Kindred Studios are poised to make a return to North Paddington, having been selected to manage the new purpose-built enterprise space in the 300 Harrow Road development. Previously located at the former Westminster College in Maida Vale, they are delighted to be back in the borough, supporting the creative community.
The new enterprise space is part of a comprehensive regeneration project led by the council, which includes new truly affordable homes, a nursery, community space and a community café. The affordable business space is a key component of the council’s Enterprise Space programme and is designed to serve as a hub for creative incubation, education and outreach. This aligns with the council’s vision for North Paddington, centred around creating a more inclusive, connected and vibrant community.
North Paddington is one of several areas designated as Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ), with the Mayor of London granting £170,000 towards fostering a vibrant creative and cultural economy in the area and opening opportunities for local people. This comes at a crucial time, as there have been significant losses of space for creatives across the capital, and in North Paddington this included Kindred Studios’ previous home, and the London Print Studio.
The council will now begin working with Kindred Studios who will fit out the space in the coming months, with an opening anticipated later this year. Once completed the 7,500 square foot space will be equipped with around 30 – 36 affordable studios, and co-working spaces for up to 100 local creatives and businesses. Kindred Studios will soon be inviting applications from artists to express interest in the new space. Stay informed by signing up for the Westminster Business Newsletter.
Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, said:
“Small businesses in the creative sector need space but often can’t afford market rents in central London.
“That’s why we’re delighted to welcome Kindred Studios to manage our newly purpose-built low-cost workspace at 300 Harrow Road, located in our North Paddington Creative Enterprise Zone.
“Kindred will run a continuous programme of networking, training, and events to transform the council’s newest enterprise space into a permanent, supportive environment for creative businesses. With our help, these small businesses will soon grow into bigger ones, generating good growth and employment for local people.”
Angelique Schmitt, Founder and CEO, of Kindred Studios said:
“It’s a great pleasure for us to be back in the borough, working alongside Westminster Council to deliver a hugely exciting new facility that will benefit creatives, college students, and the wider public with a transformative arts programme designed to foster connection and engagement.”
Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation
20th February 2025
The Q4 2024 Labour Force Survey and latest Monthly Unemployment Release show:
Employment continues to grow, with 71,400 jobs created in the year to Q4 2024
Total employment now stands at 2.78 million
Employment growth has been widespread throughout the regions – Employment outside of Dublin increased by 48,000 in the year to Q4 2024 (+2.5 percent)
Full time employment was up 82,900 (+3.9 percent) year on year in the fourth quarter, while part time employment was down 11,600 (-2.0 percent) year on year
In January 2025, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.0 percent, down from the revised rate of 4.5 in December 2024 and from a rate of 4.5 percent in January 2024
Labour Force Survey (LFS) results published today by the Central Statistics Office show continued growth in Ireland’s labour market, with 71,400 jobs created in the year to Q4 2024.
Employment now stands at 2.78 million, an increase of approximately 2.6 percent over Q4 2023.
This is reflective of the success of the Government’s focus on driving a labour market recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as set out in the Economic Recovery Plan. This commitment to continued employment growth has been renewed in the Government’s White Paper on Enterprise, published in December 2022, which sets out the strategic direction for job creation in the years ahead.
Commenting on the figures, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, said:
“The Irish labour market has shown outstanding progress in 2024, with key indicators reflecting a robust economy and increasing opportunities for workers across multiple industries. Ireland’s workforce continues to expand, driving the nation’s economic resilience and ensuring a brighter future for job seekers across the regions. It is vital that we continue to build on these successes, ensuring that Ireland remains an attractive and inclusive place for individuals to work, live, and prosper.
“The new Small Business Unit, to be established in the coming weeks, will be one of the tools utilised to ensure the delivery of targeted support for small businesses and employers. These small businesses continue to be the backbone of our local and national economies.”
The Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, said:
“2024 was another strong year for the Irish labour market, with the number of people employed reaching 2.78 million in the final quarter. Despite a slight moderation in annual employment growth in the final quarter, the number of people in work increased by 70,000 last year. As a result, employment has now increased by 400,000 compared to the pre-pandemic period, a truly remarkable achievement. Encouragingly, the unemployment rate remains low at 4.2 per cent, broadly consistent with full employment.
“Today’s results point to some modest easing in the tight conditions that have characterised the labour market over the past year. Looking ahead, the economic outlook is increasingly uncertain reflecting the challenging international environment. My Department will publish updated macroeconomic projections as part of its usual spring forecasts that will be published in April.”
The Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers, said:
“Our incredibly strong levels of employment continue to be a central component of our country’s robust economic performance. Increased growth in job rates – both in our cities and in the regions – underscores the confidence employers and investors have in the Irish economy.
“This is a direct result of the sensible management of our public finances and the economic policies which have been pursued in recent years. The positive figures released today also speak to the level of State investment to support both our small and medium enterprise sector as well as our education system which is producing high calibre, highly skilled workers across a broad range of areas and sectors throughout our economy.
“As an open, trading economy we know we face risks from changes to global trade. The best way to safeguard, protect and further advance our economic success is to enhance our national competitiveness. A key aspect of this is continuing to invest in our people and workers to upskill and diversify our talent pool which will equip us to unlock future economic opportunities and to fully harness the potential of the green and digital transitions.”
London’s St Patrick’s Day parade and Trafalgar Square celebrations to take place on Sunday 16 March
Londoners and visitors can look forward to a free, family-friendly afternoon of entertainment in the heart of the capital
Paralympic gold medal winning cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy and Olympic gold medal boxer Kellie Harrington will be Grand Marshals of this year’s parade
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that London’s famous St Patrick’s Day Festival and parade will return on Sunday 16 March. The celebrations bring together Londoners and visitors in the heart of the capital to honour the immense contributions of London’s Irish community.
Irish Paralympic gold medal winning cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy and Olympic gold medal winning boxer Kellie Harrington are this year’s Grand Marshals. Following their incredible success in Paris last year, Katie-George and Kellie will lead the spectacular parade of more than 50,000 people through central London. There will be great floats, marching bands, and dance troupes as the procession weaves its way from Hyde Park Corner, past Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, and on to Whitehall.
Trafalgar Square will be the centre of the celebrations with a free afternoon of entertainment hosted by Irish-Indian-Malaysian DJ and broadcaster Tara Kumar. The main stage will feature a wide range of family-friendly performances, including world-class acts Kíla, Irish Women in Harmony, Ragz-CV, and many more.
Celebrity chef Anna Haugh is returning to demonstrate how to cook Irish culinary delights, and there will be food stalls to suit all tastes.
This year’s programme includes the Peace Heroines exhibition, an art project which celebrates Ireland’s unsung women heroes. Visitors can also enjoy the Irish Creative Collective Sessions showcasing the best of Ireland’s comedy, music, and film and TV shorts.
There will be an opportunity to learn traditional Irish dancing steps in the Irish Dance Zone, while in the Children’s Zone Artburst will run free creative workshops using recycled materials to promote sustainability – a key theme for this year’s event.
On the big screen there will be clips of The Song Cycle, a film that documents Nick Kelly and his band Dogs as they cycled from Dublin to Glastonbury to perform at last year’s festival. They’ll be cycling all the way from Dublin to London to join the parade before performing on the main stage.
London’s St Patrick’s Day Festival is a wonderful opportunity to experience the warmth, creativity and culture of the capital’s Irish community while celebrating the enduring ties between London and Ireland.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations are a key part of our capital’s cultural calendar and I’m delighted that each year the festival gets bigger and better. I’m proud that we host this major event to honour and celebrate Irish culture and the immense contributions of our capital’s Irish community. From business and public service to the arts and culture, Irish Londoners have played – and continue to play – a vital role in shaping the very fabric of our city, making London a better, brighter and more prosperous place for everyone. Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!”
Ireland’s Ambassador to the UK, Martin Fraser, said: ““The Embassy of Ireland is delighted to support and be part of this event once again. It is a joyful and diverse celebration of Irish arts and culture, with a fantastic programme devised by our friends at the London Irish Centre.
“St Patrick’s Day in London is truly special, bringing together not only our Irish community but all friends of Ireland here in Britain, and people from around the world who feel a connection to Ireland. It is also a wonderful way to recognise the contribution of the Irish diaspora to London over so many years.
“The parade and Trafalgar Square show is consistently a highlight in London’s cultural calendar and one which we are so proud to be part of – made all the more special this year by the presence of our Olympic medallists Grand Marshals: para-cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy and boxer Kellie Harrington. It is an honour to have the opportunity to walk alongside these exceptional Irish athletes. We are also happy to highlight the inclusion this year of the “Peace Heroines” exhibition, a series of portraits by the artist FRIZ celebrating the role of women in the Good Friday Agreement.
“I know that this year’s events will be a great success, with thanks to the hard work and creativity of all involved, and with the support of Mayor Sadiq Khan.
“Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh go léir!”
Grand Marshal, Irish Olympic gold medal winning boxer Kellie Harrington, said: ” I am honoured to be attending as Grand Marshal alongside my good friend Katie George Dunlevy in the London St Patrick’s Day Parade on March 16th. I have always gone to the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Ireland on Dublin’s O’Connell St, this be my first Parade away from home and I am very excited to celebrate it with everyone in London. I look forward to celebrating with you all. “
Grand Marshal, Irish Paralympic gold medal winning cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy, said: “”I’m really honoured and excited to be part of the St Patrick’s Parade and Festival on March 16th in London. I take such pride in representing our wonderful country on the world stage, at the Paralympics. After such an incredible year, where I came home with three medals and retained my time trial title, this is truly the cherry on top!”
Séamus MacCormaic, CEO of the London Irish Centre, said: “The London Irish Centre are honoured to be Programme Partner for the London St Patrick’s Festival 2025 and to curate the iconic concert in Trafalgar Square each year. This special event acknowledges and celebrates the contribution of Irish communities to London, and we are proud to be part of this story for the past 70 years. Our Culture Team will bring a diverse programme of Irish arts and culture to the iconic Trafalgar Square and celebrate the creativity and huge contribution of the Irish community in London. We want to thank the Mayor Sadiq Khan and London Authority for working with us. and to everyone who works so hard to make this festival such a huge success.”
Ger Hayes, Managing Director of the event’s title sponsor Sisk, said: “We are delighted to continue our sponsorship of the London St Patrick’s Day parade yet again this year.
“St Patrick’s Day is an excellent opportunity for our diverse workforce, many of whom who are Irish diaspora to come together with their friends and family to celebrate with us.
