NewzIntel.com

Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Africa: Unlocking the Power of Women and building strong movement for Peace in the Sahel

    Since the outbreak of crises in Libya in 2012, then in Mali and the entire central Sahel, as well as the proliferation of Boko Haram in the countries of the Lake Chad Basin, the Sahel region has been facing enormous security challenges that are aggravated by political, geopolitical, socio-economic, and environmental factors. The deterioration of the security situation is aggravated by highly porous borders, attacks by non-state armed groups as well as inter-community conflicts that have had and continue to have negative impacts on communities and force millions of people to be displaced. But also this situation has generated a major crisis of governance and lack of confidence in the governments of the affected countries having led to a wave of coups d’état and political transitions in : Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso and Chad.  The crisis in the Sahel prevails in a context where women were already subject to several forms of violence and discrimination underpinned by socio-cultural barriers deeply rooted in tradition. 

    Against this backdrop, women are actively working for peace. They have organized themselves into associations at local, national, and regional levels to influence peace and to advocate for the advancement of their rights. But their efforts face several challenges, mainly organizational and lack of funding. It is in this context that UN Women has developed and is implementing since 2023 a program aimed at strengthening the capacities of women’s organizations for peace in the Sahel. Funded by the Government of  Netherlands, the program plans to support 103 organizations applying a comprehensive approach combining institutional, technical and advocacy support and partnership. 

    Building on the commitments of UNSCR 1325, 2024 marked a pivotal shift toward strengthening local women’s organizations and positioning them as key actors for inclusive peace. At the core of the initiative, lies a powerful bet on grassroots transformation. A total of 103 women-led peace organizations received tailored support spanning institutional diagnostics, technical training, coaching, and access to equipment. Twelve organizations now operate from fully equipped, staffed offices, and five have successfully mobilized new funding based on project proposals developed with the program’s guidance.  Fifteen organizations began designing income-generating initiatives to secure independent funding streams. 

    “The project transformed our structure. We revised our policies, gained visibility, and secured international funding.”
    – Young women leader, APSJ Mauritania

    Beyond capacity building, the program invested in coalition building and advocacy. A mapping of peace-focused women’s organizations was completed in all five countries, laying the foundation for connected national networks and an emerging regional alliance. Virtual convenings and a digital platform piloted in Mali are facilitating knowledge exchange and cross-border solidarity. The 103 organizations are now informally networked across countries, forming the backbone of a regional movement of women peacebuilders in the Sahel.

    A cohort of 170 women leaders across the five countries received in-depth training in advocacy strategy, messaging, and influence. Women’s organizations developed national advocacy plans with concrete actions, strategic targets, and implementation roadmaps. The execution of those plans has already begun through targeted lobbying and partner engagement. So many successful advocacy initiatives have been conducted. For example, a National Women’s Dialogue was organized in Niger after the July 2023 coup, uniting 44 women’s groups to define priorities for inclusive transition. Those priorities were presented to the government and some of them considered in the transition roadmap. 

    In all the five countries, women hold quarterly citizen dialogues  to reflect on solutions for durable peace and their inclusion in peace processes.

    With a dedicated visual identity “Sahel Women’s Leadership for Peace” the initiative rolled out communications campaigns targeted millions of people across all countries. Public debates, radio programs, and digital storytelling amplified the voices and priorities of women peacebuilders, while increasing public awareness of the WPS agenda.

    With this innovative approach, UNWOMEN is catalyzing deep shifts in the peace infrastructure of the region. From grassroots organizations gaining legitimacy and funding, to regional coalitions taking shape and national advocacy plans being rolled out, women are now repositioned as peace leaders. The initiative is not just building capacity, it is reshaping systems. And as these women organize, influence, and lead, they are redefining what inclusive peace looks like in some of the region’s most fragile contexts. Even though the region is still in crisis, there is hope that this women’s movement will contribute to the stabilization of the region.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Explosions heard at airbase in Hamadan province in western Iran – local media

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    TEHRAN, June 13 (Xinhua) — A loud and “terrifying” sound was heard near Shahid Nojeh Air Base in Kebudraheng area of western Iran’s Hamedan Province amid heightened tensions following Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported on Friday.

    Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported the death of the formation’s aerospace division commander Amir-Ali Hajizadeh along with several members of his unit in what it said was a “terrorist” attack by Israel earlier in the day, the IRGC’s official news outlet Sepah News reported.

    Mehr’s report also said Iranian fighter jets were spotted flying over the northeastern city of Mashhad, but authorities have not yet issued any official statements explaining the flights. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Iran’s President Promises ‘Powerful’ Response to Israeli Strikes

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    TEHRAN, June 13 (Xinhua) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed on Friday that Iran would give a “legitimate and strong” response to Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory earlier in the day.

    He made the announcement in a statement on the presidential office’s website in connection with the deadly Israeli strikes on various areas of Tehran and other cities in the country.

    M. Pezeshkian stressed that the Iranian people and the country’s authorities will not remain silent in the face of “Israel’s crime,” adding that the Islamic Republic’s response will make Israel “regret its stupid actions.” –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: S. 868, Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    S. 868 would require the Administration to impose sanctions on foreign persons who have knowingly engaged in any of the following:

    • Significant corruption in the country of Georgia,
    • Activities that impede Georgia’s relationship with the North Atlantic Treaty organization and the European Union, or
    • Actions that undermine the peace and territorial integrity of Georgia.

    The bill also would require the Administration to report to the Congress on sanctions imposed under the bill, diplomatic relations with Georgia, and other related matters. The requirements of the bill would expire five years after enactment.

    Under current law, the Administration can impose sanctions on foreign persons who engage in corruption or undermine the peace and territorial integrity of an ally or partner of the United States. If the enactment of S. 868 leads the Administration to broaden those sanctions, more people would be denied visas by the Department of State, resulting in an insignificant decrease in revenues from fees. Although most visa fees are retained by the Department of State and spent, some collections are deposited into the Treasury as revenues. Denying foreign nationals entry into the United States also would reduce direct spending on federal benefits (emergency Medicaid or federal subsidies for health insurance, for example) for which those people might otherwise be eligible.

    The bill would block transactions involving certain assets either in the United States or under the control of people or entities in the United States. Under the bill, any person or entity violating those prohibitions would be subject to civil or criminal monetary penalties. Such penalties are recorded as revenues, and a portion can be spent without further appropriation.

    On the basis of data about similar sanctions, CBO estimates any additional sanctions imposed under the bill would affect a small number of people. Thus, enacting S. 868 would have insignificant effects on revenues and direct spending, and would, on net, reduce deficits by insignificant amounts over the 2025-2035 period.

    Using information about the cost of reports similar to those required by the bill, CBO estimates that implementing S. 868 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2025-2030 period. Such related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

    S. 868 would impose a private-sector mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) by expanding the scope of authority for the Administration to regulate transactions between entities in the United States and foreign entities and officials of foreign governments who would be subject to sanctions under the bill. That expansion would result in additional burdens on individuals and entities, such as banks, in the United States that are required to monitor and report on foreign transactions and to block access to certain assets owned by sanctioned entities. It also would prohibit transactions between entities in the United States and sanctioned parties that otherwise would be permitted under current law.

    The cost of the mandate would be any income or profit lost as a result of the bill’s enactment. CBO expects that because a small number of people or entities would be affected, the loss of income from any incremental increase in restrictions imposed by the bill would be small as well. CBO estimates that the cost of the mandate would fall well below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($206 million in 2025, adjusted annually for inflation).

    S. 868 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in UMRA.

    The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Emma Uebelhor (for federal costs) and Brandon Lever (for mandates). The estimate was reviewed by Christina Hawley Anthony, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Allen Testifies Before the International Trade Commission in Support of the American LSPTV Industry

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Allen (R-GA-12)

    Congressman Allen Testifies Before the International Trade Commission in Support of the American LSPTV Industry

    Washington, June 13, 2025

    Yesterday, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) testified before the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) to urge the Commissioners to take immediate action and hold China accountable for unfair trade practices that are harming U.S. producers in the Low Speed Personal Transportation Vehicles (LSPTV) industry.

    Congressman Allen Testifies Before the ITC A transcript of Congressman Allen’s full testimony can be read below: “Chair Karpel and fellow Commissioners—thank you for allowing me to appear before you today for this important hearing. I’m grateful to be here to support the U.S. low speed personal transportation vehicle industry. The Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), encompassing Georgia and South Carolina, and much of my district, has long been the epicenter of U.S. golf cart manufacturing. We are home to two large producers that deliver electric vehicle models for personal and recreational transportation: Club Car and E-Z-GO. “For as long as I can remember, Club Car and E-Z-GO have been pillars of the Georgia economy, providing thousands of jobs in the state.  Furthermore, they were—and still are—the standard bearers in the golf cart industry.  “Unfortunately, the futures of these two great American companies are at risk due to the massive influx of dumped and subsidized low speed personal transportation vehicles from China. If the U.S. industry is not provided with the trade relief it so desperately needs, hundreds of U.S. manufacturing jobs could be lost. “As you’ll hear in detail from members of the domestic industry today, Chinese imports have severely injured the domestic industry and threaten to put it out of business. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently determined that Chinese-manufactured vehicles are being dumped and subsidized to the tune of between 478% and 515%, respectively. These substantial rates demonstrate the degree to which Chinese imports have undersold U.S.-manufactured vehicles, making it all but impossible to compete. This has led to reduced shifts, reductions in workforce, decreases in production, and a sharp decline in profitability for the domestic industry. “And not only do these unfairly traded Chinese imports harm manufacturers of new vehicles—they also have decimated the market for refurbished U.S.-manufactured vehicles. Refurbished used vehicles were an important part of the U.S. industry, but low-priced imports have wiped out this market segment. U.S. processors of used vehicles have found it all but impossible to sell refurbished used vehicles when new Chinese vehicles are being sold at the same or lower prices. “Over the last year, I have led a bipartisan and bicameral effort to bring more attention to this issue. We have reached out the U.S. Trade Representative and Department of Commerce, highlighting the vast amounts of subsidies provided to Chinese producers and the degree to which subject imports are being dumped. Today, I would like to present a letter to the ITC Chair that is signed by 25 Senators and Representatives advocating for positive outcomes of these cases, which is absolutely critical to the health of the domestic LSPTV industry, a historic and uniquely American manufacturing industry.  “On a level playing field, U.S. companies like Club Car and E-Z-GO can out-innovate and out-compete anyone in the world. However, when foreign companies—with government backing—violate international trade rules and flood the U.S. market with dumped and subsidized products, the playing field is far from even.  Here, dumped and illegally subsidized low speed personal transportation vehicles have undermined the U.S. industry.  “It has taken the Chinese industry less than four years to completely upend the U.S. low speed personal transportation vehicle market. They have infiltrated the market at every level, and if left unchecked, these illegally dumped and subsidized imports will decimate the domestic industry and take away hundreds of U.S. manufacturing jobs. “The domestic industry is not looking for special treatment—just the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.  I respectfully urge you to carefully consider this matter and take appropriate action to enforce U.S. trade remedy laws. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify before you today.”

    BACKGROUND: Last week, Congressman Allen led a bipartisan, bicameral group of his colleagues in sending letters to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Chair Amy Karpel in support of the American low-speed personal transportation vehicle (LSPTV) industry.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: New Zealand PM to visit China /more details/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Lacson will pay an official visit to China from June 17 to 20, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Friday.

    The upcoming trip will be Lacson’s first visit to China since taking office and comes as the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership enters its second decade, Lin Jian said at a regular briefing for reporters.

    During the visit, Chinese leaders will hold separate meetings and talks with Prime Minister K. Lacson, during which the two sides will exchange in-depth views on China-New Zealand relations as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.

    Lin Jian noted that bilateral ties have been rapidly developing since the establishment of diplomatic relations more than 50 years ago. The leaders of both countries agreed to strengthen dialogue and cooperation to promote the consistent and in-depth development of bilateral ties, he added.

    According to the official representative, in the current complex and changing international situation, China is willing to work with New Zealand to strengthen strategic communication, enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, strengthen traditional friendship, and jointly address challenges.

    China hopes to work with New Zealand to build a China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership based on mutual respect, tolerance, cooperation and common development, so as to bring greater benefits to the two peoples,” the Chinese diplomat said. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China remains committed to promoting healthy China-US military ties – Chinese Defense Ministry

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — China remains committed to promoting the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. military ties, Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said Friday.

    As Jiang Bin emphasized, the Chinese side has always firmly adhered to the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

    He expressed the hope that the United States will stop hyping up the so-called “China threat,” respect China’s core interests and major concerns, and move to meet China halfway so as to strengthen communication and dialogue, properly handle differences, and enhance mutual understanding and trust.

    The official representative also called on the parties to jointly improve and develop relations between the armed forces of the two countries. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s Defense Ministry warns some countries against encouraging Taiwan separatists

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin on Friday called on individual countries to firmly abide by the one-China principle in practice and stop sending any wrong signals to separatist forces advocating “Taiwan independence.”

    Jiang Bin made the statement while commenting on events held in Taiwan: a chief-of-staff war game organized by a Taiwanese civil group with the participation of former senior military officials from the United States and Japan, as well as a U.S.-Taiwan defense industry forum in Taipei.

    Recalling that the Taiwan issue is an exclusively internal affair of China that does not tolerate outside interference, Jiang Bin pointed out that any actions that encourage and support separatists advocating “Taiwan independence” will only undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region, and will inevitably backfire on their initiators, bringing them bitter consequences.

    “Any attempt to achieve ‘Taiwan independence’ by relying on external forces or to use Taiwan to contain China is doomed to failure, the spokesman concluded. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: President Costa to travel to Kananaskis, Canada for the G7 summit on 15-17 June 2025

    Source: Council of the European Union

    The President of the European Council, António Costa, will travel to Kananaskis, Alberta (Canada) to take part in the G7 summit from 15 to 17 June 2025. Hosted by Canada as the rotating G7 presidency, the Summit will bring together the leaders of the seven G7 countries, as well as the European Union and other invited countries to discuss pressing global issues, including international peace and security, the global economic outlook and energy security.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal Officer and Setting an Apartment Building on Fire

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ATLANTA – Armando Carrillo-Diaz, 45, an illegal alien from Rioverde, San Luis Potosí, Mexico, has been sentenced for assaulting a federal officer, arson, and illegally reentering the United States.

    “When illegal aliens resort to extreme and dangerous measures to avoid removal, they not only violate our immigration laws but also put law enforcement officers and the public at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our Office is committed to taking decisive action to hold accountable those who attack law enforcement officers and endanger the community.”

    “This conviction sends a strong message to those who think they can evade justice by resorting to dangerous and reckless actions,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Thanks to the dedicated collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local levels, we were able to catch Armando Carrillo-Diaz, an illegal alien, and hold him accountable for his reckless and fiery attempts to evade justice.”

    “Carrillo-Diaz posed a serious threat to law enforcement and the community,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. “Our top priority is working with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe.” 

    According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court: On April 26, 2023, deportation officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) attempted to arrest Armando Carrillo-Diaz in the parking lot of his apartment complex. Carrillo-Diaz nearly struck one of the officers as he fled from the scene in a pickup truck. 

    When ERO officers later returned to his residence to locate him, Carrillo-Diaz attempted to evade capture by setting his apartment on fire. The fire spread, prompting the Gwinnett County, Georgia, Fire Department to evacuate residents from the building. Carrillo-Diaz then sliced his own throat with a box cutter when the officers tried to apprehend him. The officers immediately rendered medical aid and arranged for Carrillo-Diaz’s transport to a local hospital. 

    On June 26, 2024, a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia returned a superseding indictment charging Carrillo-Diaz with the offenses of Assaulting a Federal Officer, Arson, and Illegally Reentering the United States. 

    On June 11, 2025, U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen sentenced Carrillo-Diaz to five years in prison followed by one year of supervised release.  Carrillo-Diaz was convicted of these charges on January 29, 2025, after he pleaded guilty.

    This case was investigated by ERO, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Gwinnett County Fire Department.

    Assistant United States Attorney Dash A. Cooper prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Grand Juries in Bowling Green and Paducah Indict 4 Illegal Aliens for Immigration Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Bowling Green and Paducah, KY – Federal grand juries in Bowling Green and Paducah, Kentucky, returned indictments on June 10 and 11, 2025, charging three individuals with illegal reentry after deportation or removal and one individual with use of a false passport.

    U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations, Nashville, and Sam Olson, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago, U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement made the announcement.

    According to the indictments:

    Santiago Tehandon-Paneda, age 45, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in Owensboro, Kentucky, with reentry after deportation or removal and false claim to United States citizenship. On or about May 12, 2025, Tehandon-Paneda was an alien found in United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about May 4, 2007, and August 13, 2012. On or about May 15, 2025, Tehandon-Paneda willfully represented himself to be a citizen of the United States. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 13 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI, ICE-ERO.

    Feliz Morales-Rangel, age 38, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in Bowling Green with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about March 26, 2025, Morales-Rangel was an alien found in United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about March 20, 2008, and May 1, 2010. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI, ICE-ERO.

    Francisco Campos-Guardian, age 32, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in Paducah with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about May 8, 2025, Campos-Guardian was an alien found in the United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about January 7, 2020. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI, ICE-ERO.

    Bogdan Drapac, age 41, a citizen of Romania, was charged in Paducah with use of a false passport. On or about May 14, 2025, Drapac willfully and knowingly used and attempted to use a false, forged, and counterfeited Spanish passport; that is, he presented the passport to law enforcement during a traffic stop to conceal his identity. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI, ICE-ERO.

    A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark J. Yurchisin II, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, and Raymond McGee, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, are prosecuting the cases.

    These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Met sets out policing plans ahead of protests this weekend

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    The Met is preparing for another busy weekend in the capital with a protest in Tower Hamlets and Westminster.

    On Saturday 14 June, a protest against proposals for a new Chinese embassy will take place between 14:00hrs until 17:00hrs at Royal Mint Court, north of Tower Bridge. The Met has set out conditions, which are detailed below.

    A protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Stop the War and other groups is also due to take place on Saturday at 14:00hrs in Parliament Square. There are currently no conditions in place, however there will be a police presence to ensure the protest takes place safely and any incidents can be dealt with. Any conditions will be updated on this page.

    Currently we have not been informed of any planned counter protests, but the Met will be prepared and have sufficient resources in place.

    Details on conditions are below:

    Section 12 – Public Order Act

    Any person taking part in the procession element of the protest against the proposed Chinese embassy site must not deviate from the route shown on the map below.

    Having completed the procession, any person continuing to take part in the static element of the protest must remain in the area detailed below.

    Section 14 – Public Order Act

    Any person taking part in the static assembly element of the protest against the proposed Chinese embassy site must remain within the area shaded red on the map below.

    The assembly must conclude by 17:00hrs.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fun for all the family at Isle of Wight Armed Forces Day 13 June 2025 Fun for all the family at Isle of Wight Armed Forces Day

    Source: Aisle of Wight

    Families heading to this year’s Isle of Wight Armed Forces Day are in for a treat, with a packed programme of activities and displays designed to thrill visitors of all ages — especially the younger ones.

    While the skies will be alive with the roar of the Red Arrows, daring parachute display teams, and the unmistakable sights and sounds of the Spitfire and Hurricane, there’s just as much excitement to be found on the ground.

    Children and families can explore a range of interactive exhibits, including a hands-on stand from the Army Medical Corps and a close-up look at the Air Corps’ Gazelle helicopter. The 165 Port and Maritime Regiment will also be showcasing the Army’s vital maritime operations.

    Back by popular demand, the Fort Cumberland Guard and Vectis Guards will be performing historical displays on the beach during the afternoon.

    For those with a sense of adventure, the Army Cadets are bringing something extra special this year.

    Event organiser Ian Dore explained: “It’s been tricky to fit this in because frankly, it’s a whopper. But Chris, our site manager, has done a sterling job of getting it in place.

    “The Army Cadets will be unveiling a 30-metre inflatable assault course! You won’t miss it — it’s big, green, and set up in the Rose Gardens near the stage.”

    Also returning is John Cattle’s Skate Club, offering free skateboarding lessons in the Skate Park — a great opportunity for kids to try something new.

    Add to that a wide array of military vehicles, live music from military bands, and plenty of space to relax, and it’s shaping up to be a bumper day out for everyone.

    The event on Sunday, 29 June, at Eastern Gardens in Ryde, officially opens at 10am with a spectacular parachute display from the Royal Navy team.

    If all goes to plan, Red 10 from the Red Arrows will make a dramatic entrance by helicopter, landing right on the beach. Shortly after, the marching parade will get underway, marking the start of a full day of festivities.

    Organisers are encouraging visitors to arrive early, bring a picnic, and set up on the beach to make the most of the day.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov of Azerbaijan – Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator, Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO)

    Source: United Nations MIL-OSI 2

    nited Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Ramiz Alakbarov of Azerbaijan as his new Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator, Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO).  Dr. Alakbarov will also serve as Humanitarian Coordinator.  He succeeds Muhannad Hadi of Jordan, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and service.  The Secretary-General also thanks Sarah Poole of the United States, who has been providing steadfast support in an ad interim capacity. 

    Dr. Alakbarov brings more than 30 years of extensive international experience in executive leadership, strategic planning and policy-making, development programming and management, and humanitarian response.  He has been serving as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia since 2023.  Prior to this, he held the position of Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), where he was also the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, from 2021 to 2023.  In Afghanistan, he also served as UN Resident Coordinator ad interim in 2020.

    Dr. Alakbarov has served in several positions within the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), including as Deputy Executive Director for Management and United Nations Reforms (ad interim) and Director of the Policy and Strategy Division in New York, Country Representative in Haiti, Deputy Regional Director of the Regional Office for Arab States in Cairo and Head of the Office in South Sudan.  Prior to these positions, he served in various roles at UNFPA supporting country programmes in Arab States, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.  His roles included Programme Officer covering Sudan, Somalia, and Iraq and Humanitarian Response Officer for Operations, in Afghanistan, Palestine and the Great Lakes Region.  From 1992 to 1995, he was an Assistant Professor at Azerbaijan Medical University and a practicing physician.

    Dr. Alakbarov holds M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in internal medicine from Azerbaijan Medical University and a Master of Arts in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.  He is fluent in Azerbaijani, English, French, Russian and Turkish.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: SSCP Lager BidCo AB (publ) successfully issues subsequent notes of SEK 200 million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SSCP Lager BidCo AB (publ) (“Logent” or the “Company”) has successfully issued subsequent senior secured floating rate notes in an amount of SEK 200,000,000 under the terms and conditions of the Company’s outstanding notes loan 2023/2026 with ISIN SE0021021193 (the “Subsequent Notes”). The order book was significantly oversubscribed, and the Subsequent Notes were issued to 102 per cent. of nominal amount.

    The Subsequent Notes carry a floating interest rate of 3m Stibor + 625 basis points and will mature in December 2026. Logent intends to apply for admission to trading of the Subsequent Notes on the corporate bond list of Nasdaq Stockholm.

    The net proceeds from the issuance of the Subsequent Notes will be applied towards consummation of the acquisition of the Finnish entity HUB logistics Finland Oy, financing transaction costs and general corporate purposes. Following the issuance of the Subsequent Notes, the aggregate outstanding nominal amount under the notes loan is SEK 1,050 million.

    The Company has mandated Nordea Bank Abp and Pareto Securities AS as Joint Bookrunners in connection with the issuance of the Subsequent Notes. Snellman Advokatbyrå AB has acted as legal advisor to the Company and Gernandt & Danielsson Advokatbyrå KB has acted as legal advisor to the Joint Bookrunners.

    For further information, please contact:

    Joel Engström, CEO, telephone number: +46 734 36 36 29, joel.engstrom@logent.se

    About Logent Group
    Logent is an independent logistics partner, with a Nordic base present in Northern Europe and global networks. We have a wide range of services and create value for our customers through guaranteed cost and quality improvements. Our service offer include Logistics Services such as Warehouse design and operations, Transport Management and Customs, Port and Terminal operations, Staffing Services and Consulting Services. This means that Logent has grown to a turnover of about SEK 2.4 billion from the start in 2006 and employs approximately 2,800 people in Northern Europe.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why people become drug mules – and why harsh sentences don’t deter them

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jennifer Fleetwood, Senior Lecturer, City St George’s, University of London

    Yuri A/Shutterstock

    Thousands of British nationals are charged with drug smuggling abroad every year. The UK charity Prisoners Abroad reports a rise in the number of British people imprisoned abroad for drug offences in 2024-25, compared to the previous year, especially women under 34.

    Two recent examples making headlines are Bella May Culley, an 18-year-old woman from County Durham, and Charlotte May Lee, a 21-year-old from south London. Culley was arrested in Georgia with 14 kilos of cannabis. Lee was arrested in Sri Lanka, with 46 kilos of synthetic cannabis (she has denied knowing it was in her bag and has yet to be charged).

    If they are convicted, Culley and May face very long sentences. Reports suggest that Culley could receive up to 20 years or life imprisonment in Georgia. In Sri Lanka, May faces a sentence of up to 25 years.

    And another three young Britons face the death penalty after being charged with smuggling nearly a kilo of cocaine into Indonesia. All of these cases are ongoing and the suspects have not been found guilty of any crime.

    Why would people take the risk of such harsh punishments?

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    For my book Drug Mules: Women in the International Cocaine Trade, I spent over a year visiting prisons in Ecuador to speak to people convicted of drug trafficking. I spoke to drug mules as well as people who recruited and managed them to understand how the business works. I spoke to people from the UK, Europe, the US, southeast Asia and Africa.

    My research sheds light on how drug mules end up carrying such massive quantities, and why harsh punishments are an ineffective deterrent.

    Who becomes a drug mule?

    The abiding stereotype of the drug mule is someone who is motivated by poverty, often a woman from a drug-producing country. In fact, like most areas of crime, the majority of people arrested for smuggling drugs worldwide are men.

    People’s motivations for trafficking drugs are extremely varied. In my research, I came across people motivated by grinding poverty, debts or a chance to make a change in their lives. The sums they were promised ranged from £5,000 to £10,000.

    Some people didn’t expect to get paid at all, however. They became involved through debt (theirs or a family member’s), and carrying drugs was offered as a way to repay the debt. In rare cases, people became involved through threats and coercion.

    There are, broadly, two kinds of people arrested at international borders with drugs. The first is carrying drugs that they have bought (and packed) themselves, and probably only a small quantity which they might use or sell for a modest profit. They probably also bought their own tickets to travel.

    One trafficker I interviewed recalled that he carried only a few hundred grams of cocaine in a talc bottle. If caught, they can face custody, depending on the type and amount of drugs.

    The second kind is carrying drugs that someone else has paid for – they are drug mules. The person paying for the drugs (we could call them the investor) decides what is smuggled, where to and how it will be concealed – not the mule.

    Investors are, of course, motivated by profit: five kilos will be more profitable than just the one. And so, mules tend to carry much larger amounts than those carrying their own drugs.

    Drug mules typically do not know what they are carrying, or how much. When people working as drug mules receive the drugs, they arrive ready to evade customs. In some cases, more professional groups might pay a specialist to conceal the drugs more effectively.

    Traffickers have been known to evade detection by concealing cocaine in clear plastic products.

    Many people working as drug mules are misled about where they are travelling to, or may not know they are carrying drugs.

    Long sentences

    Understanding more about the role of drug mules sheds light on the harsh sentences that people accused of drug importation – like Culley and May – are facing. Possible sentences are very long, not only because Sri Lanka and Georgia have extremely tough drug laws, but also because of the large quantities of drugs involved.

    When it comes to sentencing people for drug offences, the quantity of the drug (or, in some countries the monetary value) has long been taken as a proxy for harm. As I have argued in my research, this is a disproportionate and unfair punishment.

    The key UN treaty on narcotic drugs requires countries to criminalise and punish activities relating to illegal drugs. The convention labels drug addiction as “evil”, paving the way for very harsh punishments for those who sell or transport drugs.

    Drug trafficking can even be punished by death in some countries – over 600 people were executed globally in 2024. In many cases, people were executed even though they were in possession of relatively small quantities of an illegal drug – often less than 100g.

    Each nation makes its own laws, but broadly speaking, more drugs means more punishment. This seems logical and proportionate, unless the person being charged with drug trafficking hasn’t made those decisions. And, as my research found, drug mules tend to be carrying larger quantities, paid for by investors or even groups of investors.

    The job of the drug mule is characterised by exploitation rather than choice. If they don’t choose where they travel to, or what they are carrying, then deterrent sentences will simply fail to deter. They only serve to punish those who are most powerless and most exploited in the international drug trade.

    Jennifer Fleetwood has previously receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.

    – ref. Why people become drug mules – and why harsh sentences don’t deter them – https://theconversation.com/why-people-become-drug-mules-and-why-harsh-sentences-dont-deter-them-258514

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Bulgaria is joining the euro in January – and not everyone is pleased

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Yuxiang Lin, Doctoral Researcher, Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, University of Birmingham

    The EU has given the green light for Bulgaria to join the euro from January 1 2026. This huge step towards European integration comes just six months after Bulgaria became a full member of Schengen area, within which people can move freely across borders.

    However, while rapprochement moves apace at the top level, euroscepticism shows little sign of abating at the grassroots level in Bulgaria, or in national party politics.

    Protests calling for Bulgaria to stick with its national currency have sprung up in both capital city Sofia and in several towns around the country. A May poll showed that 38% of Bulgarians were against the euro and only 21% agreed that the switch should go ahead in January.

    Others wanted to wait a few years. In a similar poll in January, 40% of respondents said they never wanted Bulgaria to join the euro.

    Anti-euro protests tend to be associated with the Bulgarian nationalist political parties. The most influential of these, Vazrazhdane, has become increasingly popular and won 13.63% in the most recent parliamentary elections in October 2024. It had won just 2.45% in elections held in April 2021.

    Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007. When, in December 2021, I interviewed a former spokesman for the political party NDSV (National Movement Simeon II), which was in government from 2001 to 2009, they said Bulgarians had very high expectations ahead of becoming part of the bloc.

    They had thought it would take just a few years for Bulgaria to be as economically developed as Switzerland, and that their standard of life would soar. The dream was that Bulgaria to become the so-called “Switzerland of the Balkans”, as both countries have similar population size and a similar touristic appeal.

    The EU has channelled €16.3 billion into Bulgaria since the country joined EU, particularly for infrastructure development. However, a year of fieldwork has shown me that Sofia has been the main benefactor of this investment.

    Small municipalities and rural communities have not felt the benefit as clearly. Among the €16.3 billion, Sofia received €3.1 billion and Plovdiv received €0.8 billion.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Whereas Sofia gets new metro lines during recent years, citizens in some municipalities still struggle with basic public services for survival. Nearly 15% of the country’s population struggles with regular quality water supply.

    The imagined “European” standard of life has not yet reached small municipalities and rural areas. Europe still feels far away.

    Becoming part of the EU has given opportunities to Bulgarian citizens to work and live abroad in European countries. Official figures show 861,054 Bulgarian citizens lived in other EU countries in 2022. Recently a total of 74% of young people in Bulgaria are considering more or less seriously the idea of emigrating abroad.

    However, the trend of young people working abroad in Europe has caused brain drain and has partially contributed to the decreasing population of Bulgaria, which fell from 7.68 million before it joined the EU in 2006 to 6.44 million in 2024.

    According to a research analyst at a Sofia-based non-governmental organisation who I interviewed recently, many Bulgarian parents hope that their children working abroad in Europe will return to work in Bulgaria, because jobs for migrants abroad tend not be for high-skilled workers.

    Accession to the eurozone is more likely to benefit Sofia-based people who do business abroad rather than older people living local lives in small municipalities or rural areas. Younger and working people have already been shown to be the ones who benefited most from European integration in Bulgaria and Romania in the first place.

    That said, support for EU membership has been rising recently.

    Holding a coalition together

    Despite euroscepticism, European integration is one of the few issues that unites Bulgaria’s fragile coalition government – although not all political parties agree with joining the eurozone.

    Bulgaria held seven parliamentary elections between April 2021 and October 2024. It therefore has been a surprise that amid the political turmoil, the coalition government that was formed in October 2024 has survived. A very important motivational source here is unity on the question of Europe.

    But with mixed results so far and with meaningful levels of opposition the joining the euro, Bulgaria’s government will have to be careful about the potential for eurosceptic movements to grow as they have in several other EU nations.

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

    – ref. Bulgaria is joining the euro in January – and not everyone is pleased – https://theconversation.com/bulgaria-is-joining-the-euro-in-january-and-not-everyone-is-pleased-258626

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How pterosaurs can inspire aircraft design

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David Hone, Senior Lecturer in Zoology, Queen Mary University of London

    Travelershigh / Shutterstock

    Pterosaurs were an amazing group of flying reptiles that occupied the skies around the same time that dinosaurs roamed on land. Appearing in the fossil record around 230 million years ago, pterosaurs survived until 66 million years ago, when an asteroid impact helped wipe them, and many other life forms, out.

    The pterosaurs are often the animals in the background, while the dinosaurs occupy the foreground. However, they are worthy of much more recognition than they are commonly given, not just as interesting ancient animals, but because they could also inspire aircraft designs.

    Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight. They were in the air 80 million years before birds and around 180 million years before bats. However, their flight apparatus was rather different to either. The wings of bats are supported by multiple digits (like our fingers). Birds use feathers as structural units in the wings.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    But pterosaurs primarily had one finger to support their wings. Their main wing was composed of a single giant “spar” – a structural unit – made of up of the bones of the arm and the greatly elongated fourth finger, with a membrane that stretched from the tip of the finger down to the ankle. This membrane acted as a flight surface.

    As a group, pterosaurs were diverse – some were specialist fishers, filter feeders, terrestrial predators, insect hunters, seed crackers, and more. Some could climb well and many species were highly mobile on the ground.

    They also got very large. The biggest pterosaurs had wingspans of over 10m and could weigh over 250kg. Even the smallest pterosaurs could fly: juveniles with 10cm wingspans were probably capable of flight within days or even hours of hatching.

    The bones of pterosaurs, like those of birds and many dinosaurs, were filled by extensions of the lungs called air-sacs, and they were extremely thin walled. This made the skeletons of the animals very stiff for their weight (rather important when flying). It also made their skeletons very fragile after death, and so pterosaur fossils are rare.

    However, in a handful of sites around the world – most notably in Germany, Brazil and China – where the preservation of fossils is exceptionally good, we have huge numbers of pterosaur fossils with both complete skeletons and a lot of soft tissue. This gives us an incredible insight into the shape and structure of their wings and how they flew.

    In addition to the main wing surface, pterosaurs had two other smaller subsidiary surfaces that would have given them extra control. At the front of the main wing sitting in the crux of the elbow was a small membrane between the wrist and the base of the neck, supported by a unique long wrist bone called the pteroid.

    At the back of the body, earlier pterosaurs had a single large sheet of membrane between the legs, supported in the middle by a long tail and on each side by long fifth toes on the feet. Later pterosaurs split this rear membrane and had only a small piece of membrane running from the ankle on each leg to the base of a short tail.

    As well as the outer skin-like layers, the wings had at least three major layers, comprising blood vessels, a layer of muscles, and a layer of stiffening fibres. Some might well have had extensions of the airsacs in the main wing membranes too, which could presumably be inflated and deflated to a degree. The wing as a whole was therefore extremely elastic and flexible.

    Artist’s impression of pterosaurs in flight.
    Natalie Jagielska

    This would have given pterosaurs extraordinary control over their wings. All of this makes them an intriguing model for future aircraft design.

    Flight challenge

    Aircraft wings are not (and cannot) be perfectly stiff. Adding flexibility, or better still, actual shape changing potential, could give them substantial performance benefits. But stiffness and flexibility need to be balanced. Problems with aeroelasticity – the tendency of a soft wing to vibrate in ways that greatly reduce performance (or even cause flight to fail outright) – limit how pliable the wings can be.

    Pterosaurs had multiple mechanisms to address this challenge, from passive mechanisms, such as fibres within the wing, to active mechanisms, such as the muscles that ran throughout the wing and could tighten on demand. This wing tensioning anatomy is*is?* among the most sophisticated aeroelastic control systems known to science.

    Survey and rescue drones of the future could look very different to this one.
    Sobrevolando Patagonia / Shutterstock

    The key to applying our knowledge of pterosaurs to future aircraft design comes not in closely mimicking the exact shape and form of pterosaurs, but instead, in understanding and extracting core principles from their anatomy.

    The membranous wings of pterosaurs were great at changing shape. The leading
    edge could lie flat or depress to a sharp angle, thanks to the small anterior membrane. The main wing surface could change its curvature, or camber. There is even evidence that the wing could manage what is called reflex camber – a shape in which the trailing edge of the wing curves upwards.

    Even the stiff portion of the wing (the spar) made of bone and surrounding muscles, was mobile – through motions of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist and flexibility within the bone itself near the wingtip. This soft, shape changing structure gave pterosaurs exceptional control over their moment-to-moment wing performance, optimising for lower speed or higher speed within fractions of a wingbeat. This would have made them particularly adept at slow speed flight – good for tight turns and precise, soft landings.

    Greater manoeuvrability and pinpoint landings are a premium for autonomous vehicles working in busy environments – such as cities or natural disaster zones full of debris. So future survey and rescue drones could take lessons from pterosaur wing control systems.

    Lessons from pterosaur anatomy could also be applied to wingsuits.
    Rick Neves / Shutterstock

    The jointed, flexible wing anatomy of pterosaurs also meant that the wings could fold tightly, and unlike the wings of birds, the folded wings of pterosaurs doubled as powerful walking limbs. Because the hands contacted the ground while walking, the forelimbs were available to help push the animals into the air during take-off leaps. Mathematical models predict half-second launch times, from a standing start, in even the largest pterosaurs.

    The exceptional mechanical loads associated with these launches were handled
    by one of the highest stiffness-to-weight skeletons to ever evolve. This folded-wing, rapid-launch system has great potential for applications to future technologies.

    So much so, in fact, that a prototype folding wing system modelled on pterosaurs has already undergone some testing (through a Nasa-funded university project on which one of the authors, Michael Habib, consulted). A folding, flapping wing that doubles as a launch system could allow future drones to take off with limited space – perhaps while on ships at sea. It could also be used to allow small flying drones to land and launch again out of craters on Mars.

    The red planet has just enough atmosphere to make flapping wing and rotor wing systems work. But it’s energetically costly and hovering is tough – better to land, measure and launch again. Similarly, rapid take offs from uneven terrain, precise landings, tight turns, and on demand tweaks to improve performance are all features that could be applied to the drones of the future, in wingsuits, and more.

    As the control systems for drones become increasingly driven by intelligent software, we will need a new generation of hardware to match. Pterosaurs may hold the keys to unlocking a future of highly manoeuvrable autonomous aerial vehicles that are competent in harsh conditions and urban environments. These would be ideal for search and rescue or surveys in locations that are too dangerous for humans.

    So despite having been extinct for 66 million years, the pterosaurs have huge potential as the inspiration for aircraft design. Sometimes looking back can be the best way to look forward.

    Michael Habib has worked on a prototype folding wing system based on pterosaur flight through a Nasa-funded university project.

    David Hone and Liz Martin do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How pterosaurs can inspire aircraft design – https://theconversation.com/how-pterosaurs-can-inspire-aircraft-design-256823

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel: 13 June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    PM call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel: 13 June 2025

    The Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon.

    The Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon following last night’s events. 

    The Prime Minister was clear that Israel has a right to self-defence and set out the UK’s grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme.

    He reiterated the need for de-escalation and a diplomatic resolution, in the interests of stability in the region.

    Updates to this page

    Published 13 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The End of Light Goods Vehicle Acquired Rights

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    The End of Light Goods Vehicle Acquired Rights

    Since May 2022, transport companies and couriers using vans and car and trailers over 2.5 tonnes to transport goods in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland have needed a Standard International Goods Vehicle Operator Licence and have a designated transport manager.

    Over the past year the Office of the Traffic Commissioner has been working with the 293 operators who relied on a transport manager that holds an Acquired Rights Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) for light goods vehicles.

    As the certificate could only be used to satisfy the professional competence requirements on an operator’s licence until 20 May 2025, it was important that they had a suitably qualified person specified on their operator’s licence before this date. Without it, their operator’s licence is at risk of revocation.

    The transport manager is a vital part of a transport company. They are responsible for helping to ensure that all goods and passengers reach their destinations safely. They ensure drivers have a valid licence and do not speed or break the drivers’ hours rules, vehicles are taxed and insured, have a valid MOT, are properly maintained and are loaded safely and the vehicle operator does not break safety rules.

    Gaining the CPC can take up to a year and the majority of those with acquired rights have spent the time and effort gaining the CPC qualifications they need. Some operators have appointed new, already qualified transport managers. Some no longer need the licence and have surrendered them, but for around 90 operators, licence revocation is now immanent, jeopardising their businesses through inaction.

    If you would like to know how to become a transport manager, visit https://www.gov.uk/become-transport-manager

    Updates to this page

    Published 13 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: The Government of Barbados Announces an Offer to Purchase for Cash its 6.500% Notes due 2029

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL

    BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, June 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Government of Barbados (the “Offeror”) announces that it has today launched an offer (the “Offer”) to holders (the “Noteholders”) of any and all of its outstanding U.S.$407,642,670 6.500% Notes due 2029 (the “Notes”) to purchase any and all of such Notes for cash on the terms and subject to the satisfaction of the New Financing Condition (as defined below) and the other conditions set forth in the tender offer memorandum dated 13 June 2025 (the “Tender Offer Memorandum”).

    Capitalised terms used in this announcement but not defined have the meanings given to them in the Tender Offer Memorandum.

    All documentation relating to the Offer including the Tender Offer Memorandum and any amendments or supplements thereto will be available to Noteholders via the website for the Offer accessible at: www.dfking.com/barbados. The Offer is subject to offer and distribution restrictions in, among other countries, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and France, as described below.

    Summary of the Offer

    Description of Notes Outstanding Principal
    Amount as of the Date
    Hereof and subject to the Offer    		 ISINs / CUSIP No. Purchase Price(1)
    6.500% Notes due 2029 U.S.$407,642,670 Rule 144A Notes:
    US067070AH54 / 067070 AH5

    Regulation S Notes:
    USP48864AQ80 / P48864 AQ8

    		 U.S.$1,000

     

    (1) Offered as Purchase Price per each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Expiration Deadline (as defined below) and accepted for purchase. The Purchase Price does not include Accrued Interest (as defined below). On 26 June 2025 (subject to the right of the Offeror, at its sole discretion, to extend, re-open, amend and/or terminate the Offer) (the “Settlement Date”), Noteholders will also receive Accrued Interest on all Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase.
       

    Rationale for the Offer

    The Offeror is making the Offer (subject to the New Financing Condition (as defined below)) in connection with the Offeror’s broader debt management strategy to refinance short-dated debt with longer-dated debt.

    All Notes purchased by the Offeror pursuant to the Offer will be cancelled and will not be re-issued or re-sold.

    Tender Offer Consideration

    The Offeror will, on the Settlement Date, pay for the Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or before the Expiration Deadline pursuant to the Offer and accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offer a cash amount (rounded to the nearest U.S.$0.01) equal to the sum of (i) the Purchase Price for such Notes, as set forth in the table above; and (ii) interest accrued and unpaid on the Notes from (and including) the interest payment date for such Notes immediately preceding the Settlement Date to (but excluding) the Settlement Date in respect of such Notes (the “Accrued Interest” and the payment thereof, the “Accrued Interest Payment”).

    The Offeror will calculate any Accrued Interest with respect to the Notes accepted for purchase in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Notes, and the calculation will be final and binding on all Noteholders whose Notes were accepted for purchase, absent manifest error.

    The Offeror reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to modify in any manner and at any time any of the terms and conditions of the Offer.

    New Financing Condition

    Whether the Offeror will accept for purchase any Notes validly tendered in the Offer is subject to (unless such condition is waived by the Offeror in its sole and absolute discretion), among other things, the prior closing of the issuance by the Offeror of one or more series of debt securities (the “New Notes”) in the international capital markets (the “New Notes Offering”) in an aggregate principal amount, and at a price and on terms and conditions acceptable to the Offeror in its sole and absolute discretion, a portion of the net proceeds of which will be used by the Offeror to purchase any Notes tendered and accepted pursuant to the Offer (the “New Financing Condition”).

    The New Notes Offering will be made solely by means of an offering memorandum relating to the New Notes Offering (the “New Notes Offering Memorandum”), and this announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the New Notes. You may not participate in the New Notes Offering unless you have received and reviewed the New Notes Offering Memorandum, and not in reliance on, or on the basis of, this announcement or the Tender Offer Memorandum. The New Notes will be offered only to qualified institutional buyers in the United States in reliance on Rule 144A and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act, and will not be registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction.

    Even if the New Financing Condition is satisfied, the Offeror is not under any obligation to accept for purchase any Notes tendered pursuant to the Offer.

    In order to be valid, Tender Instructions must be submitted in respect of a minimum nominal amount of U.S.$100 and in integral multiples of U.S.$100 in excess thereof (the “Minimum Denomination”). Noteholders who do not tender all of their Notes must ensure that they retain a principal amount of Notes amounting to at least the Minimum Denomination.

    Expected Timetable of Events

    The times and dates below are indicative only.

    Date Events
    13 June 2025 Commencement of the Offer

    Offer announced. Tender Offer Memorandum available from the Information and Tender Agent.
       
    20 June 2025, 5 p.m. (New York Time) Expiration Deadline

    Deadline for receipt by the Information and Tender Agent of all Tender Instructions in order for Noteholders to be able to participate in the Offer and to be eligible to receive the Purchase Price and Accrued Interest Payment on the Settlement Date.
       
    As soon as reasonably practicable on or after the Expiration Deadline and expected to be 23 June 2025 Announcement of Results

    Offeror’s announcement of the amount of Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Offer.
       
    Promptly after the New Financing Condition has been met or waived Announcement of Notes accepted for purchase

    The Offeror will announce, promptly after the New Financing Condition has been met or waived, (i) the aggregate principal amount of Notes validly tendered that will be accepted for purchase, and (ii) the aggregate principal amount of Notes remaining outstanding following the completion of the Offer. See “Terms and Conditions of the Offer –Announcements” in the Tender Offer Memorandum.
       
    26 June 2025 (but subject to change without notice) Settlement

    Expected Settlement Date for the Offer. Payment of Purchase Price and Accrued Interest Payment in respect of the Offer. All Notes purchased pursuant to the Offer will be cancelled on the Settlement Date and will no longer be outstanding.
       

    The above times and dates are subject to the right of the Offeror to extend, re-open, amend, waive any condition of and/or terminate the Offer at any time (subject to applicable law and as provided in the Tender Offer Memorandum). Noteholders are advised to check with any bank, securities broker or other intermediary through which they hold Notes when such intermediary would need to receive instructions from a Noteholder in order for that Noteholder to be able to participate in, or (in the limited circumstances in which revocation is permitted) revoke their instruction to participate in, the Offer before the deadlines specified in the Tender Offer Memorandum. The deadlines set by any such intermediary and each Clearing System for the submission of Tender Instructions will be earlier than the relevant deadlines specified above. See “Procedures for Participating in the Offer” in the Tender Offer Memorandum.

    Announcements

    Unless stated otherwise, announcements in connection with the Offer will be by the issue of a press release through the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and by the delivery of notices to the relevant Clearing Systems for communication to Direct Participants. Such announcements may also be made by the issue of a press release to a Notifying News Service. Copies of all such announcements, press releases and notices and will be available on the Offer Website or alternatively they can also be obtained upon request from the Information and Tender Agent, the contact details for which are below. Significant delays may be experienced where notices are delivered to the Clearing Systems and Noteholders are urged to contact the Information and Tender Agent for the relevant announcements during the course of the Offer. In addition, Noteholders may contact the Dealer Managers for information using the contact details below.

    Tender Instructions

    In order to participate in and be eligible to receive the relevant Purchase Price and any Accrued Interest Payment pursuant to the Offer, Noteholders must validly tender their Notes by delivering, or arranging to have delivered on their behalf, a valid Tender Instruction in respect of the Offer that is received by the Information and Tender Agent by 5.00 p.m. New York City time on 20 June 2025 (the “Expiration Deadline”).

    Tender Instructions will be irrevocable except in the limited circumstances described in the Tender Offer Memorandum.

    Noteholders are advised to check with any bank, securities broker or other intermediary through which they hold Notes when such intermediary would need to receive instructions from a Noteholder in order for that Noteholder to be able to participate in, or (in the limited circumstances in which revocation is permitted) revoke their instruction to participate in, the Offer by the deadlines specified in the Tender Offer Memorandum. The deadlines set by any such intermediary and each Clearing System for the submission of Tender Instructions will be earlier than the relevant deadlines specified in the Tender Offer Memorandum.

    Tender Instructions must be submitted in respect of a nominal amount of Notes equal to or greater than the Minimum Denomination.

    A separate Tender Instruction must be completed on behalf of each beneficial owner.

    Disclaimer

    This announcement does not contain the full terms and conditions of the Offer. The terms and conditions of the Offer are contained in the Tender Offer Memorandum, and are subject to the Offer and distribution restrictions set out below and more fully described therein.

    Further information

    J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Standard Chartered Bank have been appointed by the Offeror to serve as dealer managers (the “Dealer Managers”) for the Offer. D.F. King (the “Information and Tender Agent”) has been appointed by the Offeror to act as the information and tender agent in connection with the Offer.

    For additional information regarding the terms of the Offer, please contact J.P. Morgan Securities LLC by telephone at (866) 846-2874; Collect: (212) 834-7279 and Standard Chartered Bank by telephone at (212) 667-0351 (U.S.) or +44 20 7885 5739 (U.K.) and by email at liability_management@sc.com.

    Requests for documents and questions regarding the tender of Notes may be directed to the Information and Tender Agent D.F. King & Co., Inc. via:

    Banks & Brokers Call: (212) 269-5550

    Toll free: (866) 342-4881

    Email: barbados@dfking.com

    The Tender Offer Memorandum is expected to be distributed to Noteholders beginning today. A copy of the Tender Offer Memorandum is available on the tender offer website accessible at www.dfking.com/barbados.

    No Recommendation

    The relevant Purchase Price, if paid by the Offeror with respect to the Notes of any series accepted for purchase, will not necessarily reflect the actual value of such Notes. Noteholders should independently analyse the value of the Notes and make an independent assessment of the terms of the Offer. None of the Offeror, the Dealer Managers or the Information and Tender Agent has or will express any opinion as to whether the terms of the Offer are fair. None of the Offeror, the Dealer Managers or the Information and Tender Agent makes any recommendation that Noteholders should submit an offer to sell or tender Notes or refrain from doing so pursuant to the Offer, and no one has been authorised by any of them to make any such recommendation.

    Offer and Distribution Restrictions

    Neither this announcement nor the Tender Offer Memorandum constitutes an offer to participate in the Offer in any jurisdiction in which, or to any person to or from whom, it is unlawful to make such offer or for there to be such participation under applicable securities laws. The distribution of the Tender Offer Memorandum in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession the Tender Offer Memorandum comes are required by the Offeror, the Dealer Managers and the Information and Tender Agent to inform themselves about, and to observe, any such restrictions

    Nothing in this announcement or the Tender Offer Memorandum or the electronic transmission thereof constitutes an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the New Notes in the United States or any other jurisdiction.

    In addition, each Noteholder participating in an Offer will also be deemed to give certain representations in respect of the other jurisdictions referred to above and generally as set out in “Procedures for Participating in the Offer” of the Tender Offer Memorandum. Any tender of Notes for purchase pursuant to an Offer from a Noteholder that is unable to make these representations will not be accepted. Each of the Offeror, the Dealer Managers and the Information and Tender Agent reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to investigate, in relation to any tender of Notes for purchase pursuant to an Offer, whether any such representation given by a Noteholder is correct and, if such investigation is undertaken and as a result the Offeror determines (for any reason) that such representation is not correct, such tender shall not be accepted. The acceptance of any tender shall not be deemed to be a representation or a warranty by any of the Offeror, the Dealer Manager or the Information and Tender Agent or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents or affiliates that it has undertaken any such investigation and/or that any such representation to any person underwriting any such Notes is correct.

    United Kingdom

    The communication of the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offer are not being made, and such documents and/or materials have not been approved, by an authorised person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended (the “FSMA”). Accordingly, such documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. The communication of such documents and/or materials is exempt from the restriction on financial promotions under section 21 of the FSMA on the basis that it is only directed at and may be communicated to (1) those persons who are existing creditors of the Offeror within Article 43(2) of the FSMA (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended, and (2) to any other persons to whom these documents and/or materials may lawfully be communicated.

    Belgium

    Neither the Tender Offer Memorandum nor any other documents or materials relating to the Offer have been, or will be, submitted to or notified to, or approved by, the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (Autorité des services et marchés financiers/Autoriteit voor Financiële Diensten en Markten) and, accordingly, the Offer may not be made in Belgium by way of a public offering, as defined in Article 3 of the Belgian Law of 1 April 2007 on takeover bids (loi relative aux offres publiques d’acquisition/wet op de openbare overnamebiedingen), as amended or replaced from time to time.

    Accordingly, the Offer may not be, and are not being advertised, and the Tender Offer Memorandum, as well as any brochure, or any other material or document relating thereto (including any memorandum, information circular, brochure or any similar document) may not, have not and will not be distributed, directly or indirectly, to any person located and/or resident within Belgium, other than those who qualify as qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés/qekwalificeerde beleggers), within the meaning of Article 2, e), of the Prospectus Regulation acting on their own account. Accordingly, the information contained in the Tender Offer Memorandum or in any brochure or any other document or material relating thereto may not be used for any other purpose, including for any offering in Belgium, except as may otherwise be permitted by law, and shall not be disclosed or distributed to any other person in Belgium.

    France

    The Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offer are only addressed to and are only directed at qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation in France. Each person in France who receives any communication in respect of the Offer contemplated in the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offer will be deemed to have represented, warranted and agreed to and with the Dealer Managers and the Offeror that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation.

    European Economic Area

    In any European Economic Area (“EEA”) Member State, this announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum are only addressed to, and are only directed at, “qualified investors” (as defined in Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as amended (the “Prospectus Regulation”)) in that Member State.

    Each person in a Member State of the EEA who receives any communication in respect of the Offer contemplated in this announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum will be deemed to have represented, warranted and agreed to and with each Dealer Manager and the Offeror that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Statement from the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke

    Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation

    13th June 2025

    This afternoon, Michael Carey tendered his resignation as Chair of Enterprise Ireland. 

    A process will now commence through the Public Appointments Service to appoint a new Chair. Jim Woulfe sits on the board of Enterprise Ireland and has agreed to act as interim Chair in advance of the formal process concluding.

    I would like to thank Michael Carey for his work and dedication to Irish enterprises over the last two years as Chair of Enterprise Ireland and wish him all the best in the future. 

    The Government and Enterprise Ireland have ambitious plans over the coming period, including to increase exports to €50bn by 2029, to establish 1,700 new Irish-owned exporters and to increase jobs in companies supported by Enterprise Ireland to 275,000.

    Supporting Irish SMEs, together with realising the significant potential we have in our innovative economy, remain my absolute priority. I am working closely with Jenny Melia, as CEO designate, and the board of Enterprise Ireland in this regard.

    ENDS

    Back to Department News

    Back to Top

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: Kvika banki hf: Kvika’s Board responds to merger proposals

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Reference is made to announcements from Kvika banki hf. (“Kvika” or “the Bank”) dated 27 and 28 May, stating that Arion banki hf. and Íslandsbanki hf. had each expressed interest in initiating merger discussions with Kvika.

    Following due consideration, the Board of Kvika has concluded that the proposals received from Arion banki hf. and Íslandsbanki hf. on 27 and 28 May do not reflect the intrinsic value of Kvika. The Board therefore does not believe that entering into merger discussion based on these proposals is in the best interest of the bank.

    Nonetheless, the Board of Kvika is of the opinion that significant opportunities and value could be realised through a potential combination of businesses, to the benefit of both shareholders and customers. Should the interested parties be willing to improve their proposals, the Board is open to revaluate its decision. Arion banki hf. and Íslandsbanki hf. have been notified accordingly.

    Please note that this notice is a disclosure of inside information per article 7 of regulation (EU) No 596/2014 on market abuse (“MAR”), which is implemented into Icelandic law with the act on measures against market abuse No 60/2021.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: AAIB Update: Air India flight AI171

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    AAIB Update: Air India flight AI171

    Update on the fatal accident which occurred in Ahmedabad, India on 12 June 2025

    A team of four investigators from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has arrived in India. They have expertise in aircraft operations, engineering and recorded data. Their role is to provide additional support and expertise to the safety investigation being led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

    The UK AAIB has ‘Expert’ status in the Indian safety investigation. In accordance with international protocols, release of information on the investigation rests solely with the Indian authorities.

    British nationals who require consular assistance or have concerns about friends or family should call the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO): 020 7008 5000.

    Updates to this page

    Published 13 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Closed notice to improve: Lakes College West Cumbria

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Correspondence

    Closed notice to improve: Lakes College West Cumbria

    A financial health notice to improve issued to Lakes College West Cumbria.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Financial health notice to improve: Lakes College West Cumbria

    PDF, 155 KB, 6 pages

    Details

    This notice to improve is now closed.

    This letter and its annex serve as a written financial health notice to improve at Lakes College West Cumbria.

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ministers discuss ‘AI in Reform and Transformation’ at 43rd BIC Summit13 June 2025 The Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, and Minister for External Relations, Deputy Ian Gorst, represented Jersey at the British-Irish Council, BIC, Summit in Northern Ireland on Thursday 12 to… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    13 June 2025

    The Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, and Minister for External Relations, Deputy Ian Gorst, represented Jersey at the British-Irish Council, BIC, Summit in Northern Ireland on Thursday 12 to Friday 13 June. 

    The 43rd Summit, hosted by the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, and the Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, brought together all the representatives of the BIC administrations, including the Irish, Welsh, Scottish and UK Governments, the Northern Ireland Executive, and the Governments of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

    The theme of the meeting was ‘The Role of AI in Reform and Transformation’. 

    After the summit, Deputy Farnham said: “The British-Irish Council remains a vital forum that brings together member administrations to discuss, and address, our many joint challenges and opportunities. Deputy Gorst and I had useful conversations with ministers from across the British Isles against the backdrop of challenging global and national events. 

    “I would like to thank the First Minister and Deputy First Minister for the kind hospitality that we were shown throughout the Summit.” 

    Deputy Gorst added: “It was immensely worthwhile to discuss how AI can enhance our public services, particularly in health diagnosis and prevention of illness. We will be sharing expertise with other jurisdictions which are exploring advances in many of the same areas.”​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Portsmouth’s Clean Air Zone delivers results – But the journey isn’t over

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    To mark and practically contribute to Clean Air Day on Thursday 19 June, Portsmouth City Council is offering free bus travel across the city — celebrating the progress made in tackling air pollution and the key role buses can play while recognising there’s still more to do.

    Since in 2021, when the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) was launched, air quality in Portsmouth has seen a marked improvement and a recent study shows that over 99% of chargeable vehicles entering the zone now meet emissions standards. However, a few areas of the city still exceed legal nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) limits, mainly due to older diesel vehicles especially private cars and vans.

    While achieving UK legal limits is a key milestone, Portsmouth City Council is committed to going further to better protect public health. Cleaner air benefits everyone — it can ease breathing problems, particularly for children, older people, and those with existing health conditions, and helps create a healthier environment for all.

    To tackle remaining pollution hotspots, Portsmouth City Council is stepping up its commitment to cleaner air and healthier travel across the city — and these are just some of the actions already underway.

    The council has rolled out 62 electric buses through the government’s ZEBRA scheme, cutting emissions from public transport. Bus services have also been upgraded under the Bus Service Improvement Plan, making them more frequent and reliable.

    Walking and cycling are being made safer and more accessible through schemes like the Active Pompey Neighbourhood programme, while 320 new on-street electric vehicle charge points are being installed to support the switch to cleaner cars.

    Meanwhile, Portsmouth International Port is progressing towards net-zero emissions, including a UK-first shore power system that allows ships to plug in while docked, significantly reducing pollution.

    These initiatives are part of a wider, long-term strategy to make Portsmouth a cleaner, greener and healthier city — with more improvements still to come.

    Cllr Peter Candlish, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “We’ve made real progress on air pollution, but there’s much more we can do, especially by changing how we travel. That’s why Clean Air Day is the perfect time to try the bus — it’s free, it’s easy, and it’s one small step we can all take for a cleaner, greener and healthier Portsmouth.”

    Cllr Kimberly Barrett, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Greening the City, added: “Cleaner air means healthier lives. We’re seeing real progress, but we all have a part to play. Choosing greener ways to travel — even just once a week — can make a big difference for Portsmouth.”

    The CAZ will remain in place until air pollution levels stay within legal limits for two consecutive years. Experts are optimistic this could be achieved in the coming years, as cleaner vehicles continue to replace older diesel models. Even after these limits are met, Portsmouth City Council will continue taking proactive steps to further reduce air pollution and safeguard public health.

    For more information, visit the Portsmouth City Council website: https://cleanerairportsmouth.co.uk/

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Nimanode Presale Skyrockets Past 15% Softcap Target, Set to Give Early Participants First Mover Edge

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LEEDS, United Kingdom, June 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The highly anticipated Nimanode (NMA) Presale has so far surpassed expectations, rapidly filling 15% of its softcap which has fuelled intense investor FOMO.

    Nimanode, coined the “first no-code AI agent platform built natively on the XRP Ledger”, presents a no-brainer opportunity to what is poised to be the next evolution of DeFi on XRP.

    Analysts have predicted $NMA could deliver high returns as we prepare for an alt season once it debuts on major decentralized exchanges (DEXs).

    Join $NMA Presale

    Nimanode’s NMA Token Sale Surges as Investor Demands Intensifies

    FOMO is already building up as the Nimanode Presale momentum indicates strong confidence from early investors citing a belief in the project.

    Early participants have already scooped up 15% of the initial presale softcap allocation, signaling growing market interest and early momentum.

    Demand for the NMA token has also surged as tokens are set to be listed at an upward 25% price from presale prices at top XRPL exchanges like Magnetic, so instant returns for early investors are expected.

    Such attractive pricing is resonating deeply with investors who missed out on XRP’s early growth stages.

    Pioneering the AI x Blochchain Wave on XRP Ledger

    Nimanode positions itself as a first-of-its-kind AI-powered infrastructure and agent economy, purpose-built on the XRP Ledger. By aligning with the renewed momentum surrounding XRP’s ecosystem, Nimanode aims to harness both the network’s technical evolution and the community’s growing excitement.

    Though independent from Ripple’s official roadmap, Nimanode leverages XRP Ledger’s speed, low fees, and increasing developer adoption to help reignite the bullish energy seen in previous cycles.

    To put it in perspective, XRP once saw an explosive 137,000% surge during the 2017–2018 bull market. Now, as the XRP ecosystem rebounds—with the token retracing back to $2.20—Nimanode’s emergence offers a timely opportunity to capture investor interest around intelligent automation, agent-powered DeFi, and tokenized real-world utilities built directly on XRPL.

    Buy $NMA

    Reimagining the Future of Work Through AI Agents, A Core Value

    Nimanode isn’t just riding the wave of XRP’s momentum, it introduces a suite of pioneering features designed to fuel long-term growth and ecosystem resilience. It is working to be a part of the future of work.

    Zero-Code Agent Builder: Create and launch AI agents through an intuitive drag-and-drop interface
    Autonomous On-Chain Agents: Agents can interact with dApps, execute logic, and respond to events
    Decentralized Agent Marketplace: Allows the community to deploy and monetize AI Agents
    Cross-Chain & Off-Chain Integration: Enable automation across multiple networks and external APIs

    Time to Move: Nimanode Presale Gaining Momentum

    With early interest accelerating and a powerful utility-driven token model, investor excitement around Nimanode is building fast. As more participants secure their share of $NMA, the window for getting in at the most favorable entry point is narrowing quickly.

    Don’t miss out! Head to the Nimanode Presale Page now and claim your $NMA tokens before this early opportunity slips away! Participation details are easy and can be clearly seen on their page.

    Connect with Nimanode

    Website: https://nimanode.com

    Twitter/X: https://x.com/nimanodeai

    Telegram: https://t.me/nimanodeAI

    Documentation: https://docs.nimanode.com

    Contact:
    Nick Lambert
    contact@nimanode.com

    Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by Nimanode. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f1cb75d-6cd8-4a9e-a31a-f1757087a2e8

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Club World Cup 2025 shows sharing the stage is the future of global sport

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David Cook, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Nottingham Trent University

    Before it kicked off, the all new revamped and expanded men’s 2025 Fifa Club World Cup had already attracted controversy.

    Some think even more football matches at the end of a long season pose a risk to player welfare. Others are concerned about a lack of fan engagement.

    But aside from these issues the tournament, which features 32 clubs from around the world, provides fresh evidence of a new model emerging in global sport.

    This event, which is being staged in 12 different cities across the US, is the latest experiment in “polycentric” hosting, where multiple locations collaborate as destinations for international sporting events.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The next men’s Fifa World Cup in 2026 will take place across the US, Canada and Mexico. Four years later, the event will be spread across different continents, starting in South America, before moving to Europe and Africa. In between, the men’s Euros of 2028 will be co-hosted by the UK and Ireland.

    The trend is not limited to football. The 2026 Winter Olympics is being shared in Italy between Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The Commonwealth Games are also moving towards a more pragmatic model of hosting.

    Our research, which focused on the men’s Euro 2020 tournament (delayed by COVID and held in 2021), suggests that polycentric hosting has many advantages.

    Spanning 11 European countries, Euro 2020 was conceived as a celebration of the tournament’s 60th anniversary.

    From a branding perspective, this posed significant challenges. Each city had its own visual identity, with localised fan engagement strategies.

    Without a singular geographic or cultural anchor, Uefa, the governing body of European football, had to balance the benefits of celebrating local diversity with the need for a coherent overarching narrative.

    Yet overall, the format worked. Despite the pandemic’s disruption, the tournament still reached broad audiences and activated fanbases in multiple regions.

    Instead of one city or nation shouldering the financial and logistical burden of building infrastructure, accommodating visitors, and managing security and transport, responsibilities were shared.

    A team effort

    This can significantly reduce the risk of the problem of “white elephants” where expensive stadiums or facilities fall into disuse after an event has finished.

    By using infrastructure and venues which already exist, the environmental and economic costs of hosting are minimised. It also makes hosting more feasible for countries that might not have the capacity to do it alone.

    At the same time, many of the perceived benefits of staging sports events – such as economic boosts to local economies, increases in tourism, improved transport links, and civic pride – can be shared more widely. Rather than one host reaping all the rewards, several places can potentially benefit, engaging local communities and stimulating regional development.

    Euro 2020, on the road to Wembley.
    Michael Tubi/Shutterstock

    Collaborative multi-host formats also allow for widespread sharing of knowledge and opportunities for innovation. When cities and organising committees work together, they can bring diverse perspectives, cultural insights, operational practices, and even healthy competition to the table.

    We found that the development of friendly rivalries between Euro 2020 hosts actually encouraged a competitive mindset that motivated organising committee staff to attempt to outperform counterpart cities.



    Read more:
    Trump’s travel ban casts shadow over the upcoming Fifa Club World Cup and other US-hosted sporting events

    Meanwhile Uefa enabled those different cities to develop branding strategies which reflected local character while contributing to a broader European narrative of unity through sport. One example was each city selecting a landmark bridge to tie in with the tournament’s overarching “bridging Europe” theme.

    This collaborative way of thinking also led to creative and inclusive ideas. Glasgow, for example, integrated a cultural festival into its role as a host city, featuring local artists and musicians.

    Polycentric tournaments aren’t without challenges of course. There is a risk of fragmentation, where the tournament feels like a series of disconnected mini-events rather than something cohesive.

    But overall, the environmental, economic and cultural benefits can be substantial. And what began as a celebratory one-off with Euro 2020 is fast becoming the design for future major sport events.

    By sharing the spotlight, cities and countries also share the strain and the opportunity. The age of the single host nation isn’t over, and the looming Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup is a stark reminder that above all, money still talks. But the era of shared hosting is clearly here, and might just be what global sport and its fans need.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The Club World Cup 2025 shows sharing the stage is the future of global sport – https://theconversation.com/the-club-world-cup-2025-shows-sharing-the-stage-is-the-future-of-global-sport-256117

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Life-Saving Bleed Kit Donated to Local Shard End Florist as Part of Citywide Safety Drive

    Source: City of Birmingham

    A new bleed control kit has been donated to a local florist in Shard End after it was stolen.

    The kits offer vital emergency equipment in an area that has experienced the devastating consequences of knife crime.

    The installation is part of a wider regional initiative funded by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), who has provided the resources for hundreds of bleed control kits to be distributed across Birmingham. The kits are designed to be used in the critical minutes following a serious injury where immediate action can mean the difference between life and death.

    Each pack contains essential medical equipment to help control severe bleeding while waiting for paramedics. With ambulance response times averaging around seven minutes, and fatal blood loss potentially occurring in as little as three, having access to these kits in public places is a life-saving intervention.

    The project is being delivered in partnership with Birmingham Community Safety Partnership,  West Midlands Police and the Daniel Baird Foundation. Together, they have identified key locations for kit installation, focusing on areas with higher risk and need.

    In a gesture of community support, Birmingham City Council Community Safety Team will also be donating a bleed kit to Bobby’s Florist in Shard End. The shop had its kit stolen during a recent break-in, and the Council is committed to ensuring that vital safety resources remain accessible to local businesses and residents.

    Councillor Jamie Tennant, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Community Safety and Equalities, said:

    “Installing bleed control kits in areas like Shard End is a powerful and practical response to the devastating impact of knife crime. These kits are more than medical supplies—they are a lifeline and a visible symbol of our commitment to protecting our communities. I’m particularly proud that we are able to support local businesses like Bobby’s Florist, who play an important role in our neighbourhoods, by replacing their stolen kit. This is community safety in action—collaborative, compassionate, and focused on saving lives.”

    The initiative continues to be championed through monthly Local Community Safety Partnership meetings, where agencies work together to reduce serious violence, tackle anti-social behaviour, and strengthen public safety.

    Bleed control kits are a reassuring presence in our public spaces and represent a proactive step toward creating safer communities for everyone.

    West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said: “I am really impressed by Bobby-Ray and his outstanding initiative and commendable dedication to our community. At just 16 years old, he has shown remarkable leadership and compassion by raising funds to provide five bleed control kits for Yardley. His actions are a testament to the positive impact young people can have in preventing harm and saving lives.

    “Bobby-Ray’s efforts align with my commitment to prevent and tackle knife crime and to ensure the safety of our residents. Last year, I distributed 420 bleed control kits across the West Midlands, and it is heartening to see young people like Bobby-Ray taking up this vital cause. Together, we can make a positive and significant difference, in our collective commitment, to prevent and tackle violence in all its forms.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –