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Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Yannis Stournaras: Euro area challenges in an uncertain geopolitical landscape

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

    It is a pleasure and an honour to be here with you today at this esteemed gathering to discuss some of the most pressing challenges confronting the euro area. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to His Excellency the Ambassador of Poland and to the Embassy of Poland in Athens for hosting this important event, and for your continued commitment to fostering dialogue on issues that affect all of us in Europe. As we navigate through the complexities of our interconnected economies, the euro area finds itself at a critical juncture. In many ways, we are at a crossroads, where the decisions we make today will significantly shape the economic future of Europe for generations to come.

    Europe has emerged from the pandemic susceptible and weakened. Growth in the euro area has been disappointing in 2023 and 2024, at about 0.5% and 0.7% respectively, low on the basis of whatever criteria one would apply. A key factor underlying the tepid economic activity in the euro area in the last two years was weak business investment, which has been basically flat, if we exclude volatile business investment in Ireland. This starkly contrasts with the situation in the US, where business investment has grown almost three times faster than in the euro area in the post-pandemic period since the end of 2021.

    And, if anything, our projections for growth in 2025, at around 1%, clearly do not point to a strong pick-up in activity. In fact, more recent data, like the stagnation of GDP in the last quarter of 2024, already raise questions about the growth dynamics this year. Surveys indicate that manufacturing is still contracting and growth in services is slowing. Firms are holding back on investments, and exports remain weak, with some European industries struggling to remain competitive.

    This picture of subpar growth seems to reflect a series of long-standing structural impediments in the euro area, combined with unusually adverse global geopolitical factors as well as by political issues in some euro area countries, including the largest economies. War is waging on European soil, political gridlock hinders the ability to press ahead with reforms, while extremist political views are gaining ground across the continent.

    Of course, our restrictive but necessary monetary policy stance in the recent past, aimed at counteracting inflationary pressures, has also contributed to the weak growth developments of the euro area. In this sense, the easing interest rate path on which we have embarked should support activity. The good news is that the disinflation process remains well on track. Inflation has fallen rapidly from a peak of about 10.5% in October 2022 to 2.5% in January 2025 and is still trending downwards, despite some upward base effects in recent months, driven by oil and natural gas prices. What I find particularly encouraging is the fact that core inflation is at the moment a bit lower than we had expected in our latest projections. Core inflation is that part of inflation that excludes the most volatile components for which monetary policy has little, if any, impact. And this means that the past monetary policy tightening has done its job in taming inflation. It is also encouraging that, despite a very tight labour market and unemployment rates at historical lows, compensation per employee growth is easing. This is safeguarding a downward inflation path, also for services that are typically more labour-intensive compared to goods and, thus, their inflation is more persistent.

    Our December 2024 Eurosystem staff projections expect inflation to average 2.1% in 2025 and to return sustainably to our target in late 2025. Unless unexpected contingencies materialise, the ECB’s key interest rate through which we steer the monetary policy stance, the deposit facility rate, could fall to around 2% in the course of 2025 from its current level of 2.75%. Obviously, the sequence, pace and magnitude of interest rate cuts remain data-driven and will continue to be decided meeting by meeting.

    Overall, the balance of macroeconomic risks in the euro area has shifted from concerns about high inflation to concerns about low growth. In my view, the euro area is in danger of losing its economic footing, if it has not already done so. We have failed to rival US tech giants, while our economies are stagnating, facing strained public finances. Our region has grown at an average quarterly pace of 0.3% in the last 12 quarters. To put it into context, the US economy has expanded by a far more over the same period. And, to add to our own problems, the new US President seems to implement his election campaign declarations regarding import tariffs.

    Time is running out. We are facing, as ECB President Lagarde put it in Davos a few weeks ago, an existential crisis. There is an urgency for immediate action and collaborative efforts to effectively address Europe’s challenges at home and abroad. In the remainder of my speech, I would like to emphasise several major areas of concern that need to be addressed in priority.

    The first area is competitiveness. Productivity growth in the euro area has nearly stalled, constrained by unfavourable demographics, labour market rigidities in many countries, and weak capital growth. This also stems from Europe’s lagging business and investment dynamism. Europe has yet to match its global peers in channelling sufficient resources into innovation and productive economic activity, while energy remains expensive. European manufacturers pay about twice as much for electricity as their counterparts in the US. Meanwhile, the needs for electricity of an expanding digital economy will be enormous. Supercomputing infrastructure for artificial intelligence is becoming a geopolitical battleground, and the EU sovereigns must build capacity to reduce strategic dependence on foreign big tech companies.

    According to the 2024 European Investment Bank Investment Survey, capacity expansion has been a greater driver of investment in the US than in the euro area, where the primary focus in the latter remained on replacement. Euro area R&D investment was focused on mature industries, such as cars and equipment, while it has been increasingly concentrated in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based activities in the US, such as data centres and AI-related facilities. Intangible investment is key for productivity and value added growth, likely contributing to the widening productivity gap between the two jurisdictions, and impacting also potential output growth differentials.

    The road to a robust recovery for the European economy demands mobilising the substantial private investment necessary to reignite growth and foster resilience. To keep pace with global competitors, Europe needs to prioritise a substantial boost in investment in the next few years and structural reforms aimed at enhancing long-term potential growth. Notably, increased spending in green and digital transitions, innovation and energy are paramount for making Europe more productive, competitive and resilient.

    What is in my view needed?

    First, a more harmonised, yet less burdensome, regulation in the EU – for example, regarding corporate law, insolvencies, taxation and labour law – would improve competitiveness without having to invest a single euro.

    Second, the promotion of a single market for capital is essential. The creation of a European Savings and Investments Union is a move in the right direction, as it can ensure a smooth flow of investment throughout our Union. Establishing common supervision of EU capital markets, integrating the highly segmented infrastructure of European financial markets, and standardising products for retail investment can mobilise both EU’s large savings and foreign capital. In addition, deepening the securitisation market and simplifying the relevant regulation can also contribute to attracting investors.

    Third, the completion of Banking Union, with the establishment of EDIS (European Deposit Insurance Scheme) and a Crisis Management Mechanism – CMDI, since a segmented banking sector can never achieve the efficiency and economies of scale gains of US banks.

    There is no doubt that enhanced financial integration can empower innovative firms at all stages of their development with the funding they need to scale up and thrive in a competitive global landscape, reducing their reliance on financing outside Europe. To this end, it is critical to provide investors with incentives for more risk capital, for example by overcoming the institutional and operational hurdles that make European venture capital firms underperform their US counterparts.

    Finally, a permanent fiscal capacity in Europe can successfully step up investments and growth-enhancing projects directed towards areas that bolster economic potential and resilience across Europe. In fact, the accomplishments of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility offer a valuable blueprint for what can be achieved through coordinated and targeted fiscal initiatives. A clear illustration of this is the finding in the Draghi report that, despite public spending in research and innovation being similar in the EU and the US, it yields much lower dividends in the EU because it is fragmented and uncoordinated across countries.

    Related to that, we need to take a careful look at the factors that have inhibited private investment and, therefore, productivity. In this regard, two factors come to mind.

    First, it appears that some countries are simply not competitive because of structural impediments, such as over-regulation in some markets. I find it interesting that our fastest growing economies at present are those that have had to implement structural reforms during the past decade – countries such as Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and my own.

    Second, we should take a close look at the relationship between investment and our taxation policies. There may well be a need to better harmonise our tax policies in a way that provides an incentive to invest. 

    While these advances require addressing long-standing barriers and fragmentation across jurisdictions and sectors, they would also significantly improve the access of businesses to financing. By fostering business efficiency and resource reallocation to the most productive and competitive sectors, sustainable growth can be supported.

    To this end, we welcome the Commission’s roadmap on improving competitiveness that was released at the end of January 2025, the so-called Competitiveness Compass, which was based on recommendations by the Draghi report. An increase of productivity by closing the innovation gap is of paramount importance for the economic welfare of European citizens. So is investment in human capital through upskilling and reskilling, talent attraction and retainment, and effective integration of underutilised workers and immigrants into the labour force.

    Under President Lagarde’s leadership, the ECB’s Governing Council stands ready to play its part in this quest for higher productivity and competitiveness. First, by maintaining a low and predictable inflation environment, the ECB promotes confidence among businesses and investors and contributes to fostering investment and long-term capital allocation required for sustainable economic growth. Second, by removing in a timely manner layers of monetary policy restriction no longer necessary. With inflation sustainably settling around our target, easier financing conditions will be key in stimulating investment by making capital more accessible and affordable.

    The second area of concern for the euro area is the declared trade policy by the new President of the United States. Although the details of a potential imposition of US tariffs have yet to be disclosed, the prospect of an aggressive US trade policy, coupled with possible retaliatory measures, are likely to have far-reaching implications, adding to the euro area’s headwinds. With trade volumes between the EU and the US at 1.5 trillion euros, it is clear that US tariffs on Europe will be negative for growth. Market estimates suggest that a 10% US tariff on all imports from the euro area, coupled with higher uncertainty about future US-EU trade relations, could depress euro area GDP growth by up to 0.5 percentage points within a year. The magnitude of these adverse growth effects will depend, among other things, on the range of products subject to higher tariffs, how long these tariffs will persist, which retaliatory and counter-retaliatory measures will be put in place, and the feedback effects from global economic and financial conditions. Incidentally, both theory and practice suggest that tariffs is usually a loose-loose instrument, hence not only the US trade partners are bound to loose, but the US too.

    The impact of tariffs on euro area inflation is less straightforward, operating through various channels. On the one hand, a USD appreciation or a tariff retaliation on US goods from our side will make euro area imports from the US – as well as the bulk of total energy imports that is dollar-invoiced – more expensive, pushing up inflation. On the other hand, a possible re-direction of cheaper Chinese exports from the US to the EU market, due to a US-China trade war, would ceteris paribus accentuate the disinflation process in the euro area.

    In any case, uncertainty about geopolitical, trade and financial developments could significantly weigh on economic sentiment and confidence, further hindering consumption and investment from recovering. At the same time, trade constraints are likely to impact activity in the manufacturing sector, the sick man in Europe, prolonging the ongoing economic stagnation in our region. Completing the Single Market will help meet these challenges.

    Strengthening and extending Europe’s trade alliances is also essential to balance trade risks. Expanding bilateral and regional preferential trade agreements would foster cooperation with other countries and contribute to a functional, rule-based multilateral trade system. These steps are essential to boosting investment and fostering sustainable growth, while enhancing the resilience of our economies against external shocks.

    Turning to the pressing issue of climate adaptation and mitigation, it is clear that we are faced with “peak pessimism”. The US withdrawal from the global climate change negotiations and initiatives has been complemented with major banks and asset funds in the US and Europe distancing themselves from climate policies. We can all see the risks. But we also need to see the opportunities. Momentum for the energy transition needs to remain strong in our continent, and across the rest of the world. We have an even stronger case to double down on our own initiatives to bolster decarbonisation, while avoiding Europe’s deindustrialisation. Clean energy at competitive prices should be seen as a great opportunity to industrialise rather than the opposite. The European Commission’s plans for a Clean Industrial Deal and its intentions to streamline the sustainability reporting rules, without discounting on transparency, are good examples of how to balance the goal of greening the economy with that of preserving the EU’s industrial base and firms’ competitiveness.

    As supervisors, central banks can also make sure that the commercial banking sector is better positioned in managing climate risks. We can strengthen the credibility of our monetary policy in achieving our mandate, taking into consideration the implications of climate change for inflation and output. And last but not least, Europe ought to become again the key driver for green tech and finance, which takes me back to the imperative of the European Savings and Investment Union.

    Let me conclude by saying that a key prerequisite for economic prosperity is a safer and more secure Europe. We cannot thrive in an environment where security is fragile or compromised. The Polish EU Presidency in the first half of 2025 has rightly spotlighted the security challenge as central to Europe’s future. Reinforcing the EU’s civilian and military preparedness must be a priority, as it ensures the Union is resilient to a variety of threats, both internal and external. From preparing for natural disasters to building robust defence capacity and shielding our economies from modern threats, such as cyberattacks and critical infrastructure disruptions, are all vital to uphold economic stability and progress.

    In a world fraught with uncertainty about geopolitical, trade and financial developments, full of unknown unknowns, I cannot emphasise enough the urgency for immediate and coordinated steps to navigate these challenges effectively. The challenges we face may be complex but are not insurmountable. With a shared commitment to economic stability, growth and innovation, we can continue to build a more inclusive and sustainable European economy and strengthen our continent’s role in international diplomacy. I am confident that the ambitious programme of the Polish EU Presidency will yield positive outcomes and give Europeans a sense of security and optimism about the future of our economies.

    Thank you very much for your attention.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Denis Beau: New payments landscape, but old challenges for central banks?

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Let me start with stating the obvious: globally, the payments ecosystem has experienced significant transformations in the last couple of decades. New technologies have transformed products and services offered on the retail payment market; the ecosystem has expanded with new entrants notably BigTechs and Fintechs, which have now become key links in the payments value chain; and we have seen the emergence of new DLT-based private settlement assets, in tandem with the emergence of the so-called “tokenisation of finance”.
     
    Speaking from the perspective of a central bank which has in its mandate to ensure the proper functioning of the payment system, these transformations have raised traditional policy challenges to help mitigate risks and harness benefits of those transformations, given their potentially two sided impacts on efficiency and safety of payments. At the Banque de France, they have been addressed with 2 convictions: first a regulatory framework is needed that is sufficiently demanding but innovation friendly, to ensure confidence in our payment system; second, central bank money must remain at the heart of settlement between intermediaries, which is most sensitive from a systemic risk perspective. But those transformations have also brought to payments a new strategic dimension, owing notably to their wide-ranging implications on market concentration, data protection and sovereignty. And the first weeks of the new US Presidency are blowing in favor of deregulation, new and private crypto-based settlement assets, against multilateralism and multilateral institutions, which may be adding new challenges going forward.

    Should this evolving payment landscape and policy environment lead us to alter in important ways the policies and tools we, central banks, have been using so far or considering using, like issuing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)?

    It is likely that all central banks may not have the same answer to that question, but what I would like to do now is simply share with you my own view on that topic. In a nutshell my conviction is that the Banque de France policy stance and toolkit may require more of an adjustment than a thorough overhaul going forward. I would like to take 3 key features of our payment systems policy so far to illustrate my view: our central bank money services, the role we give to cooperation with other stakeholders, and our involvement in the innovation ecosystem.

    1 Central bank money services

    In the wholesale space, the security and efficiency of financial transactions between financial intermediaries importantly hinge on the nature of the settlement asset chosen.
     
    Lessons learned from past financial crises have underlined the critical importance of using secure settlement assets. In response, the Banque de France and many other central banks have committed to promoting the use of central bank money in the wholesale payments space. This commitment is reflected in Principle 9 of the CPMI-IOSCO’s Principles for financial market infrastructures (PFMIs). And we have been successful in the implementation of this policy, as central bank money is actually the very dominant settlement asset in the wholesale space, across many currency zones, starting with the euro area.

    However, as tokenisation of assets gains momentum, private settlement assets, particularly so-called “stablecoins”, are likely to become the settlement assets for those transactions, absent the availability of central bank money on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). In addition, the proliferation of uncoordinated settlement solutions resulting from the lack of public sector response to the tokenisation of finance could lead to increased liquidity fragmentation.

    This is why we have considered that we need to adapt the provision for the euro area of central bank money to the demands of an increasingly digital financial system, to prevent regression in the safety and efficiency of wholesale transactions. The urgency of such adaptation has certainly increased given the evolution of the geopolitical context I referred to earlier in my remarks.

    Since 2020, the Banque de France has been one of the first central banks to launch an ambitious experimental program focused on the use of wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) in various settlement processes for varied assets.

    Building on these experiments and promising outcome, the Eurosystem conducted a series of new experiments on the settlement of wholesale transactions in central bank money in 2024 with the active involvement of the Banque de France, Banca d’Italia and Bundesbank as solution providers. Actual settlement has been tested for the lifecycle management of securities and secondary market transactions. The Eurosystem will soon draw lessons from this work and I trust will roll out operational solutions rapidly, including on how to facilitate the provision of central bank money for wholesale transactions on DLT platforms.

    At the international level, the BDF remains actively involved in several initiatives on wholesale CBDCs for cross-border payments. Three key initiatives working as bricks and coordinated by the BIS Innovation Hubs epitomize those investigations. First, Project Rialto, which focuses on improving cross-border settlement efficiency. Then, Project Mandala, which addresses regulatory frictions in cross-border payments. Finally, Project Agorá, which examines how a programmable platform and the tokenisation of cross-border payments can enhance the existing correspondent banking model, thus prefiguring the concept of shared ledger.

    On the retail side, in the uncomfortable context of a lasting dependence on US payment solutions and networks, we have been since its inception supporting and involved in the digital euro project. We see it as an important one because it can provide a public alternative that preserves freedom of choice, sovereignty and competition in our euro area retail payment system. This new form of central bank money would be comparable to a “digital banknote”, preserving the characteristics of cash in the digital space – notably its privacy, resilience and inclusiveness. As you know, the Eurosystem is currently conducting a preparation phase – aimed at finalising the design, selecting potential suppliers and conducting experiments. At the same time, a democratic debate is underway in the Parliament and the Council. The decision to issue a digital euro has not yet been made and will only be taken once the legislative process comes to a conclusion.

    2 Cooperative approaches

    The second key feature of our payments policy is the reliance on cooperation across authorities and with private sector stakeholders. An important driver for this is related to the fact that payments are increasingly challenged by the fragmentation of the payment value chain and the rise of sophisticated fraud patterns. This context calls for regulators and supervisors to share knowledge and best practices to foster payments security. To that end, I believe that central banks have a key role to play in facilitating cooperation across authorities in charge of data protection, cybersecurity, regulation of telecommunication and digital platforms, together with the private sector.
     
    We have promoted and experienced successfully such cooperation in France for more than 20 years now, through the Observatory for the security of payment means. We therefore intend to maintain and extend it going forward at national level. We have just extended the participation to the OSPM to telcos and we plan to develop work with social media going forward. I believe that a dedicated forum on payment security at EU level could be usefully created on similar grounds.
     
    Another important driver is that digitalization and the increasing role of BigTechs in payments raise novel challenges in terms of level-playing field. This should encourage central banks to explore new avenues of cooperation with competition authorities. This is a path we have started to take, to prevent and address non-compliance practices in payments markets, for example in the card market with access issues to NFC antenna on iPhones, or in the choice and selection of payment brands under the Interchange Fee Regulation.

    The last driver I would like to mention is the increased dependence on non-European players in the euro-area payments market. In the uncertain geopolitical context we live in, payment sovereignty has become a key issue for public authorities, including central banks, for both retail and wholesale payments. This is why we and the other central banks of the Eurosystem have made the development of a pan-European payment solution an important goal of our retail payment strategy and that we support the roll-out of the European Payment Initiative (EPI) and its digital wallet, wero. The development of a digital euro as a platform for innovation could also contribute to this objective, allowing private payment solutions like wero to re-use its open standards to extend their reach and scale up. Furthermore, the provision of central bank money settlement for wholesale asset transactions on DLT platforms by the Eurosystem in the future months, and the development of a European Shared Ledger in the future years could directly contribute to this objective.

    3 Involvement in the innovation ecosystem

    A third and last key feature of our current payments policy I would like to mention is our active involvement in, and use of, technological innovations. I have already mentioned illustrations of that feature though the wide ranging CBDC experiments, based on DLTs we have been performing over the last years. But there are other fields we are involved in like AI, cybersecurity, post-quantum cryptography.

    Those experiments are run first to allow us to better understand those new technologies, building on dedicated resources and innovative tools we have put in place in-house, like our Lab, the Banque de France innovation center, and the Fintech Innovation center at the ACPR, or tools provided by others like the BIS, with its innovation hub, to which we actively contribute.

    The knowledge base developed though this active participation to the innovation ecosystem can then be usefully leveraged for the conduct of our traditional activities to ensure a safe and efficient payment system, as an overseer, catalyst or service provider. Indeed, it allows us to acquire a good command of technologies which may be driving important change in the payment landscape going forward.

    This operational model has served us well so far and we intend to keep it as a core feature of our payments policy.

    To conclude, let me share with you three convictions regarding the conditions under which the transformations underway of the payments landscape can bring sustainable benefits (from an efficiency and safety perspective), and how we can best contribute as central banks.

    First, we need a regulatory framework that does not stifle innovation but that is sufficiently demanding to ensure that stakeholders are reasonably protected, stability of our payment system is guaranteed and prevention of new system wide financial crisis is ensured.

    Second, within the remit of our mandate vis-a-vis payment systems, we need to persevere with the policy goals we have been pursuing so far, where new issues such as sovereignty have gained a critical importance, while adapting the tools we use to evolving and more challenging geopolitical circumstances. An important area for this will be the adaptation of central bank money services to the digital age of payments we are now facing, including in the form of CBDC. This is all the more warranted for us at the Banque de France that it could provide a stepping stone towards the provision of a new, decentralised and European infrastructure in the form of a European Shared Ledger that we have started considering with attention.

    Third, like in the past, collaboration will remain essential: between central banks, with authorities in other sectors and with market participants.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: The Nomination Committee proposes the re-election of all members of the Board of Directors of CoinShares International Limited

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    25 February 2025 | SAINT HELIER, Jersey – the Nomination Committee of CoinShares International Limited (“CoinShares” or the “Company“) (Nasdaq Stockholm Market: CS; US OTCQX: CNSRF), a global investment firm specializing in digital assets, hereby announces the following proposals for the Annual General Meeting of shareholders on 31 May 2025, with regard to the election of the members and Chair of the Board of Directors.

    The Nominee Committee proposes the re-election of all current members of the Board. Accordingly, Daniel Masters, Jean-Marie Mognetti, Carsten Køppen, Christine Rankin, Viktor Fritzén and Johan Lundberg are proposed as members of the Board. The Nomination Committee proposes that Daniel Masters be re-elected as Chair of the Board.

    The Nomination Committee also proposes to increase the remuneration of non-executive directors from GBP 50,000 per annum, previously set in 2020, to GBP 70,000 per annum. The proposed increase in the remuneration reflects the increased responsibilities associated with the move to the regulated segment of Nasdaq Stockholm in 2022, as well as ensuring that the Company can continue to attract and retain the right candidates for the Board of Directors.

    The Nomination Committee of CoinShares International Limited consists of the following members:

    • Michael Carlton, appointed by Daniel Masters, Chair of the Nomination Committee
    • Jean-Frédéric Mognetti, appointed by Mognetti Partners Limited
    • Paul Davidson, appointed by Russell Newton
    • Johan Lundberg, representative of the Board of Directors of CoinShares International Limited 

    Information about the members of the Board of CoinShares International Limited is available on the company’s website.

    The Nomination Committee’s complete proposal will be presented in the notice of the Annual General Meeting. In connection with the issuance of the notice, the Nomination Committee’s motivated statement will also be provided on the company’s website.

    For further information, please contact:
    Johan Lundberg, Member of the Nomination Committee of CoinShares International Limited
    Tel: +46 739 88 04 22
    johan.lundberg@nftventures.com

    About CoinShares

    CoinShares is a leading global investment company specialising in digital assets, that delivers a broad range of financial services across investment management, trading and securities to a wide array of clients that includes corporations, financial institutions and individuals. Focusing on crypto since 2013, the firm is headquartered in Jersey, with offices in France, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US. CoinShares is regulated in Jersey by the Jersey Financial Services Commission, in France by the Autorité des marchés financiers, and in the US by the Securities and Exchange Commission, National Futures Association and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. CoinShares is publicly listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker CS and the OTCQX under the ticker CNSRF.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Bango launches world’s first all-in-one Super Bundling technology

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, Feb. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bango (AIM: BGO) today announces the launch of the world’s first all-in-one technology for Super Bundling, allowing any business to build and launch a state-of-the art subscriptions hub.

    The new technology is part of the latest Digital Vending Machine® (DVM™) product release from Bango, which is used by leading subscriptions hubs like Verizon +play and Optus SubHub.

    The need for this technology follows rising demand from subscribers, with research from Bango showing that 35% have lost track of how much they pay for subscriptions, while 49% are annoyed they can’t manage all of their accounts and services in one place. As a result, 73% now want one single ‘hub’ for subscriptions.

    Super Bundling subscriptions hubs are increasingly used by telcos, banks and retailers to drive customer engagement, build loyalty and unlock new revenue streams, with 88% of telco leaders planning to launch a subscriptions hub.

    The new Digital Vending Machine CX provides the key functionality needed to deliver an all-in-one Super Bundling product, allowing telcos, banks, retailers and other businesses to:

    • Quickly launch a branded subscriptions hub with pre-built, responsive, templates for desktop and mobile screens
    • Connect and offer sophisticated deals with hundreds of subscription partners including leading streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and YouTube Premium
    • Analyze the performance of subscriptions, bundles and offers, tracking trends in activations and cancellations in real time

    Bango estimates that this white-label solution will save telcos and other resellers up to 18 months when developing and launching subscriptions hubs in future.

    Bundling just got easier

    The new DVM CX is one part of a wider update to the Digital Vending Machine®, designed to make all forms of subscription bundling easier for any content provider or reseller, from end to end.

    Key features of the new end-to-end update include:

    • Offer management including plan lifecycle: Effortlessly create and manage simple to complex subscription bundles with flexible pricing, discounts, and phased plans. Our powerful tools cut setup time from days to minutes, ensuring agility in launching and optimizing offers.
    • Migration engine: Migrate existing, live consumer subscriptions onto a Super Bundling hub with no loss of service.
    • Offer orchestration: Seamless, automated workflows that instantly activate subscriptions when customers select an offer. No delays, no friction – just fast, effortless onboarding.
    • Smart top ups: Purpose built to support Top Up business models for offers, providing hassle-free subscription top-ups and renewals without interrupting the subscriber’s service
    • Partner discovery: Explore and connect with over 100+ subscription services in the DVM ecosystem.

    This update is designed to break the current gridlock which is slowing down the creation and launch of subscription bundles and preventing many businesses from entering the market.

    As Paul Larbey, CEO at Bango explains: “For a growing number of subscribers, subscriptions are no longer experienced as a series of one-by-one direct purchases. Subscribers now want to combine services, create bespoke deals, renew on their own terms, and pay through a single, consolidated, transparent bill. This enhanced DVM enables many more businesses to provide this all-in-one experience, giving subscribers the flexibility and control they demand.

    “As telcos, retailers and banks start to offer these sophisticated subscription bundles, the DVM removes the roadblocks. By eliminating complex set-up and protracted launch schedules through more powerful technology, we’ve streamlined the entire process from end-to-end, while providing access to an ecosystem of over 100 subscription providers. The new configurable DVM CX is the final piece of this puzzle, opening up all-in-one Super Bundling to the market at large.”

    Find out more about Bango’s Digital Vending Machine®, the latest update and the new DVM CX here.

    About Bango
    Bango enables content providers to reach more paying customers through global partnerships. Bango revolutionized the monetization of digital content and services, by opening-up online payments to mobile phone users worldwide. Today, the Digital Vending Machine® is driving the rapid growth of the subscriptions economy, powering choice and control for subscribers.

    The world’s largest content providers, including Amazon, Google and Microsoft, trust Bango technology to reach subscribers everywhere.

    Bango, where people subscribe. For more information, visit www.bango.com.

    Media contact:
    Anil Malhotra, CMO, Bango
    anil@bango.com
    Tel: +44 7710 480 377

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: New KnowBe4 Report Reveals the Hidden Power of Information Sharing in Shaping an Organization’s Security Culture

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TAMPA BAY, FL, Feb. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KnowBe4, the world-renowned cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, today announced the release of research report “Cybersecurity Information Sharing as an Element of Sustainable Security Culture”, authored by by Dr. Marin J. Kraemer, Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4, and Dr. William Seymour, Lecturer in Cybersecurity at King’s College London. The report examines how people consume and share cybersecurity information, revealing the role that workplace training plays in fostering information sharing among colleagues.

    Many employees already engage with cyber-related information in their personal lives, and when they proactively share it, it reflects a mature security mindset. A well-established security culture encourages good habits, mutual support, and a clear awareness of risks. By examining how cybersecurity news spreads, organizations can gain valuable insights to strengthen defenses and minimize human risk.

    The report found that, on average, 57% of people surveyed received cybersecurity-related training, with 73% in the UK, 60% in the U.S., 55% in Germany and only 38% in France. Workplace training influenced information sharing, as 24% of those trained went on to share insights with colleagues and were more likely to remember phishing-related content.

    Other key findings:

    • 95% of people have read or watched cybersecurity content at least once.
    • 77% have had cybersecurity information shared with them and 25% have actively shared cybersecurity information with others.
    • 22% of employees find cybersecurity information from websites and 21% find it from employers.
    • Generally, employers were an important source of cybersecurity information across all age groups, whereas social media was an important channel for the 18-29 year age group.

    “Employees care about cybersecurity—and organizations should, too,” said Kraemer. “Successful security awareness programs recognize that engaged employees are more likely to share important insights with their colleagues, strengthening the workplace security culture. By delivering high-quality, relevant content and making it easy to share, organizations can empower their workforce to make informed decisions, reduce risks, and create a security-first mindset that extends beyond the office.”

    Ultimately, ‘the more you care, the more you (want to) share’. When employees are properly engaged with cyber risks, the more likely they are to openly communicate with others about this topic and create a stronger security culture in the workplace. Understanding how employees consume and share cybersecurity news is essential for building a stronger security culture.

    The full report, “Cybersecurity Information Sharing as an Element of Sustainable Security Culture”, is available to download here.

    About KnowBe4

    KnowBe4 empowers workforces to make smarter security decisions every day. Trusted by over 70,000 organizations worldwide, KnowBe4 helps to strengthen security culture and manage human risk. KnowBe4 offers a comprehensive AI-driven ‘best-of-suite’ platform for Human Risk Management, creating an adaptive defense layer that fortifies user behavior against the latest cybersecurity threats. The HRM+ platform includes modules for awareness & compliance training, cloud email security, real-time coaching, crowdsourced anti-phishing, AI Defense Agents, and more. As the only global security platform of its kind, KnowBe4 utilizes personalized and relevant cybersecurity protection content, tools and techniques to mobilize workforces to transform from the largest attack surface to an organization’s biggest asset.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Infrastructure Minister has fallen at the first hurdle – Green Party

    Source: The Green Party in Northern Ireland

    New Infrastructure Minister has fallen at the first hurdle – Green Party
    Green Party Leader Mal O’Hara said, “Sinn Fein continue to lack ambition on public transport regardless of who they swap into or out of the Ministerial seat. While the Glider expansion is welcome, it was very clear that the public appetite for extending the service to Glengormley was there. That the Minister cites “congestion” in Glengormley centre as a key reason not to expand the Glider shows just how poorly this executive understands transport. Frequent, reliable and cheap public transport reduces congestion.”
    Cllr Aine Groogan said, “This is a short-sighted decision by the Minister for Infrastructure. I’m incredibly frustrated that there is no plan to extend the new glider route to Carryduff, it shows that there continues to be no vision or appetite for transformation amidst the NI Executive. We need extensive investment in our public transport system to make up for the years of chronic underfunding. What isn’t economically viable is Stormont’s failure to grasp that we are in a climate emergency & a public health crisis from air pollution, its nonsensical not to include what is in reality a modest extension to the scheme.”
    ENDS 
    Press enquiries – Mal O’Hara on 07540790663 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Health trainers launch three weekly drop-ins across city

    Source: City of York

    Health trainer Emma Scaling is pictured at the drop-in at Tang Hall Explore library

    Published Tuesday, 25 February 2025

    City of York Council’s Health Trainer team have launched new weekly drop-ins at three Explore libraries across the city.

    They are offering help and advice for anyone wanting to stop smoking, lose weight, lower their drinking or get more active.

    The team already provide residents with programmes of one-to-one confidential support, as well as working with groups in the community, providing training and attending events. Residents can self-refer for the service at www.york.gov.uk/CYCHealthTrainers or by phoning 01904 553377.

    Now they hope the weekly face-to-face drop-ins at Explore libraries will enable people to find out more about the service at easy-to-reach locations:

    • York Explore: Mondays 9.30am-12pm
    • Acomb Explore Library Café: Thursdays 9.30am-12.30pm
    • Tang Hall Explore: Thursdays 9.30am-12pm

    Visitors to the drop-ins can find out York’s Swap2Stop offer and smokers can try a simple breath test to find out how much carbon monoxide is in their blood.

    The Swap2Stop offer provides York residents aged over 18 with either:

    • a free, four-week vape starter kit that will be posted out to them
    • or a 10-week programme of one-to-one support with free vapes or nicotine replacement products

    Recent figures showed the team were providing the most effective stop smoking service in the country, with 82 per cent of people who set a quit date with the service having successfully stopped smoking four weeks after that date.

    Since the Swap2Stop offer was launched, aimed at encouraging smokers to make the switch from smoking to vaping to improve their health, referrals to the service have more than doubled.

    Glyn Newberry, Health Trainer Service Manager, at City of York Council, said:

    “Anyone interested in finding out more about our service or who needs general advice about improving their health can now drop in and speak to one of our friendly and experienced health trainers in an informal setting.

    “Hundreds of clients across the city have already benefited from the service we provide and we want to reach even more people to help them live healthier lives. Come and find out about our Swap2Stop offer and all the other ways in which we can support you – for free!”

    Jenny Layfield, Chief Executive of York Libraries and Archives, said:

    “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with the Health Trainer team. We hope that by offering these drop-ins in our busy and welcoming spaces, even more York residents will take advantage of this supportive and valuable free service.”

    Residents can find out more at www.york.gov.uk/CYCHealthTrainers or by phoning 01904 553377.

    Find more on the Swap2Stop offer at: www.york.gov.uk/swap2stop.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Filling the gap: New DASA Market Exploration seeks novel Non-Compressible Haemorrhage technologies

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Filling the gap: New DASA Market Exploration seeks novel Non-Compressible Haemorrhage technologies

    New and innovative technologies for controlling Non-Compressible Haemorrhages are being sought by Research and Clinical Innovation (RCI) Research, Surgeon General’s Department

    • DASA has launched a new Market Exploration called ‘Non-Compressible Haemorrhage – Novel Technologies’
    • This Market Exploration is being run on behalf of Research and Clinical Innovation (RCI) Research, Surgeon General’s Department
    • The deadline for submissions is midday (BST) on 15 April 2025

    The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch a new Market Exploration around Non-Compressible Haemorrhage (NCH) to understand who is doing work in this area and to uncover novel solutions for treating NCH at a combat casualty scene. Run on behalf of Research and Clinical Innovation (RCI) Research, Surgeon General’s Department, this Market Exploration is seeking to identify existing technologies from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 and above. This will allow a better understanding of the current market capability to inform future medical research, treatment and development.

    Non-Compressible Haemorrhage refers to bleeding from anatomical structures that cannot be controlled, or only partially controlled, with application of external pressure, undertaken through an overlying tourniquet or direct manual pressure. Such bleeding is the chief cause of otherwise preventable battlefield death. NCH is highly lethal with a mortality rate of 85%

    Do you work in this area? Could your innovation be used in a novel way? Read the full Market Exploration document and submit a proposal.

    What technologies is this Market Exploration seeking?

    The RCI Research, Surgeon General’s Department is seeking options of treating NCH at the emergency scene that can be used by non-medical professionals in austere settings close to point of injury.

    In particular, the exploration should focus on medical device technologies that can target or triage the source of haemorrhage in the pre-hospital environment, from bodily cavity through to exact organ or vessel. Refinements of current medical devices, transfusion of blood or other infusion fluids, and pharmacologic means of haemostasis or haemorrhage control will be out-of-scope for this exploration.  

    Ideally, the proposed solution should be portable, simple to use and go well beyond the current limits of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA), Abdominal Tourniquet, or expanding foam. For instance, it could be applicable to haemorrhage within the thoracic cavity or the retroperitoneal areas of the abdomen. However, it should not compromise other aspects of care and follow-on surgery or require excessive resource to control, apply or remove.

    Submit a proposal

    Do you have an innovation that matches the requirements? Read the full Market Exploration document to learn more and submit a proposal.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK Statement on response to the situation in Eastern DRC

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK Statement on response to the situation in Eastern DRC

    The UK has issued a statement in response to the situation in Eastern DRC.

    A UK Government spokesperson said:

    “The UK is deeply concerned by the situation in eastern DRC. The Foreign Secretary met with President Tshisekedi in Kinshasa and President Kagame in Kigali on 21 and 22 February.

    “In his meetings, he was clear that there can be no military solution to the conflict. There must be an immediate cessation of hostilities. The recent offensives by M23 and the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), including the capture of Goma and Bukavu, are an unacceptable violation of DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a breach of the UN Charter.

    “The Foreign Secretary urged both leaders to engage meaningfully and in good faith with African led peace processes to find a lasting political solution. They must honour all commitments made at the Joint EAC-SADC Summit on 8 February. The UK will continue to discuss with African and other partners what more it can do to support these efforts.

    “The humanitarian situation in eastern DRC is critical. Close to a million people have been recently displaced in eastern DRC and hundreds of thousands are in desperate need of lifesaving support. There is a responsibility on all parties to protect the people of eastern DRC who have suffered so much in this conflict.

    “The Foreign Secretary has been clear that there would be a strong response from the international community in response to the escalating conflict. In recent weeks, the UK has coordinated closely with international partners, including those from the G7 and the International Contact Group on the Great Lakes, on that response. We have also used every appropriate opportunity at the United Nations Security Council and the Human Rights Council to call for a resolution to the conflict in Eastern DRC.

    “During the Foreign Secretary’s visit, he announced an additional package of £14.6 million of humanitarian support to help those in Eastern DRC who are suffering most.

    “The UK calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, respect for international humanitarian law, meaningful engagement with African-led peace processes, and the withdrawal of all Rwanda Defence Forces from Congolese territory.

    “Until significant progress is made, the UK will take the following measures:

    1. Cease high-level attendance at events hosted by the Government of Rwanda.

    2. Limit trade promotion activity with Rwanda.

    3. Pause direct bilateral financial aid to the Government of Rwanda, excluding support to the poorest and most vulnerable.

    4. Coordinate with partners on potential new sanctions designations.

    5. Suspend future defence training assistance to Rwanda.

    6. Review export licences for the Rwanda Defence Force.

    “Rwanda may have security concerns but it is unacceptable to resolve these militarily. There can only be a political solution to this conflict. We encourage DRC to engage with M23 as part of an inclusive dialogue.

    “We will continue to keep our policy under review.”

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Barred European Union politician brands Israel as ‘a rogue state’

    Israel has now banned another European Union parliamentarian from entering the country, reports Al Jazeera.

    The government gave no reasons why Lynn Boylan, who chairs the European Parliament EU-Palestine delegation, was denied entry.

    “This utter contempt from Israel is the result of the international community failing to hold them to account,” Boylan, an Irish MP in Brussels, said in a statement.

    “Israel is a rogue state, and this disgraceful move shows the level of utter disregard that they have for international law.

    “Europe must now hold Israel to account.”

    Boylan said she had planned to meet with Palestinian Authority officials, representatives of civil society organisations, and people living under Israeli occupation.

    She is a member of the Sinn Fein party in Ireland, which has been among the most vocal countries in criticising the Israeli government over its treatment of Palestinians.

    France’s Hassan also refused
    Earlier, EU lawmaker Rima Hassan was also refused entry at Ben-Gurion airport and ordered to return to Europe.

    “Hassan, who is expected to land from Brussels in the coming hour, consistently works to promote boycotts against Israel in addition to numerous public statements both on social media and in media interviews,” said Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel’s office.

    Hassan is a French national of Palestinian origin known for her support of the Palestinian cause and for speaking out against Israel’s war on Gaza.

    Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, outlined a range of worries about the situation in war-battered Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

    “We have constantly called on all parties, including Israel, to respect international humanitarian law,” she said, adding that Europe “cannot hide our concern when it comes to the West Bank”.

    ICC raps Merz over warrants
    Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has declared that states cannot unilaterally “determine soundness” of its rulings

    Earlier, it was reported that Germany’s election winner Friedrich Merz was saying he planned to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the country — despite an ICC war crimes warrant issued for his arrest, which Merz claimed did not apply.

    The ICC responded by saying states had a legal obligation to enforce its decisions, and any concerns they may have should be addressed with the court in a timely and efficient manner.

    “It is not for states to unilaterally determine the soundness of the court’s legal decisions,” said the ICC in a statement.

    Israel rejects the jurisdiction of the court and denies war crimes were committed during its devastating war on Gaza.

    Germans feel a special responsibility towards Israel because of the legacy of the Holocaust, and Merz has made clear he is a strong ally. But Germany also has a strong tradition of support for international justice for war crimes.

    Amnesty slams ‘shameful silence’
     Amnesty International and 162 other civil society organisations and trade unions have signed a joint letter calling on the EU to ban trade and business with Israel’s settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.

    “Despite EU consensus about the settlements’ illegality and their link to serious abuses, the EU continues to trade and allow business with them,” the letter said.

    This contributes to “the serious and systemic human rights and other international law abuses underpinning the settlement enterprise”, it added.

    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July issued a landmark advisory opinion affirming that states must not recognise, aid or assist the unlawful situation arising from Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.

    Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Updated guidance for DASA Open Call for Innovation

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Updated guidance for DASA Open Call for Innovation

    The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has published updated guidance for its Open Call for Innovation service.

    The refreshed guidance includes updates to the submission cycles for 2025-26, as well as other updates to information and pre-sift requirements contained within. These updates aim to streamline the application process and provide clearer parameters for innovators.

    The new guidance will take effect from 1200hrs 25 February 2025 (GMT). All submissions from this date will need to align with the updated requirements.

    We encourage potential applicants to:

    • Review the new guidance before submitting proposals
    • Check the submission deadlines for 2025-26
    • Contact the DASA team with any questions via accelerator@dstl.gov.uk

    For full details of the updated guidance, visit DASA Open Call for Innovation and select the link for the current open cycle.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Solar panels will cut harmful emissions and energy bills at Harpenden Leisure Centre

    Source: St Albans City and District

    Publication date:

    A project to equip Harpenden Leisure Centre with solar panels to reduce harmful emissions and cut energy bills has been completed.

    More than 170 panels, covering around 400 square metres, have been fitted to the south facing roof of the centre.

    It is estimated the panels will cut emissions by 18 tonnes of CO2 a year by generating 93 megawatts of electricity.

    That amounts to 12.5% of the centre’s needs and will provide a significant saving of some £24,000 a year on energy bills.

    St Albans City and District Council owns the centre which is managed by its leisure contractor Everyone Active.

    They applied for a Sport England grant to help finance the project and were awarded £173,000 from the Swimming Pool Support Fund, supported by the National Lottery.

    Builders TJ Evers, based in Tiptree, Essex, were awarded the contract to install the panels with the work now completed and the scaffolding removed.

    Councillor Helen Campbell, Lead for Leisure, visited the site to inspect the panels along with executives from TJ Evers and Everyone Active.

    She said:

    This has been a major construction project and I was delighted to see the impressive results. 

    Harpenden Leisure Centre has been a wonderful success story since opening four years ago. It was always our intention to acquire funding for solar panels to add to the buildings environmentally-friendly features.

    One of our priority projects is tackling the climate emergency by reducing emissions and this is one of the many actions we have taken to do that. It also means that the centre’s energy bills, which have risen steeply since its opening, will be significantly reduced.

    James McNulty, Everyone Active’s Contracts Manager, said:

    We’re delighted to see the solar panel installation completed at Harpenden Leisure Centre. 

    This renewable energy solution perfectly aligns with Everyone Active’s Net Zero Strategy, and we’re proud to work alongside St Albans City and District Council to advance our shared environmental commitments.

    The panels represent a significant step forward in our sustainability journey while ensuring the centre remains an energy-efficient facility for the community.

    Alan Evers, Managing Director of TJ Evers, said: 

    We are delighted to have successfully completed the installation of solar panels on the leisure centre in Harpenden for St Albans City and District Council. This project is an important step in supporting the Council’s sustainability goals and cutting carbon emissions.

    Our team worked diligently to ensure the installation was delivered on time and to the highest standards, minimising disruption to the leisure centre’s operations. The new PV system will not only help reduce energy costs but also contribute to the wider goal of making public facilities more environmentally friendly.

    As a building contractor dedicated to driving forward green initiatives, we are proud to be part of this important development. We look forward to continuing our work with St Albans City and District Council and other partners to deliver sustainable solutions across the region.

    Photos: top, Cllr Campbell, far left, with, left to right, Alan Evers, Managing Director of TJ Evers, Chloe Ledger, Harpenden Leisure Centre Manager, James McNulty, Everyone Active’s Contract Manager, and Tristan Luckman, Contracts Manager for TJ Evers.

    Notes to editors     

    The National Lottery

    National Lottery players raise, on average, £30 million each week for projects all over the country. In total £38 billion has been raised for Good Causes since The National Lottery began in 1994 and more than 535,000 individual grants have been made across the UK, the majority (70 per cent) of which are for £10,000 or less, helping small projects make a big difference in their community!

    Sport England 

    Sport England is a public body and invests up to £300 million National Lottery and government money each year in projects and programmes that help people get active and play sport. It wants everyone in England, regardless of age, background, or level of ability, to feel able to engage in sport and physical activity. That’s why a lot of its work is specifically focused on helping people who do no, or very little, physical activity and groups who are typically less active – like women, disabled people and people on lower incomes. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City set to rock in aid of charity at annual Mayors Fest

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    It is one of the biggest fundraising events of the year for the Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Linda Leach’s Charitable Fund, in aid of the Beacon Centre, Age UK Wolverhampton and The Samaritans Wolverhampton.

    It opens on Friday 4 April at 7.30pm with a show at The Giffard Arms, Victoria Street, headlined by Doomsday Outlaw.

    The main event is on Saturday 5 April at KK’s Steel Mill, Frederick Street. Doors open at 1pm and headlining will be the hugely popular band Massive Wagons, whose last 4 albums have gone to the top of the UK Rock and Metal Album charts.

    Other bands on the main stage include the Virginmarys, Gin Annie, The Karma Effect, Takeaway Thieves, White Tyger and Soul Revival.

    There will be acoustic acts on the small stage in between, providing non-stop music throughout the day.

    The Giffard Arms is again the venue for the Mayors Fest’s closing gigs on Sunday 6 April; doors open at 12pm, with Seize the Void as the main act.

    Tickets are available for all venues from ticketweb – search “Mayors Fest”.

    Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Leach said: “I’d like to thank Doddy White and his Rockers Through the Ages team for all the hard work they have put in to organise this weekend of great rock music, along with the venues KK’s Steel Mill and The Giffard Arms for agreeing to host the festival.

    “If you like your music live and loud then please come along and have a great time at any one of the 3 shows, at the same time knowing you are doing your bit to raise money for 3 fantastic local charities, which makes it a genuine win-win situation for everyone.

    “I’m looking forward to visiting KK’s on the Saturday so hopefully I’ll see you there.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Leasehold London: How can the Mayor support Londoners?

    Source: Mayor of London

    London has more than double the proportion of leasehold homes than in the rest of England,1 meaning the capital’s residents are particularly affected by increasing service charges.

    While there is limited data on leasehold costs at a local level, the Property Institute’s Service Charge Index showed a 41 percent increase in average service charges over the past five years across England and Wales.2

    Tomorrow, the London Assembly Housing Committee will ask what extent service charges make ‘affordable’ home ownership tenures funded by the Mayor unaffordable, what more the Mayor can do to help leaseholders, and the extent to which freeholders and managing agents are working to improve transparency in service charges in London.

    The guests are:

    • Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development
    • Charmaine McQueen-Prince, Chair of the Residential Freehold Association’s Leasehold Reform Subcommittee
    • Fiona Fletcher-Smith, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), L&Q and Chair, G15
    • Andrew Bulmer, CEO, The Property Institute

    The meeting will take place on Wednesday 26 February from 2pm, in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.

    Media and members of the public are invited to attend.

    The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.

    Follow us @LondonAssembly.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Germany and WFP join forces to reach crisis-affected children in northern Togo with nutritious school meals

    Source: World Food Programme

    LOME – TOGO: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of EUR 11 million from the Government of Germany, facilitated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

    The funding channelled through the German Development Bank (KfW), will enable WFP to provide daily nutritious meals to 28,000 pre-school and primary school children in the Kara and Savanes regions of northern Togo.

    With Germany’s funding, WFP will rehabilitate school kitchens, provide fuel-efficient stoves, establish school gardens and grain milling units, and support nutrition education to children, parents and teachers, ensuring a holistic approach to food security, health, and education. 

    ““Through this collaboration with Germany, we are extending our activities to some of Togo’s most vulnerable populations, building sustainable systems that connects local production with school feeding, creating a powerful cycle of development.” said Dr Moïse BALLO, WFP’s Country Director and Representative in Togo. “Our school feeding programme not only improves children’s education and nutrition but also empowers local communities.”

    WFP will target 110 schools within communities hosting refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), from the spillover of the Sahel crisis. Food commodities for school meals will be sourced locally from smallholder farmers and women’s cooperatives, thereby stimulating the local economy. 

    “We are pleased to be able to work with WFP to make an important contribution to food security for children in a region that is affected by spillover of the Sahel crisis,” said Dr. Claudius FISCHBACH, German Ambassador to Togo. “Germany is supporting Togo and the other states in the Gulf of Guinea through various measures in the areas of stability, social cohesion and development. It is particularly important to us that the chosen approaches can be continued in a sustainable way.” 

    In collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Ministry of Agriculture and local organizations, WFP will provide agricultural inputs, equipment and technical training to 8,250 smallholder farmers and 1,000 members of food transformation cooperatives most of whom are women.

    WFP’s Home-Grown School Feeding programme in Togo targets 45,500 children in 160 primary schools in the northern regions of the country.

    #                 #                   #

    About WFP

    WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Government committed to fostering business climate, enhance Ease of Doing Business: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Government committed to fostering business climate, enhance Ease of Doing Business: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal

    PM’s visit to USA, France paved the way for greater investment and collaboration: Shri Goyal

    Small & Medium enterprises have a transformative role in driving Viksit Bharat: Shri Goyal

    Posted On: 25 FEB 2025 5:02PM by PIB Delhi

    The Centre is committed to creating a favourable investment climate, ensuring regulatory stability, and enhancing the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in the country. This was stated by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal during his virtual address at the Pune International Business Summit 2025, which was organised by Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Agriculture (MCCIA) on January 24, 2025.

    The Minister stressed that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s recent visits to the USA and France have paved the way for greater investment and enhanced collaborations. Emphasising that the 2-day summit will delve into emerging trade trends, build robust alliances and highlight the transformative role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in driving Viksit Bharat, Shri Goyal pointed out that representatives from over 20 countries will participate at the event, reflecting global confidence in India’s resilience.

    Minister Goyal emphasised that the Union Budget reinforces its commitments with a ₹10k Cr Fund of Funds for Startups and a Deep Tech Fund empowering entrepreneurs. He further stressed that a significant investment committed towards R&D with an initial estimation of Rs 20,000 crore for Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) along with a high-level committee, an investment-friendly index & Jan Vishwas 2.0 further bolster trust-based governance.

    Noting that Pune known as the ‘Detroit of the East’ is the hub of innovation, the Minister stressed that the city is setting benchmarks across industries, making it the ideal venue to host events that foster collaborations and drive India’s growth story.

    Shri Goyal praised MCCIA for bringing together an inspiring confluence of industry leaders and visionaries and said that the 90-year old Association has played a transformative role in fueling progress, empowering entrepreneurs and driving growth across Maharashtra and India.

    ***

    Abhijith Narayanan/Asmitabha Manna

    (Release ID: 2106145) Visitor Counter : 26

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Environment Secretary Steve Reed – NFU Conference speech

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    Environment Secretary Steve Reed – NFU Conference speech

    Speech by Environment Secretary Steve Reed at the NFU Conference

    Thank you very much Tom for inviting me to speak today.  

    I’ve been to the NFU Conference before of course – but this is my first time attending as the Secretary of State for Defra. I want to personally thank Tom for our work together since I took up this role last July.  

    You were the first visitor to my office after the election and you’ve been back more since then than anyone else since. That conversation between us is invaluable as we navigate the farming transition together. 

    And I’m grateful for your views Tom – even where we’ve disagreed.  

    You set that out in your speech and I was listening to it, plain speaking as you always do. And I know it’s reflected here today, and the protests in Westminster and around the country. But even if the conversation gets difficult – I will always show up to have it. Because I respect this union and I respect British farming.

    Now, I can’t give the answer I know many of you want on inheritance tax. But I want you to know that I understand the strength of feeling in the room and in the sector, we can see and example of that right in front of me right now. And I am sorry it’s a decision that we’ve had to take.   

    Like I said I am always going to turn up to have the conversation with you, there’s an opportunity to ask questions afterwards and it might be better to ask them in that way because I have an awful lot that I think will be of interest to other people who are here in the room today that might want to hear what I have to say about that.

    Now I’ve heard many farmers describing that decision as ‘the final straw’ – and the truth is those straws have been piling up for many years. Tom you were outlining many of them in your speech.

    This sector is facing high input costs, tight margins, and unfairness in the supply chain. You’ve struggled to get enough workers to pick your fruit and veg. Frankly, you’ve been sold out in past trade deals. Farmland is increasingly at risk from severe flooding and drought.  

    And this all comes as we face the biggest transition for farming in generations, moving away from the Basic Payment Scheme to more sustainable methods of farming. 

    The underlying problem in this sector is that farmers do not make enough money for the hard work and commitment that they put in.   

    I will consider my time as Secretary of State a failure if I do not improve profitability for farmers up and down this country. 

    Today I can announce I will set up a new farming profitability unit within the department to drive that goal. I want to outline what the Government is doing to tackle the deep-rooted problems holding the sector back. Because time and again, I hear farmers say that they do not make a fair profit for the food they produce. And it is only by overcoming these long-standing challenges that we can create the conditions for your farming businesses to succeed. Achieving this starts by treating farms as the businesses they are. That’s something, in my view, the previous government forgot.  

    Farmers have repeatedly told me they want to stand on their own two feet. They are proud people and rightly so. But it is paternalistic and patronising for government to treat farmers as if they are not operating in a marketplace in which they need to turn a decent profit. 

    I worked in business for 16 years, with responsibility every year for driving up profit and driving down cost. British farming has some of the hardest working, most creative people anywhere in the British workforce. But a sector that isn’t profitable doesn’t have a future. I know that from my own long experience in business.   

    My focus is on ensuring farming becomes more profitable – because that is the best way to make your businesses viable for the future. And that’s how we ensure the long-term food security this country needs.   

    This approach will underpin our 25 Year Farming Roadmap and our Food Strategy, where we will work in partnership with farmers to make farming and food production sustainable and profitable. We will work with farmers and stakeholders to build the roadmap together, covering every part of the sector, and the first workshops will start next week. 

    The roadmap stands on three principles. 

    First, a sector that has food production at its core. The role of farming will always be to produce the food that feeds our nation. The instability we see across the world shows us why it’s so important we help farmers to get this right.  

    Second, a sector where farm businesses are more resilient in withstanding the shocks that periodically disrupt farming – severe flooding, drought, animal disease. We will help farmers who want to diversify their income to put more money into their business so they can survive these more difficult times when they come.   

    Third, a sector that recognises restoring nature is not in competition with sustainable food production, but is essential to it. 

    It is only by pursuing all three of these principles – and recognising that farms are businesses that need to be profitable, that we can guarantee national food security and a thriving food production and farming sector.  

    Our New Deal for Farmers is supporting farmers to produce food sustainably and profitably.  

    It won’t all happen overnight, but we are already making changes. 

    Tom has repeatedly told me farmers need certainty about seasonal workers. I’ve listened Tom, and I’m pleased to announce that we’re extending the Seasonal Worker visas for five years. That on it’s own is not the long-term solution. We will reduce the number of seasonal workers coming to the UK in the future.  

    But I recognise your business needs stability over the coming years as we work at pace to embrace innovation, develop the agri-tech and invest in farming practices so you can reduce your reliance on seasonal workers as quickly as possible. 

    We are making the Supply Chain fairer, with new regulations for the pig sector coming in by the end of next month in March to make sure contracts clearly set out expectations and only allow changes if they’ve agreed by all parties. We are engaging with industry on similar proposals for eggs and fresh produce. 

    For the first time ever, we are measuring where the public sector buys food from so we can use the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce wherever we can. I have worked with my colleague Pat McFadden in the Cabinet Office to create new requirements for government catering contracts to favour high-quality, high-welfare products that British producers are well placed to meet.  

    This means British farmers and producers can compete for a fairer share of the £5 billion pounds a year the public sector spends on food. That’s money straight into farmers’ bank accounts to boost turnover and boost profits.  

    Ours is an outward-facing trading nation. But I want to be clear, we will never lower our food standards in trade agreements. We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage. British farming deserves a level playing field where you can compete and win and that is what you’ll get. We will use the full range of powers at our disposal to protect our most sensitive sectors. 

    Innovation and technology will help farmers produce more food more sustainably and more profitably. I’m delighted to announce the legislation to implement the Precision Breeding Act for plants in England has been laid in Parliament today. This offers huge potential to transform the plant breeding sector in England by enabling innovative products to be commercialised in years instead of in decades, and we are reinstating the Precision Breeding Industry Working Group so the whole food supply chain can work together to bring new food and feed products to market faster. 

    We are investing in the UK Agri-Technology sector with a further £110 million pounds in farming grants being announced today. In Spring we will launch new competitions under our Farming Innovation Programme for groundbreaking research that will help the sector transition towards net zero, and unlock opportunities from the Precision Breeding Act.  

    This is not just for the biggest farms. We will help farms of any size access technology that makes a real difference to the bottom-line over the years ahead. Like the chemical-free cleaning for integrated milking equipment by Oxi-Tech – funded through FIP, which boosts profits by lowering energy costs and chemical use. Our new ADOPT programme will fund farmer-led trials that bridge the gap between these new technologies and their use in the real world,  showing farmers that their investments in technology will deliver financial returns and boost profits. And once technologies and equipment hit the market, we are making them available through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. Products like the electric weeder developed by Rootwave to reduce chemical use. We will launch another opportunity this Spring to bring more products to the farmgate. 

    Farms must be resilient to future challenges if they are to remain financially viable and strengthen food security. That includes severe flooding and droughts through to animal disease, and geopolitical tensions that increase demands on our land for energy generation. 

    I know new tech doesn’t bring the same benefits for every type of farm. We are investing to help farm businesses build resilience against animal diseases that can devastate livelihoods and threaten our entire economy. Like the Bluetongue Virus, Avian Flu, or the recent case of Foot and Mouth that we saw in Germany. 

    That’s why we’re investing £208 million pounds to set up a new National Biosecurity Centre, modernising the Animal and Plant Health Agency facilities at Weybridge, to protect farmers, food producers and exporters from disease outbreaks that can wipe out businesses in a moment. 

    We are helping keepers of cattle, sheep and pigs in England improve the health, welfare and productivity of their animals by expanding the fully funded farm visits offer. 

    Tom had raised with me, and he just did in his speech, the risk from illegal meat imports. More than 92,000 thousand kilograms of illegal meat products were seized at ports across the UK over the last year. They carry huge risk of diseases such as African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth getting into the country. We can’t tolerate this.   

    I am working with the Home Office and Border Force on plans to seize the cars, vans, trucks and coaches used by criminal gangs to smuggle illegal meat into our country and crush them so they can’t be used again.   

    I’ve listened to your concerns about other forms of crime as well. Crime damages farm profitability as you are forced to wait for farm or construction machinery to be replaced, or clear rubbish that has been dumped in your gateways or on your land. The National Rural Crime Unit is already supporting forces to tackle rural crime around the country.   

    To strengthen our approach and protect your profits, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will lay the legislation this year to better protect agricultural equipment like all-terrain vehicles, by requiring immobilisers and forensic marking as standard.  

    At the Oxford Farming Conference earlier this year, I announced new ways to help farmers remain profitable and viable, even in a challenging harvest. We will consult on national planning reforms this Spring to make it quicker for farmers to build new buildings, barns and other infrastructure to boost food production.  And ensure permitted development rights work for farms to convert larger barns into a farm shop, holiday let, or a sports facility if that suits their business planning. We will get red tape out of the way so you can invest to become more profitable.   

    I’m working with Ed Miliband and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero so more farm businesses can connect their own electricity generation to the grid much faster, so you can sell surplus energy and diversify your income.   

    The third element of our vision is nature. Restoring nature is vital to food production, not in competition with it. It is healthy soils, abundant pollinators and clean water that are the foundations farm businesses that they rely on to produce high crop yields and turn over a profit. Without nature thriving, there can be no long-term food security. 

    I want to thank everyone – upland, tenant, grassland farmers and others – everyone who is involved in our farming schemes. Almost 50 thousand farm businesses are now in schemes and around half of farmed land in England is being managed to enhance nature while producing food. 

    I recognise the frustration when we had to pause the Capital Grants offer last year without proper warning because of unprecedented demand. I promised to update you as soon as I could. And I can confirm today that every application submitted for capital grants before the pause in November will be taken forward, and following this, we will reopen the ELM capital grants offer this summer. 

    I’m also pleased to announce that we’re investing £30 million pounds to increase payment rates in Higher Level Stewardship with immediate effect to bring them more closely in line with our other farming schemes. Something the NFU and others have long called for. You just called for it again, Tom. These farmers are the pioneers of nature-friendly farming, often based in upland areas. They deliver high-quality environmental outcomes; now, finally, they will get a fair price for their work.  

    There’s a lot to be done to make British farming profitable and viable for the long term. I know we can only get there if we build the future together.   

    We will work with Tom, the NFU and farmers around the country to support farmers to keep producing the food we love to eat. This requires a new approach that recognises farms are businesses, and businesses need to turn a fair profit.  

    I’ll play my part in creating the conditions for that to happen. I know you’ll play your part in building resilient businesses that will innovate and succeed. Together, we will overcome the challenges this sector faces and give British farming the bright future this country knows you deserve.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Charles University Prague builds partnerships with 6 UK universities

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    World news story

    Charles University Prague builds partnerships with 6 UK universities

    A delegation from Charles University visited the UK to build strategic partnerships with 6 UK universities. It creates collaborative research and development opportunities.

    The delegation from Charles University at Imperial College London.

    Charles University is the oldest university in central Europe (established in 1348) with 17 Faculties and 50,000 students including more than 10,000 from abroad. It has 8,600 staff, 3,900+ are academics. The university is the best (world TOP150) in the following 5 subjects:

    • anatomy and physiology
    • economics
    • geography
    • linguistics
    • political science and international studies

    Charles University currently has bilateral agreements with 58 British universities. About 95 British students come to study in Prague every year.

    Between 27 and 31 March 2023, 18 delegates from Charles University led by the first ever female Rector Milena Králíčková and her 2 Vice-Rectors (Jan Kuklík and Ladislav Krištoufek) travelled round the UK to enhance strategic partnerships with 6 respected British universities:

    • London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
    • Imperial College London
    • University College London
    • Cardiff University
    • University of St. Andrews
    • University of Edinburgh

    They were met by Vice-Chancellors or their deputies and large delegations of their counterparts.

    Prague UK Science and Innovation Network supported the idea of the mission from its beginning, contributed to the organisation of the mission and accompanied the Rector and Vice-Rectors to their key meetings.

    There were also many side meetings directly between faculty members and researchers in various sectors from pedagogy to biomedical and sport sciences. Overall, more than 20 meetings took place during the week and over 40 British leaders and researchers participated.

    Impact

    The mission itself is a great success on its own right. It highlights that the UK is a partner of choice for science and research at Charles University and a quality of British Higher Education is well recognized. The rector prioritized the UK for her first longer foreign visit and showed how important British networks for Charles University are.

    There was a huge interest to join from faculty members (Deans and Vice-Deans) and a formerly planned 5 people team turned to a large group of 18 delegates. The mission was self-funded by Charles University with no HMG financial support, showing high commitment to the collaboration.

    In all meetings, a part of the discussions focused on students and teachers’ mobility, celebrating already existing exchanges, for example, a cooperation between Charles University with Realistic graphics and Imaging Group at Imperial College London and Parasitology at LSHTM. New annual exchanges of 5 law students with Cardiff University have been agreed.

    Discussions also focused on research – matching strengths of institutions and finding ideal areas for collaboration. One early success of the visit was a Horizon Europe Teaming bid worth €1 million, submitted by the Faculty of Arts of Charles University together with the University College London and KTH Leuven to Brussels. The bid has not received funding, but the research teams of universities continue cooperating.

    Policy discussions focused on research security and exchanges of best practice between Charles University and British institutions. A common approach to privacy, research integrity and ethics is needed. Sustainability of Universities and Net-Zero pledges as well as energy security and high-inflation were also on minds of university leaders in both countries.

    The Rector of Charles University established a “strategic partnership seed fund” for Charles University staff to facilitate collaborations between staff from Charles University and their British counterparts that have a strong potential to establish mutually beneficial educational and research connections and make a valuable contribution to the international advancement of both universities.

    Expected outputs from this seed fund are mobility, teaching opportunities, joint publications, workshops and grant applications. An average of £5,000 is planned for one project with an estimated annual limit of 6 new collaborative opportunities between Charles University and 6 UK counterparts every year!

    SIN Officer Contact: otakar.fojt@fcdo.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Erosion of the rule of law in Slovenia – E-000735/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000735/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Matej Tonin (PPE)

    Recent developments threatening democratic governance and institutional independence have raised alarms regarding the erosion of the rule of law in Slovenia:

    First, budget cuts to independent institutions: the Slovenian Government has imposed unjustified budget reductions on independent institutions, compromising their operational capabilities and political impartiality.

    Second, illegal surveillance of a state prosecutor: reports indicate the unauthorised surveillance of a state prosecutor by Slovenian police without a judicial warrant, violating fundamental rights and legal protections with regard to judicial independence.

    Third, unlawful changes to parliamentary procedures: the Government has altered parliamentary rules in contravention of standing orders, effectively removing essential procedural safeguards and diminishing the opposition’s ability to scrutinise legislation.

    Given these concerns, I ask the Commission:

    • 1.How does it assess these actions concerning the rule of law in Slovenia?
    • 2.Will the Commission take specific measures, such as monitoring or infringement procedures?
    • 3.Is there a possibility of sending a fact-finding mission to Slovenia to evaluate the situation?

    Submitted: 18.2.2025

    Last updated: 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: 25 February 2025: The Arrival of the ‘West – East’ Irish Sea Border

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    Jim Allister KC MP responds to the commencement of the enforcement of the West – East Irish Sea Border from today, 25 February.

     “For years we were told that the Irish Sea border was a one-way issue and that while goods moving from GB to NI would be subject to fettered access, that at least goods could move freely from NI to GB.

    “That was always a nonsense because if the border was not on the international border there would have to be a way of checking goods to differentiate those coming from the Republic from those coming from Northern Ireland.

    “Today we will begin to see it enforced on goods going from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.”

    In coming to terms with this important date in the division of the UK Mr Allister has highlighted two key implications:

    1. New Export Procedures Dividing the United Kingdom

    “Under the mis-named Windsor Framework (UK Internal Market and Unfettered Access) Regulations 2024, published with the Safeguarding the Union deal, export procedures are to be applied to the movement of NI goods from NI to GB in five different areas for the first time.

    “No matter how minimal the effects, they still amount to cementing in the Irish Sea border because no such export procedures are required for the movement of any goods within the rest of the UK. This is wrong!

    2. Recognition that a Hard Border is Not Necessary

    “It would seem that having submitted their customs and SPS forms electronically in advance, lorries will be told, before leaving home, whether to attend an inland border control posts or other place away from the border, including their destination, for checks.

    “This arrangement removes any justification for the Irish Sea border. It was only imposed because we were told there could not be a hard border on the actual international border and so the border must be moved to the Irish Sea. However, the revelation – through these new arrangements – that it was not necessary to have a hard border across the island of Ireland in the first place, because checks can take place elsewhere, is a game changer.

    “Going forward the government has to explain why, knowing: i) that such a solution is workable, and ii) that the proportion of goods entering the Republic from Northern Ireland in 2020 was tiny (only worth 0.003% of EU GDP in 2020), they agree with a border ‘solution’ that is giving the EU the right to both make Northern Ireland an EU colony in 300 areas of laws and then imposing a hard border interrupting a far greater flow of goods from one part of the UK, GB, to another, NI.

    “Moreover, the act of running a border, while removing hard infrastructure from that border, constitutes a very significant step towards Mutual Enforcement, the solution proposed by my Bill and which was first set out within the EU by Sir Jonathan Faull who served as EU Commission ‘Director General of the Task Force for Strategic Issues related to the UK Referendum’, together with Prof JH Weiler and Prof Daniel Sarmiento.

    “The Government should now abandon introducing the next part of the border, the Parcels Border, on 31 March and work to replace the Irish Sea border with Mutual Enforcement, the only morally acceptable solution because it avoids a hard border without disenfranchising 1.9 million people and disrespecting the territorial integrity of the UK.”

    Notes to Editors

    Details about the application of the West -East Irish Sea Border from tomorrow can be found:  Moving non-qualifying Northern Ireland goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain – GOV.UK

    The new export procedures being applied to some goods moving from NI to GB are set out by S. 45B of the Internal Markey Act, inserted by the  Windsor Framework (UK Internal Market and Unfettered Access) Regulations 2024

    The regulations that make provision for a border without hard infra-structure on the border are: The Official Controls (Amendment) Regulations 2024

    Mr Allister’s Mutual Enforcement Bill can be accessed: European Union (Withdrawal Arrangements) Bill – Parliamentary Bills – UK Parliament

    The Five Categories to which export procedures will be applied to goods moving from NI to GB are:

    ‘In respect of all goods moving from Northern Ireland to other parts of the United Kingdom’s internal market, the United Kingdom confirms that export procedures under Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 will apply only where goods:

    1. are placed under a procedure listed in Article 210 of that Regulation,
    2. are in temporary storage in accordance with Article 144 of that Regulation,
    3. are subject to provisions of Union law falling within the second sentence of Article 6(1) of the Windsor Framework1 which prohibit or restrict the exportation of goods,
    4. are placed under the export procedure within the Union in accordance with Title V and Title VIII of that Regulation, or
    5. do not exceed EUR 3 000 in value and are packed or loaded for export shipment within the Union, in accordance with Article 221 of Regulation (EU) No 2015/2447.’

    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1145715/Unilateral_Declarations_by_the_United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Northern_Ireland_and_the_European_Union_in_the_Withdrawal_Agreement_Joint_Committee_on_export_procedures.pdf

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Prime Minister’s Ukraine reception remarks: 24 February 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    Prime Minister’s Ukraine reception remarks: 24 February 2025

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke at a 10 Downing Street reception marking three years since Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    It’s a privilege to welcome you all here to Downing Street this afternoon.

    This, of course, is not only my office and the centre of our government but it is also my home. So it is appropriate that I throw open the doors to my home to you and make you feel welcome in this building, which is where you should be.

    And particularly fitting that you are here in my home today as we recognise people who have been welcomed into homes across the country, and I know there are many of you here.

    I’ve just had the privilege and the opportunity to talk with a number of you who have been here some for some little time now and often with children. There are people here who have come, people here who have opened their doors and there are many others across the country.

    We are really proud of the people who have opened their doors, opened their hearts as well – because it’s not just a shelter, it’s opening hearts and making you feel welcome particularly in this time of conflict and uncertainty.

    And I said to the people I was talking to just now, I would love to be able to get you all together here again on a future occasion that isn’t an anniversary of an awful conflict because that is, of course, what it is today.

    Because in the face of that conflict, I do think the bond between our two countries has got stronger and stronger. I think it was a good strong bond anyway, but it has got much stronger and that’s happened across the kitchen tables up and down the nation, as well as the meeting tables.

    And of course, I have had the privilege of meeting President Zelenskyy very many times now, on a number of occasions in different places, including here in Downing Street and, of course, in Kyiv.

    I’ve actually been to Kyiv four times. I went twice before the conflict, because before I was a politician, I was the chief prosecutor and we were working with criminal justice colleagues in Kyiv. And so I have seen Kyiv in peace – a brilliant, fantastic city – and I’ve seen it twice, once as leader of the opposition and just a few weeks ago as Prime Minister, in this terrible conflict.

    When I was there just a few weeks ago, I was able to express our solidarity and support, and I was struck again by the resilience and strength of the Ukrainians, because that sense of civic duty, going and doing everyday work, and treating it as work for the nation was very, very strong.

    When I was there four weeks ago, I went to the burns unit at one of the hospitals and saw for myself some of those who have been on the frontline who were being treated in hospital with terrible burns from blasts, really life-changing injuries, and civilians as well who had been caught up in blasts.

    In one sense, it’s obvious when you’re in conflict you are going to see things like that but when you’re there and you see it right there, the human impact is huge.

    Because this isn’t just about discussions of defence and security in Europe, although it is that, it isn’t just about sovereignty and it is that, it is about the impact on human beings.

    When I was there I met children in a school in Kyiv, they were primary-school age so they were 8, 9, 10-years-old, living under the threat of bombardment all of the time. It’s what they are growing up with and I met some of them who had already lost their parents on the frontline at that tender age. That is really humbling, it really brought home to me the human impact of all of this.

    Politics is about the decisions you make but it is also about who you have in your mind’s eye when you make your decisions. And I think it is very important that we have you in our mind’s eye.

    When I was there with President Zelenskyy just a few weeks ago, we then went to have our discussion as two leaders and at that point a drone – a Russian drone – was up in the sky and had to be shot down right above the presidential palace, which for me was just a real reminder of what it is like to live in Kyiv and to have that threat every day now with the drones going up. It brought home to me the uncertainty and the fear – not just obviously for yourselves and the people living in the conflict, but all of their loved ones, and your family and extended family, and friends, and communities who are there and must be in your mind’s eye all of the time. And for your children and your country in the years to come.

    So, amongst my messages here this afternoon is you are not alone.

    We stand with you, and we have stood with you throughout this conflict and we will walk with you through this conflict, and we will continue to do so for as long as is necessary.

    I am proud that we opened our homes; I’m proud of our NHS workers in the hospital I went to Kyiv, who had gone out there with their skills to try and work with those working in the hospitals; the soldiers that are training Ukrainian troops.

    This is incredibly humbling work. I went to see it for myself down in Salisbury. Not only the professionalism of our troops who are doing the training but also the Ukrainian civilians, as they were, who had come to do the training. Through interpreters I talked to a number of them and they had been plumbers, they had been architects, working in local government, and here they were training to go to the frontline. And it was training that would normally take months being truncated into weeks. It was a real sense of what it is like to go through this awful conflict.

    Because we know that this fight is about Ukraine – it is about you, your communities – but it is also about us. This is bigger than Ukraine – it is, of course, about Ukrainian sovereignty but it not just Ukrainian sovereignty. It is about our way of life, our freedoms, about security and defence in Europe, and security and defence here in the United Kingdom, and the values that we hold dear. 

    That’s why last time I was there I signed a 100-year partnership with Ukraine which is to signal the ongoing relationship that we want to build over many, many decades to come. 

    It’s why we are sending £4.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine this year – that’s more than ever before. And working with our international partners to guarantee the security of Ukraine for generations to come.

    Because I strongly believe that whatever happens next, Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position. We must, we must, we must get peace through strength. 

    The temptation is always there to think that it is job done, or something is about to happen. We have got to make sure that we continue with our full support, whether that is capability, whether that is money, whether that’s training – all the other support that we can put in. And that’s my constant message in the discussions I am having with international leaders 

    We also need to be really clear as there are lots of discussions at the moment about negotiations: we can’t negotiate about Ukraine without Ukraine – you just can’t – and we must be absolutely clear about this.

    After everything you and your people, your country has been through, all the suffering and hardship – this is about the future of Ukraine and Ukraine must be at the table. It’s an absolute pre-condition.

    And we must work for a lasting peace. One of my biggest fears is that there is a ceasefire which is a temporary reprieve but simply gives Putin the space to come again and that would be the worst of outcomes.

    It must be a lasting peace for you, your children and your children’s children, so that you can live as you should be able to live, in a proud, safe and sovereign Ukraine; able to make sovereign decisions as a country about the alliance that Ukrainians want to make; the partnerships that Ukrainians want to make, and the way of life that Ukrainians want.

    So we will not falter in our support.

    We will not stop our efforts to end this war.

    And we will not rest until the people of Ukraine can live peacefully and safely in their own country.

    So thank you for being here; I do hope that I can have the privilege of seeing you here or elsewhere on an occasion where we are not celebrating another anniversary of this conflict but genuinely celebrating freedom and peace for Ukraine and for Europe.

    Thank you very much.

    Slava Ukraini.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The ‘lab-leak origin’ of Covid-19. Fact or fiction?

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Florence Débarre, Directrice de recherche CNRS, chercheuse en biologie évolutive, Sorbonne Université

    In a January 24 interview with the far-right-wing outlet Breitbart News, newly appointed CIA director John Ratcliffe stated that assessing intelligence on a potential Wuhan lab leak was a top priority. The following day, The New York Times reported that the agency had shifted from an undecided stance to favoring a possible Chinese lab leak, albeit with a “low confidence” rating–the lowest on a three-tier scale (low, medium, high)–indicating the evidence remains inconclusive.

    The CIA has thus joined the ranks of the FBI and the Department of Energy (DOE), which has scientific jurisdiction, in supporting the possibility of a laboratory-related incident.

    Findings from a 2023 reportshow that, among the U.S. agencies that have investigated the pandemic’s origins, one remains undecided, while four others, along with the National Intelligence Council, support the natural origin hypothesis.

    What does ‘laboratory origin’ really mean?

    According to The New York Times, the CIA’s revised assessment is based not on new evidence, but on a reinterpretation of existing data. However, the reasoning behind its reassessment, along with the supporting data, has not been made public, making it impossible to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the agency’s conclusions.

    Adding to the complexity, “laboratory origin” is an umbrella term encompassing multiple, sometimes contradictory, scenarios. Confirming CNN’s 2023 report on the Department of Energy’s revised stance, The New York Times notes that while the DOE identifies the Wuhan Center for Disease Control (WCDC) as the outbreak’s likely source, the FBI attributes it to a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). As of now, the CIA has not disclosed which scenario it deems most plausible.

    Though WCDC is not an actual research laboratory, some of its employees were participating in wildlife sampling campaigns at the time of the outbreak. In late 2019, WCDC moved to a location close to the Huanan Market. A theory implicating the WCDC confirms evidence that the earliest detected cases are epidemiologically and geographically linked to the market, suggesting the virus emerged naturally.

    In contrast, the WIV is a research institute operating across two campuses–one located 12 kilometers from the market and the other, which houses the P4 laboratory, 27 kilometers away. Scenarios implicating the WIV generally posit that “gain-of-function” coronavirus experiments–intended to enhance a virus’s transmissibility or virulence–were conducted under unsafe biosecurity conditions. The WIV is a biosafety level 2 facility, two levels below the high-security P4 standard.

    The interactive map above highlights Wuhan laboratories–the two WIV campuses in purple and the WCDC in yellow–and the Wuhan Huanan market in red. Click the symbol in the top left corner to view the legend. Since the WCDC is located near the market, please zoom in to see it.

    The Covid-19 virus originated from a single source. If it did escape from a Chinese laboratory, it could not have simultaneously leaked from two separate labs conducting different types of research.

    The lab leak scenario, supported by mutually incompatible hypotheses, doesn’t hold up–even before considering theories that the virus was engineered in a U.S. lab and then sent to Wuhan.

    Beyond determining the virus’s origin, it is equally important to identify the exact nature of the virus–further complicating the lab-accident hypothesis. Was it a natural occurring virus contracted during a sampling campaign? A laboratory-cultivated virus transferred to cells or animals? Or even a directly genetically modified virus?

    Again, SARS-CoV-2 cannot be both a natural virus and the result of lab experiments. Arguments built on conflicting premises do little to strengthen the case for a research-related incident.

    No evidence of a laboratory-related incident

    The lab-incident hypothesis would carry much more weight if definitive proof emerged that, by late December 2019, a Wuhan laboratory possessed a progenitor of SARS-CoV-2–meaning a virus identical or nearly identical to SARS-CoV-2.

    In the case of the 2007 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in southern England, for example, virus sequencing quickly led investigators to nearby high-security laboratories conducting research on a similar virus. The inquiry ultimately traced the outbreak to faulty effluent pipes at the facilities.

    To date, no virus has been identified that could be used in a laboratory as a direct progenitor of SARS-CoV-2. If the virus did emerge from a research-related incident, two possibilities remain: it was either an uncharacterized natural virus, unknown even to researchers, or it was a previously characterized virus that had not been disclosed–either because it was recently identified or part of a classified program–and is still being kept under wraps by scientists in Wuhan.

    Especially if SARS-CoV-2 were the result of genetic engineering. A lab-modified virus would mean its genetic sequence was known before the pandemic and accessible to researchers. However, by 2021, the U.S. intelligence community had determined that researchers at the WIV had no prior knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 before the outbreak. While absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, concrete data has yet to emerge supporting the hypothesis of laboratory modification.

    Theories about a potential lab outbreak have also fueled speculation about external involvement, both within China and abroad. A U.S. Senate committee report put forward an all-Chinese scenario, citing the suspicious 2020 death of a Beijing-based researcher working on a new vaccine.

    Other theories center on the NGO EcoHealth Alliance, which collaborated with WIV to collect and study natural coronavirus strains before its funding was abruptly cut off at Donald Trump’s request in Spring 2020. The organization’s president has since been banned from federal funding for five years, facing criticism over oversight issues, including delayed reporting of an experiment on a chimeric coronavirus and failure to provide WIV’s laboratory notebooks.

    Among the most high-profile figures implicated in U.S.-based complicity theories is Anthony Fauci, the former White House Covid advisor and head of the agency that funded the EcoHealth Alliance/WIV collaboration. But allegations against Fauci go far beyond simply approving research grants. One narrative claims he deliberately suppressed discussions about the pandemic’s point of origin, pressuring researchers to alter their conclusions in exchange for funding. No evidence has surfaced to support this claim.

    Anticipating potential retribution from his successor and the Republican Party, Former President Joe Biden preemptively granted Fauci a presidential pardon. However, newly elected President Donald Trump has since revoked Fauci’s personal security detail, and Republican Senator Rand Paul has vowed to continue efforts to prosecute him.

    The natural-origin theory faces hurdles as well

    Since these competing lab leak theories have emerged from a lack of conclusive evidence anything is possible. However, available data suggest the virus may have originated naturally from animals sold at the Huanan Market.

    Multiple sources, including research from Chinese institutions, support this hypothesis: two early SARS-CoV-2 strains were detected at the market, with the earliest cases reported in homes within the vicinity, even for patients without direct epidemiological links to it, and findings from the Chinese Center for Disease Control (CCDC) indicate that raccoon dogs and masked palm civets–species implicated in earlier SARS outbreaks–were present in the market’s southwest corner, where traces of SARS-CoV-2 were frequently detected.

    However, by the time the China CDC team arrived at the Huanan Market–just hours after its closure for sample collection–raccoon dogs and civets were no longer present. As a result, no direct traces of infection were detected, and the definitive evidence some are hoping for may never be uncovered.

    But even if such proof were to emerge, it’s unlikely to settle the debate. Additional confirmation would be needed to show that the contamination originated in the animals rather than being a secondary infection transmitted by humans. Moreover, skeptics could argue that the animals themselves came from a laboratory. In other words, the controversy is far from over.

    For now, with the new Trump administration focused on finding a culprit, the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic will remain in the spotlight. Senator Rand Paul, now chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), has made the issue his favorite hobbyhorse.

    While declassifying additional information from the U.S. intelligence community could help clarify competing conclusions, there are concerns that the administration’s efforts may unfairly target researchers, potentially resulting in more innocent victims.

    Florence Débarre received funding in 2022 from the MODCOV19 platform of the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences and their Interactions (Insmi, CNRS) to model the initial dynamics of an epidemic.

    – ref. The ‘lab-leak origin’ of Covid-19. Fact or fiction? – https://theconversation.com/the-lab-leak-origin-of-covid-19-fact-or-fiction-250462

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The First Minister’s challenge to Anas Sarwar on the eve of the Budget

    Source: Scottish National Party

    Dear Anas,

    I welcome the response from the Prime Minister to my call last week for the UK Government to provide support for Grangemouth.

    I know you share my concern that the decision to close the Grangemouth refinery is premature and fundamentally short sighted and the UK Government’s commitment to additional investment is a step in the right direction. We all have a responsibility to work collaboratively to secure Grangemouth’s long-term future, its workforce and Scotland’s transition to net zero.

    My announcement last week that the Scottish Government will make a further £25 million available to enable businesses to bring forward investable propositions for Grangemouth, will be put to Parliament as an amendment at Stage 3 of the Budget Bill tomorrow. This funding will be made immediately available from the beginning of the next financial year without requiring match-funding. I hope that when the UK Government provide more details on the announced £200 million being available through the National Wealth Fund that this will also be available for timely deployment on a similar basis as the funding I have set out and that these funds align to best support a just transition for Grangemouth.

    In that spirit of cooperation, I trust that you and Scottish Labour colleagues will now be in a position to vote for the Budget at Stage 3 tomorrow and work constructively to deliver the nearly £90 million investment for Grangemouth, supporting the jobs, livelihoods and businesses which depend on it.

    Yours sincerely,

    John Swinney

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: 13 community initiatives benefit from £1.9 million investment

    Source: City of Winchester

    Communities across the district reaped the benefits of a £1.9 million investment last year as 13 projects funded through Winchester City Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) reached fruition.

    The district CIL, raised from levies on new developments across the wider Winchester area and administered by the city council, helps fund local initiatives that contribute to communities and improve the lives of residents.

    Among the projects realised last year was a new solar panel array on Jubilee Hall in Bishop’s Waltham, which completed in September.

    Bishop’s Waltham Parish Council received £40,000 from the city council for the project which involved the installation of over 100 new solar panels at the hall.  This is now helping reduce the parish council’s carbon emissions and lowering the running costs of the building.

    With help from CIL, as well as other funding sources, the Parish Council has been working to make its operations more sustainable. A spokesperson from Bishop’s Waltham Parish Council said:

    “Bishop’s Waltham Parish Council would like to thank Winchester City Council for providing two thirds of the funding for the installation of Solar Panels to the roof of The Jubilee Hall. The remaining funds came from Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) neighbourhood funds. 

    Bishop’s Waltham Parish Council have also been successful in obtaining further funding from an SSEN Grant for additional solar battery storage. We are already seeing a reduction of our energy costs, and this is a significant milestone in the Council’s work towards decarbonisation of the Jubilee Hall.”

    Another project, at Wickham Community Centre, received £30,000 towards installation of new access doors and flooring, helping visitors to access the centre. Speaking about the difference the funding had made, a centre spokesperson said:

    “Wickham Community Centre, at over 30 years old, was showing signs of its age. The single-glazed front doors resulted in significant drafts, making the foyer cold and uncomfortable during winter, and driving up our utility bills. Additionally, the Long Room’s appearance had deteriorated to the point where it was no longer suitable for showcasing. The floor was in poor condition, and the ceiling’s soundproofing looked unsightly. 

    “We applied for CIL funding from Winchester City Council to undertake several refurbishment projects, including new front doors and a complete refurbishment of the Long Room. These were improvements we couldn’t have financed independently, and we are extremely grateful for the funding. The new doors look fantastic and have made the centre more accessible, while also eliminating the drafts.

    “The Long Room refurbishment has had a transformative effect. Long-term users, such as the Wickham Rifle Club, who have been with us since the centre opened 34 years ago, are particularly pleased. The new look has also attracted new hirers, boosting our trading income.”

    Winchester’s Cabinet Member for Place and the Local Plan, Cllr Jackie Porter, said:

    “CIL funding is a huge benefit to the Winchester district’s communities and I’m enormously proud that we’ve been able to provide a boost for a variety of initiatives that will help make improve our residents’ lives and make our local communities more sustainable.”

    “It is exciting to local initiatives come to fruition for our growing communities across the whole breadth of the district, from Wickham to Alresford, using CIL funding.”

    Other projects that received support from the district CIL fund during 2024 included new play equipment at Eversley Park (£12,000), toilet refurbishments at Otterbourne Village Hall (£12,850) and works to upgrade allotments in New Alresford (£25,000).

    Funding was also put towards council-led projects, including £300,000 towards a new 3G pitch for Winchester Football Club and £1,250,000 spent on the new Pavilion at King George V Playing Fields.

    The City Council also recently published a funding statement that details funding allocations for the 2023/ 2024 financial year.

    The statement can be viewed on the City Council’s website at www.winchester.gov.uk/CIL-spending

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Labour must act to stop energy price hikes

    Source: Scottish Greens

    25 Feb 2025 Energy

    It it time to break the link between global gas prices and electricity bills.

    More in Energy

    The Labour government is badly failing in its promise to lower energy bills, says Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater.

    Ms Slater’s comments come as Ofgem has announced the energy price cap will rise by 6.4% this April, or £111 a year for an average household.

    Ms Slater said:

    “The fossil fuel giant executives are laughing their way to the bank and toasting eye watering profits, but households and families across our country are being plunged into poverty by a broken energy market.

    “Scotland has renewable resources that any country would envy, but bill payers are not seeing the benefit of them.

    “Labour promised to cut costs, but this is the third increase in a row since Keir Starmer took office. It simply isn’t good enough. People want to know when they will stop being hit with one increase after another.

    “We need radical and urgent reform of our energy markets and to break the link between global gas prices and electricity bills. Renewables have helped cut the cost of generating electricity, this should be reflected in household bills.

    “The shift to clean, green renewable energy is crucial for our environment, and it is key to lowering bills and building a system that works for people and planet.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: The route network of ITA Airways and Lufthansa Group can be combined through code sharing

    Source: Lufthansa Group

    ITA Airways and Lufthansa Group are moving closer together for their customers. The respective route networks of ITA Airways and the other network airlines of the Lufthansa Group will be linked for the first time through mutual code sharing, making it possible to combine them seamlessly in a single booking. With today’s sales launch, over 100 new codeshare connections can be booked by both ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti) for flight dates starting with the summer 2025 schedule. 

    By sharing or adding codeshare flight numbers to an existing flight, customers have a wider choice of flights and more flexibility. Despite traveling with different airlines, passengers will in future have just one ticket with the flight number of a single airline for transfer connections thanks to codeshares, and they will be able to check in their baggage conveniently to their final destination. Members of the Miles & More or Volare loyalty programs will also be able to collect and redeem miles or points on codeshare flights. 

    Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer, Lufthansa Group, said: “ITA Airways is now an integral part of the offering for our joint passengers. With just one booking, a customer of the Lufthansa Group can use ITA Airways’ synchronized connecting flights with its airline’s flight numbers. Codesharing will further improve and harmonize the travel experience of all passengers at the Lufthansa Group’s hubs. The integration of ITA Airways as part of the Lufthansa Group is progressing rapidly and now enables far-reaching advantages in the offering for our joint customers through code sharing.” 

    With the start of the summer flight schedule on 30 March 2025, selected ITA Airways flights will also operate under a flight number of Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines or Brussels Airlines. These are both year-round, domestic Italian connecting flights from Rome-Fiumicino and international routes from Rome to Malta, Athens, Sofia and Tirana. ITA Airways destinations such as Alghero (Sardinia), Pantelleria (Sicily) and Reggio di Calabria can be booked by Lufthansa Group customers for the first time. In addition, the codes will also be added to ITA Airways flights between Italy and the other Lufthansa Group hubs. 
    For example, from the summer flight schedule, a Lufthansa customer can book a trip with Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Rome under flight number LH236 and then combine it with ITA Airways from Rome to Brindisi under flight number LH5078, thus obtaining an additional travel option to the Lufthansa Group’s existing flight connections to Brindisi. 

    Conversely, ITA Airways passengers will in future be able to plan their journey with connecting flights from other network airlines of Lufthansa Group. Initially, this new codeshare offer with ITA Airways will cover flight routes within Europe. Destinations in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe can be conveniently reached in future with an ITA ticket from Italy. Once the codeshare program is fully implemented, ITA Airways passengers will be able to choose from over 250 destinations offered by the Lufthansa Group. 
     

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government to increase Higher Level Stewardship payments and re-open Capital Grants Offer

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Government to increase Higher Level Stewardship payments and re-open Capital Grants Offer

    The government is increasing payment rates for those in existing Higher Level Stewardship and confirming the ELM standalone Capital Grants offer worth £45m in 2025/26 will re-open in the summer.

    Farmers and land managers who have been at the forefront of nature-friendly farming in England will see an uplift to Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payment rates, the government has announced today (Monday 24 February).   

    The increased payment rates, which will apply for agreement holders across a range of HLS options will provide a boost for farmers – often living and working in upland areas – who have been the pioneers of nature-friendly farming.  

    It will bolster support for farmers delivering high-quality environmental outcomes to maintain species-rich grasslands, managing our most important habitats and delivering a range of high-quality environmental outcomes.  

    In a further boost for nature recovery and the environment, the popular standalone ELM Capital Grants scheme will re-open in the summer, worth around £45 million in 2025/26. 

    The Rural Payments Agency is now processing the remaining 4,000 applications held when the scheme paused. These agreements will be worth £120 million over their lifetime. 

    We are also supporting farmers to improve productivity and protect the environment with a £110 million investment in equipment and technology grants.  

    The newly designed grant competitions launching this spring will focus on helping the sector transition to net zero and unlock opportunities from the Precision Breeding Act. 

    Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner said:   

    This government’s focus is on ensuring farming becomes more profitable and businesses are viable for the future – delivering the long-term food security this country needs. 

    Investing in innovation and technology will help farmers produce food more sustainably and profitably, and get the equipment they need to help their bottom line. 

    And with nature being so crucial to long-term food security, we’re rewarding the pioneers of nature-friendly farming – including many upland farmers.

    Our £110 million investment in innovation, equipment, technology includes:  

    • The launch of one round of the Farming Equipment and Technology (FETF) Fund in the spring, providing grants of between £1,000 and £25,000. 
    • New Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) grants worth more than £42.5 million, including competitions focussed on unlocking the benefits of precision breeding and supporting the net zero transition. 
    • Our new ADOPT fund will provide £20 million of additional funding for farmer-led trials that bridge the gap between new technologies and their real-world application, giving farmers the confidence investments in tech will deliver the returns they need. 

    Alongside these grants, we are also extending the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme to continue to support and improve England’s most precious areas of natural beauty, and improving animal health and welfare through government funded vet visits.  

    Through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway farmers will be able to apply for visits to cover every eligible species they have from this week, and from summer they will also be able to apply for a visit for every eligible herd or flock of the same species. 

    Additionally, the recruitment campaign for the Commissioner for Tenant Farming Sector role is now live. The Commissioner will encourage behaviour in the sector to meet standards set out in the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice for England.   

    As part of the government’s Plan for Change, we are delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers, with the first steps set out by the Secretary of State at the Oxford Farming Conference.

    We will work with the sector to boost profitability through fair competition across the supply chain, use planning reforms to support food production and monitor food currently bought in the public sector and where it is bought from. 

    We will help farmers diversify income streams and make additional money from selling surplus energy from solar panels and wind turbines by accelerating connections to the grid.

    We are going further to develop a 25-year farming roadmap to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Company selling dangerous motorcycle helmets handed large fines

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Company selling dangerous motorcycle helmets handed large fines

    Bikers Lifestyle Ltd has been ordered to pay over £10,000 in fines and costs after selling motorcycle helmets that “catastrophically failed” safety tests.

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has successfully prosecuted Bikers Lifestyle Ltd for selling motorcycle helmets and eye protection that fail to meet UK safety standards.

    The company was found guilty of 7 separate offences at Willesden Magistrates Court on 20 January 2025 and ordered to pay over £10,000 in fines and costs.

    Tests revealed that 3 out of 4 helmets failed safety requirements catastrophically, with one helmet recording results that indicated a 100% risk of fatality in a collision.

    Critical safety failures

    DVSA’s Market Surveillance Unit conducted tests at an independent laboratory specialising in motorcycle helmet testing. The results showed:

    • 3 helmets catastrophically failed safety testing
    • the fourth helmet passed impact tests but was not marked and labelled in accordance with regulations, so it was not legal for sale or use in the UK
    • all tested eye protection failed to meet required standards

    The magistrates found a high degree of culpability and determined there was a high risk of harm to consumers. The company was ordered to pay:

    • £4,000 for helmet-related offences (£1,000 per helmet)
    • £1,500 for eye protection offences (£500 per item)
    • £2,000 victim surcharge
    • £2,694 prosecution costs

    In total, the fines and costs came to £10,194.

    Recall of dangerous products

    Bikers Lifestyle Ltd has been ordered to remove non-compliant products from future supply.

    They are also required to recall those products already supplied in the UK market.

    Protecting you from unsafe equipment

    Sadie Clarke, DVSA investigation lead, said:

    Sub-standard helmets and eyewear pose a very real and significant risk to any motorcycle rider using them.

    Tests on items sold by Bikers Lifestyle Ltd showed they would be incapable of offering the necessary protection required in the event of an accident and the consequences could be catastrophic.

    DVSA will continue to work with Trading Standards and other agencies to make sure that these kinds of products do not make their way onto the market in the UK. This case should act as a warning to any other company that considers selling unfit safety products.

    Safety standards for motorcycle equipment

    You can read:

    Check motorcycle helmet safety ratings

    The SHARP helmet safety scheme provides guidance about:

    • how to select a helmet that fits correctly and is comfortable
    • the relative safety of helmets to help you make an informed choice

    Visit the SHARP website to check helmet ratings and find out about getting the right fit.

    Other places to get information

    You can also check advice and guidance from reputable organisations that specialise in motorcycle safety.

    Report someone making or selling unsafe or illegal vehicles or equipment

    You can report someone selling accessories that do not meet safety standards. You can do this anonymously (not giving your name), or you can give your details.

    Report someone making or selling unsafe or illegal vehicles or parts.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to Professor Sir Ian Chapman joining UKRI as new Chief Executive Officer

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on news that Prof Sir Ian Chapman will be joining UKRI as the new CEO. 

    Dr Alicia Greated, Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), said:

    “On behalf of CaSE, I would like to congratulate Professor Sir Ian Chapman on his appointment as the next CEO of UKRI. It is fantastic news that the process has concluded and there is a clear direction ahead for UKRI and the wider R&D sector at an extremely important time.

    “UKRI plays a critical role in supporting UK R&D, both in support of the research itself and the people that do it. There are challenges and opportunities ahead for UKRI and us all as we demonstrate how critical R&D is to achieving economic growth and improving lives and livelihoods across the UK. We look forward working with Sir Ian and the UKRI team going forward.”

    “I would like to also offer my personal and professional thanks to Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser. Ottoline has been a great supporter of CaSE, and a champion of UK R&D, especially during her time as UKRI CEO. We wish her the best of luck with her future endeavours.”  

     

    Sir Andrew Mackenzie, UKRI Chairman, said:

    “The board and I are delighted that Ian will become UKRI’s next CEO in the summer.  

    “Research and Innovation are fundamental to UK growth. Ian has the skills, experience, leadership and commitment to unlock this opportunity to improve the lives and livelihoods of everyone. We look forward to working with him on the next phase of UKRI’s development and our stewardship of the UK’s innovation culture and systems.  

    “We thank Ottoline for an outstanding five years as UKRI’s CEO. She has delivered a step-change in operational effectiveness and cross-discipline work through collective and inclusive leadership, and secured more social and commercial impacts from our investments”

    Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Current UKRI CEO, said: 

    “I’m delighted that Sir Ian will be taking over as UKRI’s CEO later this year. He will bring exceptional research and leadership experience, and detailed knowledge of UKRI from his service on our Board. This will ensure that UKRI maintains momentum at this critical time for research and innovation in the UK.   

    “Leading UKRI over the past five years has been a huge honour. I have enjoyed discussing an extraordinary range of ideas with an equally extraordinary range of people across the UK and beyond. I am incredibly lucky to have worked with UKRI’s dedicated staff, who bring such an impressive breadth and depth of expertise to serve the UK’s research and innovation system. 

    “I am proud to have led an organisation, alongside UKRI’s nine Executive Chairs and our Operational Leaders, fostering an outstanding research and innovation system for the UK, that gives everyone the opportunity to contribute and to benefit, enriching lives locally, nationally and globally. 

    “UKRI is an internationally recognised strength for the UK, and I look forward to seeing it continue to rise to the challenges and capture the opportunities ahead.”   

     

    https://www.ukri.org/news/professor-sir-ian-chapman-to-join-ukri-as-new-chief-executive-officer/

     

    Declared interests

    The nature of this story means everyone quoted above could be perceived to have a stake in it. As such, our policy is not to ask for interests to be declared – instead, they are implicit in each person’s affiliation.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Communities to get chance to shine in once-in-a-lifetime People’s Parade

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    People’s Parade events image

    Published: Tuesday, 25th February 2025

    This landmark event will take place on Saturday, 7 June, in the city centre, as part of the celebrations for the first ever Stoke-on-Trent day.

    Communities across Stoke-on-Trent are invited to take part in the People’s Parade – a spectacular celebration of Stoke-on-Trent’s past, present, and future.
     

    The city council is working in partnership with Stoke Creates, to launch the major community event which has the theme of From the Cradle to the Rave – 100 Years of Stoke-on-Trent.

    This landmark event will take place on Saturday, 7 June, in the city centre, as part of the celebrations for the first ever Stoke-on-Trent day.
     

    It will bring together people of all ages and backgrounds. The parade will feature themed sections that showcase the city’s rich cultural heritage and creative spirit.

    Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: “The People’s Parade is an opportunity to celebrate everything that makes Stoke-on-Trent unique. Our Centenary year is a chance for communities to come together and take pride in the city’s creativity, diversity, and resilience.
     

    “We want to see the streets lined with people, all coming together to celebrate the Centenary year.

    “We’ve had a tough decade, but what continues to shine through is the love for Stoke-on-Trent. Let’s harness that and do something monumental.”
     

    Professor Carola Boehm, Chair of Stoke Creates said: “The People’s Parade will be a dynamic, inclusive celebration that reflects the energy and talent of the city.
     

    “From Bhangra to Northern Soul, cricket to ceramics, every tradition, passion, and art form will have a place in this event. It will be a true representation of what makes Stoke-on-Trent exceptional.
     

    “Whether you march, dance, roll or rave, this your chance to shine in a once-in-a-lifetime centenary celebration.”
     

    The parade is made possible through funding from Arts Council England, supporting a city-wide Centenary programme designed to honour Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage while looking towards the future.

    The money follows a successful funding bid from Stoke Creates Cultural Compact and will support an exciting programme of cultural events to mark the city’s 100th anniversary and celebrate its status as a World Craft City.

    Anyone who wants to get involved can fill in the short form at: https://sot100.org.uk/events/event/91/the-people-s-parade

    For any questions, contact Stoke Creates on Stoke100@stokecreates.org.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –