NewzIntel.com

Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI Security: The New England Strike Force Joins Nationwide Crackdown on Health Care Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    CONCORD- Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack, together with Acting U.S. Attorneys Michael P. Drescher of the District of Vermont and Craig M. Wolff of the District of Maine, announces a sweeping enforcement action aimed at combatting health care fraud across New England. The enforcement action is a result of the collaboration and partnership between the Districts of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, and the New England Strike Force.

    The New England Strike Force charged six defendants in connection with unrelated allegations including conspiracies to defraud the State of New Hampshire’s Medicaid program (NH Medicaid), Medicare, and other federal benefit programs, totaling over $14 million. The charges filed in federal court throughout New England are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges stem from various schemes, including a previously convicted social worker who submitted claims to NH Medicaid following his disbarment from billing federal health care programs, a conspiracy to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for wrist, knee, and back braces and other equipment that were medically unnecessary, and a conspiracy to fulfill illegitimate prescriptions for drugs including Ozempic.

    The schemes charged in the District of New Hampshire include:

    Previously Convicted Felon Charged in New Scheme Fraudulently Billing Medicaid and Exploiting a Vulnerable Patient

    • United States v. Erik Alonso: Erik Alonso, age 54, of Miami, Florida, was charged by indictment with eight counts of health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to submit claims to NH Medicaid, despite being barred from billing federally funded health care programs following a previous heath care fraud related conviction in 2015. Alonso failed to disclose his exclusion to his employer, a Laconia, New Hampshire-based telehealth psychotherapy provider, and purportedly provided psychotherapy treatments to NH Medicaid beneficiaries between March 2022 and July 2024 via telehealth. In addition, Alonso allegedly exploited a psychotherapy patient by using purported psychotherapy sessions to seek and obtain assistance from that client with personal tasks, including preparing an application for a presidential pardon of his prior conviction and assisting him with applying for licensure in other New England states.  The case is being prosecuted by DOJ Trial Attorneys Danielle Sakowski, Thomas Campbell, and John Howard, and Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.

    Straw Owner of Health Care Company Used to Commit Fraud and Launder Illicit Proceeds

    • United States v. Leo Anzivino Jr.: Leo Anzivino, Jr., age 34, of Teaticket, MA, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and four counts of money laundering in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain over $6 million in Medicare funds. According to the indictment, Anzivino, Jr. acted as the straw owner of a durable medical equipment (“DME”) company, Advanced Medical Supply (Advanced), and conspired with others to cause the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for DME.  The indictment further alleges that Anzivino falsified bank account documents, including beneficial ownership information, and conspired to launder fraudulent funds from the DME scheme to conceal and disguise the nature, source, origin, and control of the proceeds of the DME fraud.  Anzivino, Jr., made four transfers from one Advanced account at a New Hampshire bank to another Advanced account at a Massachusetts bank, totaling over $3 million dollars, to conceal a co-conspirator’s control over the funds. The government seized approximately $353,768.29 in assets tied to the alleged scheme.  This case is being prosecuted by DOJ Trial Attorneys Danielle Sakowski, Thomas Campbell, and Tiffany Wynn, and Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.

    The schemes charged in the District of Vermont include:

    Global Pharma and Money Laundering Scheme

    • United States v. Manthan Rohit Shah: Manthan Rohit Shah, 37, of Mumbai, India, was charged by indictment with misbranding prescription medication, conspiring to import controlled substances, and conspiring to commit international concealment money laundering.  As alleged in the indictment, Shah owned and operated Company-1, a pharma company based in Mumbai, India. Company-1 allegedly shipped controlled substances and misbranded pharmaceutical drugs, including drugs that contained potentially potent, dangerous, and/or addictive substances, into New England and across the United States.  Shah and Company-1 used fake prescriptions to provide a veneer of legitimacy for customer orders, despite the customers never obtaining such prescriptions.  Shah undertook various acts in furtherance of the drug conspiracy. For example, on or about May 6, 2025, Shah sent a text message to an undercover law enforcement agent regarding Company-1’s fulfillment of illegitimate prescriptions for 50 pens of the drug Ozempic, costing approximately $6,200, to be shipped from a location outside the United States to an address in Vermont.  Shah also conspired with others to direct the shipment of pharmaceutical drugs without valid prescriptions to a network of online pharmacies and call centers that fulfilled orders placed by customers in New England and across the United States. Shah then conspired with others to launder the funds from financial accounts in the United States, through shell companies, and to Shah’s company in India.  The case is being prosecuted by DOJ Trial Attorneys Patrick Brown, John Howard, and Thomas Campbell.

    Health Care Scheme Involving Purchase of Tulum Penthouse, High-Volume Cash Withdrawals

    • United States v. Evelyn Herrera: Evelyn Herrera, 61, of Loxahatchee, Florida, was charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $6.5 million in Medicare funds.  According to the charging documents, Herrera, the owner of Merida Medical Supplies Inc., a purported DME company, submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare from individuals residing across New England for wrist, knee, and back braces and other equipment, which were medically unnecessary and ineligible for reimbursement by Medicare.  After the funds from these fraudulent services were deposited into a bank account controlled by Herrera, she allegedly conducted financial transactions and attempted to conceal the source, origin, and control of the health care fraud proceeds generated by Merida. For example, Herrera allegedly sent an international wire from her bank account, indicating it was to be used to purchase property in Mexico, and sent other funds to a cryptocurrency wallet that she controlled.  During the scheme, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a payment suspension to Herrera for suspected fraud, after which Herrerra allegedly attempted to withdraw large amounts of cash from a bank and siphon funds off to other individuals.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sarah Rocha, Thomas Campbell, and Tiffany Wynn.  The complaint was filed in the District of Vermont.

    Health Care CEO Indicted in Cross-Border Health Care Fraud Scheme

    • United States v. Donald Jani: Donald Jani, 39, of Maharashtra, India, was charged by indictment with health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $1.9 million in Medicare funds.  According to the indictment, Jani, the CEO of CSS Pain Relief, Inc., a purported DME company, submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for DME.  Jani and his co-conspirators allegedly used the personal identifying information of elderly and disabled New England residents to fraudulently bill Medicare.  As part of the conspiracy, Jani unlawfully used the personal identifying information of medical providers in the District of Vermont and elsewhere to create the false appearance that the DME claims were premised on legitimate medical orders. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sarah Rocha, John Howard and Thomas Campbell.  The indictment was brought in the District of Vermont.

    The scheme charged in the District of Maine includes:

    Individual Charged in Health Care and Identity Theft Scheme

    • United States v. Joseph Dobie: Joseph Dobie, 36, of Lewiston, Maine, was charged by complaint with aggravated identity theft, false statements relating to health care matters, and unlawful use of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits in connection with an identity-theft scheme. As alleged in the complaint, Dobie used a stolen identity to fraudulently obtain Medicaid and SNAP benefits in Maine, while simultaneously receiving SNAP benefits in New York.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Scott. The complaint was filed in the District of Maine.

    Additionally, the New England Strike Force provided valuable support in a nationwide investigation:

    Operation Gold Rush: Transnational Criminal Organization-Led Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme

    Outside of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, the New England Strike Force also supported a nationwide investigation, Operation Gold Rush, which resulted in charges in the Eastern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois, the Central District of California, the Middle District of Florida, and the District of New Jersey against 19 defendants in connection with the largest loss amount ever charged in a health care fraud case brought by the Department at $10.6 billion. Twelve of these defendants have been arrested, including four defendants who were apprehended in Estonia as a result of international cooperation with Estonian law enforcement and seven defendants who were arrested at U.S. airports and the U.S. border with Mexico, cutting off their intended escape routes as they attempted to avoid capture. The criminal case is being prosecuted by DOJ Fraud Section Assistant Chiefs Kevin Lowell and Shankar Ramamurthy, and Trial Attorneys Sara Porter, Andres Almendarez, Leonid Sandlar, Monica Cooper, Thomas Campbell, Danielle Sakowski, and Matthew Belz.  Trial Attorney Sara Porter initiated the investigation, which has been supported by members of multiple Strike Forces. The civil forfeiture proceeding is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Nelson of the District of Connecticut and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section Trial Attorneys Emily Cohen and Chelsea Rooney. Office of Public Affairs | National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $14.6 Billion in Alleged Fraud | United States Department of Justice

    These charges are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in intended loss and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets. The United States has seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles and other assets in connection with the takedown. Descriptions of each case involved in the national enforcement action are available at Criminal Division | 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.

    The New England Strike Force’s cases are the result of investigations conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; and the United States Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

    Leveraging advanced data analytics, forensic accounting, interagency collaboration, and subject-matter expertise, the New England Strike Force investigates and prosecutes complex health care fraud and money laundering schemes across the region, focusing on both individuals and corporations engaged in criminal conduct. DOJ Fraud Section Assistant Chief Kevin Lowell leads the Strike Force.

    The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: UK E-petition debate relating to fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship – Monday 7 July 2025.

    Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)

    The Petitions Committee has scheduled a debate relating to fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship.

    Jacob Collier MP has been asked by the Committee to open the debate. The Government will send a Minister to respond.

    Read the petition:
    https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700024

    Find petitions you agree with, and sign them: https://petition.parliament.uk/

    What are petition debates?

    Petition debates are ‘general’ debates which allow MPs from all parties to discuss the important issues raised by one or more petitions, and put their concerns to Government Ministers.

    Petition debates don’t end with a vote to implement the request of a petition. This means that MPs will not vote on the issues raised in the petition at the end of the debate.

    The Petitions Committee can only schedule debates on petitions to parliament started on petition.parliament.uk

    Find out more about how petition debates work: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/content/194347/how-petitions-debates-work/

    Stay up-to-date
    Follow the Committee on Twitter for real-time updates on its work: https://www.twitter.com/hocpetitions

    Thumbnail image ©UK Parliament / Jessica Taylor

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ9UgNNblhc

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Great British Energy permanent CEO appointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Great British Energy permanent CEO appointed

    Dan McGrail’s appointment brings world-class private sector experience to publicly-owned clean power company.

    • Dan McGrail appointed as the permanent CEO of Great British Energy, after holding interim role 

    • appointment of interim CEO to permanent position brings world-class private sector experience to Great British Energy 

    • leadership will help the company drive forward the government’s Plan for Change and clean energy superpower mission

    Dan McGrail has been appointed as the permanent Chief Executive Officer of Great British Energy, a company owned by the British people, to help drive forward the government’s Plan for Change and make the UK a clean energy superpower. 

    His appointment brings world-class private sector experience to Great British Energy, with the former Chief Executive of RenewableUK and CEO of Siemens Engines now leading the UK’s publicly-owned clean power revolution.  

    Under his stewardship as interim CEO for the last 4 months, he has helped rapidly set up the company. This includes announcing £1 billion for Great British Energy to invest in clean energy supply chains such as electric cables and floating offshore wind platforms to ensure the clean energy revolution is built here in Britain. 

    Meanwhile hundreds of schools and hospitals are already set to benefit from lower bills thanks to Great British Energy investment into rooftop solar. Around 200 schools and 200 hospitals will install solar panels that could power classrooms and hospital operations, with hundreds of millions in savings to be reinvested in schools and the NHS. 

    This follows the appointment in January of five new non-executive directors to join Chair Juergen Maier on the company’s start-up board, bringing a wide range of experience across different sectors, with knowledge on workplace rights, building UK supply chains and driving investment in clean energy.  

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 

    Dan has been a visionary leader as Great British Energy’s interim CEO, and will bring world-class private sector experience to our publicly-owned clean power company 

    Great British Energy is at the heart of our clean power mission and Plan for Change and is investing in clean energy supply chains to create manufacturing jobs here in Britain.  

    I look forward to working with Dan to unleash the benefits of clean energy, driving growth and new jobs in communities.

    Great British Energy CEO Dan McGrail said: 

    It is a privilege to take on the CEO role permanently and lead Great British Energy from our Aberdeen HQ at such a pivotal moment. 

    We are already delivering for British people, with schools and hospitals set to benefit from cheaper energy bills. 

    We will now focus on scaling up as Britain’s publicly owned energy company, making strategic investments that drive forward the government’s clean power mission and give people a stake in clean energy. 

    RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Jane Cooper said: 

    We wish Dan all the very best in his crucial role leading Great British Energy, which he has spent the last few months setting up so successfully. Although he will be greatly missed by everyone at RenewableUK, his leadership skills and vision, backed by a highly capable team, have left us in the strongest possible position to thrive as we continue to expand our membership and champion the sector. Great British Energy’s ambitious plans to invest in vital new renewable energy projects, including an initial £300 million in offshore wind, will help to create tens of thousands of new jobs all over the country in innovative industries with world-class supply chains which we are proud to represent.  

    Dan will be based in Scotland, working from the Aberdeen headquarters, on a permanent contract with Great British Energy. He took up the post of interim CEO of Great British Energy in March on secondment from RenewableUK.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Why are we so obsessed with bringing back the woolly mammoth?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Rebecca Woods, Associate Professor, Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology, University of Toronto

    A photograph of a steppe mammoth on display at the Australian Museum in Sydney. (Unsplash/April Pethybridge), CC BY

    In just the last several months, de-extinction — bringing back extinct species by recreating them or organisms that resemble them — has moved closer from science fiction to science fact. Colossal Biosciences — an American for-profit de-extinction startup headed by geneticists George Church and Beth Shapiro — announced two major achievements almost back-to-back.

    In the first, scientists spliced part of the woolly mammoth’s genome into mice to create “woolly mice,” incredibly cute pom-pom like rodents sporting coats that express the genes of long-extinct woolly mammoths.

    Reuters reports on the woolly mice developed by Colossal Biosciences.

    Just a few weeks later, Colossal announced an even bigger achievement, claiming to have brought back the dire wolf, a contemporary of the woolly mammoth who, like their Ice Age proboscidean co-travellers, last roamed the Earth roughly 10,000 years ago.



    Read more:
    Colossal Bioscience’s attempt to de-extinct the dire wolf is a dangerously deceptive publicity stunt

    Mammoth popularity

    Woolly mammoths are at the forefront of these controversial de-extinction efforts. Despite a deep bench of more recently extinct species — the dodo, the moa, passenger pigeons, the bucardo, quagga, thylacine, aurochs and a whole host of others — readily available to take centre stage in de-extinction efforts, woolly mammoths figure prominently in de-extinction stories, both scientific and popular.

    Woolly mammoths featured prominently in the imagery of Revive & Restore, a “genetic rescue” conglomerate of scientists and futurists headed by tech-guru Steward Brand; in 2021, Colossal “established ownership” over woolly mammoth revival. Colossal’s own logo visualizes CRISP-R, the gene-splicing technology that facilitates de-extinction, and the signature spiralled tusks of Mammuthus primigenius.

    In popular culture, woolly mammoths have been a source of fascination for the last several centuries. Thomas Jefferson famously held out hope that live mammoths would be found beyond the frontier of American colonialism in the late-1700s, while early excavations of American mastodons were major events in the early 1800s. American painter Charles Willson Peale captured the first such excavation in oils, and later capitalized on that mastadon’s skeleton in his Philadelphia museum.

