NewzIntel.com

Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Highland Council appoints Chief Officers

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    The Highland Council has appointed Ruth Fry as Chief Officer – Human Resources and Communications and Paul Reid as Chief Officer – Facilities and Fleet Management.

    The appointment of Ruth Fry completes the new senior management structure of the Council’s Corporate service cluster under the leadership of Allan Gunn, Assistant Chief Executive – Corporate.

    Paul Reid joins the Council’s Place service cluster under the leadership of Malcolm MacLeod, Assistant Chief Executive – Place.

    As previously intimated in Highland Council’s budget plan for 2024/25, a new senior management structure is being implemented following approval by the Council on 14 March 2024. It reconfigures the senior management team into two layers, rather than three and brings Highland Council into line with other benchmarked authorities.

    Convener of the Council Cllr Bill Lobban said: “I would like to congratulate Ruth and Paul on their appointments and welcome them to The Highland Council. They bring with them a wealth of experience and leadership to the Council.”

    Leader of the Council, Cllr Raymond Bremner added: “With these latest appointments I am pleased to see the Council’s senior management structure progressing with continued pace. The new structure is forecasted to initially deliver savings of £370,000 as part of the budget savings agreed by Council in February 2024, and it is anticipated that savings will eventually equate to around 20% of senior management team costs as part of a more streamlined management structure.”

    Ruth Fry is currently NHS Highland’s Head of Communications and Engagement, with extensive public sector experience and is expected to start with Highland Council on 28 April 2025. Ruth has previously worked for Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire and Perth and Kinross councils in communications and performance roles. For the past four years she has lived and worked in the Highlands, leading staff and public communications and engagement for NHS Highland.

    Paul Reid is currently employed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as Head of Transport and Travel and has been there since 2017. Prior to his current role he worked with Aberdeen City Council and private sector organisations including Stagecoach in Fleet Compliance and Management.  Paul has an MSC in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and has extensive experience in ensuring efficient and safe operations.   Paul is expected to start with Highland Council in early May and is looking forward to relocating to the Highlands with his family.

    29 Jan 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lochaber Area Place Plan approved

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    A robust yet dynamic Lochaber Area Place Plan (APP) was agreed recently (Monday 27 January 2025) which clearly outlines the aspirations expressed by the communities within its boundaries, many of which link across to proposed or potential actions contained as part of FW2040 and wider Highland plans such as the Highland Investment Plan, Highland Local Development Plan, Highland Outcome Improvement Plan and the Strategic Housing Investment Plan.

    The Lochaber APP highlights the need for improved health and wellbeing services and facilities including both care and mental health; suitable and affordable housing; empowering young people and expanding access to diverse and inclusive activities; better provision of public transport and infrastructure; tourism management; fostering economic growth and a strong, skilled workforce.

    Lochaber Area Committee Vice Chair, Cllr John Grafton said: “Area Place Plans (APP) are important for Lochaber as they are community led plans, offering the opportunity to shape the vision, ambition and key priorities for both people and place across Lochaber. They help to target resources, service delivery and with clear area specific plans, assist in attracting investment.

    “The Lochaber APP is a dynamic and fluid plan that will evolve over time, as sub-regional Area Place Plans are still to be added, whilst Action Plans for some priorities are already being developed. Ensuring a clear vision is captured that reflect the community aspirations for their area.”

    The Plans will help The Highland Council, partners, and communities to leverage funding by evidencing the impact of every pound spent and the actions associated will provide clarity and manage expectation around how and where resources are prioritised. They will also provide a stronger framework for communities to prepare plans for their own community, empowering them to drive and deliver change.

    Community engagement will build a shared understanding of how ‘Place’ underpins development, service delivery and how organisations and communities work together. These plans will be a future guide to get the best impact for people living in an area, based on a shared understanding of local need.

    The Area Place Plan is available here (Item 4).

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Works started on Whin Park Play area

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Works have commenced on the exciting changes taking place at Whin Park in Inverness. 

    Leader of Inverness and Area, Cllr Ian Brown said: “I am very pleased to announce that works have started on the installation of new play equipment at the flagship Whin Park play area in Inverness.” 

    Chair of Communities and Place Committee Cllr Graham MacKenzie added: “Play Works Ltd, the contractor for Jupiter Play and Leisure Ltd are now on site to install the exciting new range of play equipment.”

    Highland Council and Jupiter Play and Leisure Ltd have released artists impressions of what the new play equipment will look like, including a Loch Ness Monster, a wheelchair accessible Legend Seeker Playship, an adventure mound with tube slide and much more.

    Whin Park image 2

    Weather dependant, the target is to have the works completed for Easter 2025. The park will remain open during the works, but the main play area and a section of the car park in front of the shop will be closed to allow the works to progress. This also includes the main entrance ramped area to the park. The path network from the Ness Islands and the path at the side of the public toilets will also remain open enabling the public to view the works’ progress during this exciting period for this landmark location. 

    Michael Hoenigmann, Managing Director of Jupiter Play & Leisure said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to design and build the new play area at Whin Park. This is an ambitious project which will be inclusive for all abilities while offering high play value and challenge. It’s unique features including the Nessie Structure with Interactive Sona Arch will be hugely popular with families that visit the site. We look forward to working closely with the team at Highland Council to deliver this prestigious project.” 

    Funding for the contract has been awarded by the Scottish Government Play Area Fund (£234,988) which was allocated to the redevelopment of the park by Members of the Inverness, Central, Ness-side, Millburn, and Inverness West Wards.  In 2023, Inverness City Committee Members agreed £150,000 Inverness Common Good Funding; and in 2024 a further £100,000 from the Community Regeneration Fund towards the park development costs. 

    Watch the video of before and during the current works.

    Further updates on the works’ progress will be promoted by the Council. 

    Whin Park image 3

    Whin Park image 4

    Whin Park image 5

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 Speech

    Source: Scottish Greens

    29 Jan 2025 Peace

    Maggie Chapman MSP’s speech at Holocaust

    North East Scotland

    Justice, Equalities, Social Justice and Human Rights spokesperson

    More in Peace

    A memorial is an act of remembrance, and today we remember in two senses.

    We remember who it was who bore this unutterable pain, each individual and precious human being, those now lost to the world and those who remain with us.

    We remember them with love, with sorrow and with anger, reiterating the humanity that their oppressors tried so hard to deny.

    And we remember how it happened, and for us as politicians and parliamentarians, that is perhaps a harder memory. For the Holocaust was not an act of insurgency, a violation of domestic law and order. It came about not in spite of political processes: elections, legislation, policy implementation, but through and because of them.

    There were some bystanders who knew exactly what was going on. There were others who knew nothing. But in between, across Europe and beyond, was a wide spectrum of simultaneous knowledge and ignorance, of eyes that were closed, faces turned away. Reassurance that rhetoric was only that, that genocidal intent was the expression of legitimate concern, that there was no need to open doors or hearts, that reality was still represented by the diplomacy of gentlemen.

    And the bodies of children lay uncovered.

    We have learned the story of this deep, deep horror, but have we learned to recognise its narrative when it comes again, with different clothes, different names, different labels?

    When the richest man in the world salutes the most powerful man in the world with a gesture that specifically recalls that older story, do we shrug and move on?

    When that most powerful man uses the language of cleaning about the dispossession of already dispossessed people, already bereft of their children, do we pretend not to have heard?

    Hannah Arendt wrote, in the context of the Holocaust, about the banality of evil. For evil can be banal, can be ridiculous, can come with buffoonery and bluster, without subtlety or nuance. But when it announces itself, we would do well to listen.

    And we can listen, as well, to the voices of those with experience, those for whom that experience illuminates the realities of today. Suzanne Berliner Weiss writes:

    I am a survivor of the Jewish Holocaust, and understand the system of hate first hand. Hitler’s war against the Jews aimed to eradicate our history and the Jewish people. Nazism Is hatred of the other – it is racism…

    Judaism, the religion and its traditions, does not stand for racism.

    Conflating Zionism and Judaism is an unforgivable crime against the Jewish people, a crime against the Palestinians, and a crime to humanity.

    I was saved from Hitler by world solidarity. I was among the thousands of Jewish children in France who were saved by the solidarity of the Jewish resistance, communities of Christians in Southern France, and the peoples of the world united against Nazism….

    To be against Israel’s policies is not anti-Jewish. It is not anti-Semitic. We claim the Palestinians as our sisters and brothers. We are all humanity.

    We say: “Not in our name!”

    For the victims of the Holocaust, the world closed its eyes, its hearts and its doors until it was too late. Today we remember and honour them, with respect, with love and with bitter regret. Let us not close our eyes, our hearts, our doors in the face of genocide and oppression happening today in Palestine.

    Let us not make the same mistakes again.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Massive Amount of Methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ATLANTA – Gilberto Contreras has pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute nearly 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine. 

    “Contreras distributed massive quantities of dangerous drugs that posed a significant threat to the health and safety of our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr.  “Our office is grateful for the diligent work of our federal and local law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to remove these poisons from our streets and to hold accountable those who peddle them.”

    “This case represents the continued commitment of the DEA to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs, such as methamphetamine,” said Jae Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges and other information presented in court: On July 2, 2024, DEA special agents received information about a local methamphetamine trafficker with multiple kilograms of methamphetamine for sale.  The investigation led agents to a parking lot in Clayton County, Georgia, where the agents encountered Contreras.  Law enforcement stopped Contreras’s vehicle a short time later and located a black trash bag containing approximately 44 pounds of methamphetamine.  Agents then searched Contreras’s residence and backyard in Ellenwood, Georgia and located approximately 915 pounds of methamphetamine and $40,000 in cash.

    Gilberto Contreras, 54, of Ellenwood, Georgia, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr.

    This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by the Clayton County Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne A. Brown, Jr. is prosecuting the case.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man convicted of murdering former girlfriend in Croydon

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A man has been convicted of the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Croydon.

    Hussain Haron, 24 (17.09.00) of London Road, Mitcham was found guilty of the murder of Felecia Cadore on Wednesday, 29 January at Snaresbrook Crown Court, following a six-day trial.

    Police were called to a report of an altercation at an address in Grenaby Avenue, Croydon on 9 June 2023.

    Felecia, aged 29, was found with stab wounds and was taken to hospital in a critical condition. She sadly died from her injuries on 14 June 2023.

    The court heard that Haron climbed through the window of the address in the search of Felecia. Following an altercation between the two, Haron grabbed a knife and violently stabbed her.

    He was arrested later that afternoon and was found in possession of the knife he used to attack Felecia.

    Despite claiming he was acting in self-defence, Haron was found guilty of murder by the jury.

    He is due to be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 31 January.

    Detective Chief Inspector Craig Magee, from Specialist Crime, said: “Today, justice has been served following the conviction of Hussain Haron for the murder of Felecia Cadore in June 2023. It is an example of the devastating impact violence against women and girls can have.

    “The verdict is a result of officers working meticulously and tirelessly to secure evidence. It is also testament to the courage of the witnesses who helped establish the facts, and bravely stood in the court room to give their evidence.

    “It has been 18 months since Felecia was killed. I hope that today’s verdict provides her family with some comfort and allows them to begin to process the effect this brutal crime has had. We will continue to support the family of Felecia following this horrific attack.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Votes ‘No’ On Advancing President Trump’s Pick To Be Attorney General, Pam Bondi

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    January 29, 2025
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today voted against advancing President Trump’s pick to be Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi, in the Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting this morning. The Committee voted to advance her nomination on a party-line vote of 12-10.
    Key Quotes:
    “If you want to know the role of the Department of Justice under President Trump, just listen to his words. He said ‘I have the absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department.’ He not only uses the Justice Department to advance his political interests but he has also promised to seek ‘retribution’ against ‘the enemy within.’ The President has repeatedly threatened to weaponize the justice system against those he feels have wronged him and that’s a long list. It includes career prosecutors, military officials, and his own former political appointees. Unfortunately, we are seeing these threats emerge in real time.”
    “Given the massive upheaval that President Trump has caused at the Justice Department in just the first few days in office, the next Attorney General will have their work cut out for them. As I said during Ms. Bondi’s hearing, it is absolutely critical that any nominee for this position be committed first and foremost to the Constitution and the American people—not the President and his political agenda. Unfortunately, I am unconvinced that Ms. Bondi shares my belief. She is one of four personal lawyers of President Trump that he has already selected for top positions at the Department of Justice. And she has echoed President Trump’s calls for exacting revenge on his political opponents.”
    “Ms. Bondi undermined our democracy by joining in President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. It appears she does not regret this decision, as she refused before this Committee repeatedly during her hearing to acknowledge that President Trump actually lost the vote in 2020. During her hearing, I asked if she was familiar with the January 2021 phone call in which President Trump called on the Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger [to] ‘find 11,780 votes.’ Ms. Bondi denied having ever listened to that phone call. However, in August 2023, she appeared on a news program and defended President Trump’s conduct with Raffensperger. She stated that his actions were ‘not a crime’ and were instead ‘free speech.’ She condemned the criminal charges that had been filed against President Trump due to his conduct on this call where he asked the Georgia Secretary of State to ‘find 11,780 votes.’ I asked Ms. Bondi to explain why she spoke so authoritatively on the legal strength of a case when she was, according to her own claim before this Committee, unfamiliar with the evidence. Her explanation was that she was on television, not in a court of law.”
    “It is deeply concerning that someone seeking the role of Attorney General believes it is appropriate to comment publicly on a criminal case without conducting even a minimal assessment of the evidence against the defendant. The role of Attorney General is a serious one. It requires someone who is committed to the facts and the law—not someone who is willing to say whatever is most politically expedient.”
    “During Ms. Bondi’s hearing, I was shocked to hear her speak of a ‘peaceful transition of power’ in 2021. In written questions, Ms. Bondi attempted to walk that statement back, instead referring to ‘a smooth transition of power.’ I was at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The events of that day were neither peaceful nor smooth. You don’t have to take my word for it. The 140 law enforcement officers who were assaulted by President Trump’s supporters on January 6 can attest to what actually happened. Ms. Bondi also refused to comment on possible pardons for January 6 rioters who violently assaulted police officers. One of my Republican colleagues—a friend on this panel—dismissed my question on the subject and said it was ‘an absurd and unfair hypothetical,’ to even ask if President Trump was going to grant pardons to those who assaulted police officers. Now we know what happened.”
    “I went into Ms. Bondi’s hearing with an open mind for obvious reasons… There remains one basic question that I wanted answered—whether she would be willing to tell President Trump and wealthy special interests ‘No’ if faced with pressure to use her position as Attorney General to benefit those parties. In light of the Trump Administration’s actions over the course of the past week, that question is even more critical. And I did not receive a satisfactory answer from Ms. Bondi. Since Watergate, there has been bipartisan support for the idea that the Justice Department must be independent from the White House. President Trump’s conduct during his first term underscored the need for this independence. I do not believe that Ms. Bondi will provide it.”
    “I hope she proves me wrong, but I cannot support her nomination.”
      
    Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.
    Ms. Bondi was previously a registered lobbyist with the Washington, D.C.-based firm Ballard Partners. In that role, she has represented wealthy special interests and foreign governments, presenting serious potential conflicts of interest if she is confirmed as Attorney General. In response to Question 22 of the Senate Judiciary Questionnaire regarding conflicts of interest, she only listed two potential conflicts of interest: her work for the America First Policy Institute and her brother’s legal practice.
    To view Durbin’s questions to Ms. Bondi in her confirmation hearing click here.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Defence Secretary speech at the ADS Annual Dinner: 28 January 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Defence Secretary John Healey addressed the ADS Annual Dinner on 28 January 2025.

    Good evening. Let me begin by thanking Kevin and his team at ADS for hosting this splendid event and for their work in promoting an industry that is the foundation for our way of life.

    ADS is going from strength to strength, with a double digit increase in your membership last year.

    You represent a commitment to innovation and excellence that are hallmarks of the British business spirit.

    Yours is an industry which proves that we are still – at heart – a nation of makers and inventors. I know recent times haven’t been easy. And as Defence Secretary, I am grateful to you all.

    This event brings us together from across the UK, across the industry and across the political divide.

    I welcome this because defence policy and procurement commitments reach beyond political cycles.

    I believe I’m the first Defence Secretary who’s spoken at this dinner, and tonight, you have two for the price of one with me as the warmup act for Penny Mourdant’s after dinner speech.

    Penny is someone with a lifelong connection and commitment to our armed forces, who rose to become the first woman ever to hold the role of Defence Secretary.

    I’ve had the privilege of six months in the role, part of a government taking on profound challenges in our economy, our public finances and our national security.

    Yet, as a new government, we’ve already:

    • Stepped up and speeded up support for Ukraine…
    • Increased defence spending by nearly £3 billion…
    • Launched a first of its kind Strategic Defence Review…
    • Given service personnel the largest pay rise in over 20 years… and still dealt with a multi-billion in-year deficit…
    • Signed the landmark Trinity House Agreement with Germany…
    • Secured a huge deal to buy back over 36,000 military homes to improve forces housing and save taxpayers billions…
    • Set new targets to tackle the recruitment crisis…
    • Begun a transformational MOD reform programme…
    • And got the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill through the House of Commons to improve service life.

    The point I want to make is that this is a new government that is delivering for defence.

    Something which I was able to underline last Friday at Rolls Royce, announcing a major new contract over 8 years, which will boost British jobs, business and national security.

    There’s incredible work being done there in Derby, by an incredible team, some of whom are here this evening.

    It’s a big investment, but behind the numbers are 200 apprentices a year who now feel they have a future.  

    And suppliers – 92 per cent of which are British based – who now feel like have certainty. 

    What really struck me – and it happens every time I visit a defence site – is the deep sense of pride and purpose.

    Defence workers are right to feel that way. Their efforts keep us all safe.

    And as an industry, you also invest huge sums in research and development. One of the great strengths of the defence industry is that you force us to reach for the future.

    Down the years, you’ve been responsible for some of the most significant innovations in history. Designed for times of war but which often produce lasting benefits for wider society well beyond the battlefield.

    As a nation, we’re good – and rightly so – at taking pride in the professionalism of our soldiers, sailors and aviators.

    But we know that that they are only as effective as the industry which equips them.

    We must be better at celebrating the role of the coders, programmers, scientists and engineers who provide our forces with the tools they need to protect us.

    It’s why I want us to not only change the way we work with the defence industry, but also change the way we see the defence industry.

    On the way we work with industry, I hope the last few months serve as a glimpse of type of partnership we want to forge.

    From industry involvement – for the first time ever – in our war gaming, to the creation of the new Defence Industrial Joint Council. 

    And on the way we see industry, we know we have much to do.

    Right now, there’s growing security concerns for defence firms at university careers, you attend to offer young people a route to a better life.

    You’re facing harassment and intimidation, forced to cancel events on campus. This is wrong.

    This attitude takes for granted the privileged position we enjoy in Britain – to live in freedom and security… security our defence industry guarantees. 

    So, today – alongside the Business and Education Secretaries – I’ve written to Universities UK for assurances about your safety on campuses. 

    We’re also seeing defence firms ranked alongside tobacco and gambling in Environmental, Social and Governance audits. And pension funds divest from you.

    I have no doubt the intentions are well-meaning. But they’re fundamentally flawed.

    We don’t stop wars by boycotting our defence industry.

    We stop wars by backing it.

    Let’s not forget that national security is a pre-condition for economic security, investor confidence and social stability. 

    I will always be a fierce advocate for you in the Department, to wider government, to the City, to the British public and to whoever needs to hear it.

    My challenge to you – as an industry – is to be louder and confident about your role.

    As my friend – Jonny Reynolds– said to the President’s Reception earlier:

    “You are exceptional in your importance… in helping to safeguard our national security and our way of life.

    “But you are also exceptional in your contribution to our economy. Nearly half a million well paid jobs are directly owed to aerospace, defence, security and space sectors.”

    To meet the challenges of this new era of threats, you’ve seen the direction we want to take with our Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent.

    And let me thank everyone who’s shared their insights so far in submissions to both our industrial strategy, and SDR consultations. 

    I know – for some – our Statement of Intent may have been met with a degree of scepticism. You’ve been here before… I get that…

    New government, new ideas.

    But old habits die hard and entrenched interests dig in.

    Previous industrial strategies have produced policies – many of them good – but there wasn’t the plan, the structures and the relentless attention to reform needed to make change happen.

    So, why will this be different?

    First, it has to be different. 

    The war in Ukraine confronts us with the deep truth that when a country faces conflict or is forced to fight, its armed forces are only as strong as the industry which stands behind them…

    That innovation and production capacity is a major part of our nation’s – and our alliance’s – deterrence.

    And that industry’s constant purpose is to give the nation’s war fighters the advantage over our adversaries.

    The last Defence Industrial Strategy was published in 2021, a year before Putin shattered the peace in Europe.

    Ours will hardwire in these lessons and so too will the Strategic Defence Review.

    Second, I’m driving deep reform to defence.

    It doesn’t make news headlines, but it’s an essential foundation for implementing both the SDR and Defence Industrial Strategy.

    For industry, it means you’ll be brought in earlier to the conversation on how we should fight…

    We’ll ask you how you can help solve our problems rather than giving you a requirement to deliver.

    You’ll also see the creation of a new role, the National Armaments Director, soon-to-be one of the most senior roles in UK Defence, sitting alongside the Chief of the Defence Staff and Permanent Secretary.

    Their responsibilities will include:

    • Repairing a broken procurement system…
    • Ensuring our armed forces have what they need to fulfil their duty of protecting our nation…
    • And championing your industry at home and abroad.

    Third, defence is part of our bigger British drive for growth – the government’s number one mission.

    The Chancellor is speaking tomorrow about how we are going to meet this challenge.

    But the message I want to reinforce is that defence is an engine for driving economic growth.

    Fourth, we’ve proved we can do it by supporting Ukraine through Taskforce KINDRED and HIRST.

    From the onset, when it took 287 days after Putin invaded to sign contracts for new NLAWs…

    … to today, when we’ve created industrial bases for new capabilities – virtually from scratch…

    Supplying – at scale – one of the most effective drone systems in Ukraine.

    Restarted artillery barrel manufacturing in the UK to deliver hundreds to the front line.

    Enhancing our own capabilities through Stormer and Starstreak…while Gravehawk, Snapper and Wasp have all been developed with breathtaking speed.

    I don’t just want this to be the government’s new Defence Industrial Strategy, it needs to be a national endeavour… private and public… SMEs and primes… innovators and educators… trade associations and trade unions…

    All creating a defence industry which is better and more integrated…

    One that can keep our armed forces equipped… and innovating at wartime pace, ahead of our adversaries.

    The Shadow Defence Secretary is familiar with the challenges. 

    I know he will play his part in holding us to account.

    And I trust he – and his Party – will play their part in backing reforms that strengthen our country’s defence and its defence industry.

    This is new era of threats, demands a new era for defence.

    Change is essential, not optional.

    Our success rests on a new partnership with innovators, investors and industry.

    Our government is determined to meet the challenge, determined to deliver for defence.

    Together, we will make Britain secure at home and strong abroad.

    Thank you – enjoy your evening and I look forward to working with you over the coming years.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Just Stop Oil protesters charged

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Two Just Stop Oil protesters have been charged, after they allegedly disrupted a theatre performance in central London.

    Richard Weir, 60, (05.12.1964), of Hotspur Street, Tynemouth, Nottinghamshire and Hayley Walsh, 42 (01.05.1982), of Grantham Road, Radcliffe on Trent, Nottinghamshire were charged with aggravated trespass on Tuesday, 28 January.

    The charges relate to an incident at Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, WC2, where at around 20:00hrs two Just Stop Oil protesters entered the stage area.

    They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 25 February.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Lufthansa Group strengthens wet lease partnership with airBaltic

    Source: Lufthansa Group

    Lufthansa Group has signed an agreement to receive a convertible share representing a 10 per cent stake of the Latvian state airline airBaltic which will be issued at a subscription price of 14 million euros. Additionally, Lufthansa Group will receive a seat in the airBaltic Supervisory Board.

    The convertible share will be changed into ordinary shares upon a potential IPO of air Baltic. The size of the stake will be determined by market pricing of the potential IPO, with Lufthansa Group’s share amounting to no less than 5 per cent of airBaltic.

    The transaction is building on the existing wet lease agreement between Lufthansa Group and airBaltic and intends to strengthen airBaltic’s role as a strategic partner of Lufthansa Group. Expanding this commercial cooperation allows Lufthansa Group to improve the quality of its network and to add additional markets. Additionally, a further product development of the wet lease services in line with our customer expectations is planned.

    The closing of the transaction is planned for the second quarter of this year and subject to antitrust review.

    Just recently, the wet lease agreement between Lufthansa Group and airBaltic has been extended for a further three years beyond the summer of 2025. This partnership enables to flexibly deploy up to 21 additional aircraft of the fuel-efficient Airbus A220-300 in summer and five aircraft of this type in winter at various Lufthansa Group hubs. Lufthansa Group is thus responding more flexibly to the additional customer demand in Summer.

    With the additional capacities of airBaltic, destinations in high demand in the route networks can be served even more flexibly in future. At the same time, it strengthens the quality and stability of connections to Lufthansa Group Airlines’ intercontinental services at the Group’s hubs.

    airBaltic is Latvia’s national and largest airline with its headquarters and hub in Riga and operates a fleet of 50 modern and fuel-efficient Airbus A220 aircraft. The Lufthansa Group has been working with airBaltic since 2019, which has proven itself to be a reliable and valuable partner.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Over 3,000 Westminster residents supported to live healthier lives in 2024 through the Healthy Communities Fund | Westminster City Council

    Source: City of Westminster

    The Healthy Communities Fund (HCF) is a three-year initiative established in January 2024 to support organisations in the VCS to deliver culturally competent targeted health interventions in Westminster’s most deprived areas. 

    • Since its launch in January 2024, the Healthy Communities Fund has reached over 3,000 participants across Westminster with an average of 126 activities delivered per week. 
    •  The £5 million fund aims to support Voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations to deliver culturally competent health interventions to prevent health conditions worsening or developing in the first place.  
    • Fund recipients ‘Middle Eastern Women’s Society’ helped participants to lose weight healthily, improve blood pressure and lower blood sugar levels through targeted health interventions.  

    The £5 million fund is part of the council’s wider prevention agenda and is a direct result of collaboration with residents and VCS partners. Fund recipients receive training commissioned by the council’s Public Health team to embed health promotion and health interventions by trusted organisations who know their communities well. While the fund aims to increase the capacity of these organisations, the training aims to provide sustainability so that fund recipients can continue to support community members for a long time.  

    In the last year the fund has helped to reach over 3,000 regular participants through an average of 126 activities per week.  

    Thanks to the incredible progress made by organisations funded by the HCF, the council has seen tangible health outcomes including weight loss, improved blood pressure and increased screening and vaccination uptake. 

    Fund recipients, Middle Eastern Women’s Society (MEWSO), delivered interventions with the support of the HCF aimed at improving physical health through healthy cooking classes, walking groups, and establishing peer support networks. As with all recipients, MEWSO’s interventions were delivered in response to identified health needs to ensure that they are targeted and relevant to the community they intend to reach.  

    Identified needs included support for residents with physical disabilities, translating traditional dishes into healthier recipes and difficulties with keeping physically active outside of fitness classes. With MEWSO’s support participants are being equipped with tools and knowledge to look after their health – the offer has become so popular that it now operates with a waiting list.  

    Aman Zanoon, the project manager at MEWSO said:

    Since we launched our healthy cooking classes on Church Street, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The sessions became so popular that we now have a waiting list of women keen to join. To manage this, we rotate participants weekly, with 12 women in each class, ensuring fairness and access for everyone.

    One of the highlights of the project has been our recipe book, which till now contain 31 Middle Eastern dishes, presented in both traditional and healthier versions. Beyond the cooking, these classes have Inspired broader changes in our participants’ lives. Many women have formed walking groups, shared progress and more healthy snacks and recipes in a WhatsApp group.

    For example, Mayada, one of our participants, has lost 4kg over six months and has stabilised her blood pressure, while Najwa has reported a 2kg loss. Many others have shared similar successes, demonstrating that this initiative is more than just about cooking—it’s about life-changing improvements.

    Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Voluntary Sector, Cllr Nafsika Butler-Thalassis said: 

    It’s amazing to see the progress that the Healthy Communities Fund has made in just one year. 

    We set up this fund in the council to increase the capacity of local grassroot community organisations because we know that they are best placed to serve the community, and we want to support them to increase their impact.

    To address health inequalities, it is essential to engage communities in activities they find interesting and enjoyable  which have wider benefits, touching not only on healthy eating and physical activity but also on mental health and reducing isolation.

    Further training will be rolled out in 2025 to ensure trusted organisations can continue to deliver commissioned services in the future, focusing on mental health, diabetes and hypertension.

    The Healthy Communities Fund provide free activities designed to meet the needs of the local community. It is part of our #2035 initiative to promote healthy living in the borough.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: LegenDerry Food Month adds exciting new experiences

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    LegenDerry Food Month adds exciting new experiences

    29 January 2025

    As we gear up for the third annual Love LegenDerry Food Month, the programme is even bigger and better with a tantalising selection of food experiences to look forward to.

    Already a highlight of the culinary calendar, this celebration of the city’s thriving food and drink scene offers more unique ways than ever to indulge, explore, and connect with the region’s vibrant culinary culture.

    The programme is delivered by the LegenDerry Food Network with support from Derry City and Strabane District Council, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Regional Food Programme.

    The Network brings together the finest local producers, growers, chefs, brewers, restaurateurs working together to put the City and District on the map when it comes to the finest produce and creative culinary experiences.

    If you fancy something a bit more creative, then why not Paint Your Partner at Offing Coffee? Friday 14th February, brings the quirky Paint Your Partner event at Offing Coffee, hosted by Spark and Ponder. This light-hearted experience invites couples or friends to try their hand at painting each other’s portraits while enjoying locally roasted coffee and delicious treats. It’s a blend of laughter, art, and excellent hospitality, promising a unique and memorable afternoon.

    Theis new addition joins a packed calendar of events with highlights including the Oyster & Stout Festival, the Dart Mountain Cheese Experience, the Wild and Fired Dining Experience, Seafood Supper and the Derry By Fork Food Tour. Whether you’re savouring fresh seafood, discovering the craft of cheese-making, or exploring the city’s rich culinary history, this February promises to showcase the very best of Derry’s food scene.

    So, if you haven’t booked your place yet, now is the time. Love LegenDerry Food Month offers something for everyone – from creative workshops to indulgent dinners – all against the stunning backdrop of one of Northern Ireland’s most dynamic cities.

    For full event listings and booking details, visit www.legenderryfood.com/events

    Or explore Visit Derry for things to see and do, accommodation. Plus, for places to eat and drink www.visitderry.com.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government unleashes offshore wind revolution

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    New measures will unlock up to £30 billion investment in homegrown clean power as permissions for new offshore wind projects are streamlined

    Up to thirteen major offshore wind projects have today (Wednesday 29th January) been unlocked as the Government announced measures to accelerate the construction of offshore infrastructure.

    Inheriting outdated and archaic infrastructure restrictions that slowed and jammed the building of offshore clean energy projects, Ministers are streamlining the consenting process to accelerate their construction. As set out in the Chancellor’s growth speech, this will hasten the delivery of vital infrastructure projects and unlock growth as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, while protecting nature and the environment.

    Together, the unlocked projects will generate up to 16GWs of electricity – almost equivalent to the electricity generated by all of the country’s gas power plants last year – and create thousands of good jobs in the offshore wind sector, potentially spurring £20-30bn of investment in homegrown clean power.

    These changes will allow the Government to designate new Marine Protected Areas or extend existing Marine Protected Areas to compensate for impacts to the seabed caused by offshore wind development. This will prevent delays that have previously resulted from insufficient environmental compensation being agreed, while protecting the marine environment and contributing to our commitment to protect 30% of our seas for nature by 2030.

    Marine Minister Emma Hardy said:

    Under the Government’s Plan for Change, we are committed to boosting growth and making Britain a clean energy superpower while defending our important marine habitats.

    These changes show we can make significant progress in expanding homegrown British clean power in a way that protects vulnerable sea life.

    Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:

    Offshore wind will be the backbone of delivering clean power by 2030 as we enter a new era of clean electricity.

    As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, today’s announcement will help unlock crucial offshore wind projects that will boost our energy security, protect billpayers from volatile fossil fuel markets, and help make the UK a clean energy superpower.

    Any new designations of Marine Protected Areas will follow the existing process required under legislation, and will include consulting other affected industries and communities.

    The new or extended Marine Protected Areas will protect a range of marine habitats, with the cost of their designation and management funded by offshore wind developers through the Marine Recovery Fund.

    This follows the announcement that the Government’s forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill will unlock much-needed infrastructure projects whilst supporting nature recovery, and targeted changes to the management of underwater noise will fast-track the UK to deliver a clean power system by 2030.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arrest made in Wimbledon school fatal collision investigation

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Detectives investigating the fatal collision at the Study Prep School in Wimbledon in July 2023 have arrested the driver as part of their ongoing investigation, as they appeal for further potential witnesses to come forward.

    The 48-year-old female driver was arrested on Tuesday 28 January, on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving – she has been bailed pending further enquiries to a date in late April. This is the second time she has been arrested for this offence, the first time being at the scene of the collision on 6 July 2023.

    Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau – both eight years old – died when a car crashed through a fence and collided with a building at the school.

    An initial investigation by the Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) resulted in a direction from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in June 2024 that the driver should face no further action.

    After concerns were raised by the families of Nuria and Selena regarding this outcome, it was agreed the Specialist Crime Review Group (SCRG) would carry out a review of the investigation. That review identified lines of enquiry which required further examination.

    In October the investigation was moved to the Specialist Crime Command, under Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford. He leads a team who have since been pursuing new lines of enquiry identified by the review.

    Detective Superintendent Basford said: “I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to any witnesses or individuals with information who are yet to speak to police to please come forward.

    “Were you attending the local golf course or driving in or around the area of the Study Prep School in Wimbledon at the time of the collision? Did you see the vehicle – a distinctive gold Land Rover Defender – in the lead up to the collision? We believe there were people in the local area who have not been spoken to by police and remain unidentified. I would ask those individuals to please contact us.

    “Our main priority is to ensure the lines of enquiry identified by the review are progressed. This is a live investigation and in order to maintain its integrity I can’t go into further detail at this stage. I would urge people to avoid speculation.”

    + To provide information you can contact the major incident room on 0207 175 0793, call 101 quoting CAD 6528/27Jan, or message @MetCC on X providing the CAD reference. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Will the US get to Mars quicker if it drops or delays plans to visit the Moon?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ian Whittaker, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University

    Esteban De Armas/Shutterstock

    The Artemis program has been Nasa’s best chance to get “boots on the Moon” again. But with the new US administration taking guidance from tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is focused on Mars colonisation, will they end up abandoning or pushing back lunar missions?

    For example, there’s been speculation that returning US president Donald Trump may cancel the Space Launch System rocket, which Nasa intended to use to get from the Moon to Mars. But is this approach likely to help them get to Mars quicker?

    The last human presence on the lunar surface was Apollo 17 in 1972. So you may imagine that it should be easy for the US to return. However there have been plans to once again send people there since 2004, which have changed name with each incoming president, until its current incarnation as the Artemis program.

    The 2022 Artemis-1 test flight was successful in its mission to send an unmanned satellite around the lunar orbit and return using the new SLS rocket system. But Artemis-2, which will carry crew, is not scheduled for launch until 2026. When we consider private companies and other nations, this is comparatively slow progress.

    Artemis mission.
    Nasa

    The first successful landing of a spacecraft on the Moon by the Indian Space Agency, Isro, took place in 2023 with Chaandrayan-3, which was an amazing achievement with a low budget. China landed in 2013 with Chang’e 3, and Chang’e 4 in 2019 on the dark side.

    Russia have previously had landers on the Moon. Their more recent attempt at a lunar landing with Luna-25 was unsuccessful though. There are also future lander missions planned by the European Space Agency with Argonaut, a private Israeli company and other private industries. Clearly, there is no shortage of potential competitors which could eventually develop to send humans too.

    Implications for Mars

    So would turning to Martian exploration be a sensible move instead of heading for the Moon? It would likely mean abandoning the Lunar Gateway project, a space station in orbit around the Moon where astronauts could live. But as this is not planned until 2027 at the earliest, this would seem acceptable.

    However the difference between going to the Moon and going to Mars is like the difference between walking to the end of your road compared to walking to another country.

    Besides the incredible difference in distance (the distance to travel to Mars is 833 times greater than that of the distance to the Moon), the time taken to get there is far longer as well. The optimal lunar launch conditions repeat once a month. And you could still launch at times that are not ideal.

    The optimal fuel route for Mars involves arriving when the two planets are roughly on opposite sides of the Sun. This launch window repeats every 18 months, and the journey time of nine months means any problems onboard will need to be fixed by the crew, with no rescue option. Faster routes can be achieved (roughly six months) but this then becomes very energy intensive.

    This is why the lunar gateway would come in handy, allowing astronauts to take off from the Moon, away from the Earth’s immense gravity, and head to Mars from there. Of course the material for the gateway would need to be sent to the lunar gateway first. But by splitting the energy requirements up it means slower but more efficient propulsion methods can be used for part of the Mars journey.

    There is no doubt that, with some work, SpaceX will be able to make a landing on Mars. But will they be able to safely take people there and get them back? As a company the idea of profit will be a strong factor, along with astronaut safety. We only have to look at some of the more recent Boeing problems (astronauts have been stuck on the International Space Station for seven months at time of writing) to see that private companies may want to slow down a bit when it comes to transporting people.

    This is unlikely to happen though, with the considerable influence of Musk on the White House administration, and the suggestion of fellow billionaire Jared Isaacman (a private astronaut) as the new head of Nasa.

    Critical decisions

    So two options for Nasa to choose from: either keep going with their Artemis program and abandon the Lunar Gateway, or aim for Mars and be primarily dependent on Musk.

    Funding both options will likely mean that neither ever happens. Of course, the Mars mission would be easier if the gateway was already present at the Moon.

    The timelines involved here are important. SpaceX states that it will send five uncrewed Starships to Mars next year with an aim to send humans to Mars in 2028. This seems ambitious, particularly as it involves refuelling in orbit, but if additional funds and material are put towards the project it could potentially be sooner than this.

    As the lunar gateway would be built at the earliest in 2027, then it’d be unlikely to be operational in 2028 anyway. So prioritising Mars exploration over the lunar gateway may indeed get us to Mars quicker – but it will be risky.

    If the US pulls out of plans to explore the Moon, other nations can expand their presence in those areas more easily – with the potential to have an easier route to launch to Mars. These are likely to be on much longer time scales though, but if Musk fails to get humans to Mars in the next few years, these countries may have an edge.

    The conditions on Mars are slightly more favourable for human presence, with at least some atmospheric pressure and the potential for mining water. But as many studies have shown, it has no potential for terraforming, the process of altering a planet to make it more habitable for humans.

    The increased distance from the Sun also means that solar panels are slightly less effective, and Mars is not rich in deposited solar Helium-3, which can be used as a fuel for nuclear fusion.

    Of course the challenge is what excites many people and it may be a risk worth taking. But this decision should be left with the experts in the field, rather than politicians and billionaires.

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

    – ref. Will the US get to Mars quicker if it drops or delays plans to visit the Moon? – https://theconversation.com/will-the-us-get-to-mars-quicker-if-it-drops-or-delays-plans-to-visit-the-moon-248046

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why we should all try to eat like people in rural Papua New Guinea – new study

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jens Walter, Professor at the School of Microbiology, University College Cork

    Tanya Keisha/Shutterstock

    Western diets – high in processed foods and low in fibre – are associated with obesity, diabetes and heart disease. These diets don’t only harm our bodies, they also harm our gut microbiomes, the complex community of bacteria, fungi and viruses found in our intestinal tract that are important for our health.

    Scientists, including my colleagues and me, are actively searching for ways to create healthy microbiomes to prevent chronic diseases. And my search has taken me to Papua New Guinea.

    I have long been fascinated by this country, with its remote valleys almost untouched by the modern world until 1930, more than 800 languages, an ancient system of sustenance agriculture and entire communities living a non-industrialised lifestyle. This fascination kicked off a thrilling nine-year research project involving researchers from eight countries, which led to a paper published in the scientific journal Cell.

    In previous research, my team studied the gut microbiomes of rural Papua New Guineans. We discovered microbiomes that are more diverse than their westernised counterparts, enriched in bacteria that thrive on dietary fibre, and with lower levels of inflammation-causing bacteria that are typically found in people who eat highly processed foods.

    This information provided hints on how to perhaps redress the damage caused to our gut microbiomes.

    The traditional diet in rural Papua New Guinea is rich in unprocessed plant-based foods that are full of fibre but low in sugar and calories, something I was able to see for myself on a field trip to Papua New Guinea. Determined to create something everyone could use to benefit their health, our team took what we saw in Papua New Guinea and other non-industrialised societies to create a new diet we call the NiMe (non-industrialised microbiome restore) diet.

    What sets NiMe apart from other diets is that it is dominated by vegetables (such as leafy greens) and legumes (such as beans) and fruit. It only contains one small serving of animal protein per day (salmon, chicken or pork), and it avoids highly processed foods.

    Dairy, beef and wheat were excluded from the human trial because they are not part of the traditional diet in rural Papua New Guinea. The other characteristic distinction of the diet is a substantial dietary fibre content. In our trial, we went for around 45g of fibre a day, which exceeds the recommendations in dietary guidelines.

    One of my PhD students got creative in the kitchen designing recipes that would appeal to a person used to typical western dishes. These meals allowed us to develop a meal plan that could be tested in a strictly controlled study in healthy Canadian adults.

    Remarkable results

    We saw remarkable results including weight loss (although participants didn’t change their regular calorie intake), a drop in bad cholesterol by 17%, decreased blood sugar by 6%, and a 14% reduction in a marker for inflammation and heart disease called C-reactive protein. These benefits were directly linked to improvements in the participants’ gut microbiome, specifically, microbiome features damaged by industrialisation.

    On a western diet low in dietary fibre, the gut microbiome degrades the mucus layer in the gut, which leads to inflammation. The NiMe diet prevented this process, which was linked to a reduction in inflammation.

    The diet also increased beneficial bacterial metabolites (byproducts) in the gut, such as short-chain fatty acids, and in the blood, such as indole-3-propionic acid – a metabolite that has been shown to protect against type 2 diabetes and nerve damage.

    Research also shows that low dietary fibre leads to gut microbes ramping up protein fermentation, which generates harmful byproducts that may contribute to colon cancer.

    In fact, there is a worrying trend of increased colon cancer in younger people, which may be caused by recent trends towards high-protein diets or supplements. The NiMe diet increased carbohydrate fermentation at the expense of protein fermentation, and it reduced bacterial molecules in the participants’ blood that are linked to cancer.

    The findings from our research show that a dietary intervention targeted towards restoring the gut microbiome can improve health and reduce disease risk. The NiMe diet offers a practical roadmap to achieve this, by providing recipes that were used in our study. It allows anyone interested in healthy eating to improve their diet to feed their human cells and their microbiome.

    Jens Walter has received honoraria and/or paid consultancy from PrecisionBiotics/Novonesis A/S. NiMe is a trademark of Anissa M. Armet and Jens Walter.

    The research described in this article was supported by the Weston Family Microbiome Initiative, PrecisionBiotics Group Ltd., the “Hundred Talents Program” Research Start-up Fund of Zhejiang University, Alberta Innovates Postgraduate Fellowship, Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship, the Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarship, the Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship, the Walter H. Johns Graduate Fellowship, the University of Alberta Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship, the Campus Alberta Innovates Program, the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Science Foundation Ireland Centre grant to APC microbiome Ireland (APC/SFI/12/RC/2273_P2) and a Science Foundation Ireland Professorship (19/RP/6853).

    I would like to thank the people of Papua New Guinea whose way of life has been an inspriation for the development of the NiMe diet, and the participants of the human trial. I am deeply indepted to all the collaborators and the scientific institutions that have contributed to the research (please see author list and affiliations on publication). I would like to thank Prof. Andrew Greenhill (Federation University, Australia) and Prof William Pomat (Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research) for hosting me in Papua New Guina in 2019. I would further like to thank Jessica Stanisich and Tina Darb from the APC Microbiome Ireland for their help with this article.

    – ref. Why we should all try to eat like people in rural Papua New Guinea – new study – https://theconversation.com/why-we-should-all-try-to-eat-like-people-in-rural-papua-new-guinea-new-study-248064

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Early support to help you avoid a crisis in life

    Source: City of Coventry

    Find out how city agencies can help with health, care and other services by calling in between 9.30am and 12.30pm at the Council House on Tuesday 4 February.

    Professionals, community representatives and the public are being encouraged to call in at an event to highlight how agencies like the Alzheimer’s Society, Carer’s Trust and Voiceability can help when you or a friend or family member face challenges in their life.

    The Council along with Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, Panahghar, Healthy Lifestyles, Coventry Haven Women’s Aid, Alzheimer’s Society, Change Grow Live, Blue Sky Centre, Voiceability, and the Carers Trust will all be joining together at a drop-in session at the Council House on Tuesday 4 February.

    Coventry Adult Safeguarding Board are co-ordinating the event to help raise awareness of the way the range of partners organisations work in providing early support to avoid a difficult situation turning into a crisis.

    All these organisations are here to help and could support your needs!

    We are hosting the event to enable members of the public/communities to link in with key organisations that are often approached for help, support and advice.

    Among the organisations represented will be the Carer’s Trust. The Trust campaigns for unpaid carers and recognises the broad range of caring responsibilities that people of all ages have. For example, it can arrange a carer’s assessment and help you get the support and respite that you may need from your caring role.

    Come along and talk about any concerns, support or questions you might have! We’d love to meet you.

    Find out more about the event.

    Wednesday, 29th January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Slovak Republic: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2025 Article IV Mission

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    January 29, 2025

    A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit (or ‘mission’), in most cases to a member country. Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, in the context of a request to use IMF resources (borrow from the IMF), as part of discussions of staff monitored programs, or as part of other staff monitoring of economic developments.

    The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    Washington, DC: An International Monetary Fund mission, led by Magnus Saxegaard, and comprising Christian Bogmans, Shinya Kotera, Yen Mooi, and Jonathan Pampolina conducted discussions for the 2025 Article IV consultation with the Slovak Republic virtually during December 4-13, 2024, and in Bratislava, Slovakia, during January 15-28, 2025. Sumiko Ogawa, Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) mission chief, joined the concluding meeting. At the conclusion of the visit, the mission issued the following statement:

    Slovakia, like much of the EU, faces headwinds related to geoeconomic fragmentation, high energy costs, and demographic change. Growth has held up in recent years, but at the cost of a much-increased fiscal deficit. Steadfast implementation of the authorities’ ambitious 4-year consolidation plan is needed to reverse the upward trajectory in public debt, alongside policies to strengthen financial resilience and structural reforms to bolster medium-term growth, including through efforts to strengthen governance and reduce vulnerability to corruption.

    Economic Developments, Outlook, and Risks

    The Slovak economy is recovering. The economy slowed sharply in 2022-23, but growth is estimated to have accelerated to 2.1 percent in 2024, outpacing that in the euro area. Private consumption was the main driver fueled by recovering real wages, the extension of household energy support, and more generous pensions. Meanwhile, an increase in public consumption partially offset a slowdown in EU-funded public investments. While inflation has declined from record-highs in 2023, it increased in 2024H2 due to higher global food price inflation. Core inflation is higher than in the euro area, driven by a tight labor market and strong nominal wage growth.

    Economic growth is projected to moderate to 1.9 percent in 2025, before rising to 2.1 percent in 2026. The fiscal consolidation in 2025 will lower growth directly by slowing government spending, and indirectly as higher taxes put upward pressure on prices and dampen private consumption, though the effect will be partially mitigated by the one-year extension of household energy support and strong EU-funded public investments. Meanwhile external demand is expected to remain subdued. For 2026, higher growth in trading partners and increased capacity in the automotive sector is expected to boost exports. Inflation is projected to rise temporarily to 4.0 percent in 2025 and moderate to 3.2 percent in 2026. Adverse demographic trends and lower productivity growth imply that Slovakia’s medium-term growth, as projected by staff, is expected to be significantly lower than its pre-pandemic average, and below IMF forecasts of medium-term growth in other Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) countries with comparable income levels.

    Risks to growth are tilted to the downside while risks to inflation are broadly balanced. Near term risks include a global slowdown or intensifying trade policy uncertainty which would weigh on growth and exert downward pressure on inflation. Domestically, slippages in fiscal consolidation could increase sovereign spreads and tighten financial conditions. A lack of political consensus on structural reforms and concerns about institutional quality could deter private investment and slow the disbursement of EU funds that have been critical in supporting public investment. A correction in real estate prices combined with an economic downturn could trigger losses for financial institutions. Meanwhile, continued strong nominal wage growth could undermine competitiveness and keep inflation elevated.

    Fiscal Policy

    Slovakia’s fiscal outlook is challenging. The fiscal deficit is projected to have increased to 5.7 percent in 2024 from 5.2 percent in 2023 due to a combination of revenue easing and higher spending that more than offset the 0.6 percent of GDP in net consolidation measures in the 2024 budget. This increase follows the 3.6 percentage points of GDP widening of the fiscal deficit in 2023. While the change in government in October 2023 meant time to finalize the 2024 budget was short, it is clear ex-post that robust growth combined with significant medium-term fiscal challenges would have warranted a tighter fiscal stance in 2024.

    The mission welcomes the authorities’ ambitious fiscal consolidation targets for 2025-28, which is commensurate with the scale of Slovakia’s fiscal challenges.

    • The 2025 budget targets a reduction in the headline deficit to 4.7 percent of GDP. Fund staff’s more conservative macroeconomic forecasts imply an overall deficit of 4.9 percent of GDP in 2025. However, the projected structural tightening is broadly in line with the budget. These forecasts are subject to significant downside risks, including from a lower-than-expected yield from the fiscal consolidation measures or a worse economic outlook. If revenues in 2025 appear to be falling short of targets (as implied by staff’s macroeconomic forecasts) the authorities should limit the resulting increase in the deficit, including by saving as much as possible of the contingency buffer.
    • Beyond 2025, the medium-term fiscal structural plan targets another 2.5 percentage points of GDP reduction in the fiscal deficit to bring it close to 2 percent of GDP by 2028, though measures to achieve this consolidation are not yet specified. Staff projections suggest that the fiscal consolidation envisaged over the next four years, if met, will reverse the increase in the deficit over the past two years and put public debt on a downward path by the end of the projection period. Staff’s baseline forecast, which does not include any further consolidation beyond that in the 2025 budget, entails a gradual increase in the deficit over the medium term, with public debt rising to 75 percent of GDP by end-2030 from 56 percent of GDP in 2023.

    The consolidation measures for 2025 are a step in the right direction. Several of the measures are welcome and will help reduce the deficit on a structural basis, including the increase in the basic VAT rate, and better targeting of child benefits. However, the increase in the number of items subject to reduced VAT rates deprives the government of much needed revenue, while the financial transactions tax (FTT) could weaken financial intermediation and increase incentives for informality.

    The measures to lower Slovakia’s fiscal deficit closer to 2 percent of GDP by 2028 should be consistent with Slovakia’s long-term growth and climate objectives, while protecting the most vulnerable in society. While there is no definitive evidence that reducing spending is more effective than increasing revenues in terms of economic efficiency or equity, prioritizing the rationalization of expenditures moving forward would result in a more balanced fiscal consolidation, given the reliance on revenue-based measures thus far.

    • Spending: According to Fund staff estimates, value for Money initiatives, including a reduction in subsidies, could yield savings of up to 0.5 percent of GDP, while improved targeting could reduce social spending by as much as 0.8 percent of GDP. Also, there may be scope to increase efficiency by trimming departmental budgets and reducing public sector wage growth, though this should be done cautiously to avoid unintended cuts in service delivery. Reversing the increase of the 13th pension could yield about 0.4 percent of GDP in savings while eliminating the recently introduced early retirement option could yield fiscal savings over the long-term. Finally, energy support measures to households (projected to cost 0.2 percent of GDP in 2025) should be phased out as they are costly and discourage energy conservation.
    • Revenues: Reducing the number of items subject to reduced VAT rates could generate as much as 1.3 percent of GDP in savings, while raising property taxes by transitioning to a market value-based system could generate around 0.3 percent in additional revenue. Plans to counter tax evasion and reduce the VAT compliance gap are welcome and could yield up to 0.5 percent of GDP in revenues. Finally, the authorities should replace the FTT with alternative revenue sources, while phasing out the bank levy as planned.

    Safeguarding Slovakia’s strong fiscal framework is essential for the credibility of the consolidation effort. Aligning Slovakia’s national expenditure ceiling framework with the new EU fiscal rules avoids inconsistencies and streamlines the budget process but continued focus on the long-term fiscal outlook (beyond the horizon used for the EU fiscal framework) remains useful given Slovakia’s medium-term fiscal challenges. Slovakia’s strong and independent Council for Budgetary Responsibility can help by monitoring the impact of government policies on the long-term sustainability of public finances. Lastly, the mission recommends reforming the debt brake before it comes into effect in 2026, to avoid the risk of a disruptive fiscal consolidation.

    The mission welcomes the government’s objective to increase absorption of EU funds. The Slovak government is working with the OECD and the European Commission to identify concrete measures to increase absorption. In this regard, there is a need to strengthen project management capacity, especially at the municipal level, while the preparation of a national investment plan could help guide the timely selection of investment projects.

    Financial Sector Policy

    The 2024 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP)—an in-depth review of the financial sector—assessed the banking sector to be resilient against severe shocks, reflecting a healthy level of buffers and profitability. The residential real estate market remains a source of vulnerability. In particular, tighter financial conditions, an economic slowdown, and a decline in still-elevated house prices could put pressure on households’ repayment capacity and increase the riskiness of banks’ mortgage portfolios. Also, risks remain elevated in the office segment of the commercial real estate (CRE) market while banks with large exposures to firms facing geopolitical risks could be vulnerable to credit losses. That said, solvency stress tests indicate that banks have sufficient capital to withstand severe macro-financial shocks. Likewise, liquidity stress tests indicate that the banking system as a whole is resilient to funding and market liquidity shocks.

    The current macroprudential stance is broadly appropriate, but the policy framework could be further developed over the medium term to help attenuate cyclical and structural risks.

    • Residual risks in the residential and CRE markets suggest the current level of the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) is appropriate. Borrower-based measures (BBMs) have contributed to contain household credit risk and should remain in force. The authorities should stand ready to activate the systemic risk buffer on banks’ CRE exposures before risks in the sector become systemic.
    • The macroprudential policy framework could be further strengthened by adopting a positive neutral countercyclical capital buffer (pnCCyB). A pnCCyB would help safeguard the availability of releasable capital and give policymakers time to collect evidence of a build-up in vulnerabilities. A healthy level of profitability and/or the availability of voluntary buffers would help facilitate a smooth introduction of a pnCCyB. In addition, remaining leakages in the BBMs (e.g. co-financing a mortgage with a consumer loan) should be closed, while the BBM speed limits should be differentiated across borrower categories (e.g. first- and second-time home buyers, investors, and mortgage top-ups).

    Financial resilience could be bolstered by strengthening the supervision of less significant institutions (LSIs) as well as the crisis management framework.

    • The NBS’s supervisory powers and operational independence should be enhanced by restricting banks’ appeals only to supervisory decisions and corrective measures that are finalized, and by strengthening the legal protections for supervisors. Moreover, the NBS should streamline off-site supervision to align with LSI’s risk profile and strengthen on-site inspections to bolster the overall effectiveness of LSI supervision.
    • The financial safety net and crisis management framework should be reinforced by ensuring that the National Resolution Authority (NRA) has adequate resources, preventing the judiciary from suspending or reversing resolution decisions, ensuring NRA resolutions are immediately enforceable, and enhancing the legal protection of staff involved in resolution. Meanwhile, the authorities should remove active bankers from the board of the deposit guarantee fund to prevent conflicts of interest, while expanding the fund’s mandate and financial strength to enable it to play a broader role in crisis management.

    Efforts to strengthen the AML/CFT framework should continue. In particular, the authorities should review the criteria for the application of ML/TF sanctions, strengthen coordination between the NBS and Financial Intelligence Unit, and introduce mechanisms to verify beneficial ownership information and sanction the submission of inaccurate information.

    Structural Policy

    Slovakia needs structural reforms to diversify its economy, enhance resilience to global shocks and sustain productivity growth. The success of the automotive sector has led to decades of strong growth but exposed Slovakia to global trends related to the green transition and automation. To improve resilience and sustain productivity growth the authorities should intensify efforts to promote innovation and technology adoption. In this context, the mission welcomes the increase in direct government R&D spending, but further efforts are needed to stimulate business R&D including in small firms and startups that are not yet profitable. At the same time, deepening the European single market would allow innovative firms to leverage economies of scale. Finally, advancing the capital market union would facilitate cross-border flows of capital including equity financing and venture capital, which is critical for supporting startups, particularly in countries with less-developed capital markets.

    The automotive sector is facing headwinds related to the unfolding green transition and rapid rise of electronic vehicle (EV) production in other markets. To address these challenges, the authorities should encourage innovation across the entire domestic EV production supply chain, promote efforts to diversify the economy, and enhance Active Labor Market Policies (ALMPs) to facilitate the movement of workers across sectors.

    The challenges of an aging population require policies to increase the labor force. Flexible working arrangements, shortening the 3-year long maximum parental leave period, and improved child and elderly care could increase female participation, while tax credits and restrictions on early retirement could raise labor force participation among the elderly. The recent easing of national visa rules for foreign workers in professions with shortages could boost migrant inflows, but further efforts are needed to integrate and retain migrants, including by scaling up language training and streamlining certification recognition. Increased focus on vocational education and training would help bring down Slovakia’s high youth unemployment.

    Maintaining a favorable investment climate, strengthening governance, and reducing vulnerability to corruption will help lift the economy’s growth potential.

    • Governance indicators and perceptions of judicial independence lag peers, and recent surveys point to a decline in the perceived effectiveness of anti-corruption policies.
    • A new national anti-corruption strategy is expected to be released mid-year. In that context, the authorities should verify that the new institutional framework that replaced the dissolved Special Prosecutor’s Office and National Crime Agency has not weakened the institutional capacity to investigate and prosecute high-level corruption. Also, the asset declaration and conflict of interest framework for high-risk public officials could be improved. Specifically, broadening the scope of covered public officials, and centralizing and digitizing the submission and publication process with robust verification procedures and appropriate sanctions, would be beneficial. Finally, existing safeguards pertaining to the Prosecutor General’s authority to annul decisions by lower-level prosecutors should be strengthened.
    • Safeguards to ensure members of the Judicial Council can only be recalled based on specific and reasonable grounds would enhance judicial independence. Also, the crime of “abuse of law”, whereby judges are subject to criminal liability for their decisions, can have an intimidating effect on judges. Additional safeguards to ensure the framework balances the accountability of judges and independent judicial decision-making would be beneficial.

    While greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 50 percent since 1990, further efforts are needed to cut emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and to reach net-zero by 2050. Slovakia should move expeditiously to fully implement the ETS II scheme for road transport and buildings and could consider gradually raising environmental levies in these sectors until the scheme becomes operational in 2027. The authorities should continue exploring options to replace two coal-fired blast furnaces in the steel industry and phase out fossil fuel subsidies. Also, supporting environmental R&D and green technology would support mitigation efforts and economic diversification. Lastly, a more integrated energy market in Europe would encourage investment in renewables and enhance energy security and reduce energy prices.

    The IMF team thanks the authorities and other interlocutors for their generous hospitality and constructive dialogue.

     Table 1. Slovakia: Selected Economic Indicators, 2020–2030 
     
    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Boris Balabanov

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/01/29/mcs-012925-slovak-republic-staff-concluding-statement-of-the-2025-article-iv-mission

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Moody Capital Solutions Consolidates Capitalyst Division into Moody, Enhancing Investment Banking Capabilities

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ATLANTA, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Moody Capital Solutions, Inc. (Moody Capital), a leading investment bank based in Atlanta, Georgia, is pleased to announce the consolidation of the Capitalyst Advisory Group division into its operations. This strategic move is aimed at expanding Moody Capital’s investment banking services and integrating Capitalyst’s expertise into its business.

    Richard Kreger, CEO of Moody Capital Solutions, welcomed Katherine Danielson and Todd Bertsch to the team: “We are thrilled to welcome the Capitalyst division into the Moody Capital family. This consolidation aligns with our commitment to providing top-tier investment banking services and strengthens our position in the market.”

    Katherine Danielson, joining Moody Capital Solutions as Managing Director, founded Capitalyst Advisory Group to integrate scalable business practices with a focus on fundraising and successful exits. Katherine brings extensive experience from her leadership roles at Citigroup and Nomura Securities, as well as a dynamic and diverse background. Prior to her career in investment banking, Katherine served for seven years in the U.S. Army as a broadcast journalist, honing her ability to tell compelling stories and communicate effectively under pressure. She also founded the food manufacturing company Zen Monkey Overnight Oatmeal, demonstrating her entrepreneurial acumen and deep understanding of business operations. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Global Studies from the University of Texas and an MBA from Cambridge Judge Business School. On joining Moody Capital, she said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our team and clients. We look forward to leveraging Moody Capital’s resources and expertise to deliver even greater value and innovative solutions.”

    Todd Bertsch, Managing Director of Capitalyst Advisory Group, brings over 25 years of expertise in investment banking, venture capital, and financial technology. A former leader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Cowen Inc., and Weild & Co., Todd has overseen operations generating over $100 million in revenues, specializing in capital raising, M&A, and corporate finance.

    As co-founder of Gateway Financial Technologies, Todd revolutionized trading through direct market access via FIX protocols, positioning the firm as an industry leader. In venture capital, his role as a Venture Partner at VU Venture Partners has helped high-potential ventures secure funding and strategic partnerships.

    Todd’s ability to balance financial, operational, and strategic priorities makes him a trusted advisor to businesses navigating growth. At Capitalyst, he provides tailored fundraising and M&A strategies, helping clients unlock value and achieve sustainable success.

    The consolidation will enable Moody Capital to enhance its service offerings, particularly in the areas of capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, and other investment banking services. The integration of Capitalyst Advisory Group’s talented team will further solidify Moody Capital’s reputation as a premier investment banking firm.

    For more information, please contact: info@moodycapital.com

    About Moody Capital Solutions, Inc.:

    Moody Capital Solutions, Inc. is a leading investment bank providing capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, and other investment banking services. Founded in 2002, Moody Capital is dedicated to delivering exceptional financial solutions to its clients.

    About Capitalyst Advisory Group:

    Capitalyst Advisory Group specializes in providing strategic financial advice and investment banking services to clients across various industries. Known for its innovative approach and commitment to client success, Capitalyst integrates scalable business practices with fundraising and successful exits in mind. Learn more at www.capitalystadvisorygroup.com.

    Contact:
    Moody Capital Solutions, Inc.
    Richard H. Kreger
    (845)448-8857
    info@moodycapital.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Slovak Republic: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2025 Article IV Mission

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    January 29, 2025

    A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit (or ‘mission’), in most cases to a member country. Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, in the context of a request to use IMF resources (borrow from the IMF), as part of discussions of staff monitored programs, or as part of other staff monitoring of economic developments.

    The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    Washington, DC: An International Monetary Fund mission, led by Magnus Saxegaard, and comprising Christian Bogmans, Shinya Kotera, Yen Mooi, and Jonathan Pampolina conducted discussions for the 2025 Article IV consultation with the Slovak Republic virtually during December 4-13, 2024, and in Bratislava, Slovakia, during January 15-28, 2025. Sumiko Ogawa, Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) mission chief, joined the concluding meeting. At the conclusion of the visit, the mission issued the following statement:

    Slovakia, like much of the EU, faces headwinds related to geoeconomic fragmentation, high energy costs, and demographic change. Growth has held up in recent years, but at the cost of a much-increased fiscal deficit. Steadfast implementation of the authorities’ ambitious 4-year consolidation plan is needed to reverse the upward trajectory in public debt, alongside policies to strengthen financial resilience and structural reforms to bolster medium-term growth, including through efforts to strengthen governance and reduce vulnerability to corruption.

    Economic Developments, Outlook, and Risks

    The Slovak economy is recovering. The economy slowed sharply in 2022-23, but growth is estimated to have accelerated to 2.1 percent in 2024, outpacing that in the euro area. Private consumption was the main driver fueled by recovering real wages, the extension of household energy support, and more generous pensions. Meanwhile, an increase in public consumption partially offset a slowdown in EU-funded public investments. While inflation has declined from record-highs in 2023, it increased in 2024H2 due to higher global food price inflation. Core inflation is higher than in the euro area, driven by a tight labor market and strong nominal wage growth.

    Economic growth is projected to moderate to 1.9 percent in 2025, before rising to 2.1 percent in 2026. The fiscal consolidation in 2025 will lower growth directly by slowing government spending, and indirectly as higher taxes put upward pressure on prices and dampen private consumption, though the effect will be partially mitigated by the one-year extension of household energy support and strong EU-funded public investments. Meanwhile external demand is expected to remain subdued. For 2026, higher growth in trading partners and increased capacity in the automotive sector is expected to boost exports. Inflation is projected to rise temporarily to 4.0 percent in 2025 and moderate to 3.2 percent in 2026. Adverse demographic trends and lower productivity growth imply that Slovakia’s medium-term growth, as projected by staff, is expected to be significantly lower than its pre-pandemic average, and below IMF forecasts of medium-term growth in other Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) countries with comparable income levels.

    Risks to growth are tilted to the downside while risks to inflation are broadly balanced. Near term risks include a global slowdown or intensifying trade policy uncertainty which would weigh on growth and exert downward pressure on inflation. Domestically, slippages in fiscal consolidation could increase sovereign spreads and tighten financial conditions. A lack of political consensus on structural reforms and concerns about institutional quality could deter private investment and slow the disbursement of EU funds that have been critical in supporting public investment. A correction in real estate prices combined with an economic downturn could trigger losses for financial institutions. Meanwhile, continued strong nominal wage growth could undermine competitiveness and keep inflation elevated.

    Fiscal Policy

    Slovakia’s fiscal outlook is challenging. The fiscal deficit is projected to have increased to 5.7 percent in 2024 from 5.2 percent in 2023 due to a combination of revenue easing and higher spending that more than offset the 0.6 percent of GDP in net consolidation measures in the 2024 budget. This increase follows the 3.6 percentage points of GDP widening of the fiscal deficit in 2023. While the change in government in October 2023 meant time to finalize the 2024 budget was short, it is clear ex-post that robust growth combined with significant medium-term fiscal challenges would have warranted a tighter fiscal stance in 2024.

    The mission welcomes the authorities’ ambitious fiscal consolidation targets for 2025-28, which is commensurate with the scale of Slovakia’s fiscal challenges.

    • The 2025 budget targets a reduction in the headline deficit to 4.7 percent of GDP. Fund staff’s more conservative macroeconomic forecasts imply an overall deficit of 4.9 percent of GDP in 2025. However, the projected structural tightening is broadly in line with the budget. These forecasts are subject to significant downside risks, including from a lower-than-expected yield from the fiscal consolidation measures or a worse economic outlook. If revenues in 2025 appear to be falling short of targets (as implied by staff’s macroeconomic forecasts) the authorities should limit the resulting increase in the deficit, including by saving as much as possible of the contingency buffer.
    • Beyond 2025, the medium-term fiscal structural plan targets another 2.5 percentage points of GDP reduction in the fiscal deficit to bring it close to 2 percent of GDP by 2028, though measures to achieve this consolidation are not yet specified. Staff projections suggest that the fiscal consolidation envisaged over the next four years, if met, will reverse the increase in the deficit over the past two years and put public debt on a downward path by the end of the projection period. Staff’s baseline forecast, which does not include any further consolidation beyond that in the 2025 budget, entails a gradual increase in the deficit over the medium term, with public debt rising to 75 percent of GDP by end-2030 from 56 percent of GDP in 2023.

    The consolidation measures for 2025 are a step in the right direction. Several of the measures are welcome and will help reduce the deficit on a structural basis, including the increase in the basic VAT rate, and better targeting of child benefits. However, the increase in the number of items subject to reduced VAT rates deprives the government of much needed revenue, while the financial transactions tax (FTT) could weaken financial intermediation and increase incentives for informality.

    The measures to lower Slovakia’s fiscal deficit closer to 2 percent of GDP by 2028 should be consistent with Slovakia’s long-term growth and climate objectives, while protecting the most vulnerable in society. While there is no definitive evidence that reducing spending is more effective than increasing revenues in terms of economic efficiency or equity, prioritizing the rationalization of expenditures moving forward would result in a more balanced fiscal consolidation, given the reliance on revenue-based measures thus far.

    • Spending: According to Fund staff estimates, value for Money initiatives, including a reduction in subsidies, could yield savings of up to 0.5 percent of GDP, while improved targeting could reduce social spending by as much as 0.8 percent of GDP. Also, there may be scope to increase efficiency by trimming departmental budgets and reducing public sector wage growth, though this should be done cautiously to avoid unintended cuts in service delivery. Reversing the increase of the 13th pension could yield about 0.4 percent of GDP in savings while eliminating the recently introduced early retirement option could yield fiscal savings over the long-term. Finally, energy support measures to households (projected to cost 0.2 percent of GDP in 2025) should be phased out as they are costly and discourage energy conservation.
    • Revenues: Reducing the number of items subject to reduced VAT rates could generate as much as 1.3 percent of GDP in savings, while raising property taxes by transitioning to a market value-based system could generate around 0.3 percent in additional revenue. Plans to counter tax evasion and reduce the VAT compliance gap are welcome and could yield up to 0.5 percent of GDP in revenues. Finally, the authorities should replace the FTT with alternative revenue sources, while phasing out the bank levy as planned.

    Safeguarding Slovakia’s strong fiscal framework is essential for the credibility of the consolidation effort. Aligning Slovakia’s national expenditure ceiling framework with the new EU fiscal rules avoids inconsistencies and streamlines the budget process but continued focus on the long-term fiscal outlook (beyond the horizon used for the EU fiscal framework) remains useful given Slovakia’s medium-term fiscal challenges. Slovakia’s strong and independent Council for Budgetary Responsibility can help by monitoring the impact of government policies on the long-term sustainability of public finances. Lastly, the mission recommends reforming the debt brake before it comes into effect in 2026, to avoid the risk of a disruptive fiscal consolidation.

    The mission welcomes the government’s objective to increase absorption of EU funds. The Slovak government is working with the OECD and the European Commission to identify concrete measures to increase absorption. In this regard, there is a need to strengthen project management capacity, especially at the municipal level, while the preparation of a national investment plan could help guide the timely selection of investment projects.

    Financial Sector Policy

    The 2024 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP)—an in-depth review of the financial sector—assessed the banking sector to be resilient against severe shocks, reflecting a healthy level of buffers and profitability. The residential real estate market remains a source of vulnerability. In particular, tighter financial conditions, an economic slowdown, and a decline in still-elevated house prices could put pressure on households’ repayment capacity and increase the riskiness of banks’ mortgage portfolios. Also, risks remain elevated in the office segment of the commercial real estate (CRE) market while banks with large exposures to firms facing geopolitical risks could be vulnerable to credit losses. That said, solvency stress tests indicate that banks have sufficient capital to withstand severe macro-financial shocks. Likewise, liquidity stress tests indicate that the banking system as a whole is resilient to funding and market liquidity shocks.

    The current macroprudential stance is broadly appropriate, but the policy framework could be further developed over the medium term to help attenuate cyclical and structural risks.

    • Residual risks in the residential and CRE markets suggest the current level of the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) is appropriate. Borrower-based measures (BBMs) have contributed to contain household credit risk and should remain in force. The authorities should stand ready to activate the systemic risk buffer on banks’ CRE exposures before risks in the sector become systemic.
    • The macroprudential policy framework could be further strengthened by adopting a positive neutral countercyclical capital buffer (pnCCyB). A pnCCyB would help safeguard the availability of releasable capital and give policymakers time to collect evidence of a build-up in vulnerabilities. A healthy level of profitability and/or the availability of voluntary buffers would help facilitate a smooth introduction of a pnCCyB. In addition, remaining leakages in the BBMs (e.g. co-financing a mortgage with a consumer loan) should be closed, while the BBM speed limits should be differentiated across borrower categories (e.g. first- and second-time home buyers, investors, and mortgage top-ups).

    Financial resilience could be bolstered by strengthening the supervision of less significant institutions (LSIs) as well as the crisis management framework.

    • The NBS’s supervisory powers and operational independence should be enhanced by restricting banks’ appeals only to supervisory decisions and corrective measures that are finalized, and by strengthening the legal protections for supervisors. Moreover, the NBS should streamline off-site supervision to align with LSI’s risk profile and strengthen on-site inspections to bolster the overall effectiveness of LSI supervision.
    • The financial safety net and crisis management framework should be reinforced by ensuring that the National Resolution Authority (NRA) has adequate resources, preventing the judiciary from suspending or reversing resolution decisions, ensuring NRA resolutions are immediately enforceable, and enhancing the legal protection of staff involved in resolution. Meanwhile, the authorities should remove active bankers from the board of the deposit guarantee fund to prevent conflicts of interest, while expanding the fund’s mandate and financial strength to enable it to play a broader role in crisis management.

    Efforts to strengthen the AML/CFT framework should continue. In particular, the authorities should review the criteria for the application of ML/TF sanctions, strengthen coordination between the NBS and Financial Intelligence Unit, and introduce mechanisms to verify beneficial ownership information and sanction the submission of inaccurate information.

    Structural Policy

    Slovakia needs structural reforms to diversify its economy, enhance resilience to global shocks and sustain productivity growth. The success of the automotive sector has led to decades of strong growth but exposed Slovakia to global trends related to the green transition and automation. To improve resilience and sustain productivity growth the authorities should intensify efforts to promote innovation and technology adoption. In this context, the mission welcomes the increase in direct government R&D spending, but further efforts are needed to stimulate business R&D including in small firms and startups that are not yet profitable. At the same time, deepening the European single market would allow innovative firms to leverage economies of scale. Finally, advancing the capital market union would facilitate cross-border flows of capital including equity financing and venture capital, which is critical for supporting startups, particularly in countries with less-developed capital markets.

    The automotive sector is facing headwinds related to the unfolding green transition and rapid rise of electronic vehicle (EV) production in other markets. To address these challenges, the authorities should encourage innovation across the entire domestic EV production supply chain, promote efforts to diversify the economy, and enhance Active Labor Market Policies (ALMPs) to facilitate the movement of workers across sectors.

    The challenges of an aging population require policies to increase the labor force. Flexible working arrangements, shortening the 3-year long maximum parental leave period, and improved child and elderly care could increase female participation, while tax credits and restrictions on early retirement could raise labor force participation among the elderly. The recent easing of national visa rules for foreign workers in professions with shortages could boost migrant inflows, but further efforts are needed to integrate and retain migrants, including by scaling up language training and streamlining certification recognition. Increased focus on vocational education and training would help bring down Slovakia’s high youth unemployment.

    Maintaining a favorable investment climate, strengthening governance, and reducing vulnerability to corruption will help lift the economy’s growth potential.

    • Governance indicators and perceptions of judicial independence lag peers, and recent surveys point to a decline in the perceived effectiveness of anti-corruption policies.
    • A new national anti-corruption strategy is expected to be released mid-year. In that context, the authorities should verify that the new institutional framework that replaced the dissolved Special Prosecutor’s Office and National Crime Agency has not weakened the institutional capacity to investigate and prosecute high-level corruption. Also, the asset declaration and conflict of interest framework for high-risk public officials could be improved. Specifically, broadening the scope of covered public officials, and centralizing and digitizing the submission and publication process with robust verification procedures and appropriate sanctions, would be beneficial. Finally, existing safeguards pertaining to the Prosecutor General’s authority to annul decisions by lower-level prosecutors should be strengthened.
    • Safeguards to ensure members of the Judicial Council can only be recalled based on specific and reasonable grounds would enhance judicial independence. Also, the crime of “abuse of law”, whereby judges are subject to criminal liability for their decisions, can have an intimidating effect on judges. Additional safeguards to ensure the framework balances the accountability of judges and independent judicial decision-making would be beneficial.

    While greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 50 percent since 1990, further efforts are needed to cut emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and to reach net-zero by 2050. Slovakia should move expeditiously to fully implement the ETS II scheme for road transport and buildings and could consider gradually raising environmental levies in these sectors until the scheme becomes operational in 2027. The authorities should continue exploring options to replace two coal-fired blast furnaces in the steel industry and phase out fossil fuel subsidies. Also, supporting environmental R&D and green technology would support mitigation efforts and economic diversification. Lastly, a more integrated energy market in Europe would encourage investment in renewables and enhance energy security and reduce energy prices.

    The IMF team thanks the authorities and other interlocutors for their generous hospitality and constructive dialogue.

     Table 1. Slovakia: Selected Economic Indicators, 2020–2030 
     
    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Boris Balabanov

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The global plant trade is spreading invasive species to Europe

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amy Hinsley, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Martin Programme on the Wildlife Trade, University of Oxford

    The Italian wall lizard likes to stowaway on olive trees. Qvist2000 / shutterstock

    Back in 2016, one of us (Silviu Petrovan) was asked to identify a live frog found in a shipment of roses in Sheffield, England. It certainly wasn’t any species found in Europe: Silviu thought he had been pranked.

    But with help from Ecuadorian and Colombian scientists, he was soon able to identify it as a North Andean tree frog. This species is found only in a few areas in the highlands of Colombia including, crucially, a region known for its flower-growing.

    This sudden realisation that cut flowers are being shipped from Colombia via Ecuador to Britain, potentially with hitchhiking animals in tow, sparked a collaborative project to investigate the complexities in this increasingly global trade.

    Initially, we explored the risks that invasive species will establish themselves. For instance, the recent fashion for old potted olive trees in restaurants, typically imported from farms in Italy and Spain, is a risk because these trees can serve as vehicles for species like the Italian wall lizard.

    Sometimes called the Italian ruin lizard (scientists call it Podarcis siculus), the lizard is spreading throughout Europe, with introductions often linked to the ornamental olive tree trade.

    Olive trees for sale (lizards included).
    Pingky_p / shutterstock

    But the global trade in cut flowers, pot plants, bulbs and foliage was worth around US$25 billion (£20 billion) in 2022, and it has many other environmental and social risks.

    As well as the spread of pests and invasive species, these include wild plants harvested illegally, and a range of effects on people including threats to food security or access to clean water. In our new paper, published in the journal Bioscience, we examined these risks and how we can mitigate them.

    We combined a review of published research on risks related to the ornamental plant trade with analysis of data on illegal trade and the prevalence of pests and hitchhiking vertebrates in plant shipments.

    That included two databases of customs interceptions of organisms such as insects, slugs and snails in imports into the UK and the Netherlands, and two databases of records of amphibians and reptiles linked to UK and Netherlands imports of ornamental plants.

    Despite repeated attempts and contacts, it was impossible to secure official data on contaminant interceptions from other major ornamental plant importer countries. Nonetheless, the available data provided an important snapshot of what might be occurring more widely.

    Growing and changing

    Our analysis shows that the ornamental plant trade is rapidly changing, doubling in value in recent decades. More and more cut flowers are being imported from tropical areas such as east Africa and South America, where the industry can play an essential economic role. Despite the risks we identify, these industries can and do bring significant benefits to people, and we are not calling for a halt to the trade.

    European tree frogs are often imported with flowers.
    University of Cambridge

    However, even with only two years of interception data it is clear that ornamental plant shipments contain considerable volumes of pests and potentially invasive organisms. Furthermore, while a range of species were found, taxonomic identification was not always possible, with around 20% of contaminants not being identified to species level.

    In some cases data named a contaminant only as “Coleoptera”, the scientific name for beetles and the largest insect group comprising over 300,000 species, or as “Lepidoptera” (butterflies and moths). These uncertainties make it harder to accurately assess invasive species risks.

    The reports of amphibians and reptiles imported into the UK and Netherlands are relatively small in number, dozens annually. But this is most likely a substantial underestimate given that these are not records systematically collected by authorities but rather mainly chance discoveries in airports, shops, depots and private homes, which then get collated because they are re-homed by specialist exotic wildlife centres.

    The problem is probably underreported

    The numbers of illegal plant seizures were generally small, even though there is likely to be a large illegal trade in plants such as orchids or cacti.

    This suggests that this is an underreported aspect of the illegal wildlife trade, due to less awareness and attention paid to plants. It’s hard for the layperson to tell a legal cactus from an endangered one, whereas it’s pretty obvious a rather colourful lizard found on a pot plant in Britain should not be there.

    Importantly, we also highlight growing concerns about the allocation of resources, in particular water and land, including the loss of Indigenous grazing land to ornamental plants.

    The use of pesticides for this non-essential crop type that has no nutritional value for people or livestock, in countries which might lack sufficient infrastructure to deal with the potential pollution, is also something that requires careful consideration.

    Ornamental plants are valuable products in global trade. Their trade is dynamic and shifting, yet while they are undoubtedly important in terms of their economic value, it is essential that the risks to people and the environment are not overlooked.

    Amy Hinsley is the co-chair of the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group, an international network of volunteers working on orchid conservation.

    Silviu Petrovan is affiliated with People’s Trust for Endangered Species, a wildlife conservation NGO based in London. He is also a trustee at Froglife, a UK based amphibian and reptile conservation trust.

    – ref. The global plant trade is spreading invasive species to Europe – https://theconversation.com/the-global-plant-trade-is-spreading-invasive-species-to-europe-248274

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Commission launches plan to boost sustainable competitiveness

    Source: European Union 2

    A new framework to rekindle economic productivity and secure the EU’s competitive edge has been presented by the European Commission. The Competitiveness Compass builds on the recommendations set out in Mario Draghi’s report on the future of European competitiveness. It will steer the EU’s work on competitiveness over the next five years and translate the report’s recommendations into concrete actions for the EU’s future prosperity.  

    The EU enjoys a strong system of rights and values, a Single Market, top-notch infrastructure and a skilled workforce, but the Compass recognises that more must be done to ensure Europe keeps pace with other major economies in a challenging and increasingly competitive world. While all the time looking to secure the EU’s climate neutrality, it sets a path for Europe to become the place where future technologies and clean products are invented, manufactured, and put on the market. 

    The Compass identifies 3 core areas of action: 

    • Innovation – The EU must close the innovation gap by creating an environment where innovative start-ups, effective industrial leadership and the diffusion of technologies across businesses thrive. Concrete initiatives from the Commission include ‘Apply AI’ and ‘AI Gigafactories’ to drive industrial adoption of AI; action plans for advanced materials, quantum, biotech, robotics and space technologies; and an EU Start-up and Scale-up Strategy that will address the obstacles that are preventing new companies from emerging and scaling up. 
    • Decarbonisation and competitiveness – The EU will help bring down high and volatile energy prices through an Affordable Energy Action Plan. It will set out a competitiveness-driven approach to decarbonisation through its upcoming Clean Industrial Deal, while an Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act will extend accelerated permitting to sectors in transition. It will also launch action plans for energy intensive sectors, such as steel, metals, and chemicals. 
    • Security and resilience – The EU will reduce dependencies and increase its resilience and security by continuing to build effective trade partnerships with economies around the world. Through a new range of Clean Trade and Investment Partnerships it will help secure a supply of raw materials, clean energy, sustainable transport fuels, and clean tech from across the world. It will also review public procurement rules to introduce a European preference in public procurement for critical sectors and technologies 

    Underpinning these actions will be five cross-cutting activities: 

    • Simplification by drastically reducing the regulatory and administrative burden on firms 
    • Lowering barriers to the Single Market through its Horizon Single Market Strategy 
    • Financing competitiveness by establishing a European Savings and Investment Union 
    • Promoting skills and quality jobs through a Union of Skills  
    • Better coordination of policies at EU and national level by introducing a Competitiveness Coordination Tool 

    The Competitiveness Compass is the first major initiative of the Commission in the 2024-2029 mandate. 

    For more information 

    Strengthening European competitiveness 

    Draghi report 

    Communication – A Competitiveness Compass for the EU 

    A factsheet on the Competitiveness Compass 

    Press release: An EU Compass to regain competitiveness and secure sustainable prosperity 

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: E-scooter shooter convicted of shooting gang rival

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Two men have been jailed following a violent shooting in Southwark.

    Kemar Edwards, 25 (14.10.1999), of Manthorp Road, Plumstead, and Amari Bailey, 23 (16.04.2001), of Hastings Close, Peckham were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 29 January after being found guilty of Section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent.

    Edwards was also found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a firearm when prohibited,

    Edwards received a sentence of 18 years’ imprisonment and three years’ extended licence. Bailey was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and three years’ extended licence.

    On Saturday, 24 June 2023, a man was shot at three times in Bradenham Close, Walworth while sitting in a vehicle by Edwards, who was riding an e-scooter. This caused serious injuries to his arm and knee.

    The court heard that Bailey spotted the victim, aged 24 at the time of the incident, who was alleged to be a ‘rival gang member’, and pursued him on a stolen moped for 20 minutes.

    Bailey contacted Edwards and told him where to find the victim. Edwards then rode an e-scooter to the victim’s location in Bradenham Close, Walworth and shot at him three times using a hand gun.

    The gun was never recovered.

    Following an extensive investigation, and meticulous CCTV enquiries, the two suspects were identified as Edwards and Bailey.

    Edwards and Bailey were wearing a balaclava and motorbike helmet respectively during their offending, making it more difficult for detectives to identify and prosecute them.

    Detective Constable John Davis, of the Trident South Specialist Crime Command team, said:

    “We would like to thank members of the public who informed police on hearing the shooting, their evidence assisted in proving that Edwards fired the shots in a CCTV blind spot.

    “Edwards and Bailey are extremely dangerous individuals, who had the arrogance to brazenly carry out a targeted shooting in the street in broad daylight on a summer’s afternoon.

    “This posed a significant risk to the wider public. They are now safely behind bars for a substantial amount of time for their offending.

    “Trident will investigate all shootings to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”

    A warrant was executed at an address in Greenwich on Friday, 15 December 2023, where Edwards was arrested and later charged.

    Bailey was interviewed on Monday, 5 February 2024, and later charged.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: 2024 Q4 Revenue

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • €994.6 million in total revenue for 2024, down -5.9%, reflecting the Group’s strategic orientations
      • Prioritizing margins over revenue growth
      • Managed decrease in the most mature markets
      • Focus on the Group’s profitable growth drivers, primarily in Germany and in Energy activities
    • Q4: €251.8 million in revenue, down -12.4%
      • Q4 2023 comparison basis particularly high
      • Impact of selectivity measures implemented in Q2 in the telecom sector in France and Spain
      • Fiber activity in Belgium remains low as negotiations continue between telco service providers seeking to pool their investments.
      • Strong growth in Germany, the group’s future third pillar: +51%
      • Strong growth in Energy activities: +30%
    • 2024 full-year margin outlook confirmed
      • Improvement of the Group’s adjusted EBITDA margin
      • Increase in adjusted EBITDA despite the revenue decline, demonstrating the relevance of the Group’s reinforced selectivity strategy
      12 months Q4
    In millions of euros (unaudited) 2024 2023 % change 2024 2023 % change
    Group 994.6 1,057.0         -5.9% 251.8 287.3         -12.4%
    Benelux 371.6 381.6         -2.6% 92.7 112.0         -17.2%
    France 360.6 403.3         -10.6% 90.5 105.6         -14.3%
    Other Countries 262.4 272.1         -3.6% 68.6 69.7         -1.6%

    Gianbeppi Fortis, Chief Executive Officer of Solutions30, stated: “As previously announced, Solutions30’s 2024 revenue trends reflect the Group’s strategic priorities, with a stronger focus on margins over revenue growth in a mixed market environment. In the fourth quarter, we continued to selectively scale back our revenue in our most mature segments, particularly in telecoms in France and Spain, in order to enhance operating margins. Meanwhile, fiber activity in Belgium remained temporarily subdued due to ongoing negotiations between service providers. At the same time, our key growth drivers – primarily Germany and energy transition-related services – continued to expand. Notably, energy services now represent nearly 20% of our fourth-quarter revenue. We confirm our objective of increasing the Group’s adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2024, despite the revenue decrease. This demonstrates our ability to significantly improve operating margins and highlights the effectiveness of our selectivity strategy in the market environment we faced in 2024.”

    Consolidated revenue

    In 2024, Solutions30’s consolidated revenue stood at €994.6 million, down -5.9% compared to 2023. This includes an organic contraction of -6.5%, a +0.2% impact from acquisitions, and a +0.4% favorable exchange rate effect.

    It also reflects the Group’s strategic objectives, as outlined during the Capital Markets Day on September 26, 2024, in a context where Solutions30 operates across markets and business segments at different stages of maturity. The Group has chosen to increasingly prioritize margins over revenue growth, leading to a scaling down in the French and Spanish telecom sectors, where certain contracts no longer met profitability requirements. At the same time, Solutions30 is accelerating the expansion of its profitable growth drivers in Germany and in the energy sector.

    Q4 consolidated revenue stood at €251.8 million, down -12.4% (-12.9% organically) compared to Q4 2023, which represented a particularly high basis for comparison (€287.3 million). Trends in Q4 remained in line with those observed in Q3, with: (i) the impact of selectivity measures implemented in Q2 in the French and Spanish telecom sectors, (ii) continued low levels of activity in Benelux, largely due to ongoing negotiations between Belgian service providers seeking to pool their fiber roll-out investments, and (iii) continued strong momentum in the Group’s key growth drivers: Germany, where fiber deployments are accelerating rapidly, and Energy services, a business the Group is successfully expanding.

    Benelux

    2024 Q4 revenue in Benelux stood at €92.7 million, down -17.2% (-17.6% organically) from a particularly high comparison basis (+61% in Q4 of 2023). Connectivity activities posted revenue of €67.3 million in Q4, down
    -26%. In Belgium, fiber optic deployment remained hindered by ongoing negotiations between telecom service providers seeking to streamline nationwide deployment. These negotiations continued to cause delays in activity for Solutions30, with the impact further amplified in Q4 by the merger of two of its local clients, Proximus and Fiberklaar, which led to discussions on adapting operational processes.

    Revenue from Energy activities reached €16.4 million in Q4, posting a modest 1.8% increase. While the roll-out of smart meters in Flanders has reached a plateau, further roll-outs in Wallonia and growth in network services are expected to drive momentum in the coming quarters. Meanwhile, Energy services in the Netherlands have slowed down due to electrical grid congestion, which is expected to prompt additional infrastructure investments.

    Technology Solutions remained strong, generating €9.0 million in revenue, up +67%, driven by the launch of a new IT support contract.        

    2024 annual revenue in Benelux reached €371.6 million, down slightly by -2.6% (-2.8% organically), after extremely strong growth (+72%) in 2023.

    France

    In France, 2024 Q4 revenue was €90.5 million, down -14.3% on an organic basis. This decrease is primarily attributable to Connectivity activities, which contracted by -38.2% to €45.2 million, following the selectivity measures implemented since the second quarter. As part of its strategic focus on profitability, the Group has significantly reduced its exposure to certain contracts that no longer met its profitability standards, with the impact further amplified by the slowdown in the fiber deployment market observed since the beginning of the year.

    The Group continues to successfully expand its Energy business, which posted strong growth of +54% in the fourth quarter, reaching €26.0 million in revenue, or 29% of the total. Supported by highly favorable structural trends, this segment is gradually establishing itself as a major growth driver for Solutions30, particularly in the photovoltaic sector, where the Group is achieving significant commercial and operational successes, recording a +72% increase in the fourth quarter. Momentum also remains strong in energy network services, which grew by +61% over the period.

    Technology activities sustain a strong momentum, generating €19.3 million in revenue in Q4, up +24%. Following an exceptional surge in business during the 2024 Paris Olympics in Q2, IT support services continued to grow strongly, driven by the expansion of Internet of Things solutions, particularly the installation of smart thermostats.

    Annual revenue for France in 2024 stood at €360.6 million, down -10.6%, including a -11% organic contraction and a +0.4% contribution from recent acquisitions.

    Other Countries

    In Other countries, the group generated €68.6 million in revenue in Q4 2024, down slightly by -1.6%. This includes an organic decline of -3.4% and a positive currency impact of +1.8%, reflecting the appreciation of the zloty and pound sterling against the euro during this period.

    In Germany, Solutions30 is capitalizing on exceptional market momentum, with 2024 Q4 revenue increasing by +51.3% to €24.6 million. Coaxial network services remain strong while fiber growth is picking up speed. Firmly established with the leading national telecom operators, the Group has the organization, expertise, and resources required to play a key role in accelerating roll-outs in the coming quarters.

    Solutions30 has continued to grow in Poland, with +6.4% revenue growth in Q4, reaching €15.1 million. While it has, until now, focused on Connectivity activities in this country, the Group recently won two electric vehicle charging infrastructure contracts with two major players, Ekoenergetyka and Inbalance Grid (see press release dated January 8, 2025).

    In Italy, Q4 revenue totaled €14.5 million. Business has returned to growth, posting a +6.2% increase over the period. However, this growth is offset by the positive impact of 2023 negotiations with the Group’s main Italian client, which was fully accounted for in Q4 2023, despite covering the entire fiscal year. This distorts the comparison, resulting in an apparent -10.6% decline in Q4 2024.

    In Spain, revenue amounted to €7.3 million, down -44.1% due to steps taken in Q2 to reduce the Group’s exposure to the mature telecoms market. The restructuring of the Connectivity business and the refocus on the Energy and Technology activities are ongoing.

    Finally, In the United Kingdom, revenue came in at €7.2 million, down -28.4% compared to Q4 2023. The Group continues to shift its focus toward the fiber and energy services markets, driven by a newly appointed local management team.

    In 2024, annual revenue for Other Countries was €262.4 million, down -3.6%, including a -5.0% organic contraction and a positive exchange rate effect of +1.4%.

    2024 full-year margin outlook confirmed

    For the whole of 2024, Solutions30 confirms its outlook for an improvement in its adjusted EBITDA margin, as well as an increase in adjusted EBITDA in absolute terms, despite the decline in revenue. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the selectivity strategy implemented by the Group in 2024.

     
    Governance

    Today the Supervisory Board appointed Mrs. Paola Bruno as Vice Chair of the Supervisory Board. A valued member of the Supervisory Board since 2023, Paola Bruno will continue to bring her extensive experience in corporate finance and strategy to this leadership role and to Solutions30 organization as a whole.

    Webcast for Investors and Analysts
    Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025
    6:30 PM (CET) – 5:30 PM (GMT)

    Speakers
    Gianbeppi Fortis, Chief Executive Officer
    Amaury Boilot, Group General Secretary

    Connection Details
    Webcast in French: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/solutions30-fr/20250129_1/

    Upcoming Events

    2024 Earnings Report                                                                                  March 31, 2025

    About Solutions30 SE

    Solutions30 provides consumers and businesses with access to the key technological advancements that are shaping our everyday lives, especially those driving the digital transformation and energy transition. With its network of more than 16,000 technicians, Solutions30 has completed over 65 million call-outs since its inception and led over 500 renewable energy projects with a combined maximum output surpassing 1600 MWp. Every day, Solutions30 is doing its part to build a more connected and sustainable world. Solutions30 has become an industry leader in Europe with operations in 10 countries: France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Poland.
    The capital of Solutions30 SE consists of 107,127,984 shares, equal to the number of theoretical votes that can be exercised. Solutions30 SE is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN FR0013379484- code S30).
    Indices : CAC Mid & Small | CAC Small | CAC Technology | Euro Stoxx Total Market Technology | Euronext Tech Croissance.
    Visit our website for more information: www.solutions30.com.

    Contact

    Individual Shareholders:
    Tel: +33 (0)1 86 86 00 63 – shareholders@solutions30.com

    Analysts/Investors:
    investor.relations@solutions30.com

    Press – Image 7:
    Charlotte Le Barbier – Tel: +33 6 78 37 27 60 – clebarbier@image7.fr

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The miscarriage of justice watchdog is failing at its only job – here’s how to fix it

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Brian Thornton, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, University of Winchester

    The body responsible for investigating miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has been plunged into crisis. The chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), Helen Pitcher, resigned this month following relentless criticism about the way the commission had handled recent cases.

    Most notably, the commission was criticised over the case of Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly convicted for rape and spent 17 years in prison. The CCRC twice rejected Malkinson’s submissions that he was innocent, and he was only cleared thanks to work by his own lawyers to track down DNA evidence that proved his innocence.

    Malkinson said the CCRC “didn’t investigate and they didn’t believe me”.

    Pitcher said that she had been made a scapegoat for the failings on the Malkinson case: “A head had to roll and I was chosen for that role,” she said. Pitcher was not in her post as chair when the CCRC rejected Malkinson’s first appeal. She rejected the findings of an independent panel that concluded her decisions, including not apologising promptly to Malkinson, had eroded confidence in the CCRC.

    “I don’t know who or why anyone would want to take on the role, because you will be held accountable for previous miscarriages of justice,” Pitcher told the Times. “You will be expected to have known what was going on then. It’s just not possible.”

    Malkinson described the commission as “infected with a culture of denial”. And along with other critics, such as legal professionals, academics and campaigners, he believes the CCRC is no longer fit for purpose and should be dissolved.

    What is the CCRC?

    Once a prisoner, who claims to be innocent, has exhausted all legal avenues they have no choice but to look beyond the court system for redress.

    For most of the 20th century, the last chance saloon was located in the heart of government, in the Home Office. The home secretary had the power to send a case to the Court of Appeal “if he saw fit”.

    This arrangement was doomed from the start. It made referrals political affairs – particularly in the context of the Irish terrorism cases of the 1980s and 90s. It also put the home secretary in the firing line as investigative journalists uncovered miscarriages of justice.

    The relentless pressure for reform eventually came to a head in 1991, with the release of the Birmingham Six – six Irishmen who had been wrongly convicted of planting bombs in two Birmingham pubs in 1974 that killed 21 people and injured 182. Amid chaotic scenes outside the Old Bailey, Paddy Hill (who died last month), grabbed a microphone and unleashed a savage attack on the institutions that had taken his freedom:

    For 16 and a half years we have been used as political scapegoats. The police told us from the start they knew we hadn’t done it. They told us they didn’t care who had done it. They told us that we were selected and they were going to frame us. Justice? I don’t think the people in there [the judiciary] have got the intelligence nor the honestly to spell the word, never mind dispense it. They’re rotten.

    The growing crisis threatened the legitimacy of the entire criminal justice system and the government had no option but to act. A royal commission was set up, and from it sprung a new body – the CCRC.

    When it began work in 1997, the CCRC was the world’s first statutory, publicly-funded body responsible for investigating miscarriages of justice. The powers at its disposal were impressive.

    If a prisoner applied to the CCRC, claiming they were innocent, the commission could use these powers as part of a fresh investigation into the conviction. It could get information from the police and prosecutors, re-interview witnesses or find new ones, and order new DNA testing. If it found new evidence it could then refer a case back to the Court of Appeal.

    It has had some successes. The commission was widely praised for the investigation into the Sam Hallam case, where it uncovered fresh evidence that proved the young Londoner could not have committed the murder he was jailed for.

    But while demand for its services is soaring, these successes have become rarer.

    Last year the CCRC received a record-breaking 1,629 applications from people claiming they were innocent, and referred 25 to the Court of Appeal. Critics, describe it as chronically underfunded, reluctant to exercise its powers and subservient to the Court of Appeal.

    Prisoners and their lawyers say they are exasperated at the length of time the CCRC takes to look into their cases. But the real frustration is with the quality of the investigations themselves.

    Critics point to cases such as Victor Nealon, who spent an additional 10 years in prison because the CCRC refused to carry out DNA tests that would have proved his innocence. He applied to the CCRC twice but was rejected both times.

    The then chair of the CCRC, Richard Foster, told Nealon: “We are doing what we can to prevent anything similar happening in the future”. But as the Malkinson case shows, the CCRC hasn’t really learned its lesson.

    A crisis of legitimacy

    The body that was created to solve a crisis in public confidence is now facing its own crisis of legitimacy. The CCRC needs new leadership – and not another career bureaucrat. The new chair, who is appointed by the king, must be someone who will oversee a culture of change in the organisation – dispelling the insipid timidity and transforming the CCRC into an organisation that pursues justice without fear or favour.

    It must also be funded properly. The commission is now entirely incapable of properly investigating the huge number of cases it receives. The money involved is relatively small, but the impact on the wrongfully convicted and their families is immeasurable. A parliamentary inquiry found that the CCRC had suffered bigger cuts that any other part of the criminal justice system since 2010.

    And finally, a key structural flaw must be fixed. The “real possibility test” means that the CCRC will only refer a case if there is a real possibility that the Court of Appeal will quash the conviction.

    But because the Court of Appeal will only overturn convictions it believes to be “unsafe”, the CCRC only concerns itself with safety or unsafety rather than guilt or innocence. From the perspective of the Court of Appeal, a conviction is safe if all the legal procedures (the arrest adhered to the guidelines, there were the correct number of jurors at the trial) have been followed. It has nothing to do with the factual guilt of the defendant.

    This test must be scrapped. We cannot have a miscarriage of justice watchdog that cares more about procedure than innocence.

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

    – ref. The miscarriage of justice watchdog is failing at its only job – here’s how to fix it – https://theconversation.com/the-miscarriage-of-justice-watchdog-is-failing-at-its-only-job-heres-how-to-fix-it-247623

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Installation begins for new information screens at bus stops in Portsmouth

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    Installation has begun on 287 new information screens set to improve journeys for bus passengers across the city.

    Portsmouth City Council is enhancing travel across the city by installing 287 new information screens at bus stops, as part of the Portsmouth Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). This upgrade will ensure that over 90% of bus stops in Portsmouth are equipped with real time information about bus arrivals and passenger capacity, making journeys smoother and more informed for passengers.

    The fresh new look signs make it easier to see the bus services operating to and from the bus stop. The new information screens will also feature a push-button option, allowing passengers with visual impairments to hear the information displayed, making bus travel more inclusive and user-friendly.

    The installation of the new screens is a direct response to feedback from bus users, who identified the need for more real time information and clearer signage at bus stops. This demand was highlighted as one of the key priorities in the BSIP public consultation.

    Councillor Peter Candlish, Portsmouth’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said:

    “We’ve heard loud and clear from bus passengers that they want more accurate, accessible information at bus stops, and we’re thrilled to begin installing these new screens throughout the city. These updates will make it easier for passengers to navigate the bus network and plan their journeys with confidence. Our aim is to make public transport in Portsmouth as accessible and convenient as possible for everyone.”

    Transport systems experts, Vix Technology, will carry out the installation of the new screens. Two different types of screens will be installed: one set at bus shelters and another set on poles at stops without shelters.

    The screens will display the estimated arrival times of buses, with a countdown to show when the bus will arrive. The real time data is provided via GPS technology, which tracks the buses’ locations to calculate how soon they’ll reach each stop. The bus shelter mounted screens will also be able to display additional live information, including weather updates and news.

    Daniel Jacklin, Business Development Manager at Vix Technology, said:

    “We’re excited to continue our long-standing partnership with Portsmouth City Council to expand real time information across the city. The installation of over 287 new screens, marks a significant milestone. We’re looking forward to helping passengers navigate the city more easily and travel with greater confidence.”

    This installation is the latest in a series of improvements to the city’s bus stop infrastructure, designed to make travel information easier to access and the overall bus experience more seamless. Improving the bus service is a key part of the Council’s overall plan to make travel in the city better for everyone.

    For more information about bus stop improvements in the city, visit: travel.portsmouth.gov.uk/bsip-schemes/rti-screens/)

    More information about the Portsmouth Bus Service Improvement Plan 

    The Portsmouth Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) is Portsmouth’s visionary delivery scheme aligned with the government’s National Bus Strategy and aims to dramatically improve bus services in Portsmouth and to encourage passengers back to the bus.

    This programme is managed by an enhanced partnership between local bus companies Stagecoach South, First Solent and Portsmouth City Council. With a £48 million grant from the Department for Transport (DfT) the Portsmouth BSIP aims to increase bus usage in Portsmouth by engaging with the local community and transforming the bus network in the city so that it is faster, more reliable, and more affordable.

    The Portsmouth BSIP has already funded early morning travel, and later night services, tap on tap off technology, fare free weekends to encourage residents to try the bus, Christmas Day bus services and much more, with even more exciting developments planned for 2024/2025.

    According to the latest Department for Transport (DfT) figures, Portsmouth has seen a 20% rise in bus passengers over the past year and is recognised as the top city for bringing people back to bus travel, with over 12 million bus journeys taken.

    More information can be found on our website: https://travel.portsmouth.gov.uk/bsip/

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Cubist Portrait” in Library No. 46

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Library No. 46 will host a master class on painting in the style of abstract cubism. It is characterized by geometric shapes, deformations, angularity and a complete lack of realism. The founders of the movement were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, but artists continue to paint in a similar manner today.

    During the class, everyone will try to create a free portrait of Dora Maar, which they can take home. No special training or artistic skills are required to participate. The necessary materials are provided.

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/afisha/Event/330063257/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Concert in memory of poet Valery Belozerov in library No. 42 named after A.P. Platonov

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Library No. 42 named after A.P. Platonov invites you to a concert in memory of the poet, singer-songwriter, playwright Valery Belozerov, dedicated to the 65th anniversary of his birth. The event is organized jointly with the studio of the author’s song “Second Me”. Belozerov’s songs will be performed both in bard and pop formats. In addition, guests will hear the poet’s poems.

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/Afisha/Event/330064257/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Alexander Novak visited the National Research University “MPEI”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Alexander Novak visited the National Research University “MPEI”

    January 29, 2025

    Alexander Novak visited the National Research University “MPEI”

    January 29, 2025

    Alexander Novak visited the National Research University “MPEI”. Opening ceremony of a new flow lecture hall

    January 29, 2025

    Previous news Next news

    Alexander Novak visited the National Research University “MPEI”

    Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak visited the National Research University MPEI. During a meeting of the MPEI Board of Trustees, Alexander Novak was elected its chairman. The Deputy Prime Minister heard a report from the university’s rector Nikolai Rogalev on the results of MPEI’s work in 2023–2024 and the draft strategy for the university’s development until 2036, which combines the capabilities of science, education and industry and is aimed at creating a platform for scientific and technological progress in the fuel and energy complex.

    “Today, the fuel and energy sector is the basis of our foreign economic potential. Among the key tasks facing MPEI is training personnel for the energy sector. At the same time, within the framework of the university’s development strategy, participation in the implementation of national projects on the tasks set by the President of Russia is also of great importance. This includes the production of high-tech competitive Russian equipment in the energy sector. We hope that the university will take an active part in this work,” said Alexander Novak during his speech at a meeting of the MPEI Board of Trustees.

    Alexander Novak visited the Department of Theoretical Foundations of Electrical Engineering, one of the leading departments in the country in the relevant educational profile, where he took part in the opening ceremony of a new lecture hall. In recent years, as part of a comprehensive overhaul, the department has also updated its classrooms for classes with master’s and postgraduate students, and replaced its educational laboratory equipment.

    At the end of the event, the Deputy Prime Minister answered students’ questions about the MPEI development strategy and the challenges for power engineers in today’s economic conditions.

    Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “National Research University “MPEI” (NRU “MPEI”) is a leading Russian university in the field of power engineering, electrical engineering, radio engineering, electronics and information technology.

    MPEI has an extensive material and technical base, including 12 institutes, more than 100 research laboratories, a specialized pilot plant, a unique educational thermal power plant, the largest scientific and technical library in the country, a cyber testing ground, a renewable energy testing ground, the MPEI Innovative Development Center, and five branches, including two foreign ones.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Coons statement on leadership of Defense Appropriations Subcommittee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement upon the announcement that he would be the Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense for the 119th Congress:
    “Around the world today we face real threats to our nation and the post-World War Two international order that has provided us with decades of peace, prosperity, and security. Our security is threatened both by authoritarian adversaries like Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea, and from a rising tide of isolationism here at home.  
    As the senior Democrat on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I will work every day so that the robust American engagement with the world that has kept us safe for so long continues. I will make sure that our military remains the most capable and lethal fighting force in the world and has the weapons and resources required to project our values and defend our interests from the Arctic to Africa, from the Indo-Pacific to the North Atlantic. Lastly, I will send a clear message to the brave men and women of our armed forces, our intelligence services, and in our foreign services who serve every day without fear or favor: we have your back.
    “I look forward to partnering with Senator McConnell who will chair this crucial subcommittee. Senator McConnell has long been dedicated to a strong defense and to ensuring we continue to defend our critical global network of allies and partners.”

    MIL OSI USA News –