Category: Europe

MIL-OSI United Nations: With Gaza smouldering, ministers renew push for two-State solution at UN

Source: United Nations 4

The High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution took place in New York from 28 to 30 July.

The United States and Israel did not participate.

France and Saudi Arabia, co-chairs of the Conference, called on all UN Member States to support a declaration urging collective action to end the war in Gaza and to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution outlines political, humanitarian, and security steps to be taken on a timebound and irreversible basis.

The co-chairs urged countries to endorse the declaration by the end of the 79th session of the General Assembly, in early September, should they so wish.

Act before it is too late

In his stark opening remarks on Monday, Secretary-General Guterres stressed that the two-State solution is the only viable path to ending the longstanding conflict and achieving lasting peace in the region, warning that there is no alternative.

“A one-State reality where Palestinians are denied equal rights and forced to live under perpetual occupation and inequality? A one-State reality where Palestinians are expelled from their land? That is not peace. That is not justice. And that is not acceptable,” he said.

He condemned both Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks and the scale of Israel’s military response, reiterating his call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages, and unfettered humanitarian access.

“This conflict cannot be managed. It must be resolved,” Mr. Guterres concluded. “We must act before it is too late.”

UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the high-level conference on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-State solution.

Calls for peace

Over the three days, more than 125 speakers took the floor during the general debate, including high-level representatives from across the globe and major regional and international organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Delegates underscored the urgency of concrete steps to realise a two-State solution, highlighting the need to empower and reform the Palestinian Authority, reconstruct Gaza and ensure accountability for violations of international law.

France, which co-chaired the Conference, recalled its support for Israel as it joined the community of nations and affirmed that Palestinians deserve the same right to a homeland.

“At a time where the two-State solution is more threatened than ever, France is ready to fully recognise the State of Palestine,” said Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. That recognition, he added, would come in September when leaders reconvene for the General Assembly’s 80th session.

Co-chair Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan al Saud, emphasised the suffering of thousands of civilians in Gaza under bombardment, while Israeli settlements expand in Jerusalem and the West Bank to alter the region’s demographic nature.

“Peace and security do not take place through deprivation of rights or force,” he said, underscoring the need for a genuine and irreversible peace process.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Foreign Secretary David Lammy of the United Kingdom addresses the high-level conference.

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, outlined recent UK actions – including the suspension of arms exports and sanctions on extremist settlers, and restoring of funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

“It is with the hand of history on our shoulders that His Majesty’s Government therefore intends to recognise the State of Palestine when the UN General Assembly gathers in September here in New York,” he declared.

“We will do this unless the Israeli Government acts to end the appalling situation in Gaza, ends its military campaign and commits to a long-term sustainable peace based on a two-State solution.”

MIL OSI United Nations News –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: McConnell Remarks at McCain Institute Russia Task Force Event

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, delivered opening remarks at a McCain Institute event “Highlighting Policy Recommendations for Post-War Russia.” Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

It’s hard to think of a more appropriate home for the Task Force’s important work than the McCain Institute, or a more fitting ringleader than a proud McCain alumnus like Dan Twining.

My good friend, John McCain, was so unapologetic and clear-eyed about the scope of America’s interests. And he relished being the speck in Vladimir Putin’s eye through his solidarity with the free peoples of eastern Europe…

He supported the expansion of the greatest military alliance in the history of the world… And stood for the right of sovereign nations to choose their destiny.

When Putin called the fall of the Soviet Union the “greatest political catastrophe of the 20^th century,” John understood that he meant it, and urged our colleagues to take Russia’s neo-Soviet ambitions seriously.

In the not-so-distant past, that sort of clarity – acknowledging that Russia still threatened America’s interests – could invite public scorn…

…Like the sort of sanctimonious condemnation a certain former colleague of mine received from President Obama during a prime-time debate.

We heard that Putin would moderate… That his ambitions were limited… And that anyone who suggested otherwise was a dusty Cold Warrior past his prime.

Well, to that I say: It is so good to be among friends!

***

Needless to say, the importance of grappling with Russia’s behavior and motivations can no longer be laughed away.

Wake-up call is perhaps the most tired phrase of the past three years.

And yet that’s exactly what Putin’s escalation in 2022 was: an urgent, overdue, uncomfortable, and undeniable alarm.

It was a reminder that the realities of geopolitics don’t care which region we’d rather prioritize or what we’d rather spend our treasure on. The bravery of Ukraine’s defenders and the suffering of its civilians press us to remember that our enemies get a vote.

There are, of course, promising signs that the West has managed to free itself from the delusion that hegemonic aggressors can be appeased.

Reports of our European allies’ rebuilding their military strength are not exaggerated.

Nearly all NATO members today are striving toward the Baltics’ example of investment and readiness… And those who are not should hear from all of us.

In the process, allies are making overdue sacrifices to stamp out dependency on Russian energy…

They’re placing enormous investments in cutting-edge American-made weapons…

And they’re proving willing to break domestic political china – even changing a Constitution or two – to unlock deeper and more sustained commitments to collective defense.

This transformation is real. It’s well underway. And it’ll be essential to securing America’s interests in the coming decades.

What about here at home? As friends of Ukraine, we may be tempted to dwell on the ways we drag behind this progress… and overlook the ways we underpin it.

We may rightly be frustrated by years of murky commitments, slow-walked assistance, fear of escalation, and confusion about who the aggressor is.

But I would suggest that, on this, America has much to be proud of.

Just consider the cascading benefits of U.S. assistance to Ukraine: a small fraction of our defense budget has helped Ukraine resist and degrade a more powerful military aggressor.

After years of talk and little action to address the shortcomings of our own arsenal and defense industrial base, we’ve spurred massive investments in replenishing stocks and producing deterrent capabilities faster.

By partnering with the world’s most experienced practitioners of drone warfare, we’ve tapped into a wealth of knowledge about the changing nature of the modern battlefield. Ukraine’s expertise is teaching America today what our forces will need to prevail tomorrow.

And as NATO’s biggest spender, America has encouraged much of our allies’ transformation.

***

Of course, I don’t mean to suggest that we’ve escaped the gravitational pull of complacency and short-sightedness for good. Our allies’ progress is not assured forever. European security – and trans-Atlantic security – is not some clock to be wound once and left alone.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of 2022 – even bigger than the need to invest urgently today – is the importance of long-term commitments, and steady, annual investments in defense.

And on this front, America must continue to lead by our example. We simply cannot expect allies to reach and sustain five percent if we’re only willing to spend three-and-a-half, ourselves.

A strategy to lead from behind is no strategy at all. And as the Task Force makes perfectly clear, this goes beyond spending targets – it’s about presence, too.

Even as our allies and partners build more lethal forces, there’s still no more credible deterrent than American commitment.

No wonder European allies generously support rotational deployments of U.S. troops and invest in state-of-the-art training ranges for joint exercises. These commitments improve our collective readiness and interoperability, and they’re worth sustaining.

The task of illustrating the strategic importance of Europe to America’s security interests is not ours, alone. In fact, for years now, there’s been no more effective communicator of what’s at stake in Ukraine – strategically and morally – than Putin, himself.

As he continues to throw a generation into the meat-grinder of combat and target Ukrainian mothers and children at will, Putin is sending a clear message.

And in the face of his brutal aggression and public revisionism, overwhelming majorities of Americans recognize Russia as our adversary… and see that the outcome of Putin’s war of conquest matters immensely to us.

Much to the dismay of restrainers and isolationists who thought they’d get to freelance American foreign policy, the President of the United States increasingly sees Putin’s signals for what they are.

The President has been right to recognize Putin’s play for time. He’s been right to entertain proposals for new, secondary sanctions. Most importantly, he’s been right to green-light further lethal assistance to Ukraine.

I’ve said this before: Stopping the killing is a noble goal, but the price of peace matters. And there will be no enduring peace unless Ukraine is equipped to credibly deter further aggression from Russia.

***

The appetite of neo-Soviet imperialism does not end with Ukraine. How do we know?

Because Putin’s predecessors subjugated far wider swaths of Europe…

Because he invaded Georgia…

And because, as we speak, his troops are in Moldova, too!

Nations that have spent centuries in Russia’s shadow do not stumble westward by accident.

Finland and Sweden did not join NATO out of symbolic solidarity with Ukraine.

They did it because they know that Putin wants more.

So the Task Force is right to take the long view and grapple seriously with what comes next.

What comes next for the trans-Atlantic alliance?

What comes next for the increasingly aligned authoritarians working to undermine U.S. interests and influence?

What comes next for America and our ability to defend these interests and preserve this influence?

As you put it, our deterrence is not divisible. And I would add: this is because our credibility is not divisible.

No U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific has time to waste on the notion that the implications of deterrence in Europe are confined to a separate sphere of influence.

No ally in Europe can afford to miss the crystal-clear connection between Russian aggression and support from China, North Korea, and Iran.

The consequences of America’s strategic decisions still ripple across oceans and continents with equal speed.

And a headline that reads “Russia Wins, America Loses” will read as clearly in Beijing, Tehran, and Pyongyang as it does here in Washington.

Avoiding that outcome will take more work from all of us. Thank you for all you’re doing.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Defense News in Brief: Army’s Project Flytrap Advances Defense Secretary’s Drone Dominance Agenda

Source: United States Department of Defense

U.S. and British soldiers conducted the fourth iteration of the Project Flytrap exercise at the Hohenfels Training Area in Germany and the Bemowo Piskie Training Area, near Elk, Poland, to better prepare to counter the threats posed by unmanned aerial systems on the battlefield.

MIL Security OSI –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Met prioritises neighbourhood policing to tackle crime in London hotspots
Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

The Metropolitan Police is ruthlessly prioritising resources and putting more officers on the beat in the busiest parts of London – including the West End – to focus on core policing priorities, protect the public, and tackle areas with high crime.

Despite the Met getting smaller, it is applying more resources and smarter tactics to tackle the biggest priorities.

Up to 80 more officers will join the dedicated West End team to bear down on crimes which Londoners care about the most – including antisocial behaviour, violence against women and girls, shoplifting and phone robbery – as part of the Met’s focus on neighbourhood policing.

The intensified action is part of ongoing work by the Met and Mayor of London to boost local neighbourhood teams, enhance partnership working and put high visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding trust.

The West End will see its policing team grow by over 50 per cent so they can relentlessly target prolific offenders as well as being visible and approachable to protect the public and deter criminals.

Six town centre teams will also be expanded or newly created with 90 additional officers in areas with the highest volumes of thefts and robberies covering Brixton, Kingston, Ealing, Finsbury Park, Southwark, and Spitalfields.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said:

“The Met is getting smaller but more capable. We have a laser-like focus on ensuring our officers and staff are in roles where they can drive down crime on issues that matter the most to Londoners.

“This is what the public expects of the police, which is why we are putting neighbourhood policing first, tackling the crimes that we know are impacting the public in the busiest areas, and making the capital’s streets safer.

“We’re adding up to 170 additional officers, split between the West End and town centres across London. Thanks to the hard work of our local teams, neighbourhood crime has already fallen by almost a fifth over the last year and moving these officers to the frontline will make sure we are a more visible presence in London.

“While our budget has decreased in real terms, we are using this additional funding from City Hall and Home Office productively to support our mission to take a targeted approach to tackling volume crime and bolster our specialist tactics to disrupt the criminal gangs who fuel anti-social behaviour, robbery and theft.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe. Thanks to record funding from City Hall, the West End will see a 50 per cent increase in the number of police officers on the beat and an additional 90 police officers working in new or enhanced town centre teams in hotspot areas.

“Despite years of austerity by the previous government, this is the latest example of the Met Police and I prioritising what Londoners want and delivering on our pledge to put high visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding community confidence and trust.

“These new and boosted Safer Neighbourhood Teams will focus on tackling antisocial behaviour, phone robbery and shoplifting in key areas. This fresh targeted action is happening in tandem with enhanced police and partnership work already underway in our high streets and town centres this summer. We will continue to build on the crime reductions already achieved in the capital – with robbery, theft and knife crime down since the start of the financial year – to build a safer London for all.”

Already, the Met has recruited over 300 additional PCSOs for neighbourhood policing teams towards a target of 500, as well as adding over 300 officers from Superintendents to Constables.

This work to focus resource in the right places, builds on enhanced partnership action with local authorities, businesses and communities to tackle crime in London’s busy town centres and high streets, announced earlier this month.

The Met is arresting 1000 more criminals each month and thanks to the hard work of its officers, London’s Violence Reduction Unit, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), local authorities and partners, the first six weeks of this financial year have seen promising reductions in a number of crime types compared to the same period last year.
- Neighbourhood crime down by 15.3 per cent
- Knife crime down by 18.1 per cent
- Residential burglary down by 17.7 per cent
- Theft from the person down by 15.6 per cent
- Personal robbery down by 12.8 per cent
- Shoplifting – solved 163 per cent more cases this year
- In the West End specifically the Met has reduced:
- Personal robbery by 20%
- Violence with injury by 25%
- Violence against a person by 8%
Ros Morgan, Chief Executive, Heart of London Business Alliance:

“A safer West End is essential to its success. We welcome the Mayor and Met Commissioner’s response to our calls for more policing. With over 200 million visitors a year and a £50 billion contribution to the UK economy, keeping this district secure isn’t optional — it’s vital. We’ll continue working with the Met to protect the West End’s reputation as a world-class destination.”

Dee Corsi, Chief Executive, New West End Company, said:

“We know, first-hand, the incredible work that the Metropolitan Police Service undertakes every day here in the West End to tackle anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, phone robbery and violence against women and girls. But we also know that tackling complex crime challenges is more difficult when resources are squeezed. That’s why today’s announcement, and renewed commitment to the West End, is a critical step forward. We will continue to work in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service, the Mayor of London and other local stakeholders to ensure the West End remains safe and welcoming for all.”

Anthony Hemmerdinger, Managing Director, Boots said:

“Retail theft alongside intimidation and abuse of our team members is unacceptable, so we welcome this additional support from the Mayor and Metropolitan Police to increase resources in some of our busiest central London store locations.

“While we continue to invest significantly in schemes to deter and disrupt crime, including our state-of-the-art CCTV monitoring centre and bodycams for our team members in stores, it is only through close partnership working with Government, Police, and local communities, that we can ensure high streets feel like welcoming and safe spaces for people to work, shop and visit, all the time.”

Against the backdrop of these improvements and increased demand for policing in London, tough choices are still being made across the organisation.

The Met is shrinking overall by 1,700 officers and staff – they have started by moving officers from the dedicated Royal Parks policing team and schools officers into local policing teams. This will ensure officers are part of larger neighbourhood policing teams, policing parks as part of larger teams and ensuring children are safe on their school commute where they are most at risk.

The Met are going further to place officers on the beat, ensuring London is a safer place to live, work and visit. A more visible presence will increase reassurance for the public and create a hostile environment for criminals who will be arrested in greater numbers.

The Met secured additional funding after submitting their draft budget which laid out how they would spend their money in 2025/26. As a result, they are using £32 million of additional funding from City Hall and the Home Office to reduce the total officer and staff reductions in priority areas.

The efficiency savings are due to real-term reductions in public spending on policing and every decision the Met makes is to ensure resources are focussed in the most vital areas and on core-policing priorities.

The funding will also allow specialist police capabilities to be expanded to support neighbourhood policing priorities and improve out outcomes in tackling high-harm offenders and violence against women and girls. This will include:
- Bolstering Flying Squad with over 50 additional officers to support neighbourhood policing as they tackle the organised crime gangs that fuel phone robbery and shoplifting.
- Scaling up our use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) more widely supported by additional officers and staff. Currently LFR is used four times a week across two days, but this will increase up to five days a week, delivering up to 10 deployments a week across London to drive up arrests of wanted offenders.
- The Public Order Crime Team will expand to accommodate the rise in protest-related criminal investigations to ensure frontline officers are freed up to focus on local issues. Demand in this area increased in the last two years.
- Additional resource will be funded to support local policing teams to coordinate work to hunt down dangerous and predatory offenders identified in our V100 and Violence Harm Assessment work.
As well as targeting resource in specific priority areas, the funding has allowed the Met to reduce some of the previously outlined cuts – including providing 17 officers to join neighbourhood policing teams to support the continued policing of Royal Parks as part of our business as usually work and stopping previously proposed reductions to Flying Squad.

The Met is also publishing A New Met for London: Phase 2 – a plan for the next three years, following the success of the first plan to deliver more trust, less crime and high standards.

The new plan focusses on shedding distractions and bureaucracy that divert police away from crime-fighting, allowing our officers and staff to focus on what matters most to the public we serve, making greater use of technologies such as live facial recognition and automation, and providing officers and staff with the tools and equipment they need, to be more effective and more productive.

