NewzIntel.com

Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Text adopted – Need for actions to address the continued oppression and fake elections in Belarus – P10_TA(2025)0002 – Wednesday, 22 January 2025 – Strasbourg

    Source: European Parliament

    The European Parliament,

    –  having regard to its previous resolutions on Belarus,

    –  having regard to the Council conclusions on Belarus of 12 October 2020 and 19 February 2024 and to the European Council conclusions on Belarus of 21 and 22 October 2021,

    –  having regard to the statements by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 1 August 2024 on the release of a number of political prisoners, and of 26 February 2024 on the parliamentary and local elections, and to the statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU of 8 August 2023 on the third anniversary of the fraudulent presidential elections,

    –  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international human rights instruments to which Belarus is a party,

    –  having regard to the report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of 25 March 2024 on the situation of human rights in Belarus in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and in its aftermath,

    –  having regard to the resolution of the General Conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO) of 12 June 2023 concerning the measures recommended by the Governing Body under article 33 of the ILO Constitution on the subject of Belarus,

    –  having regard to Rule 136(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A.  whereas the 30-year authoritarian rule of Aliaksandr Lukashenka in Belarus has been characterised by systematic repression of political opponents and dissent, including the enforced disappearance of Lukashenka’s critics; whereas since the fraudulent presidential election of August 2020, the illegitimate Lukashenka regime, with Russian support, has systematically repressed political activists, civil society, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, artists, religious leaders, trade unionists and other groups in Belarus and abroad, arbitrarily detaining tens of thousands of people;

    B.  whereas following the fraudulent 2020 presidential election and the subsequent brutal crackdown, the EU and many of its democratic partners did not recognise the results of the elections or Aliaksandr Lukashenka as legitimate leader and President of Belarus;

    C.  whereas according to the Human Rights Centre ‘Viasna’, over 1 250 political prisoners remain detained in Belarus in conditions that put their lives at risk, and many of these prisoners are in fragile health; whereas several political prisoners have died in custody, four of them in 2024 alone; whereas political prisoners face torture, denial of medical care, restricted access to visits from lawyers and family members, and solitary confinement; whereas since the summer of 2020, 3 697 people have been recognised as political prisoners; whereas in 2024 alone, over 8 800 cases of politically motivated persecution were documented, including arrests, detentions, dismissals and other forms of repression targeting political prisoners, their families and lawyers, activists, journalists, priests, doctors, returning Belarusians and others;

    D.  whereas multiple international organisations, including the OHCHR, have documented systematic human rights violations in Belarus, including torture, arbitrary detentions, imprisonment or other forms of severe deprivation of physical liberty, enforced disappearances, persecution on political grounds and suppression of freedoms, which amount to crimes against humanity under international law; whereas in September 2024, Lithuania referred the situation in Belarus to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate certain crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenka regime;

    E.  whereas the illegitimate Belarusian regime plans to hold sham presidential elections on 26 January 2025, with Lukashenka seeking a seventh term; whereas Belarus’ Central Election Commission has registered Lukashenka and four other pro forma ‘candidates’; whereas the current presidential election campaign is being conducted in an environment of severe repression which fails to meet even the minimum standards for democratic elections; whereas democratic candidates are barred from participating, media freedom is heavily restricted, voters face intimidation, and the absence of independent election observation further undermines the legitimacy of the electoral process;

    F.  whereas both the parliamentary and local elections held on 25 February 2024 and the upcoming sham presidential election scheduled for 26 January 2025 exemplify the regime’s disregard for democratic norms as elections in Belarus are tightly controlled, with all candidates pre-approved by authorities, democratic parties eliminated and voters offered no real choice; whereas the election campaign has been marked by the detention of individuals involved in the 2020 presidential campaigns of other candidates and a clear readiness to harshly suppress dissent;

    G.  whereas according to the Human Rights Centre ‘Viasna’, at least 360 people were detained between July and September 2024, and many democratic leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ales Bialiatski, Maria Kalesnikava, Viktar Babaryka, Pavel Seviarynets, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Mikalai Statkevich and others remain imprisoned; whereas at least eight political prisoners are currently detained incommunicado;

    H.  whereas the Lukashenka regime has stepped up pressure on the staff of Western diplomatic missions accredited in Belarus as well as other foreigners; whereas Mikalai Khila, a local member of staff of the EU delegation to Belarus, was apprehended by the Belarusian KGB in front of the EU delegation office, held in pre-trial detention from April 2024 and sentenced, in December 2024, to four years of imprisonment; whereas he has been listed as a political prisoner by the Human Rights Centre ‘Viasna’; whereas two Japanese citizens were recently detained on trumped-up charges of ‘agent activities’;

    I.  whereas Lukashenka pardoned over 200 political prisoners in 2024 in an attempt to lift some Western sanctions; whereas political arrests continue despite these pardons, with at least 1 721 individuals convicted on political charges in 2024 alone;

    J.  whereas the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus has long been embedded in the Lukashenka regime’s government structure and is thought to play a significant role in organising the falsification of election results;

    K.  whereas the Belarusian regime employs anti-extremism laws to obstruct media outlets, whereby most independent media have been labelled as ‘extremist’, with at least 45 media representatives detained, around 400 in exile and others facing harassment and mistreatment; whereas independent media, such as Belsat TV, Charter 97, Nexta, Radio Racyja, Radio Svaboda, Nasha Niva and others, play a crucial role in providing essential information and serving as a platform for democratic voices; whereas the Belarusian authorities employ surveillance, online censorship and disinformation, escalating digital authoritarianism and undermining the prospects for free and fair elections in 2025; whereas Belarusian propagandists regularly spread disinformation about EU Member States and their officials and suppress access to information;

    L.  whereas more than 500 000 Belarusians have been forced to flee the country since 2020, with some continuing to face persecution from the Lukashenka regime, including through trials in absentia, threats from the security forces and pressure on relatives, confiscation of property and other restrictions;

    M.  whereas under Lukashenka, more than 250 people sentenced to death have been executed; whereas Belarus remains the only country in Europe and Central Asia to retain the death penalty, with its scope expanded in 2022 to include vaguely defined acts of terrorism and in 2023 to include ‘treason against the state’;

    N.  whereas repressive measures in Belarus have increasingly targeted religious freedom, with the recent adoption of the law on freedom of conscience and religious organisations posing a serious threat to the rights and existence of religious communities; whereas this crackdown has also targeted religious leaders, as seen in the recent sentencing of Catholic priest Reverend Henrykh Akalatovich to 11 years in prison on fabricated high treason charges, the first such case against Catholic clergy in Belarus;

    O.  whereas the Lukashenka regime has proven to be instrumental to Putin by providing Russian forces with access to Belarusian territory from which to mount the full-scale invasion of Ukraine; whereas the Lukashenka regime commits crimes against Ukrainian children, including hosting re-education camps for political indoctrination and militarisation; whereas it assists attempts by Russia and others to destabilise the EU and undermine European aspirations among the EU’s neighbours, notably by weaponising migration at the EU’s borders and legitimising Bidzina Ivanishvili’s autocratic regime in Georgia;

    P.  whereas the EU has imposed targeted sanctions on Belarus in response to the fraudulent 2020 elections, systematic human rights violations, and Belarus’s complicity in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including trade restrictions and sanctions on 287 individuals, among them Lukashenka, and 39 entities;

    Q.  whereas the Lukashenka regime, with Russian assistance, circumvents some of these sanctions through preferential market access and the use of Russian infrastructure; whereas reports indicate that BelAZ, a sanctioned Belarusian producer of trucks, circumvents sanctions by disassembling trucks in Belarus and shipping the parts to the EU for reassembly under different brand names;

