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Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: KGV Football Complex scores twice at prestigious awards ceremony

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    These awards recognise the outstanding collaboration and integration that underpinned the successful delivery of the £8.1 million KGV Football Complex. Delivered by Portsmouth City Council thanks to funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, the project transformed the area into a state-of-the-art football and youth facility in the north of Portsmouth.

    These awards recognises the strong teamwork behind the creation of the £8.1 million KGV Football Complex. Portsmouth City Council and the Football Foundation worked together to create a modern football and youth centre, replacing an outdated, vandalised pavilion with no all weather pitches.

    Funded by Portsmouth City Council, the UK Government (including the Youth Investment Fund and Changing Places Fund), and the Football Foundation, the project exemplifies how early engagement, a shared vision, and integrated delivery can overcome complex challenges and deliver exceptional outcomes.

    From the outset, Portsmouth City Council brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including funders, community groups, and technical experts, to co-create a facility that meets the strategic needs of the city. The project was supported by the council’s in-house teams, including parks and open spaces officers, procurement experts, architects, landscape architects, construction inspectors, quantity surveyors, mechanical & electrical engineers, and buildings services professionals.

    In addition, the appointment of Hampshire FA as the future operator of the complex took place at the same time as the procurement of LST Projects as the design and build contractor. This unique but critical collaborative arrangement ensured that the design was informed early on by operational insight.

    Key to the project’s success was:

    • Early and ongoing engagement with all partners and the local community to shape the scheme.
    • Integrated delivery across disciplines, ensuring design, construction, and operational needs were aligned.
    • Effective risk management and resolution of complex land ownership issues through collaborative decision-making.
    • Fair and transparent supply chain practices, including prompt payments and clear communication across all tiers.

    Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council said:

    “These awards are a powerful endorsement of what can be achieved when we work together. The KGV Football Complex is a shining example of collaboration, bringing together partners, professionals, and the community to create something truly special for Portsmouth.”

    Cllr Lee Hunt, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure and Sport said:

    “This demonstrates our commitment to providing excellent sports facilities across Portsmouth, which are accessible to all and support a wide range of activities. We are only part of the way through on our journey, with more exciting developments to come in the coming years which will provide a sustainable future for sport and leisure across the city.”

    Jimmy Marsh, Senior Quantity Surveyor from LST Projects said:

    “It was a real pleasure and privilege for the LST team to work collaboratively with PCC and the FA throughout the entire build process.  Re- purposing the derelict pavilion and surrounding areas into an excellent sporting and amenity facility has been a source of huge pride and to be recognised by the SECBE with two awards is a fantastic achievement for all of us involved.”

    Neil Casser, Hampshire FA CEO said:

    “We are delighted that King George V Football Complex was recognised as a winner at the SECBE Construction Industry Excellence Awards in the Integration and Collaborative Working category. It is a fitting tribute to the team effort that made the project possible.  King George V Football Complex is a fantastic hub site and will be enjoyed by many generations in the city and surrounding areas for years to come.  We also congratulate Portsmouth City Council for also scooping the “Client of the Year” award making it a double success.”

    Since opening in October 2024 under the stewardship of Hampshire FA, the KGV Football Complex has welcomed over 70,000 visits, with peak usage reaching 81% capacity. It is already transforming grassroots sport and youth engagement in the city, providing a vibrant, inclusive space for positive activity.

    The Football Foundation is the Premier League, The FA and Government’s charity that delivers outstanding grassroots facilities, more and better places to play, transforming lives and communities where it is needed most.

    The Foundation’s goal is to unlock the power of pitches ensuring every community has a great place to play regardless of gender, race, disability or place.

    Since its creation in 2000, the Foundation has invested £1.2 billion to improve grassroots facilities across the country – including 1,200 3G pitches, 14,000 grass pitches and 1,600 changing rooms. This has attracted an additional £1.5 billion of partnership funding – totalling over £2.7 billion investment in grassroots football so far.

    In partnership with local authorities, County FAs and other community stakeholders, the Foundation has created Local Football Facility Plans for every local authority in England. These Plans act as a blueprint for providing the grassroots football facility improvements that each community needs and deserves across the country.

    Visit footballfoundation.org.uk for more information on the Foundation and view the Plan for your local area.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Businesses showcase tough justice tech to Government ministers

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Businesses showcase tough justice tech to Government ministers

    Thousands of criminals could soon be managed by revolutionary new technology to enhance how the justice system monitors offenders and cuts reoffending.

    • Businesses pitch new technology to Ministers that will deliver safer streets, contributing to the Government’s Plan for Change  
    • Strict 24/7 surveillance and enhanced AI could monitor criminals in the community more closely than ever before 
    • New “smell-detector” AI device could detect substance abuse inside and outside prison

    On Tuesday 01 July, seven top tech companies pitched their ideas to the Prisons and Probation’s Minister, James Timpson, as part of a Dragon’s Den style pitch, after being whittled down from over 90 submissions.  

    The finalists included companies developing AI home monitoring which will toughen up punishment outside of prison. Cameras would be installed inside offenders’ homes, with artificial intelligence used to analyse offenders’ behaviours ensuring they comply with licence conditions.  

    Other radical tech ideas included ‘smell detector’ devices which use synthetic brain cells and AI to replicate the behaviour of a human nose. The tech will help deliver enhanced surveillance and detect the use of drugs, such as Spice or Fentanyl, offering prison and probation a swift way to detect drugs and boost staff safety.  

    Additional proposals included software to standardise how staff input information on offenders, alongside transcription tools to cut the administrative burden and cost to taxpayers, while allowing staff to focus more of their time on cutting crime. 

    The successful businesses will have their proposals considered for pilot rollouts, helping staff on the front line to tackle violence in prison and monitor offenders. 

    This follows the Government’s response to the Independent Sentencing Review, which recommended the greater use of technology and community sentencing in a bid to tackle the inherited crisis in our prisons system. 

    Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending Minister, James Timpson, said:  

    We inherited a justice system in crisis and in need of reform. Prisons and probation are working in analogue while tech drives forward a new digital age.

    That’s why we have invited companies to present bold new ideas to help us deliver tough punishment and enhanced surveillance. Embracing new technologies will help us to protect victims, reduce reoffending and cut crime as part of our Plan for Change.

    In the Spending Review, the Government announced that the Probation Service will receive up to £700 million, an almost 45% increase in funding. This new funding will mean tens of thousands more offenders can be tagged and monitored in the community.  

    These technological solutions follow the publication of recent research that confirms curfew tags, which keep offenders at home and off the streets during certain times, can reduce reoffending by 20 per cent. This demonstrates how even older technology is supporting punishment in the community and cutting crime.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Join dozens of others and Swap to Stop smoking

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Launched by the City of Wolverhampton Council last year, Swap to Stop provides free vaping kits and behavioural support to help people stop smoking.

    The service is delivered over a period of 12 weeks by trained members of staff who offer free vape starter kits alongside support and weekly ‘check-in’ sessions at community venues to help people on their quitting journey.

    Scores of people have already come forward to get help – with over 135 quitting as a result. Others are invited to sign up for free at Swap to Stop. http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/health-and-wellbeing/swap-to-stop  
    www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/health-and-wellbeing/swap-to-stop.

    The Government is offering a million free ‘Swap to Stop’ vaping kits as part of its aims for the country to become ‘smokefree’ by 2030. The council has made these available at a range of community venues, including the city’s eight Family Hubs and Central and Warstones libraries.

    Councillor Obaida Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Community, said: “Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your health and the health of those around you.

    “It is still the single largest preventable cause of death in England, accounting for around for 64,000 deaths annually. Almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to hospital with a smoking-related disease – but, when you stop smoking, there are almost immediate improvements to your health.

    “And it’s not just your body which will benefit, your purse or wallet will too. On average smokers spend around £40 per week on tobacco – and that means you could have around £2,000 extra to spend a year by quitting, or even more if you are a really heavy smoker.

    “Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking and is also one of the most effective tools for quitting, and it’s fantastic that over 135 residents have already been able to quit using the support available through Swap to Stop.

    “We are delighted to be extending the programme for another 12 months so, if you want to quit smoking, please sign up today.”

    For more help and support to stop smoking, please visit Quit Smoking. https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/health-and-wellbeing/quit-smoking. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Plan ahead: Dawsons Corner and Stanningley Bypass improvements enter next phase

    Source: City of Leeds

    Over four weeks starting on Saturday 26 July 2025, road repairs and resurfacing works will take place on the Stanningley Bypass, as part of the £44.179m Dawsons Corner and Stanningley Bypass improvement scheme.

    Road users are now being urged to prepare to plan ahead, as traffic management (contraflow where vehicles are directed to travel in the opposite direction to the normal flow of traffic) works begin later this month to make improvements to the A647/A6120 Dawsons Corner junction, with repairs and resurfacing works on the Stanningley Bypass.

    The work has been planned to coincide with the reduced levels of traffic over the school summer holidays, allowing for these works to progress as quickly as possible with some significant disruption expected to journeys over the coming weeks.

    Traffic management will be in place 24/7 along with 30mph speed limits to help complete this work efficiently and for the safety of all road users. During the set up and switch around of the traffic management, there will be partial closures of the bypass and some of the access/slip roads will have local diversions.  Access to Pudsey train station will be maintained at all times.

    The road traffic management system will safely allow repairs and surfacing works to take place, starting northbound from 8pm Saturday 26 July until 9 August and then southbound from 5am Sunday 10 August, until Sunday 24 August.

    The Owlcotes Shopping Centre slip road will be closed to facilitate changes to the traffic management on the following dates:

    • Saturday 26 July 8pm-5am
    • Saturday 9 August 8pm-5am
    • Saturday 23 August 8pm-5am
    • Sunday 24 August 8pm-5am (contingency date)

    Over the previous three summer holiday periods the council has carried out Stanningley Bypass joint and resurfacing repairs work, as part of the highway’s annual maintenance programme. The road works involve the repair of over 140 structures on Stanningley Bypass and associated resurfacing works.

    These changes to the junction when complete will reduce congestion and delays, helping to support economic growth across Leeds and Bradford, as well as improve air quality. Improvements will see better traffic flow, with bus journey times reduced and safer crossing facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.

    Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said:

    “The team are working hard to minimise disruption by planning, co-ordinating and sequencing large highways schemes across Leeds. They need careful planning with other works, not always in our control and events across our busy city. We have done lots of work to try and minimise the disruption these works will create, but what ever the amount of planning there may be some delays.

    “Starting from 26 July, to coincide with four weeks of the school summer holidays, please plan ahead when travelling between Bradford and Leeds (A647) or using the (A6120) outer ring road through Dawsons Corner. You will need to allow extra time for your journeys, be patient and follow the signed road diversions in place. For more information, please see the Dawsons Corner project website https://dawsonscorner.commonplace.is/.

    “We thank everyone for their ongoing patience while we continue to work hard to minimise the disruption over the summer and thank those who have already changed the way they travel into and around the city centre.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO summit mural unveiled in The Hague

    Source: NATO

    On Sunday 22 June, the Mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, unveiled the winning entries to NATO’s summit mural competition. Following successful editions in Vilnius (2023) and Washington (2024), the 2025 competition marked the third year in a row that NATO has invited young artists from across Europe and North America to submit designs encapsulating the spirit of the Alliance and the personality of the summit’s host city.

    Diederik Dijkgraaf from the Netherlands and Riivo Kruuk from Estonia managed to convince the jury with their submissions and were able to bring their murals to life in The Hague in collaboration with Dutch artist Tobias Becker. This year’s competition was organised under the motto “Maintaining Our Shared Future”.

    The mural consists of the two winning entries combined. On the left, “NATO Dove: Protection of 1 Billion Citizens” was designed by Diederik Dijkgraaf and incorporates the flags of all 32 Allies into the wings of a dove. On the right, “A Peaceful Day” was designed by Riivo Kruuk and pays tribute to Dutch painters such as Johannes Vermeer. The winning designs were selected by a professional jury who considered entries from all across the Alliance.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO summit mural unveiled in The Hague

    Source: NATO

    On Sunday 22 June, the Mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, unveiled the winning entries to NATO’s summit mural competition. Following successful editions in Vilnius (2023) and Washington (2024), the 2025 competition marked the third year in a row that NATO has invited young artists from across Europe and North America to submit designs encapsulating the spirit of the Alliance and the personality of the summit’s host city.

    Diederik Dijkgraaf from the Netherlands and Riivo Kruuk from Estonia managed to convince the jury with their submissions and were able to bring their murals to life in The Hague in collaboration with Dutch artist Tobias Becker. This year’s competition was organised under the motto “Maintaining Our Shared Future”.

    The mural consists of the two winning entries combined. On the left, “NATO Dove: Protection of 1 Billion Citizens” was designed by Diederik Dijkgraaf and incorporates the flags of all 32 Allies into the wings of a dove. On the right, “A Peaceful Day” was designed by Riivo Kruuk and pays tribute to Dutch painters such as Johannes Vermeer. The winning designs were selected by a professional jury who considered entries from all across the Alliance.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Departure Statement by Prime Minister on the eve of visit to Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia


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    Today, I embark on a five-nation visit to Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia from 2 to 9 July 2025.

    At the invitation of President H.E. John Dramani Mahama, I will visit Ghana on 2-3 July. Ghana is a valued partner in the Global South and plays an important role in the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States. I look forward to my exchanges aimed at further deepening our historical ties and opening up new windows of cooperation, including in the areas of investment, energy, health, security, capacity building and development partnership. As fellow democracies, it will be an honour to speak at the Parliament of Ghana.

    On 3-4 July, I will be in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, a country with which we share deep-rooted historical, cultural and people-to-people connect. I will meet President H.E. Mrs. Christine Carla Kangaloo, who was the Chief Guest at this year’s Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, and Prime Minister H.E. Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has recently assumed office for the second term. Indians first arrived in Trinidad and Tobago 180 years ago. This visit will provide an opportunity to rejuvenate the special bonds of ancestry and kinship that unite us.

    From Port of Spain, I will travel to Buenos Aires. This will be the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Argentina in 57 years. Argentina is a key economic partner in Latin America and a close collaborator in the G20. I look forward to my discussions with President H.E. Javier Milei, whom I also had the pleasure of meeting last year. We will focus on advancing our a mutually beneficial cooperation, including in the areas of agriculture, critical minerals, energy, trade, tourism, technology, and investment.

    I will attend the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 6-7 July. As a founding member, India is committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies. Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order. On the sidelines of the Summit, I will also meet several world leaders. I will travel to Brasilia for a bilateral State Visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades. This visit will provide an opportunity to strengthen our close partnership with Brazil, and work with my friend, President H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on advancing the priorities of the Global South.

    My final destination will be Namibia, a trusted partner with whom we share a common history of struggle against colonialism. I look forward to meeting President H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and chart a new roadmap for cooperation for the benefit of our peoples, our regions and the wider Global South. It will be a privilege to also address the Joint Session of Namibian Parliament as we celebrate our enduring solidarity and shared commitment for freedom and development.

    I am confident that my visits to the five countries will reinforce our bonds friendship across the Global South, strengthen our partnerships on both sides of the Atlantic, and deepen engagements in the multilateral platforms such as BRICS, the African Union, ECOWAS and the CARICOM.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of External Affairs – Government of India.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Ecobank Group and Google Cloud Announce Partnership to Accelerate Financial Inclusion and Innovation Across Africa

    Ecobank (www.EcoBank.com), a leading pan-African financial services group, and Google Cloud today announced a groundbreaking collaboration aimed at transforming financial services with advanced analytics and AI and driving digital empowerment across Africa. Through this collaboration, Ecobank plans to leverage Google Cloud’s cutting-edge technology to deliver innovative payment and remittance solutions that are frictionless, secure, and universally accessible, empowering individuals and businesses across the continent and beyond. This collaboration will focus on leveraging Google Cloud’s advanced technologies and AI to enhance Ecobank’s digital offerings to accelerate the digital transformation of the Bank.

    The partnership agreement is designed to empower individuals, support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region, and contribute to the overall economic development of Africa.

    This partnership is intended to deliver substantial benefits:

    • Enhancing financial accessibility: The collaboration will strive to simplify and streamline money transfers, both domestically and across borders. This will be supported by Google Cloud’s scalable infrastructure and advanced API solutions, such as Apigee, aiming to make financial transactions faster, more affordable, and more accessible for more people, facilitating crucial support for families and enabling smoother commercial activities for businesses.
    • Empowering African businesses: A core objective of the collaboration is to explore ways to bolster the continent’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. By leveraging Google Cloud’s capabilities, including its powerful data analytics platform, BigQuery, for AI-driven insights, Ecobank will aim to develop solutions that improve access to finance for SMEs, simplify payment acceptance, and provide valuable data-driven insights to help businesses scale across more than 33 countries in Africa.
    • Envisioning seamless digital banking: The collaboration will explore the creation of more intuitive and user-friendly digital banking platforms, built on Google Cloud’s secure and scalable global infrastructure and enhanced by Google Cloud’s AI technologies. This will empower Ecobank’s developers and customers to easily integrate into Ecobank’s platforms connecting to a unified and advanced API, enabling them to offer innovative financial solutions. For example, fintech partners can readily provide core banking services such as accounts, payments, and lending for seamless transactions.
    • Personalising financial solutions responsibly: Utilizing Google’s advanced data analytics, AI, and machine learning, while upholding the highest standards of data privacy and security, Ecobank will aim to better understand and anticipate customer needs. This will enable the development of more relevant and personalized financial products and services, including tailored credit, savings, and insurance options.
    • Strategic expert collaboration: Google Cloud’s Professional Services team will aim to provide ongoing expert support to Ecobank, ensuring the effective implementation of technology and the successful realization of the collaboration’s transformative goals over the coming years.

    Jeremy Awori, Group CEO, Ecobank said: “Our collaboration with Google Cloud is a leap forward in Ecobank’s digital transformation journey. We look forward to leveraging Google Cloud’s world-class technology to unlock new possibilities for individuals and businesses to grow and scale across Africa. This collaboration signifies our shared intent to explore building a more connected and financially inclusive future for the continent.”

    Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud said: “Google Cloud and Ecobank have a shared vision for using technology to help deliver financial empowerment to more people and businesses in Africa. We look forward to exploring the ways our cutting-edge AI, powerful data analytics, and scalable infrastructure can support Ecobank efforts to fuel the continent’s economic development and digital future.”

    This agreement signifies a shared commitment between Ecobank and Google Cloud to explore how the power of technology might unlock new opportunities for Africans and contribute to a digitally empowered and economically vibrant future for the continent.

    Ecobank and Google Cloud will actively explore opportunities to further expand their collaboration, tapping into the vast potential of other Google solutions and services.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.

    Media Contact:
    For Ecobank Group
    Christiane Mbimbe Bossom
    Group Communications
    Email: groupcorporatecomms@ecobank.com
    Tel: +228 22 21 03 03

    About Ecobank Group:
    The Ecobank Group is the leading pan-African private sector banking group with unparalleled African expertise. It operates in 35 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in France, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and China. Its unique pan-African network provides a unified platform for payments, cash management, trade, and investments. The Ecobank Group employs over 14,000 people serving more than 32 million customers and offers a comprehensive range of Personal, Commercial, and Corporate & Investment Banking products, services, and solutions through multiple channels, including digital. For more information, please visit www.EcoBank.com

    About Google Cloud:
    Google Cloud is the new way to the cloud, providing AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools built for today and tomorrow. Google Cloud offers a powerful, fully integrated and optimized AI stack with its own planet-scale infrastructure, custom-built chips, generative AI models and development platform, as well as AI-powered applications, to help organizations transform. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: DG Okonjo-Iweala underscores importance of partnerships to support LDCs

    Source: WTO

    Headline: DG Okonjo-Iweala underscores importance of partnerships to support LDCs

    Co-organized by Djibouti, Finland and the Executive Secretariat of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), the event focused on strengthening international partnerships in support of LDC trade and investment priorities. The vision for EIF Phase Three – the next stage of this Aid for Trade programme exclusively dedicated to LDCs – was also presented. Several countries announced new funding commitments to this new phase of the EIF.
    Several donors pledged new contributions to the EIF Trust Fund, providing strong momentum for Phase Three, which is set to begin in October 2025. Sweden announced a contribution of SEK 75 million (approx. CHF 6.3 million), Denmark DKK 20 million (approx. CHF 2.5 million), Norway NOK 12 million (approx. CHF 0.9 million), France EUR 300,000, (approx. CHF 0.3 million) and Liechtenstein CHF 50,000, building on Finland’s earlier pledge of EUR 2.5 million (approx. CHF 2.3 million) and a GBP 400,000 (approx. CHF 0.4 million) contribution from the United Kingdom to EIF Phase Three. These pledges will help ensure a solid start to the next phase of EIF support, which is designed to deliver catalytic and transformative impact for LDCs through trade.
    In her opening remarks, DG Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the growing gap between development needs and available resources, emphasizing the ongoing relevance of the EIF in helping LDCs benefit from trade. She noted that the partnership has “gone from strength to strength,” supporting USD 1 billion in LDC exports and enabling hundreds of thousands of small farmers and entrepreneurs to improve their livelihoods.
    She also shared the story of Sittina Farate Ibrahima from Comoros, whose biocosmetics business was developed with EIF support. “Today, 80% of her products are exported to Europe. This is what Aid for Trade to LDCs is all about.”
    Looking ahead, the Director-General welcomed the shared ambition behind EIF Phase Three and its USD 200 million funding target. “`We hope we can count on all the partners in bringing this vision to life, she said, noting that the event would serve as “a springboard for a high-level launch of the next phase of the EIF partnership at the 14th Ministerial Conference.”
    The event brought together ministers from Djibouti, Finland and Guinea, along with senior representatives from other least-developed and donor countries, including Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Liechtenstein and the United Arab Emirates. UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan delivered closing remarks, alongside representatives from other international organizations and other development partners. Discussions focused on priorities for EIF Phase Three, which will run up to 2031.
    “From the perspective of the WTO LDC Group, EIF Phase Three comes at a critical time,” said H.E. Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, Minister of Economy and Finance of Djibouti. “What we need is a mechanism that catalyses our efforts, brings innovation to respond to our evolving trade and investment priorities, supports stronger institutions, and helps unlock new partnerships. We see in the vision for EIF Phase Three a foundation to move towards precisely that. For many of our countries, including my own, the EIF has not only been a financial and technical partner. It has also been a catalyst for inclusive economic transformation.”
    “Finland is a longstanding supporter of multilateral efforts to strengthen the trade capacities of least-developed countries,” said H.E. Ville Tavio, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland. “We believe in the transformative power of trade as, when matched with targeted support and strong local ownership, it can unlock lasting development impact. The EIF has consistently proven to be a trusted and effective partner for LDCs. As it enters a new phase, we see an opportunity to deepen its reach and amplify its role in advancing inclusive and sustainable growth. Finland is proud to contribute to this next chapter.”
    A follow-up pledging and partnership event is scheduled for September 2025 on the margins of the WTO Public Forum in Geneva.
    EIF Phase Three aims to mobilize at least USD 200 million to help LDCs strengthen trade capacities, expand exports, and harness trade for inclusive, sustainable development.
    More information on the EIF and its work is available here.

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    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI: Everything Blockchain Inc. Eyes Historic First: Tokenizing OTC Stock After Robinhood’s Market-Defining Shift

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Jacksonville, July 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Everything Blockchain Inc. (OTC: EBZT), a public company focused on owning and staking the world’s fastest-growing crypto networks, announced today that it is actively preparing to tokenize its stock upon completion of its pending capital raise scheduled for early-to-mid July. This groundbreaking move would position EBZT as the first U.S. OTC-listed company to bring its equity fully on-chain, following in the footsteps of major industry players like Robinhood Markets, Superstate, and xStockFi.

    Market Validation from Industry Giants

    On June 30th, Robinhood unveiled its own stock tokenization rollout at its inaugural crypto keynote in France, enabling European investors to trade tokenized versions of major U.S. equities such as Apple and NVIDIA, 24/7, via blockchain rails. EBZT’s proposed strategy aligns with this broader market evolution and builds upon it with a historic first for OTC markets.

    “We see tokenization as not just a technology upgrade, but as a core shift in how public companies interact with shareholders, access capital, and create transparency,” said Steven Maik, CTO of Everything Blockchain.

    “Robinhood’s move validates what we’ve been planning for months,” added Arthur Rozenberg, CEO of Everything Blockchain. “As the first OTC company to take this step, we’re pioneering a new frontier for retail investors and opening entirely new possibilities for how public companies can operate on blockchain infrastructure.”

    Industry Momentum Confirms Historic Opportunity

    EBZT is evaluating strategic opportunities within the tokenization ecosystem and intends to explore potential collaboration frameworks with leading platforms including Superstate and xStockFi as it develops its on-chain infrastructure.

    Massive Market Projections

    • $24 Trillion Market: HSBC forecasts tokenized assets could reach 10% of global GDP by 2027
    • $3.3 Trillion Crypto Market: Current cryptocurrency market capitalization continues growing
    • Retail Demand: Infrastructure requirements accelerating as retail investors seek 24/7 access

    EBZT’s plan to become the first OTC company to tokenize its equity while building a public blockchain treasury positions the company at the center of this global financial transformation.

    Backed by Strategic Crypto Treasury Plan

    Tokenization is just one part of EBZT’s board-approved strategy. The company also plans to build a diversified crypto treasury, focused on owning and staking five of the fastest-growing blockchain networks:

    • Solana (SOL) – high-speed DeFi and NFT platform
    • XRP (Ripple) – global payments and settlement
    • Hyperliquid (HYPE) – emerging decentralized exchange
    • Bittensor (TAO) – decentralized AI protocol
    • Sui (SUI) – next-gen smart contract platform

    The goal is to build a blockchain-native treasury that generates income from validator rewards and protocol incentives. Execution will begin once funding is secured.

    Historic Market Leadership

    As traditional financial markets increasingly embrace blockchain technology, EBZT’s dual strategy of being the first OTC tokenization and crypto treasury development creates unprecedented value drivers:

    Historic First-Mover Advantage

    • Pioneer Status: The first OTC company to fully tokenize equity
    • Uncharted Territory: Opening entirely new market category for retail investors
    • Market Leadership: Setting the standard for OTC blockchain integration

    Strategic Value Drivers

    • Diversified Exposure: Direct ownership of leading blockchain networks focused on Solana’s ecosystem
    • Operational Innovation: Enhanced shareholder experience through cutting-edge technology
    • Market Validation: Strategy aligned with major institutional players but first in OTC space

    Retail Investor Benefits

    • Access to Innovation: First opportunity to own tokenized OTC equity
    • Crypto Exposure: Diversified blockchain treasury provides crypto market exposure through Solana-focused strategy
    • 24/7 Flexibility: Trade on your schedule, not market hours

    The convergence of these trends positions EBZT to capture massive value from the broader transformation of global financial infrastructure while giving retail investors unprecedented access to both tokenized equity and crypto treasury exposure powered by Solana’s high-performance blockchain.

    For more information, visit: www.everythingblockchain.io or follow us on twitter: x.com/ebzt_ 

    About Everything Blockchain Inc.

    Everything Blockchain Inc. (OTC: EBZT) is a public company focused on identifying and capitalizing on opportunities within the rapidly evolving blockchain and cryptocurrency sectors. The company’s strategy centers on building a diversified portfolio of leading crypto networks, with primary focus on Solana infrastructure, while pioneering innovative approaches to public company operations through blockchain technology. EBZT is positioned to become the first U.S. OTC-listed company to fully tokenize its equity.

    For more information, visit: www.everythingblockchain.io

    Contact Information

    Arthur Rozenberg
    CEO, Everything Blockchain, Inc.
    arthur.rozenberg@everythingblockchain.io

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to plans related to tokenization, treasury strategy, market opportunities, capital raises, and anticipated benefits of proposed initiatives. These statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: the completion of necessary financing, regulatory approval, technical execution, market acceptance, competitive factors, and general economic conditions.

    Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Everything Blockchain Inc. undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Shell plc filed amendments to its Form 20-Fs for 2023 and 2024 with SEC

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

     July 2, 2025

    Shell plc filed amendments to its Form 20-Fs for the year ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2024, (“2023/24 Form 20-F/As”), with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on July 2, 2025.

    The 2023/24 Form 20-F/As can be downloaded from www.shell.com/investors/results-and-reporting/annual-report or www.sec.gov.

    The printed copies of the 2034/24 Form 20-F/As are expected to be available from August 15, 2025, and can be requested, free of charge, at www.shell.com/investors/results-and-reporting/annual-report/order-printed-annual-reports.

    Copies of the Annual Report and Accounts can be viewed online or downloaded in pdf format at www.shell.com/investors/results-and-reporting/annual-report.

    Enquiries

    Shell Media Relations International: +44 20 7934 5550

    US Media Relations: Contact Shell US Media Team

    LEI number of Shell plc: 21380068P1DRHMJ8KU70

    Classification: Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of the United Kingdom

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Mass electoral complaints led by politicians from Poland’s ruling coalition – P-002571/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Priority question for written answer  P-002571/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Arkadiusz Mularczyk (ECR)

    The weeks following the Polish presidential election results have seen mass electoral complaints. Led by Roman Giertych, member of the Sejm whose supporters are called ‘Giertychówkis’, the complaints are aimed at sowing chaos and undermining the democratic election of our new head of state.

    Up to 90 % of the 50 000 complaints are faulty or duplicates, making them unlikely to be considered. Many of the people submitting complaints used Giertych’s PESEL identification number instead of their own. In addition, Michał Wawrykiewicz MEP created a template that was used to submit several thousand complaints.

    Prime Minister Donald Tusk also joined the campaign, suggesting that votes should be recounted despite the lack of any relevant precedence or legal basis.

    Taking the Commission’s self-proclaimed commitment to the rule of law and respect for independent democratic election processes in Member States into account:

    • 1.Is the Commission aware of the fact that the democratic election of the Polish President is being undermined by Poland’s ruling coalition, which oversaw the election process and monitored every polling station?
    • 2.Will the Commission call on politicians in Poland’s current ruling coalition, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk, to not undermine the democratic will of the people of Poland and to not destroy the country’s legal order?
    • 3.Is the Commission aware of MEP Wawrykiewicz’s role in the mass submission of electoral complaints, which seeks to undermine the results of the election, and does it not consider such action to be unethical?

    Submitted: 25.6.2025

    Last updated: 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Championing the role of science

    Source: Scottish Government

    New Chief Scientific Adviser appointed.

    Professor Calum Semple OBE has been appointed the Scottish Government’s next Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA).

    He will take up the position on 5 August 2025 on an initial three-year term.

    Professor Semple is a Consultant in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and became Professor of Outbreak Medicine and Child Health at the University of Liverpool in 2018.

    He has held key advisory roles during public health emergencies, serving as a UK Government adviser during the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic, on the World Health Organisation Scientific Advisory Committee during the Ebola Emergency and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies during the Covid pandemic.

    The role of CSA includes:

    • providing Scottish Government Ministers independent scientific advice on issues of strategic importance
    • championing Scotland’s world-leading science and research base and the role of science in the economy and society
    • inspiring the next generation of scientists and encourage diversity in the STEM (science, technology engineering and mathematics) workforce.

    Business Minister Richard Lochhead said:

    “Science is the bedrock of our society and economy and at the heart of government decision making. From health to the economy to the environment and everything in between, it is a fundamental part of our everyday lives.

    “I am delighted to welcome Professor Semple to the role of Chief Scientific Adviser and look forward to his valuable insight and advice as the Scottish Government continues to work with our world leading science sector to highlight Scotland’s strengths as a science nation and ensure it is front and centre of everything we do.”

    Professor Semple said:

    “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work for the people and government of Scotland, providing evidence and scientific advice to support our policymakers. I particularly look forward to collaborating with Scotland’s vibrant communities of scientists and engineers in our schools, universities and industries, who inspire and drive the innovation essential for future economic growth. I will ensure that science and evidence remain at the heart of how we shape a fairer, greener, and more prosperous Scotland.

    “I would like to thank my wife, friends, and colleagues at the University of Liverpool and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital who support my career and enabled this important appointment. Their encouragement and collaboration have been vital to my journey.”

    Background

    Professor Semple was raised in Glasgow and Edinburgh. He qualified in medicine from the University of Oxford after completing a PhD in Clinical Virology at University College London and a Bachelor’s Tripos in Cell Pathology, Immunology, and Virology at Middlesex Hospital Medical School.

    His clinical academic training in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine began in 2002 when he was awarded a Department of Health National Clinical Scientist Fellowship at the University of Liverpool and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

    He was appointed Consultant in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in 2006 and was promoted to Professor of Outbreak Medicine and Child Health at the University of Liverpool in 2018.

    He will retain these positions, albeit with reduced activity, during his appointment to the Scottish Government.

    Professor Semple has been studying severe viral outbreaks since 1989 and co-founded the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) in 2012. He has led research on HIV/AIDS, Bronchiolitis, Influenza, Ebola, Mpox, COVID-19, and Hepatitis, with a focus on disease characterisation and clinical countermeasures. His work has been supported by the Wellcome Trust, UK NIHR, and UKRI MRC. For his leadership of medical research activities in Sierra Leone between 2014 and 2016, he and his team were awarded the Queen’s Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa. In 2019, he received a Commonwealth Award for his ongoing work with Ebola Survivors.

    Professor Semple has held key advisory roles during public health emergencies, including serving as a UK Government advisor during the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic, on the WHO Scientific Advisory Committee for the Ebola Emergency – STAC-EE (2014–2017), the New Emerging Respiratory Viral Threats Advisory Group – NERVTAG (2014–2023), and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies – SAGE for COVID-19 (2020–2022).

    He was appointed OBE in 2020 for his contributions to the COVID-19 response and was elected a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health by distinction in 2022. His leadership is marked by integrity, collaboration, inclusivity, and clear communication.

    He enjoys spending time with his family, dogs, beekeeping, playing the pipes, and fly fishing.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joy as ambitious and caring school maintains high standards

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    They visited Green Park at the end of April and, in their report published recently, found that staff have ‘high expectations and a deep understanding of all pupils’.

    The school, which supports learners aged three to 19 with complex physical and medical needs, provides a ‘safe and calm’ environment, with pupils feeling ‘motivated and happy to learn’.

    The ‘progressive and personalised’ curriculum is ‘exciting, broad and ambitious’, with a breadth of subjects and topics that supports pupils’ engagement and attention and which are delivered ‘consistently well’.

    Through creative approaches to teaching, such as songs, pictures and textured materials, ‘pupils engage in their learning’ and ‘achieve well’.

    Work on improving pupils’ communication ‘is a strength’, enabling them to learn well, become more independent and to play an active part in the school community.

    The school prepares pupils for adulthood effectively, offering a range of opportunities beyond the classroom including residential visits, horse riding and swimming, all of which help pupils ‘develop new skills and confidence as they venture into the wider world’. In sixth form, students benefit from increased opportunities to improve their independence, enjoying work experience and travel training.

    Pupils behave well, with the school using a ‘range of strategies to promote and reward positive behaviour’. Staff are committed to promoting good attendance, and pupils enjoy ‘being in school and attend regularly’.

    Leaders are ambitious for all pupils and have created ‘a positive culture for learning’ which is ‘supported effectively’ by governors who know what is working well and where to focus for improvement.

    Inspectors concluded that the school has a ‘committed and passionate staff team that makes Green Park an exciting place where pupils will continue to flourish’. And they confirmed that the school has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection, when it was judged to be Good.

    Headteacher Lorraine Dawney said: “I am so proud of the achievements of our learners; they rise to every new challenge and astound us every day by their progress.

    “Our vision is to prepare them for ‘Learning for Life’ and the inspection recognised that we aspire for all children to reach their full potential each and every day.  

    “I would like to personally thank all staff; I have such a fabulous team of caring and committed professionals who always give 100% to our learners. I also want to celebrate the partnership with parents, carers and governors as it is their support and dedication that creates a school where children flourish.”

    Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “This is a brilliant outcome for Green Park School and reflects the commitment of everyone involved. The school’s focus on pupil independence, communication and wellbeing is inspiring.

    “We’re incredibly proud of the work being done at Green Park to ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the best start in life, and I’d like to thank the staff, families and pupils for their continued passion and hard work.”

    Latest data shows that 97% of schools in Wolverhampton are currently rated either Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, the highest ever.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: £5.6million project launched to explore how man-made structures affect our seas University researchers will work alongside a range of institutions from across the UK and in Norway on the £5.6 million initiative, which will be led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML). The ValMAS (Value of Marine Artificial Structures) project is a major new research effort to understand the full impact of man-made…

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    University researchers will work alongside a range of institutions from across the UK and in Norway on the £5.6 million initiative, which will be led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML).
    The ValMAS (Value of Marine Artificial Structures) project is a major new research effort to understand the full impact of man-made structures in the ocean, ranging from offshore oil, gas and wind energy infrastructure to shipwrecks. These are collectively known as marine artificial structures (MAS).
    The project, which will focus on the North Sea with wider applicability across the UK and beyond, aims to create tools and evidence that will help decision-makers manage these structures in ways that support clean energy, protect nature, and benefit society.
    MAS have potentially significant footprints at all stages of their lifecycle through demonstration, construction, operation, and finally decommissioning. As marine space is increasingly squeezed, this large-scale development will inevitably lead to environmental, social and economic trade-offs.
    While these structures can provide habitat, support blue carbon capture, or enhance biodiversity, they can also pose risks that are not yet fully understood.
    Professor Nicola Beaumont, project lead from PML, said: “Thousands of artificial structures have been installed in the marine environment, and many more are on the horizon as part of the UK’s transition to a clean energy future.
    “ValMAS will give policymakers and industry the tools they need to make informed decisions that align with both net zero targets and nature recovery goals.”
    The research is co-funded by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the industry-sponsored INSITE Programme.
    Professor Astley Hastings CEng, from the School of Biological Sciences, will lead work in Aberdeen alongside marine eco-toxicologist Dr Rebecca von Hellfeld, and Dr Kate Gormley, an interdisciplinary researcher specialising in coastal and marine environmental management, working to fill the experimental knowledge gaps on marine contaminants mobilisation and marine growth on structures. Professor Anne-Michelle Slater, from the University’s School of Law, will work on the policy and legislation relating to the environment surrounding marine structures.
    Professor Hastings said: “ValMAS will map marine artificial structures to develop a natural capital framework that reflects their ecological, economic, and social value, identify research gaps and foster collaboration, and model future climate scenarios to assess impacts on biodiversity, fisheries, and carbon storage. The project will also examine public perceptions and economic trade-offs to support a fair energy transition and create advanced decision support tools for use by policymakers, regulators, and industry.
    “While evidence, tools and models around natural capital and MAS exist, access to and uptake of these resources remains limited. There is a pressing need to translate this knowledge into strategic, value-based decision-making that is practical, user-driven, and ready for real-world application.”
    Other project partners include the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Cardiff University, Natural England – the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England, SUERC – Centre For The Isotope Sciences, University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde, EFTEC, Ecologos, NIRAS, Marine Energy Wales, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, The Shellfish Association of Great Britain, and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations. It also brings together another 20+ partners from academia, government, NGOs and industry, including major energy operators.
    Tracy Shimmield, Director of Research and Skill at the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) said: “NERC is delighted to announce the launch of ‘The Value of Marine Artificial Structures (ValMAS)’ programme, which seeks to inform nature positive policy solutions for the management of all life stages of Marine Artificial Structures (MAS). The ValMAS project, which is cofounded with industry, builds on the work achieved by the INSITE programme. It will deliver evidence of the interplay between the ecological, economic and social values of MAS, to build a better understanding of their environmental value across sectors in the North Sea. Evidence generated will inform decision making on the best outcomes for the environment when it comes to decommissioning.”
    Professor Beaumont added: “This is not just about infrastructure, it’s about people, nature, and building a future where sustainable energy systems work in harmony with marine life.”
    The project will begin in August 2025 and run for four years.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace International begins groundbreaking Anti-SLAPP case to protect freedom of speech

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Amsterdam, Netherlands – In a first, landmark test case of the European Union’s new legislation to protect freedom of expression and stop abusive lawsuits, Greenpeace International today challenges the US oil pipeline company, Energy Transfer, in court in the Netherlands.[1] The multi-billion dollar company brought two back-to-back SLAPP suits against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace in the US, after showing solidarity with the 2016 peaceful Indigenous-led protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The first case was dismissed, but the Greenpeace organisations continue to defend against the second case, which is ongoing, after a North Dakota jury recently awarded over 660 million USD in damages to the pipeline giant.

    Activists from Greenpeace International and allies were present outside the courthouse in Amsterdam for the first hearing in the case with a banner reading “ENERGY TRANSFER, WELCOME TO THE EU – WHERE FREE SPEECH IS STILL A THING”.

    Mads Christensen, Executive Director, Greenpeace International said:
    “Energy Transfer’s attack on our right to protest is an attack on everyone’s free speech. Greenpeace has been the target of threats, arrests and even bombs over the last 50 years and persevered. We will continue to resist all forms of intimidation and explore every option to hold Energy Transfer accountable for this attempt at abusing the justice system. This groundbreaking anti-SLAPP case against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands is just the beginning of defeating this bullying tactic being wielded by billionaires and fossil fuel giants trying to silence critics all over the world. Something absolutely vital is at stake here: people’s ability to hold corporate polluters to account for the devastation they’re causing.”

    The lawsuit is an important test of the European Union’s Anti-SLAPP Directive — adopted in April 2024.[2] The Directive is designed to protect journalists, activists, civil society organisations, or anyone else speaking out about matters of public concern, from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) — unfounded intimidation lawsuits brought by powerful corporations or wealthy individuals seeking to suppress public debate.[3] Since Greenpeace International is a Netherlands-based foundation and the damage caused by Energy Transfers’s US SLAPP suit is occurring in the Netherlands, both Dutch and EU law applies.

    Amy Jacobsen, Senior Legal Counsel, Greenpeace International said:
    “This case paves the way for protections from bullying lawsuits being implemented throughout Europe and beyond. The lawsuits that Energy Transfer have brought against Greenpeace International are the perfect example of the kind of abusive legal proceedings that the anti-SLAPP Directive is designed to protect against. By calling upon the EU anti-SLAPP Directive’s protections, Greenpeace International refuses to allow the bullying tactics of wealthy fossil fuel corporations like Energy Transfer to compromise our fundamental free speech rights.”

    At the time of the press release it was still uncertain whether Energy Transfer would appear in the hearing. The next steps are for the judge to agree on a schedule for the case.

    ENDS

    Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library

    Notes:

    [1] The new EU rules are aimed at addressing the growing number of abusive lawsuits against journalists, media outlets, environmental activists and human rights defenders. 

    In February 2025, Greenpeace International initiated the first test of the European Union’s anti-SLAPP Directive by filing a lawsuit in Dutch court against Energy Transfer. Greenpeace International seeks to recover all damages and costs it has suffered as a result of Energy Transfers’s back-to-back, meritless lawsuits demanding hundreds of millions of dollars from Greenpeace International and the Greenpeace organisations in the US. 

    [2] EU Member States have until 7 May 2026 at the latest to transpose the rules into their national laws, but the Dutch government has indicated that the Directive’s  protections can already be applied under existing Dutch legal frameworks.

    [3] Big Oil companies Shell, Total, and ENI have also filed SLAPPs against Greenpeace entities in recent years. Some of these cases have been successfully stopped in their tracks. This includes Greenpeace France successfully defeating TotalEnergies’ SLAPP on 28 March 2024, and Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International forcing Shell to back down from its SLAPP on 10 December 2024. Greenpeace Romania was being sued by the energy company Romgaz in 2025 – with the aim of dissolving the organisation, but their claims were withdrawn and they were forced to pay the court expenses to Greenpeace Romania. Greenpeace Italy and Greenpeace Netherlands are facing the Italian oil giant Eni in an ongoing court case in Italy.

    Contacts:

    Daniel Bengtsson, Communications Lead, Greenpeace Nordic
    + 46 703009510, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace International begins groundbreaking Anti-SLAPP case to protect freedom of speech

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Amsterdam, Netherlands – In a first, landmark test case of the European Union’s new legislation to protect freedom of expression and stop abusive lawsuits, Greenpeace International today challenges the US oil pipeline company, Energy Transfer, in court in the Netherlands.[1] The multi-billion dollar company brought two back-to-back SLAPP suits against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace in the US, after showing solidarity with the 2016 peaceful Indigenous-led protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The first case was dismissed, but the Greenpeace organisations continue to defend against the second case, which is ongoing, after a North Dakota jury recently awarded over 660 million USD in damages to the pipeline giant.

    Activists from Greenpeace International and allies were present outside the courthouse in Amsterdam for the first hearing in the case with a banner reading “ENERGY TRANSFER, WELCOME TO THE EU – WHERE FREE SPEECH IS STILL A THING”.

    Mads Christensen, Executive Director, Greenpeace International said:
    “Energy Transfer’s attack on our right to protest is an attack on everyone’s free speech. Greenpeace has been the target of threats, arrests and even bombs over the last 50 years and persevered. We will continue to resist all forms of intimidation and explore every option to hold Energy Transfer accountable for this attempt at abusing the justice system. This groundbreaking anti-SLAPP case against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands is just the beginning of defeating this bullying tactic being wielded by billionaires and fossil fuel giants trying to silence critics all over the world. Something absolutely vital is at stake here: people’s ability to hold corporate polluters to account for the devastation they’re causing.”

    The lawsuit is an important test of the European Union’s Anti-SLAPP Directive — adopted in April 2024.[2] The Directive is designed to protect journalists, activists, civil society organisations, or anyone else speaking out about matters of public concern, from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) — unfounded intimidation lawsuits brought by powerful corporations or wealthy individuals seeking to suppress public debate.[3] Since Greenpeace International is a Netherlands-based foundation and the damage caused by Energy Transfers’s US SLAPP suit is occurring in the Netherlands, both Dutch and EU law applies.

    Amy Jacobsen, Senior Legal Counsel, Greenpeace International said:
    “This case paves the way for protections from bullying lawsuits being implemented throughout Europe and beyond. The lawsuits that Energy Transfer have brought against Greenpeace International are the perfect example of the kind of abusive legal proceedings that the anti-SLAPP Directive is designed to protect against. By calling upon the EU anti-SLAPP Directive’s protections, Greenpeace International refuses to allow the bullying tactics of wealthy fossil fuel corporations like Energy Transfer to compromise our fundamental free speech rights.”

    At the time of the press release it was still uncertain whether Energy Transfer would appear in the hearing. The next steps are for the judge to agree on a schedule for the case.

    ENDS

    Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library

    Notes:

    [1] The new EU rules are aimed at addressing the growing number of abusive lawsuits against journalists, media outlets, environmental activists and human rights defenders. 

    In February 2025, Greenpeace International initiated the first test of the European Union’s anti-SLAPP Directive by filing a lawsuit in Dutch court against Energy Transfer. Greenpeace International seeks to recover all damages and costs it has suffered as a result of Energy Transfers’s back-to-back, meritless lawsuits demanding hundreds of millions of dollars from Greenpeace International and the Greenpeace organisations in the US. 

    [2] EU Member States have until 7 May 2026 at the latest to transpose the rules into their national laws, but the Dutch government has indicated that the Directive’s  protections can already be applied under existing Dutch legal frameworks.

    [3] Big Oil companies Shell, Total, and ENI have also filed SLAPPs against Greenpeace entities in recent years. Some of these cases have been successfully stopped in their tracks. This includes Greenpeace France successfully defeating TotalEnergies’ SLAPP on 28 March 2024, and Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International forcing Shell to back down from its SLAPP on 10 December 2024. Greenpeace Romania was being sued by the energy company Romgaz in 2025 – with the aim of dissolving the organisation, but their claims were withdrawn and they were forced to pay the court expenses to Greenpeace Romania. Greenpeace Italy and Greenpeace Netherlands are facing the Italian oil giant Eni in an ongoing court case in Italy.

    Contacts:

    Daniel Bengtsson, Communications Lead, Greenpeace Nordic
    + 46 703009510, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Renewable resources in pharmaceuticals: A Mexican scientist making green medicines

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    Meet Martha C. Mayorquín-Torres, a Mexican scientist conducting research on renewable resources in pharmaceuticals.

    Martha completed her studies in the pharmaceutical field in Mexico City. While seeking new opportunities to advance her research and develop her career, she discovered the TransPharm Project, which is financially supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme at Ghent University.

    This marked the beginning of her move to Ghent, Belgium, where she found an abundance of resources at her disposal—both in terms of equipment and the knowledge her colleagues could offer. Her research focuses on creating antiviral components from greener and more renewable resources, while also making pharmaceutical manufacturing processes more sustainable.

    During her time working on her research, Martha realised that Europe can be more than just a place to advance her career; it can become home.

    00:13 The resources of the research group
    00:40 Greener and more sustainable pharmaceuticals
    01:21 The courage to move to Europe and Europe becoming home

    Watch on the Audiovisual Portal of the European Commission: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-274736

    Follow us on:
    -X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission
    -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeancommission/
    -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanCommission
    -LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-commission/
    -Medium: https://medium.com/@EuropeanCommission

    Check our website: http://ec.europa.eu/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oxs4gvQBC8

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Missions Help Explain, Predict Severity of Solar Storms

    Source: NASA

    An unexpectedly strong solar storm rocked our planet on April 23, 2023, sparking auroras as far south as southern Texas in the U.S. and taking the world by surprise. 
    Two days earlier, the Sun blasted a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a cloud of energetic particles, magnetic fields, and solar material — toward Earth. Space scientists took notice, expecting it could cause disruptions to Earth’s magnetic field, known as a geomagnetic storm. But the CME wasn’t especially fast or massive, and it was preceded by a relatively weak solar flare, suggesting the storm would be minor. But it became severe.
    Using NASA heliophysics missions, new studies of this storm and others are helping scientists learn why some CMEs have more intense effects — and better predict the impacts of future solar eruptions on our lives.

    Why Was This Storm So Intense?
    A paper published in the Astrophysical Journal on March 31 suggests the CME’s orientation relative to Earth likely caused the April 2023 storm to become surprisingly strong.
    The researchers gathered observations from five heliophysics spacecraft across the inner solar system to study the CME in detail as it emerged from the Sun and traveled to Earth.
    They noticed a large coronal hole near the CME’s birthplace. Coronal holes are areas where the solar wind — a stream of particles flowing from the Sun — floods outward at higher than normal speeds.
    “The fast solar wind coming from this coronal hole acted like an air current, nudging the CME away from its original straight-line path and pushing it closer to Earth’s orbital plane,” said the paper’s lead author, Evangelos Paouris of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. “In addition to this deflection, the CME also rotated slightly.”
    Paouris says this turned the CME’s magnetic fields opposite to Earth’s magnetic field and held them there — allowing more of the Sun’s energy to pour into Earth’s environment and intensifying the storm.

    Cool Thermosphere
    Meanwhile, NASA’s GOLD (Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk) mission revealed another unexpected consequence of the April 2023 storm at Earth.
    Before, during, and after the storm, GOLD studied the temperature in the middle thermosphere, a part of Earth’s upper atmosphere about 85 to 120 miles overhead. During the storm, temperatures increased throughout GOLD’s wide field of view over the Americas. But surprisingly, after the storm, temperatures dropped about 90 to 198 degrees Fahrenheit lower than they were before the storm (from about 980 to 1,070 degrees Fahrenheit before the storm to 870 to 980 degrees Fahrenheit afterward).
    “Our measurement is the first to show widespread cooling in the middle thermosphere after a strong storm,” said Xuguang Cai of the University of Colorado, Boulder, lead author of a paper about GOLD’s observations published in the journal JGR Space Physics on April 15, 2025.
    The thermosphere’s temperature is important, because it affects how much drag Earth-orbiting satellites and space debris experience.
    “When the thermosphere cools, it contracts and becomes less dense at satellite altitudes, reducing drag,” Cai said. “This can cause satellites and space debris to stay in orbit longer than expected, increasing the risk of collisions. Understanding how geomagnetic storms and solar activity affect Earth’s upper atmosphere helps protect technologies we all rely on — like GPS, satellites, and radio communications.”
    Predicting When Storms Strike
    To predict when a CME will trigger a geomagnetic storm, or be “geoeffective,” some scientists are combining observations with machine learning. A paper published last November in the journal Solar Physics describes one such approach called GeoCME.
    Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence in which a computer algorithm learns from data to identify patterns, then uses those patterns to make decisions or predictions.
    Scientists trained GeoCME by giving it images from the NASA/ESA (European Space Agency) SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft of different CMEs that reached Earth along with SOHO images of the Sun before, during, and after each CME. They then told the model whether each CME produced a geomagnetic storm.
    Then, when it was given images from three different science instruments on SOHO, the model’s predictions were highly accurate. Out of 21 geoeffective CMEs, the model correctly predicted all 21 of them; of 7 non-geoeffective ones, it correctly predicted 5 of them.
    “The algorithm shows promise,” said heliophysicist Jack Ireland of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who was not involved in the study. “Understanding if a CME will be geoeffective or not can help us protect infrastructure in space and technological systems on Earth. This paper shows machine learning approaches to predicting geoeffective CMEs are feasible.”

    Earlier Warnings
    During a severe geomagnetic storm in May 2024 — the strongest to rattle Earth in over 20 years — NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) measured the magnetic field structure of CMEs as they passed by.
    When a CME headed for Earth hits a spacecraft first, that spacecraft can often measure the CME and its magnetic field directly, helping scientists determine how strong the geomagnetic storm will be at Earth. Typically, the first spacecraft to get hit are one million miles from Earth toward the Sun at a place called Lagrange Point 1 (L1), giving us only 10 to 60 minutes advanced warning.
    By chance, during the May 2024 storm, when several CMEs erupted from the Sun and merged on their way to Earth, NASA’s STEREO-A spacecraft happened to be between us and the Sun, about 4 million miles closer to the Sun than L1.
    A paper published March 17, 2025, in the journal Space Weather reports that if STEREO-A had served as a CME sentinel, it could have provided an accurate prediction of the resulting storm’s strength 2 hours and 34 minutes earlier than a spacecraft could at L1.
    According to the paper’s lead author, Eva Weiler of the Austrian Space Weather Office in Graz, “No other Earth-directed superstorm has ever been observed by a spacecraft positioned closer to the Sun than L1.”

    By Vanessa ThomasNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Missions Help Explain, Predict Severity of Solar Storms

    Source: NASA

    An unexpectedly strong solar storm rocked our planet on April 23, 2023, sparking auroras as far south as southern Texas in the U.S. and taking the world by surprise. 
    Two days earlier, the Sun blasted a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a cloud of energetic particles, magnetic fields, and solar material — toward Earth. Space scientists took notice, expecting it could cause disruptions to Earth’s magnetic field, known as a geomagnetic storm. But the CME wasn’t especially fast or massive, and it was preceded by a relatively weak solar flare, suggesting the storm would be minor. But it became severe.
    Using NASA heliophysics missions, new studies of this storm and others are helping scientists learn why some CMEs have more intense effects — and better predict the impacts of future solar eruptions on our lives.

    Why Was This Storm So Intense?
    A paper published in the Astrophysical Journal on March 31 suggests the CME’s orientation relative to Earth likely caused the April 2023 storm to become surprisingly strong.
    The researchers gathered observations from five heliophysics spacecraft across the inner solar system to study the CME in detail as it emerged from the Sun and traveled to Earth.
    They noticed a large coronal hole near the CME’s birthplace. Coronal holes are areas where the solar wind — a stream of particles flowing from the Sun — floods outward at higher than normal speeds.
    “The fast solar wind coming from this coronal hole acted like an air current, nudging the CME away from its original straight-line path and pushing it closer to Earth’s orbital plane,” said the paper’s lead author, Evangelos Paouris of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. “In addition to this deflection, the CME also rotated slightly.”
    Paouris says this turned the CME’s magnetic fields opposite to Earth’s magnetic field and held them there — allowing more of the Sun’s energy to pour into Earth’s environment and intensifying the storm.

    Cool Thermosphere
    Meanwhile, NASA’s GOLD (Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk) mission revealed another unexpected consequence of the April 2023 storm at Earth.
    Before, during, and after the storm, GOLD studied the temperature in the middle thermosphere, a part of Earth’s upper atmosphere about 85 to 120 miles overhead. During the storm, temperatures increased throughout GOLD’s wide field of view over the Americas. But surprisingly, after the storm, temperatures dropped about 90 to 198 degrees Fahrenheit lower than they were before the storm (from about 980 to 1,070 degrees Fahrenheit before the storm to 870 to 980 degrees Fahrenheit afterward).
    “Our measurement is the first to show widespread cooling in the middle thermosphere after a strong storm,” said Xuguang Cai of the University of Colorado, Boulder, lead author of a paper about GOLD’s observations published in the journal JGR Space Physics on April 15, 2025.
    The thermosphere’s temperature is important, because it affects how much drag Earth-orbiting satellites and space debris experience.
    “When the thermosphere cools, it contracts and becomes less dense at satellite altitudes, reducing drag,” Cai said. “This can cause satellites and space debris to stay in orbit longer than expected, increasing the risk of collisions. Understanding how geomagnetic storms and solar activity affect Earth’s upper atmosphere helps protect technologies we all rely on — like GPS, satellites, and radio communications.”
    Predicting When Storms Strike
    To predict when a CME will trigger a geomagnetic storm, or be “geoeffective,” some scientists are combining observations with machine learning. A paper published last November in the journal Solar Physics describes one such approach called GeoCME.
    Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence in which a computer algorithm learns from data to identify patterns, then uses those patterns to make decisions or predictions.
    Scientists trained GeoCME by giving it images from the NASA/ESA (European Space Agency) SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft of different CMEs that reached Earth along with SOHO images of the Sun before, during, and after each CME. They then told the model whether each CME produced a geomagnetic storm.
    Then, when it was given images from three different science instruments on SOHO, the model’s predictions were highly accurate. Out of 21 geoeffective CMEs, the model correctly predicted all 21 of them; of 7 non-geoeffective ones, it correctly predicted 5 of them.
    “The algorithm shows promise,” said heliophysicist Jack Ireland of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who was not involved in the study. “Understanding if a CME will be geoeffective or not can help us protect infrastructure in space and technological systems on Earth. This paper shows machine learning approaches to predicting geoeffective CMEs are feasible.”

    Earlier Warnings
    During a severe geomagnetic storm in May 2024 — the strongest to rattle Earth in over 20 years — NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) measured the magnetic field structure of CMEs as they passed by.
    When a CME headed for Earth hits a spacecraft first, that spacecraft can often measure the CME and its magnetic field directly, helping scientists determine how strong the geomagnetic storm will be at Earth. Typically, the first spacecraft to get hit are one million miles from Earth toward the Sun at a place called Lagrange Point 1 (L1), giving us only 10 to 60 minutes advanced warning.
    By chance, during the May 2024 storm, when several CMEs erupted from the Sun and merged on their way to Earth, NASA’s STEREO-A spacecraft happened to be between us and the Sun, about 4 million miles closer to the Sun than L1.
    A paper published March 17, 2025, in the journal Space Weather reports that if STEREO-A had served as a CME sentinel, it could have provided an accurate prediction of the resulting storm’s strength 2 hours and 34 minutes earlier than a spacecraft could at L1.
    According to the paper’s lead author, Eva Weiler of the Austrian Space Weather Office in Graz, “No other Earth-directed superstorm has ever been observed by a spacecraft positioned closer to the Sun than L1.”

    By Vanessa ThomasNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Reappointment of the Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Reappointment of the Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman

    His Majesty The King has approved the reappointment of Douglas Marshall as the Judcial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman.

    His Majesty The King, on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor, has approved the reappointment – for 5 years from 1 March 2026 – of Douglas Marshall as Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman.

    The reappointment of the Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and has been made under Paragraph 1 of Schedule 13 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.

    Biography

    Douglas Marshall is Pathways to Impact Manager at Childlight; Global Child Safety Institute based in Edinburgh, working to combat the global pandemic of child abuse. His previous career included 30 years’ service with Cumbria Constabulary retiring as a senior detective. At the latter end of his service, he was the Deputy National Co-ordinator on Operation Hydrant (the national policing response, oversight, and co-ordination of non-recent child sexual abuse). He returned to Cumbria Constabulary completing five years as a Police Staff Senior Investigating Officer. During his police service he was Senior Investigating Officer on several high-profile cases in Cumbria. He is formerly a director of a private investigation company in Scotland and has a consultancy for investigations.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Import of poultry meat and products from areas in South Africa and UK suspended

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (July 2) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Mkhondo Local Municipality in South Africa and Wrexham County of Wales in the United Kingdom (UK), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

    A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with South Africa for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, no poultry meat was imported into Hong Kong from South Africa in the first three months of this year. Moreover, Hong Kong imported about 210 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat, and about 440 000 poultry eggs from the UK in the first three months of this year.

    “The CFS has contacted the South African and British authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Import of poultry meat and products from areas in South Africa and UK suspended

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (July 2) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Mkhondo Local Municipality in South Africa and Wrexham County of Wales in the United Kingdom (UK), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

    A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with South Africa for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, no poultry meat was imported into Hong Kong from South Africa in the first three months of this year. Moreover, Hong Kong imported about 210 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat, and about 440 000 poultry eggs from the UK in the first three months of this year.

    “The CFS has contacted the South African and British authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: England’s mayors gather to pledge national walking, wheeling and cycling network, backed by government

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    England’s mayors gather to pledge national walking, wheeling and cycling network, backed by government

    National active travel network will provide 3,500 miles of safer routes for better connectivity, targeting areas where health and air quality are poorest.

    • national active travel network to give healthier and greener travel options to millions across the nation
    • pledge to deliver an initial 3,500 miles of safer routes to schools, shops and high streets, workplaces and transport hubs
    • projects will help tackle the country’s inactivity crisis, easing pressure on the NHS and boosting productivity, as part of government’s Plan for Change

    Ministers are backing a coalition of 11 of England’s combined authority mayors, who have signed an ambitious joint statement pledging to create a national active travel network, enabling millions of happier, healthier and greener journeys from Berwick to Bristol.

    West Yorkshire’s Tracy Brabin, South Yorkshire’s Oliver Coppard, York and North Yorkshire’s David Skaith, Hull and East Yorkshire’s Luke Campbell, the North East’s Kim McGuinness, the West of England’s Helen Godwin and the East Midlands’ Claire Ward met with National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, and the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, in York yesterday (1 July 2025) to kickstart the plans.

    Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotherham, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Mayor Paul Bristow have also signed the pledge published today. In addition, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has added his signature in support of the agreement.

    Launching in autumn 2025, the programme will begin with Mayoral combined authorities agreeing an initial network of 3,500 miles of safer routes connecting housing to schools and high streets, targeting areas where health and air quality are poorest, helping to reduce stark health inequalities.

    This will help more of their regions’ 20 million residents meet recommended activity levels, reducing risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression while supporting the government’s Plan for Change by easing pressure on the NHS and boosting growth. The new routes and projects will focus on prevention rather than cure, by building health and wellbeing into everyday activities.

    The multi-region project will begin work in around 1,000 schools, creating 300 safer routes for people walking, wheeling and cycling.

    National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said:

    Our regional leaders have today marked the start of an exciting chapter by pledging to give people across the country more transport choice.

    We know that more walking, wheeling and cycling will improve our country’s mental and physical health, but it will do much more, it’s the foundation for thriving integrated public transport networks, it increases access to work, boosting local economic growth and it will give millions of children more independence.

    People will only consider travelling actively if it is easy and safe. That’s what the mayors have today pledged to do and that’s why government is backing them. It’s going to have a hugely positive impact on millions of people’s daily lives.

    Local Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood, said:

    I know I am one of many who enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that come with walking or cycling to work or school.

    That’s why this government is investing £616 million over the next 4 years, on top of £300 million announced in February, to give more people around the country high-quality and healthy ways to get around, and supporting mayors’ plans to create a joined-up network.

    It is a key part of our Plan for Change, boosting local businesses, growing local economies and easing pressure on the NHS.

    As part of the agreement, the Mayors have committed to:

    1. Work with the Department for Transport, Active Travel England and local authorities to create a country-wide national walking, wheeling and cycling network, comprising local networks that are safe and easy to use. This will give their regions’ 20 million residents access to high-quality, safe routes in their communities.
    2. Transform the school run by delivering high-quality, safer routes in neighbourhoods nationwide.
    3. Boost regional integrated transport networks by giving people easy walking, wheeling and cycling access to buses, trams and trains, which will link to new housing and support local economic growth.

    The initiative comes as recent research shows 1 in 6 early deaths could be prevented with regular moderate exercise. Meanwhile, a study from 2023 to 2024 found that, in England, 35.8% of year 6 children were overweight or living with obesity, with 22.1% living with obesity.

    Chief Medical Officer Professor, Chris Whitty, said:

    Increasing physical activity has health benefits across the life course. As part of this, we need to make walking and cycling more accessible and safer, as well as access to green space easier and more equitable.

    This will help remove barriers to improving physical activity levels and could significantly improve the health of England’s increasingly urban population.

    The first wave of improving active travel routes to schools will include the delivery of proven and popular schemes, including school streets, traffic calming measures, new crossings and better pavements, clear of obstructions.

    Regional mayors will lead local implementation with interventions tailored to their communities’ needs and develop programmes to enable more active travel, such as walking and cycling buses for children.

    The programme will be delivered using regional resources with additional targeted investment from Active Travel England, improving efficiency by combining separate funding streams in a mission-led approach.

    General enquiries

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Oxfam reaction to Spain, Brazil and South Africa launching a new coalition to tax the super-rich

    Source: Oxfam –

    In response to Spain, Brazil and South Africa’s new global coalition to tax the super-rich, launched today at the Fourth Financing for Development Conference in Seville, Oxfam Tax Justice Policy Lead Susana Ruiz said: 

    “We welcome the leadership of Brazil, Spain and South Africa in calling for taxes on the super-rich. People around the world are pushing for more countries to reject the corrupting political influence of oligarchies. Taxation of the super-rich is a vital tool to secure sustainable development and fight inequalities. The wealth of the richest 1% has surged $33.9 trillion since 2015, enough to end annual poverty 22 times, yet billionaires only pay around 0.3% in real taxes.  

    “This extreme inequality is being driven by a financial system that puts the interests of a wealthy few above everyone else. This concentration of wealth is blocking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and keeping over three billion people living in poverty: over half of poor countries are spending more on debt repayments than on healthcare or education. 

    “In a tense geopolitical environment, Spain, Brazil and South Africa have taken an important step in forging an alliance here at the UN conference in Seville to show political will for taxation of the super-rich. Now other countries must follow their lead and join forces. This year, the FFD in Seville, COP30 in Brazil and G20 in South Africa are key opportunities for international cooperation to tax the super-rich and invest in a sustainable future that puts human rights and equality at its core.”

    Download the Oxfam report “From Private Profit to Public Power: Financing Development, Not Oligarchy“ which was launched ahead of the Fourth Financing for Development Conference with new analysis on economic inequality.

    Greenpeace and Oxfam International commissioned a study this month on public opinion on taxing the super-rich. The research was conducted by first party data company Dynata in May-June 2025, in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Kenya, Italy, India, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the US. The survey had approximately 1200 respondents per country, with a margin of error of +-2.83%. Together, these countries represent close to half the world’s population. See the results here.

    Oxfam will be hosting a major high-level event together with Club de Madrid, at 7pm on July 1, 2025, in Seville, joined by high-level government representatives on the media briefing note. Journalists are invited to attend and will be prioritized for questions. Please register here.

    Moreover, an official side event on inequality and tax reform will take place at 2.30pm on July 1, 2025, at the FIBES Exhibition Centre room 20 joined by high-level government representatives from Brazil, Spain and South Africa, international organizations and global experts. See note here.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: The European Union (EU) Accelerates Mining Investments Across Africa in H1 2025


    Download logo

    The EU has increased financial and technical support for Africa’s mining sector in the first half of 2025, aligning its foreign investment strategy with the continent’s agenda to shape the global energy transition. In June this year, the EU named four Africa-bsed projects as part of its 13 globally strategic initiatives under the Critical Raw Materials Act. The projects include Mkango Resources’ 8,425-ton-per-annum Songwe Hill Rare Earths Project in Malawi and Frontier Rare Earths’ 4,000-ton-per-annum Zandkopsdrift magnet-grade rare earths project in South Africa. The Maniry Graphite Project in Madagascar led by Evion Group and a 6,000-ton-per-annum cobalt refinery in Zambia are also among the projects set to receive EU financial support and technical assistance.

    Amid increased EU support for African mining projects, the upcoming African Mining Week – Africa’s premier gathering for mining stakeholders, taking place from October 1–3, 2025 in Cape Town – will showcase lucrative investment and cooperation opportunities for EU companies in Africa’s burgeoning mining sector. The event will feature an EU-Africa Roundtable, showcasing the EU’s contribution to Africa’s mining sector sustainability.

    EU-DRC Mining Partnership Strengthened

    Two new programs announced by the EU this June have deepened the bloc’s mining partnership with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – the world’s top cobalt producer and Africa’s largest copper producer. The programs include the Cobalt for Development project which aims to formalize and uplift small-scale mining operations in the DRC. Meanwhile, the upcoming Panafgeo+ geological mapping program – led by France’s Bureau of Geological and Mining Research in collaboration with DRC’s Ministry of Mines – will enhance the country’s geological knowledge base. At AMW, a panel titled The Cobalt Opportunity: DRC’s Strategic Position in the EV Revolution will unpack trends and opportunities within the DRC’s cobalt sector value chain.

    EU Backs African Mineral Logistics Expansion

    The EU is also backing strategic infrastructure development to facilitate connectivity between mineral-rich African markets and EU buyers. The Africa Finance Corporation recently secured a €250 million, 10-year loan from Italy’s development bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to advance the Lobito Corridor, bolstering connectivity between EU markets and Angola, Zambia and the DRC. Meanwhile, the European Investment Bank has also approved a €113 million loan to co-finance the expansion of Mauritania’s iron ore rail line linking Zouérat to Nouadhibou – part of a broader €461 million investment aimed at boosting the country’s iron ore export capacity.

    EU-South Africa Partnership

    The EU recently announced a €4.7 billion financing package announced to support mineral processing, green hydrogen and transport infrastructure in South Africa, the world’s largest producer of platinum group metals. This financing package reflects a growing focus on securing diversified and sustainable mineral supply chains. At AMW, a dedicated panel exploring South Africa’s PGMs market will showcase emerging prospects for EU firms within the country’s value chain.

    Growing Support for Formalized Artisanal Mining

    The EU has also committed to the ACP-EU Technical Assistance Facility for Commodity Resource Management, which was launched in February to support artisanal and small-scale miners across Africa through formalization and training program. As part of growing efforts by African nations and international partners to uplift small-scale miners, AMW will host a panel discussion titled ASM Regulation: Balancing Formalization and Livelihood Protection. The panel will explore policies and initiatives aimed at integrating artisanal and small-scale mining into the formal mining sector.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

    About African Mining Week:
    African Mining Week serves as a premier platform for exploring the full spectrum of mining opportunities across Africa. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 conference from October 1-3 in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: A new chapter in how we finance development: Baroness Chapman statement

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    A new chapter in how we finance development: Baroness Chapman statement

    Minister for Development Baroness Chapman delivers UK national statement at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville.

    Good afternoon, everyone.

    Seville must be the start of a new chapter in how we finance development and sustainable growth over the next decade.

    FFD4 sets out three critical shifts; and the UK will respond.

    Firstly, helping countries to raise more of their own revenues.

    The UK will support countries to raise more finance domestically, and manage it better, by sharing expertise from our own revenue authority and finance ministry.

    And we will work with all partners to take urgent action to tackle unsustainable debt. We cannot do this alone.

    We will work through the G20 to strengthen, expand and reform the Common Framework, ensuring timely and predictable relief for debt distressed countries.

    We will work with partners to maintain momentum on reforms to the existing debt architecture including to make restructurings quicker and more efficient.

    We must also ensure future debt sustainability by pressing for more responsible and transparent lending and borrowing and scaling UK-championed clauses that pause debt repayments when a crisis hits.

    The second is on mobilising international finance at scale.

    Increasing access to finance from all sources, beyond ODA.

    Leveraging and multiplying wherever we can.

    We need private capital at a much greater scale in developing countries. We are proud to launch a coalition of governments, finance institutions, and investors at FFD4.

    With the aim of mobilising high-quality finance for emerging and developing economies through stock exchanges.

    We will work with the UK industry experts to unlock and scale up global institutional capital, develop local currency markets and help to tackle exchange rate risks in developing countries.

    I will look at the evidence on the barriers to investment, and if there need to be changes to our regulatory approach, I will need to work with international partners and groups to build a coalition to call for those changes.

    And we welcome the ambition to triple the size of MDB financing. This will require stretching balance sheets and using guarantees, but that can only get us so far. 

    We will also need to inject more capital into some MDBs, which is why the UK supports a capital increase for the World Bank’s IBRD, conditional on reforms.

    If agreed, this could unlock billions of dollars annually.  

    We have heard the call to explore new sources of climate finance. That is why we have committed to and are pushing for agreement on the International Maritime Organisation’s Net Zero Framework.

    The third is making the system work better for developing countries.

    This means getting behind countries own priorities and plans.

    It means putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do. 

    It also means simplifying and streamlining the aid architecture, so it is easier for countries to engage and access finance.

    We must do more through multilateral organisations that pool and multiply resources, and drive reform across the multilateral system to make it faster, more effective and more sustainable.

    That is why we are proud to be GAVI’s largest investor, as announced last week at the GAVI replenishment.

    It also means creating a fairer system where developing countries have greater voice and participation to shape the outcomes they need.

    That is why the UK is calling for more voice and representation for low-income and vulnerable countries in the World Bank and IMF.

    And ensuring countries can better handle shocks and build resilience to climate change.

    It is unacceptable that only 2% of crisis finance is pre-arranged when 35% of shocks are modellable. 

    That is why we are launching a global coalition to scale up the use of pre-arranged finance. And we will work with the insurance industry to help deliver this.

    I am proud that the UK will be the first country to report and publish our annual pre -arranged finance figures.

    This work is urgent and cannot wait.

    So let us make Seville a springboard for what can and must come next.

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Next phase of Melton Road street scene improvements to begin

    Source: City of Leicester

    THE next phase of a rolling programme to repair and improve pavements, street furniture and bollards along Melton Road is now underway.

    Leicester City Council is carrying out the scheme to spruce up public areas for local businesses and residents.

    Old, uneven and broken slabs will be replaced with high-quality block paving. Existing tree pits will be covered with a porous resin-bound material to help improve drainage, and new drainage channels will also be installed where required. Damage footpaths caused by tree roots will be repaired. New bollards, as well as new cycle racks where possible, will also be installed to prevent vehicles parking on the pavement.

    The improvement work is being carried out between Ascot Road and Herbert Road, on the outbound side of Melton Road, and between Acorn Street and Marfitt Street, on the inbound side.

    Work will be carried out in sections to help minimise disruption to pedestrians and nearby businesses and is expected to take around 50 weeks to complete.

    To ensure a safe working environment, some short-term lane restrictions on part of Melton Road may be required. These will be managed with temporary traffic signals.

    The work, which will cost around £685,000, is being funded through the city council’s annual highways maintenance programme.

    It will be the second phase of a planned programme of investment to improve several sections of footway along Melton Road in coming years, subject to funding. Work to replace the existing uneven pavement on the outbound stretch of the busy shopping street, between Ascot Road and Checketts Road, was carried out last year.

    City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “This ongoing investment in repairing and replacing broken and uneven pavements on  Melton Road will help improve the look and feel of area and make it more attractive for residents and shoppers.

    “Projects like this are an important part of ensuring that our neighbourhood shopping streets and busy routes into the city stay looking their best.”

    The Melton Road scheme is taking a similar approach to improvements recently completed on Narborough Road, following a three-year rolling programme of investment to repair and spruce up sections of footway.

    Letters have been sent to local residents and businesses informing them of the work.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IOM Urges Innovative Investment in Migration at Seville Conference on Development Financing

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Geneva/Seville, 2 July 2025 – As the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) concludes this Thursday in Seville, Spain, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is calling for innovative investment in human mobility to spur growth and help close the USD 4 trillion annual development financing gap.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO and Ukraine agree to exchange Military Police training expertise

    Source: NATO

    On 20 June 2025, NATO agreed to recognise the 25th Military Police Training Centre (MPTC) in Lviv, Ukraine as a NATO Partnership Training and Education Centre (PTEC).

    PTECs form a global network of institutions offering courses and academic seminars to civilian and military staff from NATO Allied and partner countries. Their goal is to improve the professionalism of national personnel, increase the ability of military personnel to operate well together, and conduct education and training activities carried out within the framework of NATO partnership programmes and policies. Since the PTEC community was launched in 1999, Ukraine has been an active member, thanks to the participation of its International Peacekeeping and Security Centre (IPSC).

    Despite the many challenges posed by Russia’s war against Ukraine, the 25th MPTC draws lessons learned from combat experience to refine courses and explore new training opportunities. It actively collaborates with the NATO Military Police community of interest and the NATO Military Police Centre of Excellence, based in Bydgoszcz, Poland, to develop high-quality courses. This helps to strengthen training initiatives in the discipline of Military Policing.

    Cooperation with NATO will also be enhanced through the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC), also based in Bydgoszcz. The 25th MPTC will create synergies with the JATEC and add value by identifying and applying lessons learned from Russia’s war of aggression. Cooperation between NATO and Ukraine is characterised by the common objective of increasing interoperability. Ukrainian officials have highlighted that they see NATO as the right platform for their defence institutions to share their unique and state-of-the-art capabilities with Allies and like-minded partners.

    Centres wishing to join the PTEC network must undergo thorough evaluation.  Evaluation of the 25th MPTC in March by experts from NATO Headquarters, Allied Command Operations and other NATO and Allied entities was, exceptionally, conducted in Bydgoszcz due to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. Representatives of the centre and NATO experts used the facilities of the NATO Military Police Centre of Excellence. NATO experts concluded that the centre demonstrated high expertise, professionalism and familiarity with NATO standards. The MPTC in Lviv, Ukraine is now the 36th member of the network of Partnership Training and Education Centres.

    MIL Security OSI –