NewzIntel.com

Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI: JLT Mobile Computers AB changes management following discontinuation of subsidiary JLT Software Solutions AB

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Växjö, Sweden, January 28, 2025 * * * JLT Mobile Computers, a leading supplier of reliable computers for demanding environments, announces a change in management following the discontinuation of JLT Software Solutions, which was announced on January 17, 2025 (press release 1/17/2025).

    The software development is now being integrated with the Group’s other product development for better cost-efficiency, management, and customer-driven development. This means that the operations of JLT Software Solutions AB will be discontinued, and Andreas Nivard, former CEO and CPO, is leaving the company.

    Visit jltmobile.com for more information about products and services. Financial information can be found on the company’s investor pages.

    About JLT Mobile Computers

    JLT Mobile Computers is a leading supplier of rugged mobile computing devices and solutions for demanding environments. 30 years of development and manufacturing experience have enabled JLT to set the standard in rugged computing, combining outstanding product quality with expert service, support and solutions to ensure trouble-free business operations for customers in warehousing, transportation, manufacturing, mining, ports and agriculture. JLT operates globally from offices in Sweden, France, and the US, complemented by an extensive network of sales partners in local markets. The company was founded in 1994, and the share has been listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market stock exchange since 2002 under the symbol JLT. Eminova Fondkommission AB acts as Certified Adviser. Learn more at jltmobile.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Innovation: Infomaniak inaugurates a data center that recycles 100% of its energy and will heat 6,000 households a year for at least 20 years

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Yesterday, the Swiss cloud provider Infomaniak officially inaugurated its new data center, which has been recovering 100% of the electricity it uses since 11 November. Located in a residential area of Geneva, on an underground site of the participatory and eco-responsible cooperative of la Bistoquette, the data center has no impact on the landscape and recycles 100% of the local renewable energy it consumes. At full capacity, it will feed 1.7 MW (or 14.9 GWh/year) into the region’s heating network, enabling 6,000 Minergie-A households to be heated a year or 20,000 people to take a 5-minute shower every day. This new generation of data centers, which has already received a number of awards, has been documented by students from EPFL, IMD and the University of Lausanne with a view to making it open source and enabling it to be reproduced on a large scale.

    Inauguration of the D4, a data center that is revolutionising the cloud industry

    Infomaniak’s new data center, a symbol of technological innovation and sustainability, was officially inaugurated yesterday, with the public authorities and key project stakeholders in attendance. Their collective commitment was essential in making this world first a reality. The project exceeds the standards of similar infrastructures in terms of environmental integration and energy recovery.

    Since 2 p.m. on 11 November 2024, all the electricity consumed by this structure, in the form of heat, has already been fed back into the district heating network of the Canton of Geneva. This achievement marks a key stage in the region’s energy transition, transforming an energy-intensive facility into an active player in energy recovery.

    Currently operating at 25% of its potential capacity, Infomaniak’s data center will gradually increase its output to reach full capacity by 2028, guaranteeing a sustainable contribution to society for at least 20 years.

    The future of the cloud: circular energy with no impact on the landscape

    Having already won several awards for the energy efficiency of its infrastructures, which have been operating without air conditioning since 2013, Infomaniak is addressing four major challenges facing the cloud industry with this new data center model:

    1. 100% of the electricity used by the data center is reused to heat households via a district heating network.
    2. The facility does not require additional water or air conditioning to be cooled.
    3. It is built on an underground site in a residential area.
    4. It has no impact on the landscape.

    “In the real world, data centers convert electricity into heat. With the exponential growth of the cloud, this energy is currently being released into the atmosphere and wasted. There is an urgent need to upgrade this way of doing things, to connect these infrastructures to heating networks and adapt building standards,” explains Boris Siegenthaler, Infomaniak’s Founder and Chief Strategy Officer.        

    Nothing is wasted, everything is transformed

    Unlike existing projects that recycle a fraction of the energy they consume, the system implemented by Infomaniak goes further.

    All the electricity consumed (by servers, inverters, ventilation, etc.) is converted into heat at a temperature of 40 to 45°C. This heat is then transferred to an air/water exchanger, which integrates it into a hot water circuit. Heat pumps then raise its temperature to transfer the waste heat from the data center to the heating network.

    The originality of the system lies in the use of both sides of the pump:

    • The gas in the heat pumps expands by capturing the energy in the water, which drops from 45°C to 28°C. This cooled water is fed into the air/water exchanger to cool the servers, eliminating the need for traditional air conditioning.
    • The gas in the pumps is then compressed to transmit energy to the district heating network, raising the water temperature to 67 °C in summer and 85 °C in winter to meet the needs of the district heating operator.

    The recovery mechanism is therefore the same as the one that keeps the servers at an optimal operating temperature. The additional energy required to run the heat pumps is also recycled, and it is the cold released by this process that keeps the servers cool.

    “Today, PUE, which measures the energy efficiency of data centers, is no longer sufficient in the face of the climate emergency. We also need to take ERE into account, which evaluates the energy actually consumed compared to the energy reused, as well as the ERF, which measures the proportion of the data center’s total energy that is reused for other purposes, such as district heating. Taken together, these three indicators provide a more complete picture of the energy impact of digital infrastructures,” explains Boris Siegenthaler, Infomaniak’s Founder and Chief Strategy Officer.

    6,000 homes heated and 3,600 t CO₂e saved each year

    At full capacity, the new data center will house some 10,000 servers in an underground area measuring 1,800 m2. It will provide the heating network with 1.7 MW, equivalent to the energy needed to heat 6,000 Minergie-A households per year or allow 20,000 people to take a 5-minute shower every day.

    Geneva will avoid having to burn 3,600 t CO2e of natural gas per year or the equivalent of 5,500 t CO2e of pellets per year, not to mention eliminate 211 lorries per year transporting 13 tonnes of material and the microparticles associated with pellet transport and combustion.

    An economically neutral operation

    In financial terms, recycling waste heat is a neutral operation for Infomaniak. Without the servers, this data center cost CHF 12 million, including a CHF 6 million advance from the cloud provider to adapt heat levels those required by heating network. Part of this CHF 6 million was provided by the Cantonal Energy Office of the Canton of Geneva (OCEN) and the heating network operator (SIG). The remainder will be gradually amortised by the heat produced by Infomaniak, at cost price.

    From finding the site (June 2019) to commissioning the first servers (December 2023), the project took a total of four and a half years to complete, whereas Infomaniak would usually build a data center in two years. The main challenges involved were finding a location that was both secure and close to a district heating network capable of permanently absorbing the associated volume of heat, and negotiating a contract with the district heating network operator.

    Good for Europe’s technological sovereignty

    This data center strengthens Europe’s technological sovereignty and creates value for many local companies by relying on equipment manufactured exclusively in Europe, with the exception of the security cameras used:

    • Trane heat pumps (France)
    • Ebmpapst fans (Germany)
    • Siemens power rails (Germany)
    • Siemens switchboard (Germany)
    • Minkels server racks (Netherlands)
    • ABB inverters (Switzerland)
    • Margen generator (Italy)
    • Meyer-Burger solar panels (Switzerland/Germany)

    The local economy will also benefit directly from the impact of this project.

    A new generation of data centers that is open source

    This innovation can be reproduced and the expertise gained during the course of the project has been made available free of charge. This model works, demonstrating to the cloud industry and policymakers that it is possible to double the value of energy from data centers. It also shows that the digital sector should no longer be seen as an end consumer of electricity, but as an actor in the energy transition.

    Infomaniak’s new data center, which was awarded the Swiss Ethics Prize and the Sustainable Development Prize of the Canton of Geneva in 2023, has been documented by UNIL, IMD and EPFL as part of the e4s.center programme to illustrate its energy efficiency in real time and make it easier to reproduce. This work is available for free at https://d4project.org/ and includes:

    • A technical guide explaining how to replicate this data center model.
    • Real-time monitoring of data center operational performance
    • A summary for policymakers with information to improve regulations on the design and sustainability of data centers

    Two new similar data centers already planned

    To support its growth, Infomaniak is actively looking for heating networks for its future data centers. “We already have 1.1 MW ready to be fed into a heating network, and by 2028, a new data center of at least 3.3 MW will be needed to meet demand. The principle is simple: we buy electricity locally and provide our carbon-free waste heat free of charge,” explains Boris Siegenthaler.

    Key figures

    • Average PUE: 1.09 (European average: 1.6)
    • ERE and ERF: see online
    • 2 1.7 MW heat pumps
    • Total area: 1,800 m2
    • Total budget (without servers): CHF 12 million
    • Total energy recycled at full capacity: 1.7 MW
    • Number of servers at full capacity: approximately 10,000 (200 47U racks)
    • Capacity of the solar power plant linked to this data center: 130 kWp (364 modules)
    • GPUs currently installed in this data center: Nvidia L4, A100 and H100

    Resources

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump 2.0: the rise of an ‘anti-elite’ elite in US politics

    Source: The Conversation – France – By William Genieys, Directeur de recherche CNRS au CEE, Sciences Po

    US president Donald Trump is surrounded by a new cohort of politicians and officials. While one of his campaign promises was to overthrow the “corrupt elites” he accuses of flooding the American political arena, his second term in office has elevated elites chosen, above all, for their political loyalty to him.

    The media’s focus on Trump’s comments on making Canada the 51st US state and annexing Greenland and billionaire Elon Musk’s support for some far-right parties in Europe has obscured the ambitious programme to transform the federal government that the new political elite intends to implement.

    In the wake of Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the Republican elites most loyal to the MAGA (“Make America Great Again”) leader, who staunchly oppose Democratic elites and their policies, are operating amid their party’s control over the executive and legislative branches (at least until the midterm elections in 2026), a conservative-dominated Supreme Court that includes three Trump-appointed justices, and a federal judiciary that shifted right during his first term.

    However, the political project of the Trumpist camp consists less of challenging elitism in general than attacking a specific elite: one particular to liberal democracies.

    Castigating democratic elitism

    Typical anti-elite political propaganda, along the lines of “I speak for you, the people, against the elites who betray and deceive you,” claims that a populist leader would be able to exercise power for and on behalf of the people without the mediation of an elite disconnected from their needs.

    Political theorist John Higley sees behind this form of anti-elite discourse an association between so-called “forceful leaders” and “leonine elites” (who take advantage of the former and their political success): a phenomenon that threatens the future of Western democracies.

    Since the Second World War, there has been a consensus in US politics on the idea of democratic elitism. According to this principle, elitist mediation is inevitable in mass democracies and must be based on two criteria: respect for the results of elections (which must be free and competitive); and the relative autonomy of political institutions.

    The challenge to this consensus has been growing since the 1990s with the increased polarization of American politics. It gained new momentum during and after the 2016 presidential campaign, which was marked by anti-elite rhetoric from both Republicans and Democrats (such as senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren). At the heart of some of their diatribes was an aversion to “the Establishment” on the east and west coasts of the United States, where many prestigious financial, political and academic institutions are based, and the conspiracy notion of the “deep state”.

    The re-election of Trump, who has never admitted defeat in the 2020 presidential vote, growing political hostility and the direct involvement of tech tycoons in political communication –especially on the Republican side– further reinforce the denial of democratic elitism.

    Trump’s populism from above: a revolt of the elites

    The idea that democracy could be betrayed by “the revolt of the elites”, put forward by the US historian Christopher Lasch (1932-1994), is not new. For the anthropologist Arjun Appadurai, it is a particular feature of contemporary populism, which comes “from above.” Indeed, if the 20th century was the era of the “revolt of the masses”, the 21st century, according to Appadurai, “is characterized by the ‘revolt of the elites’.” This would explain the rise of populist autocracies (such as those currently led by Viktor Orban in Hungary, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey and Narendra Modi in India, and formerly led by Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil), but also the election successes of populist leaders in consolidated democracies (including those of Trump in the US, Giorgia Meloni in Italy, and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, for example).

    As Appadurai explains, the success of Trumpian populism, which represents a revolt by ordinary Americans against the elites, casts a veil over the fact that, following Trump’s victory in November, “it is a new elite that has ousted from power the despised Democratic elite that had occupied the White House for nearly four years.”