    1.  Reiterates its non-recognition of the election of Aliaksandr Lukashenka to the post of President of Belarus; considers the current regime in Belarus to be illegitimate, illegal and criminal; reaffirms its unwavering support for the Belarusian people in their pursuit of democracy, freedom and human rights;

    2.  Denounces the lack of freedom, fairness and transparency ahead of the so called presidential elections in Belarus and calls for the EU, its Member States and the international community to categorically reject the upcoming elections in Belarus and the run-up campaign as a sham, as they do not meet minimum international standards for democratic elections; calls for the EU, its Member States and the international community to continue not to recognise the legitimacy of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as president after 26 January 2025, and calls for free and fair elections to be held in Belarus;

    3.  Deplores the ongoing grave violations of human rights and democratic principles in Belarus, which have further intensified in the run-up to the so-called presidential elections; condemns the systematic repression in Belarus, which includes arbitrary arrests, torture, harassment, ill-treatment of detainees, persistent impunity and a structural lack of respect for due process and fair trials; reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals detained in Belarus for their political views, alongside compensation and the restoration of their rights; demands an end to the repression of political opponents and the Belarusian public;

    4.  Reiterates its calls on the Belarusian authorities to respect detainees’ rights, provide medical care and grant access to lawyers, families, and international organisations;

    5.  Expresses grave concern about the situation of political prisoners, including Maria Kalesnikava, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Ales Bialiatski, Mikalai Statkevich, Mikalai Khila, Valiantsin Stefanovich, Maksim Znak, Viktar Babaryka, Ihar Losik, Andrzej Poczobut, Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, Uladzimir Matskevich, Marfa Rabkova, Uladzimir Labkovich, Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Volha Brytsikava, Aliaksandr Kapshul, Yana Pinchuk, Mikalai Bankou, Andrei Navitski, Henrykh Akalatovich, Uladzimir Kniha Dmitry Kuchuk, Pavel Seviarynets and others, many of whom are facing severe health issues without access to proper medical care, and are enduring isolation, ill treatment and torture;

    6.  Considers the arrest and sentencing on politically motivated charges of Mikalai Khila, a local staff member of the EU Delegation in Minsk, a breach of diplomatic practices towards the EU; calls for the EU and its Member States to swiftly develop a credible response;

    7.  Commends the resilience of Belarusian civil society and democratic forces; reiterates its solidarity with the people of Belarus and its support for their legitimate aspirations for a democratic and European future; expresses solidarity with Belarusian democratic forces and civil society organisations in their efforts to establish a sovereign, democratic and prosperous Belarus; remains committed to working with democratic forces, civil society and independent media to the benefit of the people of Belarus;

    8.  Calls for the EU and its Member States to continue to investigate human rights abuses in Belarus and to support accountability measures, including through universal jurisdiction; calls for the EU and its Member States to investigate, on the basis of universal jurisdiction, the crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenka regime in Belarus and on EU territory and, following Lithuania’s example, to refer the situation in Belarus to the International Criminal Court for investigation to the extent possible, and to consider the establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute the crimes of the Lukashenka regime; calls on the Member States to allow Belarusian lawyers expelled by the regime to practise on EU territory in order to provide legal assistance to persecuted Belarusians;

    9.  Highlights the invaluable work carried out by human rights defenders and civil society representatives in Belarus in monitoring, documenting and reporting the grave human rights violations and crimes against humanity that are taking place in the country, in order to ensure subsequent accountability and justice for the victims;

    10.  Reiterates its call for the EU and its Member States to support political prisoners and their families, including by demanding proof of political prisoners’ whereabouts, requesting their release, simplifying the procedures for those fleeing Belarus to obtain visas and identity documents, and providing rehabilitation and other types of support; calls on the EU Delegation and the Member State embassies in Belarus to continue observing and monitoring the trials of all political prisoners;

    11.  Stresses the importance of protecting exiled Belarusians from persecution by the Lukashenka regime, and of granting them opportunities to legally stay and work in the EU; calls for the EU and its Member States to raise the issue of abuse of international arrest warrants within Interpol and calls on the countries concerned not to extradite Belarusian citizens who have fled the regime and will face persecution upon their return to Belarus;

    12.  Deplores the fact that repressive measures in Belarus have expanded to include attacks on religious freedom, through the adoption of the law on freedom of conscience and religious organisations, which grossly violates the fundamental right to freedom of religion, conscience and belief; urges the Lukashenka regime to immediately halt the persecution of religious communities and churches;

    13.  Calls for the continuation of EU support for Belarusian democratic forces, led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya; reiterates the need to support Belarusian democratic forces, civil society, students, journalists, leaders of trade unions, exiled professionals and others by providing them with visas, scholarships, grants and networking opportunities; encourages the representatives of the democratic forces of Belarus to maintain and promote unity;

    14.  Denounces the Lukashenka regime’s complicity in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and condemns its deliberate subordination of Belarus to Russia in a so-called union state encompassing political, geopolitical, economic, military and cultural spheres; reiterates the need to contribute to strengthening Belarusian national identity and the Belarusian language, and to combat the distortion and manipulation of Belarusian history by the Lukashenka regime as well as by the Kremlin and its proxies;

    15.  Urges the EU and its international partners to broaden and strengthen sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the repression in Belarus and for Belarus’s participation in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, while closing sanctions loopholes and addressing the main sources of income financing the regime, such as exports of potash and other fertilisers; calls for the EU to sanction Belarusian entities and individuals responsible for the forced labour of political prisoners, as well as the goods produced using such forced labour;

    16.  Urges the EU and international partners to immediately identify, freeze, and find legal pathways for seizing assets of the Belarusian leadership and related Belarusian entities involved in the Russian war effort, as well as assets of entities and individuals leading Lukashenka’s so-called election campaign, including the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, such as Yury Sianko, Hanna Varfalameyeva and Valery Kursevich; calls on EU and Western companies to cease their activities in Belarus;

    17.  Calls for the EU and its Member States to continue raising the situation in Belarus in all relevant international organisations, in particular the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the UN and its specialised bodies and the ILO, with the aim of enhancing international scrutiny of the human rights violations and international action on the situation in Belarus; calls on the Member States to ensure continued documentation and accountability for international crimes committed by the Lukashenka regime, strengthen the OHCHR’s examination of the human rights situation in Belarus by providing full support to the UN Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus and by preserving the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus to monitor ongoing human rights violations;

    18.  Denounces the illegal transfer of several thousand children, including orphans, from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to so-called recreational camps in Belarus, where they are subjected to Russification and indoctrination; strongly condemns the involvement of the Belarus Red Cross in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children;

    19.  Strongly condemns the Lukashenka regime’s weaponisation and instrumentalisation of migration to destabilise neighbouring EU Member States through orchestrated irregular flows, violating human rights, exploiting vulnerable individuals and threatening regional stability; calls for the EU and its Member States to work on a coordinated response to counter this hybrid threat while protecting EU external borders and protecting the rights and safety of vulnerable individuals;

    20.  Urges Belarus to commute all death sentences, impose a moratorium on capital punishment and move towards its permanent abolition;

    21.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the relevant EU institutions, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Government of Japan, representatives of the Belarusian democratic forces and the Belarusian de facto authorities.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Cyber Security Centre Director Florian Schütz attends WEF

