Category: Energy

MIL-OSI USA: Industry Support Grows Ahead of Vote on Kaine, Klobuchar & Warner’s Bill to Undo Trump’s Canada Tariffs

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following an endorsement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement welcoming broad support for their bipartisan legislation to undo President Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, which amount to a 25 percent tax on goods imported from one of America’s top trading partners and closest allies. The legislation will be voted on today.

“We welcome the strong support we continue to receive from both organized labor and businesses, including from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for our legislation to undo Trump’s new sales tax on Canadian goods,” said the senators. “The outpouring of endorsements for our effort highlights that these new taxes are bad for America’s businesses that need stability to thrive and for hardworking families who want prices to go down, not up. We are giving every Senator an opportunity today to put their constituents’ pocketbooks first by challenging a nonsensical trade war with one of America’s closest trading partners and allies.”

“Tariffs are taxes—paid by Americans—and they will quickly increase prices at a time when many are struggling with the cost of living. These import taxes are also harming U.S. manufactures and drawing retaliatory duties, worsening their impact on our economy… It is appropriate for Congress to exercise its authority under IEEPA and pass SJ Res 37, which would terminate the national emergency and the imposition of tariffs under Executive Order 14193,” wrote Neil L. Bradley, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer, and Head of Strategic Advocacy, in the Chamber’s endorsement letter, which is available here.

In addition to the Chamber, the senators’ bill is supported by the AFL-CIO, the United Steelworkers (USW), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), National Retail Federation (NRF), the North America’s Building Trades Unions, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Foreign Policy for America (FP4A), the National Taxpayers Union, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and Advancing American Freedom. Here’s what they’re saying:

North America’s Building Trades Unions President Sean McGarvey: “The United States and Canada share far more than just a border—we share a deep, enduring economic and workforce partnership that has strengthened both our nations for generations… That partnership is enshrined in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a comprehensive trade agreement that President Trump himself negotiated and enacted that already governs our economic relations in this hemisphere… By circumventing this agreement and imposing unilateral tariffs on Canada, the Administration is harmfully undermining a key foreign ally while also carelessly shooting holes in the credibility of its own signature economic policy.”

The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) Executive Director for Legislative and Political Affairs Stanley E. Kolbe, Jr.: “On behalf of our membership, SMACNA would like to voice its strong support for S.J. Res. 37… Tariff penalties aimed at Canada for non-trade objectives have already caused harsh and unnecessary economic pain for US workers and harm to our nation’s construction and related metal fabricating as well as HVAC equipment manufacturing businesses. In fact, it will punish businesses, labor and economies on both sides of the border, and in direct contravention of the provisions featured in the existing USMCA.”

The National Retail Federation (NRF) Executive Vice President for Government Relations David French: “While we strongly agree with the need to secure our borders, we do not believe using trade tools such as tariffs for non-trade purposes is the right approach to achieve this goal, especially without closest trading partner… U.S. retailers depend on Canada for a wide range of consumer goods under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which Congress overwhelmingly approved. Canada represents a significant market for U.S. retailers that not only have operations in Canada but also rely on a robust cross-border consumer market, with Canadian consumers hopping in U.S. retail stores on a daily basis. These operations are all now being significantly disrupted because of the tariffs applied to Canada under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Canada’s retaliation against those tariffs.”

The U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran: “…We write to express our strong support for S.J. Res. 37, the joint resolution to terminate the national emergency declared on February 1, 2025, that launched a trade war with Canada and thus to terminate the tariffs on Canadian imports implemented as part of that unfounded emergency… This declaration has triggered a damaging and unnecessary trade conflict with Canada—our closest ally, largest trading partner, and critical collaborator in addressing economic and public safety challenges across North America… These actions are raising prices for consumers, disrupting key industries such as construction and manufacturing, and threatening jobs in communities large and small. They also risk increasing already high housing costs, as tariffs on Canadian lumber, steel, aluminum, and other critical building materials will make housing construction and infrastructure development significantly more expensive.”

AFL-CIO Director of Government Affairs Jody Calemine: “On behalf of the AFL-CIO, I urge you to support S.J. Res. 37, a resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine to terminate the national emergency that was declared to justify tariffs on imports from Canada under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)… However, imposing large, across the board tariffs on Canada aimed at non-trade objectives will only cause unnecessary economic pain for workers and businesses on both sides of the border.”

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) International President Brian Bryant: “On behalf of the 600,000 active and retired members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), I write today in strong support of S.J. Res. 37… These new tariffs on Canada, one of our closest allies and largest trading partners, are unjust and will have lasting negative impacts on American and Canadian workers… The Trump administration’s erratic approach to tariffs is wreaking havoc on workers and businesses in the United States and Canada. Punishing one of our nation’s closest trading partners based on a false pretense is wrong and the action needs to be reversed.”

International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) President Matthew S. Biggs and Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson: “As the Executive Officers of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), representing 90,000 workers in the private, public, and federal sectors across North America, we are writing in support of S.J. Res. 37… Canada is America’s closest ally and number one trading partner. Our trading relationship uplifts American and Canadian working families alike. Imposing reckless tariffs on Canadian imports will harm both the U.S. and Canadian economies and do even greater harm to working families on both sides of the border. Congress must step in now to block this reckless and destructive policy.”

National Taxpayers Union: “Canada is an important supplier of goods that strengthen U.S. security, including crude oil, natural gas, steel, and aluminum. Tariffs that restrict our access to these supplies and increase their cost will weaken our industrial base and undermine our ability to sustain our defense in the event of a national emergency.”

Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams: “TPA enthusiastically supports Sens. Tim Kaine and Rand Paul’s CRA to overturn President Trump’s February 1, 2025, national emergency declaration. This use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is fraught with issues. The ensuing trade war will inevitably raise costs for consumers. Placing a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico will harm consumers and the vast majority of American businesses.”

United Steelworkers (USW) International President David McCall: “On behalf of the 850,000 active members of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW), I urge you to support S.J. Res. 37, a resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine to terminate the national emergency that was declared to impose duties on imports from Canada, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)… These new tariffs are misdirected, unsubstantiated by facts, and harmful to the very workers we represent.”

Advancing American Freedom (AAF) President Tim Chapman: “Tariffs are a tax on American families and businesses. The first Trump administration cut an excellent deal with Canada with USMCA. The president should not abandon this agreement and lacks the authority to unilaterally do so.”

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: From the Senate Floor, Senator Collins Opposes Emergency Tariffs on Canadian Goods

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of her full remarks

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of a resolution authored by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would end the emergency declaration that President Trump signed in February to implement tariffs on Canada for not doing enough to halt the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.

Below is the transcript of her remarks:

“Mr. President, I rise today in support of the resolution introduced by my colleague from Virginia, Senator Kaine, to overturn the emergency declaration for the northern border that is being used to impose tariffs on goods imported from Canada.

“Mr. President, the Maine economy is integrated with Canada, our most important trading partner. From home heating oil, gasoline, jet fuel, and other refined petroleum products, to Maine’s paper mills, forest products businesses, agricultural producers, and lobstermen, the tariffs on Canada would be detrimental to many Maine families and our local economies.

“Mr. President, of course I share the President’s goal of stemming the tide of dangerous fentanyl that flows into the United States. I commend him for taking far stronger actions to halt this dangerous and deadly flow than did the previous administration. I do not, however, agree with his invoking the powers of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs on Canadian goods and products. The fact is, the vast majority of fentanyl in America comes from the southern border. In fiscal year 2024, less than 1% of fentanyl seizures occurred at our northern border, and our Canadian neighbors are working collaboratively and cooperatively with our government to stop that trafficking.

“Mr. President, one of the best examples of the intertwined relationship between Maine’s economy and Canada can be seen at the Twin Rivers paper mill in Madawaska, Maine, way in the north, on the Canadian border. Twin Rivers produces lightweight specialty paper for packaging materials, for our nation’s newspapers and our retailers’ catalogs, for food and environmentally safe papers used in restaurants, and for a wide variety of other paper goods that are used all over the country. The raw pulp for this paper mill in Maine is piped across the St. John River, from Edmundston, New Brunswick, to Madawaska, Maine. There literally is a pipeline through which the pulp travels between these two sister mills. A tariff placed on this pulp would jeopardize the financial well-being of this vital paper mill, which employs more than 500 people in rural northern Maine. There is not another big employer in that area that could possibly compensate for the loss of those 510 direct jobs. And that doesn’t include the indirect jobs: the truck drivers, the restaurant owners who would be harmed by the closure or reduction in the operation of this vitally important mill. The tariff would not only devastate Twin Rivers, but also harm hundreds of Maine families.

“Another example of our integration with Canada is in energy. 95% of the heating oil that is used by most Mainers to heat their homes comes from refineries in Canada. Irving Oil, a Canadian-based company, has 150 gas stations in Maine and supplies two-thirds of the state’s gas, diesel, and heating oil. This includes Mr. President, 100% of the jet fuel that is used by the Air National Guard Base in Bangor. Maine consumers, Maine businesses, and the U.S. Department of Defense, our own Department of Defense, would bear the cost of that Canadian energy tariff.

“Mr. President, Canadian tariffs would also harm many Maine farmers, lobstermen, and fishermen. According to the Maine Potato Board, 90% of the potash, which is the fertilizer used for growing potatoes, is imported from Canada. Fertilizer accounts for 11% of total input costs to grow our great Maine potatoes. Tariffs on imports like fertilizer will only hurt Maine potato growers. And Mr. President, I grew up in Aroostook County. I know these potato growers. I picked potatoes as a school child when I was growing up.

“Just recently, a farmer from Mars Hill, Maine, told me that just the threat of tariffs is causing a price increase on seed and equipment. This farmer supplies potatoes to a Canadian company with facilities on both sides of the border. The different facilities have specialized equipment to process potatoes for different uses, hash browns in one plant, curly fries in another. A tariff on potatoes as they cross back and forth between Maine and Canada would cause terrible harm to this and other growers

“Other products are processed back and forth across the border as well. For example, many Maine blueberries are processed in Prince Edward Island. Maine also sends between $200 million and $400 million worth of lobster to Canada each year for processing. There are 240 lobster processing plants in Canada, but only 15 in the United States. I share the President’s goal of getting more of that manufacturing done in the State of Maine, done in the United States, but the fact is that if we impose these tariffs on Canadian processing, it’s going to be our Maine lobstermen who will bear the cost; it’s going to be consumers who bear the cost.

“I would like to make mention of another industry that would be affected as well, and that is the aquaculture industry. In Washington County, in far-eastern Maine, Cooke Aquaculture is one of the largest employers, with more than 200 direct jobs throughout the state. While they have a processing plant in Machias, Maine, the first step of their salmon processing occurs in Canada before reentering the United States for finishing. At a time when the Maine aquaculture industry is growing, these tariffs on Canada would jeopardize current jobs and also block future ones.

“Mr. President, close relationships between and among families on both sides of the border are very common in the State of Maine. It is typical of communities, ranging from Calais in the east, Fort Kent in the north, and Jackman in the West. You see it all across the northern, eastern, and western parts of our state, because our communities are so integrated. It is not surprising to me that I had a conversation with members of the tourism industry in Maine just this morning, who told me that they’re seeing cancelations by Canadian tourists, who have come for years to vacation in Maine. Old Orchard Beach, for example, is known for the number of Canadian tourists.

“We don’t want to discourage these Canadian tourists who are so vital to Maine’s economy from vacationing in Maine because they are so angry at what has happened. Maine families benefit from more than $900 billion in goods and services that are exchanged between our two countries every year. It is crucial that we remain a dependable and vibrant global trading partner, particularly with Canada.

“Now, I want to distinguish that I think there is a strong case to be made for tariffs on Mexico, on our adversary, China, but I don’t see the case for Canada. There are areas where Canada does need to do better, and the dairy industry is one. And I hope that we will see that result. And let me conclude my remarks by reaffirming my support for ensuring that the Department of Homeland Security has every tool at its disposal to stem the flow of fentanyl into our nation. But unlike Mexico and China, Canada is not complicit in this crisis, and we should continue working with our Canadian allies to secure the northern border, not unfairly penalize them. Our consumers, our manufacturers, our lobstermen, our blueberry growers, our potato farmers will pay the price.

“Mr. President, the price hikes that will happen for Maine families, every time they go to the grocery store, they fill their gas tank, they fill their heating oil tank, if these tariffs go into effect, will be so harmful. And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least. Therefore, I will support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do so likewise.”

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Indian Railways Achieves ₹2.56 Lakh Crore Revenue in 2023-24 with Net Profit of ₹3,260 Crore Amid Major Investments in Staff, Pension, and Energy
Source: Government of India

Indian Railways Achieves ₹2.56 Lakh Crore Revenue in 2023-24 with Net Profit of ₹3,260 Crore Amid Major Investments in Staff, Pension, and Energy

Indian Railways Adopts Two-Pronged Strategy to Boost Profits by Increasing Revenue and Enhancing Operational Efficiency

Freight Loading Surges 29% to 1,591 MT in 2023-24; Indian Railways Targets 1.6 Billion Tonnes in 2024-25 to Become World’s Third Largest Freight Carrier

Railways Expands Freight Business with Private Investment in Terminals, Modern Wagons, Cargo Aggregation, and Competitive Tariff Policies

Railways Strengthen Cost Management Through Electrification, Workforce Optimization, and Operational Efficiencies, Saving ₹4,700 Crore on Diesel in 2023-24

Indian Railways Pioneers Green and Sustainable Initiatives with HOG Trains, Electrification, LED Adoption, Renewable Energy, and Hydrogen-Powered Trains

Rail Network Speed Potential Expands to 80,000 km at 110 kmph, with 23,000 km Upgraded for 130 kmph Since 2014

Posted On: 02 APR 2025 7:39PM by PIB Delhi

During 2023-24, the earning of Indian Railways (IR) was ₹2,56,093 cr and revenue expenditure was ₹2,52,834 cr. The net Revenue has improved to Rs 3,260 crore in 2023-24. Major expenditure is done on Staff cost, Pension, energy consumption etc.

To increase the profit, Indian Railways (IR) has adopted two-pronged approach i.e. increase the revenue and bring efficiency in operational expenditure.

Due to implementation of several freight revenue initiatives, the freight carried by IR during 2020-21 was 1,233 million tonnes which increased to 1,591 million tonnes during 2023-24 i.e. a growth of 29%. IR is set to achieve 1.6 billion tonnes freight loading in the FY 2024-25 making it the third largest freight handling railway system in the world. Some of the important measures to improve the freight include-
- Encouraging private sector to develop the modern rail freight terminals under ‘Gati Shakti Multi- Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT)’ policy and augmenting/ upgrading the infrastructure at railway owned goods sheds.
- Implementing various schemes for private sector to invest in wagons including the commodity focused specialized wagons such as wagons for cement, oil, steel, fly-ash, automobiles etc.
- Facilitating cargo aggregation and thereby, expand the commodity basket by the schemes including the policy of “Cargo Aggregator Transportation Product” and “Joint Parcel Product-Rapid Cargo Services”.
- Implementing the several tariff related measures to enhance the rail share by making rail mode competitive with respect to road. These include Short Lead Concession for traffic upto 90 Km, Liberalized Automatic Freight Rebate scheme for traffic loaded in empty flow direction, discounts on loading of bagged consignment in open and flat wagon, discount in freight to Fly ash/Bed ash traffic, operation of Mini Rake for Container train, fixation of special haulage rate for Bulk Cement (cement in loose form) when transported in normal containers.
IR has also undertaken many initiatives to increase non-fare revenue such as measures to increase the advertisement earnings, implementing the NINFRIS (New and Innovative Ideas and Concepts Scheme for Generation for Non-fare Revenue) policy to encourage innovative revenue-generating ideas. Some examples of NINFRIS Contracts are Nursing pods, luggage wrapping and sanitization, digital cloakrooms, disposal linen kiosks, imitation jewellery kiosks, Khadi selling kiosks, handicraft kiosks, Kiosks for online education platforms, facilities for electric charging facilities, oxygen parlours, etc. An e-auction policy has been implemented to expedite the bidding for assets such as leased parcel space, parking lots, ATMs etc. The benefits of e-Auction module include – realization of true earning potential of each asset, reduction the time taken in finalization of Tenders and prevent revenue loss on this account, re-award of contract in quick time in case of failure in commencing by any contractor etc.

IR has also undertaken steps to improve the earning from passenger segments such as running of special trains, augmentation of on-board capacity, and introduction of new trains with higher facilities on appropriate fare.

Similarly, various measures are being regularly taken in railways to ensure optimum expenditure. Some of the expenditure management on railways includes manpower management, electrification of Railway tracks etc. Measures like electrification of Railway tracks has led to savings of more than Rs 4700 crore under Diesel traction in FY 2023-24.

Cleanliness is a continuous process and various measures have been taken for maintaining cleanliness at stations and trains which include integrated housekeeping contracts at major stations & trains, mechanized cleaning, bio-toilets in passenger coaches, On Board Housekeeping Service (OBHS) scheme in long distance trains, Clean Train Station (CTS) scheme for identified trains en-routed at nominated stations, dustbins for bio-degradable and non-biodegradable wastes etc.

IR has taken various steps to promote environment friendly & sustainable practices. Some of them are as under: –
- Conversion of End on Generation (EOG) trains into Head on Generation (HOG) trains to reduce noise, air pollution and diesel consumption.
- Construction of Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs).
- Procurement of renewable energy from different power procurement modes for its future energy requirements.
- Provision of energy efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting in all Railway installations including stations, service buildings, residential quarters and coaches for reduction in electricity consumption.
- Use of star rated appliances.
- 98% of railway tracks have been electrified, resulting in saving in diesel consumption.
- Harnessing hydrogen gas to drive train sets.
- Green Certifications of railway establishments.
- Proper waste management.
Improvement/up-gradation of Rolling Stock to enhance safety and comfort of passengers is a continuous and ongoing process on IR. The initiatives include LHB coaches with operating speed of 160 Kmph, better riding index, improved aesthetics and safety features like Lightweight design, Anti-telescopic & Anti climbing features, Centre Buffer Coupler, Axle mounted disc brake system etc. as compared to the conventional ICF coaches of the 1960s.

In its constant endeavor to provide faster service and better travel experience to the passengers, IR are introducing Vande Bharat trains and Namo Rapid Rail service, which have modern coaches, enhanced safety features and better amenities. Presently, 136 Vande Bharat services and 2 Namo Rapid Rail services are in operation on the IR network.

IR have also introduced modern State-of the Art fully Non-AC Amrit Bharat trains. These trains have advanced features like Semi-Permanent couplers for jerk free travel, horizontal sliding windows, better aesthetics of Berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper, improved crashworthiness in coaches, Emergency Talk Back Unit, improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets, foldable snack table and bottle holders, mobile holders etc. These trains comprise 12 Sleeper Class Coaches and 8 General Class coaches. Presently, 4 Amrit Bharat services are in operation.

Besides the improvement in rolling stock, the following measures have been taken by IR to upgrade railway tracks:
1. Using modern track components consisting of 60kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) rails, Pre-stressed Concrete Sleeper (PSC) Normal/Wide base sleepers with modern elastic fastenings.
2. Laying of fan-shaped turnout on PSC sleepers with Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossings.
3. Providing Steel Channel/H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges while carrying out primary track renewals.
4. Using 130m/260m long rail panels for rail renewals to minimize weld- joints.
5. Field-welding by mobile Flash Butt Welding Plant and advanced USFD Testing technique of Rail/ Welds by Phased array technology.
6. Mechanization in Track renewal/ replacement using Track Relaying Trains, Points & Crossing Changing machines, Track laying Equipment etc.
7. Deployment of Integrated Track Monitoring Systems (ITMS) and Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) for comprehensive health assessment to project optimal maintenance requirements.
8. Induction of advance modern machines for track maintenance i.e., high output tampers, high output Ballast Cleaning Machines and Rail Grinding machines etc.
9. Adopting Self-propelled Ultrasonic Rail Testing Car (SPURT) and Rail Cum Road Vehicle (RCRV) based USFD system for testing of rails/welds.
10. Using web enabled Track Management System (TMS) for integration and data analytics of the track inspection records received through various sources to enable precise maintenance inputs.
As a consequence of above measures, speed potential of 110 kmph has now been improved significantly to about 80,000 km at present which was only about 31,000 km in 2014. In addition, upgradation and improvement of about 23,000 km track has been done from 2014-15 to 2024-25 (up to Feb’25) for speed potential of 130 kmph.

IR strives to provide affordable services to all strata of the society. IR gave a subsidy of Rs. 56,993 crores on passenger tickets in 2022-23. This amounts to concession of 46% on an average, to every person, travelling on Railways. In other words, if the cost of providing service is Rs. 100, then the price of ticket is Rs. 54 only. This subsidy is continuing for all passengers. Further, concessions beyond this subsidy amount are continuing for many categories like 4 categories of Persons with disabilities (Divyangjans), 11 categories of patients and 8 categories of students.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

*****

Dharmendra Tewari/Shatrunjay Kumar

(Release ID: 2118003) Visitor Counter : 42

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Make in India and the Capital Goods Revolution
Source: Government of India

Make in India and the Capital Goods Revolution

Catalyzing Domestic Production and Technological Innovation

Posted On: 02 APR 2025 6:52PM by PIB Delhi

Introduction

According to the Ministry of Heavy Industries, heavy engineering and machine tools sector comprises of capital goods industry. India’s capital goods sector is experiencing significant attention due to its critical role in driving industrial growth and economic development. This sector encompasses industries such as electrical equipment, machinery, and construction, which are essential for the country’s infrastructure development. According to the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA), the electrical equipment industry witnessed consistent double-digit growth in power equipment, particularly transmission equipment and transformers, driven by domestic demand and international market expansion.

India is the third-largest market for construction equipment. Government initiatives have been instrumental in bolstering the capital goods sector. The Ministry of Heavy Industries has launched several policies to boost domestic production and reduce reliance on imports. These initiatives are part of the broader Make in India campaign (launched in 2014), which seeks to increase the manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP, generate employment, and improve technological capabilities. The capital goods sector is crucial to India’s economic strategy, supporting large-scale manufacturing and infrastructure projects. With rapid urbanization, extensive infrastructure development, and strong government support, the sector is poised to drive sustainable industrial growth and elevate India’s position in the global market.

Overview of the Heavy Industries and Engineering Sector

As per the present estimates, the Capital Goods industry contributes about 1.9% of GDP. The Heavy Engineering and Machine Tool sector (capital goods industry) consists of the following major sub-sectors: Dies, Moulds and Press Tools; Plastic Machinery; Earthmoving and Mining Machinery; Metallurgical Machinery; Textile Machinery; Process Plant Equipment; Printing Machinery; and Food Processing Machinery. Due to catalytic effect of Ministry of Heavy Industries intervention, the production of capital goods sector has increased from Rs 2,29,533 crore in 2014-15 to Rs.4,29,001 crore in 2023-24. Production (in crores) by the sub-sectors of capital goods industry since 2019-20 are presented in the table below:

Exports (in crores) by the sub-sectors of capital goods industry since 2019-20 are presented in the table below:

The policy environment for the capital goods sector includes:
- No industrial license is required for the sector.
- FDI up to 100% permitted on automatic route (through RBI) except from the countries having land borders with India.
- Quantum of payment for technology transfer, design and drawing, royalty, etc. to the foreign collaborator is not restricted.
- There is no restriction on imports and exports.
The Union Budget 2025-26 proposes to add 35 additional capital goods for EV battery manufacturing, and 28 additional capital goods for mobile phone battery manufacturing to the list of exempted capital goods. This will boost domestic manufacture of lithium-ion battery, both for mobile phones and electric vehicles.

National Capital Goods Policy (2016)

The National Capital Goods Policy, formulated by the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, is a comprehensive framework aims at boosting the capital goods sector in India. policy envisions increasing the sector’s contribution to manufacturing activity from 12% (2016) to 20% by 2025. It seeks to make India one of the top capital goods producing nations, aiming to more than double production and increase exports to at least 40% of the total production. Furthermore, the policy aims to enhance the technology depth within the sector, moving from basic and intermediate levels to advanced levels.

The major salient features of the policy are:
1. To increase budgetary allocation and scope of the Scheme on Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Capital Goods Sector adding components i.e. skills, capacity building, advanced manufacturing and cluster development.
2. To launch a Technology Development Fund under PPP model to fund technology acquisition/ transfer, purchase of IPRs/ designs and drawings/ commercialization.
3. To set up regional State-of-the-Art Greenfield Centre of Excellence for skill development.
4. To modernize existing CG manufacturing units, especially SMEs by replacing with the modern, computer controlled and energy efficient machineries across capital goods sub-sectors.
5. To upgrade/ develop, testing and certification infrastructure.
The National Capital Goods Policy, 2016, inter alia, recommended increasing the budgetary allocation and scope of the Scheme on Enhancement of Competitiveness of Capital Goods which included setting up of Centers of Excellence, Common Engineering Facility Centers, Integrated Industrial Infrastructure Park and Technology Acquisition Fund Programme. These recommendations were incorporated in the Phase II of the scheme.

Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector Phase I

In order to address the skill gaps, infrastructure development and technology needs for the capital goods sector, Phase I of the capital goods scheme was rolled out in November 2014 which had the total outlay of Rs 995.96 crores. Phase I of the scheme fostered partnerships between academia and industry for engendering technology development with government support. The outcome of the Scheme has proved the efficacy of the strategies deployed for technology and industrial infrastructure development.
- Centre of Excellence (CoE): 8 CoEs have been established wherein 30 niche indigenous technologies have been successfully developed in the fields of machine tools, additive manufacturing, textile machinery, welding robots and alloys design, earth moving machinery, and sensor technologies at national research institutes of eminence such as Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI) etc.
- Common Engineering Facility Centres (CEFC) – 15 CEFCs including four Industry 4.0 SAMARTH centres and six Web-Based Technology Innovation Platforms (TIPs) have been setup. Industry 4.0 SAMARTH centres are at Indian Institute of Sciences at Bengaluru, Centre for Industry 4.0 (C4i4) lab at Pune, Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI) at Bengaluru and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
- The six web-based open manufacturing technology innovation platforms are helping in bringing all India’s technical resources and the concerned Industry on to one platform to kick start and facilitate identification of technology problems faced by Indian Industry and crowd source solutions for the same in a systematic manner so as to facilitate start-ups and angel funding of India innovations.
- Over 76,000 students, experts, institutes, industries and labs have already registered on these platforms so far.
- Technology Acquisition Fund Programme (TAFP) – Following 5 technologies have been acquired from abroad under TAFP:
1. Development & Commercialization of Titanium Casting with Ceramic Shelling Technology;
2. Manufacturing of Heavy-Duty High Reliability Electrical Specialized Power Cables;
3. Development of Turn Mill Centre;
4. Development of Four Guideway CNC Lathe;
5. Cutting Edge Robotic Laser Cladding Technology.
- Integrated Machine Tools Park, Tumakuru: An exclusive industrial park for machine tool industry has been developed across 530 acres at Tumkuru, Karnataka. So far, out of 336 acres of allottable land, 145 acres of land has been allotted to the machine tool manufacturers.
Under Phase- I of the Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector, 33 projects with budgetary support of Rs. 583.312 crore were sanctioned. After launching of the Capital Goods Scheme Phase II, The Phase I of the Capital Goods Scheme has been merged with Phase II of the Scheme.

Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector Phase II

Ministry of Heavy Industries notified the Phase 2 of the Scheme on January 25, 2022, with an objective to expand and enlarge the impact created by Phase I of the capital goods scheme, thereby providing greater impetus through creation of a strong and globally competitive capital goods sector. The scheme has a financial outlay of Rs. 1207 crores with budgetary support of Rs. 975 crore and industry contribution of Rs. 232 crores. Under the Phase II, a total of 33 projects with project cost of Rs 1366.94 crores (due to higher contribution by Industry) and government contribution of Rs 963.19 crore have been sanctioned by August 2024. There are six components under the Phase II and the details of the projects sanctioned so far are:
- Setting up of New Advanced Centres of Excellence and augmentation of Existing Centres of Excellence: To expedite R&D by utilizing academia of repute and private industry which is involved in research and development activities. A total of 9 projects with the budget of Rs. 478.87 have been sanctioned so far.
- Setting up of Common Engineering Facility Centres (CEFCs) and augmentation of existing CEFCs: For creating demonstration & training, consultancy, hand holding and R & D services and awareness programmes to industrial units. A total of 5 projects with the budget of Rs. 357.07 have been sanctioned so far.
- Promotion of skilling in Capital Goods Sector: Creation of Qualification packages for skill levels 6 and above- in association with Skill Councils for skills level 6 and above. A total of 3 projects with the budget of Rs. 7.59 have been sanctioned so far.
- Augmentation of Existing Testing and Certification Centres: To address the needs of Capital Goods Sector & Auto sector for testing of machinery in terms of various properties relating to mechanical, electrical, chemical, structural, metallurgical, electronics aspects etc. A total of 7 projects with the budget of Rs. 195.99 have been sanctioned so far.
- Setting up of Industry Accelerators for Technology Development: Aimed at development of targeted indigenous technologies, scaled to meet the requirements of selected industry segment, which till now has been dependent on imports. Selected Academic Institute/ Industry Body will act as an Accelerator for fostering the development of such technologies. A total of 8 projects with the budget of Rs. 325.32 have been sanctioned so far.
- Identification of Technologies through Technology Innovation Portals: Six Web-based open manufacturing technology innovation platforms have been developed under CG Scheme Phase-I. These are being supported under CG Scheme Phase-II.
The details of the funds allocated and its utilization under the Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector Phase- I and II is as given in the table below:

Recent Achievements of the Capital Goods Scheme
1. Sitarc, Coimbatore has indigenously developed a 6-inch BLDC submersible pump with a motor efficiency of 88% and a pump efficiency of 78% under the Capital Goods Scheme. This initiative promotes “Aatmanirbharta” by reducing the import of such pumps by 80%. This innovation was recognized as the best product in the pumps category by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
2. CMTI has developed a high-speed rapier loom machine capable of weaving yarns upto 450 RPM. This machine was launched at ITMA 2023 in Milan, Italy.
3. Under the SAMARTH centre at CMTI, Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) technology has been implemented in Toyota Engine Manufacturing line controlling 64 machines for preventive maintenance.
4. A testing facilities for battery and Battery Management System (BMS) has been established at ARAI, Pune for the first time in India under the aegis of Ministry of Heavy Industries.
5. 6 Smart Technologies, 5 Smart Tools, 14 solutions have been developed in digital twin, virtual reality, robotics, inspection, sustainability, additive manufacturing etc. by I-4.0 India @ IISc, Bengaluru;
6. Under Industry Accelerator at ARAI-Advanced Mobility Transformation & Innovation Foundation (AMTIF) a high-voltage motor controller developed, which enabled the industry partner Raptee Energy Private Limited to launch a high-voltage motorcycle with electric car DNA.
7. Under Industry Accelerator at ARAI-Advanced Mobility Transformation & Innovation Foundation (AMTIF) thermally stable sodium-ion batteries developed.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)

BHEL is a major contributor towards engineering and manufacturing capacity building for the Country. The company is carrying out following initiatives with support from Ministry of Heavy industries under the Capital Goods Scheme Phase II:

• BHEL has established a “Common Engineering Facility Centre (CEFC)” for skill development in Welding Technology at WRI Trichy along with its extension centers at Varanasi, Ranipet, Bhopal, Jhansi and Haridwar units of BHEL.

• BHEL is establishing a testing facility comprising both Hardware in the Loop (HIL) and Software in the Loop (SIL) functionalities in the area of Industrial, Naval and Aircraft related processes at its Corporate R&D Unit at Hyderabad with support from Ministry of Heavy Industries.

Conclusion

The ‘Make in India’ initiative has had a transformative impact on the heavy industries and engineering sector. By fostering technological advancements, increasing domestic production, enhancing competitiveness, and generating employment, the initiative has played a pivotal role in strengthening India’s industrial base. With sustained policy support and continued investment, the sector is poised for further growth in the coming years.

References

https://www.investindia.gov.in/sector/capital-goods

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=2098364

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2085938

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2042179

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2039020

https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/doc/echapter.pdf

https://heavyindustries.gov.in/heavy-engineering-and-machine-tool

https://x.com/investindia/status/1302798627337723904?lang=ar-x-fm

https://heavyindustries.gov.in/sites/default/files/2023-07/Capital-Goods-Policy-Final.pdf

https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/184/AU1227_CBVr5x.pdf?source=pqals

https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/182/AU1375_e9YzYN.pdf?source=pqals

https://heavyindustries.gov.in/scheme-enhancement-competitiveness-indian-capital-goods-sector-phase-i

https://heavyindustries.gov.in/scheme-enhancement-competitiveness-indian-capital-goods-sector-phase-ii

https://heavyindustries.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-02/heavy_annual_report_2024-25_final_27.02.2025_compressed.pdf

Make in India and the Capital Goods Revolution

****

Make in India (CG) | Explainer | 07

Santosh Kumar | Sheetal Angral | Rishita Aggarwal

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MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
April 3, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Till Feb 2025, Indian Railways Installs 209 MW Solar Plants at 2,249 Stations and Service Buildings

Source: Government of India

Till Feb 2025, Indian Railways Installs 209 MW Solar Plants at 2,249 Stations and Service Buildings

Indian Railways Solar Power Expansion Reaches 2249 Installations Units with 1489 Added in the Last Five Years, 2.3 Times More Than 628 in the Previous Five Years

Rajasthan Leads in Solar Power Expansion with the Highest 275 Installations Units Among All States and UTs

Posted On: 02 APR 2025 7:45PM by PIB Delhi

Indian Railways is making all endeavors to promote solar energy in line with the Government policies to proliferate renewable energy, environmental sustainability and to achieve long-term financial savings. The transition to renewable energy is an ongoing process.

Indian Railways has planned to progressively procure renewable energy through different power procurement modes for Round The Clock (RTC) power, which is hybrid solution for renewable power includes solar and wind etc. Most of the work of setting up of solar plants is undertaken by Railways through Power Purchase Agreement under developer mode.

During implementation of solar energy, many challenges like regulatory constraints, power evacuation and connectivity issues were faced by the railways. To tackle these issues, State Governments and Transmission Utilities were pursued on regular basis.

So far, about 209 MW of solar plants on 2249 Railway stations and service buildings across the country have been provided. State-wise and year-wise details are as under:

S.No.	State	Railway Stations Provided with Solar Plants (in Nos.)
S.No.	State	2014-15 to 2019-20	2020-21 to February, 2025	Cumulative upto February, 2025
1	Rajasthan	73	200	275
2	Maharashtra	43	213	270
3	West Bengal	12	222	237
4	Uttar Pradesh	78	93	204
5	Andhra Pradesh	33	126	198
6	Karnataka	86	60	146
7	Madhya Pradesh	49	74	134
8	Odisha	30	103	133
9	Gujarat	11	96	112
10	Telangana	35	60	95
11	Bihar	25	42	81
12	Assam	27	48	78
13	Tamil Nadu	42	31	73
14	Jharkhand	10	35	47
15	Haryana	9	23	36
16	Punjab	19	11	30
17	Uttarakhand	1	17	18
18	Himanchal Pradesh	1	16	17
19	Tripura	15	1	16
20	Chhattisgarh	10	5	16
21	Kerala	12	1	13
22	Delhi	4	3	8
23	J & K	2	4	6
24	Nagaland	0	2	2
25	Meghalaya	0	1	1
26	Manipur	0	1	1
27	Chandigarh	0	1	1
28	Puducherry	1	0	1
	Total	628	1489	2249

This information was given by the Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

*****

Dharmendra Tewari/Shatrunjay Kumar

(Release ID: 2118010) Visitor Counter : 32

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 3, 2025

MIL-OSI: Energys Group Announces Closing of $10.125 Million Initial Public Offering

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

BILLINGSHURST, WEST SUSSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Energys Group Limited (NASDAQ: ENGS) (“Energys Group” or the “Company”), a vertically integrated energy efficiency and decarbonization solutions provider for the built environment, today announced the closing of its initial public offering (the “Offering”) of 2,250,000 ordinary shares (the “Ordinary Shares”) at a public offering price of US$4.50 per Ordinary Share, for total gross proceeds of US$10,125,000 before deducting underwriting discounts and other offering expenses. The Offering closed on April 2, 2025 and the Ordinary Shares began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on April 1, 2025, under the ticker symbol “ENGS.”

The Company has granted the underwriters an option, within 45 days from the date of the prospectus, to purchase up to an additional 337,500 Ordinary Shares at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions, to cover over-allotments, if any.

The Offering was conducted on a firm commitment basis. American Trust Investment Services, Inc. (“American Trust”) acted as the representative of the underwriters for the Offering. Schlueter & Associates, P.C. acted as U.S. counsel to the Company, and DeMint Law, PLLC acted as U.S. counsel to American Trust, in connection with the Offering.

The Company intends to use the proceeds from this Offering 1) to expand its operating network in the United Kingdom; 2) for inventory procurement; 3) to establish operating subsidiaries in the United States; 4) to identify and pursue merger and acquisition opportunities; 5) to expand research and development capabilities; 6) to repay certain bank borrowings; and 7) to use as general working capital.

A registration statement relating to the Offering, as amended (File No. 333-275956), was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and was declared effective by the SEC on March 14, 2025.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

The Offering is being made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus related to the Offering may be obtained from American Trust, Attn: Syndicate Department, 1244 119^th Street, Whiting, IN 46394, via email at ib@amtruinvest.com, or via telephone at (219) 473-5542. In addition, a copy of the final prospectus can be obtained via the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

About Energys Group

Founded in 1998 as an energy conservation consultancy, Energys Group Limited (NASDAQ: ENGS) (“Energys Group” or the “Company”) has since transitioned into a vertically integrated energy efficiency and decarbonization solutions provider for the built environment. Serving organizations from both the private and public sectors, including schools, universities, hospitals and offices, primarily in the UK, the Company’s vision is to deliver innovative solutions that reduce carbon emissions, lower costs and support Net Zero agenda – alongside improving the wellbeing of building users within the built environment.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and in its other filings with the SEC.

For more information, please contact:
DLK Advisory
Phone: +852-2857-7101
Email: ir@dlkadvisory.com

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How your smelly farts can tell you what’s going on in your gut

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Maximilienne Toetie Allaart, Postdoctoral Researcher in Gut Microbiome Research, University of Tübingen

The smell of your farts can give you clues about what’s keeping your gut microbes busy. Roquillo Tebar/ Shutterstock

We’ve all been there: you try your best to keep it in, but you just can’t hold it anymore. You have to let it slip – how bad could it be? Then the unpleasant smell wafts your way, and all you can do is hope that no one comes near you for the next couple of minutes.

However uncomfortable or embarrassing they are, farts are natural and a sign that your digestive system is alive. Quite literally, actually. It’s not just your own body that’s responsible for producing gases. Trillions of microbes live in your gut, helping you digest your food – and producing farts in the process.

Our gut microbes play an indispensable role in our health. This is why it’s so important to take good care of them. And, bizarre as it might sound, the smell of your farts can actually tell you something about what’s keeping your gut microbes busy.

Gassy gut microbes

Your gut microbiome is as personal as your fingerprint. There can be significant variation between people in the specific microbes present in their guts.

In general, your gut microbes work together to turn large molecules (the sugars, fats, proteins and fibres that are extracted from the foods we eat) into small molecules – mainly volatile fatty acids and gases. These fatty acids feed the cells lining the colon, while the gases naturally escape our body – sometimes quietly, sometimes explosively.

The large molecules that we consume in our food mainly consist of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and, in smaller amounts, nitrogen and sulphur atoms. These give our gut microbes the capacity to produce different gases – such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen gas, methane and hydrogen sulphide.

While carbon dioxide, hydrogen and even methane gas are odourless, hydrogen sulphide is extremely smelly. This gas produces that rotten egg smell you might be familiar with in your own farts’ fragrance profile.

The gases that are produced by our gut microbes also serve as a vehicle for other smelly molecules – such as the volatile fatty acids mentioned earlier.

Our fatty acid molecules mainly exist in the gut as dissolved compounds. But when there’s gas present, a part of these molecules becomes “volatile”. This means they can be carried around by the gas, making them a bit like hitchhikers on their way out of the gut.

The three most important volatile fatty acids are acetate, propionate and butyrate. While these are all associated with good gut health, they’re also rather smelly. They reek of vinegar, smelly gym socks and vomit, respectively, and I can tell you from experience with them in the lab that they’re quite pungent.

There are also molecules that simply smell like, well, farts – such as indole and skatole. These molecules are produced when the amino acid tryptophan – one of the building blocks of protein – ferments in the large intestine. The molecular structure of indole and skatole not only makes them very adept at lingering, but also gives them the capacity to partition into gas. This means they can also be carried out of our guts and into the world by our non-smelly, friendly gut gases.

Food versus farts

There’s a correlation between what you eat, how much gas your belly creates and how the gas smells. This is because each food affects your body and your gut microbes differently.

Protein tends to create the smelliest farts.
Chatham172/ Shutterstock

For instance, hydrogen sulphide – the smelliest of the gases our gut microbes make – can only be produced if your food contains sulphur. Sulphur is typically found in the amino acids cysteine and methionine, which are part of proteins. There are generally higher levels of these amino acids in animal proteins (such as eggs and red meat) than in plant proteins.

In general, proteins are more likely to produce malodorous gas because they contribute to a process called putrefaction – the fermentation of excess protein in the large intestine. This same process makes those extra-stinky indole and skatole molecules. So, too much protein fermentation can cause foul smells – and is also linked to negative health effects, such as ulcerative colitis and bowel cancer.

But don’t worry, there’s no need to cut out proteins altogether. Your body actually needs them. If you eat the right amount for your body, most protein will be digested in the small intestine to fuel our cells. It’s only when you eat way too much protein that the excess can’t be used and ends up in the colon, where smelly molecules of all kinds will be produced from it.

You might also have noticed that fibre-rich foods, such as beans, make you gassy. Fibres cause more gas production because our body lacks the capacity to break down fibre by itself. This means that all the fibre we ingest will reach our large intestine, where the microbes do the heavy lifting of breaking them down into health-promoting volatile fatty acids. Fortunately, fibre-rich foods are mainly associated with the production of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, our non-smelly intestinal gases.

Your gut is a complex jungle of interactions between the body, its microbes and your food. And just as each person’s microbiome is unique, so is the scent of the gas it produces.

Although farts aren’t exactly ideal, it’s important to remember they’re a sign that your microbes are working. Having a diverse microbiome is related to good gut health. Eating diverse foods will help you maintain a diverse set of microbes. Exercise is also a good way to ensure your digestive system can move everything – including gases – around as it should.

Maximilienne Toetie Allaart receives funding from the Alexander von Humboldt foundation.

– ref. How your smelly farts can tell you what’s going on in your gut – https://theconversation.com/how-your-smelly-farts-can-tell-you-whats-going-on-in-your-gut-252845

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Pfluger Introduces Bills to Impose Maximum Pressure on Iran

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, announced the introduction of two pieces of legislation as part of the RSC’s “Enforcing Maximum Pressure” initiative to hold the Iranian regime accountable.

During the RSC press conference announcing this legislation, Rep. Pfluger said, “President Trump has not just earned our gratitude, he deserves unwavering support as he revives the maximum pressure campaign against Iran’s leaders—the world’s most dangerous state sponsors of terrorism. The Iranian regime is not just a threat, its leaders are a genocidal death cult. Make no mistake about their strategy—they view Israel’s destruction as the beginning of their evil plans.”

The No Iranian Energy Act sanctions the importation of Iranian natural gas to Iraq, cutting off their lifeline. This is necessary as recently, the sanctions waiver for electricity transmission from Iran expired in line with President Trump’s NSPM-2. With Iranian gas imports accounting for roughly 8.8 GW of power generation, additional action is needed to cut off this revenue stream for the regime in Tehran.

The

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: Emerald Portfolio Company P97 Acquired by PDI Technologies

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ZURICH, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cleantech venture capital pioneer Emerald Technology Ventures has announced that portfolio company P97 Networks has been acquired by PDI Technologies. P97 is a leading provider of mobile commerce and digital marketing solutions for the convenience retail, fuel, and automotive industries.

Founded in Houston in 2012, P97 Networks built a groundbreaking cloud-based platform that enables secure mobile payment, loyalty, and digital engagement solutions across the mobility ecosystem. The company became a trusted partner to major fuel brands, including Shell, ExxonMobil, and CITGO, and has led innovations spanning from mobile commerce to electric vehicle infrastructure and connected car experiences.

“We’ve worked to evolve how consumers interact with brands through an engaging, data-driven payment and loyalty platform we’ve created at P97,” said Donald Frieden, CEO and Founder, P97 Networks. “We’re only getting started. I look forward to our team joining PDI as we work to expand our connection to drivers, retailers, OEMs, and others across an even bigger, more connected transportation network.”

Emerald recognized the company’s potential to lead the digital transformation of mobility infrastructure from early on. Over the course of the partnership, Emerald supported P97’s expansion into new markets and strategic development of cutting-edge technologies for fleet, OEMs, and EV charging.

“P97 exemplifies the kind of visionary technology and entrepreneurial drive we look for at Emerald,” said Charles Vaslet, Senior Partner at Emerald. “We’re proud to have supported Donald Frieden and the entire P97 team on their journey. This acquisition is a testament to their leadership in redefining digital commerce across transportation.”

The acquisition by PDI Technologies represents a strategic milestone for P97, expanding its reach and accelerating its mission to connect consumers, retailers, and vehicles in an increasingly digital and data-driven landscape.

Emerald extends its congratulations to the P97 and PDI teams and looks forward to witnessing the next chapter in P97’s growth as part of PDI’s powerful ecosystem.

About P97 Networks

P97 Networks, LLC, based in Houston, was founded in 2012 with the commitment to re-imagining connected consumer experiences and making life’s daily journeys better for everyone. Convenience, speed and safety is our mission – and these are the expectations of buyers, sellers and anyone looking to make life easier during their daily commutes. P97 serves the world’s largest energy providers at the center of the transportation ecosystem – at the intersection which brings together drivers, information, connected vehicles, data, and business intelligence, to solve the most complex consumer engagement and customer loyalty challenges faced by retail brands and the markets they desire to serve.

As the leading provider of digital experiences across the transportation sector, P97 is developing customer loyalty programs coupled with the latest mobile payment technology and artificial intelligence to securely process millions of transactions each week. P97 is further recognized for its thought leadership by enabling digital transformation across more than 70,000 convenience retail and fuels marketing sites connected with secure mobile payments and geo-location services, which benefit millions of drivers each day.

About PDI Technologies

With 40 years of industry leadership, PDI Technologies, Inc. resides at the intersection of productivity and sales growth, delivering powerful solutions that serve as the backbone of the convenience retail and petroleum wholesale ecosystem. By “Connecting Convenience” across the globe, we empower businesses to increase productivity, make informed decisions, and engage faster with their customers. From large-scale ERP and logistics operations to loyalty programs and cybersecurity, we’re simplifying the industry supply chain for whatever comes next. Today, we serve over 200,000 locations worldwide with solutions like the Fuel Rewards^® program and GasBuddy^®, two popular brands representing more than 30 million users. Visit the PDI Technologies website

For more information, contact: pr@pditechnologies.com

About Emerald Technology Ventures
Emerald is a globally recognized venture capital firm, founded in 2000, that manages and advises assets of over €1 billion from its offices in Zurich, Toronto and Singapore. The firm invests in start-ups that tackle big challenges in climate change and sustainability, with four current funds, hundreds of venture transactions and five third-party investment mandates, including loan guarantees to over 100 start-ups.

