NewzIntel.com

Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI: Trillion Energy Announces Payment of Director Fees and Debt Settlements

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Vancouver, B.C., Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Trillion Energy International Inc. (“Trillion” or the “Company”) (CSE: TCF) (OTCQB: TRLEF) (Frankfurt: Z62), announces the issuance of an aggregate of 3,516,493 common shares of the Company in settlement of $204,436.07 in debt owed by the Company to directors, officers and consultants (the “Debt Settlement“). Sean Stofer, Trillion’s Interim CEO & Chairman of the Board stated, “I would like to thank the directors and employees who have opted to receive amounts payable to them in Shares. This is a show of confidence in Trillion as we continue to move forward aggressively with plans to recommence drilling and workovers on our projects”.

    In connection with the Debt Settlement, an aggregate of 1,209,413 common shares of the Company were issued for 2024 directors fees and certain management services from directors and an officer of the Company (the “Insider Settlement“).

    The Insider Settlement is considered a “related-party transaction” within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“MI 61-101”). The Company has relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of the related party participation in the Debt Settlement based on that the fair market value of such insider participation does not exceed 25% of the Company’s market capitalization.

    About the Company

    Trillion Energy International Inc is focused on oil and natural gas production for Europe and Türkiye with natural gas assets in Türkiye. The Company is 49% owner of the SASB natural gas field, a Black Sea natural gas development and a 19.6% (except three wells with 9.8%) interest in the Cendere oil field. More information may be found on www.sedarplus.ca , and our website.

    Contact
    ‎Sean Stofer, Chairman
    Brian Park, VP of Finance
    1-778-819-1585
    E-mail: info@trillionenergy.com
    Website: www.trillionenergy.com

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This news release may contain certain forward-looking information and statements, including without limitation, statements pertaining to the Company’s ability to obtain regulatory approval of the executive officer and director appointments. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and such information involves various risks and uncertainties. Trillion does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

    These statements are no guarantee of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, delay, change of strategy, and assumptions that are difficult to predict and which may change over time. Accordingly, actual results and strategies could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. These factors include unforeseen securities regulatory challenges, COVID, oil and gas price fluctuations, operational and geological risks, changes in capital raising strategies, the ability of the Company to raise necessary funds for development; the outcome of commercial negotiations; changes in technical or operating conditions; the cost of extracting gas and oil may increase and be too costly so that it is uneconomic and not profitable to do so and other factors discussed from time to time in the Company’s filings on www.sedar.com, including the most recently filed Annual Report on Form 20-F and subsequent filings. For a full summary of our oil and gas reserves information for Turkey, please refer to our Forms F-1,2,3 51-101 filed on www.sedarplus.ca , and or request a copy of our reserves report effective December 31, 2023 and filed on April 25, 2024.

    ‎

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Drones Becoming Smaller, Lighter, More Reliable Allowing Them to Perform Broader Range of Tasks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – Due to the advancements in software and artificial intelligence, the increasing use of drones is making it easier to control and automate them. They play a crucial role in improving farming techniques. Improving productivity, and are used for environmental monitoring, disaster relief, and search & rescue operations. Drones are becoming smaller, lighter, and more reliable, which allows them to perform a broader range of tasks. Their growing popularity stems from benefits such as improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and safety. The increase in precision farming needs, aiming to boost crop productivity, drives market growth. Drone OEMs are investing in R&D for thermal cameras, multispectral sensors, and LiDAR, improving drone efficacy in monitoring fields, creating vegetation maps, and detecting issues such as disease and irrigation irregularities. Thus, it drives the market growth during the forecast period. Agricultural drones, flying at a specific altitude with sensors, provide crucial analytical data for controls crop health, treatment, exploration, field soil analysis, and yield assessments, aiding farmers in making informed decisions and reducing time and costs. According to a report from MarketsAndMarkets “Commercial drones can be provided wireless coverage during emergency cases where each drone serves as an aerial wireless base station when the cellular network goes down. They can also be used to supplement the ground base station to provide better coverage and higher data rates for users. Drones can also assist various terrestrial networks, such as device-to-device and vehicular networks. For instance, due to their mobility and LOS Communications, drones can facilitate rapid formation dissemination among ground device. Furthermore, drones can potentially improve the reliability of wireless links in D2D and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications while exploiting transmit diversity.” Active Companies in the drone industry today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO), EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: EH), Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT), AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS).

    MarketsAndMarkets continued: “Flying drones can help broadcast common information to ground devices, thereby reducing interferences in ground networks by decreasing the number of transmissions between devices. Based on operational mode, the commercial drone market has been classified into remotely piloted, optionally piloted, and fully autonomous. The remotely piloted segment is projected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period, driven by the cost-effective usage of remotely piloted UAVs in several applications ranging from defense operations to surveys. Fully autonomous drones significantly enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs across various end use such as agriculture, transport, logistics & warehousing, and Oil & Gas. Based on function, the Commercial Drone market has been segmented into passenger drones, inspection & monitoring drones, surveying & mapping drones, spraying & seeding drones, cargo air vehicles, and others. Passenger Drone segment is projected to record the highest growth during the forecast period with emergence of drone taxis as convenient means of aerial transportation of passenger at high speed.”

    ZenaTech (NASDAQ:ZENA) ZenaDrone Advances IQ Square Drone to Manufacturing Stage for Outdoor Applications Including Inspections, Surveys, and the Fast-Growth Power Washing Sector – ZenaTech, Inc. (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) (“ZenaTech”), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drones, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS and Quantum Computing solutions, announces that its subsidiary ZenaDrone has moved its first batch of IQ Square multifunction drones from prototype to manufacturing stage. This drone was designed for outdoor applications for operator line-of-site inspections such as for building and construction inspections, short-range land surveys, power washing and other business and government applications. The IQ Square is also expected to be a key part of ZenaDrone’s multifunction drone inventory for its Drone as a Service or DaaS business, which enables business and government users to hire a turnkey drone service and drone pilot through a local store for easy subscription-based or pay-as-you-go access to drones for various uses.

    “The IQ Square’s rapid progression from the prototype stage, initiated in 2022, to the manufacturing and assembly stage is a testament to our hardware and engineering team’s dedication and hard work. We see many commercial and government applications for the IQ Square, which we also envision will be central to powering our future DaaS operations as a versatile multifunction drone for multiple outdoor uses requiring line-of-site including fast growth uses like power washing,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D.

    The IQ Square will be equipped with a power wash system for use in larger-scale cleaning jobs such as stadium seating, building exteriors, and public spaces; drones eliminate the need for scaffolding, lifts, or manual labor by providing a more efficient, safe, and cost-effective solution. Tethered to a ground-based water and a power source, it is designed to maintain a continuous supply of high-pressure water needed to clean large areas without the weight limitations of onboard tanks.

    The mold and drone body frames of the first batch of IQ Square drones are currently being completed, after which they will be assembled, integrated, and tested at the company’s Sharjah, UAE production facility. The Company will oversee the integration and quality inspection of electronics, battery and propulsion systems, software, and sensor installation and calibration, concluding with final flight testing.

    According to QYResearch, the global market for drone cleaning services, including applications such as water hose-tethered power washing for stadium seats and public areas, is projected to reach approximately $53.89 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 19.3%.

    ZenaTech’s Drone as a Service or DaaS business model enables government agencies, building developers, entertainment facilities, farmers, environmental firms, etc. to conveniently access a turnkey drone solution via a local store on a pay-as-you-go or subscription basis rather than having to buy the entire drone hardware and software solution. Like Amazon Web Services, where Amazon owns computer equipment platforms and hires the personnel, with the DaaS model, ZenaDrone owns the drones, hires the pilots and ensures regulatory compliance to enable the cost savings, precision and efficiency of drones over existing legacy methods. Continued… Read this full release by visiting: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/

    Other recent developments in the drone industry include:

    Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) recently confirms through recent sales activities its positioning and preparedness to support the enhancement of border security amid evolving global trade and security uncertainties and shifting geopolitical dynamics. Highlighting recent sales activities with policing agencies, Draganfly continues to strengthen its position to support border security with advanced drone technology solutions.

    “Recent global trade challenges, tariff uncertainties, and security concerns underscore the critical importance of secure borders and resilient supply chains,” said Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly Inc. “Our recent sales activities with policing agencies is a testament to our ability and readiness to provide drone technology and services in support of border security solutions.”

    EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: EH) recently announced a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (“JAC Motors”) and Hefei Guoxian Holdings Co., Ltd. (“Guoxian Holdings”). Under this agreement, cooperation will focus on establishing a joint venture in Hefei to invest in the construction of a state-of-the-art manufacturing base for low-altitude aircraft. The facility will integrate advanced technology, standardization, and automation to produce intelligent and pilotless electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (“eVTOL”).

    The strategic cooperation signing ceremony was attended by key officials including Fei Yuan, Standing Committee Member of Hefei Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Hefei; Xingchu Xiang, Chairman, and General Manager of JAC Motors; Xingke Yin, Vice General Manager of JAC Motors; Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of EHang; and Zhao Wang, Chief Operating Officer of EHang. They were joined by other distinguished guests in witnessing the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement, marking a new milestone in the high-quality development of China’s low-altitude economy ecosystem.

    Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT) recently announced that its Black Widow drone and FlightWave Edge 130 were included on the list of 23 platforms and 14 unique components and capabilities selected as winners of the Blue UAS Refresh. The platforms will undergo National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) verification and cyber security review with the ultimate goal of joining the Blue UAS List.

    Over the coming months, the Blue UAS List and Blue UAS Framework will expand with new additions. The inclusion of the Black Widow and Edge 130 as winners of the Refresh further validates Red Cat’s commitment to delivering NDAA-compliant unmanned systems for defense and government applications.

    AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS) recently announced its participation in the inaugural XPONENTIAL Europe trade show in Dusseldorf Germany held February 18-20, 2025. AgEagle CEO Bill Irby commented, “Invaluable visibility was achieved at XPONENTIAL Europe as AgEagle further strengthened its leadership role in the worldwide UAS marketplace. Our entire product line was presented to a prominent and influential audience both directly by AgEagle and through our industry-leading partners. Notably, major European defense contractor Rheinmetall, presented AgEagle’s eBee VISION as an integral part of their offering as did Dronivo and MKS Servo. The diverse needs of European nations both commercially and defense-wise were reviewed with high-value insight provided by the congregation which included representatives from NATO. AgEagle remains committed to consistently expanding the capabilities and global footprint of our best-in-class UAS products as we continue to build long-term value for all our stakeholders.”

    XPONENTIAL Europe offered a unique combination of trade fair, live demonstrations and a top-class conference program. Daily keynotes by internationally renowned speakers before the start of the trade fair brought exhibitors and visitors together and provided important impetus for the future of autonomy. The tradeshow is the very first event put on by Messe Dusseldorf in partnership with AUVSI. Various members of the drone customer community were present, such as the German Bundeswehr and the U.S. Army, along with members of the press and industrial community.

    About FN Media Group:

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    DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM’s market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated fifty four hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by ZenaTech, Inc. by the Company. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

    This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

    Contact Information:

    Media Contact email: editor@financialnewsmedia.com – +1(561)325-8757

    SOURCE: FN Media Group

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Navy Chaplain Strengthens Warfighter Resiliency at NMRTC Rota

    Source: United States Navy (Medical)

    ROTA, Spain – As the military faces increasing operational demands, ensuring warfighter resiliency is paramount. Navy chaplains play a vital role in enhancing force readiness providing spiritual, moral, and personal support to service members and their families.

    At Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Rota, Chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Brady Rentz, better known as “Chaps,” is strengthening the commands resiliency efforts ensuring Sailors are prepared to meet mission requirements across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

    “Serving in the Navy allows me to serve the warfighters of our nation,” said Rentz. “I am able to dedicate my pastoral skills and abilities to those that are called to do some of our nation’s most difficult work.”

    Chaplains serve as force multipliers, helping military personnel navigate high-stress environments, operational deployments, and the mental demands of servicer. They provide confidential counseling, ethical advisement, and crisis intervention, and help ensure service members remain mentally, emotionally, and spiritually ready for any contingency. At overseas military hospitals, Navy chaplains work closely with medical staff to provide holistic care to all patients and staff.

    Since arriving in the fall of 2024, Rentz has spearheaded several resiliency-building efforts to include a monthly newsletter, “Warfighter Equipped.” In the newsletter Rentz, shares leadership highlights, mental toughness strategies, and highlights Sailors who exemplify resilience and high-performance standards. Additionally, as a key member of the commands Expanded Operational Stress Control team — a Culture of Excellence initiative – Rentz applies evidence-based practices to build resiliency through peer support, self-care, and connectedness.

    “Each day, I have the ability to meet people where they are,” says Rentz. “I can be present and serve each individual’s spiritual needs and follow up helping them navigate a particular season in their life.”

    “Regaining a chaplain billet is a game changer for our warfighters,” said commanding officer, Capt. William Scouten. “Spiritual resilience is a key component to operational success, and Chaps is dedicated to our Sailors and Marines, providing them the support they need to stay in the fight.”
    NMRTC Rota will further soon expand its spiritual support team with the arrival of Religious Program Specialist Third Class Eduardo Aldana, further strengthening the commands ability to prepare Sailors and civilians for increased demands.

    As the Navy continues to navigate complex, global missions, chaplains will play an increasingly vital role in supporting warfighters, building leaders, and strengthening the force. Rentz work at NMRTC Rota serves as a model for how spiritual resilience directly enhances combat readiness and mission effectiveness.

    Reflecting on his past experience, Rentz recalled one of his proudest moments while deployed aboard USS Arlington (LPD 24) where he supported Sailors and Marines in an expeditionary environment.

    “Seeing God work in their lives—offering protection, comfort, and strength in difficult times—was inspiring,” said Rentz. “In most challenging environments, I’ve witnessed how faith and resilience empower warfighters to push forward and accomplish the mission.”

    Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Rota’s strategic location in the Iberian Peninsula makes it a critical asset in supporting global medical missions throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, ensuring readiness and expertise for any contingency.

    Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: So-called Presidential elections in Georgia’s Abkhazia region on 15 February: joint statement to the OSCE

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    So-called Presidential elections in Georgia’s Abkhazia region on 15 February: joint statement to the OSCE

    The UK, Canada, Iceland and Norway underline non-recognition of the illegal so-called Presidential elections in Georgia’s Abkhazia region on 15 February 2025.

    2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government“>

    This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

    Thank you, Mr Chair. I am delivering this statement on behalf of Canada, Iceland, Norway, and my own country the United Kingdom.

    We were concerned to hear of the illegal so-called Presidential elections in Georgia’s Abkhazia region on 15 February 2025.  We do not recognise the legitimacy of these elections.

    We reaffirm our full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. We continue to call on the Russian Federation to reverse its recognition of the so-called independence of Georgia’s Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions.

    We call upon the Russian Federation to immediately fulfil its obligation under the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008 to withdraw its forces to pre-conflict positions, fulfil its commitments to allow unfettered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and cease all borderisation tactics.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Brutalism – the architectural style that dared to summon a new world from the ashes of World War II

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Michael Allen, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, West Virginia University

    Boston City Hall, which was completed in 1968, is considered a classic example of Brutalist architecture. Yunghi Kim/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

    Some viewers of “The Brutalist” are probably getting their first taste of Brutalism, the architectural style that gives the film its name.

    The film, which has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, centers on the efforts of fictional protagonist László Tóth to realize a mammoth, bunkerlike, concrete structure that will house a community center in Pennsylvania.

    A survivor of the Holocaust, Tóth insists on the building’s overwhelming scale, starkly unadorned concrete surfaces and labyrinthine interior in order to create an architectural version of the designer’s own shattered, traumatized inner world. The near-maniacal drive to finish the work becomes an intensely personal project of overcoming his trauma.

    Yet “The Brutalist” doesn’t relay much about Brutalist architecture beyond its reflexive relationship to Tóth. Drawings and photographs of real-life Brutalist buildings appear in several scenes as glimpses into Tóth’s originality and style. But the structures come across as the progeny of one architect’s ego, while the philosophy behind Brutalism remains unexplained.

    The actual story of Brutalism is so much more.

    What you see is what you get

    In my research, I’ve explored how architecture can embody values such as the common good and the human struggle for well-being. Specifically, my work explores how architecture after World War II presented a vision of a new world, one that could overcome decades of violence, exploitation and oppression.

    Brutalism, which flourished from the 1950s until around 1980, is one style that has taught me a lot.

    Brutalist buildings emphasize form using assemblies of monumental geometric shapes. While some critics find Brutalism’s heavy look and utilitarian use of materials like concrete, brick and glass harsh – even ugly – there is a beautiful intent behind them.

    Historian and critic Reyner Banham articulated Brutalism’s core ideas in a 1955 review of Peter and Alison Smith’s Hunstanton School, which was completed in 1954 in Norfolk, United Kingdom.

    Banham latched onto the French term “beton brut” – “bare concrete” – to christen the emergent style. The architects at the forefront of what Banham termed “New Brutalism” were actually thwarting the overly theorized, self-referential modernism of the times. Their buildings, he explained, exhibited three simple traits: an easily visible interior plan, direct expression of structure, and building materials that were valued for their own traits.

    In “The Brutalist,” Tóth’s insistence on plain concrete, as well as Cararra marble for the community center’s altar, captures the core of the philosophy. The materials used for Brutalist structures are not chosen as mere cladding, but as components that are essential to the building’s design. Their presence is an endorsement of their utility and beauty.

    Some Brutalist buildings, such as the Hunstanton School, are made of brick instead of concrete. Others use stone. The goal is honest expression, not in-your-face experimentation.

    Monuments to the masses

    Beyond the devotion to the materials, plan and form of buildings, Brutalism often signified a devotion to social change.

    Brutalism sought to upend preexisting social hierarchies and divisions. Its staggering forms made monuments out of ordinary places frequented by ordinary people: homes, schools, libraries.

    In the U.S., public colleges and universities erected Brutalist structures to celebrate the expansion of higher education to the masses, thanks to the GI Bill. In a project led by Walter Netsch, the University of Illinois-Chicago wove together its buildings with concrete walkways leading to a central, outdoor amphitheater. Harry Weese’s Forest Park Community College in St. Louis consisted of long, monumental brick blocks that made the junior college appear as a temple.

    Chicago-born architect Walter Netsch made an outdoor amphitheater the beating heart of the University of Illinois-Chicago’s campus.
    ArchEyes

    Well-known, if not always well-loved, public buildings such as Boston City Hall, which was built in 1968, expressed faith in modern democracy, giving the majestic government buildings of the past a new look to signify a modern egalitarianism.

    Other projects emphasized the triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement. The Neigh Dormitory at Mary Holmes College in West Point, Mississippi, was completed in 1970 by the firm of Black architect J. Max Bond Jr. Architectural historian Brian Goldstein described it as “modernism as liberation.”

    Despite Brutalism’s social optimism, it is not without detractors. In 2014, Northwestern University demolished Bertrand Goldberg’s Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago despite pleas from preservationists. According to the university, the concrete construction made the building impossible to adapt for new laboratory space.

    In Goshen, New York, county officials long viewed Paul Rudolph’s Orange County Government Center as an ugly and unpleasant seat of government, and almost succeeded in having it demolished. The building has since been remodeled to cloak the Brutalist design.

    New buildings for a new world

    In the U.K., cities faced damages from Nazi bombing during World War II as well as long-deferred upgrades to public housing. Brutalism was a key part of postwar housing recovery and expansion efforts.

    Perhaps the most iconic Brutalist structure in the U.K. is Erno Goldfinger’s 31-story Trellick Tower, a frequent setting for film and music videos.

    That same year, Alison and Peter Smithson unveiled their massive apartment complex, Robin Hood Gardens, in London. With its hulking concrete forms and “streets in the sky” – wide, outdoor decks on each story that were meant to mimic street life and facilitate contact with neighbors – the project demonstrated that working-class people could not only have modern apartments, but also live in new ways. London’s massive, middle-class Barbican Estate, completed in 1982, created a small city within the city, replete with plazas, a waterway and iconic concrete and brick buildings.

    London’s Robin Hood Gardens was famously built with ‘streets in the sky.’
    Matthew Lloyd/PA Images via Getty Images

    Other European Brutalist works directly confront the horrors of World War II.

    The Swiss-French architect and artist known as Le Corbusier built the Convent at Sainte Marie de La Tourette in France in the 1950s with concrete shapes resembling cannons and machine-gun barrels in its walls.

    In Paris, Georges-Henri Pingusson’s Memorial to the Martyrs of Deportation, built in 1962, commemorates the lives of 200,000 victims of the Holocaust through an assemblage of stark, monolithic concrete forms.

    While the Soviet Union’s 1950s and 1960s prefabricated concrete panel housing estates built under Premier Nikita Khruschev embody the Brutalist devotion to cost efficiency and social problem-solving, projects in the former Yugoslavia show how Brutalism could symbolize the rebirth of a people. Housing projects and commercial blocks in New Belgrade forged a new architecture for a new nation – and, in a sense, a new nationality.

    And on the site of the Jasenovac concentration camp in Croatia, run by a Nazi puppet regime, architect Bogdan Bogdanović crafted perhaps the most optimistic acknowledgment of the will to overcome the 20th century’s darkest hours.

    Where slave labor once made bricks, and thousands lost their lives, the designer crafted a massive concrete monument, completed in 1969. The stark form suggests a flower emerging from tortured soil but set upon thriving anyway.

    To me, monuments like Bogdanović’s show how Brutalism is the perfect style to convey the earnest hope that a new world is possible.

    Bogdan Bogdanović’s memorial honors the people killed at the Jasenovac concentration camp in Croatia.
    Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

    Michael Allen is an Advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

    – ref. Brutalism – the architectural style that dared to summon a new world from the ashes of World War II – https://theconversation.com/brutalism-the-architectural-style-that-dared-to-summon-a-new-world-from-the-ashes-of-world-war-ii-248957

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: More Americans of all political stripes support government benefits for low-income people − and Black Lives Matter could be a big reason why

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Karyn Vilbig, PhD Student in Sociology, New York University

    A protester leads a Black Lives Matter rally in San Francisco on June 3, 2020. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

    For all the apparent division over Black Lives Matter, the movement may have had a widespread and positive impact on Americans’ support for policies that help the poor.

    Since the Black Lives Matter movement launched in 2013, several studies using a range of datasets have all found that Americans’ views of Black people have become significantly more positive. As a sociologist who researches the safety net, I wondered how this might translate to support for policies that support low-income Americans.

    That’s because perceptions of Black people have long been one of the best predictors of whether someone favors government aid for low-income people.

    If this has held true, more positive views of Black Americans should translate into more support for social welfare programs. Indeed, since 2012, the share of Americans who support higher spending on these programs has grown by 12%.

    It still wasn’t clear, though, whether that boost in support was due to some other factor – say, the dramatic economic fallout associated with the COVID-19 pandemic or the success of the government stimulus programs that followed – as opposed to shifts in racial attitudes.

    So I decided to explore the extent to which these changes in attitudes about government benefits can be attributed to recent shifts in racial attitudes. I found that nearly all of the increase in support for these safety net programs since 2012 can be explained by changes related to Americans’ racial attitudes.

    Who receives these benefits?

    When Americans think about welfare beneficiaries, they usually picture Black people.

    It’s true that Black Americans are overrepresented among those who receive government assistance. For example, Black people make up just 14% of the U.S. population but 30% of those enrolled in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

    That being said, the majority of recipients of government aid are white.

    For decades, however, TV shows, movies and the news media have portrayed Black people as impoverished recipients of government benefits. This has caused many Americans to incorrectly presume that these programs support mostly Black people.

    Because so many Americans have traditionally held negative views toward Black people, the mental association between Black people and poverty has undermined support for government programs – and has perhaps even prevented the United States from developing the kind of robust social safety net that is found in many other affluent countries.

    The ‘welfare queen’ myth advanced by President Ronald Reagan has been hard to dislodge in the American imagination.

    Feelings toward Black people have shifted

    Since 2012, however, Americans’ racial attitudes have dramatically changed.

    In 2012, for example, 49% of Americans responding to the General Social Survey, a long-standing national survey that measures societal change, said Black-white differences in income, housing and jobs were due to a lack of willpower on the part of Black people. By 2022, the most recent year available, this number had fallen to 29%.

    There’s been a debate about the exact cause of these dramatic changes. But many researchers credit the Black Lives Matter movement.

    Black Lives Matter began in 2013 in response to the acquittal of the man who murdered Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager. It gained further momentum in 2014 with the police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. In 2020, following the police murder of George Floyd, it became the largest movement in U.S. history by number of protesters.

    Past research has linked specific waves of Black Lives Matter protests to increased attention on racial inequality and decreases in racial prejudice.

    Breaking down the data

    Meanwhile, support for government benefits for low-income people has also grown in recent years.

    To figure out whether increased support for Black people was tied into more support for government aid for the poor, I analyzed two national datasets by running a type of statistical analysis called “decomposition.”

    A decomposition analysis takes the difference between two groups and breaks it into different parts to explain what’s behind that difference. For example, decomposition analysis has been used to explain the pay gap between men and women. These analyses often find that part of the gender pay gap can be explained by differences in the average number of hours men and women work and by differences in the payoff to a college degree experienced by men and women, among other things. Instead of comparing men and women, I compare Americans in 2012 versus Americans in 2020.

    In my analysis, I found that improved attitudes toward Black people between 2012 and 2020, more than any other measure, explained increased support for welfare programs during that same period.

    A second factor also helps to explain the increased support for the safety net: Americans are exhibiting greater alignment between their racial and social policy attitudes.

    In the past, many Americans expressed support for racial equality in principle but opposed the policies that might actually achieve it. I found something new. In 2020, most Americans didn’t just say that they want racial equality in the abstract. They also expressed support for the programs they believed will bring it about.

    Supporters of the Civil Rights Movement demonstrate against racial segregation outside a Woolworth’s store in New York City in 1960.
    Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

    GOP voters have changed, too

    These progressive attitude shifts can even be found among Republican – albeit to a lesser extent. Republican politicians once appealed to voters by disparaging welfare recipients and Black people. In light of these attitude shifts, that approach no longer appears to be a recipe for political success in America.

    Instead, Republicans have made opposition to immigration central to their campaigns. Immigration is an issue where Republicans perform well with voters, and this strategy has paid off at the voting booth.

    But governing requires attention to more than just the issues that poll well.

    Particularly when it comes to decisions about the safety net, Republicans find themselves in an awkward position. As recent budget debates in the House have made clear, the goal of dramatically cutting government spending conflicts with promises to protect the social programs Republican voters increasingly support.

    The safety net may very well become a major liability for the Republican Party. To the extent that the GOP continues to back spending cuts for programs that help millions of low-income people, it will be out of step with many of its voters. But if it follows the lead of right-wing parties in Europe and supports the safety net, it will be at odds with many of its donors.

    Karyn Vilbig received funding for this work from the American Sociological Association’s Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (ASA DDRIG).

    – ref. More Americans of all political stripes support government benefits for low-income people − and Black Lives Matter could be a big reason why – https://theconversation.com/more-americans-of-all-political-stripes-support-government-benefits-for-low-income-people-and-black-lives-matter-could-be-a-big-reason-why-247764

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Israel’s bombing of Gaza caused untold environmental damage − recovery will take effort and time

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lesley Joseph, Research Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering, University of South Carolina

    Vast areas in Gaza have been reduced to rubble. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    The war in Gaza has come with an awful cost. Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed, and thousands more are missing. And while a temporary ceasefire has allowed for increased aid delivery, easing the plight of those facing disease and hunger, experts predict malnutrition and health issues to persist for months or even years.

    Much of the territory’s infrastructure – its schools, hospitals and homes – has been damaged or destroyed. And yet, the tremendous human and societal loss has been augmented by a lesser reported but potentially catastrophic, consequence: environmental devastation.

    In June 2024, the United Nations Environment Programme conducted an environmental impact assessment to evaluate the damage resulting from Israeli military actions in Gaza. It found “unprecedented levels of destruction” from the intensive bombing campaign, along with the complete collapse of water and solid waste systems, and widespread contamination of the soil, water and air. And that was before another six months of bombing caused further damage to Gaza.

    As a scholar of environmental justice, I have thought carefully about the impact that a lack of clean water, access to sanitation facilities, and the absence of basic infrastructure can have on a community, particularly vulnerable and marginalized populations. The current pause in fighting is providing respite for the 2.2 million people in Gaza who have endured more than a year of war. It also provides an opportunity to evaluate the environmental damage to the densely populated enclave in three crucial areas: the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, or WASH; air quality; and waste management.

    Here is what we know so far:

    WASH sector

    According to an interim damage assessment released by the World Bank, U.N. and E.U. in March 2024, an estimated US$502.7 million of damage was inflicted on the WASH sector in Gaza in the initial months of bombing, including damage to approximately 57% of the water infrastructure.

    The United Nations reported that water desalination plants in Gaza, 162 water wells and two of the three water connections with Israel’s national water provider had been severely damaged.

    As a result, the amount of available water in Gaza was at that point reduced to roughly 2-8 liters per person per day – below the World Health Organization emergency daily minimum of 15 liters and far below its standard recommendation of 50-100 liters per day.

    In November 2024, meanwhile, the charity Oxfam reported that all five wastewater treatment plants in Gaza had been forced to shut down, along with the majority of its 65 wastewater pumping stations. This resulted in ongoing discharges of raw, untreated sewage into the environment. As of June 2024, an estimated 15.8 million gallons of wastewater has been discharged into the environment in and around Gaza, according to the U.N. environmental report.

    Meanwhile, sanitation facilities for Palestinians in Gaza are practically nonexistent. Reporting from U.N. Women states that people in Gaza routinely walk long distances and then wait for hours just to use a toilet, and due to the lack of water, these toilets cannot be flushed or cleaned.

    Air quality

    The air quality in Gaza has been drastically impacted by this war. NASA satellite imagery from the first few months of the war found that approximately 165 fires were recorded in Gaza from October 2023 to January 2024.

    With a shortage of electricity, residents have been forced to burn various materials, including plastics and household waste, for cooking and heating. And this has contributed to a dangerous decline in air quality.

    Meanwhile, large amounts of dust, debris and chemical releases have been produced from explosions and the destruction of infrastructure, leading to significant air pollution. In February 2024, the U.N. Mine Action Service estimated that, in the first few months of the war alone, more than 25,000 tons of explosives had been used, equivalent to “two nuclear bombs.”

    Waste management

    In the first six months of bombardment, more than 39 million tons of debris were generated, much of it likely to contain harmful contaminants, including asbestos, residue from explosives and toxic medical waste.

    Human remains are also mixed in with this debris, with estimates that over 10,000 bodies remain under the rubble. Moreover, the three main landfills in the Gaza Strip have been closed and are unable to receive waste or conflict-related debris.

    Substantial damage has been done to five out of six solid waste management facilities, and solid waste continues to accumulate at camps and shelters, with an estimate of 1,100 to 1,200 tons being generated daily.

    The charge of ‘ecocide’

    With such environmental destruction, claims of “ecocide” have been made against the Israeli government by international rights groups.

    Although not presently incorporated into the framework of international law, there have been recent efforts for ecocide to be added as a crime under the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court. Indeed, a panel of experts in 2021 proposed a working definition of ecocide as “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment caused by those acts.”

    To date, 15 countries have criminalized ecocide, and Ukraine is investigating Russia for ecocide for its destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023.

    Various organizations, including the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, the University of California Global Health Institute and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, have stated that the level of environmental devastation in Gaza reaches the proposed legal definition of “ecocide.”

    Although the Israeli government has not responded to these accusations, it has consistently stated that it has a right to defend itself and that it seeks to protect civilians as it conducts its military operations.

    Health impacts of environmental harm

    Regardless of whether the charge of ecocide applies to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, the environmental impact, the spread of disease, and other harmful health impairments will be felt for years to come.

    The United Nations Relief and Works Agency reported an increase in hepatitis A in the enclave, from 85 cases before the current war to 107,000 cases in October 2024. The WHO has reported 500,000 cases of diarrhea and 100,000 cases of lice and scabies, along with the reemergence of polio.

    Polio virus has been found in wastewater, threatening the lives of Palestinian children in Gaza.
    Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images

    The lack of adequate WASH facilities has also disproportionately affected women and girls by interfering with basic menstrual hygiene, harming their mental and physical health.

    Meanwhile, the increased presence of dangerous air pollutants has led to increases in respiratory issues, including nearly 1 million acute respiratory illnesses. Presently, the most common respiratory ailments in Gaza are asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, pneumonia and lung cancer.

    Next steps

    As a licensed environmental engineer, I have never seen the scale of environmental destruction that has occurred in Gaza.

    While the situation is unprecedented, there are concrete steps that the international community can take to help Gaza’s environment recover. The three-stage ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which went into effect on Jan. 19, 2025, is a promising first step. This agreement has allowed some Israeli hostages to be released and Palestinian detainees to return to their homes. It also allows for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to deal with the current food crisis and health emergency.

    Nevertheless, there are significant challenges ahead for the people of Gaza. First, the ceasefire agreement will need to hold – and already there are signs of difficulty in implementing the agreement in full. Should fighting resume, that will close or delay the opportunity for engineers and surveyors to perform detailed, comprehensive field assessments.

    Meanwhile, the need for a post-conflict plan for Gaza has never been starker.

    Recovering from Gaza’s environmental devastation will require Israel and neighboring countries, as well as influential world powers such as the United States and the European Union, to work together to rebuild critical infrastructure, such as water and wastewater treatment plants and solid waste infrastructure. Moreover, to succeed, any long-term plan for the reconstruction of Gaza will need to prioritize the needs and perspectives of Palestinians themselves.

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

    – ref. Israel’s bombing of Gaza caused untold environmental damage − recovery will take effort and time – https://theconversation.com/israels-bombing-of-gaza-caused-untold-environmental-damage-recovery-will-take-effort-and-time-245311

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Gatwick expansion unwanted, say Greens

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    by Green Party

    Responding to the Transport Secretary’s decision to pursue a positive decision for Gatwick Airport to bring its northern terminal into constant use, (1) Siân Berry Green MP for Brighton Pavilion said:

    “The Labour government is trashing its climate credentials one absurd decision at a time. Only one day after receiving critical advice from its own climate advisors on the need to lower flying demand, ministers continue to support yet more unnecessary expansion for the benefit of wealthy investors.

    “Pushing through these damaging plans shows such poor economic judgement. Over 100,000 extra flights a year won’t deliver for our communities. Labour should listen to the public who think airport expansion is the wrong priority. Most of us fly once a year if at all and would rather see cheaper train tickets and more bus routes instead to help with our daily journeys and create jobs where we live, in contrast with frequent flyers leaching money out of the economy.

    “The green economy grew by ten per cent last year, and this is where Labour should be investing to deliver high-wage, long-term jobs across the entire country.”

    (1) Transport planning: Gatwick Airport – GOV.UK

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Environment Agency grants permit for Portland incinerator

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Environment Agency grants permit for Portland incinerator

    Conditions are being put on site operations and granting an environmental permit will not impact outcome of judicial review into site’s planning permission.

    Conditions have been set in the permit on emissions and their monitoring, plant operation, waste type and quantity

    The Environment Agency has today granted an application for a permit to operate a new non-hazardous waste incinerator in Portland port. 

    Following a number of consultations, the agency agreed that Powerfuel Portland Ltd had met all of the necessary criteria needed for the environmental permit to be given for the proposed incinerator. Where an application meets the requirements of the Environmental Permitting Regulations (2016) the agency must issue a permit.

    Conditions have been set in the permit on emissions and their monitoring, operation of the plant and the amount and type of waste to be accepted. The permit limits the waste that can be incinerated to refuse derived fuel – that is produced from domestic municipal solid waste (MSW) and commercial & industrial (C&I) waste unsuitable for recycling.

    A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:

    We have carefully considered all of the submissions we received during the various consultations and we thank everyone who took the time to contact us with their views.

    Background

    The Environment Agency does not look at issues around vehicle movements to and from the site, working hours and whether or not the site is suitable for this kind of work. All of those are matters dealt with through the local authority planning process and is entirely separate from the environmental permitting process. 

    Although the planning permission granted by the Secretary of State is currently subject to a judicial review, we do not consider the outcome of that process would impact our conclusions on the environmental permit. Nor will granting the permit affect the outcome of the court proceedings, which will be determined on their own merits.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Increase of domestic timber to boost UK economy and housebuilding

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Increase of domestic timber to boost UK economy and housebuilding

    New vision by government to deliver on its Plan for Change by increasing timber use in construction and boosting economic growth.

    Credit: BSW Timber

    A new roadmap to get Britain building with the use of sustainable and low carbon building materials, will help solve the housing crisis and achieve 2050 net zero targets.

    New, ambitious plans to increase the use of timber in construction to boost the domestic timber industry, economic growth, rural jobs and housebuilding targets, have been announced by Environment Minister Mary Creagh today (Thursday 27th February) at the Timber in Construction (TiC) Summit in London.

    The government has outlined new methods to deliver on its Plan for Change that will help to build 1.5million sustainable and affordable homes, create a low-waste circular construction sector and drive further investment into domestic timber and wood-processing supply chains.

    Speaking at the TiC Summit, Minister Creagh confirmed the government will recommit to the Timber in Construction Roadmap, which outlines measures to increase the use of timber in the construction sector. 

    David Hopkins (CEO of Timber Development UK), Defra Environment Minister Creagh, Andrew Carpenter (CEO of Structural Timber Association) , Andy Leitch (Deputy Chief Executive of Confor) at the Timber in Construction Summit, London, February 2025 Credit: Timber Development UK

    Using timber in construction is one of the best ways to reduce emissions from buildings. Around 25% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are from the built environment, and larger buildings can store up to 400% more carbon when built out of engineered timber products compared to when built with concrete. Currently only 80% of the timber the UK uses is imported.

    The new Timber in Construction Roadmap outlines more ambitious Government priorities and key actions including:

    • Encouraging the use of sustainable, low carbon building materials, and ensuring carbon emissions are considering during the design, construction and use of buildings.
    • Fulfilling the Government’s commitment to delivering 1.5m homes this Parliament by using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) including the use of timber, to boost productivity in housebuilding and deliver high quality, energy efficient new homes.
    • Creating a circular economy by championing timber’s potential for a clean growth future – supporting the construction sector to use the most sustainable, low carbon materials and construction techniques.
    • Accelerating economic growth by creating new and diverse green jobs in the productive forestry and timber sectors, as well as stimulating further investment into domestic timber and wood processing supply chains.

    These actions will go alongside recommitting to existing plans such as promoting timber as a construction material, boosting skills and capacity across the supply chain and increasing the supply of sustainable timber products.

    Environment Minister Mary Creagh said:

    “This Government is getting Britain building.

     “Our Plan for Change will build 1.5 million homes this Parliament. Timber will play a vital role benefitting development and nature.”

    Forestry Commission Chief Executive, Richard Stanford said: 

     ”To reach net zero, we must increase timber production from homegrown trees and use that timber in our buildings to sequester carbon. The Timber in Construction Roadmap will propel forestry production in England to ensure timber security, reduce our dependence on imports, and address the nature crisis by boosting biodiversity, improving water quality, and providing more green spaces for people.

    “The Forestry Commission will continue to collaborate closely with partners from the timber, forestry, and construction sectors in this critical area of work for many years ahead”.

    Alex Goodfellow, Chair of the Confederation of Timber Industries, and CEO of Donaldson Offsite said:

    “The Minister’s support for the Timber in Construction Roadmap shows the Government’s firm commitment to a growth agenda: growth for forestry, for housing, for low-carbon skills and for the economy. The timber supply chain is a major economic player in the UK, connecting rural and urban environments. 

    “Timber frame construction is a well-proven technology and business model for delivering houses rapidly and sustainably while improving quality.  By accelerating this growth we can build more low-carbon housing today while providing a market pull for expanding forests. As a supply chain we will support the Government to deliver on all of the goals in the Roadmap and help build a more sustainable future.”

    The amended Roadmap goes further than previous Government commitments, setting out more ambitious targets and actions to increase the use of homegrown timber in construction in a move to reduce carbon emissions, provide green jobs of the future, create affordable and sustainable housing, and drive-up economic growth.

    Increasing the domestic production of timber will create new green jobs in the forestry and wood processing sectors, which contribute over £3bn to the UK economy.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Black Country street racing injunction remains in place

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The injunction, led by the City of Wolverhampton Council on behalf of Dudley Council, Sandwell Council and Walsall Council and supported by West Midlands Police, prohibits people from: participating in, as a driver, rider or passenger, street racing; from promoting, organising or publicising gatherings; or from participating as a spectator.

    The injunction covers the whole of the boroughs of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall and anyone found to be breaching it will be in contempt of court and may be imprisoned, fined or have their assets seized. They may also be ordered to pay the council’s legal costs of any hearing.

    The High Court originally granted the full and final injunction in February 2024 with the injunction and power of arrest remaining in force until at least 2027 subject to annual review.

    At yesterday’s review hearing, Mr Justice Ritchie permitted the injunction to continue, with minor amendments to the wording, after hearing evidence from the Claimant councils that there was a “pressing need for a continuance” of the injunction.

    Pardip Nagra, Wolverhampton Anti Social Behaviour Team Leader, told the court that the injunction had reduced racing and led to 7 people being found in contempt of court following committal applications for breach of the injunction in the Black Country over the last 13 months.

    Meanwhile PC Mark Campbell from Operation Hercules, West Midlands Police’s tactical response to street racing, described how there had been a 38% decrease in complaints relating to street racing in the Black Country between 2023 and 2024.

    Mr Justice Ritchie said: “Street racing involves speeding, loud noise, convoys, racing, stunts and obstructions.

    “I find that the order has been very effective in protecting the public, catching criminals, bringing them before the court quickly, and giving them a punishment which seems to be working.

    “This action has probably saved lives and very probably prevented injuries – and the councils and police should be congratulated on doing it.”

    Mr Justice Ritchie added that the injunction will remain in place in its current form until the revised order comes into effect in the coming weeks.

    Speaking on behalf of the Claimant councils, Councillor Obaida Ahmed, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Digital and Community, said: “We very much welcome the High Court’s decision to allow the street racing injunction to continue.

    “The court was presented with a wealth of evidence about the impact that the injunction has had, not only in bringing the perpetrators of street racing to justice but in preventing meets from occurring in the first place, and we hope it will continue to restrain this anti-social and dangerous activity across the Black Country.”

    For more information about the street racing injunction, please visit the street racing pages of the applicants – Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell or Dudley – which are in the process of being updated.

    Incidents of street racing should be reported via asbu@wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk or to West Midlands Police on 101. In an emergency, always dial 999.

    Police are also inviting members of the public to submit dash cam or mobile phone footage of street racing events or dangerous driving via its Op Snap website.

    A further annual review of the injunction will be held by the High Court in around 12 months’ time, on a date to be fixed in due course.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pharmacist sentenced for Covid-19 grant fraud

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Sundip Gill is a registered pharmacist trading from four separate business premises located in Wolverhampton, including chemist shops named Collateral, Your Pharmacy First, Low Hill Pharmacy, and Fallings Park Pharmacy. He is also a director of 2 pharmaceutical companies, Sync Chem Ltd and Collateral Ltd.

    During the Covid 19 pandemic, the Government introduced grants to assist and support local businesses to continue to trade.

    The City of Wolverhampton Council allocated extra funding through the introduction of its Relight Programme. The grants were designed to support local businesses to improve their premises and increase carbon efficiency, with 2 types of grants available, both intended to support the recovery of the local economy.

    Businesses could apply for both grants and, if they met the qualifying criteria, would be awarded up to £5,000 for each successful application. Applications had to be accompanied by 2 like for like quotations for planned improvement works.

    Gill submitted 8 grant applications to the Relight Programme and could potentially have received a total of £40,000.

    However, the council’s Counter Fraud Team were alerted to discrepancies with the quotations supplied by Gill leading to further checks whereupon it was discovered that Gill had submitted fake quotations in support of his grant applications.

    Following a detailed investigation, Gill was charged with 18 offences of dishonesty and Sync Chem Ltd and Collateral Ltd were charged with 6 offences of dishonesty, all under sections 1, 2 and 7 of the Fraud Act 2006.

    Gill denied the charges but was subsequently found guilty on all counts and, at Dudley Magistrates Court on Friday (21 February, 2025), Gill was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months, 200 hours unpaid work to be completed within 12 months and ordered to pay £3,000 costs and a £128 victim surcharge. Meanwhile, Sync Chem Ltd was ordered to pay a fine of £12,000, £2,500 costs, and a £190 victim surcharge and Collateral Ltd was ordered to pay a fine of £6,000, £2,500 costs, and £190 victim surcharge.

    During sentencing District Judge Graham Wilkinson told Gill: “You have been convicted for being fully involved in fraud and your attempts to exploit a system to assist legitimate businesses.” He added that Gill had shown “no remorse.”

    Councillor Louise Miles, the council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “The Relight Programme was designed to support local business through, and to recover from, the Covid-19 pandemic, and not to be abused in the way that it was by Sundip Gill.

    “The council has a policy of zero tolerance towards public sector fraud. It is far from a victimless crime, and its impacts ripple through our society, affecting every individual and the services we all rely on, and we will not hesitate to take action in instances like this.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council led teamwork helps to keep rough sleeper levels down across city

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The data snapshot – taken once a year and based on one night – puts rough sleeper levels in Wolverhampton at 8.

    The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has published the latest figures following a count in October 2024. It shows Wolverhampton has fewer rough sleepers than most cities in the country and one of the lowest levels in the region.

    Across England the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2024 was 4,667. This has risen for the third year in a row, increasing 20% since 2023. The West Midlands region saw a 35% increase in rough sleepers in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the single night figures.

    City of Wolverhampton Council heads a multi agency approach with the P3 Charity, Good Shepherd Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton BID, Wolverhampton Homes, Recovery Near You, West Midlands Police and others.

    Support offered by partner agencies not only addresses housing issues but also helps with reducing debts, improving skills, controlling substance use and managing mental and physical health issues. All those identified as rough sleeping during the count were offered support, including accommodation.

    Councillor Steve Evans, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Housing at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “The low figures are a testament to work that goes into supporting our most vulnerable people all year round.

    “Our revised 5 year Homelessness Prevention Strategy underpins our commitment, through a joined up approach, to ensuring no-one is left behind.

    “We will build on partnership work to tackle the root causes of homelessness while working to deliver good homes in well connected neighbourhoods that support strong families where children grow up well and achieve their full potential.”

    Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: “People who sleep rough also often have complex and multiple health and care needs. An important part of our work in this area is to help people improve their health and social wellbeing, supporting them to find long term solutions and break the cycle.”

    P3 Charity Head of Support & Community Services, Sam Bailey, said: “We’re proud of the collective difference we’ve made to rough sleeping in Wolverhampton, but we can’t rest on our laurels.

    “In collaboration with our partners, we’ll continue the exceptional, people centric approach that we’re known for, ensuring our interventions are effective and long lasting. Our commitment continues until we’re confident there is no longer anyone in Wolverhampton who needs to spend a night on the streets.”

    For details on how to contact support services to help those experiencing rough sleeping, visit Rough sleeping, P3 Charity or Street Support Network – Find Help.

    Donate online via JustGiving or by using the charity’s tap and go points in Railway Drive or Victoria Square.

    Concerned about someone sleeping rough? Visit StreetLink.

    For help with the cost of living visit Cost of Living Support.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko discussed the construction of a school in Bratsk with Sergei Kravtsov and the Governor of the Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Dmitry Chernyshenko discussed the construction of a school in Bratsk with Sergei Kravtsov and the Governor of the Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko held a working meeting with Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov and Governor of the Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev on the topic of building a school in the 26th microdistrict of Bratsk.

    The issue of continuing the construction of a secondary comprehensive school for 1,275 students, which had been suspended due to a lack of funds, was raised during government hour in the Federation Council chaired by Valentina Matviyenko. To resolve it, Dmitry Chernyshenko met with Sergei Kravtsov and Igor Kobzev.

    “Creating educational infrastructure is one of the priority areas. Situations with suspensions and missed deadlines are unacceptable. I ask the Ministry of Education, together with the region, to find optimal options for solving the issue with the involvement of federal budget funds,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    The Deputy Prime Minister added that the situation with the school will be taken under special control.

    “There is indeed a demand for high-quality educational infrastructure in the region, and our task is to provide comfortable conditions for the education of all children. The Ministry of Education has studied the situation. When building schools, an extremely responsible approach is important on the ground. We will keep the issue of building a school in Bratsk under control,” said Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov.

    Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev noted the importance of building a new school in Bratsk. According to him, the central part of the city is growing quite quickly, many children are appearing. Today, more than 1 thousand students in the district study in the second shift.

    “We will do everything to make the new school a real modern center for developing the potential of each child, including children with special needs, the best center for career guidance and self-determination of schoolchildren and, of course, a creative professional environment for teachers. Yes, large construction projects do not always have an easy fate, there are restraining factors, such as the complexity of the designed object, rising prices for construction materials, inflation processes, and the human factor is not excluded in some places. Our task is to complete the construction of a new school in Bratsk through joint efforts,” said Igor Kobzev.

    The Governor of the Irkutsk Region also promised that the school will accept students in September 2027.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fianna Fail TD displays Putin like attitude on anniversary of the invasion of the Ukraine

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    Statement by TUV vice chairman Councillor Allister Kyle:

    “The remarks by Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe in which he described the existence of Northern Ireland as “a source of hurt” were deeply ironic, particularly in the context of a debate on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    “The mindset displayed by Mr Crowe is strikingly similar to that of President Putin who has attacked the right of Ukraine to exist.

    “To talk about respecting “territorial boundaries” in a speech in which he attacks the existence of the Irish Republic’s nearest neighbour shows an irony bypass which is hard to fathom.

    “His remarks should act as a wake up call to Unionists who have bought into the Protocol implementing process. Far from regarding the Belfast Agreement as a settlement, Mr Crowe described it as “only a stepping-stone” to an all-Ireland.

    “It is time that he, his party and indeed the EU showed a little bit of respect for “territorial boundaries”. Perhaps then they could be taken seriously when it comes to Ukraine. Unionism too would do well to reflect on the fact that that the constitutional ambitions of Dublin remain unchanged.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Infinidat’s James “JT” Lewis Recognized As a 2025 CRN® Channel Leader for EMEA and APAC

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Infinidat, a leading provider of enterprise storage solutions, today announced that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named James “JT” Lewis, Infinidat’s Director of Channel Sales for EMEA and APJ, and Regional Sales Director for DACH and France, a 2025 CRN® Channel Leader for EMEA and APAC. This is the second consecutive year that JT Lewis is recognized by CRN as a regional Channel Leader.

    This CRN Channel Leaders list recognizes IT vendor and distribution executives who lead channel strategies for their organizations and drive innovations across channel initiatives in EMEA and APAC. The annual list honors channel leaders who are dedicated to building and evolving strategies that drive success for their channel partners and customers. As a highly respected Infinidat channel sales leader, Lewis strategically sets the channel agenda across the regions.

    “At Infinidat, we empower our channel partners to find and capitalize on new sales opportunities in the enterprise market. A focus on pursuing new customer accounts, embracing the use cases where we excel, and leveraging Infinidat’s award-winning differentiation is key to the growth of our partners’ businesses,” said JT Lewis, who provides channel sales leadership for both EMEA and APJ. “Not only is Infinidat’s Partner Program comprehensive, compelling and competitive, but we hold ourselves to the highest standard to provide unmatched white glove support to our partners. We make it easy to do business with Infinidat, and I predict our partners will increase their revenues in 2025 when they share this focus with us as a trusted partner.”

    Lewis is responsible for all of Infinidat’s sales activities through the channel, leading the way for further strategic growth in both EMEA and APJ. His role was expanded in July 2024 with a promotion because of his success in the channel. In his role as Channel Director, EMEA and APJ, he has been instrumental in successfully growing Infinidat’s business in these regions and increasing channel engagement, building a strong ecosystem of dedicated channel partners. Lewis drove new enhancements to the company’s Partner Program for EMEA and APJ in 2024 to augment the experience that channel partners have with Infinidat. Enhancements included new tiering levels for partners, an enhanced deal registration process, new backend rebates, and redesigned criteria for MDF.

    Lewis, who joined Infinidat in 2022 to head up channel sales for the company in EMEA and APJ, has extensive channel expertise and experience. Prior to Infinidat, he worked for Data Interchange as head of channel sales and was the strategy and growth officer for Altdata Technology Solutions, focusing on the cybersecurity market. He spent 15 years at EMC and RSA, based in London and Frankfurt, where he built up comprehensive experience in the recruitment, enablement, and leadership of channel partners and distributors.

    “The leaders we honor this year reimagine what’s possible in the channel and consistently deliver best-in-class programs that drive results for solution providers across EMEA,” said Victoria Pavlova, Editor, CRN UK, at The Channel Company. “Their ability to forge meaningful partnerships and craft dynamic strategies is transformative for providers and the channel. It’s a privilege to recognize their groundbreaking contributions and celebrate their role in shaping the future of the channel.”

    Recognized for the positive difference that he has made for channel partners since joining Infinidat, Lewis was one of CRN’s Regional Channel Chiefs last year when CRN UK launched their inaugural Regional Channel Chiefs list, which covers EMEA and APAC channel leaders. The 2025 accolade for Lewis expands recognition of him in APAC as well.

    CRN’s 2025 Channel Leaders list is available at CRN UK.

    About The Channel Company
    The Channel Company (TCC) is the global leader in channel growth for the world’s top technology brands. We accelerate success across strategic channels for tech vendors, solution providers, and end users with premier media brands, integrated marketing and event services, strategic consulting, and exclusive market and audience insights. TCC is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm. For more information, visit thechannelco.com.

    About Infinidat
    Infinidat provides enterprises and service providers with a platform-native primary and secondary storage architecture that delivers comprehensive data services based on InfiniVerse®. This unique platform delivers outstanding IT operating benefits, support for modern workloads across on-premises and hybrid multi-cloud environments. Infinidat’s cyber resilient-by-design infrastructure, consumption-based performance, 100% availability, and cyber security guaranteed SLAs align with enterprise IT and business priorities. Infinidat’s award-winning platform-native data services and acclaimed white glove service are continuously recommended by customers, as recognized by Gartner® Peer Insights reviews. For more information, visit www.infinidat.com.

    Connect with Infinidat
    About Infinidat
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    Media Contact
    Infinidat
    Sapna Capoor
    Director of Global Communications
    scapoor@infinidat.com I Mobile: +44 (0) 7789684159

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Ress Life Investments A/S announces capital increase

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Ress Life Investments A/S
    Nybrogade 12,
    1203 Copenhagen K
    Denmark
    CVR nr. 33593163
    www.resslifeinvestments.com
    To: Nasdaq Copenhagen
    Date: 27 February 2025

    Corporate Announcement 07/2025

    Ress Life Investments A/S announces capital increase.

    The Board of Directors in Ress Life Investments A/S has today resolved to utilise its authorisation in article 4.8 of the articles of association to increase the company’s share capital with nominally EUR 96,000 by issuance of 192 new shares with a nominal value of EUR 500 each at a price of EUR 2496.32 per share of EUR 500 without pre-emption rights for the company’s existing shareholders.

    After the capital increase, the registered share capital of the company is EUR 87,873,500 divided into 175,747 shares of EUR 500 nominal value each. Each share of nominal EUR 500 carries one vote at general meetings in Ress Life Investments A/S.

    The new shares will be admitted for trading and official listing on NASDAQ Copenhagen A/S under the same ISIN code as the company’s existing shares.

    Updated articles of association of the company are attached.

    Questions related to this announcement can be made to the company’s AIF-manager, Resscapital AB.

    Contact person:
    Gustaf Hagerud
    gustaf.hagerud@resscapital.com
    Tel + 46 8 545 282 27

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The secret lives of polar bear families

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Louise Archer, Postdoctoral Fellow, Biological Sciences, University of Toronto

    Newborn polar bear cubs spend weeks in the den with their mother until they’re old and strong enough to be outdoors. (Dmytro Cherkasov/Polar Bears International), CC BY

    Despite being the largest land carnivore and a top Arctic predator that can weigh over 600 kg, polar bears start off surprisingly small. Blind, almost hairless, and weighing just 600g at birth, cubs are born in maternity dens under the snow. These snow caves keep newborns warm and safe for the first few months of their life, when they grow rapidly by nursing on their mother’s rich milk.

    After three to four months in the den, cubs will have grown to about 20 times their birth weight and will be large enough and furry enough to follow their mothers out into the frigid Arctic spring.

    In a study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management, we used remote cameras to study polar bear families as they emerged from their dens in Svalbard, Norway, gaining insight into the behaviour of mothers and cubs as they experience the world outside the den for the first time.

    Drifting snow helps polar bear dens remain hidden.
    (B.J. Kirschhoffer/Polar Bears International), CC BY

    An elusive phenomenon

    While they provide ideal conditions for developing cubs, maternal dens are difficult for researchers to study and monitor. Challenging weather, limited daylight and the remoteness of many den sites means opportunities for direct observation are few. Often, denning polar bears are identified using tracking devices worn by a bear — usually collars, but also ear or fur tags. These transmit location data via satellite, allowing researchers to track individuals and to study movement patterns.

    As technology has developed, additional data can also be collected from these devices, including data on activity and temperature. An extended stationary period and low activity readings are the telltale signs of denning. Above-ambient temperatures also indicate a bear in a den; insulated by snow and warmed by the mother’s body heat, the interior of the den can be more than 20 °C warmer than the outside.

    In Svalbard, polar bears build their dens on slopes of fjords and mountainous areas, where drifting snow means dens are often impossible to distinguish from the snow-covered surroundings.

    Locating dens

    We relied on GPS locations transmitted from satellite collars worn by females to locate 13 den sites. With the return of daylight to Svalbard in the spring, our team installed time-lapse cameras facing the entrance of each suspected den, capturing footage of polar bear families as they exited. To minimize any disturbance, the final approach was made on foot or by ski, and cameras were collected several months later — long after the polar bear families had departed for the sea ice.

    After processing thousands of images, the camera gave us a detailed look at this cryptic component of polar bears’ life cycle. By linking images back to data from the collars, we were also able to develop a model of the various behaviours caught on camera, providing a new tool to remotely monitor denning bears more accurately.

    A feat of endurance

    Although critical to cubs, denning can be tough on a mother. Pregnant female polar bears usually enter a den in the fall, give birth in mid-winter, and remain in the den nursing their cubs until the family is ready to emerge in the spring. Although their offspring guzzle down high-energy milk, mother polar bears don’t feed at all during this time and rely on their fat reserves, losing up to 43 per cent of their body mass while in the den.

    Despite this clear motivation to get back to hunting seals on the sea ice, polar bear families will often hang out at the den for days or weeks after emerging. On average, the families we monitored in Svalbard stayed at the den site for a further 12 days after first emerging.

    During this time, mother and cubs frequently left the den to explore, sometimes staying outside for less than a minute, and in other cases emerging for hours at a time. Cubs rarely ventured outside without their mother and were seen alone in only five per cent of camera observations. In general, bears spent longer outside when temperatures were warmer and the more days had passed since they first emerged outside.

    This post-emergence period may allow cubs time to acclimatize to the external environment, and to develop the skills and strength they’ll need to follow their mother across the sea ice for the next two-and-a-half years.

    We also saw incredible variation in behaviour post-den emergence, with one family abandoning the den after only a couple of days, and another family remaining at the den for a full month after first appearing outside. Two females even decided to move their cubs to new dens after emerging.

    Consequences of Arctic change

    These kinds of insights lead to new questions: what drives decisions to stay or leave the den, what cues do families respond to? While we continue to build out our data set to better understand these behaviours, on average, we noted that polar bears abandoned their dens about a week earlier than previously recorded in the region. The Barents Sea is one of the fastest warming regions on the planet, and continued monitoring will make clear if this is an emerging trend in response to sea ice loss.

    To get even more detailed information, we have also been testing custom designed camera systems that can capture behaviour continuously.

    Climate warming has already resulted in declining polar bear health in parts of the Arctic that are experiencing rapid loss of sea ice. With continued warming jeopardizing the persistence of polar bears across much of their range, successful denning and reproduction is essential to give the next generation of polar bears a chance.



    Read more:
    Polar bears may struggle to produce milk for their cubs as climate change melts sea ice

    Time spent denning, the date of den exit and the amount of time bears remain at the den after emerging all contribute positively to the subsequent survival of cubs. Yet climate warming means the human footprint in the Arctic is expanding, risking encroachment on denning habitat and disturbing polar bear families.

    Improved monitoring and a deeper understanding of denning behaviour will help to protect polar bears during this critical time.

    Louise Archer receives funding from Polar Bears International. She is affiliated with University of Toronto Scarborough and Polar Bears International. This study was performed in collaboration with the Norwegian Polar Institute and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

    – ref. The secret lives of polar bear families – https://theconversation.com/the-secret-lives-of-polar-bear-families-248764

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Ukraine: The Road Ahead | World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025

    Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)

    The war against Ukraine has taken new directions including the surprise offensive in Kursk and permission to use ally-supplied weapons on Russian territory. Yet, Western support for Ukraine continues to come under greater pressure, accelerating the prospect of negotiations on a peace deal.

    As the full-scale invasion enters its fourth year, what does the future hold for Ukraine in 2025?

    This session was developed in collaboration with Bloomberg News.

    Speakers: Jean-Noël Barrot, Radoslaw Tomasz Sikorski, Roberta Metsola, Andrii Sybiha, Yuliia Svyrydenko, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Stephanie Flanders

    The 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum will provide a crucial space to focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency and accountability.

    This Annual Meeting will welcome over 100 governments, all major international organizations, 1000 Forum’s Partners, as well as civil society leaders, experts, youth representatives, social entrepreneurs, and news outlets.

    The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

    World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
    Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/
    YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/wef
    Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/worldeconomicforum/
    X ► https://twitter.com/wef
    LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-economic-forum
    TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@worldeconomicforum
    Flipboard ► https://flipboard.com/@WEF

    #Davos2025 #WorldEconomicForum #wef25

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0hh4WEcAlY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Human Rights in Russia and the deaths of Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov: Joint Statement to the OSCE, February 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Human Rights in Russia and the deaths of Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov: Joint Statement to the OSCE, February 2025

    UK and others commemorate Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov and call on Russia to release political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.

    Thank you  Mr Chair.  I am making this statement on behalf of Albania, Canada, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine and my own country the United Kingdom.   

    Following the anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death, which followed years of arbitrary detention in poor conditions, we extend our condolences to his family and reiterate that the ultimate responsibility for his death lies with the Russian authorities. Today we also commemorate Boris Nemtsov, ten years after his brutal murder.   

    We regret that Russia’s dire human rights record continues to deteriorate. The Russian government crushes peaceful dissent, maintains a climate of fear and undermines the rule of law. This stands in direct contradiction to shared OSCE principles and commitments on inter alia the right to a fair trial, freedom from arbitrary detention, the right to freedom of assembly and association and the prohibition on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.  

    As we reflect on Navalny and Nemtsov’s enduring legacy, our countries continue to stand with civil society and human rights defenders working tirelessly to build a better future for Russia in the face of immense personal risk. 

    In July 2022, 38 participating States invoked the Moscow Mechanism on threats to the fulfilment of the provisions of the Human Dimension posed by human rights violations and abuses in the Russian Federation.  That Moscow Mechanism report determined that:  “a decade of reform legislation in Russia has completely changed the scope of action of Russian civil society, cutting it off from foreign and international partners, suppressing independent initiatives, stifling critical attitudes towards the authorities, silencing the media and suppressing political opposition”.  

    Such internal clampdowns on human rights and fundamental freedoms helped the Russian Federation prepare the ground for its war of aggression against Ukraine. Since February 2022 the Russian authorities have further tightened internal repression in an apparent attempt to silence all opposition voices.  There are now over 800 political prisoners in Russia, including many imprisoned for speaking out against Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the brutality shown towards the Ukrainian people.  

    In this context we regret Russia’s lack of response to the Vienna Mechanism of March 2024 on treatment of prisoners.   We also recall the 11 October 2024 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation which inter alia examined the widespread and systematic use of torture and ill treatment in the Russian Federation.  

    We reiterate our call to the Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all political opposition activists, human rights defenders, journalists and other media actors.   

    We will continue to hold Russia to account against its international obligations and commitments on human rights and fundamental freedoms, including OSCE principles and commitments to which it signed up willingly. 

    For as we all agreed in Moscow in 1990, respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law constitutes one of the foundations of the international order.  And as we also agreed in Moscow, commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned.  

    Thank you, Mr Chair.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 February 2025

    Invasion of Ukraine

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Minister for Gambling Baroness Twycross’s speech to the Betting and Gaming Council AGM 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Minister for Gambling Baroness Twycross’s speech to the Betting and Gaming Council AGM 2025

    Minister for Gambling Baroness Twycross’s speech to the Betting and Gaming Council Annual General Meeting 2025

    Good morning everyone. Thank you for the invitation to speak today. It is great to be here to speak to so many of you.

    It was a huge privilege to be appointed as the Government’s gambling minister last year. I would like to thank everyone I have met so far for sharing your knowledge and perspectives on your sector. I am particularly grateful to Michael and Grainne for their constructive engagement on key issues facing your industry. 

    I have also enjoyed meeting a range of people from the wider gambling sector, such as John from Bacta, and Miles from the Bingo Association. 

    Whilst you are all facing different issues, I recognise there are key similarities, one thing you also do have in common is the experience and passion there is in the industry.  

    In my short time in post, I have seen the value this sector brings. Not just in tax receipts and jobs created, but as a leisure activity, for example through a day at the races, enjoying a game of bingo, or time spent in a seaside arcade. 

    I have enjoyed being shown round the Grosvenor casino in Liverpool last year and the Hippodrome earlier this month, and look forward to visiting more venues as soon as possible. 

    You will know that the Government is focused on economic growth. I believe that a growing gambling sector is compatible with creating an even safer one. I want a gambling sector in this country that is one we can be proud of – one that offers good jobs, interesting careers, brings social value, and is one that people enjoy while having vital protections in place. 

    As set out in our manifesto, and as you will be aware, we are also committed to reducing harmful gambling. The licensed, regulated gambling industry is a crucial part of that. 

    I want to work with you to see a safer, more responsible gambling industry. 

    I know that the vast majority of people who gamble do so without experiencing harm, but it is in all our interests that we do better for those customers who could be vulnerable to gambling harm. I have found it helpful to hear from a number of you about measures you are already taking. 

    I am pleased to be able to update you on significant progress on key reforms that deliver on the Government’s agenda.  

    I am sure many of you will have followed the progress of the statutory gambling levy in Parliament over the last few weeks. The legislation has been affirmed by both Houses and became law on Tuesday this week. It will come into force on the 6th of April and operators will be required to make their first levy payments by the 1st of October.

    I know the BGC has been largely supportive of the introduction of a levy, and we recognise the work done by the sector through the voluntary levy previously. This is a huge step forward for the sector and will see increased investment to expand projects and services to reduce harmful gambling. I know that we have a shared aim in this area. 

    The financial support that BGC members have given to research, prevention and treatment services has enabled people in need access to crucial treatment services, and laid a foundation which the levy can build on. It is vital that funding for these services is maintained in the transition to the levy. I welcome the BGC’s commitment that this will be delivered.

    We have now appointed the commissioning bodies for research, prevention and treatment. 

    We are working at pace with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, NHS England, UK Research and Innovation, and with partners in Scotland and Wales, to build robust foundations for the future system. 

    It is crucial we put the right commissioning, accountability and governance arrangements in place. 

    We want to build on the successes of the current system. But the levy will mean funding certainty. This will allow the expert bodies we have appointed to boost efforts to further understand, tackle, and treat gambling harm. We and the commissioning bodies will be led by the best evidence to get funding where it is needed most. 

    The online slots stake limits statutory instrument was also made into law on Tuesday. I know you are all keen to understand exactly when these stake limits will come into force. 

    I can confirm the five pound limit will be in force on the 9th of April, while the two pound limit for younger adults will be in force on the 21st of May. I know that implementing these stake limits is a technical challenge and I am grateful for all the work you have done in preparation for this moment.

    I can confirm that we are moving forward with measures to modernise the regulations for land-based casinos. These changes will allow casinos to offer up to 80 gaming machines, mirroring the rules for small 2005 Act casinos. There will be a sliding scale of machine entitlements, meaning that smaller casinos can also benefit from more machines, commensurate with their size. 

    We will also allow sports betting in all casinos, giving operators the opportunity to expand their product offering. These changes will unlock investment in the casino sector and should provide an economic boost for both operators and machine manufacturers. We are working as quickly as we can to ensure that legislation is laid in Parliament as soon as possible. I know the significance of these measures to many of you here today.

    Turning now to advertising and sponsorship, which you will know has been of significant media and Parliamentary interest in recent months. 

    One of the biggest issues raised with me as Gambling Minister is advertising. 

    I have tasked the industry with doing more to work together to ensure that gambling advertising and sponsorship is appropriate, responsible, and does not exacerbate harm. 

    I am grateful to the BGC for coordinating this work across your membership, and I completely understand that the ability to advertise is an important activity generally, and key advantage that licensed operators have over the illegal market. 

    We know that some people can feel they are being inundated with gambling advertising – and this can be especially true whilst watching sport. Crucially, we know that advertising can have a disproportionate impact on those who are already suffering from gambling harm. We must also be vigilant to any adverse impacts on children and young people. 

    So I am keen for the industry to take the lead in making a robust assessment of the scale and impacts of advertising, so that we are working with the best available evidence.

    Lastly, I want to touch on the issue of the illegal market, which I know is of concern to many of you here today. 

    Illegal gambling is a concern for us all. And we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. I have heard your argument that overregulation leads to, or risks, displacement to the illegal market. This is something that was carefully considered in the development of the white paper and in the decisions that have been made since. 

    We believe the reforms we have introduced together with the Gambling Commission are proportionate and targeted interventions.    

    However, I agree that vigilance is vital when the illegal market threatens revenue for the licensed sector and player protections for vulnerable customers. That is why I have been pleased that the Gambling Commission has increased disruption activity and has a renewed focus on finding innovative ways to tackle the illegal market. 

    On Tuesday, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. One of the provisions in this Bill will give the Commission greater powers to move quickly and effectively to take down IP addresses and domain names associated with illegal websites. This is an important step in equipping the Commission to tackle the illegal market and protect legitimate businesses. 

    Thank you again for the invitation today, and the time many of you have given me since I took up my role.

    I will keep listening and look forward to working with you all to realise our shared vision of a better, safer gambling industry. I hope you are all as keen as I am to take these challenges on.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Over 326,000 children currently supported by Scottish Child Payment

    Source: Scottish Government

    £1 billion paid to help tackle child poverty

    New figures, show that as of 31 December 2024, the families of 326,080 children under 16 years of age were receiving vital support from Scottish Child Payment.  

    Over £1 billion has now been paid to parents and carers since the payment was introduced in February 2021.  

    Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland and provides financial support for families, helping with the costs of caring for a child. It is a weekly payment, currently worth £26.70, for every eligible child that a parent or carer looks after who’s under 16 years of age.    

    While visiting Craigour Park Primary school in Edinburgh, to talk to parents who receive Scottish Child Payment, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:   

    “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority and a national mission.   

    “Our investment in Scottish Child Payment has seen over £1 billion worth of these payments issued by 31 December 2024; that is money directly in the pockets of those families who need it most. 

    “Modelling published in February 2024 also estimates that the Scottish Child Payment could keep 60,000 children out of relative poverty this year. 

    “Scottish Child Payment is actively improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in Scotland – helping their families to access essentials and experiences they might otherwise miss out on because they live on a low income. 

    “In the coming year it is forecast we’ll invest a further £471 million, ensuring that this support continues to reach even more families and children who need it.”

    Head Teacher of Craigour Park Primary, Sally Ketchin, said:  

    “We welcome payments like Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Grants. We can see the real difference this money makes to families in our community.” 

    Case study   

    Ashley Forbes lives in Glenrothes with her three children.  She said:      

    “The two-child cap came in for Tax Credits when I was pregnant with my third child. That meant I would be losing £60 a week when the baby was born so, obviously, that was quite a scary moment. It was huge.   

    “I wasn’t working and my partner at the time was only working part-time so money wasn’t great. It felt like £60 was so much to lose, you know, when you have a baby with milk and all that stuff to buy.      

    “And then when Scottish Child Payment came in, it was a huge relief. I have three kids and they grow so fast. It’s new shoes, new coats and new clothes all the time.   

    “My eldest two do swimming as well which is a really important skill that you need in life. We wouldn’t be able to do this stuff without Scottish Child Payment.     

    “I think Scottish Child Payment is great. We couldn’t do without it.”   

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cabinet makes decision on site for new girls’ school

    Source: City of Liverpool

    A plan to build a new girls’ school in Toxteth was given the green light by Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet last night.

    The approval to establish the Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy, off Upper Parliament Street, also came with a commitment to support a much-loved community centre on the site.

    The approximately four-acre site is made of a number of council-owned parcels of land, parts of which are used by the African Caribbean Centre and the Liverpool Women’s Hospital for a car park.

    At the meeting at the Town Hall, where ward councillors and residents were invited to address members, it was agreed by Cabinet that as part of the school decision the preferred option was for the community centre to also be retained on the current site. A consultation process with the community will now follow.

    The school will be operated by Star Academies, and was approved to open in the city by the Department for Education (DfE) under its Free Schools Programme.

    The school will have a Muslim faith designation, with potentially up to half of its pupils being Muslim, whilst pupils of all other faiths and none will also be welcomed into the school.

    Its eventual roll call of 600 places will support the council in its statutory responsibility to provide school places. Liverpool currently has an increasing serious shortfall of secondary school places.

    The council was required by the DfE to identify a site for the school which must satisfy their criteria.

    The council identified 19 possible sites, exploring five in detail. The Toxteth site, bordered by Upper Parliament Street, Mulgrave Street and Selborne Street, was the only council-owned site that satisfied all the criteria.

    Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “I give a strong commitment to ward councillors, community representatives and other stakeholders that those discussions will be led by Councillor Lila Bennett, Cabinet Member for Employment, Educational Attainment and Skills, and will be meaningful, will be thorough and handled sensitively respecting the importance and heritage of the facility to the people of Liverpool 8 and further afield.

    “It is regrettable the council hasn’t got that balance right in the past. I apologised to representatives of the community when I met with them recently, that communication and meetings with council officers over many years has at times fallen below the professional standards I expect.

    “To re-iterate, no decision has been taken in relation to the African Caribbean Centre, other than our preferred option being it stays on the existing site. We will now consult with the local community and hear from them what they want for the future before anything is decided.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cruise ship levy an important step for climate and local services

    Source: Scottish Greens

    27 Feb 2025

    Ms Chapman has stood in solidarity with staff and students since the University’s Principal resigned in November after revealing a £30 million deficit.

    Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, who represents Dundee as part of the North East region, is running to be the new Rector of Dundee University. 

    Ms Chapman has stood in solidarity with staff and students since the University’s Principal resigned in November after revealing a £30 million deficit. University management plans to plug this financial hole with cuts to student services and compulsory redundancies. 

    Announcing her bid to stand, Ms Chapman said:

    “I am so grateful to the students and staff who have asked me to stand, and who feel supported by the work I’ve done to speak up for them in Parliament as their MSP. I want to be a campaigning rector who is a strong voice for students.

    “When it comes to the University’s recovery, both students and staff have not been included or meaningfully involved in the conversation. Senior management has walked this great institution into a financial crisis, entirely shredding trust.

    “This isn’t the time for more nodding along and business as usual. There needs to be someone in the room reminding management that they wouldn’t be there without the hard work of staff and students. We need transparency in university governance.

    “Student services and staff must not be made to pay the price for the University’s reckless financial mismanagement. I will be campaigning for the reinstatement of support for the breakfast club and pantry, and for more investment in mental health support for students.”

    Ms Chapman added:

    “The Rector election is an important opportunity for students to send a message about the kind of university that they want Dundee to be.

    “Between my previous experience as Rector of Aberdeen University, my commitment to education as a public good, and my background as an academic and now a campaigning politician, I can bring a mix of experience and radicalism to the University’s governing body.”  

    To be an eligible candidate, nominees must receive support from 50 students by 10 March. If more than one nomination is entered, an election will be held.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: FMQs: First Minister urged to back greyhound racing ban

    Source: Scottish Greens

    27 Feb 2025 Climate

    This will make a big difference to port communities across Scotland.

    More in Climate

    The introduction of a cruise ship levy will be a crucial step for our environment and for local councils, says Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess, who is her party’s local government spokesperson.
     
    Ms Burgess was responding to the launch of a Scottish Government consultation on the introduction of a levy, which was secured by the Scottish Greens in 2023 and announced at their party conference by co-leader Lorna Slater.
     
    Ms Burgess said:

    “A levy on polluting cruise ships is an important step for our climate and for local government. It will make a big difference for port communities across Scotland, from Ullapool to Greenock, Kirkwall to Edinburgh, Stornoway to Rosyth.
     
    “Cruise ships are one of the dirtiest and most polluting forms of travel, and it is right that we tax them.
     
    “The tourism that these ships bring can have a lot of benefits, but we also know that it can put a lot of pressure on the local environment, infrastructure and services.
     
    “By allowing local authorities to apply a levy they can ensure that local people are not left picking up the bill and that they see a direct benefit from visiting ships.
     
    “We need to ensure that councils have the powers they need to raise funds and deliver change in their communities. 
     
    “That is why the Scottish Greens worked to secure a funding increase for local authorities as part of this year’s Budget and why we delivered powers for them to double council tax for second and holiday homes.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 02/27/2025 will be the deposit auction of the MFI Financing Fund

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    Date of the deposit auction 02/27/2025. Placement currency RUB. Maximum amount of funds placed (in the placement currency) 40,000,000.00. Placement term, days 31. Date of depositing funds 02/28/2025. Date of return of funds 03/31/2025. Minimum placement interest rate, % per annum 21.50. Terms of the conclusion, urgent or special. Minimum amount of funds placed for one application (in the placement currency) 40,000,000.00. Maximum number of applications from one Participant, pcs. 1. Auction form, open or closed (Open). Basis of the Agreement – General Agreement. Schedule (Moscow time).

    Preliminary bids from 10:00 to 10:10. Competition bids from 10:10 to 10:20. Setting the cutoff percentage or declaring the auction invalid before 10:40.

    Additional terms

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    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.MO/N78014

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: On 27.02.2025, the deposit auction of the PPC “TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND” will take place

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    The date of the deposit auction is 27.02.2025. The placement currency is RUB. The maximum amount of funds placed (in the placement currency) is 1,085,000,000.00. The placement period, days is 7. The date of depositing funds is 27.02.2025. The date of return of funds is 06.03.2025. The minimum placement interest rate, % per annum is 20.50. Terms of the conclusion, urgent or special (Urgent). The minimum amount of funds placed for one application (in the placement currency) is 1,085,000,000.00. The maximum number of applications from one Participant, pcs. 1. Auction form, open or closed (Open). The basis of the Agreement is the General Agreement. Schedule (Moscow time). Applications in preliminary mode from 12:30 to 12:40. Bids in competition mode from 12:40 to 12:45. Setting the cutoff percentage or declaring the auction invalid until 12:55.

    Additional terms

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    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.M.M.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 02/27/2025, 12:04 (Moscow time) the values of the lower boundary of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the PLT/RUB currency pair have been changed.

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the foreign exchange market and the precious metals market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by the NCC (JSC), on 27.02.2025, 12-04 (Moscow time), the values of the lower limit of the price corridor (up to RUB 2808.07 in the mode with TOD settlements) and the range of market risk assessment (up to RUB 2609.3524, equivalent to a rate of 17.08%) of the PLT/RUB currency pair were changed. New values are available Here.

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    HTTPS: //VVV. MEEX.K.M.M.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 02/27/2025, 12:25 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for security RU000A101590 (DOM 1P-7R) were changed.

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    02.27.2025

    12:25

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 27.02.2025, 12-25 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 99.87) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1066.18 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 7.5%) of the security RU000A101590 (DOM 1P-7R) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.M.M.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial News: BRICS Financial Track: First Meeting in 2025 Held

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Central Bank of Russia –

    Deputy central bank governors and finance ministers of the BRICS countries in Cape Town, South Africa, identified key areas of cooperation. The meeting was hosted by Brazil, which holds the presidency of the group this year.

    The agenda also included priorities that were previously set during the Russian presidency. In particular, the meeting participants confirmed their readiness to discuss the most pressing issues on the payment agenda: the possibilities of using national currencies in settlements, prospects for ensuring the interoperability of the financial markets of the BRICS countries, as well as cooperation in the field of information security. The central banks of the association’s countries in 2025 will also focus on issues of transitional financing and the development of financial technologies.

    The results of the meeting set the vector for further work of the relevant departments of the BRICS countries, and will also be taken into account during the upcoming summit of the association.

    The meeting took place at the Group of Twenty (G20) with the participation of representatives from all countries of the association: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, as well as the new BRICS member, Indonesia.

    Preview photo: hxdbzxy / Shutterstock / Fotodom

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    HTTPS: //vv. KBR.ru/Press/Event/? ID = 23415

    MIL OSI Russia News –