reporting, but also serves as the foundation for our MAIRA-2 model, which already showcases the potential of highly interpretable AI in clinical settings. While we developed PadChest-GR to help train and validate our own models, we believe the research community will greatly benefit from this dataset for many years to come. We look forward to seeing the broader research community build on this—improving grounded reporting AI models and using PadChest-GR as a standard for evaluation. We believe that by fostering open collaboration and sharing our resources, we can accelerate progress in medical imaging AI and ultimately improve patient care together with the community.
The collaboration between Microsoft Research and the University of Alicante highlights the transformative power of working together across disciplines. With our publication in NEJM-AI and the integral role of PadChest-GR in the development of MAIRA-2 (opens in new tab) and RadFact (opens in new tab), we are excited about the future of AI-empowered radiology. We invite researchers and industry experts to explore PadChest-GR and MAIRA-2, contribute innovative ideas, and join us in advancing the field of grounded radiology reporting.
Papers already using PadChest-GR:
For further details or to download PadChest-GR, please visit the BIMCV PadChest-GR Project (opens in new tab).
Models in the Azure Foundry that can do Grounded Reporting:
Source: Microsoft
Headline: PadChest-GR: A bilingual grounded radiology reporting benchmark for chest X-rays
In our ever-evolving journey to enhance healthcare through technology, we’re announcing a unique new benchmark for grounded radiology report generation—PadChest-GR (opens in new tab). The world’s first multimodal, bilingual sentence-level radiology report dataset, developed by the University of Alicante with Microsoft Research, University Hospital Sant Joan d’Alacant and MedBravo, is set to redefine how AI and radiologists interpret radiological images. Our work demonstrates how collaboration between humans and AI can create powerful feedback loops—where new datasets drive better AI models, and those models, in turn, inspire richer datasets. We’re excited to share this progress in NEJM AI, highlighting both the clinical relevance and research excellence of this initiative.
It is estimated that over half of people visiting hospitals have radiology scans that must be interpreted by a clinical professional. Traditional radiology reports often condense multiple findings into unstructured narratives. In contrast, grounded radiology reporting demands that each finding be described and localized individually.
This can mitigate the risk of AI fabrications and enable new interactive capabilities that enhance clinical and patient interpretability. PadChest-GR is the first bilingual dataset to address this need with 4,555 chest X-ray studies complete with Spanish and English sentence-level descriptions and precise spatial (bounding box) annotations for both positive and negative findings. It is the first public benchmark that enables us to evaluate generation of fully grounded radiology reports in chest X-rays.
Spotlight: Blog post
How can we rigorously evaluate and understand state-of-the-art progress in AI? Eureka is an open-source framework for standardizing evaluations of large foundation models, beyond single-score reporting and rankings. Learn more about the extended findings.
This benchmark isn’t standing alone—it plays a critical role in powering our state-of-the-art multimodal report generation model, MAIRA-2. Leveraging the detailed annotations of PadChest-GR, MAIRA-2 represents our commitment to building more interpretable and clinically useful AI systems. You can explore our work on MAIRA-2 on our project web page, including recent user research conducted with clinicians in healthcare settings.
PadChest-GR is a testament to the power of collaboration. Aurelia Bustos at MedBravo and Antonio Pertusa at the University of Alicante published the original PadChest dataset (opens in new tab) in 2020, with the help of Jose María Salinas from Hospital San Juan de Alicante and María de la Iglesia Vayá from the Center of Excellence in Biomedical Imaging at the Ministry of Health in Valencia, Spain. We started to look at PadChest and were deeply impressed by the scale, depth, and diversity of the data.
As we worked more closely with the dataset, we realized the opportunity to develop this for grounded radiology reporting research and worked with the team at the University of Alicante to determine how to approach this together. Our complementary expertise was a nice fit. At Microsoft Research, our mission is to push the boundaries of medical AI through innovative, data-driven solutions. The University of Alicante, with its deep clinical expertise, provided critical insights that greatly enriched the dataset’s relevance and utility. The result of this collaboration is the PadChest-GR dataset.
A significant enabler of our annotation process was Centaur Labs. The team of senior and junior radiologists from the University Hospital Sant Joan d’Alacant, coordinated by Joaquin Galant, used this HIPAA-compliant labeling platform to perform rigorous study-level quality control and bounding box annotations. The annotation protocol implemented ensured that each annotation was accurate and consistent, forming the backbone of a dataset designed for the next generation of grounded radiology report generation models.
Our approach integrates advanced large language models with comprehensive manual annotation:
Data Selection & Processing: Leveraging Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service (opens in new tab) with GPT-4, we extracted sentences describing individual positive and negative findings from raw radiology reports, translated them from Spanish to English, and linked each sentence to the existing expert labels from PadChest. This was done for a selected subset of the full PadChest dataset, carefully curated to reflect a realistic distribution of clinically relevant findings.
Manual Quality Control & Annotation: The processed studies underwent meticulous quality checks on the Centaur Labs platform by radiologist from Hospital San Juan de Alicante. Each positive finding was then annotated with bounding boxes to capture critical spatial information.
Standardization & Integration: All annotations were harmonized into coherent grounded reports, preserving the structure and context of the original findings while enhancing interpretability.