This is Emerald.

Bold Ideas. Bright Future. www.emerald.vc

CONTACT FOR EMERALD:

info@emerald.vc

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: CIT supports the electrification of Canberra

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

CIT’s Electric Vehicle Certificate III is the first course of its kind in Australia.

Canberra is transitioning away from the use of fossil fuels and towards electrification, which means the future is looking different for Canberrans – particularly our tradies.

According to ACT Government modelling, Canberra will need at least 1,290 extra electricians and 270 more electrical engineers before 2045.

CIT is helping to ensure that the ACT has people who have the skills to install technology in homes and businesses. The institution is providing important future skills development, particularly in the electrical trades, to prevent local and national skills shortages.

“In Canberra, we have the biggest concentration of electric vehicles to people,” Richard Lindsay, CIT automotive teacher and national VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year 2022, said.

“What that means is that the demand on the servicing industry in Canberra is growing higher and higher by the month.

“Being at the forefront of the transition with the Electric Vehicle Certificate III is definitely helping to make sure that the industry is ready for the increase in customer demand that is coming through,” Richard said.

Until this year, CIT was the only training organisation in Australia delivering this course. Richard says that it is a point of pride for both students and the staff at CIT.

“For the students going through the brand-new Certificate III, the thought of being some of the first fully qualified electric vehicle technicians in Australia is a huge thing for their status in the automotive industry. They’re going to be leaders in their field,” he said.

The course is attracting attention from a broad range of students.

“From an apprentice point of view, we’re seeing a big increase in interest, especially from students who may not have thought about a mechanical path previously,” Richard said.

“Because the vehicles are so autonomous these days with the way they’re working, it’s definitely taking some more interest from the more tech-savvy kids that would have normally gravitated towards a gaming or IT path.”

The ACT Government will propose to the Commonwealth that a new centre of excellence be established at CIT Fyshwick. The centre would expand CIT’s Electric Vehicle Training Centre to train more EV automotive technicians.

Extra funding will support the feasibility of a broader Future Energy Skills Hub at CIT which will incorporate the centre of excellence and support the expansion of training in electrotechnology.

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MIL OSI News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: Amalgamated Bank Partners with Allectrify to Close First Adjustable-Rate C-PACE Transaction in Oklahoma County

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

OKLAHOMA CITY, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amalgamated Bank, a subsidiary of Amalgamated Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: AMAL), today announced the successful closing on the first adjustable-rate financing under the Oklahoma County C-PACE Program for the Alley North Office development, using Allectrify’s FASTPACE Platform for C-PACE financing.

The development is a marquee project in the Alley North redevelopment district, the site of Oklahoma City’s historic “Automobile Alley.” The building will be the first multi-story mass timber office building in the state and will help anchor the new mixed-use district, strategically located along a planned regional transit line. The building will serve as the headquarters for C.H. Guernsey & Company, a leading diversified engineering, architectural, and consulting services firm.

Amalgamated Bank’s C-PACE financing will fund the high-efficiency glazing system which will support the overall efficiency of the building once completed. The incorporation of glass and windows with high-efficiency glazing helps maximize natural light while reducing heating and cooling energy demand. More broadly, the project emphasizes sustainability and incorporates human-centered design principles to support occupants’ health and well-being.

“This is a great example of expertise and ingenuity working in concert to facilitate the first adjustable-rate C-PACE deal in Oklahoma County,” said Sam Brown, Chief Banking Officer at Amalgamated Bank. “As part of our ongoing partnership with Allectrify, we look forward to successfully executing more C-PACE deals, providing borrowers with a financial product that allows the implementation of proven methods for reducing energy consumption in new construction.”

“We are thrilled to have closed this innovative development project on our FASTPACE platform with Amalgamated Bank. FASTPACE offers borrowers greater flexibility and more efficient execution for projects of all sizes,” said Colin Bishopp, Allectrify CEO. “The Alley North Office development is a prime example of this capability. We are proud to support the first adjustable-rate financing in Oklahoma County, providing unique flexibility for transaction parties, for a project of this caliber and impact.”

C-PACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing supports long-term, competitive financing for commercial property owners investing in building energy performance, resiliency, and water conservation. This is the first project closed in Oklahoma County to incorporate the adjustable-rate structure, which enables the interest rate to reset at predetermined intervals.

About Amalgamated Bank:

Amalgamated Bank, the wholly owned banking subsidiary of Amalgamated Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: AMAL), is a mission-driven New York-based full-service commercial bank and a chartered trust company with a combined network branches in New York City, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and Boston. Amalgamated Bank provides commercial and retail banking products, investment management and trust and custody services, and lending services. Since their founding in 1923, Amalgamated Bank is diligent in fulfilling their mission to be America’s socially responsible bank, empowering organizations and individuals to advance positive change. The businesses that Amalgamated Bank focus’ on are generally mission aligned with our core values, including sustainable companies, clean energy, nonprofits, and B Corporations. www.amalgamatedbank.com.

About Allectrify, PBC:

C-PACE made simple for lenders and borrowers. Allectrify’s FASTPACE platform enables banks, credit unions, CDFIs and non-bank lenders to offer C-PACE financing quickly and easily, at no cost to the lender and with reduced transaction costs for borrowers. Through Allectrify’s network of FASTPACE lenders, borrowers can access C-PACE financing for projects of all sizes. https://allectrify.com/.

Contact Information:

Ayele Ajavon
For Amalgamated Bank
929-979-5811
media@amalgamatedbank.com

Lainie Rowland
For Allectrify
973-908-9304
lainie@allectrify.com

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: April 2nd, 2025 Heinrich Slams Trump Plan to Sell Off Americans’ Public Lands to Pay for Tax Handouts to Billionaires

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement after E&E reported that the Trump Administration is considering selling off America’s public lands to pay for tax cuts for billionaires:
“For weeks, the Trump Administration has covertly laid the foundation to sell off Americans’ public lands to fund tax handouts for billionaire donors. Now, Republicans’ plans are out in the open.
“If they succeed, Donald Trump and Elon Musk will sell off your right to access the places you know and love: The place you first learned to fish or harvested your first elk. The campground your family goes to on long weekends. The trail you hike to clear your head. The site that was sacred to your ancestors and is now sacred to you. All of these places could be up for auction to the highest bidder if Republicans have their way.
“For Americans wondering what we can do to stop this: Call your members of Congress. Call the White House. Make it clear to the President himself just how unpopular these attacks on our American birthright are. Public lands belong in public hands.”

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Uganda’s electricity distribution is changing hands – what’s at stake
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Peter Twesigye, Research Lead: Power Market Reforms and Regulation, University of Cape Town

Uganda’s electricity sector is at a turning point, as Umeme Limited’s 20-year concession draws to a close. Umeme was the first private distribution operator in anglophone Africa. For nearly two decades, the listed company was the dominant distributor of electricity to the country’s 2.3 million clients. However, Uganda decided in 2022 not to renew the licence on expiry, citing high power tariffs and low electricity access rates.

Umeme’s departure and the transfer of distribution assets back to the state-owned Uganda Electricity Distribution Company (UEDCL) has sparked controversy. It centres on a US$235 million compensation claim by Umeme. The final settlement could shape power tariffs, the sector’s financial sustainability and investment needs in the country. Peter Twesigye, who researches power market reform, regulation and utility performance in Africa, examines the big questions.

The numbers behind the controversy

The flashpoint is the amount the government must pay Umeme to bring the business back under state control. Umeme has demanded US$235.96 million. It says this amount represents its undepreciated and unrecovered investments: costs it hasn’t got back through electricity tariffs or transfers from government.

The auditor general, representing the government, initially pegged unrecovered investments at US$190.99 million and gave parliament the green light to seek loans to repay Umeme. This was however revised down to US$118 million, which the government has paid. The outstanding gap is more than US$117 million, a 50% difference, which is very large.

Umeme has, for now, accepted the US$118 million, but has disputed this as the final settlement. It will claim more money and potentially also penalties arising from the government’s failure to pay in full by 31 March 2025. Umeme’s board has a fiduciary duty not to lose shareholders’ capital.

The buyout amount is more than just a settlement. It will serve as the initial asset base for Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd, which will allow it to provide a service in the future. It will influence the setting of electricity tariffs and the company’s ability to secure funding for investments to ensure service continuity. This benefit is often misunderstood.

What’s at stake

At the heart of this debate lies a complex interplay of legal, financial, economic and national risk exposure.

It will have far-reaching implications for affordability and industrial competitiveness in Uganda, particularly for energy-intensive sectors. A higher asset base reflects greater invested capital, enabling revenue sufficiency to cover the cost of capital, operating expenses and depreciation. This financial strength allows the utility or sector to maintain service delivery, improve electricity reliability and quality, and expand the network to meet demand without relying on subsidies.

A lower asset base on the other hand reflects under-investment. This could create the risk of poor service delivery and limit the company’s ability to expand or modernise infrastructure. Most importantly it could deter private investors in the sector due to the limited revenue recovery opportunities. The sub-sectors affected could include electricity generation, transmission or distribution.

Uganda’s prior success in attracting investments in generation was partly due to the presence of Umeme. The utility provided robust governance, commercial and revenue collection guarantees. With its exit, Uganda will find it more challenging to draw in private capital under public governance arrangements.

For now, the government has adopted the auditor general’s lower valuation of US$118 million. Based on my tariff model analysis, this will give rise to a long-term equilibrium distribution tariff – reflecting cost and state subsidies – of 9.2 cents cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). That is 7.94% lower than Umeme’s 10 cents per kWh.

It may appear to be a small reduction in tariff in the short term. But it may prove unsustainable in the long term as there are significant infrastructure investment needs. To meet them, the company will need continued direct state subsidies, which Umeme did not get.

It remains to be seen whether the government can keep providing subsidies.

Read more:
Why merging Uganda’s electricity sector agencies is a bad idea

Beyond tariffs, how Uganda handles this transition matters. It could send a signal to international investors about its reliability as an investment destination. A harmonious resolution would reassure current and prospective investors.

A contentious fallout, such as arbitration or judicial proceedings, could heighten perceptions of risk to foreign investors. It could also push up the cost of capital to 15.82%, or 582 basis points higher than the base estimate of 10%. This would stem from perceived fears of expropriation of investments by the government.

Any default on Uganda’s part could trigger punitive financial penalties immediately. These are contractual commitments and obligations, so it’s up to courts of arbitration to decide. If the government fails to pay (in full) within 30 days of 31 March, penalties and interest rates on overdue amounts will escalate from 10% to as high as 20%, depending on the delay period.

Failure to honour these commitments could also lead to lawsuits in international courts or debt collection efforts by ruthless venture capital firms. These scenarios would impose even greater costs on Uganda’s economy and global reputation.

Penalties could add to Uganda’s financial obligations and strain public resources further.

Limited options for Uganda

The avoidable financial and legal penalties would be costly for consumers and the national treasury. Another potential impact to watch is the country’s overall investment risk profile. This could influence the future cost of capital (interest rates) and premiums that investors would charge.

Read more:
Competition in South Africa’s electricity market: new law paves the way, but it won’t be a smooth ride

It is imperative not to raise the cost of capital for Uganda, which still lacks adequate electricity infrastructure. If the dispute over the buyout price results in investors wanting a higher return for their risk, the impact on tariffs would be even worse than paying the price Umeme wants.

What Uganda should do

By addressing these challenges decisively and transparently, Uganda can turn this transition into an opportunity. It can strengthen its energy sector and set a precedent for effective management of public-private partnerships. The government should explore these recommendations:
- establish a negotiation team of legal, financial, regulatory and energy experts to reconcile valuation differences transparently and negotiate amicably with Umeme
- secure financing proactively to avoid penalty interest and ensure timely payment
- keep stakeholders informed, to maintain public trust and investor confidence
- equip Uganda Electricity Distribution Company to take over and prevent service disruptions
- build strong governance systems within the utility
- work in partnership with the private sector.
The choices made now will be felt for years to come.

Peter Twesigye 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. Uganda’s electricity distribution is changing hands – what’s at stake – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-electricity-distribution-is-changing-hands-whats-at-stake-253412
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Uganda’s electricity distribution is changing hands – what’s at stake
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Peter Twesigye, Research Lead: Power Market Reforms and Regulation, University of Cape Town

Uganda’s electricity sector is at a turning point, as Umeme Limited’s 20-year concession draws to a close. Umeme was the first private distribution operator in anglophone Africa. For nearly two decades, the listed company was the dominant distributor of electricity to the country’s 2.3 million clients. However, Uganda decided in 2022 not to renew the licence on expiry, citing high power tariffs and low electricity access rates.

Umeme’s departure and the transfer of distribution assets back to the state-owned Uganda Electricity Distribution Company (UEDCL) has sparked controversy. It centres on a US$235 million compensation claim by Umeme. The final settlement could shape power tariffs, the sector’s financial sustainability and investment needs in the country. Peter Twesigye, who researches power market reform, regulation and utility performance in Africa, examines the big questions.

The numbers behind the controversy

The flashpoint is the amount the government must pay Umeme to bring the business back under state control. Umeme has demanded US$235.96 million. It says this amount represents its undepreciated and unrecovered investments: costs it hasn’t got back through electricity tariffs or transfers from government.

The auditor general, representing the government, initially pegged unrecovered investments at US$190.99 million and gave parliament the green light to seek loans to repay Umeme. This was however revised down to US$118 million, which the government has paid. The outstanding gap is more than US$117 million, a 50% difference, which is very large.

Umeme has, for now, accepted the US$118 million, but has disputed this as the final settlement. It will claim more money and potentially also penalties arising from the government’s failure to pay in full by 31 March 2025. Umeme’s board has a fiduciary duty not to lose shareholders’ capital.

The buyout amount is more than just a settlement. It will serve as the initial asset base for Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd, which will allow it to provide a service in the future. It will influence the setting of electricity tariffs and the company’s ability to secure funding for investments to ensure service continuity. This benefit is often misunderstood.

What’s at stake

At the heart of this debate lies a complex interplay of legal, financial, economic and national risk exposure.

It will have far-reaching implications for affordability and industrial competitiveness in Uganda, particularly for energy-intensive sectors. A higher asset base reflects greater invested capital, enabling revenue sufficiency to cover the cost of capital, operating expenses and depreciation. This financial strength allows the utility or sector to maintain service delivery, improve electricity reliability and quality, and expand the network to meet demand without relying on subsidies.

A lower asset base on the other hand reflects under-investment. This could create the risk of poor service delivery and limit the company’s ability to expand or modernise infrastructure. Most importantly it could deter private investors in the sector due to the limited revenue recovery opportunities. The sub-sectors affected could include electricity generation, transmission or distribution.

Uganda’s prior success in attracting investments in generation was partly due to the presence of Umeme. The utility provided robust governance, commercial and revenue collection guarantees. With its exit, Uganda will find it more challenging to draw in private capital under public governance arrangements.

For now, the government has adopted the auditor general’s lower valuation of US$118 million. Based on my tariff model analysis, this will give rise to a long-term equilibrium distribution tariff – reflecting cost and state subsidies – of 9.2 cents cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). That is 7.94% lower than Umeme’s 10 cents per kWh.

It may appear to be a small reduction in tariff in the short term. But it may prove unsustainable in the long term as there are significant infrastructure investment needs. To meet them, the company will need continued direct state subsidies, which Umeme did not get.

It remains to be seen whether the government can keep providing subsidies.

Read more: Why merging Uganda’s electricity sector agencies is a bad idea

Beyond tariffs, how Uganda handles this transition matters. It could send a signal to international investors about its reliability as an investment destination. A harmonious resolution would reassure current and prospective investors.

A contentious fallout, such as arbitration or judicial proceedings, could heighten perceptions of risk to foreign investors. It could also push up the cost of capital to 15.82%, or 582 basis points higher than the base estimate of 10%. This would stem from perceived fears of expropriation of investments by the government.

Any default on Uganda’s part could trigger punitive financial penalties immediately. These are contractual commitments and obligations, so it’s up to courts of arbitration to decide. If the government fails to pay (in full) within 30 days of 31 March, penalties and interest rates on overdue amounts will escalate from 10% to as high as 20%, depending on the delay period.

Failure to honour these commitments could also lead to lawsuits in international courts or debt collection efforts by ruthless venture capital firms. These scenarios would impose even greater costs on Uganda’s economy and global reputation.

Penalties could add to Uganda’s financial obligations and strain public resources further.

Limited options for Uganda

The avoidable financial and legal penalties would be costly for consumers and the national treasury. Another potential impact to watch is the country’s overall investment risk profile. This could influence the future cost of capital (interest rates) and premiums that investors would charge.

Read more: Competition in South Africa’s electricity market: new law paves the way, but it won’t be a smooth ride

It is imperative not to raise the cost of capital for Uganda, which still lacks adequate electricity infrastructure. If the dispute over the buyout price results in investors wanting a higher return for their risk, the impact on tariffs would be even worse than paying the price Umeme wants.

What Uganda should do

By addressing these challenges decisively and transparently, Uganda can turn this transition into an opportunity. It can strengthen its energy sector and set a precedent for effective management of public-private partnerships. The government should explore these recommendations:
- establish a negotiation team of legal, financial, regulatory and energy experts to reconcile valuation differences transparently and negotiate amicably with Umeme
- secure financing proactively to avoid penalty interest and ensure timely payment
- keep stakeholders informed, to maintain public trust and investor confidence
- equip Uganda Electricity Distribution Company to take over and prevent service disruptions
- build strong governance systems within the utility
- work in partnership with the private sector.
The choices made now will be felt for years to come.

– Uganda’s electricity distribution is changing hands – what’s at stake
– https://theconversation.com/ugandas-electricity-distribution-is-changing-hands-whats-at-stake-253412

MIL OSI Africa –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: At Antitrust Hearing, Welch Calls Out President Trump for Firing FTC Commissioners and Presses the Need for Right to Repair Legislation

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called out President Trump for firing Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and discussed the importance of a fully-functioning FTC, which protects consumers from rip-offs. Senator Welch served as Ranking Member of the subcommittee while Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) held the floor with a marathon speech, which lasted more than 24 hours.
“I do want to address one thing that has disturbed me and it’s what happened at the FTC. [The FTC] is an organization that is about protecting against unfair competition, and we need five people on it and two have been fired. They happened to be the Democrats. There’s always been a five-person FTC—three of the majority party and two from the minority party and it shifts back and forth. I just want to express my dissatisfaction and dismay at that because that FTC does things that are absolutely helpful to protecting consumers from this abusive pricing power,” said Senator Welch in the hearing.
Senator Welch continued: “[The FTC] stopped a consolidation of Kroger and Albertsons, which most economists thought was going to raise food prices for those folks in Utah and those folks in Vermont. They brought an Administrative Complaint against the prescription benefit managers. And it’s such a rip-off what’s happening to everyday consumers and employers, by the way, who pay a lot of money for employer-sponsored health care, and they have no visibility, no transparency, into how much people are getting charged. It hurts small employers and big employers in your state and mine. The FTC was on that case. They’re on another matter that is near and dear to Vermont farmers—the right to repair. How in the world is it that you can’t, if you own a tractor, repair it yourself?…The FTC was looking into that, and I think farmers in Florida, farmers in Utah, farmers if Illinois, if they can figure out how to repair it themselves, they shouldn’t have to get ripped off by not having a right to repair. I know there is some bipartisan support for that. We had an FTC that was on all three of those cases.”
In response to a question about right to repair legislation, Morgan Harper, a witness from the American Economic Liberties Project said: “It’s not fair – [that’s] the short of it. And even though it’s a different market area I think a lot of the principles are relevant for this discussion of Big Tech in the fact that there is litigation to address that, and the FTC is looking into it. It’s exactly like you said—one of the reasons why we have to make sure we have strong commissioners.”
Watch Senator Welch’s opening remarks in the hearing:
Watch the full hearing.
■■■
Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:
Senate Committee on Finance
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution
Senate Committee on Rules & Administration

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: H&R Block Contest Encourages Millions of Gig Workers to “Make It Legit”

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — From bagpiping in a pickle suit to reviving lost recipes, gig workers like Pickle Pete and Dead Gregs are among the millions of taxpayers with revenue-generating side hustles who are fueling the rapidly growing gig economy and redefining what it means to be a small business owner. To showcase the talent and creativity of these gig workers—and motivate them to take their gig to the next level, H&R Block (NYSE: HRB), a leading provider of global tax preparation, financial products and small business solutions, today announced the “Make It Legit” contest.

Entries will be accepted until May 4 for the nationwide contest that is not just a competition, but a platform that will help three lucky gig workers “Make it Legit” by providing key professional business services and marketing support.

“Gig workers often do not see themselves as legitimate business owners, even though they are taxed as such. We believe that if you’re getting taxed like a legit business, you should look like one, too,” said Wendy Fitch, Vice President of Brand, Content, and Insights at H&R Block. “H&R Block has provided help and inspired confidence in its clients and communities for seven decades. This unique contest aims to inspire the more than 70 million individuals¹ who classify themselves as gig workers to make it legit, so you can keep every dollar of your hard-earned income.”

With the recent change in the 1099-K reporting threshold, independent workers using third-party payment apps or online marketplaces must now report earnings of $5,000 or more—down from the previous threshold of $20,000. The significant change to the threshold amount means casual sellers, side hustlers and gig workers are now considered small businesses.

A January 2025 H&R Block study conducted by Morning Consult found that nearly half of gig workers, side hustlers and online sellers were unaware of the 1099-K change. Even after learning about it, 50% still said they were not clear on the details as of the start of tax season.² While their creativity knows no bounds, many gig workers may be limiting their possibilities and their income because they are not receiving credits and deductions small businesses can claim, and are leaving money behind.

The three Make It Legit winners will receive free business formation service and access to one of H&R Block’s tax professionals for year-round tax expertise and to file next year’s taxes. Winners will also receive custom marketing materials—such as a new logo, brand colors, custom font and to top it off, their very own commercial shot by a live film crew. Eligible gig workers are encouraged to enter for a chance to win a Make It Legit kit by visiting MakeItLegitContest.com and can find full rules and regulations here.

“With 70 years of tax expertise under our belt, we’ve helped countless individuals transition to small business owners and navigate and capitalize on the unique tax codes related to their expertise,” said Fitch. “As the pioneer of the tax prep category, we’re helping other pioneers benefit from their passions and operate with confidence.”

Make It Legit Contest

To bring this initiative to life, H&R Block teamed up with the following three wildly creative content creators who have turned their unique passions into a legitimate business, by giving them the small business treatment complete with free business formation and tax prep services, in addition to a logo, tagline, and typeface:

While bagpiping in a pickle suit might not seem like a small business, creators like Pickle Pete get taxed as one. H&R Block treated Pickle Pete to a full brand upgrade as well as his own small business commercial. The one-minute piece shines a spotlight on Pickle Pete’s passion, creativity, and his unique hustle—playing on all the tropes of the small business commercials we know and love. Pickle Pete’s film is live now on H&R Block’s social channels including Instagram and TikTok.

All eligible gig workers looking for the same small business treatment enjoyed by Pickle Pete, Dead Gregs and Inspire by Tyler, including their very own commercial, enter the Make It Legit contest today.

To learn more about H&R Block’s tax preparation services, many ways to file, and year-round financial support, visit hrblock.com. For media assets, visit hrblock.com/tax-center/newsroom and for helpful tips and information, follow H&R Block on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

¹Statista: Number of freelancers in the United States from 2017 to 2028
²H&R Block 1099-K Study: Morning Consult Omnibus Results + OnePulse Results

About H&R Block
H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation services, financial products, and small-business solutions. The company blends digital innovation with human expertise and care as it helps people get the best outcome at tax time and also be better with money using its mobile banking app, Spruce. Through Block Advisors and Wave, the company helps small-business owners thrive with year-round bookkeeping, payroll, advisory, and payment processing solutions. For more information, visit H&R Block News.