    The aim of this “alter elite” is to replace the “regular” Democrat elites, but also the moderate Republicans, by deeply discrediting their values (such as liberalism and so-called “wokeism”) and their supposedly corrupt political practices. As a result, this populism “from above” carried out by the President’s supporters constitutes an alternative elite configuration, the effects of which on American democratic life could be more significant than those observed during Trump’s first term.

    Beyond the idea of a ‘Muskoligarchy’

    The idea that we are witnessing the formation of a “Muskoligarchy” –in other words, an economic elite (including tech barons such as Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Marc Andreessen) rallying around the figurehead of Elon Musk, whom Trump asked to lead what the president has called a “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) –is seductive. It perfectly combines the vision of an alliance between a “conspiratorial, coherent, conscious” ruling class and an oligarchy made up of the “ultra-rich”. For the Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf, it is even a sign of the development of “pluto-populism”. (It is also worth noting that former president Joe Biden, in his farewell speech, referred to “an oligarchy… of extreme wealth” and “the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex.”)

    However, some observers are cautious about the advent of a “Muskoligarchy.” They point to the sociological eclecticism of the new Trumpian elite, whose facade of unity is held together above all by a political loyalty, for the time being unfailing, to the MAGA leader. The fact remains, however, that the various factions of this new “anti-elite” elite are converging around a common agenda: to rid the federal government of the supposed stranglehold of Democratic “insiders.”

    An ‘anti-elite’ elite against the ‘deep state’

    In his presidential inauguration speech in 1981, Ronald Reagan said: “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” The anti-elitism of the Trump elite is inspired by this diagnosis, and defends a simple political programme: rid democracy of the “deep state.”


    Although the idea that the US is “beleaguered” by an “unelected and unaccountable elite” and “insiders” who subvert the general interest has been shown to be unfounded, it is nonetheless predominant in the new Trump Administration.

    This conspiracy theory has been taken to the extreme by Kash Patel, the candidate being considered to head the FBI. In his book, Government Gangsters, a veritable manifesto against the federal administration, the former lawyer writes about the need to resort to “purges” in order to bring elite Democrats to justice. He lists around 60 people, including Biden, ex-secretary of state Hillary Clinton and ex-vice president Kamala Harris.

    Government Gangsters, Kash Patel’s controversial book.
    Google Books

    The appointment of Russell Vought as head of the Office of Management and Budget at the White House, a person who is known for having sought to obstruct the transition to the Biden Administration in 2021, also highlights the hard turn that the Trump administration is likely to take.

    Reshaping the state around political loyalty

    To “deconstruct the administrative state”, the “anti-elite” elites are relying on Project 2025, a 900-plus page programme report that the conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation, which published it, says was produced by “more than 400 scholars and policy experts.” According to former Project 2025 director Paul Dans, “never before has the entire movement… banded together to construct a comprehensive plan” for this purpose. On this basis, the “anti-elite” elite want to impose loyalty to Project 2025 on federal civil servants.

    But this idea is not new. At the end of his first term, Trump issued an executive order facilitating the dismissal of statutory federal civil servants occupying “policy-related positions” and considered to be “disloyal”. The decree was rescinded by president Biden, but Trump on his first day back in office signed an executive order that seeks to void Biden’s rescindment. As President, Trump is also able to allocate senior positions within the federal administration to his supporters.

    The “anti-elite” elite not only want to reduce the size of the state, as was the case under Reagan’s “neoliberalism”, but to deconstruct and rebuild it in their own image. Their real aim is a more lasting victory: the transformation of democratic elitism into populist elitism.

    Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.

    – ref. Trump 2.0: the rise of an ‘anti-elite’ elite in US politics – https://theconversation.com/trump-2-0-the-rise-of-an-anti-elite-elite-in-us-politics-248180

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Middle East: Minister for Development’s statement, 28 January 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Development Minister Anneliese Dodds gave an oral statement to the House of Commons on the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and effect on humanitarian aid.

    With permission, I will update the House on the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and detail our latest efforts to get aid to those in desperate need.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, this is a fragile ceasefire – but it brings much-needed hope for the Israeli and Palestinian people.

    The agreement to end the fighting and release the hostages is what this Labour government has been pressing for from the moment we came to office.

    I thank Qatar, Egypt and the US for their tireless efforts, and echo the Prime Minister in wishing Emily Damari and the other former hostages well as they begin to recover from their horrific ordeals.

    We continue to call, Madam Deputy Speaker, for their immediate release of all those still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones, including the remaining hostages with links to the UK.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, civilians in Gaza have endured suffering that defies belief, and this deal brings hope that they can start to rebuild their lives.

    In the days since the guns were silenced, Israel has opened up mechanisms to surge in aid.

    The UN and aid organisations have been working tirelessly to deliver the humanitarian aims of the ceasefire agreement.

    After so much time waiting at the border – delays I saw for myself in December – trucks are now streaming in.

    Partners on the ground report that more than 200,000 food parcels have been dispatched to more than 130 distribution points since the ceasefire.

    This government has been at the forefront of the humanitarian effort in Gaza since we came to office.

    Overturning the suspension of funding to UNRWA and then boosting our support. Supporting UK-Med field hospitals to help the injured. Working with Egypt to support those Medevac-ed out of Gaza and providing vital resources to UNICEF and the World Food Programme.

    Today, I am pleased to announce that the UK is investing in the ceasefire.

    UK support will be distributed to the UN and key medical partners, so that tens of thousands of civilians get the healthcare, food and shelter they need.

    That support will amount to £17 million from the UK to get more aid into Gaza and restore services. The figure also includes £2 million for the World Bank to support the construction and restoration of critical water and energy infrastructure.

    The UK has already helped around 284,000 people in Gaza to access water, sanitation and hygiene services.

    Today’s uplift brings our commitment for the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Palestinian refugees in the region to £129 million this financial year.

    I am also pleased to announce to the House that this morning, Jordanian air force helicopters started landing in Gaza with UK-funded medical supplies and logistical support from UK armed forces.

    I thank Jordan for their excellent commitment to getting aid in, in such challenging circumstances. We will continue to support our Jordanian partners in this initiative.

    But more action is needed.

    The air bridge to Gaza is no substitute for road routes, which must remain open.

    We also call on Israel to allow more essential items like tents, mattresses and medical equipment in.

    As people start to move home, basic services need to be put back in place, and unexploded bombs and mines cleared.

    Without this, even more lives will be lost.

    And of course, the UN and humanitarian agencies must be able to operate freely.

    This Government has repeatedly stated the need for UNRWA to continue its lifesaving assistance to the people of Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank.

    The Knesset legislation taking effect on the 30th of January risks impeding the progress made since the ceasefire. Israel must allow the agency to continue to operate.

    The legislation does not and cannot change the fact that Israel has a responsibility under international law to facilitate humanitarian assistance.

    As the UN Security Council heard last week, a million Gazan children need support to process their traumatic experiences – their suffering cannot be underestimated.

    And around fifteen and a half thousand patients need medical evacuation, according to the World Health Organisation. Routes must be opened for them to get this treatment.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, the UK and wider international community stand ready to support Palestinians as they begin to rebuild their lives, their homes and their communities.

    We are under no illusions concerning the scale of the challenge ahead.

    The overwhelming majority of homes in Gaza are damaged or destroyed. The economy has collapsed. And basic services, including energy and water, have been knocked out.

    So, we are working with partners to urgently find ways to

    best finance and support recovery and reconstruction efforts.

    It is essential that the coming surge of assistance is properly coordinated, and with the access and security to reach those in need.

    The Palestinian Authority has a crucial role to play and we are providing technical and financial assistance to the Authority, including to support the urgent recovery of basic services.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, the UK has always been clear that this ceasefire is just the first step. We must build confidence on all sides to help sustain it, progress through all its phases and turn it into a lasting peace that assures the security of Israelis and Palestinians alike.

    The UK will focus all of our efforts on keeping up the momentum, using every diplomatic channel available.

    As you will know, Madam Deputy Speaker, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for the Middle East kept up the drumbeat of engagement during their visits to Egypt and the United Nations last week.

    We will keep up the pace until every hostage is released, aid reaches all those in need, and Palestinians are able to rebuild their homes and their lives.

    I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Statement on arbitrary detentions of UN personnel in Yemen

    Source: Government of Sweden

    Statement on arbitrary detentions of UN personnel in Yemen – Government.se

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    Statement by Ministry for Foreign Affairs

    Published

    Sweden echoes the EU statement and strongly condemns the latest round of arbitrary detentions by the Houthis of seven UN personnel working in Yemen.

    Sweden reiterates the demand by the UN Secretary‑General for the immediate and unconditional release of all personnel from the UN, international and national non‑governmental organizations, and diplomatic missions, including those detained in 2021, 2023, and 2024. The continued arbitrary detention of aid workers is unacceptable and negatively impacts the ability to deliver life‑saving humanitarian aid in Yemen. 

    Sweden calls on the Houthis to act in the best interest of the Yemeni people and underscores the obligations of all parties to armed conflict under international humanitarian law to allow and facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance, as well as to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel. 

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government opens discussions with Community Pharmacy England over 25/26 funding contract

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The consultation will set the future direction for the community pharmacy sector.

    The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has entered into consultation with Community Pharmacy England (CPE) regarding the 2024/25 and 2025/26 funding contractual framework.

    The discussions will set the future direction for community pharmacy as it plays a vital role in supporting delivery of the reforms set out in the government’s Plan for Change.

    A letter signalling the start of the consultation was sent to CPE on Monday.

    Moving the focus of care from hospitals into the community is one of the three core shifts outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan, which will be published later this year. The government has previously outlined its ambition to make better use of pharmacists’ skills and training to deliver more services for patients within their local communities.

    Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock said:

    Community pharmacists are at the heart of local healthcare, and they have a vital role to play as we shift from hospital to community, giving patients better access to care, closer to home, through our 10 Year Health Plan.

    We have inherited a sector that is suffering from years of underfunding and neglect, but we recognise the hard work pharmacists undertake every day to deliver for patients.

    I am committed to working closely with Community Pharmacy England to agree a package of funding that is reflective of the important support that they provide to patients up and down the country. I am confident that together we can get the sector back on its feet and fit for pharmacies and patients long into the future.

    Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England said:

    We are relieved that discussions on the arrangements for community pharmacy are now commencing.

    Community Pharmacy England will consider very carefully if the proposals that the Government is putting on the table address the severity of the funding crisis in community pharmacy.

    Everyone in community pharmacy shares the Government’s ambition for a vibrant community pharmacy sector, playing a vital role in delivering long term health plans, but this can only be achieved if the sector is put on a sustainable financial footing.

    Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care for NHS England, said:

    The NHS knows just how important pharmacies are to local communities – they offer people convenient care close to home which is a key ambition of the 10 Year Health Plan.

    We recognise that pharmacies are under pressure, and we are committed to working with the sector and government to ensure that patients can continue to receive high-quality care building on the exceptional work of teams over the past few years to develop and expand new services for patients.

    ENDS.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Happy Data Protection Day!

    Source: European Union 2

    If someone asked you to answer 100 questions about your personal life to sell the answers, would you agree? Most likely not.

    It can be difficult  to keep in control over your personal data and to keep it safe. From online shopping and browsing to social media, with every click, share and login-in you leave behind a digital trail. The GDPR ensures that your data can only be used in ways you agree to and that you can access any information about yourself.

    But do people actually know how to protect their data? 
    We asked passers-by on the streets of Brussels.

    Happy Data Protection Day!

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EU sends power generators to storm-struck Ireland

    Source: European Union 2

    Following Ireland’s request for assistance relating to power outages caused by the record-breaking storm Éowyn, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated. The EU has immediately mobilised 13 power generators from the Commission’s own strategic reserve, rescEU, hosted in Poland. 4 power generators offered by Denmark via the Mechanism will also soon reach Ireland and help provide electricity on the ground.

    The EU also activated the Copernicus Emergency Management Service and has provided analytical support to the national authorities.

    The EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre continues to closely monitor the situation and remains in constant contact with the national authorities, ensuring that additional assistance can be promptly channelled if needed.