PadChest-GR not only sets a new benchmark for grounded radiology reporting, but also serves as the foundation for our MAIRA-2 model, which already showcases the potential of highly interpretable AI in clinical settings. While we developed PadChest-GR to help train and validate our own models, we believe the research community will greatly benefit from this dataset for many years to come. We look forward to seeing the broader research community build on this—improving grounded reporting AI models and using PadChest-GR as a standard for evaluation. We believe that by fostering open collaboration and sharing our resources, we can accelerate progress in medical imaging AI and ultimately improve patient care together with the community.
The collaboration between Microsoft Research and the University of Alicante highlights the transformative power of working together across disciplines. With our publication in NEJM-AI and the integral role of PadChest-GR in the development of MAIRA-2 (opens in new tab) and RadFact (opens in new tab), we are excited about the future of AI-empowered radiology. We invite researchers and industry experts to explore PadChest-GR and MAIRA-2, contribute innovative ideas, and join us in advancing the field of grounded radiology reporting.
Papers already using PadChest-GR:
For further details or to download PadChest-GR, please visit the BIMCV PadChest-GR Project (opens in new tab).
Models in the Azure Foundry that can do Grounded Reporting:
Source: Microsoft
Headline: Microsoft is committed to the European Accessibility Act
On June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) becomes enforceable—–an important step forward for accessibility in the EU and around the world. It sets a new bar for digital accessibility and disability rights, enabling disabled people to fully participate in society and the economy. Accelerating technology and innovation will make it easier for everyone, including 110+ million disabled people across the EU. Microsoft has supported the EAA since its introduction in December 2015.
The EAA is a catalyst for advancing the accessibility of digital products and services throughout the European Single Market. It harmonizes accessibility requirements across Member States and establishes a strong framework for future policies, including AI and accessibility. It requires digital products and services, from banking apps to e-readers, to be accessible and it brings clarity and consistency of experience across the EU market.
Accessibility is a journey that we have been committed to for over 30 years. We view accessibility as a fundamental right, core to Microsoft’s mission to empower every person. It serves a crucially important function, making technology accessible, and easier to use for everyone.
We are committed to making sure that our products and services comply with the European Accessibility Act and are grateful to the hundreds of engineers across the company who have prioritized this work over the last three years. We invested in accessibility in some of our leading products, including Windows, Teams, and Outlook, collaborating with policymakers, accessibility professionals, and community members to deliver on EAA requirements.
The EAA is a new, complex regulatory framework that is still evolving. The ongoing transposition and harmonization of related standards will determine the steps we all need to take. We will constantly evaluate our products, services, and data uses as understanding and regulatory interpretation of the EAA evolve.
Our work on the EAA has yielded new features, which we’re proud to announce today:
The EAA has evolved and has also shaped implementation of AI–driven accessibility in many of our features, including Copilot and Immersive Reader. The EAA’s requirements will continue to be a guidepost for the accessibility of future AI innovation.
We are committed to helping organizations succeed by providing the technology and tools they need to thrive in the AI economy. We start with Microsoft as Customer Zero, then we share our learnings with others. We are launching this today on a new site: aka.ms/EAAOverview. It includes:
1. Getting Started with the EAA
If you’re wondering where to begin, start with our Overview of the EAA. It breaks down which products and services are in scope and how to prepare. Today, we’re launching industry guides for retail, transport, finance, media & telco, and government, packed with practical tips to help you turn accessibility into a business advantage.
2. Microsoft’s Approach
We’ve learned a lot on our journey. Some of the tools and frameworks that helped us include:
Ready to take the next step? You can build your own Copilot agent, designed inclusively from the start, and use Accessibility Insights to catch issues early. And if you or your customers need support, our Disability Answer Desk is here to help with accessibility questions, troubleshooting, and product guidance.
June 28 is a starting line, not the finish line. This foundational legislation is an important step for compliance and a catalyst for the next generation of accessible technology innovation. We look forward to learning and partnering with you on the journey. We are proud to host an event with our partner, the European Disability Forum, in Brussels for the European Accessibility Summit 2025 14 October 2025 (in person and virtual). Join us and register now.
We are committed to continuing to drive conversations on accessibility and disability rights with policy makers, regulators, industry peers, and the disability community throughout the year, viewing the EAA as a vital step toward reimagining how technology can serve everyone, everywhere.
Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, met with representatives of the Moroccan General Confederation of Enterprises (CGEM) led by General Vice-President of CGEM, Mr. Mehdi Tazi, in Casablanca, Morocco, on 26 June 2025. The meeting explored opportunities to enhance business-to-business connectivity, strengthen trade promotion, and discussed ways to unlock the untapped market potential between ASEAN and Morocco.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with representatives of the Moroccan General Confederation of Enterprises (CGEM) appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, met with representatives of the Moroccan General Confederation of Enterprises (CGEM) led by General Vice-President of CGEM, Mr. Mehdi Tazi, in Casablanca, Morocco, on 26 June 2025. The meeting explored opportunities to enhance business-to-business connectivity, strengthen trade promotion, and discussed ways to unlock the untapped market potential between ASEAN and Morocco.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with representatives of the Moroccan General Confederation of Enterprises (CGEM) appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.