Source: Switzerland – Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport
The Cyber-Defence Campus of the DDPS has found two vulnerabilities in the collision warning system “Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) II” of civil aviation. On 21 January 2025, the detected and published vulnerabilities were classified by the American Cyber Defence Agency CISA and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) of the USA as moderate to severe.
Source: The Holy See
#iubilaeum2025 – Holy Mass on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police and Security Forces, 10.02.2025
At 10.30 this morning, Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police and Security Forces, the Holy Father presided over Holy Mass in Saint Peter’s Square.
The following is the homily begun by Pope Francis and then read by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations:
Homily of the Holy Father
Jesus’ actions at the Lake of Gennesaret are described by the Evangelist with three verbs: he saw, he went aboard and he sat down. Jesus saw, Jesus went aboard and Jesus sat down. Jesus is not concerned with showing off to the crowds, with doing a job, with following a timetable in carrying out his mission. On the contrary, he always makes it his priority to encounter others, to relate to them, and to sympathize with the struggles and setbacks that often burden hearts and take away hope.
That is why Jesus, on that day, saw, went aboard and sat down.
First, Jesus saw. He has a discerning gaze that, even amid the great crowd, makes him able to spot two boats approaching the shore and to see the disappointment on the faces of those fishermen, now washing their empty nets after a night of fruitless labour. Jesus looks with compassion at those men. Let us never forget this: the compassion of God. God’s three attitudes are closeness, compassion and tenderness. Let us not forget: God is near, God is tender and God is always compassionate. Jesus looks with compassion at the expressions of those men, sensing their discouragement and frustration after having worked all night and caught nothing, their hearts as empty as the nets they haul.
Excuse me, I will now ask the Master [of Liturgical Celebrations] to continue reading due to my difficulty in breathing.
Seeing their discouragement, Jesus went aboard. He asks Simon to put out a little way from the shore and he climbs aboard the boat. In this way, he enters into Simon’s life and shares in his sense of disappointment and futility. This is significant: Jesus does not simply stand by and watch as things go wrong, as we often do, and then complain bitterly. Rather, taking the initiative, he approaches Simon, spends time with him at that difficult moment and chooses to board the boat of his life, which that night had seemed fraught with failure.
Then, once aboard, Jesus sat down. In the Gospels, this is typical of a master, of one who teaches others. Indeed, the Gospel states that Jesus sat down and taught. Glimpsing in those fishers’ eyes and hearts the frustration of a night of fruitless toil, Jesus boards the boat in order to proclaim the good news, to bring light to the dark night of disappointment, to tell of the beauty of God even amid the struggles of life, and to reaffirm that hope endures even when all seems lost.
Then the miracle happens: when the Lord gets into the boat of our lives to bring us the good news of God’s love that constantly accompanies and sustains us, then life begins anew, hope is reborn, enthusiasm revives, and we can once again cast our nets into the sea.
Brothers and sisters, this message of hope accompanies us today as we celebrate the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel. I thank all of you for your service, and I greet all the Authorities present, the military associations and academies, and the military Ordinaries and chaplains. All of you have been entrusted with a lofty mission that embraces numerous aspects of social and political life: defending our nations, maintaining security, upholding legality and justice. You are present in penitentiaries and at the forefront of the fight against crime and the various forms of violence that threaten to disrupt the life of society. I think too of all those engaged in relief work in the wake of natural disasters, the safeguarding of the environment, rescue efforts at sea, the protection of the vulnerable and the promotion of peace.
The Lord also asks you to do as he does: to see, to go aboard and to sit down. To see, because you are called to keep your eyes ever open, alert to threats to the common good, to dangers menacing the lives of your fellow citizens, and to environmental, social and political risks to which we are exposed. To go aboard, because your uniforms, the discipline that has shaped you, the courage that is your hallmark, the oath you have taken — all these are things that remind you of the importance not only of seeing evil in order to report it, but also of boarding the storm-tossed boat and working to ensure that it does not run aground. For that too is part of your mission in the service of the good, freedom, and justice. Then, finally, to sit down, because your presence in our cities and neighbourhoods to uphold law and order, and your taking the part of the defenceless, can serve as a lesson for all of us. They teach us that goodness can prevail over everything. They teach us that justice, fairness and civic responsibility remain as necessary nowadays as ever. They teach us that we can create a more human, just and fraternal world, despite the opposing forces of evil.
In carrying out your work, which embraces your whole life, you are accompanied by your chaplains, an important priestly presence in your midst. Their job is not — as has at times unfortunately happened in history — to bless perverse acts of war. No. They are in your midst as the presence of Christ, who desires to walk at your side, to offer you a listening and sympathetic ear, to encourage you to set out ever anew and to support you in your daily service. As a source of moral and spiritual support, they accompany you at every step and help you to carry out your mission in the light of the Gospel and in the pursuit of the common good.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are grateful for what you do, at times at great personal risk. Thank you because by boarding our storm-tossed boats, you offer us protection and encourage us to stay our course. At the same time, I would encourage you never to lose sight of the purpose of your service and all your activity, which is to promote life, to save lives, to be a constant defender of life. And I ask you, please, to be vigilant. Be vigilant against the temptation to cultivate a warlike spirit. Be vigilant not to be taken in by the illusion of power and the roar of arms. Be vigilant lest you be poisoned by propaganda that instils hatred, divides the world into friends to be defended and foes to fight. Instead, be courageous witnesses of the love of God our Father, who wants us all to be brothers and sisters. Together, then, let us set out to be artisans of a new era of peace, justice and fraternity.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Växjö, Sweden, January 10 2025 * * * JLT Mobile Computers, a leading supplier of rugged computers for demanding environments, today announces that its American subsidiary has won an order for a leading food producer in the US. The order includes JLT’s logistics computers JLT1214N at a total value of SEK 22M, plus 1-year service level agreements. The units are scheduled for delivery during the first half of this year.
The company has been a JLT customer for many years. The reliability, dependability and performance of the JLT1214N computers have been consistently demonstrated over long periods of time. Their renewed choice of JLT for their rugged computer solution is a testament to their trust in the high-quality products and service from JLT.
To learn more about JLT Mobile Computers and the company’s products, services and solutions, visit jltmobile.com. Additional financial information is available online on JLT’s investor pages.
This information is information that JLT Mobile Computers AB (pub) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out below at 09:30 pm CET on Monday, January 10, 2025.
About JLT Mobile Computers
JLT Mobile Computers is a leading supplier of rugged mobile computing devices and solutions for demanding environments. 30 years of development and manufacturing experience have enabled JLT to set the standard in rugged computing, combining outstanding product quality with expert service, support and solutions to ensure trouble-free business operations for customers in warehousing, transportation, manufacturing, mining, ports and agriculture. JLT operates globally from offices in Sweden, France, and the US, complemented by an extensive network of sales partners in local markets. The company was founded in 1994, and the share has been listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market stock exchange since 2002 under the symbol JLT. Eminova Fondkommission AB acts as Certified Adviser. Learn more at jltmobile.com.
Source: Republic of France in English
The Republic of France has issued the following statement:
In light of the upcoming Global AI Action Summit organised by France, we, the undersigned members countries of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse emphasize the critical need to address human rights and gender equality issues in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
With the rapid digital transformation of our societies, AI offers a new set of opportunities to advance the human rights of women, young women and girls in all their diversity and LGBTQI+ persons, and promote gender equality. AI can help all women and girls fully realize their human rights, including their right to education, their right to freedom of expression, of association and of peaceful assembly, to access information and to participate in cultural life and relevant decision-making processes. However, it also introduces a distinct set of challenges and risks, mirroring and amplifying existing gender biases and inequalities. While we recognise the critical role of AI as a driver of innovation and progress, we strongly affirm that these advances can only achieve their full potential if AI is designed, developed, evaluated, tested, deployed and used by applying a human rights-based approach, with gender equality at its core.
Currently, only 22% of AI professionals are women. This significant underrepresentation, particularly affecting global majority countries, increases the risk of AI systems perpetuating gender stereotypes and biases, and other forms of biases, discriminatory social norms and harmful outcomes. AI models, often trained on historically biased and discriminatory datasets, reproduce and amplify discrimination and stereotypes with lasting and tangible consequences, ranging from discriminatory recruitment practices to highly inadequate medical treatment for women. Moreover, the lack of “safety-by-design” measures in AI models further exacerbates risks of technology facilitated gender-based violence , with significant consequences for women and girls’ mental and physical health and safety, as well as economic and political participation. Available evidence suggests that the majority of deepfakes available online are pornographic and disproportionately target women. As such, the rapid weaponisation of AI may first impact a few, but then extends to many. When the human rights of women and girls and LGBTQI+ persons are at risk, all human rights are threatened. Whether in the daily use of AI models and systems or in multilateral fora and AI governance, the gendered impacts of AI have long been overlooked and led to existing online and offline threats disproportionately affecting women and girls in all their diversity.
Against this background, multilateral cooperation at the intersection of AI and gender has become essential. Since 2022, the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse has brought together countries to prioritise, understand, prevent, and address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including in the era of AI, in multilateral fora. Complementary, the Laboratory for Women’s Rights Online was established to unite states, international organisations, private platforms, and civil society organisations in cooperating and developing transnational technical solutions to combat online and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The Generation Equality’s Action Coalition for Technology and Innovation has also adopted a similar multi-stakeholder approach, playing a key role in addressing TFGBV on the multilateral scale.
In 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted its first resolution on AI, Seizing the opportunities of safe secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development (A/RES/78/265) and its first Resolution on Eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls in the digital environment (A/C.3/79/L.17) driven by France and the Netherlands. Additionally, the adoption of the GA Resolution 78/213 Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the context of digital technologies (2023), the UN Agreed Conclusions from the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women on Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls (2023), as well as the Global Digital Compact (2024)–the first global text on the governance of digital technologies–and the UN Convention against Cybercrime (2024), the first international criminal justice treaty aimed at strengthening international cooperation for combating crimes committed by means of ICT systems, marked a significant step in addressing, protecting and defending human rights, including gender equality and the rights of women and girls in the digital environment.
Building on the recent progress and joint efforts to ensure effective international AI governance and accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs, we propose increased action to prioritise the rights of all women and girls in the digital environment at the upcoming AI Action Summit. First organised by the UK and later by South Korea, the next Summit will take place in France.
As part of the upcoming AI Action Summit, we, the undersigned countries of this declaration, call on states to recognise the gendered impact of AI on all women and girls and LGBTQI+ persons in all aspects of the digital world, recognising the continuity and interrelation between offline and online gender-based violence and the increase in technology-facilitated gender-based violence. We call on States to implement and uphold safeguards to protect the human rights of women and girls in all their diversity in the digital environment, including the online/offline continuum. We also urge the digital technology and AI sector to adopt safety-by-design principles throughout the lifecycle of AI systems, from design to development and deployment. We urge both States and the digital technology and AI sector to promote AI literacy for all, especially for all women and girls, in order to bridge the gender digital divide and to equip women, in particular those in vulnerable situations, with the knowledge to critically engage with AI by the means of promotion of equitable access and participation in the digital sphere and the empowerment of individuals to identify, mitigate, prevent and eradicate gender biases, stereotypes, discriminations, and violence.
We, the undersigned countries of this declaration, members of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, reaffirm our shared determination and commitment to building a digital future grounded in human rights, fully integrating women’s rights and gender considerations at the upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris, February 2025.
Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Jalpaiguri, India, presented by Bishop Clement Tirkey.The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Fabian Toppo, of the clergy of the same diocese, until now professor and spiritual director of the Morning Star Regional Seminary and College in Calcutta, as bishop of the diocese of Jalpaiguri, India.The Reverend Fabian Toppo was born on 21 December 1960 in Darupisa in the diocse of Jashpur, Chhattisgarh. He studied philosophy at the Papal Seminary in Pune, and theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, and was awarded a master’s degree in English from the University of North Bengal and a doctorate in biblical theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University of Rome, as well as a diploma in administrative canon law.He was ordained a priest on 3 December 1994 for the diocese of Jalpaiguri.Since ordination, he has held the following roles: director of the Candidates’ House and for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue in Jalpaiguri (1994-1998), parish priest of Shanti Rani in Mongradagni (1998-2001), and professor (2002-2007) and administrator (2020-2021) of the Morning Star Regional Seminary and College in Calcutta.Since 2016 he has served as professor of biblical theology and spiritual director of the Morning Star Regional Seminary and College in Calcutta. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Udumala Bala Showreddy of Warangal as archbishop of the metropolitan archdiocese of Visakhapatnam, India.Archbishop-elect Udumala Bala Showreddy was born on 18 June 1954 in Gudur.He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Warangal on 20 February 1979, and appointed bishop of the same diocese on 13 April 2013, receiving episcopal consecration the following 23 May.From September 2022 to 9 April 2024 he served as apostolic administrator of Khammam. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Selvarajan Dasan, of the clergy of Neyyattinkara, India, until now judicial vicar and parish priest of Saint Francis Xavier in Thirupuram, as coadjutor bishop of the same diocese of Neyyattinkara, India.Msgr. Selvarajan Dasan was born on 27 January 1962 in Valiyavila, diocese of Neyyattinkara. He studied philosophy and theology at Saint Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary in Alwaye and was awarded a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Université Catholique de Louvain.He was ordained a priest on 23 December 1987 for the metropolitan archdiocese of Trivandrum of the Latins.After priestly ordination, he held the offices of parish priest of Saint Albert in Muthiyavila (1988-1994), director of catechesis of the metropolitan archdiocese of Trivandrum of the Latins (1991-1995), parish priest of Saint Jude in Chinnathurai (1994-1995), parish priest of Saint Theresa in Manikkapuram (1995), defender of the bond of the Court of Trivandrum and pastoral director (2001-2003), parish priest of Saint Paul in Maranelloor and director of schools (2001-2008), defender of the bond in the Court of Neyyattinkara (2001-2011), member of the College of Consultors and the diocesan Council for Economic Affairs (since 2007), chancellor and parish priest of Immaculate Conception Cathedral (2008-2014), parish priest of Sacred Heart and director of the Logos Pastoral Centre (2014-2019).Since 2011 he has served as judicial vicar of Neyyattinkara and, since 2019, parish priest of Saint Francis Xavier in Thirupuram. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Bernard Laloo, of the clergy of Shillong, India, until now chancellor and parish priest of the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians in Laitumkhrah, as auxiliary bishop of the same metropolitan archdiocese of Shillong, India, assigning him the titular see of Trofimiana.Msgr. Bernard Laloo was born on 16 June 1976 in Laitlyngkot, Meghalaya, in the metropolitan archdiocese of Shillong. He studied philosophy at Christ College in Shillong and theology at the Jnana Deepa Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Pune.He was ordained a priest on 30 April 2006 for the metropolitan archdiocese of Shillong.Since priestly ordination, he has held the following offices: deputy parish priest of Saint Paul in Upper Shillong (2006-2007), administrator of Christ College in Shillong (2007-2009), dean, with responsibility for studies, at Saint Paul’s Seminary in Shillong (2009-2015), head of the Divine Saviour Hr. Secondary School in Laitumkhrah (2015-2016), and director of the Social Service Centre in Shillong (2017-2021).Since 2022 he has served as chancellor of the metropolitan archdiocese of Shillong and parish priest of the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians in Laitumkhrah. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Silsilah
Zamboanga City (Agenzia Fides) – Christians and Muslims in the south of the Philippines joined the World Interfaith Harmony Week (February 1-7) organized by the United Nations, which was celebrated in Catholic parishes, schools, universities, cultural centers and, above all, in numerous cities on the island of Mindanao, where most of the six million devout Filipino Muslims live in the “Autonomous Region of Bangsamoro in Muslim Mindanao” (BARMM). The BARMM currently consists of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur and Tawi-Tawi (the inclusion of the province of Sulu Islands is currently being discussed) and is the result of the peace agreement between the government and the “Moro Islamic Liberation” Front.Among the main actors and promoters of the marches, public rallies, seminars and prayer meetings were the Catholic communities and institutions dedicated to dialogue, including the Islamic-Christian “Silsilah” movement, founded more than 40 years ago in the city of Zamboanga by Father Sebastiano D’Ambra, an Italian missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). But civil institutions are also participating in the week of interreligious dialogue, which is celebrated worldwide. For example, the mayor of the city of Zamboanga, Maria Isabel Climaco Salazar, organized and participated in an interreligious congress in her city, which is characterized by a pluralistic society, to convey to the population a message of coexistence and cooperation for the common good. At the civil society level, former Philippine President Benigno Aquini Jr. had already officially called on civil institutions in 2013 to join and pay utmost attention to the initiative, which aims to raise awareness and create social harmony in the country. Among the various initiatives held on the island of Mindanao was a meeting on February 4 at the Western Mindanao State University, a public university in Zamboanga, which brought together Christian and Muslim students, teachers and citizens who discussed together on the theme of building harmony and peace. Joselito Madroñal, vice president of the university, emphasized the university’s role as a “beacon of peace” in the region, in culture and in the education of young people. “Our university is more than just an educational institution. We are a force for change, a catalyst for peace and a solid partner in the search for harmony,” he stressed. Among the speakers present were Father Sebastian D’Ambra, founder of the Silsilah movement, Sheikh Mahir Gustaham, a Muslim representative and coordinator of the “Interreligious Solidarity for Peace” forum, and Father Guilrey Anthony Andal (SJ), who wanted to share their experiences and encourage young people to continue on the path of peaceful coexistence. Following the interreligious celebration, the University officially inaugurated the “Month of the Arts”, identifying art as a privileged language and a fertile ground for interreligious dialogue. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: City of Portsmouth
A duo of degree apprentices in children’s social care at Portsmouth City Council are fulfilling lifelong ambitions to support families in their community.
Victoria Nash, a family support worker and Sonja Renfrew, a newly qualified social worker have shared their stories during National Apprenticeship Week 2025.
National Apprenticeship Week (10 – 16 February 2025) is a week-long celebration that brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals and organisations.
Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council said:
“Portsmouth is fortunate to have a dedicated and loyal workforce of social care practitioners who support families every day. Apprenticeships enable colleagues to upskill within children’s social care to become social workers.
“This helps us address some of the challenges around social work recruitment. Portsmouth is not immune to these challenges and is taking steps to strengthen its teams with employment programmes that develop staff internally who may wish to progress in their careers.”
For those who already work in children’s social care, practitioners without a degree have the option to undertake a social work apprenticeship.
Sonja began her career in London before moving to Portsmouth to support a local charity. She joined the council in 2017 as a family mentor progressing to become an education and early help worker. Sonja said:
“I moved to Portsmouth and worked with a local charity called the EC Roberts Centre. This experience inspired me to consider the apprenticeship route as the best fit for me. It is a continuation of my work with the most vulnerable members of our society.
“A standout moment for me was when I was at university on my apprenticeship during my third year. I volunteered to play the social worker being cross examined for a court skills session. The solicitor cross examined me and didn’t hold back. However, I remained calm, collected, and even managed to correct him at one point!
“I got some amazing feedback from the university staff involved as well as my fellow degree apprentices. Certainly, a memorable moment!”
Sonja completed her degree apprenticeship and has started her first year in employment as a newly qualified social worker this year.
By providing accessible, work-based routes into social work for existing staff members, apprenticeships help expand the talent pipeline while equipping future social workers with vital skills and experience.
Victoria started a social work diploma at university when she was 19 years old but did not complete the qualification as she felt she lacked life experience. As a family support officer working with families up to tier three, Victoria wanted to revisit a social work qualification. Victoria said:
“I have worked for Portsmouth City Council for many years in different roles that support families. I wanted to explore my options that would allow me to work on tier four assessments. This required a formal social work qualification.
“The apprenticeship was the best route for me. I have had to carefully balance my work, life and family commitments but I have loved every moment.
“During my training, I have found the cohort of students I work with to be very supportive, as well as my university lecturers. It has also been insightful to link my current practice to the theory.
“If you work for an internal service and want to progress by doing an apprenticeship, take the leap. I haven’t looked back since!”
Social work degree apprenticeships aren’t advertised externally at Portsmouth City Council. However, it remains a valid training route for existing staff wanting to become social workers.
External options including the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme and Step Up to Social Work scheme are available for those who have compatible level six qualifications (degree or equivalent). Each programme has its own entry criteria.
For more information on social work degree apprenticeships, visit www.strongerfutures.co.uk/national-apprenticeship-week
Source: Government of Italy (English)
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8 Febbraio 2025
The Foiba of Basovizza is a sacred place, a national monument, to be honoured with silence and prayer. Dishonouring Basovizza, and what’s more, with repugnant graffiti evoking dramatic events in our history, does not only mean trampling on the memory of the martyrs of the Foibe massacres, but also means dishonouring the nation as a whole. This was an act of unprecedented gravity, which cannot go unpunished.
[Courtesy translation]
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
New records reveal the government is utilising AI and technology to enhance public services, including streamlining MOT inspections and speeding up planning with satellite habitat mapping.
How AI is improving public services and new AI Playbook will drive public sector use.
AI and satellite images are being used to predict how natural habitats are changing across the country, so more current data can be used to accelerate planning proposals and stop NIMBYism getting in the way of growth and the Plan for Change.
Satellite images and machine learning – a type of AI – are being used by Natural England to build a detailed map of “Living England”, showing the current extent of habitats across the country. Rather than the manual surveys of the past, changes to English habitats will now be tracked more efficiently and across the country – speeding up decisions around planning and land use while better protecting nature.
Details of the project are being released today alongside 13 other examples of how AI and algorithmic tools are used to speed up decision making and improve public services – spanning examples including how AI is being used to better predict the weather and keep standards high at MOT testing centres.
A new AI Playbook, published today, gives public sector technical experts top tips and guiding principles on how to replicate this work and build AI to help their organisations fix services for citizens – ultimately delivering on the government’s ambition to transform public services with AI.
Civil servants are guided on how to buy and manage the development of AI technology in their departments and encouraged to work with AI companies closely so the technology can be put to work more quickly.
Today’s announcement comes as world leaders gather for the AI Action Summit in Paris, and follow’s the publication of the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, which has put the UK on course to revolutionise public services and become an AI superpower – already attracting over £14 billion in investment since launching just last month.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:
Every corner of the public sector can be using technology to save money, speed things up, and crucially, improve public services for people across the UK, driving our Plan for Change forward.
The publication of our AI Playbook today comes with a call to arms for tech specialists across the public sector – use the guidance we are sharing to put AI to work in your organisations at whiplash speed, so we can repair our broken public services together.
Natural England’s Chief Scientist, Professor Sallie Bailey said:
Nature restoration, development and economic growth are not opposing forces – they can and must work together to create a sustainable future for both people and wildlife.
Our Living England project is harnessing the power of AI to inform and support planning decisions far more efficiently. This means we can make the biggest impact for Nature recovery, while helping to deliver the new homes and infrastructure the country needs.
The AI Playbook, published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, outlines ten principles civil servants building AI should follow, making sure they:
Have meaningful human control at the right stages, so any decisions recommended by technology can be monitored properly, and changed rapidly if needed.
Choose the right tool for the right job and avoid using AI where more basic technology can fulfil the same task.
Work with teams responsible for buying technology right from the start, to make sure agreements struck with private sector companies can be utilised to maximum potential in this rapidly evolving market.
The Playbook also insists that public servants working with AI do so openly and collaboratively, making sure the public know how technology is being used and allowing other public sector organisations to benefit from work that has already taken place.
Other records being released today detail how the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) uses AI to prioritise which of the 23,000 active MOT testing garages should receive an inspection next.
Producing a traffic light rating for every garage, the AI tool takes in data from MOT tests to spot anomalies and identify which garages should be checked first, so inspectors can confirm they are working to crucial safety standards. Previously, inspections were based only on the amount of time that had passed since the last check.
Today’s release follows the Technology Secretary publishing the blueprint for a modern digital government, setting out how his department will use AI and technology to help the public sector improve their services and target £45 billion in potential efficiency savings every year. This is as well as announcing a bundle of tools to be known as “Humphrey” and set to be made available to all civil servants soon.
Among other things, the tools will help civil servants assess responses to consultations, take minutes at meetings and analyse decades of debate from the Houses of Parliament.
The full list of Algorithmic Transparency Records being published today is as follows.
Weather and climate forecasting: A combination of multiple different algorithmic tools used to produce weather forecasts.
Living England map: Habitat mapping for the whole of England using satellite imagery, targeted field survey and machine learning.
MOT Risk Rating: An algorithmic to identify potential non-compliance in MOT testing, and prioritise visits to MOT garages.
Data Cleaning Tool: Enables compliance with The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by identifying and automatically cleaning personal data from the Wilton Park customer database.
Interest Calculator: Assists small business owners to calculate the amount of interest due on an overdue invoice.
Highways webchat: provides customers with an additional communication channel to get immediate answers to their questions using publicly available information (such as traffic information).
The search engine for GOV.UK. It enables users to search for information and services on GOV.UK by entering a search query to view results that are relevant to their query.
Residency Checker for EHIC/GHIC/PRC: A process to support confirmation of UK residency for entitlement to healthcare in an European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland.
Employment and Support Allowance Online Medical Matching: A tool which helps Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) officials process claims more quickly.
Budget Planner: A free online tool that helps users track and categorize their spending, provides a detailed breakdown of their finances, and offers personalized tips to improve their money management.
Redundancy Pay Calculator: Online tool designed to help individuals who have been or are at risk of being made redundant understand their legal rights, calculate their potential redundancy pay, assess their financial situation, and explore available benefits and support.
The Effective Proposal Framework: Used by Probation Practitioners at pre-sentence stage and as part of pre-release planning to identify requirements, licence conditions and interventions for individuals based on their risk and need profile.
Proportionate Review Toolkit: A toolkit to help Research Ethics Committee applicants determine whether their project would be eligible for proportionate review.
Logo Detection and Classification Toolkit: A tool to detect unauthorised uses of HMRC’s logo.
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Published 10 February 2025
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IP Fabric, the Automated Network Assurance Platform, today announced the release of Version 7.0, designed to simplify compliance with regulations and security frameworks and strengthen operational resiliency across multicloud environments.
Global enterprises require an end-to-end view of complex cloud and edge environments. Legacy solutions only provide a technology- or domain-specific view, which doesn’t meet the mandate of boards, CISOs and IT leaders, who must balance security, stability, compliance and risk with the pursuit of strategic transformation.
IP Fabric 7.0 addresses this with a comprehensive view of infrastructure and intelligent analytics, creating the security and operational posture for innovation (e.g., automation, AI, cloud migration, SD-WAN). This lets teams deliver secure services, ensure business continuity, plan and manage budgets, and optimize processes across domains.
“The release of IP Fabric 7.0 represents another step in empowering all IT teams to achieve panoramic network visibility, efficiency and collaboration,” said Pavel Bykov, CEO and co-founder of IP Fabric. “New features let organizations streamline workflows and proactively address infrastructure and security challenges like never before.”
Key features in IP Fabric 7.0
For a complete list of features included in IP Fabric 7.0 visit the company blog.
About IP Fabric
IP Fabric is the industry’s leading Automated Network Assurance Platform, offering a continuously validated view of cloud, network and security infrastructure to improve stability, security and spend. Within minutes, the platform creates a unified view of devices, state, configurations and interdependencies, normalizing multi-vendor data and revealing operational truth through automated compliance checks.
By uncovering risks and providing actionable insights, IP Fabric enables enterprises to accelerate IT and business transformation while reducing costs. Trusted by industry leaders like Red Hat, Major League Baseball and Air France, IP Fabric delivers the foundation for a secure and modern network.
Learn more at www.ipfabric.io and follow the company on LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Liesse Jayalath
ipfabric@lookleftmarketing.com
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Municipality Finance Plc
Stock exchange release
10 February 2025 at 10:00 am (EET)
Municipality Finance issues EUR 10 million notes under its MTN programme
Municipality Finance Plc issues EUR 10 million notes on 11 February 2025. The maturity date of the notes is 11 February 2035. The notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.819% per annum.
The notes are issued under MuniFin’s EUR 50 billion programme for the issuance of debt instruments. The offering circular, the supplemental offering circular and the final terms of the notes are available in English on the company’s website at https://www.kuntarahoitus.fi/en/for-investors.
MuniFin has applied for the notes to be admitted to trading on the Helsinki Stock Exchange maintained by Nasdaq Helsinki. The public trading is expected to commence on 11 February 2025.
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. plc acts as the dealer for the issue of the notes.
MUNICIPALITY FINANCE PLC
Further information:
Joakim Holmström
Executive Vice President, Capital Markets and Sustainability
tel. +358 50 444 3638
MuniFin (Municipality Finance Plc) is one of Finland’s largest credit institutions. The company is owned by Finnish municipalities, the public sector pension fund Keva and the Republic of Finland.
The Group’s balance sheet totals over EUR 50 billion.
MuniFin builds a better and more sustainable future with its customers. MuniFin’s customers include municipalities, joint municipal authorities, wellbeing services counties, corporate entities under their control, and non-profit organisations nominated by the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA). Lending is used for environmentally and socially responsible investment targets such as public transportation, sustainable buildings, hospitals and healthcare centres, schools and day care centres, and homes for people with special needs.
MuniFin’s customers are domestic but the company operates in a completely global business environment. The company is an active Finnish bond issuer in international capital markets and the first Finnish green and social bond issuer. The funding is exclusively guaranteed by the Municipal Guarantee Board.
Read more: https://www.kuntarahoitus.fi/en/
Important Information
The information contained herein is not for release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in or into any such country or jurisdiction or otherwise in such circumstances in which the release, publication or distribution would be unlawful. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, any securities or other financial instruments in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
This communication does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The notes have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or under the applicable securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Company announcement no 5-2025
Søborg, February 10, 2025
Notification of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them in Konsolidator A/S
In accordance with the Market Abuse Regulation article 19, Konsolidator must notify Finanstilsynet and publicly disclose transactions made by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them on trading of Konsolidator shares.
Konsolidator A/S hereby notify and submit the attached transactions of shares in Konsolidator.
Contacts
Certified Adviser
About Konsolidator
Konsolidator A/S is a financial consolidation software company whose primary objective is to make Group CFOs around the world better through automated financial consolidation and reporting in the cloud. Created by CFOs and auditors and powered by innovative technology, Konsolidator removes the complexity of financial consolidation and enables the CFO to save time and gain actionable insights based on key performance data to become a vital part of strategic decision-making. Konsolidator was listed at Nasdaq First North Growth Market Denmark in 2019. Ticker Code: KONSOL
Attachment
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
OMA SAVINGS BANK PLC, STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 10 FEBRUARY 2025 AT 9.15 A.M. EET, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS RELEASE
Oma Savings Bank Plc’s Financial Statements Release 1 January – 31 December 2024: The year ended with a fourth quarter in line with expectations – comparable profit before taxes was strong for 2024
This release is a summary of Oma Savings Bank’s (OmaSp) January-December 2024 Financial Statements Release, which can be read from the pdf file attached to this stock exchange release and on the Company’s web pages www.omasp.fi
CEO Sarianna Liiri:
“The year 2024 has been very exceptional in the history of OmaSp. Both main sources of income developed in line with expectations and the year ended with a good quarter. Significant investments in the development of risk management processes and the implementation of an extensive action plan continued. The acquisition of Handelsbanken AB’s Finnish SME business and the expansion of the distribution network strengthened OmaSp’s market position towards the end of the year and provide a good starting point for the year beginning.
The comparable profit before taxes was EUR 27.9 million for the fourth quarter and the comparable return on equity was 15.6 percent.
As expected, changes in market interest rates were reflected in the development of net interest income, and in the last quarter net interest income fell by 11 percent from the comparison period. The net interest income increased by 8 percent for the whole year. Our customers value our personal and easily accessible service model. This is reflected in the development of the number of customers, which remained despite an exceptional year at a good level. With Handelsbanken’s business acquisition, OmaSp gained approximately 10,000 new customers in the autumn, and in addition to this, approximately 1,000 new customer relationships were organically created every month. In particular, fee and commission income and expenses net were increased by card and payment fees, which increased by 16 percent from the previous year. Fee and commission income and expenses net increased by 8 percent in the last quarter and by 7 percent for the full year. At the end of the year, the business focus has been especially on the reception of customers who have transferred from Handelsbanken and the start of operations in three new branches. With the expanded distribution network OmaSp now has excellent coverage in all of Finland’s key growth and provincial centers.
OmaSp’s loan portfolio and deposit base were boosted by volumes transferred from Handelsbanken. The portfolio of housing loans grew by 5 percent, corporate loan portfolio by 8 percent and deposits by 6 percent from a year ago.
Accumulation of impairment losses on financial assets was significantly affected by non-compliance with the guidelines and related additional allowances. In 2024, credit losses amounted to approximately EUR 84 million, of which approximately EUR 64 million were related to non-compliance with the guidelines. In the last quarter, the credit loss level remained at last year’s level.
The Company has continued to make significant investments in risk management and the implementation of the action plan launched in the summer. As a result, the cost level remained high in the last quarter of the year. An additional EUR 5.4 million was invested in risk management processes in October–December and comparable costs increased by 44 percent during the fourth quarter. Expenses were also increased by the increased number of personnel. During the financial year, the Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA) carried out audits of the Company. Based on the audits, the observations raised by the supervisor and the development targets already identified by the Company itself support each other. The measures to develop the processes are proceeding well on schedule and the goal is to complete the development measures planned during 2024 in the first half of 2025.
The comparable cost/income ratio remains at a good level despite significant investments and was 47.7 percent in the last quarter.
Customer and personnel satisfaction at the center of everything
OmaSp’s competitive advantage has been and will continue to be built on excellent customer experience. According to research, customer and personnel satisfaction have remained at an excellent level as in previous years, despite the exceptional year. Our personnel are our most essential resource, so committed and motivated personnel play a vitally important role for OmaSp’s future success. The renewed board of the Company started its work in December, and we have got five experienced board experts to strengthen the bank’s operations. In addition, the Company’s new CEO, Karri Alameri, will start his work in April at the latest.
OmaSp’s financial position is stable, and the Company’s solvency and liquidity position is at a good level. The total capital (TC) ratio was 15.6 percent at the end of the year and the accumulation of equity is nearly EUR 580 million.
After the changes implemented in 2024, we will now be able to focus on our core business and strengthen the customer experience of our existing and new customers. OmaSp’s ambition is to enable and solve the needs of households and small and medium-sized enterprises in all areas of the bank’s operations. In February, the history of OmaSp stretches back 150 years. From these strong starting points, we will continue in 2025 with confidence.
Warm thanks to all customers and owners, and especially to OmaSp’s personnel for 2024!”
January-December 2024
• Oma Savings Bank Plc’s Extraordinary General Meeting was held on 10 December 2024. The Extraordinary General Meeting confirmed on the remuneration, number and composition of the members of the Board of Directors. The number of members of the Board of Directors was confirmed to be eight, i.e. the number of members increased by one. Aki Jaskari, Jaakko Ossa and Jaana Sandström were re-elected as Board members and Juhana Brotherus, Irma Gillberg-Hjelt, Carl Pettersson, Kati Riikonen and Juha Volotinen were elected as new members.
• The Company’s Board of Directors appointed Karri Alameri, B.Sc. (Econ.), CEFA as the Company’s new CEO on 30 September 2024. Alameri will start his position no later than 1 April 2025.
• On 1 September 2024, the Company completed the acquisition of Svenska Handelsbanken AB’s SME business in Finland as planned. The deposit portfolio transferred to the Company was approximately EUR 440 million and the loan portfolio approximately EUR 500 million. A goodwill of EUR 15.3 million was recognised from the acquisition. Approximately 10,000 customers transferred to the Company in the acquisition, and at the same time 30 people transferred to the Company as old employees.
• During the second quarter, the Company launched an extensive risk management action plan (the “Noste”), which has been implemented according to plan.
• In January–December, net interest income grew 8.1% compared with the same period last year. Net interest income totalled EUR 213.1 (197.0) million. In the last quarter, net interest income decreased by 10.5% compared to the comparison period.
• Home mortgage portfolio increased by 5.0% during the previous 12 months. Corporate loan portfolio increased by 8.0% during the previous 12 months.
• Deposit base increased by 5.5% over the past 12 months.
• In January-December, fee and commission income and expenses (net) increased due to volume growth by 7.0%. In the last quarter, fee and commission income and expenses (net) increased by 7.5% compared to the comparison period.
• In January–December, total operating income grew by 9.3% compared to the comparison period. In the last quarter, comparable total operating income remained at the same level compared to the last quarter and was EUR 68.2 (69.4) million.
• In January-December, total operating expenses grew in total by 22.6%. The growth is mainly explained by expenses arising from business arrangements as well as from extensive risk management development projects and investigation costs related to non-compliance with the guidelines. In addition, the number of personnel increased during the year due to the business arrangements, the opening of new branches and the strengthening of risk management processes. Other operating expenses were in total EUR 69.3 (52.5) million, of which the development costs of the risk management action plan and investigation costs related to non-compliance with the guidelines amounted to EUR 11.8 million.
• Comparable total operating expenses grew by 44.0% in the last quarter and were EUR 32.4 (22.5) million. Of this the risk management action plan (the ”Noste”) amounted to EUR 5.4 million.
• For January-December, the impairment losses on financial assets were in total EUR -83.4 (-17.1) million. A total of EUR 64.4 million in impairment losses on financial assets were recorded in relation to non-compliance with the guidelines, of which EUR 4.9 million was final impairment losses on financial assets. Impairment losses on financial assets amounted to EUR 7.6 (7.3) million in the last quarter.
• For January-December, profit before taxes was EUR 74.6 (138.0) million. For the last quarter, profit before taxes was EUR 22.6 (35.5) million.
• In January-December, comparable profit before taxes was EUR 86.7 (143.6) million. For the last quarter, comparable profit before taxes was EUR 27.9 (38.8) million.
• In January-December, cost/income ratio was 41.3 (36.9)%. In the last quarter, cost/income ratio was 52.9 (35.4)%. In January-December, comparable cost/income ratio was 37.8 (35.1)%. In the last quarter, comparable cost/income ratio was 47.7 (32.8)%.
• In January-December, comparable return on equity (ROE) was 12.4 (25.3)%. For the last quarter, comparable return on equity (ROE) was 15.6 (23.5)%.
• Total capital (TC) ratio was 15.6 (16.5)%.
| The Group’s key figures (1,000 euros) | 1–12/2024 | 1–12/2023 | Δ% | 2024 Q4 | 2023 Q4 | Δ% |
| Net interest income | 213,097 | 197,045 | 8% | 50,913 | 56,907 | -11% |
| Fee and commission income and expenses, net | 50,745 | 47,421 | 7% | 13,105 | 12,188 | 8% |
| Total operating income | 270,068 | 247,067 | 9% | 64,381 | 67,190 | -4% |
| Total operating expenses | -111,004 | -90,550 | 23% | -33,917 | -23,483 | 44% |
| Impairment losses on financial assets, net | -83,379 | -17,126 | 387% | -7,572 | -7,269 | 4% |
| Profit before taxes | 74,589 | 138,048 | -46% | 22,582 | 35,546 | -36% |
| Cost/income ratio, % | 41.3% | 36.9% | 12% | 52.9% | 35.4% | 49% |
| Balance sheet total | 7,709,090 | 7,642,906 | 1% | 7,709,090 | 7,642,906 | 1% |
| Equity | 576,143 | 541,052 | 6% | 576,143 | 541,052 | 6% |
| Return on assets (ROA) % | 0.8% | 1.6% | -52% | 0.9% | 1.5% | -40% |
| Return on equity (ROE) % | 10.7% | 24.3% | -56% | 12.6% | 21.5% | -41% |
| Earnings per share (EPS), EUR | 1.80 | 3.49 | -48% | 0.54 | 0.85 | -36% |
| Total capital (TC) ratio % | 15.6% | 16.5% | -6% | 15.6% | 16.5% | -6% |
| Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio % | 14.4% | 14.9% | -3% | 14.4% | 14.9% | -3% |
| Comparable profit before taxes | 86,656 | 143,609 | -40% | 27,945 | 38,790 | -28% |
| Comparable cost/income ratio, % | 37.8% | 35.1% | 8% | 47.7% | 32.8% | 45% |
| Comparable return on equity (ROE) % | 12.4% | 25.3% | -51% | 15.6% | 23.5% | -34% |
Outlook for the financial year 2025:
The Company’s business outlook for the financial year 2025 will be affected by lower market interest rates and the continued high cost level due to IT investments and system improvements required by risk management and quality processes. In addition, the Company continues to invest in customer experience on different channels. The uncertainty of the operating environment and economic situation affects the development of balance sheet items and comparable profit for the financial year 2025.
Oma Savings Bank Plc provides earnings guidance on comparable profit before taxes for 2025. Earnings guidance is based on the forecast for the entire year, which takes into account the current market and business situation. Forecasts are based on the management’s insight into the Group’s business development.
We estimate the Group’s comparable profit before taxes to be EUR 65-80 million for the financial year 2025 (comparable profit before taxes was EUR 86.7 million in the financial year 2024).
Board of Directors’ proposal for the distribution of profit to AGM
The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting a dividend in accordance with the dividend policy, at least 20% of the Company’s net profit. The proposal for the distribution of profit aims to increase capital buffers and maintain strong liquidity. The Board of Directors proposes that, on the basis of the Financial Statements to be adopted for 2024, a dividend of EUR 0.36 be paid from the Parent Company’s distributable profits for each share entitled to a dividend for 2024.
The proposed record date for dividends would be 10 April 2025 and the payment date 17 April 2025.
No material changes have taken place in the Company’s financial position after the financial year. The Company’s liquidity is good, and the proposed profit distribution does not compromise the Company’s liquidity according to the Board of Directors’ insight.
General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting is scheduled to be held on 8 April 2024. The Company’s Board of Directors will convene the Annual General Meeting separately at a later date.
Oma Savings Bank Plc
Additional information:
Sarianna Liiri, CEO, puh. +358 40 835 6712, sarianna.liiri@omasp.fi
Minna Sillanpää, CCO, tel. +358 50 66592, minna.sillanpaa@omasp.fi
DISTRIBUTION
Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd
Major media
www.omasp.fi
OmaSp is a solvent and profitable Finnish bank. About 500 professionals provide nationwide services through OmaSp’s 48 branch offices and digital service channels to over 200,000 private and corporate customers. OmaSp focuses primarily on retail banking operations and provides its clients with a broad range of banking services both through its own balance sheet as well as by acting as an intermediary for its partners’ products. The intermediated products include credit, investment and loan insurance products. OmaSp is also engaged in mortgage banking operations.
OmaSp core idea is to provide personal service and to be local and close to its customers, both in digital and traditional channels. OmaSp strives to offer premium level customer experience through personal service and easy accessibility. In addition, the development of the operations and services is customer-oriented. The personnel is committed and OmaSp seeks to support their career development with versatile tasks and continuous development. A substantial part of the personnel also own shares in OmaSp.
Attachment
Source: Asia Development Bank
Twenty years ago, ADB issued its first local currency bond. The Indian rupee bond represented about $110 million equivalent at the time. Over the following three years, ADB raised funding from onshore bond issues in Malaysian ringgit, Thai baht, Chinese renminbi and Philippine peso – acting as an “icebreaker” to open these markets to foreign issuers.
Such borrowing exercises introduced a new funding stream for ADB’s development assistance, allowing borrowers to mitigate potential currency risks associated with borrowing in foreign currencies.
Fast forward to today, and local currency finance has gone mainstream. Development partners are no longer surprised when ADB issues bonds denominated in currencies as diverse as the Azerbaijan manat, the Indonesian rupiah or the Mongolian togrog and they recognize the invaluable role that local currency finance plays in crowding in foreign investment to developing countries.
About a third of ADB’s private sector loans are currently delivered in local currencies, with the Thai baht, Indian rupee, Chinese renminbi, Kazakhstan tenge, and Georgian lari featuring prominently. ADB’s aggregate local currency portfolio reached more than $3.75 billion equivalent as of 31 October 2024 across more than 15 local currencies with local currency loans expected to reach 50% of private sector lending over the next years.
Over the last 20 years, local capital markets have evolved and developed significantly across Asia and the Pacific. These developments were driven by the experience of the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis, which was at least partially caused by excessive foreign currency exposures.
Since then, regulators, banks, and investors have made significant strides to develop local currency bond markets and improve the local currency capital market infrastructure.
Over the last 20 years, local capital markets have evolved and developed significantly across Asia and the Pacific.
ADB can reach certain target borrowers more effectively when it offers loans in their own currencies rather than in dollars, euros, or yen. For many of the projects that ADB supports, foreign currency denominated loans would not be feasible: a dairy business owner in Mongolia has no understanding of the risks involved in borrowing a foreign currency. Equally, a female worker in rural Kazakhstan would not begin to consider borrowing a home loan in a foreign currency. For both of these projects, ADB was able to provide suitable local currency financing solutions to meet borrower needs and avoid foreign currency mismatches.
Importantly, the rapid development of derivative markets in the region, which include the availability of both interest rate and cross-currency swaps in several markets, has facilitated the management of liquidity by decoupling funding and disbursement transactions, while also allowing for tailored back-to-back funding transactions.
The availability of longer-tenor financing solutions has also improved significantly in a number of the more developed Asian markets: for example, ADB was able to derive a 20-year Thai baht funding solution through the cross-currency swap market to finance a project in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, which delivered a perfect hedge for the borrower.
Similar liquidity of varying tenors is now available in swap and bond markets in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Another important innovation has also improved the availability of local currency financing: the so-called “currency-linked bond” has been a game changer for development finance. In essence, this is a debt security denominated in a local currency but settled in US dollars.
It relies on international documentation usually under English law, settlement occurs in international central securities depositaries, and the bonds are listed on major international stock exchanges. The impact of such structures is to crowd in international investors into local currencies by providing an easily accessible trading infrastructure.
ADB issued its first Indian rupee currency-linked bond in 2014 and since then has issued such instruments in Armenian dram, Azerbaijan manat, Georgian lari, Indonesian rupiah, Kazakhstan tenge, Kyrgyz sum, Mongolian togrog, Pakistan rupees and Philippine pesos. In Indian rupees alone, ADB has raised more than one billion US dollars equivalent to finance private sector projects.
In countries such as Georgia and Kazakhstan where the environment is enabled, ADB has issued multiple domestic bonds including fixed rate, floating rate and even inflation-linked. Furthermore, ADB auctioned the first green (2020) and gender (2021) bonds on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, delivering a new asset class to the local market.
In Georgia, ADB was the first organization to issue its domestic bonds through the Georgian Securities Settlement System (GSSS) in 2015, which operates delivery versus payment Real Time Gross Settlements (RTGS) with central bank money through the National Bank of Georgia.
In Kazakhstan, ADB settled its domestically issued bonds through the Kazakhstan Securities Depositary, which crucially has an operational “bridge” with Clearstream in Luxembourg.
These innovations have fostered knowledge sharing and the shift of local currency issuance infrastructure towards international best practices.
Liquidity pools are commonly used to warehouse the proceeds of bond issues in mainstream currencies until project disbursements happen. ADB has developed liquidity pools in Chinese renminbi and Indian rupees, which have played an important role in shepherding in high levels of local currency development finance by providing continuous availability of funding, decoupling such availability from any specific funding transactions Further liquidity pools are in the making, as ADB’s pipelines in local currency grow and evolve.
Working closely with national regulators and market participants, ADB’s engagement in local currency markets over the last 20 years has made significant progress.
Local currency finance is already well established as a financing source for ADB’s private sector loans, but it has been deployed much less in the sovereign context, which for ADB represents the largest share of lending activity. A number of sovereign borrowers have recently started to avail local currency solutions from ADB, including a recently completed $1.45 billion sovereign local currency loan conversion.
Working closely with national regulators and market participants, ADB’s engagement in local currency markets over the last 20 years has made significant progress: ADB is now able to offer funding solutions in more than 15 local currencies in Asia and the Pacific. As local currency markets will further develop, the future of local currency financing in the Asia-Pacific region looks bright.
Authors: Roberta Casali, ADB Vice-President for Finance and Risk; Tobias Hoschka, ADB Treasurer; Jonathan Grosvenor, former ADB Assistant Treasurer
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Company announcement (inside information)
No. 09/2025
10 February 2025
Netcompany Group A/S (“Netcompany”), SDC A/S, (“SDC”), and a majority part of the shareholders of SDC have today entered into an agreement of a transaction whereby a newly formed company of Netcompany and SDC will merge into a combined company fully owned by Netcompany. Together, Netcompany and SDC will create innovative and best-in-class banking solutions and services to the benefit of current banks running on SDC’s platform, as well as for new banks to be onboarded to the platform in the future.
The transaction values SDC at DKK 1 billion and will include a cash payment of DKK 1 billion from Netcompany to SDC’s shareholders. The cash consideration is funded by way of utilising current credit facilities.
Closing of the transaction is expected to take place around mid-2025, subject to regulatory and other customary conditions.
Strategic rationale
The transaction with SDC provides a strong foothold for Netcompany in the financial services industry, which is the highest spending vertical within IT services in Europe. In 2025, the total addressable market in DK, NO, and SE is estimated to be more than DKK 44 billion and the market is expected to grow more than 10% annually towards 2028, supporting Netcompany’s ambition of delivering continued sustainable organic growth.
Within the financial services industry, Netcompany offers a solid product and platform suite, including AMPLIO, mit.dk, AMI and EASLEY, combined with products from Festina Finance such as Festina Advisor and Festina Life and Pension. These products and platforms supplemented by SDC’s core banking platform will be the foundation of ‘the future of banking services’. Together, Netcompany and SDC will improve the banking experience for bank customers, as well as bank employees and advisors, by introducing improved and personalised advice, self-service solutions, and end-to-end digital processes to support activities such as housing journeys and onboarding, through new industry-specific and vendor-independent banking services.
Following the transaction, the combined workforce of Netcompany and SDC is more than 9,200 FTEs.
André Rogaczewski, CEO Netcompany states:
“I am thrilled to announce that we have successfully agreed on a transaction with the majority shareholders of SDC. This strategic move marks a significant milestone for Netcompany, and it aligns with our Go-To-Market strategy to expand our capabilities and enhance our service offerings within the financial services industry.
Digitalisation is the key driver for strengthening Europe’s most critical societal areas – including the financial services industry. Netcompany already provides the digital foundation with our products and platforms in the areas of pension, customs and tax, transport and logistics, and now we are going to do the same in the financial services industry. With SDC’s core banking platform and Netcompany’s innovative DNA, products, and platforms, we are looking into unprecedented opportunities for the entire banking sector. The goal of this transaction is to create innovative and best-in-class services in Denmark, Scandinavia, and the rest of Europe, to the benefit of current and future customers, thereby adding substantial value for our shareholders and stakeholders.”
Klaus Skjødt, Chair SDC states:
“This is a significant milestone in SDC’s history, as we are now building upon past investments in the market’s most modern core banking platform and future-proofed online and mobile banking. Together with Netcompany, we have a shared ambition to make the banking sector a driving force for digital innovation, setting new standards for the advice and service customers can expect from their bank. We will achieve the scale and development power necessary to enhance our competitiveness and create the market’s strongest banking experience.”
About SDC
About Netcompany
Summary of the transaction
Financial Guidance
Financial guidance for 2025 for Netcompany on a stand-alone basis, as provided in the Annual Report 2024, is based on organic performance metrics and hence maintained. Organic revenue growth is expected between 5% and 10% and adjusted EBITDA margin between 16% and 19%.
Netcompany expects to reinitiate it’s share buyback programmes after closing of the transaction and expects leverage at the end of 2025 to be around 1.5x.
Webcast
In connection with the publication of the merger, Netcompany will host a conference call on Monday, 10 February 2025 at 8.15 am CET. The conference call will be held in English and can be followed live via the company’s website; www.netcompany.com
Dial-in details for investors and analysts:
DK: +45 78 76 84 90
UK: +44 20 3769 6819
US: +1 646 787 0157
PIN: 598046
Webcast Player URL: https://netcompany-as.eventcdn.net/events/webcast-10-februar-2025
Additional information
For additional information, please contact:
Netcompany Group A/S
Thomas Johansen, CFO, +45 51 19 32 24
Frederikke Linde, Head of IR, +45 60 62 60 87
Disclaimer
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that reflect Netcompany’s current expectations and views of future events. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by terms and phrases such as “estimate”, “expect”, “target”, “plan”, “project”, “will” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to: the expected characteristics of the combined company; expected financial results and characteristics of the combined company; expected timing of the launch and closing of the proposed transaction and satisfaction of conditions precedent, including -regulatory conditions; and the expected benefits of the proposed transaction, including related synergies. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions, and expectations of future performance, taking into account the information currently available to us. These statements are only predictions based upon our current expectations and projections about future events. Risks and uncertainties include: the ability of Netcompany to integrate SDC into Netcompany’s operations; the performance of the global economy; the capacity for growth in internet and technology usage; the consolidation and convergence of the industry, its suppliers and its customers; the effect of changes in governmental regulations; disruption from the proposed transaction making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers; and the impact on the combined company (after giving effect to the proposed transaction with SDC and the shareholders of SDC) of any of the foregoing risks or forward-looking statements, as well as other risk factors listed from time to time in Netcompany’s public disclosures. The forward-looking statements should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included elsewhere, including the risk factors included in any public disclosures of Netcompany. Any forward-looking statements made in this announcement are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by us will be realised or, even if substantially realised, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, us or our business or operations. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Attachment
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
PALM BEACH, FL—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today joined Face the Nation on CBS to discuss President Donald Trump reforming the Executive Branch through eliminating wasteful spending and unnecessary government programs.
Partial Transcript
Hagerty on Trump’s buyout to federal workers: “Eventually, it will save taxpayers money. I think what President Trump is trying to do is be humane in the process of allowing them to make plans to find other employment. But I certainly think the government is far too big, far too bloated, and we’re on a path now to start to see it shrink. This is the first step only, but we’re moving in the right direction […] What we’ll see, Margaret is each agency go through a top to bottom review to decide exactly what they need to do to deliver on behalf of the American public. As you know, there’s been a lot of consternation and pearl clutching about the activities of Elon Musk and his team, but their charge, led by President Trump, is to go in and find efficiencies, find opportunities, and frankly, deliver more of taxpayer dollars to the actual programs that are intended, less to overhead an Administration […] I’m from the private sector, Margaret, my entire background has been in business. This is the way you do it. You come in, you look at the opportunities before you—President Trump has brought a new Administration in—this is not unusual to take a hard look at these programs and also to look for opportunities to cut bloat and waste. Look, we’re 36 trillion dollars in debt. Clearly, the American public Needs to see more accountability, more visibility, more performance for their taxpayer dollars.”
Hagerty on bringing accountability to the CFPB: “I’ve had significant conversations with Russ Vought, who is our new [Office of Management and Budget] Director. The [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau] has been out of control for some time. The way it’s designed, I think is unconstitutional. It has no oversight; it’s been basically a reckless agency that’s been allowed to go way beyond any mandate that I think was originally intended. So, it’s time to rein it in, and I’m applauding anything that we can do to bring more stability, more control to the federal government, and take agencies like this back into some sort of sense of accountability and oversight […] It was established as an agency that does not have the jurisdiction of the Congress. Its funding source is separate from us. It has no accountability. This is not the type of agency I think that the founding fathers contemplated. We actually contemplated a balance of power. Yet, this rogue agency has been created, and frankly, it’s been used as a tool to come in and just hammer the American private sector and pursue initiatives that certain people like Rohit Chopra might have approved, or that Senator Elizabeth Warren might have approved, but this is not the way the American public should be funding and supporting programs of this nature.”
Hagerty on the need to reform USAID funding: “I think there’s a tremendous appetite to do it, Margaret, because what we want to see is alignment of our programs with America’s National Security interest. USAID has been out of control. I’ve demanded accountability from [USAID], they’ve refused it. As an appropriator, I’ve asked them to be very clear about, for example, their role funding Hamas and Gaza. They would not comply. They will not tell us what they do. Now that we start to find out some of the programs that [USAID] has been funding—if you think about it, sex change operations in Guatemala, LGBTQ programs in Serbia […] And that is not true, Margaret. I couldn’t get the Secretary of State [Blinken]—I asked him three times to tell me that we were not funding Hamas through [USAID]. He couldn’t do it, and frankly, what we found is that we have been funding [terrorism] […] Certainly, the funds that have gone to UNRWA. You saw the UNRWA members who were also Hamas members […] [UNWRA is] supporting terrorist groups. And if you look at what UNRWA has done, it’s been so counter to our national interest. It’s unbelievable that we would fund it.”
Hagerty on reciprocity in trade agreements: “I talked with President Trump on Friday about this broadly, Margaret. This is a concern that he has had for some time. As you know, I served in his previous Administration and worked my heart out to get two trade agreements executed with Japan. I was the U.S. Ambassador to Japan in his Administration. Here’s what we’re trying to deal with, and it goes all the way back to World War II, in the aftermath, we made very favorable terms of trade with countries whose economies have devastated in Europe and Japan. We should have time limited that. We should have put some type of GDP-per-capita limit on it, because what we have now are countries that have very unfavorable and unfair terms that are fully developed. So, it’s time to address this; it’s already begun to happen.”
Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
The annual traditional Spartakiad “Cheerfulness and Health” among teachers and employees of higher educational institutions of the Novosibirsk Region has begun. And for the first time, the NSU team won gold medals in table tennis competitions!
In total, there are 9 types of the program in the Spartakiad: badminton, billiards, volleyball, darts, skiing, swimming, shooting, table tennis and chess. The 7 best results are counted towards the overall standings of the University, so the competition will be serious.
We are pleased to congratulate our table tennis team on their brilliant victory and a wonderful start to the Spartakiad!
The honor of NSU was defended by:
Yuriy Efremenko, postgraduate student of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics
Alexander Byvaltsev, Associate Professor, Faculty of Natural Sciences
Timur Nasybullov, Doctor of Sciences, Deputy. Dean of the MMF
Larisa Zelenkina, Senior Lecturer, Institute of Physical Problems
Dmitry Trotsenko – playing coach, veteran of the MMF
We thank everyone for the great game and wish them success and longevity in sports!
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Nokia Corporation
Inside information
10 February 2025 at 08:00 EET
Inside information: Nokia announces a leadership transition – Justin Hotard appointed as successor to Pekka Lundmark
Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced a leadership transition. Nokia’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Pekka Lundmark, has informed the Board that he will step down. The Board has appointed Justin Hotard as the next President and Chief Executive Officer of Nokia. He will start in his new role on 1 April 2025.
Hotard joins Nokia with more than 25 years’ experience with global technology companies, driving innovation, technology leadership and delivering revenue growth. He currently leads the Data Center & AI Group at Intel. Prior to this role, he held several leadership roles at large technology companies, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise and NCR Corporation. He will be based at Nokia’s headquarters in Espoo, Finland.
“I am delighted to welcome Justin to Nokia. He has a strong track record of accelerating growth in technology companies along with vast expertise in AI and data center markets, which are critical areas for Nokia’s future growth. In his previous positions, and throughout the selection process, he has demonstrated the strategic insight, vision, leadership and value creation mindset required for a CEO of Nokia,” said Sari Baldauf, Chair of Nokia’s Board of Directors.
“I am honored by the opportunity to lead Nokia, a global leader in connectivity with a unique heritage in technology. Networks are the backbone that power society and businesses, and enable generational technology shifts like the one we are currently experiencing in AI. I am excited to get started and look forward to continuing Nokia’s transformation journey to maximize its potential for growth and value creation,” said Justin Hotard.
After leading Nokia since 2020, Nokia’s current President and CEO, Pekka Lundmark, has decided to step down from executive roles and move on to the next phase of his career.
“I want to thank Pekka for his significant contributions to Nokia, he will leave with our highest respect. The planning for this leadership transition was initiated when Pekka indicated to the Board that he would like to consider moving on from executive roles when the repositioning of the business was in a more advanced stage, and when the right successor had been identified. Now, both of those conditions have been met, and he has decided to step down,” said Sari Baldauf.
She continued: “Pekka joined at a difficult time in Nokia’s history. Under his tenure, Nokia has re-established its technology leadership in 5G radio networks and built a strong position in cloud-native core networks. Network Infrastructure has delivered growth and significant profit improvement, and Nokia has secured the longevity of its patent licensing business. At the same time, Nokia has built strong foundations in new growth areas, refreshed the company’s brand and culture, transformed its operating model and rebalanced its portfolio.”
“Leading Nokia has been a privilege. When I returned to Nokia in 2020, I called it a homecoming, and it really has felt like one. I am proud of the work our brilliant team has done in re-establishing our technology leadership and competitiveness, and positioning the company for growth in data centers, private wireless and industrial edge, and defense. This is the right time for me to move on. I have led listed companies for more than two decades and although I do not plan to stop working, I want to move on from executive roles to work in a different capacity, such as a board professional. Justin is a great choice for Nokia and I look forward to working with him on a smooth transition,” said Nokia’s President and CEO Pekka Lundmark.
Lundmark will step down on 31 March 2025. He will continue as an advisor to the new CEO until the end of the year.
An event for media and financial analysts will be held today at 10:00 EET. Link to join the webcast: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/hjd9zmyx.
Journalists and financial analysts, who wish to ask a question during the event, must dial-in to an audio-only conference call line. The attendees must pre-register here: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10196883/fe7f25be61.
If you wish to ask a question on the call, you must mute the webcast and only use the participant dial-in during the Q&A session as there is a delay of approximately 15-30 seconds.
Journalists and financial analysts can join via webcast or in person (Nokia’s Executive Experience Center at Karakaari 18, Espoo). Members of the media and analysts who want to participate in person, are kindly requested to show their press credential or valid ID on arrival.
Justin Hotard, CV
Born: 1974
Nationality: US national
Experience:
Education:
About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.
As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.
With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.
Inquiries:
Nokia Communications
Phone: +358 10 448 4900
Email: press.services@nokia.com
Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications
Nokia
Investor Relations
Phone: +358 931 580 507
Email: investor.relations@nokia.com
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect Nokia’s current expectations and views of future developments and include statements regarding: A) expectations, plans, benefits or outlook related to our strategies, projects, programs, product launches, growth management, licenses, sustainability and other ESG targets, operational key performance indicators and decisions on market exits; B) expectations, plans or benefits related to future performance of our businesses (including the expected impact, timing and duration of potential global pandemics, geopolitical conflicts and the general or regional macroeconomic conditions on our businesses, our supply chain, the timing of market changes or turning points in demand and our customers’ businesses) and any future dividends and other distributions of profit; C) expectations and targets regarding financial performance and results of operations, including market share, prices, net sales, income, margins, cash flows, cost savings, the timing of receivables, operating expenses, provisions, impairments, taxes, currency exchange rates, hedging, investment funds, inflation, product cost reductions, competitiveness, revenue generation in any specific region, and licensing income and payments; D) ability to execute, expectations, plans or benefits related to our ongoing transactions, investments and changes in organizational structure and operating model; E) impact on revenue with respect to litigation/renewal discussions; and F) any statements preceded by or including “anticipate”, “continue”, “believe”, “envisage”, “expect”, “aim”, “will”, “target”, “may”, “would”, “see”, “plan” or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are based on management’s best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to them. These forward-looking statements are only predictions based upon our current expectations and views of future events and developments and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Factors, including risks and uncertainties that could cause these differences, include those risks and uncertainties specified in our 2023 annual report on Form 20-F published on 29 February 2024 under Operating and financial review and prospects – Risk factors.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
WISeKey’s WISeID Empowers Users with Digital Identity Control in a Geopolitically Uncertain World
Geneva, Switzerland, February 10, 2025 –WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”) (SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a leading global cybersecurity, blockchain, and IoT company, today announces latest suite of enhancements of WISeID, the Company’s WebTrust-compliant identity management system built to protect users’ digital identities and personal data.
In light of current geopolitical tensions and the growing centralization of technology resources in only a few countries, it is more essential than ever for consumers to maintain control over their own digital identity. People’s digital identity represents their online persona, and ensuring it remains under each individual’s control allows them to attach various attributes to it while navigating the internet with full autonomy and consent.
Unfortunately, many platforms compel users to create digital identities within their ecosystems, not as a service to the consumer but as a means of controlling identity data for commercial exploitation. These platforms act as identity providers, leveraging user data for monetization by selling personal information to advertisers and other third parties.
For over 25 years, WISeKey has been a leader in digital identity solutions, prioritizing user autonomy without locking individuals into a proprietary ecosystem. WISeKey’s WISeID WebTrust-compliant identity management system, is accessible to all and designed to seamlessly integrate with existing blockchain technologies. WISeID.com enhances user protection against identity theft and strengthens privacy in today’s hyper-connected world.
The Next Generation of WISeID: Elevating Digital Identity Security
The latest iteration of WISeID builds upon WISeKey’s legacy of cutting-edge cybersecurity innovation, introducing a suite of enhancements that further protect users’ digital identities and personal data.
1. Free Identity Validation
WISeID now enables all users to verify their real identity using their computer or smartphone camera. By capturing an official identity document—such as a National ID, Driver’s License, or Passport (from most countries)—and utilizing facial recognition technology, users can confirm their identity securely and conveniently.
2. New Types of Digital Certificates
WISeID introduces a range of digital certificates with varying validation levels to suit different user needs:
3. New Document Signing Service
WISeID now offers a free digital document signing solution. Users can sign PDF documents directly from their computer or mobile device without needing to manually create or install certificates. Our platform automatically and securely generates single-use certificates for each signature request. The only requirement is a valid WISeID account with identity verification.
4. New Corporate Identity Management Services
Organizations can now leverage WISeID to provide secure identity services to their employees and customers through a corporate account. Corporate administrators gain full control over user identity creation and certificate management, eliminating the need for individual verification processes. Additionally, companies can acquire WISeSign packages, enabling employees to securely request and manage digital signatures.
By providing decentralized, user-controlled digital identity solutions, WISeID stands in stark contrast to identity-restricting platforms. Our mission is to empower individuals and businesses with secure, verifiable, and privacy-enhancing digital identity tools, ensuring they remain in full control of their online presence.
For more information, visit WISeID.com.
About WISeKey
WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”, SIX: WIHN; Nasdaq: WKEY) is a global leader in cybersecurity, digital identity, and IoT solutions platform. It operates as a Swiss-based holding company through several operational subsidiaries, each dedicated to specific aspects of its technology portfolio. The subsidiaries include (i) SEALSQ Corp (Nasdaq: LAES), which focuses on semiconductors, PKI, and post-quantum technology products, (ii) WISeKey SA which specializes in RoT and PKI solutions for secure authentication and identification in IoT, Blockchain, and AI, (iii) WISeSat AG which focuses on space technology for secure satellite communication, specifically for IoT applications, (iv) WISe.ART Corp which focuses on trusted blockchain NFTs and operates the WISe.ART marketplace for secure NFT transactions, and (v) SEALCOIN AG which focuses on decentralized physical internet with DePIN technology and house the development of the SEALCOIN platform.
Each subsidiary contributes to WISeKey’s mission of securing the internet while focusing on their respective areas of research and expertise. Their technologies seamlessly integrate into the comprehensive WISeKey platform. WISeKey secures digital identity ecosystems for individuals and objects using Blockchain, AI, and IoT technologies. With over 1.6 billion microchips deployed across various IoT sectors, WISeKey plays a vital role in securing the Internet of Everything. The company’s semiconductors generate valuable Big Data that, when analyzed with AI, enable predictive equipment failure prevention. Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey cryptographic Root of Trust, WISeKey provides secure authentication and identification for IoT, Blockchain, and AI applications. The WISeKey Root of Trust ensures the integrity of online transactions between objects and people. For more information on WISeKey’s strategic direction and its subsidiary companies, please visit www.wisekey.com.
Disclaimer
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”), the FinSa’s predecessor legislation or advertising within the meaning of the FinSA. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.
Press and Investor Contacts
| WISeKey International Holding Ltd Company Contact: Carlos Moreira Chairman & CEO Tel: +41 22 594 3000 info@wisekey.com |
WISeKey Investor Relations (US) The Equity Group Inc. Lena Cati Tel: +1 212 836-9611 lcati@equityny.com |
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
OSLO, Norway (10 February 2025) – TGS, a leading provider of energy data and intelligence, is pleased to announce the award of two 4D streamer contract acquisition projects, one in the North Sea and one in the Norwegian Sea. The 4D projects are scheduled to be acquired back-to-back and commence in June. The total duration of the two surveys is approximately 80 days.
Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS, commented, “We are pleased to secure two new 4D streamer contracts. Now we have a total of six 4D streamer contracts scheduled for the 2025 summer season on the Norwegian continental shelf. The clients value our GeoStreamer technology combined with the Ramform acquisition platform, ensuring efficient delivery of high-quality data.”
For more information, visit TGS.com or contact:
Bård Stenberg
VP IR & Communication
Mobile: +47 992 45 235
investor@tgs.com
About TGS
TGS provides advanced data and intelligence to companies active in the energy sector. With leading-edge technology and solutions spanning the entire energy value chain, TGS offers a comprehensive range of insights to help clients make better decisions. Our broad range of products and advanced data technologies, coupled with a global, extensive and diverse energy data library, make TGS a trusted partner in supporting the exploration and production of energy resources worldwide. For further information, please visit www.tgs.com (https://www.tgs.com/).
Forward Looking Statement
All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include volatile market conditions, investment opportunities in new and existing markets, demand for licensing of data within the energy industry, operational challenges, and reliance on a cyclical industry and principal customers. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason.
COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle
It generally ends badly. An old tyrant embarks on an ill-considered project that involves redrawing maps.
They are heedless to wise counsel and indifferent to indigenous interests or experience. Before they fail, are killed, deposed or otherwise disposed of, these vicious old men can cause immense harm.
To see Trump through this lens, let’s look at a group of men who tested their cartographic skills and failed: King Lear and, of course, Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte, and latterly, George W Bush and Saddam Hussein.
I even throw in a Pope. But let’s start first with Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump himself.
Benjamin Netanyahu and a map of a ‘New Middle East’ — without Palestine
In September 2023, a month before the Hamas attack on Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to an almost-empty UN General Assembly. Few wanted to share the same air as the man.
In his speech, he presented a map of a “New Middle East” — one that contained a Greater Israel but no Palestine.
In a piece in The Jordan Times titled: “Cartography of genocide”, Ramzy Baroud explained why Netanyahu erased Palestine from the map figuratively. Hamas leaders also understood the message all too well.
“Generally, there was a consensus in the political bureau: We have to move, we have to take action. If we don’t do it, Palestine will be forgotten — totally deleted from the international map,” Dr Bassem Naim, a leading Hamas official said in the outstanding Al Jazeera documentary October 7.
Hearing Trump and Netanyahu last week, the Hamas assessment was clear-eyed and prescient.
Donald Trump
In defiance of UN resolutions and international law, he recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, recognised the Syrian Golan Heights as part of Israel, and now wants to turn Gaza into a US real estate development, reconquer Panama, turn Canada into the 51st State of the USA, rename the Gulf of Mexico and seize Greenland, if necessary by force.
And it’s only February. The US spent blood, treasure and decades building the Rules-Based International Order. Biden and Trump have left it in tatters.
Trump is a fitting avatar for the American state: morally corrupt, narcissistic, burning down all the temples to international law, and generally causing chaos as he flames his way into ignominy.
The past week — where “Bonkers is the New Normal” — reminded me of a famous Onion headline: “FBI Uncovers Al-Qaeda Plot To Just Sit Back And Enjoy Collapse Of United States”.
The Iranians made a brilliant counter-offer to the US plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza and create a US statelet next to Israel — send the Israelis to Greenland! Unlike the genocidal US and Israeli leadership, the Iranians were kidding.
Point taken, though.
King Lear: ‘Meantime we will express our darker purpose. Give me the map there.’
Lear makes the list because of Shakespeare’s understanding of tyrants and those who oppose them.
Kent: My life I never held but as a pawn to wage against thy enemies.
Lear: Out of my sight!
Kent and all those who sought to steer the King towards a more prudent course were treated as enemies and traitors. I think of Ambassador Chas Freeman, John Mearsheimer, Colonel Larry Wilkerson, George Beebe and all the other wiser heads who have been pushed to the periphery in much the same way.
Trump, like Lear, surrounds himself with a college of schemers, deviants and psychopaths.
Napoleon Bonaparte
I was fortunate to study “France on the Eve of Revolution” with the great French historian Antoine Casanova. His fellow Corsican caused a fair bit of mayhem with his intention to redraw the map of Europe.
British statesman William Pitt the Younger reeled in horror as Napoleon got to work, “Roll up that map; it will not be wanted these 10 years,” he presciently said.
Bonaparte was an important historical figure who left a mixed and contested legacy.
Before effective resistance could be organised, he abolished the Holy Roman Empire (good job), created the Confederation of the Rhine, invaded Russia and, albeit sometimes for the better, torched many of the traditional power structures.
Millions died in his wars.
We appear to be back to all that: a leader who tears up all rule books. Trump endorses the US-Israeli right of conquest, sanctions the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trying to hold Israel and the US to the same standard as others, and hands out the highest offices to his family and confidantes.
Hitler
“Lebensraum” (Living space) was the Nazi concept that propelled the German war machine to seize new territories, redraw maps. As they marched, the soldiers often sang “Deutschland über alles” (Germany above all), their ultra-nationalist anthem that expressed a desire to create a Greater Germany — to Make Germany Great Again.
All sounds a bit similar to this discussion of Trump and Netanyahu, doesn’t it? Again: whose side should we be on?
Saddam Hussein and George W Bush
When it comes to doomed bids to remake the Middle East by launching illegal wars, these are two buttocks of the same bum. Now we have the Trump-Netanyahu pair.
Will countries like Australia, New Zealand and the UK really sign up for the current US-Israeli land grab? Will they all continue to yawn and look away as massive crimes against humanity are committed? I fear so, and in so doing, they rob their side of all legitimacy.
Pope Alexander VI
There is a smack of the Borgias about the Trumps. They share values — libertinism and nepotism, to name two — and both, through cunning rather than aptitude, managed to achieve great power.
Pope Alexander VI, born Rodrigo Borgia, father to Lucretia and Cesare, was Pope in 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He was responsible for the greatest reworking of the map of the world: the Treaty of Tordesillas which divided the “New World” between the Spanish and Portuguese empires. Millions died; trillions were stolen.
We still live with the depravities the Europeans and their heritors unleashed upon the world.
I’m sure the Greenlanders, the Canadians, the Panamanians and whoever else the United States sets their sights on will resist the unwelcome attempt to colour the map of their country in stars & stripes.
History is littered with blind map re-makers, foolish old men who draw new maps on old lands.
Like Sykes, Picot, Balfour and others, Trump thinks with a flourish of his pen he can whisk away identity and deep roots. Love of country and long-suffering mean Palestinians will never accept a handful of coins and parcels of land spread across West Asia or Africa as compensation for a stolen homeland.
They have earned the right to Palestine not least because of the blood-spattered identity that they have carved out of every inch of land through their immense courage and steadfastness. We should stand with them.
Eugene Doyle is a community organiser and activist in Wellington, New Zealand. He received an Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian award in 2023 for community service. His first demonstration was at the age of 12 against the Vietnam War. This article was first published at his public policy website Solidarity and is republished here with permission.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Mazza, Director, SPHERE NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health in Primary Care and Professor and Head of the Department of General Practice, Monash University
Ahead of the government’s response this week to a Senate inquiry into access to reproductive health care in Australia, the government has announced new measures to make it easier to get an intrauterine device, or IUD.
Payments to doctors and nurse practitioners to insert and remove these devices will increase. The government will also set up eight centres to train health-care professionals in IUD insertion, and ensure they are skilled and confident.
The Coalition has vowed to match this commitment if it wins the federal election.
So what are IUDs? And how might these changes impact Australian women?
IUDs are small devices that are implanted in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. There are two types: “hormonal IUDs”, which contain the hormone levonorgestrel, and “copper IUDs”.
Another long-acting reversible contraceptive, the contraceptive implant, is about 4cm long, made of plastic and inserted just under the skin in the arm.
Hormonal IUDs (known by brand names Mirena and Kyleena in Australia) and the contraceptive implant are subsidised under the PBS, costing A$31.60 ($7.70 concession). However copper IUDs aren’t, and cost around $100.
However, women may face significant out-of-pocket costs to have IUDs and implants inserted.
IUDs are types of long-acting reversible contraception. They are often called “set and forget” because once inserted, nothing more needs to be done. Long-acting reversible contraceptives are the most effective way to prevent pregnancy (over 99%).
This compares with the commonly used contraceptive pills containing estrogen and progestogen, which need to be taken every day. These have a failure rate of 8-9% with typical use.
The hormonal IUDs’ contraceptive effect lasts for eight years, while a copper IUD can last up to ten years, depending on the type. The contraceptive implant protects against pregnancy for three years.
The levonorgestrel in hormonal IUDs acts locally inside the uterus to thin the lining of the womb, so much so that after about six months of use, many women experience very little, if any, bleeding.
This reduction in menstruation can prevent or reduce conditions such as heavy menstrual bleeding, iron deficiency and period pain.
Like all contraceptives, there are potential side effects. IUD insertion is painful, there is a small risk of expulsion of IUDs and they may not be positioned correctly at the time of insertion.
Copper IUDs may cause heavier bleeding than usual.
And the contraceptive implant is associated with unpredictable (although mostly tolerable) bleeding patterns.
Just 6% of women use an IUD and another 5% use the contraceptive implant.
This compares with Sweden, where 30.9% use a long-acting reversible contraceptive, and in England, it’s over 30%.
Part of the reason is many women don’t know much about these contraceptive options, especially about IUDs.
But our research found that women were more likely to choose an IUD when their doctor incorporated information about how much more effective long-acting reversible contraceptives were during contraceptive consultations, and could refer women to get an insertion done quickly if they didn’t provide insertions themselves.
Women often struggle to find a GP who can insert an IUD and face long waiting times to get one inserted.
Despite a small increase to the Medicare rebate in 2022, the current rebate doesn’t reflect the costs or time needed by GPs to conduct the insertion. This has put a lot of GPs off from providing this service.
It can also be difficult for GPs to take time off from their clinical work to do the training, with courses costing around $1,500 and GPs not earning any income while attending.
To overcome these issues, a Senate inquiry into barriers to reproductive health care recommended:
appropriate remuneration and reimbursement for GPs providing IUD and implant insertion and removal services, including through increased Medicare rebates
improved insertion and removal training to support the increased use of IUDs and implants in Australia.
The new women’s health package directly addresses these issues by:
increasing the clinician rebate for inserting and removing IUDs and implants
providing Medicare rebates for nurse practitioner insertions
providing GPs with an incentive to bulk bill insertions so women will not face any out-of-pocket costs
funding eight centres across Australia to train clinicians to ensure they’re trained, skilled and confident in IUD insertion.
These measures complement announcements made last year to provide training scholarships for GPs and nurses to train in IUD insertion and to fund an online “community of practice” to support practitioners to provide these services.
With the increased rebates rolling out from November 1, and the training centres in the next year or two, we should see many more GPs skilled up and providing IUDs in the next few years.
This should make it more affordable and much easier for women to find a clinician to insert it.
The government is expected to table its response in parliament this week to the reproductive health care access Senate inquiry.
While there have been many improvements in access to medical abortion, particularly the ability for women to receive a medical abortion via telehealth through Medicare, key challenges remain in ensuring all Australian women can access surgical abortion.
Policymakers will need to focus attention on training a new generation of clinicians to undertake surgical abortions, and developing transparent local pathways for women to access care.
Danielle Mazza has received funding for research and conference attendance and served on advisory boards for Bayer, Organon, MSD and Gedeon Rechter. SPHERE and the ACCORd trial mentioned in the article were funded by the NHMRC and the Extend Prefer study by the Australian Department of Health. The roundtable on barriers to LARC was funded by Bayer.
– ref. What do the changes to IUD access mean for Australian women? – https://theconversation.com/what-do-the-changes-to-iud-access-mean-for-australian-women-249473
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flavio Macau, Associate Dean – School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University
Coles is reducing its product range by at least 10%, a move that has sparked public backlash and renewed discussions about the role of supermarkets in the cost-of-living crisis.
In cutting the range of items on offer Coles is moving closer to Aldi and Costco’s strategy to grow exclusive brands and limit product range.
The goal is to boost profitability by reducing costs, increasing sales, and increasing control over the supply chain.
Coles is unlikely to cut traditional brands, especially those from companies with significant market power like Coca-Cola or Nestle. In a battle between giants, the status quo is likely to prevail.
Smaller suppliers are likely to bear the load as they struggle to renew contracts and face increased competition from home brands.
To fully understand the reasons behind this move and its impact on the cost of living, insights from psychology, finance, and supply chain management come in handy.
The Coles move is all about profitability.
Over the past decade, competition in the Australian supermarket sector has intensified. Coles’ market share declined from 31% to 25% between 2013 and 2023, while Woolworths’ share fell from 41% to 37%.
This shift reflects the rise of Aldi, which now holds approximately 10% of the market, and its strong position in the home brand space.
To boost profitability with a smaller customer base, Coles needs to find ways to enhance its earnings. This can be achieved by raising prices, cutting costs, or increasing the market share of its home brands.
Raising prices is not a viable option, as consumers are already struggling with high food prices inflation and the rising cost-of-living. However, there is room to cut costs.
One approach is to squeeze suppliers, but again this is unlikely to be effective. The consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), is holding an inquiry into concerns that the supermarkets are using their market power to the disadvantage of their suppliers and consumers.
Additionally, as producers exit unprofitable businesses, supermarkets risk supply chain disruptions due to increased market concentration among surviving suppliers.
Another strategy is to reduce complexity. The more product variety there is, the more complicated and expensive it becomes to manage. Tasks such as stocking shelves, adjusting prices, maintaining inventory, managing delivery schedules, and disposing of expired products all contribute to higher costs.
Anna Croft, Coles’ operations and sustainability officer, explained the strategy when telling investors in November that 13 basic table salts could be cut to five.
Simplifying the product range can also boost sales. When faced with too many options, consumers can experience “choice overload”. A widely recognised study in psychology found that people are more likely to make a purchase when presented with a limited selection rather than an extensive array of choices.
Simplifying the range will likely focus on items where Coles has a home brand. Home brands now account for 33.5% of Coles’ sales, with 6,000 products. About 1,100 were added over the past year.
This move is a response to competitors like Aldi and Costco. While Coles and Woolworths manage over 25,000 items in their stores, Aldi limits its offering to about 1,800 products.
Coles is focusing on its home brands to better compete with non-branded offerings from Aldi. In its report to the ACCC, the supermarket highlights its investment in expanding its own-brand range to provide more affordable prices, up to 40% cheaper than similar proprietary brands.
While consumers may have fewer choices, it is expected that they will benefit from better prices.
This shift towards home brands is not exclusive to Australia. In the United States, private label sales hit a record in 2023 across a range of items from beauty products to general merchandise. In the United Kingdom, home brand products now account for over half of supermarket sales.
Almost 10 years ago, Woolworths and Coles started a significant move to adjust their price positioning in response to the competition. Along with Metcash (IGA), they reduced product ranges in 2015–16 by 10% to 15% to simplify the weekly grocery shop for consumers.
At that time, the culling of products put suppliers under pressure (as now) while consumers were ambivalent: some wanted more brand variety and others preferred less.
As history repeats itself, it will be interesting to see if Woolworths and Metcash will follow the latest move from Coles and how customers, suppliers, and the ACCC will react this time.
A/Prof Flavio Macau is affiliated with the Project Management Institute (PMI)
– ref. As Coles slashes its product range, will well-known brands disappear from supermarket shelves? – https://theconversation.com/as-coles-slashes-its-product-range-will-well-known-brands-disappear-from-supermarket-shelves-249274
Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
Scientists Faculty of Physics, Novosibirsk State University developed a method for measuring ultra-low concentrations of radioactive substances whose decay is accompanied by gamma radiation. Data is collected using a detector made of ultra-pure germanium, which is part of the equipment of the Interfaculty Laboratory of Atomic Physics and Spectrometry of NSU; a special hardware and software complex was created for data processing. The first project implemented using this method is research work on determining the level of radioactive substances (radon) in the soil of mines and coal opencasts in the Kemerovo Region.
To measure the radioactivity of soil samples for various nuclides, gamma-ray spectra were collected using a detector made of ultra-pure germanium. This is unique equipment that allows for very precise determination of the energy of gamma quanta emitted by radioactive substances. Germanium is a rare chemical element in the Earth’s lithosphere. Like silicon, it is a semiconductor and is used in microelectronics, but its scope of application is narrow. As a detector material, its efficiency of photon registration is higher than that of silicon, so it is used in detectors of not only X-rays, but also gamma radiation. Obtaining ultra-pure germanium is a complex and slow purification process using the zone melting method, which determines the high cost and complexity of equipment manufacturing.
There are devices that can register gamma radiation with even greater efficiency than a germanium detector, but only it can distinguish closely spaced gamma-quanta energies, and therefore gamma-quanta from different radionuclides. This is called high energy resolution; for a detector made of ultrapure germanium, it is approximately 0.01% in the energy range characteristic of gamma-quanta from atomic nuclei (units of megaelectron-volt). High resolution plays a decisive role in measuring ultra-low concentrations of radioactive substances, when it is necessary to separate background radiation and sample radiation and determine specific emitting radionuclides.
NSU scientists have developed a unique, highly sensitive method that allows determining ultra-low concentrations of radioactive substances in any samples – soil, ground, rocks, etc. The method has been tested and proven effective during the implementation of a project to determine the content of radioactive substances (in particular, radon) in the soil of mines and coal mines in the Kemerovo Region. Kemerovo State University employees approached NSU with this task in the spring of 2024. The KemSU study is aimed at determining the influence of soil types, artificial (for example, mining) and natural changes in soils and climate on the radioactive environment. In the future, this may make it possible to predict the radiation environment, for example, during housing construction.
— The main difficulty of the task was that the provided soil samples had a very low concentration of radioactive substances. Therefore, it was necessary to collect a lot of statistics for a reliable result, and statistics of both the sample itself and the background, the indicators of which were then “subtracted”. The work lasted almost half a year, we involved research associates of the educational Interfaculty Laboratory of Atomic Physics and Spectrometry of NSU, as well as students undergoing practical training as part of their studies, — says Elena Starostina, senior lecturer of the Physics Department of NSU.
The first stage involved collecting data directly on the detector. In total, colleagues from KemSU provided about 230 samples weighing from 100 to 250 grams, obtained from different places and from different depths – half a meter, one meter and one and a half meters. Data was collected daily from May to November 2024, and a background spectrum was also collected every week, without samples.
The experimental setup was as follows: a detector made of ultrapure germanium, cooled by a nitrogen cryostat, is surrounded by a lead tube with a wall thickness of about 10 mm. The tube suppresses the flow of background gamma quanta from the room by about three times. The tube rests on a table with an opening for the detector. Samples were placed directly on the detector.
— In the case of measuring ultra-low concentrations close to natural ones, the main difficulty is related to the fact that there is background radiation. It can be weakened with a lead screen, which is what we did, but it is impossible to completely eliminate it. Even with all the measures, the radiation of the samples was more than 7 times weaker than the background. In order to obtain a good contrast between the background and the actual study of the samples, it is necessary to collect the spectrum over a long period. The spectrum of each sample was collected in half-hour portions, for at least three hours, then half-hour spectra of good quality were selected so that the total statistics time was at least 2.5 hours. Once a week, multi-hour background spectra were collected, — Vyacheslav Kaminsky, senior lecturer, curator of the Interfaculty Laboratory of Atomic Physics and Spectrometry of NSU, shares the details of the experiment.
Another feature of the experiment is that the geometry of the measurements is such that only about 10% of the gamma quanta from the sample get into the detector. There are well-type detectors made of ultrapure germanium, which surround the sample from almost all sides, but they can only accommodate small samples. The detector made of ultrapure germanium at NSU allows working with samples of any size, and the developed technique in a sense compensates for the insufficient efficiency of gamma quanta registration.
The experimental data are presented as spectra with peaks from gamma lines and a continuous “substrate”. The peaks have a complex shape: they resemble a Gaussian curve with different widths on the left and right, they have a “tail” on the left, and the substrate on the left and right has a different level. The width of this “bell” in energy units characterizes the detector resolution: the narrower the peak, the finer the measurements that can be made. This peak shape is provided by both the processes of interaction of gamma quanta with the detector substance and the environment (for example, the Compton effect), and the processes of charge formation during the absorption of gamma quanta in the semiconductor and its collection.
After collecting the data, the researchers were faced with the task of determining the radiation of the samples, eliminating the background. The spectra were processed and the activity of the radionuclides was calculated.
— The method consisted in the fact that in the obtained data, in which the difference between the background and the sample was very small, a joint fitting of individual gamma lines was carried out for the spectra with the sample and the background. Each isotope that emits gamma quanta can have a dozen gamma lines, they are different, at different energies and with different intensities. First, good, intense lines were selected so that they were not very close to each other. According to the set of good, intense lines, each peak was fitted, it was done simultaneously for the background and for the background with the sample. Such a complex procedure is necessary in order to measure not only the amplitude of the peaks, but also to correctly estimate the measurement error. The resulting difference between the amplitudes for the sample with the inevitable background and only the background are the indicators of the sample itself, — says Vyacheslav Kaminsky.
Several programs written in Python were developed to collect and process the experimental data. The first one was for automatic spectral acquisition, which also recorded which operator placed the sample. Another one was for selecting, calibrating and summing the spectra. The third one was for calculating the activities of radionuclides. In addition, a separate program calculated the absolute efficiency of the detector. The scientists used classical statistical methods to determine the peak parameters, such as the least squares method, implemented in the MINUIT2 software library.
The study revealed that the samples contained only radioactive isotopes potassium-40, thorium-232 and uranium-238 and their decay products, which are common radionuclides found in soils, rocks and many building materials. The specific activity of the samples ranged from 0.1 to 2 becquerels per gram (decays per gram). These values are within safe limits, but the most active sample (with an error of about 7%) is equivalent to several bananas (see “banana equivalent”, bananas are active mainly due to the potassium-40 they contain). The least active sample is equivalent to half a banana with an error of more than 50%, which indicates a very high sensitivity of the method. At the moment, the KemSU research team has received the measurement results and is processing them.
Thus, the method developed by NSU scientists allows measuring very low levels of radiation, and linking it to specific radiating agents – radionuclides. This method will find application in monitoring the environmental situation, for drawing up maps of radioactive contamination after radiation accidents, etc.
The scientists plan to register a data processing program with Rospatent, certify and license the methodology, and in the long term, create a center for collective use that will conduct comprehensive work on chemical analysis of samples using spectral methods in the optical, X-ray, and gamma ranges.
The NSU Interfaculty Laboratory of Atomic Physics and Spectrometry (Atomic Workshop) is an educational laboratory where students become familiar with a range of atomic and nuclear phenomena, including atomic radiation, light absorption, visible radiation, visible light absorption, magnetic phenomena, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance, electron diffraction, etc. The laboratory is equipped with special equipment, including a detector made of ultrapure germanium, which allows studying radiation from natural objects. Students from the Physics Department and the Natural Sciences Department study in the laboratory, and experimental research is also conducted as part of coursework.
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Source: China State Council Information Office 3
This photo taken from Jingshan Park on Aug. 12, 2024 shows the National Centre for the Performing Arts on a sunny day in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
As the new year unfolds, the China NCPA Chorus, the resident chorus of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, is set to embark on an exciting journey with a fresh, diverse season of offerings.
Based on the core theme of “Unbounded”, the 2025 season will push the boundaries of choral art by blending classical traditions with modern interpretations and global influences, says Zhang Yao, vice-president of the NCPA.
This includes an array of choral music, operas, symphonic choral works and concerts in approximately 30 performances running throughout the year.
To celebrate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Italy in 2025, the new season will explore Italian opera and folk music, blending multimedia and stage design to bring these genres to life in fresh and exciting ways under the leadership of the NCPA’s music director, Lyu Jia.
More concerts are planned to bring the world’s musical treasures to the stage, demonstrating how choral art can break boundaries and experiment with new forms. For example, World Music Tour, China NCPA Chorus: World Famous Songs Concert, conducted by Jiao Miao, will feature famous songs from around the world, including Mexican dance music, New Zealand folk music, and French love songs. The chorus will explore ways to merge vocals with musical instruments, including the free, vigorous rhythms of Africa and South America.
Choral Theater, a special themed series combining theater with sound, will invite audiences into the stories to experience emotional rhythms.
The Merriment Adventure, a concert version of the operas The Merry Widow, a comic operetta in three acts by Hungarian composer Franz Lehar, and Die Fledermaus, an operetta by Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, will present the comedic characteristics of operetta through bright, lively rhythms and lighthearted, humorous content, bringing delight to the audience through the twists and turns of the plot.
“Fifteen years ago, a group of passionate voices came together to found the China NCPA Chorus, and today, it has become a beloved pillar of the arts community in the country,” says resident conductor Jiao, who has been with the chorus since its inception. “We’ve built a large fan base over the past 15 years, and with this new Choral Theater series, we want to find a way to be innovative with contemporary Chinese choral art by telling stories with sound and cross-border collaborations.”
Jiao adds that to appeal to younger audiences, the new series will also include Cinderella, a concert based on the classic fairy tale, and The Tale of Fuxi and Nyuwa, a concert themed around the snake zodiac sign from classical Chinese mythology. These performances will help educate Chinese culture to children through music and audiovisual experiences.
The symphonic choral section will highlight some of the most beautiful pieces in the choral repertoire. Conducted by Li Xincao, the chorus will present a powerful rendition of the Yellow River Cantata in commemoration of the 120th anniversary of composer Xian Xinghai. It will also present Carmina Burana, a cantata for orchestra, chorus, and vocal soloists by the German composer Carl Orff, which is famous for its grandeur, in collaboration with the China Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Yu Long.
As a versatile ensemble, the China NCPA Chorus will also take on four major opera productions in the first half of the season — the Chinese operas The Long March and Minning Town, and Verdi’s La Traviata and Il Trovatore.
“The full version of the Yellow River Cantata, in particular, impressed me deeply. It felt like every note told the heroic story of the Chinese people. Over time, I followed the chorus’ performances, and in 2023, when they toured Shenzhen, Guangdong province, where I live, I attended the concert. I traveled to Beijing last year for their 15th anniversary concert, which remains a great memory,” says Xing Jiachuan, a concertgoer who became a fan after watching the chorus’ performances on the NCPA’s online channel.
Famous dramatist and poet Zou Jingzhi has worked closely with the chorus. “I collaborated with the chorus on the opera Xi Shi, which I composed in 2010. Hearing them for the first time, I was deeply moved by their youthful, passionate and powerful voices. I could feel the singers’ overflowing passion for choral art,” he says.
Zou has worked with the chorus on other operas, such as The Chinese Orphan (2011) and The Long March (2016). “Their enthusiasm is infectious, and the energy they bring to the stage is unparalleled,” he adds.
Source: China State Council Information Office 3
A young girl watches a puppet during a temple fair at the China Cultural Center in Valletta, Malta, on Feb. 8, 2025. The temple fair celebrating the traditional Chinese Spring Festival was held here on Saturday, drawing around 300 attendees eager to experience the richness of Chinese culture and intangible cultural heritage. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)
A festive temple fair celebrating the traditional Chinese Spring Festival was held at the China Cultural Center in Malta on Saturday, drawing around 300 attendees eager to experience the richness of Chinese culture and intangible cultural heritage.
Visitors were greeted at the entrance with a lively lion dance performance. Inside the exhibition hall, the air was filled with the aroma of tea as attendees explored displays of national and Zhejiang provincial intangible cultural heritage, including sugar painting, rice sculptures, puppetry, shadow puppetry, and woodblock printing.
While watching a puppet performance by Chinese artists, guests also had the opportunity to try their hand at creating sugar paintings and woodblock prints.
“The Spring Festival is not only a celebration for the Chinese people but also a UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage and a festival for the world,” Charmaine St. John, mayor of Santa Lucija, told Xinhua. “Just like the Spring Festival temple fair, we can share happiness through Chinese traditions, culture, and art.”
Dawson Camilleri, a longtime member of the China Cultural Center, attended the event with friends. They experimented with woodblock printing and were fascinated by the technique. “It’s amazing how vivid images appear on paper with simple smearing,” he told Xinhua, emphasizing the significance of printing in cultural transmission.
Source: China State Council Information Office 3
Golden threads dance between silver needles, threading vitality into the intricate snake-pattern embroidered fan in the warm sunlight in winter.
As the vibrant colors bring the snake to life, Liu Xiaoyan, an embroidery master, weaves her heartfelt wishes for a prosperous Year of the Snake with each stitch.
Liu was demonstrating her craft in a fun park in Greece on Jan 19, which is part of a cultural trip she and her team are on, called “Happy Spring Festival “organized by the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center to spread Chinese culture to the countries they travel to.
The cultural celebration is an annual activity held since 2016 to celebrate the Chinese New Year with Chinese community in other countries as well as other local people wanting to discover more about Chinese traditional culture. This year’s activity included a series of events in Greece, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Turkiye, and Nigeria.
In her display table, Liu presented over 40 exquisite and captivating embroidery pieces, ranging from garments and scrolls to smaller items such as brooches and earrings to display the enchantment of Chinese aesthetics. Passersby couldn’t help but stop and admire the works, with some excitedly trying their hands at creating their own embroidered fans.
“We are happy for this,” said Nadia, a local woman who watched Liu’s performance in Athens, “The Chinese community in Athens is really vibrant and strong, and I hope you’re going to be healthy and happy throughout the Year of the Snake.”
“My heartfelt thanks to you — both the artistic works and the food are amazing,” said a local man named Vassili, who was happy watching Liu’s performance and expressed his “Happy the Year of the Snake” congratulations to all.
What Liu displayed at the exhibition is the art of Beijing embroidery, recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of the nation, to which she is inheritor and master of arts and crafts in Beijing. Liu’s family has had a long connection with the world of tailoring as four generations of her family worked as tailors, which brought her an early exposure to the craft of embroidery and naturally sparked her interest in Beijing embroidery, a form of classical Chinese royal embroidery that dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Characterized by exquisite details and auspicious patterns, the demanding techniques of Beijing embroidery are a time-consuming challenge. “It took me three months to embroider just one peony leaf at my first attempt,” Liu recalled.
The skills needed to become an exceptional embroiderer, however, were not the only lessons Liu learned from several masters of Beijing embroidery over the course of 17 years.
“My teachers always advised me not to limit myself to the needle and thread,” Liu recalled. “Instead, they encouraged me to think about how I could carry the essence of Chinese traditional culture into the modern era, ensuring this form of national intangible cultural heritage would continue to thrive.”
In addition to mixing the popular snake motif for the New Year into embroidery works, such as fans, brooches, and earrings, Liu also experimented with traditional colors and techniques to convey grand messages of the times through these small pieces.
Hitting new heights
“Turquoise and lapis green are commonly used in traditional Chinese painting. With these two colors in this mountain-shaped brooch, I hope to convey our current pursuit of a better life and a cleaner environment,” Liu said, pointing to the brooch she was wearing.
From Jan 18 to 28, during the “Happy Spring Festival” trip, Liu showcased her works in Greece and Italy. “For me, it’s not only an opportunity to show Chinese traditional culture, but also a way to inspire me to keep this intangible cultural heritage alive by learning the tastes of global audiences and the methods of my global counterparts,” Liu said.
Organized jointly by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and local Chinese embassies, consulates and cultural centers, among other institutions, the “Happy Spring Festival” events feature a diverse array of activities such as display of Liu’s embroidery products, interactive activities with local audiences, Chinese New Year photo exhibitions, exhibitions of award-winning entries from the Global Zodiac Design Competition, and VR exhibitions of Beijing’s Central Axis that was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024, all showcasing the rich connotations of Chinese New Year culture.
Another of the intangible cultural heritage practitioners taking part is Ha Xin, a fifth-generation inheritor of kite-making skills named after his family name, which, with a history of over 160 years, was included on the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. While all ordinary kite-making procedures are similar and involve making the different parts of the skeleton of the kite with bamboo, then gluing them together and covering the framework with paper, Ha’s kites are uniquely artistic as he invests a lot of time and energy into the drawing and design.
For Ha, drawing is the gene of the kites he makes and he usually spends over 20 days drawing on a kite. His grandfather, the third-generation inheritor of the art, once said: “A kite might last only about 100 years but the drawing and design on it might exist much longer.”
Ha’s drawings on the kite include birds, butterflies, goldfish and dragons. This time he has creatively designed kites with drawings of Dala horses in Sweden and moose of Norway, to convey China’s friendliness to the people of Scandinavian countries, which are his trip destinations.
To make it interactive, Ha has also halfmade a large dragon kite and invited local audiences to participate in finishing the kite on-site. “By allowing locals to do it together, I hope they can enjoy the process and gain a love for the Chinese art of kites.”
Expressive dance
The Beijing Dance Academy also participated in this year’s activity. Zeng Ming, a teacher in its Department of Chinese Classical Dance, led a group of seven dancers to perform in Nigeria and Turkiye, showcasing the beauty of Chinese classical dance.
Among the performances was Zeng’s solo dance titled Calligraphy and Painting. This piece is a fusion of two traditional Chinese art forms — calligraphy and classical dance. In the performance, Zeng held a calligraphy brush throughout, using the movements of writing as a form of expressive dance.
The dance reflects the passion and flowing strokes of Chinese calligraphy. As the music progresses, the rhythm of the dance grows more intense, akin to the moment when ancient Chinese literati moved their brushes vigorously to express their inner passion with strokes powerful enough to penetrate the paper.
Calligraphy and Painting is not only a celebration of Chinese calligraphy but also a vivid portrayal of the artistry and philosophy behind it, according to Zeng. By integrating the fluid motions of calligraphy with dynamic dance steps, Zeng’s performance embodies the harmony of body, mind, and spirit.
The dance accentuates the elegance and intricate beauty of Chinese calligraphy, while also conveying its deep cultural significance, reflecting the Chinese literati spirit and profound historical roots of Chinese tradition.
Through the performance, Zeng and his fellow dancers brought Chinese culture to international audiences, demonstrating how Chinese classical dance and calligraphy can transcend cultural boundaries and resonate with people worldwide. There are also dances in which the dancers manipulate long silk ribbons to resemble snake, through which they hope to wish the audiences a happy Year of the Snake.
“I believe that in this overseas performance, we represent our country and demonstrate the grandeur and broadmindedness of China as a nation of etiquette,” Zeng said, “We want the audiences to see the spirit of the Chinese people and feel the depth of Chinese culture.”