The Met is asking the public for their views. To share your views complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6NCR3LH

MIL Security OSI –
July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Met prioritises neighbourhood policing to tackle crime in London hotspots
Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

The Metropolitan Police is ruthlessly prioritising resources and putting more officers on the beat in the busiest parts of London – including the West End – to focus on core policing priorities, protect the public, and tackle areas with high crime.

Despite the Met getting smaller, it is applying more resources and smarter tactics to tackle the biggest priorities.

Up to 80 more officers will join the dedicated West End team to bear down on crimes which Londoners care about the most – including antisocial behaviour, violence against women and girls, shoplifting and phone robbery – as part of the Met’s focus on neighbourhood policing.

The intensified action is part of ongoing work by the Met and Mayor of London to boost local neighbourhood teams, enhance partnership working and put high visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding trust.

The West End will see its policing team grow by over 50 per cent so they can relentlessly target prolific offenders as well as being visible and approachable to protect the public and deter criminals.

Six town centre teams will also be expanded or newly created with 90 additional officers in areas with the highest volumes of thefts and robberies covering Brixton, Kingston, Ealing, Finsbury Park, Southwark, and Spitalfields.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said:

“The Met is getting smaller but more capable. We have a laser-like focus on ensuring our officers and staff are in roles where they can drive down crime on issues that matter the most to Londoners.

“This is what the public expects of the police, which is why we are putting neighbourhood policing first, tackling the crimes that we know are impacting the public in the busiest areas, and making the capital’s streets safer.

“We’re adding up to 170 additional officers, split between the West End and town centres across London. Thanks to the hard work of our local teams, neighbourhood crime has already fallen by almost a fifth over the last year and moving these officers to the frontline will make sure we are a more visible presence in London.

“While our budget has decreased in real terms, we are using this additional funding from City Hall and Home Office productively to support our mission to take a targeted approach to tackling volume crime and bolster our specialist tactics to disrupt the criminal gangs who fuel anti-social behaviour, robbery and theft.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe. Thanks to record funding from City Hall, the West End will see a 50 per cent increase in the number of police officers on the beat and an additional 90 police officers working in new or enhanced town centre teams in hotspot areas.

“Despite years of austerity by the previous government, this is the latest example of the Met Police and I prioritising what Londoners want and delivering on our pledge to put high visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding community confidence and trust.

“These new and boosted Safer Neighbourhood Teams will focus on tackling antisocial behaviour, phone robbery and shoplifting in key areas. This fresh targeted action is happening in tandem with enhanced police and partnership work already underway in our high streets and town centres this summer. We will continue to build on the crime reductions already achieved in the capital – with robbery, theft and knife crime down since the start of the financial year – to build a safer London for all.”

Already, the Met has recruited over 300 additional PCSOs for neighbourhood policing teams towards a target of 500, as well as adding over 300 officers from Superintendents to Constables.

This work to focus resource in the right places, builds on enhanced partnership action with local authorities, businesses and communities to tackle crime in London’s busy town centres and high streets, announced earlier this month.

The Met is arresting 1000 more criminals each month and thanks to the hard work of its officers, London’s Violence Reduction Unit, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), local authorities and partners, the first six weeks of this financial year have seen promising reductions in a number of crime types compared to the same period last year.
- Neighbourhood crime down by 15.3 per cent
- Knife crime down by 18.1 per cent
- Residential burglary down by 17.7 per cent
- Theft from the person down by 15.6 per cent
- Personal robbery down by 12.8 per cent
- Shoplifting – solved 163 per cent more cases this year
- In the West End specifically the Met has reduced:
- Personal robbery by 20%
- Violence with injury by 25%
- Violence against a person by 8%
Ros Morgan, Chief Executive, Heart of London Business Alliance:

“A safer West End is essential to its success. We welcome the Mayor and Met Commissioner’s response to our calls for more policing. With over 200 million visitors a year and a £50 billion contribution to the UK economy, keeping this district secure isn’t optional — it’s vital. We’ll continue working with the Met to protect the West End’s reputation as a world-class destination.”

Dee Corsi, Chief Executive, New West End Company, said:

“We know, first-hand, the incredible work that the Metropolitan Police Service undertakes every day here in the West End to tackle anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, phone robbery and violence against women and girls. But we also know that tackling complex crime challenges is more difficult when resources are squeezed. That’s why today’s announcement, and renewed commitment to the West End, is a critical step forward. We will continue to work in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service, the Mayor of London and other local stakeholders to ensure the West End remains safe and welcoming for all.”

Anthony Hemmerdinger, Managing Director, Boots said:

“Retail theft alongside intimidation and abuse of our team members is unacceptable, so we welcome this additional support from the Mayor and Metropolitan Police to increase resources in some of our busiest central London store locations.

“While we continue to invest significantly in schemes to deter and disrupt crime, including our state-of-the-art CCTV monitoring centre and bodycams for our team members in stores, it is only through close partnership working with Government, Police, and local communities, that we can ensure high streets feel like welcoming and safe spaces for people to work, shop and visit, all the time.”

Against the backdrop of these improvements and increased demand for policing in London, tough choices are still being made across the organisation.

The Met is shrinking overall by 1,700 officers and staff – they have started by moving officers from the dedicated Royal Parks policing team and schools officers into local policing teams. This will ensure officers are part of larger neighbourhood policing teams, policing parks as part of larger teams and ensuring children are safe on their school commute where they are most at risk.

The Met are going further to place officers on the beat, ensuring London is a safer place to live, work and visit. A more visible presence will increase reassurance for the public and create a hostile environment for criminals who will be arrested in greater numbers.

The Met secured additional funding after submitting their draft budget which laid out how they would spend their money in 2025/26. As a result, they are using £32 million of additional funding from City Hall and the Home Office to reduce the total officer and staff reductions in priority areas.

The efficiency savings are due to real-term reductions in public spending on policing and every decision the Met makes is to ensure resources are focussed in the most vital areas and on core-policing priorities.

The funding will also allow specialist police capabilities to be expanded to support neighbourhood policing priorities and improve out outcomes in tackling high-harm offenders and violence against women and girls. This will include:
- Bolstering Flying Squad with over 50 additional officers to support neighbourhood policing as they tackle the organised crime gangs that fuel phone robbery and shoplifting.
- Scaling up our use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) more widely supported by additional officers and staff. Currently LFR is used four times a week across two days, but this will increase up to five days a week, delivering up to 10 deployments a week across London to drive up arrests of wanted offenders.
- The Public Order Crime Team will expand to accommodate the rise in protest-related criminal investigations to ensure frontline officers are freed up to focus on local issues. Demand in this area increased in the last two years.
- Additional resource will be funded to support local policing teams to coordinate work to hunt down dangerous and predatory offenders identified in our V100 and Violence Harm Assessment work.
As well as targeting resource in specific priority areas, the funding has allowed the Met to reduce some of the previously outlined cuts – including providing 17 officers to join neighbourhood policing teams to support the continued policing of Royal Parks as part of our business as usually work and stopping previously proposed reductions to Flying Squad.

The Met is also publishing A New Met for London: Phase 2 – a plan for the next three years, following the success of the first plan to deliver more trust, less crime and high standards.

The new plan focusses on shedding distractions and bureaucracy that divert police away from crime-fighting, allowing our officers and staff to focus on what matters most to the public we serve, making greater use of technologies such as live facial recognition and automation, and providing officers and staff with the tools and equipment they need, to be more effective and more productive.

The Met is asking the public for their views. To share your views complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6NCR3LH

MIL Security OSI –
July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI: Optus partners with Nokia to strengthen reliability of Voice with cloud-native solution supporting the deployment of new 5G enhanced voice services
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release
Optus partners with Nokia to strengthen reliability of Voice with cloud-native solution supporting the deployment of new 5G enhanced voice services
- Optus to utilize Nokia’s cloud-native Cloud Native Communication Suite (CNCS) to drive the deployment of new highly resilient 5G voice services and streamline network activities, enhanced automation and reduced manual interventions.
- CNCS will be deployed on the Red Hat OpenShift.
- Deal swaps out competitor and is the latest Nokia Core win in the Oceania region.
31 July 2025
Espoo, Finland – Optus, the second largest operator in Australia, is extending its existing partnership with Nokia and has contracted the company to refresh its Voice Platform (IP Multimedia Subsystem – IMS) and deliver highly resilient cloud-native voice services. Voice is an important service for Australia, and with this new platform Optus will deliver highly reliable and efficient 5G voice services to over 10 million customers.

Nokia’s IMS platform (Cloud Native Communication Suite – CNCS) is cloud native, operationally efficient and has lower energy consumption, making it the right platform for addressing the needs of Australian consumers.

“Reliability is the cornerstone of Optus’ Network strategy, and Voice is one of the most critical services provided by Optus. Nokia CNCS provides us with a new and highly flexible pathway that will allow us to improve network resiliency, security and enhance the subscriber experience with better and faster time-to-market services, through both on-premise and cloud deployment that assists in better quality and customer experience through a matrix of intelligent automation tools,” said Tony Baird, Chief Technology Officer at Optus.

The containerized CNCS will be run on Red Hat OpenShift, the leading hybrid cloud application platform powered by Kubernetes, which is also Optus’ preferred CaaS provider.

“We are pleased to further expand our Optus collaboration with Nokia’s cloud-native CNCS architecture and accelerate the delivery of new 5G services in multi-cloud environments with intelligent automation and intent-based operations. By simplifying network complexity, CNCS allows operators to respond faster to customer needs and deliver a superior, frictionless experience,” said Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia.

The Nokia Core Network portfolio is fully cloud native which makes it much easier for operators to run their full 4G/5G Core in cloud-native network functions.

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

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The MIL Network –
July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Boozman, Cotton Back Effort to Establish Drone Production Facility at Red River Army Depot
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) joined Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to introduce the SkyFoundry Act of 2025, legislation to establish a Department of Defense drone production facility at the Red River Army Depot to develop, produce and field drones for the Department of Defense.

“The men and women of the Red River Army Depot are committed to providing our servicemembers with the tools they need to defend our nation,” said Boozman. “With unmanned aircraft systems playing an increasingly prominent role in modern warfare, tasking them with developing and sustaining an adequate supply of drone systems would be a win for this skilled workforce and our armed forces. I am pleased to join my colleagues to champion this effort and the Arkansans whose vital contributions to Red River support our national security and local economy.”

“Large-scale manufacturing of small drones is critical to the Army’s current and future operational capability,” said Cotton. “This bill is a win for national security and for Arkansas as the Skyfoundry program presents a unique opportunity to more fully utilize the Army’s organic industrial base by positioning Red River Army Depot to meet the Army’s emerging requirements.”

“Establishing a drone manufacturing facility at the Red River Army Depot will help ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of drone production,” said Cruz. “I’m proud to see the Lone Star State continuing to lead in defense innovation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to swiftly pass this legislation.”

“Russia and China are currently outpacing America in scalable drone production and investment, making us vulnerable to national security threats if left unmatched,” said Cornyn. “This legislation seeks to close this gap and help ensure America remains competitive with our foreign adversaries by establishing a new innovation and production facility that would rapidly improve our ability to develop, test, and mass-produce small unmanned aircraft systems.”

Specifically, the SkyFoundry Act of 2025 will:
- Establish a production facility and innovation facility for the manufacturing and development of small unmanned aircraft systems;
- Utilize a Government-Owned, Government-Operated Contractor Augmented (GOGO/CA) model, blending military, civilian and contract personnel; and
- Encourage public-private partnerships with industry, academia and nonprofits.
Boozman has continually championed efforts to support the Red River Army Depot, successfully securing $47 million in 2024 for workforce support and recently advancing an additional $93 million in funding through the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee as part of the FY 2026 MilCon-VA Appropriations Act.

This legislation is supported by the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce and the TexAmericas Center.

Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10).

The bill text is available here.
MIL OSI USA News –
July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment
Source: Scottish Government

A vision for improving access to support for disabled people.

Issued on behalf of the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment

A landmark independent review of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) has called for a simplified and more accessible application process, urging the Scottish Government to protect and improve access to support for disabled people.

Led by experienced charity leader, Edel Harris OBE, the review highlights that while Adult Disability Payment is significantly more compassionate than the UK benefit it replaced, some people still face barriers, complexity and distress when applying for the benefit.

While the review notes that there are several welcome changes such as the cessation of DWP-style assessments and recognises the compassionate approach of Social Security Scotland staff, it concludes that there is still more that can be done to deliver a truly human-rights based approach.

Edel Harris, Chair of the Adult Disability Payment Review, said:

“Adult Disability Payment has been described by many as a step change – kinder in tone and more dignified in approach. But too often, disabled people still find the system difficult to navigate, time-consuming, and anxiety-inducing.

“I heard consistently that if we are to realise social security as an investment in people, it is important to ensure that the eligibility criteria fulfil this goal.

“This review highlights the importance of a system that is not only compassionate, but practical and accessible. The recommendations are based on real experiences and a shared commitment to making Adult Disability Payment work better for everyone who needs it.”

The review engaged extensively with disabled people and the organisations that support them. It drew on evidence from a public consultation, written submissions, in-person and online events, and the lived experience of an advisory group made up of third sector representatives, disabled people and people with long-term health-conditions.

Over the course of the review, Edel Harris also met with stakeholder groups, third sector organisations, and officials from the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland to understand a variety of experiences of Adult Disability Payment.

The review makes over 50 recommendations including:
- Enhancing the client experience and embedding trauma-informed, stigma-free approaches.
- Simplifying the application form and improving the decision-making process.
- Training, guidance, and clearer communication for staff and clients.
- Reviewing eligibility criteria and improving fairness in decision-making.
A key recommendation from the review is that eligibility should be based on the real-life experience of clients and not just on a list of activities. It also recommends that the application process should be made easier for those with fluctuating conditions and mental health problems and take into consideration the environment in which the person lives.

The report also calls for sustainable funding for welfare advice services, more inclusive communication, and automatic entitlement in some circumstances.

Edel visited Inspire by Community Integrated Care an Aberdeen-based charity supporting adults with learning disabilities and additional support needs. The visit offered an insight into the role of social security in promoting independence, inclusion, and dignity.

Community Integrated Care’s Managing Director for Scotland, Sara Murphy, said:

“It was a privilege to welcome Edel to our Inspire by Community Integrated Care service and show how financial support like Adult Disability Payment can make a visible difference in people’s lives. As a care provider, we see every day how inclusive, person-centred support enables people to build confidence, develop skills, and live more independently.

“We welcome the review’s call for a system that truly listens to disabled people and reflects their real-life experiences. We hope it leads to meaningful change that makes accessing support fairer, simpler, and more empowering for those who need it.”

Background

The full report is available at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836918912

The review was commissioned by the Scottish Government in February 2024 to examine the first year of Adult Disability Payment delivery, with the aim of identifying improvements to the eligibility framework, decision-making process and client experience.

Implementation of the recommendations in the review will be assessed against criteria including deliverability, cost, and alignment with human rights principles.
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment
Source: Scottish Government

A vision for improving access to support for disabled people.

Issued on behalf of the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment

A landmark independent review of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) has called for a simplified and more accessible application process, urging the Scottish Government to protect and improve access to support for disabled people.

Led by experienced charity leader, Edel Harris OBE, the review highlights that while Adult Disability Payment is significantly more compassionate than the UK benefit it replaced, some people still face barriers, complexity and distress when applying for the benefit.

While the review notes that there are several welcome changes such as the cessation of DWP-style assessments and recognises the compassionate approach of Social Security Scotland staff, it concludes that there is still more that can be done to deliver a truly human-rights based approach.

Edel Harris, Chair of the Adult Disability Payment Review, said:

“Adult Disability Payment has been described by many as a step change – kinder in tone and more dignified in approach. But too often, disabled people still find the system difficult to navigate, time-consuming, and anxiety-inducing.

“I heard consistently that if we are to realise social security as an investment in people, it is important to ensure that the eligibility criteria fulfil this goal.

“This review highlights the importance of a system that is not only compassionate, but practical and accessible. The recommendations are based on real experiences and a shared commitment to making Adult Disability Payment work better for everyone who needs it.”

The review engaged extensively with disabled people and the organisations that support them. It drew on evidence from a public consultation, written submissions, in-person and online events, and the lived experience of an advisory group made up of third sector representatives, disabled people and people with long-term health-conditions.

Over the course of the review, Edel Harris also met with stakeholder groups, third sector organisations, and officials from the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland to understand a variety of experiences of Adult Disability Payment.

The review makes over 50 recommendations including:
- Enhancing the client experience and embedding trauma-informed, stigma-free approaches.
- Simplifying the application form and improving the decision-making process.
- Training, guidance, and clearer communication for staff and clients.
- Reviewing eligibility criteria and improving fairness in decision-making.
A key recommendation from the review is that eligibility should be based on the real-life experience of clients and not just on a list of activities. It also recommends that the application process should be made easier for those with fluctuating conditions and mental health problems and take into consideration the environment in which the person lives.

The report also calls for sustainable funding for welfare advice services, more inclusive communication, and automatic entitlement in some circumstances.

Edel visited Inspire by Community Integrated Care an Aberdeen-based charity supporting adults with learning disabilities and additional support needs. The visit offered an insight into the role of social security in promoting independence, inclusion, and dignity.

Community Integrated Care’s Managing Director for Scotland, Sara Murphy, said:

“It was a privilege to welcome Edel to our Inspire by Community Integrated Care service and show how financial support like Adult Disability Payment can make a visible difference in people’s lives. As a care provider, we see every day how inclusive, person-centred support enables people to build confidence, develop skills, and live more independently.

“We welcome the review’s call for a system that truly listens to disabled people and reflects their real-life experiences. We hope it leads to meaningful change that makes accessing support fairer, simpler, and more empowering for those who need it.”

Background

The full report is available at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836918912

The review was commissioned by the Scottish Government in February 2024 to examine the first year of Adult Disability Payment delivery, with the aim of identifying improvements to the eligibility framework, decision-making process and client experience.

Implementation of the recommendations in the review will be assessed against criteria including deliverability, cost, and alignment with human rights principles.
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Life sentence for man who followed through on rap video murder threat

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A man has been sentenced to jail for murdering a father in front of his young child in a barbershop in Leyton.

Josh McKay, 33, was stabbed in the neck by Renai Belle in a targeted attack and died from his injuries at the scene. During the Metropolitan Police investigation, officers discovered a rap video showing Belle threaten Josh before the attack.

Belle, 30 (20.02.95), of Swaythling Close, Edmonton was sentenced to 28 years in prison on Wednesday, 30 July at the Old Bailey. He was previously convicted for Josh’s murder and possession of a knife on Wednesday, 4 June.

A man and woman were also convicted and sentenced for separate offences.

Josh’s mother, Bash Kehinde said: “Today’s sentencing changes nothing for me and my family. I will never see my beautiful son. And his two children will now face life without their hero.

“To all of the mothers of murdered children, I understand your pain, the sadness and sense of loss that is unbearable. It is made worse because it was all so senseless.

“Josh was a beautiful happy kind man and an active and loving father. The world is less kind, less bright and less funny without him here.”

Detective Inspector Chris Griffith, from Specialist Crime North, who led the investigation, said: “This was a savage and pre-planned attack, committed in broad daylight and with scant regard for passers-by. What took place left the local community reeling, and two young children without their father.

“My heart goes out to Josh’s family and friends. He was a loving parent, whose life was ended in the most horrendous way.

“I hope that today’s result provides Josh’s family with some closure, and allows the community to feel safer knowing that Belle is no longer free to commit such heinous crimes.”

The court heard that Josh was at a barbershop on Lea Bridge Road with his son on Saturday, 6 July. Around 15:00hrs, as shown on CCTV seized by the investigation team, Belle entered the shop wearing a balaclava where he stabbed Josh in the neck in a pre-meditated attack following a long-standing dispute. Belle was then chased away by Josh.

Members of the public rushed to Josh’s aid and attempted to provide medical treatment until the arrival of officers and paramedics. Despite their best efforts, Josh died from his injuries.

A determined investigation began immediately in which officers painstakingly combed through more than 100 hours of CCTV footage to track Belle’s movements and understand what took place.

Officers discovered that Belle was the passenger in a car being driven by his partner, Tenika Parker. Having seen Josh enter the barbershop, the pair drove to the address of man called Daniel Cooper. In doorbell footage later seized, Cooper was seen providing Belle with the balaclava and knife that would be used minutes later to murder Josh. Belle was then driven back to the barbers nearby before stabbing Josh. He was helped to escape by Parker in the waiting car.

A manhunt led to the arrest of Belle at an address in Pincott Road, SW19 on Monday 8 July, 2024.

As part of officers’ determination to further establish a watertight case against Belle, further enquiries led them to discover a rap video on YouTube showing Belle threaten Josh in advance of the attack, more proof that it was pre-planned.

Parker was initially arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender on Sunday, 7 July in India Dock Road, Poplar. She was stopped by police while driving the car that had been identified as involved in the murder. During a search of Parker’s vehicle, officers found distinct black sliders Belle was seen wearing in CCTV footage, as well as traces of blood that officers sent for forensic testing. This provided a DNA match to Josh. Parker was rearrested on Wednesday, 2 October, and charged with perverting the course of justice after CCTV footage showed her attempting to clean her car after the attack to remove any evidence.

Cooper was arrested after handing himself in to police on Thursday, 11 July. During a search at Cooper’s property, officers discovered two knives matching the branding of the weapon that was left at the scene of Josh’s murder. Forensic testing on the balaclava and knife discarded by Belle at the scene of Josh’s murder found DNA that matched with Cooper.

On Wednesday, 4 June, Tenika Parker, 39 (21.02.86), of Canterbury Road, Leytonstone and Daniel Cooper, 22 (20.02.03) of Gosport Road, Leytonstone stood trial alongside Belle.

Parker was convicted of possession of a knife and perverting the course of justice. On Wednesday, 30 July, she was sentenced at the Old Bailey to 2 years and 3 months years in prison.

Cooper had previously pleaded guilty to possession of a knife but was acquitted of other offences. He was sentenced on Friday, 6 June for 7.5 months.

MIL Security OSI –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port sets Guam and CNMI ports to Heavy Weather Condition Yankee amid tsunami advisory

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

SANTA RITA, Guam — The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port set Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ports to Heavy Weather Condition Yankee on Wednesday, July 30, as of 11:30 a.m., affecting commercial vessels at or over 200 gross tons, in response to a tsunami advisory triggered by a major earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

MIL Security OSI –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Sunderland sign midfielder Xhaka from Leverkusen

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

Sunderland continues to prepare for its return to the Premier League with the signing of Switzerland international midfielder Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen.

Chelsea’s Jorginho (R) is challenged by Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka during the 23th round English Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in London, Britain on Jan. 19, 2019. Arsenal won 2-0. (Xinhua/Matthew Impey)

The 32-year-old won the Bundesliga and German Cup double with Leverkusen in 2024 and previously spent seven years at Arsenal. Xhaka joins for a fee thought to be around 13 million pounds and has agreed a three-year deal at the Stadium of Light.

The midfielder will bring a wealth of experience to Sunderland as the club looks to avoid instant relegation back to the Championship.

“I’m very proud to be here. When I spoke to the club, I was excited, and I felt the energy, and the mentality all the people and players have.”

“It’s exactly what I wanted, and I have a very good feeling. We are back to where this club needs to be, and we want to stay here to write our own history,” Xhaka was quoted as saying on the Sunderland website.

“I feel I’m ready to help the team with my experience but with quality as well. We need to find ourselves on the pitch, but I don’t think this will be a big problem. It’s been a long time to wait, but I’m here now, and I’m looking forward to it,” he concluded.

This summer has seen Sunderland bring in Enzo Le Fee, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi and Simon Adingra, spending over 110 million pounds.

Sunderland finished fourth in the Championship in the 2024-25 season and grabbed the third and last ticket to promote to the Premier League through two rounds of playoffs.

MIL OSI China News –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Thomas Muller set to join MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

Bayern Munich veteran Thomas Muller is close to sealing a move to Major League Soccer (MLS).

According to German and Canadian media reports, only minor details remain before the 35-year-old signs a two-year contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps as a free agent on August 1.

The 131-time capped German international is expected to further boost the MLS’ profile alongside Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami. Reports say Muller’s debut for the Whitecaps could come on August 9 against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Layvin Kurzawa (L) from Paris Saint-Germain competes with Thomas Muller from Bayern Munich during their match of Group B of the 2017-18 season Champions League at Parc des Princes in Paris, France on Sept. 27, 2017. Paris Saint-Germain won by 3-0 at home. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

The Bavarian forward recently expressed a desire to gain international experience to round out a decorated career that includes two UEFA Champions League titles, 13 Bundesliga championships and six German Cup trophies.

Muller has called the MLS an intriguing competition, noting that “we see a World Cup played in the United States, Canada and Mexico, in 2026.”

German ties to the Canadian west coast club may have influenced his decision. Canadian international full-back Alphonso Davies joined Bayern from Vancouver in 2018, while Whitecaps managing director Alexander Schuster previously worked for German sides Mainz 05 and Schalke 04. In 2022, Nick Salihamidzic, son of former Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, played for Vancouver.

“I am looking forward to playing in the MLS and meeting figureheads such as Messi,” said Muller, who leaves Bayern after contributing 250 goals and 276 assists in 756 competitive appearances.

He follows in the footsteps of fellow Bayern and German greats Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Lothar Matthaeus and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who all played in the MLS after their European careers.

The Whitecaps have won the Canadian Championship four times, including three in the past three years.

Muller acknowledged the challenge of adapting to new surroundings, saying, “When you leave a club like Bayern, you meet different circumstances.” He added that he still feels “the desire for football burning in my chest.”

Turning 36 in September, Muller saw his wish for a one-year contract extension turned down by Bayern as his playing time declined in recent seasons, when he primarily served as a substitute and mentor for younger players.

MIL OSI China News –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Barca defender Kounde agrees new contract until 2030

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

Although the club has yet to make the news official, FC Barcelona defender Jules Kounde on Wednesday confirmed that he has agreed a new five-year contract.

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (R) celebrates his goal with teammate Jules Kounde during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd leg football match between FC Barcelona and SL Benfica in Barcelona, Spain, on March 11, 2025. (Photo by Joan Gosa/Xinhua)

Speaking from the club’s Asian tour in South Korea, the French international commented that “everything has been finished” in terms of a contract extension until the end of June 2030.

He added it was “a question of days” before the contract was made official, saying he was “very happy” the negotiations had been “so fast.”

“Barca and I had the same idea. I am very happy with the team and to be at such an ambitious club and happy we can fight for titles every year,” commented the player who scored a late winner as Barca beat Real Madrid in last season’s Copa del Rey final.

26-year-old Kounde joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2022 and has scored seven goals in 141 games for Barcelona. Although he was initially signed as a central defender, recent seasons have seen him adapt to play at right-back.

MIL OSI China News –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: OZZY fans say final farewell as thousands line streets to witness cortege

Source: City of Birmingham

Birmingham City welcomed thousands of Ozzy Osbourne fans who flocked to watch an emotional cortege wind through the city in honour of the rock legend who died last Tuesday (July 22).

Ozzy Osbourne’s family including wife Sharon followed a hearse and brass band along the route in memory of the Aston-born star.

The public show of respect in his hometown has been arranged and funded by the Osbourne family and has been supported by partners, including Birmingham City Council.

Ozzy and fellow Black Sabbath band members received Freedom of the City for their significant contribution to the musical and cultural identify of Birmingham, during a civic ceremony held at Council House on Saturday, June 28. He was therefore one of the city’s most recent Freeman.

It was just weeks before Ozzy’s last charity gig on July 5 at Villa Park, a stone’s throw away from where Black Sabbath was originally formed.

Today, thousands of fans lined the streets to watch as the musician’s hearse passed slowly through the city, along Broad Street, Black Sabbath Bridge, and the Black Sabbath bench, to the beat of a brass band.

The Osbourne family were able to witness the flowers and tributes along the route laid by fans from all over the world ever since the news was announced last week.

A book of condolence has been opened for people to sign at Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery’s (BMAG) Round Room and which now contains thousands of signatures. The book will close on Sunday, August 3. Fans can also freely visit the exhibition ‘Ozzy Osbourne (1948 – 2025) Working Class Hero’.

An online book of Condolence is also available for fans to send messages and can be accessed and signed here Book of condolence and will close on Friday, August 1.

Birmingham City Council and BMAG will work behind the scenes to ensure that all messages are collected for the family to read, including cards and messages laid with flowers and other memorabilia.

Birmingham’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Zafar Iqbal, said: “Once again, Ozzy has put Birmingham firmly on the map. His sad passing has evoked a sense of pain and pride in the city and the world has watched as we have said our final farewell.

“We have been supporting the family with behind-the-scenes operations, such as ensuring the city is safe and secure for the fans who have made their way here for this sad occasion.

“It was only right to honour Ozzy as our latest Freeman to the city and my thanks go to the staff at Birmingham City Council who have made this event possible with our partners in such a very short space of time.”

Deputy Leader, Councillor Sharon Thompson, added: “Never before have I witnessed such passion from the people of Birmingham for a musician. They have lost their ‘Prince of Darkness’.

“We all know that Ozzy was an exceptional human being who was driven to entertain and ensure his city of Birmingham was never forgotten, along with his passion for charitable causes. ‘Birmingham Forever’ as he would say.”

The Osbourne family plan to hold a private funeral for the star.

Birmingham City Council would like to thank all of its partners for their hard work in bringing together a team to ensure the event ran smoothly.

Thanks in particular to: Opus Events, Brindley Place business community, West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, West Side Business Improvement District, West Midlands Combined Authority, the Ambulance Service.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City centre footbridge to close temporarily for flood defence works

Source: City of Derby

A city centre footbridge will be closed to pedestrians to enable work to begin on the demolition phase of Our City, Our River (OCOR), Derby’s multi-million pound river flood defence project.

The swing footbridge to Cathedral Green will be taken off river on Tuesday 12 August, and will remain closed while works are carried out on the left (east) bank of the River Derwent.

Pedestrian access across the river during this time will be by Exeter Bridge on Derwent Street, or St Mary’s Bridge.

This phase of OCOR, known as Derby Riverside, will see the construction of a new flood wall, floodgates, and a riverside green area that will provide a controlled corridor for flood waters to pass through the city. It will provide significant flood resilience to properties and highways between Exeter Bridge and Causey Bridge.

Several office buildings on Stuart Street and Phoenix Street will be removed to make way for the green space and new flood wall, with demolition work starting on Peat House in mid-August. Piling works will also be carried out near the swing bridge during this phase of construction.

These works will be carried out by John Sisk & Son on behalf of Derby City Council, who were formally awarded the contract for the scheme in May 2025.

While the swing bridge is off river, Derby City Council will be carrying out a full inspection with a view to programming essential maintenance and refurbishment work. The bridge will remain closed while flood defence works are carried out in the area and is expected to reopen in Winter 2026.

Councillor Carmel Swan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability, said:

Work is really starting in earnest on the Derby Riverside phase of Our City, Our River, which has already delivered enhanced flood protection to over 2,000 properties. This next stage will deliver greater flood protection to areas of the city that were badly affected by Storm Babet in 2023, when the river reached its highest level since records began 90 years ago.

As with all major construction works, there will be disruption, and we’re working with our contractor to keep this to a minimum and ensure the works proceed safely and as quickly as possible. This means we have to take the swing bridge off river for the safety of the public while they are in progress. The benefits of the new flood defence wall and riverside space for water will make it worthwhile in the long run.

The Our City, Our River programme is one of the Environment Agency’s largest local authority-led projects and has already delivered enhanced flood protection to over 2000 properties. Derby Riverside will extend this protection to the east bank of the Derwent and unlock the potential for regeneration in this part of the city.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PERMANENT SECRETARY DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS APPOINTED
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

News story

PERMANENT SECRETARY DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS APPOINTED

David Dinsmore appointed to the new role of Director of Communications at Permanent Secretary level
The Cabinet Secretary, with the approval of the Prime Minister, has announced the appointment of David Dinsmore as the new Director of Communications at Permanent Secretary level.

David, who is currently Chief Operating Officer of News UK, will start the newly created role in November.

He will lead the Government Communication Service, the professional body that oversees communications activity across government.

The Permanent Secretary role has been created to transform how the UK Government communicates with the public and reform the Government Communication Service’s output across all departments and agencies.

David will be responsible for delivering the government’s communications strategy in a way that reflects the modern media environment and the government’s commitment to deliver the Plan for Change.

He will be based in the Cabinet Office.

Cabinet Secretary, Chris Wormald, said:

I congratulate David on his appointment as Permanent Secretary Director of Communications. He brings years of executive experience to the task of transforming the way we communicate with the public.

Effective communication is one of the government’s core democratic duties. I’m confident that under David’s leadership the Government Communication Service will take advantage of the rapidly evolving media landscape and go from strength to strength.

Incoming Permanent Secretary Director of Communications, David Dinsmore, said:

It is an honour to be asked to lead this important mission at such a pivotal moment. Clear and engaging communications are central to public trust, policy delivery, and national resilience. The media landscape is evolving at a rapid pace, supercharged by AI, and I look forward to helping the government leverage the exciting opportunities in front of us.

The appointment follows an external recruitment competition overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.

ENDS

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Published 30 July 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Free summer activities at Island libraries 30 July 2025 Free summer activities at Island libraries
Source: Aisle of Wight

With the summer holidays in full swing, Isle of Wight libraries are proving once again they’re more than just places to borrow books.

Across the Island, libraries are opening their doors to families with a packed programme of free creative activities designed to keep children entertained, inspired, and learning throughout the break.

From painting rock owls to crafting garden wind chimes, there’s something to inspire every young imagination.

Lord Louis Library, Newport, is hosting a variety of themed sessions:
Paint Your Own Rock Owls — Thursday, July 31, 2.30–3.30pm (Ages 5+)

Create Your Own Pretty Butterflies — Saturday, August 2, 2.30–3.30pm (Ages 5+)

Make a Handprint Blossom Tree — Thursday, August 7, 2.30–3.30pm (Ages 3+)

Make a Garden in a Teacup –— Monday, August 11, 2.15–3.30pm (Ages 7+)

Make Garden Wind Chimes — Monday, August 18, 2.30–3.30pm (Ages 5+)

Make Clay Mini Beasts — Saturday, August 23, 2–3.30pm (Ages 5+)

Sandown Library offers drop-in and bookable sessions:
- Junk Modelling — Tuesday, August 5, 10.30am–12 noon (Ages 4+, drop-in)
- Plant Pot Decorating and Re-potting — Friday, August 15, 10.30am (Ages 5+)
- Drop-in Summer Crafts — Tuesday, August 19, 10.30am–12 noon (Ages 4+)
- Make a Pirate Mask — Saturday, August 23, 10.30am–12 noon (Ages 3+)
Freshwater Library is running a series of open-access printing workshops:
- Printing Paper — Wednesday, August 6, 2–4pm
- Printing T-Shirts — Wednesday, August 13, 2–4pm
- Printing Bags — Wednesday, August 20, 2–4pm
- Printing Pictures — Wednesday, August 27, 2–4pm
Ventnor Library invites children to:
- Grow a Story: Creative Session — Wednesday, August 13, 10.30–11.30am (Ages 5+)
- Make a Wriggly Caterpillar — Saturday, August 23, 10.30–11.30am (Ages 5+)
Ryde Library is also joining the fun:
- Make a Carnival Mask — Wednesday, August 20, 10.30am–12 noon (drop-in)
- Story Garden Craft — Friday, August 22, 10.30–11.30am (Ages 5+)
Cowes Library will host a Garden Craft session on Saturday, August 16, 2–4pm (drop-in). Please note: there are currently no toilet facilities at this location.

All activities are free of charge, but many require booking due to limited spaces. To reserve a spot, contact the relevant library directly. For full details, visit www.iow.gov.uk/thelibrary

Louise Emery, development librarian for the Isle of Wight Council Library Service, said: “We know how important it is for children to stay active and creative over the summer.

“These sessions are a great way to have fun, try something new, and discover the joy of reading. We’re really proud to offer such a wide range of free activities for families across the Island.”
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Choose Transformation over Dependency’, With Scaled-Up, Coordinated Investment to Make Food Systems Resilience, Sustainable, Deputy Secretary-General Urges

Source: United Nations 4

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s keynote remarks, as prepared for delivery, on food systems transformation in complex settings, in Addis Ababa today:

I am honoured to be here today. I thank our co-hosts Ethiopia and Italy and the World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the HDP Nexus Coalition for organizing this important conversation.

And I thank all of you present today for your commitment to putting an end to hunger and transforming our food systems, making these work even in the most dire and complex circumstances.

Communities are trapped around the world in relentless cycles of hardship. Over 37 million children under five will face acute malnutrition this year — almost the entire population of Canada. Of those, nearly 10 million will suffer severe wasting — the deadliest form of undernutrition.

In many countries facing the greatest challenges, courage is on display at all moments. But, we must ensure that the courage is matched with long term solutions that can result in resilience and sustainability. Short-term interventions dominate, with little connection to longer-term development planning are not the solution we are seeking. We must choose transformation over dependency.

We have good examples. Nations are embedding resilience into national strategies. Leaders are refusing to accept hunger as inevitable. Instead, they are combining local, indigenous and traditional knowledge with science to accelerate action towards inclusive and resilient food systems while rebuilding their nations. These Governments are not waiting for permission, they are leading. But, leadership cannot succeed alone, it must be built on a solid foundation rooted in adequate finance, partnership and inclusion.

First, finance. We need finance that multiplies impact, catalytic investments that invest in local capacity, patient capital that waits for transformation, not quick returns. The World Bank has committed to this approach, we must encourage others to follow.

Second, we need coordination that serves people, not bureaucracies. Humanitarian response linked to long-term development. Climate action connected to food security. Competing mandates replaced by shared purpose.

Third, we need to place communities at the centre of our efforts. Women grow 60 per cent of Africa’s food but own less than 20 per cent of the land. Young people are at the vanguard of innovative agriculture but cannot access the financing that supports them. This is especially the case in complex settings where perceived risk is higher and the options fewer.

Yet, investing in the transformation of food systems is especially critical in complex settings where equitable and sustainable food systems do more than feed people — they drive food security, strengthen resilience, enable stability and promote inclusive economic growth.

This transformation must be guided by local innovations and proven strategies, rooted in data and the lived realities of crisis-affected communities.

We have the tools, and we have inspiring examples from countries leading change, many of which we will hear in this room today. What we need now is accelerated action at scale.

Food systems hold the key to sustainable development. Let us use that key to unlock opportunity, stability, and hope for and with those who need it most. And let us not forget that we need to strengthen our multilateral system to make peace and sustainable development a reality for all communities around the world.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Publication of CCPC Annual Report 2024
Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation

30th July 2025

The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, has welcomed the publication of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (CCPC) Annual Report for 2024, highlighting the Commission’s vital role in safeguarding consumer rights and promoting fair competition in Irish markets.

The report outlines a year of significant progress and impact, including:
- A 21% increase in merger notifications and a landmark decision to block the proposed acquisition of a car park at Dublin Airport by DAA, protecting consumer choice.
- Over 178,000 unsafe products removed or prevented from reaching the Irish market.
- Five successful prosecutions for breaches of consumer protection law, including action against misleading pricing practices.
- The establishment of new enforcement units, including a Competition Adjudication Unit and a Surveillance Unit, under expanded legislative powers.
- A record 1.8 million visits to the CCPC website and 2.7 million views of the CCPC-sponsored RTÉ consumer rights series, The Complaints Bureau.
Speaking today, Minister Burke said:

“The CCPC continues to deliver for Irish consumers and businesses by ensuring our markets remain competitive, transparent, and safe. Their work in 2024—from blocking anti-competitive mergers to removing dangerous products and empowering consumers through education—demonstrates the importance of strong, independent enforcement. I particularly welcome the CCPC’s leadership in financial literacy and its commitment to protecting consumers in an increasingly digital economy. As Minister, I look forward to continuing our close collaboration to ensure the CCPC have sufficient powers and resources to effectively advocate for and enforce competition and consumer protection legislation benefitting our economy’s competitiveness and Irish consumers.”

Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, Niamh Smyth, also welcomed the report, stating:

“The CCPC’s work is fundamental to ensuring that consumers are protected and that businesses operate on a level playing field. I commend the CCPC’s achievements in 2024, particularly its proactive enforcement actions and its focus on emerging challenges in digital markets. As we look to the future, I aim to continue supporting the CCPC in its mission to uphold fairness, transparency, and consumer confidence across the economy”.

The Annual Report also marks the CCPC’s 10th anniversary, reflecting on a decade of progress and outlining its evolving role in areas such as digital markets, data governance, and sustainability.

The full report is available at www.ccpc.ie.

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July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Wars that annihilate peoples and the “Tranquillitas Ordinis” of Saint Augustine

Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

Wednesday, 30 July 2025

VaticanMedia

by Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu OFMConv*Tehran (Agenzia Fides) – More than a month has passed since the ceasefire came into effect, and we are still far from a peace agreement. Everything suggests that, instead of considering negotiations, the parties involved have turned to their own arms suppliers to stock up and prepare for new hostilities.Upon leaving Castel Gandolfo on July 22, Pope Leo addressed journalists and said: “We must encourage everyone to abandon their weapons, as well as the money hidden behind every war.”Analysts who until recently spoke globally of a new Cold War climate are now evoking a Third World War. Unlike the Second World War, this is no longer about territorial conquests based on ideology, but rather about interference in foreign territories with the aim of destabilizing existing regimes.We have moved from a bipolar world—West/Soviet Union—to a monopolized world, dominated by the hegemony of the so-called “free world” in the face of a malignant threat. Today, we are evolving toward a multipolar world, with emerging powers such as those of the BRICS. The world order is, therefore, undergoing a transformation.Israel and Iran accuse each other of being at risk of annihilation. One attacks Jewish Zionism, which oppresses Muslim Palestinians; the other attacks the mullahs’ regime, which threatens Israel’s very existence with its nuclear program. The main source of conflict lies in the ideology that demonizes the other and its supposed ambitions.It is the populations, criminalized by hostile propaganda, who pay the price. Not a day goes by without reports of the deaths of so-called collateral victims.To minimize the impact of this violence, some invoke statistics showing that, unlike in previous wars, the percentage of civilian casualties is lower than in the past, in order to affirm the supposed morality of their armies. Others emphasize the right to reciprocity. These discourses fuel questions about the right to defense and the proportionality of the response.Differentiated deterrence—the supposed monopoly of nuclear weapons on the one hand and the right to defense on the other—does not aim to bring the two sides closer together. Likewise, a premeditated preventive war, justified by a supposedly imminent threat, which could unilaterally impose peace through capitulation or the overthrow of the regime, is not a solution. State terrorism, with its infiltration, violence, or support for certain countries, parties, or ethnic groups, does not lead to peace.In reality, peoples desire to live in peace. But their leaders are mired in enmities that only know the language of weapons. Since 1979, Iran and Israel have no longer had diplomatic relations and remain in a state of tension. For 46 years, there have been no attempts at rapprochement, reconciliation, or peace processes.At the international level, a notable agreement was the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which provided for concessions on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, limited exclusively to civilian use, in exchange for sanctions relief. Iranian officials have not ruled out resuming this agreement, but only if it is fair, in a win-win context.The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) not only prohibits new nations from acquiring nuclear weapons, but also dismantles those that already possess them. States that still possess nuclear arsenals, while maintaining and modernizing them, now avoid referring to them as arsenals, preferring the term “deterrents.”Dag Hammarskjöld’s quote, “The UN was not created to take us to heaven, but to save us from hell,” reminds us that when universal charters are codified, the goal is to prevent conflicts and catastrophes to avoid the worst for humanity.As Immanuel Kant wrote after the Napoleonic Wars in his essay “Toward Perpetual Peace” (Zum ewigen Frieden, 1795): “The state of peace between men living side by side is not a state of nature […]; therefore, the state of peace must be established.” To address the emergencies of the 21st century, Jeffrey Sachs asserts that “the path to peace lies in shared solutions to common problems—climate change, pandemics, poverty—and not in military domination” (Address at the Global Solutions Summit, Berlin, 2021).Just as conflicts affect the world order, peace must be a common interest, not subject to the veto of a few.In “The City of God,” Saint Augustine defines peace as the “tranquility of order” (tranquillitas ordinis). He distinguishes two levels: earthly peace (relative, which Saint Thomas Aquinas defines as “temporary”), as a necessary means for social life to avoid chaos – especially through treaties – and divine peace (absolute and, according to Aquinas, “spiritual”), which constitutes the ultimate goal of humanity and requires spiritual conversion.Jesus, shortly before his passion, reminds us that peace is a gift from God in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Even in suffering and persecution, this peace endures, because it is interior. It comes from union with God. Earthly peace is a reflection and fruit of Christ’s peace.As members of the Church, which, following in Christ’s footsteps, promotes human dignity, justice, and peace, we must be impartial, giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.We must work for peace between the parties, not for the victory of one of them (cf. 2 Cor 5:18), loving the oppressor and the oppressed, without justifying injustice (Jn 3:16). Christians are called to “hate evil” (Rom 12:9) but to “bless its enemies” (Mt 5:44).As peoples of the world, we are all children of God, created in his image. Jews, Christians, Muslims, children of Abraham, have a moral duty to respect one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Why would we want to fight against the uniqueness of others? Since we turned our weapons against our fellow human beings, these brothers and sisters have lost their value, becoming annihilated enemies. And the consequences affect not only the enemy, but the entire world.The Holy See, in its diplomatic work for peace and reconciliation, explores every possibility to offer a framework for fair negotiations. The universal Church and the local Churches are, as far as possible, instruments of peace and charity, close to all, especially the most vulnerable, without discrimination, and always at their side in prayer. This is an expression of Christian charity and a response to the Gospel call to love one’s neighbor.Pray for the victims: This means asking God to inspire leaders to seek peaceful solutions and avoid war, which can no longer be considered a solution, as its ever-increasing risks outweigh its supposed benefits.The 2025 document Antiqua et Nova reiterates that peace cannot be achieved by force alone, but must be built through patient diplomacy, the active promotion of justice, solidarity, integral human development, and respect for human dignity.Pope Benedict XVI also emphasized in 2006, on the occasion of the 39th World Day of Peace, that peace is a divine gift that demands the responsibility to conform human history to divine order, and that failure to comply with the universal moral law and fundamental human rights prevents the realization of peace. The wounds of Christ are open in today’s world. The risen Jesus, emerging from the tomb, burst into the Upper Room and showed them to the frightened disciples who had locked themselves inside. Now they invite us to open our doors to testify to the world that darkness does not have the last word. (Agenzia Fides, 30/7/2025)*Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan
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July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Ireland joins the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC)
Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation

30th July 2025

Minister of State for Small Business, Retail and Employment Alan Dillon has today announced Ireland’s accession to the Equal Pay International Coalition; a multilateral partnership working to reduce the gender pay gap at global, regional and national levels.

Minister Dillon made the announcement on the margins of the G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting, taking place on 30-31 July in George, South Africa.

Minister Dillon said:

“I am proud to announce that Ireland has officially become a member of the Equal Pay International Coalition. This marks a significant step forward in our commitment, as a nation, in ensuring that all individuals, regardless of gender, receive equal pay for work of equal value. Aligned with the vision of the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Coalition works to accelerate progress toward this goal, recognising that sustained and collective efforts are needed to close the gender pay gap.”

EPIC is a global initiative that brings together governments, employer and worker organisations, academia, civil society and private sector entities to tackle the gender pay gap through coordinated action. It operates at global, regional and national levels, making it the only coalition of its kind to focus on equal pay.

Gilbert Houngbo, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director General, said:

“On behalf of the ILO, I warmly welcome Ireland to the Equal Pay International Coalition. As a co-lead of EPIC, together with UN Women and the OECD, we are pleased to witness the growing momentum behind this global effort to redress pay inequalities. Ireland’s strong legal framework and commitment to social dialogue further strengthen the Coalition. We look forward to Ireland’s active engagement as we work together to advance equal pay for work of equal value everywhere.”

Maíra Lacerda, Head of the Special Advisory Office for International Affairs at the Ministry of Labor and Employment of Brazil and Chair of EPIC said:

“As the Chair of EPIC, I warmly welcome Ireland to the Coalition. Every new member brings valuable expertise and fresh momentum to our shared mission. Ireland’s longstanding commitment to pay equity and social dialogue strengthens our collective efforts to tackle persistent pay inequalities and promote fairer, more inclusive labour markets. Together, we grow stronger and closer to the goal of equal pay for work of equal value.”

Minister Dillon went on to say:

“As an EPIC member, Ireland will benefit from membership including through access to a wealth of global resources. We will also have the opportunity to exchange best practices with international counterparts and tap into a dynamic network of policy and equality experts. Joining EPIC is a joint initiative between the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, which leads on gender equality and gender pay gap policy. This combined approach is designed to maximise the impact of Ireland’s membership of EPIC.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors
- The Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) is led by the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Women, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
- It is currently the only multi-stakeholder partnership working to reduce the gender pay gap at global, regional and national levels.
- The Coalition’s goal is to achieve equal pay for women and men everywhere. EPIC supports governments, employers, workers, and their organisations to make concrete and coordinated progress towards this goal.
- The Coalition comprises 67 members, including government entities from 28 countries, international and national employer and worker organisations, international organisations, academia, civil society organisations, as well as the private sector.
- The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is a member of the Coalition.
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July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Governments, Partners Mobilizing School Meals Coalition to Equip Youth with Nutrition, Health, Education They Deserve, Deputy Secretary-General Says at Stocktake Event

Source: United Nations MIL OSI

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the UN Food Systems Summit+4 Stocktake (UNFSS+4) School Meals Coalition Featured Event: “Unlocking Sustainable Investments for Home-Grown School Meals”, in Addis Ababa today:

It is truly inspiring to witness how far the School Meals Coalition has come. With over 100 Governments working together to expand and improve these strategic programmes, it is now one of the most successful global mobilizations in recent years.

First, I want to recognize the leadership that has brought us here, especially of the three co-chairs — Brazil, France and Finland — whose early and continued support has been instrumental to the Coalition’s success.

I also want to commend all Governments in the Coalition that are working resolutely to expand and strengthen their school meal programmes and that have achieved clear and measurable progress since the last Stocktake.

Today’s speakers are excellent examples. The progress we witness is being driven by Governments, but they are not walking alone. Partners across the School Meals Coalition are working hand in hand with Governments to deliver on their national commitments.

But, why is there so much momentum behind school meals? Why are so many Governments and partners making this a priority? Because school meals are more than just a plate of food. They are a lever to building more inclusive, sustainable food systems, and to equipping the next generation with the health, nutrition and education they deserve to reach their potential.

To truly pull that lever — to unlock its full power — we must focus on four key priorities.

First: Expand coverage and raise collective ambitions. As we’ve just heard from our distinguished speakers, momentum is building. Next to our Governments on stage, countries like Rwanda, which has achieved near-universal primary school coverage, and Indonesia, which is scaling up at an unprecedented pace, are showing what’s possible.

Now, the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty has joined forces with the School Meals Coalition to rally Governments and development partners behind a bold global target: to reach an additional 150 million children in low- and middle-income countries by 2030, as agreed at the Group of 20 (G20) last year. This means moving from commitment to delivery with the School Meals Coalition and the Global Alliance working with countries ready to lead the way.

Second: Pull the lever — use procurement to transform food systems. Countries continue to harness the potential of school meal programmes to catalyse food systems transformation, including ambitious targets regarding procurement from smallholder farmers, but we must go further by aligning school-meal menus and procurement with nutrition, sustainability and social goals; by using clean cooking solutions in schools; by reducing food loss and waste; and through food, nutrition and climate education in schools.

Third: Integrate school meals into climate finance. When rooted in sustainability, school meals have enormous potential to advance climate mitigation and adaptationm and to promote biodiversity. The thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Brazil offers us a chance to move school meals from a climate blind spot to a climate solution. Let’s work to ensure these programmes are included in future Nationally Determined Contributions and embedded in climate financing pipelines where they belong.

Fourth: Plug the financing gap. The Sevilla Commitment, adopted a few weeks ago, calls on all of us to close the gap between ambition and means. But, with 35 low- and middle-income countries in high risk of or in debt distress, we must explore innovative financing solutions to ensure an economically stable future for those countries– from health taxes and natural resource revenues to debt swaps and Multilateral Development Bank investments.

We have much to learn from the innovation that has taken place in countries for the last two years since we last met in Rome as reported in the UNFSS+4 Report of the Secretary-General. Let’s make sure we use the momentum of the Sevilla Commitment to attract the finance that is needed.

Let me close with a powerful motto from a dear friend and leading advocate, Ndidi Nwuneli of the ONE Campaign. “Our job is not to scale our work. It’s to scale what works.” This is what we see across the School Meals Coalition: Governments and partners coming together to expand a solution that works.

So, let’s build on the progress we’ve made — and finish what we started in 2021: by 2030, every child receiving a healthy, nutritious meal in school. Let’s feed the future together.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

July 31, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Tbilisi celebrated the 98th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

Tbilisi, July 29 (Xinhua) — The Chinese Embassy in Georgia held a reception in Tbilisi to mark the 98th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The event was attended by employees of the Georgian Ministry of Defense, high-ranking government officials, members of parliament, foreign ambassadors, military attachés, as well as representatives of the media, Chinese and Georgian companies and public circles.

The ceremonial part began with the performance of the national anthems of China and Georgia. The first vice-speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Gia Volski, delivered a congratulatory message on behalf of the country’s legislative body. He noted that China was one of the first countries to recognize Georgia’s independence, stressed the importance of China’s support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and reaffirmed Georgia’s unwavering commitment to the one-China principle.

G. Volsky also emphasized the strategic importance of Georgia as a bridge between Europe and Asia and noted the country’s role in the Belt and Road initiative, especially within the framework of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

He recalled the results achieved in bilateral cooperation, including the free trade agreement of 2018, the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2023 and the introduction of a visa-free regime from 2024. According to him, in 2024, trade turnover between Georgia and China exceeded $1.9 billion. The Vice Speaker expressed confidence in the further strengthening of the Georgian-Chinese partnership and thanked the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Georgia Zhou Qian for his contribution to the development of bilateral relations.

In his speech, Zhou Qian noted that the PLA, created and led by the Communist Party of China, has grown from nothing to become strong in its 98-year history. The army has made invaluable contributions to the liberation of the Chinese people, the construction of a socialist country, the protection of national sovereignty and security, and the maintenance of peace and stability throughout the world, he added.

The ambassador stressed that China deeply appreciates the contribution of the Georgian people to the victory in the world anti-fascist war. According to the diplomat, China and Georgia are countries with an ancient civilization and a rich historical heritage. China has always supported Georgia in protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as in striving for sustainable development in accordance with national conditions, Zhou Qian said.

The Ambassador emphasized that China, as one of the first countries to sign the UN Charter and a permanent member of the Security Council, is ready to continue to actively cooperate with all countries of the world, including Georgia. He expressed readiness to jointly promote the correct view of history, defend the results of the victory in World War II and support the international system, the core of which is the UN. –0–

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

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July 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Gugong and National Museum of China in Beijing closed to visitors due to heavy rains

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) — The Forbidden City and the National Museum of China in Beijing were closed to visitors on Tuesday, reportedly for safety reasons after the capital’s authorities issued a flood alert over heavy rains.

Both institutions announced that all pre-booked tickets can be returned or exchanged for another date. -0-

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

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July 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: At least two people were shot in an attack at an office building in New York.

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

NEW YORK, July 28 (Xinhua) — At least two people, including a police officer, were injured in an attack at an office building in New York’s Manhattan on Monday, local media reported.

Police arrived at the scene and urged residents to stay away from the east side of 52nd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.

“The situation on the scene is now under control and the lone shooter has been neutralized,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on social media. –0–

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

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July 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: B. Netanyahu to present Gaza annexation plan in case Hamas refuses deal – media

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

JERUSALEM, July 29 (Xinhua) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to present a plan to annex part of the Gaza Strip to the country’s security cabinet, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Monday evening.

According to her, B. Netanyahu told the ministers that Israel gave Hamas several days to agree on a ceasefire. If it refuses the agreement, Israel will begin to gradually annex parts of the Gaza Strip until the Palestinian movement surrenders, the prime minister added.

The article notes that B. Netanyahu has chosen this course of action in order to secure the support of the far-right Religious Zionism party, which opposes both the ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza. Keeping this party in the coalition is crucial to preventing the collapse of the current government.

According to media reports, Religious Zionism leader and cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich told his associates that the party is pushing a “good strategic move” and it will soon become clear whether it will be successful.

Haaretz writes that during his conversations with ministers, B. Netanyahu stated that his plan was approved by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Also on Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office said Israel would continue to work with international organizations, as well as the United States and European countries, to ensure that large amounts of humanitarian aid reach the Gaza Strip. “While the situation in Gaza remains difficult and Israel works to ensure that aid reaches the Strip, Hamas is benefiting from attempts to create the impression of a humanitarian crisis,” the office said. -0-

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July 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Portugal questions fairness of EU-US trade deal

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

LISBON, July 29 (Xinhua) — Portugal has expressed concern over the recently concluded tariff deal between the EU and the United States, calling it a limited improvement that is not in line with genuine free trade principles and comes at a high cost to both sides.

The country’s Ministry of Economy and Territorial Integrity acknowledged that the agreement, which sets US tariffs on European goods at 15 percent, could provide some predictability. However, “nothing can replace free trade,” and Portugal will continue to actively advocate for the gradual elimination of tariffs and other trade barriers, the ministry stressed.

The Confederation of Portuguese Businesses (CPB) expressed only “relative relief” at the agreement, noting that the price to be paid was “high for both sides.”

“When you were expecting a hurricane, you are glad that it is just a normal storm,” said CBP Director General Rafael Alves Rocha. However, he warned that the agreed duties were significantly higher than the current average of around 2.5 percent, representing a setback for exporters and highlighting the asymmetry of the EU and US tariff structures.

The CPB said the agreement was unbalanced and put European producers at a disadvantage.

The Portuguese government responded to the potential negative consequences with financial support measures for businesses.

The Reforcar programme, aimed at protecting companies from adverse trade consequences, was launched in April. To date, 14,000 applications have been submitted for a total of €3.2 billion, of which €2.5 billion has been approved and €1.6 billion has already been spent.

In addition, a special credit line has been created to support export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises. The Ministry of Economy received 2.6 thousand applications for 1.3 billion euros, of which 600 million euros were approved.

The new PT2030 incentive programme has launched a non-repayable grant pipeline to support internationalisation, targeting joint projects and cooperation strategies in foreign markets. The ministry announced that public applications for collective internationalisation initiatives will open on 31 July.

Despite these supportive measures, Lisbon’s cautious tone and criticism from the business community reflect significant doubts about the long-term benefits of the EU-US trade deal. –0–

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July 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace: Governments must rise to the moment and vote in favour of a moratorium on deep sea mining

Source: Greenpeace

The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.

While high-level representatives from Palau, France and Panama attended to rally the international community, Greenpeace is calling for greater efforts from more governments to put a legal barrier between mining machines and the deep ocean.

Upcoming ISA meetings must secure a moratorium and leave no room for rushed attempts to adopt a Mining Code. Recent developments have made it clear that outstanding political and scientific concerns cannot be hastily resolved under industry-driven pressure.

Louisa Casson, Campaigner, Greenpeace International who attended the meeting, says: “Governments have yet to rise to the moment. They remain disconnected from global concerns and the pressing need for courageous leadership to protect the deep ocean. We call on the international community to rise up and defend multilateralism against rogue actors like The Metals Company. Leaders must respond by establishing a moratorium and reaffirming that authority over the international seabed lies collectively with all States-for the benefit of humanity as a whole.”

Juressa Lee, Greenpeace Aotearoa seabed mining campaigner, says: “Deep sea mining is the latest form of colonisation and extraction. Pacific civil society is overwhelmingly opposed to deep sea mining and must not be ignored in the rush by companies and states based in the Global North to start plundering the ocean.”

While calls for a moratorium on deep sea mining have not yet gained global consensus, they continue to gain momentum, supported by compelling arguments from a diverse group of countries. Croatia has just become the 38th government calling for a precautionary pause, moratorium or ban on deep sea mining.

On Tuesday His Excellency Surangel S. Whipps Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, addressed the Assembly, drawing attention to persistent efforts and intense pressure from the industry to rush the negotiations and finalise a Mining Code. He stated: “Exploiting the seabed is not a necessity – it is a choice. And it is reckless. It is gambling with the future of Pacific Island children, who will inherit the dire consequences of decisions made far from their shores.”

In the first meeting of the ISA since The Metals Company (TMC) submitted the world’s first-ever application to commercially mine the international seabed, governments at the ISA Council responded by launching an investigation into whether mining contractors, including TMC’s subsidiaries Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI) and Tonga Offshore Mining Limited (TOML), are complying with contractual obligations to act in accordance with the international legal framework.

Notes

[1] Decision of the Council of the International Seabed Authority relating to the reports of the Chair of the Legal and Technical Commission

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

July 30, 2025

MIL-OSI: Amundi: First half and second quarter 2025 results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Amundi: First half and second quarter 2025 results

Record inflows of +€52bn in the first half of the year

Inflows already at full year 2024 level		Assets under management¹at an all-time high of €2.27tn at end-June 2025, +5% June/June despite the negative forex effect Net inflows +€52bn in H1, of which +€20bn in Q2 +€48bn in medium-to-long-term assets²(MLT) in H1 Record half-year net inflows for Institutionals: +€31bn

Growth in profit before tax		First half 2025: profit before tax³^,⁴€895m, up +4% H1/H1⁴: Driven by revenue growth (+5%) Cost control, with a cost-income ratio at 52.5%³

Continued success on strategic pillars		Partnership with Victory Capital finalised on 1 April Strong H1 inflows in strategic priorities: Third-party distribution +€13bn, of which 40% with digital players Asia +€22bn, of which +€13bn in JVs and +€8bn in direct distribution ETFs +€19bn, with success in European strategies and innovation Responsible investment: wins of key institutional mandates Amundi Technology: revenues up +48% H1/H1, strong organic growth and integration of aixigo Fund Channel: €613bn in assets under distribution, Ambitions 2025 target achieved

Paris, 29 July 2025

Amundi’s Board of Directors met on 28 July 2025 under the chairmanship of Olivier Gavalda, and approved the financial statements for the first half of 2025.

Valérie Baudson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “With net inflows of +€52bn, Amundi’s performance in the first half of the year was equivalent to the whole of 2024. The depth of our offering and our extensive expertise allow us to respond effectively to our clients’ needs, through our active strategies, passive management, responsible investment, employee savings schemes, technology services and fund distribution solutions.

Amundi has continued to grow both in terms of activity and results, with first half revenues³up +5% and profit before tax³up +4% year-on-year⁴.

Amundi has also leveraged its position as Europe’s leading asset manager, as our clients look for greater diversification in their allocations, with a renewed interest in Europe. With €2.3tn in assets under management, Amundi is the only European player among the top 10 global asset managers, and a preferred gateway for players wishing to invest on the continent. Our comprehensive range of solutions enables investors to finance European companies and economies, and we continue to expand, through ETFs and actively managed funds focused on European sovereignty.»

* * * * *

Highlights

Continued organic growth thanks to continued successes in the strategic pillars

2025 marks the final year of Ambitions 2025 plan, which set a number of strategic pillars aimed at accelerating the diversification of the Group’s growth drivers and exploiting development opportunities. Several objectives were achieved in 2024 and the first half of 2025 confirms Amundi’s growth momentum.

Amundi, the European expert: Amundi is the leading European asset manager, and the only European player among the world’s top 10⁵; this positioning allows the Group to manage ~€1.7tn in assets under management on behalf of European clients, who have entrusted it with an additional +€29bn€ in the first half to manage; Amundi invests, on behalf of its clients, more than half of its assets⁶ in euro-denominated securities; this European expertise is a key differentiator for Amundi’s comprehensive and innovative platform; the launch of new products, such as ETFs or actively managed funds to invest in the European defence sector, make it possible to nurture this distinctive element strongly quarter after quarter;
The Institutional division generated healthy net inflows of +€31bn in the fist half, thanks to several major wins, including the award of a Defined Contribution mandate with The People’s Pension in the UK(+€22bn), successes in Asia (+€5bn, particularly in China), record net inflows in Employee Savings and Retirement and the renewed interest in France in tradition life insurance “euro” contracts; in addition, Amundi secured several innovative mandates, for example with a German pension fund in private debt via the expertise of Amundi Alpha Associates, and a low-carbon mandate for Chile’s sovereign wealth fund thanks to the index and ESG expertise;
Third-Party Distribution continued to grow strongly, with assets under management up by more than +18% year-on-year excluding the contribution of US Distribution to Victory Capital (scope effect of -€62bn), thanks to 12-month net inflows of +€33bn, of which +€13bn⁷ was in the first half of 2025, mainly in MLT assets⁸, (+€12.1bn); net inflows were driven by ETFs and positive in active management, diversified by geographical areas and positive in almost all countries in terms of MLT assets⁸, particularly in Asia (+€3bn); the strong commercial momentum with digital platforms is confirmed, with this type of client accounting for around 40% of net inflows for the first half; it should be noted that a workshop dedicated to Third-Party Distribution was held on 19 June, in London to highlight the growth potential of this strategic focus of the MTP;

Asia: assets under management were up +2% year-on-year despite the decline in the US dollar and the Indian rupee, to reach €460bn; half-year net inflows reached +€22bn, of which +€14bn was in the second quarter; half-year net inflows were split +€14bn from JVs (including Amundi BOC WM) and +€8bn from direct distribution; it is also diversified by countries: India (+€7bn), China (+€5bn) with the two JVs, institutional clients and now the QDLP⁹ license in Third-Party Distribution¹⁰, Korea (+€5bn) thanks to the JV, Hong Kong (+€3bn) and Singapore (+€1bn) thanks to institutional investors and third-party distributors;
ETFs gathered +€19bn this half-year, placing Amundi in second place in the European ETF market in terms of net inflows as well as assets under management, which reached €288bn; this high level of activity was achieved thanks to the diversification of the business line by client types, geographies and asset classes covered: Asia and Latin America contributed +€4bn in net inflows over the half-year; the net inflows also reflect the success of the business line’s flagship products: the Stoxx Europe 600 ETF collected nearly +€3bn in the first half and assets now exceed €12bn; European strategies continued to benefit from investors’ renewed interest in the European markets, with +€4bn attracted in the second quarter alone; innovative products were launched, such as the low-duration euro zone sovereign green bonds ETF, capitalising on the success of the long-duration version, which reached €3bn in assets under management, and the launch in May of the European Defence ETF, in partnership with STOXX, on a platform and with partners only in Europe;
Amundi Technology continues to grow, with revenues up +48% H1/H1, thanks to strong organic growth amplified by the integration of aixigo; Amundi Technology has won new clients during this period, including AJ Bell in the UK.
Fund Channel, the fund distribution platform, has exceeded its target Ambitions 2025 target six months ahead of schedule, with €613bn in assets under distribution; the subsidiary has launched Fund Channel Liquidity, a multi-management platform for treasury products, in partnership with the Liquidity Solutions teams of Amundi and CACEIS; the platform has already been recognised with the innovation award of the AFTE (French association of corporate treasurers);
Following the success of Ambitions 2025, a new three-year strategic plan will be presented in the fourth quarter.

On 1 April, Amundi finalised its partnership with Victory Capital and received shares representing 26% of the share capital in return for contributing Amundi US to Victory. This stake is consolidated in the second quarter accounts under the equity method, with a one-quarter lag compared to Victory Capital’s publications because the company, listed on the Nasdaq, publishes its accounts after those of Amundi (on 8 August for its second quarter 2025 results). Assets under management are consolidated at 26% in a separate line (Victory Capital – US distribution” for the portion distributed to US clients, and at 100% in the relevant client segments and asset classes for the portion managed by Victory Capital but distributed by Amundi to clients outside the United States.

Activity

Record inflows in the first half of the year of +€52bn, already at the level of the whole of 2024

Assets under management¹as at 30 June 2025 rose by +5.2% year-on-year, to reach an all-time high at €2,267bn. They benefited over 12 months from a high level of net inflows, +€75bn, the positive effect of market appreciation for +€109bn, more than half reduced by the unfavourable impact of currency moves (-€60bn) linked to the fall in the US dollar and the Indian rupee.

These two currencies fell vs. the euro in average for the second quarter by -5% and -7% respectively year-on-year and by -7% and -6% quarter-on-quarter. In the first half of 2025 and also in average terms, the US dollar is down by -1% and the Indian rupee by -4% compared to the first half of 2024.

In the first half of 2025, the market effect and the forex effect amounted to +€58bn and -€73bn respectively,

Amundi recorded a scope effect of -€10bn related to the finalisation of the partnership with the American asset manager Victory Capital in the second quarter.

Net inflows were healthy at +€52bn in the first half of the year, almost reaching the level of the whole of 2024 (+€55bn), and far exceeding it in assets MLT⁸ excluding JVs and US distribution at +€48bn (compared to +€34bn for the whole of 2024).

These MLT net inflows⁸ (+€26bn) were driven by passive management (+€44bn), in particular ETFs (+€19bn) and active management (+€9bn), driven by fixed income strategies.

Treasury products excluding JVs and US distribution posted outflows of -€9bn over the half-year, entirely due to withdrawals from corporate clients, which were particularly strong over the first half (€15bn); on the contrary, all other client segments posted net inflows on this asset class, reflecting the wait-and-see attitude in the face of volatility in risky asset markets.

The three main client segments contributed to the net inflows of +€52bn:

the Retail segment, at +€7bn, thanks to Third-Party Distributors (+€13bn) and Amundi BOC WM (+€1.0bn), while risk aversion continues to affect net inflows from Partner networks;
the Institutional segment, at +€31bn, particularly in fixed income and equities thanks to the gain in the first quarter of The People’s Pension mandate (+€21bn, +22 in H1); all sub-segments contributed, to note the very high level of activity in Employee Savings & Retirement, at +€4bn, a record since the creation of Amundi, and the mandates of the insurers of Crédit Agricole and Société Générale, at +€9bn, which benefited from the renewed interest of French savers in life “euro” contracts;
and finally, JVs (+€13bn) posted a very positive performance over the half-year; despite market volatility in India, the SBI MF subsidiary gathered +€7bn thanks to a rebound in the second quarter, NH-Amundi (South Korea) +€5bn, and ABC-CA (China) +€2bn (excluding the discontinued Channel business), mainly driven by treasury products.
The net inflows from the US distribution of Victory Capital, recorded only over one quarter and only for the Group’s share of 26%, were at breakeven.

In the second quarter, net inflows reached +€20.4bn, divided between:

the MLT assets⁸ at +€11.1bn, driven by Third-Party Distributors (+€5bn) and the Institutional division (+€10.8bn); the activity was at a record level in Employee Savings & Retirement, even for a seasonally high quarter (+€4.1bn) and Crédit Agricole and Société Générale insurance mandates recorded a good performance (+4.6bn€), in the context already mentioned of the renewed interest in life “euro” contracts and the arbitrage of treasury products in favour of short-duration bonds; as regards asset classes, ETFs confirmed their success (+€8.2bn), but also positive net inflows in active management (+€2.9 billion), driven by fixed income;
JVs, for +€10.3bn, thanks in particular to the rebound in SBI MF’s activity in India (+€7.8bn) after two quarters of market volatility and withdrawals related to the end of the fiscal year in the first quarter; ABC-CA (China, +€1.2bn excluding Channel Business) also confirmed the recovery of its activity, particularly in fixed income, driven by a more favourable local market;
Treasury products posted outflows (-€1.0bn), with the continuation of seasonal withdrawals from Corporates (-€3.8bn), while all other segments posted net inflows or at least breakeven.

First half 2025 results

The income statement for the first half of 2025 includes, in the first quarter, Amundi US fully integrated in each line of the P&L and, in the second quarter, the equity-accounted contribution of Victory Capital (Group share, i.e. 26%). As Victory Capital has not yet published its earnings for this period, this contribution is estimated by taking Group share of the net profit for the first quarter of 2025.

The first half of 2024 has been restated in a comparable manner, i.e. as if Amundi US had been fully integrated in the first quarter and accounted for using the equity method in the second quarter (@100%)

Profit before tax³+4% H1/H1⁴

Adjusted data³

The Group’s results for the first half of 2025 include, in addition to the 26% equity contribution of Victory Capital, the contribution of aixigo, acquisition of which was finalised in early November 2024, as well as Alpha Associates, an acquisition finalised early April 2024, which were therefore not integrated or only partially integrated in the first half of 2024.

Victory Capital’s contribution is accounted for under the equity method for its 26% share with a one-quarter lag.

The profit before tax³reached €895m in up +4.2% compared to the first half of 2024 pro forma⁴. This growth comes mainly from revenue growth.

Adjusted net revenues³ reached €1,703m, +4.9% compared to the first half of 2024 (+4,0% excluding the integration of aixigo and an additional quarter of Alpha Associates). Contributing to this progression, at current scope:

Net Management Fees grew by +4.6% compared to the first half of 2024 pro forma⁴, at €1,542m, and reflect the increase in average assets under management² thanks to the good level of activity, despite the negative effect of the product mix on revenue margins;
Amundi Technology’s revenues, at €52m, grew strongly (+48.0% compared to the first half of 2024), amplified by the consolidation of aixigo (+€8m), organic growth was +25%;
Financial and other revenues³ amounted to €52m, +10.4% compared to the first half of 2024 on a pro forma basis⁴ thanks to capital gains on seed private equity investments and the portfolio’s positive mark-to-market in the first quarter, although the half-year remains characterised by the negative impact on voluntary investments of the fall in short-term rates in the euro zone, which halved in one year;
Performance fees (€58m), on the other hand, decreased by -13.2% compared to the first half of 2024 on a pro forma basis⁴, reflecting greater market volatility since the beginning of the year, particularly in the second quarter; however, the performance of Amundi′s management remains good, with more than 70% of assets under management ranked in the first or second quartiles according to Morningstar¹¹ over 1, 3 or 5 years, and 243 Amundi funds rated 4 or 5 stars by Morningstar as at 30 June.

The increase in adjusted operating expenses³, €894m, is +5,3% compared to the first half of 2024 pro forma⁴ and +3,4% excluding the integration of aixigo and an additional quarter of Alpha Associates. The jaws effect is therefore slightly positive on a like-for-like basis, reflecting the Group’s operational efficiency.

In addition to the scope effect, this increase is mainly due to investments in the development initiatives of the Ambitions 2025 plan, particularly in technology, third-party distribution and Asia.

The cost-income ratio at 52,5%, on an adjusted basis³, is stable compared to the first half of last year, and in line with the Ambitions 2025 target (<53%).

The adjusted gross operating income³reached €808m, up +4,5% compared to the first half of 2024 pro forma⁴, reflecting growth in revenues and cost control.

The contribution of equity-accounted JVs¹², at €66m, up +7.1% compared to the first half of 2024, reflects the strong momentum of the Indian JV SBI MF (+7.4%), which accounts for nearly 80% of the contribution of JVs. The commercial dynamism of the JV allowed the continued growth of its management fees and more than offset the effects of the depreciation of the Indian rupee (-€3m, or -6 percentage points of growth). The half-year contribution also benefited from the profitability of the Chinese JV ABC-CA.

The adjusted contribution³of the U.S. operations, accounted for under the equity method, which includes Victory Capital’s Group share (26%) contribution from the second quarter onward, amounts to €26m. As explained, this figure corresponds to Victory Capital’s first quarter adjusted net income, due to the lag in publication and therefore does not take into account the synergies that were announced as part of the combination with Amundi US ($110m at 100%, full year before tax) and of which $50m had already been achieved at the time of the finalisation of the partnership. The comparison with Amundi US contribution in the second quarter of 2024, at €32m, which also included positive non-recurring items, is therefore not relevant.

The adjusted corporate tax expense³ of the first half of 2025 reached -€259m, a very strong increase – +35.0% – compared to the first half of 2024 pro forma⁴.

In France, in accordance with the Finance Act for 2025, an exceptional tax contribution is recorded in the 2025 fiscal year. It is calculated on the average of the taxable profits made in France in 2024 and 2025. This exceptional contribution is estimated¹³ to -€72m for the year as a whole, and is not accounted for on a straight-line basis over the quarters. Thus, it amounted to -€54m in the first half of 2025. Excluding this exceptional contribution, the adjusted tax expense³ would have been -€205m and the adjusted effective tax rate³ would be equivalent to that of the first half of 2024.

Adjusted net income³ rose to €638m. Excluding the exceptional corporate income tax contribution, it would have reached €692m, up +4% compared to the first half of 2024 pro forma⁴.

Adjusted³earnings per share was €3.11 in the first half of 2025, including -€0.26 related to the exceptional tax contribution in France. Excluding this exceptional contribution, adjusted³ earnings per share would therefore have been €3.37, up +3.3% compared to the first half of 2024 pro forma⁴.

Accounting data in the first half of 2025

Accounting net income group share amounted to nearly one billion euros, at €998m. It includes a non-cash capital gain of €402m related to the finalisation of the partnership with Victory Capital.

As a reminder, this operation took the form of a share swap and did not give result in any cash payment. The accounting capital gain corresponds to the difference between the market value of what Amundi Group received at the transaction date, namely 26% of the share capital of the new entity Victory Capital, and the historical accounting price of Amundi US that the Group contributed to Victory Capital.

As in the other half-years, the reported net income includes various non-cash expenses as well as integration costs related to the partnership with Victory Capital, finalised on 1 April 2025. Finally, Victory Capital’s contribution also includes a number of expenses, including the amortisation of intangible assets. See the details of all these elements in p. 17).

Accounting earnings per share in the first half of 2025 was €4.86, including the capital gain and the exceptional tax contribution in France.

Second quarter 2025 results

The quarterly series have been restated as if Amundi US had been consolidated using the 100% equity method up to and including the first quarter of 2025. In the second quarter, following the finalisation of the partnership with Victory Capital, the contribution of Amundi US was replaced by the consolidation under the equity method of the Group share (26%) in Victory Capital, with a one-quarter lag in publication (integration for the second quarter 2025 of the net income published by Victory Capital in the first quarter of 2025).

Q2/Q2 decline in profit before tax³due to performance fees and financial revenues

Adjusted data³

The results include aixigo, acquisition of which was finalised in early November 2024.

Adjusted net revenues³ totalled €790m, down -1.0% compared to the second quarter of 2024 pro forma⁴, but business-related revenues, management fees and technology revenues, were up:

Net Management Fees grew by +1.2% compared to the second quarter of 2024 pro forma⁴, at €717m, thanks to the increase in average assets under management² over the same period, despite the unfavourable effect of the product mix on margins and the negative impact of the depreciation of the US dollar, which is the currency of approximately 25% of invested assets²; compared to the first quarter of 2025 pro forma⁴, two-thirds of the decline in these fees are explained by the fall in the US dollar;
Amundi Technology’s revenues, at €26m, continued their sustained growth (+46.2% compared to the second quarter of 2024), amplified by the consolidation of aixigo (+€3m); excluding aixigo, these revenues were up +30% organically;
Performance fees were down due to market volatility (28.9% compared to the second quarter of 2024 pro forma⁴), but they are higher than in the first quarter on a pro forma basis⁴ (+53,5%);
Financial revenues (-47.2%) were down due to the fall in short-term rates in the euro zone over the period.

Adjusted operating expenses³ are under control at €417m, i.e. +1,6% compared to the second quarter of 2024 pro forma⁴ and were stable excluding aixigo, reflecting the Group’s operational efficiency. Investments in the development initiatives of the Ambitions 2025 plan continued, particularly in technology, third-party distribution and Asia.

The cost-income ratio at 52,7% on an adjusted data basis³ is in line with the Ambitions 2025 objective (<53%).

The optimisation plan, which was announced in the first quarter, has been launched and will finance the acceleration of investments by generating between €35 and €40m in savings from 2026. The first concrete announcements were made in the second quarter, including the merger between CPR and BFT to create a leader in asset management in France within the Group, with around €100bn in assets under management. The restructuring costs of this plan will be recorded for an amount of €70 to 80m¹⁴in the second half of the year.

The Adjusted gross operating income³(GOI) amounted to €374m, down -3,8% compared to the second quarter of 2024 pro forma⁴.

The contribution of JVs¹⁵, at €38m (+16.6%), increased strongly thanks to the growth in activity and management fees of the main contributing entity, the Indian JV SBI MF (+19%), as well as the good profitability of the JV in China ABC-CA.

The adjusted contribution³of the U.S. operations, accounted for like JVs under the equity method, reflects for the first time this quarter the contribution of Victory Capital to the group share (26%), at €26m. As explained, this figure corresponds to Victory Capital’s first quarter result due to the publication lag, and therefore does not yet take into account the synergies that were announced as part of the combination with Amundi US ($110m at 100%, full-year before tax) and of which $50m were realised at the time of the finalisation of the partnership on 1 April 2025. The comparison with Amundi US’s contribution to Group net income in the second quarter of 2024 (€32m), which also included positive non-recurring items, is therefore not relevant. In addition, the average US dollar fell by -5% year-on-year, also weighing on this contribution.

Adjusted income before tax³reached €437m, down -1.8% compared to the second quarter of 2024 pro forma⁴.

The adjusted corporate tax expense³ of the second quarter of 2025 reached -€104m, up +9% compared to the second quarter of 2024 pro forma⁴.

In France, in accordance with the Finance Act for 2025, an exceptional tax contribution is recorded in the 2025 fiscal year. It is calculated on the average of the profits made in France in 2024 and 2025. This exceptional contribution is estimated¹⁶ at -€72m for the full year, is not accounted for on a straight-line basis. It amounted to -€9m in the second quarter of 2025, compared to -€46m in the first quarter. Excluding this exceptional contribution, the adjusted tax expense³ would have been -€95m and the adjusted³ effective tax rate 25.4%, equivalent to that of the second quarter of 2024 pro forma⁴.

Adjusted net income³ was €334m. Excluding the exceptional tax contribution, it would have been €343m.

Adjusted³earnings per share in the second quarter of 2025 achieved €1.63, including -4 cents related to the exceptional tax contribution in France.

Accounting data in the second quarter of 2025

Accounting net income group share amounted to €715m. It includes the non-cash capital gain of €402m related to the completion of the partnership with Victory Capital.

As in the previous quarters, reported net income includes various non-cash expenses as well as integration costs related to the partnership with Victory Capital, finalised on 1 April 2025. Finally, Victory Capital’s contribution also includes a number of expenses, including the amortisation of intangible assets. See the details of all these elements in p. 17).

Accounting earnings per share in the second quarter of 2025 reached €3.48, including the capital gain on the Victory Capital transaction and the exceptional tax contribution in France.

A solid financial structure, €1.3bn in surplus capital

Tangible equity¹⁷ amounted to €4.3bn as at 30 June 2025, down slightly compared to the end of 2024 due to the payment of dividends (-€0.9bn) for the fiscal year 2024 and the impact of foreign exchange (-€0.2bn), most of which were offset by accounting net income for the first half of the year, including the capital gain related to this transaction (+€1.0bn), including the capital gain related to the partnership with Victory Capital (+€0.4bn).

As indicated at the time of signing in July 2024, the partnership with Victory Capital did not have a significant effect on the CET1 ratio.

The capital surplus at the end of the first quarter stood at €1.3bn.

In a press release dated 4 July, the rating agency FitchRatings confirmed Amundi’s A+ issuer rating¹⁸ with a stable outlook, the best in the sector.

* * * * *

APPENDICES

Adjusted income statement³of the first half of 2025

(M€)	H1 2025	H1 2024*	% ch. H1/H1*

Net revenue – adjusted	1,703	1,623,	+4.9%
Management fees	1,542	1,475	+4.6%
Performance fees	58	66	-13.2%
Technology	52	35	+48.0%
Financial income and other revenues	52	47	+10.4%
Operating expenses – adjusted	(894)	(849)	+5.3%
Cost/income ratio – adjusted (%)	52.5%	52.3%	+0.2pp
Gross operating income – adjusted	808,	773,	+4.5%
Cost of risk & others	(6)	(8)	-28.7%
Equity-accounted companies – JVs	66	61	+7.1%
Equity-accounted companies – Adjusted Victory Capital	26	32	-16.8%
Income before tax – adjusted	895	858,	+4.2%
Corporate tax – adjusted	(259)	(192)	+35.0%
Non-controlling interests	2	1	+88.1%
Net income group share – adjusted	638,	668,	-4.5%
Amortization of intangible assets after tax	(28)	(32)	-10.8%
Integration costs and amortisation of the PPA after tax	(7)	0	NS
Victory Capital adjustments (after tax, on a co-payment basis)	(7)	0	NS
Victory Capital Capital Capital Gain, after tax	402	0	NS
Net income group share	998	636	+56.9%
Earnings per share (€)	4.86	3.11	+56.3%
Earnings per share – adjusted (€)	3.11	3.26	-4.8%

* Quarterly series have been restated as if Amundi US had been consolidated using the 100% equity method up to and including Q1 2025; in H1 2025 no restatement was applied and Amundi US is therefore fully consolidated in Q1 2025, and H1 2024 was restated accordingly, ie as if Amundi US had been fully integrated in Q1 2024 and equity-accounted in Q2 2024.

Adjusted income statement³of the second quarter

(M€)	Q2 2025	Q2 2024*	% var. T2/T2*	Q1 2025*	% ch. Q2/Q1*

Net revenue – adjusted	790	799	-1.0%	823	-3.9%
Management fees	717	709	+1.2%	737	-2.7%
Performance fees	35	49	-28.9%	23	+53.5%
Technology	26	17	+49.8%	26	+0.7%
Financial income & other revenues	12	23	-47.2%	37	-66.9%
Operating expenses – adjusted	(417)	(410)	+1.6%	(416)	+0.2%
Cost/income ratio – adjusted (%)	52,7%	51,4%	+1.4pp	50.6%	+2.2pp
gross operating income – adjusted	374	388	-3.8%	407	-8.1%
Cost of risk & others	(1)	(8)	-82.4%	(4)	-67.4%
Equity-accounted companies – JVs	38	33	+16.6%	28	+38.6%
Equity-accounted companies – Adjusted Victory Capital	26	32	-16.8%	22	+21.2%
Income before tax – adjusted	437	445	-1.8%	452	-3.3%
Corporate tax – adjusted	(104)	(95)	+9.0%	(149)	-30.6%
Non-controlling interests	1	0	NS	1	+32.6%
Net income group share – adjusted	334	350	-4.5%	303	+10.2%
Amortization of intangible assets after tax	(15)	(17)	-13.7%	(14)	+8.8%
Integration costs and amortisation of the PPA after tax	(1)	0	NS	(3)	-78.2%
Victory Capital adjustments (after tax, on a co-payment basis)	(7)	0	NS	(4)	+62.2%
Victory Capital Capital Capital Gain, after tax	402	0	NS	0	NS
Net income group share	715	333	NS	283	NS
Earnings per share (€)	3.48	1.63	NS	1.38	NS
Earnings per share – adjusted (€)	1.63	1.71	-4.8%	1.48	+10.2%

* Quarterly series have been restated as if Amundi US had been consolidated using the 100% equity method up to and including Q1 2025; In H1 2025 no restatement was applied and Amundi US is therefore fully consolidated in Q1 2025, and H1 2024 was restated accordingly, ie as if Amundi US had been fully integrated in Q1 2024 and equity-accounted in Q2 2024.

Pro Forma Historical Series³Adjusted⁴– First semester

(m€)	H1 2025	H1 2024	-Contrib. Amundi US T2 2024	H1 2024 pro forma	% ch. 25/24	% ch. 25/24 pro forma

Net management fees	1,542	1,560	85	1,475	-1.2%	-1.4%
Performance fees	58	67	1	66	-14.1%	-13.6%
Net asset management revenues	1,599	1,627	86	1 541	-1.7%	-1.9%
Technology	52	35	0	35	+48.0%	+48.0%
financial income & other revenues	12	6	3	3	NS	NS
Financial income & other revenues – adjusted	52	50	3	47	+4.1%	+6.6%
Net revenue (a)	1,663	1 667	89	1,578	-0.3%	-0.3%
Net revenue – adjusted (b)	1,703	1 711	89	1,623	-0.5%	-0.6%
Operating expenses (c)	(905)	(900)	(51)	(849)	+0.6%	-1.4%
Operating expenses – adjusted (d)	(894)	(900)	(51)	(849)	-0.6%	-2.0%
Gross operating income (e)=(a)+(c)	758	767	38	729	-1.2%	+0.9%
Gross operating income – adjusted (f)=(b)+(d)	808	811	38	773	-0.4%	+0.9%
Cost/income ratio (%) -(c)/(a)	54.4%	54.0%	57.2%	53.8%	0.44pp	-0.56pp
Cost/income ratio – adjusted (%) -(d)/(b)	52.5%	52.6%	57.2%	52.3%	-0.06pp	-0.72pp
Cost of risk & others (g)	397	(5)	3	(8)	NS	NS
Cost of risk & others – adjusted (h)	(6)	(5)	3	(8)	+16.4%	-29.7%
Equity-accounted companies – JV (i)	66	61		61	+7.1%	+7.1%
Equity-accounted companies – US operations (j)	20	0	(32)	32	NS	+18.1%
Equity-accounted companies – U.S. operations – adjusted (k)	26	0	(32)	32	NS	+51.8%
Income before tax (l)=(e)+(g)+(i)+(j)	1,240	824	9	814	+50.6%	+51.8%
Income before tax – adjusted (m)=(f)+(h)+(i)+(k)	895	868	9	858	+3.1%	+3.5%
Corporate tax (n)	(245)	(189)	(9)	(179)	+29.6%	+33.8%
Corporate tax – adjusted (o)	(259)	(201)	(9)	(192)	+28.8%	+32.0%
Non-controlling interests (p)	2	1	0	1	+88.1%	+88.1%
Net income group share (q)=(l)+(n)+(p)	998	636	0	636	+56.9%	+56.9%
Net income group share – adjusted (r)=(m)+(o)+(p)	638	668	0	668	-4.5%	-4.5%

Earnings per share (€)	4.86	3.11		3.11	+56.3%	+56.3%
Earnings per share – adjusted (€)	3.11	3.26		3.26	-4.8%	-4.8%

Pro Forma Historical Series³Adjusted⁴– Quarters 2024-2025

(m€)	Q2 2025	Q2 2024	-Contrib. Amundi US Q2 2024	Q2 2024 pro forma	% ch. T2/T2	% var. Q2/Q2 pro forma	Q1 2025*	-Contrib. Amundi US T1 2025	Q1 2025 pro forma	% ch. T2/T1	% var. Q2/Q1 pro forma
Net management fees	717	794	85	709	-9.7%	+1.2%	824	88	737	-13.0%	-2.7%
Performance fees	35	50	1	49	-29.9%	-28.9%	23	0	23	+52.0%	+53.5%
Net asset management revenues	752	844	86	758	-10.9%	-0.8%	847	88	760	-11.2%	-1.0%
Technology	26	17	0	17	+49.8%	+49.8%	26	0	26	+0.7%	+0.7%
Financial income and other revenues	(7)	3	3	(0)	NS	NS	19	2	18	NS	NS
Financial income and other revenues – adjusted	12	26	3	22	-52.9%	-43.7%	39	2	37	-68.4%	-66.9%
Net income (a)	771	864	89	775	-10.8%	-0.6%	892	90	803	-13.7%	-4.0%
Net income – adjusted (b)	790	887	89	799	-10.9%	-1.0%	912	90	823	-13.4%	-3.9%
Operating expenses (c)	(418)	(461)	(51)	(410)	-9.2%	+2.0%	(486)	(67)	(419)	-14.0%	-0.2%
Operating expenses – adjusted (d)	(417)	(461)	(51)	(410)	-9.6%	+1.6%	(478)	(62)	(416)	-12.8%	+0.2%
Gross Operating Income (e)=(a)+(c)	352	403	38	365	-12.6%	-3.5%	406	22	384	-13.3%	-8.2%
Rross operating income – adjusted (f)=(b)+(d)	374	426	38	388	-12.4%	-3.8%	434	28	407	-14.0%	-8.1%
Cost/income ratio (%) -(c)/(a)	54.3%	53.4%	57.2%	52.9%	0.95pp	1.38pp	54.5%	75.0%	52.2%	-0.20pp	2.08pp
Cost/income ratio – adjusted (%) -(d)/(b)	52.7%	51.9%	57.2%	51.4%	0.79pp	1.37pp	52.4%	69.0%	50.6%	0.35pp	2.16pp
Cost of risk & others (g)	401	(5)	3	(8)	NS	NS	(4)	(0)	(4)	NS	NS
Cost of Risk & Other – adjusted (h)	(1)	(5)	3	(8)	-71.0%	-82.4%	(4)	(0)	(4)	-67.9%	-67.4%
Equity-accounted companies – JV (i)	38	33	0	33	+16.6%	+16.6%	28	0	28	+38.6%	+38.6%
Equity-accounted companies – US operations (j)	20	0	(32)	32	NS	-37.7%	0	(18)	18	NS	+11.7%
Equity-accounted companies – U.S. operations – adjusted (k)	26	0	(32)	32	NS	-16.8%	0	(22)	22	NS	+21.2%
Profit before tax (l)=(e)+(g)+(i)+(j)	811	431	9	421	+88.3%	+92.5%	429	5	425	+89.0%	+91.0%
Profit before tax – adjusted (m)=(f)+(h)+(i)+(k)	437	454	9	445	-3.8%	-1.8%	458	10	452	-4.5%	-3.3%
Corporate tax (n)	(97)	(98)	(9)	(89)	-0.5%	+10.1%	(147)	(5)	(143)	-33.7%	-31.6%
Corporate tax – adjusted (o)	(104)	(105)	(9)	(95)	-0.8%	+9.0%	(155)	(6)	(149)	-33.2%	-30.6%
Non-controlling interests (p)	1	0	0	0	NS	NS	1	0	1	+32.6%	+32.6%
Net income group share (q)=(l)+(n)+(p)	715	333	0	333	NS	NS	283	0	283	NS	NS
Net income group share – adjusted (r)=(m)+(o)+(p)	334	350	0	350	-4.5%	-4.5%	303	0	303	+10.2%	+10.2%

Earnings per share (€)	3.48	1.63		1.63	NS	NS	1.38		1.38	NS	NS
Earnings per share – adjusted (€)	1.63	1.71		1.71	-4.8%	-4.8%	1.48		1.48	+10.2%	+10.2%

Definition of assets under management

Assets under management and net inflows including assets under advisory and marketed and funds of funds, including 100% of assets under management and net inflows from Asian JVs; for Wafa Gestion in Morocco, assets under management and net inflows are taken over by Amundi in the capital of the JV

Evolution of assets under management from the end of 2021 to the end of June 2025

(€bn)	*Assets under management*	*Collection* *Net*	*Market and exchange rate effect*	*Scope* *effect*			*Change in assets under management* *vs. prior quarter*
As of 31/12/2021	2,064					+14%¹⁹
Q1 2022		+3.2	-46.4		–
As of 31/03/2022	2,021					-2.1%
Q2 2022		+1.8	-97.7		–
As of 30/06/2022	1,925					-4.8%
Q3 2022		-12.9	-16.3		–
As of 30/09/2022	1,895					-1.6%
Q4 2022		+15.0	-6.2		–
As of 31/12/2022	1,904					+0.5%
Q1 2023		-11.1	+40.9		–
As of 31/03/2023	1,934					+1.6%
Q2 2023		+3.7	+23.8		–
As of 31/06/2023	1,961					+1.4%
Q3 2023		+13.7	-1.7		–
As of 30/09/2023	1,973					+0.6%
Q4 2023		+19.5	+63.8		-20
As of 31/12/2023	2,037					+3.2%
Q1 2024		+16.6	+62.9		–
As of 31/03/2024	2,116					+3.9%
Q2 2024		+15.5	+16.6		+7.9
30/06/2024	2,156					+1.9%
Q3 2024		+2.9	+32.5		–
30/09/2024	2,192					+1.6%
Q4 2024		+20.5	+28.1		–
31/12/2024	2,240					+2.2%
Q1 2025		+31.1	-24.0		–
31/03/2025	2,247					+0.3%
Q2 2025		+20.4	+10.1		-10.6
30/06/2025	2,267					+0.9%

Total over one year between 30 June 2024 and 30 June 2025: +5.2%

Net inflows +€74.9bn
Market effect +€108.8bn
Forex effect -€62.1bn
Scope effects -€10.6bn
(Q2 2025 effect of the exit of Amundi US assets under management from Amundi US and the acquisition of 26% of Victory Capital assets under management in the US, the acquisition of aixigo has no effect on assets under management)

Details of assets under management and net inflows by client segments²⁰

(€bn)	AuM 30.06.2025	AuM 30.06.24	% change /30.06.24	Q2 2025 inflows	Q2 2024 inflows	H1 2025 inflows	H1 2024 inflows
Networks France	139	133	+4.3%	-0.7	-2.4	-0.5	-0.9
International networks	161	165	-2.5%	-2.9	-0.8	-5.6	-2.8
Of which Amundi BOC WM	3	3	-15.0%	+0.7	+0.4	+1.0	+0.1
Third-Party Distributors	350	359	-2.5%	+5.0	+5.4	+13.3	+12.4
Retail	650	658	-1.1%	+1.4	+2.2	+7.2	+8.7
Institutional & Sovereigns (*)	548	520	+5.4%	+1.7	+1.1	+31.8	+10.7
Corporates	107	108	-1.4%	-3.7	-3.9	-14.0	-8.1
Company savings	101	90	+12.8%	+4.9	+3.8	+4.0	+2.9
CA & SG Insurers	445	424	+4.8%	+5.9	+0.8	+9.4	+1.7
Institutional	1,201	1,142	+5.1%	+8.7	+1.7	+31.2	+7.3
JVs	359	356	+0.6%	+10.3	+11.6	+13.2	+16.1
Victory- US distribution	58	0	NS	-0.0	0.0	-0.0	0.0
Total	2,267	2,156	+5.2%	+20.4	+15.5	+51.6	+32.1

(*) Including funds of funds

Details of assets under management and net inflows by asset classes²⁰

(€bn)	AuM 30.06.2025	AuM 30.06.2024	% change /30.06.2024	Q2 2025 inflows	Q2 2024 inflows	H1 2025 inflows	H1 2024 inflows
Actions	556	515	+8.0%	+6.9	+3.2	+33.3	+0.7
Diversified	270	282	-4.3%	+0.1	+0.7	-0.9	-6.9
Obligations	737	706	+4.3%	+6.6	+10.1	+20.9	+24.0
Real, alternative, and structured	108	112	-4.0%	-2.5	+1.0	-5.2	+0.7
TOTAL MLT ASSETS excl. JV & US Distribution	1,671	1,616	+3.4%	+11.1	+15.1	+48.0	+18.5
Treasury products excl. JVs & US Distribution	180	184	-2.1%	-1.0	-11.2	-9.6	-2.5
TOTAL ASSETS excl. JV & US Distribution	1,851	1,800	+2.8%	+10.2	+3.9	+38.4	+16.0
JVs	359	356	+0.6%	+10.3	+11.6	+13.2	+16.1
Victory-distribution US	58	0	NS	-0.0	0.0	-0.0	0.0
TOTAL	2,267	2,156	+5.2%	+20.4	+15.5	+51.6	+32.1
*Of which MLT assets*	*2,051*	*1,938*	*+5.8%*	*+16.5*	*+23.7*	*+56.3*	*+31.5*
*Of which treasury products*	*216*	*218*	*-0.9%*	*+3.9*	*-8.3*	*-4.7*	*+0.6*

Details of assets under management and net inflows by type of management and asset classes²⁰

(€bn)	AuM 30.06.2025	AuM 30.06.24	% change /30.06.24	Q2 2025 inflows	Q2 2024 inflows	H1 2025 inflows	H1 2024 inflows
Active management	1,118	1,122	-0.4%	+2.9	+8.0	+9.1	+9.3
Equities	196	207	-5.4%	-0.8	-0.4	-4.8	-3.1
Multi-assets	261	272	-3.8%	+0.0	+0.3	-0.9	-7.7
Bonds	661	643	+2.7%	+3.7	+8.1	+14.9	+20.2
Structured products	41	42	-0.3%	-1.4	+1.3	-3.5	+1.9
Passive management	446	382	+16.7%	+10.7	+6.0	+44.2	+8.5
ETFs & ETC	288	237	+21.2%	+8.2	+4.5	+18.6	+9.5
Index & Smart beta	158	144	+9.2%	+2.5	+1.5	+25.6	-1.0
Real & Alternative Assets	67	71	-6.2%	-1.0	-0.3	-1.8	-1.2
Real assets	63	67	-5.4%	-0.6	-0.1	-1.2	-0.3
Alternative	4	4	-18.4%	-0.4	-0.2	-0.5	-1.0
TOTAL MLT ASSETS excl. JV & US Distribution	1,671	1,616	+3.4%	+11.1	+15.1	+48.0	+18.5
Treasury products excl. JVs & US Distribution	180	184	-2.1%	-1.0	-11.2	-9.6	-2.5
TOTAL ASSETS excl. JV & US Distribution	1,851	1,800	+2.8%	+10.2	+3.9	+38.4	+16.0
JVs	359	356	+19.8%	+11.6	-0.9	+16.1	-1.7
Victory-US Distribution	58	0,	NS	-0.0	0.0,	-0.0	0.0,
TOTAL	2,267	2,156	+5.2%	+20.4	+15.5	+51.6	+32.1
*Of which MLT assets*	*2,051*	*1,938*	*+5.8%*	*+16.5*	*+23.7*	*+56.3*	*+31.5*
*Of which treasury products*	*216*	*218*	*-0.9%*	*+3.9*	*-8.3*	*-4.7*	*+0.6*

Details of assets under management and net inflows by geographic area²⁰

(€bn)	AuM 30.06.2025	AuM 30.06.2024	% change /30.06.2024	Q2 2025 inflows	Q2 2024 inflows	H1 2025 inflows	H1 2024 inflows
France	1,028	971	+5.9%	+8.7	+0.0	+9.3	+10.0
Italy	199	207	-3.9%	-1.4	-1.8	-3.4	-2.9
Europe excluding France & Italy	461	406	+13.6%	-1.0	+0.1	+22.8	+4.1
Asia	460	451	+2.0%	+13.8	+15.4	+21.6	+22.3
Rest of the world	119	121	-1.5%	+0.3	+1.7	+1.3	-1.3
TOTAL	2,267	2,156	+5.2%	+20.4	+15.5	+51.6	+32.1
*TOTAL outside France*	1,239	1,185	+4.6%	+11.7	+15.5	+42.3	+22.1

Methodological Annex – Alternative Performance Indicators (APIs)

Accounting and adjusted data

Accounting data – These include

the amortisation of intangible assets, recorded in other revenues, and from Q2 2024, other non-cash expenses spread according to the schedule of price adjustment payments until the end of 2029; these expenses are recognised as deductions from net revenues, in financial expenses.
integration costs related to the transaction with Victory Capital and PPA amortization related to the acquisition of aixigo are recognized in the fourth quarter of 2024 and in the first quarter of 2025 as operating expenses. No such costs were recorded in the first nine months of 2024.

The aggregate amounts of these items are as follows for the different periods under review:

Q1 2024: -€20m before tax and -€15m after tax
H1 2024: -€44m before tax and -€28m after tax
Q4 2024: -€38m before tax and -€28m after tax
Q1 2025: -€29m before tax and -€20m after tax
Q2 2025: -€28m before tax and -€22m after tax + €402m of capital gain (not taxable)
H1 2025: -€57m before tax and -€42m after tax + €402m of capital gain (not taxable)

Adjusted data – In order to present an income statement that is closer to economic reality, the following adjustments have been made: restatement of the amortization of distribution agreements with Bawag, UniCredit and Banco Sabadell, intangible assets representing the client contracts of Lyxor and, since the second quarter of 2024, Alpha Associates, as well as other non-cash expenses related to the acquisition of Alpha Associates; These depreciation and amortization and non-cash expenses are recognized as a deduction from net revenues; restatement of the amortization of a technology asset related to the acquisition of AIXIGO recognized in operating expenses. The integration costs for the transaction with Victory Capital are also restated.

Partnership with Victory Capital

Victory Capital adjusts its US GAAP accounts to better reflect the Group’s economic performance. These US GAAP to Non-GAAP adjustments include, with the figures for the first quarter of 2025 included in Amundi’s financial statements for the second quarter of 2025, the amortisation of intangible assets and other acquisition-related charges, certain business tax, stock-based compensation, acquisition, restructuring and exit costs, Debt issuance costs and the tax benefit of goodwill and acquired intangible assets.

Alternative Performance Indicators²¹

In order to present an income statement that is closer to economic reality, Amundi publishes adjusted data that are calculated in accordance with the methodological appendix presented above.

The adjusted data can be reconciled with the accounting data as follows:

= accounting data

= adjusted data

(M€)	H1 2025	H1 2024*	Q2 2025	Q2 2024	Q2 2024*	Q1 2025	Q1 2025*


Net revenue (a)	1,663	1,578	771	864	775	892	803
– Amortisation of intangible assets (bef. Tax)	(37)	(43)	(18)	(22)	(22)	(18)	(18)
– Other non-cash charges related to Alpha Associates	(3)	(1)	(1)	(1)	(1)	(1)	(1)
Net revenue – adjusted (b)	1,703	1, 623	790	887	799	912	823

Operating expenses (c)	(905)	(849)	(418)	(461)	(410)	(486)	(419)
– Integration costs (bef. tax)	(7)	0	0	0	0	(7)	(2)
– Amortisation related to aixigo PPA (bef. Tax)	(4)	0	(2)	0	0	(2)	(2)
Operating expenses – adjusted (d)	(894)	(849)	(417)	(461)	(410)	(478)	(416)

Gross operating income (e)=(a)+(c)	758	729	352	403	365	406	384
Gross operating income – adjusted (f)=(b)+(d)	808	773	374	426	388	434	407
Cost / Income ratio (%) -(c)/(a)	54.4%	53.8%	54.3%	53.4%	52.9%	54.5%	52.2%
Cost / Income ratio, adjusted (%) -(d)/(b)	52.5%	52.3%	52.7%	51.9%	51.4%	52.4%	50.6%
Cost of risk & others (g)	397	(8)	401	(5)	(8)	(4)	(4)
Cost of risk & others – Adjusted (h)	(6)	(8)	(1)	(5)	(8)	(4)	(4)
Share of net income from JVs (i)	66	61	38	33	33	28	28
Share of net income from Victory Capital (j)	20	32	20	0	32	0	18
Share of net income from Victory Capital – Adjusted (k)	26	32	26	0	32	0	22
Income before tax (l)=(e)+(g)+(i)+(j)	1,240	814	811	431	421	429	425
Income before tax – adjusted (m)=(f)+(h)+(i)+(k)	895	858	437	454	445	458	452
Corporate tax (m)	(245)	(179)	(97)	(98)	(89)	(147)	(143)
Corporate tax – adjusted (n)	(259)	(192)	(104)	(105)	(95)	(155)	(149)
Non-controlling interests (o)	2	1	1	0	0	1	1
Net income group share (q)=(l)+(n)+(p)	998	636	715	333	333	283	283
Net income group share – adjusted (r)=(m)+(o)+(p)	638	668	334	350	350	303	303

Earnings per share (€)	4.86	3.11	3.48	1.63	1.63	1.38	1.38
Earnings per share – adjusted (€)	3.11	3.26	1.63	1.71	1.71	1.48	1.48

Shareholding

	30 June 2025		31 March 2025		31 December 2024		30 June 2024
(units)	Number of shares	% of capital	Number of shares	% of capital	Number of shares	% of capital	Number of shares	% of capital
Crédit Agricole Group	141,057,399	68.67%	141,057,399	68.67%	141,057,399	68.67%	141,057,399	68.93%
Employees	4,398,054	2.14%	4,128,079	2.01%	4,272,132	2.08%	2,879,073	1.41%
Self	1,625,258	0.79%	1,961,141	0.95%	1,992,485	0.97%	963,625	0.47%
Floating	58,338,551	28.40%	58,272,643	28.37%	58,097,246	28.28%	59,747,537	29.20%

Number of equities at the end of the period	205,419,262	100.0%	205,419,262	100.0%	205,419,262	100.0%	204,647,634	100.0%
Average number of equities since the beginning of the year	205,419,262	–	205,419,262	–	204,776,239	–	204,647,634	–
Average number of equities quarter-to-date	205,419,262	–	205,419,262	–	205,159,257	–	204,647,634	–

Average number of shares prorata temporis.

The average number of shares was unchanged between Q1 2025 and Q2 2025 and increased by +0.4% between Q2 2024 and Q2 2025.
A capital increase reserved for employees was recorded on 31 October 2024. 771,628 shares were created (approximately 0.4% of the share capital before the transaction).
Amundi announced on 7 October 2024 a buyback program of up to 1 million shares (i.e. ~0.5% of the share capital before the transaction) to cover performance shares plans, which was finalised on 27 November 2024.

Financial communication calendar

Tuesday 28 October 2025: Q3 and 9-month 2025 results
Fourth quarter 2025: new medium-term strategic plan

About Amundi

Amundi, the leading European asset manager, ranking among the top 10 global players²², offers its 100 million clients – retail, institutional and corporate – a complete range of savings and investment solutions in active and passive management, in traditional or real assets. This offering is enhanced with IT tools and services to cover the entire savings value chain. A subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole group and listed on the stock exchange, Amundi currently manages close to €2.3 trillion of assets²³.

With its six international investment hubs²⁴, financial and extra-financial research capabilities and long-standing commitment to responsible investment, Amundi is a key player in the asset management landscape.

Amundi clients benefit from the expertise and advice of 5,500 employees in 35 countries.

Amundi, a trusted partner, working every day in the interest of its clients and society

www.amundi.com

Press contacts:
Natacha Andermahr
Tel. +33 1 76 37 86 05
natacha.andermahr@amundi.com

Corentin Henry
Tel. +33 1 76 36 26 96
corentin.henry@amundi.com

Investor contacts:
Cyril Meilland, CFA
Tel. +33 1 76 32 62 67
cyril.meilland@amundi.com

Thomas Lapeyre
Tel. +33 1 76 33 70 54
thomas.lapeyre@amundi.com

Annabelle Wiriath

Tel. + 33 1 76 32 43 92

annabelle.wiriath@amundi.com

DISCLAIMER

This document does not constitute an offer or invitation to sell or purchase, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, any securities of Amundi in the United States of America or in France. Securities may not be offered, subscribed or sold in the United States of America absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements thereof. The securities of Amundi have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and Amundi does not intend to make a public offer of its securities in the United States of America or in France.

This document may contain forward looking statements concerning Amundi’s financial position and results. The data provided do not constitute a profit “forecast” or “estimate” as defined in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/980.

These forward looking statements include projections and financial estimates based on scenarios that employ a number of economic assumptions in a given competitive and regulatory context, assumptions regarding plans, objectives and expectations in connection with future events, transactions, products and services, and assumptions in terms of future performance and synergies. By their very nature, they are therefore subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could lead to their non-fulfilment. Consequently, no assurance can be given that these forward looking statement will come to fruition, and Amundi’s actual financial position and results may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward looking statements.

Amundi undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update any forward looking statements provided as at the date of this document. Risks that may affect Amundi’s financial position and results are further detailed in the “Risk Factors” section of our Universal Registration Document filed with the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The reader should take all these uncertainties and risks into consideration before forming their own opinion.

The figures presented have been subject to a limited review from the statutory auditors and have been prepared in accordance with applicable prudential regulations and IFRS guidelines, as adopted by the European Union and applicable at that date.

Unless otherwise specified, sources for rankings and market positions are internal. The information contained in this document, to the extent that it relates to parties other than Amundi or comes from external sources, has not been verified by a supervisory authority or, more generally, subject to independent verification, and no representation or warranty has been expressed as to, nor should any reliance be placed on, the fairness, accuracy, correctness or completeness of the information or opinions contained herein. Neither Amundi nor its representatives can be held liable for any decision made, negligence or loss that may result from the use of this document or its contents, or anything related to them, or any document or information to which this document may refer.

The sum of values set out in the tables and analyses may differ slightly from the total reported due to rounding.

¹        See definition of assets under management p.14
²        Excluding JV and Victory Capital – US Distribution US, whose contributions are equity-accounted
³        Adjusted data: see p. 16
⁴        For explanations of pro forma variations, see p. 12 and 13
⁵        Source: IPE “Top 500 Asset Managers” published in June 2025
⁶        Including JV and Victory Capital – US Distribution
⁷        The inflows presented in this section are not cumulative, as they may overlap in part, for example an ETF sold to a third-party distributor in Asia.
⁸        Medium to Long-Term Assets, excluding JVs
⁹        Qualified Domestic Limited Partner, ie asset managers allowed to invest in overseas markets and raise Renminbi funds from domestic investors
¹⁰        See Third-Party Distribution Investor Workshop of 19 June 2025
¹¹        Source: Morningstar Direct, Broadridge FundFile – Open-ended funds and ETFs, global fund scope, March 2025; as a percentage of the assets under management of the funds in question; the number of Amundi open-ended funds rated by Morningstar was 1071 at the end of March 2025. © 2025 Morningstar, all rights reserved
¹²        Reflecting Amundi’s share of the net income of minority JVs in India (SBI FM), China (ABC-CA), South Korea (NH-Amundi) and Morocco (Wafa Gestion), accounted for by the equity method after tax
¹³        Under the assumption that the 2025 tax result in France will be equivalent to that of 2024 and before adjusting the average to take into account the final 2025 tax result
¹⁴        Currently being estimated
¹⁵        Reflecting Amundi’s share of the net income of minority JVs in India (SBI FM), China (ABC-CA), South Korea (NH-Amundi) and Morocco (Wafa Gestion), accounted for by the equity method after tax
¹⁶        Under the assumption that the 2025 tax result in France will be equivalent to that of 2024 and before adjusting the average to take into account the final 2025 tax result
¹⁷        Net equity minus goodwill and intangible assets
¹⁸        Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR)
¹⁹        Lyxor, integrated as of 31/12/2021; sale of Lyxor Inc. in Q4 2023
²⁰        See definition of assets under management, p.14
²¹        See also the section 4.3 of the 2024 Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on April 16, 2025 under number D25-0272
²²Source: IPE “Top 500 Asset Managers” published in June 2025, based on assets under management as at 31/12/2024
²³Amundi data as at 30/06/2025
²⁴Paris, London, Dublin, Milan, Tokyo and San Antonio (via our strategic partnership with Victory Capital)

Attachment

Amundi PR Results Q2 2025_EN

The MIL Network –

July 30, 2025

Category: Europe

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