    More recently, Manny the mammoth featured in the ongoing Ice Age animated film franchise, first launched in 2002.

    Climate icons

    At the same time, woolly mammoths have also become an emblem of the contemporary climate crisis. During the recent wave of defacing famous artwork in order to draw attention to the climate crisis, environmental activists painted the (fortunately artificial) tusks of the Royal B.C. Museum’s woolly mammoth model bright pink.

    In a 2023 publicity stunt, the Australian cultured-meat startup, Vow, unveiled a mammoth meatball produced out of the woolly mammoth’s genome with sheep DNA as filler. Not for sale, the mammoth meatball was scorched before an audience at the Dutch science museum, Nemo.

    The stunt was intended to call attention, again, to the plight of the Earth’s climate, the unsustainability of industrialized food systems and the potential for lab-grown meat to square this particular circle.

    Model animals

    For a creature that no human being has ever seen live and in the flesh, woolly mammoths certainly get a lot of media exposure. How did this long-extinct species become the emblem of contemporary extinction and de-extinction?

    People have been interacting with the remains of woolly mammoths for hundreds of years. Dig a hole deep enough almost anywhere in the northern hemisphere, and you are apt to come across the bones or maybe the tusks of extinct mammoths or mastodons.

    In early modern Europe, mammoth fossils were famously interpreted as the bones of unicorns and giants before being recognized as belonging to elephant-like creatures around 1700. Only around 1800 were mammoths recognized as a distinct and extinct species of proboscidea.

    Elsewhere in Arctic regions, especially Siberia, Indigenous Peoples were familiar with mammoth remains preserved by permafrost. As rivers and their tributaries surged during annual thaws, whole carcasses of mammoths (and woolly rhinos) were sometimes exposed.

    Local peoples who came across these remains, apparently recently dead but belonging to creatures they never saw walking the Earth’s surface, surmised that they were great burrowing rodent-like animals that tunnelled through the ground and perished if they accidentally came into contact with atmosphere.



    Read more:
    Ancient DNA suggests woolly mammoths roamed the Earth more recently than previously thought

    Around the Arctic, including in Alaska, permafrost prevented the fossilization of mammoth tusks as well as bodies, and this ice ivory was — and remains — an important element of Arctic economies, carved locally and exchanged into historically regional, and now global, markets.

    Continued relevance

    Despite their association with the distant past, woolly mammoths have long resonated with modern human cultures as their fossilized or preserved body parts entered economic practices and knowledge systems alike. But as the extinction of once numerous species like the passenger pigeon, the American bison and African elephant began to loom over the late 19th century, woolly mammoths took on new meanings in the context of modern extinction and emergent understandings of human evolution.

    A mural by by paleoartist Charles R. Knight depicting wooly mammoths, displayed at the American Museum of Natural History.
    (United States Geological Survey)

    Revolutions in geology, archeology, paleontology and related disciplines were changing long-held assumptions about the origin of humankind.

    Narratives of the rise of “man the hunter” arose in natural history institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Field Museum in Chicago. These origin stories were explicitly connected to the presumed extinction of woolly mammoths and their evolutionary relatives, the mastodons.

    These led to some of the most powerful expressions of mammoths in visual form, like the frescoes and paintings produced by renowned paleoartist Charles R. Knight.

    At the same time, cave paintings in France, Spain and elsewhere came to light in the early 20th century. For example, the 40,000-year-old frescoes at Rouffignac, France clearly depicting woolly mammoths were interpreted as further evidence of this deep and powerful historical connection.

    It is this connection — the association of the rise of modern humankind with the decline and extinction of the woolly mammoth — that feeds today’s continued fascination. Notions of human complicity in extinction stories have long been embedded in modern scientific understandings of woolly mammoths. It is no accident that woolly mammoths are so central to de-extinction projects and climate activism alike.

    Rebecca Woods received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Why are we so obsessed with bringing back the woolly mammoth? – https://theconversation.com/why-are-we-so-obsessed-with-bringing-back-the-woolly-mammoth-253432

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Enforcement webinar outlines best practice and improvements to casework timeframes

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Enforcement webinar outlines best practice and improvements to casework timeframes

    The Planning Inspectorate recently hosted a webinar focusing on best practice in enforcement appeals, drawing more than 570 attendees, predominantly from local planning authorities across the country.

    Improving enforcement appeals timeframes 

    During the webinar, Claire Sherratt, Professional and Operations Lead at the Planning Inspectorate, outlined the progress made in reducing timeframes for enforcement appeals, particularly those proceeding by hearings and inquiries. 

    “We’ve made significant improvements to the time it takes to process enforcement appeals proceeding by hearings and inquiries,” she explained. 

    When the Planning Inspectorate receives an enforcement appeal now, an inspector is appointed at the outset. For inquiries, event dates are fixed for 17-20 weeks ahead, with a case management conference around week 8 to discuss procedural matters. For hearings, event dates are typically set 13-16 weeks ahead. 

    However, Claire acknowledged the ongoing challenge with written representation appeals, noting approximately 3,500 open cases in the system, with 35% over 52 weeks old.* 

    “We’re taking decisive action to address this backlog,” Claire explained. “Our aim is to have closed enough of the older cases that only a small percentage remain over 52 weeks by the end of March 2026.” 

    The Inspectorate is implementing several measures to tackle the backlog, including: 

    • no longer automatically linking planning and enforcement appeals, helping to concentrate on older cases 
    • exploring ways to allocate cases to inspectors differently based on the grounds raised in appeals 
    • prioritising the oldest cases first 

    Enforcement appeals best practice 

    The webinar also provided comprehensive guidance on enforcement notice requirements and appeals. Inspector Managers Jeanie Russell and John Murray shared practical advice, including: 

    • the importance of correctly identifying the boundaries of the land in an enforcement notice 
    • ensuring notice requirements match the allegations 
    • understanding the grounds of appeal and how they are considered 
    • the concept of planning units, and when they are relevant to enforcement action 
    • the differences between primary, incidental and mixed uses 
    • how to handle the time for compliance with enforcement notices 

    A key piece of advice for local authorities was to consider giving enough time before setting the effective date of an enforcement notice to allow for potential resolution through alternative schemes or conditions. 

    “An appeal should be the last resort,” Claire noted, encouraging ongoing discussions between parties to narrow the matters in dispute and produce statements of common ground where possible. 

    Watch: Best practice in enforcement appeals

    The full webinar recording and presentation slides are available on the Planning Inspectorate webinars page.  

    Our next webinar on Local Plans is scheduled for September – subscribe to our alerts to receive early access to register. 

    *These figures were shared as part of a public discussion and reflect the latest internal management information available at the time. They are not official statistics.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Temporary removal of the unclaimed Estates list

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Temporary removal of the unclaimed Estates list

    Due to an administrative issue we have temporarily removed the unclaimed Estates list from our website.

    News story

    Due to an administrative issue we have temporarily removed the unclaimed Estates list from our website. Further details will follow as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Landmark strategy to improve early years and family services

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Landmark strategy to improve early years and family services

    Parents across the country to benefit from new plan to drive up the quality and accessibility of early years education and boost children’s life chances

    Early Education Minister, Stephen Morgan

    Hundreds of thousands of families in every corner of England will soon feel the benefits of a rebuilt early childhood support service that will give every child the chance to succeed, and every parent somewhere to turn for advice and support.

    The Best Start in Life strategy will see a fundamental step change in how the government drives up quality in early education, ensures places are available in every community, and restores crumbling family services for the next generation – as the government places £1.5bn of cash behind the reforms.

    Having a trained early years teacher can lead to better long-term life chances for children, with research showing settings with graduate staff score more highly on all quality measures.

    However, only one in ten nurseries have an early years teacher now, meaning action to restore fairness is needed after years of neglect.

    That’s why through a new incentive scheme, the government will fund tax-free payment of £4,500 to attract the very best talent and keep 3,000 more early years teachers in nurseries serving the 20 most disadvantaged communities in the country.

    The approach taken is just one first step toward raising standards in the most disadvantaged areas and ensuring every community has a fair chance to succeed – a crucial mission to drive real national renewal.

    The strategy will set out measures the government is considering to raise the quality and availability of places, strengthening partnerships between nurseries and schools to get children ready to enter reception.

    From next April Ofsted will inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of opening and move towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years, compared to the current six-year cycle.

    That’s why we are restoring crucial family services by delivering up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs across every local authority in England and scaling up the very best of early years education and care to get tens of thousands more children starting school ready to learn. 

    Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 

    My driving mission is to make sure every child has the chance to succeed no matter their background – and this new strategy will help give our youngest children the very best start in life.

    The best way of reducing inequalities is by tackling them early: that’s why we’re joining up family support services through our Best Start Family Hubs, driving up quality in our early years system and strengthening support for children as they enter primary school.

    These aren’t luxuries. They are the essentials, and that is what this government will deliver as we fulfil our Plan for Change.

    The strategy sets out a number of other levers to raise the status and skills of educators – including through consulting on a new professional register for the early years, working with the sector to establish a career framework, and funding early learning interventions in English and maths.

    Today’s plan follows the announcement of a number of measures to support families, such as urgent action rolling out 30 hours government-funded childcare this September, thousands of places in school-based nurseries, and a record uplift of almost 50% to early years disadvantage funding.

    But the government wants to go further to make parenting easier. The strategy commits to designing and delivering a simpler system to make it easier for families to access early education and childcare, looking widely at the current support provided by different parts of government and taking account of the ongoing review of parental leave and pay. 

    The government will also look at how social investment – where positive outcomes for society are prioritised over profit – could be leveraged to create more quality childcare places in the communities where they are needed most.

    Sarah Ronan, Director, Early Education and Childcare Coalition said:

    Today marks a turning point in how we value early education. This strategy sets out a long-overdue vision for change and a new beginning for a system that has been under pressure for too long. 

    We welcome the Government’s commitment to work with families and the sector, and the focus on raising the status of the workforce. 

    Change won’t happen overnight but it starts today with a shared mission to give every child the best start in life.

    There will be new funding for partnerships between schools and local nurseries to strengthen transitions into school and break down barriers from day one, and every local authority will work with government to agree statutory targets to improve school readiness in their area.

    The strategy follows a record investment confirmed for early years entitlements next year, increasing to over £9 billion, with £400 million set aside over the next three years to improve quality in early years settings and reception classes and drive better outcomes for children.

    DfE media enquiries

    Central newsdesk – for journalists 020 7783 8300

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Samora Machel’s vision for Mozambique didn’t survive: what has taken its place?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Luca Bussotti, Professor at the PhD Course in Peace, Democracy, Social Movements and Human Development, Universidade Técnica de Moçambique (UDM)

    Samora Moisés Machel, the first president of independent Mozambique, was born in 1933 in Gaza province, in the south of the country. He died in an unexplained plane crash on 19 October 1986, in Mbuzini, South Africa.

    Authoritarian and popular, humble and arrogant, visionary and tactical. All these words have been used to describe Machel. Despite these contradictions, there was one quality that everyone recognised in him: his charisma. At the time this gift wasn’t lacking in many political leaders of emerging countries, especially those of Marxist-Leninist inspiration. Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro above all.

    Their common faith went beyond any personal or family interest. It was a faith for the progress of humanity, for the liberation of oppressed peoples from the colonial yoke, from the chains of capitalism and from traditional values and practices considered regressive.

    Machel’s enlightenment programme was as fascinating as it was difficult to achieve in Mozambique in the mid-1970s. Small farmers, with all their “traditional” beliefs, made up the majority of the population. It was a political battle for social justice as well as a cultural crusade.

    Machel’s speech on 25 June 1975, at the Machava Stadium in Maputo, proclaiming Mozambique’s independence from Portugal, highlighted the contradictions. The new head of state addressed the “workers”, who represented a small minority of the Mozambican people. At the same time, he called for freedom from colonial-capitalist oppression and the effective, total independence of the new country, already identifying its possible enemies: the unproductive and exploitative bourgeoisie.

    The task of nation-building

    Machel’s charisma recalled that of the proto-nationalist hero Gungunhana, who had tried to resist the Portuguese occupation at the end of the 19th century. Machel’s grandfather, Maguivelani, was related to the “terrible” Gungunhana, the last emperor of Gaza, who was defeated in 1895 by Mouzinho de Albuquerque after years of struggle. He was deported to Portugal, where he died in 1906.

    Paradoxically, the anti-traditionalist Machel was the descendant of a great traditional chief. This heritage played a role in shaping his personality and political action.

    Machel’s main task was to build a nation that only existed because of political unification under the Portuguese. The initial choices, embedded in the Cold War atmosphere, forced the nationalist Machel to opt for a rapprochement with the Soviet Union. Mozambique formally adopted a Marxist-Leninist doctrine at its Third Congress in 1977.

    That approach meant political intolerance and the repression of “dissidents”, as well as the marginalisation of certain ethnic groups, above all the Amakhuwa people, who did not sympathise with Machel’s party, Frelimo.

    The forces opposed to the Marxist-Leninist solution expected democratic elections to be held after the proclamation of independence from Portugal. But this opportunity never came. Portugal handed over power to Frelimo (Lusaka Accords, 1974), ignoring the existence of other political groups.

    The treatment of leaders who opposed Frelimo’s vision was harsh. On their return from abroad, many were imprisoned in concentration camps in the north of the country.

    They included the resistance leader Joana Simeão, along with others such as Uria Simango, former vice-president of Frelimo, his wife, Celina Simango, and Lázaro Kavandame, the former Makonde leader who left Frelimo because he didn’t agree with its political line.

    They were put on arbitrary trial and executed. The dates and the method of execution are still officially unknown, despite the former president Joaquim Chissano’s public apology, in 2014, for these deaths.

    About a year after independence, an armed opposition, Renamo, was formed. It was financed first by Ian Smith’s Southern Rhodesian government, and then by the South African apartheid regime.

    Renamo, contrary to Machel’s expectations, had a solid popular base in central and northern Mozambique, especially among peasant populations who had expressed opposition to the policies of collectivisation and cooperation imposed by the Marxist-Leninist government.

    And it was war which led Machel to a controversial agreement with the South African apartheid enemy. The Nkomati Accords, signed in 1984, provided for the end of Mozambique’s logistical support to the exiled African National Congress in Mozambique and South Africa’s military and financial support to Renamo.

    This agreement did not bring peace. On the contrary, the war intensified, as the South African regime continued to finance Renamo.

    Machel died in 1986, with the war still raging, unable to see the end of a conflict that had devastated Mozambique and which defeated the socialist principles.

    The General Peace Accords between the Mozambican government, represented by the president, Chissano, and Renamo, represented by its leader, Afonso Dhlakama, were only signed in Rome in 1992.

    End of an era

    Machel took the first, important steps towards a rapprochement with the west, as demonstrated by his visit to Ronald Reagan in Washington in September 1985.

    It can be said that with his death the First Mozambican Republic ended, with all its positive and negative elements. The dream of building a fair Mozambique with an equitable distribution of national wealth came to an end.