    EU Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, said: “Extreme weather events, like storm Éowyn, increasingly put Europe’s disaster resilience to the test. But they also demonstrate the growing strength of our joint preparedness and solidarity efforts. Our thoughts are with all those affected and with the first responders in Ireland who are doing their best to bring life back to normal. I thank Denmark for their prompt offer of assistance, and Poland for their excellent collaboration in hosting and delivering the rescEU power generators to Ireland. We are in this together.”

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New humanitarian support for Gaza as ceasefire allows operations to scale up

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    The Minister for Development announces new £17 million package to support thousands of civilians across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    • UK aid package will ensure healthcare, food and shelter reaches tens of thousands of civilians and supports vital infrastructure across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    • Minister for Development, Anneliese Dodds announces £17 million package and reiterates need for much more aid to enter Gaza with the support of UN agencies including UNRWA.

    • Comes as 300,000 people now confirmed treated by UK-Med at field hospitals in Gaza thanks to UK funding.

    Thousands of civilians in Gaza will receive humanitarian aid funded by the UK.

    Food assistance programmes, water and sanitation services and maternal and children’s healthcare are some of the areas which will be scaled up with new funding.

    This will build on UK efforts over the past 15 months which have ensured more than half a million people have received essential healthcare in Gaza.  

    Within this £17 million package announced today, £2 million in funding for the World Bank will support critical water and energy infrastructure construction and restoration across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), including in Gaza. The UK’s ongoing support has meant 284,000 people in Gaza already have improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. 

    This announcement brings the total UK support for the OPTs this financial year to £129 million, demonstrating the UK’s commitment to playing a leading role in alleviating Palestinian suffering and helping to build security and economic recovery in the Middle East. This will help drive UK security, in support of the Government’s Plan for Change. 

    It comes as a Jordanian-led helicopter initiative flying aid directly to Gaza has started delivering lifesaving UK-funded medicines to civilians today. As well as providing up to £500,000 of supplies onboard, the UK has also deployed military planners to assist with logistics. Speaking in the House this afternoon, Minister Dodds will underscore the UK’s pride in working with Jordan – who have demonstrated leadership and commitment to deliver aid via all routes possible – to get the airbridge up and running in such challenging circumstances.

    Minister for Development Anneliese Dodds said: 

    The scale of suffering in Gaza cannot be overstated and the UN and its agencies, including UNRWA, must be allowed by Israel to do their vital work.  

    This announcement is part of the UK’s investment in the ceasefire deal, scaling up aid operations and helping the most desperate people access healthcare, water, food and shelter.  

    We must seize this opportunity to get a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, all the hostages released and a path towards a viable Palestinian state.

    Minister Dodds emphasised the UK will also continue to support the crucial role played by UN agencies and NGOs operating in Gaza. This includes UNRWA, which has played a vital role in the increase in humanitarian assistance since the ceasefire earlier this month.

    Ahead of the upcoming implementation of Israel’s UNRWA legislation on 30 January, which risks jeopardising the humanitarian response in Gaza and the delivery of essential services in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, the UK has urged Israel to ensure that UNRWA can continue its lifesaving operations for Palestinian refugees. Israel has a responsibility under international law to facilitate humanitarian assistance. Minister Dodds will again reiterate that humanitarian operations must not face a cliff edge on 30 January.

    The Minister for Development also confirmed that the UK provided an additional £4.5 million to UK-Med last year. The charity deploys staff, many of whom work in the NHS, to crisis-hit areas around the world to deliver life and limb-saving healthcare. NHS staff who work for UK-Med typically deploy to Gaza for a four-week period, supporting lifesaving efforts and gaining essential trauma experience.

    UK funding has helped doctors in Gaza treat more than 300,000 patients in Gaza with a range of medical conditions as well as treating injuries directly associated with the conflict. This funding is on top of the £5.5 million announced for the charity on the Foreign Secretary’s first visit to Israel and the OPTs in July last year. 

    UK-Med CEO, David Wightwick said:

    After more than two decades in humanitarian work, I have never seen a crisis of this scale and severity.

    That’s why UK Government funding is vital in providing support to UK-Med to deliver life-saving care to over 300,000 patients in Gaza during 2024. 

    I want to thank our 400-strong team on the ground for their determination, professionalism and tireless work to address the health impacts of this devastating conflict.

    This government’s steadfast support for UNRWA, including £41m of support this financial year, has helped the organisation deliver its humanitarian operation and provide essential services such as education, social care and vaccinations across the OPTs and to Palestinian refugees in the region.  

    Notes to editors 

    • The £17 million package announced today consists of: 
    • £15 million of UK funding comes from the Crisis Reserve pool to be allocated to partner agencies. 
    • £2 million of funding for the World Bank to deliver water and energy infrastructure across the OPTs, including in Gaza 
    • An additional £4.5 million of funding to UK-Med has previously been allocated and spent but not announced  
    • UK-Med operate two field hospitals in Gaza, Deir Al Balah and Al Mawasi. The Al Mawasi field hospital has, among other facilities, an operating theatre, a maternity unit and physical rehabilitation services for patients. At Deir Al Balah, UK-Med staff deliver primary care and see over 400 patients a day.  *This air bridge to Gaza is no substitute for the road routes. The terms of the ceasefire must be adhered to, so that many more trucks can safely and effectively distribute aid within Gaza.
    • Footage – b-roll of UK aid to Gaza via Jordanian helicopters and UK-Med field hospital

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Marat Khusnullin: The number of energy-efficient houses under construction has increased by 14%

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The Russian construction industry is increasingly using technologies aimed at increasing energy efficiency. Thus, according to DOM.RF, at the beginning of 2025, almost 3.7 thousand apartment buildings with energy efficiency of A and higher are being built. This is 14% more than the year before. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

    “The development of energy-efficient housing construction in the country has become possible thanks to comprehensive approaches developed to improve the infrastructure. This is also facilitated by the green GOST R created by the Ministry of Construction and DOM.RF for apartment buildings. Also, to stimulate the construction of such housing, targeted financial support measures are being introduced in the country and systematic work is being carried out to improve the quality of data on the energy efficiency of the housing stock. All this together gives citizens comfortable living, since utility costs are significantly reduced in such houses. As of January 1, 2024, 3,139 energy-efficient houses were under construction, and a year later – already 3,667. The total living area of green buildings is 43.7 million square meters,” said Marat Khusnullin.

    At the beginning of 2025, Moscow became the leader in the construction of energy-efficient housing, reaching 12.4 million square meters. It is followed by the Moscow Region (4.4 million square meters) and the Tyumen Region (2.4 million square meters). Next on the list are the Sverdlovsk Region (2 million square meters), Primorsky Krai (1.8 million square meters), St. Petersburg (1.7 million square meters) and Krasnoyarsk Krai (1.1 million square meters).

    “Over the year, the geography of energy-efficient housing construction has expanded and now covers 82 regions. The share of green buildings among all buildings at the construction stage is also steadily growing – from 24.5% in 2021 to 32% at the beginning of 2025. All this is the result of comprehensive work on the sustainable development of the industry, which the Russian Government is carrying out together with DOM.RF. It includes the development of green standards, the launch of targeted measures to support high-quality projects within the framework of preferential project financing with a cluster approach and the creation of conditions for the transition of developers to a closed-loop economy,” said Vitaly Mutko, General Director of DOM.RF.

    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 Russia: International Winter Academy on Nuclear Energy for Students from China Concluded

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The International Winter Academy on Energy has ended at the Institute of Energy. This project is aimed at developing international educational cooperation in energy with universities in different countries. This winter, the Nuclear Energy module was organized for Chinese students from Harbin Engineering University, Sichuan University, Shandong University, and Tsinghua University.

    The staff of the Higher School of Nuclear and Thermal Energy of the Institute of Power Engineering have been conducting classes in a hybrid format since the pandemic. The transition to online classes was inevitable then, and now it has become a convenient option for students who, for various reasons, cannot come.

    We will continue to accept students both online and in person, as there is demand for this. Our program is short-term, it covers both basic and special aspects of energy, so we provide some participants with the opportunity to study after their main classes and after finishing work, – said Ekaterina Sokolova, associate professor at HSE and founder of the academy.

    The Winter Academy received the “status” of an academy when the organizers and founders of the project realized that education is not the only area of cooperation in which students, teachers from foreign universities and polytechnics are interested.

    Now the program includes not only lectures and intensive courses, but also case studies and presentations of scientific research. The Academy participants presented projects on various topics: “Artificial Intelligence on the Path to Sustainable Energy”, “Small Modular Reactors”, “Nuclear Energy and Climate Change”, etc.

    Students wrote review articles and provided examples of the latest developments in their country, Russia and the world, based on the knowledge they had gained during the program. They presented their research results on the final day at the energy forum.

    The guys visited the laboratory of the Scientific and Educational Center “Thermal Physics in Power Engineering”, where Professor Vladimir Mityakov of the Higher School of Engineering and Technology gave a tour in English, showed the work of the wind tunnel and the results of experiments conducted with its help. Associate Professors of the Higher School of Engineering and Technology Khashayar Sadeghi and Hadi Seyed accompanied the students of the Academy, assistant Alexey Tarasenko gave a lecture on the basics of probabilistic safety analysis.

    We would like our academy to be able to provide not only knowledge, but also the skills required for conducting scientific activities and writing articles. The guys get acquainted with the Polytechnic, with teachers and students. We hold events that teach them to work in a team, overcome the language barrier and develop the skill of communicating with future colleagues and scientists. The language of science is, first of all, the language of cooperation, both in education and in culture, – shared Ekaterina Andreyevna.

    A cultural program was prepared for the Academy participants. The children visited the Hermitage and the Yusupov Palace. Senior lecturer of the Higher School of Architecture and Technical Ethics Natalia Donmez and specialist of the SPbPU History Museum Maria Zavyalova conducted a bilingual excursion dedicated to the history of the Polytechnic University.

    The academy’s organizers plan to attract Russian students and students from international educational programs to obtain different opinions and come to new solutions.

    In the near future, IE employees will begin preparing for the spring program on hydrogen energy, which is very popular. Scientists Competence Center for Advanced Nuclear Technologies in the Area of Sustainable Development and Decarbonization of Energy create a course taking into account the latest industry developments.

    In the summer, the team is preparing for the arrival of several delegations from China and students from other countries for modules on electric power, oil and gas industry, nuclear power, and renewable energy sources.

    Students can follow the updates and recruitment to the academy as tutors on the IE website.

    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 Russia: Results of the International Festival of the Merry and Inventive: the Scientific and Methodological Center of KVN will open at the State University of Management

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    From January 21 to 25 this year, the fourth All-Russian forum “KVN – School of Leaders” was held in Sochi as part of the International Festival “KiViN-2025”. The event was organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the State University of Management and the Television Creative Association “AMiK”.

    The goal of the Forum is to strengthen and further develop the youth movement of the Club of the Merry and Resourceful among employees of federal and regional executive authorities involved in the implementation of youth policy and educational work, as well as specialists from higher education institutions involved in programs in the same areas.

    The central event of the Forum was the panel discussion “KVN – School of Leaders”. The participants were greeted via videoconference by Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Olga Petrova. The speakers of the panel discussion were:

    — Tatyana Omelchuk – representative of the Department for Public Projects of the Presidential Administration; — Vladimir Stroyev – rector of the State University of Management; — Alexander Maslyakov – general director of TTO “AMiK”; — Anton Serikov – general director of the Mashuk Knowledge Center; — Ruben Partevyan – deputy general director of TTO “AMiK”; — Pavel Pavlovsky – vice-rector of the State University of Management.

    The participants discussed the scale of the KVN movement in Russian universities, which involves about 22 thousand activists from all over the country, who played about 650 games at their universities last year. “KiViN-2025” brought together more than 550 teams in Sochi. All of them represent enormous potential for the development of youth policy and creative industry in their regions.

    In order to develop the university movement of the cheerful and resourceful, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, it was decided to create a Scientific and Methodological Center for KVN on the basis of the State University of Management, which will help everyone who wants to organize their games, leagues and cups, teach them how to interact with the management of universities, seek financial support outside of universities, and set the right vector for the development of student KVN in Russia.

    The Forum program was rich and diverse. Key tasks and goals were presented at the introductory session. During the first day, participants also had a unique opportunity to meet with the management of TTO “AMiK”, discuss the prospects for the development of the KVN movement, and exchange their experiences with each other in an informal setting.

    The second day opened with a lecture on the role and importance of the movement of the cheerful and resourceful in achieving the national goal – revealing the potential of each person, developing their talents and nurturing patriotism and social responsibility. Later, the participants had the opportunity to talk with the head of the Safe Internet League Ekaterina Mizulina. During the day, master classes were held on the legal aspects of organizing KVN games, as well as issues of interaction between official children’s leagues and regional branches of the “Movement of the First”.

    The third day of the forum included a workshop on “Creative and motivational aspects of organizing Club games in educational institutions.” A strategic session on new forms of integrating the KVN movement into state youth policy was also held with the participation of representatives of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

    The last, fourth day, January 24, gave the participants the opportunity to attend a lecture on the formation of federal standards for organizing KVN games and training teams of various levels. This was followed by a strategic session dedicated to children’s KVN, issues of its development and interaction at the local level.

    The organizers expressed confidence that the Forum will be an important step towards strengthening and further developing the KVN youth movement in Russia, contributing to the formation of a new generation of leaders capable of making a significant contribution to the future of the country.

    At the International Festival “KiViN-2025” the State University of Management was represented by four teams: “Singlplayer”, “Ikhnie”, “Fildepersovye” and “Kontora”. The guys coped with dignity, showing brilliant performances and a high level of training.

    “Singlplayer” once again made it to the second round of the festival and eventually received an invitation to the show “League of Cities” on TNT. “Fildepersovye” made it to the second round for the first time, performed in front of Alexander Maslyakov and got the opportunity to play in the Central Leagues of the International Union of KVN. “Kontora” made a successful debut at the Sochi festival and received an “increased rating”, which is a significant achievement for newcomers and gives the right to perform in the Central Leagues.

    Moreover, these three teams were nominated for the “Break of the Day” after their performances in the first round. The editors only award this nomination to 5 out of 80-90 teams whose performances were the funniest and most memorable.

    The KiViN-2025 festival for the teams of the KVN League of the State University of Management was incredibly successful. We are proud of the guys for their work, creativity and desire to win. Congratulations to everyone and wish them great success in the next season!

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 01/28/2025

    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 Russia: The ensemble “Zori Rossii” in the cultural center of F.A. Iskander – library No. 36

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    A concert by the ensemble “Zori Rossii” under the direction of Antonina Melnik, former soloist of the State Academic Russian Folk Choir named after M.E. Pyatnitsky, will be held in the F.A. Iskander Cultural Center – Library No. 36.

    The program will feature Russian folk songs, including famous pieces that have long been part of the national culture. After the concert, guests will be able to chat with the band members and take memorable photos.

    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/330025257/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Origami. Funny animals” in the club “Atom”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The Atom club will host an origami master class. Participants will create animal figures — from playful kittens to graceful cranes — and, under the guidance of an experienced teacher, will learn the basics of this ancient art. The class will tell you about the best types of paper, useful tools, and important techniques that will help you achieve excellent results. The crafts you create can become both an original decoration for your home and a touching gift.

    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/330027257/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Changes Coming for Two Disaster Recovery Centers in Georgia

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency 2

    he Disaster Recovery Center in Jefferson County will close permanently at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan.  30. The recovery center in Coffee County will close at its current location at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, and reopen at a new location at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 30. 
    The centers’ standard hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, except Fulton County center, where the hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed Saturday. All centers are closed on Sundays.
    Jefferson County (closing permanently 6 p.m. Jan. 30)
    National Guard Bid-EOC
    1841 Hwy. 24 West
    Louisville, GA 30434
    Coffee County (location through 6 p.m. Jan. 29)
    The Atrium         
    114 N. Peterson Ave
    Douglas, GA 31533
    Coffee County (new location as of 10 a.m. Jan. 30)
    Coffee County Service Center         
    1115 West Baker Hwy
    Douglas, GA 31533
    Residents can visit any open center. They can find the center closest to them by going to fema.gov/drc. All centers are accessible to people with disabilities or access and functional needs and are equipped with assistive technology. 
    FEMA provides help to all disaster survivors, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. Our top priority is ensuring that disaster assistance is reaching people in need.
    Homeowners and renters in Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Butts, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Dodge, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Fulton, Glascock, Glynn, Hancock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Newton, Pierce, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, Stephens, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler and Wilkes counties can visit any open center to meet with representatives of FEMA, the State of Georgia and the U.S. Small Business Administration. No appointment is needed.
    If you are in an affected county, you are encouraged to apply for FEMA disaster assistance. The quickest way to apply is online at DisasterAssistance.gov. You can also apply using the FEMA App for mobile devices or calling toll-free 800-621-3362. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in most languages.
    For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance go to FEMA Accessible: Applying for Individual Assistance – YouTube.
    For the latest information about Georgia’s recovery, visit fema.gov/helene/georgia. Follow FEMA Region 4 @FEMARegion4 on X or follow FEMA on social media at: FEMA Blog on fema.gov, @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol on X, FEMA or FEMA Espanol on Facebook, @FEMA on Instagram, and via FEMA YouTube channel Also, follow Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton on X @FEMA_Cam.
    ###
    FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after disasters.
    Learn more at fema.gov/helene/georgia
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: WISDOMTREE MULTI ASSET ISSUER PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY (a public company incorporated with limited liability in Ireland) WISDOMTREE NASDAQ 100® 3X DAILY SHORT SECURITIES ISIN: IE00BLRPRJ20

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    28 January 2025

    LSE Code: QQQS

    WISDOMTREE MULTI ASSET ISSUER PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    (a public company incorporated with limited liability in Ireland)
    WISDOMTREE NASDAQ 100® 3X DAILY SHORT SECURITIES
    ISIN: IE00BLRPRJ20

    RESULTS OF MEETING OF THE ETP SECURITYHOLDERS

    WisdomTree Multi Asset Issuer Public Limited Company (the “Issuer”) wishes to announce that the Extraordinary Resolution regarding the reduction in the principal amount of the WisdomTree NASDAQ 100® 3x Daily Short Securities (the “Affected Securities”) from USD 1.218 to USD 0.1218, as set out in a notice to holders of the Affected Securities dated 11 December 2024, was passed at an adjourned meeting of the holders of the Affected Securities held at 11am on 28 January 2025.

    As a result, the Deed of Amendment has been duly executed by the Issuer, the Manager and the Trustee to put the proposed amendments to the Trust Deed into effect from 28 January 2025.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: “Risks in Focus 2025” – Climate change, geopolitics and a weak economy could put pressure on Germany’s financial system

    Source: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht – In English

    In 2025, companies in the German financial sector should ensure that their risk management incorporates more comprehensive Information on the consequences of climate change. According to BaFin, physical risks such as extreme weather or natural disasters in the form of major fires, droughts or floods could have a much greater impact on banks’ loan portfolios and insurers’ loss amounts in future.
    In this year’s “Risks in Focus”, BaFin describes these increasing physical risks as a relevant trend for the financial sector. At a press conference to mark the publication, BaFin President Mark Branson explained: “The environment in which companies in the financial sector have to operate is highly challenging because, for many risk drivers – such as climate change, geopolitical upheavals and quantum leaps in technological progress – we lack relevant historical experience. This makes it all the more important for companies in the financial sector to think in terms of scenarios, manage risks wisely and prepare themselves for potential shocks with well-stocked capital and liquidity buffers.”

    In 2025, BaFin will focus particularly on six risks

    In its outlook on risks, BaFin explains at the beginning of each year where the financial system in Germany is particularly vulnerable and which risks are most capable of jeopardising financial stability or the integrity of German financial markets. BaFin also highlights what it considers to be relevant trends that companies in the financial sector should be paying attention to. For financial institutions, the outlook provides a useful guideline for their own risk management. It also gives an overview of BaFin’s supervisory priorities for the current year.

    In total, BaFin is focusing on six risks and three trends for the German financial sector:

    Opportunities and risks from three trends

    Alongside these risks, BaFin has identified three trends that offer opportunities for the economy and the financial sector, but that also harbour considerable risks: sustainability issues, digitalisation and geopolitical upheavals. In addition to the physical risks of advancing climate change, BaFin also sees risks in the uncertainties and costs associated with the transition to a low-carbon economy (transition risks). In BaFin’s view, “greenwashing”, i.e. attempts to sell products based on unfounded claims that they are particularly environmentally friendly or responsible, also still poses risks.

    Digitalisation and geopolitics

    When it comes to digitalisation, BaFin is concerned with increasing cyber risks, the responsible use of artificial intelligence, volatility in the market valuation of cryptoassets and, most recently, the future use of quantum computers. Although high-performance quantum computers have yet to be used on a mass scale, in the interests of IT security, financial companies should already be preparing for their potential application. In the future, quantum computers will be able to crack data encryption methods that are currently considered secure. Criminals could therefore steal data now to decrypt later with the aid of quantum computing. The development of protection plans is therefore crucial.

    According to Branson, “Many companies are aware of all these risks and have invested in their IT security. It is important to us that companies continuously monitor current developments and threats. They must also prepare for crisis situations and adapt their security measures. This is what we expect of them. It is also what their customers expect of them.”

    In terms of geopolitics, clear trends towards market fragmentation and increasing tensions between countries were observed in 2024. This could continue, with repercussions for the entire financial system. Although they are not an independent risk type, geopolitical crises can influence and exacerbate other relevant risks. The German financial system is particularly susceptible because of Germany’s close international trade links and the high export dependency of its economy.

    Contact:Jacque­line Juk­nat

    Head of Communications
    Phone: +49 (0) 228 / 4108 – 4629

    Contact:Christoph Blu­men­thal

    Head of Press Relations and Social Media
    Phone: +49 (0) 228 4108-7094

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Illumio Research Reveals 58% of Companies Hit With Ransomware Have Been Forced to Halt Operations

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ransomware attacks are disrupting and undermining business operations and draining revenue streams, according to new research from the Ponemon Institute, commissioned by Illumio, Inc., the leader in breach containment.

    Findings from The Global Cost of Ransomware Study reveal that 58% of organizations had to shut down operations following a ransomware attack, up from 45% in 2021. Forty percent reported a significant loss of revenue (up from 22% in 2021); 41% lost customers; and 40% had to eliminate jobs.

    The research examined the scope of ransomware threats confronting organizations and the measures being implemented to reduce the risks and their impacts. Key findings include:

    • Attackers are reaching critical systems to cause maximum disruption: Ransomware attacks impacted 25% of critical systems, with systems down for 12 hours on average.
    • Organizations continue to spend significant time and money containing ransomware: On average, it took 17.5 people, 132 hours each to contain and remediate their largest ransomware attack.
    • Costs associated with reputation and brand damage now exceed those from legal and regulatory actions: 35% experienced significant brand damage from an attack (up from 21% in 2021).
    • Failure to prioritize investments that boost resilience is costing businesses: 44% lack the ability to quickly identify and contain attacks, and only 27% have implemented microsegmentation – a vital control for stopping the spread of breaches.

    “Ransomware is more pervasive and impactful than ever, with more organizations forced to suspend operations or experiencing major business failure because of attacks,” said Trevor Dearing, Director of Critical Infrastructure at Illumio. “Organizations need operational resilience and controls like microsegmentation that stop attackers from reaching critical systems. By containing attacks at the point of entry, organizations can protect critical systems and data, and save millions in downtime, lost business, and reputational damage.”

    Cloud and hybrid environments remain weak links, with attackers exploiting unpatched systems
    The increased connectivity of business systems and devices is making it harder for organizations to defend against ransomware attacks. Organizations perceive the cloud as being the most vulnerable, and 35% say a lack of visibility across hybrid environments makes it difficult to respond to ransomware attacks.

    Desktops and laptops remain the most compromised devices (50%), with phishing and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) cited as top entry points for ransomware. Most attacks moved across the network to infect other devices. In over half of these cases (52%), attackers exploited unpatched systems to move laterally and escalate system privileges; up significantly from 33% in 2021.

    Organizations are investing heavily in ransomware defense, but efforts are falling short
    According to the research, nearly a third of IT budgets (29%) are allocated to staff and technologies meant to prevent, detect, contain, and resolve ransomware attacks, yet attacks are still successful. Eighty-eight percent of organizations have fallen victim to a ransomware attack, despite 54% being confident in their security posture.

    Organizations are also taking a chance on ransomware recovery and failing. Fifty-two percent of respondents believe having a full and accurate backup is a sufficient defense against ransomware. Yet only 13% were able to recover all impacted data following a ransomware attack.

    The report also found larger organizational challenges in defending against ransomware including:

    • Ransomware reporting is still not happening: 72% of those that experienced a ransomware attack didn’t report it to law enforcement. Top reasons for not reporting include fear of publicizing the incident (39%); a payment deadline (38%); and fear of retaliation (38%). 
    • Employees are more security conscious, but still a weak link: 40% are confident in the ability of employees to detect social engineering lures (up from 30% in 2021), however, insider negligence is the top challenge when responding to ransomware attacks.
    • Organizations are slow to adopt AI to combat ransomware: Only 42% have specifically adopted AI to help combat ransomware. More (51%) are concerned their organization may experience an AI-generated ransomware attack.

    To learn more, download the full Global Cost of Ransomware Study here or check out the blog here.

    Research Methodology  
    The research was conducted by Ponemon Institute on behalf of Illumio among 2,547 IT and cybersecurity practitioners in the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia and Japan. All participants have responsibility for addressing ransomware attacks within their organizations.

    About Illumio  
    Illumio, the most comprehensive Zero Trust solution for ransomware and breach containment, protects organizations from cyber disasters and enables operational resilience without complexity. By visualizing traffic flows and automatically setting segmentation policies, the Illumio Zero Trust Segmentation Platform reduces unnecessary lateral movement across the multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructure, protecting critical resources and preventing the spread of cyberattacks. 

    Contact Information 
    Comms-team@illumio.com 

    About Ponemon Institute 
    Ponemon Institute is dedicated to independent research and education that advances responsible information and privacy management practices within business and government. Our mission is to conduct high quality, empirical studies on critical issues affecting the management and security of sensitive information about people and organizations.

    We uphold strict data confidentiality, privacy and ethical research standards. We do not collect any personally identifiable information from individuals (or company identifiable information in our business research). Furthermore, we have strict quality standards to ensure that subjects are not asked extraneous, irrelevant or improper questions.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Finance Teams Prioritize ESG Reporting but Lack Adequate Technology, Finds insightsoftware Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — insightsoftware, the most comprehensive provider of solutions for the Office of the CFO, today released its 2025 ESG Insights and Challenges Report. The report highlights the growing complexities that global organizations face in ESG reporting, including the challenges finance leaders experience gathering, integrating, and analyzing data from multiple sources.

    With the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) set to take effect in the EU in 2025, the research explores how unprepared organizations are to meet the new regulatory requirements. Notably, 52% of businesses rely on data from more than five sources for ESG reporting, underscoring significant hurdles to achieving compliance.

    This report reveals that while many organizations across the EU and the UK express confidence in their ability to comply with regulations like the CSRD, they struggle to find the right tools to accomplish the necessary compliance tasks. In fact, 58% of organizations are already exploring new technology to enhance their ESG reporting capabilities. Complying with regulations like the CSRD and overcoming reporting roadblocks remain highly important for global organizations to meet their ESG goals.

    Key findings from the report include:

    • Technology capabilities are lacking: With 92% of organizations concerned that their ESG reporting processes won’t scale to meet future regulatory demands, organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to identify the necessary tools tailored to their operational needs. They cite data security and privacy concerns as the most prevalent issue (59%), given the sensitive nature of ESG data and regulatory scrutiny.
    • The compliance path forward is uncertain: Companies that do business in the EU need to comply with CSRD, however more than half of decision-makers remain heavily uncertain and confused about its requirements (52%). The primary goal of ESG reporting is to improve transparency and stakeholder engagement say 49%, and 86% of ESG decision-makers overwhelmingly value data visualization and dashboards as the most valuable features in an ESG technology solution.
    • Complex, timely processes hinder ESG reporting success: Amidst the digitalization wave, organizations fight against a steady influx of data. Data collection is the biggest hurdle, responded 95% of decision-makers. In fact, over half (52%) report spending more than four weeks each year solely on collecting data.

    “Without the proper tools, global businesses risk hampering their organization’s ability to comply with ESG regulatory requirements,” said insightsoftware General Manager, EPM & Controllership, Monica Boydston. “This is why tools like the insightsoftware ESG Reporting Solution are crucial to enable teams to seamlessly collect, consolidate, analyze, and disclose ESG data from any source, reducing the risk of non-compliance and costly reporting errors.”

    Leveraging established technologies in close and consolidation, disclosure management, and business intelligence (BI) that are trusted by thousands of customers worldwide, insightsoftware ESG provides the controls, audit trails, and security necessary for delivering investor-grade data and meeting regulatory filing requirements. It enables businesses to effectively measure the impact of their ESG initiatives, helping to attract ESG-focused investors.

    Download the complete findings of the 2025 ESG Insights & Challenges Report here to learn how finance decision-makers can begin to address their ESG reporting challenges.

    To explore insightsoftware ESG and how it can better support an organization’s sustainability goals from data collection to compliance and stakeholder communication, visit here.

    Research Methodology
    insightsoftware’s 2025 ESG Insights & Challenges report was developed in coordination with Hanover Research. It was conducted to gain insights into the current trends and challenges facing finance leaders. To achieve this objective, a quantitative survey was administered to a sample of 400 ESG decision-makers across France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, and the UK. The survey targeted professionals at the director level or higher from organizations with over 500 employees, spanning accounting, finance, compliance, executive teams, regulatory affairs, and sustainability roles.

    About insightsoftware

    insightsoftware is a global provider of comprehensive solutions for the Office of the CFO. We believe an actionable business strategy begins and ends with accessible financial data. With solutions across financial planning and analysis (FP&A), accounting, and operations, we transform how teams operate, empowering leaders to make timely and informed decisions. With data at the heart of everything we do, insightsoftware enables automated processes, delivers trusted insights, boosts predictability, and increases productivity. Learn more at insightsoftware.com.

    Media Contacts
    Inkhouse for insightsoftware
    insightsoftware@inkhouse.com  

    Daniel Tummeley
    Corporate Communications Manager
    PR@insightsoftware.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Data Storage Corporation’s CloudFirst Subsidiary Partners with Pulsant to Drive Platform Growth

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MELVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Data Storage Corporation (Nasdaq: DTST) (“DSC” and the “Company”), a leading provider of multi-cloud hosting, managed cloud services, disaster recovery, cybersecurity, and IT automation, that integrates with AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, today announced that its subsidiary, CloudFirst Europe, has entered into a strategic partnership with Pulsant, the most geographically diverse UK provider of edge infrastructure and data centres.

    This partnership aligns with CloudFirst’s ongoing growth strategy to strengthen its global footprint. The CloudFirst platform currently operates in six data centers, across three countries, serving more than 400 clients. The partnership will extend the platform across Pulsant facilities in the UK.

    The partnership is driven by a shared vision to address the unique cloud-based hosting and disaster recovery needs of IBM customers. Many businesses encounter challenges with IBM environments, and this collaboration allows CloudFirst to deliver its specialized expertise to Pulsant’s extensive customer base. By leveraging Pulsant’s local infrastructure and trusted relationships, CloudFirst can extend its reach to new markets while providing tailored solutions to customers across Europe and the UK, including American enterprises with operations in the region.

    “The UK and Ireland remain strategically important markets for IBM, and demand from businesses looking to modernise legacy systems continues to grow,” said Wendy Shearer, Director of Partnerships and Ecosystems at Pulsant. “Many organisations still haven’t found the right way forward. Our partnership with CloudFirst gives these companies the deep IBM expertise and a close, reliable network infrastructure. This combination makes it easier, simpler and faster for them to evolve their IBM environments, eliminating complexities and extending the return on their IBM investment.”

    The expertise of the teams within both CloudFirst and Pulsant is a key strength of this collaboration. Pulsant’s skilled data center professionals and CloudFirst’s IBM specialists are working closely to ensure the partnership delivers seamless service and exceptional value to customers. This alignment of expertise and commitment illustrates the quality of the relationship and its potential to drive long-term success.

    “At the core of this partnership is our ability to meet the demands of IBM platform users who need specialized expertise,” added, Hal Schwartz, President of CloudFirst. “By combining Pulsant’s extensive local infrastructure and trusted client relationships with CloudFirst’s focus on IBM platform solutions, we’re creating a robust and dynamic offering that allows us to address the critical needs of mid-market and enterprise customers.”

    About Pulsant
    Pulsant is the UK’s leading regional edge infrastructure. Our platformEDGE infrastructure connects 12 strategically located data centres through a low-latency network fabric, providing access to cloud, connectivity, and compute services across the UK and beyond.

    Pulsant enables regional businesses and service providers to leverage the power of edge computing to improve application performance and user experience, reach new markets, and build innovative use cases. platformEDGE allows businesses to scale IT workloads in line with their ambitions, both locally and nationally, while ensuring continuous availability of data and applications through diverse connectivity options.

    By choosing Pulsant, clients can optimise costs with local, secure infrastructure and access to an ecosystem of suppliers and partners, delivering exceptional time to value and supporting their digital ambitions. With almost three decades of experience and more than 1,200 clients who put their trust in our sustainable network infrastructure, we are committed to our ESG goals, holding multiple accreditations, including ISO27001 and PCI DSS, to deliver the highest standards of security and compliance.

    About Data Storage Corporation
    Data Storage Corporation (Nasdaq: DTST) through its subsidiaries is a leading provider of multi-cloud hosting, fully managed cloud services, disaster recovery, cybersecurity, IT automation, and voice & data solutions. Recognizing that data migration is a critical step in transitioning from on-premises systems to the cloud, DTST provides comprehensive migration services to ensure seamless, secure, and efficient data transfer, minimizing downtime and optimizing performance.

    Through its CloudFirst platform, built on IBM Power Cloud infrastructure, DTST delivers high-performance, scalable, and secure cloud solutions with interoperability across its infrastructure partners, AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.

    With data centers supporting cloud platform deployments across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, DTST provides mission-critical cloud services to a diverse clientele, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, educational institutions, and healthcare organizations.

    As a leader in the multi-billion-dollar cloud hosting and business continuity market, DTST is recognized for its expertise in cloud infrastructure, IT modernization, and data migration, enabling clients to transition to the cloud with confidence and operational continuity.

    For more information, please visit www.dtst.com or follow us on X @DataStorageCorp.

    Safe Harbor Provision

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created thereby. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “projects,” “estimates,” “plans” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may” and “could” are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts, although not all forward-looking statements include the foregoing. The forward looking statements in this press release include statements such as the expected contribution of Mr. Freeman, the Company’s expansion of its innovative cloud business into the European market and solving the challenges the Company’s customers face today while delivering services that keep their businesses fully operational at all times by specializing in the migration of mission-critical workloads into the Company’s secure, enterprise managed cloud infrastructure providing complete recovery to guarantee service performance. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations and assumptions from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include the Company’s ability to grow its presence in Europe. These risks should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was initially made. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

    Contact:
    Crescendo Communications, LLC
    212-671-1020
    DTST@crescendo-ir.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: François Villeroy de Galhau: For a high speed and safe journey into the financial future

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Ladies and gentlemen,
    It is a great pleasure to welcome you to this high-level conference organised by the Banque de France on speed and innovation, and how they could be disruptive for financial markets and market infrastructures. Let me thank Emmanuelle Assouan and her teams for setting up this event. I would also like to extend my warm thanks to all participants from industry, public authorities and central banks who will give their views during three roundtables today, including my colleagues and friends Andrea Maechler, Piero Cipollone and Naoto Shimoda.

    It is a première for a Banque de France conference to be held here at the Cinémathèque française, which is definitely an excellent venue for our theme of today: we are here in the place where speed is made art. As you know, cinema was invented in France by the Lumière brothers in the late 19th century. During the projection in 1896 of one of their very first movies, The arrival of a train at La Ciotat station, the audience was so overwhelmed by the moving image of a train coming directly at them that people ran away. But we do not fear speed anymore, on the contrary: it has become a key success factor in financial markets and market infrastructures, yielding high benefits. Transactions and their settlement have already become dramatically swifter over the last decades – notably in France, which was at the forefront in dematerialising securities – and will continue gathering speed. I will first elaborate on the reasons why, in a fast-moving environment, resilience must be preserved in order to ensure financial stability (I). Our public-private partnership has to evolve, with a view to enhancing cross-border payments and the holistic project of creating a shared ledger (II). 

    I. A fast-moving financial system whose resilience must be preserved in order to ensure financial stability

    Markets are undergoing structural changes, all driven by increased speed aimed at achieving higher efficiency. Automation and high-frequency trading are driving a rise in daily trading volumes; new participants have emerged, and incumbents have evolved. Nowadays, robots and algorithms are unlocking new possibilities, while artificial intelligence offers the promise of value added in trading, customer relationships and investment decisions. From photography to digital movies, from local theatres to global web platforms, cinematography has gone through technological revolutions over the years. However, whether it’s in cinema or finance, speed is not a goal per se. The social utility of certain accelerations such as high-frequency trading remains to be seen, and they carry risks. We must reflect on new guardrails to protect against possible increased market volatility – and even potential flash crashes caused by poorly coordinated algorithms that can amplify massive sell-offs.
     
    Post-market processes are keeping pace with this acceleration in trading: settlement is getting ever faster. A few years ago, implementing T+2 (i.e. ensuring settlement within two days of transaction execution) was a major step forward for all players, as enshrined in the European CSDR regulation.i Nowadays we are once again aiming for more ambitious targets, with an objective of T+1 in Europe in 2027 – as has already been the case in the United States, Canada and Mexico since end-May last year. Interestingly, across the Atlantic, this evolution was driven by market players, who saw in the shortening of the settlement cycle an opportunity to further reduce liquidity, counterparty and operational risks. The American experience also shows that T+1 yields direct financial benefits, in particular a significant lowering of CCP margins. T+1 therefore received overall support in ESMA’s and the Commission’s public consultations. I trust that we are all well aware of the operational requirements and challenges to be met:ii  preparatory work must start now, with the adaptation of IT systems and further automation of processes. It is also important to coordinate with the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and to pay due attention to the consequences in terms of shorter cut-offs – notably for FX transactions.
     
    The tokenisation of assets is obviously another groundswell movement, which could further enhance the straight-through processing of trade and post-trade activities, and paves the way for yet another acceleration with a widespread implementation of T+0. It has the potential to generate even greater savings both for the financial industry and end-users. To date, the nascent DLTiii  finance has used new forms of commercial bank money as settlement assets, such as tokenised deposits or so-called stablecoins. As experience has shown in the last few years, they are far from immune, and Europe has made the right step by adopting the MiCA regulation. Failing to regulate crypto-assets and non-banks today would merely sow the seeds for tomorrow’s financial crisis.
     
    Beyond these regulatory issues, it has become more and more apparent that we currently lack the anchor provided by central bank money, which drastically reduces counterparty and liquidity risks, and crucially ensures the finality of payments. A wholesale central bank digital currency would ensure convertibility between tokenised assets, exactly as central banks currently ensure convertibility between commercial bank monies, allowing for delivery-versus-payment and payment-versus-payment. In short, tokenised central bank money would provide a “safety pivot”, and serve as a reliable basis of trust on which these new technologies could realise their full potential.

    II. A step further with the interlinking of fast-payment systems and a European shared ledger to meet the challenges of transition and growth

     
    Central banks must therefore keep up with these developments,iv  in order to explore the potential of DLT and foster innovation while preserving the anchoring role of central bank money. Building among others on the Banque de France’s pioneering experiments between 2020 and 2023,v  the Eurosystem conducted a series of new experiments on wholesale CBDC between April and November 2024,vi  with the active involvement of the Banque de France, Banca d’Italia and Bundesbank as solution providers. We witnessed active industry participation in the Eurosystem experiments, and I would like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to your strong commitment – which, I believe, also reflects the growing awareness of the need for a safe settlement asset.
     
    Together, we successfully tested numerous and very diverse use cases, ranging from primary issues to cross-currency payments, repos, margin calls and asset management, to give a few examples. Actual settlement was even tested for the lifecycle management of securities and secondary market transactions. With this ambitious programme, we have further delivered on our learning-by-doing approach, which is of the essence. As announced, the Eurosystem will draw lessons from the exploratory work, including on how to facilitate the provision of central bank money settlement for wholesale asset transactions on DLT platforms. Clearly, it is in the interest of both European commercial banks and the public sector to work together towards a tokenised European framework: money is and will remain a public-private partnership, which has to evolve.
     
    As regards cross-border payments, the Eurosystem has launched initiatives to help improve them, including exploratory work on linking TIPS with other fast-payment systems such as UPI in India. We thereby support the G20 roadmap for creating a faster, cheaper, more transparent and accessible global payments ecosystem, while ensuring secure and reliable instant payments. The G20 roadmap also foresees, in the longer term, the use of tokenisation to further enhance cross-border payments.
     
    We now need to bring all these advances together to create a global motion picture, in a holistic manner. Here, the idea of a “unified ledger” put forward by the BISvii  looks like more than a promising technology: a rallying concept, or even a utopia. This next-generation market infrastructure would take one day in the future the shape of a shared, seamless and programmable platform that integrates central bank money, commercial bank money and tokenised financial assets – which would call for redefined and improved public-private partnerships. Accordingly, in April 2024 the BIS launched Project Agorá,viii  to explore the tokenisation of cross-border payments to improve the existing correspondent banking model. This major project brings together seven central banks worldwide, including the Banque de France which represents the Eurosystem, and a large group of private financial firms. But a first and necessary step towards such a global infrastructure should be to build regional shared ledgers – one of which would be European.
     
    A European shared ledger could prove an efficient means to overcome European market fragmentation and current inefficiencies, by facilitating the provision of seamlessly connected services across Europe. It would therefore act as a catalyst for a Savings and Investments Union, and provide tools such as green bonds and securities to finance the green transition, at a time where we have to mobilise Europe’s private savings surplus of more than EUR 300 billion a year. In short, it would be an important lever for achieving our climate but also digital transformations, which are among our main challenges; it would also help Europe to gain in both size – by unifying its single market – and speed. Achieving this ambitious vision requires moving forward step by step, in a phased approach. Rather than replacing existing infrastructures which have already helped to reduce fragmentation in Europe – like the harmonised settlement system T2S –, this new shared infrastructure would tackle markets which still rely on manual processes and lack standardisation, such as OTC markets and unlisted stocks. A crucial first step will be to make central bank money available on this infrastructure: this makes it all the more important to offer a wholesale CBDC solution in the short term to prepare this long term target.

    Let me conclude with Billy Wilder, the director of Some like it hot. He once gave this sound piece of advice: “If you have a problem with the third act, the real problem is in the first act.” This leads me to a twofold conclusion: first, that it is the right time to engage in the design and experimentation of market infrastructures of the future; second, that fast-paced transformations should not be at the expense of past achievements in financial stability, and increase risks. Central bank money must remain the settlement asset at the core of the financial system, whether tokenised or not. Under this condition, our common technological breakthroughs could contribute to meeting our major challenges. Thank you for your attention. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canada and Greenland aren’t likely to join the US anytime soon – but ‘GrAmeriCa’ is a revealing thought experiment

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Peter A. Coclanis, Professor of History and Director of the Global Research Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    For some time now, pundits have been debating whether to take Donald Trump “seriously” or “literally,” as the clever binary coined by journalist Salena Zito in 2016 has it.

    This choice comes to mind when I think about the 47th president’s frequent comments recently about incorporating Greenland and Canada into the United States. A few cases in point: Before delivering an inaugural address in which he vaguely but forcefully expressed a desire for the U.S. to expand its territory, Trump raised the issue on a confrontational phone call with the prime minister of Denmark, which handles Greenland’s international affairs. More recently, he spoke of Canada becoming a U.S. state to reporters on Air Force One.

    It’s hard to imagine a plausible scenario in which either, let alone both, joins the United States. The governments of Canada and Greenland alike have made it clear that they’re not for sale.

    But as an economic historian, I believe that thought experiments can be a useful way of understanding truths about the world. And one such truth is that Greenland and Canada play a key role in the global economy. If the U.S. were to absorb either or both, it would be a strategic, economic and political game changer.

    So, for a moment, let’s take Trump both seriously and literally. Below, I’ve laid out some very rough measures of how a reconstituted megastate including the U.S., Canada or Greenland would look in comparison to other leading countries and blocs.

    Bigger, but not more crowded

    At first glance, the most obvious thing to note about the new country would be its physical size. Today the U.S. is the third-largest nation-state in terms of area – about 57.5% of the size of Russia, by far the world’s largest country.

    By incorporating Canada, the second-largest country in the world in terms of area, the U.S., so reconstituted, would be 14% larger than Russia. If both Canada and Greenland became part of the reconstituted U.S., the country would be 22% larger than Russia.

    How about China? Today, China is slightly smaller than the U.S. in area, but China would be less than half the size of a combined U.S. and Canada, and only about 44% of the size of the U.S.-Canada-Greenland. And the European Union? It would be less than 20% of the size of a U.S.-Canada-Greenland combo.

    Incorporating Canada and Greenland into the U.S would have less of an impact in demographic terms, adding just under 40 million people to the current U.S. total of 342 million.

    Similarly, if the U.S. absorbed Canada and Greenland — two countries that are wealthy, but not nearly as wealthy as the U.S. — it wouldn’t have much of an impact on gross domestic product per capita. Why not? Because the U.S. would comprise about 90% of the total population of the new megastate. Given the figures for GDP per capita (PPP, international dollars) in Canada and Greenland and weighting for population, GDP per capita in the megastate would be about $79,000.

    A strategic shift

    The biggest effects of absorbing either country into the U.S. would come in the geopolitical, strategic and resource realms. Here, the changes would be seismic. First, by incorporating both countries into the U.S., the new entity would not only consolidate its already considerable power in the Western Hemisphere, but it would also establish a much more formidable position in the Arctic region. This is increasingly important as sea lanes are opening up with climate change.

    By adding territory, the U.S. could potentially enhance its strategic and defense posture, forcing its principal adversaries, Russia and China, to pursue more cautious tacks. These geopolitical and strategic effects would be magnified by the bounty of natural resources in the new megastate.

    Consider that the U.S. is already the largest oil-producing country in the world – producing over 13.3 million barrels a day in 2023 – and Canada is No. 4, with 5 million. Together, the two countries produced over 18 million barrels per day in 2023, while Russia produced about 10.3 million, Saudi Arabia about 9 million, and China 4.2 million. In other words, the U.S. and Canada together produce 8 million barrels of oil more than Russia does each day – a staggering differential.

    The U.S. is also by far the largest producer of natural gas in the world, with Russia a distant second. Incorporating Canada, currently the fifth-largest producer, would add considerably to the U.S. lead.

    Nor does the resource bounty begin and end with oil and natural gas. Greenland is rich in minerals of all types, particularly the rare earth elements in such demand for batteries, electronics and the like.

    And perhaps most important of all is the impact of integration regarding freshwater resources. Integrating the U.S. and Canada would bring that new entity into a virtual tie with Brazil as the leading repository of freshwater resources in the world. Canada and the U.S. are currently Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, in the world in freshwater resources; together, their freshwater stock far surpasses Russia, which is currently No. 2.

    And this doesn’t factor in Greenland, with its massive – if declining – freshwater ice shield. In any case, given the increasing demand for water around the world, control over freshwater resources will prove more and more important for the overall security posture of the U.S. going forward.

    So what do we make of this little exercise? One thing seems clear: “GrAmeriCa” would be amazingly rich in resources, as the president likely knows well. But should we take Trump literally or seriously – or both – on this issue? It may be a case of “Too soon to tell,” to invoke Zhou Enlai’s famous line about one or another revolutionary upheaval in France. But the world will know soon enough.

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

    – ref. Canada and Greenland aren’t likely to join the US anytime soon – but ‘GrAmeriCa’ is a revealing thought experiment – https://theconversation.com/canada-and-greenland-arent-likely-to-join-the-us-anytime-soon-but-gramerica-is-a-revealing-thought-experiment-248214

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: In asking Trump to show mercy, Bishop Budde continues a long tradition of Christian leaders ‘speaking truth to power’

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Joanne M. Pierce, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

    Bishop Mariann Budde leads the national prayer service attended by President Donald Trump at the National Cathedral in Washington on Jan. 21, 2025. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

    Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s sermon on Jan. 21, 2025, in which she appealed to President Donald Trump to have mercy toward groups frightened by his position on immigrants and LGBTQ+ people – especially children – drew reactions from both sides of the aisle.

    In a post on his social networking site, Truth Social, Trump called her comments “nasty in tone” and remarked that she “brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way.”

    “She and her church owe the public an apology!,” he posted. Several conservatives criticized her sermon, while many progressives saw her as “speaking truth to power.”

    As a specialist in medieval Christianity, I was not surprised by the bishop’s words, as I know that Christian history is full of examples of people who have spoken out, unafraid to risk official censure, or even death.

    Early voices

    Even in the early centuries of Christianity, followers of Jesus Christ’s teachings could be outspoken toward political leaders.

    For example, in the first-century Gospels, John the Baptist, a contemporary of Jesus, confronts the ruler of Galilee, Herod Antipas, for marrying his brother’s wife – a practice forbidden in the Hebrew scriptures. For that, John the Baptist was ultimately beheaded.

    In a prayer later called the Magnificat, Mary, the mother of Jesus, praises the glory and power of God who casts down the mighty and raises the lowly. In recent interpretations, these words have been understood as a call for those in authority to act more justly.

    In the late fourth century – a time when Christianity had been made the official religion of the Roman Empire – a respected civil official named Ambrose became bishop of the imperial city of Milan in northern Italy. He became well known for his preaching and theological treatises.

    However, after imperial troops massacred innocent civilians in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, Ambrose reproached Emperor Theodosius and refused to admit him to church for worship until he did public penance for their deaths.

    Ambrose’s writings on scripture and heresy, as well as his hymns, had a profound influence on Western Christian theology; since his death, he has been venerated as a saint.

    In the early sixth century, the Christian Roman senator and philosopher Boethius served as an official in the Roman court of the Germanic king of Italy, Theodoric. A respected figure for his learning and personal integrity, Boethius was imprisoned on false charges after defending others from accusations by corrupt court officials acting out of greed or ambition.

    During his time in prison, he wrote a philosophical volume about the nature of what is true good – “On the Consolation of Philosophy” – that is studied even today. Boethius, who was executed in 524, is venerated as a saint and martyr in parts of Italy.

    Thomas Becket and St. Catherine

    One of the most famous examples of a medieval bishop speaking truth to power is that of Thomas Becket, former chancellor – that is, senior minister – of England in the 12th century. On becoming archbishop of Canterbury, Becket resigned his secular office and opposed the efforts of King Henry II to bring the church under royal control.

    A stained glass window at the Canterbury Cathedral in England depicting the murder of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury.
    Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    After living in exile in France for a time, Becket returned to England and was assassinated by some of Henry’s knights. The king later did public penance for this at Becket’s tomb in Canterbury. Soon after, Becket was canonized a saint.

    Another influential saint was the 14th-century Italian mystic and writer Catherine of Siena. Because of the increasing power of the kings of France, the popes had moved their residence and offices from Rome to Avignon, on the French border. They remained there for most of the century, even though this Avignon papacy increased tensions in western Europee.

    Many Christian clerics and secular rulers in western Europe believed that the popes needed to return to Rome, to distance papal authority from French influence. Catherine herself even traveled to Avignon and stayed there for months, writing letters urging Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome and restore peace to Italy and the church – a goal the pope finally fulfilled in 1377.

    Leaders speak up across denominations

    The Reformation era of the 16th and early 17th centuries led to the splitting of Western Christianity into several different denominations. However, many Christian leaders across denominations continued to raise their voices for justice.

    One important and ongoing voice is that of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers. Early leaders, like Margaret Fell and George Fox, wrote letters to King Charles II of England in the mid-17th century, defending their beliefs, including pacifism, in the face of persecution.

    In the 18th century, based on their belief in the equality of all human beings, Quaker leaders spoke in favor of the abolition of slavery in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

    In fact, it was Bayard Rustin, a Black Quaker, who coined the phrase “to speak truth to power” in the mid-20th century. He adhered to the Quaker commitment to nonviolence in social activism and was active for decades in the American Civil Rights Movement. During the Montgomery bus boycott in the mid-1950s, he met and began working with Martin Luther King Jr., who was an ordained Baptist minister.

    In Germany, leaders from various Christian denominations have also united to speak truth to power. During the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s, several pastors and theologians joined forces to resist the influence of Nazi doctrine over German Protestant churches.

    Their statement, the Barmen Declaration, emphasized that Christians were answerable to God, not the state. These leaders – the Confessing Church – continued to resist Nazi attempts to create a German Church.

    Desmond Tutu and other leaders

    Bishop Desmond Tutu opposed the racial policies of the South African government.
    AP Photo/Jim Abrams

    Christians on other continents, too, continued this vocal tradition. Óscar Romero, the Roman Catholic archbishop of San Salvador, preached radio sermons criticizing the government and army for violence and oppression of the poor in El Salvador during a national civil war. As a result, he was assassinated while celebrating Mass in 1980. Romero was canonized a saint by Pope Francis in 2018.

    In South Africa, the Anglican bishop Desmond Tutu, archbishop of Cape Town, spent much of his active ministry condemning the violence of apartheid in his native country. After the end of the apartheid regime, Tutu also served as chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was established to investigate acts of violence committed both by government forces and violent activists. Before his death in 2021, Tutu continued to speak out against other international acts of oppression. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

    For some, Bishop Budde’s words might seem radical, rude, inappropriate or offensive. But she did not speak in isolation; she is surrounded by a cloud of witnesses in the Christian tradition of speaking truth to power.

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

    – ref. In asking Trump to show mercy, Bishop Budde continues a long tradition of Christian leaders ‘speaking truth to power’ – https://theconversation.com/in-asking-trump-to-show-mercy-bishop-budde-continues-a-long-tradition-of-christian-leaders-speaking-truth-to-power-248209

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull just went on tour − here’s what the medieval saint himself would have said about its veneration

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Therese Cory, Associate Professor of Thomistic Studies, University of Notre Dame

    The skull of St. Thomas Aquinas during a stop at St. Patrick Church in Columbus, Ohio, in December 2024. Nheyob/Wikimedia Commons

    Once, on a road trip in Greece, I stopped with my husband and dad at a centuries-old Orthodox monastery to view its famous frescoes. We were in luck, the porter said: It was a feast day. The relics of the monastery’s saintly founder were on view for public veneration.

    As a Catholic and a medievalist, I can never resist meeting a new saint. The relic, it turned out, was the saint’s hand, though without any special ornament or reliquary, the ornate containers in which relics are often displayed. Nothing but one plain, severed hand in a glass box, its fingers partly contorted, and its discolored skin shriveled onto the bones.

    We gathered around the shrine, silently, to pray. Then my dad, whose piety sometimes runs up against his penchant for dramatic storytelling, leaned over and whispered, “What if at the hotel, in the middle of the night, I hear a scratching sound, and then The Claw …” His own hand started crawling dramatically up his shirt and then flew to his throat.

    “Dad!” I hissed furiously, with a horrified glance at the monks praying nearby.

    Relics can admittedly feel a bit morbid – and yet, so holy. What exactly is their appeal?

    To me, it’s the physical closeness, especially with parts of a saint’s own body – what the Catholic Church calls “first class” relics, which can be as small as a chip of bone. There are also objects the saint used during life: “second class” relics, such as the gloves worn by the Italian mystic Padre Pio.

    The veneration of relics of saints was already well established in the early church. But controversies go back hundreds of years. During the Protestant Reformation, for example, reformers decried the shameless use of relics to drive donations and the proliferation of faux relics. Today, the idea of intentionally dismembering and displaying human body parts can seem shocking, even repulsive.

    Yet venerating relics remains far from a “relic” of the past. At the end of 2024, the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas – the great Dominican medieval thinker whose writings I study – made its first tour of the United States. The journey commemorated the “triple anniversary” of 700 years since his canonization, 750 years since his death and 800 years since his birth.

    From Cincinnati to Rhode Island to Washington, D.C., thousands of Catholics turned out to pay their homage to this medieval saint.

    Religious sisters venerating the skull at St. Patrick Church in Columbus, Ohio.
    Nheyob/Wikimedia Commons

    God’s dwelling place

    What might Aquinas himself have thought about all the attention to his traveling skull – that fragile and now empty case for the brain behind one of the most productive minds of European philosophy?

    Aquinas’ answer lies in a short but poignant text from “Summa Theologiae,” his best-known work. Christians should venerate relics, Aquinas says, because the saints’ bodies were dwelled in by God. The very parts of their bodies were the instruments, or “organs,” of God’s actions.

    The saints as “organs” of God: What a riveting image! God is so intimately present to his friends, the saints, that their very bodies are sanctified by his presence. Those hands, now dead and desiccated, performed God’s own actions as they cared for the sick, fed the hungry, celebrated Mass and reconciled the lost sheep.

    According to Aquinas, honoring saints’ relics is ultimately about honoring this divine activity, a superhuman love working through ordinary human beings. But as he notes elsewhere, God is present in all of creation, working “most secretly” through all creatures at every moment. So by recognizing the special holiness of saints’ relics, Christians can better perceive the universal holiness that radiates through the whole created world.

    Cherished keepsakes

    Yet in discussing relics, Aquinas has some challenging things to say about what is perhaps their most immediate draw: the sense that when I see or touch a relic, I am physically present to a saint.

    Because the saints are brothers and sisters in the Christian family, he says, Christians should cherish their physical remains just as people cherish a memento of a loved one, like “a father’s coat or ring.”

    I did a double-take when I read this: A memento? Surely the saint’s body is more than that.

    Stained glass in St. Patrick Church in Columbus, Ohio, depicts a mystical vision St. Thomas Aquinas had in the 13th century.
    Nheyob/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    But Aquinas insists that physical remains really are more like mementos of the deceased than parts of them. When St. Teresa of Calcutta died, for instance, she left behind a corpse and a soul. These bodily remains shouldn’t be confused with the saint herself, who was a living, breathing, bodily person. If I kiss a saint’s relic, as Catholics often do, I am not kissing the saint but something that was formerly part of a saint. The word “relic” literally goes back to the Latin word for “leaving something behind.”

    The holiness of a relic, then, derives from the person it was once part of, not what it is now.

    Not just “once was,” though, but also “will be.” Aquinas adds – and to me this is one of the most beautiful aspects of his reflections on relics – that venerating a relic is also a way of looking forward to the future resurrection of the body. Christian doctrine teaches that at the end of time, God will restore each person’s body, reuniting it with their soul. Relics represent that hope for everlasting life.

    Later this year, the skull formerly known as Aquinas’ will wend its way back to its permanent place of rest, buried under the altar of the Dominican church in Toulouse, France. During its visit to the U.S., I was down with pneumonia and never got a chance to pay my respects. But I cherish the “third class” relic that my sister-in-law mailed me from Cincinnati: a holy card that she had touched to the skull’s reliquary.

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

    – ref. St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull just went on tour − here’s what the medieval saint himself would have said about its veneration – https://theconversation.com/st-thomas-aquinas-skull-just-went-on-tour-heres-what-the-medieval-saint-himself-would-have-said-about-its-veneration-245970

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  • MIL-OSI Video: UK The situation in Syria – Foreign Affairs Committee Committee

    Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)

    During the first panel, the Committee will hear evidence from Lina Khatib, Chatham House MENA expert and fellow and Simon Collis, the former UK Ambassador to Syria. The panel will examine the factors that led to the fall of Assad and will also assess the stability of the current regime, led by Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Questions are likely to cover whether HTS has truly departed from its jihadist and fundamentalist origins. Members are likely to ask about the role of outside powers in the fall of the Assad regime, including Turkey, Russia, the US, Israel and Iran.

    Richard Barrett, former Director of Counter-terrorism at MI6 and former head of the UN al-Qaeda/Taliban Monitoring Team, will give evidence in the second panel. During this panel, the Committee will focus on the security situation in northeast Syria, the stability of detention camps and prisons housing Islamic State foreign fighters, and the likelihood of the Islamic State exploiting the new situation in Syria.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1gBnTnTWQg

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  • MIL-OSI Video: UK Misogyny in music: follow up – Women and Equalities Committee

    Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)

    The Women and Equalities Committee are taking evidence on misogyny in the music industry

    They will assess what progress has been made since they published their report in January 2024, including:

    what support is available for those experiencing discrimination and abuse
    representation and safety at concerts and festivals
    what steps the Government and industry bodies should take to combat misogyny

    #SelectCommittee #Politics #UKPolitics #MusicIndustry #MusicIndustryNews #WomenInMusic #MisogynyinMusic

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

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Road resurfacing work to start as city highways improvements driven forward

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Part of Gorsebrook Road will be resurfaced between Glentworth Gardens and Carter Road during the City of Wolverhampton Council works.

    It starts on Thursday (30 January) and runs until Friday 7 February, weather permitting.

    The road will be closed to traffic between 9.30am and 3pm each day, not including weekends.

    A diversion route will be in place along Craddock Street, Hunter Street, Newhampton Road East, Waterloo Road, Ring Road St Peters, Stafford Street and Stafford Road.

    National Express West Midlands Wolverhampton number 62 bus service will divert via Dunstall Lane, Dunstall Road, Five Ways Island and Waterloo Road before joining its normal line of route during the works. Visit National Express West Midlands for updates.

    The scheme also includes upgrading equipment at the zebra crossing – which has already been completed – and remarking the mini-island to improve safety for pedestrians and other road users.

    It follows a raft of resurfacing and surface dressing works already carried out by the council over the past 12 months to prevent potholes and other defects.

    Councillor Qaiser Azeem, Cabinet Member for Transport and Green City at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We know improving our roads is key to ensuring our communities and businesses are well connected, which in turn supports economic growth and jobs.

    “Through a data-led approach that makes the best use of technology, alongside inspections, we are able to make informed decisions about where our investment is best directed to help deliver an efficient safe and smooth flowing highway network for all modes of transport.”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Salford City Council approves plans to assess new Mayoral Development Zone

    Source: City of Salford

    Salford City Council has today (28 January) approved a report to explore the opportunity and benefits for the establishment of a Mayoral Development Zone (MDZ), which could pave the way for significant investment and growth in a key part of the city.

    The decision was made at Cabinet with Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett and senior elected members signing off on the proposed plans. 

    Councillors supported the plans for an MDZ within the wider Western Gateway area of the city. The Western Gateway refers to the west part of the city, the area surrounding the Liverpool Rd and M62 corridors and along the route of the Manchester Ship Canal. 

    The ambitious plans are part of a cross-borough approach with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Trafford Council and could see thousands of job opportunities created alongside the huge economic boost that could be realised from regeneration through the MDZ. 

    Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, said: “Realising the full potential of the Western Gateway and Port Salford and driving significant growth and economic benefit has long been a key aspiration for the city council. 

    Across Salford and Trafford there is the potential to generate thousands of new jobs, capitalising on planned employment space, new homes, as well as leisure and retail.

    Good growth is one of the cornerstones of our priorities, outlined in our corporate plan This is our Salford, and these plans represent our commitment to delivering on our ambitions to create a fairer, greener, healthier and more inclusive city. 

    This much needed redevelopment and subsequent growth will not happen overnight, but this step is an important and exciting one as it moves our aspirations for this area of the city closer to becoming a reality. 

    Now this proposal has been approved, myself, along with senior elected members and officers will now begin to develop the MDZ further and explore all the possibilities associated with this approach.” 

    An MDZ refers to a defined area where a mayor can seek to channel significant investment and development activity with the goal of regenerating and revitalising that specific area. 

    The MDZ will provide clear governance, resources and a dedicated work programme to secure investment to unlock key development sites in the Western Gateway.

    The Western Gateway is one of six growth locations in Greater Manchester identified to generate significant inclusive growth and economic benefits. In order to unlock potential growth, the site is reliant on significant highway and rail infrastructure investment. 

    Port Salford has been a long-term component of the city’s planned future regeneration and growth for the city council, and this move brings this vision a step closer to fruition. 

    Port Salford Phase 1 already has consent for the construction of a multi-modal freight interchange comprising 155,000 sqm (1,600,000 sqft) of warehousing with the potential to be the only inland tri-modal port in the UK.

    In 2012, Government funding was secured to part finance and deliver Part WGIS which allowed development of up to 55,000 sqm at Port Salford. 

    Initial development in 2017, saw the completion of 55,000sqm of warehouse space occupied by Great Bear.  

    By also including Port Salford Phase 2 (adopted under Places for Everyone) and development land at the City of Salford Community Stadium, these sites collectively provide an opportunity to deliver 511,000sqm of new employment floorspace, 5,790 new jobs and circa £6.4m in business rates.

    Approval to explore the MDZ is a key decision and is subject to 5-day call in period. The approval of these plans follows on from the decision made by Trafford Council’s executive on Monday 27 January to approve the plans. The approval decision will then be presented to GMCA’s executive on Friday 31 January for decision.

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    Date published
    Tuesday 28 January 2025

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  • MIL-OSI: Renewable Power: TotalEnergies Will Supply 1.5 TWh to STMicroelectronics in France over 15 Years

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Renewable Power: TotalEnergies Will Supply 1.5 TWh to STMicroelectronics in France over 15 Years

    • 1stPPA in France for STMicroelectronics, aiming at 100% renewable sourcing by 2027
    • Power comes from 2 recent wind and solar farms of 75 MW operated by TotalEnergies

    Paris, Geneva – January 28, 2025 – TotalEnergies and STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, have signed a physical1 Power Purchase Agreement to supply renewable electricity to STMicroelectronics sites in France. This 15-year contract, started in January 2025, represents an overall volume of 1.5 TWh.

    TotalEnergies will provide STMicroelectronics with the renewable power (including the guarantee of origin) produced by two recent wind and solar farms of 75 MW operated by TotalEnergies. This power comes with structuration services to transform intermittent production in a constant volume (“baseload”) of green electricity. It’s the first time in France that such a 15-year contract is provided. The positive impact of the wind and solar projects on the environment and on the communities was a key success factor in the signing of the deal.

    “We are delighted to sign this agreement with STMicroelectronics, which demonstrates our ability to provide long-term and innovative clean firm power solutions tailored to our customers’ needs,” said Sophie Chevalier, Senior Vice President Flexible Power & Integration at TotalEnergies. “TotalEnergies aims to be a preferred partner to support tech industry players towards their decarbonization efforts, and this agreement showcases our commitment and capabilities.”

    “This first PPA in France marks yet another important step towards ST’s goal of becoming carbon neutral in its operations (Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and partially scope 3) by 2027, including the sourcing of 100% renewable energy by 2027,” said Geoff West, EVP and Chief Procurement Officer at STMicroelectronics. “PPAs will play a major role in our transition, and we have already signed several to support ST’s operations in Italy and Malaysia. Starting in 2025, this PPA with TotalEnergies will provide a significant level of renewable energy for ST’s operations in France, which includes R&D, design, sales and marketing and large-volume chip manufacturing.”

    About STMicroelectronics
    At ST, we are over 50,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. An integrated device manufacturer, we work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of the Internet of Things and connectivity. We are committed to achieving our goal to become carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 and partially scope 3 by 2027. Further information can be found at www.st.com.

    TotalEnergies and electricity
    As part of its ambition to get to net zero by 2050, TotalEnergies is building a world class cost-competitive portfolio combining renewables (solar, onshore and offshore wind) and flexible assets (CCGT, storage) to deliver clean firm power to its customers. By mid-2024, TotalEnergies’ gross renewable electricity generation installed capacity reached 24 GW. TotalEnergies will continue to expand this business to reach 35 GW in 2025 and more than 100 TWh of net electricity production by 2030.

    About TotalEnergies
    TotalEnergies is a global integrated energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to provide as many people as possible with energy that is more reliable, more affordable and more sustainable. Active in about 120 countries, TotalEnergies places sustainability at the heart of its strategy, its projects and its operations.

    For further information, please contact:

    STMicroelectronics

    MEDIA RELATIONS
    Alexis Breton
    Corporate External Communications
    Tel: +33 6 59 16 79 08
    alexis.breton@st.com

    INVESTOR RELATIONS
    Jérôme Ramel
    EVP Corporate Development & Integrated External Communication
    Tel: +41 22 929 59 20
    jerome.ramel@st.com

    TotalEnergies

    MEDIA RELATIONS: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 99 l presse@totalenergies.com l @TotalEnergiesPR

    INVESTOR RELATIONS: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 46 l ir@totalenergies.com

    1 In the case of a “physical” Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), the renewable electricity and the associated guarantees of origin are delivered to the customer, as opposed to the “virtual” PPA, where only the guarantees of origin are delivered to the customer, and the electricity produced is sold to the grid.

    Attachment

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  • MIL-OSI: E Ink and Cream Guitars Debuted World’s First Color-Changing Guitar

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BILLERICA, Mass., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — E Ink (8069.TW) the originator, pioneer, and global commercial leader in ePaper technology, announced its collaboration with Cream Guitars that features the world’s first color-changing guitars. Cream Guitars integrated E Ink Prism 3 ePaper into the Voltage DaVinci design and showcased the latest models at NAMM 2025.

    True tastemakers, Cream Guitars is challenging legacy manufacturers by adopting cutting-edge technology that not only inspires artists and onlookers but also pushes the boundaries of personalization and customization. The E Ink wrapped guitars feature seven colors and enables players to express themselves in unique ways.

    “We had the idea to break all the rules of the traditional guitar,” said Luis Ortiz, CEO, Cream Guitars. “We’ve redesigned every part of an electric guitar to broaden and enhance the playing experience. Through our innovative collaboration with E Ink, we are providing artists a level of creativity that extends well beyond anything available in today’s market.”

    E Ink Prism 3 bridges the gap between traditional static materials and digital technology with dynamically changing materials. The Prism 3 technology is known for its low power consumption, durability, and color-changing capabilities, and is disrupting industries, including automobile, fashion, architecture, and now, music.

    “Cream Guitars is at the forefront of instrument design, and this collaboration marks a significant milestone in their commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” said Pete Valianatos, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, E Ink. “We are proud to work with them to create an instrument that not only sounds great but makes a visual statement as powerful as their music.”

    Beyond the color-changing capabilities, E Ink’s technology is ultra-low power and is an energy-efficient alternative to other display technologies available. E Ink’s ePaper technology has been designated as a contributor to environmental progress by offering efficient and low-carbon displays. E Ink’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond the technology with nearly 60% of its global operations powered by renewable energy and aims to reach 65% renewable energy usage by next year. E Ink is so efficient, the company was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World and Emerging Markets Indices for the third consecutive year.

    Similarly, Cream Guitars also has a strong commitment to the environment. The company strives to ensure that the woods used in production are 100% renewable and focuses on minimizing waste at every step of the manufacturing process. This ensures that their guitars make a minimal environmental impact, while maintaining their high-quality standards.

    About E Ink
    E Ink Holdings Inc. (8069.TWO), based on technology from MIT’s Media Lab, provides an ideal display medium for applications spanning eReaders and eNotes, retail, home, hospital, transportation, logistics, and more, enabling customers to put displays in locations previously impossible. E Ink’s electrophoretic display products make it the worldwide leader for ePaper. Its low power displays enable customers to reach their sustainability goals, and E Ink has pledged using 100% renewable energy in 2030 and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040. E Ink has been recognized for their efforts by receiving, validation from Science-Based Targets (SBTi) and is listed in both the DJSI World and DJSI Emerging Indexes. Listed in Taiwan’s Taipei Exchange (TPEx) and the Luxembourg market, E Ink Holdings is now the world’s largest supplier of ePaper displays. For more information please visit www.eink.com. E Ink. We Make Surfaces Smart and Green.

    Contact:
    V2 Communications on behalf of E Ink
    eink@v2comms.com

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e9ae74a8-6453-4337-a161-760143463043
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da17054c-b8dc-426d-9e83-6bd25e588244

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