NewzIntel.com

Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI Global: Testing between intervals: a key to retaining information in long-term memory

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Émilie Gerbier, Maîtresse de Conférence en Psychologie, Université Côte d’Azur

    The proverb “practice makes perfect” highlights the importance of repetition to master a skill. This principle also applies to learning vocabulary and other material. In order to fight our natural tendency to forget information, it is essential to reactivate it in our memory. But, how often?

    Research in cognitive psychology provides answers to this question. However, it is also important to understand underlying principles of long-term learning to apply them in a useful and personalised way.

    The ‘spacing effect’

    There are two key principles for memorising information in the long term.

    First, test yourself to learn and review content. It is much more effective to do this using question-and-answer cards than just to reread the material. After each attempt to recall pieces of information, review the one that could not be retrieved.

    The second principle is to space out reactivations over time. This phenomenon, known as the “spacing effect”, suggests that when reviews of specific content are limited to, for instance, three sessions, it is preferable to space them over relatively longer periods (eg every three days) rather than shorter ones (every day).

    Reviewing material at long intervals requires more effort, because it is more difficult to recall information after three days than one. However, it is precisely this effort that reinforces memories and promotes long-term retention.

    When it comes to learning, we must therefore be wary of effortlessness: easily remembering a lesson today does not indicate how likely we are to remember it in a month, even though this feeling of easiness can cause us to mistakenly believe that review is unnecessary.

    Robert Bjork of the University of California coined the term “desirable difficulty” to describe an optimal level of difficulty between two extremes. The first extreme corresponds to learning that is too easy (and therefore ineffective in the long run), while the other extreme corresponds to learning that is too difficult (and therefore ineffective and discouraging).

    Finding the right pace

    There is a limit to how much time can pass between information retrievals. After a long delay, such as a year, information will have greatly declined in memory and will be difficult, if not impossible, to recall. This situation may generate negative emotions and force us to start learning from scratch, rendering our previous efforts useless.

    The key is to identify the right interval between retrievals, ensuring it is not too long and not too short. The ideal interval varies depending on several factors, such as the type of information that needs to be learned or the history of that learning. Some learning software use algorithms taking these factors into account, to test each piece of information at the “ideal” time.

    There are also paper-and-pencil methods. The simplest method is to follow an “expansive” schedule, which uses increasingly longer intervals between sessions. This technique is used in the “méthode des J” (method of days), which some students may be familiar with. The effectiveness of this method lies in a gradual strengthening of the memory.


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    When you first learn something, retention is fragile, and memorised content needs to be reactivated quickly not to be forgotten. Each retrieval strengthens the memory, allowing the next retrieval opportunity to be delayed. Another consequence is that each retrieval is moderately difficult, which places the learner at a “desirable” level of difficulty.

    Here is an example of an expansive schedule for a given piece of content: Day 1, Day 2, D5, D15, D44, D145, D415, etc. In this schedule, the interval length triples from one session to the next: 24 hours between Day 1 and Day 2, then three days between D2 and D5, and so on.

    Gradually incorporating new knowledge

    There is no scientific consensus on the optimal interval schedule. However, carrying out the first retrieval on the day after the initial moment of learning (thus, on D2) seems beneficial, as a night’s sleep allows the brain to restructure and/or reinforce knowledge learned the previous day. The subsequent intervals can be adjusted according to individual constraints.

    This method is flexible; if necessary, a session can be postponed a few days before or after the scheduled date without affecting long-term effectiveness. It is the principle of regular retrieval that is key here.

    The expansive schedule also has a considerable practical advantage in that it allows new information to be gradually integrated. For instance, new content can be introduced on D3, because no session on the initial content is scheduled for that day. Adding content gradually makes it possible to memorise large amounts of information in a lasting way without spending more time studying it.

    The other method is based on the Leitner box system. In this case, the length of interval before the next retrieval depends on the outcome of the attempt to retrieve information from memory. If the answer was easily retrieved, the next retrieval should happen in a week. If the answer was retrieved with difficulty, then three days need to elapse before the next test. If the answer could not be retrieved, the next test should take place the following day. With experience, you will be able to adjust these intervals and develop your own system.

    In short, effective and lasting learning not only requires that a certain amount of effort be made to retrieve information from memory, but a regular repetition of this process, at appropriate intervals, to thwart the process of forgetting.

    Émilie Gerbier ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    – ref. Testing between intervals: a key to retaining information in long-term memory – https://theconversation.com/testing-between-intervals-a-key-to-retaining-information-in-long-term-memory-246511

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ECHR “must evolve” to restore public confidence in rule of law, says Lord Chancellor

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    ECHR “must evolve” to restore public confidence in rule of law, says Lord Chancellor

    The European Convention of Human Rights “must evolve” to restore public confidence in the rule of law, the Lord Chancellor told European ambassadors in a speech today (Wednesday 18 June).

    Speaking to the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg, the Lord Chancellor said that while the UK is resolutely committed to the ECHR, the trust of the public is beginning to erode as the application of rights “feels out of step with common sense.”   

    Making her argument for reform, she said that “the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law – once widely assumed – now face distortion, doubt, even hostility.”   

    Speaking at the meeting, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood, said:   

    Across Europe, public confidence in the rule of law is fraying.  

    There is a growing perception – sometimes mistaken, sometimes grounded in reality – that human rights are no longer a shield for the vulnerable, but a tool for criminals to avoid responsibility. That the law too often protects those who break the rules, rather than those who follow them.  

    This tension is not new. The Convention was written to protect individuals from the arbitrary power of the state. But in today’s world, the threats to justice and liberty are more complex. They can come from technology, transnational crime, uncontrolled migration, or legal systems that drift away from public consent.

    This comes as the Government commits to legislation to clarify the law around Article 8, the right to private and family life, which many foreign offenders have exploited in order to avoid deportation. In her speech, the Lord Chancellor said that “if a foreign national commits a serious crime, they should expect to be removed from the country.”  

    While this Government has ramped up removals of foreign national offenders with more than 4,400 removed since the election – up 14% compared to the same period 12 months ago – further action is being taken forward to increase removals even further.

    The Lord Chancellor went on to highlight the changes being made in the UK to tackle immigration – including tightening the application of Article 8 to give courts the clarity they need so our immigration rules are no longer abused. This is particularly important as the Government introduces sentencing reforms to tackle a prison system at breaking point.   

    The Lord Chancellor set out that:  

    In the UK, we are restoring the balance we pledged at the birth of our Convention: liberty with responsibility, individual rights with the public interest. There must be consequences for breaking the rules.  

    Which is why we are clarifying how Convention rights – particularly Article 8 – operate in relation to immigration rules. The right to family life is fundamental. But it has too often been used in ways that frustrate deportation, even where there are serious concerns about credibility, fairness, and risk to the public.  

    We’re bringing clarity back to the distinction between what the law protects and what policy permits. Prisoners claiming a right to socialise – under Article 8 – is not just a legal stretch. It damages the public perception of human rights altogether.

    Legislation brought forward by the Home Office will strengthen the public interest test to make it clear that Parliament needs to be able to control the country’s borders and make decisions over who comes to, and stays in the UK, striking the right balance between individual family rights and the wider public interest.  

    It will clarify Article 8 rules and set out how they should apply in different immigration routes so that fewer cases are treated as “exceptional”.    

    She went on to say that:  

    These are the reforms we are pursuing at home. The question for all of us now is whether the Convention system, as it stands, has the tools to resolve these tensions in a way that keeps the public with us. 

    As I have said, our Convention has evolved before, through new protocols, new rights, and new interpretations. Always to reflect changing times, while staying true to its purpose. 

    However, reform of the ECHR must be “a shared political endeavour among us as member States”, the Lord Chancellor told the Council of Europe.

    The Lord Chancellor concluded by saying:  

    The European Convention on Human Rights is one of the great achievements of post-war politics. It has endured because it has evolved. Now, it must do so again. 

    NOTES TO EDITORS: 

    • The full speech can be found here.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: G20 countries could produce enough renewable energy for the whole world – what needs to happen

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Sven Teske, Prof. Dr. | Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney

    The world’s most developed economies have also burnt the most oil and coal (fossil fuels) over the years, causing the most climate change damage. Preventing further climate change means a global fossil fuel phase-out must happen by 2050. Climate change mitigation scientists Sven Teske and Saori Miyake analysed the potential for renewable energy in each of the G20 countries. They concluded that the G20 is in a position to generate enough renewable energy to supply the world. For African countries to benefit, they must adopt long term renewable energy plans and policies and secure finance from G20 countries to set up renewable energy systems.

    Why is the G20 so important in efforts to limit global warming?

    The G20 group accounts for 67% of the world’s population, 85% of global gross domestic product, and 75% of global trade. The member states are the G7 (the US, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Canada), plus Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Russia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

    We wanted to find out how G20 member states could limit global warming. Our study examined the solar and wind potential for each of G20 member countries (the available land and solar and wind conditions). We then compared this with projected electricity demands for 2050. This is, to our knowledge, the first research of its kind.



    Read more:
    G20 is too elite. There’s a way to fix that though – economists

    We found that the potential for renewable energy in G20 countries is very high – enough to supply the projected 2050 electricity demand for the whole world. They have 33.6 million km² of land on which solar energy projects could be set up, or 31.1 million km² of land on which wind energy projects could be set up.

    This potential varies by geography. Not all G20 countries have the same conditions for generating solar and wind energy, but collectively, the G20 countries have enough renewable energy potential to supply the world’s energy needs.

    But for the G20 countries to limit global warming, they also need to stop emitting greenhouse gases. Recent figures show that the G20 countries were responsible for generating 87% of all energy-related carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.

    On the other hand, African Union countries (apart from South Africa, which is a high greenhouse gas emitter), were responsible for only 1.2% of the global total historical emissions until 2020.

    The G20 countries with the highest renewable energy potential (especially Australia and Canada) are major exporters of the fossil fuels that cause global warming. Along with every other country in the world, the G20 nations will need to end their human-caused carbon emissions by 2050 to prevent further climate change.

    Where does Africa fit into the picture?

    African countries cannot set up new electricity plants based on burning fossil fuels, like coal. If they do that, the world will never end human-caused greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The continent must generate electricity for the 600 million Africans who do not currently have it but will need to move straight past fossil fuels and into renewable energy.

    For this, Africa will need finance. The African Union hosts the G20 summit later this year. This meeting begins just after the world’s annual climate change conference (now in its 30th year and known as COP30). These two summits will give Africa the chance to lobby for renewable energy funding from wealthier nations.

    Africa already has the conditions needed to move straight into renewable energy. The continent could be generating an amount of solar and wind power that far exceeds its projected demand for electricity between now and 2050.

    We are launching an additional analysis of the solar and wind potential of the entire African continent in Bonn, Germany on 19 June 2025 at a United Nations conference. This shows that only 3% of Africa’s solar and wind potential needs to be converted to real projects to supply Africa’s future electricity demand.



    Read more:
    Africa’s power pools: what the G20 can do to help countries share electricity

    This means that Africa has great untapped potential to supply the required energy for its transition to a middle-income continent – one of the African Union’s goals in Agenda 2063, its 50 year plan.

    But to secure enough finance for the continent to build renewable energy systems, African countries need long-term energy policies. These are currently lacking.

    So what needs to be done?

    The countries who signed up to the 2015 international climate change treaty (the Paris Agreement) have committed to replacing polluting forms of energy such as coal, fuelwood and oil with renewable energy.

    South Africa, through its G20 presidency, must encourage G20 nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and support renewable energy investment in Africa.



    Read more:
    Fossil fuels are still subsidised: G20 could push for the funds to be shifted to cleaner energy

    Because financing the global energy transition is already high on the priority list of most countries, South Africa should push for change on three fronts: finance, sound regulations and manufacturing capacity for renewable technologies. These are the among the main obstacles for renewables, particularly in Africa.

    Finance: Financing the energy transition is among the highest priorities for COP30. Therefore, the COP30 meeting will be an opportunity for the African Union to negotiate finance for its renewable energy infrastructure needs.

    For this, fair and just carbon budgets are vital. A carbon budget sets out how much carbon dioxide can still be emitted in order for the global temperature not to rise more than 2°C higher than it was before the 1760 industrial revolution.

    A global carbon budget (the amount of emissions the whole world is allowed) has been calculated, but it needs to be divided up fairly so that countries that have polluted most are compelled to limit this.

    To divide the global carbon budget fairly, energy pathways need to be developed urgently that consider:

    • future developments of population and economic growth

    • current energy supply systems

    • transition times for decarbonisation

    • local renewable energy resources.

    The G20 platform should be used to lobby for fair and just carbon budgets.



    Read more:
    Wealthy nations owe climate debt to Africa – funds that could help cities grow

    Sound regulations that support the setting up of new factories: Governments must put policies in place to support African solar and wind companies. These are needed to win the trust of investors to invest in a future multi-billion dollar industry. Long-term, transparent regulations are needed too.

    These regulations should:

    • say exactly how building permits for solar and wind power plants will be granted

    • prioritise linking renewable energy plants to national electricity grids

    • release standard technical specifications for stand-alone grids to make sure they’re all of the same quality.

    Taking steps now to speed up big renewable energy industries could mean that African countries end up with more energy than they need. This can be exported and increase financial income for countries.

    Sven Teske receives funding from the European Climate Foundation and Power Shift Africa (PSA).

    Saori Miyake receives funding from European Climate Foundation and Power Shift Africa.

    – ref. G20 countries could produce enough renewable energy for the whole world – what needs to happen – https://theconversation.com/g20-countries-could-produce-enough-renewable-energy-for-the-whole-world-what-needs-to-happen-258463

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future is so uncertain

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow, Victoria University

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone beyond his initial aim of destroying Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. He has called on the Iranian people to rise up against their dictatorial Islamic regime and ostensibly transform Iran along the lines of Israeli interests.

    United States President Donald Trump is now weighing possible military action in support of Netanyahu’s goal and asked for Iran’s total surrender.

    If the US does get involved, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s tried to instigate regime change by military means in the Middle East. The US invaded Iraq in 2003 and backed a NATO operation in Libya in 2011, toppling the regimes of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi, respectively.

    In both cases, the interventions backfired, causing long-term instability in both countries and in the broader region.

    Could the same thing happen in Iran if the regime is overthrown?

    As I describe in my book, Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic, Iran is a pluralist society with a complex history of rival groups trying to assert their authority. A democratic transition would be difficult to achieve.

    The overthrow of the shah

    The Iranian Islamic regime assumed power in the wake of the pro-democracy popular uprising of 1978–79, which toppled Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s pro-Western monarchy.

    Until this moment, Iran had a long history of monarchical rule dating back 2,500 years. Mohammad Reza, the last shah, was the head of the Pahlavi dynasty, which came to power in 1925.

    In 1953, the shah was forced into exile under the radical nationalist and reformist impulse of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. He was shortly returned to his throne through a CIA-orchestrated coup.

    Despite all his nationalist, pro-Western, modernising efforts, the shah could not shake off the indignity of having been re-throned with the help of a foreign power.

    The revolution against him 25 years later was spearheaded by pro-democracy elements. But it was made up of many groups, including liberalists, communists and Islamists, with no uniting leader.

    The Shia clerical group (ruhaniyat), led by the Shah’s religious and political opponent, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, proved to be best organised and capable of providing leadership to the revolution. Khomeini had been in exile from the early 1960s (at first in Iraq and later in France), yet he and his followers held considerable sway over the population, especially in traditional rural areas.

    When US President Jimmy Carter’s administration found it could no longer support the shah, he left the country and went into exile in January 1979. This enabled Khomeini to return to Iran to a tumultuous welcome.

    Birth of the Islamic Republic

    In the wake of the uprising, Khomeini and his supporters, including the current supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, abolished the monarchy and transformed Iran to a cleric-dominated Islamic Republic, with anti-US and anti-Israel postures. He ruled the country according to his unique vision of Islam.

    Khomeini denounced the US as a “Great Satan” and Israel as an illegal usurper of the Palestinian lands – Jerusalem, in particular. He also declared a foreign policy of “neither east, nor west” but pro-Islamic, and called for the spread of the Iranian revolution in the region.

    Khomeini not only changed Iran, but also challenged the US as the dominant force in shaping the regional order. And the US lost one of the most important pillars of its influence in the oil-rich and strategically important Persian Gulf region.

    Fear of hostile American or Israeli (or combined) actions against the Islamic Republic became the focus of Iran’s domestic and foreign policy behaviour.

    A new supreme leader takes power

    Khomeini died in 1989. His successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ruled Iran largely in the same jihadi (combative) and ijtihadi (pragmatic) ways, steering the country through many domestic and foreign policy challenges.

    Khamenei fortified the regime with an emphasis on self-sufficiency, a stronger defence capability and a tilt towards the east – Russia and China – to counter the US and its allies. He has stood firm in opposition to the US and its allies – Israel, in particular. And he has shown flexibility when necessary to ensure the survival and continuity of the regime.

    Khamenei wields enormous constitutional power and spiritual authority.

    He has presided over the building of many rule-enforcing instruments of state power, including the expansion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its paramilitary wing, the Basij, revolutionary committees, and Shia religious networks.

    The Shia concept of martyrdom and loyalty to Iran as a continuous sovereign country for centuries goes to the heart of his actions, as well as his followers.

    Khamenei and his rule enforcers, along with an elected president and National Assembly, are fully cognisant that if the regime goes down, they will face the same fate. As such, they cannot be expected to hoist the white flag and surrender to Israel and the US easily.

    However, in the event of the regime falling under the weight of a combined internal uprising and external pressure, it raises the question: what is the alternative?

    The return of the shah?

    Many Iranians are discontented with the regime, but there is no organised opposition under a nationally unifying leader.

    The son of the former shah, the crown prince Reza Pahlavi, has been gaining some popularity. He has been speaking out on X in the last few days, telling his fellow Iranians:

    The end of the Islamic Republic is the end of its 46-year war against the Iranian nation. The regime’s apparatus of repression is falling apart. All it takes now is a nationwide uprising to put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

    Since the deposition of his father, he has lived in exile in the US. As such, he has been tainted by his close association with Washington and Jerusalem, especially Netanyahu.

    If he were to return to power – likely through the assistance of the US – he would face the same problem of political legitimacy as his father did.

    What does the future hold?

    Iran has never had a long tradition of democracy. It experienced brief instances of liberalism in the first half of the 20th century, but every attempt at making it durable resulted in disarray and a return to authoritarian rule.

    Also, the country has rarely been free of outside interventionism, given its vast hydrocarbon riches and strategic location. It’s also been prone to internal fragmentation, given its ethnic and religious mix.

    The Shia Persians make up more than half of the population, but the country has a number of Sunni ethnic minorities, such as Kurds, Azaris, Balochis and Arabs. They have all had separatist tendencies.

    Iran has historically been held together by centralisation rather than diffusion of power.

    Should the Islamic regime disintegrate in one form or another, it would be an mistake to expect a smooth transfer of power or transition to democratisation within a unified national framework.

    At the same time, the Iranian people are highly cultured and creative, with a very rich and proud history of achievements and civilisation.

    They are perfectly capable of charting their own destiny as long as there aren’t self-seeking foreign hands in the process – something they have rarely experienced.

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

    – ref. Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future is so uncertain – https://theconversation.com/irans-long-history-of-revolution-defiance-and-outside-interference-and-why-its-future-is-so-uncertain-259270

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future is so uncertain

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow, Victoria University

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone beyond his initial aim of destroying Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. He has called on the Iranian people to rise up against their dictatorial Islamic regime and ostensibly transform Iran along the lines of Israeli interests.

    United States President Donald Trump is now weighing possible military action in support of Netanyahu’s goal and asked for Iran’s total surrender.

    If the US does get involved, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s tried to instigate regime change by military means in the Middle East. The US invaded Iraq in 2003 and backed a NATO operation in Libya in 2011, toppling the regimes of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi, respectively.

    In both cases, the interventions backfired, causing long-term instability in both countries and in the broader region.

    Could the same thing happen in Iran if the regime is overthrown?

    As I describe in my book, Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic, Iran is a pluralist society with a complex history of rival groups trying to assert their authority. A democratic transition would be difficult to achieve.

    The overthrow of the shah

    The Iranian Islamic regime assumed power in the wake of the pro-democracy popular uprising of 1978–79, which toppled Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s pro-Western monarchy.

    Until this moment, Iran had a long history of monarchical rule dating back 2,500 years. Mohammad Reza, the last shah, was the head of the Pahlavi dynasty, which came to power in 1925.

    In 1953, the shah was forced into exile under the radical nationalist and reformist impulse of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. He was shortly returned to his throne through a CIA-orchestrated coup.

    Despite all his nationalist, pro-Western, modernising efforts, the shah could not shake off the indignity of having been re-throned with the help of a foreign power.

    The revolution against him 25 years later was spearheaded by pro-democracy elements. But it was made up of many groups, including liberalists, communists and Islamists, with no uniting leader.

    The Shia clerical group (ruhaniyat), led by the Shah’s religious and political opponent, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, proved to be best organised and capable of providing leadership to the revolution. Khomeini had been in exile from the early 1960s (at first in Iraq and later in France), yet he and his followers held considerable sway over the population, especially in traditional rural areas.

    When US President Jimmy Carter’s administration found it could no longer support the shah, he left the country and went into exile in January 1979. This enabled Khomeini to return to Iran to a tumultuous welcome.

    Birth of the Islamic Republic

    In the wake of the uprising, Khomeini and his supporters, including the current supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, abolished the monarchy and transformed Iran to a cleric-dominated Islamic Republic, with anti-US and anti-Israel postures. He ruled the country according to his unique vision of Islam.

    Khomeini denounced the US as a “Great Satan” and Israel as an illegal usurper of the Palestinian lands – Jerusalem, in particular. He also declared a foreign policy of “neither east, nor west” but pro-Islamic, and called for the spread of the Iranian revolution in the region.

    Khomeini not only changed Iran, but also challenged the US as the dominant force in shaping the regional order. And the US lost one of the most important pillars of its influence in the oil-rich and strategically important Persian Gulf region.

    Fear of hostile American or Israeli (or combined) actions against the Islamic Republic became the focus of Iran’s domestic and foreign policy behaviour.

    A new supreme leader takes power

    Khomeini died in 1989. His successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ruled Iran largely in the same jihadi (combative) and ijtihadi (pragmatic) ways, steering the country through many domestic and foreign policy challenges.

    Khamenei fortified the regime with an emphasis on self-sufficiency, a stronger defence capability and a tilt towards the east – Russia and China – to counter the US and its allies. He has stood firm in opposition to the US and its allies – Israel, in particular. And he has shown flexibility when necessary to ensure the survival and continuity of the regime.

    Khamenei wields enormous constitutional power and spiritual authority.

    He has presided over the building of many rule-enforcing instruments of state power, including the expansion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its paramilitary wing, the Basij, revolutionary committees, and Shia religious networks.

    The Shia concept of martyrdom and loyalty to Iran as a continuous sovereign country for centuries goes to the heart of his actions, as well as his followers.

    Khamenei and his rule enforcers, along with an elected president and National Assembly, are fully cognisant that if the regime goes down, they will face the same fate. As such, they cannot be expected to hoist the white flag and surrender to Israel and the US easily.

    However, in the event of the regime falling under the weight of a combined internal uprising and external pressure, it raises the question: what is the alternative?

    The return of the shah?

    Many Iranians are discontented with the regime, but there is no organised opposition under a nationally unifying leader.

    The son of the former shah, the crown prince Reza Pahlavi, has been gaining some popularity. He has been speaking out on X in the last few days, telling his fellow Iranians:

    The end of the Islamic Republic is the end of its 46-year war against the Iranian nation. The regime’s apparatus of repression is falling apart. All it takes now is a nationwide uprising to put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

    Since the deposition of his father, he has lived in exile in the US. As such, he has been tainted by his close association with Washington and Jerusalem, especially Netanyahu.

    If he were to return to power – likely through the assistance of the US – he would face the same problem of political legitimacy as his father did.

    What does the future hold?

    Iran has never had a long tradition of democracy. It experienced brief instances of liberalism in the first half of the 20th century, but every attempt at making it durable resulted in disarray and a return to authoritarian rule.

    Also, the country has rarely been free of outside interventionism, given its vast hydrocarbon riches and strategic location. It’s also been prone to internal fragmentation, given its ethnic and religious mix.

    The Shia Persians make up more than half of the population, but the country has a number of Sunni ethnic minorities, such as Kurds, Azaris, Balochis and Arabs. They have all had separatist tendencies.

    Iran has historically been held together by centralisation rather than diffusion of power.

    Should the Islamic regime disintegrate in one form or another, it would be an mistake to expect a smooth transfer of power or transition to democratisation within a unified national framework.

    At the same time, the Iranian people are highly cultured and creative, with a very rich and proud history of achievements and civilisation.

    They are perfectly capable of charting their own destiny as long as there aren’t self-seeking foreign hands in the process – something they have rarely experienced.

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

    – ref. Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future is so uncertain – https://theconversation.com/irans-long-history-of-revolution-defiance-and-outside-interference-and-why-its-future-is-so-uncertain-259270

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Griffin Park showcases skills to ONR guests

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Griffin Park showcases skills to ONR guests

    The new Chair of the nuclear industry regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), enjoyed a visit to Griffin Park last week.

    Superintendent Keith McCarthy, Paul Dicks, Dr Nicola Crauford and Chief Superintendent Shree Owen at Griffin Park.

    Dr Nicola Crauford, who was appointed as Chair on 1 March 2025, was introduced to the training division and, along with colleagues Gary Cook, Paul Dicks and Martin Burgess, treated to a demonstration of CNC’s capabilities in the live fire tactical training area. 

    Chief Superintendent Sheree Owen, head of training, said: “We were delighted to be approached by ONR to host Nicki and her colleagues and to make the most of an opportunity to showcase our skills and facilities. Building relationships and increasing stakeholder understanding of how we work is always time well spent. 

    “I would like to thank all those involved in making the visit so successful, especially the NFIs and the officers from Sellafield OPU who facilitated the capability demonstration.” 

    Dr Nicola Crauford, the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s Chair, said: “I’d like to thank the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) for this fascinating and informative visit. It provided a very useful understanding of the important role the CNC provides in keeping the nuclear sector safe.” 

    The ONR is the UK’s independent nuclear regulator for safety and security. It regulates nuclear safety, nuclear security and conventional health and safety at the 36 licensed nuclear sites in Great Britain. This includes ensuring the adequacy of security arrangements for dealing with special nuclear material and special nuclear information within the civil nuclear industry as well as the safety and security of the transport of civil nuclear and radioactive materials.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK Armed Forces recognise Poland’s Second World War contribution at ceremony in Warsaw

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    UK Armed Forces recognise Poland’s Second World War contribution at ceremony in Warsaw

    UK Defence Minister Lord Coaker, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz pay tribute to the extraordinary courage displayed by Polish paratroopers during one of the most famous allied operations of the Second World War.

    Lord Coaker with Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Copyright reserved to the Polish Ministry of Defence.

    • UK honours Polish courage during Second World War in first-of-its-kind commemoration in Poland
    • Historic event reinforces UK and Poland relationship and Britain’s commitment to European security
    • New security deal between the two countries to be signed later this year The United Kingdom has recognised the contribution of Polish personnel as part of the allied war effort during the Second World War at a moving ceremony in Poland.

    Lord Coaker, pictured left, with Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, pictured right. Copyright reserved to the Polish Ministry of Defence.

    Today, during an historic ceremony at Wilanów Palace in Warsaw, UK Defence Minister Lord Coaker, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz paid tribute to the extraordinary courage displayed by Polish paratroopers during one of the most famous allied operations of the Second World War.

    The event is the first formal standalone commemoration to mark the heroism of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade, during Operation Market Garden in 1944 – the allied operation which aimed to hasten the end of the Second World War by opening up new routes for advancing troops into Germany.

    The event symbolised the enduring bond between British and Polish forces forged during the darkest days of the Second World War. During the ceremony Lord Coaker and Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz inspected troops and received a salute, before giving speeches focussed on the shared values and sacrifices that have bound the two nations together.

    Copyright reserved to the Polish Ministry of Defence.

    Speaking from Wilanów Palace, Defence Minister Lord Coaker said:

    At a time when Britain and Poland’s Armed Forces are once again working together to protect Europe’s security and deter those who threaten peace, the generation of heroes from both countries who fought side-by-side during the Second World War remain an enduring source of pride and inspiration.

    Today, we acknowledge the extraordinary contribution of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade which Major General Sosabowski created and led into battle.

    During the events of 1944, Allied forces aimed to seize a series of crucial bridges in the Netherlands through a combination of airborne attack and ground advances, often regarded as one the of most daring and ambitious operations of the entire war.

    Major General Ollie Kingsbury, Colonel Commandant of The Parachute Regiment, presented a banner to Brigadier General Michał Strzelecki, Commander 6th Polish Airborne Brigade – the proud descendants of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade – signifying the enduring and historic bond between our armed forces. Members of The Parachute Regiment, British Army and the Polish 6th Airborne Brigade also formed a guard of honour during the ceremony.

    Polish Deputy Prime Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, said:

    General Stanisław Sosabowski and his soldiers, fighting side-by-side with British paratroopers, laid the foundation for today’s cooperation, also military, as well as for strong ties between our nations. On my own behalf and on behalf of the soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces, I thank you for honouring our heroes. It constitutes an important gesture, which demonstrates our unity and shared values that have connected us for over 80 years.

    Temporary Military Assistant to the Minister of State in the House of Lords, pictured left, with the UK’s Defence Attaché to Poland Chris Brown, pictured right. Copyright reserved to the Polish Ministry of Defence.

    The event comes at a time of unprecedented cooperation between the UK and Poland on defence and security matters. Announced by the Prime Minister in January, the two nations are set to sign a new security and defence treaty later this year, building on strong bilateral ties which have seen over 20 British operational deployments to Poland since February 2022.

    Both countries remain steadfast allies in supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression and are working together to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank.

    Lord Coaker’s visit also follows the publication of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review, which underscores Britain’s commitment to European security.

    The review sets out the UK’s vision to move to warfighting readiness, create a more lethal integrated military force, and strengthen UK leadership in NATO. Additionally, it will put service personnel at the heart of our defence plans by renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve and having a whole of society approach to our national resilience.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Local support you can find on the Local Offer!

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    We have taken on board valuable feedback received from families with children and young people with SEND and created a section on the website for local support available to families.

    Support for young people | Wolverhampton SEND Local Offer
    Support for parents/carers | Wolverhampton SEND Local Offer
    Autism and ADHD assessment and diagnosis | Wolverhampton SEND Local Offer

    Parents and carers have shared that these pages are ‘ helpful, useful and definitely worth looking at for seeking advice, joining a support group or finding a service they can speak to.
     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Transport Secretary draws line under HS2 ‘mismanagement’ with bold reset plan

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Transport Secretary draws line under HS2 ‘mismanagement’ with bold reset plan

    All recommendations from the James Stewart review into HS2 to be accepted by government as Mike Brown takes over as HS2 Ltd Chair.

    • report reveals historic mishandling, lack of ministerial oversight and inadequate control of the project from HS2 Ltd
    • all recommendations to be accepted to grip failing HS2 project and get it back on track
    • new HS2 Ltd Chair Mike Brown appointed as progress made on resetting project

    The Transport Secretary has today (18 June 2025) announced that she will accept all recommendations from the landmark James Stewart review to address years of mismanagement and restore public trust in HS2.

    First commissioned by the government in October last year, the report sets out evidence of the historic mishandling of HS2 including a lack of ministerial oversight and scrutiny, inadequate control of the project by HS2 Ltd and a lack of effective incentives with the supply chain, which will collectively cost the taxpayer billions more than planned. 

    In a statement to Parliament, the Secretary of State condemned the ‘litany of failure’ that has plagued HS2, citing spiralling costs, ineffective oversight and broken promises.

    Without action, Phase 1 alone risks becoming one of the most expensive railway lines in the world – with costs ballooning by £37 billion and £2 billion wasted on cancelled Phase 2 works.

    That’s why since entering office, the government has taken decisive action to get back control of HS2 including: appointing new leadership to reset the project, commissioning the James Stewart review, reducing financial delegations to HS2 Ltd, limiting what the company can do without government approval to place a lid on spiralling costs until the reset is complete and providing £25 billion in the recent Spending Review to support all of this work.

    Speaking from the House of Commons earlier this afternoon, the Transport Secretary set out how the department is already delivering on Mr Stewart’s 5 key recommendations: 

    • Lack of effective ministerial oversight – the HS2 taskforce has been re-established with full senior official and ministerial attendance, offering much-needed oversight and accountability.
    • Stricter cost control – the department is ensuring HS2 Ltd and its suppliers negotiate incentives that ensure cost savings for taxpayers.
    • Lack of capability, skills and trust – the Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd, Mark Wild, is instilling a new era of leadership, reforming the organisation with a focus on building the rest of the railway safely and at the lowest reasonable cost. Wild has previous experience in this, having turned the delayed and over-budget Elizabeth line into one of the most successful and celebrated new operating railways in the world.
    • Lack of clarity on Euston station – the government has already committed funding to start the tunnelling from Old Oak Common to Euston and further detail on delivery of the station will be set out in due course.
    • Lessons for the wider transport portfolio – the government is committing to learning the lessons of the past 15 years to delivering infrastructure differently across its projects, with more to be set out in the upcoming 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy.

    The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to consider the implications for the Civil Service and wider public sector of the issues raised in the report, including whether further action or investigation is warranted.

    The Transport Secretary confirmed that Mike Brown will be taking over as HS2 Ltd Chair, working alongside CEO Mark Wild to deliver a programme reset, including reviewing the costs and schedule, renegotiating HS2’s large construction contracts and reviewing HS2 Ltd’s skills and structure. The Transport Secretary has asked Mark Wild to be ready to provide an update on revised costs and delivery timescales at the end of the year.

    He brings decades of experience to the role, having previously delivered major projects such as the successful delivery of London Underground and mainline rail for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, and a multi-billion pound investment programme on London’s roads, rail and cycling network. 

    Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:

    This must be a line in the sand. This government is delivering HS2 from Birmingham to London after years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight.  

    Mark Wild and Mike Brown were part of the team, with me, that turned Crossrail into the Elizabeth Line – we have done it before, we will do it again.

    Passengers and taxpayers deserve new railways the country can be proud of and the work to get HS2 back on track is firmly underway. 

    The initial assessment of the newly appointed CEO, Mark Wild was also published today, reiterating that the overall project in terms of cost, schedule and scope is unsustainable. Due to the scale of the mismanagement of the project, it set out that there is no route by which trains can be running by 2033 as previously planned and warns that costs would continue to increase if not taken in hand. The Transport Secretary accepted this conclusion.

    HS2 is supporting over 33,000 jobs and over 3,400 UK businesses across all UK nations and regions. Over 44 miles of tunnels have been completed to date and the 2.1-mile deck of the Colne Valley Viaduct, the UK’s new longest railway bridge, was completed in September 2024. 

    HS2 will deliver high-speed rail services between London and the West Midlands, providing much-needed extra capacity between London and Birmingham and delivering faster and more reliable trains from London to Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland. Research estimates that HS2 will be responsible for the generation of £10 billion and 30,000 new jobs in the West Midlands, as well as £10 billion and over 18,000 new jobs in west London.

    HS2 and major projects media enquiries

    Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

    Switchboard 0300 330 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Resetting the High Speed Two (HS2) programme

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Oral statement to Parliament

    Resetting the High Speed Two (HS2) programme

    A statement outlining the future of High Speed Two (HS2), including new management and a bold reset plan.

    Mr Speaker, with permission, I’d like to make a statement on HS2.

    As a London Councillor over 15 years ago, I remember hearing the then Labour government’s bold plans for high-speed rail.

    To link our major cities, to address the capacity needs of the future and in the words of then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown: ‘to join the high-speed revolution sweeping the world’.

    It was a vision of a confident nation, a clear signal our great towns and cities in the Midlands and the North.

    With potential that had been untapped at best and ignored at worst, could be places of opportunity and aspiration again.

    That was the promise of HS2.

    Inheritance

    But after [political redaction].

    Routes drawn up then cancelled, budgets calculated then blown, promises made then broken, we inherited a project that had lost the trust of the public.

    That created an image of a Britain woefully unable to deliver big infrastructure projects. And that axed swathes of the country it was originally meant to serve.

    Phase 1 could end up becoming one of the most expensive railway lines in the world.

    With projected costs soaring by £37 billion [political redaction]. And £2 billion of taxpayers’ money sunk into phase 2 work before it was cancelled by the previous government.

    There was also clear evidence of poor management [political redaction].

    Gripping the project

    It has been no less than a litany of failure.

    And today (18 June 2025), I’m drawing a line in the sand – calling time on years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight.

    It means this government will get the job done between Birmingham and London.

    We won’t reinstate cancelled sections we can’t afford.

    But we will do the hard, but necessary, work to rebuild public trust – and we’ve not wasted any time.

    Since July, we have:

    • appointed new leadership of HS2 Ltd to turn this project around
    • we’ve made clear to the new Chief Executive, Mark Wild, that the priority is building the rest of the railway safely, at the lowest reasonable cost – even if this takes longer
    • we’ve started the year long task of fundamentally resetting the project, including commissioning infrastructure expert James Stewart to lead a review into governance and oversight
    • as part of the reset, we have reduced financial delegations to HS2 Ltd – placing a lid on spiralling costs until the reset is complete and we regain confidence
    • and we’ve supported Mark Wild’s review of the size and cost of HS2 as an organisation

    But today we’re going further.

    James Stewart review

    Mr Speaker, I can confirm we’ve published the landmark James Stewart review and the department’s response.

    The review, commissioned in October of last year by my predecessor, was a tough independent look at how Department for Transport and government delivers major projects.

    The government not only welcomes the review, but we have accepted all its recommendations.

    My department is already delivering on these, specifically across 5 key areas.

    First, the lack of oversight and scrutiny.

    Quite simply, there have been too many dark corners for failure to hide in.

    [Political redaction].

    This government has re-established the taskforce, with full senior attendance, as per the review’s recommendation.

    And new performance, programme and shareholder boards will offer much needed oversight and accountability.

    Secondly, the report highlights HS2 could cost the taxpayer billions more than planned.

    We’ll stop this spiralling any further by delivering all the recommendations on cost control.

    That starts with HS2 fundamentally changing their approach to estimating costs.

    It includes certainty over funding – which the Spending Review has given.

    And it also means HS2 working with suppliers so their contracts incentivise saving costs for taxpayers.

    As far as I’m concerned, suppliers should make a better return the more taxpayer money they save.

    Thirdly, the review identified a deficit in capability and skills, with a fundamental lack of trust between my department and HS2 Ltd. 

    I am clear, both capability and cultural issues within HS2 must be addressed.

    The new chief executive is already strengthening the organisation, including filling critical gaps in areas such as commercial expertise. And he will be backed by Mike Brown, announced today as the new chair.

    This is a new era of leadership the project desperately needs, with Mike bringing significant experience as a former TfL Commissioner.

    Mark and Mike were part of the team, with me, that turned Crossrail into the Elizabeth Line.

    We have done it before, we will do it again.

    Fourthly, Euston Station.

    Between 2019 and 2023, HS2 Ltd provided initial designs for Euston Station, coming in almost £2 billion over budget.

    When asked for a more affordable option, they offered one costing £400 million more than the first attempt.

    The word ‘affordable’ was clearly not part of the HS2 lexicon.

    The combined costs for these 2 failed designs, which has now been written off, was more than a quarter of a billion pounds.

    What’s more, the previous government announced a Euston ministerial taskforce.

    Unbelievably, the taskforce never met.

    Mr Speaker, this government recognises Euston’s huge potential.

    And we’ve already committed funding to start the tunnelling from Old Oak Common to Euston and we’ll set out more details in our 10-year Infrastructure Strategy.

    And finally, we will use James Stewart’s findings to transform infrastructure delivery across government.

    Implementing real change in how we deliver infrastructure is not just for the Department for Transport.

    This government is committed to implementing these recommendations and adopting a new approach to delivering infrastructure, as will be set out in our upcoming 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy.

    In that spirit, the Prime Minister has also asked the Cabinet Secretary to consider the implications for the Civil Service and wider public sector of the issues raised in the report, including whether further action or investigation is warranted.

    Mr Speaker, we’re wasting no time in delivering on this review.

    And I will update Parliament on our progress through my 6-monthly reports, even if the information is uncomfortable.

    Because for a government that, last week, pledged billions in capital investment for new major projects.

    That believes in the power of transport infrastructure to improve lives and deliver on our Plan for Change.

    This level of failure cannot stand.

    We will learn the lessons of the past 15 years and restore our reputation of delivering world-class infrastructure projects.

    Mark Wild assessment

    Mr Speaker, I’ve spoken about our inheritance; I’ve spoken about James Stewart’s review.

    Let me finally turn to Mark Wild’s initial assessment, [political redaction].

    I will place a copy of his interim findings in the library.

    He stated, in no uncertain terms, the overall project with respect to cost, schedule and scope is unsustainable.

    Based on this advice, I see no route by which trains can be running by 2033 as planned.

    He reveals costs will continue to increase if not taken in hand, further outstripping the budget set by the previous government.

    And he cannot be certain that all cost pressures have yet been identified.

    Mr Speaker, it gives me no pleasure to deliver news like this.

    Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money has been wasted by constant scope changes, ineffective contracts and bad management.

    There are also allegations that parts of the supply chain have been defrauding taxpayers, and I have been clear these need to be investigated rapidly and rigorously.

    If fraud is proven, the consequences will be felt by all involved.

    Mr Speaker, I have to be honest: it’s an appalling mess. But it’s one we will sort out.

    We need to set targets which we can confidently deliver – that the public can trust – and that will take time.

    But rest assured, where there are inefficiencies – we will root them out.

    Where further ministerial interventions are needed – I’ll make them without fear or favour.

    HS2 will finally start delivering on our watch.

    Conclusion

    Mr Speaker, years of mismanagement and neglect have turned HS2 into a shadow of the vision put forward 15 years ago.

    But this government was elected on a mandate to restore trust to our politics.

    That’s why we won’t shirk away from this challenge and why today, we turn the page on infrastructure failures. 

    I can think of no better mission than delivering new economic opportunities, new homes and commercial regeneration, of an upskilled supply chain, all of which HS2 can still unlock.

    But no one should underestimate the scale of the reset required.

    Passengers and taxpayers deserve new railways the country can be proud of.

    The work to get HS2 back on track is firmly underway under this government.

    And I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: HS2 Ltd CEO’s initial assessment of HS2’s current position on cost and schedule

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    HS2 Ltd CEO’s initial assessment of HS2’s current position on cost and schedule

    A summary of the new HS2 Ltd CEO’s assessment of HS2’s current position on cost and schedule.

    Documents

    Letter to the Secretary of State for Transport: assessment of HS2’s current position on cost and schedule

    PDF, 271 KB, 5 pages

    This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

    Request an accessible format.
    If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

    Details

    Letter from High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd CEO, Mark Wild, sent to the Secretary of State for Transport on 31 March 2025.

    The letter outlines Mark Wild’s initial findings and assessment of HS2’s current position regarding cost and schedule.

    See the major transport projects governance and assurance review.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Economics: Huawei and China Mobile win TM Forum’s 2025 Excellence Award for Autonomous Networks

    Source: Huawei

    Headline: Huawei and China Mobile win TM Forum’s 2025 Excellence Award for Autonomous Networks

    [Copenhagen, Denmark, June 18, 2025] During DTW 2025, Huawei and China Mobile won the Excellence Award for Autonomous Networks for the End-to-End Autonomous Network Operation Center (Dark NOC) solution. This project focuses on high-value Autonomous Networks scenarios, leveraging telecom foundation model and agents, and has achieved significant achievements in end-to-end automation, quality & revenue enhancement, and efficient operations & maintenance, which has effectively accelerated the advancement of the telecom industry towards level 4.

    Huawei and China Mobile win TM Forum’s Excellence Award for Autonomous Networks

    To achieve the L4 industry goal of “end-to-end automation of NOC operations in high-value scenarios and self-service site operations”, Huawei and China Mobile have jointly created the End-to-End Autonomous Network Operation Center (Dark NOC) solution. Focusing on high-value scenarios such as fault handling and customer complaint resolution, the solution leverages telecom foundation model to build two main types of agents: role-based Copilots and scenario-based Agents. This solution was first deployed in Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces, achieving significant results including a 30% improvement in maintenance efficiency and a 30% reduction in average MTTR. Currently, the solution has been commercially deployed across fault management and complaint handling scenarios in China Mobile Guangdong and Zhejiang, covering mobile bearer, wireless, core, and home broadband networks. It is now being promoted to other provincial subsidiaries, empowering operators to serve tens of millions of users.
    The successful implementation of the End-to-End Autonomous Network Operations Center (Dark NOC) Solution provides a valuable practical reference for global operators accelerating their journey toward L4. In the future, Huawei and China Mobile will continue to deepen innovation and practical exploration in high-value scenarios, injecting new impetus into the automation and intelligent transformation of the telecoms industry.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Another public inquiry into institutional abuses – why they so often fail to deliver justice for victims

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anne Marie McAlinden, Professor, School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast

    House of Commons/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

    Public inquiries have become the standard political response to scandals and public crises, including allegations of institutional abuses.

    At the time of writing, there are multiple ongoing inquiries (or calls for them) into forms of abuse throughout the UK and elsewhere. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Ireland have ongoing institutional abuse inquiries or commissions of investigation. Victims of the late Mohamed Al Fayed are calling for an inquiry into abuses suffered while they were employed at Harrods.

    And the government has just announced a further national inquiry into grooming gangs in England and Wales. There has also been a concentration of institutional abuse inquiries globally over the last 30 years.

    Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.

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    Ireland in particular has had a lengthy history of such official investigations. Over the last two decades, it has had at least eight. In England and Wales, the issues of grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation have already been examined as part of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse led by child protection expert Alexis Jay. With 19 reports and evidence from over 6,000 victims within its Truth Project alone, it was the largest ever public inquiry in the UK.

    Frequently demanded by victims and the public, inquiries have symbolic value in signifying official acknowledgement of wrongdoing and abuses. However, they arguably fail to deliver truth, justice, accountability and healing for victims in several ways.

    The failures of abuse inquiries

    Inquiries are inevitably constrained by their narrow terms of reference. This sets the parameters of the inquiry and shapes the scope and scale of their investigations and any eventual outcomes.

    Terms of reference are frequently focused on how authorities responded to emerging allegations of abuses – whether churches, police or social services. A fuller examination of the systemic and structural issues that made abuses possible or allowed them to go unchecked for so long would be more useful.

    The investigations are also usually focused on fact-finding at an institutional level. As a result, they often fail to deliver the comprehensive truth of specific cases or hold individual perpetrators to account, which is what many victims seek.

    In older cases of abuse, things are even more difficult because so much time has passed and there may be no witnesses or records left to help prove what happened.



    Read more:
    How to make sure the new grooming gangs inquiry is the last

    Previous research shows that the inquiry process is often deeply traumatising for victims. Even if the emphasis is purportedly non-adversarial, the presence of lawyers and the dominance of legal culture and cross-examination effectively requires them to prove or justify their experiences. The basic effect becomes one of disbelief of victims or dismissal of their experiences of abuse.

    Added to this are the significant costs of inquiries – in terms of money and time. The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse is said to have cost more than £180 million. As with many large investigations, it took seven years to produce its final report.

    Inevitably, victims are left waiting years for outcomes and any sense of justice. Monetary redress (or compensation), if it comes at all, only usually happens once the inquiry has concluded.

    Above all, public inquiries are severely limited in their capacity to produce meaningful, systemic and lasting change. Research shows that successive child abuse inquiries, decades apart, continue to make the same or similar recommendations. The lack of action by governments and institutions on recommendations means the issues remain unaddressed.

    Over two and a half years later, many of the Jay report’s 20 recommendations remain unimplemented.

    The collective failures of past abuse inquiries should prompt the government to pause and consider whether another is truly needed – or whether a different approach is required.

    Rethinking public inquiries

    With colleagues at the Transforming Justice Project, I’ve researched justice responses to historical institutional abuses over many years. Our work, based on extensive primary research with victims, as well as advocates and church and state representatives on the island of Ireland, has highlighted some of the failings of inquiries. We have also uncovered an appetite for doing things differently.

    On one level, it is possible to reform inquiries by focusing more centrally on victims and the trauma they have experienced. This could include, for example, adopting themed approaches to inquiries, perhaps related to particular contexts or abuses, which report sooner as standard.

    It might also mean specialist support services for victims running in parallel to inquiries. Or, it might mean involving victims in the design of the inquiry process from the outset.

    It is also worth exploring alternative models of truth recovery, such as non-statutory independent panel in Northern Ireland. This panel focuses specifically on mother and baby institutions, Magdalene laundries, and workhouses. Here, the accumulated testimony of victims and their experiences will feed into the full statutory public inquiry on these forms of institutional abuse.

    More broadly, rather than commissioning yet another inquiry, the government needs to follow up on existing recommendations from previous inquiries, including on child abuse. It is only by addressing the systemic issues underlying institutional abuse – including cultural attitudes and responses to victims – that we will prevent a recurrence of abuse in the longer term.

    Anne Marie McAlinden received funding from the AHRC and, with colleagues on the Transforming Justice Project, from the British Academy and the Higher Education Authority.

    – ref. Another public inquiry into institutional abuses – why they so often fail to deliver justice for victims – https://theconversation.com/another-public-inquiry-into-institutional-abuses-why-they-so-often-fail-to-deliver-justice-for-victims-259103

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Welfare bill will protect the most vulnerable and help households with income boost

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Welfare bill will protect the most vulnerable and help households with income boost

    Additional protections for millions of vulnerable people on benefits are set to be written into law, under new measures being introduced to Parliament today [18 June 2025].

    • New welfare legislation to ensure there are robust protections in place to support the most vulnerable and severely disabled.
    • Nearly 4 million households to benefit from uprating of Universal Credit standard rate, the largest, permanent real-terms increase to basic out of work support since 1980, according to the IFS.
    • More than 200,000 people with most severe, lifelong conditions to be protected from future reassessment for Universal Credit entitlement.
    • 13-week period of financial support for those affected by PIP changes as part of upcoming welfare reforms.
    • Comes alongside £1 billion employment support package that will unlock opportunity and grow the economy as part of the Plan for Change.

    The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill will provide 13-weeks of additional financial security to existing claimants affected by changes to the PIP daily living component, including those who their lose eligibility to Carers Allowance and the carer’s element of Universal Credit.

    The 13-week additional protection will give people who will be affected by the changes time to adapt, access new, tailored employment support, and plan for their future once they are reassessed and their entitlement ends.

    This transitional cover is one of the most generous ever and more than three times the length of protection provided for the transition from DLA to PIP.

    This government inherited a broken social security system, with costs spiralling at an unsustainable rate and millions of people trapped out of work. The case for change is stark:

    • Since the pandemic, the number of PIP awards has more than doubled – up from 13,000 a month to 34,000 a month. That is around 1,000 people signing on to PIP every day – that is roughly the size of Leicester signing up every year.
    • The surge has been largely by driven by a substantial increase in the number of people who report anxiety and depression as their main condition. Before the pandemic (in 2019), 2,500 people a month were awarded PIP for these conditions, this has more than tripled to 8,200 a month in 2023.
    • Almost 1 million young people – 1 in 8 – are not in education, employment or training.
    • 1-in-10 people of working age are now claiming a sickness or disability benefit.
    • Without reform, the number of working age people on disability benefits is set to more than double this decade to 4.3 million.
    • Spending on working age disability and incapacity benefits is up £20 billion since the pandemic and is set to increase by almost that much again by the end of this Parliament, to a staggering £70 billion a year.

    That’s why, through the introduction of this Bill; the government is fixing our broken social security system so it supports those who can work to do so while protecting those who cannot – putting welfare spending on a more sustainable path to unlock growth as part of our Plan for Change.

    Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said:

    Our social security system is at a crossroads. Unless we reform it, more people will be denied opportunities, and it may not be there for those who need it.

    This legislation represents a new social contract and marks the moment we take the road of compassion, opportunity and dignity.

    This will give people peace of mind, while also fixing our broken social security system so it supports those who can work to do so while protecting those who cannot – putting welfare spending on a more sustainable path to unlock growth as part of our Plan for Change.

    As part of our commitment to protect the most vulnerable and severely disabled, peace of mind will also be given to 200,000 individuals in the Severe Conditions Criteria group – individuals with the most severe and permanently disabling conditions who will never be able to work – as they will not be called for reassessed for Universal Credit (UC) under new legislation.

    Those protected from reassessment will also be paid the higher rate of UC health top up of £97 per week, so they can live with dignity and security, knowing the reforms to the welfare system mean it will always be there to support them.

    In the coming weeks, legislation will also be drafted for a Right to Try Guarantee. This will ensure that trying work will not, in and of itself, lead to a reassessment or award review, breaking down barriers to employment.

    Reforms being delivered by the legislation introduced today go hand in hand with a £1 billion employment support package to support more people with health conditions back into work, unlocking opportunity and growing the economy as part of the Plan for Change.

    Funding will offer personalised employment and health support for individuals on out of work benefits, with 500,000 people having already been supported into employment. This is a quadrupling the level of annual spend on supporting sick and disabled people into work, from the £275m in 2024/25 we inherited, to over £1bn in 2029/30.

    Nearly 4 million households will also receive an income boost with the main rate of Universal Credit set to increase above inflation every year for the next four years – estimated to be worth £725 by 2029/30 for a single household 25 or over. This is around £250 higher than an inflation only increases.

    The Bill will also rebalance Universal Credit rates by reducing the health element for new UC claims to £50 from April 2026, fixing a system which encourages sickness by paying health element recipients more than double the standard amount.

    To open up opportunities to work, everyone affected by changes to the UC health element from April 2026 will be offered support from a dedicated Pathways to Work adviser, with 1,000 advisers in place across Britain.

    All of those affected by reforms will be actively contacted and given the offer of a conversation about their support needs, goals and aspirations; offered one-to-one follow-on support, and given help to access additional work, health and skills support that can meet their needs.

    The reforms build on the Get Britain Working White Paper that will overhaul Jobcentres, empower Mayors and local leaders to tackle inactivity, and deliver a Youth Guarantee so every young person is either earning or learning, as part of the Government’s ambition to deliver an 80% employment rate.

    Additional information

    • The Bill will introduce a new additional eligibility requirement for the daily living component of PIP so that a minimum of 4 points must be scored on at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component. It will also rebalance Universal Credit.
    • The Work and Pensions Secretary gave a speech at the IPPR on setting out the case for reforming the welfare system: Welfare reform: Speech to the IPPR by Work and Pensions Secretary – GOV.UK
    • Based on current forecasts, the rebalancing mean single households 25 or over, will see their standard allowance rise to around £106pw by the end of this parliament.
    • Current UC health top up is more than double the UC standard allowance for a single claimant.

    There are 4 criteria for the healthcare professional to consider, all of which must apply for the claimant to meet the SCC, namely whether:

    • The individual’s level of function will always meet LCWRA
    • The individual’s condition will last for the rest of their life
    • There is no realistic prospect of recovery of function, and
    • The condition has been diagnosed by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional in the course of the provision of NHS services.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Construction director sentenced after failing to explain almost £500,000 worth of transfers out of company account

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Construction director sentenced after failing to explain almost £500,000 worth of transfers out of company account

    Suspended sentence for director who did not deliver accounting records to the liquidator

    • Construction director Mario Huiu failed to account for nearly £500,000 transferred out of his company’s accounts in a one-month period in 2020 

    • Huiu also failed to verify more than £200,000 in cash receipts and explain why his Incentive Services Limited company failed with debts of over £160,000 

    • Insolvency Service investigations have resulted in Huiu being given a suspended sentence for failing to provide accounting records

    A construction director who failed to explain transfers totalling almost £500,000 out of his company’s bank account has been handed a suspended sentence. 

    Mario Huiu’s failure to keep proper accounting records for Incentive Services Limited meant liquidators were also unable to verify cash receipts of more than £200,000 into the same bank account. 

    The 39-year-old, of Hayesbrook Road, Ilford, was prosecuted for offences under the Companies Act 2006 and Insolvency Act 1986. 

    Huiu was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, when he appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Friday 13 June. 

    Mark Stephens, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: 

    Limited liability companies provide vital protection for business owners, but this protection comes with serious responsibilities.

    Maintaining proper accounting records is not just a legal requirement – it is essential for responsible business management.  

    Directors such as Mario Huiu who fail to keep accurate financial records put their creditors and trading partners at unacceptable risk and jeopardise their own ability to make sound trading decisions. 

    Incentive Services Limited was incorporated in March 2017 under the name of EMA Dry-Lining Ltd. The company changed its name three times before settling on Incentive Services Limited in May 2020. 

    Huiu was sole director of the company when it went into liquidation seven months later in December 2020. 

    As director of the company, Huiu was required to maintain and preserve company books and records and deliver them to the liquidator. 

    His failure to do this meant the liquidator was unable to verify transfers of £498,480 from the company’s account between May and June 2020. 

    Huiu’s explanation during interview that the money was spent on paying suppliers was uncorroborated and described by the Insolvency Service as “not credible”. 

    Similarly, unverified cash receipts of £261,960 into the same company bank account did not have supporting sales records. 

    Four other company bank accounts were identified during the course of Insolvency Service investigations. Huiu did not declare them all to investigators. 

    Huiu’s failure to deliver books and records to the liquidator meant the true level of the company’s financial turnover could not be verified. 

    The reasons why the company failed owing creditors £162,482 were also not explained due to the inadequate accounts. 

    Huiu was disqualified as a company director for six years in November 2021 following initial Insolvency Service investigations into his misconduct at Incentive Services Limited.

    Further information

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Research project VERDAS completed –  Terranet part of the work for safer traffic

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    After a year, the research project VERDAS has now been completed – 
    a collaboration led by AstaZero, a subsidiary of RISE, and carried out together with Terranet, If Insurance, Folksam, the Swedish Transport Administration, Volvo Cars, Toyota, Zenseact, Aptiv, and Viscando. The project was funded by Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency, and aimed to develop new physical and virtual verification methods for more robust driver assistance systems (ADAS), with a particular focus on accident scenarios involving vulnerable road users.

    The project has been carried out in close dialogue with Euro NCAP and has taken important steps to improve how future driver assistance systems are tested and evaluated. The work shows that today’s test methods do not always capture accident scenarios that occur in real traffic – especially when pedestrians are involved. To ensure that the systems function in these situations, new test methods need to be developed to better reflect these types of accidents.

    Euro NCAP will introduce new test methods for robust ADAS functionality in Euro NCAP 2026. The VERDAS project has contributed by proposing test scenarios that include both infrastructure elements and interactions with other road users.

    Examples of highlighted test scenarios include:

    • Pedestrians stepping out from between parked cars
    • Pedestrians stepping out from behind another pedestrian
    • Pedestrians stepping out from behind traffic light poles

    Scenarios that may seem simple – but place high demands on the technology’s ability to detect and predict movement in a dynamic and often complex environment.

    “We are proud that VERDAS has contributed to Euro NCAP 2026 with robustness test scenarios based on real-world accident data. By placing higher demands on future driver assistance systems, these scenarios help drive development toward safer traffic environments – and, ultimately, fewer pedestrians killed or seriously injured,” says Mats Petersson, Project Manager for VERDAS at AstaZero and Senior Product Manager at Terranet.

    The closing event at RISE Proving Ground AstaZero brought together representatives from all participating parties, as well as Euro NCAP and Vinnova. Presentations were given by AstaZero, Euro NCAP, and the project group. Participants were given insights into the project methodology, implementation, and results from the past year. The event concluded with a forward-looking perspective on the next step – the newly launched follow-up project VERDAS 2, in which Terranet is participating.

    For more information, please contact:
    Lars Lindell, CEO
    E-mail: lars.lindell@terranet.se

    About Terranet AB (publ)
    Terranet’s mission is to save lives in urban traffic. We develop groundbreaking technology solutions for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles, with a focus on protecting vulnerable road users from injury. Using a unique and patented sensor technology, Terranet’s system BlincVision scans the road with laser precision – detecting objects up to ten times faster and with greater accuracy than any other ADAS solution on the market today.

    Terranet is headquartered in Lund, Sweden, with additional operations in Gothenburg and Stuttgart – at the heart of the European automotive industry. Since 2017, the company has been listed on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market (Nasdaq: TERRNT-B). Visit us at www.terranet.se

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Research project VERDAS completed –  Terranet part of the work for safer traffic

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    After a year, the research project VERDAS has now been completed – 
    a collaboration led by AstaZero, a subsidiary of RISE, and carried out together with Terranet, If Insurance, Folksam, the Swedish Transport Administration, Volvo Cars, Toyota, Zenseact, Aptiv, and Viscando. The project was funded by Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency, and aimed to develop new physical and virtual verification methods for more robust driver assistance systems (ADAS), with a particular focus on accident scenarios involving vulnerable road users.

    The project has been carried out in close dialogue with Euro NCAP and has taken important steps to improve how future driver assistance systems are tested and evaluated. The work shows that today’s test methods do not always capture accident scenarios that occur in real traffic – especially when pedestrians are involved. To ensure that the systems function in these situations, new test methods need to be developed to better reflect these types of accidents.

    Euro NCAP will introduce new test methods for robust ADAS functionality in Euro NCAP 2026. The VERDAS project has contributed by proposing test scenarios that include both infrastructure elements and interactions with other road users.

    Examples of highlighted test scenarios include:

    • Pedestrians stepping out from between parked cars
    • Pedestrians stepping out from behind another pedestrian
    • Pedestrians stepping out from behind traffic light poles

    Scenarios that may seem simple – but place high demands on the technology’s ability to detect and predict movement in a dynamic and often complex environment.

    “We are proud that VERDAS has contributed to Euro NCAP 2026 with robustness test scenarios based on real-world accident data. By placing higher demands on future driver assistance systems, these scenarios help drive development toward safer traffic environments – and, ultimately, fewer pedestrians killed or seriously injured,” says Mats Petersson, Project Manager for VERDAS at AstaZero and Senior Product Manager at Terranet.

    The closing event at RISE Proving Ground AstaZero brought together representatives from all participating parties, as well as Euro NCAP and Vinnova. Presentations were given by AstaZero, Euro NCAP, and the project group. Participants were given insights into the project methodology, implementation, and results from the past year. The event concluded with a forward-looking perspective on the next step – the newly launched follow-up project VERDAS 2, in which Terranet is participating.

    For more information, please contact:
    Lars Lindell, CEO
    E-mail: lars.lindell@terranet.se

    About Terranet AB (publ)
    Terranet’s mission is to save lives in urban traffic. We develop groundbreaking technology solutions for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles, with a focus on protecting vulnerable road users from injury. Using a unique and patented sensor technology, Terranet’s system BlincVision scans the road with laser precision – detecting objects up to ten times faster and with greater accuracy than any other ADAS solution on the market today.

    Terranet is headquartered in Lund, Sweden, with additional operations in Gothenburg and Stuttgart – at the heart of the European automotive industry. Since 2017, the company has been listed on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market (Nasdaq: TERRNT-B). Visit us at www.terranet.se

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: BTCC Exchange Celebrates 14th Anniversary with Launch of First-Ever User Badge Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VILNIUS, Lithuania, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BTCC, one of the world’s longest-serving exchanges, celebrates its 14th anniversary by launching its first-ever user badge program. The milestone campaign, running from June 16 to July 1, 2025, introduces the exclusive “14 Years of Momentum” badge. This limited-edition emblem aims to honor community loyalty as the exchange steps into its 15th year of operation in the crypto space.

    In the fast-paced cryptocurrency industry, 14 years of operation represent an extraordinary milestone of excellence. BTCC has proven its commitment to security and reliability by weathering market volatility and regulatory changes while consistently maintaining user trust around the world.

    The anniversary campaign marks BTCC’s first step into community recognition badges, offering users a new way to showcase their loyalty and trading achievements. To earn the anniversary badge, participants must deposit $200 worth of tokens, achieve VIP 2 status, and complete $1 million in cumulative futures trading volume during the event period. Anniversary badge holders will also receive trading rewards totaling $140, plus eligibility for ongoing exclusive benefits, including airdrops, special campaigns, and community recognition.

    The campaign also features progressive social tasks that unlock throughout the event period, encouraging users to engage across BTCC’s social media channels including X (Twitter), Instagram, and Discord.

    “This badge program represents just the beginning of how we plan to recognize and reward our community members,” said Alex, Head of Operations at BTCC. “BTCC stands the test of time thanks to our community’s support. Now we’re launching the badge program to create lasting value for those who’ve chosen to grow with us, and this is only the start of our journey in building meaningful connections with our trading family.”

    This anniversary event will kickstart BTCC’s comprehensive badge program, with plans to roll out regular campaigns allowing users to collect badges and exchange them for rewards.

    Bringing the celebration into the physical world, BTCC is launching an offline campaign featuring BTCC-branded taxis with QR codes roaming the streets of Berlin, Germany and Poznań, Poland. Pedestrians can scan the codes to participate directly in the anniversary campaign, bridging the gap between crypto trading and real-world engagement.

    The “14 Years of Momentum” anniversary badge serves as both a celebration of BTCC’s milestone and a symbol of the platform’s evolution toward enhanced community engagement. As a pioneer that has stood the test of time in crypto’s demanding landscape, BTCC continues to evolve while prioritizing the security and trust that have defined its remarkable 14-year journey.

    For more details about the anniversary campaign, please visit BTCC’s website.

    About BTCC

    Founded in 2011, BTCC is one of the world’s longest-serving cryptocurrency exchanges, offering secure and user-friendly trading services to millions of users globally. With a commitment to security, innovation, and community building, BTCC continues to be a trusted platform in the evolving cryptocurrency landscape.

    Website: https://www.btcc.com/en-US

    X: https://x.com/BTCCexchange

    Contact: press@btcc.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b7e2626e-1b0f-4723-8e5e-66576f3494a8

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: UK Misogyny: the manosphere and online content – Women and Equalities Committee

    Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)

    The Women and Equalities Committee is hearing from Laura Bates, Activist, Speaker and Writer, on the impact of:

    – the manosphere
    – misogynistic online content
    – the use of AI

    This hearing is part of the Committee’s wider inquiry on the manosphere and misogynistic online content. Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/9089/misogyny-the-manosphere-and-online-content

    #Manosphere #Misogyny #OnlineHarm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVwyQdkS6A0

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Strengthening Women, Peace and Security focus of FSC Security Dialogue and side-event of the Estonian Chairpersonship

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Strengthening Women, Peace and Security focus of FSC Security Dialogue and side-event of the Estonian Chairpersonship

    Strengthening Women, Peace and Security focus of FSC Security Dialogue and side-event of the Estonian Chairpersonship | OSCE

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    Home Newsroom News and press releases Strengthening Women, Peace and Security focus of FSC Security Dialogue and side-event of the Estonian Chairpersonship

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: DfE Update: 18 June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Correspondence

    DfE Update: 18 June 2025

    Latest information and actions from the Department for Education about funding, assurance and resource management, for academies, local authorities and further education providers.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    DfE Update further education: 18 June 2025

    HTML

    DfE Update academies: 18 June 2025

    HTML

    DfE Update local authorities: 18 June 2025

    HTML

    Details

    Latest for further education

    Article Title
    Action College financial data (CFD) service portal now available
    Information 2024 to 2025 year-end forecast funding claim: indicative reconciliation statement(s)
    Information Adult residency eligibility criteria simplification
    Information Free Courses for Jobs construction expansion

    Latest information for academies

    Article Title
    Information Academies chart of accounts 2025 to 2026
    Information DfE Connect is now available to multi-academy trusts
    Events and webinars Q&A drop-in sessions: Academies chart of accounts and automation
    Events and webinars Academies technical update 2025 to 2026
    Events and webinars Academies technical update 2025 to 2026
    Events and webinars Academies technical update 2025 to 2026
    Events and webinars RPA members only: Crime resilience workshop
    Events and webinars DfE Energy for schools: simplified buying of gas and electricity
    Events and webinars The Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) webinar
    Events and webinars Plan technology for your school

    Latest information for local authorities

    Article Title
    Information 2024 to 2025 year-end forecast funding claim: indicative reconciliation statement(s)
    Information Adult residency eligibility criteria simplification
    Information Free Courses for Jobs construction expansion
    Events and webinars RPA members only: Crime resilience workshop
    Events and webinars DfE Energy for schools: simplified buying of gas and electricity
    Events and webinars The Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) webinar
    Events and webinars Plan technology for your school

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Citizen Interaction Policy announced

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    A new Citizen Interaction Policy, aimed at promoting positive engagement between the Council and citizens, was approved this week.  

    Councillors from the Staff Governance Committee approved the Citizen Interaction Policy, which reinforces the Council’s commitment to providing accessible services to all members of the community, while supporting the safety and wellbeing of employees and elected members.  

    In addition to promoting positive engagement, the policy includes a zero tolerance pledge against violence, aggression and abuse towards employees and elected members.  

    Committee Convener Councillor Neil Copeland said: “We are here to help and support citizens and we ask them to work with us to make this possible.

    “The policy provides safeguards for Council employees and elected members – while also providing a single point of reference to understand the standards of behaviours expected from all involved parties.”  

    Vice Convener, Councillor Gill Al-Samarai said, “The safety of our employees and the citizens we serve is of paramount importance. By creating a single policy we aim to tackle unacceptable behaviours for the benefit of everyone.”  

    “We will publish the policy on the council website and will seek to raise public awareness of our zero tolerance approach through signage in all of our public facing buildings.”    

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Schools in Edinburgh adopt Scottish Government guidance on school uniforms

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Last week, Councillors agreed at Education, Children and Families Committee that the Scottish Government guidance on school uniform will apply to all City of Edinburgh Council schools.

    In line with the decision, schools in the city should not require branded school items as a compulsory part of their uniform policy. Uniform policies should be flexible and include plain and non-branded uniform items that match school colours. Blazers and branded items of uniform will no longer be compulsory, encouraged or promoted by schools.

    Schools in Edinburgh will continue to have uniforms but parents and carers will have wider choice on where they choose to purchase school uniform items and on how much they wish to spend.

    In recent years the cost of school uniform has steadily increased and for some families, uniform costs, especially for higher priced branded and embroidered items, represent a significant impact on household budgets. Schools are expected to do all that they can to limit school clothing costs for families.

    In line with this new guidance, parents or carers should not be directed to specialist suppliers to purchase branded items.

    Councillor James Dalgleish, Education, Children and Families Convener said:

    We are committed to tackling poverty and inequality in our schools and it is clear that the cost of school uniform items has, for some, created a barrier to school education. One of the ways we are addressing this is by removing the need for parents and carers to be compelled to spend more money than is necessary on school uniform.

    The Scottish Government guidance makes clear the rationale behind the new approach to school uniforms. It is the right thing to do make changes that will have a positive financial impact on families by reducing the cost of the school day, while also creating a more inclusive school environment and promoting sustainability. I am pleased that members of the Education, Children and Families Committee have agreed this positive step forward which is focused on supporting all pupils to come to school feeling comfortable, confident and ready to learn.

    Published: June 18th 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Local leaders welcome leading role for Leeds in delivering government’s Plan for Change

    Source: City of Leeds

    The Leader of Leeds City Council and the Mayor of West Yorkshire have welcomed government plans to bring together local communities, civil servants, and frontline workers in Leeds and the wider region to have a greater voice in shaping and testing national policy.

    As a part of the next phase of the Government’s plan to transform public services and deliver its ‘Plan for Change’, three key locations; Leeds, Sheffield, and Darlington, will use thematic campuses to focus on different government policy missions and solve major challenges facing communities.

    Working hand in hand with local mayoral combined authorities and public service providers, the Community Mission Challenge pilot programme aims to draw together civil servants and frontline workers with a cross section of expertise, skills, and experience from departments such as teaching and the NHS, to have a greater impact on shaping and testing new government policy locally. 

    Once proved successful, these solutions and ways of working can then be scaled up across other parts of the UK to accelerate delivery of the missions nationally. 

    The pilot programme follows a recent government announcement that will see thousands of civil servants located outside London, with the aim of bringing central government closer to the people it serves.

    Under the plans, Leeds will focus on the Government’s health mission, while Sheffield will focus on opportunity, and Darlington on growth. 

    Leeds already has a reputation for innovation in health and social care through its comprehensive Health and Wellbeing Strategy, Inclusive Growth Strategy, and its introduction of the Marmot city partnership. Coupled with a cutting-edge health technology and research sector, and its expansive voluntary and community organisations and anchor networks already working in close partnership with the local authority, the city has a wealth of experience in health innovation.

    The Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, said: “We are delighted that Leeds civil servants will take a leading role in delivering the Government’s health mission. This aligns with our local health and wellbeing strategy, which aims to improve the health of the poorest fastest. 

    “Leeds is a growing, diverse and ambitious city with well-established neighbourhood networks run by the voluntary and community sector and large anchor organisations working in partnership with the local authority, and a wealth of frontline expertise which will really benefit this new initiative.  

    “As a city, we have a hard-won reputation for innovation, especially within the health and social care sector, so we are perfectly suited to focus on the health mission which has been entrusted to the city.

    “We look forward to playing a significant role in helping to shape national policy and to bringing central government closer to our community.”

    Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “This government understands that to achieve its missions and rebuild public services, it needs to listen to those who know their areas best.

    “Frontline workers and civil servants across the North of England stand ready to help the government understand the challenges and deliver the change that’s needed to grow our economy and put more money in people’s pockets.

    “Home to a thriving network of over 300 health tech companies, three innovative universities and the largest teaching hospital in Europe, it’s only fitting that Leeds will lead the way on transforming the NHS and the health of our communities across the UK.”

    Plans for the scheme will continue to be drawn up throughout the summer with the programme expected to start work in the autumn. A new secondment scheme between government and local authorities is also being developed with people in both central and local government able to participate. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Aspiring young performers invited to panto auditions

    Source: City of Derby

    Are you looking for a fantastic opportunity for a talented youngster? The search is on for energetic and charismatic children to join the Junior Ensemble in this year’s Derby panto, Dick Whittington, at Derby Arena.

    Little Wolf Entertainment is seeking young performers, bursting with personality, to share the stage with professional actors, including the acclaimed panto dame Morgan Brind.

    This year’s production, another collaboration between Derby LIVE and Little Wolf, follows the massive success of previous pantomimes like 2024’s Cinderella, which received two nominations at the UK Pantomime Association Awards.

    Auditions are open to boys and girls aged 9-16 who can act, sing, and dance. While previous theatre experience isn’t required, a passion for performing is a must! Please note that 16-year-olds must still be in compulsory full-time education (Year 11) at the time of the show.

    If you know a young star who loves to sing and dance, this is their chance to shine on a big stage. Being part of the Junior Ensemble involves lots of hard work and commitment, but is fantastic opportunity to be part of a sensational production – and lots of fun! 

    To join the Junior Ensemble, you will need to be free for rehearsals on weekday evenings and all day at weekends from 13 November until the show opens, as well as performances from 5 – 31 December 2025.

    Auditions will be held at Derby Arena on Sunday 20 July. Applications are open now via the Little Wolf website. Once you register, full details about the audition session for your child’s age group will be sent to you. 

    There’s no need to prepare anything in advance – it will be a fun, dance workshop-style audition. Each session is expected to last approximately three hours. 

    Morgan Brind and Alan Bowles from Derby-based Little Wolf Entertainment said:

    Every year, we really look forward to these auditions. We’re consistently blown away by the sheer volume of young talent in Derby. If you’d like to be part of the team, be sure to apply soon – we can’t wait to meet you!

    Dick Whittington is at Derby Arena from Friday 5 – Wednesday 31 December. Tickets are now on sale with ticket prices ranging from £22 to £37. Concessions and family ticket savings are available. Tickets can be purchased on the Derby LIVE website, at the Sales and Information Centre,19 Chapel Street, Derby, DE1 3GU, or by calling 01332 255 800.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Iraqi Foreign Minister Calls on Europe to Seek Ceasefire Between Israel and Iran

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BAGHDAD, June 18 (Xinhua) — Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has called on European powers, particularly France, Britain and Germany, to play a direct and effective role in achieving an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Iran and resuming negotiations, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

    On Tuesday, Hussein held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, during which they discussed the escalation of tensions in the region, the ministry said in a statement.

    According to the statement, both ministers stressed the need for immediate international action to halt military operations by all sides. They warned that further escalation could trigger a wider global economic and humanitarian crisis.

    They also stressed the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading or involving other regional or international actors, which could further threaten world peace and stability.

    Both sides agreed on the need to coordinate international efforts to support dialogue, describing it as the most viable way to prevent dangerous consequences for the region and the world, the statement added. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Tokio Marine HCC Appoints Elizabeth Geary to Lead North America P&C Businesses

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tokio Marine HCC (TMHCC), based in Houston, Texas, today announced the appointment of Elizabeth Geary to the newly created role of President & CEO of North America P&C. She will be responsible for the growth and leadership of TMHCC’s North America P&C business units. Ms. Geary assumes her new role on June 30, 2025, reporting to Susan Rivera, TMHCC’s CEO, and will be based in New York City.

    Ms. Geary brings more than two decades of underwriting and senior leadership experience to TMHCC. She joins from Liberty Mutual, where, as President of Insurance Solutions, she was responsible for the launch and development of a new organization, focused on proactively managing brokers’ and clients’ evolving risk needs with a focus on cyber, energy transition, and alternative risk solutions. Ms. Geary began her career at TransRe, gaining underwriting experience across the spectrum of specialty classes, starting with US Property and Healthcare, progressing to Global Head of Cyber, and ultimately serving in a dual role as Chief Underwriting Officer, North America, and President, Global Portfolio Management.

    This announcement is the latest in a series of key executive appointments at TMHCC, with Barry Cook promoted to the role of Deputy CEO in April 2025, as the business evolves and expands its leadership structure to maintain its growth momentum.

    Ms. Rivera said, “Appointing Liz to the new role of President & CEO of our North America P&C business units is a statement of intent for our business. Her talent and track record of underwriting acumen, product strategy, and leadership are exceptional. As TMHCC continues to expand and evolve, driven by our commitment to enhancing our offerings to reflect the needs of insureds in a rapidly changing risk environment, we will need to attract the leading talent in the market who share our specialized focus and approach. Liz is an example of this approach in action, and I look forward to working with her to successfully harness the opportunities present in this expansive sector of the insurance market.”

    Ms. Geary added, “Tokio Marine HCC’s North American business has become a market leader in its chosen sectors, and its specialty insurance reputation is second to none. TMHCC is known for its long-term commitment to markets, underwriting excellence, and top-notch financial strength. I am delighted to be joining Susan and her team and look forward to helping the business realize its profitable growth ambitions in North America while providing market-leading solutions for our brokers and insureds.”

    About Tokio Marine HCC
    Tokio Marine HCC is a member of the Tokio Marine Group, a premier global company founded in 1879 with a market capitalization of $74 billion as of March 31, 2025. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Tokio Marine HCC is a leading specialty insurance group with offices in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Tokio Marine HCC’s major domestic insurance companies have financial strength ratings of ‘A+’ (Strong) from S&P Global Ratings, ‘A++’ (Superior) from AM Best, and ‘AA-’ (Very Strong) from Fitch Ratings; its major international insurance companies have financial strength ratings of ‘A+’ (Strong) from S&P Global Ratings. Tokio Marine HCC is the marketing name used to describe the affiliated companies under the common ownership of HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., a Delaware-incorporated insurance holding company. For more information about Tokio Marine HCC, please visit www.tokiomarinehcc.com.

    Contact:
    Doug Busker, Vice President – Public Relations
    Tokio Marine HCC
    713-996-1192

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Tokio Marine HCC Appoints Elizabeth Geary to Lead North America P&C Businesses

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tokio Marine HCC (TMHCC), based in Houston, Texas, today announced the appointment of Elizabeth Geary to the newly created role of President & CEO of North America P&C. She will be responsible for the growth and leadership of TMHCC’s North America P&C business units. Ms. Geary assumes her new role on June 30, 2025, reporting to Susan Rivera, TMHCC’s CEO, and will be based in New York City.

    Ms. Geary brings more than two decades of underwriting and senior leadership experience to TMHCC. She joins from Liberty Mutual, where, as President of Insurance Solutions, she was responsible for the launch and development of a new organization, focused on proactively managing brokers’ and clients’ evolving risk needs with a focus on cyber, energy transition, and alternative risk solutions. Ms. Geary began her career at TransRe, gaining underwriting experience across the spectrum of specialty classes, starting with US Property and Healthcare, progressing to Global Head of Cyber, and ultimately serving in a dual role as Chief Underwriting Officer, North America, and President, Global Portfolio Management.

    This announcement is the latest in a series of key executive appointments at TMHCC, with Barry Cook promoted to the role of Deputy CEO in April 2025, as the business evolves and expands its leadership structure to maintain its growth momentum.

    Ms. Rivera said, “Appointing Liz to the new role of President & CEO of our North America P&C business units is a statement of intent for our business. Her talent and track record of underwriting acumen, product strategy, and leadership are exceptional. As TMHCC continues to expand and evolve, driven by our commitment to enhancing our offerings to reflect the needs of insureds in a rapidly changing risk environment, we will need to attract the leading talent in the market who share our specialized focus and approach. Liz is an example of this approach in action, and I look forward to working with her to successfully harness the opportunities present in this expansive sector of the insurance market.”

    Ms. Geary added, “Tokio Marine HCC’s North American business has become a market leader in its chosen sectors, and its specialty insurance reputation is second to none. TMHCC is known for its long-term commitment to markets, underwriting excellence, and top-notch financial strength. I am delighted to be joining Susan and her team and look forward to helping the business realize its profitable growth ambitions in North America while providing market-leading solutions for our brokers and insureds.”

    About Tokio Marine HCC
    Tokio Marine HCC is a member of the Tokio Marine Group, a premier global company founded in 1879 with a market capitalization of $74 billion as of March 31, 2025. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Tokio Marine HCC is a leading specialty insurance group with offices in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Tokio Marine HCC’s major domestic insurance companies have financial strength ratings of ‘A+’ (Strong) from S&P Global Ratings, ‘A++’ (Superior) from AM Best, and ‘AA-’ (Very Strong) from Fitch Ratings; its major international insurance companies have financial strength ratings of ‘A+’ (Strong) from S&P Global Ratings. Tokio Marine HCC is the marketing name used to describe the affiliated companies under the common ownership of HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., a Delaware-incorporated insurance holding company. For more information about Tokio Marine HCC, please visit www.tokiomarinehcc.com.

    Contact:
    Doug Busker, Vice President – Public Relations
    Tokio Marine HCC
    713-996-1192

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NexQloud Closes $2.3M Pre-Seed Round, Surpasses 1,850 NanoServers Deployed, Outpaces Traditional Data Centers in Efficiency—and Pursues FedRAMP for Public Sector Expansion

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALO ALTO, Calif., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NexQloud, a startup in decentralized cloud computing infrastructure, today announced the successful close of its $2.3 million Pre-Seed funding round under a Reg CF exemption. The raise, completed with fully audited financials, marks a significant milestone and confirms market appetite for decentralized computing solutions that reward individuals and organizations for contributing their hardware to the cloud.

    The company now enters a new phase of growth, backed by a 12-month runway and plans to launch a $5 million Seed Round to accelerate proof of market fit for its Distributed Kubernetes Service (DKS) and expand into three additional cloud service verticals designed to serve the growing demand from AI organizations, SaaS providers, and DevOps teams.

    “This funding validates what we’ve always believed — that the future of cloud computing is decentralized, energy efficient, and eco-friendly,” said Mauro Terrinoni, CEO of NexQloud. “With over 1,850 NanoServers live, we’ve demonstrated not only demand but global scalability. Now, we’re focused on unlocking enterprise and federal adoption with even greater ambition.”

    1,850+ NanoServers Now Deployed Across 10 Countries

    Since its last milestone announcement of 1,250 units, NexQloud has rapidly expanded to over 1,850 NanoServers across ten countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, Australia, Vietnam, Switzerland, Germany, India, and Jamaica. This marks a 48% growth since its last update, demonstrating strong contributor momentum and global adoption.

    Built on mobile CPU architecture, each NanoServer operates with just 12% of the energy consumed by traditional rackmount servers. The result: 88% energy savings with identical computational performance. These energy-efficient devices operate 24/7 with minimal cooling or infrastructure overhead, creating a sustainable, community-powered alternative to centralized data centers.

    To date NexQloud’s Distributed Compute Platform (DCP) now comprises:

    • 54,820 virtual CPUs (vCPUs) — powering compute-intensive enterprise workloads
    • 158.83 terabytes of RAM — supporting large-scale, memory-driven applications
    • 849 AI-capable GPUs — enabling real-time machine learning, inference, and analytics

    NexQloud’s DCP Matches Enterprise Data Center Power—Without the Real Estate

    To contextualize the scale of its current infrastructure, NexQloud’s DCP now delivers the performance equivalent of a mid-sized enterprise-grade data center, comprising approximately 70 traditional server racks. The platform can support between 500,000 and 750,000 concurrent users for web-based applications, while simultaneously powering tens of thousands of containerized workloads across its Distributed Kubernetes Service (DKS).

    In addition, NexQloud’s GPU infrastructure can support hundreds of parallel AI inference, training, and rendering tasks, enabling enterprise-scale AI computing at a fraction of typical cost. Remarkably, this level of compute was achieved without building a single data center— and with new devices coming online daily, NexQloud’s DCP will continue to grow in scale and resilience.

    Eliminating Infrastructure Costs, Saving Energy, Reducing Emissions

    If built traditionally, this infrastructure would require an estimated $7.5 million in capital expenditures. NexQloud eliminates these costs entirely by leveraging decentralized ownership and contributor-operated devices, with the potential to deliver:

    • Annual electricity savings: Over 6.94 million kWh, equal to $832,550 in avoided energy costs
    • CO₂ emissions avoided: Approximately 2,895 metric tons per year, equivalent to removing 640 cars from the road
    • Environmental impact: Comparable to planting 133,000 mature trees annually

    “This is more than cloud infrastructure — it’s a major shift in how compute is produced, powered, and rewarded,” added Terrinoni. “With the theoretical ability to add millions of devices, we are poised to do for computing what the internet did for information —decentralize it, distribute it, and redefine it.”

    Pursuing FedRAMP to Unlock Government Cloud Contracts

    Lastly, the company announces its intent to pursue FedRAMP certification to unlock opportunities with U.S. government agencies. As one of the largest consumers of traditional cloud infrastructure, the U.S. government represents a high-value target. NexQloud’s pursuit of FedRAMP is a strategic move to access public sector contracts and expand into one of the most regulated and defensible segments of the cloud market.

    About NexQloud

    NexQloud is redefining cloud infrastructure by combining blockchain, AI, and a global network of energy-efficient NanoServers into a scalable, secure, and environmentally responsible computing platform. Through its NXQ token economy and Distributed Kubernetes Service (DKS), NexQloud offers individuals and enterprises an inclusive alternative to centralized hyperscale providers.

    Media Contact:
    Mauro Terrinoni, CEO
    Email: mterrinoni@nexqloud.io
    Phone: +1 669 241 0916
    Website: www.nexqloud.io

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Valour Launches Four New ETPs on Spotlight Stock Market: Mantra (OM), Tron (TRX), Stellar (XLM), and Tether Gold (XAUT)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Valour Expands Nordic Footprint with Four New Listings: Valour, a subsidiary of DeFi Technologies, has launched SEK-denominated ETPs for Mantra (OM), Tron (TRX), Stellar (XLM), and Tether Gold (XAUt) on Sweden’s Spotlight Stock Market, broadening investor access to diversified digital asset exposure.
    • Exposure to Emerging Protocols and Tokenized Gold: These new ETPs provide regulated access to a range of assets—from tokenized gold to real-world asset protocols—serving growing investor demand for both traditional and next-generation blockchain applications.
    • On Track Toward 100 ETPs by Year-End: With these additions, Valour now offers over 70 digital asset ETPs across leading European exchanges, reinforcing its leadership in the market and accelerating progress toward its goal of 100 ETPs by the end of 2025.

    TORONTO, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DeFi Technologies Inc. (the “Company” or “DeFi Technologies”) (Nasdaq: DEFT) (CBOE CA: DEFI) (GR: R9B), a financial technology company bridging the gap between traditional capital markets and decentralized finance (“DeFi”), is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Valour Inc., and Valour Digital Securities Limited (together, “Valour“), a leading issuer of exchange traded products (“ETPs“) has launched four new SEK-denominated ETPs on the Spotlight Stock Market in Sweden:

    • Valour Mantra (OM) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679908
    • Valour Tron (TRX) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679916
    • Valour Stellar (XLM) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679973
    • Valour Tether Gold (XAUt) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679981

    These new listings further broaden Valour’s presence in the Nordics and strengthen its mission to deliver secure, transparent, and regulated access to a diverse range of digital assets through traditional brokerage platforms.

    About the Newly Listed ETPs

    Valour Mantra (OM) ETP
    Mantra is a leading protocol focused on real-world asset tokenization and compliant DeFi infrastructure. As institutional interest in tokenized financial products grows, OM plays a critical role in bridging traditional finance with on-chain applications.

    Valour Tron (TRX) ETP
    Tron is a high-performance, layer-1 blockchain known for its high throughput, low fees, and strong presence in DeFi and entertainment-focused applications. With billions of daily transactions and one of the largest stablecoin networks, Tron remains a top digital asset by market capitalization.

    Valour Stellar (XLM) ETP
    Stellar is a blockchain optimized for global payments and remittances. Its consensus protocol and low-cost transactions make it ideal for cross-border financial infrastructure, particularly in emerging markets and institutional settlement use cases.

    Valour Tether Gold (XAUt) ETP
    Tether Gold (XAUt) is a token backed by physical gold, offering the security of a hard asset with the accessibility of a digital token. The ETP provides investors with exposure to tokenized gold via a regulated, exchange-listed product, appealing to those seeking a hedge against inflation and fiat currency risk.

    Each product can be purchased and sold through standard brokerage platforms, offering streamlined access for both retail and institutional investors. The management fee is 1.9% for OM, TRX, and XLM, while Tether Gold (XAUt) features a fee of 0.45%.

    Executive Commentary

    Johanna Belitz, Head of Nordics at Valour, commented:
    “The launch of these four new products reflects our continued commitment to Nordic investors. We’re seeing increased demand for diversified exposure—not only to large-cap crypto assets but also to gold-backed tokens and emerging protocols like Mantra. With the world’s first ETP on Tether Gold, we’re bridging traditional gold investment with the transparency and efficiency of blockchain. Our goal is to deliver that access in a simple, familiar, and fully regulated format.”

    Elaine Buehler, Head of Products at Valour, added:
    “These new ETPs represent a major leap forward, not only offering access to leading digital assets like Tron and Stellar but also bridging real-world financial systems with next-gen blockchain protocols. What makes them extraordinary is their ability to unlock new markets—Mantra’s tokenized real-world asset focus is revolutionizing compliance in DeFi, while Tether Gold offers a digital-native solution for investors seeking the stability of gold as a hedge against inflation.”

    With these new listings, Valour has now surpassed 70 digital asset ETPs—offering the most comprehensive lineup in Europe—and remains on pace to reach its goal of 100 ETPs by the end of 2025. These products are currently listed on major European exchanges including Spotlight (Sweden), Börse Frankfurt (Germany), and Euronext (Paris and Amsterdam), with continued expansion planned in additional global markets.

    About DeFi Technologies
    DeFi Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: DEFT) (CBOE CA: DEFI) (GR: R9B) is a financial technology company bridging the gap between traditional capital markets and decentralized finance (“DeFi”). As the first Nasdaq-listed digital asset manager of its kind, DeFi Technologies offers equity investors diversified exposure to the broader decentralized economy through its integrated and scalable business model. This includes Valour, which offers access to over sixty-five of the world’s most innovative digital assets via regulated ETPs; Stillman Digital, a digital asset prime brokerage focused on institutional-grade execution and custody; Reflexivity Research, which provides leading research into the digital asset space; Neuronomics, which develops quantitative trading strategies and infrastructure; and DeFi Alpha, the company’s internal arbitrage and trading business line. With deep expertise across capital markets and emerging technologies, DeFi Technologies is building the institutional gateway to the future of finance. Follow DeFi Technologies on LinkedIn and X/Twitter, and for more details, visit https://defi.tech/  

    DeFi Technologies Subsidiaries

    About Valour
    Valour Inc. and Valour Digital Securities Limited (together, “Valour”) issues exchange traded products (“ETPs”) that enable retail and institutional investors to access digital assets in a simple and secure way via their traditional bank account. Valour is part of the asset management business line of DeFi Technologies. For more information about Valour, to subscribe, or to receive updates, visit valour.com.

    About Reflexivity Research
    Reflexivity Research LLC is a leading research firm specializing in the creation of high-quality, in-depth research reports for the bitcoin and digital asset industry, empowering investors with valuable insights. For more information please visit https://www.reflexivityresearch.com/

    About Stillman Digital
    Stillman Digital is a leading digital asset liquidity provider that offers limitless liquidity solutions for businesses, focusing on industry-leading trade execution, settlement, and technology. For more information, please visit https://www.stillmandigital.com

    About Neuronomics AG
    Neuronomics AG is a Swiss asset management firm specializing in AI-powered quantitative trading strategies. By integrating artificial intelligence, computational neuroscience and quantitative finance, Neuronomics delivers cutting-edge solutions that drive superior risk-adjusted performance in financial markets. For more information please visit https://www.neuronomics.com/

    Cautionary note regarding forward-looking information:
    This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the the listing of Valour Mantra (OM) ETP, Valour Tron (TRX) ETP, Valour Stellar (XLM) ETP and Valour Tether Gold (XAUt) ETP; the development of the Mantra protocol, Tron blockchain, Stellar blockchain and Tether Gold token; development of additional ETPs and the number of ETPs anticipated by end of 2025; investor confidence in Valour’s ETPs; investor interest and confidence in digital assets; the regulatory environment with respect to the growth and adoption of decentralized finance; the pursuit by the Company and its subsidiaries of business opportunities; and the merits or potential returns of any such opportunities. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but is not limited the acceptance of Valour ETPs by exchanges; growth and development of decentralised finance and cryptocurrency sector; rules and regulations with respect to decentralised finance and cryptocurrency; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

    THE CBOE CANADA EXCHANGE DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

    For further information, please contact:

    Olivier Roussy Newton
    Chief Executive Officer
    ir@defi.tech
    (323) 537-7681

    The MIL Network –