KH Group Plc Press Release 24 June 2025 at 10:45 am EEST
KH Group: Saurus Oy secured a significant order from Defence Forces
Finland’s Defence Forces has made an order for 14 fire engines and one foam unit from Scania Suomi Oy. Saurus Oy, a subsidiary of KH Group’s rescue vehicle business Nordic Rescue Group, will supply the vehicles with equipment and fittings valued at approximately 10 million euros.
“This new order is significant and continues our long-term customer relationship with Finland’s Defence Forces. Saurus Oy has an important role in national security of supply”, says Juhani Härkönen, CEO of Nordic Rescue Group.
Nordic Rescue Group is a leading rescue vehicle supplier in the Nordic countries. Nordic Rescue Group consists of Saurus Oy in Finland and Sala Brand AB in Sweden. Nordic Rescue Group’s net sales amounted to 44.2 million euros in 2024.
KH GROUP PLC
Further information: CEO Ville Nikulainen, tel. +358 40 045 9343 Nordic Rescue Group CEO Juhani Härkönen, tel. +358 40 063 5132
Distribution: Major media www.khgroup.com
KH Group Plc is a Nordic conglomerate operating in the business areas of KH-Koneet, Nordic Rescue Group and Indoor Group. We are a leading supplier of construction and earth-moving equipment, rescue vehicle manufacturer as well as furniture and interior decoration retailer. The objective of our strategy is to create an industrial group around the business of KH-Koneet. KH Group’s share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
in total caseload value, marking the highest ever total value of cases pending at year end.
831
new arbitration cases under ICC Arbitration Rules, with 1,789 arbitration cases pending at year end
577
draft awards approved in 11 languages
The full 2024 statistical report reflects ICC’s standing as the preferred institution for international commercial and investment dispute resolution.
The amount in dispute in cases registered in 2024 varied from just below US$10,000 to US$53 billion, with over a third of the cases not exceeding US$3 million.
Alexander G. Fessas, Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration and Director of ICC Dispute Resolution services said:
“ICC Arbitration remains a preferred dispute resolution method globally, attracting high-value, high-impact disputes as well as lower-value disputes. The 2024 statistical report reflects the trust placed in our services, from businesses and states in need of fair, efficient and forward-looking dispute resolution.”
Distribution of parties by region
Place of arbitration
ICC arbitrations were seated in 107 cities across 62 countries or independent territories.
Representation of arbitrators
In addition to a wide geographic reach, diversity and inclusion are at the core of our service.
1,427 confirmations/ appointments of 1,020 arbitrators from 91 jurisdictions
In 2024, 577 draft awards were approved in Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Arabic, Italian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Turkish. and bilingually in Chinese/English, demonstrating the adaptability of ICC Dispute Resolution Services in tailoring arbitration services to assist businesses and state entities worldwide.
Sectors and industries
Cases filed in 2024 covered a wide range of sectors. Top 10 sectors included construction/ engineering; energy; transportation; financing and insurance; telecoms and specialised technologies; health, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics; business services; general trade and distribution; leisure and entertainment and industrial equipment and services.
Mediation and other forms of amicable dispute settlement
The ICC International Centre for ADR administered 61 new cases in 2024 across its range of services which include mediation, expert proceedings, dispute boards and DOCDEX cases relating to trade finance instruments.
37
requests for mediation
93
parties
33
countries
Expert proceedings accounted for 20 new filings, with the majority of proceedings from the construction and energy sectors. Parties and neutrals represented a broad geographic span including Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific, reflecting the continuing adoption globally of ICC’s ADR services.
For an ICC DRS data overview, download our one-pager in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
Access statistical reports from previous years via the ICC Dispute Resolution Library.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The 14th international scientific and practical conference “Modern Mechanical Engineering: Science and Education (MMESE-2025)” was held at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The event was organized by the Department of Theory of Machines and Mechanisms of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport of SPbPU.
The conference brought together teachers, researchers, engineers, postgraduates and students from Russian and foreign educational and scientific organizations. Participants discussed modern approaches to teaching engineering disciplines and current development trends in the mechanical engineering industry.
The conference was organized into thematic sections: teaching engineering disciplines, theory of mechanisms and machines, mechatronics and robotics, gear transmissions, tribosystems, transport and technological systems, machine tool building, materials science, design and industrial innovations, etc. Participants presented reports on the results of scientific research and practical activities, and discussed ways to integrate education, science and industry. Particular attention was paid to the issues of training engineering personnel for high-tech industries and the use of advanced educational technologies.
The first conference “Modern Mechanical Engineering: Science and Education” was held in St. Petersburg in 2011. Since then, it has been held annually and has established itself as an important scientific platform. In different years, MMESE has been attended by researchers and teachers from Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, China, India, Syria, Iran, Iraq and other countries. Since 2013, selected conference materials have been published in the Springer collection “Advances in Mechanical Engineering” and indexed in the international Scopus database, — said Alexander Evgrafov, co-chairman of the organizing committee, head of the TMM department.
The conference proceedings of 2025 contain 76 reports. All of them are indexed in the Russian Science Citation Index, each has a digital DOI identifier. The collection is available for reading and downloading inPDF format (access open for 30 days). Selected papers will be recommended for publication in Springer.
The MMESE conference remains an important platform for exchanging experiences and forming a professional community of specialists in the field of mechanical engineering and engineering education.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Ravenna, Italy – As Italy and much of Europe are entering the heatwave season with scorching temperatures already being recorded, 12 activists from seven countries are taking action with Greenpeace Italy against climate-wrecking fossil gas at the new liquefied gas import terminal of Ravenna. At sea, activists reached the infrastructure and attached large banners on it reading “Burn, baby, burn” referencing President Trump’s mantra “Drill, baby, drill” alongside an image of a burning Earth flanked by the faces of US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
At the same time, activists are protesting in kayaks holding a road sign depicting the choice EU leaders need to take between climate hell and a fossil-free future. The action targets Italy’s recent pledge to increase imports of liquefied fossil gas from the US. An alliance that deepens Europe’s fossil fuel dependence and vulnerability to political blackmail from Trump.[1]
Federico Spadini, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Italy said:“While the country scorches under record heat, Meloni chooses to side with Trump and sabotage Italy’s climate action. This toxic alliance puts Italy’s energy future in the hands of Trump and locks the country further into a dangerous gas dependency that fuels the climate crisis, drives up our energy bills and turns our homes into ovens.”
Italy is reportedly Europe’s fourth largest importer of liquefied fossil gas with Qatar and the US being the primary suppliers. Despite the fact that liquefied gas (LNG) imports fell by 12% in 2024 according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the Italian government has pushed for additional LNG import capacity with the new gas import terminal (FSRU) in Ravenna which started operations earlier this year.[2] The protest also comes in the middle of the Greenpeace campaign against oil and gas giants like the Italian ENI, the same company that launched a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) targeting Greenpeace Italy, Greenpeace Netherlands and Italian NGO ReCommon.[3]
“While Meloni is making dirty deals with Trump, ENI threatens to silence those who dare to speak out and advocate for a renewable energy future—putting profit before people, and deepening a toxic pattern of repression and fossil fuel dependence,” added Spadini.
Accelerating the transition to renewable energy is not only an environmental imperative; it is a matter of security, said campaigner Lisa Göldner, who is currently on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise on an expedition across Europe to expose the risks of fossil gas and to mobilise for a fossil-free energy future.[4]
Lisa Göldner, Greenpeace Germany campaigner with the EuropeanFossil-Free Futurecampaign said:“Every new gas import terminal, every new fossil gas purchase agreement is locking Europe further into a gas trap that threatens Europe’s security and independence. Fossil gas fuels the climate crisis and geopolitical conflict and makes Europe vulnerable to political blackmail. The EU must break free from its fossil fuel dependency and take control of its future by investing in a renewable, secure and peaceful energy system.”
“Rather than weakening methane regulations and handing a ‘free pass’ to US gas, as is currently being considered, EU leaders have to up their game: agree on a full phase-out of fossil gas by 2035 at the latest and ban all new fossil fuel projects in the EU.”[5]
Greenpeace is calling for a phase-out of fossil gas through a transition to renewable energy that allows everyone to meet their energy needs at a decent price, without harming people, the planet or the environment.
[4] Last weekend the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise was anchored in Venice where 650 people visited the ship and took action to stop fossil gas. On Monday, activists from the UK action group Everyone hates Elon and Greenpeace Italy took action in Venice just days before the high-profile wedding of billionaire Jeff Bezos. Greenpeace Italy’s protests this week are denouncing billionaire and corporate greed, as well as toxic political alliances and fossil fuel expansion – all of which are driving humanity deeper into climate chaos.
Today’s protest took place as Greenpeace’s Fossil-Free Future campaign carries out its ‘Stop Fossil Gas’ expedition across Europe. This year, the campaign is visiting several European countries aboard the iconic Arctic Sunrise to spark debate about Europe’s energy system; question its dependence on fossil gas; and promote a just and fair phase-out of fossil gas through a transition to renewable energy that allows everyone to meet their energy needs at a decent price, without harming people, the planet or the environment. Greenpeace is gathering support for a ban on all new fossil gas -and fossil fuel- infrastructure projects in the EU. The Fossil-Free Future campaign’s Open Letter to the EU and national governments has already gathered 80.000 signatures.
The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, today provided the Chamber of Deputies with the official communications regarding the European Council meeting to be held on 26 and 27 June, and responded to the points raised during the general discussion.
[President Meloni responds to the points raised by the Chamber of Deputies – Video available in Italian only]
[President Meloni addresses the Chamber of Deputies – Video available in Italian only]
Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland
Statement by TUV vice chairman and Causeway councillor Allister Kyle:
“It is deeply disappointing to learn that a memorial stone, laid in honour of those young men from our shores who served in the 36th Ulster Division, has been stolen — an act of malice carried out by individuals styling themselves as “Republican Youth.”
“The sacrifice made in the First World War was not the preserve of Protestant or Unionists alone — many Catholic Nationalists also answered the call and gave their lives in that great conflict, particularly in the 16th Irish Division which drew many of its soldiers from Redmond’s Nationalist Volunteers which fought alongside those commemorated by the memorial stone at Messines in June 1917.
“This memorial was a modest tribute, placed respectfully by Killowen Lodge on its own private grounds. It posed no threat, no provocation, and no reason for offence.
“Basic decency would demand that respect be shown to those who paid the ultimate price — regardless of the political lens through which you view the past.
“I would urge anyone with information about this act of desecration to come forward, either to the PSNI or, if they feel more comfortable, to contact me directly in confidence. I will ensure the information is passed on.
“Those behind this disgraceful act may have enjoyed a momentary thrill by trying to wound a community’s memory — but all they have truly done is expose their own narrow-mindedness.
“I have no doubt that the memorial will be restored. And when it is, it will stand all the taller — as a lasting reminder that some gave their all, while others can only lash out in petty vandalism.”
Foster + Partners to design national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
Foster + Partners is the winner out of five finalists in a competition to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II in St James’ Park
Their design proposal was selected from a shortlist of five concepts by acclaimed teams.
Includes a new bridge inspired by the late Queen’s wedding tiara, a Prince Philip Gate and new gardens.
Final plans for the memorial in St James’ Park will be announced next year.
Foster + Partners has won the competition to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II.
Five finalist teams were asked to create a masterplan that would honour and celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s extraordinary life of service and provide the public with a space for reflection.
Foster + Partners’ winning design concept celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s life through a time of great change, balancing tradition and modernity, public duty and private faith, the United Kingdom and a global Commonwealth. The design concept illustrates how she brought these dualities together: two gates, two gardens, joined by a bridge and unifying path.
Foster + Partners’ design concept features figurative sculptures and a new Prince Philip Gate. It also features gardens – dedicated to the Commonwealth and the communities of the United Kingdom – to create spaces for reflection and coming together. Artistic installations will celebrate the nation’s diversity. A new bridge, replacing the existing Blue Bridge, will feature a cast-glass balustrade that recalls Queen Elizabeth’s wedding tiara.
This design concept will be subject to change as it undergoes refining.
The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee’s selection panel found Foster + Partners’, design, balancing formal and informal elements, impressive and capable of creating an engaging landmark to endure for generations to come. The panel also valued Foster + Partners’ artistry, use of space, technical skills and their sensitivity to the memorial’s location.
The winning team includes artist Yinka Shonibare and celebrated landscape designer, Michel Desvigne.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said:
Queen Elizabeth II was admired around the globe. Foster + Partners’ fantastic design concept will be a beautiful memorial to Her life and legacy of public service. Situated in the heart of our capital, it will be a space to reflect on and celebrate our longest reigning Monarch for centuries to come.
The panel selected Foster + Partners’ design concept from a shortlist of proposals by five leading multidisciplinary teams. During the competition the public were encouraged to give their views on the design concepts to commemorate the UK’s longest reigning Monarch.
The Committee also consulted experts in arts, heritage, architecture, structural engineering, placemaking and accessibility to find the best concept to honour Queen Elizabeth.
Committee Chair Robin Janvrin said:
Selecting the winner was no easy task. All five of the shortlisted teams produced creative designs of the highest quality.
Foster + Partners’ ambitious and thoughtful masterplan will allow us and future generations to appreciate Queen Elizabeth’s life of service as she balanced continuity and change with strong values, common sense and optimism throughout her long reign.
Committee member Valerie Amos said:
Foster + Partners’ design brings to life Queen Elizabeth’s many contributions to the lives of people across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Their ambitious design will create a beautiful space for people to come together, reflect on her legacy and share stories for generations to come.
Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners Norman Foster said:
It is an honour and a privilege for our team to be awarded this project. Her Majesty loved history and tradition, so this is reflected in the inspiration of the original design of St James’s Park by Sir John Nash. Some of his principles have survived, whilst others have been lost and will be restored, creating a family of gardens joined by gently meandering paths.
I knew The Queen on formal occasions but also enjoyed her informality when attending events as a member of the Order of Merit. We have sought to reflect these qualities of the formal and informal in our design, with an appeal across a wide range of ages and interests. To these ends, we have discreetly stretched the boundaries of art and technology with a deliberately gentle intervention. Our design will have the minimum impact on the nature and biodiversity of the Park and it will be phased to ensure that the precious route across it will never be closed.
At the heart of our masterplan is a translucent bridge symbolic of Her Majesty as a unifying force, bringing together nations, countries, the Commonwealth, charities and the armed forces.
Foster + Partners will now develop its initial concept in close partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee. They will work together to select a sculptor to design the memorial’s figurative element. The Committee will announce the sculptor later this year.
The memorial will be located in St James’s Park, an area of historical and constitutional significance, which also has a personal connection to Queen Elizabeth II. It will include an area of the Park adjacent to The Mall at Marlborough Gate, an area adjacent to Bird Cage Walk and replace the existing bridge between the two with a new crossing.
The final design will be formally announced in April 2026, alongside a legacy programme, to coincide with what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s hundredth birthday year.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will pay a visit to the Netherlands on June 24-25, 2025 to attend the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit to be held in The Hague.
Strategic views on threats and risks to the Europe-Atlantic geography will be addressed at the Summit, whose main agenda will be a new Defense Investment Pledge aimed at increasing the allies’ defense spending to a level required by the current security environment. The Alliance’s efforts in the areas of defense of deterrence in the face of the fundamental threats determined by NATO will be discussed at the Summit as well.
President Erdoğan is expected to hold bilateral meetings with some of the participating heads of state and government on the sidelines of the Summit.
Respectfully announced to the public.
A scientific surveyof two areas targeted by The Metals Company for deep sea mining in the Pacific Ocean has confirmed the presence of whales and dolphins, including sperm whales, which arelisted as vulnerableon the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The news comes as world governments are preparing to meet once again at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), where the call for a moratorium on deep sea mining keeps growing.
The survey published today in the scientific journal Frontiers in Marine Science was conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter and Greenpeace Research Laboratories from Greenpeace International’s ship, Arctic Sunrise. Researchers studied two exploration blocks held by The Metals Company in the Pacific’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone (known as NORI-d and TOML-e) [1] [2]
Dr Kirsten Young, Lead Study Author, University of Exeter, says, “We already knew that the Clarion-Clipperton Zone is home to at least 20 species of cetaceans, but we’ve now demonstrated the presence of some of these species in two areas specifically earmarked for deep sea mining by The Metals Company.”
Following President Trump’s approval of a deep sea mining Executive Order in April 2025, The Metals Company applied to the US government to give TMC unilateral permission to commercially mine the international seabed in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. According toreports, this application covers the NORI-d area. This move bypasses and undermines the International Seabed Authority, the UN regulator for deep sea mining, which continues to prohibit commercial mining activities, and has been met with strong criticism from governments around the world.
Scientists have previously warned of“long-lasting, irreversible” impacts of deep sea mining on the region. Cetaceans are known to be impacted by noise pollution caused by humans, and could be impacted by the significant noise expected to be created by deep sea mining operations. These operations would also generate sediment plumes, which could further impact cetacean populations by disrupting deep ocean food systems.
Dr Kirsten Young continued, “While more research is needed to build a complete picture of the impact of the noise and sediment plumes on cetaceans, it’s clear that deep sea mining operations will negatively impact ocean ecosystems in areas far out to sea where monitoring is particularly challenging.”
The survey provides a 13-day snapshot of cetacean activity in these two deep sea mining exploration areas. Using hydrophones, the research team confirmed 74 acoustic detections of cetaceans. This included a sperm whale, Risso’s dolphins and common dolphins.
Louisa Casson, Greenpeace International senior campaigner, says, “The confirmed presence of cetaceans, including threatened sperm whales, in areas that The Metals Company is targeting for deep sea mining is yet another clear warning that this dangerous industry must never be allowed to begin commercial operations. The only sensible course of action for governments at next month’s International Seabed Authority meeting is to prioritise agreeing on a global moratorium.”
Greenpeace Aotearoa deep sea mining campaigner Juressa Leeadds, “This study again highlights why deep sea mining in the Pacific must be stopped before it gets a chance to start. Deep sea mining is just the latest colonial, extractive industry that will destroy the ocean that Indigenous Pacific Peoples depend upon for their livelihoods and to which they have close relational and ancestral ties. Pacific communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis that they have done nothing to create. They should not be sacrificed by the false solutions being peddled by wannabe deep sea miners who will wreck their homes and livelihoods, and compromise their traditional food source.”
Calls for a moratorium on deep sea mining grew at the recent UN Ocean Conference, with four new countries joining the group supporting a moratorium, bringing thetotal to 37. The UN Secretary General also issued a strong call to stop this dangerous industry. Momentum against deep sea mining will now be carried forward at the July ISA meetings.
[2] This study in the Pacific is mirrored by another recent piece of researchin the Arcticby Greenpeace Nordic and Greenpeace Germany. Researchers found cetaceans, including deep-diving and noise-sensitive sperm whales and northern bottlenose whales, in an area earmarked for future mining. If the Norwegian government proceeds with deep sea mining in the area, noise and other forms of pollution risk severe consequences. Greenpeace Nordic researchers are in the Arctic right now further documenting the presence of cetaceans in the area to expose the risks of deep sea mining and to champion the protection of the Arctic’s vulnerable marine life.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
Press release
Prime Delivery For Britain: PM Hails £40 Billion Amazon Investment Set To Create Thousands Of Jobs
Prime Minister welcomes a £40bn investment plan by Amazon over the next three years in show of confidence following Industrial Strategy launch.
Amazon confirms £40bn investment plan for the UK over the next three years in vote of confidence following the Industrial Strategy
Investment goes towards four new fulfilment centres in Hull, Northampton and East Midlands creating over 4,000 jobs across the sites
Business Secretary visits Amazon’s HQ to welcome news as further proof Britain is the best place to do business as Government’s Plan for Change delivers for working people
Thousands of new jobs are set to be created across the UK, as Amazon today (Tuesday 24 June) announces a landmark £40 billion investment over the next three years.
This investment – announced the same week as the Government’s transformational Industrial Strategy – includes building four new fulfilment centres and new delivery stations nationwide, as well as upgrades and expansions to its existing network of over 100 operations buildings across the country.
The investment will create thousands of new permanent, full-time jobs in the UK, with the vast majority outside of London and the South East.
These include 2,000 jobs at the previously announced state-of-the-art fulfilment centre in Hull and 2,000 jobs at another in Northampton, plus additional positions at new sites in the East Midlands and at delivery stations across the country.
The investment also includes part of the £8 billion previously announced in September 2024 for building, operating, and maintaining data centres in the UK. This will support the UK’s ambition to increase AI compute capacity and meet the growing demand for cloud and AI technologies, while creating thousands of skilled jobs in the tech supply chain.
Alongside the planned creation of the new operations facilities, the investment will also go towards the redevelopment of the historic Bray Film Studios in Berkshire, continued investment in multimillion-pound skills and training programmes, and landmark original TV and film productions.
This announcement is the latest sign that the government’s Plan for Change is working – making Britain the best place to do business, creating jobs, and putting more money in working people’s pockets.
It follows the publication of the modern Industrial Strategy, which marks a new era of collaboration between government and high growth industries slashing energy bills for industry, increasing skills, and boosting investment to unlock the UK’s economic potential.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who met Amazon’s CEO last week ahead of the announcement, said:
Amazon’s £40 billion investment adds another major win to Britain’s basket and is a massive vote of confidence in the UK as the best place to do business.
It means thousands of new jobs—real opportunities for people in every corner of the country to build careers, learn new skills, and support their families.
Whether it’s cutting-edge AI or same-day delivery, this deal shows that our Plan for Change is working—bringing in investment, driving growth, and putting more money in people’s pockets.
Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said:
This investment is a powerful endorsement of Britain’s economic strengths.
The world is changing, but this Government is working hand in hand with businesses to navigate that change to create jobs, wealth and opportunity in every corner of the country.
Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will visit Amazon’s HQ in London to mark the announcement. There he will meet apprentices to talk about the importance of backing British skills just days after the Government announced a £275 million skills package to boost training and build a skilled workforce of the future.
Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds said:
Our Modern Industrial Strategy will ensure the UK is the best country to invest and do business, and seeing massive international firms like Amazon bank on Britain shows we are on the right track.
This investment will create highly-skilled jobs and boost living standards across the country, and the £100 billion of investment we’ve secured in the past year shows our Plan for Change is already delivering for working people.
Amazon are offering 1,000 new full-time apprenticeship roles this year, and already employs more than 75,000 people in over 100 sites across the UK. This new investment will supercharge its impact on local economies. The data centre investment alone is expected to contribute £14 billion to the UK economy over 5 years (2024-2028) and support 14,000 full-time equivalent jobs each year – many of them in small and medium-sized businesses.
Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy, said:
Amazon has been proud to serve our customers in the UK for the past 27 years. Thanks to their support, we’ve grown to be part of over 100 communities nationwide, from developing drone technology in Darlington to producing world-class entertainment at our studios in Bray. We now employ over 75,000 people and have become one of the UK’s largest private sector employers and taxpayers.
When Amazon invests, it’s not only in London and the South East – we’re bringing innovation and job creation to communities throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, strengthening the UK’s economy and delivering better experiences for customers wherever they live.
The announcement comes as UK business confidence hits a nine-month high, according to the latest Lloyds Business Barometer, with optimism boosted by falling interest rates and new trade deals with the EU, US and India – cutting costs for businesses and protecting jobs.
Since the government was elected, interest rates have fallen four times, and the UK started the year as the fastest-growing economy in the G7. The government has also secured three major trade deals with the EU, US and India, which will cut costs for businesses, protect jobs and attract further investment.
Notes to editors
A release from Amazon will be available separately. A full media pack including a photo of the Prime Minister with Amazon’s CEO can be found here.
Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland
Commenting on an answer he received from the Education Minister recently TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston said:
“While there are those who claim that there is no evidence of mass immigration in Northern Ireland, this is another set of data which exposes the truth. Every penny spent by the Education Authority on translation costs for pupils who do not speak English is money which has to be diverted from other pressing needs within our schools.
“The rapid growth of the spend is shocking. I requested data over a five-year period and discovered that the total has more than tripled from £44,000 in 2020/2021 to £139,000 in 2024/25. Additionally, there has been a rapid expansion in the diversity of languages over the period.
“Arabic is the most expensive language, costing the Education Authority £13,887 in 2020/2021 and £33,214 in 2022/2023.
“Romanian is placing a heavy burden on the EA, with the cost of translators for the language increasing some 260% over the last five years, while Bulgarian is up 192%. Spend on Farsi translators has ballooned by 1,169%.
“This surge in demand reflects rapid demographic change across Northern Ireland.
“The figures are a snapshot of long-term costs of immigration policies which are failing and simply aren’t putting the people whose parents and grandparents have paid into the system for years first. Hard-pressed taxpayers are having to fund an education system which must operate in dozens of foreign languages.
“Over the five-year period covered by my question, interpreters were required for over 30 different languages including Somali, Pashto, Vietnamese and Kurdish. The presence of so many distinct language groups not only places financial strain on the education system but raises serious questions about integration in the long term.
“We need to urgently move to a migration system which works and is common sense. A basic starting point should be an expectation that people who are permitted to remain in the UK speak English and it doesn’t end up being a costly afterthought and burden on our education system.”
Note to editors
You can read Mr Gaston’s question and the answer received here.
A Conversation with Sir Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1997-2007); Executive Chairman, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, United Kingdom
A new way for Londoners to receive updates directly from local officers is being rolled out as part of the Met’s focus on neighbourhood policing.
Officers will use Met Engage to provide their communities with crime prevention advice, information about local events and meetings, updates on ongoing incidents and investigations, and information about successful outcomes and operations.
Neighbourhood policing is at the forefront of the Met’s work to deliver more trust, less crime and high standards.
Communities have told the Met they want to be more connected to their local policing teams and the Met is asking people to sign-up for Met Engage here.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said:
“Every day, officers and staff across the Met are out tackling the crimes that really affect people – things like shoplifting, phone theft and burglary. Their crime-fighting is making a difference and we’re seeing large reductions in these types of offences in London.
“But real progress means more than just numbers going in the right direction – it means working with communities, not just policing them.
“Met Engage is about having a two-way conversation. It’s a way for people to stay informed with precise local updates, to tell us what is most important to them and to challenge misinformation. It’s about shaping policing together and I would encourage everyone to sign-up.”
People who sign up to the email service will be asked to complete a survey, where they’ll be able to select where they live and choose the type of alerts they’d like to be informed about. This means the messages they receive will be specifically tailored to them.
Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said:
“I am pleased to see the launch of Met Engage. Both the Mayor and I have been clear that neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of safer communities. By providing an easy way for Londoners to stay in touch with their local neighbourhood police teams, the Met are able to better respond to the needs of our communities.”
“Communication and partnership with communities is essential to the Met’s efforts to cut crime and increase public confidence. I am proud to say that City Hall has part funded Met Engage to bolster neighbourhood policing and drive down crime across the capital, building a safer London for everyone.
“Met Engage is a key part of the Met’s community-first approach, by providing a platform for people to raise concerns, while also being kept updated on the issues that matter most in their local area.
The Met is placing communities at the heart of everything it does by putting more officers into neighbourhood policing to focus on the issues that matter most to Londoners.
Our new neighbourhood policing model means that every borough now has an additional 500 staff ranging from Superintendent to PCSOs, working closer than ever with communities to understand their concerns and act upon them.
Local officers are using intelligence from residents and businesses to help shape policing priorities and reduce crime including shoplifting or anti-social behaviour.
By relentlessly targeting the right areas and the right people, we can bring relief to communities blighted by crime and anti-social behaviour.
Met Engage is provided by VISAV Limited, a company that has produced similar products for other police forces across the UK.
While Met Engage will provide opportunities for the public to highlight issues, it is not a crime reporting tool and will not replace all the existing methods of reporting crime including the Met website, calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.
A new way for Londoners to receive updates directly from local officers is being rolled out as part of the Met’s focus on neighbourhood policing.
Officers will use Met Engage to provide their communities with crime prevention advice, information about local events and meetings, updates on ongoing incidents and investigations, and information about successful outcomes and operations.
Neighbourhood policing is at the forefront of the Met’s work to deliver more trust, less crime and high standards.
Communities have told the Met they want to be more connected to their local policing teams and the Met is asking people to sign-up for Met Engage here.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said:
“Every day, officers and staff across the Met are out tackling the crimes that really affect people – things like shoplifting, phone theft and burglary. Their crime-fighting is making a difference and we’re seeing large reductions in these types of offences in London.
“But real progress means more than just numbers going in the right direction – it means working with communities, not just policing them.
“Met Engage is about having a two-way conversation. It’s a way for people to stay informed with precise local updates, to tell us what is most important to them and to challenge misinformation. It’s about shaping policing together and I would encourage everyone to sign-up.”
People who sign up to the email service will be asked to complete a survey, where they’ll be able to select where they live and choose the type of alerts they’d like to be informed about. This means the messages they receive will be specifically tailored to them.
Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said:
“I am pleased to see the launch of Met Engage. Both the Mayor and I have been clear that neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of safer communities. By providing an easy way for Londoners to stay in touch with their local neighbourhood police teams, the Met are able to better respond to the needs of our communities.”
“Communication and partnership with communities is essential to the Met’s efforts to cut crime and increase public confidence. I am proud to say that City Hall has part funded Met Engage to bolster neighbourhood policing and drive down crime across the capital, building a safer London for everyone.
“Met Engage is a key part of the Met’s community-first approach, by providing a platform for people to raise concerns, while also being kept updated on the issues that matter most in their local area.
The Met is placing communities at the heart of everything it does by putting more officers into neighbourhood policing to focus on the issues that matter most to Londoners.
Our new neighbourhood policing model means that every borough now has an additional 500 staff ranging from Superintendent to PCSOs, working closer than ever with communities to understand their concerns and act upon them.
Local officers are using intelligence from residents and businesses to help shape policing priorities and reduce crime including shoplifting or anti-social behaviour.
By relentlessly targeting the right areas and the right people, we can bring relief to communities blighted by crime and anti-social behaviour.
Met Engage is provided by VISAV Limited, a company that has produced similar products for other police forces across the UK.
While Met Engage will provide opportunities for the public to highlight issues, it is not a crime reporting tool and will not replace all the existing methods of reporting crime including the Met website, calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The 27th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) wrapped up Saturday with the Golden Goblet Awards, where the Kyrgyzstani film “Black Red Yellow” won best feature and three Chinese films took top honors in the main competition.
Director Aktan Arym Kubat (center) accepts the best feature film award for “Black Red Yellow” at the Golden Goblet Awards ceremony in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]
“Black Red Yellow,” directed by Aktan Arym Kubat, follows a master weaver’s forbidden romance with a horse herder, which ends in silent separation and an unfinished carpet — until its unveiling years later stirs old memories.
“This is a glorious moment for Kyrgyz cinema,” Kubat said in his acceptance speech. He said carpets are an inseparable part of traditional culture and daily life in Kyrgyzstan and noted that the award also marks the birth of his grandson. “Black Red Yellow” was the festival’s closing film.
Chinese filmmaker Cao Baoping won best director for the comedy crime drama “One Wacky Summer,” a decade after earning the same honor for “The Dead End” at SIFF. Cao said the new film, with its dark humor, is sharper, funnier and more down-to-earth than his previous works.
Chinese filmmaker Cao Baoping holds his best director trophy for the comedy crime drama “One Wacky Summer” at the Golden Goblet Awards ceremony in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]
The film continues the lighter, comic direction Cao first explored with his 2006 debut, “Trouble Makers.” Set in Tianjin at the turn of the century, “One Wacky Summer” follows a small-time thug who, trapped in debt, impulsively kidnaps his nephew in a failed extortion plot, sparking family feuds and criminal chaos.
Cao thanked SIFF for recognizing his work for the second time in 10 years, saying it “shows the festival’s encouragement for artistic persistence, as well as its diversity and inclusiveness.”
Wan Qian won best actress for her role as a desperate killer posing as a caregiver in Wang Tong’s “Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts.” The film weaves together themes of elder care, love and crime, delivering a stark examination of human nature and morality.
Wan Qian accepts the best actress award for “Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts” at the Golden Goblet Awards ceremony in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]
“Turns out there really is a dawn after the wild night,” Wan said on stage. “I’m deeply grateful to the team behind ‘Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts.’ Your professionalism made the film remarkable. As we emerge from the long night and the light shines on us, I hope it’s not just me who is seen, but everyone behind me — because they are the ones truly holding up this trophy.”
“Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts” also won the jury grand prix, an award it shared with the Japanese film “On Summer Sand” by Shinya Tamada.
Director Qiu Sheng (center) holds the outstanding artistic achievement award for “My Father’s Son” at the Golden Goblet Awards ceremony in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]
“My Father’s Son,” a co-production between China and France, received the outstanding artistic achievement award. Director Qiu Sheng said the film is a tribute to his late father, who died in 2005.
Additional major awards went to Portuguese actor Jose Martins, who won best actor for “The Scent of Things Remembered.” Korek Bojanowski and Katia Priwieziencew received best screenplay for the Polish film “Loss of Balance,” and Markus Nestroy was awarded best cinematography for “You Believe in Angels, Mr. Drowak?”
Director Bian Zhuo jumps as he and producer Zhang Jie receive the Asian New Talent best feature film award for “As the Water Flows” at the Golden Goblet Awards in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]
In the Asian New Talent section, “As the Water Flows” by Bian Zhuo won best feature film, while Liryc Dela Cruz of the Philippines took best director for “Where the Night Stands Still.” Best actor went to Chinese actor Shi Pengyuan for “Water Can Go Anywhere” while Indian actress Meenakshi Jayan won best actress for “Victoria.” Prabath Roshan earned best cinematography for Sri Lanka’s “Riverstone,” with Lalith Rathnayake and Nilantha Perera sharing best scriptwriter.
In other sections, the Spanish film “Constanza” won best documentary, while “The Songbirds’ Secret,” a France-Switzerland-Belgium co-production, took best animation. The Chinese film “Crow” won best live-action short, and the Russian-Kazakh film “Son” was named best animated short.
This year’s Golden Goblet Awards received a record 3,900 submissions from 119 countries and regions. The main jury was chaired by Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, best known for “Cinema Paradiso.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government Non-Ministerial Departments
Press release
CMA takes first steps to improve competition in search services in the UK
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is today proposing to designate Google with ‘strategic market status’ (SMS) in general search and search advertising.
CMA proposes to designate Google with strategic market status under the new Digital Markets Competition Regime
Roadmap published setting out potential early actions to improve outcomes for consumers and businesses
Measures could help unlock broader growth, investment and innovation in the UK tech sector and wider economy
The CMA will consult on the proposal ahead of a final decision in October. If designated, the CMA would be able to introduce targeted measures to address specific aspects of how Google operates search services in the UK.
The CMA has also published a roadmap of potential actions it could prioritise were Google to be designated. Early priorities include: requiring choice screens for users to access different search providers; ensuring fair ranking principles for businesses appearing on Google search; more transparency and control for publishers whose content appears in search results; and portability of consumer search data to support innovation in new products and services.
Search in the UK
Google search accounts for more than 90% of all general search queries in the UK – with millions of people relying on it as a key gateway to the internet and more than 200,000 businesses in the UK relying on Google search advertising to reach their customers. These services matter to our economy and society – so it is vital that competition works well.
The CMA’s investigation has heard concerns, including:
Google’s index of billions of websites, its access to trillions of historical searches, and its ecosystem of information, are extremely hard for others to replicate
Higher costs of search advertising than would be expected in a more competitive market
Limited transparency and fairness in how Google ranks and presents search results
Publishers can face challenges in securing fair terms and control over how their content is used in Google’s search and AI-generated responses
Default agreements with mobile device manufacturers can make it more difficult for competitors to reach customers
Innovative businesses can struggle to compete as people can’t easily share their search data with firms developing new services
A proportionate, pro-innovation approach
The UK’s new Digital Markets Competition Regime can help unlock opportunities for innovation and growth, by promoting competition in digital markets while protecting UK consumers and businesses from unfair or harmful practices. It is flexible and highly targeted, with the CMA able to design proportionate, bespoke interventions to address specific aspects of the way a firm engages in a digital activity. It includes a participative engagement process involving diverse stakeholders, from the largest firms to challengers and consumer groups. The CMA is also applying its ‘4Ps’ – Proportionality, Pace, Predictability and Process – to avoid any action taken hampering innovation or creating uncertainty for investors.
To support pace and provide greater predictability for Google and other market participants, the CMA has published a Roadmap of how it would prioritise actions taken during the first half of any designation period. Measures are designed to promote competition and innovation in ways that benefit the UK economy, while ensuring that UK consumers and businesses are treated fairly.
Early priority measures outlined in the roadmap include:
Requiring choice screens to help people easily select and switch between search services (potentially including AI assistants)
Ensuring fair and non-discriminatory ranking of search results
More control and transparency for publishers over how their content collected for search is used, including in AI-generated responses and search results more generally
Supporting data portability to help new businesses bring innovative products to market
The CMA plans to consider a second category of actions to address more complex issues over a longer period (starting in the first half of 2026). These include concerns about the impact of Google’s bargaining position on publishers, its treatment of rival specialised search firms, and concerns about transparency and control in relation to search advertising.
The CMA has carefully considered how generative AI is changing the search landscape. While use of AI assistants is growing, it remains significantly smaller than Google search. Google is already incorporating generative AI features – such as AI Overviews – into its search products and developing its own assistant, Gemini. The CMA’s proposed SMS designation would include AI-based search features, though not Gemini AI Assistant itself. This position will be kept under review as usage evolves.
Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said:
Google is the world’s leading search tool and plays an important role in all our lives, with the average person in the UK making 5 to 10 searches a day. It is equally critical for over 200,000 UK businesses which rely on Google to reach their customers. Google search has delivered tremendous benefits – but our investigation so far suggests there are ways to make these markets more open, competitive and innovative.
Today marks an important milestone in our implementation of the new Digital Markets Competition Regime in the UK. Alongside our proposed designation of Google’s search activities, we have set out a roadmap of possible future action to improve outcomes for people and businesses in the UK.
These targeted and proportionate actions would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google’s search services – as well as unlocking greater opportunities for innovation across the UK tech sector and broader economy.
The CMA welcomes views on its proposed designation decision and accompanying roadmap. A final decision on SMS designation will be made by the deadline of 13 October.
Alongside its live SMS designation investigations into search and mobile ecosystems, the CMA has been keeping under review the timing and scope of any further SMS designation investigations. The CMA is focused on progressing current SMS investigations and associated actions to improve outcomes in those markets for the remainder of 2025. We will keep under review possible options for a further designation investigation and anticipate this will be considered by the CMA Board in early 2026.
Search advertising is where an advertiser pays for its advert to appear next to the results from a user’s search. The investigation relates to Google’s general search and search advertising activities.
A finding that Google has SMS does not imply that it has acted anti-competitively. If the CMA designates Google as having SMS, it would then be able (subject to a legal framework that includes further public consultation and showing that measures are proportionate) to introduce interventions (including as set out in the roadmap) to unlock competition, increase innovation, and protect consumers.
In line with the CMA’s prioritisation principles and the strategic steer from government, the CMA’s roadmap considers targeted measures where it can make a difference in the UK, and which fit with steps taken, or proposed, in other jurisdictions such as the EU and US.
The CMA is also considering additional measures to ensure general search and search advertising is open to competition, including from AI services, by addressing barriers to entry and expansion. However, these complex issues are being scrutinised around the world and the CMA recognises that any action taken must fit with decisions being taken elsewhere.
The CMA will be consulting with affected businesses and consumer groups widely over the coming months. The CMA expects to consult on a first set of priority interventions shortly after any designation decision and will publish an updated roadmap addressing our approach to the more complex issues we have identified in early 2026.
In a decade of international security crises, this could be the most serious. Is there still time to prevent this from happening?
A successful but vulnerable treaty
In May 2015, I attended the five-yearly review conference of the NPT. Delegates debated a draft outcome for weeks, and then, not for the first time, went home with nothing. Delegates from the US, United Kingdom and Canada blocked the final outcome to prevent words being added that would call for Israel to attend a disarmament conference.
Russia did the same in 2022 in protest at language on its illegal occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine.
Now, in the latest challenge to the NPT, Israel and the US have bombed Iran’s nuclear complexes to ostensibly enforce a treaty neither one respects.
When the treaty was adopted in 1968, it allowed the five nuclear-armed states at the time – the US, Soviet Union, France, UK and China – to join if they committed not to pass weapons or material to other states, and to disarm themselves.
All other members had to pledge never to acquire nuclear weapons. Newer nuclear powers were not permitted to join unless they gave up their weapons.
Israel declined to join, as it had developed its own undeclared nuclear arsenal by the late 1960s. India, Pakistan and South Sudan have also never signed; North Korea was a member but withdrew in 2003. Only South Sudan does not have nuclear weapons today.
To make the obligations enforceable and strengthen safeguards against the diversion of nuclear material to non-nuclear weapons states, members were later required to sign the IAEA Additional Protocol. This gave the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wide powers to inspect a state’s nuclear facilities and detect violations.
It was the IAEA that first blew the whistle on Iran’s concerning uranium enrichment activity in 2003. Just before Israel’s attacks this month, the organisation also reported Iran was in breach of its obligations under the NPT for the first time in two decades.
The NPT is arguably the world’s most universal, important and successful security treaty, but it is also paradoxically vulnerable.
The treaty’s underlying consensus has been damaged by the failure of the five nuclear-weapon states to disarm as required, and by the failure to prevent North Korea from developing a now formidable nuclear arsenal.
North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 2003, tested a weapon in 2006, and now may have up to 50 warheads.
Iran could be next.
How things can deteriorate from here
Iran argues Israel’s attacks have undermined the credibility of the IAEA, given Israel used the IAEA’s new report on Iran as a pretext for its strikes, taking the matter out of the hands of the UN Security Council.
For its part, the IAEA has maintained a principled position and criticised both the US and Israeli strikes.
Iran has retaliated with its own missile strikes against both Israel and a US base in Qatar. In addition, it wasted no time announcing it would withdraw from the NPT.
On June 23, an Iranian parliament committee also approved a bill that would fully suspend Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA, including allowing inspections and submitting reports to the organisation.
Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, said the US strikes:
[…] delivered a fundamental and irreparable blow to the international non-proliferation regime conclusively demonstrating that the existing NPT framework has been rendered ineffective.
Even if Israel and the US consider their bombing campaign successful, it has almost certainly renewed the Iranians’ resolve to build a weapon. The strikes may only delay an Iranian bomb by a few years.
Iran will have two paths to do so. The slower path would be to reconstitute its enrichment activity and obtain nuclear implosion designs, which create extremely devastating weapons, from Russia or North Korea.
Alternatively, Russia could send Iran some of its weapons. This should be a real concern given Moscow’s cascade of withdrawals from critical arms control agreements over the last decade.
An Iranian bomb could then trigger NPT withdrawals by other regional states, especially Saudi Arabia, who suddenly face a new threat to their security.
Why Iran might now pursue a bomb
Iran’s support for Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria’s Assad regime certainly shows it is a dangerous international actor. Iranian leaders have also long used alarming rhetoric about Israel’s destruction.
However repugnant the words, Israeli and US conservatives have misjudged Iran’s motives in seeking nuclear weapons.
Israel fears an Iranian bomb would be an existential threat to its survival, given Iran’s promises to destroy it. But this neglects the fact that Israel already possesses a potent (if undeclared) nuclear deterrent capability.
Israeli anxieties about an Iranian bomb should not be dismissed. But other analysts (myself included) see Iran’s desire for nuclear weapons capability more as a way to establish deterrence to prevent future military attacks from Israel and the US to protect their regime.
Iranians were shaken by Iraq’s invasion in 1980 and then again by the US-led removal of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. This war with Israel and the US will shake them even more.
Last week, I felt that if the Israeli bombing ceased, a new diplomatic effort to bring Iran into compliance with the IAEA and persuade it to abandon its program might have a chance.
However, the US strikes may have buried that possibility for decades. And by then, the damage to the nonproliferation regime could be irreversible.
Anthony Burke received funding from the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council for a project on global nuclear governance (2014–17).
Moving people and things around the world by sea has a big climate impact. The shipping industry produces almost 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions – roughly the same as Germany – largely due to the movement of container ships, bulk carriers and tankers.
Unlike cars, international shipping can’t shift to using low-emissions electricity – the batteries required are too big and heavy. So clean fuels must play a role.
A proposed shake-up of the global shipping industry would encourage the use of clean fuels and penalise shipping companies that stick to cheaper, more polluting fuels. Should it proceed, emissions from global shipping would be regulated for the first time.
Using our peer-reviewed modelling, we investigated how the changes might affect Australia’s largest export: iron ore.
What is the proposed carbon levy all about?
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is the United Nations body responsible for regulating international shipping. It recently approved a draft plan to tackle the shipping sector’s contribution to climate change through a type of “cap and trade” scheme.
The plan would involve setting a limit, or cap, on how much each shipping company can emit. Companies must then either buy credits or be penalised if they go over their limit. Companies that stay under their limit – for example, by using cleaner fuels – would earn credits, which they could then sell.
In this way, high-emitting shipping companies are penalised and low-emitting companies are rewarded.
Under the plan, the total limit for emissions from global shipping would fall each year. This increases the incentive for companies to switch to lower emission fuels and makes higher-emission fuels progressively more expensive to use.
The plan is scheduled to be adopted by the shipping industry in October this year and would begin in 2027.
Not all fuels are the same
The proposed change is particularly significant for Australia. As a remote island nation, our imports and exports are heavily reliant on massive ships. This is most important for our commodity exports – iron ore in particular.
Our recently published modelling estimated the emissions and financial impacts of various low-emission shipping options for Australia’s exports.
We estimated Australia’s commodity exports create about 34 million tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. This is about 8% of Australia’s domestic greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s not included in Australia’s national reporting.
Using the same modelling, we then examined how the proposed new regulation would affect the cost of shipping Australia’s largest export, iron ore. We chose a common route from Port Hedland in Western Australia to Shanghai in China.
First, we looked at current fuel costs, as well as overall shipping costs measured per tonne of delivered ore. Shipping costs include both the fuel costs and the cost of the ships designed to use it. Then we estimated how much fuels and shipping might cost from 2030, assuming the proposed regulation has come into force.
We also examined three types of fuel.
The first was heavy fuel oil (HFO), one of the main fuels used in international shipping. It’s traditionally the cheapest shipping fuel and also has the highest greenhouse gas emissions.
The second was “blue” ammonia. This fuel is typically made from natural gas using a manufacturing process where the carbon in the natural gas is captured and stored. It has lower greenhouse gas emissions than heavy fuel oil, but it is not a “green” fuel.
Thirdly, we looked at “green” ammonia, which is produced using renewable energy. We examined two types of green ammonia – that produced using current technology, and “advanced” green ammonia, made using new technologies in development.
Is green ammonia an answer?
From about 2030, the overall cost of shipping powered by heavy fuel oil will start to rise significantly under the proposed regulation. That’s because shipping companies using this fuel must purchase credits from those using cleaner options.
Blue ammonia may then make it cheaper to ship iron ore from Australia to Asia. Users of this fuel could generate and sell credits that higher-emitting fuel users buy, offsetting some of the shipping costs associated with using blue ammonia.
But if international shipping is to reach the IMO’s goal of net-zero emissions by about 2050, this is very likely to require a green fuel.
However, green ammonia is more expensive than heavy fuel oil and blue ammonia with current technology. And our analysis found the proposed regulation – and associated subsidy – doesn’t make it the lowest cost shipping option from 2030 onwards either.
This is why technological innovation is important. CSIRO projections of the future costs of renewable energy and green-fuel manufacture suggest that, should technologies improve, green ammonia may compete on cost with heavy-fuel oil in the 2030s, even without subsidies.
If so, this zero-emission fuel could become the cheapest way to export Australian iron ore.
Looking ahead to net-zero
As our calculations show, a combination of regulation and innovation could help international shipping achieve its goal of net-zero emissions.
These fuels could be made in Australia, and potentially used by other industries such as rail, mining, road freight and even aviation.
Such an industry would therefore contribute significantly to the world’s emission-reduction goals, and could help Australia realise its ambition to become a major global exporter of green fuels and other green products.
Michael Brear receives research funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Australian Research Council, the Future Energy Exports CRC and the Clean Marine Fuel Institute. He also receives funding from other government and industry organisations for work on other aspects of energy and transport decarbonisation.
Gerhard (Gerry) F. Swiegers is an ARC Industry Laureate Fellow and the Chief Technology Officer of Hysata. Hysata is a manufacturer of electrolysers which are used for green hydrogen manufacture. Green hydrogen is a key feedstock for the manufacture of green ammonia.
Michael Leslie Johns receives funding from the ARC and Future Energy Exports CRC.
Nguyen Cao receives funding from the Future Energy Exports CRC and the Clean Marine Fuel Institute.
Rose Amal is the leader of the Particles and Catalysis Research Group, Co-Director of ARC Training Centre for the Global Hydrogen Economy and the Lead of the PowerFuels Network under NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub. Rose receives funding from Australian Research Council (ARC) and Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Department of Education (Trailblazer Recycling and Clean Energy program), ARENA and NSW Environmental Trust. She was an ARC Laureate Fellow.
Standing in the vast ruins of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, hundreds of gulls circle above. Their haunting cries echo voices from 1,800 years ago. Today, the bare shell of what was one of Rome’s largest bath complexes mostly sits empty, occasionally playing host to opera performances.
But what were the baths of ancient Rome actually like back then? And why were the Romans so into public bathing?
Public baths everywhere
While living in Rome for almost a year, I noticed the remains of ancient baths (thermae in Latin) everywhere.
Virtually every emperor built them, and by the middle of the fourth century there were 952 public baths in the city.
The largest were the baths built by the emperor Diocletian (284–305). Around 3,000 people a day could bathe at this 13-hectare complex.
These baths, like most, contained a room (the caldarium) heated by air ducts in the walls and floors. The floors were so hot special sandals were worn.
Another room leading from it was milder (the tepidarium), before bathers entered the frigidarium, which contained a cold pool. A 4,000-square-metre outdoor swimming pool was the central feature.
Public baths also often featured gymnasiums, libraries, restaurants and exercise yards.
Today, the baths of Caracalla mostly sit empty. Wirestock/Getty
He described the sounds of people “panting in wheezy and high-pitched tones” as they lifted weights. Others plunged into swimming tanks with a loud splash. Shop-owners selling food yelled out the prices of their wares. Some sang loudly for their own pleasure in the bathroom.
One 4th-century CE account describes how aristocrats sometimes arrived at the baths with 50 servants attending them.
Sections of the baths were reserved for these guests, who brought their finest clothes and expensive jewellery.
While emperors built large public bath complexes, there were many smaller private ones. Entry fees were low and sometimes free during festivals and political campaigns. This allowed all social classes to use the baths.
Women and men bathed separately and used the baths at different times of the day. Some bath complexes had areas designated for women only. The physician Soranus of Ephesus, who wrote a treatise on gynaecology in the second century CE, recommended women go to the baths in preparation for labour.
In a crowded and polluted city like Rome, the baths were a haven. Warm water, smells of perfumed ointments, massages and a spa-like environment were pleasures all could indulge in.
Baths were places of great social importance, and nudity allowed bathers to show off their physical prowess.
Archaeological evidence suggests even dentistry was performed at the baths.
Behind these images of indulgence, however, lay the grim reality of slavery. Slaves did the dirtiest work in the baths.
They cleaned out cinders, emptied toilets and saw to the clearing of drains.
Slaves came to the baths with their owners, whom they rubbed down with oil and cleaned their skin with strygils (a type of scraper). They entered the baths through a separate entrance.
Baths across the empire
Baths were popular in every city and town across the Roman Empire. A famous example is Aquae Sulis – the modern town of Bath – in England (which was under Roman rule for hundreds of years). At Aquae Sulis, a natural hot spring fed the baths. The goddess Minerva was honoured at the complex.
The remains of similar bath complexes have been found in North Africa, Spain and Germany.
Extensive remains of a Roman bath at Baden Baden in Germany are among the most impressive.
Similarly, at Toledo in Spain, a public Roman bath complex measuring almost an acre has been found.
Baths were often built in military camps to provide soldiers with comforts during their service. Remains of military baths have been found all over the empire. Researchers have found and excavated the baths for the army camp at Hadrian’s wall, a wall built to help defend the Roman Empire’s northern frontier in what is now modern Britain.
The baths at Chester contain hot rooms (caldaria), cold rooms (frigidaria) and also a sweat room (sudatoria), which is similar to a sauna.
A long history
The Romans weren’t the first to use public baths. Their Greek forebears had them too. But the Romans took public bathing to a empire-wide level. It became a marker of Roman culture wherever they went.
Public bathing would continue in the empire’s Islamic period and became famously popular under the Ottomans, who ruled the empire between 1299 and 1922. Turkish hammams (baths) remain an important public institution to this day and they descend directly from the Romans. Istanbul still contains 60 functioning hammams.
Roman baths were not only technically ingenious and architecturally impressive, they connected people socially from all walks of life. As the gulls circle over the baths of Caracalla in Rome, their haunting cries connect us to that very world.
Peter Edwell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
European stock markets were bullish in the first half of the year as investors in the United States increasingly turned to European capital markets in an effort to diversify, German media reported on Monday.
According to the German news agency DPA, European stock markets have outpaced their U.S. counterparts in terms of growth, an unseen development in years.
Despite the sluggish economy, the German stock markets have grown strongly and the benchmark DAX index has soared by 16 percent since the beginning of this year. Stock exchanges in Spain and Italy also recorded double-digit growth, in contrast to the moderate growth of less than two percent in the U.S. markets.
Analysts from Munich Alliance and Deutsche Bank, cited by DPA, pointed to indications of capital shifting from the United States to Europe. They attributed this trend to investor concerns over the uncertainty sparked by erratic U.S. trade policies and the depreciation of the U.S. dollar.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde also noted the trend during the monetary policy press conference earlier this month, highlighting growing investor confidence in Europe.
“We perceive a serious momentum to improve, to change, to simplify, to streamline, and to encourage and … welcome capital into Europe,” Lagarde said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The British government on Monday unveiled a comprehensive 10-year Industrial Strategy designed to tackle long-standing structural challenges facing British industry, including high energy costs and lengthy delays in electricity grid connections.
The plan also outlines targeted support for eight high-growth sectors, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and digital technology.
A major component of the strategy is the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, which aims to reduce electricity bills by up to 25 percent for more than 7,000 energy-intensive businesses – including those in the steel and chemicals sectors – starting in 2027. These savings will come from removing several existing charges on electricity bills that currently fund renewable energy generation and backup supply systems.
Complementing this initiative, the British Industry Supercharger program will expand support for approximately 500 companies in sectors such as ceramics, glass, and aluminum. These firms currently receive a 60 percent discount on electricity network charges, which will increase to 90 percent from 2026, a move expected to lower operating costs and enhance global competitiveness.
To address persistent delays in connecting to the electricity grid, the government plans to launch a Connections Accelerator Service by the end of 2025. The service will work in coordination with energy providers, devolved governments, and local authorities to expedite grid access for major investment projects.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the strategy as “a turning point for Britain’s economy and a clear break from the short-termism and sticking plasters of the past.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves emphasized the plan’s investment-friendly approach, noting that it would ease business energy costs, unlock funding for advanced technologies, and support job creation. “It will boost our economy and create jobs that put more money in people’s pockets,” she said.
The government stressed that the reforms would not lead to higher taxes or household energy bills. Instead, they will be financed through adjustments to the national energy system and increased revenues from carbon pricing.
Beyond energy reforms, the strategy includes sector-specific support for eight high-potential industries: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defense, digital and technologies, financial services, life sciences, and professional and business services. Each sector will receive tailored policy frameworks and funding packages over the next decade.
While industry representatives have broadly welcomed the announcement, some experts and business leaders have voiced reservations. Critics argue that although the electricity price reforms may enhance competitiveness, they are unlikely to fully close the gap with lower industrial power costs in countries like France and Germany. Britain’s electricity prices remain closely linked to wholesale gas markets, which still account for a larger share of Britain’s energy mix than in many European countries.
Others questioned the government’s ability to follow through on its long-term commitments, citing past inconsistencies in industrial policy. Several industry voices also called for faster implementation amid intensifying global competition for green investment.
The government said detailed action plans for each sector will be published in phases over the coming months.
Standing in the vast ruins of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, hundreds of gulls circle above. Their haunting cries echo voices from 1,800 years ago. Today, the bare shell of what was one of Rome’s largest bath complexes mostly sits empty, occasionally playing host to opera performances.
But what were the baths of ancient Rome actually like back then? And why were the Romans so into public bathing?
Public baths everywhere
While living in Rome for almost a year, I noticed the remains of ancient baths (thermae in Latin) everywhere.
Virtually every emperor built them, and by the middle of the fourth century there were 952 public baths in the city.
The largest were the baths built by the emperor Diocletian (284–305). Around 3,000 people a day could bathe at this 13-hectare complex.
These baths, like most, contained a room (the caldarium) heated by air ducts in the walls and floors. The floors were so hot special sandals were worn.
Another room leading from it was milder (the tepidarium), before bathers entered the frigidarium, which contained a cold pool. A 4,000-square-metre outdoor swimming pool was the central feature.
Public baths also often featured gymnasiums, libraries, restaurants and exercise yards.
Today, the baths of Caracalla mostly sit empty. Wirestock/Getty
He described the sounds of people “panting in wheezy and high-pitched tones” as they lifted weights. Others plunged into swimming tanks with a loud splash. Shop-owners selling food yelled out the prices of their wares. Some sang loudly for their own pleasure in the bathroom.
One 4th-century CE account describes how aristocrats sometimes arrived at the baths with 50 servants attending them.
Sections of the baths were reserved for these guests, who brought their finest clothes and expensive jewellery.
While emperors built large public bath complexes, there were many smaller private ones. Entry fees were low and sometimes free during festivals and political campaigns. This allowed all social classes to use the baths.
Women and men bathed separately and used the baths at different times of the day. Some bath complexes had areas designated for women only. The physician Soranus of Ephesus, who wrote a treatise on gynaecology in the second century CE, recommended women go to the baths in preparation for labour.
In a crowded and polluted city like Rome, the baths were a haven. Warm water, smells of perfumed ointments, massages and a spa-like environment were pleasures all could indulge in.
Baths were places of great social importance, and nudity allowed bathers to show off their physical prowess.
Archaeological evidence suggests even dentistry was performed at the baths.
Behind these images of indulgence, however, lay the grim reality of slavery. Slaves did the dirtiest work in the baths.
They cleaned out cinders, emptied toilets and saw to the clearing of drains.
Slaves came to the baths with their owners, whom they rubbed down with oil and cleaned their skin with strygils (a type of scraper). They entered the baths through a separate entrance.
Baths across the empire
Baths were popular in every city and town across the Roman Empire. A famous example is Aquae Sulis – the modern town of Bath – in England (which was under Roman rule for hundreds of years). At Aquae Sulis, a natural hot spring fed the baths. The goddess Minerva was honoured at the complex.
The remains of similar bath complexes have been found in North Africa, Spain and Germany.
Extensive remains of a Roman bath at Baden Baden in Germany are among the most impressive.
Similarly, at Toledo in Spain, a public Roman bath complex measuring almost an acre has been found.
Baths were often built in military camps to provide soldiers with comforts during their service. Remains of military baths have been found all over the empire. Researchers have found and excavated the baths for the army camp at Hadrian’s wall, a wall built to help defend the Roman Empire’s northern frontier in what is now modern Britain.
The baths at Chester contain hot rooms (caldaria), cold rooms (frigidaria) and also a sweat room (sudatoria), which is similar to a sauna.
A long history
The Romans weren’t the first to use public baths. Their Greek forebears had them too. But the Romans took public bathing to a empire-wide level. It became a marker of Roman culture wherever they went.
Public bathing would continue in the empire’s Islamic period and became famously popular under the Ottomans, who ruled the empire between 1299 and 1922. Turkish hammams (baths) remain an important public institution to this day and they descend directly from the Romans. Istanbul still contains 60 functioning hammams.
Roman baths were not only technically ingenious and architecturally impressive, they connected people socially from all walks of life. As the gulls circle over the baths of Caracalla in Rome, their haunting cries connect us to that very world.
Peter Edwell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The first footage from James Cameron’s highly anticipated “Avatar: Fire and Ash” was presented at CineEurope in Barcelona, Spain, on June 18, using the Chinese-developed Cinity projection system.
An “Avatar: Fire and Ash” logo on display at CineEurope in Barcelona, Spain, June 18, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Film Group]
At CineEurope, the official convention of the International Union of Cinemas, a sub-5 minute presentation of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” was showcased using China’s premium cinema system Cinity, developed by China Film Group. The showcase delivered an immersive audiovisual experience that drew acclaim from global film industry professionals.
James Cameron continues his pursuit of cinematic perfection in “Avatar: Fire and Ash” with 4K, 3D and 48fps screening technology. His selection of the Cinity system for the film’s first global reveal demonstrates his trust in its premium format capabilities — delivering Pandora’s vibrant landscapes with unprecedented clarity to create a sensory revolution for audiences worldwide.
Industry veterans in attendance praised the system’s exceptional color depth, contrast, dynamic range and motion clarity. Several noted that Cinity’s unmatched brightness and high frame rate deliver superior 3D that fully realizes directors’ visions. The presentation of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” received particular acclaim for its immersive quality, with its high brightness and frame rate achieving something other systems cannot.
In a video message shown at the China premiere of “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 2022, Cameron stated that Cinity technology helps moviegoers experience Avatar’s world more immersively than ever before. He then confirmed continuing the partnership with Cinity to create the ultimate big-screen experience, declaring it the new gold standard for film screening.
The Cinity cinema system, which utilizes independent Chinese intellectual property rights, is an advanced projection system featuring 4K, 3D, ultra-high brightness, high dynamic range, wide color gamut, high frame rate and immersive sound technologies, which makes films more vivid and immersive. It debuted in director Ang Lee’s film “Gemini Man” in 2019, demonstrating its huge potential to international studios and exhibitors.
Cinity’s cinema projection system and LED cinema projection system are now expanding across Europe, delivering novel, exceptional and groundbreaking premium viewing experiences to audiences. The technology demonstrates China’s transition from follower to standard-setter in cinema tech, marking a key step in the globalization of Chinese film technology, according to a statement from China Film Group.
Industry insiders and cinemagoers at CineEurope in Barcelona, Spain, June 18, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Film Group]
The “Avatar” franchise revolutionized the film industry in 2009 with its first installment. It became a global cultural phenomenon, ushered in the 3D era for cinemas worldwide, accelerated the growth of IMAX and transformed China’s film industry. The original film earned $2.92 billion and remains the highest-grossing movie in history, while its sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” grossed $2.32 billion to become the third-highest grossing film worldwide.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the third film in the franchise, opens worldwide on Dec. 19, continuing James Cameron’s Pandora saga. The story follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as their family confronts grief after Neteyam’s death and the aggressive Ash People tribe led by Varang. The cast also includes Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin and Kate Winslet.
The film preview in Barcelona featured a video appearance from James Cameron in New Zealand, who paid tribute to his late collaborator Jon Landau. Cameron promised audiences they would see “a side of Pandora you didn’t know existed,” adding that “Avatar” films are “made to be experienced on the big screen.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China Postal Airlines launches Zhengzhou-Luxemburg international cargo route
Updated: June 24, 2025 09:39Xinhua
A cargo plane of China Postal Airlines from China’s Zhengzhou to Luxembourg is pictured on the tarmac before its maiden flight at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, June 23, 2025. China Postal Airlines officially launched the Zhengzhou-Luxemburg international cargo route on Monday, with an initial weekly schedule. The flight frequency will be increased based on market demand, further strengthening the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg “Air Silk Road” as a thriving multi-industry corridor. [Photo/Xinhua]A cargo plane of China Postal Airlines from China’s Zhengzhou to Luxembourg is pictured before its maiden flight at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]Staff members load cargo onto a plane of China Postal Airlines from China’s Zhengzhou to Luxembourg before its maiden flight at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]Staff members transport cargo for a plane of China Postal Airlines from China’s Zhengzhou to Luxembourg before its maiden flight at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Romanian President Nicusor Dan (C, Front) poses with members of the new government headed by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan (3rd L, Front) after a swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni presidential palace in Bucharest, Romania, on June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Romania’s new pro-European government, led by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, was sworn in Monday evening before President Nicusor Dan, marking the end of a period of political instability and interim leadership.
The new cabinet is backed by a broad ruling coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party (PSD), National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR), and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR). Earlier in the day, the coalition secured a strong parliamentary mandate with 301 votes in favor and only 9 against.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, Bolojan outlined the government’s core priorities: restoring public financial order, ensuring effective governance, and safeguarding citizens’ rights.
President Dan welcomed the formation of the new cabinet, emphasizing the urgent need for fiscal reform and expressing optimism about Romania’s economic outlook. He cited the country’s dynamic private sector and reiterated the national goal of joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by the end of 2026 – a move he said could enhance foreign investment and reduce borrowing costs.
Dan also underscored the importance of state reform and rebuilding public trust, urging both the coalition and minority representatives to act in the national interest.
The newly formed government includes 16 ministers and five deputy prime ministers, one of whom is an independent tasked with overseeing state reform. Cabinet portfolios have been distributed proportionally among the coalition parties.
With 311 seats in Romania’s 464-member Parliament, the ruling coalition holds an outright majority. Earlier on Monday, party leaders signed a political agreement outlining a pro-Western agenda, a rotating premiership, and key policy objectives, including structural reforms and increased administrative transparency.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Protesters holding placards are pictured in The Hague, the Netherlands, June 22, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
European leaders have voiced deep concern over the escalating conflict in the Middle East, following a series of military strikes that have intensified fears of a wider regional war.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, in a statement released Monday, said the Croatian government is “monitoring the situation with great concern,” particularly the direct confrontations between Israel and Iran.
He warned that further escalation could lead to a range of consequences, including rising energy prices, increased migration, and the threat of terrorist attacks.
“Our position is clear: escalation should be avoided,” the statement read. “The Croatian government calls for restraint, calming of tensions, and de-escalation of the conflict.”
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also criticized the recent U.S. military action in the region, calling the strike on Iran a violation of international law.
“There is no doubt that the United States violated international public law,” Vucic said at a press conference following a meeting of the General Staff.
Drawing parallels with the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, he emphasized the need for respect for the UN Charter and international norms. Vucic also lamented the missed opportunity for diplomacy between Iran and Israel.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed the lower house of parliament ahead of the upcoming European Union Council meeting, urging renewed diplomatic engagement.
“Only coordinated diplomatic action can ensure peace in the region,” she said, after the U.S. strike on three Iranian nuclear sites.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa issued a statement on Sunday calling for “restraint and the urgent resumption of diplomatic efforts,” stressing that diplomacy remains the only viable solution to the conflict.
He reaffirmed Portugal’s alignment with the United Nations and the European Union in advocating for de-escalation and avoidance of further military confrontation.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro echoed this sentiment on social media, calling for “maximum restraint from all parties and a return to negotiations.”
Meanwhile, the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) issued a strongly worded condemnation of the U.S. airstrikes, labeling them a “clear violation” of the UN Charter and international law. The party argued the attack reflects a broader strategy of global domination by the U.S. and its allies.
Israel launched a series of large-scale airstrikes on June 13 targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities, killing a number of senior commanders and nuclear scientists. In response, Iran carried out missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States had carried out attacks on three nuclear-related sites in Iran: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
In retaliation, Iran launched a missile attack on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar Monday evening.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
A humanoid robot asks questions at the sixth Qingdao Multinationals Summit in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, on June 19, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
At the venue of the 6th Qingdao Multinationals Summit, Umberto Englmann, director of operations at German e-commerce firm Internet Up GmbH, looked out over the coastline of the eastern Chinese host city and reflected on its vitality.
“It’s dynamic, open and innovative,” he said. “You can feel China is ready to grow with international companies from Europe and other regions.”
His observations reflect a broader view shared by many European executives attending the summit, which was held last week and drew 570 participants from 43 countries and regions. For many, China’s vast market, high-level opening up and reputation for being an innovative manufacturing powerhouse continue to make it a key driver of sustainable growth.
Roland Lukas, chief financial officer of Internet Up GmbH, said that the company’s success was closely tied to China.
“Our Snapbuy platform bridges Asian sellers and Western consumers, and it is easy to bring goods from China to Europe and the U.S., because the supply chains are very well organized in China,” he said. “The opportunities are huge, and China is very important for our growth.”
Internet Up, one of the fastest-growing e-commerce firms in Europe, is seeking new manufacturing and logistics partners in China to further expand its presence, according to Lukas.
A report released during the summit revealed that the operating revenue and profits of major foreign-invested industrial enterprises in China increased by 14.5 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively, in 2024 compared to 2019 levels.
China’s strong innovation capabilities and robust industrial and supply chain systems have helped multinationals maintain their competitive edge globally.
Belgium-based Bekaert Group, a global leader in steel wire transformation and coating technologies, is a long-term participant in China’s market. The company has invested more than 1.5 billion euros in China since 1993 and plans to invest further.
“We are upgrading our product portfolio, especially in low-energy and green technologies,” said Kurt Van Rysselberge, head of Bekaert China, adding that China is becoming an innovative manufacturing powerhouse, which is a very favorable environment for multinational companies.
China is rapidly deploying green energy and Bekaert is part of these value chains, the executive said, adding that this offers tremendous opportunities to create a virtuous cycle to create low-carbon products that will be very competitive on the world markets.
Bekaert is ramping up innovation in areas like hydrogen generation, tire reinforcement, offshore wind components, and sustainable construction, and many of the innovations come from China.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union. The two sides have become each other’s major trading partners, with the annual bilateral trade growing from 2.4 billion U.S. dollars to 780 billion U.S. dollars over the past 50 years.
“Over the past 50 years, China-EU cooperation has created immense value on both sides,” said Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. “Access to China’s supply chain has enhanced additional purchasing power for European consumers and integrated China into the global value chain.”
Eskelund added that China’s investment in human capital, including the annual output of engineers, has made it a natural partner for R&D collaboration. For many European companies, China isn’t just a market, but a place to innovate and co-create, he said.
China’s efforts to build a first-class business environment, including expanded visa-free travel, national treatment for foreign investment and shortened negative lists for greater market access, have boosted investor confidence.
Looking ahead, European executives said the momentum of collaboration is only building. “China’s opening up is very beneficial for the world, and also for China itself. We can work together and do great business,” said Lukas.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Germany’s leading industry association has slashed its 2025 economic forecast, warning that escalating global trade tensions driven by U.S. tariff policies could plunge Europe’s largest economy into its third consecutive year of recession.
At the annual “Day of Industry” event, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) projected a 0.3 percent contraction in German GDP this year, down from its earlier estimate of a 0.1 percent decline.
“U.S. tariff policies — including announced and partially implemented duties on a wide range of imports — combined with geopolitical uncertainties, are dampening global growth,” BDI Director General Tanja Goenner said on Monday.
BDI now expects global GDP to grow by 2.7 percent in 2025, half a percentage point lower than its earlier forecast, with the United States among the most affected.
Although Washington has temporarily suspended “reciprocal tariffs” on European Union goods, the levies are set to resume on July 9. BDI estimates that, together with existing U.S. tariffs on EU-made cars and steel, these measures could reduce Germany’s 2025 growth by around 0.3 percentage points.
“The German industrial sector is bracing for another difficult year,” Goenner said, noting that industrial output remains 9 percent below pre-pandemic levels and factory utilization is stuck below 80 percent. Despite some signs of stabilization, she added, “there is no sign of a real recovery.”
Germany’s economy contracted in both 2023 and 2024, its first consecutive recession in two decades, driven largely by a prolonged downturn in manufacturing.
“There is still a long road ahead to emerge from recession,” BDI President Peter Leibinger said. While he welcomed recent government measures such as tax relief, he stressed the need for more substantial reforms.
Leibinger called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition to implement bold structural changes, including cutting red tape and permanently lowering energy costs to restore Germany’s long-term industrial competitiveness.