“As an Irish business, it is crucial for us to remain active in the London Irish community. We do a lot of voluntary work in the communities in which we operate and have built an excellent relationship supporting the Kilburn Irish Pensioners group in Brent.
“As an Irish business, we have been operating in London since the 1980’s and we have completed many major projects including the redevelopment of the Royal Academy of Arts and we are currently building the new Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Children’s Cancer Centre.
“We would like to wish everyone a Happy St Patrick’s Day!”
Tourism Ireland’s Acting Deputy Head of Great Britain, David Wood, said: “St Patrick’s Day Festival in London’s Trafalgar Square returns for a fantastic day showcasing the vibrancy of Irish culture, arts, food and community. Join Tourism Ireland in celebrating on the 16th March for the festival’s 22nd year. Visit us on the stand for a warm welcome and to find out the latest news and reasons to visit the island of Ireland in 2025.”
Leaders from around 50 countries made new national commitments to advance road safety at the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety that was hosted that by the Kingdom of Morocco and the World Health Organization [WHO] in Marrakech, Morocco today.
Road crashes kill nearly 1.2 million people each year – more than two deaths per minute – and are the leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5-29 years.
Ministers from 100 countries endorsed the Marrakech Declaration for Global Road Safety. that calls on governments to make road safety a political priority, ensure sustained funding and advance actions to achieve the goal of halving road deaths by 2030 as set out in the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
“We are proud to have hosted this 4th Global Ministerial Conference in Marrakech, mobilizing UN member states and our international partners around an issue that concerns us all. As Africans in particular and as active members of the international community, we must celebrate this milestone. Every decision made here must translate into lives saved,” said Mr. Abdessamad Kayouh, Minister of Transport and Logistics of the Kingdom of Morocco.
Key commitments made at the conference include:
Thailand’s pledge to bring road deaths down to 12 per 100,000 people by 2027.
Bangladesh will enact the country’s first national road safety law.
Saudi Arabia will update the country’s national road safety strategy.
Colombia will ensure more cities will have speed limits of 50kmh and 30kmh.
Guinea will ratify the African Charter on Road Safety and align regulations with international standards.
Cote d’ivoire aims to increase helmet wearing among motorcyclists to 90% by 2027.
The United Kingdom will produce its first national road safety strategy in over a decade.
“Concrete commitments to move further and faster to save lives and boost road safety are just what we need to meet the goal of halving road deaths by 2030, and we’ve achieved that here. We commend the countries that made these commitments and we thank the Kingdom of Morocco for their leadership in hosting this crucial event. WHO is here to assist all countries in preventing deaths on the roads,” said Dr Etienne Krug, WHO Director for the Department of the Social Determinants of Health.
The Marrakech Declaration calls for safety to be a primary concern in all road infrastructure planning and related policies, laws and regulations. It calls for greater coordination across government ministries, including health, transport and the environment.
The declaration urges governments to adopt policies and infrastructure that advance safe, green and equitable mobility, such as walking, cycling and public transport. It recognizes that safe and accessible mobility drives equitable economic growth across society.
The declaration also calls for more cross-border knowledge-sharing, technical support and technology transfer, and to advance research into emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). It highlights the need to work with civil society and academia.
SINGAPORE, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FBS, a leading global broker, has released an in-depth analysis of how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the trading landscape. The report highlights AI’s growing role in improving efficiency, accuracy, and data-driven decision making.
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Predictive analytics, another key AI-driven innovation, allows traders to forecast market trends by analyzing price movements, sentiment indicators, and macroeconomic factors. According to a PwC study, hedge funds incorporating AI-driven predictive analytics achieved returns 23% higher than those relying solely on traditional models.
FBS highlights that AI has significantly increased accessibility to advanced trading tools. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of retail traders using AI-powered platforms rose by 120%, enabling individual traders to access sophisticated analytics once reserved for institutional investors.
As AI technology evolves, FBS has recently introduced the FBS AI Assistant, a next-generation tool designed to support traders in making informed decisions. The FBS AI Assistant simplifies complex data, transforming complicated chart patterns into clear, easy-to-read reports. By leveraging AI-driven insights, traders can validate their strategies, minimize human error, and make informed decisions faster.
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This material does not constitute a call to trade, trading advice, or recommendation and is intended for informational purposes only.
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Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Mr Alex Pinfield OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco.
Alex Pinfield OBE
Mr Alex Pinfield OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco in succession to Mr Simon Martin CMG. Mr Pinfield will take up his appointment during August 2025.
Curriculum Vitae
Full name: Alexander Giles Pinfield
Year
Role
2022-2024
FCDO, Head of Iran Unit
2021-2022
FCDO, Head of Afghanistan Policy Department
2021
Kabul, Deputy Ambassador
2020
FCDO, Head of International Human Resources
2017-2020
FCO, Head of China Department
2016
Cabinet Office, Deputy Director, National Security Secretariat
2013 -2015
FCO, Head of Syria Unit
2009-2013
Canberra, Head of Foreign Policy Section
2007-2009
Tehran, First Secretary (Head of Political Section)
2006
Pre-posting training (including Farsi language training)
2005-2006
Cabinet Office, Middle East analyst
2002-2005
Beijing, Second Secretary (Press and Public Affairs)
2000-2002
Pre-posting training (including Chinese language training)
EU farmers who have lost income due to adverse climatic events or natural disasters are set to receive over €98 million from the EU’s agricultural reserve. The funds will be shared among farmers in Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia and Hungary who have all suffered due to extreme weather conditions.
A man has been charged with a number of bribery offences following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing.
Nathan Gill, 51 (06.07.1973) of North Wales, was charged via postal requisition with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, under the Criminal Law Act 1977, and with eight counts of bribery, under the Bribery Act, 2010.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 24 February.
The investigation has been led by detectives from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and a man was previously interviewed under caution on 3 March, 2022 in connection with bribery allegations.
Further enquiries were carried out by officers and after authorisation by the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division, the man was subsequently charged as above.
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Captain Ibrahim Traoré is the interim leader of Burkina Faso, having taken over the position following a coup which he led against Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Damiba in September 2022. The 37-year-old captain had supported Damiba, his commanding officer, in a putsch earlier that year against former president Roch Marc Kaboré.
Since Traoré has been in power, Burkina Faso has played a key role in the withdrawal of three west African states from the regional body Ecowas. Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have formed an alternative, the Alliance of Sahel States. The Conversation Africa asked researcher Daniel Eizenga where the country was headed under Traoré’s leadership.
Who is Ibrahim Traoré?
Traoré was born in 1988 in Bondokuy, a small town on the route connecting Burkina Faso’s second city – Bobo Dioulasso – and its fourth largest, Ouahigouya. He completed secondary school in Bobo Dioulasso, then moved to the nation’s capital, where he studied at the University of Ouagadougou.
After completing his undergraduate education, Traoré joined the army in 2010 at the age of 22. He undertook his officer training in Pô at the Georges Namoano Military Academy, an officer school for the Burkinabe armed forces. He graduated as a second lieutenant in 2012 and served as a peacekeeper in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission to Mali (Minusma) after being promoted to lieutenant in 2014.
After his stint with Minusma, Traoré took part in missions in northern Burkina Faso as part of a special counterterrorism unit. He was promoted to captain in 2020 at the age of 32.
Damiba led a coup against Kaboré in January 2022. He then assigned Traoré as chief of an artillery regiment in the North Central region of Burkina Faso.
As it became clear that Damiba was losing popularity within the junta, Traoré and a group of junior officers organised a coup. They seized on public and military outrage around an ambush that left 11 soldiers and dozens of civilians dead.
What has been the response to his rule in Burkina Faso?
Some media reports suggest that the young captain and his junta enjoy popular support throughout the country. Some have even drawn comparisons between Traoré and Burkina Faso’s earlier leftist revolutionary military leader, Captain Thomas Sankara. It’s true that the two captains did take power at the age of 34. But the comparisons end at their rank and age.
During the 1980s and nearing the end of the cold war, Sankara came to power as ideological division split the Burkinabe armed forces. Officers supporting Sankara led a coup in 1983. Viewed as a Marxist revolutionary, Sankara attempted to enact political reforms. They included policies to boost public political participation, empower women, address environmental degradataion and reduce inequalities.
Traoré’s position is much more precarious. Most military officers did not participate in either his coup or the one led by Damiba, underscoring the fragmented state of Burkina Faso’s armed forces. Traoré’s junta has claimed there have been multiple attempts at destabilisation or coups. This highlights the arbitrary means by which power has changed hands and the inherent instability present under junta rule.
To shore up his position, Traoré has launched a restructuring drive. This has included redirecting revenues from taxes, the mining sector, and other sources of public revenues into defence coffers. He has also mobilised volunteers to fight violent extremists as part of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland, a junta-sponsored civilian militia. There are reports that forced conscription has been used to send “volunteers” to the front lines of battle. The conflict data indicate that the strategy is not working.
Traoré may not be as popular among ordinary people as he is often portrayed. This is inferred from the violent repression of critics, multiple alleged coup attempts as well as the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis. He has cracked down hard on independent voices. Journalists, civil society leaders, political party leaders and even judges have been targeted by the junta with its forced conscription tactics and other forms of violent repression.
Aiming to boost support for himself immediately following the coup, Traoré trained his sights on capturing the anti-French sentiment. He blamed the French for many of the country’s woes and cast Damiba as a close French ally. Within a few months, Traoré demanded the French withdraw its security presence from Burkina Faso altogether.
Since the French withdrawal, Russian mercenaries have been seen providing protection for Traoré and reportedly supporting operations near the border with Mali. However, only some 100-300 Russian forces have gone to Burkina Faso. This suggests that the focus is on regime security for Traoré and his junta.
What does the future hold?
Traoré’s actions have not improved the security situation in the country. There have been at least 3,059 violent events linked to militant Islamist groups since he came to power in October 2022. This is a 20% increase in comparison to two years preceding the coup. The number of fatalities linked to militant Islamist violence nearly doubled from 3,621 in 2022 to 6,389 in 2024.
The violence has also spread throughout the country to affect nearly every region and increased along Burkina Faso’s southern border. It’s likely that the data is under-reported.
The junta has claimed to have foiled several coup plots since Traoré’s power grab. A foiled plot came in September 2024 only a few weeks after the deadliest massacre the country has ever suffered. Violent extremists killed hundreds of civilians outside the town of Barsalogho. Civilian fatalities linked to militant Islamist groups have increased from 721 in 2022 to 1,151 deaths in 2024.
Perhaps more worrying are the civilian fatalities linked to the military or its sponsored militia.
The violence in Burkina Faso presents an alarming outlook in which the collapse of the country cannot be ruled out. The military has reemerged as the principal political actor. By some counts the military has been directly or indirectly in power for 45 of the 65 years since Burkina Faso became independent.
All the while, the militant Islamist insurgency embroils more and more of the countryside at great human cost. Some estimates place the number of people displaced by violence as high as 3 million, though the junta will not provide an official figure. That is more than 10% of the population of some 24 million people. Another million or more students may not be in school due to conflict and ongoing insecurity.
Despite the effort to present Traoré as a bold reformer and saviour, the political, security and economic ramifications from his junta rule will reverberate through Burkina Faso for decades to come.
Daniel Eizenga has previously received funding from a Minerva Initiative research grant through the University of Florida to conduct research in Burkina Faso towards his Ph.D. Dr Eizenga is currently a research fellow with the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
A £20 million project to resurface part of the airfield at Mount Pleasant Complex has been completed
Resurfacing works on the runway at Mount Pleasant Complex complete ahead of schedule. MOD Crown Copyright.
Work to resurface part of the airfield at Mount Pleasant Complex in the Falkland Islands has been completed ahead of schedule.
Mount Pleasant Complex is the RAF’s airfield in the Falkland Islands and is an important overseas base for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which is run by UK Strategic Command. It is a vital air link between the Falkland Islands and the UK.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) awarded the contract to Mitie in October and the work was undertaken by a number of specialist sub-contractors from the UK – some of whom also completed the resurfacing of the site’s Alpha Loop taxiway last year.
The £20 million project saw the removal of 20,000m 2 of the airfield operating surface and its replacement with a high quality asphalt, produced by the team on-island in a batching plant specifically constructed for the project. Resurfacing took place on the Foxtrot taxiway and the threshold, which is the part of the runway where aircraft touch down when landing. All equipment and materials had to be transported by ship from the UK, a journey of 8,000 miles.
Maj Brad Southall RE, DIO’s Project Manager, said:
Any construction project in the Falkland Islands can be complicated thanks to the significant logistical challenges and, in this case, the need to finish work before the austral winter, when conditions make construction impossible. The requirement to maintain the operational output of the airfield throughout construction was also a particular challenge.
I’m delighted that the work has been completed ahead of schedule and that is thanks to fantastic collaboration between all parties – DIO, Mitie, Dyer and Butler, British Forces South Atlantic Islands and UK Strategic Command.
Brig Daniel Duff, Commander British Forces, South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI), said:
We are pleased that the runway works have gone so well, despite the significant challenges of project delivery here on the Islands. Of course, this is not by accident and the whole project delivery team has collaborated closely with multiple BFSAI departments throughout – it has been a real team effort. The works form an important element in maintaining the operational outputs of BFSAI and contribute to the continued delivery of our mission.
Charlie Antelme, Managing Director of Defence at Mitie, said:
This project has been a really collaborative effort and the dedication shown by all has paid off in the form of an early completion ahead of the winter. This is the latest of our refurbishment work at the Mount Pleasant Complex and we look forward to continuing to deliver large scale projects in support of the UK Armed Forces not only in the South Atlantic but across the wider Defence Estate at home and abroad.
The project was supported by 8 Engineer Brigade Royal Engineers, who supplied military engineers to undertake quality control and liaise between the construction team and the airfield personnel. This ensured the project team could work effectively around continuing air operations without needing lengthy pauses to either flying operations or construction.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Daniel Eizenga, Research Fellow, Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Captain Ibrahim Traoré is the interim leader of Burkina Faso, having taken over the position following a coup which he led against Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Damiba in September 2022. The 37-year-old captain had supported Damiba, his commanding officer, in a putsch earlier that year against former president Roch Marc Kaboré.
Since Traoré has been in power, Burkina Faso has played a key role in the withdrawal of three west African states from the regional body Ecowas. Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have formed an alternative, the Alliance of Sahel States. The Conversation Africa asked researcher Daniel Eizenga where the country was headed under Traoré’s leadership.
Who is Ibrahim Traoré?
Traoré was born in 1988 in Bondokuy, a small town on the route connecting Burkina Faso’s second city – Bobo Dioulasso – and its fourth largest, Ouahigouya. He completed secondary school in Bobo Dioulasso, then moved to the nation’s capital, where he studied at the University of Ouagadougou.
After completing his undergraduate education, Traoré joined the army in 2010 at the age of 22. He undertook his officer training in Pô at the Georges Namoano Military Academy, an officer school for the Burkinabe armed forces. He graduated as a second lieutenant in 2012 and served as a peacekeeper in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission to Mali (Minusma) after being promoted to lieutenant in 2014.
After his stint with Minusma, Traoré took part in missions in northern Burkina Faso as part of a special counterterrorism unit. He was promoted to captain in 2020 at the age of 32.
Damiba led a coup against Kaboré in January 2022. He then assigned Traoré as chief of an artillery regiment in the North Central region of Burkina Faso.
As it became clear that Damiba was losing popularity within the junta, Traoré and a group of junior officers organised a coup. They seized on public and military outrage around an ambush that left 11 soldiers and dozens of civilians dead.
What has been the response to his rule in Burkina Faso?
Some media reports suggest that the young captain and his junta enjoy popular support throughout the country. Some have even drawn comparisons between Traoré and Burkina Faso’s earlier leftist revolutionary military leader, Captain Thomas Sankara. It’s true that the two captains did take power at the age of 34. But the comparisons end at their rank and age.
During the 1980s and nearing the end of the cold war, Sankara came to power as ideological division split the Burkinabe armed forces. Officers supporting Sankara led a coup in 1983. Viewed as a Marxist revolutionary, Sankara attempted to enact political reforms. They included policies to boost public political participation, empower women, address environmental degradataion and reduce inequalities.
Traoré’s position is much more precarious. Most military officers did not participate in either his coup or the one led by Damiba, underscoring the fragmented state of Burkina Faso’s armed forces. Traoré’s junta has claimed there have been multiple attempts at destabilisation or coups. This highlights the arbitrary means by which power has changed hands and the inherent instability present under junta rule.
To shore up his position, Traoré has launched a restructuring drive. This has included redirecting revenues from taxes, the mining sector, and other sources of public revenues into defence coffers. He has also mobilised volunteers to fight violent extremists as part of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland, a junta-sponsored civilian militia. There are reports that forced conscription has been used to send “volunteers” to the front lines of battle. The conflict data indicate that the strategy is not working.
Traoré may not be as popular among ordinary people as he is often portrayed. This is inferred from the violent repression of critics, multiple alleged coup attempts as well as the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis. He has cracked down hard on independent voices. Journalists, civil society leaders, political party leaders and even judges have been targeted by the junta with its forced conscription tactics and other forms of violent repression.
Aiming to boost support for himself immediately following the coup, Traoré trained his sights on capturing the anti-French sentiment. He blamed the French for many of the country’s woes and cast Damiba as a close French ally. Within a few months, Traoré demanded the French withdraw its security presence from Burkina Faso altogether.
Since the French withdrawal, Russian mercenaries have been seen providing protection for Traoré and reportedly supporting operations near the border with Mali. However, only some 100-300 Russian forces have gone to Burkina Faso. This suggests that the focus is on regime security for Traoré and his junta.
What does the future hold?
Traoré’s actions have not improved the security situation in the country. There have been at least 3,059 violent events linked to militant Islamist groups since he came to power in October 2022. This is a 20% increase in comparison to two years preceding the coup. The number of fatalities linked to militant Islamist violence nearly doubled from 3,621 in 2022 to 6,389 in 2024.
The violence has also spread throughout the country to affect nearly every region and increased along Burkina Faso’s southern border. It’s likely that the data is under-reported.
The junta has claimed to have foiled several coup plots since Traoré’s power grab. A foiled plot came in September 2024 only a few weeks after the deadliest massacre the country has ever suffered. Violent extremists killed hundreds of civilians outside the town of Barsalogho. Civilian fatalities linked to militant Islamist groups have increased from 721 in 2022 to 1,151 deaths in 2024.
Perhaps more worrying are the civilian fatalities linked to the military or its sponsored militia.
The violence in Burkina Faso presents an alarming outlook in which the collapse of the country cannot be ruled out. The military has reemerged as the principal political actor. By some counts the military has been directly or indirectly in power for 45 of the 65 years since Burkina Faso became independent.
All the while, the militant Islamist insurgency embroils more and more of the countryside at great human cost. Some estimates place the number of people displaced by violence as high as 3 million, though the junta will not provide an official figure. That is more than 10% of the population of some 24 million people. Another million or more students may not be in school due to conflict and ongoing insecurity.
Despite the effort to present Traoré as a bold reformer and saviour, the political, security and economic ramifications from his junta rule will reverberate through Burkina Faso for decades to come.
– Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré is making waves in west Africa. Who is he? – https://theconversation.com/burkina-fasos-ibrahim-traore-is-making-waves-in-west-africa-who-is-he-249875
A community Iftar is taking place in Portsmouth to raise funds for two charities the Lord Mayor is supporting.
The event on Sunday 2 March in the Guildhall’s auditorium is to observe Iftar, the name of the evening meal eaten by Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan. Tickets are available here: Portsmouth Community Iftar 2025 | Pompey in the Community
The Iftar is being organised by Portsmouth Lord Mayor Cllr Jason Fazackarley, together with fellow city councillors Cllr Abdul Kadir and Cllr Asghar Shah, with funds going to Pompey in the Community and Abby’s Heroes.
Cllr Fazackarley said: “I do hope people will join and break fast for two fantastic local charities which I am delighted to be supporting as part of my appeal.
“Pompey in the Community harnesses the motivational power of Portsmouth FC to promote education, healthy living, sporting participation and achievement with vulnerable and disadvantaged people of all ages.
“Abby’s Heroes was set up by mum Sally Randall eight years ago in memory of her daughter Abby, who had a rare type of bone cancer called Ewing Sarcoma. It’s their mission to support local children who have cancer and their families in all sorts of important ways.”
Food is provided in the ticket price and doors open at 3.30pm for a 4pm start.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
Mr Alex Pinfield OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco.
Alex Pinfield OBE
Mr Alex Pinfield OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco in succession to Mr Simon Martin CMG. Mr Pinfield will take up his appointment during August 2025.
Curriculum Vitae
Full name: Alexander Giles Pinfield
Year
Role
2022-2024
FCDO, Head of Iran Unit
2021-2022
FCDO, Head of Afghanistan Policy Department
2021
Kabul, Deputy Ambassador
2020
FCDO, Head of International Human Resources
2017-2020
FCO, Head of China Department
2016
Cabinet Office, Deputy Director, National Security Secretariat
2013 -2015
FCO, Head of Syria Unit
2009-2013
Canberra, Head of Foreign Policy Section
2007-2009
Tehran, First Secretary (Head of Political Section)
2006
Pre-posting training (including Farsi language training)
2005-2006
Cabinet Office, Middle East analyst
2002-2005
Beijing, Second Secretary (Press and Public Affairs)
2000-2002
Pre-posting training (including Chinese language training)
UK continues to step up on European security in move to deepen defence ties with Norway
The UK has kickstarted negotiations today on a major defence agreement with Norway in a move that will bolster security at home and on the European continent and help deter Russian aggression.
During a visit 400km inside the Arctic Circle, including to the Norwegian border with Russia, the Defence Secretary John Healey set out plans for a new agreement which will bring the UK and Norway closer together than ever, boosting national security and creating opportunities for growth to help deliver the government’s Plan for Change.
The proposed strategic partnership will look to build on the UK’s longstanding defence relationship with Norway by strengthening our armed forces, developing closer industrial ties and enhancing our capabilities to face common challenges such as protection of critical undersea infrastructure. It follows the Defence Secretary signing the landmark Trinity House Agreement with Germany in October.
The announcement, recognising the importance of the High North region, comes as the UK steps up to take a leading role in European security and within NATO.
With Russia continuing to militarise the High North and Arctic, this new agreement will boost security for the UK, Norway and our NATO allies, bolstering defences on NATO’s northern flank.
Alongside Norway Defence Minister Tore Sandvik, John Healey visited a border post near Kirkenes on the Russian border yesterday. There, they discussed shared security concerns and the commitment to deterring Russian threats and stepping up support for Ukraine in this critical year.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:
Kickstarting work on a deep, ambitious new defence agreement with Norway shows the UK promise to step up on European security in action.
Norway remains one of the UK’s most important allies. We will create a new era of defence partnership to bring us closer than ever before as we tackle increasing threats, strengthen NATO, and boost our security in the High North.
The UK is determined to play a leadership role on European security, supporting the foundations for our security and prosperity at home and showing our adversaries that we are united in our determination to protect our interests.
Both Defence ministers also visited the UK’s ship RFA Proteus in Bodø, which is docked in Norway ahead of exercises in the Baltic Sea.
The Ministers saw how Proteus’ capabilities support UK and European security – functioning as a mothership for drones and remotely operated vehicles, which act as a deterrent and can monitor and protect undersea infrastructure.
The UK and Norway have both stepped up maritime security in the Baltic Sea to protect critical undersea infrastructure. Under NATO’s Operation Baltic Sentry operation, the UK and Norway are working together, with the UK contributing Rivet Joint and P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft.
Speaking in sub-zero conditions in Bodø, the two Ministers highlighted their determination to defend shared interests in an increasingly unstable world.
Norway Defence Minister, Tore Sandvik said:
The United Kingdom is Norway’s closest and most important ally in Europe, and our two countries have maintained a close and strong security and defence cooperation for many years. We now face many of the same security challenges in a time of great uncertainty.
It is therefore natural for us to strengthen our ties even further to enhance both our own and our allies’ security while safeguarding our shared strategic interests. At the same time, we will contribute to making NATO stronger.
Together, the UK and Norway continue to be ironclad in support for Ukraine, leading the Maritime Capability Coalition which is transforming the Ukrainian Navy by developing its Black Sea maritime force and building new cutting-edge underwater drones.
Both nations are also playing a key part in the training of Ukrainian recruits. More than 51,000 men and women have been provided with the skills needed to counter Russian’s illegal invasion.
In addition, Norway is the only nation to join the full duration of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific this year. A Norwegian frigate will sail alongside the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. In preparation for the deployment, the UK and Norway will take part in Exercise Tamber Shield in the next few weeks.
The Government has accepted the TRA’s recommendation to keep an anti-dumping measure on imports of Corrosion Resistant Steel from China to the UK.
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has today (Thursday 20 February) accepted the Trade Remedies Authority’s (TRA) recommendation to maintain an anti-dumping measure on imports of Corrosion Resistant Steel (CRS) from China for a further five years.
The process of making CRS, which is primarily used in the construction and manufacturing industries, effectively makes the steel rustproof and it is used in the manufacture of such products as domestic appliances, steel vents and fencing. The TRA estimated the UK producer of CRS contributes around £63 million to the UK economy annually.
The TRA opened a transition review into the measure in February 2023, finding that it was likely that dumping of CRS from China would recur if the anti-dumping measure were no longer applied and that UK industry would likely be injured.
As part of its Economic Interest Test, the TRA also considered claims by the UK industry that if the measure were no longer applied, this would have a direct impact on its ability to proceed with decarbonisation projects and contribution to various net zero initiatives in the UK.
In its final recommendation, the TRA therefore proposed that the level of duties applicable to Chinese exporters remain unchanged, ranging from 17.2% to 27.9%, until at least 9 February 2028.
The TRA found that following the imposition of the European Union’s measure in 2018, imports into the UK from China fell by 96% from 363,000 metric tonnes in 2016, to 16,000 metric tonnes in 2018.
Background information
The TRA is the UK body that investigates whether trade remedy measures are needed to counter unfair import practices and unforeseen surges of imports.
Trade remedy investigations were carried out by the EU Commission on the UK’s behalf until the UK left the EU. A number of EU trade remedy measures of interest to UK producers were carried across into UK law when the UK left the EU and the TRA is currently reviewing each one to check if it is suitable for UK needs. View further information on our current transition reviews.
Anti-dumping duties allow a country or union to take action against goods which are being sold at less than their normal value – this is defined as the price for ‘like goods’ sold in the exporter’s home market.
These measures are one of the three types of trade remedy measures – along with countervailing measures against countervailable subsidies and safeguard measures which address sudden, unforeseen floods of imports – that are allowed under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.
Corrosion resistant steel: the goods reviewed were flat rolled, iron/alloy/non alloy steel, aluminium killed (meaning the steel has been deoxidized with aluminium, thus eliminating any reaction between carbon and oxygen during solidification), and then plated or coated by hot dip galvanisation with zinc and/or aluminium and/or magnesium.
CSL Receives Approval in Japan for ANDEMBRY® (garadacimab) Subcutaneous (S.C.) Injection 200mg Pens, a Novel Human Anti-Activated Factor XII Monoclonal Antibody for the Prevention of Acute Attacks of Hereditary Angioedema (HAE)
ANDEMBRY® is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody treatment that inhibits activated Factor XII (FXIIa), the initiating factor in the HAE pathway, and offers the first pre-filled pen presentation enabling once-monthly subcutaneous administration
The approval is based on the results of the international pivotal Phase 3 VANGUARD trial, which included HAE patients from Japan
CSL is dedicated to improving the lives of those with HAE – a community that we have proudly supported for more than 40 years
TOKYO, Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CSL Behring K.K. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Izumi Yoshida) today announced that it has received manufacturing and marketing approval from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for ANDEMBRY® (garadacimab) Subcutaneous (S.C.) Injection 200mg Pens. The product is approved for the prevention of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) and is the first pre-filled pen presentation for once-monthly subcutaneous administration for long-term prophylaxis of HAE. The approval in Japan follows additional recent approvals received in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
ANDEMBRY is the first fully human monoclonal antibody in Japan designed to inhibit activated Factor XII (Factor XIIa), which initiates the cascade of events leading to angioedema at various sites of the body.
“ANDEMBRY represents a major advancement in the management of hereditary angioedema, offering people living with this life-threatening condition long-term disease control through a patient-centric and convenient administration method,” said Bill Mezzanotte, MD, Executive Vice President, Head of R&D, CSL. “As CSL’s first approved recombinant monoclonal antibody discovered and developed entirely by CSL, ANDEMBRY underscores our more than 40-year commitment to HAE research and treatment optimization. This milestone is the result of decades of dedication, and we extend our gratitude to the colleagues, physicians and patients who made this possible for HAE patients and CSL.”
HAE is a rare, chronic, debilitating, and potentially life-threatening genetic disorder characterized by recurrent and unpredictable attacks of angioedema. Attacks are often painful and can occur in multiple sites of the body, including the abdomen, larynx, face, and extremities. HAE is designated as one of Japan’s intractable diseases under the category of “Primary Immunodeficiency Syndrome.” Reports indicate that approximately 430 patients in Japan are currently diagnosed and receiving treatment. According to global data, the prevalence of HAE is estimated to be 1 in 50,000 people, suggesting there may be approximately 2,500 patients in Japan.
The approval of ANDEMBRY is based on the efficacy and safety data from the pivotal international Phase 3 VANGUARD trial and its open-label extension study. The detailed results of the VANGUARD trial were published in The Lancet in April 2023 and the primary results of the ongoing open-label extension study were published in Allergy (October 2024). A plain language summary of the VANGUARD trial findings has also been published to facilitate understanding of patients and caregivers of the clinical trial data. This summary is accessible in multiple languages, including English and Japanese.
“ANDEMBRY is a breakthrough therapy as the first and only treatment targeting activated Factor XII, the key initiator of HAE attacks,” said Dr. Rose Fida, Executive Director and Regional Lead, CSL R&D Japan & China. “With its novel mechanism, once-monthly subcutaneous dosing and easy-to-use pre-filled pen, ANDEMBRY is set to transform the way HAE is managed in Japan.”
About ANDEMBRY® (garadacimab) ANDEMBRY (garadacimab) is a novel Factor XIIa-inhibitory monoclonal antibody (anti-FXIIa mAb) that has completed Phase 3 clinical development as a new type of once-monthly subcutaneous prophylactic treatment for attacks related to HAE, a form of bradykinin-mediated angioedema. ANDEMBRY is CSL’s first homegrown recombinant monoclonal antibody to gain approval. It was discovered and optimized by scientists at CSL’s Bio21-based research site, with formulation and manufacturing for the clinical programs completed at the CSL Broadmeadows Biotech Manufacturing Facility. ANDEMBRY uniquely inhibits the plasma protein, FXIIa. When FXII is activated, it initiates the cascade of events leading to edema formation. By targeting FXIIa, ANDEMBRY inhibits this cascade at the top as compared to other HAE therapies that target downstream mediators.
As of February 2025, ANDEMBRY® has been approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on January 14, 2025, the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on January 24, 2025, and by the European Union’s European Commission (EC) on February 10, 2025.
About “ANDEMBRY® S.C. Injection 200mg Pens”
Trade name
ANDEMBRY® S.C. Injection 200mg Pens
Indications or effects
Prevention of acute attacks of Hereditary Angioedema (HAE)
Dosage and administration
In general, administer subcutaneously the initial loading dose 400 mg of Garadacimab (Genetical Recombination), followed by 200 mg once a month for adults and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older.
Date of approval
February 20, 2025
Manufacturing and marketing
CSL Behring K.K.
About CSL Behring K.K. CSL Behring is a global leader in developing and delivering high-quality medicines that treat people with rare and serious diseases. In Japan, our core focus areas include immunology and rare diseases, hemophilia, as well as critical care and hemostasis. For more information, please visit https://www.cslbehring.co.jp.
About CSL CSL (ASX:CSL; USOTC:CSLLY) is a global biotechnology company with a dynamic portfolio of lifesaving medicines, including those that treat haemophilia and immune deficiencies, vaccines to prevent influenza, and therapies in iron deficiency and nephrology. Since our start in 1916, we have been driven by our promise to save lives using the latest technologies. Today, CSL – including our three businesses: CSL Behring, CSL Seqirus and CSL Vifor – provides lifesaving products to patients in more than 100 countries and employs 32,000 people. Our unique combination of commercial strength, R&D focus and operational excellence enables us to identify, develop and deliver innovations so our patients can live life to the fullest.
In 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) handed down three landmark judgments providing national authorities with more clarity when assessing applications for international protection lodged by women faced with different forms of gender-based violence. A new EUAA report examines how these EU-level and national court decisions are guiding national practices to shift to a more gender-sensitive approach in international protection.
The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has published a report examining how courts interpreted the legal grounds to grant international protection to women fleeing violence and systematic discrimination. Over the last five years, there has been a significant legal shift in recognising and protecting this profile of applicants, with three landmark rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in 2024 providing clearer legal grounds to Member States’ national authorities, as they consider asylum applications due to persecution or serious harm based on gender.
In 2024, the CJEU ruled that women who are subjected to systematically imposed discriminatory measures by the State, amounting to persecution, may qualify for international protection on account of their gender and nationality. Already prior to this judgment, some national authorities had adapted their policies following the EUAA’s Country Guidance on Afghanistan of January 2023, which then served as one of the main sources for the judgment of the CJEU. The Agency continues to work closely with Member States’ national authorities to help ensure that this jurisprudence is then reflected in national practices. Courts in Denmark, France, Germany and Luxembourg applied this reasoning after hearing appeals on negative decisions from Afghan women who, were then, granted refugee status.
The EUAA report highlights how, between 2020 and 2024, European courts have established case law that increasingly acknowledges persecution on account of gender; and, identifies the risk profiles of women who might then be members of a ‘particular social group’, as defined in the recast Qualification Directive. The case law referenced in the report notes that the risk profiles include women fleeing forced marriage, divorced women targeted by honour crimes, victims of sexual violence, women accused of witchcraft, women who have had an illegal abortion and those fleeing female genital mutilation/cutting.
National courts in Finland, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands and Portugal also overturned decisions of asylum authorities when they failed to assess the need for special procedural guarantees that aim to ensure that women can effectively participate in the procedure for international protection. The cases highlighted the need to transfer vulnerable women from the border or accelerated procedure to the regular procedure for international protection, with sufficient safeguards in place.
Background
The cases presented in the report are extracted from the EUAA Case Law Database, a public database which serves as a centralised platform on jurisprudential developments related to international protection. It contains English language summaries of judgments related to international protection which are pronounced by national courts of EU+ countries, the CJEU, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and quasi-judicial bodies of the United Nations and the Human Rights Committee (CCPR).
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Imperialist rhetoric is becoming a mark of President Donald Trump’s second term. From asserting that the U.S. will “take over” the Gaza Strip, Greenland and the Panama Canal to apparently siding with Russia in its war on Ukraine, Trump’s comments suggest a return to an old imperialist style of forcing foreign lands under American control.
The term “empire” often evokes the Romans, the Mughals or the British, but the U.S. is an imperial power, too. In the 19th and early 20th century, American presidents expanded U.S. territory westward across the continent and, later, overseas, acquiring Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, Guam and the Philippines.
After that, outright territorial conquest mostly ceased, but the U.S. did not give up imperialism. As I trace in my 2023 book, “Dying by the Sword,” the country instead embraced a subtler, more strategic kind of expansionism. In this veiled imperialism, the U.S. exerted its global influence through economic, political and threatened military means, not direct confrontation.
Embracing traditional U.S. imperialism would upend the rules that have kept the globe relatively stable since World War II. As an expert on U.S. foreign policy, I fear that would unleash fear, chaos – and possibly nuclear war.
No redrawing borders
One of the most fundamental principles of this post-war international system is the concept of sovereignty – the idea that a nation’s borders should remain intact.
Work by the late political scientist Mark Zacher outlines how, since World War II, the international community – including the U.S. – has largely upheld this standard.
But imperialism still shapes world politics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is a blatant instance of imperial ambition justified by alleged historical grievances and national security concerns. Russia’s invasion set a dangerous precedent by undermining the principle that borders can’t be changed by force and that countries shouldn’t resort to aggression.
Putin’s precedent, in turn, has raised concerns that another great power may attempt to forcibly redraw international borders.
Respect for national sovereignty has made the world more stable and less violent.
The decline of traditional imperialism after World War II led to a flourishing of independent nation-states. As former colonial powers gradually relinquished control of their holdings in the second half of the 20th century – voluntarily or after losing wars of independence – the number of sovereign countries increased dramatically. The U.N. had 51 member countries in 1945 and over 150 by 1970.
The U.N. was founded on the idea that people of all countries should have a say in how they build their own futures. Today, 197 countries try to work together through the U.N. on a wide range of global issues, including defending human rights and reducing global poverty.
When a major power like the U.S. openly embraces imperialist rhetoric, it further weakens the already fragile rules that keep this delicate collaboration working.
The U.S. has long engaged in this form of influence. It has often pursued its imperialist agenda in what I would call a more “gentlemanly manner” than historical empires with their bloody physical conquests.
During the Cold War, for example, the U.S. established extensive dominance over much of the globe. In Latin America and the Middle East, it used economic aid, military alliances and ideological persuasion rather than outright territorial expansion to exert its control. Russia did the same in Eastern Europe and its other spheres of influence.
Demonstrators in Panama City insist ‘Panama Canal is Not For Sale’ following Donald Trump’s threats to seize the canal, Jan. 20, 2025. Arnulfo Franco/AFP via Getty Images
Today, China excels at nonviolent imperialism. Its Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure construction project launched in 2013, has created deep economic dependencies among partner nations in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Trade and diplomatic ties between China and those regions are much closer today as a result.
Nuclear era
A critical distinction between imperialism past and present is the presence of nuclear weapons.
In previous eras, great powers frequently fought wars to expand their influence and settle disputes. Countries could attempt to seize territory with little risk to their survival, even in defeat.
The sheer destructive potential of nuclear arsenals has changed this calculus. The Cold War doctrine of mutually assured destruction guarantees that if one country launches a nuclear weapon, it will quickly become the target of nuclear counterattack: annihilation for all sides.
Any major war between nuclear-armed nations now carries the risk of massive, potentially planetary, destruction. This makes direct conquest an irrational, even suicidal strategy rather than a calculated political maneuver.
And it makes Trump’s old-school imperial rhetoric particularly dangerous.
If the U.S. tried to annex foreign territory, it would almost certainly provoke serious international conflict. That’s especially true of the most strategic places Trump has threatened to “take over,” like the Panama Canal, which links 1,920 ports across 170 countries.
These imperialist threats, even if they’re not intended as serious policy proposals, are already ratcheting up global tensions.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino — a pro-American ally — has flatly ruled out negotiating with the U.S. over control of the Panama Canal. Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, says its territory of Greenland is “not for sale.” And Palestinians in Gaza, for their part, fiercely reject Trump’s plan to move all of them out and turn their homeland into a “Middle East Riviera,” as have neighboring Arab countries, which could be expected to absorb millions of displaced Palestinians.
Rhetoric shapes perception, and perception influences behavior. When an American president floats acquiring foreign territories as a viable policy option, it signals to both allies and enemies that the U.S. is no longer committed to the international order that has achieved relative global stability for the past 75 years.
With wars raging in the Middle East and Europe, this is a risky time for reckless rhetoric.
Monica Duffy Toft does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Tatsiana Kulakevich, Associate Professor of Instruction in the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, University of South Florida
Traditional Russian wooden nesting dolls depict U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a gift shop in Moscow on Feb. 13, 2025. Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP via Getty Images
The United States’ steadfast allegiance to Ukraine during that country’s three-year war against Russia appears to be quickly disintegrating under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19, 2025, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a dictator” and falsely blamed him for the war that Russia initiated as part of a land grab in the countries’ border regions.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said on Feb. 19 that Trump is trapped in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “disinformation space.”
The U.S. and Russia have long been adversaries, and the U.S., to date, has given Ukraine more than US$183 billion to help fight against Russia. But that funding came when Joe Biden was president. Trump does not appear to be similarly inclined toward Ukraine.
Amy Lieberman, a politics editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Tatsiana Kulakevich, a scholar of Eastern European politics and international relations, to understand the implications of this sudden shift in U.S.-Russia policy under Trump.
Kulakevich sees Trump’s moves that could be perceived as self-interested as instead part of a calculated strategy in preliminary discussions.
Can you explain the current dynamic between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia?
People should not panic because the U.S. and Russia are only holding exploratory talks. We should not call them peace talks, per se, at least not yet. It was to be expected that Ukraine was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia because there is nothing to talk about yet. We don’t know what the U.S. and Russia are actually discussing besides agreeing to restore the normal functioning of each other’s diplomatic missions.
People are perceiving the U.S. and Russia as being in love. However, Trump’s Russia policy has been more hawkish than often portrayed in the media. Looking at the record from the previous Trump administration, we can see that if something is not in the interests of the U.S., that is not going to be done. Trump does not do favors.
In 2019, Trump also issued economic sanctions against a Russian ship involved in building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. These sanctions tried to block Russia’s direct gas exports to Germany – this connection between Russia and Germany was seen by Ukraine as an economic threat.
Based on Trump’s talks with Russia and remarks against Ukraine, it could seem like the U.S. and Russia are no longer adversaries. How do you perceive this?
There are no clear indications that Russia and the U.S. have ceased to be adversaries. Despite Trump’s occasional use of terms like “friends” in diplomacy, his rhetoric often serves as a tactical maneuver rather than a genuine shift in alliances. A key example is his engagement with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, where Trump alternated between flattery and threats to extract concessions.
Even if the U.S. is meeting with Russia and the public narrative seems to say otherwise, strategically, abandoning Ukraine is not in the United States’ best interests. One reason why is because the U.S. turning away from Ukraine would make Russia happy and China happy. Trump has treated China as a primary threat to the U.S., and China has supported Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also still saying that everyone, including Ukraine, will be at the table for eventual peace talks.
The allegations that Russia was holding some information over Trump and blackmailing him started long before this presidential term and did not stop Trump from imposing countermeasures on Russia during his first term. The first Trump administration took more than 50 policy actions to counter Moscow, primarily in the form of public statements and sanctions.
What does the U.S. gain from developing a diplomatic relationship with Russia?
Trump is a transactional politician. American companies could profit from the U.S. aligning with Russia and Russian companies, as some Russian officials have said during the recent Saudi Arabia talks with the Trump administration. But the U.S. could also benefit economically from the Trump’s administration’s proposed deal with Ukraine to give the U.S. half of Ukraine’s estimated $11.5 trillion in rare earth minerals.
Zelenskyy rejected that proposal this week, saying it does not come with the promise that the U.S. will continue to give security guarantees to Ukraine.
Historically, since the Cold War, there has been a diplomatic triangle between the Soviet Union – later Russia – China and the U.S. And there has always been one side fighting against the two other sides. Trump trying to develop a better diplomatic relationship with Russia might mean he is trying to distance Russia from China.
A similar dynamic is playing out between the U.S. and Belarus’ authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, a co-aggressor in the war in Ukraine. Lukashenko is close with both Russia and China. The U.S. administration is looking to relax sanctions on Belarusian banks and exports of potash, a key ingredient in fertilizer, in exchange for the release of Belarusian political opposition members who are imprisoned. There are over 1,200 political prisoners in Belarus. This U.S. foreign policy strategy is aimed at providing Lukashenko with room to grow less economically dependent on Russia and China.
A worker clears snow from a cemetery in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on Feb. 17, 2025. More than 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in combat since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Pierre Crom/Getty Images
Is this level of collaboration between the U.S. and Russia unprecedented?
While U.S.-Russia relations are often defined by rivalry, history shows that pragmatic cooperation has occurred when both nations saw mutual benefits – whether this relates to arms control, space, counterterrorism, Arctic affairs or health.
Moreover, the U.S. has always prioritized its own interests in its relationship with Russia. For example, the U.S. and its allies imposed sanctions on Russia’s uranium and nickel industries only in May 2024, over two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This was due to the United States’ strategic economic dependencies and concerns about market stability if it sanctioned uranium and nickel.
Even after Russia invaded Crimea – an area of Ukraine that Russia claims as its own – in 2014 and provided support for Russian separatists in Ukraine’s Donbass region, the U.S. and other Western countries imposed largely symbolic sanctions. This included freezing assets of Russian individuals, restricting some financial transactions and limiting Russia’s access to Western technology.
We should also notice that Trump in January 2025 promised to sanction Russia if it does not end the Ukraine war. The U.S. still has not removed any existing sanctions, which signals its commitment to a tough stance on Russia, despite perceptions of a close relationship between Trump and Putin.
Given Trump’s transactional approach to foreign policy, his tough rhetoric on Zelenskyy could be a deliberate negotiation strategy aimed at pressuring Ukraine into making greater concessions in potential peace talks, rather than signaling abandonment.
Tatsiana Kulakevich does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Donald Heflin, Executive Director of the Edward R. Murrow Center and Senior Fellow of Diplomatic Practice, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
During the first few weeks of the second Trump administration, President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a lot of things about longtime allies that caused frustration and outright friction among the leaders of those countries.
Trump and Vance indeed appear to disdain close alliances, favoring an America First approach to the world. A New York Times headline characterized the relationship between the U.S. and Europe now as “A Strained Alliance.”
As a former diplomat, I’m aware that how the U.S. treats its allies has been a crucial question in every presidency, since George Washington became the country’s first chief executive. On his way out of that job, Washington said something that Trump, Vance and their fellow America First advocates would probably embrace.
France sent soldiers, money and ships to the American revolutionaries. Within three years, after a major intervention by the French fleet, the battle of Yorktown in 1781 effectively ended the war and America was independent.
Isolationism, then war
American political leaders largely heeded Washington’s warning against alliances throughout the 1800s. The Atlantic Ocean shielded the young nation from Europe’s problems and many conflicts, and America’s closest neighbors had smaller populations and less military might.
That began to change when Europe descended into the brutal trench warfare of World War I.
Initially, American politicians avoided becoming involved. What would today be called an isolationist movement was strong, and its supporters felt that the war in Europe was being waged for the benefit of big business.
But it was hard for the U.S.to maintain neutrality. German submarines sank ships crossing the Atlantic carrying American passengers. The economies of some of America’s biggest trading partners were in shreds; the democracies of Britain, France and other European countries were at risk.
President Woodrow Wilson led the United States into the war in 1917 as an ally of the Western European nations. When he asked Congress for a declaration of war, Wilson touted the value of like-minded allies, saying, “A steadfast concert for peace can never be maintained except by a partnership of democratic nations.” The war was over within 16 months.
Prosperity came along with the peace, helping the U.S. quickly develop into a global economic power.
However, within a few years, American politicians returned to traditional isolationism in political and military matters and continued this attitude well into the 1930s. The worldwide Great Depression that began in 1929 was blamed on vulnerabilities in the global economy, and there was a strong sentiment among Americans that the U.S. should fix its internal problems rather than assist Europe with its problems.
Alliance counters fascism
As both Hitler and the Japanese Empire began to attack their neighbors in the late 1930s, it became clear to President Franklin Roosevelt and other American military and political leaders that the U.S. would get caught up in World War II. If nothing else, airplanes had erased America’s ability to hide behind the Atlantic Ocean.
In January of 1941, Roosevelt gave his annual State of the Union speech to Congress. He appeared to prepare the country for possible intervention – both on behalf of allies abroad and for the preservation of American democracy:
“The future and the safety of our country and of our democracy are overwhelmingly involved in events far beyond our borders. Armed defense of democratic existence is now being gallantly waged in four continents. If that defense fails, all the population and all the resources of Europe, and Asia, and Africa and Australasia will be dominated by conquerors. In times like these it is immature – and incidentally, untrue – for anybody to brag that an unprepared America, single-handed, and with one hand tied behind its back, can hold off the whole world.”
As World War II ended, the wartime alliance produced two longer-term partnerships built on the understanding that working together had produced a powerful and effective counter to fascism.
A ‘news bulletin’ from August 1945 issued by a predecessor of the United Nations. Foreign Policy In Focus
Postwar alliances
The first of these alliances is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. The original members were the U.S., Canada, Britain, France and others of the wartime Allies. There are now 32 members, including Poland, Hungary and Turkey.
The aims of NATO were to keep the peace in Europe and contain the growing Communist threat from the Soviet Union. NATO’s supporters feel that, given that the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and in the Ukraine today are the only major conflicts in Europe in 80 years, the alliance has met its goals well. And NATO troops went to Afghanistan along with the U.S. military after 9/11.
The other institution created by the wartime Allies is the United Nations.
The U.N. is many things – a humanitarian aid organization, a forum for countries to raise their issues and a source of international law.
In addition to these formal alliances, many of the same countries created institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States and the European Union. The U.S. belongs to all of these except the European Union. During my 35-year diplomatic career, I worked with all of these institutions, particularly in efforts to stabilize Africa. They keep the peace and support development efforts with loans and grants.
Admirers of this postwar liberal international order point to the limited number of major armed conflicts during the past 80 years, the globalized economy and international cooperation on important matters such as disease control and fighting terrorism.
Detractors point to this system’s inability to stop some very deadly conflicts, such as Vietnam or Ukraine, and the large populations that haven’t done well under globalization as evidence of its flaws.
The world would look dramatically different without the Allies’ victories in the two World Wars, the stable worldwide economic system and NATO’s and the U.N.’s keeping the world relatively peaceful.
But the value of allies to Americans, even when they benefit from alliances, appears to have shifted between George Washington’s attitude – avoid them – and that of Franklin D. Roosevelt – go all in … eventually.
Donald Heflin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland
Statement by TUV leader and North Antrim MP Jim Allister:
“Today’s announcement that the a file on SAS soldiers has been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions is the inevitable consequence of the rash finding by the coroner.
“We now face the gruesome prospect of the soldiers standing trial for relieving the community of a band of bloodthirsty terrorists who went out that night intent on murder.
“There will be real anger across Northern Ireland – particularly among those who lost loved ones at the hands of the IRA – at this news.
“When we have a system which puts the security forces, but never the terrorists, in the dock something is badly wrong.”
Reports of rain washing loose soil off farm fields nearly doubles compared to same period last year.
Soil run-off incidents nearly doubled in Devon and Cornwall last month
The Environment Agency is calling on farmers in Devon and Cornwall to prevent loose soil washing off farm fields into rivers, roads and homes.
January saw 25 incidents of heavy rain carrying loose soil running from fields – nearly double the number of incidents reported the same time last year – with officers making 14 visits to farms to investigate and a further 11 visits planned.
Laura Bentley, a land management project officer with the Environment Agency, said:
The windows of dry weather in autumn can be so short that large farms don’t have time to get around all their land when soil conditions are right, to establish crop cover ahead of the winter rains.
Employing reduced tillage – minimal disturbance of the soil – and drilling seed into compacted earth no longer works in Devon and Cornwall in this changed climate. Winter cereals and cover crops aren’t taking, and bare, compacted soil is exposed to the elements and prone to run-off.
Farmers are losing crops, top soil, organic matter and nutrients to run-off incidents plus the costs of recultivating and resowing fields, time, fuel, seed and fertiliser.
What can be done to prevent soil run-off pollution?
Farmers can better prepare for winter weather by:
digging a hole with a spade and looking to see if there is compaction, how deep it goes then remove it with the correct cultivation kit
having access to a range of cultivation equipment, capable of working the soils at different depths
risk assessing their land using the agency’s ALERT system – prioritising the highest risk areas for cultivation and drilling
having a Plan B if cover crops and winter cereals don’t establish
installing measures to prevent run-off from reaching property and watercourses
Run-off can result in action being taken if it breaches the Farming Rules for Water and Environmental Permitting Regulations. The Environment Agency will give advice and guidance, but it will issue formal warnings and take enforcement action where needed.
Residents who see discoloured water running off farm fields which could threaten roads, rivers and properties can report it to the Environment Agency’s 24/7 incident hotline – 0800 807060.
Background
ALERT
The free Environment Agency mapping tool ALERT stands for The Agricultural Land & Environment Risk and Opportunity Tool and is publicly available on the Farming Advice Service website to help all land managers.
It will help assess a field’s risk for causing pollution or surface water flooding and takes slope, LiDAR data – which shows where water will flow in extreme weather events, and soil type into account to indicate the inherent risk of a field. ALERT helps inform land managers’ decision making and avoid planting high-risk crops in unsuitable fields or mitigating them.
Farming regulations involving water now in single booklet
To support farmers with compliance, the EA has launched a brand-new printed booklet, with all guidance on water-related agriculture regulations.
A summary of all the water-based regulatory guidance is now in one place. To receive your free copy, email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk or call the NCCC on 03708 506 506.
Abortion rights are healthcare and must be defended.
More in Health
The First Minister has been urged to back calls for a White House apology for the lies and misinformation peddled by Vice President JD Vance about safe access zones in Scotland.
Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay introduced the bill that secured 200 metre wide safe access zones, or buffer zones, around abortion service providers to stop the intimidating anti-choice protests that were taking place across Scotland.
In a speech last week, VP Vance claimed that people in Scotland were told that private prayer in their own homes would be against the law within a safe access zone and that people were encouraged to report anyone they thought guilty of “thought crime.” This has never been true.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater condemned Vance’s comments and the planned anti-choice protests outside hospitals.
In her first question to the First Minister, Ms Slater said:
“This week, US Vice President JD Vance has spread misinformation about laws made in this Scottish Parliament.
“His claims about my colleague Gillian Mackay’s Safe Access Zones Act are grossly misleading.
“Emboldened by Mr Vance’s comments, anti-choice groups have already started to target patients outside the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow, with more actions planned in coming weeks.
“Last summer, members of this Parliament agreed overwhelmingly that everyone should be able to access abortion services free from harassment.
“What is the First Minister doing to correct false claims and provide clarity to the public on what the buffer zones mean for them, and how will he protect safe access to healthcare in Scotland?”
Following the First Minister’s response, in which he emphasised his support for safe access zones, Ms Slater urged the First Minister to back representations to the White House to correct the record.
In her second question, Ms Slater said:
“The White House manufactures mistruths, tech billionaires profit from them and bad faith actors spread them: disinformation is playing an increasingly dangerous role in our communities and in global politics.
“Promoting lies and misinformation, at home and abroad, can have serious consequences for all our communities. Friendly countries do not tell lies about each other.
“Does the First Minister agree that political leaders everywhere must stand up to disinformation – and will he ask Keir Starmer to demand an urgent apology from the White House when the Prime Minister meets Trump next week?”
UXBRIDGE, United Kingdom, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BsvCloud, a leading cloud mining platform, has announced the launch of its new mining contracts for 2025. These updated contracts provide users with an accessible and eco-friendly way to earn passive income through cryptocurrency mining without the need for complex setups or large initial investments.
Flexible and Accessible Mining Contracts BsvCloud’s new 2025 mining contracts offer flexible investment plans starting at just $200, making it easier for both beginners and experienced investors to start mining. Users can choose from different contract tiers that match their financial goals, with the added benefit of renewable energy-powered mining operations.
Sustainable Cloud Mining BsvCloud’s 2025 contracts focus on sustainability by using renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, for mining. This reduces costs and minimizes the environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining, supporting greener energy practices.
User-Friendly and Efficient Mining
The new contracts come with a range of benefits designed to enhance the mining experience. BsvCloud users can enjoy:
Flexible Investment Options: Plans starting at just $200, making it easy for anyone to get involved.
High Profitability: The platform offers competitive returns, enabling users to earn passive income daily.
Fast Payouts: Withdrawals are processed quickly, often within five minutes of the request.
24/7 Customer Support: BsvCloud provides round-the-clock support to assist users with any issues they may encounter.
How to Get Started with BsvCloud
Getting started with BsvCloud is simple. New users can sign up for free and begin earning passive income through cloud mining in just a few steps:
1. Sign Up: Create a free account on the BsvCloud platform. Sign up bonus 15$. 2. Choose a Mining Plan: Select an investment plan based on your budget and goals.
3. Start Mining: BsvCloud will begin mining on your behalf, and you can start earning passive income immediately.
The Future of Cloud Mining with BsvCloud
As BsvCloud continues to grow, it remains committed to providing its users with reliable, efficient, and sustainable cloud mining opportunities. With over 500,000 users worldwide, the platform is positioned as a leading choice for those looking to earn passive income through cryptocurrency mining.
For more information about BsvCloud and to explore its new 2025 mining contracts, visit www.bsvcloud.com.
About BsvCloud BsvCloud is a leading cloud mining platform that offers users the opportunity to earn passive income through mining popular cryptocurrencies. Founded in 2017, BsvCloud has grown to serve over 500,000 users worldwide, providing efficient, eco-friendly, and profitable cloud mining services.
Disclaimer: This press release is provided by BsvCloud. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the sponsor and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in cloud mining and related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
Inclusive business strategies and economic policy targeting workforces, suppliers and companies’ broader ecosystems have in recent years emerged as increasingly mission-critical for business performance in all parts of the globe.
In an era when innovation, adaptability and resilience are paramount, how are new champions of inclusive leadership reshaping the future of economic growth and competitiveness across the world?
This session is part of the World Economic Forum’s Future of DEI workstream.
The 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum will provide a crucial space to focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency and accountability.
This Annual Meeting will welcome over 100 governments, all major international organizations, 1000 Forum’s Partners, as well as civil society leaders, experts, youth representatives, social entrepreneurs, and news outlets.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
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New targets to enhance nature and protect biodiversity.
Legislative proposals to help restore nature and protect biodiversity in Scotland have been introduced to Parliament.
The Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, which will now be considered by MSPs, would place a duty on Ministers to set legally-binding nature restoration targets and will modernise how national parks and deer are managed.
The legislation is a key part of the Scottish Government’s Strategic Framework for Biodiversity and complements the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and related delivery plans.
Experts have warned that a decline in biodiversity will make the climate crisis worse while a changing climate will increase the rate of biodiversity loss. The Bill proposes actions to tackle the twin crises of climate change and nature loss with measures to protect biodiversity and reduce harmful carbon emissions.
It will build on the high ambitions set out in the Biodiversity Strategy and Delivery Plan, which includes over 100 actions to tackle the nature crisis.
If passed by Parliament in due course, the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill would:
place a duty on Scottish Ministers to set legally-binding targets for nature restoration
create a power to allow for future amendments to Environmental Impact Assessment legislation and the 1994 Habitats Regulations, to ensure that they remain fit for purpose over time and to flexibly adapt to future requirements, while ensuring that the legislative frameworks continue to effectively underpin environmental protection and assessment processes in Scotland.
modernise the aims of National Parks and powers of National Park Authorities
reform the way in which deer are managed through the implementation of many of the recommendations made by the Deer Working Group, through repealing the licensing of venison dealing, and by amending NatureScot’s powers of intervention.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Mairi Gougeon said:
“We all depend on nature – to provide our food, help prevent flooding, tackle the climate crisis and contribute to our wellbeing. But right now around 11% of species in Scotland are under threat and if we do not take urgent action, nature in Scotland will continue to decline and some important species might be lost forever.
“Our proposals in this Bill can contribute to the Scottish Government’s priority of tackling the climate emergency. The twin crises of climate change and nature loss are interdependent and need to be tackled together.
“Improving our biodiversity is one of the best chances we have to adapt to climate change and ensure we can continue to enjoy nature’s benefits, on which we all depend. However, government cannot do this alone – we must work in partnership with, and use the expertise of, land managers, farmers and crofters.
“We are determined to promote biodiversity, to adapt to climate change, and to ensure we can continue to enjoy the benefits of Scotland’s wonderful nature – and this Bill will help achieve that.”
NatureScot Chair Colin Galbraith said:
“We welcome the introduction of the Natural Environment Bill, and we strongly support the inclusion of statutory targets to protect and restore Scotland’s nature. These are an essential part of achieving the vision set out in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy for the recovery of nature; helping to restore vital habitats and safeguard threatened species. They will also help us build resilience against the impacts of climate change while striving towards becoming a nature-positive and net-zero nation.
“In particular, the proposed changes for deer legislation will help improve efforts to restore priority areas such as native woodlands and peatlands by reducing the impacts of deer grazing and trampling.”
Atos successfully deploys new, innovative sport technologies during the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival Bakuriani 2025
New, integrated technologies contributed to the event success and are now field-proven, ready to be deployed at a larger scale.
Bakuriani, Georgia, and Paris, France, February 20, 2025 – Atos, a global leader in digital transformation and the Technology Partner of the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) Bakuriani 2025, today announces that its innovative IT services contributed to the success of the event from February 9 to 16, 2025. Atos delivered a comprehensive suite of digital services that enhanced fan experience, optimized event operations, and brought the Festival closer to audiences across Europe.
Atos provided traditional Timing and Results services, ensuring accuracy and efficiency across all sports. It also powered the official event website and mobile application, a real-time results information system, and an interactive database allowing fans and stakeholders to effortlessly access key statistics and insights. Atos enabled the live streaming production and distribution of all competitions, enabling rights-holding broadcasters and media partners to seamlessly share the action with audiences worldwide.
The Winter European Youth Olympic Festival was also the opportunity for Atos and the organizing committee to showcase innovative technologies which deepened the experience, immersion and engagement of stakeholders.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered Media Center for press and stakeholders
During the event, Atos provided for the first time exclusive, automated and AI-powered media clips and highlights to official stakeholders, including Olympic Committees, federations, and accredited media outlets across Europe. Through a password-protected content management system, users could submit natural language requests for read-to-use video clips about an athlete, a sport, a result or a game situation, users received a corresponding ready-to-use video clip. The Atos AI-powered Media Center then automatically recovered, edited and customized footage for each type of user. This breakthrough technology is expected to incredibly speed up video dissemination for major events worldwide.
On- and Off-site immersion
In collaboration with the Organizing Committee, an innovative solution has been developed to keep onsite attendees and online users informed about live events. The system combines real-time results with video highlights, providing a complete overview of ongoing competitions on a single screen. News feeds were also broadcast on giant screens at event venues, ensuring an immersive experience for all spectators.
An AI-powered chatbot
The AI-powered chatbot designed to answer fan inquiries about Georgia, the Festival, and historical results, has proven its efficiency by providing instant, reliable information throughout the event.
SportEurope integrated, unified platform
Atos developed SportEurope for the European Olympic Committees (EOC), an online fan ecosystem that integrates the event’s web presence, social media domains and marketing automation systems, ensuring continuous engagement with sports enthusiasts across Europe. Through strategic content creation in collaboration with athletes, European National Olympic Committees and European sports federations, SportEurope fosters a vibrant community around the Games.
Atos developed the Winter Crystal gaming experience, a mobile game that places players in digitized environments of Georgian landmarks and EYOF venues. This interactive adventure involves solving games and completing challenges to explore the spirit of the Games while competing for the prestigious Winter Crystal award.
“We are delighted that our technologies were instrumental in the success of the European Youth Olympic Festival” said Nacho Moros, Head of Atos Major Events. “This inspiring event was also the perfect venue to introduce new and innovative solutions and continue to set new benchmarks in digital transformation for major sporting events. We are confident these field-proven technologies will soon be deployed in world-class events”.
“Atos provided a high level of professional service and made a significant contribution to the success of the Bakuriani 2025 Olympic Festival”, saidZurab Tuskia, Head of IT & Accreditation, EYOF Bakuriani 2025 OC. “We would like to thank Atos for their professional support, which was demonstrated through the prompt resolution of any issues that arose throughout our time together, as well as for the strong and friendly relationship that was formed between the IT department and the Atos team during the Olympic Festival.”
Key figures:
8 sports operated, 5 venues in 3 host cities (Bakuriani, Batumi and Tbilisi).
Atos staff: 56 on site plus 10 on remote support
over 30 days on site operations.
over 150 laptops, 70 mobile phones, and Sport Specific devices.
3.334 accreditations
over 200 live streaming hours.
Digital achievements:
over 1 million Instagram views, 60,000 TikTok views, 60,000+ visits to sporteurope.org
AI-generated articles ranked among the Top 7 most viewed pages.
2,000 active users on the app.
over 200 active users for the Winter Crystal mobile game.
over 100 users accessing the Gaudi multimedia repository & over 550 downloads. Notable users include over 40 European National Olympic Committees, Local Organizing Committees and Sport Federations.
30% of Sport Europe users are opening the Email Marketing emails.
Atos has been serving its partners and customers through a dedicated in-house sports and major events division (“Major Events”) for over 30 years, giving it an unmatched experience and the flexibility to serve its customers regardless of their exposure, size and scale. From global events to local competitions, Atos consistently strives to deliver technology excellence to its entire customer base.
Atos has been involved with the Olympic Movement since 1992 and the Paralympic Movement since 2002 and is the Official Digital Technology Partner of the European Olympic Committees, including the European Games 2027, as well as the official Digital partner for Special Olympics International. In addition, the company is also the Official Information Technology Partner of UEFA National Team Football. Most recently, Atos has been instrumental in delivering successful leading-edge IT services for iconic events such as UEFA EURO 2024™ in Germany and the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
To learn more about Atos solutions for sporting events and major events, visit Atos major events.
***
About European Youth Olympics Festival Bakuriani 2025
The EOC is an international non-governmental not-for-profit organization whose objective is to propagate the fundamental principles of Olympism at European level. Held under the patronage of the IOC, and the pride of the European Olympic Committees with almost 35 years of tradition, the EYOF is the first top European multi-sport event aimed at young athletes aged 14 to 18. There is a winter and a summer edition, which take place in two-year cycles, in odd-numbered years.
The event is rich with Olympic traditions: from the burning flame to athletes’ and officials’ oaths. It is at the EYOF that many of Europe’s aspiring sports stars take their first steps on the international stage. And while some may look to the EYOF as a stepping-stone to Olympic greatness, all who participate take home friendships and experiences to last a lifetime.
About Atos
Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 82,000 employees and annual revenue of c. € 10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 69 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.
The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.
OXFORD, United Kingdom, and DENVER, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced a strategic partnership with Pax8, the leading cloud commerce marketplace. The collaboration introduces the most comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity solutions available to Pax8’s network of more than 40,000 managed service providers (MSPs). MSPs in the Pax8 network now have a complete one-stop shop of best-in-class cybersecurity solutions available from a single vendor – including Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Sophos Endpoint powered by Intercept X and Sophos Firewall. This revolutionizes opportunities for channel partners to streamline operations, simplify billing and significantly reduce the complexity of cybersecurity management across customers.
According to the Sophos MSP Perspectives 2024 report, MSPs that consolidate their security stack with a single vendor can cut daily security management time by nearly 50% – a savings that jumps to 69% for those juggling six or more security vendors. By partnering with Pax8, Sophos is removing a key operational barrier for MSPs, enabling them to seamlessly manage cybersecurity through a single vendor platform to streamline solution integration and enhance efficiency while strengthening their security posture and simplifying cloud procurement cycles.
“Sophos and Pax8 are strongly aligned in our mission to empower MSPs with best-in-class end-to-end security services and products while simplifying lifecycle management of these solutions and reducing operational overhead. MSPs want to align with vendors who are easy to work with and this agreement will make it even easier for MSPs to work with Sophos, something we’ve long been committed to,” said Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos. “With cybersecurity, speed and innovation are essential for defending against attackers. This partnership with Pax8 accelerates MSP access to critical cybersecurity tools, enabling them to better protect their customers in an increasingly complex and volatile threat landscape.”
Key advantages of the Sophos and Pax8 partnership for MSPs include:
Driving new revenue opportunities for partners by providing the most comprehensive portfolio of security offerings by a single vendor on the Pax8 Marketplace.
Reducing overhead costs and freeing up partners’ billable hours by simplifying procurement and billing via a fully integrated Pax8 Marketplace experience.
Empowering partners with seamless experiences through coordinated MSP enablement, support and sales training initiatives.
Compatible and comprehensive 24/7 security for MSPs’ Microsoft Defender customers with Sophos’ MDR service for Microsoft environments.
“MSPs today need solutions that align with the way they operate—cloud-first, flexible and easy to manage at scale. Pax8 is revolutionizing the way MSPs access and deploy cloud-based solutions, and cybersecurity is an important piece of the overall stack,” said Scott Chasin, Chief Executive Officer of Pax8. “By bringing Sophos’ innovative security offerings to our marketplace, Pax8 is providing our partners with access to enterprise-grade security solutions for their SMB customers in a way that simplifies management, reduces risk and drives profitability.”
Comprehensive Security, Unparalleled Efficiency “MSPs say they could cut day to day management time almost in half by consolidating on a single cybersecurity platform – and Sophos enables them to achieve that goal. By managing all their customers’ cybersecurity in the cloud-based Sophos Central platform, MSPs can reduce workload and free up valuable billing hours,” said Raja Patel, Chief Product Officer, Sophos. “What’s more, with a complete portfolio of Sophos cybersecurity solutions at their fingertips, Pax8 MSPs enjoy extensive opportunities to sell additional revenue-generating products and services that meet their clients’ evolving cybersecurity needs.”
Backed by real-time threat intelligence from Sophos X-Ops, a global team of elite threat hunters and security analysts, Sophos’ solutions provide proactive, AI-driven protection against cyberattacks. As the leading pure-play cybersecurity provider of MDR services, Sophos protects over 28,000 organizations globally. Insights from Sophos MDR further strengthens security by providing MSPs and their customers with unparalleled protection. Automated threat detection, managed response, and deep security insights across Sophos’s portfolios equip MSPs to enhance defenses, minimize risk exposure, deliver enterprise-grade protection and cut through the noise to reduce management complexity.
Better security for Microsoft environments
More than 60% of Sophos MDR’s customers are managed via MSPs, giving Sophos unparalleled insights into attacks on MSP-managed environments. Sophos leverages these learnings to update customers’ defenses in real-time, optimizing their protection from ever-evolving attacks and providing peace of mind to both clients and partners. Furthermore, with Sophos’s robust MDR service for Microsoft environments, Pax8 MSPs can elevate the security of clients using Microsoft Defender while enabling their customers to see greater return on their Microsoft investments.
The Sophos MDR service through Pax8 supports MSPs in several ways. They can either leverage Sophos’ managed service completely or to augment their customers’ in-house department, including coverage on nights and weekends, which are critical times to defend networks because they are when attackers often strike. For MSPs that provide in-house MDR services, the new AI Assistant in Sophos XDR enables operators of all skill levels to neutralize adversaries faster with existing threat investigation and response intelligence from frontline Sophos MDR analysts.
Availability The Sophos offering will be available on the Pax8 Marketplace starting February 28, 2025. Pax8 partners interested in learning more about Sophos offerings coming to the Pax8 Marketplace can learn more and sign up at www.sophos.com/msp.
About Sophos Sophos is a global leader and innovator of advanced security solutions for defeating cyberattacks. The company acquired Secureworks in February 2025, bringing together two pioneers that have redefined the cybersecurity industry with their innovative, native AI-optimized services, technologies and products. Sophos is now the largest pure-play Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider, supporting more than 28,000 organizations. In addition to MDR and other services, Sophos’ complete portfolio includes industry-leading endpoint, network, email, and cloud security that interoperate and adapt to defend through the Sophos Central platform. Secureworks provides the innovative, market-leading Taegis XDR/MDR, identity threat detection and response (ITDR), next-gen SIEM capabilities, managed risk, and a comprehensive set of advisory services. Sophos sells all these solutions through reseller partners, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) worldwide, defending more than 600,000 organizations worldwide from phishing, ransomware, data theft, other every day and state-sponsored cybercrimes. The solutions are powered by historical and real-time threat intelligence from Sophos X-Ops and the newly added Counter Threat Unit (CTU). Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com.
About Pax8 Pax8 is the technology marketplace of the future, linking partners, vendors, and small to midsized businesses (SMBs) through AI-powered insights and comprehensive product support. With a global partner ecosystem of over 40,000 managed service providers, Pax8 empowers SMBs worldwide by providing software and services that unlock their growth potential and enhance their security. Committed to innovating cloud commerce at scale, Pax8 drives customer acquisition and solution consumption across its entire ecosystem. Follow Pax8 on Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.