    Source: Switzerland – Federal Administration in English

    At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, cybersecurity was a major theme at a number of side events attended by a small delegation from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), led by Director Florian Schütz. Among other things, Mr Schütz took part in a panel discussion on policy and strategic approaches to strengthening trust in digital products and the use of artificial intelligence in post-quantum cryptography. The delegation also attended the Geneva Dialogue event (a platform for exchanging ideas on responsible behaviour in cyberspace) at the House of Switzerland, and held bilateral meetings with representatives of the cybersecurity industry.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – Powering the EU’s future: Strengthening the battery industry – 24-01-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Batteries, widely used in the transport and energy sectors, are central to the global energy system. They will be key to the EU’s clean energy transition, industrial future and strategic autonomy. Boosting the industrial base for battery production is therefore a key task for the EU. While the EU battery sector enjoys strong support for its research and development activities, it also faces significant challenges such as dependencies on third countries and high energy and labour costs. Developing battery recycling or implementing more sustainable value chains could help address some of these challenges. However, significant threats, such as competition from countries with lower environmental standards, may hinder progress and require strategic action. Projections around battery manufacturing in the EU remain highly uncertain. Many reports claim that the EU is on track to meet its future battery needs, yet also highlight significant risks that could prevent this from happening. Factors such as rising energy and labour costs, incentives offered by third countries, slower-than-expected market developments, or difficult access to critical raw materials, could undermine the sector’s competitiveness. Mastering the complexities of battery manufacturing technologies remains another major challenge. Delays or cancellations of gigafactory projects have already been announced across Europe. The recent collapse of Northvolt, once hailed as Europe’s flagship home-grown battery manufacturer, has raised serious concerns about the future of batteries ‘made in Europe’. The EU has long recognised batteries as one of its strategic technological sectors. To make its battery supply chains secure, resilient and sustainable, the EU uses three approaches. First, it seeks to inject strategic impetus into the sector, using its convening power to improve cooperation among stakeholders. Second, it is working on a comprehensive regulatory framework. Third, it provides the sector with funding. The development of the battery sector provides an instructive case study for shaping an effective EU industrial policy.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Latest news – 27-31 January: Plenary session and work in Parliamentary Committees

    Source: European Parliament

    In the week of 27 January, a plenary session will be held in Brussels and a large part of Members’ work this week will be in Parliamentary Committees.

    Polish Ministers will participate in several committee meetings to present their priorities for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Some Commissioners will also exchange views with MEPs in various committees and the committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) will officially become a fully-fledged committee this week.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – Meetings with Polish Presidency representatives in committees

    Source: European Parliament

    Parliament’s committees will meet representatives of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union to discuss its priorities in relation to the committees’ respective areas of responsibility. These meetings will start taking place in the week of 27 January 2025. The Polish Presidency started in the beginning of January and will run until the end of June.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: In-Depth Analysis – Implementation of the reformed Stability and Growth Pact – 23-01-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    The autumn 2024 (and winter 2025) fiscal surveillance has been marked by the first implementation cycle of the reformed EU economic governance framework. It has included the assessments and the adoption of the first set of national medium-term fiscal-structural plans (see Section 3 and Annex 1 and 2 of this briefing), the assessments of the 2025 Draft Budgetary Plans of euro area Member States (see Section 4), and Council recommendations to bring an end to their excessive deficit situations and two Commission reports assessing compliance with the deficit criterion (See Section 5).

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: In-Depth Analysis – Economic Dialogue with the European Commission on the launch of the 2025 European Semester cycle – 23-01-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Executive Vice-President Mînzatu and Commissioner Dombrovskis have been invited to an Economic Dialogue on the launch of the 2025 European Semester for economic policy coordination, in line with the relevant EU law. This briefing note covers the main elements of the 2025 European Semester Package proposed by the Commission, notably the Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure, the Joint Employment Report, the Euro Area policy recommendations and on-going work to strengthen the global competitiveness of Europe.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Statement on the approval of the accounts at the Audit and Governance Committee on Wednesday 22 January

    Source: St Albans City and District

    Publication date:

    Councillor Paul de Kort, Leader of St Albans City and District Council, said:

    I am pleased that the Council’s Statements of Accounts for three previous financial years have been approved by the Audit Committee.

    This brings to an end what has been a frustrating period for us and dozens of other local authorities across the country.

    We have complied with all laws and regulations governing our financial activities and there is nothing untoward in the accounts, which have been open to public inspection.

    Unfortunately, the delays in auditing the accounts – which were out of our control – have led to some unfair criticism and speculation that can now be put to rest.

    We will move forward, look to the future and concentrate on finalising our accounts for the last financial year, 2023/24, with the way clear for them to be audited in a timely fashion.

    Jonathan Flowers, the independent Chair of the Council’s Audit and Governance Committee, said: 

    As the Council’s external auditor BDO’s report explains, delays to the auditing of local authority accounts have been a national problem due to factors which councils have been powerless to prevent.

    These range from significant staff shortages among BDO and other auditors, who have had difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff, to the adverse impact upon their work of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    The Government recognised councils were experiencing lengthy delays through no fault of their own and introduced legislation last year which allowed them to clear the backlog and start afresh.

    Auditors are now required to issue a disclaimed opinion on accounts which the backlog pressures mean they have been unable to check.

    More than 300 disclaimed opinions have been made by auditors for local authority accounts across the country. It offers no opinion rather than an approval or a non-approval and attaches no blame. 

    It is a mechanism the Government is using to reset the local audit assurance process and allow for a fresh start.

    This means that the Audit and Governance Committee have had to look to other sources of assurance in relation to our accounts such as the work of our internal audit service.

    We look forward to putting the backlog behind us, though it will be some time before any of the affected councils can get fully approved accounts because of the overhang from this issue.

    Cllr de Kort added: 

    A disclaimed opinion is what BDO have made for our accounts for the financial years, 2021/22 and 2022/23.

    For the financial year 2020/21, they have issued a modified opinion. The audit commenced for that financial year but was not completed.

    Some issues were identified during the audit but were not resolved within the time constraints. 

    These are of a technical nature, such as the method used to value land and buildings, and we don’t necessarily accept the points BDO have raised. It is a matter of judgement, and we will simply agree to disagree. 

    The important thing is that we can now put these frustrating delays behind us and with the Committee having approved the accounts, we can move on to complete our accounts for 2023/24 with the help of our new auditors, KPMG.

    Notes:

    BDO’s Audit Completion Report – Extract from the Executive Summary:

    Circumstances that affect the form and content of the auditor’s report

    There has been a deterioration in the timeliness of local audit in recent years leading to a persistent and significant backlog of audit opinions. 

    Across England, the backlog of outstanding audit opinions stood at 771 at 31 December 2023 and is estimated to increase to around 1,000 later this year. 

    In February 2024, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities published ‘Local audit delays: Joint statement on update to proposals to clear the backlog and embed timely audit’. 

    This joint statement confirmed that: “The issues facing local audit are widely recognised as multi-faceted and complex with no single cause or solution”. 

    The factors contributing to the delay in issuing an audit opinion on the financial statements of St Albans City & District Council for the year ended 31 March 2021 include, but are not limited to:

    § increased regulator expectations on auditors

    § difficulties in attracting, developing and retaining staff to perform local audit work 

    § the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic 

    Over the last year, organisations involved in the regulation and oversight of local body financial reporting and audit have been working collectively to agree a proposed solution to clear the outstanding historical audit opinions and ensure that delays do not return.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Emotions and the law under the spotlight in new research project Understanding where emotions have received legal attention and the reasons behind it is the focus of a new research project involving the School of Law.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Photo credit: Katrin BolovstovaUnderstanding where emotions have received legal attention and the reasons behind it is the focus of a new research project involving the School of Law.
    ‘A History of Hurt Feelings and the Law’ will explore when, why and in what contexts people have sought legal redress for injured feelings from the 1750s through to the modern day.
    The four-year study will focus on Scotland, a small jurisdiction with a long and rich history of compensating for hurt feelings. It will combine approaches from law, history of emotions, medical history and legal history, charting how injured feelings have been identified, defined and addressed by courts.
    Dr Alice Krzanich, along with lead investigator Professor Chloë Kennedy at the University of Edinburgh and Professor Katie Barclay from Macquarie University, Australia, will work on the project following a £372,000 funding grant from the Leverhulme Trust.
    The project will explore how socially and culturally-informed ideas of selfhood, wellbeing, dignity and respect have shaped legal processes and examine how class, race and gender have affected litigation and legal decision making.
    “I am hugely excited to be undertaking this project”, says Dr Krzanich. “In law, we often focus on pecuniary remedies and the financial cost of illegal or offensive behaviour. This project though is a chance to consider how the law responds – both now and historically – to more intangible harm in the form of grief, stress, heartbreak, fright or anger. It will thus make an important contribution to the rich and ever evolving field of law and emotions.”
    The project will start in May this year and the team will include a Post-doctoral Research Fellow.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Police update on Storm Éoywn

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    The Police Service of Northern Ireland urge the public not to travel and stay indoors during Storm Éoywn.

    Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said: “We are now in the red weather warning phase of Storm Éoywn, which will last until 2pm this afternoon. This means there is a significant risk to life and the public should not travel during this time and stay at home.

    “There is currently severe disruption to the road network and overnight we received 70 reports of trees down and other debris on the roads. We expect this number to increase over the course of the day.

    “This is being treated as a major incident and we will continue to work with our partner agencies to assist with this operation, both throughout and after Éowyn passes. I have met with the Strategic Coordination Group and continue to keep the First Minister and deputy First Minister updated.

    “We have additional officers stood up today and will be ready to respond to calls where required. Members of the public should only contact 999 in an emergency.

    “We anticipate serious disruption across our road network, public transport,  health services and other public services. I continue to urge people be prepared and ensure you have emergency lighting such as torches easily accessible in the event of power cuts. Have ready access to additional blankets or sources of warmth in the event your heating supply is disrupted.

    “Our message is clear; do not travel, remain indoors and stay safe.”

    Details of road closures are available on the Traffic Watch NI website: https://orlo.uk/ySHmg

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The digital platform CML-Bench of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is certified for working with commercial secrets

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The digital platform for the development and application of digital twins CML-Bench®, developed by Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, has received a certificate of compliance with the software security requirements of the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control (FSTEC of Russia) at the sixth level of trust. CML-Bench® is the first digital platform developed by SPbPU to receive a certificate allowing the processing of information with the confidentiality modes “Commercial Secret” and “For Official Use Only”.

    The sixth level of trust allows the platform to be used at significant critical information infrastructure facilities of the third category, in government information systems and as part of automated production and technological process control systems of the third class* of information security, and personal data information systems of the third level** of security.

    *In state information systems, there are three classes of information security, which are determined depending on the level of significance of the information processed in the information system and its scale (federal, regional, facility-based). The first class requires the greatest protection, the third class – the least protection. **When protecting personal data, the third level is the average level of security, which is used for personal data, the leakage of which may harm the data subject, but will not lead to significant risks.

    Thus, in the context of changing legislation in the field of import substitution of software and increasing requirements for software security, the FSTEC of Russia certificate allows using the CML-Bench® digital platform for working with government agencies; government institutions and enterprises; Russian legal entities that own information systems, information and telecommunications networks, automated control systems operating in the field of healthcare, science, transport, communications, energy, as well as state registration of rights to real estate and transactions with it, banking and other areas of the financial market, fuel and energy complex, in the field of nuclear energy, defense, rocket and space, mining, metallurgy and chemical industries.

    To ensure that the CML-Bench® digital platform meets the requirements of the sixth level of trust, specialists from the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” have developed and implemented a number of microservices in the software that provide protection against unauthorized access to information, implement identification and authentication functions, access control and registration of security events, in accordance with the requirements specified in the document “Information security requirements establishing levels of trust in technical information protection tools and information technology security tools”.

    In particular, authentication services, user rights management, and an LDAP (LDAP) interaction service were implemented. CML-Bench® was also integrated with Keycloak (a program that helps users log into different sites and applications under one account and allows you to manage who has access to what) with CML-Bench®. At the same time, identifiers and object types were output to the log by security event types with the ability to customize the volume of recorded information. Event logging was implemented for all account types. The Circuit Breaker template was successfully implemented and support for CSRF tokens (a security tool in web applications) was added. Healthcheck checks were also added to the new services.

    In March 2023, for the first time in the history of SPbPU, a license was received from the FSTEC of Russia for the development and production of means of protecting confidential information, including software tools for information protection; secure software (software and hardware) means of information processing and software (software and hardware) means of monitoring information security. After that, active work began on the allocation and refinement of the “security module” as part of the Digital Platform for the Development and Application of Digital Twins CML-Bench®. And a year and a half later, an FSTEC certificate was received confirming the compliance of the platform’s security level with the sixth trust level. For us, this is a very important result, since the structural divisions of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” implement projects with high-tech companies from various industries that are subjects of critical information infrastructure, – commented Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation of SPbPU, Head of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” Alexey Borovkov.

    The refinement of the “security module” as part of the Digital Platform for the Development and Application of Digital Twins CML-Bench® was accompanied by updating the technical documentation and testing.

    Certification tests on a special stand were carried out by the Scientific, Technical and Certification Center for Comprehensive Information Security (JSC Center Atomzashchitainform). As a result of the preparation of the research stand, along with the creation of conditions for testing, the absence of configuration vulnerabilities and signs of malware in the object of assessment, as well as potentially dangerous functional capabilities that appear during the installation and configuration of the object of assessment were checked. As a result, the CML-Bench® digital platform, based on the test results, confirmed the absence of current vulnerabilities and protection against the threat of unauthorized access to information contained in the product; against the threat of unauthorized transfer of information to information and telecommunication networks and other information systems; against the threat of unauthorized receipt of information about the product, as well as its nodes; the threat of denial of service.

    The assessment of the certification test materials for compliance with information security requirements was carried out by the expert commission of the certification body FSTEC of Russia. Based on the expert opinion on the results of comprehensive certification tests of the digital platform for the development and use of digital twins CML-Bench®, a certificate of compliance with information security requirements was issued.

    The certification was carried out on an initiative basis during the implementation of a project to design and create an automated digital engineering system jointly with Greenatom JSC in a subsidiary of TVEL JSC — CentroTech-Engineering LLC for further replication in the structures of TVEL JSC and Rosatom State Corporation.

    For reference:

    The CML-Bench® digital platform is a digital platform for the development and application of digital twins of both high-tech industrial products and goods, as well as technological and production processes for their manufacture, a system for managing activities in the field of system digital engineering. Since 2006, the CML-Bench® digital platform has been developed by employees of the Engineering Center (CompMechLab®) “Computer Engineering Center” of SPbPU and employees of the Computational Mechanics Laboratory LLC (CompMechLab®).

    The CML-Bench® Digital Platform is used to develop projects for high-tech industries: engine building, power engineering, nuclear, oil and gas, special and railway engineering, aircraft and helicopter engineering, including unmanned aerial vehicles, automotive engineering, including electric transport, shipbuilding and shipbuilding, as well as marine engineering, nuclear energy, fuel and energy complex, medicine, high-performance sports, etc.

    At the end of 2022, the CML-Bench® platform was deployed on the servers of Centrotech-Engineering LLC (part of the control circuit of the TVEL fuel company of the Rosatom State Corporation) as part of the project to create an automated digital engineering system. And in 2023, specialists from the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering” of SPbPU developed a software module that allows for the seamless transfer of engineering data from one of the most popular PLM systems (engineering data and production process management systems) Teamcenter by Siemens to the CML-Bench® digital platform. The CML-Bench® digital platform formed the basis for the URANIA data and process management system for computational and experimental scientific research, used at the enterprises of the Rosatom State Corporation.

    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: Dmitry Gomonov: “My first orders were the cruiser Aurora and the icebreaker Krasin”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Head of the Production Preparation Bureau of the Chief Technologist’s Department of the Kronstadt Marine Plant Dmitry Gomonov graduated from the Polytechnic in 2014. But he still maintains ties with his alma mater. The graduate of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport is one of the Polytechnic ambassadors, an active participant in all “ambassadorial” events. At meetings with current students, he talks so enthusiastically about the Kronstadt Plant, about the ships and the fleet that it is clear to everyone that the man has found his calling. And his experience can help others find their place in life.

    Interview with Dmitry Gomonov Read in our special project “Persona”.

    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 Europe: Jubilee 2025: Undersecretary of State Mantovano chairs coordination meeting with the Umbria Region

    Source: Government of Italy (English)

    A coordination meeting with the Umbria Region regarding the 2025 Jubilee of the Catholic Church was held at Palazzo Chigi today, chaired by Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers Alfredo Mantovano.

    Undersecretary of State Mantovano highlighted that the purpose of the discussion was “to concretely link the Jubilee with celebrations and events involving the Umbria Region, in particular the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures in 2025 and of the death of St. Francis of Assisi in 2026, as well as the canonisation of Carlo Acutis, whose remains rest in Assisi, which will take place on 27 April”.

    The President of the Umbria Region, Stefania Proietti, stressed the importance of this opportunity for cooperation, considering also the growing interest in the area of Umbria in terms of visitor numbers.

    Among the speakers and participants at the meeting were: the Special Government Commissioner for the Jubilee, Roberto Gualtieri; the Pro-Prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Evangelization, Monsignor Rino Fisichella; the Mayor of Perugia, Vittoria Ferdinandi; the Mayor of Terni, Stefano Bandecchi; the Deputy Mayor of Assisi, Valter Stoppini; the Chair of the Committee for the eighth centenary of St. Francis, Davide Rondoni; the Head of the Civil Protection Department, Fabio Ciciliano; the head of hospitality service coordination for the Jubilee 2025, Agostino Miozzo; and, representatives from the Ministries and institutions involved. Today’s meeting will be immediately followed by an operational working group.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: IAEA Work Central at World Economic Forum in Davos

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    “The work of the IAEA is at the centre of the debates. In particular, the nexus between nuclear energy and artificial intelligence has attracted a lot of attention,” the Director General said in Davos.  

    The IAEA held a session on nuclear’s role in meeting energy demands for artificial intelligence (AI), with experts from Bloomberg and technology venture capitalists DCVC. “Big tech needs nuclear to power energy-intensive AI data centres,” explained Mr Grossi.  

    A major event was also held on tripling nuclear energy, and the need for standardization, regulation, financing and collaboration in scaling up nuclear.  

    The Director General met with multiple world leaders to discuss development, energy and world peace, including Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, Austria’s Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg and Flanders’ Minister-President Matthias Diependaele.  

    Mr Grossi and Mr Mulino engaged on the IAEA’s Atoms4Food programme, as well as improving cancer care with the IAEA’s Rays Of Hope programme. “The IAEA is proud to stand with Panama in building a healthier, more resilient future for its people,” the Director General said. 

    The IAEA’s work on health, food and nutrition was a focus of multiple high-level dialogues. For example, Mr Grossi met with Viet Nam’s Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat to discuss the drought-tolerant, high-yield rice varieties that were developed with IAEA support, and with the CEO of Anglo American, Duncan Wanblad, on progress on a joint research project to fight soil salinity and advance sustainable farming practices. 

    Another key topic for the week was international security, particularly the IAEA’s role in ensuring nonproliferation worldwide. 

    The Director General was a speaker at the World Economic Forum’s Rubik’s Cube of Global Security, where he addressed pressures on nonproliferation amid rising geostrategic tensions, alongside Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, Libya’s Prime Minister Abdulhamid AlDabaiba, the International Crisis Group, Comfort Ero, Harvard Kennedy School’s Meghan O’Sullivan, and Foreign Affairs Magazine’s Dan Kurtz-Phelan. 

    Watch the recording of the session here.  

    The Director General was also active in closed sessions on artificial intelligence and sustainable energy in Latin America with leaders of the region, as well as an event on growing the African economy with leaders from the continent. 

    “The mission and the importance of the IAEA continue to grow. This is why we are here in Davos,” concluded the Director General. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 01/24/2025, 13-37 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the PIKK (PIK ao) security were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    01/24/2025 13:37

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of PJSC Moscow Exchange by NCO NCC (JSC), on 24.01.2025, 13-37 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 774.4) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 839.55 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 25.0%) of the PIKK security (PIK JSC) were changed

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

    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://www.moex.com/n77118

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 01/24/2025, 11-26 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the RASP (Raspadskaya) security were changed.

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    01.24.2025 11:26

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of PJSC Moscow Exchange by NCO NCC (JSC) on 24.01.2025, 11-26 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 332.2) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 355.418 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 25.5%) of the RASP (Raspadskaya) security were changed

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

    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://www.moex.com/n77110

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 01/24/2025, 12-15 (Moscow time) the values of the lower limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A0JT6B2 (VEB.RF 19) were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    01.24.2025 12:15

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of PJSC Moscow Exchange by NCO NCC (JSC) on 24.01.2025, 12-15 (Moscow time), the values of the lower limit of the price corridor (up to 92.97) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 941.92 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 7.5%) of the security RU000A0JT6B2 (VEB.RF 19) were changed

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n77113

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 01/24/2025, 10:39 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the RASP (Raspadskaya) security were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    01.24.2025 10:39

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of PJSC Moscow Exchange by NCO NCC (JSC) on 24.01.2025, 10-39 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 320.15) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 343.382 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 21.25%) of the RASP (Raspadskaya) security were changed

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 01/24/2025, 10:21 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A105DN0 (FSK RS BO6) were changed.

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    01/24/2025 10:21

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 24.01.2025, 10-21 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 100.45) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1102.96 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 21.25%) of the security RU000A105DN0 (FSK RS BO6) were changed

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

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: Three deposit auctions of UK FRT LLC will take place on 24.01.2025

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    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 accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n77105

    Categoris24-7, Miles, Moscow, Moscow Stotsk Exchang, Russians Savings, Russian Federation, Russians Language, Russian economy

    Post navigation


    Archives

    Archives Police Privces Proudly would trust WordPress

    Date of the deposit auction 01/24/2025
    Placement currency Rub
    Maximum amount of funds placed (in placement currency) 2,547,000,000.00
    Placement period, days 32
    Date of deposit 01/24/2025
    Refund date 02/25/2025
    Minimum placement interest rate, % per annum 21.00
    Conditions of imprisonment, urgent or special Urgent
    Minimum amount of funds placed for one application (in placement currency) 2,547,000,000.00
    Maximum number of applications from one Participant, pcs. 1
    Auction form, open or closed Open
    Basis of the Treaty General Agreement
     
    Schedule (Moscow time)
    Preliminary applications from 12:00 to 12:10
    Applications in competition mode from 12:10 to 12:15
    Setting a cut-off percentage or declaring the auction invalid until 12:25
       
    Additional terms  

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: About 6.5 thousand students completed internships at Rosneft enterprises in 2024

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    In 2024, about 6.5 thousand students completed internships at Rosneft subsidiaries, including those from the company’s key partner universities – Lomonosov Moscow State University, MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (National Research University), Far Eastern Federal University and others. Students get acquainted with the work of oil workers directly at the Company’s production facilities, which allows future specialists to apply the knowledge they gained at educational institutions in practice.

    Rosneft develops cooperation with higher and secondary educational institutions of Russia within the framework of the corporate system of continuous education “School-College/University-Enterprise”. The company cooperates with 203 educational partner organizations, including 82 Russian and foreign universities, 65 colleges and 56 schools. Rosneft annually invests more than 1 billion rubles in the development of educational partner organizations. The program has been in effect since 2005 and is aimed at forming a young external personnel reserve from among schoolchildren and students in the regions of the Company’s production activities, as well as at the constant growth of professional competencies of its employees.

    With the support of Rosneft, unique programs are being created in a number of areas of student training. Thus, with the support of RN-Vankor, 9 new specialized areas of training have been opened in technical schools and colleges. Rosneft’s Scientific Institute in Tyumen has created basic departments at Tyumen Industrial and Tyumen State Universities. The Company’s basic departments at the country’s leading universities implement specialized master’s programs, hold conferences and internships, and develop and publish educational and methodological materials.

    The Company’s enterprises also take an active part in equipping colleges and universities with modern equipment and creating laboratories. Thus, in 2024, Samotlorneftegaz equipped educational sites in two branches of Ugra State University – a multifunctional simulator for the development and operation of wells was installed at the Oil Institute, and a laboratory for assessing the chemical and physical quality of oil and gas was created at the Multidisciplinary College. In addition, a laboratory of geospatial technologies was opened at the Nizhnevartovsk Construction College with funds from the enterprise. “Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha” opened an educational and training complex “Factory of Full Cycle Oil and Gas Production Processes” on the basis of the Regional Technical College, and also equipped the “Digital Oil and Gas Field” research laboratory at the North-Eastern Federal University with high-resolution video panels . Verkhnechonskneftegaz equipped the Oil and Gas Engineering training center of the Irkutsk National Research Technical University with a training ground for conducting practical classes on safe work, and Orenburgneft allocated funds for the purchase of a mobile drilling rig for the Department of Geology of Orenburg State University. In addition, the Kuibyshev Refinery helped the educational laboratory of the Faculty of Chemical Technology of the Samara State Technical University acquire modern pilot plants that are analogues of real industrial oil refining facilities, and the Syzran Refinery opened a class of computer simulators in the Syzran branch of the Samara State Technical University.

    In order to select and motivate the best students for practical training and subsequent employment, Rosneft enterprises implement career guidance events. Thus, Udmurtneft held Udmurtneft Days in oil universities in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Kazan and Izhevsk. SamaraNIPIneft organized a competition of scientific grants for students, postgraduates and master’s students of Samara State Technical University, 39 participants received cash grants to continue their research work. Specialists of Novokuibyshevsk Oil and Additives Plant together with teachers of Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical College implemented a pilot project “Vector of Professionalism” aimed at identifying talented and promising young people from among students of the company’s specialized specialties.

    Rosneft also creates conditions for developing the competencies of scientific and pedagogical staff. Internships for teachers are organized at the Angarsk Polymer Plant, Saratov Oil Refinery, RN-Yuganskneftegaz and Samotlorneftegaz. These events allow teachers to gain valuable practical experience, get acquainted with modern technologies and see the production process with their own eyes.

    Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft January 24, 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: “Close Technologies”: HSE exhibition on digital sensorics at Tula Machine Tool Museum

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Today’s event industry, as a vector of the experience economy, combines design, theater, cinema, performance, music, food, health, tourism and other areas of human life. Professional design of art and lifestyle events is the main trend of the future, and an experience engineer is perhaps the main creative profession of our tomorrow, in which an event will be understood as designing and obtaining a new experience, and not a service, regardless of the scale and format of the event.

    The profile “Event. Theatre. Performance” trains professionals in the field of the experience industry at the intersection of directing, scenography, work with space, light, video, body, costume, make-up and performative practices in all their semantic, conceptual and artistic connections.

    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 Economics: Signature of MGCS Project Company shareholder agreement

    Source: Thales Group

    Headline: Signature of MGCS Project Company shareholder agreement

    Friday, January 24, 2025 – Thales, KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France and Rheinmetall Landsysteme signed the articles of association for MGCS Project Company GmbH, Cologne, on Thursday 23 January 2025 in Paris in the presence of the French Minister of Defence, Sébastien Lecornu, and the German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius.

    MGCS, which stands for Main Ground Combat System, is a German-Franco armament program designed to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks with a cross-platform combat system by 2040.

    The signing of the shareholder agreement marks an essential step in the forthcoming creation of the MGCS Project Company. After negotiating a contract with the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), acting on behalf of the two states through a German-Franco Combined Project Team (CPT), this project company will be responsible as the industrial prime contractor for the implementation of the next phase of the MGCS program. In particular, it will consolidate the concept and the main technological pillars of the system.

    The company will be equally owned by the parties, 25% each, with a national workshare of 50% Germany and 50% France, and will be based in Cologne, Germany.

    The industrial partners in the MGCS program are delighted with this signature, which follows on from the impetus given by the French and German governments in the spring of 2024, with the signing of a Letter Of Intent (LOI).

    About KNDS:

    KNDS is the result of the association of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Nexter, two of the leading European manufacturers of military land systems based in Germany and France.

    KNDS forms a Group of around 10,000 employees, with a 2023 turnover of 3.3 billion euro, an order backlog of around 16 billion euro and incoming orders of 7.8 billion euro. The range of its products includes main battle tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, weapons systems, ammunition, military bridges, customer services, battle management systems, training solutions, protection solutions and a wide range of equipment.

    The formation of KNDS represents the beginning of consolidation in land defense systems industry in Europe. The strategic alliance between KMW and Nexter enhances both groups’ competitiveness and international positions, as well as their ability to meet the needs of their respective national army. In addition, it offers to its European and NATO customers the opportunity of increased standardization and interoperability for their defense equipment, with a dependable industrial base.

    KNDS headquarters are based in Amsterdam.

    Press contact: guillem.monsonis@knds.fr

    About Rheinmetall:

    Rheinmetall AG of Duesseldorf, a listed company, is a leading international defence contractor and a driver of future-oriented technological and industrial innovation in civil markets. With over 31,000 employees and 171 sites worldwide, Rheinmetall generated sales of €7.2 billion in 2023. With its technologies, products and systems, the company creates the indispensable basis for peace, freedom and sustainable development security. Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH is part of the Rheinmetall Division Vehicle Systems Europe and is one of the leading land system manufacturers.

    Media contact: oliver.hoffmann@rheinmetall.com

    About Thales:

    Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies specialized in three business domains: Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital. It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive.

    The Group invests close to €4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key innovation areas such as AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, cloud technologies and 6G.

    Thales has close to 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2023, the Group generated sales of €18.4bn.

    Media contact: camille.heck@thalesgroup.com

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Trade dynamics under geopolitical risk | Discussion paper 03/2025: Makram Khalil, David Osten, Felix Strobel

    Source: Bundesbank

    Non-technical summary

    Research Question

    In recent years, geopolitical tensions and associated risks have risen around the world. Global geopolitical risk surged after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At that time, geopolitical risk spiked particularly for Russia and its neighbouring countries. In addition, geopolitical risk rose sharply in China and Taiwan in recent years, due to the geopolitical rivalry between the US and China and mounting tensions around the political status of Taiwan. As some of these countries are important exporters in the global trade and production network, the question arises to which extent rising geopolitical tensions disrupt trade flows.

    Contribution

    In this paper, we use detailed customs data in a panel spanning 20 years to investigate the role of the import channel for the transmission of geopolitical risk in trading partner countries. Particularly, we take the perspectives of the US and the euro area and study the effects of trading-partner geopolitical risk on import volumes and import prices.

    Results

    We find that trading-partner geopolitical risk shocks lower import volumes and raise import prices. The decline in imports is particularly strong when geopolitical risk shocks hit countries that exhibit a greater geopolitical distance to the US and the euro area, or when geopolitical risk shocks hit countries that are under US sanctions. Thus, increasing geopolitical risk triggers dynamics that may be conducive to a fragmentation of global trade. A case in point are large effects of geopolitical risk shocks in China. We find that US and euro area imports from non-Chinese trading partners are also affected by such shocks, which also owes to US dollar and global oil price movements as well as trading-partner value chain linkages with China.
     

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ‘Ignorance is no match for the power of knowledge and education’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Robina Azizi,19, fled Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province in 2021, leaving behind her home, her belongings and her school after the Taliban took control. Conditions rapidly deteriorated; soon after, the Taliban barred girls and women from attending secondary schools and universities. An estimated 1.4 million girls have been deprived of their right to education under the Taliban’s three-year rule.

    Determined to create opportunities for Afghan girls, Robina, who now lives in Germany, founded Girls on the Path of Change (GPC), an organization and online community that empowers Afghan girls to share their stories and pursue online education. With support from organizations like Amnesty International, there is hope that these initiatives can be expanded further. However, sustained action from the international community is essential to increase the pressure on the Taliban to stop this cycle of repression.

    Before the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, I lived with my family in the Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. I was attending school without concern and aiming to graduate.

    I had lofty ambitions, promising myself I would study at a reputable university in the hope of one day helping my country, as well as girls who were deprived of a proper education. Every day, I aimed to achieve excellent grades. I would lie awake at night, eager to attend school the next morning.

    On 10 August 2021, I was due to travel home with my friends after finishing a school exam. However, I felt as though something bad was going to happen. On my way home, I looked down the streets and alleys of Mazar-i-Sharif as if I wouldn’t see them again. When I got home, my mother was packing our belongings. 

    “We’ve booked your flight ticket; we have to leave. The Taliban have taken control of the districts of Balkh. They might come into the city,” she explained. “The Taliban takes girls into captivity and forces them into marriage. The lives of your father, brother, and sister are in danger; we must go. You are a writer and have always written against the Taliban. If they find your writings, they’ll kill you too.”

    The next day, my family and I flew to Kabul. I left everything behind: my school, classmates, exams, dreams and books.

    Learning to survive

    When we arrived, Kabul had not yet fallen and girls were still attending school. I longed to join them. I wrote to myself: ‘I have come to survive.’ This sentence became my mantra. Every day brought news of the Taliban spreading fear and seizing more provinces. Yet I still hoped to return to Balkh so I could go back to school.

    However, five days later, on 15 August, we witnessed the return of the Taliban in Kabul. The President fled and the Taliban took control in hours, announcing a ban on education for girls of secondary school age a month later.

    Robina Azizi,19, fled Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province in 2021, leaving behind her home, her belongings and her school after the Taliban took control. Determined to create opportunities for Afghan girls, Robina, who now lives in Germany, founded Girls on the Path of Change (GPC), an organization and online community that empowers Afghan girls to share their stories and pursue online education.

    With any hope of returning to education taken away, I realized I had to do something. I returned to my books and started striving for a better future. I found courses in Kabul, started studying English and reading again. As it was dangerous to go outside to study, we tried take the course secretly.   I promised myself that, despite thousands of problems, I would fight for myself and the girls of my country. I started raising awareness among Afghan families, trying to make them understand the importance of their daughters’ education, urging them to let them continue their studies.

    Later, with the help of my instructors, I enrolled in an online school despite not having the required documentation. While there, I encouraged other girls to join me and helped them with their English courses. Days passed, and I started getting used to the deprivations of the Taliban’s hardline rule over the country. To nurture my talents and share my story, I spoke with media outlets like Tolo and other broadcast programs about the importance of girls’ education. 

    Give girls a chance

    We were eventually forced to leave Afghanistan to save our lives and to ensure I could still go to school. I knew I needed to support my classmates, friends, and those who had lost their morale and needed help. After all, I’d personally experienced what it was like to be deprived of an education in Afghanistan. I always thought about these girls and wanted to stand by them. I established Girls on the Path of Change to amplify their voices, share their challenges and stories with others, and create an avenue for them to access online education and continue their studies.

    Moving forward, I am working with organizations such as Amnesty International to ensure international pressure continues and that governments around the world are held accountable for their weak stance against the Taliban’s systematic abuse and discrimination [of women and girls], which amounts to gender persecution.

    As a girl who once lived in Afghanistan and was deprived of my right to education, I call on everyone to support girls’ education. Education is essential, and girls in Afghanistan must not remain illiterate. Afghanistan needs strong, educated women. We must not give up, even if we must fight from our homes. Together, we must stand firm, move forward with determination, and prove that the ignorance of the Taliban is no match for the power of knowledge and education.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Belarus: Authorities hold presidential election in climate of total fear and repression

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Amnesty International calls on the Belarusian authorities to immediately end their vicious campaign of repression against any dissent, which denies the people of Belarus free speech in the run up to the presidential election scheduled for 26 January.

    “Ever since the 2020 presidential election, the already profound human rights crisis in Belarus has deepened even further. Through a brutal campaign against all dissent, the authorities have created a suffocating climate of fear, silencing anything and anyone who challenges the government,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director.

    “The systematic use of repressive measures, including arbitrary detentions, torture and other ill-treatment, and effective criminalization of critical speech, paints a bleak picture of the state of human rights in Belarus today.”

    The systematic use of repressive measures, including arbitrary detentions, torture and other ill-treatment, and effective criminalization of critical speech, paints a bleak picture of the state of human rights in Belarus today

    Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director

    “It is shameful that the international community has largely allowed the human rights crisis in Belarus to unfold and fade into the background. While attention is drawn elsewhere, thousands of people in Belarus remain imprisoned, tortured, or silenced simply for expressing their opinions. Governments and international organizations must act decisively to seek an immediate end to this ongoing crisis and hold the Belarusian authorities accountable for it.”

    Widespread repression

    Since the mass protests following the disputed 2020 presidential elections, Belarusian authorities have unleashed a relentless crackdown on dissent. Peaceful protests have been met with unlawful force by police and other law enforcement services.

    According to Belarusian human rights monitors, over 50,000 individuals have gone through arbitrary detention for taking part in or being associated with peaceful protests since 2020, with 6,550 prosecuted and convicted, and 3,697 given custodial sentences. Many were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. At least seven political prisoners have died in detention since 2021, five of them in 2024 alone. These deaths were avoidable and are the result of the conditions of detention and inadequate medical care.

    This campaign has only intensified in the lead-up to the 2025 presidential elections, with the authorities targeting dissenting individuals and groups across all sections of society, directly and via their relatives.

    The abuse of anti-extremism legislation has become the cornerstone of the government’s strategy to suppress dissent. As of late 2024, 6,565 online resources, from personal social media accounts to independent media outlets and international news organizations, had been arbitrarily labeled as “extremist.” Individuals face severe penalties including hefty fines, for any association with these entities.

    Human rights defenders have been particularly targeted, with 93 arbitrarily detained since 2020, including veteran human rights activist, Nobel peace prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. Hundreds of activists, civil society leaders and at least 45 media workers are currently behind bars, and countless more have faced fabricated charges, forcing many to flee the country.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Go Greener Faster: Council grant funds community workshops for renewable energy.

    Source: City of Winchester

    Energise South Downs is running a series of renewable energy workshops for communities across the district, supported by the council’s Go Greener Faster grants scheme.

    Participants at the Future Energy Landscapes workshops can learn about the benefits of locally generated renewable energy, how it can power communities and help reduce their carbon footprint. They are open to everyone who wants to learn more about renewable energy, whether they are a supporter, or have concerns about what the transition away from fossil fuels may mean for their local area. Everyone is invited to join the conversation.

    Upcoming Future Energy Landscapes workshops are taking place in the following areas:

    Shedfield, Swanmore, Waltham Chase – 10am–12.30pm Saturday 25 January
    Otterbourne – 7pm–9.30pm – Tuesday 4 February
    East Meon – 7pm–9.30pm – Wednesday 5 March
    Denmead – 7pm–9.30pm – Tuesday 11 March

    Residents can find out more and book a place on Future Energy Landscapes: https://esd.energy/events/future-energy-landscapes/

    Councillor Kelsie Learney, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency said: “The brilliant thing about these workshops is that they truly put the community at the heart of their future energy options.  We know that many people across the district are keen to explore renewable energy and take action, and these workshops will help local communities learn more or even discuss their concerns.  We know it will take all our collective efforts to provide the greener, cleaner future we all hope for and reach our ambitious target of being a carbon neutral district by 2030. Our hope is that many people come along and join the conversation.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Teachers and a student of SPbGASU are among the winners of the Avtodor State Corporation competition

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – On an excursion to the Central Control Center of the Central Ring Road

    On January 23, the award ceremony for the winners of the All-Russian competition of design and research works “Development of the road construction complex of Russia” took place at the main office of the State Company “Avtodor” in Moscow. In the nomination “Bridges, tunnels and building structures” two works submitted by SPbGASU were noted.

    The winner in this nomination was the research project of Nikolai Kozak, associate professor of the Department of Transport Systems and Road and Bridge Construction, on the topic of expanding the capabilities of systems for assessing the technical condition of bridge structures by applying statistical approaches to determining reliability indicators; the head of the department, Stanislav Evtyukov, was awarded for leading this project.

    The prize place in this nomination was awarded to Igor Rudakov, a fifth-year student majoring in “Construction of Unique Buildings and Structures,” for his research, “Determination and comparison of design and actual reliability indices of reinforced concrete bridges in operation, taking into account their actual load,” completed under the supervision of Nikolai Kozak.

    The competition of works was organized by the State Company Avtodor at the end of last year to identify and support talented students and young scientists. The co-organizers of the competition were the Russian University of Transport (RUT (MIIT)) and the Moscow Automobile and Road State Technical University (MADI) with expert support from the Siberian State Automobile and Road University (SibADI).

    A total of 69 works by universities from 20 regions of Russia took part in the competition, and 15 works in seven nominations were awarded. As part of the daytime program, the laureates also visited such facilities of the state company as the central control center of the Central Ring Road (CRR) and the laboratories of the subsidiary company Avtodor-Engineering.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tough restrictions for Sheffield hairdresser and baker who falsely claimed £98,000 in Covid loans

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Bankrupt hairdresser claimed two separate loans totalling £98,000 for a new business which only traded for two weeks

    • Hannah Lucy Walker applied for two Covid Bounce Back Loans to claim a total of £98,000 
    • She took the loans for a new business which was not entitled to any money under the scheme and gave false information in her applications 
    • Walker is now subject to 12 years of sanctions which restrict her finance and business activities to protect the public from further harm 

    A bankrupt former hairdresser from Sheffield is subject to 12 years of stringent sanctions after the Official Receiver found she abused the Covid Bounce Back Loan scheme to claim almost £100,000 she was not entitled to. 

    Hannah Lucy Walker, 31, of Pollard Crescent in Sheffield, was originally a hairdresser. 

    But when Covid lockdowns were in operation during May 2020, she also began a baking business, trading as Something Sweet. 

    And on 25 June 2020, Walker applied for a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan for Something Sweet – which only ever traded for two weeks – declaring its turnover was £256,000. 

    The next day she applied to a different bank for another Bounce Back Loan of £48,000 for the baking business. This time she claimed the business had a turnover of £230,000. 

    Walker was made bankrupt in March 2024, with outstanding debts of around £109,000 including the full amount of both loans.  

    The Official Receiver, whose duty includes investigating the cause of a bankruptcy, found that Something Sweet had not been eligible to apply for a loan. 

    Samantha Crook, Deputy Official Receiver at the Insolvency Service, said: 

    Hannah Walker blatantly abused a scheme designed to support existing businesses during one of the toughest times the country faced. 

    She breached the rules of the scheme by taking out not one, but two loans, for a business that was not even eligible for a loan. 

    These restrictions will curtail her business activities for a long time to help protect the public from further financial harm.

    Under the rules of the Bounce Back Loan scheme, businesses must have been trading by 1 March 2020 in order to apply for a loan.  

    The rules allowed applications for a single loan per business of up to 25% of its 2019 turnover – or of an estimated turnover if the business had started during the previous financial year – up to a maximum of £50,000. Any money claimed was to be used for the economic support of the business. 

    Walker’s baking business was not entitled to any money through the scheme. She did not apply for a loan to support her hairdressing business. 

    Walker signed a Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking in which she did not dispute that she had provided false information on two Bounce Back Loan applications to receive a total of £98,000 to which she was not entitled. 

    She must abide by the restrictions, which extend the terms of her original bankruptcy – usually a period of 12 months – for a further 12 years.  

    They prevent Walker from acting as a company director without permission from the court and from borrowing more than £500 without declaring that she is subject to the sanctions. She is also restricted from holding certain roles in public organisations while subject to the measures. 

    The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted the undertaking on 14 January 2025. The restrictions will run until 13 January 2037. 

    Further information

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Patricia Rubin appointed as Trustee of The National Gallery

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Prime Minister has appointed Patricia Rubin as Trustee of The National Gallery for a 4 year term from 29 November 2024 to 28 November 2028

    Patricia Rubin 

    Appointed from 29th November 2024 to 28th November 2028

    Patricia Rubin is an art historian, professor, and administrator. In addition to her decades-long teaching career in London and New York, she has been Deputy Director of the Courtauld Institute of Art and founding Head of the Courtauld Institute Research Forum (2004-9), Director of the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University (2009-17), and Acting Director of Harvard University Center for Renaissance Studies/Villa I Tatti in Florence (1997). She is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft/Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence and an Honorary Research Fellow of the Courtauld Institute. Museum-based education and research have been fundamental to her work. She has been involved as co-curator, consultant, and catalogue contributor to numerous exhibitions and served on museum boards and committees at the Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Morgan Library and Museum, and the Galleria dell’Accademia of Venice.

    She has written books on Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of the Artists and on art and society in Renaissance Florence (Giorgio Vasari: Art and History and Images and Identity in Fifteenth-century Florence), along with numerous essays and articles on related topics, including the co-authorship of the National Gallery exhibition catalogue Renaissance Florence: The Art of the 1470s. Her research interests range from altarpiece design to humbug and art history in the nineteenth century. She has recently written essays on Sandro Botticelli’s illustrations to Dante’s Divine Comedy, Anglo-American viewing of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, tomb sculptures by Michelangelo Buonarroti and Andrea del Verrocchio (“Michelangelo’s Monkey and the Melancholy of Death”), “‘Perverse Images’: Monstrous Beauty and Monkey Business in Italian Art from Botticelli to Bronzino,” and “Dangerous Liaisons: Compromising Positions and Provocative Allusions in Bronzino’s Martyrdom of St. Lawrence.”

    Remuneration and Governance Code

    Trustees of The National Gallery are not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Patricia Rubin has declared no significant political activity.

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –