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Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICA – In the footsteps of Bishop Brésillac

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 15 July 2025

    SMA

    Monasao (Agenzia Fides) – “When I was preparing to go to Africa, I was warned of the difficulties I would encounter… Not only due to the problems of adaptation: climate, food, or other minor issues, but also due to the culture shock that can lead to serious misunderstandings and disappointments,” said Father Davide Camorani, ordained a priest of the Society of African Missions in July 2021 and began his ministry at the Monasao mission in the Diocese of Berberati in Central Africa on September 21 of the same year (see Fides, 17/10/2021).Since then, Father Davide, who, together with his confrere Michele Farina, established the first mission of the Society of African Missions in the country (see Fides, 3/8/2021), has lived in the heart of Africa, among the Bayaka Pygmies. And every day he understands that the mission is the work of God.”Bishop de Brésillac, our founder,” the missionary continues, “said in one of his famous phrases that if one seeks praise or satisfaction, it is better to stay at home; those who seek these things are not made to go on missions. Sometimes, however, life can confront one with unexpected situations that one is tempted to perceive as too great, as beyond one’s capabilities. In these difficult moments, one might lose hope, give up, and say, ‘It’s not worth it!’ I, too, have experienced these thoughts… So where is hope? What is hope? Hope in what? Hope is God and his promises, from Adam to the present day. God is always there and he never abandons us: we only have to seek him!””Being guided by the Word of God is fundamental; for me, it was and is,” emphasizes Father Davide. “Reading the Bible and carefully meditating on it is the way to discover that God’s promises are eternally valid. This is hope: knowing that God will act, even when it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing that this mission is His, not mine, and that He is in charge!!! So I don’t pray for the cross to be taken from me, but I pray that the Lord Jesus will give me broad shoulders to carry it.” (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 15/7/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICA – In the footsteps of Bishop Brésillac

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 15 July 2025

    SMA

    Monasao (Agenzia Fides) – “When I was preparing to go to Africa, I was warned of the difficulties I would encounter… Not only due to the problems of adaptation: climate, food, or other minor issues, but also due to the culture shock that can lead to serious misunderstandings and disappointments,” said Father Davide Camorani, ordained a priest of the Society of African Missions in July 2021 and began his ministry at the Monasao mission in the Diocese of Berberati in Central Africa on September 21 of the same year (see Fides, 17/10/2021).Since then, Father Davide, who, together with his confrere Michele Farina, established the first mission of the Society of African Missions in the country (see Fides, 3/8/2021), has lived in the heart of Africa, among the Bayaka Pygmies. And every day he understands that the mission is the work of God.”Bishop de Brésillac, our founder,” the missionary continues, “said in one of his famous phrases that if one seeks praise or satisfaction, it is better to stay at home; those who seek these things are not made to go on missions. Sometimes, however, life can confront one with unexpected situations that one is tempted to perceive as too great, as beyond one’s capabilities. In these difficult moments, one might lose hope, give up, and say, ‘It’s not worth it!’ I, too, have experienced these thoughts… So where is hope? What is hope? Hope in what? Hope is God and his promises, from Adam to the present day. God is always there and he never abandons us: we only have to seek him!””Being guided by the Word of God is fundamental; for me, it was and is,” emphasizes Father Davide. “Reading the Bible and carefully meditating on it is the way to discover that God’s promises are eternally valid. This is hope: knowing that God will act, even when it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing that this mission is His, not mine, and that He is in charge!!! So I don’t pray for the cross to be taken from me, but I pray that the Lord Jesus will give me broad shoulders to carry it.” (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 15/7/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICA – In the footsteps of Bishop Brésillac

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 15 July 2025

    SMA

    Monasao (Agenzia Fides) – “When I was preparing to go to Africa, I was warned of the difficulties I would encounter… Not only due to the problems of adaptation: climate, food, or other minor issues, but also due to the culture shock that can lead to serious misunderstandings and disappointments,” said Father Davide Camorani, ordained a priest of the Society of African Missions in July 2021 and began his ministry at the Monasao mission in the Diocese of Berberati in Central Africa on September 21 of the same year (see Fides, 17/10/2021).Since then, Father Davide, who, together with his confrere Michele Farina, established the first mission of the Society of African Missions in the country (see Fides, 3/8/2021), has lived in the heart of Africa, among the Bayaka Pygmies. And every day he understands that the mission is the work of God.”Bishop de Brésillac, our founder,” the missionary continues, “said in one of his famous phrases that if one seeks praise or satisfaction, it is better to stay at home; those who seek these things are not made to go on missions. Sometimes, however, life can confront one with unexpected situations that one is tempted to perceive as too great, as beyond one’s capabilities. In these difficult moments, one might lose hope, give up, and say, ‘It’s not worth it!’ I, too, have experienced these thoughts… So where is hope? What is hope? Hope in what? Hope is God and his promises, from Adam to the present day. God is always there and he never abandons us: we only have to seek him!””Being guided by the Word of God is fundamental; for me, it was and is,” emphasizes Father Davide. “Reading the Bible and carefully meditating on it is the way to discover that God’s promises are eternally valid. This is hope: knowing that God will act, even when it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing that this mission is His, not mine, and that He is in charge!!! So I don’t pray for the cross to be taken from me, but I pray that the Lord Jesus will give me broad shoulders to carry it.” (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 15/7/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/PHILIPPINES – Supreme Court declares large-scale mining legal: civil society promotes “environmental justice”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Freepik

    Mamburao (Agenzia Fides) – The Supreme Court’s recent decision to declare null and void the ordinances and resolutions of provincial governments that imposed a 25-year moratorium on mining activities in the province of Western Mindoro, on the island of the same name in the center of the Philippine archipelago, has sparked doubts and criticism in civil society and the Catholic community in the Philippines. The ruling, published on May 14 and which came into force a few days ago, upheld a 2018 ruling by the Mindoro Regional Court that had annulled the local government’s mining ban. The Supreme Court explained that, according to the Constitution, local governments can prohibit certain mining projects, but do not have the authority to prohibit all large-scale mining activities within the territory. The lawsuit before the court was filed by the Agusan Petroleum and Mineral Corporation (APMC), which signed contracts for large-scale mining activities with the central government in Manila in 2008. That same year, the provincial government of Western Mindoro, responding to civil society demands, issued ordinances imposing a moratorium on mining. The APMC had opposed these ordinances and challenged the constitutionality of these ordinances in court proceedings initiated in 2014. In its ruling, the Supreme Court recognized that mining activities have “environmental impacts,” but emphasized that contractors are obligated to comply with environmental protection measures established by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. According to the “Alyansa Tigil Mina” coalition, which includes organizations and groups committed to environmental protection and anti-mining, the ruling will have “significant repercussions” for the region. The coalition reiterated its commitment to a “balanced approach to biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable development.” Bishop Moises Cuevas of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan in Eastern Mindoro (another province on the same island) said the ruling could set a legal precedent for the similar ordinance currently in force in Eastern Mindoro and “could have a destructive impact on our mission, expressed in the encyclical “Laudato si’,” which is to care for our common home.” The local Church held a “Forum for Dialogue on the Mindoro Mining Moratorium” on July 10, bringing together local representatives and communities to discuss what to do in the wake of the court’s ruling and proclaimed a day of prayer for environmental justice on the same day.At the forum, representatives of Catholic parishes, environmental and human rights organizations, and representatives of the provincial governments of both Mindoro provinces reiterated their opposition to large-scale mining. Father Edwin Gariguez, executive director of the Diocesan Social Action Center in Eastern Mindoro, described the fight against mining as “a moral and pastoral obligation” and recalled the profound impact on indigenous peoples. “The cry of the earth is the cry of the poor,” Father Gariguez said in this context, quoting the encyclical “Laudato Si’.” “This fight is not merely ecological or political, it is pastoral and moral. We are called to protect life in all its forms,” he affirmed. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 15/7/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/PHILIPPINES – Supreme Court declares large-scale mining legal: civil society promotes “environmental justice”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Freepik

    Mamburao (Agenzia Fides) – The Supreme Court’s recent decision to declare null and void the ordinances and resolutions of provincial governments that imposed a 25-year moratorium on mining activities in the province of Western Mindoro, on the island of the same name in the center of the Philippine archipelago, has sparked doubts and criticism in civil society and the Catholic community in the Philippines. The ruling, published on May 14 and which came into force a few days ago, upheld a 2018 ruling by the Mindoro Regional Court that had annulled the local government’s mining ban. The Supreme Court explained that, according to the Constitution, local governments can prohibit certain mining projects, but do not have the authority to prohibit all large-scale mining activities within the territory. The lawsuit before the court was filed by the Agusan Petroleum and Mineral Corporation (APMC), which signed contracts for large-scale mining activities with the central government in Manila in 2008. That same year, the provincial government of Western Mindoro, responding to civil society demands, issued ordinances imposing a moratorium on mining. The APMC had opposed these ordinances and challenged the constitutionality of these ordinances in court proceedings initiated in 2014. In its ruling, the Supreme Court recognized that mining activities have “environmental impacts,” but emphasized that contractors are obligated to comply with environmental protection measures established by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. According to the “Alyansa Tigil Mina” coalition, which includes organizations and groups committed to environmental protection and anti-mining, the ruling will have “significant repercussions” for the region. The coalition reiterated its commitment to a “balanced approach to biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable development.” Bishop Moises Cuevas of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan in Eastern Mindoro (another province on the same island) said the ruling could set a legal precedent for the similar ordinance currently in force in Eastern Mindoro and “could have a destructive impact on our mission, expressed in the encyclical “Laudato si’,” which is to care for our common home.” The local Church held a “Forum for Dialogue on the Mindoro Mining Moratorium” on July 10, bringing together local representatives and communities to discuss what to do in the wake of the court’s ruling and proclaimed a day of prayer for environmental justice on the same day.At the forum, representatives of Catholic parishes, environmental and human rights organizations, and representatives of the provincial governments of both Mindoro provinces reiterated their opposition to large-scale mining. Father Edwin Gariguez, executive director of the Diocesan Social Action Center in Eastern Mindoro, described the fight against mining as “a moral and pastoral obligation” and recalled the profound impact on indigenous peoples. “The cry of the earth is the cry of the poor,” Father Gariguez said in this context, quoting the encyclical “Laudato Si’.” “This fight is not merely ecological or political, it is pastoral and moral. We are called to protect life in all its forms,” he affirmed. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 15/7/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/NIGERIA – Kidnapped seminarians: Bishop of Auchi confirms contact from kidnappers

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Auchi (Agenzia Fides) – A few days after the armed attack on the “Immaculate Conception” diocesan minor seminary in Ivhianokpodi, in Edo State, Nigeria (see Fides, 12/7/2025), the attackers who kidnapped three young seminarians “contacted the Diocese of Auchi and demanded a ransom.”The Bishop of Auchi, Gabriel Ghieakhomo Dunia, confirmed this to Fides, clarifying: “The seminarians are still in the hands of their kidnappers,” who in the last few hours “have contacted the Diocese of Auchi and are demanding a ransom. Negotiations are currently ongoing.””State Government and local security agents are working to track the abductors and get the abducted seminarians released but no success has been achieved yet,” Bishop Dunia continued. Regarding the condition of the other young seminarians who were at the facility at the time of the armed attack, in which a security guard was killed, he said: “the rest of the seminarians have been relocated by us to a safer location where they are completing their various examinations now before proceeding on the end of the academic year, 2024/2025 holiday.”The Ivhianokpodi Seminary was attacked by armed men on October 27, 2024 (see Fides, 29/10/2024). The Rector of the seminary, Fr. Thomas Oyode, was kidnapped after offering himself as a hostage in exchange for the young seminarians. Oyode was released after eleven days. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 15/7/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/CHINA – “Wedding without a dowry”: the Chinese Catholic community promotes the gratuitousness of married life in a secularized society

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 15 July 2025

    xinde.org

    Taiyuan (Agenzia Fides) – Archbishop Meng Ningyou of Taiyuan, in the Chinese province of Shanxi, recommended in his homily at a church wedding last Sunday, July 13, that marriage, in the spirit of faith, be seen as a gift characterized by gratuitousness. He invited everyone to free themselves from the custom of demanding a “dowry” for marriage, which is still widespread in large parts of society.In the current social context, especially in rural areas, the practice of dowry (the assets in the form of money, real estate, jewelry, or cars that families of origin must provide to future spouses at the time of marriage) continues to be a burden for young future spouses and their families of origin, causing the union to break up for many young couples. Families often go into debt to comply with the custom.Bishop Meng praised the Honggou parish, the home parish of the two young couples, and also the newlyweds’ courage, who have testified that the Christian faith can free lives and hearts from unnecessary burdens and lead to true happiness.In his homily, Bishop Paul Meng recalled the sacrament of marriage as a union of free, mutual self-giving blessed by God and called on spouses to accept one another, support each other in the Christian upbringing of their children, and care for one another, following the example of the Good Samaritan, whose figure was the focus of Sunday’s Gospel.In China, too, various economic, cultural, and psychological factors are hindering the desire of young couples to start families and bring children into the world.Meanwhile, Chinese Catholic communities are offering Christian marriage preparation courses that take this situation into account and attempt to address these new challenges.The Cathedral of the Diocese of Beijing recently opened registration for the third 2025 Marriage Preparation Course, which begins next Sunday, July 20. Every Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., young people planning to marry will participate in meetings covering topics such as “the Christian family” and “the sacrament of marriage.” The courses generally begin six months before the planned wedding date and include discussions with priests. The courses are also open to non-Christian couples, who can attend as listeners. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 15/7/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI: GraniteShares Launches Three New Leveraged Single-Stock ETFs: PDDL, NOWL, and AVGU

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York, July 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GraniteShares 2x Long PDD Daily ETF (PDDL), GraniteShares 2x Long NOW Daily ETF (NOWL) and GraniteShares 2x AVGO Long (AVGU) Launch Today.

    GraniteShares, a provider of exchange traded funds (ETFs), today announced the launch of three new leveraged single-stock ETFs:

    GraniteShares 2x Long PDD Daily ETF (NASDAQ: PDDL), 
    GraniteShares 2x Long NOW Daily ETF (NASDAQ: NOWL) and
    GraniteShares 2x Long AVGO Daily ETF (NASDAQ: AVGU).

    An investment in the ETFs provides investors daily leveraged exposure to the three respective underlying stocks: PDD Holdings (NASDAQ: PDD) ServiceNow (NASDAQ: NOW) and Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO).

    GraniteShares’ leveraged ETFs seek daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to 2 times (200%) the daily percentage change of the respective common stocks. These funds are designed for sophisticated investors looking to capitalize on short-term movements in the underlying stocks.

    New GraniteShares Leveraged Single-Stock ETFs


    Underlying Companies

    • PDD Holdings Inc., established in 2015 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global commerce company managing a portfolio of businesses aimed at integrating people and enterprises into the digital economy. It operates Pinduoduo, an e-commerce platform offering diverse products such as agricultural goods, apparel, electronics, and household items, alongside Temu, a global marketplace connecting buyers, merchants, and manufacturers across various categories. The company emphasizes enhancing local communities and small businesses through improved productivity and opportunities, supported by its robust network of sourcing, logistics, and fulfillment capabilities. Formerly known as Pinduoduo Inc., it rebranded to PDD Holdings Inc. in February 2023.
    • ServiceNow, Inc., based in Santa Clara, California, is a global leader in cloud-based Al solutions for business transformation. It’s Now Platform helps organizations digitize workflows using Al, automation, analytics, and low-code tools. The platform supports four key workflow areas: technology, customer and industry, employee, and creator-enhancing IT services, customer and employee experiences, and custom workflows. Its offerings span IT service management, security operations, HR delivery, and more. Serving industries worldwide, ServiceNow partners with providers and resellers to drive digital transformation. Founded in 2004, it remains at the forefront of Al-powered workflow automation.
    • Broadcom Inc., headquartered in Palo Alto, California and founded in 1961, is a global technology company specializing in the design, development, and supply of a wide range of semiconductor devices and enterprise software solutions. Operating through two primary segments—Semiconductor Solutions and Infrastructure Software—the company delivers complex digital and mixed-signal CMOS-based and analog III-V-based semiconductor products. Its offerings include RF front-end modules, Ethernet switching and routing chips, optical and copper interconnect components, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth SoCs, custom touch controllers, storage adapters, and a variety of industrial and optical solutions. These technologies support applications across data centers, telecommunications, mobile devices, broadband access, factory automation, and more. In software, Broadcom provides tools and platforms for cloud, mainframe, and hybrid environments, focusing on application development, security, automation, and infrastructure management.

    Designed for Tactical Traders

    The new leveraged ETFs provide traders with a tool to gain leveraged exposure to these stocks, making them a potential consideration for those looking to execute short-term tactical trades.

    “We continue to expand our suite of leveraged ETFs to meet the demand for high-conviction trading opportunities,” said Will Rhind, Founder of GraniteShares. “With the launch of PDDL, NOWL, and AVGU, we are providing investors with targeted tools to access some of the most exciting companies in AI, cloud computing, semiconductors and technology.”

    For more information on the new GraniteShares leveraged ETFs, read the Prospectus.

    About GraniteShares

    GraniteShares is an entrepreneurial ETF provider focused on high-conviction investment solutions. The firm offers a range of innovative ETFs spanning leveraged, inverse, and high-yield strategies, empowering investors with differentiated tools for portfolio construction. Founded in 2016, GraniteShares has grown rapidly by delivering cutting-edge solutions tailored to modern market needs. For more information, visit www.graniteshares.com.

    Media Contact:
    GraniteShares Inc.
    Attn: Media Relations
    222 Broadway, 21st Floor
    New York, NY 10038
    844-476-8747
    info@graniteshares.com

    RISK FACTORS AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION

    This material must be preceded or accompanied by a Prospectus. Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives risk factors, charges and expenses before investing. Please read the prospectus before investing. The fund does not directly invest in the underlying stock.

    The Fund is recently organized July 15, 2025. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions. There can be no assurance that the Funds will grow to or maintain an economically viable size.

    The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The investment program of the funds is speculative, entails substantial risks and include asset classes and investment techniques not employed by most ETFs and mutual funds. Investments in the ETFs are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.

    The Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. This Fund attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the respective long leveraged multiple of the performance of its underlying stock (a Leverage Long Fund).

    Investors should note that such Leverage Long Fund pursues daily leveraged investment objectives, which means that the Fund is riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund magnifies the performance of its underlying stock. The volatility of the underlying security may affect a Funds’ return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying security.

    Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.

    Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the ETF. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for ETF shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue or remain unchanged. Buying or selling ETF shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions and frequent trading may incur brokerage costs that detract significantly from investment returns.

    An investment in the Fund involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Fund is non-diversified and includes risks associated with the Fund concentrating its investments in a particular industry, sector, or geographic region which can result in increased volatility. The use of derivatives such as futures contracts and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. Risks of the Fund include Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk, Leverage Risk, Market Risk, Counterparty Risk, Rebalancing Risk, Intra-Day Investment Risk, Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk, and risks specific to the securities of the Underlying Stock and the sector in which it operates. These and other risks can be found in the prospectus.

    This information is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Funds to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws. You could lose money by investing in the ETFs. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Funds will be achieved. None of the Funds should be relied upon as a complete investment program.

    The Fund is distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc, which is not affiliated with GraniteShares or any of its affiliates ©2024 GraniteShares Inc. All rights reserved. GraniteShares, GraniteShares Trusts, and the GraniteShares logo are registered and unregistered trademarks of GraniteShares Inc., in the United States and elsewhere. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Research: Consumer Mobile Frustration Is Rising – And It’s Costing Brands

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ATLANTA, July 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fullstory, a leading behavioral data company, today unveiled findings from its 2025 Behavioral Insights Benchmark Report, analyzing year-over-year trends in user digital experience across platforms. This year’s data from 14 billion sessions across key sectors—retail, financial services, food and beverage, travel and hospitality, gambling and entertainment, software, and business services—shows a sharp rise in mobile user frustration, with more frequent pain points, early search abandonment, spikes in error, and rage clicks.

    Welcome to the ‘Frustration Economy’: Mobile is Becoming a Hotspot for User Friction 

    Emerging AI-driven interfaces have made user experience (UX) on mobile more complex, and today’s consumers are paying the price, with mobile error clicks surging 667% from 2024 to 2025. This increase in errors, combined with decreasing user patience, is revealing a critical shift in behavior as consumers want their mobile experiences to be personalized and fast. A clear sign of frustration is rage clicks, which increased drastically for mobile and desktop users. Specifically, food and beverage rose a staggering 673%, followed by business services (131%), financial services (85%), and retail (56%).

    Adding to the complexity, the report shows that mobile bounce rate rose 54%, with half of all mobile users exiting after just one page. Financial services saw the highest number of mobile bounce rates at 85%, followed by retail (64%), and food and beverage (13%). For travel brands, mobile bounce rates decreased by 10%.

    “Today’s consumers expect elevated, efficient digital experiences. These high expectations are a byproduct of consumers’ increasing exposure to sophisticated AI tools, putting pressure on brands to deliver exceptional experiences every single session,” said Adam Spisak, Chief Customer Officer at Fullstory. “Our data confirms that mobile interfaces aren’t keeping pace with the new set of expectations from consumers. This is a wake-up call for brands. As frustration builds and consumers encounter more issues, they will choose to pursue other options.”

    Mobile Users Linger Longer but Struggle More

    Across all sectors, mobile traffic is rising, but UX often lags. Errors, rage clicks, and abandonments are far more common on mobile, with users hitting dead ends in nearly every visit. Despite these challenges, mobile still presents opportunities, as brands seek to engage more often and for longer with consumers. In 2025, mobile session duration rose 332%, reaching an average of 15 minutes and 51 seconds (up from 3 minutes and 40 seconds in 2024). This opportunity to engage consumers for longer periods of time was most apparent for retailers, who saw a session duration increase of 442%, followed by food and beverage (156%), while entertainment saw a 14% decrease.

    However, the report revealed dead clicks – when users click on elements that don’t respond – remained high on mobile, averaging 929 per 1,000 sessions – a slight increase from 2024. This is further proof that businesses need to invest in technology that tests their user interface on both desktop and mobile, improving both in tandem.

    Desktop Experiences Are Stabilizing, Boosting User Confidence

    While the increase in error clicks on mobile (667%) is concerning, this report found that web error clicks on desktop dropped significantly by 68%, indicating desktop stability is trending in the right direction. This shows that ongoing user experience investments on desktop experiences are paying off.

    However, there are still opportunities for improvement, with error clicks increasing across several sectors. Food and beverage reported the highest rates of error clicks on desktop at 121%, followed by financial services (56%), and travel (14%).

    “Behavioral data tells the story behind every customer interaction,” said Spisak, “It reveals exactly where and why users are struggling. The brands that act on these insights have a real opportunity to directly impact conversion, retention, and improve customer trust, resulting in stronger, more loyal relationships.”

    To better understand users’ behaviors, expectations, and points of friction across digital experiences, read the full report here.

    Research Methodology

    The data in this report reflects aggregated and anonymized activity from January to December 2024, spanning 9.5 billion web sessions, 4.1 billion mobile sessions, and 945 billion individual events. It focuses on four key regions—North America, UK & Ireland, DACH, and Benelux—and highlights trends across five major industries: Retail, Travel & Hospitality, Food & Beverage, Finance, and Sports, Gambling & Entertainment.

    About Fullstory

    Fullstory is the leading behavioral data platform that helps technology leaders make smarter, faster decisions by integrating rich behavioral signals into their analytics stack. Its patented technology captures every digital interaction and transforms it into high-fidelity, actionable insights at scale. With agentic AI, Fullstory enables enterprises to anticipate the needs of both customers and employees, personalize experiences in real time, streamline workflows, and drive meaningful business outcomes. From boosting efficiency and conversion to increasing loyalty and revenue, Fullstory turns digital behavior into a competitive advantage. Headquartered in Atlanta with teams across North America, EMEA, and APAC, Fullstory is trusted by the world’s most innovative organizations to transform behavioral data into business impact.

    Fullstory Media Relations
    Alexandra King
    Director of Communications
    pr@fullstory.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Dayforce Research: Taming Friction Key to Simplifying Workplace Complexity

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MINNEAPOLIS and TORONTO, July 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dayforce, Inc. (NYSE: DAY; TSX: DAY), a global human capital management (HCM) leader that makes work life better, today released a report, Fighting workforce friction to power productivity, that explores types of workplace friction – staffing, agility, change, and technology – and the consequences of them. Findings show widespread organizational challenges are hurting productivity and the bottom line by keeping people from doing the work they’re meant to do.

    With a majority (84%) of respondents saying they have faced organizational change in the past 12 months, this new research dives into how friction is experienced by workers, managers, and executives to help leaders drive simplicity at scale and ensure their people are doing work that drives results. Conducted by Hanover Research, the survey included 6,178 workers, managers, and executives from companies with at least 100 employees. The findings highlight opportunities to enhance speed and agility, while also improving the employee experience.

    “Technology disruption and a fluid operating environment are creating friction across organizations, leading to frustrated employees and wasted time and resources,” said Steve Holdridge, President and Chief Operating Officer, Dayforce, Inc. “Tackling this complexity crisis requires reducing friction caused by poor communication, mismatched technology, and aligning worker skills with defined roles. For leaders, this means creating clear goals, delivering proper skills training, and equipping their people with the tools they need to do the work they’re meant to do.”

    The report identified four types of friction organizations need to address:

    • Staffing friction: Almost two-thirds (65%) of workers said that when someone calls in sick at their organization, there is often no one to cover their work. Meanwhile, middle managers say that workforce scheduling (36%) and accurately forecasting labor needs (31%) are among their biggest workforce planning challenges. Employing workforce planning technology can help managers by improving staffing flexibility and ensuring that schedules comply with relevant regulations.
    • Agility friction: Respondents were clear that in today’s environment adapting and optimizing their workforce with speed is key to competitive advantage, but more than half (51%) said they could add more value to their organization in a different role. At the same time, only 43% said their organization has a structured process of upskilling or reskilling employees. Creating defined career paths and development opportunities can improve agility and retention.
    • Change friction: More than half (52%) of respondents say that organizational changes at their company negatively impact employee efficiency and only 44% say their organization is good or very good at communicating change. Prioritizing communication during change management planning can help employees navigate change and focus on important tasks.
    • Technology friction: More than two-thirds (69%) of respondents say their organization uses too many technology platforms, while nearly the same amount (66%) at least slightly agree that adopting new technologies at work often reduce efficiency instead of improving it. Reducing complexity with fewer platforms and modern technology can make adoption smoother and get people back to focusing on high-value tasks.

    Additional Information

    Survey Methodology

    Hanover Research conducted the organizational friction survey from Dayforce online from April 14 to May 1, 2025. The study included 6,178 respondents aged 18+ who work at companies with at least 100 employees across Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

    Our Organizational Friction Index was calculated based on respondents’ answers to nine questions about organizational changes, organizational complexity, and technological complexity. Each respondent was assigned an Organizational Friction Score, and the Index was created by designating those scores as low, medium, or high friction.

    About Dayforce

    Dayforce makes work life better. Everything we do as a global leader in HCM technology is focused on enabling thousands of customers and millions of employees around the world do the work they’re meant to do. With our single AI-powered people platform for HR, Pay, Time, Talent, and Analytics, organizations of all sizes and industries are benefiting from simplicity at scale with Dayforce to help unlock their full workforce potential, operate with confidence, and realize quantifiable value. To learn more, visit dayforce.com.

    Media Contact
    Nick de Pass
    nick.depass@dayforce.com
    (226) 972-5962

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Aptean’s Food and Beverage Partner Network Drives Record ERP Growth; Sparking Global Expansion of Partner Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ALPHARETTA, Ga., July 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aptean, an AI-first company and global provider of mission-critical enterprise software solutions, today announced the expansion of its Global Food and Beverage ERP Partner Program. Driven by strong performance from its existing partner network, Aptean is seeing record-breaking growth in new ERP customer acquisition. To further scale this success, the company is expanding the program to meet the growing global demand for localized, industry-specific solutions.

    Building on a proven foundation, the enhanced program delivers even greater value for partners through innovative resources, strategic collaboration and new opportunities for growth. Designed to empower partners in an evolving industry landscape, Aptean’s latest advancements ensure they have the tools and supports needed to maximize success.

    Organizations interested in learning more or joining Aptean’s growing network of reseller and service delivery partners can visit: Aptean Global Partner Program – Become a Partner 

    With significant investments in state-of-the-art tools, comprehensive support and innovative technologies – including embedded AI – Aptean’s enhanced Partner Program empowers channel partners to seamlessly adapt and stay ahead of the evolving demands of the Food & Beverage sector. This robust framework enables partners to deliver exceptional service, deploy advanced technologies and offer expert guidance ensuring ERP customers worldwide gain lasting value and ongoing innovation.

    Aptean has also invested heavily in building a strong and comprehensive Partner Program supported by a dedicated global team and centralized online Partner Portal. Combined with extensive enablement resources, training, go-to-market strategies and ongoing support, this program ensures partners have everything they need to drive success and deliver exceptional value to the Food & Beverage industry.

    “Our investment in this Partner Program underscores our dedication to our partners’ success,” says Kara McClain, VP, Global Partner Program. “Through collaboration, we can unlock remarkable growth and deliver exceptional value to our customers. Aptean is deeply invested in our partners’ futures, providing the support and industry expertise they need to navigate change with confidence and drive sustained success.”  

    Benefits of The Aptean Global Partner Program  

    • Market Leadership: Aptean gives partners an opportunity to expand into new markets and boost win rates with the industry’s leading Food and Beverage ERP solution. By leveraging Aptean’s expertise and reputation, partners gain a competitive edge, driving growth and success in a rapidly evolving sector.  
    • Global Support: Aptean’s extensive global presence ensures consistency in delivering exceptional customer experiences. Partners benefit from unmatched expertise in the Food & Beverage industry, equipping them with the insights and resources needed to drive success in a changing market.   
    • Growth Opportunities: Aptean’s comprehensive suite of solutions – including its Beyond ERP offerings – empowers partners to expand their businesses and deepen customer relationships. By leveraging these advanced, industry-specific tools, partners can unlock new revenue streams, increase share of wallet and deliver transformative value across their customers’ operations. This positions partners as strategic advisors in the highly competitive Food & Beverage market, driving innovation and long-term growth
    • Enhanced Financial Incentives and Benefits: Aptean’s competitive pricing model and revamped compensation structure, delivers financial incentives for partners. By maximizing profitability and ensuring recurring revenue opportunities, Aptean enables partners to strengthen their financial position while delivering high value solutions.

    Commenting on the continued expansion of the Partner Program, Bob Kocis, President and COO, Aptean, said: “Aptean’s Partner Program remains a strategic priority, driving scalability across diverse regions and deepening our relationships with valued partners. Purpose-built for the Food & Beverage industry, our ERP solution is powered by the robust Microsoft Dynamics Business Central platform as its backbone, ensuring seamless functionality and adaptability. We remain committed to evolving and enhancing this program, equipping our partners with the tools, resources and support they need to thrive in a dynamic market.” 

    Partner Testimonial – Adroit:

    As a long-standing partner with Aptean, Richard Sides, CEO of Adroit North America shares:

    “We formed Adroit with a specific focus on the Food and Beverage industry. Our mission is to provide an integrated process and system transformation experience from Farm-to-Table. We specifically sought out a partnership with Aptean based on our experience with their legacy JustFood ERP and our understanding of their strategic vision for a fully built offering across the supply chain.”

    He continues:

    “Together, we leverage our combined expertise in Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain, E-Commerce, and Hardware Solutions. Aptean’s new Food and Beverage ERP, including ‘Beyond ERP’ solutions such as TMS, OEE and EAM, now provides us with a fully integrated and leading-edge solution set. Over the past four years, we have successfully surfaced opportunities and collaborated with Aptean through multiple project cycles to deliver excellent value for our mutual customers.  Their continued investment in the development of the Partner Program has only served to enhance our partnership and to set us up for success.”

    Taking the Next Step with Aptean

    If you are interested in joining Aptean’s Global Partner Program for Food and Beverage or you would like to learn more, visit: Aptean Global Partner Program – Become a Partner

    About Aptean

    Aptean is a global provider of industry-specific software that helps manufacturers and distributors effectively run and grow their businesses. Aptean’s solutions and services help businesses of all sizes to be Ready for What’s Next, Now®. Aptean is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. To learn more about Aptean and the markets we serve, visit www.aptean.com.

    MEDIA INQUIRIES
    MediaRelations@Aptean.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Ambassador of Belarus S.Terentiev meets the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt for European Affairs

    Source: APO


    .

    On July 13, 2025, on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic mission, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Sergei Terentiev, met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt for European Affairs, Wael Hamed.

    The interlocutors noted the dynamics of the development of Belarusian-Egyptian contacts at various levels, emphasised the need to hold the planned political and economic events and implement the outlined agreements as soon as possible.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Egypt Values President Trump’s Statement to Resolve Conflicts & End Wars

    Source: APO


    .

    Egypt values the statement by President Donald Trump, which demonstrates the seriousness of the United States—under President Trump’s leadership—in exerting efforts to resolve conflicts and end wars.

    Egypt reaffirms its confidence in President Trump’s ability to address complex challenges and to advance peace, stability, and security across the globe, whether in Ukraine, the Palestinian territory, or Africa.

    Egypt also appreciates President Trump’s keenness on reaching a just agreement that safeguards the interests of all parties regarding the Ethiopian Dam, as well as his recognition of the Nile as a source of life for Egypt. 

    Egypt reaffirms its support for President Trump’s vision of establishing just peace, security, and stability for all countries in the region and around the world.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government launches “Good Food Cycle” to transform Britain’s food system 

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Government launches “Good Food Cycle” to transform Britain’s food system 

    New “Good Food Cycle” framework serves up healthier eating, stronger food security and greener supply chains  

    Getty images

    The government has served up its new “Good Food Cycle” today (15 July) – a recipe aimed at driving a generational change in the nation’s relationship with food.   

    The Good Food Cycle identifies ten priority outcomes needed to build a thriving food sector while tackling challenges from rising obesity rates to climate change impacts on production, representing a pivotal milestone in the government’s work to develop a comprehensive food strategy      

    Key outcomes to create a good food cycle include:   

    • An improved food environment that supports healthier and more environmentally sustainable food sales    

    • Access for all to safe, affordable, healthy, convenient and appealing food options     

    • Conditions for the food sector to thrive and grow sustainably, including investment in innovation and productivity, and fairer more transparent supply chains     

    This fresh approach sets out the government’s vision for a modern food system, that sits at the heart of the government’s Plan for Change, tackling multiple critical challenges at once and helping to put more money back in people’s pockets.   

    Building stronger, more resilient food supply chains protects Britain from potential disruptions and strengthens our national security. Making sure everyone can afford healthy food drives our health mission by helping people stay well and reducing pressure on the NHS. We’re also working to give children the nutritious start they need to thrive at school and beyond to give every child the best possible start in life, whatever their background.  

    Minister for Food Security Daniel Zeichner, said:    

    Food security is national security – we need a resilient food system that can weather any storm while ensuring families across the country can access affordable, healthy food.   

    The Good Food Cycle represents a major milestone. We are actively defining the outcomes we want from our food system to deliver a whole system change that will help the amazing businesses that feed our nation to grow and thrive, which means more jobs and stronger local economies, while making it easier for families to eat and feel better.   

    This isn’t just about what’s on our plates today, it’s about building a stronger food system for generations to come, supporting economic growth, health and opportunity as part of our Plan for Change. 

    The ten outcomes have been informed by expert advice from departments across government, the Food Strategy Advisory Board, workshops with interested charities and businesses, as well as members of the public from a Citizen Advisory Council to ensure everyone stands to benefit from a nutritious, sustainable and resilient food system, as part of the Plan for Change.    

    The Good Food Cycle builds on recent government measures to curb diet-related health problems. Fresh partnerships with big food companies will see them share data on healthy food sales, creating more transparency and a level playing field across the industry.   

    With two-thirds of adults in England currently overweight or living with obesity and costing the NHS over £11.4 billion annually, the new approach will help make sure healthier choices don’t get squeezed off supermarket shelves by less nutritious options.   

    Minister for Health Ashley Dalton, said:  

    We want to make sure all families have the option of healthy, high-quality food – not least because it helps tackle the epidemic of obesity, which costs our NHS over £11 billion a year.  

    The Good Food Cycle will be good for the health of our communities and help us curb the rising tide of cost and demand on the NHS.  

    This builds on measures in our new 10 Year Health Plan to make the healthy choice the easy choice, including launching a world-first partnership with food manufacturers and retailers.

    Evidence shows that children living in poverty are far less likely to have enough nutritious food to eat, with almost 1 in 5 living in food insecurity, affecting their health and attainment at school. The Good Food Cycle will improve access to healthy, affordable food for families and give them the skills and support to cook and eat healthily.  

    This is a key part of the Government’s wider action to tackle child poverty and support families with the cost of essential goods. It builds on the expansion of Free School Meals to an additional 500,000 children and the rollout of free breakfast clubs for primary school pupils and will form part of the Government’s Child Poverty Strategy published in the Autumn.  

    Minister for Employment, Alison McGovern, who sits on the Ministerial Food Strategy Group and the Child Poverty Taskforce, said:   

    It’s unacceptable that children in Britain are growing up without access to healthy and affordable food – holding back their learning and development.  

    Along with making over half a million more children eligible for free school meals and rolling out breakfast clubs to all primary schools, the Good Food Cycle will ensure the next generation are well fed and ready to reach their full potential.  

    This framework marks an important step in our mission to tackle child poverty, to support families and give all children the very best start in life.  

    Food Security Minister Daniel Zeichner announced the strategy at Darley Street Market in Bradford as part of their 2025 City of Culture celebrations.    

    Cities like Bradford are already pioneering the kind of community-focused food initiatives that the Good Food Cycle strategy aims to scale up nationwide.    

    Bradford’s plans include ensuring primary school pupils get hands-on experience with growing, cooking and eating fresh food – directly supporting the strategy’s goal of giving children the best start in life through better nutrition and food education. The city is also backing venues where citizens of all ages can cook and eat together, creating the kind of inclusive food spaces that help build stronger communities while celebrating local food culture.   

    Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s portfolio holder for Healthy People and Places, said:     

    We’re delighted to welcome Minister Zeichner to our new Darley Street Market today to launch the Good Food Cycle.   

    Having a clear direction on food policy is vital if we are to tackle some of the key issues that affect communities in our district, such as food poverty and obesity while also supporting our food producers and protecting our environment.  This is why we worked closely with the district’s Sustainable Food Partnership to launch our own food strategy last year which sets out our plans to support residents with healthy and sustainable food, and to reduce health inequalities.  

    It is really fitting to launch this important national framework here in Bradford. Our district has a proud food culture and history which we want to build on. Backing our local producers so they can provide quality, nutritious food to local people is a key part of part of our ambition and why we have invested in this new market.  

    Additional quotes   

    Dan Bates, Executive Director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, said:  

    At Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, we’re proud to celebrate our district’s rich cultural identity through its diverse culinary traditions. Whether it’s family recipes passed down through generations, a commemorative biscuit tin containing heritage stories, or even a curry festival; these all offer a unique lens into Bradford’s history, creativity and community spirit. We’re delighted that Bradford has been chosen to launch the [Good Food Cycle] at the new Darley Street Market, full of independent local traders to help showcase the city’s dynamic contemporary culture to the world.  

    Professor Susan Jebb, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, said:  

    We welcome the ambitions set out in the Good Food Cycle today and support the outcomes it describes.  

    We continue to work closely with other departments in the delivery of the strategy, playing our part to make it easier for consumers to access food that is healthier and more sustainable. 

    Sarah Bradbury, CEO at IGD, said:   

    As co-secretariat of the FSAB, we partnered with the Defra team earlier this year to host multi-stakeholder workshops, engaging over 150 organisations across the agri-food supply chain. Their insights have directly shaped the Good Food Cycle’s ambition to build a food system that works for everyone. A powerful example of what can be achieved through collaboration.

    Andrew Opie, Director of Food & Sustainability at the BRC, said:  

    Retailers welcome the ambition and direction of the framework. They know customers want more British food, sustainably produced and with clear healthy choices; something we believe this approach can help to deliver. 

    Kate Nicholls, Chair of UKHospitality, said:   

    Hospitality is a central cog in our food system – serving Britain with great food and drink 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The food supply chain shares the Government’s ambitions to create a healthier, more sustainable food system, and it’s critical the Government works with businesses to do that in a pragmatic and achievable way.    

    Diverse and vibrant food cultures are part of what makes our communities thrive, and we look forward to working with the Government to develop a food strategy that recognises hospitality’s vital importance to the food system, economy and society.

    Dalton Philips, CEO of Greencore plc, said:    

    The Good Food Cycle is a bold and timely step toward a healthier, fairer and more sustainable food system. It sets the right direction for industry, government and communities to work together to drive lasting change.   

    Tim J Smith CBE, Chairman of Cranswick, said:     

    As we mark the launch of the Good Food Cycle today and as a member of the Food Strategy Advisory Board I would like to commend the government for its progress on establishing a set of priorities which we can all get behind. This matters for everyone. Wherever we live, whoever we are, we’re all connected to the food system. Food matters. The pace at which this work has developed has been remarkable as has the very unusual cross-government working needed to get us to this point: where our food system is closer to being healthier, more sustainable and affordable and where that system is fair for all.  

    Balwinder Dhoot, Director of Sustainability and Growth, The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), said:   

    From the everyday staples found in kitchen cupboards, fridges and freezers, like oats, yoghurts, tins of beans and frozen vegetables, to ready meals, confectionary and new healthier snacks, UK food and drink manufacturers help the nation have a balanced and varied diet, amid busy lifestyles.   

    We welcome this strategy’s holistic view that considers all of the factors affecting our sector – from creating the right conditions to drive investment in new healthier products, through to removing barriers to trade and ensuring we have the skilled workers we need. We’re pleased to see government acknowledge the importance of our industry to achieving a resilient, sustainable and healthy food system for the UK and look forward to working together to develop this ambitious Food Strategy.

    Citizens Advisory Council: 

    Anna Taylor, Executive Director, The Food Foundation, said:   

    The Food Strategy is an opportunity to reset the rules governing the food system so we start winning the fight against diet related disease and unlock progress  in delivering our nature and climate targets. The wellbeing of citizens must be at the heart of these changes, with food businesses now being encouraged to sell and promote healthier options. This should also be a signal to investors that British food companies making nutritious foods hold the keys to future growth and productivity.  Most importantly it holds the promise of getting our children back on track for long, healthy and fruitful lives.  

    Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive, Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, said:     

    What’s exciting about this approach is that citizens don’t want to see a strategy gathering dust on a shelf. They are really interested in how it will be delivered – and the difference it will make to their everyday lives. They want to see healthy food, sustainably produced, easily available to everyone everywhere. Citizens tend to cut to the chase. They’re interested in what works, and where it is working already, around the UK and elsewhere in the world. They want to make sure that government focuses on making a real difference – for health, for nature, for climate and for a fairer food system for everyone.

    Citizens Advisory Council members:  

    “I think it’s very important to get out and speak to people from different corners of the UK and from all different social aspects and social standings, to understand what the real problems are at the ground level.” – Kevin Robson, Tyne & Wear  

    “I’d love it if we end up in a place where providing healthy, good food for your family becomes a little less confusing. At the moment, I think lots of citizens do find it confusing. It shouldn’t be a struggle to provide healthy food for a family.” – David Njoku, Berkshire  

    “I think what I’m really looking for is change. Defra have been really vocal that they want to hear us and they want to centre citizen voices as a key part of their strategy.” – Emmanuela Kumi, London

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Electric Car Grant launched

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Written statement to Parliament

    Electric Car Grant launched

    Car manufacturers can apply for vehicle eligibility for the grant from 16 July 2025.

    The government is making it easier and cheaper to own an electric vehicle. Today (15 July 2025), the government has launched an Electric Car Grant to support the transition to zero emission vehicles and incentivise sustainable automotive manufacturing. This intervention gives clarity about the government’s commitment to the zero emission vehicle transition, at a time of unprecedented uncertainty for the automotive sector.

    £650 million of grant funding will be available to purchase new zero emission cars priced at or under £37,000. Grants of £1,500 or £3,750 will make these cars more affordable and enable even more people to access the savings associated with driving electric. The grant will help unlock potential further savings of up to £1,500 a year in running costs for drivers, it will back UK and other manufacturers, with eligibility dependent on the highest manufacturing sustainability standards, driving growth in our automotive and charging sectors.

    Grants are available from tomorrow (16 July 2025), subject to confirmation of vehicle eligibility by the Department for Transport. A list of eligible vehicles will be updated on the department website as vehicles are approved. The scheme has funding available until financial year 2028 to 2029. The closure date will remain under review and the scheme will be subject to amendment or early closure, with no notice, should funds become exhausted.

    The Electric Car Grant has 2 bands. £3,750 for the most sustainably produced cars and £1,500 for cars that meet some environmental criteria. This is in recognition of the need to address embedded carbon emissions across a vehicle’s lifetime, as well as tailpipe emissions. Vehicles that do not meet minimum sustainability standards will not be eligible for a grant.

    The minimum environmental criterion is for manufacturers to hold a verified science based target. Science based targets are commitments corporate entities make to reduce their environmental impact, in line with the UK’s international climate commitments, which are verified by the independent Science Based Targets Initiative. The amount of grant available per vehicle will depend on the level of emissions associated with production of the vehicle. Emissions from vehicle production are assessed against the carbon intensity of the electricity grid in the country where vehicle assembly and battery production are located.

    The government has also announced a wider package of measures to support the continued deployment of charging infrastructure. These include £25 million of funding to deliver cross-pavement charging channels, £30 million grant funding to install chargepoints at depots for vans, coaches and HGVs, supporting the transition of the road freight and coach sectors, £8 million of funding to install chargers at NHS sites and changes to allow EV hubs to be signed from major roads. All of these measures will support the more than £6 billion of private funding already in the pipeline to further boost the UK’s chargepoint roll-out by 2030.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: RSF supported 15 projects of young scientists from HSE

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University “Higher School of Economics” –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The Russian Science Foundation has summed up the results of the 2025 youth competitions for grants. Based on the results of the competition of initiative projects of young scientists, 14 projects of the Higher School of Economics were supported. Based on the results of the competition of scientific groups led by young scientists, one university project was supported.

    The competitions are part of the Presidential Program of research projects implemented by leading scientists, including young scientists, a priority area of the RSF activity “Support for young scientists”. The goal of the presented project should be to solve specific problems within the framework of one of the priorities defined in the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation.

    Competition of initiative projects of young scientists

    Grants are allocated for the implementation of fundamental and exploratory scientific research in 2025–2027 to researchers aged up to and including 33 years who have a PhD degree.

    Following the results of the competition, 14 HSE projects were supported in the following areas: Mathematics, informatics and systems sciences, Physics and space sciences, Humanities and social sciences:

    “Assessing Impact Effects in Economic Research Using Synthesis of Econometric Models and Machine Learning Methods” (headed by Bogdan Potanin, Faculty of Economic Sciences);

    “Trace Operator in Non-Lipschitz Domains and the Steklov Problem” (supervised by Alexander Menovshchikov, Faculty of Mathematics);

    “Solution of the inverse phaseless scattering problem for the Helmholtz equation using the phase reconstruction method” (supervisor Vladimir Sivkin, Faculty of Mathematics);

    “Automorphisms of algebraic monoids” (supervised by Anton Shafarevich, Faculty of Computer Science);

    “Localization and its destruction in one-dimensional disordered quantum multiparticle systems” (head Murod Bakhovadinov, International Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics);

    “Hessian and locally conformal Hessian manifolds” (supervised by Pavel Osipov, International Laboratory of Mirror Symmetry and Automorphic Forms);

    “Socio-psychological factors of perception of socio-economic inequality: from social comparison to subjective well-being” (headed by Irina Prusova, Faculty of Social Sciences);

    “Industrial postgraduate studies in Russia: practices, barriers and effects of employers’ participation in the training of postgraduate students” (headed by Svetlana Zhuchkova, Institute of Education);

    “‘Gentle’ employment: practices for adapting forms and conditions of employment against the backdrop of deteriorating health in older age groups in Russia” (headed by Anna Chervyakova, Institute of Social Policy);

    “Dynamical systems on direct and oblique products of manifolds” (supervisor Marina Barinova, HSE University – Nizhny Novgorod);

    “Knowledge and Management on the Imperial Outskirts: Experts and Mediators in the Russian North and Far East in the Post-Reform Russian Empire” (headed by Evgeny Egorov, HSE University – Saint Petersburg);

    “At the start of academic careers: student participation in scientific communities and initiatives as a vector for the development of national science” (headed by Irina Lisovskaya, HSE University – St. Petersburg);

    “Socio-psychological and cognitive factors of trust in AI-social agents and AI-generated information in the field of health” (headed by Yadviga Sinyavskaya, HSE University – St. Petersburg);

    “Asymmetrical radiation output from a microdisk laser using a conjugated photonic crystal” (headed by Konstantin Ivanov, HSE University – St. Petersburg).

    Competition of scientific groups led by young scientists

    Within the framework of the competition, grants are allocated for conducting fundamental and exploratory scientific research in 2025–2028 to researchers aged up to and including 35 years, who have a candidate or doctoral degree.

    Based on the results of the competition, the project “Integrable sigma models and conformal field theories” (supervisor Mikhail Alfimov, Faculty of Mathematics) was supported.

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • France says UN conference to work on post-war Gaza, Palestinian state recognition

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    A rescheduled United Nations conference this month will discuss post-war plans for Gaza and preparations for the recognition of a Palestinian state by France and others, France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

    France and Saudi Arabia had planned to host the conference in New York from June 17-20, aiming to lay out the parameters of a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel’s security.

    “The aim is to sketch out post-war Gaza and prepare the recognition of a Palestinian state by France and countries that will engage in this approach,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in Brussels before a meeting of European Union foreign ministers.

    The conference was postponed under U.S. pressure and after the 12-day Israel-Iran air war began, during which regional airspace was closed, making it hard for representatives of some Arab states to attend. Diplomats said on Friday it had been rescheduled for July 28-29.

    French President Emmanuel Macron had been set to attend the conference and had suggested he could recognise a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territories at the conference, a move opposed by Israel.

    Macron is no longer expected to attend, reducing the likelihood of any major announcements being made.

    Diplomats say Macron has faced resistance from allies such as Britain and Canada over his push for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

    Israel has been fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel in October 2023. A U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire is being discussed at talks in Doha.

    (Reuters)

  • France says UN conference to work on post-war Gaza, Palestinian state recognition

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    A rescheduled United Nations conference this month will discuss post-war plans for Gaza and preparations for the recognition of a Palestinian state by France and others, France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

    France and Saudi Arabia had planned to host the conference in New York from June 17-20, aiming to lay out the parameters of a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel’s security.

    “The aim is to sketch out post-war Gaza and prepare the recognition of a Palestinian state by France and countries that will engage in this approach,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in Brussels before a meeting of European Union foreign ministers.

    The conference was postponed under U.S. pressure and after the 12-day Israel-Iran air war began, during which regional airspace was closed, making it hard for representatives of some Arab states to attend. Diplomats said on Friday it had been rescheduled for July 28-29.

    French President Emmanuel Macron had been set to attend the conference and had suggested he could recognise a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territories at the conference, a move opposed by Israel.

    Macron is no longer expected to attend, reducing the likelihood of any major announcements being made.

    Diplomats say Macron has faced resistance from allies such as Britain and Canada over his push for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

    Israel has been fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel in October 2023. A U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire is being discussed at talks in Doha.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How 1860s Mexico offered an alternative vision for a liberal international order

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tom Long, Professor of International Relations, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick

    The Execution of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, June 19, 1867 Edouard ManetWikimedia Commons

    In 1867, the world’s most powerful statesmen, including Austria’s Emperor Franz Josef, France’s Napoleon III and US secretary of state, William H. Seward, petitioned the Mexican government to spare the life of a condemned man.

    Mexico’s ragtag army and militias had just humbled France, then Europe’s preeminent land power. The costly six-year campaign drained the French treasury and eroded Napoleon III’s domestic support. Napoleon’s ambition to transform Mexico into a client empire under a Vienna-born, Habsburg archduke, crowned Maximilian I, ended in spectacular failure.

    After his defeat, Maximilian was brought before a Mexican military tribunal. European monarchs regarded the prisoner as their peer, but Mexican liberals convicted him as a piratical invader, usurper and traitor. Despite indignant appeals from European courts, President Benito Juárez refused to commute his sentence. The would-be emperor was executed by firing squad.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The controversy went beyond one monarch’s fate. It crystallised a clash between opposed visions of global order — as Peru’s president Ramón Castilla said at the time, it was a “war of the crowns against liberty caps”.

    Today, world politics are in flux. The so-called liberal international order, nominally grounded in multilateralism, open markets, human rights and the rule of law, is facing its gravest crisis since the second world war. Former advocates such as the United States now openly flout international law and undermine the very norms they once championed. China remains ambivalent, while Russia unabashedly hastens the order’s unravelling.

    More broadly, the old post-second world war order appears out of step with the global south and with widespread anger over double standards exposed by the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran.
    Amid today’s crises, a world order arranged for and by the great powers looks both insufficient and doomed to lack legitimacy. Reordering will require support from diverse actors, including states across the global south.

    1860s: a turbulent decade

    The 1860s were a turbulent, although often overlooked, moment of global reordering. Technological shifts – the telegraph, electricity, steamships and railways – appeared as disruptive then as AI does today. Combined with shifting power dynamics, these transformations accelerated imperial expansion. Yet the rules of the emerging order remained uncertain, even among the imperial powers themselves.

    In Europe, networks of dynastic rule still carried weight in international politics. Under growing pressure, the ancien régime sought to reinvent and reassert itself. The old empires often justified their expansion by promising to bring order and progress to supposedly backward peoples. But that “civilising mission” clashed with a worldview emerging from Spanish America – where countries had thrown off colonial rule to establish independent republics.

    As we wrote in a recent article in American Political Science Review, Spanish American diplomats articulated a republican vision of international order centred on the protection of weaker states from domination by great powers.

    Fending off Europe’s empires

    Divided by civil conflict, Mexico became an easy target for European empires. Mexico’s Liberal party had regained power but faced internal dissent and crippling foreign debt. Britain, France and Spain formed a coalition to invade and demand repayment. France, however, had more ambitious designs.

    Exploiting the distraction of the US civil war, Napoleon III dreamed of transforming Mexico into a Latin stronghold against Yankee expansion. Best of all, Napoleon thought the scheme would turn a profit. A stable Mexican empire could repay the costs of the intervention – with interest – by increasing production from the country’s famed silver mines. Meanwhile, France would gain a receptive market for its exports and a grateful geopolitical subordinate.

    Maximilian, a young Austrian prince of the house of Hapsburg, somewhat naively accepted the offer to rule a distant and unfamiliar land. He dreamed of regenerating Mexico through a liberal monarchy while reviving his family’s declining dynasty.

    Led by Juárez, Mexico’s liberals fiercely resisted Maximilian’s rule. While militarily Juárez was consistently on the defensive, he remained diplomatically proactive. The Juaristas encouraged US sympathies that proved decisive after the end of the civil war. They also enjoyed solidarity – though limited material support – from other Spanish American republics. Although the monarchies of Europe all recognised Maximilian as Mexican emperor, Juárez’s defiance became a rallying point for liberals and republicans in Europe.

    Hero to the liberals: a monument to Juárez in central Mexico City.
    Hajor~commonswiki, CC BY-ND

    Vision of a new order

    Beyond stoking sympathies, Juárez and his followers offered trenchant critiques of unequal international rules and practices cloaked in liberal guise.

    First, the “republican internationalism” of Mexico’s Juaristas stood in direct opposition to European liberals’ “civilising mission”. Latin American republicans rejected the notion that progress could be imposed on their countries from abroad – though some echoed civilising rhetoric toward their own non-white populations, who like in the US were subject to campaigns of violence and dispossession that stretched from northern Mexico to the Patagonia. Many Latin American liberals likewise remained silent about empire elsewhere.

    Second, the Juarista vision placed popular sovereignty, not dynastic ties, at the heart of legitimate statehood. These ideas drew on Mexico’s independence tradition and the principles enshrined in the 1857 constitution. European intervention, in this view, aimed to suppress popular rule in the Americas and extend the reaction against the failed revolutions of 1848, which had seriously threatened the old order when they raged across Europe.

    Third, popular sovereign states were equal under international law, regardless of power, wealth, or internal disorder. Sovereign equality also underpinned Latin America’s strong commitment to non-intervention. Liberal writer and diplomat Francisco Zarco, a close confidante of Juárez, condemned frequent European economic justifications for intervention as the work of “smugglers and profiteers who wrap themselves in the flags of powerful nations”.

    Finally, Mexican liberals called for an international system premised on republican fraternity, drawing on aspirations for cooperation that went back to liberator Simón Bolívar. The independence leader and committed republican convened a conference in 1826, hoping that a confederation of the newly independent Spanish American states would “be the shield of our new destiny”.

    Similar arguments for an international order that advances non-domination still resonate in the global south today. The Mexican experience also underscores that the architects of international order have never come exclusively from the global north – and those who shape its future will not either.

    Tom Long receives support from UK Arts and Humanities Research Council grant AH/V006622/1, Latin America and the peripheral origins of the 19th-century international order.

    Carsten-Andreas Schulz receives support from UK Arts and Humanities Research Council grant AH/V006622/1, Latin America and the peripheral origins of the 19th-century international order.

    – ref. How 1860s Mexico offered an alternative vision for a liberal international order – https://theconversation.com/how-1860s-mexico-offered-an-alternative-vision-for-a-liberal-international-order-260228

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government launches SEPs Consultation to Boost UK Innovation

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Government launches SEPs Consultation to Boost UK Innovation

    Businesses and stakeholders invited to respond by 7 October 2025

    Further details:

    • Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) are building blocks of our connected future, enabling our devices to communicate seamlessly. They help power our connected economy and deliver real technological change for real people

    • the Government is seeking views on proposed Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) measures to support the UK’s technology-driven economic growth

    • proposals aim to address challenges in transparency, dispute resolution and licensing efficiency

    • further evidence sought on ways to address knowledge and information gaps between parties in SEPs negotiations, helping avoid complex and costly litigation

    • interested parties from across the SEP ecosystem are invited to submit views and evidence by 7 October 2025

    The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has today launched a consultation on potential measures to address challenges in the UK’s Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) ecosystem.

    A patent that protects technology which is essential to implementing a technical standard (such as 5G) is known as a Standard Essential Patent (SEP). SEPs help our devices to communicate seamlessly – from smartphones to electric vehicles, smart manufacturing to innovations in healthcare. They are the building blocks of our connected future and help deliver real technological change.

    However, available evidence points to inefficiencies in the UK’s SEP ecosystem that may create barriers to innovation – particularly for smaller businesses when seeking to implement standardised technologies.

    These challenges include knowledge and information gaps between SEP holders and implementers, a lack of transparency in the SEPs licensing process, and a costly and often complex dispute resolution environment. Resolving disputes can be costly and time-consuming – one recently reported case cost £31.5 million.

    The Government is consulting on policy options to ensure the UK’s SEP framework operates more efficiently, supporting both patent holders and technology implementers. The proposals aim to reduce frictions in licensing, achieve greater efficiency in dispute resolution, and more effectively deal with knowledge and information gaps between parties.

    The proposed measures aim to enable businesses of all sizes, including start-ups and scale-ups, to navigate the SEP framework more confidently.

    Proposed measures include

    Specialist rate determination track: Introducing a specialist track to provide licence rates for SEP portfolios on a case-by-case basis. This could increase consistency and transparency in SEP pricing. It could give businesses of all sizes a more efficient and cost–effective route to obtain a SEP licence rate.

    Mandatory provision of searchable information: Requiring patent holders to disclose standard-related patent information to the IPO. This would help address the current lack of transparency around SEPs and licensing obligations.

    We are gathering further evidence on

    The use of pre-action protocols: We are seeking further evidence on pre-action protocols to establish if they work well in SEPs negotiations, by encouraging early disclosure of relevant information.  This will help establish if a specialist SEP pre-action protocol may be needed in cases where negotiations are less likely to reach agreement and may move towards litigation.

    Essentiality checking solutions: Conducting a landscape review of essentiality checking solutions, to establish whether they are accessible for all parties, and establish if there is a case for government to introduce an essentiality determination opinion service.

    SEP remedies:  We are seeking to better understand whether the patent framework provides adequate remedies for SEP disputes.

    Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) measures: We are also looking to understand the current provision of ADR services that can resolve SEP disputes, and the extent to which they are used and accessible for all businesses, especially smaller businesses.

    Minister for Intellectual Property Feryal Clark MP said:

    Intellectual property is central to the Government’s growth mission and underpins the technologies that power our connected future, from 5G and electric vehicles to smart manufacturing and healthcare.

    This consultation will help make the licensing of these technologies more straight forward and accessible – driving innovation, reducing costly litigation, and helping UK firms lead in developing the technologies of tomorrow.

    President of the IP Federation Sarah Vaughan said:

    The IP Federation welcomes the Government’s open and evidence-based approach in launching this consultation on standard essential patents (SEPs). As long-standing advocates for a balanced and effective IP framework, we support measures that enhance transparency, facilitate timely and fair licensing negotiations, and promote efficient dispute resolution.

    President of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) Bobby Mukherjee said:

    The UK patent profession is one of the most skilled and experienced in the world in the SEP arena and we welcome the IPO’s energy and vision in initiating activity in a vital support area for our market leading offering. CIPA members welcome the opportunity to participate in this evidence-led consultation openly, reflecting the spectrum of views from SEP rights holders to implementers.

    Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office Adam Williams said:

    This consultation is a critical opportunity for all stakeholders to help build a SEP ecosystem that works for everyone. We particularly want to hear from businesses developing or using standardised technologies about how proposed measures could affect their innovation, investment and growth plans.

    The proposals outlined seek to address the diverse needs within our innovation ecosystem and take a balanced approach. By combining possible regulatory interventions with market-driven solutions, we want to create a framework that enhances the UK’s competitiveness while ensuring fairness and transparency across the technology value chain.

    The Government is encouraging responses from interested parties across the SEP ecosystem.  These include patent holders and innovators who develop standard-essential technologies, technology implementers who incorporate SEPs into their products, legal services and academia. We are also encouraging views from start-ups and scale-ups who may face particular challenges with the current licensing system.

    Industry bodies and standards organisations, intellectual property experts and research institutions involved in standardized technologies, and consumer groups representing end-users of SEP-enabled technologies are also encouraged to share their views.

    The evidence and insights gathered will help ensure our proposed measures address a broad set of needs across the innovation ecosystem and support balanced growth across the UK economy.

    The consultation is open until 7 October 2025. Full details and response information are available at the consultation page.

    END

    Additional information:

    1. The consultation document is available on GOV UK.

    2. A technical standard is an agreed or established technical description of an idea, product, service, or way of doing things, which enables the sharing of knowledge. Standards can encourage innovation, enable jobs and growth, and ensure the interoperability, safety and quality of products.

    3. The number of patents declared as essential (SEPs) worldwide has been estimated to have more than tripled over the last decade, growing from 82,000 in 2010 to around 305,000 in 2021.

    4. This number is expected to continue to increase. Standard development organisations (SDOs), like ETSI, publish thousands of new technical standard specifications every year. Standards are currently being developed for emerging technologies, such as 6G and artificial intelligence, to support interoperability.

    5. The telecommunications sector alone adds over £40 billion annually to UK GDP, with SEP-dependent technologies playing an essential role.

    6. The consultation follows extensive research since 2021 to establish if the current system of licensing SEPs is functioning effectively.

    7. In July 2024, the IPO launched the world’s first SEP resource hub to help UK businesses navigate the SEP ecosystem more confidently.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pedestrian priority at King Street junction10 July 2025 As part of ongoing improvements to the town centre, a key outcome of the recent public realm project is the creation of a continuous pedestrian-priority route across the King Street and New Street… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    10 July 2025

    As part of ongoing improvements to the town centre, a key outcome of the recent public realm project is the creation of a continuous pedestrian-priority route across the King Street and New Street junction. 

    The Minister for Infrastructure has signed a Ministerial Decision to change the previous traffic arrangements on New Street and New Cut for an initial 12-month trial period. The main changes from the previous arrangements is the removal of access across King Street for buses and taxis, along with a minor alteration to permitted access times for commercial unloading. 

    A recent traffic survey showed that during core retail hours, 10am-4pm, around 50% of vehicles using this route were taxis, with buses accounting for 8%. Removing taxi access southbound from New Street into Library Place and rerouting buses will support pedestrian safety and reduce congestion. 

    Only pedal cycles and essential commercial deliveries between 8pm and 10am will be permitted to cross King Street via New Cut. 

    Engagement with Liberty Bus and the taxi industry is ongoing, while work is also underway to identify new taxi rank locations in town to support better and more convenient access – for the avoidance of any confusion it should be noted that the rank at Library Place will remain. 

    Officers are working with disabled minibus services and the Parish of St Helier to ensure continued access for those who need it. The number of Blue Badge car parking spaces will not be affected. The number of spaces in the area has been increased and there is an ongoing piece of work to review how the Blue Badge facilities parking can be further improved. We will shortly be launching a new map of Blue Badge spaces across the Island to help improve accessibility. 

    This change supports the Public Realm Movement Strategy and the Sustainable Transport Policy, both of which aim to prioritise pedestrian access in the town centre.​​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Invitation to join the Cancer Advisory and Patient Strategy Group09 July 2025 Are you a cancer patient, survivor, or carer with lived experience of cancer services in Jersey? Would you like to help shape the future of cancer care on the island? We are inviting expressions of interest… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    09 July 2025

    Are you a cancer patient, survivor, or carer with lived experience of cancer services in Jersey? Would you like to help shape the future of cancer care on the island? 

    We are inviting expressions of interest from individuals who wish to join the new Cancer Advisory and Patient Strategy, CAPS, Group, a formal patient advisory sub-committee that will play a vital role in guiding the continued implementation of Jersey’s Cancer Strategy, Together. 

    Who can apply? 

    We welcome applications from: 

    • People currently living with cancer 
    • Cancer survivors 
    • Family members or carers of those affected by cancer.

    We are especially keen to ensure representation from all different backgrounds.

    About the CAPS Group: 

    The CAPS Group will consist of 11 members, the majority of whom will have lived experience. Members will work collaboratively with Health and Care Jersey, Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey, and Jersey Hospice Care to co-produce improvements in cancer services, from early diagnosis to palliative care. 

    What to expect: 

    • A meaningful opportunity to influence cancer care policy and service design 
    • Quarterly meetings (starting in September 2025) 
    • Support with accessibility, transport, and digital access 
    • A safe, inclusive, and respectful environment.

    How to apply: 

    To express your interest, please email e.gomesdossantos@health.gov.je​ or call Gemma Gouveia/Kerry Smith on 442661, deadline: 31st July 2025.

    We are also working with Macmillan Jersey and Jersey Hospice Care to share this invitation through their networks. If you know someone who might be interested, please help us spread the word. 

    Your voice matters. Help us build a cancer care system that truly reflects the needs and experiences of our community.​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Islanders invited to have their say on Planning Service reform15 July 2025 Islanders are being invited to take part in a public consultation on proposed reforms to Jersey’s planning service, which opens on 15 July and will run for eight weeks. The consultation is part of the… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    15 July 2025

    Islanders are being invited to take part in a public consultation on proposed reforms to Jersey’s planning service, which opens on 15 July and will run for eight weeks. 

    The consultation is part of the Minister for the Environment’s commitment to reform the Island’s planning system to ensure it is more efficient and responsive. 

    This priority is reflected in both the Government Plan 2025-2028 and the Council of Ministers’ Common Strategic Policy, which includes a pledge to “reform the planning service to enable sustainable development in Jersey.” 

    The consultation will explore potential changes to the legal framework that underpins elements of the current planning system. It sets out a number of possible reform options within three key themes: 

    • Permitted Development Rights – considering whether a wider range of development could proceed without formal planning permission, helping to streamline the process for householders, businesses and developers. 
    • Planning Appeals System – reviewing how decisions are challenged then how appeals are handled and determined. 
    • Plan-Making Process – examining how the Island Plan is developed then revised to better reflect the needs of the community and future priorities. 

    The consultation will be staged to allow for both feedback from key stakeholders and from the public. The aim is to help shape a modernised planning system that supports Jersey’s growth and sustainability while remaining accessible to Islanders. 

    Deputy Steve Luce, Minister for the Environment said: “Islanders rightly expect a planning system that is clear, consistent and capable of responding to change. 

    “This consultation is an opportunity to explore how we can simplify the rules, improve decision making and create a service that better meets the needs of Islanders now and in the future.

    “I encourage everyone with an interest in how our Island develops to share their views and help us shape a better planning system for Jersey.” 

    Full details of the consultation and how to take part are available at Gov.je/PlanningServicesReform​.​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Seaclose Park tennis and netball courts reopen ahead of schedule 15 July 2025 Seaclose Park tennis and netball courts reopen ahead of schedule

    Source: Aisle of Wight

    Wimbledon may be over, but who says the rallies have to stop?

    Tennis is back on the agenda at Seaclose Park, where two of the three courts have now reopened.

    The reopening, following the Isle of Wight Festival, is thanks to a swift and well-coordinated effort by the Isle of Wight Council’s public realm, parks and open spaces team, ensuring the facilities are match-fit for players once again.

    But it’s not just tennis players who have reason to celebrate. The netball courts are back in action too, ready for training, matches, or a friendly game in the sun.

    And for those who prefer a scenic stroll or cycle, the much-loved shared-use pathway known as N120 — which follows the water’s edge from Seaclose Park toward Island Harbour — has also reopened.

    Each summer, Seaclose Park plays host to the iconic Isle of Wight Festival, a highlight of the Island’s cultural calendar that brings music, energy, and thousands of visitors to the Island.

    Naturally, such a large-scale event can leave its mark on the park’s infrastructure — but this year, thanks to improved planning and a coordinated response, the reinstatement of public facilities has been completed faster than ever.

    “We know how important these spaces are to the community, so getting them back up and running quickly was a top priority,” said Councillor Karen Lucioni, who chairs the council’s environment and community protection committee. 

    “Seaclose Park is more than just a green space — it’s where people come to play, train, relax, and connect. After a major event like the Isle of Wight Festival, there’s always a bit of work to do, but this year we were determined to get everything back in shape as quickly as possible.

    “Thanks to some forward planning and a brilliant team effort, we’ve been able to reopen the courts and the path earlier than expected. It’s been lovely to already see people out enjoying them again — it really makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

    Whether you’re looking to get active, meet up with friends, or simply enjoy the outdoors, now is the perfect time to visit Seaclose Park.

    Grab your racket, lace up your trainers, or hop on your bike and explore everything the park has to offer.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Island pupils find their sporting stride thanks to the PEACH Games 15 July 2025 Island pupils find their sporting stride thanks to the PEACH Games

    Source: Aisle of Wight

    The West Wight Sports Centre played host to the Island’s fifth annual PEACH Games on Friday 3 July. The event saw 320 primary school children and 80 sports leaders from secondary schools across the Island, take part.

    The games, organised by the Isle of Wight Public Health team in collaboration with the School Games Organisers, marks the continued success for the Partnership for Education, Attainment and Children’s Health (PEACH) programme.

    Pupils participated in a variety of activities and rotated through team-based and individual games to experience the benefits of sport. Each helps to improve personal skills, cardiovascular fitness as well as coordination and balance.

    Alongside the sporting activities, pupils learned about physical activity options, and first aid while boosting confidence and self-esteem, all within the athlete’s village. The Island Games is an international programme held every two years for Island teams across the world. The flags designed by the schools will be taken to Orkney with the Island Games athletes.

    Simon Bryant, Director of Public health for the Island commented ‘The PEACH Games are important to promote physical activity, positive wellbeing and healthy competition. This supports young people to lead healthy lives with plenty of exercise and a good, balanced diet.

    Chairman of the Isle of Wight Council, Councillor Ian Dore said ‘‘The Games are really important as they build team spirit among the children, who spent the whole day cheering on their friends. There was so much positivity, inspiration and collaborative working, all pushing each other to cross the line. There’s nothing better than young people getting out and being fit and healthy, and the great weather on the day only amplified that.’’

    The feedback received from participating schools has been positive. The secondary school sports leaders worked tirelessly to ensure the event ran smoothly and provided inspiration and leadership to the primary aged participants.

    The PEACH programme supports schools in improving the health and wellbeing of their pupils, staff and families. It is an award-based framework offered to schools, focussing on the four health domains of Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, PSHE and Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health

    As well as the annual PEACH Games event the Schools Games Organisers make a big impact in schools, offering a series of inclusive festivals designed to get children moving, regardless of ability or experience. These events are delivered as part of the key tasks of the School Games Vision and Mission. The School Games Organisers make a positive and meaningful difference to the lives of children and young people through sport and physical activity. This is achieved by putting physical activity and school sport at the heart of schools.

    Over the academic year, children and young people have taken part in nine PEACH events, trying their hand at everything from rugby and gymnastics to basketball and hockey.

    The programme aims to support year 3 and 4 pupils who are less engaged in physical activity, year 5 and 6 pupils who may require support in transition from primary to secondary school and years 9-13 students to provide leadership opportunities for secondary school sport leaders.

    A heartfelt thank you goes out to the local organisations who helped make the PEACH Games extra special:

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: TRUMP: Swinney meeting with extremist President is out of step with Scotland’s values

    Source: Scottish Greens

    15 Jul 2025 External Affairs

    More in External Affairs

    Later this month when convicted criminal Donald Trump visits Scotland he will meet with SNP First Minister John Swinney in a move described as “out of step with Scotland’s values” by the Scottish Greens.

    The US President was found guilty of 34 felonies in 2023 relating to falsified business records, after he paid $130,000 in hush money to cover up an affair with an American porn star. Trump also has dozens of sexual assault allegations against him dating back to the 1970’s. Since his return to power he has pursued a dangerous and increasingly far right agenda.

    The Scottish Greens have long called for an investigation into Donald Trump’s finances in Scotland through an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO).

    A UWO is a power held by the Scottish Government to investigate the finances of politically active individuals who have gained wealth through suspicious means. Given Donald Trump’s Menie Estate golf course, which he is set to visit this month, was cited in one of his felony charges, it’s now clearer than ever that a UWO must be used.

    Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP said:

    “Donald Trump is a convicted criminal and political extremist, there can be no excuses for trying to cosy up to his increasingly fascist political agenda.

    “We’ve all watched in recent months as the US President has sent troops to threaten their own citizens on the streets of Los Angeles, kidnapped innocent people under the guise of mass deportations and now they are constructing a concentration camp in Florida.

    “This is a man who has a complete lack of respect for human rights and democracy in America, and whose climate denial threatens everyone around the world.

    “The SNPs decision to meet with this convicted felon is a tragic one, and is out of step with Scotland’s values. Appeasing political extremists like Trump won’t save us from his misinformation and toxic rhetoric. His Vice President has already attacked our parliament by lying to international media about a bill passed by Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay.

    “If the Scottish Government won’t make it clear to Trump, then I’m sure the people of Scotland on the streets protesting his every move will make it loud and clear. Donald Trump is not welcome here.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Birmingham fraudster spent part of Covid loan funds at safari park, restaurants and paying off personal credit card debt

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Birmingham fraudster spent part of Covid loan funds at safari park, restaurants and paying off personal credit card debt

    Money from the loans was only supposed to be used for the economic benefit of the business

    • Fitness company owner Junaid Dar dishonestly obtained £45,500 in Covid Bounce Back Loans during 2020 

    • Dar used some of the funds for legitimate purposes, but he also used money for personal spending at retailers, restaurants and leisure attractions 

    • The 34-year-old was handed a suspended sentence following investigations by the Insolvency Service 

    A Birmingham fraudster who secured three Covid loans for his company when businesses were only entitled to one used some of the funds for personal spending at restaurants and a safari park. 

    Junaid Dar, 34, made fraudulent applications to three separate banks for Bounce Back Loans worth a combined total of £45,500 during 2020 for his JDARPT Ltd fitness company. 

    Dar, of Stratford Road, Birmingham, was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday 10 July. 

    He was also ordered to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity, 180 hours of unpaid work, and pay costs of £2,400. 

    David Snasdell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: 

    Junaid Dar deliberately made false representations to fraudulently receive three Bounce Back Loans when businesses were only entitled to one.  

    Instead of using this money to support his fitness business through the pandemic as intended, he diverted significant sums for personal spending.  

    Bounce Back Loans were designed to provide quick and simple financial support to businesses genuinely affected by Covid. The Insolvency Service will not tolerate abuse of the public purse and will continue to pursue fraudsters who exploited schemes designed to help legitimate businesses during a national crisis.

    JDAPRT was incorporated in March 2017 with Dar as its sole director. The company’s trading activities were recorded as fitness facilities on Companies House. 

    Dar’s first fraudulent application was for a £13,000 Bounce Back Loan in May 2020.  

    In the application, Dar claimed JDAPRT’s turnover was £55,000. 

    Just two days later, Dar made a second application to a different bank for a Bounce Back Loan of £15,000.  

    In this application, Dar said his company’s turnover was now £60,000. 

    Dar’s third and final fraudulent application in September 2020 was for a Bounce Back Loan of £17,500.  

    This time, Dar falsely claimed his company’s turnover was £70,000. Insolvency Service analysis of the bank account revealed the company’s turnover was closer to £61,000. 

    Dar used some of the Bounce Back Loan funds for legitimate purposes. However, several transactions were recorded which Insolvency Service investigators found to be for personal use. 

    Payments were made to Amazon and Argos, along with spending at restaurants and meat stores. Further spending was identified at West Midlands Safari Park and making credit card payments. 

    JDARPT went into liquidation in July 2021. 

    Dar was also disqualified as a company director for 11 years from April 2022 for his misconduct at JDARPT. 

    Further information  

    About us 

    The Insolvency Service is a government agency that helps to deliver economic confidence by supporting those in financial distress, tackling financial wrongdoing and maximising returns to creditors. 

    The Insolvency Service is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade. 

    Read more about what we do 

    Press Office 

    Journalists with enquiries can call the Insolvency Service Press Office on 0303 003 1743 or email press.office@insolvency.gov.uk (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). 

    Out of hours 

    For any out of hours media enquiries, please contact the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) newsdesk on 020 7215 2000.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Over 500,000 spectators visited Teatralny Boulevard in 1.5 months

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    More than 500 thousand spectators visited the International Open Festival “Theater Boulevard – 2025” during the first half of the project.

    “The festival started with a full house, and even now empty seats at the venues remain a rarity. In total, more than 500 thousand spectators visited it during the first half of the project, and about 1.6 thousand hours of the program have already been held on the five main stages. Thanks to the festival, the theater season in Moscow actually lasts the entire year, without a break for the summer holidays, and an equally rich program awaits guests ahead: performances by foreign artists and high-profile productions on the festival stages,” noted the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the capital’s Department of Culture

    Alexey Fursin.

    The festival includes classical dramatic productions, musical performances, circus shows, and experimental formats such as the theatre of taste and plastic theatre. There are also special programmes dedicated to memorable dates – Russia Day, A.S. Pushkin’s birthday, the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, and Youth Day.

    This year, Theatre Boulevard is attended by groups from 40 regions of Russia, from the Kaliningrad Region to the Altai Territory, including the State Drama Theatre on Vasilievsky Island (St. Petersburg), the Perm Academic Theatre-Theatre (Perm), and the F. Volkov Drama Theatre (Yaroslavl).

    Andrey Merzlikin and Darya Moroz, Kristina Babushkina, Anton Shagin, Yulia Peresild, Konstantin Raikin, Igor Mirkurbanov, Alexandra Rebenok, Anna Chipovskaya performed their projects at the festival venues. The parade of stars will continue in the second half of the festival.

    Particular attention is paid to children’s and family events. Now they are held on the main stages of the festival. Thus, in July, the “Family Conversations” section was opened, where the stories of theatrical dynasties were presented in a unique format. Among the heroes are Konstantin and Polina Raikin, Yulia and Anna Peresild, Igor and Grigory Vernik.

    The second half of the festival will be more diverse. High-profile premieres, immersive productions and master classes by leading directors are planned, as well as performances by artists from Serbia, Uruguay, Argentina, Iran, China, Italy and other countries.

    The Theatre Boulevard Festival is organized by the capital’s Department of Culture as part of Sergei Sobyanin’s Summer in Moscow project. https://leto.mos.ru/ It will last a record 92 days. More than 600 performances will be shown at 14 venues across the city, and three thousand artists from Russia and other countries will perform. In addition to theatrical productions, each venue will host creative workshops, patriotic programs with favorite actors, and interactive zones, including for children.

    Project “Summer in Moscow”— the main event of the season. It brings together the most vibrant events of the capital. Every day, charity, cultural and sports programs are held in all districts of the city, most of which are free. The Summer in Moscow project is being held for the second time, and this season will be more eventful: new, original and colorful festivals and events will be added to the traditional ones.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channel the city of Moscow.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Shopping and business complexes will appear near city railway stations in the Northern Administrative District

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    As part of the implementation of large-scale investment projects (MaIP), the city provided investors in the Northern Administrative District with land for the construction of retail, business and other commercial facilities. This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development Policy and Construction Vladimir Efimov.

    “Implementation of large-scale commercial investment projects allows for the development of territories, organizing business activity centers and jobs. This helps create favorable conditions for business and improve the quality of life of Muscovites. Currently, 10 MAIPs are at various stages of implementation in the Northern Administrative District, for which more than 10 hectares of land have been allocated near the city’s railway stations. There will be shopping, public, business and multifunctional complexes with a total area of about 500 thousand square meters,” said Vladimir Efimov.

    A large-scale investment project is a special status that can be granted to various objects, the construction of which is aimed at the development of the capital. For their construction, city plots are provided for rent.

    “The construction of commercial real estate in the north of Moscow stimulates economic activity in the district. New shopping centers, cafes, restaurants and company offices will expand opportunities for leisure and employment for local residents. For example, a multifunctional complex consisting of two buildings will appear between the Polezhaevskaya and Khoroshevskaya metro stations. In addition to office space, it will include space for shops, restaurants and service enterprises. A land plot of almost 1.4 hectares has been allocated for the implementation of this large-scale investment project,” she noted.

    Ekaterina Solovieva, Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Moscow Department of City Property.

    Earlier, Sergei Sobyanin said that it is planned to implement it by 2030 37 projects on land plots located near 32 Moscow city railway stations and metro stations.

    Get the latest news quickly official telegram channel the city of Moscow.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft uses domestic special equipment to improve the efficiency of power transmission line maintenance

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Orenburgneft, Rosneft’s key production asset in the Volga region, has increased the reliability of power supply to oil production facilities by servicing 6 (10) kV power lines with truck-mounted hydraulic lifts on high-traffic chassis.

    The unique tracked model has high technical and off-road capabilities. In particular, the driver of the special vehicle can automatically level the working platform and control the equipment remotely from the control panel.

    The equipment also allows for the safe delivery and lifting of people and large loads (metal structures, construction equipment), and the performance of transport and technological operations in particularly difficult road and climatic conditions of marshy terrain, afloat and virgin snow.

    The use of hydraulic lifts increases the speed of response to technological shutdowns of network infrastructure during periods of adverse weather conditions by reducing the time it takes for special equipment to arrive at the site of damage, which ensures uninterrupted operation of oil-producing wells and reduces transportation costs.

    The Company’s enterprises regularly replenish their fleets of specialized equipment with new models from domestic developers. Domestic all-terrain vehicles also help the enterprise maintain reliable power supply at any time of year on any site. Last year, the fleet of Orenburgneft’s special equipment was replenished with ten such high-traffic vehicles.

    Reference:

    JSC Orenburgneft, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, carries out production activities in the Orenburg, Samara and Saratov regions. The company’s fields are supplied with electricity by 51 35-110 kV substations with a total length of 6-110 kV networks – more than 4,000 km. From 2019 to 2024, as part of the implementation of the program to improve the reliability of power supply to oil production facilities, Orenburgneft commissioned seven 35-110 kV electrical substations, 170 km of overhead lines of 35-110 kV voltage class were built.

    Department of Information and AdvertisingPJSC NK RosneftJuly 15, 2025

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

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    MIL OSI Russia News –