NewzIntel.com

Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Secretary General visits Thales Herstal factory

    Source: NATO

    NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Herstal, Belgium on Thursday (27 March 2025) for a meeting with the Chairman and CEO of the Thales Group, Patrice Caine. While in Herstal, Mr Rutte toured the Thales factory with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart De Wever.

    During his visit, the Secretary General emphasised the value of close cooperation between NATO and the defence industry. He highlighted that the defence industry is critically important for the Alliance’s security and commended Thales for its investment in the next generation of scientists, engineers and technicians. Mr Rutte also emphasised the critical need to ramp up defence production in an increasingly turbulent security environment

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Military Committee visits Sweden

    Source: NATO

    From 26 to 28 March, the NATO Military Committee visited the Island of Gotland and Luleå in Sweden, on an invitation by the Swedish Chief of Defence, General Michael Claesson. This was the first visit of the Military Committee to Sweden, since the country became the 32nd member of the NATO Alliance, in March 2024.

    Throughout the visit, the Military Committee was briefed on Sweden’s security and defence strategy, its geostrategic environment, total defence concept and modern military capabilities. Sweden’s bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation with regional and international allies were also discussed.

    The Chair of the Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, underscored “the importance of this visit in witnessing first-hand the high-level of Sweden’s defence capabilities, the professionalism of its military and civilian personnel, and how all this contributes significantly to the Alliance’s collective defence”. Admiral Cavo Dragone emphasized the security of Sweden’s position within NATO, and the commitment of guaranteeing security shared among all 32 Allies.

    On Wednesday 26th March, the Military Committee visited Swedish military facilities on the Island of Gotland, a site of geostrategic importance in the Baltic sea region for strengthening NATO’s north-eastern flank. The Military Committee also had the opportunity to meet with the 18th Armoured Regiment Gotland, and learn more about Sweden’s maritime and land capabilities.

    The Military Committee also visited Luleå, hosted by the Chief of the Air Force, Major General Jonas Wikman, and the Chief of the Army, Major General Jonny Lindfors, where they learned more about how Sweden’s specialised capabilities are  adapted to the High North strategic environment. In Luleå, admirals and generals from the Military Committee had the opportunity to engage with conscripts, and were briefed on Sweden’s whole-of-society approach and investment in future force capabilities.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: BIO-key Partners with Arrow ECS Iberia to Strengthen Access to its Identity and Access Management Solutions in Spain and Portugal

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LISBON, Portugal and HOLMDEL, N.J., March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BIO-key® International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BKYI), an innovative provider of workforce and customer Identity and Access Management (IAM) software for phoneless, tokenless, passwordless, and phishing-resistant authentication experiences, today announced a strategic partnership with Arrow ECS Iberia, a leading cybersecurity and enterprise IT solutions, value-added distributor in Spain and Portugal. Through this collaboration, Arrow ECS Iberia joins BIO-key’s Channel Alliance Partner program, expanding the availability of BIO-key’s cutting-edge IAM solutions across the Iberian market.

    With the increasing demand for robust, regulatory-compliant security solutions in Spain and Portugal, the Arrow ECS Iberia partnership reinforces BIO-key’s commitment to providing next-generation identity security solutions that are phoneless, tokenless, and passwordless, improving both cybersecurity resilience and user experience.

    Partnership to be Unveiled at Arrow ECS Partner Event Wednesday, April 2nd in Lisbon
    BIO-key and Arrow ECS Iberia will officially present the partnership at the Arrow ECS Event, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at MEO ARENA in Lisbon, Portugal. Arrow ECS Iberia expects to host over 800 partners, technology leaders, and cybersecurity experts, providing a unique opportunity to showcase BIO-key’s advanced IAM solutions to a large audience.

    BIO-key will have a dedicated booth for live demonstrations of its solutions, including Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), Single Sign-On (SSO), and Identity-Bound Biometrics (IBB). BIO-key will also be a featured presenter, joining industry leaders to discuss the future of IAM and how organizations can enhance security while ensuring compliance with the Network and Information Security Directive 2 (NIS2) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

    Arrow ECS Iberia Support for Driving Adoption of BIO-key Solutions in Iberian Market:

    • Pre-sales consultation, technical training, and deployment support.
    • Comprehensive Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions, including Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), Single Sign-On (SSO), and Identity-Bound Biometrics (IBB).
    • Advanced biometric authentication that eliminates the need for traditional passwords.
    • Regulatory-compliant cybersecurity solutions as aligned with European directives, including NIS2 and GDPR.

    “Arrow ECS Portugal is committed to providing best-in-class cybersecurity solutions to organizations. Partnering with BIO-key enables us to offer innovative IAM technologies that help businesses enhance security, simplify identity management, and comply with evolving regulatory requirements. Our deep market knowledge and extensive reseller network make us the perfect partner to drive the adoption of BIO-key’s advanced authentication solutions in the region. Arrow ECS has a global presence and offices in 45 countries.” Alexandre Silva, Security Business Development Manager at Arrow ECS Portugal.

    Accelerating Cybersecurity and Digital Identity Protection
    BIO-key’s Channel Alliance Partner (CAP) program empowers strategic cybersecurity distributors like Arrow ECS Iberia to offer BIO-key’s full suite of biometric authentication, identity security, and adaptive authentication solutions. This partnership will enable enterprises in key industries—including financial services, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and the public sector—to enhance security while ensuring a seamless user experience.

    “Arrow ECS Iberia is a recognized leader in IT security distribution, and their extensive experience in cybersecurity and identity solutions makes them an ideal partner for BIO-key in Spain and Portugal. Together, we are committed to supporting organizations in Iberia with secure, scalable, and regulation-compliant IAM solutions. The upcoming Arrow ECS Event provides a fantastic platform to introduce our partnership, connect with IT leaders, and demonstrate how our Identity-Bound Biometrics and IAM solutions are revolutionizing cybersecurity.” – Alex Rocha, International Managing Director at BIO-key.

    About Arrow ECS Iberia (http://www.arrowiberia.com)
    Arrow ECS Iberia is a leading Value-Added Distributor (VAD) in Spain and Portugal, specializing in enterprise IT solutions, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and identity management. The company works with top-tier technology vendors to deliver high-value IT solutions and services to resellers, system integrators, and managed service providers (MSPs), helping organizations accelerate digital transformation while ensuring security and compliance.

    About BIO-key International, Inc. (www.BIO-key.com)
    BIO-key is revolutionizing authentication and cybersecurity with biometric-centric, multi-factor identity and access management (IAM) software securing access for over forty million users. BIO-key allows customers to choose the right authentication factors for diverse use cases, including phoneless, tokenless, and passwordless biometric options. Its cloud-hosted or on-premise PortalGuard IAM solution provides cost-effective, easy-to-deploy, convenient, and secure access to computers, information, applications, and high-value transactions.

    BIO-key Safe Harbor Statement
    All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical facts are “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”). The words “estimate,” “project,” “intends,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the “safe-harbor” provisions of the Act. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those included within or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

    Engage with BIO-key

    Investor Contacts
    William Jones, David Collins
    Catalyst IR
    BKYI@catalyst-ir.com or 212-924-9800

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: As ‘right to die’ gains more acceptance, a scholar of Catholicism explains the position of the Catholic Church

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mathew Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

    In recent years, euthanasia and assisted death rates have risen worldwide. Cavan Images / Raffi Maghdessian via Getty images

    An individual’s “right to die” is becoming more accepted across the globe. Polls show that most Americans support allowing doctors to end a patient’s life upon their request. Assisted suicide is now permitted in 10 U.S. states and in Washington. In 2025,five more states are set to consider “right to die” legislation.

    The “right to die” can refer to several means of dying. In “euthanasia,” death can either be “voluntary” – when a physician administers lethal drugs with the patient’s consent – or “nonvoluntary,” without a person’s consent, as when a person is in a vegetative state. In such cases, consent is usually given by a legal guardian or relative.

    By contrast “assisted suicide” refers to a person being aided in ending their life by being given lethal drugs and then administering the dose themselves. This practice is sometimes called “assisted dying.” These terms make crucial distinctions between who carries out the final act of ending life.

    Worldwide, euthanasia and assisted death rates have risen in recent years.

    In 2023, almost 1 in 20 deaths in Canada were from assisted dying; in the Netherlands, the number reached 5.4% from assisted dying and euthanasia. The Netherlands has also legalized assisted dying related to mental disorders, not just terminal illnesses.

    In November 2024, an assisted dying bill passed the British parliament, with a similar bill now pending in Scotland. Assisted suicide and euthanasia are already legal in Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg, among other countries in Europe and Latin America.

    The right-to-die debate

    Advocates of a person’s right to die argue that individuals should make their own end-of-life decisions because it is their life – and their death. Advocates also maintain that euthanasia and assisted suicide not only prevent further suffering, but also safeguard an individual’s dignity by avoiding senseless pain and severely diminished quality of life.

    However, right-to-die advocates have critics; among the more forceful ones is the Roman Catholic Church. For example, speaking about the potential legalization of euthanasia in France in 2022, Pope Francis argued that euthanasia, in all its forms, only leads to “more killing.”

    But as a scholar of Catholic thought and practice, I also recognize that the Catholic position is a nuanced one. It opposes euthanasia and assisted dying, but it does not support extraordinary or disproportionate treatments when unavoidable death is close at hand.

    ‘A sin against God’

    Francis has called euthanasia and assisted suicide “a sin against God.” He also has linked euthanasia to abortion, saying, “you don’t play with life, not at the beginning, and not at the end.”

    The fullest, most recent explanation of the Catholic view on the right to die can be found in the 2020 Vatican letter “The Good Samaritan,” a title that refers to the biblical story of a stranger who was the only one to assist a man beaten and stripped by robbers.

    The parable of The Good Samaritan.
    David Teniers the Younger/ The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Agreeing with many other Christian denominations, “The Good Samaritan” letter makes the point that our lives are not our own but belong to God. As God’s creations, we do not have the right to end our own lives. Euthanasia also involves a doctor actively killing their own patient. Euthanasia and assisted suicide thus violate the biblical commandment “thou shalt not kill.”

    Beyond this basic point, the letter maintains that euthanasia undermines society because the right to life is the basis of all other rights. Also, debates about “quality of life” can lead to the idea that “poor-quality” lives have no right to continue.

    A failure of love

    “The Good Samaritan” letter observes that human beings are joined together by compassion – a word that literally means “co-suffering.” In the letter’s words, which have been repeated by Francis many times, euthanasia is “false compassion” because it ignores the “spiritual and interpersonal aspects” of human life such as accompanying – or simply being with – someone in and through their suffering.

    Connected to this opposition to euthanasia and assisted suicide is a point that Francis often makes about “throwaway culture,” which “discards” the poor, needy and dependent. In Francis’ words, euthanasia is “a failure of love.”

    End-of-life care

    Given the Catholic church’s stand against assisted suicide and euthanasia, it might seem surprising that the church does allow refusing “overzealous” treatments that prolong suffering in the face of unavoidable death. Such procedures could include mechanical ventilation or dialysis, for example.

    Catholic ethics would point out that killing is a basic part of the act of assisted suicide and euthanasia. Killing is also the intent behind the action.

    But declining disproportionate treatment is not intended to kill the patient, although death is the foreseeable outcome. Death is the result of the disease, not the result of a method that actively ends the patient’s life. Also, even in terminal cases, normal care, such as providing nutrition and hydration, should be continued unless it causes additional pain.

    A difference that matters

    In the Catholic Church’s view, it matters that there is a difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia, on the one hand, and discontinuing disproportionate care, on the other. The difference lies in the nature of particular actions and the intent behind them.

    And the difference also matters in a broader sense. In the debate between right-to-die advocates and those who, like Francis, oppose them, there are very different understandings of how society should respond to those who suffer.

    Mathew Schmalz is a Roman Catholic and registered as an Independent.

    – ref. As ‘right to die’ gains more acceptance, a scholar of Catholicism explains the position of the Catholic Church – https://theconversation.com/as-right-to-die-gains-more-acceptance-a-scholar-of-catholicism-explains-the-position-of-the-catholic-church-146737

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: OIM response to UK Internal Market Act consultation

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Correspondence

    OIM response to UK Internal Market Act consultation

    The Office for the Internal Market (OIM) has published its response to the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) consultation on the UK Internal Market Act 2020.

    Documents

    OIM response to UKIMA consultation

    PDF, 322 KB, 18 pages

    Details

    23 January 2025: DBT launched a consultation seeking views on the operation of certain aspects of the UK Internal Market Act 2020, in particular Parts 1 to 4 of the Act.

    31 March 2025: The OIM has responded to this consultation, drawing on evidence from its experience of discharging its functions under Part 4 of the Act.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: UK nuclear deterrent: the mutual defense agreement is at risk in a Trumpian age

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Becky Alexis-Martin, Peace Studies and International Development, University of Bradford

    Keir Starmer aboard one of the UK’s Vanguard class submarines. CC BY-NC-ND

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently boarded one of the UK’s four nuclear-armed submarines for a photo call as part of his attempts to demonstrate the UK’s defence capabilities as tensions with Russia continue.

    However, Starmer faces a problem. The submarine, and the rest of the UK’s nuclear fleet, is heavily reliant on the US as an operating partner. And at a time when the US becomes an increasingly unreliable partner under the leadership of an entirely transactional president, this is not ideal. The US can, if it chooses, effectively switch off the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

    British and US nuclear history is irrevocably interwoven. The US and UK cooperated on the Manhattan project, under the 1943 Quebec agreements and the 1944 Hyde Park aide memoire. This work generated the world’s first nuclear weapons, which were deployed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

    It also led to the first rupture. In 1946, the US classified UK citizens as “foreign” and prevented them from engaging in secret nuclear work. Collaboration with the UK immediately ceased.

    The UK decided to develop its own arsenal of nuclear weapons. The successful detonation of the “Grapple Y” hydrogen bomb in April 1958 cemented its position as a thermonuclear power.

    In the meantime, however, Russia’s launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 had demonstrated the lethal reach of Soviet nuclear technology. This brought the US and UK back together as nuclear partners.

    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.

    Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter, delivered every Friday.

    Talks on how to counter the Russian threat became the foundation of an atomic partnership that endures to the present day. This mutual defence agreement, signed in 1958, has provided the UK with affordable access to the latest nuclear technology and a reliable western ally. The treaty has been amended and adapted over time to reflect changes in the US-UK working relationship and the two are now so entangled that it is very hard to leave the co-dependent relationship.

    Both sides have benefited from security and protection, especially during the cold war. However, Trump’s new “special relationship” with Russia’s Vladimir Putin has reconfigured the global order of geopolitics.

    Serious concerns are now being raised about the UK’s nuclear capacity, given the unpredictability and potential unreliability of the new US administration. Trump could ignore or threaten to terminate the agreement in a show of power or contempt.

    The UK’s nuclear subs

    The UK’s Trident nuclear deterrence programme consists of four Vanguard nuclear-powered and armed submarines. The UK has some autonomy, as it is operationally independent and controls the decision to launch.

    However, it remains dependent on the US because the nuclear technologies at the heart of the Trident system are US designed and leased by Lockheed Martin – and there is no suitable alternative. The Trident system therefore relies on the US for support and maintenance.

    The UK is currently in the process of upgrading the current system. But its options seem limited. If the US were to renege on its commitments, the UK would either have to produce its own weapons domestically, collaborate with France or Europe or disarm. Each scenario creates new issues for the UK. Manufacturing nuclear weapons from scratch in the UK, for example, would be a costly and protracted activity.

    Technical collaboration with France seems the most plausible back-up option at the moment. The two countries already have a nuclear collaboration treaty in place. France has taken a similar submarine-based approach to deterrence as the UK and French president Emmanuel Macron has suggested its deterrent could be used to protect other European countries. Another alternative would be to spread the cost across Europe and create a European deterrence – but both strategies just re-embed the UK’s current nuclear reliance.

    The UK is reliant on others for its nuclear deterrent.
    Number 10/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

    While these weapons may deter a hostile nuclear strike, they have failed to prevent broader acts of aggression. Nuclear weapons have not been used in warfare for 80 years. Perhaps it is time to completely and permanently unshackle the UK from nuclear deterrence, and consider alternative forms of defence.

    The UK’s nuclear arsenal is expensive to maintain. The cost of replacing Trident is £205 billion. In 2023, the Ministry of Defence reported that the anticipated costs for supporting the nuclear deterrent would exceed its budget by £7.9 billion over the next ten years. This funding could be channelled into more pressing security threats, such as cybersecurity, terrorism or climate change.

    Nuclear weapons will become strategically redundant if the UK cannot act independently. As Nato and the US dominate the global nuclear stage, the UK’s capacity to respond has become contested. The time has come to decide whether the US is really our friend – or a new foe.

    Becky Alexis-Martin 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. UK nuclear deterrent: the mutual defense agreement is at risk in a Trumpian age – https://theconversation.com/uk-nuclear-deterrent-the-mutual-defense-agreement-is-at-risk-in-a-trumpian-age-252674

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How viruses blur the the boundaries of life

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Heshmat Borhani, Lecturer in in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Nottingham

    Cryptographer/Shutterstock

    When people talk about the coronavirus, they sometimes describe this invisible entity as if it has a personality and even a conscience. If you ask a biology or medical student what a virus is, they will tell you that a virus is not a living organism, or at most that it exists at the border between living and dead – a kind of walking dead.

    For biologists who specialise in virology, however, this view is not clear-cut. Scientists still disagree on whether viruses are truly alive or not.

    What scientists can agree on is that a virus adapts to new conditions, evolves and sometimes harms humans. It is also an infectious agent that can only replicate within a host organism such as bacteria, plants or animals.

    The boundary between being alive and dead is a concept with no specific criteria. So to help you think about whether viruses are alive, I will talk you through some of the different definitions of life in science.

    Throughout history, scientists have debated the definition of life and researchers from different fields still disagree. This debate shapes scientific understanding and influences public health decisions – for example, defining whether viruses are “alive” affects how we design vaccines and strategies to stop their spread.

    Biologists may refer you to Erwin Schrödinger’s definition of life. Schrödinger was an Austrian Nobel-prize winning physicist who published a book in 1944 called What is Life? He was one of the first scientists to try to define life and is perhaps better known in popular culture for his “Schrödinger’s cat” thought experiment.

    He proposed that life is a form of negative “entropy”, a scientific concept that explains how disordered something is. A physical system will always increase in entropy/disorder unless we insert energy to change this process. Schrödinger thought living things create and maintain order by using energy.

    For example, a messy bedroom doesn’t clean itself, but a person can tidy it. Organisms do something similar at the molecular level. DNA is highly structured, allowing it to store genetic information. Proteins fold into specific shapes to function properly. In contrast, after an organism dies, its molecules break down, increasing disorder.

    Schrödinger later revised his view – around the 1950s – suggesting that life depends on free energy. Free energy is the energy that drives chemical reactions in living things. This marked a shift from focusing on order (negative entropy) to emphasising energy as essential for life.

    The coronavirus took on a personality for many people.
    creativeneko/Shutterstock

    In the mid-20th century, scientists switched from defining life to describing its key characteristics. Studying organisms such as bacteria, plants and animals, they identified common traits, setting a precedent still followed today.

    Rather than seeking a single definition, researchers classify entities based on these traits. To decide whether a virus is alive, researchers assess how well it meets these criteria.

    According to biology, the smallest unit of life is the cell. A cell is an independent unit which makes functional molecules (such as proteins and enzymes). Cells can use their own molecules to replicate genetic material independently. A virus also has genetic material but needs to use the host cell’s enzymes to make functional molecules or replicate its genetic material.

    Put simply, a virus does not replicate or function independently. So by the biological definition, a virus cannot be categorised as a living organism.

    But from a genetic and evolutionary point of view a living organism is defined by its ability to reproduce. A person who does not have children is still considered to be alive as they are part of the gene pool and descended from people who did have children. From this view a virus is alive, since it can produce similar offspring.

    Some scientists also focus on metabolism and energy production as criteria for life. Metabolism includes catabolism (breaking down molecules like sugars during digestion) and anabolism (building molecules like muscle tissue), linking energy and material. These reactions require molecular structures to generate or use energy – structures viruses lack.

    Does that mean viruses aren’t alive? An amoeba, for instance, uses nutrients and enzymes to sustain itself, while viruses rely entirely on a host. From this perspective, viruses don’t meet the metabolic criteria for life. However, some argue that since viruses hijack a host’s metabolism to replicate, they show life-like behaviour.

    If we consider nutrients to be sources of free energy, a cell uses energy from the environment to build what it needs. As the cell absorbs energy from the environment, it builds and maintains its internal structures – like proteins and membranes.

    It also releases a byproduct – carbon dioxide – that contributes to disorder in the external environment. Viruses also do this. They make their structures by using the external environment, a host cell in this case. The viruses’ byproducts may be what makes us sick.

    As we explore the complexities of biology, it becomes clear that defining life itself is anything but straightforward. Viruses display both life-like and non-living traits, which influences how we approach treatments like antiviral drugs designed to block their replication inside host cells.

    Heshmat Borhani 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. How viruses blur the the boundaries of life – https://theconversation.com/how-viruses-blur-the-the-boundaries-of-life-230802

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Public toilets in St Albans District to get £220,000 upgrade including baby changing and disabled facilities

    Source: St Albans City and District

    Publication date:

    Public toilets across St Albans District are to be modernised and upgraded with an investment of £220,000.

    Improvements will include equipping conveniences with enhanced facilities for disabled people and baby changing.

    St Albans City and District Council operates 16 public conveniences at various locations including the City Centre, three cemeteries, two parks and in a number of villages.

    A review of the facilities was recently undertaken with the British Toilet Association (BTA) to consider future options.

    The Council does not have a statutory duty to provide public toilets and in common with other local authorities is facing considerable pressure on its budget.

    Some of the toilets need substantial improvements and to add to the financial challenges, a cleaning contract due to be renewed in June is likely to increase costs significantly.

    However, the options of closing all the facilities or introducing a small charge for their use have been ruled out.

    Instead, Councillors agreed to proposals to upgrade key facilities, remodelling them into accessible and unisex toilets. 

    Only three toilets, which are no longer fit for purpose and close to alternative facilities, will be shut.

    Discussions are to be initiated with Parish and Town Councils to see if they will take over the operation of public toilets in their area as they have done with other community assets.

    The BTA assessment of the conveniences took into account the number of daily users, proximity to other toilets and the condition of the facilities.

    Chris Traill, the Council’s Strategic Director for Community and Place Delivery, said:

    In reviewing our public conveniences and considering future options, we have had to balance value for money with the needs of our communities.

    We were very much guided by the experts at the British Toilet Association and our own careful planning around locations to match our customers’ usage. This has resulted in our plan to turn some of the existing toilets into unisex ones with disabled and baby changing facilities. 

    These will provide improved facilities for the whole community such as people with a baby to care for while also being less costly to maintain.

    A few toilets will be permanently closed, but I hope our residents understand they were no longer fit for purpose and are a short walk from much better, alternative facilities.

    The review recommendations accepted by Councillors as part of the Council’s budget process for 2024/25 are:

    Clarence Park – the Bowling Green toilet will be closed for general use while the ornamental park toilet will be refurbished and converted into a unisex convenience with baby changing and disabled facilities.

    Verulamium Park – the Abbey View Athletics Track toilet, currently closed because of structural concerns, will be permanently shut with visitors signposted to Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre. The toilets beside the Roman Museum will be refurbished and retain separate male and female facilities.

    City Centre – Drovers Way and Civic Centre Car Park toilets, which have been plagued by serious anti-social behaviour, to be closed with people signposted to the first-class facilities at St Albans Museum + Gallery and inside the Civic Centre. The Changing Places toilet at the Civic Centre Car Park to be retained. 

    Parishes – toilets to be refurbished and remodelled as unisex ones with baby changing and disabled facilities at Wheathampstead, London Colney, Park Street and the Quadrant. This was trialled successfully at Sandridge and recently completed at Redbourn.

    Cemeteries – toilets refurbished and remodelled as unisex ones with baby changing and disabled facilities at Hatfield Road, London Road and Westfield Road.

    The refurbishments will require a one-off capital investment of £220,000 agreed by Councillors.

    Photo: Toilets beside the Roman Museum at Verulamium Park.

    Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Encounter Festival Announces 2025 Plans Following Another Successful Year

    Source: City of Preston

    Encounter Festival will return on Saturday, 20 September 2025, marking its tenth anniversary with its most ambitious programme yet.

    Following a year of record engagement, plans are in place to create a Festival Village across the Harris Quarter, providing new opportunities for community involvement, and expanding Preston’s Torchlight Procession.

    Since its pilot in 2015, Encounter Festival has grown significantly; attracting 47,000 visitors in 2024 and continuing its ambition to provide a platform for high-quality arts, performances, and community engagement. An application for Arts Council England funding has been submitted, with a decision expected in April, supporting plans to grow the festival’s scale and impact for audiences.

    Record Engagement and a Growing Audience

    Encounter Festival continues to reach new audiences, with nearly one in five visitors experiencing arts and culture for the first time and a growing number attending from outside of the city. The latest evaluation report highlights that the festival is diversifying its audience, with visitors in 2024 representing 16 of the 17 recognised ethnic identities, up from 11 the previous year.

    Visitors described the festival as a ‘welcoming and inclusive space’ that brings communities together through shared experiences.

    One attendee commented:

    ‘Amazing that a festival of that scale is in Preston; to be part of it was an amazing opportunity.’

    The festival continues to create opportunities for artists, performers, and organisations, supporting local talent and attracting nationally recognised acts. Over 2,000 artists and performers participated in 2024, crediting Encounter Festival as an important platform for their development. Supporting young people is a core strand of the Encounter Festival programme. Last year, the festival collaborated with youth-centred organisation Blaze Arts.

    An individual at Blaze commented on the success of the collaboration, stating that it gave ‘young people the chance to develop their production skills, event organising skills and project management’.

    Exciting Plans for 2025

    Encounter Festival’s tenth anniversary will provide an opportunity to build on its success and further strengthen its role as a key link between Preston’s cultural events, including the city’s historic Preston Guild celebrations.

    The 2025 festival will take a major step forward, creating a Festival Village across The Harris Quarter, designed to encourage visitors to stay all day and into the evening. This will connect key locations across the city centre, providing spaces for live performances and interactive activities.

    The Torchlight Procession will also expand, with more groups set to take part, making it the largest procession in the festival’s history. A dedicated programme will support new community groups and cultural organisations to get involved, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to inclusivity and participation.

    Sarah Threlfall, Deputy Chief Executive & Director of Community & Wellbeing at Preston City Council said:

    “Encounter Festival continues to grow in impact and significance, bringing thousands of people into Preston’s city centre each year. As we approach the festival’s tenth anniversary, we look forward to developing an even stronger programme that reflects the city’s creativity, ambition, and diversity. We encourage local businesses, artists, and communities to get involved and help shape what promises to be a landmark event in 2025.”

    The 2025 event programme will see Preston host a range of large-scale cultural events throughout the year, including, Preston Caribbean Carnival, Preston City Mela, and Preston Pride. Encounter Festival will continue to develop its programme in

    collaboration with local and national artists, providing even more opportunities for community participation and engagement.

    Encounter Festival’s mission is to celebrate and nurture creativity, ambition, and community spirit in Preston and beyond. With its diverse programming and strong focus on local engagement, the festival is poised to continue its growth and success.

    Further programme details will be announced in the coming months. For more information, visit Encounter Festival.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Diginex Limited and Forvis Mazars Announce Strategic Alliance to Enhance Supply Chain Risk Assessment with diginexLUMEN

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diginex Limited (“Diginex Limited” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: DGNX), a leading impact technology company focused on solving pressing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges, today announced a strategic alliance with Forvis Mazars (“Forvis Mazars”), a leading global professional services firm, to bring its innovative supply chain due diligence platform, diginexLUMEN, to Forvis Mazars’ extensive client base. This collaboration aims to empower businesses to assess and manage supply chain risks related to climate and social issues, enhancing transparency and resilience in an increasingly complex global landscape.

    The alliance combines Diginex’s cutting-edge technology with Forvis Mazars’ deep expertise in ESG advisory, climate risk management, and business strategy, offering clients a powerful tool to navigate the evolving demands of sustainability and regulatory compliance. diginexLUMEN, a scalable and affordable Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution, provides unparalleled insight into supply chain risks by leveraging robust governance processes, multilingual worker voice surveys, and algorithm-based risk scoring. This enables companies to identify, prioritize, and address issues such as forced labor, climate impacts, and other social vulnerabilities across their global operations.

    “We are excited to work with Forvis Mazars to introduce diginexLUMEN to their clients, helping businesses of all sizes tackle the critical challenges within their supply chains,” said Mark Blick, CEO of Diginex. “This alliance underscores our mission to help enable easy access to advanced ESG tools, enabling organizations to drive meaningful change while meeting stakeholder expectations and regulatory requirements.”

    Forvis Mazars, known for its tailored solutions in ESG and climate risk management, sees this alliance as a key step in supporting clients to build sustainable and resilient business models. “Our clients are increasingly focused on understanding and mitigating supply chain risks tied to climate change and social issues,” said William Hughes, Sustainability Director at Forvis Mazars. “By integrating diginexLUMEN into our service offerings, we can provide actionable insights and innovative technology to help them achieve their sustainability goals and thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

    This strategic relationship comes at a pivotal time as global supply chains face heightened scrutiny from regulators, investors, and consumers demanding greater accountability on climate and social impacts. diginexLUMEN’s proven track record—developed in collaboration with industry leaders like The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever and Reckitt—positions it as a transformative tool for companies seeking to move beyond traditional audit models toward continuous, data-driven risk management.

    Through this alliance, Forvis Mazars clients will gain access to diginexLUMEN’s comprehensive features, including supplier performance monitoring, ESG reporting capabilities, and actionable improvement tracking, all designed to foster transparency and accountability. Together, Diginex and Forvis Mazars aim to set a new standard for supply chain due diligence, helping businesses align profitability with purpose.

    For more information about diginexLUMEN or to schedule a demo, visit www.diginex.com. For inquiries about Forvis Mazars’ ESG and climate risk services, visit www.forvismazars.us.

    About Diginex Limited
    Diginex Limited is a Cayman Islands exempted company, with subsidiaries located in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Diginex Limited commenced operations in 2020 and is a software company that empowers businesses and governments to streamline ESG, climate, and supply chain data collection and reporting. Diginex Limited is an impact technology business that helps organizations address the some of the most pressing ESG, climate and sustainability issues, utilizing blockchain, machine learning and data analysis technology to lead change and increase transparency in corporate social responsibility and climate action.

    Diginex’s products and services solutions enable companies to collect, evaluate and share sustainability data through easy-to-use software. For more information, please visit the Company’s website: https://www.diginex.com/.

     About Forvis Mazars  

    Forvis Mazars is the brand name for the Forvis Mazars Global network (Forvis Mazars Global Limited) and its two independent members: Forvis Mazars, LLP in the United States and Forvis Mazars Group SC, an internationally integrated partnership operating in over 100 countries and territories. Forvis Mazars Global Limited is a UK private company limited by guarantee and does not provide any services to clients. Forvis Mazars LLP is the UK firm of Forvis Mazars Group. 

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results disclosed in the Company’s filings with the SEC.

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    Diginex
    Investor Relations
    Email: ir@diginex.com  

    IR Contact – Europe
    Anna Höffken
    Phone: +49.40.609186.0
    Email: diginex@kirchhoff.de

    IR Contact – US
    Jackson Lin
    Lambert by LLYC
    Phone: +1 (646) 717-4593
    Email: jian.lin@llyc.global  

    IR Contact – Asia
    Shelly Cheng
    Strategic Public Relations Group Ltd.
    Phone: +852 2864 4857
    Email: sprg_diginex@sprg.com.hk

    Forvis Mazars
    Josh Voulters
    Communications and Brand Director
    Email : josh.voulters@mazars.co.uk

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025: Undersea Communications and Autonomy

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025: Undersea Communications and Autonomy

    AUKUS partners are seeking to research and develop innovations to enable the synchronisation and teaming of multiple undersea systems.

    • DASA has launched a new AUKUS Competition: Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025.
    • This is the second iteration of AUKUS Pillar 2’s Innovation Challenge Series which will run concurrently in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
    • The UK competition run by DASA is open to all nations, although entrants from Australia or the United States can refer to their national competition page if they prefer.
    • Up to $8m USD in funding is available.

    The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch the Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025 as a new AUKUS Competition. Following the ministerial announcement in December 2023 to launch an innovation challenge series under the AUKUS partnership, this competition is the second iteration of AUKUS Pillar 2’s Innovation Challenge Series. The challenge has been trilaterally agreed and is being run as a single multi-stage competition, across the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) in Australia, the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) in the United Kingdom and the Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) in the United States.

    What is AUKUS?

    AUKUS is a landmark security and defence partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US to support a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening regional global security.  Through Pillar 2, AUKUS partners seek to strengthen trilateral capabilities in cutting-edge military technologies, increase interoperability, and drive knowledge-sharing and innovation.

    What are we looking for?

    AUKUS partners are seeking to research and develop innovations to enable the synchronisation and teaming of multiple undersea systems. We invite innovations that enable some or all of the following Desired Capability Effects:

    1. Provide near real time communications between Undersea Vehicles (UVs)
    2. Provide near real time communications from UVs to Command and Control (C2) Systems /Battle Management System (BMS)
    3. Provide near real time communications between seabed systems to UVs and C2 System and BMS
    4. Provide a system that can optimally allocate the right asset to the right task in a dynamic and complex environment
    5. Provide optimal bandwidth utilisation and effective range, and perform in a contested/congested environment

    Successful proposals to this competition should seek to tackle one or more of the above Desired Capability Effects (1-5).

    We are looking for:

    • Proposals that describe how their solution will perform at various depths and hydrographic conditions
    • Solutions that exploit the right mode of communication at every point of the mission to optimise the chance of mission success
    • Solutions that could be applied to attritable or survivable systems
    • Technologies that are Secure By Design

    Key dates and funding

    • Up to $8m USD in funding is available to fund multiple proposals.
    • The deadline to submit a proposal for Stage 1 is midday 28 April 2025 (BST).

    Do you have an innovation? Read the full competition document and submit a proposal.

    Supporting event

    Launch Webinar: 3 April 2025

    A dial-in session providing further detail on the problem space and a chance to ask questions in an open forum. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page.

    Submit a proposal

    Do you have an innovative technology that could help provide Defence with a competitive advantage with undersea systems?

    Read the full competition document to learn more and submit a proposal.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK adults dial up importance of mobile phones

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    A new survey reveals that the UK public considers the mobile phone to be the second most important invention of all time, with the majority of people admitting they couldn’t live without theirs.

    The poll, carried out on behalf of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) by OnePoll, surveyed 2,000 UK adults between 19-24 March and coincides with the launch of the Connecting Worlds research hub at ARU, to highlight the university’s groundbreaking research and innovation, and make it more accessible to the public.

    The survey found that 52% of respondents view their mobile phones as indispensable, with this figure rising to 65% among those under 45.

    When asked to name the most important invention ever, the wheel topped the list at 31%, ahead of the mobile phone at 15%. Interestingly, among the under-45s, the mobile phone was the clear winner at 26%, rising to 33% among people aged 18-24.

    Early research into mobile phone technology was led by researchers at the Chelmer Institute in Essex, which later became Anglia Ruskin University, and these pioneering prototypes were featured in the 1970s on popular TV shows such as Blue Peter and Tomorrow’s World.

    When questioned about the most significant scientific discovery ever made, a third of those surveyed said electricity (33%), followed by penicillin, the first antibiotic (26%), and then DNA, the genetic code of living organisms (16%).

    Looking to the future, just over a third of people (34%) believe that finding a cure for cancer will be the biggest scientific breakthrough to occur over the next century. More “out of this world” breakthroughs such as colonising Mars and discovering alien life were selected by only 4% and 5% of people, respectively.

    At ARU, senior researchers are leading important research into different new cancer treatments, including for breast cancer and bowel cancer, and are also instrumental in work to provide cancer screenings for homeless people.

    Despite the impactful work being carried out at universities, the survey revealed that 43% of people were unaware that most UK universities engage in important, life-changing research alongside providing undergraduate and postgraduate education to students.

    “Crucially, our survey found that a high proportion of people aren’t aware of the twin roles of most UK universities – research and education. Our new Connecting Worlds research hub highlights that ARU, like many universities in the UK, carries out world-class research that benefits all parts of society.

    “It’s really important for us that our research activities are of the highest quality and contribute to knowledge and understanding in the academic literature. However, just as important for us is that we can continue to work in collaboration with partners, funders, policy makers, industry and civic leaders to undertake research which will have real and positive impact on the everyday experiences of individuals, communities, the professions and industry both locally and globally.

    “At ARU, this ranges from developing new treatments for cataracts, to helping to save the UK from future food shortages, to highlighting discrimination in the labour market and working to revive endangered languages. We encourage everyone to explore the innovative work being carried at ARU.”

    Professor Yvonne Barnett, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Our early human ancestors were surprisingly slow

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Computer simulated anatomy, used in the study, of the lower limb of Australopithecus afarensis. Bates et al.

    By Tom O’Mahoney, Anglia Ruskin University

    Imagine the scene, around 3 million years ago in what is now east Africa. By the side of a river, an injured antelope keels over and draws its last breath. The carcass is soon set on by hyenas, who tussle with a crocodile. The crocodile surfaces and grabs part of the animal.

    The hyenas win and the crocodile retreats with only a leg. After having their fill, the hyenas slope off. Some funny-looking apes approach, walking upright. They have what appear to be stones with sharp edges in their hands. They hurriedly cut off some scraps of meat and start chewing at them.

    Their squabbling attracts the attention of a nearby Homotherium (an extinct, scimitar-toothed big cat) who creeps up and suddenly breaks cover. Will these strange apes survive the encounter? Can they run fast enough, and far enough?

    Our team’s research modelled the anatomy of these early humans, Australopithecus afarensis, to find out how well they could run. Australopithecus afarensis is one of the best-known early human ancestors dating from 2.9-3.9 million years ago.

    The partially complete Australopithecus afarensis skeleton Lucy, or Dinkʼinesh (Amharic: ድንቅ ነሽ, lit.“you are marvellous”) is globally iconic as a representation of early bipedalism (the ability to walk on two legs). Found in the Afar Depression in north east Ethiopia, this discovery received worldwide attention when it was made in 1974. It was evidence that brain expansion evolved after human ancestors started walking on two legs, as scientists had long believed.

    Reconstruction of the fossil skeleton of Lucy the Australopithecus afarensis. Wikimedia/Author 120, CC BY-SA

    Some researchers have also linked Australopithecine anatomy to an, as yet unknown, knuckle-walking common ancestor of humans, gorillas and chimpanzees. This hypothesis has since been refuted.

    Scientists now believe that knuckle-walking probably evolved several times in apes, as the style of walking and internal architecture of ape hands and elbows are subtly different from each other. Researchers also think that the anatomy we see in hominins reflects an adaptation for upright movement in trees in a distant ancestor.

    Early bipeds, such as Ardipithecus kadabba which looked a bit like a gorilla, lived in Africa between 5.8 and 5.2 million years ago. They lived in mosaic habitats (a mixture of open and wooded landscapes) so some adaptation to moving in trees would make sense.

    Until recently, scientists thought that only animals of the genus Homo, which emerged around 2 million years ago, made stone tools. The discovery of cut-marked bones in Dikika, Ethiopia (in 2009) dated at 3.4 million years, and in 2011 of stone tools at Lomekwi, Kenya from 3.3 million years ago, changed scientists’ ideas of how much access Australopithecus had to meat.

    The debate is now more a matter of whether Australopithecus regularly killed animals themselves, or if they were eating from carcasses after other predators (secondary access).

    For primary access and regular kills, they needed to be able to do two things. Run fast (bursts of speed to outpace an unaware animal), and run for long amounts of time (to wear down a prey animal).

    This is the endurance running hypothesis. The emergence of this behaviour is thought to coincide with more modern anatomy, such as seen in Homo erectus, who lived from around 2 million years ago to around 1 million years ago. The best way to test if Australopithecus was capable of endurance running at what we consider “modern” speeds is to reconstruct the skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis and simulate how they may have moved.

    To try and answer this question, my team reconstructed the complete skeleton of Lucy, using 3D modelling. Where parts were missing, we estimated these using scaled versions of other Australopithecus skeletons. Since Lucy is closely related to chimpanzees as well, we also morphed Australopith and modern human and chimpanzee skeletal material, using an analytical technique called geometric morphometrics.

    We then started putting muscles onto the bones of the pelvis and lower limbs of Australopithecus and a modern human model, using the open source software Gaitsym. Muscles and other soft tissues are not preserved in fossils so we varied the muscle properties from chimpanzee-like to human-like, producing a range of estimates for running speed and economy.

    We also ran multiple simulations where we added and removed a long Achilles tendon, which chimpanzees don’t have, as it is thought to affect running speed and energy use by enhancing recovery.

    This was a team effort, with reconstructions across multiple labs. The simulations were run on the high performance computing facilities at the University of Liverpool.

    These simulations revealed that Lucy wasn’t as good at running as modern humans. The top speed our simulations could produce was 11mph, with a minimum of about 3.35mph. Elite sprinters, however, can reach peak speeds of more than 20mph. Even non-elite sprinters can reach around 17.6mph.

    We also found that the metabolic cost of transport (how much energy it takes to move) was between 1.7 and 2.9 times higher in Lucy than in a modern human. The more “ape like” you make the muscle architecture and the shorter you make the Achilles tendon, the higher this cost is.

    It appears that modern human limb proportions, combined with key changes in architecture of the calf muscle (such as relatively short fibres and large cross sectional areas), plus a long Achilles tendon, enabled much faster running in the genus Homo.

    This means that it was probably not physiologically possible for Australopithecus afarensis to engage in persistence hunting, unlike later species of the genus Homo species.

    Going back to our story at the start, it is likely the Australopithecines in this group wouldn’t have escaped the big cat. They simply couldn’t run fast enough, or for long enough.

    Tom O’Mahoney, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    The opinions expressed in VIEWPOINT articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARU.

    If you wish to republish this article, please follow these guidelines: https://theconversation.com/uk/republishing-guidelines

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: CAMHS Annual Report 2024 published31 March 2025 The Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service, CAMHS, Annual Report 2024 has been published and can be viewed here. Minister for Children and Families, Connétable Richard Vibert said: “I… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    31 March 2025

    The Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service, CAMHS, Annual Report 2024 has been published and can be viewed here. 

    Minister for Children and Families, Connétable Richard Vibert said: “I am pleased to present the 2024 CAMHS Annual Report. As Minister for Children and Families, I remain committed to ensuring that Children and Young People in Jersey are supported to enjoy the best mental health and wellbeing.

    “The Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) continues to be extremely busy and in-demand. The statistical performance compared with UK data is pleasing, and progress described in JCC inspection reports also shows a clearly improving and evolving service. 

    “I hope, as an island, we continue to work collectively to create an environment where every child and young person feels empowered to seek help, share their experiences, and know they are not alone. Together, we will continue to work hard to build a healthier, more resilient future for all.” 

    Key highlights within the report: 

    • The team has expanded and now includes 75 full-time members of staff 
    • The Duty and Assessment team will be fully operating as an 8am to 8pm, seven days a week service from April 2025 
    • Total of 1145 referrals in 2024, with 934 new referrals 
    • The CAMHS target for the completion of routine referrals is 36 days from the date received. Despite the significant volume of referrals, initial assessments of routine referrals were completed on average in 31 days 
    • In 2025, for the first time local staff will be part of the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology through Southampton University 
    • The Experience of Service Questionnaire (ESQ) had 218 responses (97 from parents / carers and 121 from children and young people), an increase from 181 in 2023. Responses in each category were extremely positive.​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: MHRA showcases next phase of regulatory science to bring innovative treatments to patients sooner

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    MHRA showcases next phase of regulatory science to bring innovative treatments to patients sooner

    Seven new CERSIs came together to showcase how partnerships will modernise regulation in AI, clinical trials, and advanced therapies, bringing innovations to patients sooner.

    Last week, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) hosted an event for the seven newly established Centres of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSIs) to showcase how their projects will help drive advancements in healthcare.

    The event held in Westminster, London, brought together for the first time the MHRA and its fellow funding partners – Innovate UK, the Office for Life Sciences, and the Medical Research Council (MRC) – MHRA project sponsors, and key representatives from government, industry and academia to hear directly from the CERSI leads about how their projects had developed since launch at the beginning of the year.

    Discussions centred on:

    • AI and MedTech – Making sure AI-powered tools are safely developed and integrated into patient care and the wider healthcare system.
    • In silico trials – Exploring new approaches to streamline development while maintaining safety.
    • Pharmacogenomics and diagnostics – Shifting healthcare from sickness to prevention.
    • Cell and gene therapies – Developing laboratory approaches to shared challenges in advanced therapies.
    • Modernising manufacture – Using new digital tools to the full in the production of medicines and medical devices.

    The session also provided the opportunity to focus on cross-cutting issues, covering:

    • Data sharing – A fundamental enabler for all CERSI projects, ensuring responsible and effective use of health data.
    • Skills and expertise – Training regulatory scientists to keep pace with rapid medical advancements.
    • Patient and public involvement – Embedding patient perspectives in innovation to understand and shape how it impacts their experience of healthcare.

    The collective impact of the CERSI initiative will help to ensure patients benefit from innovation and new treatments sooner.

    Science and Innovation Minister Lord Vallance and MHRA Chief Executive Dame June Raine led keynote speeches, highlighting the programme’s role in shaping the future of regulatory science.

    June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive, said:

    “At our CERSIs event this week, the depth of expertise was impressive and there was real excitement about the progress being made. The discussions highlighted a strong commitment to improving access to innovation for patients, shared with our partners Innovate UK, Office of Life Sciences and the MRC. Through the CERSIs, we have a major opportunity to drive advances in regulatory science in the UK – now is the time to turn that potential into action.”

    Notes to editors 

    1. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.  All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks. 
    2. The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care. 
    3. For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Army solar project generates green energy for Larkhill Garrison

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Army solar project generates green energy for Larkhill Garrison

    Construction works have completed on the installation of over 1,370 roof-mounted solar panels at Larkhill Garrison.

    Maj Gen Richard Clements CBE, Director Basing & Infrastructure and representatives from Army, DIO and Aspire Defence beside new roof mounted PV at Larkhill Garrison. Aspire Defence Ltd.

    The Photovoltaic (PV) panels will generate electricity to run buildings at Larkhill, with any surplus being fed through the private wire network for reuse across Bulford, Tidworth and Perham Down. The works have been completed under the army’s Project Prometheus, which is delivering both ground and roof mounted solar arrays at a number of sites across the army estate in the coming years.

    The solar panels support the army’s commitment to operate more sustainably and reach net zero by 2050.

    At the official switch-on of the PV panels at Larkhill Garrison on Wednesday 26 March, Major General Richard Clements CBE, Director of Basing & Infrastructure and the army’s sustainability champion, said:

    I am delighted to see the successful completion of our latest solar installation project. By increasing green energy supply, we are building a more sustainable, cost-effective army estate that protects both our future capability and the environments in which soldiers live, work and train.

    Almost 11,000 PV panels have been installed in recent years on vehicle garaging, offices, stores and training assets at Salisbury Plain Training Area garrisons, covering over 18,000m2 of roof space. This saves 600 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to the annual absorption of 27,000 trees.

    All the construction has been carried out by Aspire Defence Services Ltd, contracting to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) under Project Allenby/Connaught.

    Barry Ray, DIO Regional Delivery Lead, said:

    It’s fantastic to see the completion of the latest solar panel installation under Project Prometheus, through the Aspire Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and the tireless efforts of the whole team. We’re happy to be playing our part in the MOD’s efforts to meet the government’s net zero targets and make the Defence estate as sustainable as we can. The energy generated will help to power the buildings at Larkhill and any extra can be used to meet demand elsewhere on the PFI estate, so the benefit will be widely felt.

    Richard Tindal, Capital Projects Director, Aspire Defence Services Ltd, said:

    We are very pleased to support the army and DIO in this latest stage of the journey towards decarbonising their estate. Our long-term collaborative relationship has enabled us to work together, identifying the opportunities to support sustainability ambitions as funding becomes available. I look forward to continuing this into the future.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy will help support city’s most vulnerable residents

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    Published: Monday, 31st March 2025

    A new strategy is being developed in Stoke-on-Trent to help support individuals facing homelessness and reduce rough sleeping.

    A four-week consultation is underway on the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025-2030, which sets out how the city council will prevent, intervene in and reduce homelessness – as well as provide support to those affected by it.

    It also outlines the council’s priorities around homelessness over the next five years, which include:

    • Raising the priority of homelessness prevention within the city
    • Relieving homelessness and tackling rough sleeping quickly by making the best use of accommodation options available in the city
    • Ensuring those most vulnerable to homelessness have the right level of support tailored to their needs

    The strategy is being developed on the back of a Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Review, which was carried out by the council in 2024 and assessed the current and likely future state of homelessness in the city.

    The review found that the most common reasons people lose their accommodation in Stoke-on-Trent are that family and friends are no longer willing to accommodate and the loss of a private-rented tenancy.

    It also noted that the number of homelessness enquiries received by the council in 2024 increased by 16 per cent in the last five years.

    Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing and planning at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Homelessness is a complex issue which we know has been exacerbated over the last few years due to things like the cost of living crisis and housing pressures.

    “Locally, there are simply not enough affordable homes available to those on the lowest incomes.

    “But we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure everyone – including our most vulnerable residents – have a decent place to call home. And we want to make sure that they are being given the support they need to live independently.

    “Working with local residents and our trusted partners, this strategy will set out our collective vision and the steps we will take to prevent and reduce homelessness in Stoke-on-Trent over the next five years.

    “This will build on all the work we are already doing to ensure our city is a healthier, safer and fairer city for all.”

    Over the past five years, the city council has made a number of significant developments around homelessness and rough sleeping in the city.

    These include securing £20 million of government funding for various rough sleeping initiatives, the creation of 74 new bed spaces for people sleeping rough and the launch of the Hanley Connects homelessness hub which supported more than 1,000 people in its first six months.

    In addition, the council’s Rough Sleeper Service successfully supported 1,014 people off the streets.

    Now the authority is launching a final consultation on its new draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, to gather residents’ views on whether they think the vision and priorities are the right ones to focus on over the next five years.

    To have your say visit www.stoke.gov.uk/homelessnessstrategy and fill in the online survey.

    The consultation will run for four weeks until Sunday 27 April.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Care leavers up for the cup as city hosts national tournament

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The annual football tournament for care experienced young people aged 16 to 24 is organised by the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Reach Leaving Care Team and Wolves Foundation.

    This year, it will see 20 local authority 6 a side teams from around the country go head to head in a series of 8 minute matches – culminating with the final on the same day.

    The tournament was born out of a conversation with a young person who was no longer involved in football because he lacked the support network to take him to games and training.

    A team of young people with care experience came together to form Wolverhampton Warriors and competed against teams from 3 other local authorities for the first Championship Cup in 2022. The tournament doubled in size in 2023 and was held on the hallowed turf of Molineux for the first time in 2024.

    This year’s event, on Saturday 14 June from 10am to 2pm, is set to be the biggest yet, with interest from councils as far away as North Yorkshire and Milton Keynes, resulting in 200 young people taking part.

    Free tickets will be available and details of how to get these will be announced in the coming weeks.

    Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “This is a fabulous opportunity for care experienced young people to play on the hallowed turf of Molineux Stadium, and to follow in the footsteps of so many of their footballing heroes.

    “It would be fantastic to fill Molineux and have as many people as possible there to cheer them on, so please make sure you get your free tickets when they become available.”

    The teams are playing for 3 cups, with one being the overall Championship Cup. All players will also receive a medal for taking part.

    Organisers are keen to reach out to businesses who may be able to help by sponsoring either the trophies or the medals. For more information please email Heather Edwards at heather.edwards@wolverhampton.gov.uk or Sam Neath via Sam.Neath@wolverhampton.gov.uk.
     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: £1bn gift transfer to British Museum given green light

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    £1bn gift transfer to British Museum given green light

    The Charity Commission has given its formal permission for the most valuable object donation in British museum history to go ahead.

    In November 2024, the Trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation announced they were to make a permanent donation of their collection of Chinese ceramics to the British Museum.

    The collection numbers around 1,700 pieces estimated at around £1bn.

    The gift was subject to regulatory authority from the Commission, which has the power to authorise payments or transfers of assets from charities where this is not explicitly allowed for in the charity’s governing document.

    The Commission has now provided written authority under the Charities Act to change the Foundation’s governing document to enable the permanent transfer of the collection.

    In such cases, the relevant trustees need to think about how best to further the charity’s purpose before making the gift.

    In this case, the Sir Percival David Foundation was keen to fulfil its founder’s determination to use his collection to inform and inspire people, by keeping it on public view and enabling academic study of the pieces, while managing the charity’s resources effectively by transferring the costs of maintaining the collection.

    Sir Percival David (1892–1964) was a British businessman who collected ceramics in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and China. Sir Percival’s collection has been on loan to the British Museum since 2009 in the specially designed bilingual Room 95, where it has been studied and enjoyed by millions of visitors.

    Head of Regulatory Authority at the Charity Commission, Christine Barker, said:

    We are pleased to have given authority for this remarkable transfer to go ahead. The Foundation’s trustees are clear that ensuring the safe and accessible display of their founder’s collection is fully aligned with their charitable objects.

    Our team are dedicated to considering such applications carefully, balancing the need to reflect changing circumstances against the importance of ensuring trustees safeguard their assets to pursue their charitable aims.

    Director of the British Museum, Dr Nicholas Cullinan said:

    I am humbled by the generosity of the Trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation in permanently entrusting their incomparable private collection to the British Museum and thank the Charity Commission for their support in now approving the transfer.

    These celebrated objects add a special dimension to our own collection and together offer scholars, researchers and visitors around the world the incredible opportunity to study and enjoy the very best examples of Chinese craftsmanship anywhere in existence.

    Chair of The Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art and The Sir Percival David Foundation Academic and Research Fund Colin Sheaf FSA said:

    Sir Percival was motivated by three principal concerns. These were to preserve the whole collection together for posterity, to display it publicly and safely in its entirety, and to ensure that his superb porcelain should not only be admired by connoisseurs for its beauty but should also educate the widest possible audience about China’s historic culture which he greatly admired.

    With the valued support of the Charity Commission, the Foundation Trustees have taken this major decision because they believe that this transfer entirely meets the philanthropic intentions and long-term wishes of the Founder almost a century ago.

    Highlights from the Sir Percival David collection include the ‘David vases’ from 1351. Their discovery revolutionised the dating for blue and white ceramics.

    The collection also includes a “Chicken cup” used to serve wine for the Chenghua emperor (1465–87) and Ru wares made for the Northern Song dynasty court around 1086.

    In the past year the Charity Commission considered 545 applications for the transfer of money or assets, often to enable trustees to switch these holdings to more modern charity structures.

    Ends

    Notes to editors

    1. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Home Secretary speech at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    Home Secretary speech at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit

    Home Secretary Yvette Cooper delivered a speech on the first day of the Organised Immigration Crime Summit in London.

    Thank you very much. Thank you Prime Minister, thank you to the Italian Prime Minister and good morning everyone.

    Can I thank everyone for travelling here from all over the world. Interior ministers, senior law enforcement, delegations from over 40 countries and organisations, we are so pleased to welcome you to London and here to Lancaster House for this, the first summit of its kind on organised immigration crime and border security, and to have so many people come from across the world, shows the seriousness with which all our countries are taking these issues, but also, bluntly, how much more together we need to do.

    Of course, we are not the first generation to grapple with international migration, the societal, economic security consequences that flow through the centuries.

    Of course, people have travelled across borders to work, to study, join family, to flee war or persecution, to escape poverty, to seek a better life for a different future, to chase new resources, or to forge new nations.

    But in recent years, we have seen new and serious patterns and scales of irregular and illegal migration causing major challenges for border security, for national security, for the rule of law, for countries and the economy across so many of our countries, in source, in transit and in destination, countries alike.

    And 2 facts have accelerated and changed some of the challenges our countries face.

    Firstly, technology. The physical distances between nations and continents may not have changed, but technology has made the world feel a lot smaller.

    Organising journeys can be faster and easier than ever, and the details of a different future is suddenly right there on a smartphone in the palm of your hand.

    And the second factor is the emergence of a vast and ruthless criminal industry that stretches across borders and across continents worth billions of pounds.

    The criminal smuggler and trafficking gangs who profit from undermining our border security, our national security and the rule of law and from putting lives at risk, have grown and stretched across the globe.

    And every country here will have different stories to tell and insights to share, but across all of our countries, we’ve seen that organised immigration crime posing a significant and growing global threat with far reaching consequences for us all – breaking our laws, undermining our security and our cohesion.

    From the source countries where gangs prey on the vulnerable, to transit countries where people and equipment pass through towns and borders unchecked, to destination countries managing the financial, the social and the criminal fallout, no part of the journey is untouched.

    And those gangs profiting from what is a vile trade in human beings are exploiting more people than ever before.

    You have heard from our Prime Minister what that means for us here in the UK, and in just 6 years, we’ve seen a criminal industry organising the small boat crossings take hold along our borders.

    Three hundred people crossed the channel on flimsy, dangerous small boats 6, 7 years ago, but 4 years later, that rose to over 30,000, an increase, a 100 fold increase, powered by smuggler and trafficking gangs.

    The gangs who advertise on social media false promise of illegal jobs, gangs who organise the logistics, the fake papers, the illegal finance networks to take everyone’s money, have thousands of pounds, the supply chains, the flimsy rubber boats, the engines.

    And perhaps for us, one of the most disturbing things of all, for us and for France, for the Calais Group, to see some of the fake life jackets, including fake life jackets for children that would not keep anyone afloat in the cold sea.

    And then the organisation along the beaches of France, the violence, the increasing and outrageous violence, against law enforcement.

    And to give you the example of how they run some of those organisations, we’ve seen the small boats, the flimsy rubber boats, take off as taxi boats and make people wait in the freezing water, in the freezing sea, so they then wait to be picked up, to climb onto the boats and then they overcrowd the boats with women and children put in the centre of the boat, the boat can then fold in. There’s the women and children who get crushed and then if the fuel in flimsy containers then leaks and mixes with salt water that can cause terrible, terrible burns.

    And then we’ve seen children crushed to death, and yet the boat carries on and that shameful, disgraceful crime where people, criminal gangs have profited from those lives being lost.

    And that’s why we cannot let that carry on.

    All of your countries will have the different stories of the way in which the gangs are exploiting people into sexual exploitation, into slave labour, into crime.

    The way in which the gangs are using new technology, not just the phones, the social media to organise, but even the drones to spot where the border patrols are, the operations along the land borders, across continents.  

    But it is governments, not gangs, who should be deciding who enters our country, and those gangs are operating and profiting across borders.

    So we and our law enforcement need to co-operate across borders now to take them down.

    That’s why, as you heard from our Prime Minister, we are strengthening our laws here in the UK, bringing in new counter-terror powers so we can seize phones, investigate preparatory acts, so we can crack down on the illegal working of modern slavery and establishing our new Border Security Command.

    But we know that strengthening our border security means working with all the countries on the other sides of our borders, not just standing on our shoreline, shouting at the sea.

    We know too that no country can do this alone, and that is why the partnerships and everyone gathering here is so important.

    So today we will talk about what to do to tackle this vile trade in human beings.

    How we choke off the supply chains, the false papers, how we go after the money, how we take down the advertising.

    And how we disrupt, how we pursue, how we prosecute, how we pursue this global battle against a trade in people.

    It is our determination to do this together, the alliances that we build across our borders can be stronger than the criminal gangs who seek to undermine us.

    Thank you all for joining with us in this event today, this first summit. We have so much work to do during the course of the day, so many conversations to have, but thank you so much for being part of it, and I look forward to hearing everyone’s views during the conference today.

    Thank you very much.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM remarks at the Organised Immigration Summit in central London: 31 March 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    PM remarks at the Organised Immigration Summit in central London: 31 March 2025

    The Prime Minister’s remarks at the Organised Immigration Summit in central London today (Monday 31 March).

    It’s great to welcome you all to Lancaster House. It was right here, earlier this month that the UK convened leaders from across Europe together with President Zelenskyy to support a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

    Because we know that Ukraine’s security is our security. And we can only deliver it by taking bold action at home, with the biggest increase in defence spending since the Cold War.

    And also, by working together with our international partners. 

    Now – the same is clearly true for the security of our borders.

    Illegal migration is a massive driver of global insecurity. It undermines our ability to control who comes here. And that makes people angry. 

    It makes me angry, frankly because it is unfair on ordinary working people who pay the price, from the cost of hotels to our public services struggling under the strain.

    And it’s unfair on the illegal migrants themselves. Because these are vulnerable people being ruthlessly exploited by vile gangs.

    So look, we must each take decisive action in our own countries to deal with this. Nobody can doubt that the people we serve want this issue sorted.

    But the truth is – we can only smash these gangs, once and for all if we work together.

    Because this evil trade, it exploits the cracks between our institutions. Pits nations against one another. Profits from our inability at the political level to come together.

    And that’s why from the moment I took office we said the UK would convene this Summit.

    And I’m delighted today to be joined by all of you. Representatives from more than 40 countries across the world, building a truly international effort to defeat organised immigration crime.

    And let me tell you why. Let me take you back to a visit I made as a relatively new Member of Parliament in 2016 to the camp on the outskirts of Calais.

    I can still picture it now. The muddy ground, sodden with rain and human waste. 

    Children as young as five and seven, the same age as my children were then huddling together in freezing temperatures with almost nothing to keep them warm.

    Now, of course, that infamous camp has long since gone. But the evil of the people smuggling businesses that put people there, that remains.

    The gangs remain. That exploitation of desperation, misery and false hope – that all remains.

    There’s nothing progressive or compassionate about turning a blind eye to this. Nothing progressive or compassionate about continuing that false hope which attracts people to make those journeys.

    No – we have got to get to grips with it once and for all. That’s why when I spoke at the INTERPOL meeting in Glasgow last year I said we need to treat people-smuggling as a global security threat similar if you like to terrorism.

    We’ve got to bring to bear all the powers we have at our disposal in much the same way we do against terrorism.

    Before I was a politician, I was the Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales. We worked across borders throughout Europe and beyond to foil numerous plots.

    Saving thousands of lives in the process. We prevented planes from being blown up over the Atlantic. And we brought the perpetrators to justice.

    So I believe we should treat organised immigration crime in the exactly same way. I simply don’t believe organised immigration crime cannot be tackled.

    So – we’ve got to combine resources. Share intelligence and tactics. Tackle the problem upstream at every step of the people smuggling journey, from North Africa and the Middle East to the high streets of our biggest cities. 

    And look, to that end, we’ve already got to work. Begun to make progress since I came into office. The UK has re-set its entire approach to international collaboration.

    I’ve put smashing the gangs on the agenda of international summits. Showing that the UK now means business. Working together with our allies. We’ve struck new agreements and plans with so many of the countries represented in the room here today.

     Take our work with France as a good example. Now previously – their maritime doctrine prevented French law enforcement from responding to small boats in shallow waters.

    But now we’re working with them to change that, to make sure we get new border patrols and specialist units on the French coast using state-of-the-art surveillance technology.

    With Germany another example, if you can believe it, it wasn’t technically illegal to facilitate people-smuggling to a country outside the EU, like the United Kingdom. But now it will be.

    And with our new bilateral agreement Germany will be able to prosecute the criminal networks facilitating this vile trade.

    Just a few examples of the international collaboration that is so important to taking this challenge on. And it’s beginning to bear fruit.

    At the end of last year, a major operation by French, German and British law enforcement smashed an Iraqi smuggling network with multiple arrests and the seizure seizing hundreds of boats and engines.

    In Amsterdam, a man was arrested on suspicion of supplying hundreds of small boat parts to people smugglers.

    That was a joint operation with our National Crime Agency together with Dutch and Belgian police.

    We’re also working upstream to address factors that drive people towards small boats in the first place.

    Working with the authorities in Albania and Vietnam on campaigns to deter those who are thinking about making that perilous journey.

    Because there is also nothing progressive about allowing working age people to come here illegally instead of supporting them to build their own economies, secure a better future for their own countries, and build a safer, more prosperous world.

    But look – as we work together more closely I think than ever before we’ve also got to take the tough measures at home in our own countries.

    That doesn’t mean gimmicks. You may be familiar with the gimmicks of the last 14 years here in Britain. It means understanding the problem.

    And coming up with pragmatic solutions that work. Actually, fixing what’s wrong.

    Few things show this more clearly, than our approach to border security. We inherited this total fragmentation between our policing, our Border Force and our intelligence agencies.

    A fragmentation that made it crystal clear, when I looked at it, that there were gaps in our defence. An open invitation at our borders for the people smugglers to crack on.

    To be honest it should have been fixed years ago. But we’re doing it now with our new Border Security Command. Led by Martin Hewitt – who many of you I think will know.

    We’re recruiting hundreds of specialist investigators from across our police, our Border Force and intelligence agencies. Creating an elite Border Force. Working with our international partners. Ending the fragmentation. 

    £150 million invested over the next two years and new powers and criminal offences to get the job done. So the police will be able to seize the phones and devices of migrants arriving on our shores and gather intelligence about the smugglers. 

    The police will be able to act when they have reason to believe preparations are being made for criminal activity instead of waiting for a crime to happen before they can act.

    And it will be an offence to endanger lives at sea to prevent more tragic deaths in the Channel.

    We are also redeploying resources away from the Tory’s wasteful Rwanda scheme. A scheme that spent over 700 million pounds of taxpayer money to remove just four volunteers.

    You know, even if that scheme had gone well, they were claiming they might remove – 300 people a year.

    Since coming to office – I can announce today we have returned more than 24,000 people who have no right to be here. 

    That would have taken the Rwanda scheme 80 years to achieve. This is what I mean about not giving in to gimmicks. Just focusing our efforts and resources on the nuts and bolts of removing people. Getting the asylum system working properly. That’s how we’ve delivered the highest returns rate for eight years and the four biggest return flights ever.

    We’re also ramping up the deportation of Foreign National Offenders with a new team of specialist frontline staff going into our prisons, speeding up the removal of prisoners who have no right to be in this country.

    Now, all of this is providing a real disincentive to people thinking about coming to Britain illegally. But if we’re talking about incentives – we need to talk about the people smugglers as well.

    Because they don’t care about borders. They don’t care about the people they traffic. And they don’t care about our country and our people.

    They only care about one thing: money. They make huge profits out of ruining people’s lives. I mean – a few months ago, I went to see some of the boats that had been seized at the NCA headquarters. 

    Now we call them small boats, but honestly they’re not worthy of the name boat. I don’t know what you would call them. To me they look like death traps.

    Flimsy. Rubber. No firm structure. You would not let your children climb aboard, even for a second in shallow waters.

    Seriously – if they were a car, they’d be off the road in minutes. The police would intervene. 

    And don’t tell me they’ve got any purpose other than people smuggling. So I see no reason why we can’t go after them. And so we are.

    We have seized hundreds of boats and engines, driving up the costs for the smugglers.

    We have taken down 18,000 social media accounts. That’s 10,000 more than last year, disrupting the way smugglers promote their services.

    And more than that, we have announced a new sanctions regime. Treating people smugglers like terrorists. Freezing their assets, banning their travel.

    Putting them behind bars – where they belong. But just as important – putting their entire model, out of business, securing our borders on behalf of working people.

    Because as I said at the start – this is about fairness. And there is little that strikes working people as more unfair than watching illegal migration drive down their wages, their terms and their conditions through illegal work in their community. 

    We have to be honest here. For too long, the UK has been a soft touch on this. While the last government were busy with their Rwanda gimmick, they left the door wide open for illegal working.

    Especially in short-term or zero-hours roles like in construction, beauty salons and courier services.

    And while of course most companies do the responsible thing and carry out right to work checks.

    Too many dodgy firms have been exploiting a loophole to skip this process: hiring illegal workers, undercutting honest businesses, driving down the wages of ordinary working people. 

    And all of this, of course fuelling that poisonous narrative of the gangs who promise the dream of a better life to vulnerable people yet deliver a nightmare of squalid conditions and appalling exploitation.

    Well, today we are changing that because this government is introducing a tough new law to force all companies to carry out these checks on right to work.

    They take just minutes to complete – so they are not burdensome for business. And they can be done free of charge – so there will be no excuses.

    And no ability to claim they didn’t know they had illegal workers. And failure to comply will result in fines of up to £60,000. Prison terms of up to 5 years and the potential closure of their business.

    Now, none of these strategies on their own are a silver bullet. I know that.

    But each of them is another tool. An arsenal we are building up to smash the gangs once and for all.

    We must pull every lever available. And that is what this Labour government is doing. 

    No short cuts, no gimmicks. Just the hard graft of sleeves-rolled-up, practical government. 

    Securing our borders. Getting a grip on illegal migration. Delivering our Plan for Change.

    We want to work with you and with everyone who is as determined as we are to end the misery and evil of people-smuggling.

    Because together we will save lives.

    We will secure our borders.

    We will smash the gangs that undermine our security…

    And deliver fairness for the working people we serve.

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Appeal: officers look to return jewellery to rightful owners

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Officers are seeking to reunite owners with their property, after stolen jewellery was recovered as part of a proactive police operation in London and the home counties.

    The jewellery includes identifiable items such as a World War 1 officers’ Rolex watch, a gold locket containing old pictures, an engraved gold ring and an engraved gold pocket watch from Harlow Bros Ltd.

    A gold wedding ring, gold necklaces and a gold hair pin were also found.

    Detective Sergeant Lee Davison who is leading the investigation said:

    “The stolen jewellery was largely taken from London’s south Asian community across 2023 and 2024 in Houslow and was recovered as part of a year-long operation.

    “While it is believed to be worth over a million pounds in total, it is the sentimental value that remains priceless.

    “This is why myself and the team are working tirelessly to identify the owners and are urging anyone who recognises the jewellery to contact us on 101, quoting 01/1113701/24.

    Four men have been charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and await trial.

    ENDS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Subsea7 awarded contract offshore Norway

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Luxembourg – 31 March 2025 – Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Børs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced the award of a sizeable1 contract by Equinor as technical service provider (TSP) for the Northern Lights Phase 2 project, offshore Norway.

    Subsea7’s scope includes engineering, procurement, construction and installation of a five kilometre CO2 pipeline, as well as installation of integrated satellite structures, umbilicals, tie-in and pre-commissioning activities.

    Project management and engineering will commence immediately at Subsea7’s office in Stavanger, Norway. Fabrication of the pipeline will take place at Subsea7’s spoolbase at Vigra, Norway and offshore operations will be executed in 2026 and 2027.

    Erik Femsteinevik, Vice President for Subsea7 Norway said: “We are excited to continue our collaboration with Equinor TSP and the Northern Lights’ owners Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies on phase 2 of this ambitious and pioneering project. We look forward to working together to increase the development’s carbon storage capacity to a minimum of five million tonnes per year, and to support the continued development of a new value chain for Norway and Europe.”

    Northern Lights phase 2 is enabled by a grant from the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF Energy) funding scheme. 

    1. Subsea7 defines a sizeable contract as being between $50 million and $150 million.

    *******************************************************************************
    Subsea7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industry’s partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs.

    Subsea7 is listed on the Oslo Børs (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62.

    *******************************************************************************

    Contact for investment community enquiries:
    Katherine Tonks
    Investor Relations Director
    Tel +44 20 8210 5568
    ir@subsea7.com

    Contact for media enquiries:
    Jan Roger Moksnes
    Communications Manager
    Tel +47 41515777
    janroger.moksnes@subsea7.com
    www.subsea7.com

    Forward-Looking Statements: This document may contain ‘forward-looking statements’ (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘future’, ‘goal’, ‘intend’, ‘likely’ ‘may’, ‘plan’, ‘project’, ‘seek’, ‘should’, ‘strategy’ ‘will’, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the ‘Risk Management’ section of the Group’s Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; (xvii) global availability at scale and commercially viability of suitable alternative vessel fuels; and (xviii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this document. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
    This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
    This stock exchange release was published by Katherine Tonks, Investor Relations, Subsea7, on 31 March 2025 at 12:15 CET.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New government fund to go after people smuggling gang bosses

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    New government fund to go after people smuggling gang bosses

    Nearly £1 million in government funding will support Iraq in its fight to take down the kingpins of organised immigration crime.

    Photo: Getty Images

    The evil linchpins at the top of people smuggling gangs who consider themselves untouchable will be hunted down and brought to justice thanks to nearly £1 million in government funding to support Iraq to combat organised immigration crime.

    The Home Secretary’s groundbreaking partnership with Iraq is making significant headway to tackle organised immigration crime and fortify border security in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). New funding, specialist technology and bolder investigation processes have been pursued since the landmark agreement was signed just 4 months ago. 

    The nearly £1 million in new government funding will support the passing of new anti-smuggling legislation in the KRI, which is a critical milestone in the region’s ability to prosecute organised crime groups involved in people smuggling. It will also be used to provide targeted training, specialist technological support, and community engagement to address key security challenges in the region.  

    Successful implementation of the new law will also bolster wider National Crime Agency (NCA) operations, supporting them to disrupt high-profile criminal networks operating in the region. The NCA already has more than 70 investigations into top tier immigration crime networks, including those from or within the KRI. 

    Earlier this year, the NCA worked with KRI law enforcement partners on a joint operation for the first time ever, which resulted in the arrest of 3 high profile members of a people smuggling network impacting the UK.

    The UK-Iraq partnership has also led to a major crackdown on the use of fraudulent documents by people smuggling gangs to move migrants through the Iraqi border. Over 100 Iraqi border and airline officials are being trained to detect false papers, and the UK has distributed specialist forgery detection devices across forensic labs in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk. 

    The UK is a world leader in false document detection and has shared expertise, specialist equipment and intelligence with the KRG to help them take down a key route used by people smugglers, who are risking the lives of those they transport and compromising border security.

    Joint action between the Home Office, NCA and international partners is also targeting the abhorrent business model of these criminal networks, including their use of social media platforms, financial flows, and maritime equipment such as boats and engines. This multi-faceted approach is having a significant impact, with over 8,000 social media accounts taken down in 2024, and more than 600 boats and engines seized by European partners working with the NCA, before they could be used in life-threatening crossings. 

    The news comes ahead of the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister hosting the first Organised Immigration Crime Summit on 31 March and 1 April, where the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government will co-chair a collaborative session tightening supply chain controls. 

    Iraq is a key partner in tackling organised crime groups, to ensure the prosperity and security of UK and Iraqi citizens, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change. 

    The Home Office remains committed to supporting the Government of Iraq and the KRG in tackling the root causes of organised crime, strengthening the rule of law, and safeguarding vulnerable individuals from the dangers posed by criminal networks.

    Minister for Security, Dan Jarvis, said: 

    The ‘Mr Bigs’ of people-smuggling gangs are cowards who hide in other countries and use their stooges to do their dirty work, while they count the grubby blood money they receive. They do not care about the people they are endangering who are being recklessly crammed into increasingly crowded, flimsy boats.

    We are using every power in our disposal to hunt them down, bring them to justice and dismantle their evil people smuggling networks. The UK’s partnership with Iraq is a cornerstone in this fight, with both of our countries making significant progress in just a matter of months. Criminal ‘lords’ in Iraq who had previously thought themselves untouchable are now being sent a clear message that their abhorrent business model will fail.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Honorary King’s Counsel ceremony

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Honorary King’s Counsel ceremony

    Treasury Solicitor Susanna McGibbon receives Honorary King’s Counsel in Westminster Hall ceremony

    Permanent Secretary of GLD and Treasury Solicitor, Susanna McGibbon KC (Hon), and Director General of Attorney General’s Office, Douglas Wilson KC (Hon) OBE

    Permanent Secretary of GLD and Treasury Solicitor, Susanna McGibbon KC (Hon), received her Honorary King’s Counsel last week at a ceremony in Westminster Hall.

    The appointment is in recognition of her extensive legal advice as the most senior lawyer in the Civil Service, regularly advising on high profile and complex matters at the heart of government.

    Susanna was nominated for her legal advice on complex and sensitive issues within government especially in public and administrative law and national security. Also, for her leadership in a range of high-profile cases and inquiries and for her advocacy for diversity and inclusion across the legal profession.  

    On her appointment, Susanna McGibbon KC (Hon) said:

    “I am deeply honoured to be appointed as Honorary King’s Counsel, and to have received the award in this prestigious ceremony. It is a privilege to lead the government legal profession doing such important work for the government and the country. I would like to pay tribute to those colleagues whose work is reflected in this award.”

    Douglas Wilson KC (Hon) OBE, Director General of the Attorney General’s Office, joined Susanna at the ceremony for receipt of his Honorary King’s Counsel.

    He was nominated for advising on issues such as Brexit, military operations, and intelligence cooperation, which shaped the law on the use of military force, cyberspace, and investigatory powers. Furthermore, he has promoted effective and inclusive legal practice within government.

    Douglas Wilson KC (Hon) OBE, said:

    “It is an honour to be appointed Honorary King’s Counsel by the Lord Chancellor, and I’m grateful to those who nominated me. 

    I would like to express my thanks and admiration to my fantastic colleagues in the Attorney General’s Office and across the Government Legal Profession for their work and support.”

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Innofactor Plc applies for the delisting of its shares from the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Innofactor Plc | Stock Exchange Release | March 31, 2025 at 8:50 EEST

    Innofactor Plc applies for the delisting of its shares from the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki

    The Board of Directors of Innofactor Plc (“Innofactor”) has today resolved to apply for the termination of public trading in the shares of Innofactor and for the delisting of its shares from the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd (“Nasdaq Helsinki”) as soon as possible upon Onni Bidco Oy (“Onni Bidco”) having gained title to all the shares in Innofactor in the pending redemption proceedings under Chapter 18 of the Finnish Companies Act.

    Onni Bidco holds more than 90 per cent of all the issued and outstanding shares in Innofactor. As previously announced, Onni Bidco has, by submitting an application to the Redemption Board of the Finland Chamber of Commerce dated December 2, 2024, commenced redemption proceedings in respect of Innofactor’s minority shares by initiating arbitration proceedings in accordance with Chapter 18, Section 3 of the Finnish Companies Act in order to obtain ownership of all the issued and outstanding shares in Innofactor. Onni Bidco served its application to appoint an arbitral tribunal and to initiate arbitration proceedings in accordance with Chapter 18, Section 5 of the Finnish Companies Act on January 7, 2025.

    The Board of Directors of Innofactor has resolved to submit an application to Nasdaq Helsinki for the termination of public trading and for the delisting of the Innofactor shares. In the application, it is requested that the delisting in respect of the Innofactor shares admitted to trading on the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki would become effective as soon as possible upon Onni Bidco having gained title to all the shares in Innofactor in the pending redemption proceedings under Chapter 18 of the Finnish Companies Act.

    Investor and media enquiries:

    Veera Vitie (Innofactor), ir@innofactor.com, +358 44 331 0207
    Lasse Lautsuo (Innofactor), ir@innofactor.com, +358 50 480 1597

    Distribution:
    NASDAQ Helsinki
    Main media

    ABOUT INNOFACTOR

    Innofactor is the leading promoter of the modern digital organization in the Nordic countries for its approximately 1,000 customers in the commercial and public sectors. Innofactor has the widest solution offering and leading know-how in the Microsoft ecosystem in the Nordics. Innofactor’s offering includes planning services for business-critical IT solutions, project deliveries, implementation support and maintenance services, as well as own software and services. Innofactor employs nearly 600 experts in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Innofactor’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki with the ticker symbol IFA1V.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Innofactor Plc Annual Report for 2024 has been published

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Innofactor Plc Annual Financial Report, on March 31, 2025, at 9:00 Finnish time

    Innofactor Annual Report for 2024 has been published as a PDF file on the company website: www.innofactor.com/invest-in-us/releases-publications-and-reports/#annual-reports. The Annual Report includes the Financial Statement, the Report of the Board of Directors and the Sustainability Report.

    Innofactor’s Corporate Governance Statement for the Financial Period 2024 has been published separately from the Annual Report on the company website: https://www.innofactor.com/invest-in-us/corporate-governance/.

    The Remuneration Report for the Financial Period 2024 has been published on the company website: www.innofactor.com/invest-in-us/corporate-governance/#compensations.

    The Annual Report, the Corporate Governance Statement, and the Remuneration Report are also attached to this release.

    Espoo, March 31, 2025

    INNOFACTOR PLC

    Sami Ensio, CEO

    Additional information:
    Sami Ensio, CEO
    Innofactor Plc
    Tel. +358 50 584 2029
    sami.ensio@innofactor.com

    Distribution:
    NASDAQ Helsinki
    Main media
    www.innofactor.com

    Innofactor
    Innofactor is the leading driver of the modern digital organization in the Nordic Countries for its about 1,000 customers in commercial and public sector. Innofactor has the widest solution offering and leading know-how in the Microsoft ecosystem in the Nordics. Innofactor has about 600 enthusiastic and motivated top specialists in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. www.innofactor.com #AIDriven #PeopleFirst #BeTheRealYou

    Attachments

    • Innofactor Plc Annual Report 2024
    • Corporate Governance Statement 2024
    • Remuneration Report 2024

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Westport Announces Agreement to Divest the Light-Duty Segment for $73.1 Million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (“Westport” or the “Company”) (TSX:WPRT / Nasdaq:WPRT), has entered into a binding agreement (the “Agreement”) to sell its interest in Westport Fuel Systems Italia S.r.l., which includes the Light-Duty segment, including the light-duty OEM, delayed OEM, and independent aftermarket businesses, to a wholly-owned investment vehicle of Heliaca Investments Coöperatief U.A. (“Heliaca Investments”), a Netherlands based investment firm supported by Ramphastos Investments Management B.V. a prominent Dutch venture capital and private equity firm (the “Transaction”). The Transaction provides for a base purchase price of $73.1 million (€67.7 million), subject to certain adjustments, and potential earnouts of up to an estimated $6.5 million (€6.0 million) if certain conditions are achieved, in accordance with the terms of the Agreement.

    Moving forward, Westport intends to concentrate fully on providing affordable solutions for hard-to-decarbonize mobility and industrial applications, centered around the unique opportunities created by the HPDI technology and our Cespira joint venture. The Transaction also strengthens Westport’s balance sheet and enables Westport to consider strategic acquisition opportunities consistent with the above strategic focus and extend its runway to fund near-term growth.

    “This Transaction marks a significant milestone in our evolution as an alternative fuel systems enterprise. By returning to our roots and focusing on our core strengths, providing solutions in hard-to-decarbonize mobility and industrial applications, we are positioning Westport for sustainable growth and enhanced operational efficiency. The Light-Duty segment has been an important part of our history, and we are confident that Heliaca Investments is the right partner to continue its development. This Transaction allows us to streamline our operations, sharpen our focus on innovation, and create long-term value for our stakeholders. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to building on our momentum,” said Dan Sceli, Chief Executive Officer of Westport Fuel Systems.

    Under the terms of the Agreement, Heliaca Investments through its subsidiary will acquire Westport’s Light-Duty segment, including its related assets and customer contracts. The Transaction is subject to shareholder approval and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in late Q2 of 2025.

    The proceeds from the proposed Transaction are expected to enable Westport to significantly improve its financial stability, while also supporting key growth initiatives focused on providing solutions for hard-to-decarbonize mobility and industrial applications. Following closing, Westport intends to align its cost structure to be more reflective of a smaller, more efficient organization, while also seeking further opportunities for efficiency gains.

    Strategic Transformation

    The proposed divestiture is a pivotal step in refocusing Westport on its competitive strengths. Westport remains committed to providing affordable, alternative fuel solutions for the heavy-duty truck, off-road, and industrial markets. Westport believes that hydrogen will play a role in decarbonizing mobility applications long-term. However, Westport’s products are timeline-agnostic, allowing the Company to leverage its High-Pressure Controls and Systems segment and its stake in Cespira, which both have solutions available now, to address decarbonization with net zero and low carbon fuels while also providing affordable solutions utilizing zero carbon hydrogen in the future. Westport’s remaining assets, when combined, create the potential for fuel agnostic high-pressure storage solutions, complementing HPDI and Cespira’s growth aspirations.

    As the hydrogen ecosystem evolves, Westport views the natural gas market, including LNG, CNG and RNG as our foundation, with strong economics in many geographies and diverse growth opportunities. The Company’s GFI products are already industry leading on a global scale and backed by intellectual property rights that are expected to strengthen our already significant competitive advantage in high-pressure fuel solutions.

    Moreover, the Company will consider strategic merger and acquisition opportunities that align with the reimagined strategic focus.

    Creating Focus

    The resurgence of natural gas and renewable natural gas globally provides a market opportunity for Westport. In particular, while HPDI technology is well positioned and established in Europe, the North American market presents many growth opportunities. North America is again embracing natural gas and renewable natural gas as an important part of the solution to reduce the cost and the carbon footprint of heavy-duty long-haul trucking. Natural gas infrastructure is abundant and RNG production is growing.

    As we wait for hydrogen adoption, both Cespira and our High-Pressure Controls & Systems segment have products and technologies enabling the use of lower-carbon fuels today. These same products are equally viable in the future as hydrogen adoption ramps up. In the near-term, our High-Pressure Controls and Systems business has expertise in high-pressure components, providing the capability to rapidly develop CNG high pressure solutions for heavy-duty, off-road and industrial applications, providing effective solutions for decarbonization by utilizing alternative fuels today while advancing zero-emissions hydrogen solutions for the future. Additionally, the Company holds extensive intellectual property assets related to high-pressure fuels for HPDI engines. These initiatives are being designed to strengthen Westport’s competitive position and reinforce its role in advancing low-carbon fuel solutions for hard-to-decarbonize mobility applications.

    Advisors

    J.P. Morgan is acting as financial advisor to Westport and is providing a fairness opinion to the board of directors in connection with the Transaction. Bennett Jones LLP and Delfino Willkie are acting as legal advisors to Westport, and E&Y is acting as tax advisor to the Company.

    Gianni & Origoni, NautaDutilh, Wardyński & Partners and PwC are advising Heliaca Investments in connection with the Transaction.

    About Westport Fuel Systems

    At Westport Fuel Systems, we are driving innovation to power a cleaner tomorrow. We are a leading supplier of advanced fuel delivery components and systems for clean, low-carbon fuels such as natural gas, renewable natural gas, propane, and hydrogen to the global transportation industry. Our technology delivers the performance and fuel efficiency required by transportation applications and the environmental benefits that address climate change and urban air quality challenges. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with operations in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, we serve our customers in approximately 70 countries with leading global transportation brands. At Westport Fuel Systems, we think ahead. For more information, visit www.wfsinc.com.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the closing of, and timing for closing of, the Transaction, shareholder approval of the Transaction, the anticipated benefits of the Transaction, including potential earn-out payments, the Transaction alleviating liquidity concerns, the ability to strengthen our balance sheet and align our cost structure, the ability to capitalize on growth initiatives, including fund strategic acquisitions, the ability to transition to a smaller, more efficient organization and our expectations regarding the future success of our business, the adoption of hydrogen and the future growth and development of HPDI. Other forward-looking statements included in the release include those relating to Westport’s future strategic plans, business opportunities and use of the Transaction proceeds. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on both the views of management and assumptions that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activities, performance, or achievements expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and assumptions include those related to completion and satisfaction of all conditions to closing of the Transaction set out in the Agreement, governmental policies, regulation and approval, the achievement of the performance criteria required for the earn out described above, purchase price adjustments contained in the Agreement, the demand for high-pressure storage solutions and other products, as well as other risk factors and assumptions that may affect our actual results, performance, or achievements, as discussed in our most recent Annual Information Form and other filings with securities regulators. Readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. We disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in these forward-looking statements except as required by National Instrument 51-102. The contents of any website referenced in this press release are not incorporated by reference herein.

    Investor Inquiries:

    Investor Relations
    T: +1 604-718-2046
    E: invest@wfsinc.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Westport Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (“Westport”) (TSX: WPRT / Nasdaq: WPRT) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024, and provided an update on operations. All figures are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.

    “The past year has been transformative for Westport as we sharpened our strategic focus, advanced our clean transportation technologies, and enhanced operational efficiencies. We have made significant strides in aligning our operations with our competitive strengths, improving margins, and reinforcing our commitment to delivering cost-effective solutions that drive decarbonization in the transportation sector. We have also transformed our culture to be one built on discipline and excellence, driving a high-performance mindset in everything we do.

    The launch of Cespira, our joint venture with Volvo Group, was a key milestone for us in 2024. Cespira is committed to accelerating the commercialization of HPDI™ technology with carbon-neutral fuels like hydrogen and renewable natural gas. This partnership underscores the industry’s recognition of HPDI as a leading solution to enable affordable, sustainable heavy transport.

    Additionally, we are taking bold steps to streamline our operations and strengthen our financial footing, allowing us to focus on areas with the highest growth potential. A prime example of this strategic realignment is our recently announced proposed divestiture of the Light-Duty business. This decision is expected to enable us to concentrate fully on providing affordable solutions for hard to decarbonize mobility applications like long haul and heavy-duty trucking that can take advantage of the unique, practical and affordable HPDI technology and our world class high-pressure components and systems technologies and scalable alternative fuel solutions, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of emissions-reducing innovations that are cost effective.

    Looking ahead, we are focused on scaling our alternative fuel-based solutions, including advancements in CNG, RNG, and hydrogen systems, while navigating a rapidly evolving transportation landscape. Hydrogen remains a critical component of the future but, in the meantime, we are delivering practical, commercially viable low-carbon solutions today such as natural gas and renewable natural gas solutions which, in some cases, can represent a lower total cost of ownership than incumbent technologies. Driven by these environmental and economic considerations we are seeing a global resurgence of interest in the heavy-duty transport sector towards utilizing natural gas as an alternative to diesel. While we will continue to invest in technology, we are positioned to take advantage of markets that are embracing products enabled by our years of investment in innovation as the world pivots to more practical and cost-effective solutions to decarbonize.  

    We are committed to providing sustainable, high-performance solutions that help our customers achieve their commercial and environmental goals, now and for years to come.”

    Dan Sceli, Chief Executive Officer

    2024 Highlights

    • Revenue was $302.3 million for 2024 and $75.1 million for the fourth quarter. Full year results were primarily driven by the transition of the Heavy-Duty OEM business into Cespira, partially offset by an increase in revenue in our Light-Duty segment. Cespira earned $22.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and $43.1 million for the period from June 3, 2024 through to December 31, 2024.
    • Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $21.8 million, or $1.27 loss per share, compared to net loss of $49.7 million for the prior year. Net loss for the fourth quarter in 2024 was $10.1 million, or $0.59 loss per share, compared to net loss of $13.9 million, or $0.81 loss per share, for the same period in 2023. For the year, the net positive change was primarily a result of improvements in gross margin, a $15.2 million gain on deconsolidation of the HPDI business in the formation of the joint venture with Volvo Group on June 3, 2024, reductions in operating expenditures and depreciation and amortization expense due to continuation of the HPDI business in Cespira, partially offset by higher income tax expense and foreign exchange losses in the year.
    • Adjusted EBITDA1 loss of $11.2 million, compared to a loss of $21.5 million in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was a loss of $1.8 million.
    • Cash and cash equivalents were $37.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Cash provided by operating activities during the year was $7.2 million.
    • Announced the closing the HPDI joint venture, Cespira, with Volvo Group, working together to accelerate the commercialization and global adoption of the HPDI™ fuel system technology for long-haul and off-road applications.

    1 Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation is a non-GAAP measure. Please refer to GAAP and NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES in Westport’s Management Discussion and Analysis for the reconciliation.

    Consolidated Results            
    ($ in millions, except per share amounts)     Over / (Under)
    %    		     Over / (Under)
    %
      4Q24 4Q23 FY24 FY23
    Revenue $75.1 $87.2 (14)% $302.3 $331.8   (9)%  
    Gross Profit(2) 14.3 8.0 79% 57.6 48.9   18%  
    Gross Margin(2) 19% 9% — 19% 15%   —  
    Income (loss) from Investments Accounted for by the Equity Method(1) (2.0) 0.1 (2,100)% (5.4) 0.8   (775)%  
    Net Loss (10.1) (13.9) 27% (21.8) (49.7)   56%  
    Net Loss per Share – Basic (0.59) (0.81) 27% (1.27) (2.90)   56%  
    Net Loss per Share – Diluted (0.59) (0.81) 27% (1.27) (2.90)   56%  
    EBITDA (2) (6.1) (10.9) 44% (6.6) (35.9)   82%  
    Adjusted EBITDA (2) (1.8) (10.0) 82% (11.2) (21.5)   48%  

    (1)This includes income or loss primarily from our investments in Cespira and Minda Westport Technologies Limited
    (2)Gross margins, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. Please refer to GAAP and NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES for the reconciliation to equivalent GAAP measures and limitations on the use of such measures.

    Segment Information

    Light-Duty Segment

    Revenue for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 was $68.0 million and $262.2 million, respectively, compared with $63.4 million and $263.6 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023.

    Light-Duty revenue increased by $4.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the prior year. This was primarily driven by a significant increase in sales of LPG fuel system solutions to a global Original Equipment Manufacturer (“OEM”) for their Euro 6 vehicle applications in our light-duty OEM business and an increase in delayed OEM business, partially offset by lower revenues in other business lines.

    Light-Duty revenue decreased by $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year. This was primarily driven by a decrease in sales in our delayed OEM business in the first half of 2024, decrease in sales to customers in developing markets, and our fuel storage business. This was partially offset by the aforementioned increase in sales of LPG fuel system solutions in our light-duty OEM business.

    Gross profit increased by $2.0 million to $14.0 million, or 21% of revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $12.0 million, or 19% of revenue, for the same prior year period. This was primarily driven by a change in sales mix with an increase in sales to European customers and a reduction in sales to developing regions along with an increase in sales volumes.

    Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased by $6.3 million to $55.4 million, or 21% of revenue, compared to $49.1 million, or 19% of revenue, for the prior year. This was primarily driven by a change in sales mix with an increase in sales to European customers and a reduction in sales to developing regions. The segment’s manufacturing operations continues to implement operational improvement initiatives lowering its manufacturing overhead costs in the year. For the year ended December 31, 2024, Light-Duty recorded inventory write-downs of $2.1 million related to our restructuring activities in India for $0.9 million and $0.5 million related to components for markets that we have exited, and the remainder due to our periodic analysis of excess and obsolete inventory.

    Westport began supplying its Euro 6 LPG fuel system to its global OEM customer in early 2024. This production supply agreement has been instrumental in improving revenue and delivering higher margins, which more than offset the decline in revenue as a result of a key delayed OEM customer continuing to work through their inventory. Production for the Euro 7 LPG fuel system for the same global OEM customer is anticipated to begin mid-to-late 2025.

    High-Pressure Controls & Systems Segment

    Revenue for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 was $1.4 million and $8.8 million, respectively, compared with $2.5 million and $12.0 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023. Revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2024 decreased by $1.1 million compared to the prior year period. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 decreased $3.2 million compared to the prior year.

    The decrease in revenue for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year periods continues to be primarily driven by the general slowdown in hydrogen infrastructure development, leading to a slower adoption of automotive and industrial applications powered by hydrogen.

    Gross profit for the three months ended December 31, 2024 decreased by $0.4 million to nominal, or 0% of revenue, compared to $0.4 million, or 16% of revenue, for the same prior year period. This was primarily driven by lower sales volumes, increasing the per unit manufacturing costs in the quarter.

    Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2024 decreased by $1.3 million to $1.5 million, or 17% of revenue, compared to $2.8 million, or 23% of revenue, for the prior year. This was primarily driven by decrease in sales volume for the year. The segment recorded $0.8 million in inventory write-downs in the year due to slow-moving inventory.

    Heavy-Duty OEM Segment

    Revenue for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 includes revenue until the closing of the transaction to form Cespira, which occurred on June 3, 2024. Revenue for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 was $5.7 million and $31.3 million, respectively, compared with $21.3 million and $56.2 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2023.

    The decrease in revenue for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 is a result of the continuation of the business in Cespira. Refer to the “Selected Cespira Financial Information” for more information on the performance of the business. Revenue earned in the three months ended December 31, 2024 reflects revenue earned from a transitional services agreement in place with Cespira that we expect to expire by the end of Q2 2026.

    Gross profit for the three months ended December 31, 2024 increased by $4.7 million to $0.3 million, or 5% of revenue, compared to negative $4.4 million or negative 21% of revenue, for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The Heavy-Duty OEM segment was impacted by a $4.5 million inventory write-down in the prior year period.

    Gross profit increased by $3.7 million to $0.7 million, or 2% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to negative $3.0 million, or negative 5% of revenue, for the prior year. Heavy-Duty OEM recorded $0.4 million in inventory write-downs in the year. The segment was impacted by the aforementioned inventory write-down of $4.5 million in the prior year.

    Selected Cespira Financial Information

    We account for Cespira using the equity method of accounting. However, due to its significance to our long-term strategy and operating results, we disclose certain financial information from Cespira in notes 8 and 22 in our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024 and the period from June 3, 2024 to December 31, 2024.

    The following table sets forth a summary of the financial results of Cespira for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and the period between June 3, 2024 to December 31, 2024:

      (in millions of U.S. dollars)   Three months ended December 31,   Change   Year ended December 31,   Change
        2024   2023   $   %   2024   2023   $   %
    Revenue   $ 22.8     $ —     $ 22.8     — %   $ 43.1     $ —     $ 43.1     — %
    Gross profit     1.4       —       1.4     — %     0.5       —       0.5     — %
    Gross margin1     6 %     — %             1 %     — %        
    Operating loss     (4.8 )     —       (4.8 )   — %     (12.1 )     —       (12.1 )   — %
    Net loss attributable to the Company     (2.6 )     —       (2.6 )   — %     (6.7 )     —       (6.7 )   — %

    1Gross margin is non-GAAP financial measure. See the section ‘Non-GAAP Financial Measures’ for explanations and discussions of these non-GAAP financial measures or ratios.

    Cespira revenue was $22.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024. For the prior year period, the Heavy-Duty OEM segment, which included our HPDI business, earned $21.3 million. This was primarily driven by an increase in HPDI fuel systems sold in the period.

    Cespira gross profit was $1.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024. For the prior year period, the Heavy-Duty OEM segment had negative $4.4 million in gross profit primarily driven by the aforementioned $4.5 million inventory write-down in the prior year period.

    Cespira incurred operating losses of $4.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024. For the prior year quarter, the Heavy-Duty OEM had operating losses of $9.3 million. Aside from the aforementioned inventory write-down in the prior year period, the Heavy-Duty OEM had comparable operating losses compared to Cespira.

    As previously announced, Westport and Weichai are parties to a technology development and supply agreement which contains an obligation for Weichai to order, and Westport to supply, certain volumes of HPDI fuel system components prior to December 31, 2024. Significant orders for HPDI fuel system components against this agreement were not received prior to year-end. Westport and Cespira continue to collaborate with Weichai Power Co. Ltd (“Weichai Power”) on an HPDI fuel system equipped version of the Weichai Power engine platforms. The parties are currently discussing the next stages of this work and the obligations of each party going forward.

    Liquidity and Going Concern

    In addition, as disclosed in Westport Management Discussion & Analysis, for the year ended December 31, 2024, we continue to sustain operating losses and use cash to support our business activities. Cash provided by operating activities was $7.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily driven by reductions in working capital.

    As at December 31, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents of $37.6 million and long-term debt of $33.7 million, of which $14.7 million was current. Based on our projected capital expenditures, debt servicing obligations and operating requirements under our current business plan, we are projecting that our cash and cash equivalents will not be sufficient to fund our operations through the next twelve months from the date of the issuance of this MD&A. These conditions raise substantial doubt about Westport’s ability continue as a going concern within one year after the date our December 31, 2024 Consolidated Financial Statements are issued.

    We plan to improve our liquidity position by selling certain subsidiaries in Europe and Argentina which comprise substantially all the assets and liabilities reported within the Light-Duty segment and continue our cost reduction initiatives. On March 30, 2025, we entered into a share purchase agreement (“SPA”) with a wholly-owned investment vehicle of Heliaca Investments Coöperatief U.A. (“Heliaca Investments”), a Netherlands based investment firm supported by Ramphastos Investment Management B.V. a prominent Dutch venture capital and private equity firm, to sell all of the issued and outstanding shares of Westport Fuel Systems Italia S.r.l for a base purchase price of $73.1 million (€67.7 million), subject to certain adjustments and potential earnouts of up to an estimated $6.5 million (€6.0 million) if certain conditions are achieved, in accordance with the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement. If we are successful in closing the sale, we will receive sufficient cash to fund our operations for the next twelve months and alleviate the risk of substantial doubt identified. As of the date of issuance of our December 31, 2024 financial statements, we are seeking shareholder approval of the plan to complete the sale of these businesses to the buyer. As such, there can be no assurances that Westport will be successful in obtaining sufficient funding. Accordingly, we concluded under the accounting standards that these plans do not alleviate the substantial doubt about Westport’s ability to continue as a going concern.

    Divestment of the Light-Duty Business and 2025 Outlook

    Westport recently announced the proposed divestment of its Light-Duty business, which includes the light-duty OEM, delayed OEM, and independent aftermarket businesses (the “Transaction”). The Transaction is designed to focus the Company’s strategy and streamline its operations allowing Westport to direct its energy on solution to address hard to decarbonize sectors like long-haul, heavy-duty trucking and off-road applications that can take advantage of Cespira and our High-Pressure Controls & Systems technology – where Westport sees the largest opportunities to grow and where the Company has a unique and differentiated offering generating interest with customers as the world transitions to a more practical and easier to adopt approach to decarbonization.

    Highlights of the Transaction include:

    • Provides immediate up front proceeds to alleviate liquidity concerns, strengthening the balance sheet and funds near-term growth in Cespira and the High-Pressure Controls & Systems business;
    • Brings forward more cash today than the Light-Duty business was projected to earn over 5-years on an undiscounted cash basis; and
    • Enables management to focus exclusively on the higher growth HPDI and high-pressure segments.

    In light of the evolving market and regulatory environment, over the long term, the Light-Duty business’ ability to grow LPG / CNG sales in developed markets is expected to continue facing increased competition from pure electrification or petrol – electrification hybrids.

    The base purchase price of the Transaction is $73.1 million (€67.7 million), subject to certain adjustments and potential earnouts of up to an additional $6.5 million (€6.0 million) if certain conditions are achieved, in accordance with the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement. The purchaser is a wholly-owned investment vehicle of Heliaca Investments Coöperatief U.A. (“Heliaca Investments”), a Netherlands based investment firm supported by Ramphastos Investment Management B.V. a prominent Dutch venture capital and private equity firm.

    Net proceeds from the transaction are to be used to bolster the balance sheet, fund organic growth opportunities through Cespira and High-Pressure Controls & Systems over the near term as well as opportunistic bolt on acquisitions. The Transaction ultimately eliminates future restructuring costs required by the Italian operations in the light-duty business.

    Westport is shifting to a smaller, more focused organization, that is positioned to provide solutions to decarbonize challenging segments of the mobility and industrial markets.​ Westport has 30 years of experience delivering component solutions and developing HPDI fuel technology​. We are focused on scaling our alternative fuel-based solutions, including advancements in CNG, RNG, and hydrogen systems, while navigating a rapidly evolving transportation landscape.

    The Company anticipates that the closing of the transaction will occur late in Q2 2025, subject to receiving shareholder approval.

    Conference call

    Westport has scheduled a conference call for Monday, March 31, 2025, at 10:30 am Pacific Time (1:30 pm Eastern Time) to discuss these results. To access the conference call please register at https://register.vevent.com/register/BI1ba7402b85a5491292e48354a2e80b90. 

    The live webcast of the conference call can be accessed through the Westport website at https://investors.wfsinc.com/. 

    Participants may register up to 60 minutes before the event by clicking on the call link and completing the online registration form. Upon registration, the user will receive dial-in info and a unique PIN, along with an email confirming the details.

    The webcast will be archived on Westport’s website at https://investors.wfsinc.com. 

    Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis

    To view Westport full financials for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024, please visit https://investors.wfsinc.com/financials/. 

    About Westport Fuel Systems

    At Westport Fuel Systems, we are driving innovation to power a cleaner tomorrow. We are a leading supplier of advanced fuel delivery components and systems for clean, low-carbon fuels such as natural gas, renewable natural gas, propane, and hydrogen to the global transportation industry. Our technology delivers the performance and fuel efficiency required by transportation applications and the environmental benefits that address climate change and urban air quality challenges. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with operations in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, we serve our customers in approximately 70 countries with leading global transportation brands. At Westport Fuel Systems, we think ahead. For more information, visit www.wfsinc.com.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
    This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future strategic initiatives and future growth, future of our development programs (including those relating to HPDI and Hydrogen) including testing to the HPDI fuel system, scaling our alternative fuel-based solutions, our expectations for 2025 and beyond, including the demand for our products, the future success of our business and technology strategies, shareholder approval of the Transaction, our ability to successfully close the Transaction and realize the benefits therefrom, including, potential earn-out payments, the Transaction alleviating liquidity concerns, our focus on providing affordable solutions to decarbonize long haul and heavy-duty trucking, our ability to bolster our balance sheet, fund organic growth as well as opportunistic bolt on acquisitions, a shift to operating as a smaller, more efficient organization. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on both the views of management and assumptions that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activities, performance or achievements expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions include those related to our revenue growth, operating results, industry and products, changes in business strategy, shifts in market demand, the general economy including impacts due to inflation, the effects of competition and pricing pressures, conditions of and access to the capital and debt markets, solvency, governmental policies, trade restrictions or other changes to international trade agreements, sanctions and regulation including the imposition of tariffs, technology innovations, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, operating expenses, continued reduction in expenses, ability to successfully commercialize new products, the performance of our joint ventures, the availability and price of natural gas, new environmental regulations, the acceptance of and shift to natural gas and hydrogen vehicles, the relaxation or waiver of fuel emission standards, the inability of fleets to access capital or government funding to purchase natural gas vehicles, the development of competing technologies, our ability to adequately develop and deploy our technology, the actions and determinations of our joint venture and development partners, the effects and duration of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, supply chain disruptions as well as other risk factors and assumptions that may affect our actual results, performance or achievements or financial position discussed in our most recent Annual Information Form and other filings with securities regulators. Readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. We disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in these forward-looking statements except as required by National Instrument 51-102. The contents of any website, RSS feed or twitter account referenced in this press release are not incorporated by reference herein.

    Inquiries:
    Investor Relations
    T: +1 604-718-2046
    invest@wfsinc.com

    GAAP and Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP“). These U.S. GAAP financial statements include non-cash charges and other charges and benefits that may be unusual or infrequent in nature or that we believe may make comparisons to our prior or future performance difficult. In addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, Westport and certain investors use EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as an indicator of our ability to generate liquidity by producing operating cash flow to fund working capital needs, service debt obligations and fund capital expenditures. Management also uses these non-GAAP measures in its review and evaluation of the financial performance of Westport. EBITDA is also frequently used by investors and analysts for valuation purposes whereby EBITDA is multiplied by a factor or “EBITDA multiple” that is based on an observed or inferred relationship between EBITDA and market values to determine the approximate total enterprise value of a company. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures also provide additional insight to investors and securities analysts as supplemental information to our U.S. GAAP results and as a basis to compare our financial performance period-over-period and to compare our financial performance with that of other companies. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures facilitate comparisons of our core operating results from period to period and to other companies by, in the case of EBITDA, removing the effects of our capital structure (net interest income on cash deposits, interest expense on outstanding debt and debt facilities), asset base (depreciation and amortization) and tax consequences. Adjusted EBITDA provides this same indicator of Westports’ EBITDA from continuing operations and removing such effects of our capital structure, asset base and tax consequences, but additionally excludes any unrealized foreign exchange gains or losses, stock-based compensation charges and other one-time impairments and costs which are not expected to be repeated in order to provide greater insight into the cash flow being produced from our operating business, without the influence of extraneous events.

    Segment Information

    EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are intended to provide additional information to investors and analysts and do not have any standardized definition under U.S. GAAP, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA exclude the impact of cash costs of financing activities and taxes, and the effects of changes in operating working capital balances, and therefore are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flow from operations as determined under U.S. GAAP. Other companies may calculate EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA differently.

    Segment earnings or losses before income taxes, interest, depreciation, and amortization (“Segment EBITDA”) is the measure of segment profitability used by the Company. The accounting policies of our reportable segments are the same as those applied in our consolidated financial statements. Management prepared the financial results of the Company’s reportable segments on basis that is consistent with the manner in which Management internally disaggregates financial information to assist in making internal operating decisions. Certain common costs and expenses, primarily corporate functions, among segments differently than we would for stand-alone financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. These include certain costs and expenses of shared services, such as IT, human resources, legal, finance and supply chain management. Segment EBITDA is not defined under US GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies and should not be considered a substitute for net earnings or other results reported in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliations of reportable segment information to consolidated statement of operations can be found in section “NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES & RECONCILIATIONS” within this press release.

      Year ended December 31, 2024
      Light-Duty   High-Pressure Controls & Systems   Heavy-Duty OEM   Cespira   Total Segment
    Revenue $ 262.2   $ 8.8     $ 31.3     $ 43.1     $ 345.4  
    Cost of revenue   206.8     7.3       30.6       42.6       287.3  
    Gross profit   55.4     1.5       0.7       0.5       58.1  
    Operating expenses:
    Research & development   13.0     4.4       4.2       4.7       26.3  
    General & administrative   19.2     1.0       3.1       5.6       28.9  
    Sales & marketing   9.9     0.7       0.9       1.0       12.5  
    Depreciation & amortization   2.6     0.3       0.1       1.7       4.7  
    Equity income   1.3     —       —       —       1.3  
    Add back: Depreciation & amortization1   6.4     0.5       1.4       3.8       12.1  
    Segment EBITDA $ 18.4   $ (4.4 )   $ (6.2 )   $ (8.7 )   $ (0.9 )
      Year ended December 31, 2023
      Light-Duty   High-Pressure Controls & Systems   Heavy-Duty OEM   Total Segment
    Revenue $ 263.6   $ 12.0     $ 56.2     $ 331.8  
    Cost of revenue   214.5     9.2       59.2       282.9  
    Gross profit   49.1     2.8       (3.0 )     48.9  
    Operating expenses:
    Research & development   13.1     3.6       9.3       26.0  
    General & administrative   21.6     1.3       6.4       29.4  
    Sales & marketing   10.6     0.7       2.9       14.1  
    Depreciation & amortization   3.2     0.2       0.4       3.8  
    Equity income   0.8     —       —       0.8  
    Add back: Depreciation & amortization1   6.7     0.4       4.9       11.9  
    Segment EBITDA $ 8.1   $ (2.6 )   $ (17.1 )   $ (11.6 )


    NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES RECONCILIATION

    Gross Profit   Years ended December 31,
    (expressed in millions of U.S. dollars)   2024   2023
    Revenue   $ 302.3   $ 331.8
    Less: Cost of revenue   $ 244.7   $ 282.9
    Gross Profit   $ 57.6   $ 48.9
    Gross Margin as a percentage of Revenue   Years ended December 31,
    (expressed in millions of U.S. dollars)     2024       2023  
    Revenue   $ 302.3     $ 331.8  
    Gross Margin   $ 57.6     $ 48.9  
    Gross Margin as a percentage of Revenue     19 %     15 %
      Year ended December 31, 2024
      Total Segment   Less: Cespira   Add: Corporate & unallocated   Total Consolidated
    Revenue $ 345.4   $ 43.1   $ —     $ 302.3  
    Cost of revenue   287.3     42.6     —       244.7  
    Gross profit   58.1     0.5     —       57.6  
    Operating expenses:
    Research & development   26.3     4.7     —       21.6  
    General & administrative   28.9     5.6     14.4       37.7  
    Sales & marketing   12.5     1.0     1.2       12.7  
    Depreciation & amortization   4.7     1.7     0.4       3.4  
    Equity income (loss)   1.3     —     (6.7 )     (5.4 )
      Year ended December 31, 2023
      Total Segment   Add: Corporate & unallocated   Total Consolidated
    Revenue $ 331.8   $ —   $ 331.8
    Cost of revenue   282.9     —     282.9
    Gross profit   48.9     —     48.9
    Operating expenses:
    Research & development   26.0     —     26.0
    General & administrative   29.4     14.8     44.2
    Sales & marketing   14.1     2.2     16.3
    Depreciation & amortization   3.8     0.5     4.3
    Equity income   0.8     —     0.8
    Reconciliation of Segment EBITDA to Loss before income taxes   Years ended December 31,
        2024       2023  
    Total Segment EBITDA   $ (0.9 )   $ (11.6 )
    Adjustments:
    Depreciation and amortization     8.7       12.5  
    Cespira’s Segment EBITDA     (8.7 )     —  
    Cespira’s equity loss     6.7       —  
    Corporate and unallocated operating expenses     15.6       17.0  
    Foreign exchange loss     6.2       4.0  
    Loss on sale of assets     0.7       —  
    Gain on deconsolidation     (15.2 )     —  
    Loss on sale of investment     0.4       —  
    Impairment of long-term investment     —       0.4  
    Loss on extinguishment of royalty payable     —       2.9  
    Interest on long-term debt and accretion of royalty payable     2.8       3.0  
    Interest and other income, net of bank charges     (1.2 )     (2.7 )
    Loss before income taxes   $ (16.9 )   $ (48.7 )
    EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA                
    Three months ended   31-Mar-23   30-Jun-23   30-Sep-23   31-Dec-23   31-Mar-24   30-Jun-24   30-Sep-24   31-Dec-24
    Income (loss) before income taxes   $         (9.7 )   $         (13.0 )   $         (12.0 )   $         (14.0 )   $         (12.9 )   $         6.8             $         (2.5 )   $         (8.3 )
    Interest expense, net             0.4                       (0.1 )             0.2                       (0.2 )             0.5                       0.5                       0.4                       0.2          
    Depreciation and amortization             3.0                       3.0                       3.2                       3.3                       3.2                       1.7                       1.8                       2.0          
    EBITDA   $         (6.3 )   $         (10.1 )   $         (8.6 )   $         (10.9 )   $         (9.2 )   $         9.0             $         (0.3 )   $         (6.1 )
    Stock based compensation (recovery)   $         0.7             $         0.8             $         (0.3 )   $         1.4             $         0.3             $         1.2             $         (0.1 )   $         —          
    Unrealized foreign exchange (gain) loss   $         1.1             $         2.4             $         1.4             $         (0.9 )   $         1.8             $         0.1             $         (1.1 )   $         5.4          
    Loss on extinguishment of royalty payable   $         —             $         2.9             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —          
    Severance costs   $         —             $         —             $         4.5             $         —             $         0.5             $         0.2             $         0.1             $         0.1          
    Gain on deconsolidation   $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         (13.3 )   $         —             $         (1.9 )
    Loss on sale of investment   $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         0.4             $         —          
    Restructuring costs   $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         0.8             $         0.2             $         —          
    Loss on sale of assets   $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         0.7          
    Impairment of long-term investment   $         —             $         —             $         —             $         0.4             $         —             $         —             $         —             $         —          
    Adjusted EBITDA   $         (4.5 )   $         (4.0 )   $         (3.0 )   $         (10.0 )   $         (6.6 )   $         (2.0 )   $         (0.8 )   $         (1.8 )
    WESTPORT FUEL SYSTEMS INC.
    Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars, except share amounts)
    December 31, 2024 and 2023
        December 31,
          2024       2023  
    Assets        
    Current assets:        
    Cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash)   $ 37,646     $ 54,853  
    Accounts receivable     73,054       88,077  
    Inventories     53,526       67,530  
    Prepaid expenses     5,660       6,323  
    Total current assets     169,886       216,783  
    Long-term investments     39,732       4,792  
    Property, plant and equipment     41,956       69,489  
    Operating lease right-of-use assets     19,019       22,877  
    Intangible assets     5,277       6,822  
    Deferred income tax assets     9,695       11,554  
    Goodwill     2,876       3,066  
    Other long-term assets     3,180       20,365  
    Total assets   $ 291,621     $ 355,748  
    Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity        
    Current liabilities:        
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities   $ 88,123     $ 95,374  
    Current portion of operating lease liabilities     2,624       3,307  
    Short-term debt     —       15,156  
    Current portion of long-term debt     14,660       14,108  
    Current portion of warranty liability     3,861       6,892  
    Total current liabilities     109,268       134,837  
    Long-term operating lease liabilities     16,433       19,300  
    Long-term debt     19,067       30,957  
    Warranty liability     1,456       1,614  
    Deferred income tax liabilities     4,029       3,477  
    Other long-term liabilities     4,343       5,115  
    Total liabilities     154,596       195,300  
    Shareholders’ equity:        
    Share capital:        
    Unlimited common and preferred shares, no par value        
    17,282,934 (2023 – 17,174,502) common shares issued and outstanding     1,245,805       1,244,539  
    Other equity instruments     9,472       9,672  
    Additional paid-in-capital     11,516       11,516  
    Accumulated deficit     (1,096,275 )     (1,074,434 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (33,493 )     (30,845 )
    Total shareholders’ equity     137,025       160,448  
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity   $ 291,621     $ 355,748  
    WESTPORT FUEL SYSTEMS INC.  
    Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)  
    (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars, except share and per share amounts)  
    Years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023  
        Years ended December 31,
          2024       2023  
    Revenue   $ 302,299     $ 331,799  
    Cost of revenue     244,708       282,862  
    Gross profit     57,591       48,937  
    Operating expenses:        
    Research and development     21,587       26,003  
    General and administrative     37,679       44,234  
    Sales and marketing     12,676       16,278  
    Foreign exchange loss     6,248       3,974  
    Depreciation and amortization     3,367       4,299  
    Loss on sale of assets     703       32  
          82,260       94,820  
    Loss from operations     (24,669 )     (45,883 )
             
    Income from investments accounted for by the equity method     (5,402 )     780  
    Gain on deconsolidation     15,198       —  
    Loss on sale of investment     (352 )     —  
    Loss on extinguishment of royalty payable     —       (2,909 )
    Interest on long-term debt and accretion of royalty payable     (2,797 )     (2,981 )
    Impairment of long-term investment     —       (413 )
    Interest and other income, net of bank charges     1,161       2,690  
    Loss before income taxes     (16,861 )     (48,716 )
    Income tax expense (recovery):        
    Current     3,183       1,786  
    Deferred     1,797       (784 )
          4,980       1,002  
    Net loss for the year     (21,841 )     (49,718 )
    Other comprehensive income (loss):        
    Cumulative translation adjustment     (2,535 )     4,473  
    Ownership share of equity method investments’ other comprehensive loss   $ (113 )   $ —  
        $ (2,648 )   $ 4,473  
    Comprehensive loss   $ (24,489 )   $ (45,245 )
    Loss per share:        
    Net loss per share – basic and diluted   $ (1.27 )   $ (2.90 )
    Weighted average common shares outstanding:        
    Basic and diluted     17,248,090       17,173,016  
    WESTPORT FUEL SYSTEMS INC.
    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars)
    Years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
        Years ended December 31,
          2024       2023  
             
    Operating activities:        
    Net loss for the year   $ (21,841 )   $ (49,718 )
    Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:        
    Depreciation and amortization     8,661       12,490  
    Stock-based compensation expense     1,066       1,727  
    Unrealized foreign exchange loss     6,248       3,974  
    Deferred income tax expense (recovery)     1,797       (784 )
    Loss (income) from investments accounted for by the equity method     5,402       (780 )
    Interest on long-term debt and accretion of royalty payable     74       9  
    Impairment of long-term investment     —       413  
    Change in inventory write-downs to net realizable value     3,283       7,066  
    Gain on deconsolidation     (15,198 )     —  
    Loss on sale of investment     352       —  
    Net loss on sale of assets     627       32  
    Loss on extinguishment of royalty payable     —       2,909  
    Change in bad debt expense     282       56  
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
    Accounts receivable     25,567       5,340  
    Inventories     (6,836 )     9,481  
    Prepaid expenses     (153 )     2,869  
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities     2,233       (2,448 )
    Warranty liability     (4,380 )     (5,829 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities     7,184       (13,193 )
    Investing activities:        
    Purchase of property, plant and equipment     (16,923 )     (15,574 )
    Proceeds on sale of investments     29,994       —  
    Proceeds on sale of assets     998       161  
    Dividends received from investments accounted for by the equity method     297       —  
    Capital contributions to investments accounted for by the equity method     (9,900 )     —  
    Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities     4,466       (15,413 )
    Financing activities:        
    Drawings on operating lines of credit and long-term facilities     19,336       46,367  
    Repayment of operating lines of credit and long-term facilities     (44,546 )     (39,904 )
    Payment of royalty payable     —       (8,687 )
    Net cash used in financing activities     (25,210 )     (2,224 )
    Effect of foreign exchange on cash and cash equivalents     (3,647 )     (501 )
    Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents     (17,207 )     (31,331 )
    Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year (including restricted cash)     54,853       86,184  
    Cash and cash equivalents, end of year (including restricted cash)     37,646       54,853  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Convenient connections: ITA Airways has moved into the Lufthansa Group terminal areas in Frankfurt and Munich

    Source: Lufthansa Group

    The next milestone in the integration of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group: With the start of the 2025 summer flight schedule today, all ITA Airways flights in Frankfurt and Munich will be handled in the Lufthansa Group terminals. This means that ITA Airways and the other Lufthansa Group airlines are “under one roof” at all the Group’s hubs, significantly reducing transfer times for passengers. 

    The move at the German hubs last night included the entire ITA Airways handling operation, from check-in, gates, service desks and baggage reclaim. 

    In Frankfurt, the Italian airline moved from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, which is used by the Lufthansa Group. Since ITA Airways will also be flying from gate areas A and B in the future, passengers will benefit from significantly shorter distances and thus shorter transfer times. ITA Airways passengers can also reach the Deutsche Bahn long-distance train station with ICE high-speed train connections quickly and easily from Terminal 1. 

    In Munich, ITA Airways moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 and its satellite. This terminal is operated by a joint venture between Lufthansa and Munich Airport. As of today, ITA Airways passengers will therefore be using the terminal that has been awarded five stars by Skytrax multiple times. 

    At the other Lufthansa Group hubs in Brussels, Rome, Vienna and Zurich, all Lufthansa Group airlines are already under one roof. For example, there was already a seamless transfer process for customers between SWISS and ITA Airways at Zurich Airport. In addition, the airlines’ check-in desks have already been placed next to each other at the majority of jointly served airports in recent weeks.

    Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer, Lufthansa Group, says: “This move is an important milestone in the integration of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group. Our customers will be able to transfer faster and more comfortably thanks to shorter distances and will have more comfort throughout their entire journey. This also includes the shared use of lounges. This integration gives ITA Airways passengers access to the enormous advantages of the Lufthansa Group, with all its premium airlines and a worldwide route network. It also gives passengers more direct access to numerous destinations to the Italian market. In just two months, we have succeeded in offering our passengers a seamless premium travel experience.” 

    With the summer flight schedule valid from today, ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group Airlines are also launching their joint codeshare flights, which have been offered to customers for several weeks. The route networks of ITA Airways and the other network airlines of the Lufthansa Group are now aligned and connected and can therefore be combined in a single booking. Passengers can choose from over 100 new codeshare connections within Europe, operated by both ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti). Lufthansa Group passengers can reach though code-sharing with ITA Airways the Italian airports of Alghero (AHO), Lampedusa (LMP), Pantelleria (PNL) and Reggio Calabria (REG). With a Lufthansa codeshare ticket, passengers can also travel to Tripoli in Libya again. More than 50,000 of these combination tickets have already been sold in the first three weeks.

    Reciprocal Lounge access possible with immediate effect 
    From today, ITA Airways passengers can also use the approximately 130 lounges of the Lufthansa Group and its partners on their travels. From today, the lounges of ITA Airways are also open to Lufthansa Group passengers from today. Frequent flyers have been benefiting from expanded options since 03 February 2025. Miles & More members can earn and redeem miles and points for their frequent flyer status on all flights operated by ITA Airways. Conversely, Volare customers can also earn and redeem points with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines. 
     

    MIL OSI Economics –