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Orrön Energy AB
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

The shareholders of Orrön Energy AB (publ), 556610-8055 (“Orrön Energy” or the “Company”), are hereby given notice of the Annual General Meeting to be held on 5 May 2025 at 11.00 (CEST). The meeting will be held digitally.

Shareholders may choose to exercise their voting rights at the Annual General Meeting by attending the digital meeting in person, through a proxy or by postal voting.

Vote at the Annual General Meeting

Those who wish to exercise their voting rights at the Annual General Meeting must:
- be entered as a shareholder in the share register kept by Euroclear Sweden AB on 24 April 2025 or, if the shares are registered in the name of a nominee, request that the nominee registers the shares in their own name for voting purposes in such time that the registration is completed by 28 April 2025; and
- give notice of attendance at the Annual General Meeting to the Company in accordance with the instructions set out in the section “Online participation and voting at the Annual General Meeting” or submit a postal vote in accordance with the instructions set out in the section “Voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting” no later than 28 April 2025.
Important information regarding participation and voting

The Board of Directors has decided to hold the Annual General Meeting as a digital meeting combined with an option to vote by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association.

For terms and instructions for online participation and voting at the Annual General Meeting, please refer to the section “Online participation and voting at the Annual General Meeting” below.

For terms and instructions for voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting, please refer to the section “Voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting” below.

Please note that despite thorough preparations, it cannot be ruled out that online participation or voting at the Annual General Meeting do not work as intended due to technical complications attributable to shareholders. The Annual General Meeting will be held regardless of any such complications and there is a risk that votes submitted online at the Annual General Meeting are not registered. Consequently, those who want to be certain of being able to exercise their voting rights should vote by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting.

Please also note that it will not be possible to vote both by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting and online at the Annual General Meeting. If a postal vote has been submitted in accordance with the terms and instructions for voting by post and such postal vote has not been withdrawn by the shareholder no later than 28 April 2025, the Company will consider the postal vote at the Annual General Meeting.

It is possible to vote by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting and still follow the Annual General Meeting without exercising any voting rights online, please see the section “Voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting” below for more information.

Online participation and voting at the Annual General Meeting
Those who wish to participate at the digital Annual General Meeting in person or through proxy shall give notice of attendance to the Company no later than 28 April 2025 either:
- electronically through the Company’s website, www.orron.com (only applicable to individuals);
- by post to Computershare AB, Box 5267, SE-102 46 Stockholm (Att. “Orrön Energy’s AGM”);
- by telephone to +46 (0)8 518 01 554 on weekdays between 09.00 and 16.00 (CEST); or
- by email to info@computershare.se.
The notice of attendance shall state name, personal identification number or corporate registration number, address, telephone number and, where relevant, the number of accompanying advisors (not more than two).

To participate and vote online, a stable network connection must be maintained throughout the Annual General Meeting. Online participation is possible via a computer, a smartphone or a tablet, provided the device is equipped with an up-to-date operating system and the latest software version. Access to the meeting will be facilitated via a web browser, ensuring a seamless and secure connection to the digital platform.

Those who give notice of attendance at the Annual General Meeting will receive login instructions on the admission card which will be sent to the address stated in the notice of attendance. On the day of the Annual General Meeting, the digital platform will open for login from 10.00 (CEST), and participants must log in no later than 11.00 (CEST) to attend.

In connection with each voting item, shareholders will be able to choose between the alternatives “Yes”, “No” and “Abstain”. Engagement and questions during the meeting will be facilitated through a dedicated written Q&A function.

Those who do not wish to participate or vote online in person may exercise their voting rights at the Annual General Meeting through a proxy in possession of a written, signed and dated proxy form. In order for the proxy to obtain login instructions to the digital platform, the proxy’s name, personal identification number or corporate registration number and address must be included in the notice of attendance. A proxy form issued by a legal entity must be accompanied by a copy of a certificate of registration or a corresponding document of authority for the legal entity. Template proxy forms in Swedish and English are available on the Company’s website, www.orron.com. Proxy forms, certificates of registration and other documents of authority shall be appended to the notice of attendance. Please note that notice of attendance must be given even if a shareholder wishes to exercise its rights at the meeting through a proxy. A submitted proxy form does not count as a notice of attendance.

Voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting
Those who wish to exercise their voting rights by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting shall use the voting form and follow the instructions available on the Company’s website, www.orron.com. The postal vote must be received by the Company no later than 28 April 2025. The postal vote shall be sent either:
- electronically in accordance with the instructions available on the Company’s website, www.orron.com;
- by email to info@computershare.se; or
- by post to Computershare AB, Box 5267, SE-102 46 Stockholm (Att. “Orrön Energy AGM”).
If a shareholder’s voting rights are exercised by proxy, a power of attorney and other authorisation documents must be enclosed with the voting form. A proxy form is available on the Company’s website, www.orron.com, and will be sent to shareholders upon request.

Shareholders who wish to exercise their voting rights by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting may still follow the Annual General Meeting online (without also exercising voting rights online). In order to receive login instructions, please elect for this option in the voting form.

Proposed agenda
1.   Opening of the Annual General Meeting.
2.   Election of Chair of the Annual General Meeting.
3.   Preparation and approval of the voting register.
4.   Approval of the agenda.
5.   Election of one or two persons to approve the minutes.
6.   Determination as to whether the Annual General Meeting has been duly convened.
7.   Presentation by the Chief Executive Officer.
8.   Presentation of the annual and sustainability report and the auditor’s report, the consolidated financial statements and the auditor’s Group report as well as the remuneration report prepared by the Board of Directors and the auditor’s statement on compliance with the policy on remuneration.
9.   Resolution in respect of adoption of the income statement and the balance sheet and the consolidated income statement and consolidated balance sheet.
10.   Resolution in respect of disposition of the Company’s result according to the adopted balance sheet.
11.   Resolution in respect of discharge from liability of members of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer.
12.   Resolution in respect of the remuneration report prepared by the Board of Directors.
13.   Nomination Committee proposals:
- Proposal for the number of members of the Board of Directors.
- Proposal for remuneration of the Chair of the Board of Directors and other members of the Board of Directors.
- Proposal for election of Chair and other members of the Board of Directors.
- Proposal for remuneration of the auditor.
- Proposal for election of auditor.
14.   Resolution in respect of the number of members of the Board of Directors.
15.   Resolution in respect of remuneration of the Chair of the Board of Directors and other members of the Board of Directors.
16.   Resolutions in respect of Board members:
a)   re-election of Grace Reksten Skaugen as a Board member;
b)   re-election of Jakob Thomasen as a Board member;
c)   re-election of Peggy Bruzelius as a Board member;
d)   re-election of William Lundin as a Board member;
e)   re-election of Mike Nicholson as a Board member;
f)   election of Richard Ollerhead as a Board member; and
g)   re-election of Grace Reksten Skaugen as the Chair of the Board of Directors.
17.   Resolution in respect of remuneration of the auditor.
18.   Election of auditor.
19.   Resolution for the 2025 Long-term, Performance-based Incentive Plan (LTIP 2025).
20.   Resolution in respect of delivery of shares under the LTIP 2025 through:
a)   an issue and transfer of warrants of series 2025:1; or
b)   an equity swap arrangement with a third party.
21.   Resolution in respect of authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on new issue of shares and convertible debentures.
22.   Resolution in respect of authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on repurchase and sale of shares.
23.   Closing of the Annual General Meeting.

Proposals for resolutions to be presented at the Annual General Meeting of Orrön Energy on 5 May 2025

Items 2 and 14–18: Resolutions in respect of Chair of the Annual General Meeting, number of members of the Board of Directors, remuneration of the Chair of the Board of Directors and other members of the Board of Directors, election of Chair of the Board of Directors and of other members of the Board of Directors, and remuneration of the auditor and election of the auditor
Orrön Energy’s Nomination Committee for the 2025 Annual General Meeting consists of Aksel Azrac (Chair, Nemesia S.à.r.l.), Sussi Kvart (Handelsbanken Fonder) and Richard Ollerhead (JNE Partners LLP). The Nomination Committee for the 2025 Annual General Meeting, appointed by shareholders jointly holding approximately 46 per cent of the shares and voting rights in Orrön Energy as per 1 August 2024, proposes the following:
- Advokat Klaes Edhall to be appointed as Chair of the Annual General Meeting or, if he is absent, any other person appointed by the Nomination Committee.
- Six members of the Board of Directors to be appointed without deputy members.
- Remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors and the Chair of the Board of Directors, including in respect of Committee membership, to be as follows: (i) annual fees for the members of the Board of Directors of EUR 60,000 (excluding the Chair of the Board of Directors); (ii) annual fees for the Chair of the Board of Directors of EUR 120,000; (iii) annual fees for Committee members of EUR 5,000 per Committee assignment (other than Committee Chairs); and (iv) annual fees for Committee Chairs of EUR 10,000; with the total fees for Committee work (including fees for Chairs of Committees) not to exceed EUR 50,000.
- Re-election of Grace Reksten Skaugen, Jakob Thomasen, Peggy Bruzelius, Mike Nicholson and William Lundin as members of the Board of Directors and election of Richard Ollerhead as a member of the Board of Directors for a period until the end of the 2026 Annual General Meeting. Mr. Ollerhead is a British national born in 1986. Mr. Ollerhead graduated from Balliol College at the University of Oxford, where he obtained a degree in Physics and Philosophy. Mr. Ollerhead worked between 2008 and 2014 at Taconic Capital Advisors in London. From 2015 to 2018 he was part of the European investment team at MSD Partners, which spun out at the end of 2018 as JNE Partners LLP. Mr Ollerhead is a partner at JNE Partners LLP, responsible for a range of equity investments. JNE Partners LLP is the Investment Manager of JNE Master Fund LP, a subsidiary of which (JNE Partners Luxembourg S.à r.l.) is a major shareholder in the Company. Mr. Ollerhead currently holds no Board memberships.
- Re-election of Grace Reksten Skaugen as Chair of the Board of Directors for a period until the end of the 2026 Annual General Meeting.
- The auditor’s fees shall be payable upon approval of their invoice.
- Re-election of the registered accounting firm Ernst & Young AB as the auditor of the Company, which intends to appoint authorised public accountant Anders Kriström as the auditor in charge, for a period until the end of the 2026 Annual General Meeting.
Item 3: Preparation and approval of the voting register
The Board of Directors proposes that the register prepared by Computershare AB (on behalf of the Company) based on the Company’s share register, shareholders attending in person or through proxy and postal votes received by the Company is approved as voting register for the Annual General Meeting.

Item 10: Resolution in respect of disposition of the Company’s result according to the adopted balance sheet
The Board of Directors proposes that no dividend is distributed and that all distributable funds are brought forward.

Item 19: Resolution for the 2025 Long-term, Performance-based Incentive Plan (LTIP 2025)
The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to establish a long-term, performance-based incentive plan in respect of Group Management and a number of key employees of Orrön Energy on the terms and conditions set out below (“LTIP 2025”).

Background and purpose
The reason for establishing LTIP 2025 is to align the interests of Group Management and other key employees with the interests of the shareholders, and to provide market appropriate reward reflecting continuity, performance and commitment. The Board of Directors believes that the proposed LTIP 2025 will provide Orrön Energy with a crucial component to a competitive total compensation package to attract and retain executives who are critical to Orrön Energy’s future success.

The performance-based LTIP 2025 has been designed by the Compensation Committee based on market practice and through engagement with the Company’s shareholders, other stakeholders and a remuneration consultant. The plan introduces performance conditions related to total shareholder return and strategic targets which determine the final award for the long-term incentive plan.

It is considered that the LTIP 2025, as the share option plans in the past, is best financed through delivery of shares allowing the Company to continue to allocate all available capital towards growth.

The Board of Directors intends to propose to future Annual General Meetings to establish long-term incentive (“LTI”) plans based on principles corresponding to the currently proposed LTIP 2025. In order to be eligible to participate in such future LTI plans, each participant needs to build towards a meaningful shareholding in Orrön Energy, meaning that a certain portion of any allotted shares pursuant to LTIP 2025 (and any future LTI plans) shall be retained until the required level of shareholding has been met.

Implementation of LTIP 2025
The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting 2025 resolves on the implementation of the LTIP 2025 in accordance with the terms and conditions set out below.

Terms and conditions

(a)   Awards under LTIP 2025 are proposed to be made to approximately 9 permanent employees of the Orrön Energy Group (the “Participants”), comprising the CEO and other members of Group Management, as well as certain other key employees. The Board of Directors may, within the total number of shares available under LTIP 2025, invite a limited number of additional Participants in LTIP 2025 following recruitment to the Orrön Energy Group.

(b)   LTIP 2025 gives the Participants the possibility to receive shares in Orrön Energy subject to uninterrupted employment and the fulfilment of performance conditions over a three-year performance period commencing on 1 June 2025 and expiring on 31 May 2028 (the “Performance Period”). The performance condition is two-fold, where the two conditions have a 75 per cent and 25 per cent weighting in determining the vesting of awards under LTIP 2025 (the “Performance Conditions”). The first Performance Condition is based on the share price growth and dividends (“Total Shareholder Return”) of the Orrön Energy share compared to the Total Shareholder Return of a peer group of companies (the “Peer Group”) (the “Total Shareholder Return Performance Condition”), with a 75 per cent weighting. The second Performance Condition is based on the achievement of strategic performance targets (the “Strategic Performance Condition”), with a 25 per cent weighting. At the beginning of the Performance Period, the Participants will, free of charge, be granted awards (“LTIP Awards”) which, to the extent that i.a. one or both Performance Conditions are partially or fully met, entitle the Participant to be allotted, also free of charge, shares in Orrön Energy (“Performance Shares”) as soon as reasonably practicable following the end of the Performance Period.

(c)   The LTIP Awards (i.e. the number of Performance Shares that a Participant may be allotted following the expiration of the Performance Period, provided that i.a. one or both of the Performance Conditions are partially or fully met) to be awarded to each Participant shall be calculated as follows:

                 LTIP Award = A multiplied by B divided by C multiplied by D, where

                 A = the Participant’s monthly gross base salary applicable as at the date of grant of the LTIP Award;

B = a number of months as determined by the Board of Directors in respect of each Participant, taking into account such factors as industry benchmarking and the Participant’s position within the Orrön Energy Group (but in any case, subject to a maximum cap of 36 months);

                 C = the volume weighted average price of the Orrön Energy share on Nasdaq Stockholm for the period between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025; and

                 D = the product of the factors representing the proportional increases in the number of Performance Shares under award for each dividend (if any) until allotment, calculated by dividing the value of the Orrön Energy share at closing on the ex-dividend date plus the declared dividend by the value of the share at closing on the ex-dividend date.

        Fractions of allotted Performance Shares shall be rounded-off to the immediate lower whole number.

        Considering the volume weighted average share price of the Orrön Energy share between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025 of SEK 5.9, the total number of Performance Shares that may be allotted under LTIP 2025 as at the date of award of the LTIP Awards (assuming 100 per cent vesting) is 4,450,000, corresponding to approximately 1.6 per cent of the current total number of shares and votes in Orrön Energy. In addition, considering additional Participants (if any) following recruitment and increased awards due to dividends (if any), and the expected social charges linked to award, it is proposed that the total number of Performance Shares under LTIP 2025 shall not exceed 5,450,000.

(d)   Allotment of Performance Shares will be determined by the Board of Directors after the expiration of the Performance Period on the basis of LTIP Awards made and is conditional on (i) the Participant retaining his or her uninterrupted employment in the Orrön Energy Group until the expiry of the Performance Period and (ii) the extent to which (if any) one or both of the Performance Conditions have been met. The LTIP Award will compensate for dividends distributed (if any), and to ensure further alignment with shareholders’ interests, LTIP 2025 will do so by increasing the number of Performance Shares under award proportionally during the award period through the formula described in (c) above, entailing also a reinvestment of dividends received during the award period. The Board of Directors may reduce (including reduce to zero) allotment of Performance Shares at its discretion, should it consider the underlying performance not to be reflected in the outcome of the Performance Conditions.

(e)   Minimum and a maximum levels for the Performance Conditions to be fulfilled have been established by the Board of Directors. In order for the LTIP Awards to give Participants entitlement to the maximum number of Performance Shares, the maximum level for both Performance Conditions must have been fulfilled.
1. In respect of the Total Shareholder Return Performance Condition, the fulfilment of which shall result in an entitlement of a maximum of 75 per cent of the maximum number of Performance Shares, the Performance Condition calculation will be made based on a comparison of Total Shareholder Return of the Orrön Energy share to the Peer Group, comparing the three month period of January to March 2025 prior to the commencement of the Performance Period, with the three month period of January to March 2028 prior to the end of the Performance Period. The LTIP Awards will vest based on the comparative Total Shareholder Return of the Orrön Energy share from no vesting below the 38^th percentile performance and with vesting at or above the 38^th percentile performance on a straight line basis to 100 per cent vesting of this performance condition at the 75^th percentile performance or above. The Performance Condition calculation will be performed by the Board of Directors.
2. In respect of the Strategic Performance Condition, the fulfilment of which shall result in an entitlement of a maximum of 25 per cent of the maximum number of Performance Shares, the measurement of the Performance Condition will be based on an assessment at the end of the Performance Period, relative to the commencement of the Performance Period, of the fulfilment of strategic performance criteria set by the Board of Directors, reflecting key performance targets such as power generation, investments, financial, sustainability and growth through brownfield and greenfield projects, M&A transactions, geographical or technological expansions and other value accretive events. The Performance Condition fulfilment assessment will be performed by the Board of Directors.
3. The Performance Conditions described in point 1 and 2 above may each individually lead to a 75 and 25 per cent vesting of the LTIP Awards, respectively, and may also vest partially, leading to a partial vesting of the LTIP Awards. Should both Performance Conditions be fully met, 100 per cent of the LTIP Awards will vest. Orrön Energy intends to present the level of fulfilment of the LTIP 2025 Performance Conditions in the 2028 Annual Report.
(f)   The Participants will not be entitled to transfer, pledge or dispose of the LTIP Award or any rights or obligations under LTIP 2025, or exercise any shareholders’ rights regarding the LTIP Awards during the Performance Period.

(g)   Shares allotted under LTIP 2025 (or any future LTI plans) shall be subject to certain disposition restrictions, meaning that the Participants shall be building towards a meaningful shareholding in Orrön Energy. The required level of shareholding will be either 50 per cent or 100 per cent (200 per cent for the CEO) of the Participant’s annual gross base salary based on the Participant’s position within the Orrön Energy Group. Notwithstanding this requirement, the Company may pay part or whole of the allotment of Performance Shares in cash in order to facilitate the payment of the Participant’s tax liabilities, or as otherwise may be determined by the Board of Directors. However, a minimum of 50 per cent of the allotted Performance Shares (after taxes and social security charges) under LTIP 2025 will be required to be retained until the required level of shareholding has been met.

(h)   Recalculation of the Performance Conditions and the LTIP Awards, including the number of Performance Shares allotted, shall take place in the event of an intervening dividend in kind, bonus issue, split, preferential rights issue and/or other similar corporate events.

Structure and administration

The Board of Directors of Orrön Energy will be responsible for the structure and administration of LTIP 2025, as well as for the detailed terms and conditions applicable between Orrön Energy and the Participants. The detailed terms and conditions will be adopted within the scope of the terms and conditions and guidelines stated herein. In connection therewith, the Board of Directors will be entitled to adopt different terms and conditions for LTIP 2025 regarding, among other things, the Performance Period and allotment of Performance Shares in the event of commencement or termination of employment during the Performance Period, e.g. due to new recruitments, illness, disability, death, redundancy, contractual retirement and other exceptional circumstances determined by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors will be entitled to make adjustments in order to comply with special rules or market conditions abroad. In the event that delivery of Performance Shares to Participants cannot take place under applicable law or at a reasonable cost and employing reasonable administrative measures, the Board of Directors will be entitled to decide that Participants may, instead, be offered a cash settlement. In the event of a change of control, all LTIP Awards under LTIP 2025 will vest in full.

Peer Group

The Board of Directors has reviewed the Peer Group and determined that it shall consist of the following companies for LTIP 2025: ABO Energy, Arise, Cloudberry, Energiekontor, Eolus Vind, Fortum, Magnora, Ørsted, PNE, Scatec, Solaria and TRIG. The Board of Directors shall have the power to amend the Peer Group in order to maintain a representative and relevant group of companies during the Performance Period.

Delivery of shares, costs etc.

In order to secure the delivery of shares to the Participants and cover potential costs (including taxes and social security charges) under the LTIP 2025, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to issue up to 5,450,000 warrants of series 2025:1 (see item 20 a) of the proposed agenda)

In the event the nine-tenth (9/10) majority requirement applicable to the Board of Directors’ proposal to issue and transfer warrants of series 2025:1 under item 20 a) of the proposed agenda is not satisfied, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve that the Company may hedge its obligations under the LTIP 2025 by entering into (or maintaining) an equity swap arrangement with a third party, whereby the third party in its own name shall be entitled to acquire and transfer shares (including to the Participants) in accordance with the terms and conditions of the LTIP 2025 (see item 20 b) of the proposed agenda).

The LTIP 2025 will be accounted for in accordance with the accounting standard IFRS 2 and the costs will be charged to the income statement over the Performance Period. The maximum cost for granting LTIP Awards under LTIP 2025, excluding costs related to delivery of the Performance Shares, is approximately 0.25 MEUR, assuming 100 per cent vesting.

Effects on key figures
Under the assumptions set out in item (c) above and upon full allotment of Performance Shares, the number of shares under LTIP 2025 amounts to 4,450,000 shares in Orrön Energy (subject to recruitments and adjustments for dividends), corresponding to approximately 1.6 per cent of the current total number of shares and votes in the Company. If the total number of Performance Shares under LTIP 2025 reaches the cap of 5,450,000 shares in Orrön Energy, it will correspond to approximately 1.9 per cent of the current total number of shares and votes in the Company.

Preparation of the proposal
The proposal for LTIP 2025 has been prepared by the Compensation Committee and resolved on by the Board of Directors.

Other incentive schemes in Orrön Energy
For a description of the Company’s other LTIP’s, reference is made to the Company’s Annual and Sustainability Report for 2024, note 21, and the Company’s website, www.orron.com.

Majority requirement
The proposal to implement LTIP 2025 requires support from shareholders representing more than half (1/2) of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting.

A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal regarding the issue and transfer of warrants of series 2025:1 under item 20 a) of the proposed agenda requires support from shareholders representing not less than nine-tenth (9/10) of both the votes cast and the shares represented at the Annual General Meeting. A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal regarding the equity swap arrangement under item 20 b) of the proposed agenda requires support from shareholders representing more than half (1/2) of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting.

Item 20: Resolution in respect of delivery of shares under the LTIP 2025 through (a) an issue and transfer of warrants of series 2025:1 or (b) an equity swap arrangement with a third party

Background
Under the LTIP 2025 proposed by the Board of Directors under item 19 of the proposed agenda, the Company has an obligation, subject to certain conditions, to deliver shares in the Company to the Participants in the LTIP 2025.

In order to secure the Company’s obligation to deliver shares and to cover a portion of the costs (including taxes and social security charges), the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to issue and transfer up to 5,450,000 warrants of series 2025:1 on the terms and conditions set out in item 20 a) below. In the event the nine-tenth (9/10) majority requirement applicable to the proposed warrant settlement method is not satisfied, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve that the Company hedges its obligations under the LTIP 2025 by entering into an equity swap arrangement with a third party, whereby the third party in its own name shall be entitled to acquire and transfer shares (including to the participants) on the terms and conditions set out in item 20 b) below.

The Board of Directors considers the warrant settlement method to be the preferred alternative since the costs for an equity swap arrangement are significantly higher than the costs for issuing and transferring warrants. If the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve the proposed warrant settlement method under item 20 a) below with the requisite majority, the Board of Directors intends to withdraw its equity swap arrangement proposal under item 20 b) below.

Item 20 a): Resolution in respect of delivery of shares under the LTIP 2025 through an issue and transfer of warrants of series 2025:1
In order to secure the Company’s obligation to deliver shares under the LTIP 2025, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meetings resolves to issue and transfer warrants of series 2025:1 in the Company on the following terms and conditions:
1. A maximum of 5,450,000 warrants shall be issued.
2. The right to subscribe for warrants shall, with deviation of the shareholders’ preferential rights, rest with the Company itself.
3. The reason for deviating from the shareholders’ preferential rights is to secure the Company’s obligations to deliver shares and to cover any costs (including taxes and social security charges) under the LTIP 2025.
4. Subscription for the warrants shall take place on a separate subscription list not later than 1 November 2025.
5. The warrants shall be issued free of charge.
6. Each warrant shall entitle the holder to subscribe for one new share in the Company. The subscription price for each new share shall be equal to the quotient value of the Company’s share.
7. The warrants may be exercised during the period from and including 1 June 2025 up to and including 1 June 2029.
8. The new shares shall carry rights to dividends for the first time on the record date for dividends that occurs after subscription has been effected.
9. The subscription price and the number of shares for which each warrant entitles subscription may be re-calculated under certain circumstances as set forth in the complete terms and conditions for the warrants.
10. Upon exercise of all 5,450,000 warrants, the Company’s share capital will increase by SEK 66,312.15 (based on a quotient value of approximately SEK 0.01). If the subscription price exceeds the quotient value of the shares, the excess amount shall be allotted to the non-restricted statutory reserve (Sw. den fria överkursfonden).
11. The Company may transfer up to 5,450,000 warrants (a) free of charge to Participants (and/or a designated third party) for the purpose of enabling the delivery of shares in the Company under the LTIP 2025 and (b) at a price equal to the fair market value of the warrants as determined using a customary valuation method to a designated third party for the purpose of covering any costs (including taxes and social security charges) under the LTIP 2025.
The complete terms and conditions for the warrants of series 2025:1 will be available at the Company and on the Company’ website, www.orron.com, not later than three weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting.

The resolution shall be conditional upon that the Annual General Meeting resolves to establish the LTIP 2025 in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal under item 19 of the proposed agenda.

A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires support from shareholders representing not less than nine-tenth (9/10) of both the votes cast and the shares represented at the Annual General Meeting.

Item 20 b): Resolution in respect of delivery of shares under the LTIP 2025 through an equity swap arrangement with a third party
The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve that the Company may hedge its obligations under the LTIP 2025 by entering into (or maintaining) an equity swap arrangement with a third party, whereby the third party in its own name shall be entitled to acquire and transfer shares (including to the participants) in accordance with the terms and conditions of the LTIP 2025.

The resolution shall be conditional upon that the Annual General Meeting resolves to establish the LTIP 2025 in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal under item 19 of the proposed agenda.

A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires support from shareholders representing more than half (1/2) of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting.

Item 21: Resolution in respect of authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on new issue of shares and convertible debentures
The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to authorise the Board of Directors to decide, at one or more occasions until the next Annual General Meeting:

(i) to issue no more than 28,500,000 new shares with consideration in cash or in kind or by set-off; and

(ii) to issue convertible debentures with consideration in cash or in kind or by set-off, where the number of shares that may be issued after conversion shall not exceed 28,500,000.

The Board of Directors may resolve to deviate from the shareholders’ preferential rights. If the Board of Directors resolves to deviate from the shareholders’ preferential rights, the reason shall be to enable or facilitate acquisitions of companies or businesses or other major investments.

The total number of shares that can be issued based on the proposed authorisations under (i) and (ii) may not together exceed 28,500,000. If the authorisation is exercised in full for issues with deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights, the dilution effect is approximately ten per cent.

A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires the support of shareholders representing at least two thirds (2/3) of the votes cast and of the shares represented at the Annual General Meeting.

Item 22: Resolution in respect of authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on repurchase and sale of shares

The Board of Directors proposes that the Board of Directors is authorised, during the period until the next Annual General Meeting, to decide on repurchases and sales of the Company’s shares on the following terms and conditions:
1. The maximum number of shares repurchased shall be such that shares held in treasury from time to time do not exceed ten per cent of all shares of the Company.
2. The maximum number of shares that may be sold is the number of shares that the Company at such time holds in treasury.
3. Repurchase of shares may be made (a) on Nasdaq Stockholm or (b) in accordance with an offer directed to all shareholders.
4. Repurchase and sale of shares on Nasdaq Stockholm may take place only at a price within the spread between the highest bid price and lowest ask price prevailing and disseminated by Nasdaq Stockholm from time to time. Repurchases of shares in accordance with an offer directed to all shareholders may also take place at a market premium in relation to the price prevailing and disseminated by Nasdaq Stockholm from time to time.
5. The repurchases and sales shall be made in accordance with the provisions concerning the purchase and sale of a company’s own shares under applicable stock exchange rules and other applicable rules and regulations.
The purpose of the authorisation is to provide the Board of Directors with an instrument to optimise the Company’s capital structure and to enable the use of own shares as consideration for or as financing of acquisitions of companies or businesses, to secure obligations under incentive plans and to cover costs, including social security charges, that may arise as a result of incentive plans.

The Board of Directors’ reasoned statement pursuant to pursuant to Chapter 19, Section 22 of the Swedish Companies Act will be available at the Company and on the Company’s website, www.orron.com, not later than three weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting.

A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires the support of shareholders representing at least two thirds (2/3) of the votes cast and of the shares represented at the Annual General Meeting.

Number of shares and votes in the Company
Orrön Energy’s share capital amounts to SEK 3,478,713.38, represented by 285,905,187 shares. Each share carries one vote. Orrön Energy holds, as of the date of this notice, no treasury shares.

Shareholders’ right to request information

The Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer shall, if a shareholder so requests and the Board of Directors considers that it may do so without significant damage to the Company, give information at the Annual General Meeting regarding circumstances that could affect the assessment of an item on the agenda and circumstances that could affect the assessment of the Company’s or a subsidiary’s financial situation. The duty to give information also applies to the Company’s relationship with another Group company and the consolidated financial statements.

Additional documentation
Complete proposals and other documents that shall be made available prior to the Annual General Meeting pursuant to the Swedish Companies Act and the Swedish Corporate Governance Code are available at Orrön Energy’s office (Hovslagargatan 5 in Stockholm) and on www.orron.com. The documents will be sent to shareholders free of charge upon request if their postal address is provided.

Handling of personal data and external participants
For information on how personal data is processed in connection with the Annual General Meeting, see the privacy notices of Euroclear Sweden AB and Computershare AB available at their respective websites, www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Privacy-notice-bolagsstammor-engelska.pdf. and
www.computershare.com/se/gm-gdpr.

It will not be possible for the Company to verify if any external persons are following the Annual General Meeting online. Consequently, the Board of Directors has resolved to allow persons who are not shareholders to follow the Annual General Meeting online.

Stockholm in April 2025
ORRÖN ENERGY AB (PUBL)
The Board of Directors

For further information, please contact:

Robert Eriksson
Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations
Tel: +46 701 11 26 15
robert.eriksson@orron.com

Jenny Sandström
Communications Lead
Tel: +41 79 431 63 68
jenny.sandstrom@orron.com

Orrön Energy is an independent, publicly listed (Nasdaq Stockholm: “ORRON”) renewable energy company within the Lundin Group of Companies. Orrön Energy’s core portfolio consists of high quality, cash flow generating assets in the Nordics, coupled with greenfield growth opportunities in the Nordics, the UK, Germany and France. With significant financial capacity to fund further growth and acquisitions, and backed by a major shareholder, management and Board with a proven track record of investing into, leading and growing highly successful businesses, Orrön Energy is in a unique position to create shareholder value through the energy transition.

Forward-looking statements
Statements in this press release relating to any future status or circumstances, including statements regarding future performance, growth and other trend projections, are forward-looking statements. These statements may generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “seek”, “will”, “would” or similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that could occur in the future. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to several factors, many of which are outside the company’s control. Any forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date on which the statements are made and the company has no obligation (and undertakes no obligation) to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Attachment
- PR – Notice AGM 2025 02042025en
The MIL Network –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: George welcomes announcement on private sector-powered grid expansion initiative

Source: South Africa News Agency

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Dr Dion George, has commended the announcement that government will pursue private investment for the construction of new transmission lines.

Electricity and Energy Minister, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, on Tuesday announced that a pilot programme, the Independent Transmission Programme (ITP) will pave the way for the construction of 1 164 kilometers of new transmission lines.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said Ramokgopa’s statement aligns with the DFFE’s vision, by encouraging private sector involvement, which aims to address the transmission constraints that have hindered the integration of solar and wind energy, especially in the Cape province.

“This significant step forward aligns seamlessly with the vision Minister George articulated earlier this week in his landmark decision on Eskom’s emissions framework, marking a triumph for South Africa’s sustainable energy future,” the department said in a statement on Wednesday.

On Monday, George underscored the urgent need for innovative infrastructure solutions to balance energy security with environmental responsibility, subtly pointing to the expansion of transmission capacity as a key enabler for renewable energy growth.

The Minister said Ramokgopa’s announcement is a “resounding victory for the sustainable energy path we are forging.”

“My decision on Eskom’s emissions earlier this week laid the groundwork for a modernised energy system that respects our climate commitments. Minister Ramokgopa’s bold move to unlock private investment in transmission lines is exactly what I alluded to – a practical, impactful step to harness our renewable potential and secure a cleaner future for all South Africans.”

George also commended the cross-governmental collaboration, noting that the R440 billion Transmission Development Plan, now supported by private funding, will ease the burden on Eskom and the national budget, while accelerating the transition to renewable energy.

He reaffirmed his dedication to partnering with Ramokgopa to ensure that environmental standards remain integral to this transformative infrastructure expansion.

“This initiative is about more than just power lines – it’s about powering opportunity. We are opening the door to investment, job creation, and South Africa’s emergence as a green economy leader,” George said

The procurement regulations are set to be released on Thursday, 3 April 2025. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: U.S. uranium production in 2024 was highest in six years

Source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

April 2, 2025

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-851A, Domestic Uranium Production Report (Annual), and Form EIA-851Q, Domestic Uranium Production Report (Quarterly)
Note: Data were withheld from second-quarter 2020 to second-quarter 2021. P=preliminary data; W=withheld

Companies in the United States produced more uranium concentrate in 2024 than in any year since 2018 after a sustained period of higher uranium prices spurred production, according to our recently published Domestic Uranium Production Report—Quarterly. The increase largely came from two in-situ recovery facilities, one in Texas and one in Wyoming, and the resumption of uranium production at White Mesa Mill in Utah, the only operational uranium mill in the United States. Production in the fourth quarter of 2024 alone was higher than the total annual production for each of the years in 2019–23.

Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill in Utah can produce uranium, rare earth and other minerals, and vanadium, which is used in steelmaking among other purposes. The company’s most recent annual financial disclosure documents report it expects to continue focusing on uranium in 2025.

Uranium concentrate has commercial uses as the fuel for civilian nuclear reactors and in medical applications. Uranium concentrate must be processed in conversion and enrichment facilities before being fabricated in fuel rods or pellets at fuel fabrication plants. These fuel rods or pellets can then be loaded into civilian nuclear reactors.

We publish estimates on the production of domestic uranium in the Domestic Uranium Production Report—Quarterly, along with the status of uranium mills, heap leach facilities, and in-situ recovery plants.

Principal contributors: Tim Shear, M. Tyson Brown

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Homes England and Octopus Real Estate launch £150 million Greener Homes Alliance phase 2
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Homes England and Octopus Real Estate launch £150 million Greener Homes Alliance phase 2

The renewed alliance will reinforce a responsibility to support small and medium-sized (SME) housebuilders, while encouraging greener building practices.
Octopus Real Estate supported by Homes England

Homes England has joined with Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Investments and a leading specialist real estate investor and lender, to create the Greener Homes Alliance 2.

The alliance will commit £150 million of funding, £42 million of which will be provided by the Agency’s Home Building Fund. This will provide small and medium-sized (SME) housebuilders with further loan finance enabling even more high-quality, energy efficient homes to be built across England.

The first phase of the alliance launched in 2021, as part of broader efforts to expand the supply of finance available to SMEs, and funded over 550 much needed, new sustainable homes across the country. More than 40% of the homes built during phase one achieved an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A, and 100% secured a Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) score higher than 86, significantly higher than the UK average EPC rating of D and SAP score of 67.

Phase one of the Greener Homes Alliance made a significant impact, with 20 loans completed totalling £150 million — an average loan size to SME developers of £7.5 million.

Phase two of the Greener Homes Alliance will seek to support the creation of more sustainable homes by introducing 10 new criteria, 4 of which must be met for developers to benefit from a 1.25% discount on their interest rate. If 6 or more criteria are met, developers will be eligible for a 2% discount.

The new criteria for phase 2 will include the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) in the fabric of buildings and a real living wage paid to workers on site. It will also encourage borrowers to support the Lighthouse Charity, a leader in mental health within the construction industry.

To qualify for funding from the alliance in the first place, all schemes must deliver specific key performance indicators as a minimum. Developers must ensure that all homes built are fossil fuel free and have an average SAP score of 85 or above.

Marcus Ralling, Chief Investment Officer at Homes England said:

Small and medium housebuilders play a vital and essential role in driving the delivery of much needed, new and sustainable homes.

This extended Alliance is an excellent example of how we are working with partners like Octopus Real Estate to support the SME housebuilders that are crucial to building a diverse and resilient housing sector.

Andy Scott, Co-Head of Debt, Octopus Real Estate, added:

We are extremely proud of the impact our Greener Homes Alliance initiative has had when it comes to supporting developers looking to make greener decisions for their projects, and we’ve spent a lot of time working out the new criteria with Homes England to make sure the next phase is as impactful as possible.

At Octopus, our mission is to reimagine real estate through the delivery of high-quality, sustainable places for people to live that are fit for the future and address societal needs such as fuel poverty. Working with esteemed government agencies to enact real change for the developers who have the expertise and capability to deliver such homes is a huge part of this.

ENDS

Notes to editors

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) tells you how energy efficient a property is, giving a property an energy efficiency rating from A (best) to G (worst) that is valid for 10 years. An EPC contains information about a property’s energy use and typical energy costs and steps to improve a property’s energy efficiency.

The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for the energy rating of dwellings) is the methodology currently used by the government to estimate the energy performance of homes. A SAP score provides a rating between 1 and 100, this range is then divided into categories A (best) to G (worst).

The new criteria introduced for phase two will include:

An average SAP score of 92+ (EPC A)

More than 90% of waste from the site avoids landfill

Biodiversity Net Gain of over 20%

More than 50% of new homes will be Zero Bills ready

Regeneration of a brownfield site

Potable water usage reduced to less than 110 litres per person per day

Use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in the fabric of the building

The Real Living Wage must be paid to all workers on site

The borrower to support Lighthouse Charity, a leader in mental health within the construction industry

More than 25% of units to be affordable built on-site, or in line with local social housing plans

All schemes must also deliver the following KPIs as a minimum:

All homes to be fossil fuel free

Every scheme to have average SAP score of 85+

About Homes England

We are the government’s housing and regeneration Agency, and we’re here to drive the creation of more affordable, quality homes and thriving places so that everyone has a place to live and grow.

We make this happen by working in partnership with thousands of organisations of all sizes, using our powers, expertise, land, capital and influence to bring investment to communities and get more quality homes built.

Learn more about us: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/homes-england/about

Press Office contact details

Email: media@homesengland.gov.uk

Phone: 0207 874 8262

About Octopus Real Estate

Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Investments, is a specialist real estate investor and lender delivering quality, sustainable places to live for every stage of life. Through our role as an investor, lender, and landlord, we fund the entire lifecycle of real estate ─ reimagining its future.

We have more than £3.7 billion in real estate assets and secured lending, working with our partners to deliver greener homes for people to buy or rent, increase the supply of genuinely affordable housing, and build communities that meet the aspirations of elderly people. We also transform underused land and properties that require regeneration and redevelopment.

We believe that real, lasting change can only be achieved if businesses invest in the right way. We work with people who share our values and take our responsibilities to the communities we serve seriously. Together, we’re harnessing change to build a better tomorrow.

About Lighthouse

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is the only charity that provides emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to the construction community and their families.

Our mission is to ensure that our construction community can easily access the emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support they need and to develop healthy and sustainable futures for this generation and the next.

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Updates to this page

Published 2 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: Apollo to Announce First Quarter 2025 Financial Results on May 2, 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) plans to release financial results for the first quarter 2025 on Friday, May 2, 2025, before the opening of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Management will review Apollo’s financial results at 8:30 am ET via public webcast available on Apollo’s Investor Relations website at ir.apollo.com. A replay will be available one hour after the event.

Apollo distributes its earnings releases via its website and email lists. Those interested in receiving firm updates by email can sign up for them here.

About Apollo

Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of December 31, 2024, Apollo had approximately $751 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

Contacts
Noah Gunn
Global Head of Investor Relations
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0540
IR@apollo.com

Joanna Rose
Global Head of Corporate Communications
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0491
Communications@apollo.com

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: OEUK news UK’s oil and gas key to Hydrogen scale-up, says OEUK 2 April 2025
Source: Offshore Energy UK

Headline: OEUK news

UK’s oil and gas key to Hydrogen scale-up, says OEUK

2 April 2025
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oeuk.org.uk

2 April 2025
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Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to [email protected]
MIL OSI Economics –
April 3, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Import of Rare Earth Metals

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 02 APR 2025 2:19PM by PIB Delhi

The details on the quantum of rare earth metals imported and the countries from which it has been imported during the last five years is given at Annexure-I.

Government is aware of the occurrence of neodymium in the country. The Geological Survey of India (GSI), under the Ministry of Mines, is actively engaged in carrying out mineral exploration across the country following guidelines of United Nations Framework Classification [UNFC stage viz. reconnaissance surveys (G4), preliminary exploration (G3) and general exploration (G2)] and the Minerals (Evidence of Mineral Contents) (MEMC) Rules, 2015 with an aim to augment resource for various mineral commodities including critical minerals specified in Part D of the First Schedule of the Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Act, 2023. During Field Season (FS) 2021-22 and 2022-23, GSI had taken up three reconnaissance stage projects for Rare Earth Elements including neodymium in Sirohi and Bhilwara districts of Rajasthan as per the approved field season programme. The details are given at Annexure-II.

The Department of Atomic Energy has explored 1,11,845 tonne in-situ Rare Earth Elements Oxide (REO) in hard rock terrains in parts of Balotra (erstwhile Barmer) district, Rajasthan. As policy framework for utilizing critical minerals, including rare earth metals, the National Critical Mineral Mission has been launched, which is India’s strategic initiative to secure critical mineral supply chain by increasing domestic critical minerals production and foreign supply sources.

Under the Mission, GSI has prioritized and intensified its exploration activities for critical and strategic minerals across the country including Rajasthan, with an aim to find out potential mineralized locales as well as to establish more resources for these minerals. During the current FS 2024-25, GSI has taken up 195 exploration projects including 35 projects in Rajasthan, to assess the mineral potential of strategic and critical minerals. The detailed list of mineral exploration projects taken up by GSI in Rajasthan exclusively for REE/RM and associated minerals from FS 2021-22 to 2024-25 is given at Annexure-III. Since MMDR Amendment Act, 2015, GSI has established resource of REE in Barmer and Sikar districts of Rajasthan. GSI has handed over one resource bearing geological report (GR) on REE, one Geological Memorandums (GM) on REE and one GM on tungsten for auctioning.

ANNEXURE-I

Annexure-I referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5253 answered on 02.04.2025 regarding ‘Import of Rare Earth Metals’

Table: Country wise quantum of rare earth metals imported by India during last 5 years

Quantity in Tonnes

#	HS Code- Description	2019-20		2020-21		2021-22		2022-23		2023-24
#	HS Code- Description	Country	Qty	Country	Qty	Country	Qty	Country	Qty	Country	Qty
1.	28053000– Alkali or alkaline earth metals: Rare-earth metals, scandium and yttrium, whether or not intermixed or inter alloyed	China	437	China	445	China	714.5	China	709	China	699
		Hong Kong	34	Japan	11	Japan	34	Japan	42	Hong Kong	234
		Japan	2	Sweden	10	USA	6.6	Singapore	20	Japan	192
		USA	0.57	USA	4.69	Hong Kong	5	Hong Kong	20	Mongolia	60
		UK	0.08	Hong Kong	0.05	Russia	1	USA	1.09	UK	0.11
		Others	0.00	Others	0.07	Others	0.06	Others	0.18	Others	0.02
		Total	473.65	Total	470.61	Total	761	Total	792	Total	1,185
2.	2846- Compounds, inorganic or organic, of rare earth metals	Russia	452	China	695	China	745	China	796	China	780
		China	434	Russia	156	Japan	196	Korea	150	Japan	148
		Japan	255	Japan	133	Korea	93	Japan	148	Korea	90
		Germany	59	Korea	91	Austria	41	USA	20	USA	24
		Austria	31	Austria	46	Russia	40	France	14	France	19
		Others	144	Others	129	Others	69	Others	24	Others	24
		Total	1,375	Total	1,250	Total	1,183	Total	1,153	Total	1,086
	REE Total		1,848		1,721		1,944		1,945		2,270

Note:REE has 17 elements. HS codes 280530 and 2846 pertain to REE as a whole and not to a particular element.

ANNEXURE-II

Annexure-II referred to in reply to part (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5253 answered on 02.04.2025 regarding ‘Import of Rare Earth Metals’

Table: G4 stage projects taken up for Rare Earth Elements including neodymium in Rajasthan during FS 2021-22 and FS 2022-23

Sl. No	State	District	Name of Mineral Block / Area/ Belt	UNFC Stage	Mineral Commodity
FS: 2021-22
1	Rajasthan	Sirohi	Jirawal-Sanpur	G4	Neodymium and Dysprosium
2	Rajasthan	Bhilwara	Mahendragarh-Gundli-Bawri	G4	Neodymium and associated REE
FS: 2022-23
3	Rajasthan	Bhilwara	Kodukota-Raser-Lulas-Kallyakhera	G4	REE and associated Neodymium

ANNEXURE-III

Annexure-III referred to in reply to part (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5253 answered on 02.04.2025 regarding ‘Import of Rare Earth Metals’

Table: List of projects taken up by GSI on REE/RM and associated minerals from FS 2021-22 to FS 2024-25

Sl. No.	State	District	Name of Mineral Block / Area / Belt	UNFC Stage	Mineral Commodity
FS: 2021-22
1	Rajasthan	Jaipur	Asalpur, Boraj, Bichun	G4	REE & RM, basemetal
2	Rajasthan	Sikar	South East of Nanagwas	G3	REE & RM, basemetal
3	Rajasthan	Sirohi	Jirawal-Sanpur	G4	Neodymium, Dysprosium (REE)
4	Rajasthan	Bhilwara	Mahendragarh-Gundli-Bawri	G4	Neodymium, REE
5	Rajasthan	Barmer	Sainji Ki Beri-Meli	G4	REE
6	Rajasthan	Barmer	Indrana-Siwana	G4	REE
7	Rajasthan	Barmer	WNW of Sukleswar Ka Mandir	G3	REE & RM
8	Rajasthan	Barmer	Nimale Ki Pahari-Dantala	G4	REE & RM
9	Rajasthan	Barmer	Kundal-Dhiran	G4	REE & RM
10	Rajasthan	Jaisalmer	Jaisalmer-Pokran	G4	REE, RM
FS: 2022-23
1	Rajasthan	Barmer	SE of Mawri	G3	REE
2	Rajasthan	Barmer	north of Kalaur Ka Danta	G3	REE, RM
3	Rajasthan	Barmer	Kalaur Ka Danta	G3	REE, RM
4	Rajasthan	Barmer	Kaluri-Tapra-Buriwara	G4	REE
5	Rajasthan	Bhilwara	Kodukota-Raser-Lulas-Kallyakhera	G4	Neodymium and associated REE
6	Rajasthan	Barmer	Bachharau-Dhorimana	G4	REE
7	Rajasthan	Barmer	south of Gura Nal	G3	REE
8	Rajasthan	Sikar	Ladi Ka Was	G3	REE, RM, Basemetal
9	Rajasthan	Sikar	Kalakhera	G3	REE, RM, Basemetal
10	Rajasthan	Barmer	SE of Gugrot	G3	REE
11	Rajasthan	Jalore	Ahor-Beria-Ajitpura	G4	REE, RM
12	Rajasthan	Barmer	WNW of Sukleswar Ka Mandir	G3	REE, RM
13	Rajasthan	Barmer	Relon Ki Dhani – Telwara	G4	REE
FS: 2023-24
1	Rajasthan	Alwar	Dadikar, Harsora and Khairthal	G4	REE, RM, Tungsten, Tin, Niobium, Beryllium, Tantalum, Hafnium
2	Rajasthan	Udaipur	Semari	G4	REE, Gold, Basemetal
3	Rajasthan	Udaipur	Seriya	G4	REE, Gold, Basemetal
4	Rajasthan	Sirohi	Wan-Mochhal-Bhev	G4	REE, RM
5	Rajasthan	Udaipur	Padrara-Sayra	G4	REE
6	Rajasthan	Ajmer	Piloda Nagola	G4	REE
7	Rajasthan	Banswara	Bhongra-Bargun	G4	Graphite, RM
8	Rajasthan	Barmer	East of Gugrot	G3	REE
9	Rajasthan	Jalore&Sirohi	Jastwantpura	G4	REE
10	Rajasthan	Sirohi	Punawa-Ranela-Kooma	G4	REE
11	Rajasthan	Dungarpur	Barwasa -Lodowal	G4	REE, RM
12	Rajasthan	Barmer	Nakoda	G4	REE, RM
FS: 2024-25
1	Rajasthan	Sikar	Ladi ka Bas	G2	REE, RM
2	Rajasthan	Dungarpur	Gara Sialia	G4	REE, RM
3	Rajasthan	Jalore	Dorda-Ambatri	G4	REE, RM
4	Rajasthan	Tonk	Kalyanpura-Kakor	G4	REE
5	Rajasthan	Ajmer and Pali	Ratangarh-Jetgarh	G4	RM
6	Rajasthan	Sirohi	Malawa-Nagani	G4	REE, RM
7	Rajasthan	Pali and Sirohi	Chhotila-Badla-Raghunathpura	G4	REE, RM
8	Rajasthan	Alwar	Sibagaon North	G3	Tin, Lithium, RM
9	Rajasthan	Nagaur and Ajmer	Chinwali-Bhutas	G4	REE, Basemetal
10	Rajasthan	Barmer	Jhak and Khimpar	G4	REE
11	Rajasthan	Barmer	Kitpala-Sinli	G4	REE
12	Rajasthan	Pali	Thandi Beri	G4	RM
13	Rajasthan	Barmer and Jodhpur	Patodi-Thob	G4	REE
14	Rajasthan	Sirohi	Rewakakri-Moras-UparlaSavela	G4	RM
15	Rajasthan	Sirohi and Pali	Malnu-Velar-Chotila ki Bhagli	G4	RM
16	Rajasthan	Sirohi	Isra Darbar Khera Chhota-Dhanta	G4	RM

This information was given by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

****

Sunil Kumar Tiwari

(Release ID: 2117701) Visitor Counter : 65

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 3, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: DH requires manufacturer to recall unregistered proprietary Chinese medicine for external use (with photo)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Department of Health (DH) today (April 2) announced that a licensed manufacturer of proprietary Chinese medicines (pCm), Merika Medicine Factory Ltd (Merika), located on Wong Chuk Yeung Street, Fo Tan, New Territories, had not manufactured a pCm for external use called “Golden Statue Cinnamon Oil & Embrocation” according to the registered particulars and was therefore suspected of illegal sale and possession of unregistered pCm. The DH has immediately requested Merika to recall the batch of product concerned (batch number: 427141) from the market.

During an inspection yesterday (April 1), the DH found that the above-mentioned pCm manufacturer was suspected to have changed one of the active ingredients from Cinnamon Oil to Ceylon Cinnamon Leaf Oil during the production of a registered pCm named “Golden Statue Cinnamon Oil & Embrocation” (Registration number: HKC-02106), without the approval of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong (CMCHK). According to the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap.549), since the product did not match the registered particulars of the registered pCm, the batch of the product concerned is therefore an unregistered pCm.

According to section 119 of the Ordinance, no person shall sell, import or possess any pCm unless it is registered. The maximum penalty is a fine of $100,000 and two years’ imprisonment. The DH will seek advice from the Department of Justice on prosecution matters upon completion of the investigation and will refer the case to the CMCHK for consideration of possible disciplinary action.

According to its label, the above product, in liniment form, is used to expel wind and relieve pain and itching. Although Cinnamon Oil and Ceylon Cinnamon Leaf Oil come from different species of plants within the same family and have similar actions, the safety, efficacy and quality of unregistered pCm had not been assessed. Members of the public who have purchased the batch of the product should stop using it immediately. Those who have used the above product and feel unwell should seek advice from healthcare professionals. As instructed by the DH, Merika is conducting the above-mentioned recall and has set up a hotline (2699 1410) for related enquiries.

The DH is continuing to investigate the case and will closely monitor the recall. So far, no adverse reports related to the use of the above product have been received by the DH.

Apart from returning the product to Merika, people who have the batch of the product concerned may submit it to the DH’s Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office on 16/F, AIA Kowloon Tower, Landmark East, 100 How Ming Street, Kwun Tong, during office hours for disposal.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Aatmanirbharta in Defence: Project Sanction Order signed for Design & Development of 6MW Medium Speed Marine Diesel Engine worth Rs 270 crore

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 02 APR 2025 3:36PM by PIB Delhi

Project Sanction Order under Make-I category for the Design and Development of 6MW Medium Speed Marine Diesel Engine has been inked between Indian Navy and Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited. The signing took place in the presence of Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar and Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan at South Block, New Delhi on April 02, 2025.

The prototype diesel engine with indigenous content of over 50% will be developed at a cost of Rs 270 crore with 70% funding from the Government of India. The order also includes development of detailed design for 3-10MW diesel engine. The developed engines will be used for Main Propulsion and Power Generation on ships of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

Most of the diesel engines of higher capacity were being imported from foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) till date. This project will start the process in achieving self-reliance in marine engine development in the country.

It is a significant step in the ongoing efforts of the Government, led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, to indigenise critical technologies and achieve Aatmanirbharta in defence. It will further strengthen indigenous capabilities, save foreign exchange and reduce dependency on foreign OEMs. It will act as a catalyst for the development of defence industrial ecosystem in the country.

***

SR/Savvy

(Release ID: 2117773) Visitor Counter : 8

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: Myanmar: Urgent Humanitarian Needs Mount After Major Earthquakes – Press Conference | United Nations

Source: United Nations (Video News)

Melissa Lee Hein, World Food Program (WFP) Head of Communications in Myanmar said that the needs in the country are “huge, and support is needed. That support includes an end to the conflict, free and unimpeded humanitarian access, and also the resources to meet the needs.”

Addressing the press virtually today (01 Apr), Hein said “What we know is as of today, almost 3000 are dead and thousands more injured and missing, and the devastation is really alarming. Colleagues are reporting buildings turned to rubble, homes destroyed and significant and significant damage to road and bridges and other infrastructures. Electricity supplies are still down in many places and phone communication is patchy at best. And added to this the destruction of hospitals and a lack of clean water.”

She highlighted, “Before the earthquake, the humanitarian needs in Myanmar were already huge. We know that 20 million people were in need of humanitarian support, 15 million facing food insecurity, and more than three and a half million people displaced by the conflict over the past four years. So, the earthquake on Friday has made a bad situation really so much worse. And while people are resilient, after years of conflict and successive disasters, many have little or nothing to fall back on.”

She continued, “After the earthquake, a state of emergency was declared across six states and regions. Among the worst affected are Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Shan and Sagaing. And what we’re seeing is that the effect of the earthquake is largely concentrated in the northwest dry zone. And this is an area that was already suffering with chronic poverty, ongoing conflict and frequent displacement.”

She said, “Just 48 hours after the earthquake hit, the World Food Program was delivering emergency food supplies to people in Nay Pyi Taw. That was on Sunday. On Monday, teams started to provide food and cash assistance in Shan and Sagaing. And today, distributions of emergency food from WFP started in Mandalay.”

She also said, “People are sleeping outside. If they’re lucky they have maybe a sheet or a tarp for cover and some have nothing. In one of the worst parts of the city, WFP team said that almost every house had been destroyed either by the earthquake or a major fire that followed in that area. So, people are anxious and afraid even if buildings are standing many don’t want to return home for fear of collapse, aftershocks are still a regular occurrence.”

Responding to the immediate health needs of the thousands of people injured in the strong earthquakes that rocked Myanmar, WFP has provided nearly 3 tons of medical supplies to hospitals in the worst hit Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay.

The supplies comprising of trauma kits and multipurpose tents have reached a 1000 bedded hospital in Nay Pyi Taw and is soon reaching the Mandalay General Hospital, the two main hospitals treating the injured in these areas.

These supplies were rushed from the emergency stockpile in Yangon to the earthquake affected areas within 24 hours of two strong earthquakes of 7.7 magnitude and 6.4 magnitude hitting central Myanmar on Friday.

Rescue operations are ongoing. Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Shan South and East and Sagaing are among the worst hit.

According to WFP, Hospitals are overwhelmed with thousands of injured in need of medical care.

The supplies that reached the hospitals today comprised of multipurpose tents to also create space for the increasing number of injured; and trauma kits to treat severe wounds and fractures.

WHO is preparing the second dispatch comprising of Inter-Agency Emergency Health Kits tomorrow morning, with each kit having supplies to treat 10 000 people for three months.

WHO is providing operational support to the rapid response teams deployed in the hospitals of the affected areas.

Preparations are on for WHO and partners to roll out a rapid needs assessment to better understand needs and gaps in the affected areas for a tailored response.

The scale of deaths, injuries and damage to health facilities are not yet fully understood.

The casualties are likely to be highest in urban areas of Mandalay, Sagaing and Nay Pyi Taw where the earthquakes caused largescale destruction of structures and building.

As per initial reports, in Nay Pyi Taw some public and private health facilities including a large polyclinic have been damaged.

Information from Sagaing is limited as electricity and communication is largely disrupted.

WHO has reached out to the global Emergency Medical Teams Network to identify teams willing to be deployed with field hospitals in Myanmar. So far 26 EMTs have expressed interest.

The situation in Myanmar is concerning in view of the huge demand on the already fragile healthcare in conflict-hit areas.

Prior to these earthquake, 12.9 million people were estimated to be in need of humanitarian health interventions in Myanmar in 2025.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZLsDeaiE74

MIL OSI Video –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Minister welcomes decline in coal share, growth in renewables

Source: South Africa News Agency

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has welcomed the latest estimates from the Ember Electricity Data Explorer, which shows that coal accounted for 74.31% of South Africa’s electricity generation in January 2025.

“This record low, which includes behind-the-meter estimates, is a positive development, and it is encouraging to see the downward trend in coal’s share of our energy mix.

“This reduction is a vital step toward lowering emissions and aligning with our national and international climate commitments,” the department said, adding that equally promising is the contribution of renewable energy sources.

In January, the department said solar power reached 11.28% and wind power contributed 4.94%, together accounting for 16.22% of the country’s electricity generation.

In its statement on Wednesday, the department believes that the figures highlight the growing presence of proven renewable technologies in the country’s energy system.

The Minister said he looks forward to seeing continued increases in solar and wind power, alongside a sustained decrease in coal reliance, as South Africa works to build a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.

“In view of my decision to grant Eskom exemptions for their coal-fired stations, it is particularly important that we continue to see a decrease in emissions, for which Eskom will be held accountable,” George said.

While coal has historically played a significant role in powering South Africa, the department said this shift demonstrates government’s efforts to diversify the energy mix are gaining traction.

“As Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, I remain committed to supporting this transition, ensuring it is both environmentally responsible and socially equitable.

“My department will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy, reduce emissions, and secure a healthier planet for future generations,” George added.

Ember is an energy think tank that aims yo accelerate clean energy transition with data and policy.

– SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF UNION TERRITORIES

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 02 APR 2025 4:20PM by PIB Delhi

The Government has taken various steps for the economic development of Union Territories (UTs) through strategic interventions across various sectors including tourism, digital/telecom connectivity, road/air/sea connectivity, governance reforms, industry, employment, etc. This has led to sustainable economic growth, attracted investments and improved living standards.

Tourism has been identified as a key sector due to its multiplier effect. The Government is actively promoting various kinds of traditional and experimental forms of tourism like eco-tourism, wildlife tourism, adventure tourism, spiritual and wellness tourism, heritage tourism, tourist circuits, astro-tourism, cruise tourism, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism etc. For example, the first-ever dark sky reserve of the country has been set up in Hanle in the UT of Ladakh; the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (DNH&DD) has developed world-class sea fronts and premier river fronts; eco-tourism resorts are being developed in the island UTs. All these initiatives have resulted in a boost to tourism and other allied economic activities in the UTs.

Internet/broadband and mobile/digital connectivity in all the UTs, including the Island UTs, have been considerably enhanced. Connectivity has been revolutionised in the island UTs through the commissioning of the Chennai Andaman Nicobar Islands (CANI) Optical Fiber Cable Project at a cost of about ₹ 1,224 crore in A&NI and the Kochi Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Project (KLI Project), with a cost of about

₹1,072 crore in Lakshadweep. In the UT of A&NI, bandwidth utilization (including inter-island) has increased from 4.1 Gbps to 233 Gbps, internet speed has increased from 100 kbps to up to 300 Mbps, total mobile connections have increased to about 7.5 lakh and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH)

services have increased to more than 37,365. 5G services were also launched in the UT. Similarly, with the commissioning of the KLI Project, bandwidth utilization (including inter-island) has increased to 149 Gbps, internet speed availability is up to 1 Gbps, total mobile connections have increased to about 87,000 and FTTH services have increased to 7,500. These projects have benefitted the public significantly through enhanced online access in the fields of education, tele-medicine, e-commerce, digital governance, tourism etc.

The various initiatives of the Government have led to reduced cost of data, increased mobile and internet/broadband penetration, increase in internet teledensity, and higher internet/broadband speeds directly to home and offices across the UTs.

The Government has also been focusing on development of air, road and sea connectivity in the UTs. Strategic infrastructure like roads, expressways, construction of new tunnels/bridges, development of ports, expansion of airports, development of helipads etc. has been created in the recent years. A new terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Airport at Sri Vijaya Puram has come up with a capacity to handle 50 lakh passengers per year; ‘Azad Hind Fauj Setu’ on Humphrey Strait has significantly improved the road connectivity in the island UT of A&NI.

Several infrastructure projects to boost road connectivity have also been completed/underway in other UTs, like the construction of the Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir and the construction of the Zojila tunnel in the UT of Ladakh.

Several steps have been taken to bring in governance reforms in the UTs and to promote ease of doing business. To promote industry and business activities, steps have been taken to significantly reduce compliance burden. Single window clearance systems have been put in place to enable faster clearance of proposals. UTs have implemented suitable policies to promote businesses and entrepreneurship including industrial policy, land allotment policy, start-up policy, logistics policy, policies to promote handicrafts, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through suitable incentivisation etc. Investment promotion schemes have been formulated which provide for capital and interest subsidy. The thrust sectors identified are tourism, manufacturing, production, IT and ITes, shipping, agriculture, fisheries etc.

The Government is also focused on employment generation and skill development. The Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, PM Vishwakarma, Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, PM SVANidhi etc. are being effectively

implemented in the UTs with an aim to generate employment, and to provide financial and skill development support. UTs have also identified certain priority economic sectors for accelerated economic growth of UTs, based on their unique strengths and resources, such as developing a Blue Economy, transforming into regional knowledge/IT/medical hubs, promoting tourism etc.

The Government’s policy of zero tolerance towards corruption and introduction of IT enabled initiatives have brought greater accountability, transparency and financial transformation resulting in a big push to businesses in the UTs and also promoting them as new drivers of economic prosperity (Aatmanirbhar Arthavyavastha) and Viksit Bharat.

Initiatives under Aatmanirbhar Bharat have been taken to provide better services to consumers and improvement in operational and financial efficiency in electricity distribution in certain UTs.

Further, a robust monitoring mechanism has been put in place to monitor the implementation of various flagship/development schemes and programmes of Government of India in the UTs.

It is the endeavour of Government of India to make UTs role models of good governance and development. Moreover, it is envisioned to holistically

develop the island UTs as global hubs of tourism, raise the standard and quality of living of residents in UTs, create better infrastructure including social infrastructure, achieve saturation of health and educational indicators, enhance health infrastructure to ensure universal access to quality healthcare, promote green energy etc. This is a continuous process.

The Government has taken various positive initiatives to promote renewable and green energy in Union Territories through various schemes i.e. National Solar Mission, PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the National Green Hydrogen Mission etc.

Under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the UTs are providing additional subsidy in addition to the central subsidy for installation of rooftop solar in residential and government buildings. Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Plants are being promoted and installed in the UTs. The UT of Jammu & Kashmir has installed a 100kW solar power project in Dal Lake. Further, Pilot Green Hydrogen Plant are also being set up in UT of Ladakh. In addition, initiatives for waste-to-energy have been undertaken for the promotion of clean and green energy.

To promote green energy generation and consumption, the Government of India has notified the Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022. In line with the

above, the UTs of Puducherry and Delhi have implemented Green Energy Open Access (GEOA). In the UT of Puducherry, Green Energy Tariff has been notified. The UTs have notified various policies, including renewable energy policy, solar policy, EV policy etc. Further, in some of the UTs, generation- based incentive is given to the consumers for generation of solar energy.

These initiatives have resulted in reduced carbon emissions and reduced the electricity cost for the consumers.

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Shri Nityanand Rai in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

****

RK/VV/ASH/RR/PR/PS

(Release ID: 2117799) Visitor Counter : 66

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 3, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: 2025-47 PRELIMINARY INJUCTION GRANTED AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR MASS FIRINGS OF FEDERAL PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES

Source: US State of Hawaii

2025-47 PRELIMINARY INJUCTION GRANTED AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR MASS FIRINGS OF FEDERAL PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES

Posted on Apr 1, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

ANNE LOPEZ

ATTORNEY GENERAL

LOIO KUHINA

ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNE LOPEZ WINS PRELIMINARY INJUCTION AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR MASS FIRINGS OF FEDERAL PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES

News Release 2025-47

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 1, 2025

HONOLULU – Attorney General Anne Lopez and a coalition of 20 attorneys general have secured a preliminary injunction (PI) in a lawsuit against numerous federal agencies for the unlawful mass firing of federal probationary employees. The suit, Maryland et al. v. USDA, was filed in the United States District Court for Maryland.

The PI protects federal probationary employees who live or work in the plaintiff states and orders 20 federal agencies to reinstate unlawfully terminated probationary employees while the court case continues. The PI also requires those agencies to follow lawful procedures in conducting any future reductions in force.

“The granting of this injunction sends a clear message that the government must follow certain laws and regulations when it comes to firing and laying off federal employees,” said Attorney General Lopez. “The federal workers who live and work in Hawaiʻi should not be treated as disposable. These agencies and their employees provide a critical safety net through social assistance programs and through state and federal partnerships.”

On March 6, 2025, Attorney General Lopez joined the coalition in suing numerous federal agencies for causing irreparable injury to the plaintiff states, including Hawaiʻi. The lawsuit sought immediate relief, and a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on March 14, 2025, against 18 federal agencies. The court later extended that order by five days, setting an expiration date of April 1, which would have resulted in devastating impacts on the plaintiff states, as well as their probationary federal employees.

The PI extends the court’s earlier order requiring the federal agencies to stop the unlawful mass firings and to give those employees back their jobs while the attorneys general litigate the case against the agencies. The PI ensures that for the remainder of the case, the following federal agencies cannot continue their unlawful conduct:

U.S. Department of Agriculture	U.S. Department of Transportation
U.S. Department of Commerce	U.S. Department of Treasury
U.S. Department of Defense	U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
U.S. Department of Education	Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
U.S. Department of Energy	Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
U.S. Department of Homeland Security	General Services Administration
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development	Office of Personnel Management
U.S. Department of Interior	Small Business Administration
U.S. Department of Labor	United States Agency for International Development

The state of Hawaiʻi is represented in this litigation by Special Assistant to the Attorney General Dave Day and Solicitor General Kalikoʻonālani Fernandes.

Attorney General Lopez was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

# # #

Media contacts:

Dave Day

Special Assistant to the Attorney General

Office: 808-586-1284

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

Toni Schwartz
Public Information Officer
Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General
Office: 808-586-1252
Cell: 808-379-9249
Email: [email protected]

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025

MIL-OSI Europe: Minutes – Tuesday, 1 April 2025 – Strasbourg – Final edition

Source: European Parliament

PV-10-2025-04-01

iPlPv_Sit

Minutes

Tuesday, 1 April 2025 – Strasbourg

Abbreviations and symbols

+	adopted
–	rejected
↓	lapsed
W	withdrawn
RCV	roll-call votes
EV	electronic vote
SEC	secret ballot
split	split vote
sep	separate vote
am	amendment
CA	compromise amendment
CP	corresponding part
D	deleting amendment
=	identical amendments
§	paragraph

IN THE CHAIR: Roberta METSOLA
President

1. Opening of the sitting

The sitting opened at 09:01.

2. Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20 March 2025 (debate)

European Council and Commission statements: Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20 March 2025 (2024/2980(RSP))

António Costa (President of the European Council) and Ursula von der Leyen (President of the Commission) made the statements.

The following spoke: Manfred Weber, on behalf of the PPE Group, Iratxe García Pérez, on behalf of the S&D Group, Kinga Gál, on behalf of the PfE Group, Nicola Procaccini, on behalf of the ECR Group, Valérie Hayer, on behalf of the Renew Group, Terry Reintke, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Manon Aubry, on behalf of The Left Group, Alexander Sell, on behalf of the ESN Group, Dolors Montserrat, Raphaël Glucksmann, Jean-Paul Garraud, Patryk Jaki, Billy Kelleher, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Pasquale Tridico, Zsuzsanna Borvendég, Ruth Firmenich, Siegfried Mureşan, Paolo Borchia, Nicolas Bay, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Hannah Neumann, Li Andersson, Katarína Roth Neveďalová, Željana Zovko, Alex Agius Saliba, Anna Bryłka, Charlie Weimers, Hilde Vautmans, Reinier Van Lanschot, Paulo Cunha, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, Christel Schaldemose, Gilles Pennelle, Carlo Fidanza, Svenja Hahn, Tom Berendsen (the President spoke about Siegbert Frank Droese’s behaviour following Hannah Neumann’s speech), Javier Moreno Sánchez, Harald Vilimsky, Johan Van Overtveldt, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Reinhold Lopatka, Dan Nica, Emmanouil Fragkos, Ľubica Karvašová, Danuše Nerudová, Marta Temido, Anna Zalewska, Karlo Ressler, Elio Di Rupo, François-Xavier Bellamy, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Brando Benifei.

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Dariusz Joński, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Anna Maria Cisint, Sebastian Tynkkynen, João Oliveira, Siegbert Frank Droese, Lukas Sieper, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Bruno Gonçalves and Seán Kelly.

The following spoke: Maroš Šefčovič (Member of the Commission) and António Costa.

The debate closed.

3. Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine: standing with Ukraine and upholding justice (debate)

Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine: standing with Ukraine and upholding justice (2025/2635(RSP))

The President said that there would be only one round of political group speakers and no catch-the-eye procedure or blue-card questions.

Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.

The following spoke: Sandra Kalniete, on behalf of the PPE Group, Thijs Reuten, on behalf of the S&D Group, Anders Vistisen, on behalf of the PfE Group, Michał Dworczyk, on behalf of the ECR Group, Petras Auštrevičius, on behalf of the Renew Group, Villy Søvndal, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Martin Schirdewan, on behalf of The Left Group, and René Aust, on behalf of the ESN Group.

The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.

The debate closed.

4. Amendment of the agenda

In accordance with Rule 164(2), the President proposed the following amendment of the agenda, with the agreement of the political groups:

Wednesday/Thursday

The vote on ‘Energy-intensive industries’ (item 24 on the agenda) would be held over until voting time on Thursday.

Parliament agreed to the proposal.

The agenda was amended accordingly.

(The sitting was suspended at 11:54.)

IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS
Vice-President

5. Resumption of the sitting

The sitting resumed at 12:01.

6. Voting time

For detailed results of the votes, see also ‘Results of votes’ and ‘Results of roll-call votes’.

6.1. Amending Directives (EU) 2022/2464 and (EU) 2024/1760 as regards the dates from which Member States are to apply certain corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements ***I (vote)

Amending Directives (EU) 2022/2464 and (EU) 2024/1760 as regards the dates from which Member States are to apply certain corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements (COM(2025)0080 – C10-0038/2025 – 2025/0044(COD)) – JURI Committee

REQUEST FOR AN URGENT DECISION by the PPE Group (Rule 170(6))

Approved

The following tabling deadlines had been set:

– amendments: Wednesday 2 April 2025 at 13:00
– requests for separate votes and split votes: Wednesday 2 April 2025 at 19:00.

Vote: 3 April 2025.

The following had spoken:

Tomas Tobé, on behalf of the PPE Group (the author of the request), and Manon Aubry against.

Detailed voting results

6.2. Request for waiver of the immunity of Jana Nagyová (vote)

Report on the request for the waiver of the immunity of Jana Nagyová [2024/2035(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Krzysztof Śmiszek (A10-0029/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0040)

Detailed voting results

6.3. Request for waiver of the immunity of Petr Bystron (vote)

Report on the request for waiver of the immunity of Petr Bystron [2024/2048(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Dominik Tarczyński (A10-0030/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0041)

Detailed voting results

6.4. Request for waiver of the immunity of Maciej Wąsik (vote)

Report on the request for the waiver of the immunity of Maciej Wąsik [2024/2043(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Mario Furore (A10-0031/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0042)

Detailed voting results

6.5. Request for waiver of the immunity of Mariusz Kamiński (vote)

Report on the request for the waiver of the immunity of Mariusz Kamiński [2024/2046(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Mario Furore (A10-0032/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0043)

Detailed voting results

6.6. Partial renewal of a member of the Court of Auditors – Lucian Romașcanu (vote)

Report on the nomination of Lucian Romașcanu as a Member of the Court of Auditors [05958/2025 – C10-0010/2025 – 2025/0801(NLE)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Tomáš Zdechovský (A10-0039/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)
(Secret ballot (Rule 133(3)))

APPOINTMENT OF LUCIAN ROMAȘCANU

Approved (P10_TA(2025)0044)

The list of Members voting is annexed to these minutes (minutes of 1.4.2025 Annex 1)

Detailed voting results

6.7. Common data platform on chemicals, establishing a monitoring and outlook framework for chemicals ***I (vote)

Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common data platform on chemicals, laying down rules to ensure that the data contained in it are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable and establishing a monitoring and outlook framework for chemicals [COM(2023)0779 – C9-0449/2023 – 2023/0453(COD)] – Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Dimitris Tsiodras (A10-0018/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

COMMISSION PROPOSAL and AMENDMENTS

Approved by single vote (P10_TA(2025)0045)

REQUEST FOR REFERRAL BACK TO COMMITTEE

Approved

The following had spoken:

Dimitris Tsiodras (rapporteur), after the vote on the Commission’s proposal, to request that the matter be referred back to the committee responsible, for interinstitutional negotiations, in accordance with Rule 60(4).

Detailed voting results

6.8. Re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks to the European Chemicals Agency ***I (vote)

Report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks to the European Chemicals Agency [COM(2023)0781 – C9-0448/2023 – 2023/0454(COD)] – Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Dimitris Tsiodras (A10-0019/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

COMMISSION PROPOSAL and AMENDMENTS

Approved by single vote (P10_TA(2025)0046)

REQUEST FOR REFERRAL BACK TO COMMITTEE

Approved

The following had spoken:

Detailed voting results

6.9. Re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks and improving cooperation among Union agencies in the area of chemicals ***I (vote)

Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EC) No 178/2002, (EC) No 401/2009, (EU) 2017/745 and (EU) 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks and improving cooperation among Union agencies in the area of chemicals [COM(2023)0783 – C9-0447/2023 – 2023/0455(COD)] – Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Dimitris Tsiodras (A10-0020/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

COMMISSION PROPOSAL and AMENDMENTS

Approved by single vote (P10_TA(2025)0047)

REQUEST FOR REFERRAL BACK TO COMMITTEE

Approved

The following had spoken:

Detailed voting results

6.10. Macro-financial assistance to Jordan ***I (vote)

Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on providing macro-financial assistance to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan [COM(2024)0159 – C9-0146/2024 – 2024/0086(COD)] – Committee on International Trade. Rapporteur: Céline Imart (A10-0038/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

COMMISSION PROPOSAL

Approved (P10_TA(2025)0048)

Parliament’s first reading thus closed.

Detailed voting results

The following had spoken:

Michael McGrath (Member of the Commission), before the vote, to make a statement.

6.11. Macro-financial assistance to Egypt ***I (vote)

Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on providing macro-financial assistance to the Arab Republic of Egypt [COM(2024)0461 – C10-0009/2024 – 2024/0071(COD)] – Committee on International Trade. Rapporteur: Céline Imart (A10-0037/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

COMMISSION PROPOSAL and AMENDMENTS

Approved (P10_TA(2025)0049)

REQUEST FOR REFERRAL BACK TO COMMITTEE

Approved

Detailed voting results

Procedural motions:

– Michael McGrath (Member of the Commission), before the vote, to make a statement.

– Céline Imart (rapporteur), after the vote on the Commission’s proposal, to request that the matter be referred back to the committee responsible, for interinstitutional negotiations, in accordance with Rule 60(4).

6.12. Customs duties on imports of certain products originating in the USA ***I (vote)

Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2018/196 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 February 2018 on additional customs duties on imports of certain products originating in the United States of America [COM(2025)0027 – C10-0007/2025 – 2025/0012(COD)] – Committee on International Trade. Rapporteur: Bernd Lange (A10-0034/2025)

(Majority of the votes cast)

PROVISIONAL AGREEMENT

Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0050)

Parliament’s first reading thus closed.

Detailed voting results

(The sitting was suspended at 12:27.)

IN THE CHAIR: Sabine VERHEYEN
Vice-President

7. Resumption of the sitting

The sitting resumed at 12:31.

8. Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting

The minutes of the previous sitting were approved.

9. CFSP and CSDP (Article 36 TUE) (joint debate)

Report on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy – 2024 annual report [2024/2080(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: David McAllister (A10-0010/2025)
Report on the implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2024 [2024/2082(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Nicolás Pascual de la Parte (A10-0011/2025)

David McAllister and Nicolás Pascual de la Parte introduced the reports.

The following spoke: Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy).

The following spoke: Michael Gahler, on behalf of the PPE Group, Sven Mikser, on behalf of the S&D Group, Kinga Gál, on behalf of the PfE Group, Adam Bielan, on behalf of the ECR Group, Urmas Paet, on behalf of the Renew Group, Marc Botenga, on behalf of The Left Group, Stanislav Stoyanov, on behalf of the ESN Group, Rasa Juknevičienė, Tobias Cremer, António Tânger Corrêa, Alberico Gambino, Bart Groothuis, Hannah Neumann, Özlem Demirel, Marcin Sypniewski, Monika Beňová, Łukasz Kohut, Yannis Maniatis, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, Rihards Kols, Hilde Vautmans, Jaume Asens Llodrà, Lynn Boylan, Hans Neuhoff, Francisco José Millán Mon, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Afroditi Latinopoulou, Nathalie Loiseau, Hanna Gedin, Salvatore De Meo, Hana Jalloul Muro, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Petras Auštrevičius, Davor Ivo Stier, who also answered a blue-card question from Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă, Tonino Picula, Lucia Yar, Vangelis Meimarakis, who also answered a blue-card question from Petras Gražulis, Thijs Reuten, Marta Wcisło, Riho Terras, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Mārtiņš Staķis, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, and Sebastian Tynkkynen.

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Tomislav Sokol, João Oliveira, Željana Zovko, Lukas Sieper and Michał Szczerba.

The following spoke: Kaja Kallas, David McAllister and Nicolás Pascual de la Parte.

The debate closed.

Vote: 2 April 2025.

10. Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2024 (debate)

Report on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2024 [2024/2081(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Isabel Wiseler-Lima (A10-0012/2025)

Isabel Wiseler-Lima introduced the report.

The following spoke: Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy).

The following spoke: Abir Al-Sahlani (rapporteur for the opinion of the FEMM Committee), Antonio López-Istúriz White, on behalf of the PPE Group, Francisco Assis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Christophe Bay, on behalf of the PfE Group, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, on behalf of the ECR Group, Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group, Catarina Vieira, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Kathleen Funchion, on behalf of The Left Group, Petr Bystron, on behalf of the ESN Group, Reinhold Lopatka, Elisabeth Grossmann, Silvia Sardone, Sophie Wilmès, Mounir Satouri, Alvise Pérez, Liudas Mažylis, Marco Tarquinio, András László, who also answered a blue-card question from Catarina Vieira, Loucas Fourlas, Chloé Ridel, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, Hermann Tertsch, Emmanouil Kefalogiannis, Evin Incir and Alice Teodorescu Måwe.

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Sunčana Glavak, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Lukas Sieper and Michał Wawrykiewicz.

The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.

IN THE CHAIR: Roberts ZĪLE
Vice-President

The following spoke: Isabel Wiseler-Lima.

The debate closed.

Vote: 2 April 2025.

11. Presentation of the new European Internal Security Strategy(debate)

Commission statement: Presentation of the new European Internal Security Strategy (2025/2608(RSP))

Magnus Brunner (Member of the Commission) made the statement.

The following spoke: Tomas Tobé, on behalf of the PPE Group, Birgit Sippel, on behalf of the S&D Group, Fabrice Leggeri, on behalf of the PfE Group, Assita Kanko, on behalf of the ECR Group, Malik Azmani, on behalf of the Renew Group, Saskia Bricmont, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giuseppe Antoci, on behalf of The Left Group, Mary Khan, on behalf of the ESN Group, Jeroen Lenaers, Thijs Reuten, Jorge Buxadé Villalba, Alessandro Ciriani, Moritz Körner, who also answered a blue-card question from Lukas Sieper, Lena Düpont, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Petra Steger, Mariusz Kamiński, François-Xavier Bellamy, Marieke Ehlers, Charlie Weimers, Javier Zarzalejos, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Dariusz Joński, Paulo Cunha, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, Elena Donazzan, Maciej Wąsik and Gheorghe Piperea.

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Dariusz Joński, José Cepeda, João Oliveira, Sunčana Glavak, Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă, Ana Miguel Pedro and Lukas Sieper.

The following spoke: Henna Virkkunen (Executive Vice-President of the Commission).

The debate closed.

12. EU Preparedness Union Strategy (debate)

Commission statement: EU Preparedness Union Strategy (2025/2641(RSP))

Hadja Lahbib (Member of the Commission) made the statement.

The following spoke: Lena Düpont, on behalf of the PPE Group.

IN THE CHAIR: Pina PICIERNO
Vice-President

The following spoke: Yannis Maniatis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Roberto Vannacci, on behalf of the PfE Group, Beata Szydło, on behalf of the ECR Group, Grégory Allione, on behalf of the Renew Group, Diana Riba i Giner, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Ana Miranda Paz, on the language used by a Member during this debate (the President agreed), Merja Kyllönen, on behalf of The Left Group, Christine Anderson, on behalf of the ESN Group (the President reminded the House of the rules on conduct), Lukas Mandl, Christophe Clergeau, Christophe Bay, Elena Donazzan, Anna-Maja Henriksson, Ville Niinistö, Catarina Martins, Cecilia Strada, who referred to the speech of Roberto Vannacci (the President reiterated the need to respect the rules on conduct), Kostas Papadakis, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, Tomislav Sokol, Heléne Fritzon, Barbara Bonte, Adrian-George Axinia, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Alvise Pérez, Nathalie Loiseau, Lena Schilling, Luke Ming Flanagan, Massimiliano Salini, Annalisa Corrado, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Grégory Allione, Michał Dworczyk, Nicolás Pascual de la Parte, Leire Pajín, Matej Tonin, Tobias Cremer, Victor Negrescu and Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis.

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Hélder Sousa Silva, Laura Ballarín Cereza, Ana Miranda Paz, Cecilia Strada, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, João Oliveira and Maria Zacharia.

The following spoke: Hadja Lahbib.

The debate closed.

13. Improving the implementation of cohesion policy through the mid-term review to achieve a robust cohesion policy post 2027 (debate)

Council and Commission statements: Improving the implementation of cohesion policy through the mid-term review to achieve a robust cohesion policy post 2027 (2025/2648(RSP))

Adam Szłapka (President-in-Office of the Council) and Raffaele Fitto (Executive Vice-President of the Commission) made the statements.

The following spoke: Andrey Novakov, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mohammed Chahim, on behalf of the S&D Group, Rody Tolassy, on behalf of the PfE Group, Denis Nesci, on behalf of the ECR Group, Ľubica Karvašová, on behalf of the Renew Group, Cristina Guarda, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Elena Kountoura, on behalf of the The Left Group, Gabriella Gerzsenyi, Marcos Ros Sempere, Şerban Dimitrie Sturdza, Ciaran Mullooly, Gordan Bosanac, who also answered a blue-card question from Lukas Sieper.

IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS
Vice-President

The following spoke: Dan-Ştefan Motreanu, Victor Negrescu, Antonella Sberna, Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle, Christian Doleschal, Carla Tavares, who also answered a blue-card question from Ana Miranda Paz, Elsi Katainen, Elena Nevado del Campo, who also answered a blue-card question from Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle, Estelle Ceulemans, Joachim Streit, Jacek Protas and Hannes Heide.

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Nikolina Brnjac, Rosa Serrano Sierra, Ana Miranda Paz, Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă, Francisco José Millán Mon, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Paulo Do Nascimento Cabral and Maria Grapini.

The following spoke: Raffaele Fitto and Adam Szłapka.

The debate closed.

14. Safeguarding the access to democratic media, such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (debate)

Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Safeguarding the access to democratic media, such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (2025/2630(RSP))

Marta Kos (Member of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The following spoke: Sebastião Bugalho, on behalf of the PPE Group, Nils Ušakovs, on behalf of the S&D Group, António Tânger Corrêa, on behalf of the PfE Group, Małgorzata Gosiewska, on behalf of the ECR Group, Irena Joveva, on behalf of the Renew Group, Virginijus Sinkevičius, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Milan Uhrík, on behalf of the ESN Group, Andrey Kovatchev, Francisco Assis, Hermann Tertsch, Alexandr Vondra, Dan Barna, Mary Khan, who also answered a blue-card question from Tomáš Zdechovský, Erik Kaliňák, who also answered a blue-card question from Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Ondřej Kolář, Robert Biedroń, Virginie Joron, Rihards Kols, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Petar Volgin, Fidias Panayiotou, Rasa Juknevičienė, Hannes Heide, Csaba Dömötör, who also answered a blue-card question from Gabriella Gerzsenyi, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Laurence Farreng, Elena Yoncheva, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Evin Incir, who also answered a blue-card question from Fidias Panayiotou, and Julien Sanchez.

IN THE CHAIR: Antonella SBERNA
Vice-President

The following spoke: Helmut Brandstätter, Mika Aaltola, Michał Kobosko, Alice Teodorescu Måwe and Tomáš Zdechovský.

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Radan Kanev, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă and Gabriella Gerzsenyi.

The following spoke: Marta Kos.

The debate closed.

15. Crackdown on democracy in Türkiye and the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu (debate)

Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Crackdown on democracy in Türkiye and the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu (2025/2642(RSP))

Marta Kos (Member of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The following spoke: Emmanouil Kefalogiannis, on behalf of the PPE Group, Nacho Sánchez Amor, on behalf of the S&D Group, Susanna Ceccardi, on behalf of the PfE Group, Assita Kanko, on behalf of the ECR Group, Malik Azmani, on behalf of the Renew Group, Vladimir Prebilič, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giorgos Georgiou, on behalf of The Left Group, Michalis Hadjipantela, Kathleen Van Brempt, Mathilde Androuët, Bernard Guetta, Mélissa Camara, Özlem Demirel, Reinhold Lopatka, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Željana Zovko, Nikos Papandreou, Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi and Dario Nardella.

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Sebastian Tynkkynen, Ana Miranda Paz, Hanna Gedin, Maria Zacharia, Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos, Lukas Sieper and Fidias Panayiotou.

The following spoke: Marta Kos.

The debate closed.

16. Dramatic situation in Gaza and the need for an immediate return to the full implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement (debate)

Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Dramatic situation in Gaza and the need for an immediate return to the full implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement (2025/2644(RSP))

Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.

The following spoke: Hildegard Bentele, on behalf of the PPE Group, Evin Incir, on behalf of the S&D Group, Fabrice Leggeri, on behalf of the PfE Group, Bert-Jan Ruissen, on behalf of the ECR Group, Hilde Vautmans, on behalf of the Renew Group, Villy Søvndal, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Irene Montero, on behalf of The Left Group, Alice Teodorescu Måwe, Sebastiaan Stöteler, Hana Jalloul Muro, Barry Andrews, Ana Miranda Paz, Giorgos Georgiou, Ondřej Kolář, who also answered a blue-card question from Rima Hassan, and Matjaž Nemec.

IN THE CHAIR: Ewa KOPACZ
Vice-President

The following spoke: Tomáš Kubín, Leoluca Orlando, Danilo Della Valle, Céline Imart, who also answered a blue-card question from Benedetta Scuderi, Marta Temido, Saskia Bricmont, Estrella Galán, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Mimmo Lucano, and Marit Maij and Benedetta Scuderi, on the language sometimes used during this debate (the President took note).

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Davor Ivo Stier, Daniel Attard, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Vladimir Prebilič and Marc Botenga.

The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.

The debate closed.

17. Targeted attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – defending religious freedom and security (debate)

Council and Commission statements: Targeted attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – defending religious freedom and security (2025/2612(RSP))

Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.

The following spoke: Lukas Mandl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Marit Maij, on behalf of the S&D Group, Thierry Mariani, on behalf of the PfE Group, Patryk Jaki, on behalf of the ECR Group, Hilde Vautmans, on behalf of the Renew Group, Mounir Satouri, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Marc Botenga, on behalf of The Left Group, Tomasz Froelich, on behalf of the ESN Group, Wouter Beke, Francisco Assis, György Hölvényi, Alexander Sell, Nikolaos Anadiotis, Reinhold Lopatka, Anja Arndt, Ingeborg Ter Laak and Davor Ivo Stier.

The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Margarita de la Pisa Carrión, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Saskia Bricmont, Bert-Jan Ruissen and Sebastian Tynkkynen.

The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.

Motions for resolutions tabled under Rule 136(2) to wind up the debate: minutes of 3.4.2025, item I.

The debate closed.

Vote: 3 April 2025.

18. Explanations of vote

18.1. Written explanations of vote

Explanations of vote submitted in writing under Rule 201 appear on the Members’ pages on Parliament’s website.

19. Agenda of the next sitting

The next sitting would be held the following day, 2 April 2025, starting at 09:00. The agenda was available on Parliament’s website.

20. Approval of the minutes of the sitting

In accordance with Rule 208(3), the minutes of the sitting would be put to the House for approval at the beginning of the afternoon of the next sitting.

21. Closure of the sitting

The sitting closed at 22:07.

LIST OF DOCUMENTS SERVING AS A BASIS FOR THE DEBATES AND DECISIONS OF PARLIAMENT

I. Documents received

The following documents had been received from committees:

– Report on Parliament’s estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2026 (2024/2111(BUI)) – BUDG Committee – Rapporteur: Matjaž Nemec (A10-0048/2025)

ATTENDANCE REGISTER

Present:

Aaltola Mika, Abadía Jover Maravillas, Adamowicz Magdalena, Aftias Georgios, Agirregoitia Martínez Oihane, Agius Peter, Agius Saliba Alex, Alexandraki Galato, Allione Grégory, Al-Sahlani Abir, Anadiotis Nikolaos, Anderson Christine, Andersson Li, Andresen Rasmus, Andrews Barry, Andriukaitis Vytenis Povilas, Androuët Mathilde, Angel Marc, Annemans Gerolf, Annunziata Lucia, Antoci Giuseppe, Arias Echeverría Pablo, Arimont Pascal, Arłukowicz Bartosz, Arnaoutoglou Sakis, Arndt Anja, Arvanitis Konstantinos, Asens Llodrà Jaume, Assis Francisco, Attard Daniel, Aubry Manon, Auštrevičius Petras, Axinia Adrian-George, Azmani Malik, Bajada Thomas, Baljeu Jeannette, Ballarín Cereza Laura, Barley Katarina, Barna Dan, Barrena Arza Pernando, Bartulica Stephen Nikola, Bartůšek Nikola, Bausemer Arno, Bay Nicolas, Bay Christophe, Beke Wouter, Beleris Fredis, Bellamy François-Xavier, Benifei Brando, Benjumea Benjumea Isabel, Beňová Monika, Bentele Hildegard, Berendsen Tom, Berger Stefan, Berlato Sergio, Bernhuber Alexander, Biedroń Robert, Bielan Adam, Bischoff Gabriele, Blaha Ľuboš, Blinkevičiūtė Vilija, Blom Rachel, Bloss Michael, Bocheński Tobiasz, Boeselager Damian, Bogdan Ioan-Rareş, Bonaccini Stefano, Bonte Barbara, Borchia Paolo, Borrás Pabón Mireia, Borvendég Zsuzsanna, Borzan Biljana, Bosanac Gordan, Boßdorf Irmhild, Bosse Stine, Botenga Marc, Boyer Gilles, Boylan Lynn, Brandstätter Helmut, Brasier-Clain Marie-Luce, Braun Grzegorz, Brejza Krzysztof, Bricmont Saskia, Brnjac Nikolina, Brudziński Joachim Stanisław, Bryłka Anna, Buchheit Markus, Buczek Tomasz, Buda Daniel, Buda Waldemar, Budka Borys, Bugalho Sebastião, Buła Andrzej, Bullmann Udo, Burkhardt Delara, Buxadé Villalba Jorge, Bystron Petr, Bžoch Jaroslav, Camara Mélissa, Canfin Pascal, Carberry Nina, Cârciu Gheorghe, Carême Damien, Casa David, Caspary Daniel, Castillo Laurent, del Castillo Vera Pilar, Cavazzini Anna, Cavedagna Stefano, Ceccardi Susanna, Cepeda José, Ceulemans Estelle, Chahim Mohammed, Chaibi Leila, Chastel Olivier, Chinnici Caterina, Christensen Asger, Ciccioli Carlo, Cifrová Ostrihoňová Veronika, Ciriani Alessandro, Cisint Anna Maria, Clausen Per, Clergeau Christophe, Cormand David, Corrado Annalisa, Costanzo Vivien, Cotrim De Figueiredo João, Cowen Barry, Cremer Tobias, Crespo Díaz Carmen, Cristea Andi, Crosetto Giovanni, Cunha Paulo, Dahl Henrik, Danielsson Johan, Dauchy Marie, Dávid Dóra, David Ivan, Decaro Antonio, de la Hoz Quintano Raúl, Della Valle Danilo, Deloge Valérie, De Masi Fabio, De Meo Salvatore, Demirel Özlem, Deutsch Tamás, Devaux Valérie, Dibrani Adnan, Diepeveen Ton, Dieringer Elisabeth, Dîncu Vasile, Di Rupo Elio, Disdier Mélanie, Dobrev Klára, Doherty Regina, Doleschal Christian, Dömötör Csaba, Do Nascimento Cabral Paulo, Dorfmann Herbert, Dostalova Klara, Dostál Ondřej, Droese Siegbert Frank, Düpont Lena, Dworczyk Michał, Ecke Matthias, Ehler Christian, Ehlers Marieke, Eriksson Sofie, Erixon Dick, Eroglu Engin, Estaràs Ferragut Rosa, Everding Sebastian, Ezcurra Almansa Alma, Falcă Gheorghe, Falcone Marco, Farantouris Nikolas, Farreng Laurence, Farský Jan, Ferber Markus, Ferenc Viktória, Fernández Jonás, Fidanza Carlo, Fiocchi Pietro, Firea Gabriela, Firmenich Ruth, Fita Claire, Flanagan Luke Ming, Fourlas Loucas, Fourreau Emma, Fragkos Emmanouil, Freund Daniel, Frigout Anne-Sophie, Friis Sigrid, Fritzon Heléne, Froelich Tomasz, Fuglsang Niels, Funchion Kathleen, Furet Angéline, Furore Mario, Gahler Michael, Gál Kinga, Galán Estrella, Gálvez Lina, Gambino Alberico, García Hermida-Van Der Walle Raquel, Garraud Jean-Paul, Gasiuk-Pihowicz Kamila, Geadi Geadis, Gedin Hanna, Geese Alexandra, Geier Jens, Geisel Thomas, Gemma Chiara, Georgiou Giorgos, Gerbrandy Gerben-Jan, Germain Jean-Marc, Gerzsenyi Gabriella, Geuking Niels, Gieseke Jens, Giménez Larraz Borja, Girauta Vidal Juan Carlos, Glavak Sunčana, Glück Andreas, Glucksmann Raphaël, Goerens Charles, Gomes Isilda, Gómez López Sandra, Gonçalves Bruno, Gonçalves Sérgio, González Casares Nicolás, González Pons Esteban, Gori Giorgio, Gosiewska Małgorzata, Gotink Dirk, Gozi Sandro, Grapini Maria, Gražulis Petras, Gregorová Markéta, Griset Catherine, Gronkiewicz-Waltz Hanna, Groothuis Bart, Grossmann Elisabeth, Grudler Christophe, Gualmini Elisabetta, Guarda Cristina, Guetta Bernard, Guzenina Maria, Győri Enikő, Gyürk András, Hadjipantela Michalis, Hahn Svenja, Haider Roman, Halicki Andrzej, Hansen Niels Flemming, Hassan Rima, Hauser Gerald, Häusling Martin, Hava Mircea-Gheorghe, Heide Hannes, Heinäluoma Eero, Henriksson Anna-Maja, Herbst Niclas, Herranz García Esther, Hetman Krzysztof, Hohlmeier Monika, Hojsík Martin, Holmgren Pär, Hölvényi György, Homs Ginel Alicia, Humberto Sérgio, Ijabs Ivars, Imart Céline, Incir Evin, Inselvini Paolo, Iovanovici Şoşoacă Diana, Jalloul Muro Hana, Jamet France, Jarubas Adam, Jerković Romana, Jongen Marc, Joński Dariusz, Joron Virginie, Jouvet Pierre, Joveva Irena, Juknevičienė Rasa, Junco García Nora, Jungbluth Alexander, Kalfon François, Kaliňák Erik, Kaljurand Marina, Kalniete Sandra, Kamiński Mariusz, Kanev Radan, Kanko Assita, Karlsbro Karin, Kartheiser Fernand, Karvašová Ľubica, Katainen Elsi, Kefalogiannis Emmanouil, Kelleher Billy, Keller Fabienne, Kelly Seán, Kemp Martine, Kennes Rudi, Khan Mary, Kircher Sophia, Knafo Sarah, Knotek Ondřej, Kobosko Michał, Kohut Łukasz, Kolář Ondřej, Kollár Kinga, Kols Rihards, Konečná Kateřina, Kopacz Ewa, Körner Moritz, Kountoura Elena, Kovařík Ondřej, Kovatchev Andrey, Krištopans Vilis, Kruis Sebastian, Krutílek Ondřej, Kubín Tomáš, Kuhnke Alice, Kulja András Tivadar, Kulmuni Katri, Kyllönen Merja, Kyuchyuk Ilhan, Lakos Eszter, Lalucq Aurore, Lange Bernd, Langensiepen Katrin, Laššáková Judita, László András, Latinopoulou Afroditi, Laurent Murielle, Laureti Camilla, Laykova Rada, Lazarov Ilia, Lazarus Luis-Vicențiu, Leggeri Fabrice, Lenaers Jeroen, Leonardelli Julien, Lewandowski Janusz, Lexmann Miriam, Liese Peter, Lins Norbert, Loiseau Nathalie, Løkkegaard Morten, Lopatka Reinhold, López Javi, López Aguilar Juan Fernando, López-Istúriz White Antonio, Lövin Isabella, Lucano Mimmo, Luena César, Łukacijewska Elżbieta Katarzyna, Lupo Giuseppe, McAllister David, Madison Jaak, Maestre Cristina, Magoni Lara, Maij Marit, Maląg Marlena, Manda Claudiu, Mandl Lukas, Maniatis Yannis, Mantovani Mario, Maran Pierfrancesco, Marczułajtis-Walczak Jagna, Maréchal Marion, Mariani Thierry, Marino Ignazio Roberto, Martins Catarina, Marzà Ibáñez Vicent, Mato Gabriel, Matthieu Sara, Mavrides Costas, Maydell Eva, Mayer Georg, Mazurek Milan, Mažylis Liudas, McNamara Michael, Mebarek Nora, Mehnert Alexandra, Meimarakis Vangelis, Mendes Ana Catarina, Mendia Idoia, Mertens Verena, Mesure Marina, Metsola Roberta, Metz Tilly, Mikser Sven, Milazzo Giuseppe, Minchev Nikola, Miranda Paz Ana, Molnár Csaba, Montero Irene, Montserrat Dolors, Morace Carolina, Morano Nadine, Moreira de Sá Tiago, Moreno Sánchez Javier, Moretti Alessandra, Motreanu Dan-Ştefan, Mularczyk Arkadiusz, Müller Piotr, Mullooly Ciaran, Mureşan Siegfried, Muşoiu Ştefan, Nagyová Jana, Nardella Dario, Navarrete Rojas Fernando, Negrescu Victor, Nemec Matjaž, Nerudová Danuše, Nesci Denis, Neuhoff Hans, Neumann Hannah, Nevado del Campo Elena, Nica Dan, Niebler Angelika, Niedermayer Luděk, Niinistö Ville, Nikolaou-Alavanos Lefteris, Ní Mhurchú Cynthia, Noichl Maria, Nordqvist Rasmus, Novakov Andrey, Nykiel Mirosława, Obajtek Daniel, Ódor Ľudovít, Oetjen Jan-Christoph, Ohisalo Maria, Oliveira João, Omarjee Younous, Ó Ríordáin Aodhán, Orlando Leoluca, Ozdoba Jacek, Paet Urmas, Pajín Leire, Palmisano Valentina, Panayiotou Fidias, Papadakis Kostas, Papandreou Nikos, Pappas Nikos, Pascual de la Parte Nicolás, Paulus Jutta, Pedro Ana Miguel, Pedulla’ Gaetano, Pellerin-Carlin Thomas, Peltier Guillaume, Penkova Tsvetelina, Pennelle Gilles, Pérez Alvise, Peter-Hansen Kira Marie, Petrov Hristo, Picaro Michele, Picierno Pina, Picula Tonino, Piera Pascale, Pietikäinen Sirpa, Pimpie Pierre, Piperea Gheorghe, de la Pisa Carrión Margarita, Pokorná Jermanová Jaroslava, Polato Daniele, Polfjärd Jessica, Popescu Virgil-Daniel, Pozņaks Reinis, Prebilič Vladimir, Princi Giusi, Protas Jacek, Pürner Friedrich, Rackete Carola, Radev Emil, Radtke Dennis, Rafowicz Emma, Ratas Jüri, Razza Ruggero, Rechagneux Julie, Regner Evelyn, Repasi René, Repp Sabrina, Ressler Karlo, Reuten Thijs, Riba i Giner Diana, Ricci Matteo, Ridel Chloé, Riehl Nela, Ripa Manuela, Rodrigues André, Ros Sempere Marcos, Roth Neveďalová Katarína, Rougé André, Ruissen Bert-Jan, Ruotolo Sandro, Rzońca Bogdan, Saeidi Arash, Salini Massimiliano, Salis Ilaria, Salla Aura, Sánchez Amor Nacho, Sanchez Julien, Sancho Murillo Elena, Saramo Jussi, Sardone Silvia, Šarec Marjan, Sargiacomo Eric, Satouri Mounir, Saudargas Paulius, Sbai Majdouline, Sberna Antonella, Schaldemose Christel, Schaller-Baross Ernő, Schenk Oliver, Scheuring-Wielgus Joanna, Schieder Andreas, Schilling Lena, Schneider Christine, Schwab Andreas, Scuderi Benedetta, Seekatz Ralf, Sell Alexander, Serrano Sierra Rosa, Serra Sánchez Isabel, Sidl Günther, Sienkiewicz Bartłomiej, Sieper Lukas, Simon Sven, Singer Christine, Sinkevičius Virginijus, Sippel Birgit, Sjöstedt Jonas, Śmiszek Krzysztof, Smith Anthony, Smit Sander, Sokol Tomislav, Solier Diego, Solís Pérez Susana, Sommen Liesbet, Sonneborn Martin, Sorel Malika, Sousa Silva Hélder, Søvndal Villy, Squarta Marco, Staķis Mārtiņš, Stancanelli Raffaele, Ştefănuță Nicolae, Steger Petra, Stier Davor Ivo, Storm Kristoffer, Stöteler Sebastiaan, Stoyanov Stanislav, Strack-Zimmermann Marie-Agnes, Strada Cecilia, Streit Joachim, Strik Tineke, Strolenberg Anna, Sturdza Şerban Dimitrie, Stürgkh Anna, Sypniewski Marcin, Szczerba Michał, Szekeres Pál, Szydło Beata, Tamburrano Dario, Tânger Corrêa António, Tarczyński Dominik, Tarquinio Marco, Tarr Zoltán, Târziu Claudiu-Richard, Tavares Carla, Tegethoff Kai, Temido Marta, Teodorescu Georgiana, Teodorescu Måwe Alice, Terheş Cristian, Ter Laak Ingeborg, Terras Riho, Tertsch Hermann, Thionnet Pierre-Romain, Timgren Beatrice, Tinagli Irene, Tobback Bruno, Tobé Tomas, Tolassy Rody, Tomac Eugen, Tomašič Zala, Tomaszewski Waldemar, Tomc Romana, Tonin Matej, Toom Jana, Topo Raffaele, Torselli Francesco, Tosi Flavio, Toussaint Marie, Tovaglieri Isabella, Toveri Pekka, Tridico Pasquale, Trochu Laurence, Tsiodras Dimitris, Turek Filip, Tynkkynen Sebastian, Uhrík Milan, Ušakovs Nils, Vaidere Inese, Valchev Ivaylo, Vălean Adina, Valet Matthieu, Van Brempt Kathleen, Van Brug Anouk, van den Berg Brigitte, Vandendriessche Tom, Van Dijck Kris, Van Lanschot Reinier, Van Leeuwen Jessika, Vannacci Roberto, Van Overtveldt Johan, Van Sparrentak Kim, Varaut Alexandre, Vasconcelos Ana, Vasile-Voiculescu Vlad, Vautmans Hilde, Vedrenne Marie-Pierre, Verheyen Sabine, Verougstraete Yvan, Veryga Aurelijus, Vešligaj Marko, Vicsek Annamária, Vieira Catarina, Vigenin Kristian, Vilimsky Harald, Vincze Loránt, Vind Marianne, Vistisen Anders, Vivaldini Mariateresa, Volgin Petar, von der Schulenburg Michael, Vondra Alexandr, Voss Axel, Vozemberg-Vrionidi Elissavet, Vrecionová Veronika, Vázquez Lázara Adrián, Waitz Thomas, Walsh Maria, Walsmann Marion, Warborn Jörgen, Warnke Jan-Peter, Wąsik Maciej, Wawrykiewicz Michał, Wcisło Marta, Wechsler Andrea, Weimers Charlie, Werbrouck Séverine, Wiesner Emma, Wiezik Michal, Wilmès Sophie, Winkler Iuliu, Winzig Angelika, Wiseler-Lima Isabel, Wiśniewska Jadwiga, Wölken Tiemo, Wolters Lara, Yar Lucia, Yon-Courtin Stéphanie, Yoncheva Elena, Zacharia Maria, Zalewska Anna, Žalimas Dainius, Zarzalejos Javier, Zdechovský Tomáš, Zdrojewski Bogdan Andrzej, Zijlstra Auke, Zīle Roberts, Zingaretti Nicola, Złotowski Kosma, Zoido Álvarez Juan Ignacio, Zovko Željana, Zver Milan

ANNEX 1 – Partial renewal of a member of the Court of Auditors – Lucian Romașcanu

MEMBERS VOTING IN THE SECRET BALLOT

ECR:
Alexandraki, Axinia, Bartulica, Bay Nicolas, Berlato, Bielan, Bocheński, Brudziński, Buda Waldemar, Cavedagna, Ciccioli, Ciriani, Crosetto, Donazzan, Dworczyk, Erixon, Fidanza, Fiocchi, Fragkos, Gambino, Geadi, Gemma, Gosiewska, Inselvini, Jaki, Junco García, Kamiński, Kartheiser, Kols, Krutílek, Madison, Magoni, Maląg, Mantovani, Maréchal, Milazzo, Mularczyk, Müller, Nesci, Ozdoba, Peltier, Picaro, Piperea, Polato, Pozņaks, Procaccini, Razza, Ruissen, Rzońca, Sberna, Solier, Squarta, Storm, Sturdza, Szydło, Tarczyński, Târziu, Teodorescu, Terheş, Timgren, Tomaszewski, Torselli, Trochu, Tynkkynen, Valchev, Van Dijck, Van Overtveldt, Veryga, Vivaldini, Vondra, Vrecionová, Wąsik, Weimers, Wiśniewska, Zalewska, Zīle, Złotowski

ESN:
Anderson, Arndt, Aust, Bausemer, Borvendég, Boßdorf, Buchheit, David, Droese, Froelich, Gražulis, Jongen, Jungbluth, Khan, Knafo, Laykova, Mazurek, Neuhoff, Sell, Stoyanov, Sypniewski, Tyszka, Uhrík, Volgin

NI:
Anadiotis, Beňová, Blaha, Braun, De Masi, Dostál, Firmenich, Geisel, Iovanovici Şoşoacă, Kaliňák, Konečná, Laššáková, Lazarus, Nikolaou-Alavanos, Panayiotou, Papadakis, Pérez, Pürner, Roth Neveďalová, Sonneborn, von der Schulenburg, Warnke, Yoncheva, Zacharia

PPE:
Aaltola, Abadía Jover, Adamowicz, Aftias, Agius, Arias Echeverría, Arimont, Arłukowicz, Beke, Beleris, Bellamy, Benjumea Benjumea, Bentele, Berendsen, Berger, Bernhuber, Bogdan, Brejza, Brnjac, Buda Daniel, Budka, Bugalho, Buła, Carberry, Casa, Caspary, Castillo, Chinnici, Crespo Díaz, Cunha, Dahl, Dávid, de la Hoz Quintano, De Meo, Doherty, Doleschal, Do Nascimento Cabral, Düpont, Ehler, Estaràs Ferragut, Ezcurra Almansa, Falcă, Falcone, Farský, Ferber, Fourlas, Gahler, Gasiuk-Pihowicz, Gerzsenyi, Geuking, Gieseke, Giménez Larraz, Glavak, González Pons, Gotink, Gronkiewicz-Waltz, Hadjipantela, Halicki, Hansen, Hava, Herbst, Herranz García, Hetman, Hohlmeier, Humberto, Imart, Jarubas, Joński, Juknevičienė, Kanev, Kemp, Kircher, Kohut, Kolář, Kollár, Kopacz, Kovatchev, Kulja, Lakos, Lazarov, Lenaers, Lexmann, Liese, Lins, Lopatka, López-Istúriz White, Łukacijewska, McAllister, Mandl, Marczułajtis-Walczak, Mato, Maydell, Mažylis, Mehnert, Meimarakis, Mertens, Millán Mon, Montserrat, Morano, Motreanu, Mureşan, Navarrete Rojas, Nerudová, Nevado del Campo, Niedermayer, Novakov, Nykiel, Pascual de la Parte, Pedro, Pereira, Pietikäinen, Polfjärd, Popescu, Princi, Protas, Radev, Radtke, Ratas, Ressler, Ripa, Salini, Salla, Saudargas, Schenk, Schwab, Seekatz, Sienkiewicz, Simon, Smit, Solís Pérez, Sommen, Sousa Silva, Stier, Szczerba, Tarr, Teodorescu Måwe, Ter Laak, Terras, Tobé, Tomašič, Tomc, Tonin, Tosi, Tsiodras, Vaidere, Van Leeuwen, Verheyen, Voss, Vozemberg-Vrionidi, Vázquez Lázara, Walsh, Walsmann, Warborn, Wawrykiewicz, Wcisło, Weber, Wechsler, Winkler, Winzig, Wiseler-Lima, Zarzalejos, Zdechovský, Zdrojewski, Zoido Álvarez, Zovko, Zver

PfE:
Androuët, Annemans, Bartůšek, Bay Christophe, Blom, Bonte, Borchia, Borrás Pabón, Brasier-Clain, Bryłka, Buczek, Buxadé Villalba, Bžoch, Ceccardi, Cisint, Dauchy, Deloge, Deutsch, Diepeveen, Dieringer, Disdier, Dömötör, Dostalova, Ehlers, Ferenc, Frigout, Furet, Gál, Garraud, Girauta Vidal, Griset, Győri, Gyürk, Haider, Hauser, Hölvényi, Jamet, Joron, Knotek, Kovařík, Krištopans, Kruis, Kubín, László, Latinopoulou, Leggeri, Leonardelli, Mariani, Mayer, Moreira de Sá, Nagyová, Pennelle, Piera, Pimpie, de la Pisa Carrión, Pokorná Jermanová, Rougé, Sanchez, Sardone, Schaller-Baross, Sorel, Stancanelli, Steger, Stöteler, Szekeres, Tânger Corrêa, Tertsch, Thionnet, Tolassy, Tovaglieri, Turek, Vandendriessche, Vannacci, Varaut, Vicsek, Vilimsky, Vistisen, Werbrouck, Zijlstra

Renew:
Agirregoitia Martínez, Allione, Al-Sahlani, Auštrevičius, Azmani, Baljeu, Barna, Bosse, Boyer, Brandstätter, Canfin, Chastel, Christensen, Cotrim De Figueiredo, Cowen, Devaux, Eroglu, Farreng, Friis, García Hermida-Van Der Walle, Gerbrandy, Glück, Goerens, Gozi, Groothuis, Grudler, Guetta, Hahn, Henriksson, Ijabs, Joveva, Karlsbro, Karvašová, Katainen, Kelleher, Keller, Kobosko, Körner, Kulmuni, Kyuchyuk, Loiseau, McNamara, Minchev, Mullooly, Ní Mhurchú, Ódor, Oetjen, Paet, Petrov, Šarec, Singer, Strack-Zimmermann, Streit, Stürgkh, Tomac, Toom, Van Brug, van den Berg, Vasconcelos, Vasile-Voiculescu, Vautmans, Vedrenne, Verougstraete, Wiesner, Wiezik, Wilmès, Yar, Žalimas

S&D:
Agius Saliba, Andriukaitis, Angel, Annunziata, Arnaoutoglou, Assis, Attard, Bajada, Ballarín Cereza, Barley, Benifei, Biedroń, Bischoff, Blinkevičiūtė, Bonaccini, Borzan, Bullmann, Burkhardt, Cârciu, Cepeda, Ceulemans, Chahim, Clergeau, Corrado, Costanzo, Cremer, Cristea, Danielsson, Decaro, Dibrani, Dîncu, Di Rupo, Dobrev, Ecke, Eriksson, Fernández, Firea, Fita, Fuglsang, Gálvez, García Pérez, Geier, Germain, Glucksmann, Gomes, Gómez López, Gonçalves Bruno, Gonçalves Sérgio, Gori, Grapini, Grossmann, Gualmini, Guzenina, Heide, Heinäluoma, Homs Ginel, Incir, Jalloul Muro, Jerković, Jouvet, Kalfon, Kaljurand, Lalucq, Lange, Laurent, Laureti, López, López Aguilar, Luena, Lupo, Maestre, Maij, Maniatis, Maran, Mebarek, Mendes, Mikser, Molnár, Moreno Sánchez, Moretti, Muşoiu, Nardella, Negrescu, Nemec, Nica, Noichl, Ó Ríordáin, Pajín, Papandreou, Pellerin-Carlin, Penkova, Picula, Rafowicz, Regner, Repasi, Repp, Reuten, Ricci, Ridel, Rodrigues, Ros Sempere, Sánchez Amor, Sancho Murillo, Sargiacomo, Schaldemose, Scheuring-Wielgus, Schieder, Serrano Sierra, Sidl, Sippel, Śmiszek, Strada, Tarquinio, Temido, Tinagli, Tobback, Topo, Ušakovs, Van Brempt, Vešligaj, Vigenin, Vind, Wölken, Wolters, Zingaretti

The Left:
Andersson, Antoci, Arvanitis, Aubry, Barrena Arza, Botenga, Boylan, Carême, Chaibi, Clausen, Della Valle, Demirel, Everding, Farantouris, Flanagan, Fourreau, Funchion, Furore, Galán, Georgiou, Hassan, Kennes, Kountoura, Kyllönen, Lucano, Martins, Mesure, Montero, Morace, Oliveira, Omarjee, Palmisano, Pappas, Pedulla’, Rackete, Salis, Saramo, Schirdewan, Sjöstedt, Smith, Tamburrano, Tridico

Verts/ALE:
Andresen, Asens Llodrà, Bloss, Boeselager, Bosanac, Bricmont, Camara, Cavazzini, Cormand, Eickhout, Freund, Geese, Gregorová, Guarda, Häusling, Holmgren, Kuhnke, Langensiepen, Lövin, Marino, Marquardt, Marzà Ibáñez, Matthieu, Metz, Miranda Paz, Neumann, Niinistö, Nordqvist, Ohisalo, Orlando, Paulus, Peter-Hansen, Prebilič, Reintke, Riba i Giner, Riehl, Satouri, Sbai, Schilling, Scuderi, Sinkevičius, Søvndal, Staķis, Ştefănuță, Strik, Strolenberg, Tegethoff, Toussaint, Van Lanschot, Van Sparrentak, Vieira, Waitz

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 3, 2025

Category: Energy

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2025-47 PRELIMINARY INJUCTION GRANTED AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR MASS FIRINGS OF FEDERAL PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES

Indian Railways Achieves ₹2.56 Lakh Crore Revenue in 2023-24 with Net Profit of ₹3,260 Crore Amid Major Investments in Staff, Pension, and Energy

Indian Railways Adopts Two-Pronged Strategy to Boost Profits by Increasing Revenue and Enhancing Operational Efficiency

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Catalyzing Domestic Production and Technological Innovation

Till Feb 2025, Indian Railways Installs 209 MW Solar Plants at 2,249 Stations and Service Buildings

Indian Railways Solar Power Expansion Reaches 2249 Installations Units with 1489 Added in the Last Five Years, 2.3 Times More Than 628 in the Previous Five Years