    Machel had worked hard to ensure that health, education, transport, water and energy were distributed equally among Mozambicans. A poor but fair welfare state was born. But it was quickly dismantled in the years following his death. The Mozambican state had very few resources to devote to the welfare state. The rest was done by the rapid abandonment of an ideology, the socialist ideology, which by then the Frelimo elite no longer believed in.

    In addition, international financial institutions entered the country, with the notorious structural adjustment policies, as early as 1987.

    Corruption, which Machel sought to combat with various measures, and which he addressed at many of his rallies, spread across the country and all its institutions. The Frelimo political elite soon became the richest slice of the nation.

    Several observers began to speak of a kleptocracy. The country suffered from continuous corruption scandals. One of the biggest became known as “hidden debt,” in which the political elite, including one of ex-president Armando Guebuza’s sons and former intelligence chief, Gregório Leão, were convicted of a scheme that cost the public treasury more than US$2 billion.

    However, the main defeat was the fall of an inapplicable socialism.

    The adoption of a capitalist, liberal and democratic model, at least formally, put an end to the arbitrary violations of human rights as in the age of the socialist state, such as “Operation Production” of 1983. The programme aimed to move “unproductive” people living in cities to the countryside to promote agricultural production.

    In reality, it turned into arbitrary detentions and displacement of entire families, increasing the systematic violation of human rights by the state.

    At the same time, the end of socialism meant democratic openness. Since the 1990 constitution, Mozambique has had as its fundamental principles respect for civil and political freedoms based on the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights. Still, socio-economic rights have been denied as a result of the dismantling of the welfare state.

    How he’s remembered

    Today, many people miss Machel’s rule. Those who were close to him, such as José Óscar Monteiro, the former interior minister, recall him as an ethical statesman, intolerant of corruption and abuses against “his” people. So do some of the international media.

    Others, since the 1980s, such as Amnesty International, have denounced the serious violations of the most basic human rights by the Mozambican government and its leader.

    What remains of Machel today is above all his ethical teaching. He died poor, committed to the cause of his nation, leaving his heirs moral prestige.

    It is curious that his figure is associated, even in musical compositions by contemporary rappers from Mozambique, with his historical enemy, Dhlakama, who died in 2018.

    This popular tribute is proof of the distance between the country’s current ruling class and a “people” who are looking to the charismatic figure of Venâncio Mondlane, the so-called “people’s president”. But that’s another story that won’t fit here.

    – Samora Machel’s vision for Mozambique didn’t survive: what has taken its place?
    – https://theconversation.com/samora-machels-vision-for-mozambique-didnt-survive-what-has-taken-its-place-260110

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City of York Council to invest £500,000 in green spaces

    Source: City of York

    Clarence Gardens

    Published Monday, 7 July 2025

    City of York Council has announced a significant £500,000 capital investment over the next two years to revitalise parks, play areas, and public green spaces across the city.

    The Executive is set to approve the proposed criteria and prioritisation framework that will guide the funding allocation and ensure the greatest community impact.

    This initiative marks the first major investment in York’s public spaces in several years and comes in response to widespread resident support and strategic ambitions laid out in the Council Plan 2023–2027. A key focus is ensuring accessible and sustainable outdoor environments that enhance biodiversity, wellbeing, and social inclusion. Work on assessing the conservation needs of our much-valued War Memorials will take place alongside the parks projects.

    Strategic Benefits

    The funding aligns with national findings from the “Space to Thrive” report by The National Lottery, which highlights the vital role parks play in supporting physical and mental health, community engagement, and local economies. The council aims to amplify these benefits by engaging residents, community organisations, and volunteer groups in improving green spaces citywide.

    The decision also aligns with the council’s core commitments to equality and health. By prioritising sites in high deprivation areas and those with ageing infrastructure, the programme seeks to redress inequalities in access to quality recreational space.

    Next Steps

    Council officers will assess potential projects over the summer, with a final decision on funded schemes to be presented to the Executive this September. Recruitment for a dedicated project officer is already underway to support delivery through March 2027.

    Cllr Jenny Kent, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency, said: “In investing in our parks and public spaces, we’re not just enhancing infrastructure or play equipment – we’re investing in communities, public health, and a greener future. York people love our parks and have spoken clearly about the value of these shared spaces. This project reflects our commitment to creating a more vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable city, with people and pride in place at its heart.”

    For more information, visit the council’s website or read the Space to Thrive report at: Space to Thrive – National Lottery Heritage Fund

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Regeneration framework for emerging city centre neighbourhood to get major update

    Source: City of Manchester

    Key updates to the Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for Manchester’s East Village Central will be considered as part of a report to the Council’s executive committee next week (Tuesday 8 July).

    First approved in 2022, the SRF for the East Village area – which sits within the wider Piccadilly SRF area – guides investment and development in the emerging city centre neighbourhood behind Piccadilly train station.   

    The 2022 SRF did not give detailed proposals for the 1.6ha former Presbar Diecastings Foundry (‘Diecast’) site, as it was expected to be a later phase of development.  

    This update to the East Village plan will incorporate the site as part of the long-term regeneration aspirations for this neighbourhood.  This site has significant potential to deliver 1,400 new homes, significant hotel space, 12,000sqm of workspace, and 6,500sqm of retail, leisure and event space.    

    To note – this SRF update does not include the Stockton’s site within the East Village Central Framework area, which remains governed by the previously agreed 2022 East Village Central SRF document.   

    East Village Central opportunity  

    The update to the SRF, covering the former Diecasting Foundry site, provides the opportunity to deliver new homes and commercial space, with complementary leisure amenities for existing residents in the immediate vicinity.  

    The vision set out within the draft framework is to create a unique, vibrant and green neighbourhood in the city centre supporting a mix of uses to create a welcoming and inclusive space. A distinct character and sense of place will be developed inspired by the history of the area through a sustainable reuse and repurpose approach.  

    Approximately 40% of the site area could be used to create an inclusive green public space that encourages community participation and interaction, including pop up events.   

    The site will improve connectivity through the site and to neighbouring communities through improved walking and cycling routes together with interconnected green spaces. Sustainability will be embedded throughout the lifecycle of development, implementing green practices throughout the process. 

    The site is envisioned as a hub for commerce and community, building on the tech hub already established in the area, new leisure opportunities, and local amenities that will prioritise local suppliers and independent businesses.   

    A new purpose-built building will provide a long-term home for the current Diecast hospitality venue, which will also enable the site to be designed to manage any potential impact on local residents. Development will be coordinated and phased to ensure the venue can continue to operate through the duration of the regeneration of the area.   

    Former Stockton’s Furniture site  

    A planning application for the former Stockton’s furniture site has also now been submitted to the Council with proposals to deliver 758 apartments and 45,000sq ft of office space. This development will be complemented by 55% of the site being developed for new public space.   

    Read the East Village Central SRF report in full  

    Consultation on the SRF update is expected to begin in mid July 2025.   

    Leader of the Council Bev Craig said:   

    “The neighbourhoods behind Piccadilly train station offer some of the most exciting regeneration opportunities in our city centre to continue our sustainable growth agenda – creating opportunities for new jobs, new homes and new green spaces in the heart of our city.   

    “The East Village Central vision – with new homes, workspace and leisure uses – is an important part this and we have an incredible opportunity to create a vibrant, sustainable destination with a unique sense of place. This area will celebrate the city’s industrial past while creating opportunities for our city’s residents into the future.   

    “And importantly this will be a green neighbourhood with interconnected public spaces that help bring people together, seamlessly connected to the wider city centre, to create a thriving place for everyone.”  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Leader sends condolences to family and friends of Dr Fortune Gomo

    Source: Scotland – City of Dundee

    Dundee City Council Leader Cllr Mark Flynn has expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Dr Fortune Gomo following the recent news of her death in the city.

    Council Leader Cllr Mark Flynn said: “On behalf of the city, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to Dr Gomo’s family, friends and everyone who knew her.

    “This is a deeply sad time for the community and our thoughts are with everyone affected.

    “I want to voice my support for the community at this difficult time and echo the appeal made by Police Scotland for anyone with any information that might assist in their investigation to come forward.”

    Police Scotland have appealed for anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed the incident or has information that may assist them to contact 101 quoting incident number 2283 of 5th July 2025. 

    Information can also be given through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Another Member of the Marion Gardens Street Gang Sentenced to Multiple Life Sentences without the Possibility of Parole

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – Five more members of the Marion Gardens street gang were sentenced by the Honorable Michael E. Farbiarz for their roles in the racketeering enterprise, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    On July 2, 2025, Roger Pickett, a/k/a “Zy G,” 24, was sentenced to four consecutive terms of life imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy and three counts of murder in aid of racketeering, each stemming from a separate gang-related murder.  He was also sentenced to an additional consecutive sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment, consisting of 20 years’ imprisonment for Hobbs Act robbery, and three ten-year terms of imprisonment for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

    Also on July 2, 2025, Javon Williams, a/k/a “J45,” 28, was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy and Keith Anderson, a/k/a “Beef3,” 23, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy.

    On July 1, 2025, Quaseame Wilson, a/k/a “Qua Gz,” 28, was sentenced to 195 months’ imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery, and aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.  On June 26, 2025, Anthony Rogers, a/k/a “MG,” 25, was sentenced to 54 months’ imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy.

    Earlier in June, three other members of the Marion Gardens street gang were sentenced for their roles in the racketeering conspiracy.  On June 17, 2025, Myron Williams, a/k/a “Money,” a/k/a “Tunchi,” 31, of Newark was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering, plus 240 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and 120 months’ imprisonment for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, with all sentences to run consecutively.  Also on June 17, 2025, Jawaad Davis, 23, of Jersey City, was sentenced to 170 months’ imprisonment for his role in the Marion Gardens street gang, which included orchestrating a robbery that resulted in murder.  Additionally, on June 5, 2025, Khalil Kelley, a/k/a “Billski,” 26, of Jersey City, was sentenced, to life imprisonment, plus a consecutive ten-year term of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy, for his role in the Marion Gardens street gang and a gang-related murder.

    Three other individuals who previously pled guilty before trial are pending sentencing.  Each defendant will be sentenced before Judge Farbiarz in Newark as follows:

    Naim Richardson, a/k/a “Ninicks” July 16, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.
    Andre Alomar, a/k/a “Dre8” July 24, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
    Herbert Thomas October 1, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    Myron Williams, Khalil Kelley, Roger Pickett, Jawaad Davis, Anthony Rogers, Quaseame Wilson, Andre Alomar, Keith Anderson, Javon Williams, and Naim Richardson are all members and associates of the neighborhood street gang associated with the Marion Gardens Housing Complex. Since 2013, they and their fellow gang members have committed numerous acts of violence, including three separate murders, on March 29, 2021, Nov. 20, 2021, and Nov. 1, 2022.

    On March 29, 2021, Kelley and other gang members lured a rival gang member outside by sending him Instagram messages pretending to be the victim’s fellow gang member. When the victim opened the door to his residence, Kelley and another gang member brandished firearms, and the victim was shot multiple times in the chest, killing him. Pickett and Myron Williams then picked up Kelley and other gang members after they abandoned the murder vehicle in Newark.

    On Nov. 20, 2021, Myron Williams, Pickett, and Richardson lured a rival gang member outside by sending him Instagram messages pretending to be the second victim’s fellow gang member. Williams and another gang member shot the victim when he opened the door to his residence.

    On Nov. 1, 2022, Davis facilitated the murder of the third victim by coordinating a narcotics transaction with the victim and the victim’s associate. When the victim and his associate arrived at the Marion Gardens Housing Complex to complete the narcotics transaction, they were robbed of their narcotics supply. During the robbery, Pickett and Wilson held the victim and his associate at gunpoint. After a struggle ensued, Pickett shot and killed the victim while his associate fled. Pickett then fled the Marion Gardens Housing Complex with Wilson.

    For months, investigators observed and documented hundreds of narcotics transactions in and around the Marion Gardens Housing Complex.  The investigation likewise revealed that Herbert Thomas was a primary supplier of narcotics to the Marion Gardens street gang.

    When each defendant was arrested on March 17, 2023, law enforcement seized contraband at several different locations, including heroin, fentanyl, crack cocaine, narcotics packaging materials, ammunition, bulletproof vests, and a loaded handgun.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited investigators of the Gang Intelligence Unit and the Homicide Unit of the Major Case Division of Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez, and special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks Jr., and investigators of the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Director James Shea, with the investigation leading to the convictions. She also thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, and the U.S. Marshals, under the direction of U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos, for their assistance.

    This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.

    The government is represented by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Maloy and Javon Henry, of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.

                                                                           ###

    Defense counsel:

    Roger Pickett – Brandon Minde, Esq.
    Keith Anderson – Eric Jaso, Esq. and Francesca Simone, Esq.

    Javon Williams – Joseph Rubino, Esq.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Notice regarding the venue of the Meeting of Bondholders of UAB “Orkela” (ISIN code LT0000405961) on 10 July 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Supplementing the notice of 17th June 2025 on convening the meeting of bondholders of UAB “Orkela” (code 304099538, registered address at Jogailos st. 4, Vilnius, Lithuania; the Company) bond issue, ISIN code LT0000405961 (the Bonds) on 9 January 2025 at 10 AM, Vilnius time1 (the Meeting), the trustee of the bondholders UAB “AUDIFINA” (code 125921757, registered address at A. Juozapavičiaus st. 6, Vilnius, Lithuania; the Trustee), has the following additional information about the upcoming Meeting.

    The date of the Meeting – 10 July 2025.

    The venue of the Meeting – St. Jacob Building Complex at Vasario 16-osios st. 1, Vilnius.

    Entrance is from Vasario 16-osios st., through the archway of the building with a wooden facade. Inside the archway, you will find a door, and upon entering, participant registration will take place:

     

    The registration of the Bondholders begins at 9:30 AM, Vilnius time.

    The Meeting starts at 10:00 AM, Vilnius time.

    The Meeting will be held in person. There will be no possibility to attend the Meeting remotely.

    Please note that the Bondholder or the respective representative has the right to vote in advance in writing by completing the general voting ballot. The form of the general voting ballot for voting at this Meeting is available on the Trustee’s website https://www.audifina.lt/en/services/consulting-services/trustee-services/#viesi-pranesimai  and the Company’s website site https://lordslb.lt/orkela_bonds/.

    Please read carefully the Trustee’s notice about the Meeting and its agenda dated 17 June 2025.

     

    UAB “Orkela” manager

    Anastasija Pocienė

    1https://www.audifina.lt/en/services/consulting-services/trustee-services/#viesi-pranesimai 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Notice regarding the venue of the Meeting of Bondholders of UAB “Orkela” (ISIN code LT0000405961) on 10 July 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Supplementing the notice of 17th June 2025 on convening the meeting of bondholders of UAB “Orkela” (code 304099538, registered address at Jogailos st. 4, Vilnius, Lithuania; the Company) bond issue, ISIN code LT0000405961 (the Bonds) on 9 January 2025 at 10 AM, Vilnius time1 (the Meeting), the trustee of the bondholders UAB “AUDIFINA” (code 125921757, registered address at A. Juozapavičiaus st. 6, Vilnius, Lithuania; the Trustee), has the following additional information about the upcoming Meeting.

    The date of the Meeting – 10 July 2025.

    The venue of the Meeting – St. Jacob Building Complex at Vasario 16-osios st. 1, Vilnius.

    Entrance is from Vasario 16-osios st., through the archway of the building with a wooden facade. Inside the archway, you will find a door, and upon entering, participant registration will take place:

     

    The registration of the Bondholders begins at 9:30 AM, Vilnius time.

    The Meeting starts at 10:00 AM, Vilnius time.

    The Meeting will be held in person. There will be no possibility to attend the Meeting remotely.

    Please note that the Bondholder or the respective representative has the right to vote in advance in writing by completing the general voting ballot. The form of the general voting ballot for voting at this Meeting is available on the Trustee’s website https://www.audifina.lt/en/services/consulting-services/trustee-services/#viesi-pranesimai  and the Company’s website site https://lordslb.lt/orkela_bonds/.

    Please read carefully the Trustee’s notice about the Meeting and its agenda dated 17 June 2025.

     

    UAB “Orkela” manager

    Anastasija Pocienė

    1https://www.audifina.lt/en/services/consulting-services/trustee-services/#viesi-pranesimai 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Samora Machel’s vision for Mozambique didn’t survive: what has taken its place?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Luca Bussotti, Professor at the PhD Course in Peace, Democracy, Social Movements and Human Development, Universidade Técnica de Moçambique (UDM)

    Samora Moisés Machel, the first president of independent Mozambique, was born in 1933 in Gaza province, in the south of the country. He died in an unexplained plane crash on 19 October 1986, in Mbuzini, South Africa.

    Authoritarian and popular, humble and arrogant, visionary and tactical. All these words have been used to describe Machel. Despite these contradictions, there was one quality that everyone recognised in him: his charisma. At the time this gift wasn’t lacking in many political leaders of emerging countries, especially those of Marxist-Leninist inspiration. Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro above all.

    Their common faith went beyond any personal or family interest. It was a faith for the progress of humanity, for the liberation of oppressed peoples from the colonial yoke, from the chains of capitalism and from traditional values and practices considered regressive.

    Machel’s enlightenment programme was as fascinating as it was difficult to achieve in Mozambique in the mid-1970s. Small farmers, with all their “traditional” beliefs, made up the majority of the population. It was a political battle for social justice as well as a cultural crusade.

    Machel’s speech on 25 June 1975, at the Machava Stadium in Maputo, proclaiming Mozambique’s independence from Portugal, highlighted the contradictions. The new head of state addressed the “workers”, who represented a small minority of the Mozambican people. At the same time, he called for freedom from colonial-capitalist oppression and the effective, total independence of the new country, already identifying its possible enemies: the unproductive and exploitative bourgeoisie.

    The task of nation-building

    Machel’s charisma recalled that of the proto-nationalist hero Gungunhana, who had tried to resist the Portuguese occupation at the end of the 19th century. Machel’s grandfather, Maguivelani, was related to the “terrible” Gungunhana, the last emperor of Gaza, who was defeated in 1895 by Mouzinho de Albuquerque after years of struggle. He was deported to Portugal, where he died in 1906.

    Paradoxically, the anti-traditionalist Machel was the descendant of a great traditional chief. This heritage played a role in shaping his personality and political action.

    Machel’s main task was to build a nation that only existed because of political unification under the Portuguese. The initial choices, embedded in the Cold War atmosphere, forced the nationalist Machel to opt for a rapprochement with the Soviet Union. Mozambique formally adopted a Marxist-Leninist doctrine at its Third Congress in 1977.

    That approach meant political intolerance and the repression of “dissidents”, as well as the marginalisation of certain ethnic groups, above all the Amakhuwa people, who did not sympathise with Machel’s party, Frelimo.

    The forces opposed to the Marxist-Leninist solution expected democratic elections to be held after the proclamation of independence from Portugal. But this opportunity never came. Portugal handed over power to Frelimo (Lusaka Accords, 1974), ignoring the existence of other political groups.

    The treatment of leaders who opposed Frelimo’s vision was harsh. On their return from abroad, many were imprisoned in concentration camps in the north of the country.

    They included the resistance leader Joana Simeão, along with others such as Uria Simango, former vice-president of Frelimo, his wife, Celina Simango, and Lázaro Kavandame, the former Makonde leader who left Frelimo because he didn’t agree with its political line.

    They were put on arbitrary trial and executed. The dates and the method of execution are still officially unknown, despite the former president Joaquim Chissano’s public apology, in 2014, for these deaths.

    About a year after independence, an armed opposition, Renamo, was formed. It was financed first by Ian Smith’s Southern Rhodesian government, and then by the South African apartheid regime.

    Renamo, contrary to Machel’s expectations, had a solid popular base in central and northern Mozambique, especially among peasant populations who had expressed opposition to the policies of collectivisation and cooperation imposed by the Marxist-Leninist government.

    And it was war which led Machel to a controversial agreement with the South African apartheid enemy. The Nkomati Accords, signed in 1984, provided for the end of Mozambique’s logistical support to the exiled African National Congress in Mozambique and South Africa’s military and financial support to Renamo.

    This agreement did not bring peace. On the contrary, the war intensified, as the South African regime continued to finance Renamo.

    Machel died in 1986, with the war still raging, unable to see the end of a conflict that had devastated Mozambique and which defeated the socialist principles.

    The General Peace Accords between the Mozambican government, represented by the president, Chissano, and Renamo, represented by its leader, Afonso Dhlakama, were only signed in Rome in 1992.

    End of an era

    Machel took the first, important steps towards a rapprochement with the west, as demonstrated by his visit to Ronald Reagan in Washington in September 1985.

    It can be said that with his death the First Mozambican Republic ended, with all its positive and negative elements. The dream of building a fair Mozambique with an equitable distribution of national wealth came to an end.

    Machel had worked hard to ensure that health, education, transport, water and energy were distributed equally among Mozambicans. A poor but fair welfare state was born. But it was quickly dismantled in the years following his death. The Mozambican state had very few resources to devote to the welfare state. The rest was done by the rapid abandonment of an ideology, the socialist ideology, which by then the Frelimo elite no longer believed in.

    In addition, international financial institutions entered the country, with the notorious structural adjustment policies, as early as 1987.

    Corruption, which Machel sought to combat with various measures, and which he addressed at many of his rallies, spread across the country and all its institutions. The Frelimo political elite soon became the richest slice of the nation.

    Several observers began to speak of a kleptocracy. The country suffered from continuous corruption scandals. One of the biggest became known as “hidden debt,” in which the political elite, including one of ex-president Armando Guebuza’s sons and former intelligence chief, Gregório Leão, were convicted of a scheme that cost the public treasury more than US$2 billion.

    However, the main defeat was the fall of an inapplicable socialism.

    The adoption of a capitalist, liberal and democratic model, at least formally, put an end to the arbitrary violations of human rights as in the age of the socialist state, such as “Operation Production” of 1983. The programme aimed to move “unproductive” people living in cities to the countryside to promote agricultural production.

    In reality, it turned into arbitrary detentions and displacement of entire families, increasing the systematic violation of human rights by the state.

    At the same time, the end of socialism meant democratic openness. Since the 1990 constitution, Mozambique has had as its fundamental principles respect for civil and political freedoms based on the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights. Still, socio-economic rights have been denied as a result of the dismantling of the welfare state.

    How he’s remembered

    Today, many people miss Machel’s rule. Those who were close to him, such as José Óscar Monteiro, the former interior minister, recall him as an ethical statesman, intolerant of corruption and abuses against “his” people. So do some of the international media.

    Others, since the 1980s, such as Amnesty International, have denounced the serious violations of the most basic human rights by the Mozambican government and its leader.

    What remains of Machel today is above all his ethical teaching. He died poor, committed to the cause of his nation, leaving his heirs moral prestige.

    It is curious that his figure is associated, even in musical compositions by contemporary rappers from Mozambique, with his historical enemy, Dhlakama, who died in 2018.

    This popular tribute is proof of the distance between the country’s current ruling class and a “people” who are looking to the charismatic figure of Venâncio Mondlane, the so-called “people’s president”. But that’s another story that won’t fit here.

    Luca Bussotti 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. Samora Machel’s vision for Mozambique didn’t survive: what has taken its place? – https://theconversation.com/samora-machels-vision-for-mozambique-didnt-survive-what-has-taken-its-place-260110

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man convicted of Hackney murder

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A man has been convicted of murdering 53-year-old Derek Thomas, who was fatally stabbed outside his home in Hackney in July 2024.

    Today, Monday, 7 July, Kamar Williams, 34 (21.01.91) of West Ferry Road, E14, was found guilty of Derek’s murder following a trial at the Old Bailey.

    The court heard how, in the early evening of 30 July 2024, Williams sent threatening text messages to Derek’s daughter, who was William’s ex-partner, warning her to “watch this space”.

    Hours later, CCTV captured Williams driving a grey van along Benthal Road, N16. He stopped directly outside Derek’s home. Williams was wearing a pair of reflective trainers, which made him easily identifiable throughout the CCTV footage.

    Williams was seen pacing along Benthal Road, loitering near Derek’s home, before disappearing out of shot. Moments later, he returned to his van and drove away at 23:03hrs.

    At 23:04hrs, police received a 999 call from a member of the public reporting that a man had been stabbed with a ‘very big knife’. Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended, but despite their best efforts, Derek died at the scene.

    Detective Inspector John Marriott, who led the investigation, said: “This was a brutal and premeditated attack on a much-loved father. Kamar Williams showed clear intent that night, driving to Derek’s home, waiting for the right moment, and carrying out this senseless act of violence.

    “The swift response from our officers, combined with extensive CCTV, forensic work, and determination from our investigation team, led to his arrest and conviction.

    “Our thoughts remain with Derek’s family, who have shown immense strength throughout this ordeal.”

    Following the conviction, Derek’s family said: “Derek will be greatly missed by his family and friends, he was a dedicated family man and worked hard to provide for them. He was the life and soul of the family. Derek was always on hand to provide support, knowledge, advice and was a calming influence when it was required. His passing has left a massive hole in the lives of his wife, children, grandchildren, family and all that knew him. He was greatly loved by all and will never be forgotten.”

    The investigation progressed rapidly. On 1 August 2024, police were contacted about an abandoned grey van on Langford Close, E8. Inside, officers recovered a bank card belonging to Williams from the driver’s seat, directly linking him to the vehicle.

    Analysis of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system showed that the van had travelled multiple times between the crime scene and Williams’ home address.

    Enquiries at a local hospital also revealed that Williams had sought treatment for a 5cm cut to his left knee on 31 July, the day after the murder—further evidence tying him to the violent incident.

    Williams repeatedly attempted to evade police. On 3 August, traffic officers tried to stop a silver BMW on Burnt Ash Hill, SE9, but the driver made off. It was later established that Williams was behind the wheel.

    In a further effort to avoid arrest, Williams left London temporarily. However, following a manhunt, officers identified and arrested him within the footprint of Notting Hill Carnival on 26 August 2024. He was charged with murder the following day.

    Kamar Williams was also found guilty of possession of an offensive weapon. He will be sentenced on Friday, 18 July at the same court.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: BexBack Announces That All Traders Can Use 100x Leverage for Crypto Futures Trading with Double Deposit Bonus and NO KYC Required

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BexBack Exchange has launched an aggressive new promotion to empower both new and seasoned crypto traders: All eligible new users receive a $50 welcome bonus and a 100% deposit bouns match. As the crypto market braces for another period of high volatility, BexBack is making futures trading more accessible and profitable than ever. With up to 100x leverage, zero KYC requirements, and support for over 50 digital assets, the platform provides an ideal environment for those seeking to capitalize on market swings without large upfront capital.

    Advantages of 100x Leverage Crypto Futures

    1. Amplified Profits: Control large positions with a small amount of capital, capturing more profits from market fluctuations.
    2. Low Capital Requirement: Participate in high-value trades with minimal investment, lowering the entry barrier.
    3. Increased Market Opportunities: Profit quickly from price fluctuations, especially in volatile markets.
    4. High Capital Efficiency: Leverage enables better use of your capital, expanding your investment potential.
    5. Profit from Both Up and Down Markets: Adapt to any market conditions, with opportunities to profit whether the market goes up or down.

    What Is 100x Leverage and How Does It Work?

    Simply put, 100x leverage allows you to open larger trading positions with less capital. For example:

    Suppose the Bitcoin price is $100,000 that day, and you open a long contract with 1 BTC. After using 100x leverage, the transaction amount is equivalent to 100 BTC.

    One day later, if the price rises to $105,000, your profit will be (105,000 – 100,000) * 100 BTC / 100,000 = 5 BTC, a yield of up to 500%.

    With BexBack’s deposit bonus

    BexBack offers a 100% deposit bonus. If the initial investment is 2 BTC, the profit will increase to 10 BTC, and the return on investment will double to 1000%.

    Note: Although leveraged trading can magnify profits, you also need to be wary of liquidation risks.

    How Does the 100% Deposit Bonus Work?
    The deposit bonus from BexBack cannot be directly withdrawn but can be used to open larger positions and increase potential profits. Additionally, during significant market fluctuations, the bonus can serve as extra margin, effectively reducing the risk of liquidation.

    About BexBack?

    BexBack is a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform offering up to 100x leverage on futures contracts for BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, XRP, and over 50 other digital assets. Headquartered in Singapore, the platform also operates offices in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina. Like many top-tier exchanges, BexBack holds a U.S. MSB (Money Services Business) license and is trusted by more than 500,000 traders worldwide. The platform accepts users from the United States, Canada, and Europe, with zero deposit fees and 24/7 multilingual customer support, delivering a secure, efficient, and user-friendly trading experience.

    Why recommend BexBack?

    No KYC Required: Start trading immediately without complex identity verification.

    100% Deposit Bonus: Double your funds, double your profits.

    High-Leverage Trading: Offers up to 100x leverage, maximizing investors’ capital efficiency.

    Demo Account: Comes with 10 BTC in virtual funds, ideal for beginners to practice risk-free trading.

    Comprehensive Trading Options: Feature-rich trading available via Web and mobile applications.

    Convenient Operation: No slippage, no spread, and fast, precise trade execution.

    Global User Support: Enjoy 24/7 customer service, no matter where you are.

    Lucrative Affiliate Rewards: Earn up to 50% commission, perfect for promoters.

    Take Action Now—Don’t Miss Another Opportunity!

    If you missed the previous crypto bull run, this could be your chance. With BexBack’s 100x leverage and 100% deposit bonus and $50 bonus for new users (complete one trade within one week of registration), you can be a winner in the new bull run.

    Sign Up Now on BexBack — Break the 100x Leverage and KYC Barriers, Get Double Deposit Bonus and $50 Welcome Bonus Instantly

    Website: www.bexback.com

    Contact: business@bexback.com

    Contact:
    Amanda
    business@bexback.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. Disclaimer: This content is provided by sponsor. 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.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4c4d1085-dfc5-4d96-a3e1-20d8439031b3

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/593f7159-c39a-4579-a262-20f47c850c72

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1a2e2f6c-81b6-45f6-bdc7-b6d3166e8b61

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aa14d60a-eabd-456a-ad08-bdb461b889da

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Locafy Launches AI-Driven SEO Product Suite for FY26

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Locafy’s AI Search Platform Powers Visibility Across Organic and AI Search

    New Product Lineup Tailored to Local, National, and e-Commerce Businesses

    AI-Powered Tools Designed to Automate Engagement and Accelerate Online Presence

    PERTH, Australia, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Locafy Limited (NASDAQ: LCFY, “Locafy”), a globally recognized leader in location-based digital marketing, today unveiled its FY26 suite of AI-powered SEO products. These solutions, now commercially available following successful market testing, are designed to deliver measurable improvements across organic, AI, and marketplace search results.

    Locafy initially outlined its AI-powered publishing roadmap in December 2024, promising to streamline content production and improve cost-effective online visibility for businesses.

    “We are excited to announce that we’ve delivered on that promise,” said Gavin Burnett, CEO of Locafy.

    All of Locafy’s publishing and SEO products are designed to drive visibility in search engines and, increasingly, AI-driven search tools and marketplaces. Recent research shows these optimizations extend across both traditional and emerging search platforms.

    “We’ve evolved our technology to influence not only search engine rankings but also AI search results,” said Burnett. “Our platform helps position our clients’ websites as authoritative sources for high-value keywords, across local, national, and e-commerce campaigns.”

    Burnett added, “We’ve also automated the creation of AI-search-ready landing pages, opening up a greenfield opportunity for scaled monetization. Our U.S. directory includes more than 9.68 million direct business listings, and our citation management partners publish more than 28 million business listings across our directories. Each of these represents either a direct sales opportunity or a chance to collaborate with partners using the data we already publish on their behalf.”

    Locafy is focused on three primary solution categories:

    1. Online Business Listings
    2. Local SEO
    3. AI-powered engagement tools

    Online Business Listings
    Locafy continues to assert that online business listings form the cornerstone of successful Local SEO. These listings supply structured data that fuels automated SEO product generation. Locafy currently publishes more than 9.5 million listings in the U.S. and remains focused on partnerships with citation management firms and multi-location businesses. It is also exploring acquisitions of databases, directories, and citation management assets.

    The Total Addressable Market (TAM) for the Local SEO solution in their key target markets of USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK is more than 40 million businesses.

    “We currently host more than 63 million business listings worldwide, of which more than 40 million are in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the UK,” said Burnett. “However, our direct sales opportunity is more than 11.4 million, plus we have more than 28 million listings that we publish on behalf of partners, who can now connect to our Platform to automate the production of our Local SEO products for their clients.”

    Country Partner Added* Claimed*
    Australia 2,145,707 652,351
    Canada 1,533,479 289,274
    United Kingdom 3,458,205 802,003
    United States of America 33,076,154 9,684,329
    TOTAL 40,213,545 11,427,957

    Local SEO
    The flagship solution, Localizer, integrates listing syndication, AI-search optimization, review management, and Google Map Pack enhancement.

    “We haven’t seen another product that combines these capabilities—at a price point starting around $690/month,” said Burnett. “Our customers get centralized control of reviews, consistent online presence, and high rankings in local map results, often within a short timeframe. Recent automation upgrades have made this level of value possible.”

    AI-powered Engagement Tools
    In addition to improving search visibility, Locafy has developed a scalable, cost-effective AI Voice Concierge that can serve as a virtual receptionist, product expert, or customer service agent.

    “This is our first step into AI-enabled customer engagement,” said Burnett. “Our Voice Concierge acts like a digital team member—it can take bookings, provide answers, and interact 24/7. Just feed it your business documents and it learns. We record and transcribe every interaction, giving clients full transparency.

    “This kind of capability once felt like science fiction, but it’s here now—and Locafy is helping businesses adapt and thrive in an AI-powered world.”

    Over the past six months, Locafy has streamlined its product suite, automated key production processes, and validated product performance through live testing. With this foundation in place, the Company is poised for commercial growth in FY2026.

    While the company still offers solutions for National SEO and e-Commerce, it believes the immediate opportunity afforded by its breakthroughs in AI Search represents a larger and more scalable revenue opportunity with far greater automation already in place.

    About Locafy
    Locafy (Nasdaq: LCFY, LCFYW) is a globally recognized software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology company specializing in local search engine marketing. Founded in 2009, Locafy’s mission is to revolutionize the US$700 billion SEO sector. The company helps businesses and brands improve search engine relevance and visibility in proximity-based search through a fast, easy, and automated platform. For more information, please visit www.locafy.com.

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Matt Glover
    Gateway Group, Inc.
    (949) 574-3860
    LCFY@gateway-grp.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Dassault Systèmes : Half-year statement of the Liquidity contract entered into with Oddo BHF SCA

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release
    VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France — July 7, 2025

    Half-year statement of the Liquidity contract entered into with Oddo BHF SCA

    Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) announces that the following resources appeared on June 30, 2025 on the liquidity contract entered into with Oddo BHF SCA implemented on January 7, 2015 and updated on June 18, 2019:

    •       857,760 Dassault Systèmes shares, and
    • €6,017,034.60 in cash.

    It is reminded that:

          1.   at the time of the implementation of the liquidity contract, the following resources appeared on the liquidity account:

    • 0 Dassault Systèmes shares;
    • €10,000,000 in cash.

           2.   Pursuant to the amendment dated October 26, 2017, an additional contribution of €5,000,000 was made, increasing from €10,000,000 to €15,000,000 the resources of the liquidity agreement.

          3.   Pursuant to the amendment dated December 13, 2018, an additional contribution of €5,000,000 was made, increasing from €15,000,000 to €20,000,000 the resources of the liquidity agreement.

          4.   At the time of implementation of the latest liquidity contract on June 18, 2019, the following resources appeared on the liquidity account:

    • 62,557 Dassault Systèmes stocks, and;
    • €17,496,140.38 in cash.

    From January 1 to June 30, 2025 the following transactions have been carried out:

    • 17,751 purchases;
    • 19,411 sales.

    During the same period, the volume of securities traded, amounted to:

    • 3,643,224 Dassault Systèmes stocks and €126,147,082.30 purchases;
    • 3,456,479 Dassault Systèmes stocks and €121,024,482.91 sales.

    ___________

    PURCHASES SALES
    Date Transactions quantity Securities quantity Amount in EUR Transactions quantity Securities quantity Amount in EUR
    Total 17,751 3,643,224 126,147,082.30 19,411 3,456,479 121,024,482.91
    02/01/2025 116 23,300 774,615.00 99 16,000 532,836.20
    03/01/2025 116 22,000 717,600.00 19 3,000 98,150.00
    06/01/2025 – – – 338 55,000 1,846,030.00
    07/01/2025 112 30,000 1,032,735.05 178 35,000 1,206,390.00
    08/01/2025 233 41,000 1,407,168.00 218 44,000 1,513,342.09
    09/01/2025 146 24,118 827,832.74 182 30,000 1,032,100.00
    10/01/2025 275 47,000 1,607,700.00 80 15,000 517,870.00
    13/01/2025 203 35,000 1,177,810.00 292 44,625 1,507,672.50
    14/01/2025 199 29,000 987,920.00 103 21,250 725,767.50
    15/01/2025 233 41,000 1,391,860.00 233 41,000 1,397,607.65
    16/01/2025 73 33,000 1,128,830.00 256 43,000 1,474,340.00
    17/01/2025 56 9,250 318,825.00 184 32,250 1,115,922.50
    20/01/2025 168 31,000 1,075,669.22 214 38,000 1,321,535.00
    21/01/2025 150 23,010 800,766.20 203 38,000 1,327,020.00
    22/01/2025 49 7,111 253,994.36 226 35,000 1,251,802.96
    23/01/2025 159 27,000 970,780.00 152 31,000 1,117,210.00
    24/01/2025 41 7,000 253,029.98 128 45,000 1,638,012.52
    27/01/2025 267 45,000 1,646,032.80 190 53,000 1,947,390.00
    28/01/2025 61 10,000 372,135.00 169 27,000 1,009,520.00
    29/01/2025 140 24,000 907,340.00 235 37,000 1,404,194.26
    30/01/2025 159 29,250 1,101,300.00 151 27,000 1,018,900.00
    31/01/2025 118 27,500 1,044,075.00 169 30,000 1,141,730.00
    03/02/2025 164 34,000 1,261,077.50 119 21,000 782,980.00
    04/02/2025 134 30,000 1,125,220.00 309 90,000 3,505,300.00
    05/02/2025 101 17,000 684,550.00 190 31,000 1,254,410.00
    24/02/2025 91 16,000 629,087.60 100 15,135 596,021.15
    25/02/2025 169 33,000 1,289,737.38 54 10,000 392,830.00
    26/02/2025 168 32,500 1,269,362.94 218 37,500 1,466,047.50
    27/02/2025 282 50,000 1,920,850.00 84 12,000 463,210.00
    28/02/2025 229 42,000 1,585,350.00 145 30,500 1,155,159.33
    03/03/2025 17 2,000 77,320.00 289 48,000 1,869,735.00
    04/03/2025 311 47,000 1,825,295.42 116 17,000 665,656.99
    05/03/2025 198 30,000 1,175,247.32 304 46,000 1,808,200.49
    06/03/2025 140 22,000 868,880.00 454 69,500 2,780,452.20
    07/03/2025 343 53,000 2,099,740.00 111 17,000 676,152.00
    10/03/2025 237 35,000 1,386,013.40 416 65,250 2,599,852.80
    11/03/2025 304 55,000 2,175,442.24 94 15,000 601,718.98
    12/03/2025 232 36,000 1,399,125.00 160 27,000 1,057,350.00
    13/03/2025 220 35,529 1,367,220.16 149 25,250 976,092.50
    14/03/2025 127 23,000 885,965.00 286 48,000 1,859,300.00
    17/03/2025 200 34,000 1,329,457.12 237 37,000 1,449,989.55
    18/03/2025 264 40,250 1,566,046.16 143 22,000 860,979.24
    19/03/2025 108 20,250 786,668.82 242 35,000 1,362,745.16
    20/03/2025 253 40,000 1,563,477.80 273 43,000 1,685,279.50
    21/03/2025 275 46,000 1,780,414.10 142 23,000 892,582.46
    24/03/2025 338 50,000 1,921,644.88 259 40,000 1,545,258.86
    25/03/2025 103 17,000 652,538.71 225 32,000 1,232,644.20
    26/03/2025 252 65,000 2,474,240.00 19 3,000 116,030.00
    27/03/2025 132 42,500 1,558,525.00 159 32,500 1,198,172.75
    28/03/2025 88 47,000 1,707,171.01 85 15,000 545,634.50
    31/03/2025 99 33,000 1,169,620.00 6 1,000 35,817.50
    01/04/2025 216 35,000 1,230,850.00 223 39,000 1,375,025.00
    02/04/2025 151 26,060 920,782.60 214 34,000 1,203,199.00
    03/04/2025 222 38,000 1,310,720.00 – – –
    04/04/2025 362 57,000 1,903,281.95 226 42,000 1,416,930.75
    07/04/2025 117 51,000 1,592,845.40 87 21,000 673,318.56
    08/04/2025 27 18,000 581,920.00 309 50,000 1,629,360.00
    09/04/2025 218 70,000 2,230,118.80 235 40,000 1,284,390.00
    10/04/2025 215 47,000 1,574,285.00 251 51,000 1,759,210.00
    11/04/2025 203 53,000 1,709,245.00 132 22,000 710,050.00
    14/04/2025 226 35,000 1,151,310.14 263 42,000 1,386,405.93
    15/04/2025 2 25 826.25 188 30,000 999,100.00
    16/04/2025 175 28,000 923,617.56 147 26,000 863,600.00
    17/04/2025 249 44,000 1,457,075.00 86 12,000 399,933.58
    22/04/2025 70 24,000 781,360.00 168 27,000 883,843.14
    23/04/2025 15 10,000 338,950.00 168 31,000 1,054,693.00
    24/04/2025 72 54,000 1,684,530.00 – – –
    25/04/2025 52 19,000 611,687.60 170 28,000 908,240.00
    28/04/2025 124 46,000 1,491,040.00 129 22,000 719,170.00
    29/04/2025 72 28,168 911,371.44 193 30,000 972,220.00
    30/04/2025 91 32,000 1,034,550.00 306 58,000 1,888,339.64
    02/05/2025 63 33,000 1,097,235.00 284 59,000 1,964,299.04
    05/05/2025 105 38,000 1,265,266.84 116 37,367 1,245,212.43
    06/05/2025 145 43,500 1,438,685.66 152 29,500 976,855.08
    07/05/2025 133 41,000 1,357,250.00 162 46,500 1,540,905.00
    08/05/2025 40 14,000 467,180.00 79 20,000 669,480.00
    09/05/2025 51 16,443 553,229.36 154 27,500 926,505.00
    12/05/2025 110 33,000 1,121,360.00 290 49,000 1,671,732.50
    13/05/2025 64 17,500 596,120.00 215 37,500 1,280,922.50
    14/05/2025 130 32,500 1,104,919.34 27 4,000 137,275.00
    15/05/2025 162 29,000 980,819.39 176 33,000 1,117,975.00
    16/05/2025 112 22,000 747,500.00 117 19,750 672,948.00
    19/05/2025 59 18,000 607,740.00 83 14,000 473,365.00
    20/05/2025 54 17,500 596,440.00 131 20,500 699,440.00
    21/05/2025 115 28,500 965,090.00 200 35,000 1,188,305.00
    22/05/2025 129 35,000 1,182,650.00 172 28,500 964,669.94
    23/05/2025 118 40,500 1,360,714.91 115 22,000 745,220.90
    26/05/2025 76 11,000 367,442.50 54 8,750 293,387.50
    27/05/2025 98 16,500 553,547.88 118 23,250 781,008.36
    28/05/2025 184 31,000 1,039,814.42 164 28,000 940,433.08
    29/05/2025 154 26,000 871,522.50 91 17,250 582,202.50
    30/05/2025 182 30,000 992,161.86 119 21,000 695,730.00
    02/06/2025 202 43,500 1,410,595.00 68 10,000 325,640.00
    03/06/2025 258 46,000 1,487,034.71 275 46,000 1,489,622.69
    04/06/2025 90 18,000 589,167.17 278 50,821 1,667,189.13
    05/06/2025 274 46,096 1,511,153.75 182 28,000 921,580.00
    06/06/2025 230 53,000 1,715,260.00 228 41,000 1,338,140.00
    09/06/2025 97 45,000 1,450,570.00 174 45,000 1,452,670.00
    10/06/2025 187 38,000 1,224,720.00 182 34,000 1,098,331.52
    11/06/2025 277 40,000 1,287,904.94 119 19,000 613,582.50
    12/06/2025 192 31,000 988,336.84 197 35,000 1,118,430.00
    13/06/2025 184 38,000 1,201,200.00 122 24,000 761,350.00
    16/06/2025 73 14,000 448,100.00 137 26,000 831,950.00
    17/06/2025 232 42,000 1,336,324.40 169 26,000 829,416.30
    18/06/2025 157 28,000 884,886.94 110 15,000 476,026.18
    19/06/2025 211 46,000 1,428,300.00 143 24,000 746,995.30
    20/06/2025 185 32,000 987,545.00 151 26,000 804,221.50
    23/06/2025 190 38,000 1,164,454.44 152 27,250 836,674.21
    24/06/2025 137 28,000 869,920.00 144 30,000 938,930.00
    25/06/2025 182 33,000 1,022,557.50 157 24,031 748,909.37
    26/06/2025 184 34,000 1,036,637.50 100 19,250 586,870.00
    27/06/2025 184 31,000 957,732.50 299 50,000 1,544,137.94
    30/06/2025 209 35,864 1,104,319.30 103 20,000 617,970.00

    ____________

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Dassault Systèmes : Half-year statement of the Liquidity contract entered into with Oddo BHF SCA

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release
    VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France — July 7, 2025

    Half-year statement of the Liquidity contract entered into with Oddo BHF SCA

    Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) announces that the following resources appeared on June 30, 2025 on the liquidity contract entered into with Oddo BHF SCA implemented on January 7, 2015 and updated on June 18, 2019:

    •       857,760 Dassault Systèmes shares, and
    • €6,017,034.60 in cash.

    It is reminded that:

          1.   at the time of the implementation of the liquidity contract, the following resources appeared on the liquidity account:

    • 0 Dassault Systèmes shares;
    • €10,000,000 in cash.

           2.   Pursuant to the amendment dated October 26, 2017, an additional contribution of €5,000,000 was made, increasing from €10,000,000 to €15,000,000 the resources of the liquidity agreement.

          3.   Pursuant to the amendment dated December 13, 2018, an additional contribution of €5,000,000 was made, increasing from €15,000,000 to €20,000,000 the resources of the liquidity agreement.

          4.   At the time of implementation of the latest liquidity contract on June 18, 2019, the following resources appeared on the liquidity account:

    • 62,557 Dassault Systèmes stocks, and;
    • €17,496,140.38 in cash.

    From January 1 to June 30, 2025 the following transactions have been carried out:

    • 17,751 purchases;
    • 19,411 sales.

    During the same period, the volume of securities traded, amounted to:

    • 3,643,224 Dassault Systèmes stocks and €126,147,082.30 purchases;
    • 3,456,479 Dassault Systèmes stocks and €121,024,482.91 sales.

    ___________

    PURCHASES SALES
    Date Transactions quantity Securities quantity Amount in EUR Transactions quantity Securities quantity Amount in EUR
    Total 17,751 3,643,224 126,147,082.30 19,411 3,456,479 121,024,482.91
    02/01/2025 116 23,300 774,615.00 99 16,000 532,836.20
    03/01/2025 116 22,000 717,600.00 19 3,000 98,150.00
    06/01/2025 – – – 338 55,000 1,846,030.00
    07/01/2025 112 30,000 1,032,735.05 178 35,000 1,206,390.00
    08/01/2025 233 41,000 1,407,168.00 218 44,000 1,513,342.09
    09/01/2025 146 24,118 827,832.74 182 30,000 1,032,100.00
    10/01/2025 275 47,000 1,607,700.00 80 15,000 517,870.00
    13/01/2025 203 35,000 1,177,810.00 292 44,625 1,507,672.50
    14/01/2025 199 29,000 987,920.00 103 21,250 725,767.50
    15/01/2025 233 41,000 1,391,860.00 233 41,000 1,397,607.65
    16/01/2025 73 33,000 1,128,830.00 256 43,000 1,474,340.00
    17/01/2025 56 9,250 318,825.00 184 32,250 1,115,922.50
    20/01/2025 168 31,000 1,075,669.22 214 38,000 1,321,535.00
    21/01/2025 150 23,010 800,766.20 203 38,000 1,327,020.00
    22/01/2025 49 7,111 253,994.36 226 35,000 1,251,802.96
    23/01/2025 159 27,000 970,780.00 152 31,000 1,117,210.00
    24/01/2025 41 7,000 253,029.98 128 45,000 1,638,012.52
    27/01/2025 267 45,000 1,646,032.80 190 53,000 1,947,390.00
    28/01/2025 61 10,000 372,135.00 169 27,000 1,009,520.00
    29/01/2025 140 24,000 907,340.00 235 37,000 1,404,194.26
    30/01/2025 159 29,250 1,101,300.00 151 27,000 1,018,900.00
    31/01/2025 118 27,500 1,044,075.00 169 30,000 1,141,730.00
    03/02/2025 164 34,000 1,261,077.50 119 21,000 782,980.00
    04/02/2025 134 30,000 1,125,220.00 309 90,000 3,505,300.00
    05/02/2025 101 17,000 684,550.00 190 31,000 1,254,410.00
    24/02/2025 91 16,000 629,087.60 100 15,135 596,021.15
    25/02/2025 169 33,000 1,289,737.38 54 10,000 392,830.00
    26/02/2025 168 32,500 1,269,362.94 218 37,500 1,466,047.50
    27/02/2025 282 50,000 1,920,850.00 84 12,000 463,210.00
    28/02/2025 229 42,000 1,585,350.00 145 30,500 1,155,159.33
    03/03/2025 17 2,000 77,320.00 289 48,000 1,869,735.00
    04/03/2025 311 47,000 1,825,295.42 116 17,000 665,656.99
    05/03/2025 198 30,000 1,175,247.32 304 46,000 1,808,200.49
    06/03/2025 140 22,000 868,880.00 454 69,500 2,780,452.20
    07/03/2025 343 53,000 2,099,740.00 111 17,000 676,152.00
    10/03/2025 237 35,000 1,386,013.40 416 65,250 2,599,852.80
    11/03/2025 304 55,000 2,175,442.24 94 15,000 601,718.98
    12/03/2025 232 36,000 1,399,125.00 160 27,000 1,057,350.00
    13/03/2025 220 35,529 1,367,220.16 149 25,250 976,092.50
    14/03/2025 127 23,000 885,965.00 286 48,000 1,859,300.00
    17/03/2025 200 34,000 1,329,457.12 237 37,000 1,449,989.55
    18/03/2025 264 40,250 1,566,046.16 143 22,000 860,979.24
    19/03/2025 108 20,250 786,668.82 242 35,000 1,362,745.16
    20/03/2025 253 40,000 1,563,477.80 273 43,000 1,685,279.50
    21/03/2025 275 46,000 1,780,414.10 142 23,000 892,582.46
    24/03/2025 338 50,000 1,921,644.88 259 40,000 1,545,258.86
    25/03/2025 103 17,000 652,538.71 225 32,000 1,232,644.20
    26/03/2025 252 65,000 2,474,240.00 19 3,000 116,030.00
    27/03/2025 132 42,500 1,558,525.00 159 32,500 1,198,172.75
    28/03/2025 88 47,000 1,707,171.01 85 15,000 545,634.50
    31/03/2025 99 33,000 1,169,620.00 6 1,000 35,817.50
    01/04/2025 216 35,000 1,230,850.00 223 39,000 1,375,025.00
    02/04/2025 151 26,060 920,782.60 214 34,000 1,203,199.00
    03/04/2025 222 38,000 1,310,720.00 – – –
    04/04/2025 362 57,000 1,903,281.95 226 42,000 1,416,930.75
    07/04/2025 117 51,000 1,592,845.40 87 21,000 673,318.56
    08/04/2025 27 18,000 581,920.00 309 50,000 1,629,360.00
    09/04/2025 218 70,000 2,230,118.80 235 40,000 1,284,390.00
    10/04/2025 215 47,000 1,574,285.00 251 51,000 1,759,210.00
    11/04/2025 203 53,000 1,709,245.00 132 22,000 710,050.00
    14/04/2025 226 35,000 1,151,310.14 263 42,000 1,386,405.93
    15/04/2025 2 25 826.25 188 30,000 999,100.00
    16/04/2025 175 28,000 923,617.56 147 26,000 863,600.00
    17/04/2025 249 44,000 1,457,075.00 86 12,000 399,933.58
    22/04/2025 70 24,000 781,360.00 168 27,000 883,843.14
    23/04/2025 15 10,000 338,950.00 168 31,000 1,054,693.00
    24/04/2025 72 54,000 1,684,530.00 – – –
    25/04/2025 52 19,000 611,687.60 170 28,000 908,240.00
    28/04/2025 124 46,000 1,491,040.00 129 22,000 719,170.00
    29/04/2025 72 28,168 911,371.44 193 30,000 972,220.00
    30/04/2025 91 32,000 1,034,550.00 306 58,000 1,888,339.64
    02/05/2025 63 33,000 1,097,235.00 284 59,000 1,964,299.04
    05/05/2025 105 38,000 1,265,266.84 116 37,367 1,245,212.43
    06/05/2025 145 43,500 1,438,685.66 152 29,500 976,855.08
    07/05/2025 133 41,000 1,357,250.00 162 46,500 1,540,905.00
    08/05/2025 40 14,000 467,180.00 79 20,000 669,480.00
    09/05/2025 51 16,443 553,229.36 154 27,500 926,505.00
    12/05/2025 110 33,000 1,121,360.00 290 49,000 1,671,732.50
    13/05/2025 64 17,500 596,120.00 215 37,500 1,280,922.50
    14/05/2025 130 32,500 1,104,919.34 27 4,000 137,275.00
    15/05/2025 162 29,000 980,819.39 176 33,000 1,117,975.00
    16/05/2025 112 22,000 747,500.00 117 19,750 672,948.00
    19/05/2025 59 18,000 607,740.00 83 14,000 473,365.00
    20/05/2025 54 17,500 596,440.00 131 20,500 699,440.00
    21/05/2025 115 28,500 965,090.00 200 35,000 1,188,305.00
    22/05/2025 129 35,000 1,182,650.00 172 28,500 964,669.94
    23/05/2025 118 40,500 1,360,714.91 115 22,000 745,220.90
    26/05/2025 76 11,000 367,442.50 54 8,750 293,387.50
    27/05/2025 98 16,500 553,547.88 118 23,250 781,008.36
    28/05/2025 184 31,000 1,039,814.42 164 28,000 940,433.08
    29/05/2025 154 26,000 871,522.50 91 17,250 582,202.50
    30/05/2025 182 30,000 992,161.86 119 21,000 695,730.00
    02/06/2025 202 43,500 1,410,595.00 68 10,000 325,640.00
    03/06/2025 258 46,000 1,487,034.71 275 46,000 1,489,622.69
    04/06/2025 90 18,000 589,167.17 278 50,821 1,667,189.13
    05/06/2025 274 46,096 1,511,153.75 182 28,000 921,580.00
    06/06/2025 230 53,000 1,715,260.00 228 41,000 1,338,140.00
    09/06/2025 97 45,000 1,450,570.00 174 45,000 1,452,670.00
    10/06/2025 187 38,000 1,224,720.00 182 34,000 1,098,331.52
    11/06/2025 277 40,000 1,287,904.94 119 19,000 613,582.50
    12/06/2025 192 31,000 988,336.84 197 35,000 1,118,430.00
    13/06/2025 184 38,000 1,201,200.00 122 24,000 761,350.00
    16/06/2025 73 14,000 448,100.00 137 26,000 831,950.00
    17/06/2025 232 42,000 1,336,324.40 169 26,000 829,416.30
    18/06/2025 157 28,000 884,886.94 110 15,000 476,026.18
    19/06/2025 211 46,000 1,428,300.00 143 24,000 746,995.30
    20/06/2025 185 32,000 987,545.00 151 26,000 804,221.50
    23/06/2025 190 38,000 1,164,454.44 152 27,250 836,674.21
    24/06/2025 137 28,000 869,920.00 144 30,000 938,930.00
    25/06/2025 182 33,000 1,022,557.50 157 24,031 748,909.37
    26/06/2025 184 34,000 1,036,637.50 100 19,250 586,870.00
    27/06/2025 184 31,000 957,732.50 299 50,000 1,544,137.94
    30/06/2025 209 35,864 1,104,319.30 103 20,000 617,970.00

    ____________

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Jobs boost as new fighter jet HQ opens in Reading in key programme milestone

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Jobs boost as new fighter jet HQ opens in Reading in key programme milestone

    A flagship headquarters that will support delivery of a supersonic stealth fighter jet has opened in Reading, where hundreds of skilled personnel will be based.

    • Opening of Global Combat Air Programme flagship headquarters to support the delivery of a supersonic stealth fighter jet, equipped with cutting-edge technologies.
    • The programme already supports over 3,500 UK jobs, 1,000 additional apprenticeships, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change, with more to follow as the programme develops.
    • New figures show defence industry jobs in the South East have increased by 4,500 in just 12 months.

    The new global HQ has been opened today (7 July) in a significant milestone for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) – a joint initiative between the UK, Japan and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet. 

    The facility will host the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO) and a joint venture company, called Edgewing, bringing together three industry partners – BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy), and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. (Japan) – responsible for the design and development of the aircraft.

    Opened by Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP today, the new multinational headquarters will help deliver the GCAP programme, bringing together the best minds from across three governments and industry to drive innovation and strengthen each country’s combat air industrial capability, supporting the vision of the Strategic Defence Review.  

    The opening comes on the same day as the Defence Secretary met virtually with Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani to discuss the latest progress on GCAP. The programme is already creating thousands of highly skilled jobs across the UK, Japan, and Italy, including new apprentice and graduate roles, and supporting the strong relationship between industry and the Armed Forces of the three nations.

    There are currently more than 3,500 people, including engineers and programmers, working on GCAP in the UK. A further 1,000 have undertaken GCAP-related apprenticeships or training schemes, supporting the Government’s Plan for Change by driving defence as an engine for economic growth. Many more will follow as the GCAP programme develops in the years ahead.

    Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:

    Opening of this global HQ in Reading underlines the UK’s full commitment to GCAP and demonstrates the steps we are taking with our partners to deliver for defence.

    The Strategic Defence Review captured that GCAP will deliver more than cutting-edge military capabilities. It already supports over 3,500 UK jobs, with many more to follow as the programme develops. It is also sustaining a world-leading skilled workforce for the UK’s combat air industry and delivering on the government’s Plan for Change. 

    Through this work we are helping to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of combat air power innovation for decades to come and that defence is engine for growth across the country.

    Newly published figures show 151,000 UK jobs are directly supported by the MOD’s spend with industry, an increase of 14,000 on the previous year. 4,500 of the additional jobs are in the South East, including Reading, as roles in the region jumped to a total of 38,700.

    The opening of the HQ comes after the government announced a historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to keep the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: General Assembly Takes Up Draft Resolution on Situation in Afghanistan

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Seventy-ninth Session

    83rd Meeting* (AM)

    The General Assembly will hold a debate on the situation in Afghanistan and on the Secretary-General’s latest report on the country (document A/79/947).  The report provides an update on the activities of the United Nations in Afghanistan, including political, humanitarian and human rights efforts. The 193-member organ will also take action on the related draft resolution (document A/79/L.100) introduced by Germany.

    …

    __________

    * The 82nd Meeting was not covered.

    For information media. Not an official record.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Nations are increasingly ‘playing the field’ when it comes to US and China – a new book explains explains why ‘active nonalignment’ is on the march

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Jorge Heine, Outgoing Interim Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, Boston University

    Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, center, flanked by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaks at the summit of Group of 20 leading economies in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 19, 2024. Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images

    In 2020, as Latin American countries were contending with the triple challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, a global economic shock and U.S. policy under the first Trump administration, Jorge Heine, research professor at Boston University and a former Chilean ambassador, in association with two colleagues, Carlos Fortin and Carlos Ominami, put forward the notion of “active nonalignment.”


    Polity Books

    Five years on, the foreign policy approach is more relevant than ever, with trends including the rise of the Global South and the fragmentation of the global order, encouraging countries around the world to reassess their relationships with both the United States and China.

    It led Heine, along with Fortin and Ominami, to follow up on their original arguments in a new book, “The Non-Aligned World,” published in June 2025.

    The Conversation spoke with Heine on what is behind the push toward active nonalignment, and where it may lead.

    For those not familiar, what is active nonalignment?

    Active nonalignment is a foreign policy approach in which countries put their own interests front and center and refuse to take sides in the great power rivalry between the U.S. and China.

    It takes its cue from the Non-Aligned Movement of the 1950s and 1960s but updates it to the realities of the 21st century. Today’s rising Global South is very different from the “Third World” that made up the Non-Aligned Movement. Countries like India, Turkey, Brazil and Indonesia have greater economic heft and wherewithal. They thus have more options than in the past.

    They can pick and choose policies in accordance with what is in their national interests. And because there is competition between Washington and Beijing to win over such countries’ hearts and minds, those looking to promote a nonaligned agenda have greater leverage.

    Traditional international relations literature suggests that in relations between nations, you can either “balance,” meaning take a strong position against another power, or “bandwagon” – that is, go along with the wishes of that power. The notion was that weaker states couldn’t balance against the Great Powers because they don’t have the military power to do so, so they had to bandwagon.

    What we are saying is that there is an intermediate approach: hedging. Countries can hedge their bets or equivocate by playing one power off the other. So, on some issues you side with the U.S., and others you side with China.

    Thus, the grand strategy of active nonalignment is “playing the field,” or in other words, searching for opportunities among what is available in the international environment. This means being constantly on the lookout for potential advantages and available resources – in short, being active, rather than passive or reactive.

    So active nonalignment is not so much a movement as it is a doctrine.

    Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba, right, and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser attend the first Conference of Non-Aligned Countries in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961.
    Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    It’s been five years since you first came up with the idea of active nonalignment. Why did you think it was time to revisit it now?

    The notion of active nonalignment came up during the first Trump administration and in the context of a Latin America hit by the triple-whammy of U.S. pressure, a pandemic and the ensuing recession – which in Latin America translated into the biggest economic downturn in 120 years, a 6.6% drop of regional gross domestic product in 2020.

    ANA was intended as a guide for Latin American countries to navigate those difficult moments, and it led us to the publication of a symposium volume with contributions by six former Latin American foreign ministers in November 2021, in which we elaborated on the concept.

    Three months later, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the reaction to it by many countries in Asia and Africa, nonalignment was back with a vengeance.

    Countries like India, Pakistan, South Africa and Indonesia, among others, took positions that were at odds with the West on Ukraine. Many of them, though not all, condemned Russian aggression but also wanted no part in the West’s sanctions on Moscow. These sanctions were seen as unwarranted and as an expression of Western double standards – no sanctions were applied on the U.S. for invading Iraq, of course.

    And then there were the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the resulting war in the Gaza Strip. Countries across the Global South strongly condemned the Hamas attacks, but the West’s response to the subsequent deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians brought home the notion of double standards when it came to international human rights.

    Why weren’t Palestinians deserving of the same compassion as Ukrainians? For many in the Global South, that question hit very hard – the idea that “human rights are limited to Europeans and people who looked like them did not go down well.”

    Thus, South Africa brought a case against Israel in the International Court of Justice alleging genocide, and Brazil spearheaded ceasefire efforts at the United Nations.

    A third development is the expansion of the BRICS bloc of economies from its original five members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – to 10 members. Although China and Russia are not members of the Global South, those other founding members are, and the BRICS group has promoted key issues on the Global South’s agenda. The addition of countries such as Egypt and Ethiopia has meant that BRICS has increasingly taken on the guise of the Global South forum. Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leading proponent of BRICS, is keen on advancing this Global South agenda.

    All three of these developments have made active nonalignment more relevant than ever before.

    How are China and the US responding to active nonalignment – or are they?

    I’ll give you two examples: Angola and Argentina.

    In Angola, the African country that has received most Chinese cooperation to the tune of US$45 billion, you now have the U.S. financing what is known as the Lobito Corridor – a railway line that stretches from the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Angola’s Atlantic coast.

    Ten years ago, the notion that the U.S. would be financing railway projects in southern Africa would have been considered unfathomable. Yet it has happened. Why? Because China has built significant railway lines in countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia, and the U.S. realized that it was being left behind.

    For the longest time, the U.S. would condemn such Chinese-financed infrastructure projects via the “Belt and Road Initiative” as nothing but “debt-trap diplomacy” designed to saddle developing nations with “white elephants” nobody needed. But a couple of years ago, that tune changed: The U.S. and Europe realized that there is a big infrastructure deficit in Asia, Africa and Latin America that China was stepping in to reduce – and the West was nowhere to be seen in this critical area.

    In short, the West changed it approach – and countries like Angola are now able to play the U.S. off against China for its own national interests.

    Then take Argentina. In 2023, Javier Milei was elected president on a strong anti-China platform. He said his government would have nothing to do with Beijing. But just two years later, Milei announced in an Economist interview that he is a great admirer of Beijing.

    Why? Because Argentina has a very significant foreign debt, and Milei knew that a continued anti-China stance would mean a credit line from Beijing would likely not be renewed. The Argentinian president was under pressure from the International Monetary Fund and Washington to let the credit line with China lapse, but Milei refused to do so and managed to hold his own, playing both sides against the middle.

    Milei is a populist conservative; Brazil’s Lula a leftist. So is active nonalignment immune to ideological differences?

    Absolutely. When people ask me what the difference is between traditional nonalignment and active nonalignment, one of the most obvious things is that the latter is nonideological – it can be used by people of the right, left and center. It is a guide to action, a compass to navigate the waters of a highly troubled world, and can be used by governments of very different ideological hues.

    Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentina President Javier Milei at the 66th Summit of leaders of the Mercosur trading bloc in Buenos Aires on July 3, 2025.
    Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images

    The book talks a lot about the fragmentation of the rules-based order. Where do you see this heading?

    There is little doubt that the liberal international order that framed world politics from 1945 to 2016 has come to an end. Some of its bedrock principles, like multilateralism, free trade and respect for international law and existing international treaties, have been severely undermined.

    We are now in a transitional stage. The notion of the West as a geopolitical entity, as we knew it, has ceased to exist. We now have the extraordinary situation where illiberal forces in Hungary, Germany and Poland, among other places, are being supported by those in power in both Washington and Moscow.

    And this decline of the West has not come about because of any economic issue – the U.S. still represents around 25% of global GDP, much as it did in 1970 – but because of the breakdown of the trans-Atlantic alliance.

    So we are moving toward a very different type of world order – and one in which the Global South has the opportunity to have much more of a role, especially if it deploys active nonalignment.

    How have events since Trump’s inauguration played into your argument?

    The notion of active nonalignment was triggered by the first Trump administration’s pressure on Latin American countries. I would argue that the measures undertaken in Trump’s second administration – the tariffs imposed on 90 countries around the world; the U.S. leaving the Paris climate agreement, the World Health Organization and the U.N. Human Rights Council; and other “America First” policies – have only underscored the validity of active nonalignment as a foreign policy approach.

    The pressures on countries across the Global South are very strong, and there is a temptation to give in to Trump and align with U.S. Yet, all indications are that simply giving in to Trump’s demands isn’t a recipe for success. Those countries that have gone down the route of giving in to Trump’s demands only see more demands after that. Countries need a different approach – and that can be found in active nonalignment.

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

    – ref. Nations are increasingly ‘playing the field’ when it comes to US and China – a new book explains explains why ‘active nonalignment’ is on the march – https://theconversation.com/nations-are-increasingly-playing-the-field-when-it-comes-to-us-and-china-a-new-book-explains-explains-why-active-nonalignment-is-on-the-march-260234

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Permit parking ballot for parts of Devonport and Ham wards

    Source: City of Plymouth

    People living in some areas of Plymouth’s Devonport and Ham wards are being asked for their views on the potential introduction of residents’ parking permits, following a recent survey.

    The survey, carried out between September and October 2024, asked around 14,000 households for their feedback on issues caused by commuter parking in residential streets around the dockyard.

    We commissioned the survey following resident complaints over a number of years that workers park in their streets and make it difficult for them to park near their homes. The aim was to gauge their views on the scale of the problem and potential solutions, before looking at possible next steps.

    After careful consideration of the feedback we are now balloting residents in seven areas, covering specific streets within Morice Town, Keyham and Weston Mill.

    Each of these seven areas meet both of the following key criteria:

    • residents reported difficulty parking in their streets due to non-residents (commuters) parking there
    • and the majority said they would be open to residents’ parking permits being introduced to tackle the problem

    We are asking residents in each area whether they would or would not like a controlled parking zone to be introduced, explaining what this would involve. A controlled parking zone can only be progressed if more than half of its residents respond and more than half of those who cast a vote are in support.

    Councillor John Stephens, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said: “People living around the dockyard have been telling us for many years that they struggle to park but opinions vary on how this could or should be tackled.

    “We wanted to get a more detailed insight into what people thought the specific challenges and causes were, which is why we invited so many households to take part in the survey. The feedback has been really useful and it’s clear not everyone shares the same views on what the issues are and what should happen.

    “One thing we do know is there are streets where most people who responded felt that commuter parking was the problem and were very receptive to the idea of permits – which is why we are now balloting these seven zones as a first step.”

    Some survey respondents said they experienced difficulty parking but they felt it was mainly due to the number of cars owned by their neighbours compared to spaces. Residents’ parking permits would not resolve this issue and are therefore not being proposed in these areas.

    Maps showing the zones being balloted, along with some questions and answers, can be viewed on our parking ballot page.

    The ballot will run until Thursday 14 August. Residents in the ballot areas will receive letters advising how to respond online or, if they don’t have internet access, request a paper copy or complete it over the phone.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Exercise to test plans to protect the public in the event of an incident at Devonport

    Source: City of Plymouth

    A routine exercise is to be held to test how multiple agencies would work together to protect the public in the unlikely event of a radiation emergency at Babcock’s Devonport facility.

    Plans for dealing with a radiation incident at the co-located site, which supports nuclear powered submarines for the Royal Navy, are set out in the Devonport Off-site Emergency Plan. This outlines how the Ministry of Defence, Babcock International Group (Babcock), emergency services, Plymouth City Council, UK Health Security Agency and other responding agencies, would work together to protect the public.

    The Devonport Off-site Emergency Plan is tested regularly through ‘Short Sermon’ exercises which involve the full range of agencies that would be involved in an emergency response.

    The latest exercise, which will be held over three days, will assess how multiple organisations would be notified of an incident, how the public would be informed and kept up-to-date, decision making and communication around public health and how radiation monitoring would be managed.

    Many Plymouth residents are already familiar with the plans for managing an emergency. The Devonport Off-site Emergency Plan includes a Detailed Emergency Planning Zone, which extends 1.5km from the submarine berths at the Dockyard.

    Residents living in the zone – which also includes a small area of Torpoint and Wilcove in South East Cornwall – receive a booklet about what to do in the event of a radiation emergency. This is updated and reissued every three years. The booklet is also available on the City Council’s website.

    Residents living near the site will also be familiar with the emergency siren, which is tested at 11.30am every Monday morning and used to alert personnel on the Devonport site of an incident.

    Part of the public protection measures outlined in the plan – and referenced in the leaflet – is the distribution of stable iodine tablets to residents living in areas that might be impacted in the unlikely event of a release of radioactive material into the atmosphere. The tablets help protect the thyroid from harmful effects of radioactive iodine.

    The exercise will involve personnel from the Devonport site simulating the distribution of tablets to some nearby households by posting a leaflet through doors. This part of the exercise is scheduled to take place on Thursday 10 July. Residents receiving the leaflet will not need to take any action.

    A Devonport emergency text and phone alert system will also be tested on 10 July. Plymouth City Council, which manages the alerts, will send a test message to everyone who has signed up to receive the emergency notifications for Devonport. Recipients will not need to take any action.

    The alerts are just one of the methods for warning and informing the public in the event of a major incident at the Devonport Site, which is regulated by statute. The Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019 (REPPIR 2019) requires local authorities to have a plan to safeguard the public.

    Councillor Sally Haydon, Plymouth City Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for community safety, said: “Many Plymouth residents are familiar with the weekly test of the dockyard siren at 11.30am on Monday mornings but there are also extensive plans in place for protecting the public in the unlikely event of a radiation emergency at the Devonport Site.

    “The Council has a duty to ensure the plans are tested regularly so both the site regulators and the public can be assured that everything is in place in the event it is ever needed.

    “The exercise is also a useful opportunity to remind residents that they can sign up to receive text or phone alerts in the event of an emergency. We will be testing the emergency notification system and anyone who is not yet signed up for the free alerts still has time to do so before we test it. There’s information about how to do this on the Council’s website, where you can also find the off-site emergency plan and the public information booklet explaining what to do in the event of an emergency.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Partners across Derby unite to create a safer, more vibrant city centre

    Source: City of Derby

    A safer, more welcoming and vibrant night-time experience in Derby is being made possible thanks to a powerful partnership between local businesses, organisations, and community leaders. Their collective efforts are helping shape a city centre where people feel confident to visit, explore and enjoy Derby City; especially after dark.

    This work has recently earned Derby the prestigious Purple Flag accreditation, a national recognition awarded by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) to places that meet high standards for managing the evening and night-time economy.

    Organisations including Marketing Derby, Derby’s Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), the University of Derby, Derbion, Derbyshire Police, Vaillant, and Derby Museums have all played a vital role in improving safety, accessibility, and cultural appeal in the city after hours.

    From student safety initiatives led by the University of Derby, to late-night shopping and events at Derbion, to visible policing and coordinated city centre management by the BIDs, the efforts are wide-ranging and deeply collaborative. Companies like Vaillant are also engaging with community initiatives, reinforcing the importance of a collective approach to civic responsibility. This collaborative work not only supports Derby’s night-time economy, but also builds a stronger, more inclusive city one where everyone can feel proud to take part in its growth.

    Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Cabinet Member for City-Centre, Regeneration, Strategy, Policy and leader of Derby City Council, said:

    The Purple Flag is a powerful symbol of what we can achieve when our city works together. From the police and universities to businesses, venues and volunteers, everyone has a part to play in making Derby safer, more welcoming and more vibrant after dark. This isn’t just about awards — it’s about people in Derby. It’s about making sure everyone, from students to families to visitors, feels proud and confident to enjoy our city centre.

    We’re committed to building on this success, working with partners now and into the future to keep improving Derby’s evening experience for all; this includes the new appointment of a City Centre Manager”

    You can learn more about the Purple Flag award on the ATCM website.

    There is plenty going on in Derby, learn more about what’s on by visiting the Derby LIVE webpage. You can learn more about Derby Nightlife on the Visit Derby webpage.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Executive Secretary affirms UNECE support to implement Sevilla Commitment on development financing

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    The Sevilla Commitment adopted under the Chairmanship of Spain at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) and its related Platform for Action is a powerful recognition of the need to align financial flows and resources with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

    Leading a UNECE delegation in Sevilla, UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean welcomed the adoption of the Commitment, and highlighted UNECE’s readiness to support member States’ implementation through its normative work and practical tools.  

    Emphasizing financing for development “as a matter of solidarity, coherence, and shared responsibility”, she stressed that “in the UNECE region, we must not only increase the volume of sustainable finance, but also ensure that its use is strategic, equitable, and effective.” She further underscored UNECE’s commitment to deepen its partnerships with governments, investors, international financial institutions, and civil society to translate these commitments into concrete, measurable progress. 

    In a series of high-profile engagements, the Executive Secretary stressed the need to align financial systems with the imperative of sustainability – from public budgets and tax systems to mobilizing private finance at scale – and to invest in resilient infrastructure, green and digital transitions, trade capacity and industrial policy, social protection and care systems, and climate action. UNECE works with countries to embed sustainability into regulatory frameworks and standards, covering areas including infrastructure, transport, trade, housing, and transboundary environmental governance, thus helping to improve investment conditions. 

    Cooperation to unlock financing in shared basins 

    Among areas of focus was the importance of having strong frameworks in place to finance development in shared basins, showcasing the role of the UN Water Convention, serviced by UNECE. As highlighted in in discussions co-organised with Switzerland and the Netherlands in partnership with the UN Capital Development Fund, water is a key enabler for sustainable development yet faces a huge financing gap: according to OECD, $6.7 trillion are needed by 2030 and $22.6 trillion by 2050 to reach SDG 6. Since 60% of global freshwater is in shared basins, strong cooperation – through legal frameworks, joint institutions, and mechanisms for data sharing and coordination – helps attract and de-risk investment and multiplies benefits for countries. 

    Aiming to realise this potential, countries made a call to action to enhance cross-border cooperation for financing in shared basins, recalling the strong momentum for the UN Water Convention. This is illustrated by the accession just last week of Bangladesh as the first Party from South Asia, joining 55 Parties from across the pan-European region, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. 20 more countries are in the process of accession.  

    Leveraging private finance 

    To complement public financing, the Sevilla Commitment highlights the urgency of mobilizing private investment at scale and, crucially, aligning it with sustainable development. Despite the UNECE region being home to major capital markets and global institutional investors, long-term investment in inclusive, green, and resilient development remains insufficient.  

    In various exchanges, Ms. Molcean welcomed the Commitment’s emphasis on ensuring that private finance is additional to public resources, transparent, and aligned with the SDGs. UNECE contributes to this agenda through the development and application of its Public-Private Partnership and Infrastructure Evaluation and Rating System (PIERS). Already used to evaluate SDG credentials of 284 projects in 60 countries and 24 sectors worth $118 billion, PIERS assesses projects not only for financial viability, but also for their impact on people, planet, prosperity, partnerships, and governance.  

    Regional cooperation  

    Joining forces at FfD4, the UN Regional Commissions emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in financing for development, from unlocking financial innovation to ensuring follow-up of the Sevilla Commitment’s objectives. In particular, the regional level can help identify collective priorities, share policy innovations, and provide peer support.  

    UNECE continues to facilitate such cooperation by convening platforms, producing policy guidelines, and fostering cooperation in areas ranging from transport and trade facilitation to statistics and urban development.  

    Local action 

    The Executive Secretary further highlighted the importance of action at the local level, considering the direct impact on populations of policies and actions in cities. Addressing the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, the Executive Secretary urged that the local level must be adequately financed to localize the SDGs and to ensure full implementation. UNECE’s pioneering Forum of Mayors provides a platform to promote exchange between cities and give them a voice at the multilateral level. The 5th Forum of Mayors will be held 6-7 October 2025 in Geneva, addressing issues including local climate finance mechanisms.   

    Image credit: UN

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Social media can support or undermine democracy – it comes down to how it’s designed

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lisa Schirch, Professor of the Practice of Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame

    A protester calls out Facebook for facilitating the spread of disinformation. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

    Every design choice that social media platforms make nudges users toward certain actions, values and emotional states.

    It is a design choice to offer a news feed that combines verified news sources with conspiracy blogs – interspersed with photos of a family picnic – with no distinction between these very different types of information. It is a design choice to use algorithms that find the most emotional or outrageous content to show users, hoping it keeps them online. And it is a design choice to send bright red notifications, keeping people in a state of expectation for the next photo or juicy piece of gossip.

    Platform design is a silent pilot steering human behavior.

    Social media platforms are bringing massive changes to how people get their news and how they communicate and behave. For example, the “endless scroll” is a design feature that aims to keep users scrolling and never reaching the bottom of a page where they might decide to pause.

    I’m a political scientist who researches aspects of technology that support democracy and social cohesion, and I’ve observed how the design of social media platforms affects them.

    Democracy is in crisis globally, and technology is playing a role. Most large platforms optimize their designs for profit, not community or democracy. Increasingly, Big Tech is siding with autocrats, and the platforms’ designs help keep society under control.

    There are alternatives, however. Some companies design online platforms to defend democratic values.

    Optimized for profit

    A handful of tech billionaires dominate the global information ecosystem. Without public accountability or oversight, they determine what news shows up on your feed and what data they collect and share.

    Social media companies say they are in the business of connecting people, but they make most of their money as data brokers and advertising firms. Time spent on platforms translates to profit. The more time you spend online, the more ads you see and the more data they can collect from you.

    This ad-based business model demands designs that encourage endless scrolling, social comparison and emotional engagement. Platforms routinely claim they merely reflect user behavior, yet internal documents and whistleblower accounts have shown that toxic content often gets a boost because it captures people’s attention.

    Tech companies design platforms based on extensive psychological research. Examples include flashing notifications that make your phone jump and squeak, colorful rewards when others like your posts, and algorithms that push out the most emotional content to stimulate your most base emotions of anger, shame or glee.

    How social media algorithms work, explained.

    Optimizing designs for user engagement undermines mental health and society. Social media sites favor hype and scandal over factual accuracy, and public manipulation over designing for safety, privacy and user agency. The resulting prevalence of polarizing false and deceptive information is corrosive to democracy.

    Many analysts identified these problems nearly a decade ago. But now there is a new threat: Some tech executives are looking to capture political power to advance a new era of techno-autocracy.

    Optimized for political power

    A techno-autocracy is a political system where an authoritarian government uses technology to control its population. Techno-autocrats spread disinformation and propaganda, using fear tactics to demonize others and distract from corruption. They leverage massive amounts of data, artificial intelligence and surveillance to censor opponents.

    For example, China uses technology to monitor and surveil its population with public cameras. Chinese platforms like WeChat and Weibo automatically scan, block or delete messages and posts for sensitive words like “freedom of speech.” Russia promotes domestic platforms like VK that are closely monitored and partly owned by state-linked entities that use it to promote political propaganda.

    Over a decade ago, tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, and now Vice President JD Vance, began aligning with far-right political philosophers like Curtis Yarvin. They argue that democracy impedes innovation, favoring concentrated decision-making in corporate-controlled mini-states governed through surveillance. Embracing this philosophy of techno-autocracy, they moved from funding and designing the internet to reshaping government.

    Techno-autocrats weaponize social media platforms as part of their plan to dismantle democratic institutions.

    The political capture of both X and Meta also have consequences for global security. At Meta, Mark Zuckerberg removed barriers to right-wing propaganda and openly endorsed President Donald Trump’s agenda. Musk changed X’s algorithm to highlight right-wing content, including Russian propaganda.

    Designing tech for democracy

    Recognizing the power that platform design has on society, some companies are designing new civic participation platforms that support rather than undermine society’s access to verified information and places for public deliberation. These platforms offer design features that big tech companies could adopt for improving democratic engagement that can help counter techno-autocracy.

    In 2014, a group of technologists founded Pol.is, an open-source technology for hosting public deliberation that leverages data science. Pol.is enables participants to propose and vote on policy ideas using what they call “computational democracy.” The Pol.is design avoids personal attacks by having no “reply” button. It offers no flashy newsfeed, and it uses algorithms that identify areas of agreement and disagreement to help people make sense of a diversity of opinions. A prompt question asks for people to offer ideas and vote up or down on other ideas. People participate anonymously, helping to keep the focus on the issues and not the people.

    The civic participation platform Pol.is helps large numbers of people share their views without distractions or personal attacks.

    Taiwan used the Pol.is platform to enable mass civic engagement in the 2014 democracy movement. The U.K. government’s Collective Intelligence Lab used the platform to generate public discussion and generate new policy proposals on climate and health care policies. In Finland, a public foundation called Sitra uses Pol.is in its “What do you think, Finland?” public dialogues.

    Barcelona, Spain, designed a new participatory democracy platform called Decidim in 2017. Now used throughout Spain and Europe, Decidim enables citizens to collaboratively propose, debate and decide on public policies and budgets through transparent digital processes.

    Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Ressa founded Rappler Communities in 2023, a social network in the Philippines that combines journalism, community and technology. It aims to restore trust in institutions by providing safe spaces for exchanging ideas and connecting with neighbors, journalists and civil society groups. Rappler Communities offers the public data privacy and portability, meaning you can take your information – like photos, contacts or messages – from one app or platform and transfer it to another. These design features are not available on the major social media platforms.

    Rappler Communities is a social network in the Philippines that combines journalism, community and technology.
    Screenshot of Rappler Communities

    Tech designed for improving public dialogue is possible – and can even work in the middle of a war zone. In 2024, the Alliance for Middle East Peace began using Remesh.ai, an AI-based platform, to find areas of common ground between Israelis and Palestinians in order to advance the idea of a public peace process and identify elements of a ceasefire agreement.

    Platform designs are a form of social engineering to achieve some sort of goal – because they shape how people behave, think and interact – often invisibly. Designing more and better platforms to support democracy can be an antidote to the wave of global autocracy that is increasingly bolstered by tech platforms that tighten public control.

    Lisa Schirch receives funding from the Ford Foundation. I know the founder of Pol.is and Remesh platforms, mentioned in this article, as well as Maria Ressa of Rappler Communities.

    I will not benefit in any way from describing their work.

    – ref. Social media can support or undermine democracy – it comes down to how it’s designed – https://theconversation.com/social-media-can-support-or-undermine-democracy-it-comes-down-to-how-its-designed-257103

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Global Combat Air Programme Joint Statement: 7 July 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Global Combat Air Programme Joint Statement: 7 July 2025

    Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, Japanese Defense Minister NAKATANI Gen and UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey took part in a virtual meeting.

    On 7 July 2025, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, Japanese Defense Minister NAKATANI Gen and UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey took part in a virtual meeting and confirmed the following points:

    1. The three Ministers welcomed the announcement on 20 June by industry to officially launch Edgewing, a Joint Venture that brings together international aerospace leaders BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy) and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. (Japan).

    2. The three Ministers also welcomed the opening of the new headquarters in Reading for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) International Government Organisation (GIGO) and Edgewing. The GIGO and Edgewing will work together from the HQ, under the streamlined governance structure, delivering the programme at pace alongside teams from across the three nations.

    3. The three Ministers reaffirmed their strong and personal commitment to the programme, and confirmed to accelerate all the necessary work to conclude the first international contract between the GIGO and Edgewing by the end of this year. They also spoke of deepening trilateral cooperation for the shared objectives of GCAP and ensuring its continued success.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: TUV Action Prompts Investigation into Offensive City Hall Pride Window

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    The TUV has prompted a formal equality investigation into Belfast City Council’s decision to install a “Pride” window in City Hall, following a detailed complaint lodged by party secretary and equality spokesperson Ann McClure.
    The complaint, submitted on 24 June 2025 under Schedule 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, highlights serious breaches of the Council’s own Equality Scheme. Chief among the concerns is the inclusion in the window of a slogan that reads: “Save Sodomy from Ulster.”
    Ann McClure said:
    “Many people – including but by no means limited to those who value  Christian teaching – were appalled to see the slogan ‘Save Sodomy from Ulster’ glorified in a public building funded by ratepayers. This is not a neutral or inclusive message – it’s a provocation, and it makes a mockery of the idea that City Hall belongs to everyone in Belfast. Such vulgar language should have no place in our chief civil building in Belfast. It wouldn’t happen in relation to any other movement and frankly no section of society should be granted an exemption from public decency.
    “Such debasing of public discourse is something which needs to be resisted.
    “The Council had a legal duty to consider how this decision would affect people of faith and those with sincerely held beliefs about marriage and sexuality. That process never happened. No screening, no consultation, no effort to understand how this would impact the people of faith. Once TUV established this via a Freedom of Information  request, I felt compelled to take action.
    “I welcome the fact that following my complaint the Council has confirmed that it will now carry out an internal investigation. Under the Equality Scheme, a substantive response is due within 30 working days.
    “My complaint identifies four key failures:
    •     No Equality Screening: The Council relied on a 2012 EQIA unrelated to this specific window and admitted under FOI that no fresh screening was conducted.
    •     No Consultation with Religious Communities: Despite the Equality Scheme requiring engagement with affected groups, including those of religious belief, there is no evidence that churches or faith organisations were consulted.
    •     No Committee Report Addressing Equality Implications: It remains unclear whether any report was brought to committee with the required equality and good relations section.
    •     No Publication of Screening Outcomes: The absence of any published screening outcome breaches the Council’s duty under Section 4.20.
    “I am now calling on Belfast City Council to:
    1.    Immediately cover or remove the offensive portion of the window pending the investigation;
    2.    Undertake retrospective equality screening and proper consultation;
    3.    Apologise to faith communities who were ignored and disrespected by the process;
    4.    Reassert that shared civic buildings must reflect the diversity of all citizens, not just those with one ideological viewpoint.
    “This complaint is about ensuring that expression doesn’t come at the expense of others – especially in a shared public space and funded with public money.
    “I will continue to monitor this process closely and am prepared to escalate the matter to the Equality Commission if the Council fails to uphold its obligations under its Equality Scheme.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –