Category: European Union

MIL-OSI: Shell plc Fourth Quarter 2024 Interim Dividend

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

London, January 30, 2025 − The Board of Shell plc (the “Company”) (XLON: SHEL, XNYS: SHEL, XAMS: SHELL) today announced an interim dividend in respect of the fourth quarter of 2024 of US$ 0.358 per ordinary share.

Details relating to the fourth quarter 2024 interim dividend

Per ordinary share (GB00BP6MXD84)	Q4 2024
Shell Shares (US$)	0.358

Shareholders will be able to elect to receive their dividends in US dollars, euros or pounds sterling.

Absent any valid election to the contrary, persons holding their ordinary shares through Euroclear Nederland will receive their dividends in euros.

Absent any valid election to the contrary, shareholders (both holding in certificated and uncertificated form (CREST members)) and persons holding their shares through the Shell Corporate Nominee will receive their dividends in pounds sterling.

The pound sterling and euro equivalent dividend payments will be announced on March 10, 2025.

Per ADS (US7802593050)	Q4 2024
Shell ADSs (US$)	0.716

Cash dividends on American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) will be paid, by default, in US dollars.

Each ADS represents two ordinary shares. ADSs are evidenced by an American Depositary Receipt (“ADR”) certificate. In many cases the terms ADR and ADS are used interchangeably.

Dividend timetable for the fourth quarter 2024 interim dividend

Event	Date
Announcement date	January 30, 2025
Ex- Dividend Date for ADSs	February 14, 2025
Ex- Dividend Date for ordinary shares	February 13, 2025
Record date	February 14, 2025
Closing of currency election date (see Note below)	February 28, 2025
Pound sterling and euro equivalents announcement date	March 10, 2025
Payment date	March 24, 2025

Note

A different currency election date may apply to shareholders holding shares in a securities account with a bank or financial institution ultimately holding through Euroclear Nederland. This may also apply to other shareholders who do not hold their shares either directly on the Register of Members or in the corporate sponsored nominee arrangement. Shareholders can contact their broker, financial intermediary, bank or financial institution for the election deadline that applies.

Taxation – cash dividends

If you are uncertain as to the tax treatment of any dividends you should consult your tax advisor.

Dividend Reinvestment Programmes (“DRIP”)

The following organisations offer Dividend Reinvestment Plans (“DRIPs”) which enable the Company’s shareholders to elect to have their dividend payments used to purchase the Company’s shares:

Equiniti Financial Services Limited (“EFSL”), for those holding shares (a) directly on the register as certificate holder or as CREST Member and (b) via the Shell Corporate Nominee;

ABN-AMRO NV (“ABN”) for Financial Intermediaries holding shares via Euroclear Nederland;

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JPM”) for holders of ADSs; and

Other DRIPs may also be available from the intermediary through which investors hold their shares and ADSs.

These DRIP offerors provide their DRIPs fully on their account and not on behalf of the Company. Interested parties should contact the relevant DRIP offeror directly.

More information can be found at https://www.shell.com/drip

To be eligible to participate in the DRIPs for the next dividend, shareholders must make a valid dividend reinvestment election before the published date for the close of elections.

Enquiries
Media International: +44 207 934 5550
Media Americas: +1 832 337 4355

Cautionary Note

The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this announcement refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ‘‘anticipate’’; ‘‘believe’’; “commit”; “commitment”; ‘‘could’’; ‘‘estimate’’; ‘‘expect’’; ‘‘goals’’; ‘‘intend’’; ‘‘may’’; “milestones”; ‘‘objectives’’; ‘‘outlook’’; ‘‘plan’’; ‘‘probably’’; ‘‘project’’; ‘‘risks’’; “schedule”; ‘‘seek’’; ‘‘should’’; ‘‘target’’; ‘‘will’’; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, and a significant cyber security breach; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, January 30, 2025. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

Shell’s Net Carbon Intensity

Also, in this announcement we may refer to Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” or NCI is for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.

Shell’s net-zero emissions target

Shell’s operating plan, outlook and budgets are forecasted for a ten-year period and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next ten years. Accordingly, they reflect our Scope 1, Scope 2 and NCI targets over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plans cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is currently outside our planning period. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.

Forward-Looking non-GAAP measures

This announcement may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures such as cash capital expenditure and divestments. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.

The contents of websites referred to in this announcement do not form part of this announcement.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

LEI number of Shell plc: 21380068P1DRHMJ8KU70
Classification: Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of the United Kingdom

The MIL Network –

January 30, 2025

MIL-OSI China: Chinese New Year celebrated across world

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

Chinese New Year celebrated across world

Updated: January 30, 2025 10:21 Xinhua

A participant tries on a traditional Chinese costume during an event in celebration of the Chinese New Year at the Confucius Institute of Far Eastern Federal University of Russia, in Vladivostok, Russia, Jan. 29, 2025. The Confucius Institute of Far Eastern Federal University of Russia hosted a Chinese New Year cultural experience event, attracting many participants. [Photo/Xinhua]

Participants try Chinese calligraphy during an event in celebration of the Chinese New Year at the Confucius Institute of Far Eastern Federal University of Russia, in Vladivostok, Russia, Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Participants paint Beijing Opera masks during an event in celebration of the Chinese New Year at the Confucius Institute of Far Eastern Federal University of Russia, in Vladivostok, Russia, Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

People watch a lion dance performance during the Chinese New Year celebration in the departure hall of Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

People watch a lion dance performance during the Chinese New Year celebration in the departure hall of Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Performers present a lion dance during a Spring Festival gala at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cotonou, Benin, Jan. 25, 2025. The 2025 “Happy Chinese New Year” celebrations kicked off here recently, and will last till Feb. 12. [Photo/Xinhua]

Local Chinese language learners perform Chinese crosstalk during a Spring Festival gala at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cotonou, Benin, Jan. 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

A local martial arts lover performs during a Spring Festival gala at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cotonou, Benin, Jan. 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Artists of China Conservatory of Music stage a performance in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 29, 2025. A concert celebrating the Spring Festival was held at Bozar Art Center in Brussels on Wednesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

Zhang Qianyuan of China Conservatory of Music performs the Suona Concerto “A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix” in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

MIL OSI China News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: 2024/25 PDC World Darts Championship generates estimated $4.57 million in sponsorship revenue, reveals GlobalData

Source: GlobalData

2024/25 PDC World Darts Championship generates estimated $4.57 million in sponsorship revenue, reveals GlobalData

Posted in Sport

With seven brands sponsoring the 2024/25 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) World Darts Championship, the competition’s largest sponsorship deal in terms of annual value was with Paddy Power. The title sponsorship agreement is worth an estimated $1.5 million a year for a period of three years. Overall, the championship is estimated to have generated $4.57 million in sponsorship revenue, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, “Post Event Analysis – World Darts Championship 2024/25”, reveals that the event is involved in a media agreement with the pay-TV broadcaster Sky, worth in total an estimated $93.47 million to air the championship on its platform across the UK and Ireland up until January 2026.

Tom Subak-Sharpe, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The PDC in 2024 was successful in agreeing to four new commercial deals with brands willing to partner with this year’s world championship. With the help of Luke Littler, darts is going from strength to strength, with more brands becoming intrigued into becoming associated with some of the sport’s biggest events, including its most prestigious competition, the World Darts Championship.”

Sky’s viewership for this year’s World Darts Championship final averaged 2.7 million, with a peak audience reaching 3.1 million. Though lower than last year, these are very encouraging figures for the PDC, still higher than any other non-football audience in the last 12 months.

Subak-Sharpe continues: “The fundamental reason for such strong viewership numbers is the pull that teenager Luke Littler has for the UK public. Littler remains one of the sought after sports stars in the UK, with the public eager to witness his journey to dominate the sport.”

Subak-Sharpe concludes: “The biggest event in darts continues to establish a very strong commercial footprint, as new brands have been added to the portfolio of the event. With darts growing in popularity across many countries, viewership of the World Darts Championship should remain positive for many years to come.”

MIL OSI Global Banks –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Proposals by the Board of Directors to Nokia Corporation’s Annual General Meeting 2025
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Nokia Corporation
Stock Exchange Release
30 January 2025 at 8:10 EET

Proposals by the Board of Directors to Nokia Corporation’s Annual General Meeting 2025

Nokia Corporation’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 29 April 2025 at 13:00 (EEST) at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, Finland. The Board submits the following proposals to the Annual General Meeting. Complete proposals are available as of today at www.nokia.com/agm2025. The notice of the Annual General Meeting with more detailed information on the participation and voting will be published separately during week 7, 2025 on the Company’s website and by a stock exchange release.

Authorization of the Board of Directors to decide on the distribution of dividend and assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity

The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting to be authorized to resolve in its discretion on the distribution of an aggregate maximum of EUR 0.14 per share as dividend from the retained earnings and/or as assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity.

The authorization will be used to distribute dividend and/or assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity in four installments during the period of validity of the authorization unless the Board of Directors decides otherwise for a justified reason. The proposed total authorization for asset distribution is in line with the Company’s dividend policy. The authorization would be valid until the opening of the next Annual General Meeting.

The Board would make separate resolutions on the amount and timing of each distribution of the dividend and/or assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity so that the preliminary record and payment dates will be as set out below. The Company shall make a separate announcement of each such Board resolution.

Preliminary record date Preliminary payment date

5 May 2025 12 May 2025

29 July 2025 7 August 2025

28 October 2025 6 November 2025

3 February 2026 12 February 2026

Each installment based on the resolution of the Board of Directors will be paid to a shareholder registered in the Company’s shareholders’ register maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy on the record date of the payment.

Board composition and remuneration

Søren Skou and Carla Smits-Nusteling have informed the Board’s Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee that they will no longer be available to serve on the Nokia Board of Directors after the Annual General Meeting. On the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, the Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the number of Board members be ten (10). However, should any number of the candidates proposed by the Board not be available for election, the number of Board members shall be decreased accordingly.

On the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, the Board further proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the following current Board members be re-elected as members of the Board of Directors for a term until the close of the next Annual General Meeting: Timo Ahopelto, Sari Baldauf, Elizabeth Crain, Thomas Dannenfeldt, Lisa Hook, Mike McNamara, Thomas Saueressig and Kai Öistämö. In addition, it is proposed that Pernille Erenbjerg, Danish citizen, former Group CEO and President of TDC Group; and Timo Ihamuotila, Finnish citizen, Chief Financial Officer of ABB Ltd, be elected as new members of the Board of Directors for a term until the close of the next Annual General Meeting.

Resumes of the Board candidates are presented in the Board’s proposal available as of today at www.nokia.com/agm2025.

The Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee will propose in the assembly meeting of the new Board of Directors after the Annual General Meeting that Sari Baldauf be re-elected as the Chair of the Board and Timo Ihamuotila be elected as the Vice Chair, subject to their election to the Board.

On the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, the Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the annual fees payable to Board members for a term ending at the close of the next Annual General Meeting are kept at the current levels:
- EUR 440 000 for the Chair of the Board;
- EUR 210 000 for the Vice Chair of the Board;
- EUR 185 000 for each member of the Board;
- EUR 30 000 each for the Chairs of the Audit Committee and the Personnel Committee and EUR 20 000 for the Chairs of the Technology Committee and the Strategy Committee as an additional annual fee; and
- EUR 15 000 for each member of the Audit Committee and the Personnel Committee and EUR 10 000 for each member of the Technology Committee and the Strategy Committee as an additional annual fee.
In line with Nokia’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Board proposes that approximately 40% of the annual fee be paid in Nokia shares. The rest of the annual fee would be paid in cash to cover taxes arising from the remuneration. The Directors shall retain until the end of their directorship such number of shares that they have received as Board remuneration during their first three years of service on the Board.

In addition, the Board proposes that the meeting fees for Board and Committee meetings remain at their current level. The meeting fees are based on travel required between the Board member’s home location and the location of a meeting and paid for a maximum of seven meetings per term as follows:
- EUR 5 000 per meeting requiring intercontinental travel; and
- EUR 2 000 per meeting requiring intracontinental travel.
Only one meeting fee is paid if the travel entitling to the fee includes several meetings of the Board and the Committees. Moreover, it is proposed that members of the Board shall be compensated for travel and accommodation expenses as well as other costs directly related to Board and Committee work.

Auditor election and remuneration

On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Deloitte Oy be re-elected as the auditor of the Company for the financial year 2026.

It is also proposed that the auditor elected for the financial year 2026 be reimbursed based on the purchase policy approved by the Audit Committee and the invoice approved by the Company.

Sustainability reporting assurer election and remuneration

On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Authorized Sustainability Audit Firm Deloitte Oy be re-elected as the sustainability reporting assurer for the financial year 2026.

It is also proposed that the assurer of the sustainability reporting elected for the financial year 2026 be reimbursed based on the purchase policy approved by the Audit Committee and the invoice approved by the Company.

Authorization to the Board to issue shares and repurchase Company’s shares

The Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board to resolve to issue in total a maximum of 530 million shares through issuance of shares or special rights entitling to shares under Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act in one or more issues during the effective period of the authorization. The Board may issue either new shares or treasury shares held by the Company. Shares and special rights entitling to shares may be issued in deviation from the shareholders’ pre-emptive rights within the limits set by law. The authorization may be used to develop the Company’s capital structure, diversify the shareholder base, finance or carry out acquisitions or other arrangements, to settle the Company’s equity-based incentive plans or for other purposes resolved by the Board. It is proposed that the authorization be effective until 28 October 2026 and terminate the authorization for issuance of shares and special rights entitling to shares resolved at the Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024.

The Board also proposes that the Board be authorized to resolve to repurchase a maximum of 530 million shares. The repurchases would reduce distributable funds of the Company. The shares may be repurchased otherwise than in proportion to the shares held by the shareholders (directed repurchase). Shares may be repurchased to be cancelled, held to be reissued, transferred further or for other purposes resolved by the Board. It is proposed that the authorization be effective until 28 October 2026 and terminate the authorization for repurchasing the Company’s shares granted by the Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024 to the extent that the Board has not previously resolved to repurchase shares based on such authorization.

530 million shares corresponds to less than 10 percent of the Company’s total number of shares. The Board shall resolve on all other matters related to the issuance or repurchase of Nokia shares in accordance with the resolution by the Annual General Meeting.

Other matters to be addressed by the Annual General Meeting

Furthermore, the Annual General Meeting would address adopting the Company’s financial statements for the financial year 2024, discharging the members of the Board of Directors and the President and Chief Executive Officer from liability for the financial year 2024, adopting the updated Remuneration Policy for the Company’s governing bodies and adopting the Remuneration Report 2024.

The Remuneration Report for 2024 and the “Nokia in 2024” annual report, which includes the Company’s Annual Accounts, the review by the Board of Directors and the auditor’s report, are expected to be published and available at www.nokia.com/agm2025 in week 11 of 2025. The updated Remuneration Policy is expected to be published as an attachment to the Notice of the Annual General Meeting and available at www.nokia.com/agm2025 in week 7 of 2025.

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

Inquiries:

Nokia Communications
Phone: +358 10 448 4900
Email: press.services@nokia.com
Maria Vaismaa, Head of External Communications

Nokia
Investor Relations
Phone: +358 931 580 507
Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

The MIL Network –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Academician Lingyun Xiang was awarded the International Cultural Exchange Ambassador Certificate by the Ukrainian Ambassador to China

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Beijing, China, Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Recently, Professor Lingyun Xiang, a Foreign Academician of the National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine, was awarded the International Cultural Exchange Ambassador Certificate by the Embassy of Ukraine in China.

Ukrainian diplomat Gili and the Secretary to Professor Lingyun Xiang, a Foreign Academician of the National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine in China.

Ukraine, with its capital Kyiv, is located in Eastern Europe along the northern coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It shares borders with Belarus to the north, Russia to the northeast, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west, and Romania and Moldova to the south. Rich in mineral resources, Ukraine covers 603,700 square kilometers, making it the second-largest country in Europe by land area. The country is divided into 24 oblasts (provinces), one autonomous republic (the Republic of Crimea), and two cities with special status (the capital Kyiv and Sevastopol).

As of September 2022, Ukraine’s total population was 41.13 million (excluding the Crimea region). Ukraine is classified as a developing country with a highly advanced agricultural sector, though its industrial development, particularly in manufacturing, lags. Ukraine ranks as the fifth-largest exporter of IT services in the world. It is the largest market for software development, programming, and IT outsourcing services in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2021, Ukraine’s GDP was approximately $200 billion.

The National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine (Академія Інженерних Наук України) is one f Ukraine’s highest academic institutions. It originated as the Ukrainian Republic Branch of the Soviet Union Academy of Engineering. In 1998, it became a member of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS), a global alliance that includes engineering academies from 27 countries, such as the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

As of December 2023, the National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine has over 160 academicians, more than 130 corresponding members, and over 50 foreign academicians. The current president of the academy is Petro Mihailovich Talanchuk, who previously served as Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science, President of the National Technical University of Ukraine (formerly Kyiv Polytechnic Institute), a candidate in the 1994 Ukrainian presidential election, and currently an advisor to the President of Ukraine.

Professor Xiang was elected on July 22, 2024. He is also a recipient of the British King’s Medal and the European Outstanding Achievement Award, a Fellow of the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, a Lifetime Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering of the United Kingdom, and a Foreign Full Member of Academy of Engineering Sciences of Ukraine, a lifelong full-time professor of the European Union University, a lifelong professor (doctoral supervisor) of the National University of Maryland, a Special Term professor of Peking University Boya, a visiting professor of Beijing Union University, a visiting professor of Capital Normal University, a visiting professor of Shaanxi University of Science & Technology.

The MIL Network –

January 30, 2025

MIL-OSI: Nokia Corporation Financial Report for Q4 and full year 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Nokia Corporation
Financial Statement Release
30 January 2025 at 08:00 EET

Nokia Corporation Financial Report for Q4 and full year 2024

Strong Q4 growth and profitability as market trends improve

Q4 net sales increased 9% y-o-y in constant currency (10% reported). Network Infrastructure net sales grew strongly with all units contributing, Nokia Technologies grew significantly and Cloud and Network Services also grew in Q4.
Comparable gross margin in Q4 increased by 250bps y-o-y to 47.2% (reported increased 280bps to 46.1%), with a strong contribution from Nokia Technologies along with smaller contributions from other businesses.
Q4 comparable operating margin increased 380bps y-o-y to 19.1% (reported up 540bps to 15.3%), mainly due to higher gross margin, continued cost control and higher contribution from Nokia Technologies.
Q4 comparable diluted EPS for the period of EUR 0.18; reported diluted EPS for the period of EUR 0.15.
Q4 free cash flow of EUR 0.05 billion, net cash balance of EUR 4.9 billion.
Full year 2024 net sales declined 9% in both reported and constant currency, of which 7 percentage points was related to India. Comparable operating profit was EUR 2.6 billion (reported EUR 2.0 billion).
Full year comparable diluted EPS of EUR 0.39; reported diluted EPS of 0.23.
Board proposes dividend authorization of EUR 0.14 per share.
Nokia issues full year 2025 outlook on an organic basis. Nokia expects comparable operating profit of between EUR 1.9 billion and 2.4 billion and free cash flow conversion from comparable operating profit of between 50% and 80%.

This is a summary of the Nokia Corporation Financial report for Q4 and full year 2024 published today. Nokia only publishes a summary of its financial reports in stock exchange releases. The summary focuses on Nokia Group’s financial information as well as on Nokia’s outlook. The detailed, segment-level discussion will be available in the complete financial report hosted at www.nokia.com/financials. A video interview summarizing the key points of our Q4 results will also be published on the website. Investors should not solely rely on summaries of Nokia’s financial reports and should also review the complete reports with tables.

PEKKA LUNDMARK, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ON Q4 AND FULL YEAR 2024 RESULTS

In the following quote, net sales growth rates are on a constant currency basis
We saw a strong finish to 2024 with 9% net sales growth year-on-year in Q4. I am optimistic that the improving market trends we are now seeing will persist into 2025. Alongside the net sales growth, we saw excellent profitability in Q4 with a comparable operating margin of 19.1%. This meant our full year comparable operating profit was EUR 2.6 billion, at the mid-point of our guidance of EUR 2.3 to 2.9 billion.

All business groups delivered a strong operational performance in the quarter. Net sales growth in Network Infrastructure accelerated to 17%, with IP Networks growing 24%, Fixed Networks 16% and Optical Networks 7%. This reflected a strong recovery in demand from communication service providers, notably in North America.

Mobile Networks net sales stabilized with continued resilience in gross margin. We also secured many important deals, winning 18 000 additional base station sites, since the start of 2024 on a net basis. This was achieved while maintaining our commercial and pricing discipline to protect our gross margins.

Cloud and Network Services returned to 7% net sales growth in the quarter, despite a headwind of 4 percentage points from a prior business disposal, and its operating margin improved over the full year. Both Core Networks and Enterprise Campus Edge grew strongly. The fourth quarter saw the acquisition of Rapid’s technology assets. This will bolster our R&D capacity in Network as Code and increase our developer access. Taken together with our autonomous networks application suite, we are accelerating our efforts to help operators fully automate and monetize their networks.

Nokia Technologies had an extremely active quarter. We signed a deal with Transsion, a previously unlicensed mobile devices vendor, along with multimedia deals with HP and Samsung, as well as many other smaller deals. Our annual net sales run-rate increased to approximately between EUR 1.3 and 1.4 billion in Q4, progressing towards our mid-term EUR 1.4 to 1.5 billion target.

We delivered a strong cash performance throughout 2024, ending with full year free cash flow of EUR 2.0 billion. This means we continue to have a strong balance sheet supporting our business with net cash of EUR 4.9 billion at the end of the year, even after returning EUR 1.4 billion to shareholders through dividend and share buybacks. The Board is proposing an increase in the dividend to EUR 0.14 per share in respect of the financial year 2024. We also continue to execute against our outstanding share buyback program to offset any dilution from the equity component of our pending Infinera acquisition. Going forward, our target remains to maintain a net cash position of between 10-15% of annual net sales.

Q4 also saw further progress in efforts to expand our presence in the data center market. We signed important deals with Microsoft and Nscale for our data center switching products, along with announcing partnerships with both Kyndryl and Lenovo. We are now stepping up our investments to broaden our addressable market in data center IP networking. We will invest up to an additional EUR 100 million in annual operating expenses with a view to driving incremental net sales of EUR 1 billion by 2028. In the short-term this will moderate the pace of operating margin expansion in Network Infrastructure, but we anticipate a strong return on investment considering the momentum we already have today in the market.

Looking further ahead into 2025, we expect the improved trends we have seen in Network Infrastructure in the second half of this year, to sustain and drive strong growth. Cloud and Network Services is also expected to grow with strong 5G Core momentum and growth in our Enterprise Campus Edge business. End markets in Mobile Networks are improving and we currently assume largely stable net sales. Nokia Technologies is expected to deliver approximately EUR 1.1 billion of operating profit.

At the Nokia level, we currently estimate we will deliver comparable operating profit of between EUR 1.9 and 2.4 billion in 2025. We also target free cash flow conversion from comparable operating profit of between 50% and 80%. Excluding the one-time items that benefited 2024 by over EUR 700 million which were mostly in the first half of the year, this guidance would imply a strong improvement in our comparable operating profit in 2025 despite select increased investments.

Given the market volatility in 2024, our results demonstrate the responsiveness and capacity of the Nokia team to execute in all market conditions. I thank the whole Nokia team for their commitment, hard work and drive which made these results possible.

FINANCIAL RESULTS

EUR million (except for EPS in EUR)	Q4’24	Q4’23	YoY change	Constant currency YoY change	Q1-Q4’24	Q1-Q4’23	YoY change	Constant currency YoY change
Reported results
Net sales	5 983	5 416	10%	9%	19 220	21 138	(9)%	(9)%
Gross margin %	46.1%	43.3%	280bps		46.1%	40.4%	570bps
Research and development expenses	(1 136)	(1 080)	5%		(4 512)	(4 277)	5%
Selling, general and administrative expenses	(789)	(774)	2%		(2 890)	(2 878)	0%
Operating profit	917	534	72%		1 999	1 661	20%
Operating margin %	15.3%	9.9%	540bps		10.4%	7.9%	250bps
Profit/(loss) from continuing operations	746	(51)			1 711	649	164%
Profit/(loss) from discontinued operations	67	18	272%		(427)	30
Profit/(loss) for the period	813	(33)			1 284	679	89%
EPS for the period, diluted	0.15	(0.01)			0.23	0.12	92%
Net cash and interest-bearing financial investments	4 854	4 323	12%		4 854	4 323	12%
Comparable results
Net sales	5 983	5 416	10%	9%	19 220	21 138	(9)%	(9)%
Gross margin %	47.2%	44.7%	250bps		47.1%	41.1%	600bps
Research and development expenses	(1 129)	(1 023)	10%		(4 298)	(4 143)	4%
Selling, general and administrative expenses	(638)	(615)	4%		(2 423)	(2 448)	(1)%
Operating profit	1 142	830	38%		2 619	2 337	12%
Operating margin %	19.1%	15.3%	380bps		13.6%	11.1%	250bps
Profit for the period	977	555	76%		2 175	1 590	37%
EPS for the period, diluted	0.18	0.10	80%		0.39	0.28	39%
ROIC⁽¹⁾	13.0%	9.9%	310bps		13.0%	9.9%	310bps

¹ Comparable ROIC = Comparable operating profit after tax, last four quarters / invested capital, average of last five quarters’ ending balances. Refer to the Alternative performance measures section in Nokia Corporation Financial Report for Q4 and full year 2024 for details.

Business group results	Network Infrastructure		Mobile Networks		Cloud and Network Services		Nokia Technologies		Group Common and Other
EUR million	Q4’24	Q4’23	Q4’24	Q4’23	Q4’24	Q4’23	Q4’24	Q4’23	Q4’24	Q4’23
Net sales	2 031	1 712	2 431	2 450	1 054	977	463	251	6	25
YoY change	19%		(1)%		8%		84%		(76)%
Constant currency YoY change	17%		(2)%		7%		85%		(76)%
Gross margin %	45.4%	44.7%	38.1%	38.3%	48.1%	47.6%	99.8%	100.0%
Operating profit/(loss)	398	264	187	281	236	223	356	169	(35)	(106)
Operating margin %	19.6%	15.4%	7.7%	11.5%	22.4%	22.8%	76.9%	67.3%

SHAREHOLDER DISTRIBUTION

Dividend

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting 2025 authorizes the Board to resolve on the distribution of an aggregate maximum of EUR 0.14 per share to be paid in respect of the financial year 2024. The authorization would be used to distribute dividend and/or assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity in four installments during the authorization period, in connection with the quarterly results, unless the Board decides otherwise for a justified reason.

Under the current authorization by the Annual General Meeting held on 3 April 2024, the Board of Directors may resolve on the distribution of an aggregate maximum of EUR 0.13 per share to be paid in respect of financial year 2023. The authorization will be used to distribute dividend and/or assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity in four installments during the authorization period, in connection with the quarterly results, unless the Board decides otherwise for a justified reason.

On 30 January 2025, the Board resolved to distribute a dividend of EUR 0.03 per share. The dividend record date is 4 February 2025 and the dividend will be paid on 13 February 2025. The actual dividend payment date outside Finland will be determined by the practices of the intermediary banks transferring the dividend payments.

Following this announced distribution of the fourth installment and executed payments of the previous installments, the Board has no remaining distribution authorization.

Share buyback programs

In January 2024, Nokia’s Board of Directors initiated a share buyback program to repurchase shares to return up to EUR 600 million of cash to shareholders in tranches over a period of two years. The share buyback execution started on 20 March 2024. On 19 July 2024, Nokia’s Board of Directors decided to accelerate the timeframe for the share buyback program with the aim of completing the full EUR 600 million program by the end of the year instead of the initial two year timeframe. The program was completed on 21 November 2024 and the repurchased 157 646 220 shares were canceled on 4 December 2024.

On 27 June 2024, Nokia announced its intention to acquire Infinera in a transaction that valued Infinera at US$1.7 billion equity value with up to 30% of the consideration to be paid in Nokia American depositary shares (“ADSs”), depending on the elections of Infinera shareholders. To offset the dilution from the transaction to Nokia shareholders, on 22 November 2024 Nokia announced a new share buyback program targeting to repurchase 150 million shares for an aggregate purchase price not exceeding EUR 900 million. Under this share buyback program, by 31 December 2024, Nokia had repurchased 19 186 046 of its own shares at an average price per share of approximately EUR 4.14.

OUTLOOK

	Full Year 2025
Comparable operating profit⁽¹⁾	EUR 1.9 billion to EUR 2.4 billion (excluding any impact from pending Infinera acquisition)
Free cash flow⁽¹⁾	50% to 80% conversion from comparable operating profit (excluding any impact from pending Infinera acquisition)

¹Please refer to Alternative performance measures section in Nokia Corporation Financial Report for Q4 and full year 2024 for a full explanation of how these terms are defined.

The outlook, long-term targets and all of the underlying outlook assumptions described below are forward-looking statements subject to a number of risks and uncertainties as described or referred to in the Risk Factors section later in this report. release.

Along with Nokia’s official outlook targets provided above, Nokia provides the below additional assumptions that support the group level financial outlook. Considering the pending Infinera acquisition along with the transfer of Managed Services from Cloud and Network Services to Mobile Networks (further details of this transfer are included in the Additional Topics section), Nokia is not currently providing assumptions by business group as it did previously.

	Full year 2025
Group Common and Other operating expenses	approximately EUR 400 million
Comparable financial income and expenses	Positive EUR 50 to 150 million
Comparable income tax rate	~25%
Cash outflows related to income taxes	EUR 450 million
Capital Expenditures	EUR 550 million

2026 TARGETS

Nokia’s current targets for its existing perimeter of the business for 2026 are outlined below. This does not consider pending acquisitions. Nokia sees further opportunities to increase margins beyond 2026 and believes an operating margin of 14% remains achievable over the longer term.

Net sales	Grow faster than the market
Comparable operating margin⁽¹⁾	≥ 13%
Free cash flow⁽¹⁾	55% to 85% conversion from comparable operating profit

¹ Please refer to Alternative Performance measures section in Nokia Corporation Financial Report for Q4 and full year 2024 for a full explanation of how these terms are defined.

The comparable operating margin target for Nokia group is built on the following assumptions by business group for 2026:

Network Infrastructure	13 – 16% operating margin
Mobile Networks	6 – 9% operating margin
Cloud and Network Services	7 – 10% operating margin
Nokia Technologies	Operating profit more than EUR 1.1 billion
Group common and other	Approximately EUR 300 million of operating expenses

ADDITIONAL TOPICS

Progress on Infinera acquisition
On 27 June 2024, Nokia announced a definitive agreement under which Nokia will acquire Infinera, a global supplier of innovative open optical networking solutions and advanced optical semiconductors. The acquisition process continues to proceed as expected. On 13 September 2024, the applicable waiting period under the US pre-merger review expired and the Department of Justice decided not to investigate the planned transaction. On 1 October 2024, Infinera shareholders approved the planned acquisition. On 7 October 2024, Nokia and Infinera received approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). During the fourth quarter Nokia received many of the outstanding required approvals for the deal. At this point approval from the European Union and Taiwan, along with contractual closing conditions, are the major items outstanding to proceed to closing. Assuming the current target timelines, Nokia and Infinera now expect the deal to close during the first quarter of 2025.

Nokia exercised NSB call option to simplify ownership structure in China

Nokia and its joint venture partner China Huaxin have been together reviewing the future ownership structure of Nokia Shanghai Bell (NSB). Following those discussions, Nokia exercised its call option, outlined in NSB’s shareholders’ agreement, to initiate the process to become the sole shareholder by purchasing China Huaxin’s approximately 50% share in NSB. This will allow Nokia to simplify its ownership structure in China while Nokia remains committed to continue serving the local market.
Since the creation of the joint venture Nokia has recorded a liability on its balance sheet based on the estimated future cash settlement to acquire China Huaxin’s ownership interest. The execution of the call option is subject to completing required steps under the shareholders’ agreement.

Managed Services business transferred from Cloud and Network Services into Mobile Networks in 2025
Nokia has moved its Managed Services business into Mobile Networks (MN), effective 1 January 2025. The Managed Services business provides outsourced network management of multi-vendor RAN networks for operators and since 2021 has been part of our Cloud and Network Services (CNS) business group. Considering CNS is increasingly transitioning towards cloud-native software sales, ‘as-a-service’ product offerings and helping customers to monetize networks through API’s, Nokia believes that this business is more aligned and fits better with its MN business. Based on 2024 results, this change is expected to lead to a transfer of approximately EUR 430 million of net sales and approximately EUR 40 million of comparable operating profit from CNS to MN. Nokia will provide recast financial information for 2024 for MN and CNS reflecting this change prior to Nokia’s Q1 financial results.

RISK FACTORS

Nokia and its businesses are exposed to a number of risks and uncertainties which include but are not limited to:

Competitive intensity, which is expected to continue at a high level as some competitors seek to take share;
Changes in customer network investments related to their ability to monetize the network;
Our ability to ensure competitiveness of our product roadmaps and costs through additional R&D investments;
Our ability to procure certain standard components and the costs thereof, such as semiconductors;
Disturbance in the global supply chain;
Impact of inflation, increased global macro-uncertainty, major currency fluctuations, changes in tariffs and higher interest rates;
Potential economic impact and disruption of global pandemics;
War or other geopolitical conflicts, disruptions and potential costs thereof;
Other macroeconomic, industry and competitive developments;
Timing and value of new, renewed and existing patent licensing agreements with licensees;
Results in brand and technology licensing; costs to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; on-going litigation with respect to licensing and regulatory landscape for patent licensing;
The outcomes of on-going and potential disputes and litigation;
Our ability to execute, complete, successfully integrate and realize the expected benefits from our ongoing transactions;
Timing of completions and acceptances of certain projects;
Our product and regional mix;
Uncertainty in forecasting income tax expenses and cash outflows, over the long-term, as they are also subject to possible changes due to business mix, the timing of patent licensing cash flow and changes in tax legislation, including potential tax reforms in various countries and OECD initiatives;
Our ability to utilize our Finnish deferred tax assets and their recognition on our balance sheet;
Our ability to meet our sustainability and other ESG targets, including our targets relating to greenhouse gas emissions;

as well the risk factors specified under Forward-looking statements of this release, and our 2023 annual report on Form 20-F published on 29 February 2024 under Operating and financial review and prospects-Risk factors.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect Nokia’s current expectations and views of future developments and include statements regarding: A) expectations, plans, benefits or outlook related to our strategies, projects, programs, product launches, growth management, licenses, sustainability and other ESG targets, operational key performance indicators and decisions on market exits; B) expectations, plans or benefits related to future performance of our businesses (including the expected impact, timing and duration of potential global pandemics, geopolitical conflicts and the general or regional macroeconomic conditions on our businesses, our supply chain, the timing of market changes or turning points in demand and our customers’ businesses) and any future dividends and other distributions of profit; C) expectations and targets regarding financial performance and results of operations, including market share, prices, net sales, income, margins, cash flows, cost savings, the timing of receivables, operating expenses, provisions, impairments, taxes, currency exchange rates, hedging, investment funds, inflation, product cost reductions, competitiveness, revenue generation in any specific region, and licensing income and payments; D) ability to execute, expectations, plans or benefits related to our ongoing transactions, investments and changes in organizational structure and operating model; E) impact on revenue with respect to litigation/renewal discussions; and F) any statements preceded by or including “anticipate”, “continue”, “believe”, “envisage”, “expect”, “aim”, “will”, “target”, “may”, “would”, “see”, “plan” or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are based on management’s best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to them. These forward-looking statements are only predictions based upon our current expectations and views of future events and developments and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Factors, including risks and uncertainties that could cause these differences, include those risks and uncertainties identified in the Risk Factors above.

ANALYST WEBCAST

Nokia’s webcast will begin on 30 January 2025 at 11.30 a.m. Finnish time (EET). The webcast will last approximately 60 minutes.
The webcast will be a presentation followed by a Q&A session. Presentation slides will be available for download at www.nokia.com/financials.
A link to the webcast will be available at www.nokia.com/financials.
Media representatives can listen in via the link, or alternatively call +1-412-317-5619.

FINANCIAL CALENDAR

Nokia plans to publish its “Nokia in 2024” annual report, which includes the review by the Board of Directors and the audited annual accounts, during the week starting on 10 March 2025.
Nokia plans to publish its first quarter 2025 results on 24 April 2025.
Nokia’s Annual General Meeting 2025 is planned to be held on 29 April 2025.
Nokia plans to publish its second quarter and half year 2025 results on 24 July 2025.
Nokia plans to publish its third quarter and January-September 2025 results on 23 October 2025.

About Nokia

At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

Inquiries:

Nokia
Communications
Phone: +358 10 448 4900
Email: press.services@nokia.com
Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications

Nokia
Investor Relations
Phone: +358 931 580 507
Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

Attachment

2024_Q4_Nokia_Earnings_release_English

The MIL Network –

January 30, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Impact of Brexit on Scottish Trade

Source: Scottish Government

New figures show possible cost of increased trade barriers.

Analysis published today by the Office of the Chief Economic Advisor has estimated Brexit trade barriers could impact Scotland’s economy by £4 billion.

This estimated economic cost is from the reduction in trade alone – not counting changes to productivity, investment or migration.

Business Minister Richard Lochhead said the report demonstrated the urgent need to reverse the damage of Brexit to boost living standards and revenue for the NHS.

According to the Trade Modelling Report, Scottish exports could be lower by 7.2% or £3 billion compared to continued EU membership.

The chemical and pharmaceutical sector is estimated to be one of the hardest hit by post-Brexit trade barriers, with an estimated 9.1% reduction in output, followed by the computer and electronics sector with an estimated 7.7% fall. The 4.9% output drop estimated for the agrifood sector represents a loss of £827 million.

Business Minister Richard Lochhead said:

“On the eve of the fifth anniversary of Brexit, these new figures highlight the urgent need to change course to boost the economy and increase public revenue for the NHS.

“This is the latest in a long line of studies highlighting how badly Brexit continues to impact Scotland and should cause the UK Government to consider its approach to economic growth.

“The Scottish Government has been clear that Scotland’s place is in the EU and the huge European single market. But we are also a voice for greater co-operation with the EU right now and we urge the new UK Government to forge a much closer relationship with our fellow Europeans.”

Background

Scottish Government’s Brexit Trade Modelling Report

The report is the first to specifically analyse the impact of the UK’s post-Brexit trade agreements on Scotland’s economy. It examines the expected effect of actual or potential free trade agreements between the UK and Australia, India, Switzerland and Turkey, as well as the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and EU. It then compares that with the trade benefits Scotland would have received from continued EU membership.

This report makes estimates based on the impact of trade barriers and does not account for changes in productivity and investment due to Brexit. This means that some of the headline figures differ from those in other reports – such as in modelling by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, which showed that UK GDP could be 5.7% lower – as they look at the overall impact of Brexit on the economy.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK redoubles Horizon push as Kyle forges deeper R&I links with EU
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

UK Science and Tech Secretary announces renewed push to turbo-charge UK-EU science and technology links, to tackle shared global challenges.
UK Science and Tech Secretary announces renewed push to turbo-charge UK-EU science and technology links, to tackle shared global challenges

Peter Kyle met colleagues in the European Commission, yesterday, to discuss how to strengthen and deepen European science and tech ties

New campaign to drive UK participation in Horizon Europe, and UK joins cutting-edge European research consortia

New plans have been unveiled to make Britain’s science and technology links with the EU stronger and deeper, following a fruitful visit to Brussels by the UK’s Science and Technology Secretary, to meet some of the new slate of European Commissioners.

Today (Thursday 30 January) the government is announcing the launch of a new nationwide advertising campaign to further boost UK participation in Horizon Europe, the world’s largest programme of research collaboration. The UK is also joining 4 European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs) to further boost collaborative ties between researchers, across the Channel.

The EU is an innovation powerhouse – spending over €380 billion on R&D in 2023(1) – and fostering deep and high-quality links between the continent’s brightest minds, and the UK’s, will be critical if we are to seize the promise for science and tech innovations to support the Government’s Missions to grow the economy, fix the NHS and improve health outcomes and deliver clean energy under the Plan for Change. As the plan sets out, promoting innovation and world-class research will be foundational to rebuilding the foundations of the economy, and kickstarting growth.

The recent AI Opportunities Action Plan – this government’s plan to unleash AI to deliver a decade of national renewal – also highlighted how close cooperation with our European allies on the latest technologies will be critical to our shared prosperity and wellbeing. An example of this is the UK’s involvement in the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which is developing a world-class supercomputing infrastructure across the European continent.

Peter Kyle’s visit saw him hold high-level talks with Commissoners Zaharieva, Kubilius, and McGrath, to discuss how the UK and the EU can tackle some of the biggest problems facing the world, and grow our economies, by working together to seize the enormous potential of science and tech breakthroughs from AI to life sciences.

UK Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

There is no question about it: we stand our best chance of tackling the great challenges of our era, from climate change to public health, to growing economies that work for everyone, by bringing the brightest minds from across the UK and the European Union, together.

The UK is determined to give our researchers, innovators and businesses the opportunities and platforms they need to bring their great ideas to life, to the benefit of us all – all of which is highlighted by our new Horizon ad campaign. I’m pleased to have had such fruitful conversations with my European friends and colleagues, on taking this vital partnership even further.

Recent, initial signs suggest UK association to Horizon is trending in the right direction. For instance, in the latest ERC Synergy Grants, in which the UK hosted 18 projects – the second highest number. But the government is determined to go even further to help our innovators seize this opportunity.

The advertising campaign will bring the potential benefits of Horizon participation to life by shining a light on examples of businesses and researchers, right across the UK, who have benefited from funding. That includes Nova Innovation, a company developing turbines for the tidal energy industry, and Electra Commercial vehicles, who are developing electric trucks that can go further without needing to recharge.

It is part of comprehensive action to support the effective uptake of opportunities in Horizon Europe, including events, financial and networking support. The roadshow events across the country have offered insights into bidding and networking opportunities, while Pump Priming grants, in collaboration with the British Academy and Innovate UK, are designed to support the establishment of consortia and development of high-quality applications.

There are further plans to help British business people and researchers network with potential European R&D partners, as Innovate UK will take UK delegations to Italy, Germany and Spain for a series of Horizon Europe Brokerage events. These events will also help those involved work on how to build the best possible bids for Horizon funding together with their overseas colleagues.

The 4 European Research Infrastructure Consortia the UK is joining are:

European Holocaust Research Infrastructure

European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science

Low Frequency Array

International Centre for Advanced Studies on River-Sea Systems

These partnerships will enable UK researchers to collaborate on projects ranging from historical research, to astronomy, to advanced river systems studies.

Sources

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/

DSIT media enquiries

Email press@dsit.gov.uk

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 300

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Updates to this page

Published 30 January 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Mission 300: Significant new donor pledges in support of the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa announced on margins of the Africa Energy Summit

Source: African Development Bank Group

Denmark, the United Kingdom, Spain and France have unveiled new or additional contributions to the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa, demonstrating strong support for the African Development Bank-managed fund as it expands energy access across Africa, including through the Mission 300 partnership. Another new donor – Japan –joined in December 2024 with a $5 million contribution under AGIA.

SEFA is a multi-donor Special Fund that provides catalytic finance to unlock private sector investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. It aims to contribute to universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services for all in Africa in line with the New Deal on Energy for Africa and Mission 300.

Mission 300, an ambitious new partnership of the African Development Bank Group, the World Bank Group and other development partners, aims to provide access to electricity to an additional 300 million Africans by 2030.

France, a new donor to SEFA, will provide €10 million. Denmark, the UK and Spain will increase existing contributions by DKK 100 million (€13.4 million), £8.5 million (€10.13) and €3 million, respectively.

France’s contribution will bolster the Africa Green Infrastructure Alliance (AGIA), a platform of the African Development Bank, Africa 50 and other partners that will develop transformative sustainable infrastructure projects for investment.

These contributions come as SEFA enjoyed its best year on record in 2024, with $108 million approved for 14 projects. SEFA now boasts a portfolio of over $300 million in highly impactful investments and technical assistance programmes, which is expected to unlock up to $15 billion in investments and deliver approximately 12 million new electricity connections.

Denmark’s Acting State Secretary for Development Policy, Ole Thonke, said: “Africa is endowed with enormous untapped potential for renewable energy, which can fuel green industrialisation. The latest Danish financial contribution to SEFA will focus on the newly established Africa-led Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA), further supporting the continent’s ambitious development and climate goals.”

“We are halfway through this decisive decade to achieve the sustainable development goals and get on track to tackle climate change,” said Rachel Kyte, UK Special Representative for Climate, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. “Achieving our collective goals of reliable, affordable and clean power is a golden thread that links economic growth, greater investment, strengthened resilience and climate ambition. By accelerating the roll-out of clean power, the UK and Mission 300 are putting green and inclusive growth at the heart of our partnerships with Africa. Our announcement of an additional £8.5 million in UK funding for the AfDB’s SEFA will mobilise the much-needed private sector investment so that more Africans can access clean power right across the continent.”

Inés Carpio San Román, Alternate Governor of Spain for the African Development Bank, said, “We are pleased that Spain has decided to renew its support for the SEFA fund with a contribution of €3 million. This reaffirms our commitment to the crucial sector of renewable energy, which plays a key role in fostering sustainable development across Africa.”

“As a strong supporter of Africa’s green infrastructure investments with financial tools that mobilise private finance, France is proud to contribute €10 million to the AGIA through SEFA,” stated Bertrand Dumont, Director General of the French Treasury and Governor for France at the African Development Bank. “This very first contribution is our first step towards reinforcing Africa’s sustainable development and accelerating the continent’s path to a low-carbon economy. By investing in green infrastructure in Africa, we are investing for the future.”

Dr Daniel Schroth, Director of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the African Development Bank, said, “We welcome the new commitments from donors whose support underscores the impactful work of SEFA. These contributions are essential in enabling SEFA to fulfil its role as a key delivery vehicle for Mission 300 at this pivotal moment.”

ABOUT SEFA

SEFA is a multi-donor Special Fund that provides catalytic finance to unlock private sector investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. SEFA offers technical assistance and concessional finance instruments to remove market barriers, build a more robust pipeline of projects and improve the risk-return profile of individual investments. The Fund’s overarching goal is to contribute to universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services for all in Africa, in line with the New Deal on Energy for Africa and the M300.

MIL OSI Economics –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Quick Custom Intelligence and Modulus Celebrate Success at ICE

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI), a leading provider of cutting-edge business intelligence solutions for the casino industry, and Modulus, an innovator in advanced gaming system technology, are pleased to announce a successful showcase at the International Casino Expo (ICE). Throughout the event, both companies met with dozens of current customers and new prospects, demonstrating the latest in AI technology and data-driven business intelligence tools.

By joining forces in the Modulus booth, QCI and Modulus underscored the synergy of their combined technologies, generating excitement among attendees. The live demos highlighted how these next-generation solutions can empower casinos to make data-driven decisions, enhance customer engagement, and streamline operations.

“The energy at this year’s ICE was truly inspiring,” said Marc Attal, COO of Modulus. “Our newest technology received an exceptional response, and our digitalization strategy for slots and tables resonated deeply with clients who clearly saw the benefits of optimization it brings. Showcasing QCI’s solutions in our booth amplified our message and created an immersive experience that highlighted the potential of the cutting-edge AGI55 platform. The excitement and enthusiasm from both existing and prospective clients made this one of our most successful shows yet, reaffirming our commitment to innovation and excellence.”

“It was fantastic to be part of the show,” remarked Andrew Cardno, CTO of QCI. “Meeting so many new customers and prospects has sparked a sense of excitement and optimism for what lies ahead for QCI in the global casino market. We are grateful to Modulus for the opportunity to partner in showcasing how our integrated solutions can help casinos operate more efficiently and profitably.”

Both companies look forward to expanding their footprint in international gaming markets, fueled by the success and enthusiasm generated at ICE. QCI and Modulus remain committed to developing innovative technologies that drive real-world results for casino operators everywhere.

ABOUT Quick Custom Intelligence
Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) has pioneered the revolutionary QCI AGI Platform, an artificial intelligence platform that seamlessly integrates player development, marketing, and gaming operations with powerful, real-time tools designed specifically for the gaming and hospitality industries. Our advanced, highly configurable software is deployed in over 250 casino resorts across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Latin America, and The Bahamas. The QCI AGI Platform, which manages more than $35 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, stands as a best-in-class solution, whether on-premises, hybrid, or cloud-based, enabling fully coordinated activities across all aspects of gaming or hospitality operations. QCI’s data-driven, AI-powered software propels swift, informed decision-making vital in the ever-changing casino industry, assisting casinos in optimizing resources and profits, crafting effective marketing campaigns, and enhancing customer loyalty. QCI was co-founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno and is based in San Diego, with additional offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Denver, Dallas, and Tulsa. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715. Visit us at www.quickcustomintelligence.com.

ABOUT Andrew Cardno

Andrew Cardno is a distinguished figure in the realm of artificial intelligence and data plumbing. With over two decades spearheading private Ph.D. and master’s level research teams, his expertise has made significant waves in data tooling. Andrew’s innate ability to innovate has led him to devise numerous pioneering visualization methods. Of these, the most notable is the deep zoom image format, a groundbreaking innovation that has since become a cornerstone in the majority of today’s mapping tools. His leadership acumen has earned him two coveted Smithsonian Laureates, and teams under his mentorship have clinched 40 industry awards, including three pivotal gaming industry transformation awards. Together with Dr. Ralph Thomas, the duo co-founded Quick Custom Intelligence, amplifying their collaborative innovative capacities. A testament to his inventive prowess, Andrew boasts over 150 patent applications. Across various industries—be it telecommunications with Telstra Australia, retail with giants like Walmart and Best Buy, or the medical sector with esteemed institutions like City Of Hope and UCSD—Andrew’s impact is deeply felt. He has enriched the literature with insights, co-authoring eight influential books with Dr. Thomas and contributing to over 100 industry publications. An advocate for community and diversity, Andrew’s work has touched over 100 Native American Tribal Resorts, underscoring his expansive and inclusive professional endeavours.

ABOUT Modulus

As one of the world’s largest independent gaming management system providers, Modulus operates across 40 countries spanning Europe, Africa, South America, Canada, and Asia. Our multilingual suite of management software empowers gaming operators to optimize revenues and efficiently manage costs. With headquarters in Monaco and offices in France and Austria, along with partner offices in South Africa, Latin America, and Asia, our dedicated team of R&D and support professionals ensures the highest levels of customer engagement and product development. Explore the innovative technology of SYSTM Connect, enhancing player experiences and delivering fast, reliable network communication. Visit our website at www.modulusgroup.eu.

Contact:

Laurel Kay, Quick Custom Intellligence

Phone: 858-349-8354

The MIL Network –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: UPDATE – United Kingdom Investment Trusts

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

GREENWICH, Conn., Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Closed-End – David Schachter, Senior Vice President of Gabelli Funds, will travel to the United Kingdom to visit selected investment trusts.

With over 40 years of experience exclusively with retail, long term, closed-end fund investors, Mr. Schachter, a most senior and experienced veteran of the U.S. Closed-End Fund industry, is also Vice President of The GAMCO Natural Resources, Gold & Income Trust (GNT), which trades on the NYSE.

During the 19^th century, capital was raised through closed-end funds. These funds helped build the railroads, which linked the American continent from sea to sea and led to the nation’s economic success.

Today, in the early 21^st century, closed-end funds are being threatened for elimination by hedged activists for short-term and short-sighted value extraction.

“Closed-end funds are a metaphor for long-term, patient capital, but they also represent freedom for investors who, in a sector where mass redemptions could force portfolio managers to sell, is an essential ability to those who may not want to be herded into selling.”

Mr. Schachter plans to visit the Gabelli office as well as the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) and speak with interested U.K. investors.

Financial professionals and investors are invited to contact Mr. Schachter directly at (914) 921-5057.

Gabelli Funds, LLC is the adviser to thirteen closed-end funds which trade on the NYSE: Gabelli Equity Trust (GAB), Gabelli Convertible & Income Securities Fund (GCV), Gabelli Multimedia Trust (GGT), Gabelli Utility Trust (GUT), Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust (GDV), Gabelli Global Utility & Income Trust (GLU), GAMCO Global Gold Natural Resources & Income Trust (GGN), The GDL Fund (GDL), Gabelli Healthcare & Wellness^R^X Trust (GRX), GAMCO Natural Resources, Gold & Income Trust (GNT), Gabelli Global Small and Mid-Cap Value Trust (GGZ), Bancroft Fund (BCV) and Ellsworth Growth & Income Fund (ECF). As of December 31, 2024, the thirteen Gabelli closed-end funds had total assets of $7.3 billion.

Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of a Fund before investing. For more information regarding the Funds, call:

David Schachter
(914) 921-5057
dschachter@gabelli.com

A Fund’s NAV per share will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Stocks are subject to market, economic, and business risks that cause their prices to fluctuate. Investors acquire shares of the Fund on a securities exchange at market value, which fluctuates according to the dynamics of supply and demand. When Fund shares are sold, they may be worth more or less than their original cost. Consequently, you can lose money by investing in a Fund.

The MIL Network –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Second Defendant Admits His Role in ATM Skimming Bank Fraud Conspiracy

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

PROVIDENCE – A second Romanian national has admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island that he participated in a conspiracy that installed card skimming devices on bank ATMs in at least six states, including Rhode Island, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Mario Demarco, a/k/a Marius Lupu a/k/a David Ademec, until recently residing in Queens, New York, pleaded guilty today to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. A co-defendant, Stefano Garioli, a/k/a Dumitru Bogdan Pancu a/k/a Leon Vutkus, also of Queens, New York, pleaded guilty on December 11, 2024, to the same charge.

According to information presented to the court, for more than two years, beginning in May 2022, the two men conspired together and with others to commit bank fraud by placing skimming devices on ATM machines in order to steal customer bank account information and PINs. The stolen information was used to clone counterfeit bank cards that were then used to fraudulently withdraw money from the bank accounts of unsuspecting customers.

The ATM skimmer conspiracy first came to the attention law enforcement on July 5, 2024, when a bank branch manager notified the Warwick Police Department that bank surveillance video had captured two men, later identified as the defendants, placing a skimming device inside a drive-up ATM. Nearby security video also captured images of the two men’s vehicle. The same vehicle was also identified as having been present two days earlier when a skimming device was placed inside an ATM at a North Kingstown bank branch.

On July 6, 2024, Cranston Police reported that a vehicle matching the one recorded by bank security cameras had been captured on a Flock camera in their city. Warwick Police responded to the area of the camera and located the vehicle. Demarco was detained as he walked away from a nearby ATM; Garioli was located sitting in the vehicle.

Further investigation determined that the two men had worked together and with others for more than two years placing skimmer devices on ATMs in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

DeMarco and Garioli are scheduled to be sentenced on May 6, 2025. The defendants’ sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ly T. Chin.

The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Warwick, RI Police Department, Cranston, RI Police Department, East Greenwich, RI Police Department, North Kingstown, RI Police Department, East Providence, RI Police Department, Boston, MA Police Department, New York City Police Department, and the Stratford, CT Police Department.

###

MIL Security OSI –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: InspireSemi Announces Administrative Update Webinar for Shareholders

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia and AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Inspire Semiconductor Holdings Inc. (“InspireSemi” or the “Company”), a chip design company that provides revolutionary high-performance, energy-efficient accelerated computing solutions for High Performance Computing (HPC), AI, graph analytics, and other compute-intensive workloads, is pleased to announce that it will provide an administrative update by live webinar on February 5, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

This will primarily be an open forum for shareholders to clarify any remaining questions regarding the previously announced voluntary delisting from the TSX Venture Exchange, which was completed on December 31, 2024. A more general business update will also be scheduled shortly.

You can also view a related list Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on the company website at: FAQ document.

To join the live webinar please use the following Zoom information:

Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86160306729?pwd=TfhZhAA4v2YvdbsbIhJws8cQD3fcj5.1

Webinar ID: 861 6030 6729
Passcode: 060367

Phone one-tap:
+13462487799,,86160306729#,,,,*060367# US (Houston)
+12532158782,,86160306729#,,,,*060367# US (Tacoma)

Join via audio:
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International numbers available: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kf1d3JWW8

About InspireSemi

InspireSemi provides revolutionary high-performance, energy-efficient accelerated computing solutions for High-Performance Computing (HPC), AI, graph analytics, and other compute-intensive workloads. The Thunderbird I ‘supercomputer-cluster-on-a-chip’ is a disruptive, next-generation datacenter accelerator designed to address multiple underserved and diversified industries, including financial services, computer-aided engineering, energy, climate modeling, cybersecurity, and life sciences & drug discovery. Based on the open standard RISC-V instruction set architecture, InspireSemi’s solutions set new standards of performance, energy efficiency, and ease of programming. InspireSemi is headquartered in Austin, TX.

For more information visit https://inspiresemi.com
Follow InspireSemi on LinkedIn

Company Contact
Jack Cartwright, CFO (Interim)
(737) 471-3230
invest@inspiresemi.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (“forward-looking statements”). Statements concerning InspireSemi’s objectives, goals, strategies, priorities, intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations and estimates, and the business, operations, financial performance and condition of InspireSemi are forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” (or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or come to pass.

Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information regarding the Delisting and any future listing. Forward-looking information is based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans, strategies or beliefs as of the date of this presentation, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of InspireSemi, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors may be based on information currently available to the Company including information obtained from third-party industry analysts and other third-party sources and are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. Any and all forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect management’s expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Forward-looking information reflects management’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to them and on assumptions they believe to be not unreasonable in light of all of the circumstances. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.

The MIL Network –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Meditation and mindfulness at work are welcome, but do they help avoid accountability for toxic culture?

Source: The Conversation – France (in French) – By Raysa Geaquinto Rocha, Assistant Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and lecturer, University of Essex

In an age when home offices, hybrid work arrangements and blurred boundaries between work and personal life are the norm, a recently established narrative is intensifying: the integration of spirituality into business.

This idea involves deliberately incorporating personal values and meaningful purpose into all aspects of organisational life – from individual expression to workplace practices and corporate identity. It’s an approach that seeks to cultivate environments where employees can find deeper meaning in their work while contributing to both economic and social progress, as my past research in the Journal of Business Ethics shows.

Spirituality in business transcends traditional management methods by acknowledging the inner lives of workers, promoting their personal growth and fostering genuine community connections. According to a 2016 interview with Eileen Fisher, the founder and then CEO of a $450-million fashion brand, company meetings opened with the ring of a meditation bell followed by a minute of silence. Fisher said the practice allows employees “to get in touch with what they’re there for and what matters to them and show up a little differently” and has contributed to the company’s recognised leadership in sustainability and women’s advocacy.

But are all corporate efforts like these genuine attempts to foster well-being, or can they instead be strategies to rebrand productivity demands?

Spiritual well-being in business

The incorporation of spirituality into the workplace represents a shift in how businesses approach leadership, employee wellbeing and corporate culture.

Take ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s partnership with Greyston Bakery, a leader in social enterprise. Under their “linked prosperity” model, Ben & Jerry’s sources all brownies for its Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavour from Greyston, which operates with an “open hiring” policy that does not require a background check for applicants and provides “help with child care, housing and ESL (English as a second language) classes”. The partnership shows how valuing human dignity and community empowerment can reshape conventional business practices into drivers of social change.

Spiritual integration manifests in plenty of other ways, too. Morning gatherings can become spaces for shared reflection rather than mere status updates. Dedicated quiet rooms can offer sanctuary for contemplation or prayer. Through mentorship relationships and community service initiatives, workplaces can evolve into environments where individuals can explore deeper questions about purpose. US outdoor clothing company Patagonia describes how it offers paid environmental internships and flexible policies that enable employees to align their work lives with how they see their authentic selves. These offerings reflect the idea that while people come to work to earn a living, they stay and thrive when work nourishes their spirit.

The trend of integrating spirituality into the workplace taps into the practical wisdom of spiritual traditions, honed over millennia, to foster attributes like mindfulness, compassion and interconnectedness. But despite its benefits, integration – or lip service to it – risks becoming a convenient excuse for businesses to shift the responsibility for stress and burn-out onto employees instead of addressing systemic issues.

The rise and fall of WeWork illustrates this phenomenon. As documented in both Hulu’s “WeWork: or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn” and Apple TV+’s dramatic series “WeCrashed”, the workspace company masterfully leveraged spiritual rhetoric to attract young professionals. While the company promoted meditation spaces and wellness initiatives, these benefits masked issues including unsustainable work expectations, questionable management practices and a sexual assault claim. The disconnect between WeWork’s offerings and operational reality demonstrates how companies can appropriate spiritual practices only as a veneer.

When suits start talking spirit

When McKinsey & Company, a US management consulting firm that epitomizes corporate pragmatism, releases a podcast titled “Beyond 9 to 5: The power of spiritual health in the workplace”, it is clear that spirituality in business has moved beyond the fringe.

McKinsey’s global survey of 41,000 respondents, detailed in their May 2024 report “In search of self and something bigger: A spiritual health exploration”, found that spiritual health matters deeply to employees. But does this data reflect a genuine commitment to spirituality, or is it just a reflection of its currency in the corporate world?

After almost half a century of research on spirituality in business, it has become a mature field. The Academy of Management, “an association for management and organizational scholars”, recognised Management, Spirituality, and Religion as a Division, [“reflecting”] a broad range of member interests”. Still, the corporate world’s interest is raising eyebrows: the suspicion remains that spirituality is merely being repackaged as a tool for enhancing productivity. In his 2019 book “McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality”, Ronald Purser illustrates this concern through Google’s “Search Inside Yourself” programme. While marketed as a path to employee wellness, the initiative exemplifies how meditation and mindfulness can be transformed into performance-enhancement tools, asking workers to develop “resilience” rather than addressing the root causes of workplace stress.

The whole self at work

The concept of bringing one’s “whole self” to work – a cornerstone of the Industry 5.0 concept promoted by the European Commission – emphasises employee authenticity. The idea of spirituality in the workplace intertwines with the idea of authentic self-expression, encompassing the recognition of one’s beliefs, values and quest for deeper meaning. These are dimensions historically excluded from professional settings. The idea is to create an environment where people can align their deepest motivations with their work.

While this ideal is noble in concept, it also raises complex questions about which aspects of our “whole selves” are appropriate to bring into the workplace. In 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of a job applicant whom the clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch refused to hire because her hijab conflicted with its dress code. Delta Airlines’ uniform policy revision last July illuminates the ongoing complexity of the issue. Following a controversy that began when a passenger made a social media post describing two flight attendants’ Palestinian flag pins – which were permitted under existing policy – as “Hamas badges”, the airline banned all national flag pins except US ones.

Juggling multiple selves

The promise of integrating our identities more seamlessly instead of compartmentalizing them features in the Apple TV series Severance. The show presents a dystopian take on work-life balance in which employees surgically separate their work and personal memories, inviting us to reflect on the identities we balance in our professional and personal lives. The character of Mark Scout, whose “innie” (work self) develops genuine connections with colleagues like Helly, demonstrates how even artificially separated selves seek authentic relationships and meaning. However, when these connections begin to flourish, employer Lumon Industries’ harsh punishments and control mechanisms kick in – suggesting that true workplace innovation and collaboration can only emerge when we’re allowed to bring our whole, unsevered selves to work.

By acknowledging and nurturing the various aspects of our personalities, we might attain new levels of connection in the workplace. But could the integration of spirituality and work lead to an environment where employees are perpetually “on”? A risk lies in creating a culture where work infiltrates every aspect of life, leaving no true respite. The very practices meant to nurture the spirit could paradoxically become tools that further blur the boundaries between professional obligations and personal renewal. A constant connection to work erodes personal boundaries, which can lead to stress and dissatisfaction that spills over into personal life. Addressing this “shadow side” is essential if we are to answer the question “Do you believe in life after work?” with a resounding yes.

A balanced approach

The integration of spirituality into business requires genuine commitment. While spiritual practices can bring multiple benefits, they must emerge from authentic values rather than serving as a quick fix for systemic issues.

Since the 1980s, when major corporations first explored Eastern spirituality, workplace spirituality has evolved into a $7.9 billion meditation market. But as companies invest in meditation apps and mindfulness programmes, they often fail to address the root causes of workplace stress and burn-out. Today, well-intentioned apps like CHILL Anywhere risk functioning as band-aids that place the burden of stress management on employees, instead of examining issues like unrealistic workloads, inadequate compensation, toxic leadership or prejudice.

Instrumentalizing spiritual practices into productivity tools fundamentally misses the point: true spirituality in business requires organizations to critically examine and transform the structural conditions that create employee suffering in the first place. Until companies commit to addressing these foundational issues, meditation rooms and mindfulness apps will remain superficial solutions that enable rather than challenge harmful workplace dynamics.

The future workplace should aim to harmonise profit and purpose, recognising that employee well-being is integral to long-term success. Spirituality in business manifests when organisations commit to both business excellence and human flourishing – addressing foundational concerns while nurturing deeper meaning and purpose. Only then can the promise of bringing our whole selves to work become a reality worth believing in.

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

– ref. Meditation and mindfulness at work are welcome, but do they help avoid accountability for toxic culture? – https://theconversation.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-at-work-are-welcome-but-do-they-help-avoid-accountability-for-toxic-culture-244587

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 29.01.2025
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Nokia Corporation
Stock Exchange Release
29 January 2025 at 22:30 EET

Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 29.01.2025

Espoo, Finland – On 29 January 2025 Nokia Corporation (LEI: 549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06) has acquired its own shares (ISIN FI0009000681) as follows:

Trading venue (MIC Code) Number of shares Weighted average price / share, EUR*

XHEL 872,093 4.33

CEUX – –

BATE – –

AQEU – –

TQEX – –

Total 872,093 4.33

* Rounded to two decimals

On 22 November 2024, Nokia announced that its Board of Directors is initiating a share buyback program to offset the dilutive effect of new Nokia shares issued to the shareholders of Infinera Corporation and certain Infinera Corporation share-based incentives. The repurchases in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR), the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 and under the authorization granted by Nokia’s Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024 started on 25 November 2024 and end by 31 December 2025 and target to repurchase 150 million shares for a maximum aggregate purchase price of EUR 900 million.

Total cost of transactions executed on 29 January 2025 was EUR 3,777,558. After the disclosed transactions, Nokia Corporation holds 234,286,805 treasury shares.

Details of transactions are included as an appendix to this announcement.

On behalf of Nokia Corporation

BofA Securities Europe SA

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

Inquiries:

Nokia Communications
Phone: +358 10 448 4900
Email: press.services@nokia.com
Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications

Nokia Investor Relations
Phone: +358 931 580 507
Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

Attachment
- Daily Report 2025-01-29
The MIL Network –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Making Higher Education More Affordable
Source: US State of New York

Governor Kathy Hochul today unveiled her plan to offer free community college tuition for adult learners ages 25 to 55 in New York State. The Governor highlighted her proposal at Onondaga Community College to showcase the region’s readiness for Micron to support New York State as a global hub for Semiconductor manufacturing and R&D. The plan, part of Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State, furthers her commitment to creating more workforce development opportunities to ensure every New Yorker has the opportunity to pursue a degree or credential for jobs in high-demand fields.

“When my dad got a college education, our whole family got a shot at a better life – and I want New Yorkers to have that opportunity,” Governor Hochul said. “Under my plan, every New Yorker will have the chance to pursue a free associate degree at SUNY and CUNY community colleges to help fill the in-demand jobs of tomorrow.”

New York State Opportunity Promise

Governor Hochul is steadfast in her commitment to making higher education more affordable and building the workforce that New York needs. The FY 2025 Enacted Budget included an historic expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program to help more New Yorkers cover the cost of college. Additionally, the Governor has continued to expand workforce development, apprenticeship, and microcredential programs to prepare New Yorkers for in-demand jobs. The Governor’s free community college proposal, NYS Opportunity Promise, is the next level of this commitment by making an associate degree more affordable and obtainable.

Across New York State, there are more than four million working-age adults who do not have a college degree or credential. The Governor’s proposal would cover tuition, fees, and books at any SUNY or CUNY community college for these adult learners who have never earned a degree and are pursuing an associate degree in a high demand field, including nursing, teaching, technology, and engineering.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “SUNY’s community colleges are incredible engines of upward mobility, and Governor Hochul’s Free Community College plan will literally change the lives of New Yorkers seeking a degree in a high-demand field. SUNY campuses like Onondaga Community College are leading the way in meeting the needs of our adult learners and regional employers.”

New York as a National Workforce Hub

Upstate New York has been designated as a National Workforce Hub to dramatically expand domestic memory chip manufacturing in the United States. Federal and state incentives played a key role in securing Micron’s $100 billion investment in the White Pine Industrial Park in the town of Clay in Onondaga County – one of the largest economic development projects in U.S. history.

In total, the project is expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs statewide, including an average of 5,600 construction jobs per year paying federal prevailing wage. When complete, the complex will include the nation’s largest clean room space at approximately 2.4 million square feet, grow domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and enhance our national security by expanding the United States’ chipmaking capacity.

Additionally, Governor Hochul announced earlier this month that GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor manufacturer in Saratoga County, will invest $575 million to build a new center for advanced packaging and testing, along with $186 million for research and development at its Malta facility over the next decade.

State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. joined as Onondaga Community College President Warren Hilton updated the Governor on the campus’s readiness to expand enrollment in academic programs tied to in-demand jobs. Included in the tour was the construction site for the $15 million, 5,000 square-foot Micron Simulation Lab at the campus, which is critical to help train students. The clean room is expected to be fully operational during the summer of 2026.

Under my plan, every New Yorker will have the chance to pursue a free associate degree at SUNY and CUNY community colleges to help fill the in-demand jobs of tomorrow.”

Governor Kathy Hochul

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “No one is doing more to prepare New York State for the future than Governor Hochul, and Onondaga Community College is a key partner in that effort. Innovative, cutting-edge industries are growing in New York State because our dynamic workforce is being well-equipped with the skills needed to succeed in the good-paying jobs we are helping to create. Governor Hochul’s proposal to provide free community college tuition to students pursuing high-demand occupations in strategic industries will help to further promote sustainable economic opportunity for all.”

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “A knowledgeable workforce is essential to securing a strong future for New York State and offering no-cost higher education will open doors to in-demand careers. I thank Governor Hochul for prioritizing workforce development initiatives that are transforming the lives of New York families.”

Onondaga Community College President Hilton said, “During the last five years, our faculty has worked tirelessly to create academic programs aimed at educating and preparing students for valuable and rewarding careers in industries where workers are needed most. Our staff has done an outstanding job supporting those students during their time on campus. We are grateful to all Central New York employers who see the value in our students, the education they receive here, and their willingness to give them the opportunity to be successful in the workforce.”
Since Micron announced it was building the largest semiconductor facility in Clay, NY, Onondaga Community College has seen significant changes in enrollment in workforce development programs leading to direct jobs in the industry, as well as programs preparing New Yorkers for indirect job opportunities, including:
- Electromechanical Technology, up 168 percent
- Architectural Design, up 114 percent
- Construction Management, up 96 percent
- Fire Protection Technology, up 58 percent
- Supply Chain Management, up 57 percent
- Surgical Technology, up 26 percent
- Paramedic, up 21 percent
- Cybersecurity, up 17 percent
- Mechanical Technology, up 13 percent
- Physical Therapist Assistant, up 6 percent
- Computer Science, up 4 percent
Onondaga Community College has many paths to electromechanical technology, which includes 112 students this year. Several students have already been offered jobs after graduation. Sixteen are expected to graduate this May with an associate degree, while 30 students are on track to complete the one-year credential program, which typically leads to an associate degree. The campus also has more than 300 students taking related courses in Onondaga County high schools.
MIL OSI USA News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Federal Court Orders International Enterprise to Pay Over $451 Million for Global Binary Options Fraud

Source: US Commodity Futures Trading Commission

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Illinois issued an order of default judgment against five offshore entities and three individuals, finding them liable for fraud and other violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations in connection with a global retail binary options fraud that victimized U.S. residents. The defendants executed their unlawful scheme through internet websites using fictitious trade names such as BigOption, BinaryBook, and BinaryOnline.
The following foreign entities and Israeli citizens were found liable for, and enjoined from, fraud and other violations:

Yukom Communications Ltd., incorporated in Israel
Linkopia Mauritius Ltd., incorporated in Mauritius
Wirestech Limited d/b/a BigOption, incorporated in the Marshall Islands
WSB Investments Ltd. d/b/a BinaryBook, incorporated in Anguilla, the United Kingdom, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Gibraltar
Zolarex Ltd. d/b/a BinaryOnline, incorporated in the Marshall Islands
Yossi Herzog
Lee Elbaz
Shalom Peretz

The order finds the defendants engaged in fraud and other violations and orders them to pay, jointly and severally, $112.9 million in restitution and a $338.7 million civil monetary penalty. The order also permanently enjoins them from engaging in conduct that violates the CEA, as charged, and permanently bans them from registering with the CFTC and from trading in any CFTC-regulated markets.
The order stems from the CFTC’s complaint, filed Aug. 12, 2019, charging defendants with fraud and other violations. [See CFTC Press Release No. 7995-19]
Case Background
The order finds that from March 26, 2014, until the filing of the complaint on Aug. 12, 2019, the defendants made numerous fraudulent misrepresentations to customers on websites and through email and telephone solicitations, telling customers that binary option transactions were profitable, when in fact the substantial majority of their customers lost money, and individual brokers misrepresented their names, financial expertise, and physical location. The order finds the defendants misappropriated customer funds and made additional misrepresentations to thwart customers’ attempts to withdraw their funds, including failing to disclose material information about so-called “bonuses” and “risk-free trades.” The defendants also manipulated their trading platform’s risk settings to limit or prevent customers from being “in the money” with winning trades.
Previous Settlement
The court previously entered a consent order against another defendant involved in the fraud, Yakov Cohen, which resolved similar allegations against Cohen and required that he disgorge $7 million in ill-gotten gains received from his participation in the fraudulent binary options scheme. [See CFTC Press Release 8962-24]
Parallel Criminal Actions
On Aug. 7, 2019, Elbaz was convicted by a federal jury of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of criminal statutes based upon substantially the same underlying facts as alleged in the CFTC complaint, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and ordered to pay restitution of $28 million in United States v. Elbaz, No. 18-cr-00157 (D. Md.)
Cohen pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud predicated on the same conduct charged in CFTC’s complaint. He was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison on Aug.15, 2024 and ordered to pay $7 million in restitution on January 22, 2025, in United States v. Yakov Cohen, No. 19 cr 77-1 PX (D. Md.).
The CFTC thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland for their assistance in this matter.
The Division of Enforcement staff responsible for this case are Heather Dasso, Elizabeth N. Pendleton, Elizabeth Streit, Scott R. Williamson, and Robert T. Howell.
* * * * * * *
Fraud Advisory
The CFTC’s Office of Customer Education and Outreach and the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy have issued a joint investor alert to warn about fraudulent schemes involving binary options and their trading platforms. The alert warns customers the perpetrators of these unlawful schemes may refuse to credit customer accounts, deny fund reimbursement, commit identity theft, and manipulate software to generate losing trades.
The CFTC also urges the public to verify a company’s registration at NFA BASIC before committing funds. Customers should be wary of providing funds to any unregistered entity.
Suspicious activities or information, such as possible violations of commodity trading laws, can be reported to the Division of Enforcement via a toll-free hotline 866-FON-CFTC (866-366-2382) or file a tip or complaint online or contact the CFTC Whistleblower Office. Whistleblowers may be eligible to receive between 10 and 30 percent of the monetary sanctions collected, paid from the CFTC Customer Protection Fund financed through monetary sanctions paid to the CFTC by violators of the CEA.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Gene pools are getting dangerously shallow for many species. We found 5 ways to help

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn Shaw, Research Fellow in Conservation Genomics, University of Canberra

A golden bandicoot (_Isoodon auratus_) Colleen Sims/Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, CC BY-SA

Before species go extinct, their populations often shrink and become isolated. Healthy populations tend to have a large gene pool with many genetic variants circulating. But the path to extinction erodes genetic diversity, because a species’ gene pool shrinks as the population declines. Losing genetic diversity limits the ability of populations to adapt to threats such as disease and climate change.

So, what is the state of genetic diversity in animals, plants, fungi and algae worldwide? And how could focusing on this crucial level of biodiversity help build resilience in the face of global change? We explore these questions in our new study, published today in Nature.

Our team of 57 scientists from 20 countries trawled through more than 80,000 scientific articles across three decades to summarise evidence of genetic change in populations in 141 countries.

Alarmingly, we found genetic diversity is being lost globally across many species, especially birds and mammals. This loss was most severe in studies reporting changes in habitat, new diseases, natural disasters, and human activities such as hunting or logging.

But there’s hope. Our study suggests conservation strategies can help maintain or even increase genetic diversity.

Isolated populations of the endangered Scandinavian arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) have become inbred.
Jonatan Pie, Unsplash

What is genetic diversity and why does it matter?

At the core of every cell lies a copy of the instruction manual for living things. This is the genetic code, made up of DNA molecules. But its sequence varies enormously, separating a moth from a tree from a bacterium. Even within a species, we see distinct genetic differences between individuals. These genetic differences contribute to differences in their traits, which is why we get individuals who are taller or shorter, faster or slower, bolder or more cautious.

This genetic diversity stems from mutations. Often, these mutations are not helpful. But at times, they can enable populations to adapt to change.

For example, golden kelp (Ecklonia radiata) likes colder water. But in a population, some individuals will have mutations suited for warm water. When a devastating marine heatwave hit the West Australian coast in 2011, individuals with warm-water mutations were more likely to survive and reproduce. This genetic diversity enabled the kelp population to adapt to the warmer conditions.

This is why genetic diversity is so important – it gives species more resilience in a rapidly changing world. This priority has been recognised in Australia’s Strategy for Nature, and in goals and targets discussed at the United Nations biodiversity summit COP16.

How can we safeguard or restore genetic diversity for threatened species?

To answer this question, we used a technique called meta-analysis to look for patterns. From more than 80,000 published articles, we identified 882 studies which measured changes in genetic diversity over time. These studies came from right around the globe and across the entire “tree of life”.

They show there are many ways to conserve genetic diversity. Here are five promising strategies to help keep species resilient.

Scientists from 20 countries came together to read thousands of papers and collect data on genetic diversity during in-person and online workshops.
Robyn Shaw

Action 1: Adding individuals

Adding individuals to an existing population is known as supplementation. Our research found supplementation was the only action linked to a significant increase in genetic diversity, especially in birds.

Supplementation can help reduce the harmful effects of inbreeding, which is common in small, isolated populations. For example, conservationists working to safeguard New Zealand’s South Island robins (Petroica australis) moved female birds between isolated islands. The offspring of parents from different islands had stronger immune systems, higher survival rates, and improved reproductive health compared to their inbred counterparts.

Supplementation is key for boosting genetic diversity, improving population health and building resilience.

Action 2: Population control

Doing the opposite – removing individuals – can actually improve outcomes for the population as a whole in some circumstances, by, for instance, reducing competition.

But genetic diversity results varied a lot in studies using population control. So how can this strategy be used effectively?

In one case, conservationists in the United States used population control of coaster brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in a hatchery to prevent any single family from breeding too much. This meant multiple genetic lineages were maintained, increasing genetic diversity.

Action 3: Restoration

Ecosystem restoration can include planting trees, rehabilitating wetlands or restoring natural patterns of fire and water. We found genetic diversity was often maintained over time when ecological restoration was used.

Restoration efforts, alongside supplementation, are important to the survival of the greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), which had lost much habitat. Researchers report restoring and expanding suitable habitat is proving crucial to sustain genetic diversity and achieving long-term recovery.

Found in the US and Canada, greater prairie-chickens are known for their courtship dance.
Danita Delimont/Shutterstock

Action 4: Control of other species

Feral, pest or overabundant species can outcompete, eat, or graze on species under threat. Controlling these species was linked to maintenance of genetic diversity in the studies we analysed overall.

For example, control of red fox numbers helped the Arctic fox(Vulpes lagopu) recover in Sweden. The technique reduced competition over resources such as food while new foxes from Norway were added to the wild population. Inbreeding was reduced, and survival improved.

Action 5: Conservation introductions and reintroductions

Establishing new populations at new sites is known as a conservation introduction, while a reintroduction means restoring populations where they previously existed.

We found mixed results for genetic diversity when these actions were reported. So, what factors contribute to success?

In Western Australia, a large number of golden bandicoots (Isoodon auratus) from a robust island population were reintroduced to three sites. After six generations, genetic diversity at these sites remained similar to the original source population. Success came from careful planning to ensure the new populations had a large gene pool to start from.

Overall, our study revealed many cases of genetic diversity loss. But we also found evidence that conservation action – especially supplementation – can improve the genetic health of a species.

Researchers, conservation managers and volunteers helped grow seedlings and establish new populations of the critically endangered feather-leaved banksia near Albany in Western Australia.
David Coates

What can you do?

Supporting genetic diversity can be done at home.

If you have a garden, you can plant native species to support habitat connectivity.

Growing heirloom vegetables and rare fruit trees, or breeding heritage chooks can maintain genetic diversity in our food system.

Join community or botanic garden groups, or work with conservation groups to improve habitat or bolster numbers of threatened species.

While enjoying nature, avoid accidentally moving plants, seeds, or soil to new areas to reduce the spread of pests and diseases.

These small actions add up, helping to safeguard biodiversity at all levels – including genetic diversity.

Robyn Shaw was supported during the study by funding from the Australian Research Council. The project workshop was sponsored by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology Action ‘Genomic Biodiversity Knowledge for Resilient Ecosystems’. She is a member of the Coalition for Conservation Genetics and the IUCN Conservation Genetics Specialist Group.

Catherine Grueber’s research into the conservation genetics of threatened species receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the University of Sydney (Robinson Fellowship). She is a member of the Coalition for Conservation Genetics, and the IUCN Conservation Genetics Specialist Group.

Katherine Farquharson was supported during the study by funding from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science. She is affiliated with Koala Conservation Australia.

– ref. Gene pools are getting dangerously shallow for many species. We found 5 ways to help – https://theconversation.com/gene-pools-are-getting-dangerously-shallow-for-many-species-we-found-5-ways-to-help-242708

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Australian democracy is not dead, but needs help to ensure its survival

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Evans, Deputy Vice-chancellor Research, Charles Sturt University

Democracies worldwide are suffering from legitimacy problems. This is reflected in low levels of public trust in key political institutions, the polarisation of politics, and the erosion of public confidence in the capacity of governments to address societal concerns.

According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, only 50% of people worldwide trust their government, and the tally is even lower in many developed countries such as the United States and United Kingdom. A study by the Pew Research Center found only 20% of Americans trust their national government to do what is right “just about always” or “most of the time”.

Citizens almost everywhere view their elected officials and public institutions with suspicion. They believe decisions are made to serve special interests rather than the common good. This culture of discontentment is leading to reduced civic engagement, increased polarisation, the rise of identity politics, and a general sense of disillusionment with the political process. It has also sparked an upsurge in speculation as to whether democracy is dying, in recession or crisis.

So how does Australia compare with this global pattern?

The Australian context

The findings of the New Democratic Audit of Australia have just been published. They provide a timely and comprehensive evaluation of the current state of Australian democratic life.

The audit promises to bridge significant gaps in our understanding of Australia’s democracy.

A team of leading academics from universities in every state and territory deploys an audit approach to assess the democratic performance of federal, state and territory-level political institutions. It then examines how they have enabled or undermined Australian political life.

For instance, the monopoly of Australian governance by Coalition and Labor parties has only just begun to adjust to growing disillusionment with the two-party system.

To date, Australia has successfully avoided both rancorous populist politics (as in the US) and serious governance decline (as in the UK). However, the Voice to Parliament referendum and continued pandering to regressive immigration policies suggests populism could well be on the rise.

So what did the New Democratic Audit find?

Democracy under stress

1. Declining public trust in government. Trust in Australian political institutions is in decline. Only 30% of Australians report trust in government officials, according to the Australian Election Study.

The main concerns driving the decline in trust are lack of transparency in decision-making, perceptions of public sector inefficiency, political corruption, and the disconnection between politicians and citizens. Australians also express concerns about poor communication of policies. Furthermore, they believe governments have failed to deliver solutions to pressing issues such as the cost of living, wage stagnation and climate action.

A significant proportion of the population believes the country has become more divided. Major sources of division are the perception of the rich and powerful as a major dividing force (72%), followed by hostile foreign governments (69%), journalists (51%), and government leaders (49%).

2. Strong public satisfaction with democracy. Despite low trust in government, the 2024 World Values Survey shows that support for democratic values in Australia — such as free and fair elections, the rule of law, and representative democracy — remains strong. There is also a growing emphasis post-pandemic on the need for governments to address long-term challenges such as climate change and income inequality.

3. Australia is viewed internationally as a leading liberal democracy. Despite the challenges, Australia is assessed in most global rankings as one of the leading liberal democracies, with continuous economic growth, a strong federal system, and competitive elections. Its institutions have generally performed well, even in the face of global challenges such as the COVID pandemic. Australia is classed as one of only 24 “full democracies”.

4. The “protective power of democracy” is under pressure. The audit emphasises economist Amartya Sen’s concept of the “protective power of democracy as critical to achieving high quality democratic governance”. This relies on four components: electoral integrity, participatory opportunities, liberal values and good democratic governance.

5. Electoral integrity. Australia’s elections are free and fair, thanks to an independent election commission. However, concerns about government advertising and political donations undermine the fairness of elections, giving incumbent governments an advantage.

6. Public participation. Australia performs poorly in facilitating citizen participation beyond voting. Opportunities for civil society engagement, through localism, citizen juries or assemblies, are limited. Parliaments at various levels are not adequately representative in terms of gender and ethnicity, and regional policy concerns are often ignored.

7. Liberal values. Australia has made improvements in protecting civil rights, especially concerning LGBTQ+ issues and gender equality. But there remain significant gaps in protecting the rights of the most vulnerable groups, including Indigenous communities, differently abled people, and refugees. Australia lacks a comprehensive charter of human rights, and there are ongoing issues with the erosion of civil liberties.

8. Good democratic governance. This component refers to the instrumental importance of governments being responsible and accountable, responsive to the needs of the citizenry in service terms, and free from corruption. This is where the performance or supply of government matters most.

The audit finds Australia’s institutions are generally effective and adaptive, as seen in responses to the bushfires and the COVID pandemic. However, the federal government wields disproportionate power, which undermines traditional checks and balances. Public perception of corruption in politics and the public sector is also a growing public concern.

Reimagining Australian democracy

The audit concludes that Australia remains a full democracy, but faces critical challenges that require reflection and reinvention.

To renew its democracy, Australia must make its system of government more representative, accountable and responsive to the needs of citizens. There is a need for a stronger focus on integrity in politics, ensuring governments act transparently, empathetically and in ways that deliver tangible outcomes for the public. Public dissatisfaction with political corruption, inefficiency and a lack of responsiveness must be addressed to restore trust in political institutions.

While Australia continues to be a leading democracy, it faces pressing challenges that could undermine the sustainability of its democratic institutions if not addressed. The audit calls for a period of democratic reinvention, with an emphasis on improving governance to better serve citizens and maintain public trust in democracy.

The New Democratic Audit is free for download at: https://press.lse.ac.uk/site/books/e/10.31389/lsepress.ada/

Mark Evans has received funding and in-kind support to complete democratic audits in the United Kingdom (Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust) and Australia (Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Canberra).

– ref. Australian democracy is not dead, but needs help to ensure its survival – https://theconversation.com/australian-democracy-is-not-dead-but-needs-help-to-ensure-its-survival-235638

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Poland: Unjust conviction of activist accused of aiding an abortion must be overturned

Source: Amnesty International –

29 Jan 2025, 02:20pm

‘Justyna Wydrzyńska is thought to be the first human rights activist in Europe to be prosecuted for providing abortion pills. She must be the last’ – Monica Costa Riba

Ahead of tomorrow’s appeal hearing of Justyna Wydrzyńska, an activist convicted in 2023 for helping a woman in an abusive relationship access a safe abortion, Monica Costa Riba, Amnesty International’s Women’s Rights Senior Campaigner, said:

“Justyna Wydrzyńska should have never been prosecuted, let alone convicted – no one should be criminalised for helping pregnant people access essential health care.

“Her prosecution exposed the lengths that the Polish authorities will go to in order to shut down legitimate activism and curtail the ability of women and girls to exercise their reproductive rights. Her unjust conviction must be overturned and the dangerous precedent it sets, reversed.

“Justyna Wydrzyńska is thought to be the first human rights activist in Europe to be prosecuted for providing abortion pills. She must be the last.”

Helping a woman in need

In 2020 Justyna Wydrzyńska – a doula and one of the founders of the civil society organisation Abortion Dream Team – helped a pregnant woman who said she had been suffering from domestic violence to access abortion pills.

On 22 November 2021, she was charged with “helping with an abortion” and “possession of medicines without authorisation for the purpose of introducing them into the market”.

In March 2023, she was convicted of abetting an abortion and was sentenced to eight months of community service.

Poland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. Abortion is only legal when the health or the life of the pregnant person is at risk or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Performing your own abortion or possession of abortion pills for a self-managed abortion is not a crime under Polish law, but any person or doctor who helps pregnant people with an abortion outside the two permitted grounds in the law may face up to three years in prison.

View latest press releases

MIL OSI NGO –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – The impact of tax hikes in Spain – A threat to competitiveness and social cohesion – E-000251/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000251/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Nora Junco García (ECR), Diego Solier (ECR)

We view with great concern the fiscal policy of the current Spanish Government, led by Pedro Sánchez. The government has announced an unprecedented tax increase, estimated at EUR 60 billion. This increase represents a revenue equivalent to Spain’s annual spending on education, or double the amount obtained through corporate taxation, and is a disproportionate blow to citizens, who are already affected by inflation and economic stagnation.

Spain does not need more taxes; it needs structural reforms. The excuse of harmonising the tax burden with other EU countries is unfounded, as it fails to consider that richer countries have robust economies that can support higher tax burdens without harming their citizens. In Spain, by contrast, a poorly designed tax model continues to punish labour recruitment and entrepreneurship. We are concerned that these fiscal plans ignore viable alternatives, such as optimising public spending.

In view of this:

1.How does the Commission assess the impact of a tax hike of this magnitude on Spain’s economic competitiveness and social cohesion?

2.What measures does the Commission propose to prevent NextGenerationEU funds from being wasted on ineffective projects?

3.Is the Commission considering revising its approach to Spain to prioritise structural reforms rather than tax increases?

Submitted: 21.1.2025
Last updated: 29 January 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Cybersecurity scandal in the Spanish Tax Agency – E-000250/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000250/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Nora Junco García (ECR), Diego Solier (ECR)

We are extremely concerned about the alarming cybersecurity situation in Spain, specifically in relation to the recent announcement of an alleged theft of data from the Spanish Tax Agency. According to numerous reports and cybersecurity companies, a group of hackers, using advanced technology called ‘Trinity’, claims to be in possession of more than 560 GB of sensitive information on Spanish taxpayers.

While the Spanish government has denied evidence of the attack, the country’s own cybersecurity experts are seriously investigating the threat. This incident, together with previous episodes such as the attack on the Spanish Directorate-General for Traffic, is evidence of an alarming lack of preventive measures and inadequate management in the protection of citizens’ sensitive data.

The seriousness of this case not only puts citizens’ privacy at risk, but also exposes systemic negligence in the Spanish public administration.

In light of the above, can the Commission answer the following:

1.Does the Commission consider that Member States’ state cybersecurity systems should be more strictly assessed by EU bodies to avoid cross-border risks?

2.What action does the Commission intend to take to ensure that personal data across the EU is protected against national negligence?

Submitted: 21.1.2025
Last updated: 29 January 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – The sustainability of Spanish public spending – E-000252/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000252/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Nora Junco García (ECR), Diego Solier (ECR)

The sustainability of the public benefit system in Spain faces a serious challenge. According to recent data, the number of people who depend on public salaries, pensions and subsidies already exceeds those working in the private sector: 18 million versus 17.7 million. This situation, combined with a rapidly ageing population and pension expenditure that reached EUR 12.8 million in August, calls into question the future viability of the system.

The problem is not only demographic, but structural. The Spanish Government has promoted policies of uncontrolled public spending, increasing citizens’ dependence on the state and weakening the business and productive fabric. Without a robust private sector to generate employment and wealth, the system will collapse.

Reforms are needed to promote efficiency, reduce wasteful spending and foster an enabling environment for the private sector.

In view of the above:

1.What measures does the Commission plan to implement to encourage the sustainability of the pension system in Member States with critical demographics such as Spain?

2.What strategies does the Commission suggest to strengthen the private sector and reduce citizens’ dependence on state subsidies?

Submitted: 21.1.2025
Last updated: 29 January 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Germany: INERATEC’s e-fuel demo plant in Frankfurt gets €70 million from EIB, EU-Commission and Breakthrough energy
Source: European Investment Bank
- The Capital injection will finance development of Europe’s first large-scale e-Fuel plant in Frankfurt and further research and development of INERATEC`s e-Fuels.
- INERATEC`s e-fuels will support compliance with EU regulation requirements to add synthetic aviation fuel to kerosene to decarbonize aviation
- Financing includes a €30million grant by Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, their first in Germany, underpinning the maturity of INERATEC’S technology
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst are providing a €70 million funding package through the EU-Catalyst Partnership to INERATEC, a Germany based e-fuel company. The EIB is providing a €40 million venture-debt-loan, backed by the EU`s InvestEU-program, while Breakthrough Energy Catalyst is awarding a grant of €30 million. The package will support the financing of INERATEC’s carbon neutral e-fuel production plant in Frankfurt, as well as further research and development. The Frankfurt plant is set to be Europe`s largest when opening in 2025.

Long term market growth expected for e-SAF and e-Fuels

E-fuel production uses CO₂ and hydrogen to produce synthetic fuels and chemicals that are carbon neutral or close to carbon neutral when used. They have significant potential in hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as aviation, where commercial demand is underpinned by clear regulation. Therefore, long-term market growth can be expected.

The EU’s ReFuelEU Aviation regulation requires that aviation fuel suppliers provide jet-fuel with 1.2 per cent minimum synthetic fuel content by 2030, rising to 35 per cent in 2050. Based in Karlsruhe, Germany, INERATEC is well placed for this growing market, offering an efficient, scalable modular design.

INERATEC’S Frankfurt plant will produce up to 2,500 tons of e-fuels and e-chemicals, including e-sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF). The plant will also incorporate an upgrading facility, enabling the e-crude oil to be refined into certifiable, ready-to-use sustainable aviation fuel on site. The fuel will support compliance with the EU’s synthetic aviation fuel mandate.

INERATEC’s Frankfurt plant to show e-Fuel production is possible at scale

EIB-Vice-President Nicola Beer said: “E-fuels are a crucial part of achieving a competitive net-zero economy, particularly in the mobility and transport sector. Game-changing technologies like Ineratec’s play a vital role in this transition. Together with the European Commission and Breakthrough Energy, through the EIB’s venture debt product, we are supporting an innovative startup in scaling up production and advancing research to make e-fuels a viable, sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.”

INERATEC CEO Tim Boeltken said: “INERATEC’S Frankfurt production plant will show that e-fuel production is no longer a technological concept but a scalable reality. Reliable production of certifiable e-SAF is possible in the near-term – at commercial scale, that will be a breakthrough for sustainable aviation. This investment from EIB and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst is a sign of confidence in the INERATEC technology and approach.”

Mario Fernandez, Head of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, adds: “We are delighted to be working with INERATEC. This ground-breaking project will bring us a decisive step closer to the decarbonisation of aviation.”

The financing reinforces EIB position as the ‘The Climate Bank’, a priority in the EIB Group’s 2024-2027 Strategic Roadmap, and supports the objectives of the European Commission’s RefuelEU aviation regulations.

Background information

EIB

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality.

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investments for the European Union’s policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The InvestEU programme brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.

EIB venture debt is a quasi-equity investment product suitable for early and growth stage ventures, combining a long-term loan with an instrument linking the return to the performance of the company. Since 2015, the EIB has invested €6 billion in Venture Debt, backing over 200 companies and realising over 50 exits. With the backing of InvestEU, the EIB aims to support European ventures and scale-ups in the cleantech, deep-tech and life sciences sectors.

INERATEC is committed to defossilizing and decarbonizing the world. The company produces e-Fuels and e-chemicals: carbon-neutral fossil fuel substitutes for use in the aviation, shipping and chemical industries. Its modular, scalable plants use renewable hydrogen and biogenic CO₂ to produce synthetic kerosene, gasoline, diesel, waxes, methanol or natural gas. It is building what will be the world’s largest e-fuels plant to date, in Frankfurt, which will produce up to 2,500 tonnes of ultra-low-carbon aviation fuel per year. The company is based in Karlsruhe, Germany and backed by diverse international investors. www.ineratec.com

Breakthrough Energy is committed to accelerating the world’s journey to a clean energy future. The organization funds breakthrough technologies, advocates for climate-smart policies, and mobilizes partners around the world to take effective action, accelerating progress at every stage.

Breakthrough Energy Catalyst is a novel platform that funds and invests in first-of-a-kind commercial projects for emerging climate technologies. By investing in these opportunities, Catalyst seeks to accelerate the adoption of these technologies worldwide and reduce their costs.

Catalyst currently focuses on five technology areas: clean hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel, direct air capture, long-duration energy storage, and manufacturing decarbonization. In addition to capital, Catalyst leverages the team’s energy-infrastructure-investing and project-development expertise to work with innovators on advancing their projects from the development stage to funding and ultimately, to construction. Learn more about Breakthrough Energy and Catalyst at breakthroughenergy.org.
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Request to eliminate subsidies for Morocco – E-000245/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000245/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Nora Junco García (ECR), Diego Solier (ECR)

Morocco, a country with a limited gross domestic product per capita and an economy still dependent on traditional sectors, is experiencing significant economic growth thanks to long-term strategies. This development is having a direct impact on Spain, especially in strategic sectors such as industry and logistics. Massive foreign investment, extremely favourable fiscal conditions and projects such as the development of the port of Tanger Med, which already exceeds the port of Algeciras in terms of traffic, are evidence of a model that is keeping Spain’s competitiveness in check.

However, Spain is not only facing an external challenge. Misguided policy decisions have contributed to weakening essential infrastructures such as the rail corridor to Algeciras, hampering its competitiveness. Moreover, the Spanish Government has allowed a worrying dependence on Morocco in strategic areas such as the control of migratory flows and natural resources, compromising national sovereignty and economic stability.

All this proves that the economic balance within the European Union is at stake. In view of the above:

1.What measures is the Commission considering to ensure that European subsidies to non-EU countries do not harm Member States?

2.What specific initiatives is the Commission planning to strengthen the logistical corridors in southern Europe, such as the Algeciras corridor?

3.Is the Commission assessing the economic impact of Morocco’s fiscal and labour policies on key European industries?

Submitted: 21.1.2025
Last updated: 29 January 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Italy’s compliance with Directive (EU) 2015/2366 in relation to electronic payment fees on pagoPA – E-000238/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000238/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Pasquale Tridico (The Left), Dario Tamburrano (The Left)

Directive (EU) 2015/2366 (PSD2) requires Member States to prevent payees from charging fees for the use of payment instruments for which the interchange fees are regulated by Chapter II of Regulation (EU) 2015/751.

In Italy, the pagoPA platform charges fees for payments made with debit or credit cards, at varying rates depending on the payment service provider chosen. These fees may represent a burden for citizens using electronic payment instruments to fulfil their administrative obligations.

In view of the above, can the Commission answer the following questions:

1.Is the Commission aware of the fact that fees are being charged for electronic card payments on pagoPA in Italy, and does it consider this to be in line with the provisions of the PSD2 and Regulation (EU) 2015/751?

2.Will it check that Italy is complying with EU legislation on payment services, in particular with regard to the charging of fees for electronic payments made to the public administration?

3.Will it take measures to ensure that electronic payments to public bodies do not come with additional fees, in line with the PSD2’s objectives of promoting the use of efficient and secure electronic payment instruments?

Submitted: 21.1.2025
Last updated: 29 January 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Debates – Wednesday, 29 January 2025 – Brussels – Revised edition

Source: European Parliament

Corrie Hermann. – Dear President of the European Parliament, dear Roberta Metsola, dear Presidents, dear Members, Commissioners, excellencies, distinguished guests, this story about one Holocaust victim is dedicated to every one of the 6 million victims whom we deplore today.

My father, Hermann Pál, was born on 27 March 1902 in Budapest, in a well-to-do family. At the time, Budapest was still the second capital of the Habsburg Empire – the era which Stefan Zweig depicts in Die Welt von Gestern. The Jewish citizenry had become gradually an integral part of the community, and joined intensively in the professional, cultural and financial life.

Hermann Pál was intelligent and musical, and was admitted, at the age of 15, as a cello student at the famous Franz Liszt Academy, established in 1875 – the cradle of many generations of top musicians from Hungary. His best friend became the violinist Székely Zoltán, who would become a worldwide-known soloist and the first violinist of the New Hungarian String Quartet. Pál developed not only as a cellist but also as a composer. His teachers were Kodály and Bartók.

Even before the formal completion of his training, he reaped his first success in a private concert at the house of Arnold Schönberg with the ‘Sonata for Cello Solo’, which Kodály had composed a few years earlier. A performance of this sonata at a concert in Switzerland, which was organised by the International Society of Contemporary Music, was the first step in his international career.

But in the meantime, the First World War had raged in Europe. The Habsburg Empire was no more. Hungary’s wings had been clipped by the Trianon Treaty, and the new leader, Admiral Horthy, was the first one to introduce antisemitic laws. The young cellist went to Berlin and changed his name from the Hungarian Hermann Pál to Paul Hermann.

In Berlin, musical life was blooming. Paul took lessons at the Staatliche Academische Hochschule für Musik. To earn a living, he became a teacher at the progressive Volksmusikschule Berlin-Neukölln and he played in all kinds of ensembles: Baroque music, the great classics – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven – and contemporary compositions by Hindemith, Ernst Toch and, of course, Kodály and Bartók.

The tie with Zoltán Székely was to endure all his life. Zoltán had settled in the Netherlands. Together they gave concerts which were favourably reviewed in the Netherlands, Germany and England. In London they stayed often at the house of a Dutch couple, Jacob de Graaff and Louise Bachiene. De Graaff was a wealthy businessman. He and his wife were lovers of art and music, and liked to entertain young artists. They admired the two musicians so much that in 1927 they bought a Stradivarius violin for Zoltán and, in 1928, a Gagliano cello for Paul. That cello has a leading part in this story.

Louise de Graaff corresponded frequently with relations in the Netherlands, and when Paul Hermann was scheduled to play in Amsterdam, she urged her young niece, Ada Weevers, to go to the concert and meet the artist. This meeting was such a success that they became engaged and married in 1931. They settled in an apartment in a new Berlin quarter, Charlottenburg. I was born in 1932 and there are pictures of my father holding me on the balcony.

But in 1933 came bad luck. On 30 January, Hitler became Reichskanzler in Germany and a threatening atmosphere for Jewish people becomes immediately acute. Jews are fired from public functions. Paul Hermann loses his job. The little family seeks refuge with Ada’s parents in the Netherlands. In the summer holiday, they stay near the seaside and, when swimming, Ada gets caught in a vortex in the waves and nearly drowns. She inhales water, it leads to pneumonia and she dies a few months later.

Paul Hermann joins Hungarian colleagues in Brussels. Together they perform as the Gertler Quartet. They tour Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary. He has left me with my maternal grandparents; a younger sister of my mother takes loving care of me. Every time my father visits is delightful. The whole family adores him.

After a few years in Brussels, Paul Hermann moves to Paris and continues his international career. On 4 August 1939, I turned seven. I remember him coming, always with his cello. Only recently, I found a letter my father wrote to a friend telling me about all the difficulties he had to get permission from the French authorities to cross the border to Holland. Foreign Jews are already under suspicion.

But I only know it’s my birthday, a party. As a present, my father gives me the new French book, ‘Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant‘, and he teaches me my first French words: ‘Babar entre dans l’ascenseur, il monte dix fois en haut et descend dix fois en bas mais le garçon lui dit “ce n’est pas un joujou, monsieur l’éléphant”‘.

But again, the atmosphere is threatening. War breaks out at the end of August. Borders are closing. All foreign visitors return hastily. That winter, Western Europe is mobilised, but the fighting is in the east. We can still correspond. But in the spring, Hitler looks toward France. The French army is preparing the defence. Paul Hermann joins a régiment de marche de volontaires étrangers to assist the French army. In June, the Germans are in Paris. Northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands are occupied and under German rule. As a schoolchild, I remember the little boards everywhere: ‘Verboden voor Joden‘.

In France, the southern region is at first not occupied. People feel relatively safe there. Hermann and his cello stay first with the de Graaff couple, who have moved from London to the region south of Bordeaux, but then he moves to a room in Toulouse. He has some pupils and can give a few recitals. Censorship makes corresponding very difficult. We get only very few letters.

Sometimes he can visit Ada’s brother, Jan Weevers, who has an agricultural business in a village about 150 km from Toulouse. This brother-in-law supports him as much as he can. But in 1942, all France is occupied. The terror of the Gestapo reigns also in Toulouse. In Budapest, Berlin, Paris, Paul Hermann has been able to flee from antisemitism. Now this is not possible anymore. He takes false papers, names himself de Cotigny and hopes for the best.

But on 21 April 1944, he is arrested in a street raid, taken to the Toulouse prison and transported to Drancy, the assembling camp near Paris, from where the transports for the concentration camps departed.

In May 1944, he is put in a wagon with 60 other men as a part of transport number 73 from Drancy. While the train is waiting at the station, he manages to write a note to his brother-in-law and throws it out of the train. A kind passenger, who probably realises this could be a last message, posts it. Miraculously, it reaches Jan Weevers. It reads:

«On nous a dit que nous allions travailler à l’Organisation Todt. Nous sommes pleins d’espoir malgré tout. Quant à mes instruments, je te prie de sauver ce que tu peux.»

There is hardly any transportation, but Jan Weevers manages to go to Toulouse, where Paul’s rooms have been sealed by the Gestapo. Spoils of war. He forces a window and exchanges the precious Gagliano cello for a cheap student’s instrument. He takes it home. Paul’s cello is saved.

Transport 73 is not put to work for the organisation Todt. It is sent all through Europe to Kaunas in Lithuania. We don’t know what happened, but only a handful of the 900 prisoners who arrived in Kaunas will return after the war.

In the Netherlands, 1944-1945 is the hardest year of the war. There is no food, no heating. The infrastructure is heavily destructed. In May 1945, the Canadians entered the city where we lived. The Nazi regime capitulates, and it is immense joy.

Only weeks later, we hear what has happened in France. Investigations by Jan Weevers have been in vain. Will Paul Hermann return? In Tony Judt’s standard book Postwar, we read about the chaos in Middle Europe: many millions of displaced persons roam in deplorable conditions through what is left of Germany. Some returned home after months or years. Many don’t. Gradually we realise Paul will never come back.

Surrounded by a beloved extended family, I grow up, go to the university to study medicine, marry, have a family. As a doctor, I work mainly in public health. And at the end of my career, I am elected in the Netherlands Parliament for the Green Party. After retirement, I am reminded of a pile of handwritten music scores which have been laying around for more than 60 years. They are old compositions of my father. He played music with his colleagues in all kinds of combinations.

The Dutch foundation Forbidden Music Regained, which focuses on the work of composers who were persecuted by the Nazis, is interested. They are greatly impressed by the quality of the music, and organise concerts and recordings. My son Paul, named after his grandfather, develops into the coordinator of this legacy and makes it accessible to musicians all over the world.

When he’s visiting cousins in Los Angeles, they introduce him to the Recovered Voices project of the Los Angeles Colburn School of Music, which is also aimed at persecuted composers. Top cellist Clive Greensmith is enthusiastic about Hermann’s music, especially about a draft for a piece for cello and orchestra. Paul has a friend, an Italian composer, Fabio Conti, who makes the draft into a complete piece for cello and orchestra using themes from other Hermann compositions. Greensmith plays the premiere in 2018, in Lviv, Ukraine.

But another staff member in Los Angeles, Carla Shapreau, says: ‘Yes, this is the music. But where is that Gagliano cello?’ In 1953, Jan Weevers took the cello to the Netherlands. It has been sold to finance my studies, but we don’t know who bought it.

Carla enlists the help of Oxford-based biography writer Kate Kennedy, who is working on a book about the duality of cellists and their cellos. Kate also gets under the spell of the Hermann story, and she looks for the cello literally all over the world – asking cellists, luthiers, instrument dealers, music schools, browsing through auction catalogues. Who knows the whereabouts of a Gagliano cello made in 1730 with the text ‘Ego sum anima musicae’ – I am the soul of music – on the side? But Kate does not find it. The publication date of her book nears; she feels defeated.

The book Cello is published. Cellists everywhere read it. And then Kate gets a mail from a Chinese cello professor, Jian Wang, acting as jury member for the Concours Reine Elisabeth here in Brussels in 2022. He has noticed a cello. It is in the possession of the Robert Schumann Musik Hochschule in Düsseldorf, and only their best students are permitted to play it. At a presentation of Kate’s book Cello in the Wigmore Hall in London, where my father performed 100 years ago, Australian Sam Lucas plays, on Paul Hermann’s cello, one of his compositions.

Between 1920 and 1940, Paul Hermann played the same cello in all Western and Central Europe. Searching for this icon of European culture has connected people from all over the world: from Europe to Los Angeles to China to Australia. And its amazing story has captured interest everywhere.

For me, this is a reunion in spirit with the father whom I have missed for 85 years.

Hitler has burned books, destroyed paintings and buildings, murdered millions of people. But music is invincible.

Ego sum anima musicae. Freude, schöner Götterfunken. Alle Menschen werden Brüder.

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Highland Council appoints Chief Officers

Source: Scotland – Highland Council

The Highland Council has appointed Ruth Fry as Chief Officer – Human Resources and Communications and Paul Reid as Chief Officer – Facilities and Fleet Management.

The appointment of Ruth Fry completes the new senior management structure of the Council’s Corporate service cluster under the leadership of Allan Gunn, Assistant Chief Executive – Corporate.

Paul Reid joins the Council’s Place service cluster under the leadership of Malcolm MacLeod, Assistant Chief Executive – Place.

As previously intimated in Highland Council’s budget plan for 2024/25, a new senior management structure is being implemented following approval by the Council on 14 March 2024. It reconfigures the senior management team into two layers, rather than three and brings Highland Council into line with other benchmarked authorities.

Convener of the Council Cllr Bill Lobban said: “I would like to congratulate Ruth and Paul on their appointments and welcome them to The Highland Council. They bring with them a wealth of experience and leadership to the Council.”

Leader of the Council, Cllr Raymond Bremner added: “With these latest appointments I am pleased to see the Council’s senior management structure progressing with continued pace. The new structure is forecasted to initially deliver savings of £370,000 as part of the budget savings agreed by Council in February 2024, and it is anticipated that savings will eventually equate to around 20% of senior management team costs as part of a more streamlined management structure.”

Ruth Fry is currently NHS Highland’s Head of Communications and Engagement, with extensive public sector experience and is expected to start with Highland Council on 28 April 2025. Ruth has previously worked for Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire and Perth and Kinross councils in communications and performance roles. For the past four years she has lived and worked in the Highlands, leading staff and public communications and engagement for NHS Highland.

Paul Reid is currently employed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as Head of Transport and Travel and has been there since 2017. Prior to his current role he worked with Aberdeen City Council and private sector organisations including Stagecoach in Fleet Compliance and Management. Paul has an MSC in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and has extensive experience in ensuring efficient and safe operations. Paul is expected to start with Highland Council in early May and is looking forward to relocating to the Highlands with his family.

29 Jan 2025

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MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lochaber Area Place Plan approved

Source: Scotland – Highland Council

A robust yet dynamic Lochaber Area Place Plan (APP) was agreed recently (Monday 27 January 2025) which clearly outlines the aspirations expressed by the communities within its boundaries, many of which link across to proposed or potential actions contained as part of FW2040 and wider Highland plans such as the Highland Investment Plan, Highland Local Development Plan, Highland Outcome Improvement Plan and the Strategic Housing Investment Plan.

The Lochaber APP highlights the need for improved health and wellbeing services and facilities including both care and mental health; suitable and affordable housing; empowering young people and expanding access to diverse and inclusive activities; better provision of public transport and infrastructure; tourism management; fostering economic growth and a strong, skilled workforce.

Lochaber Area Committee Vice Chair, Cllr John Grafton said: “Area Place Plans (APP) are important for Lochaber as they are community led plans, offering the opportunity to shape the vision, ambition and key priorities for both people and place across Lochaber. They help to target resources, service delivery and with clear area specific plans, assist in attracting investment.

“The Lochaber APP is a dynamic and fluid plan that will evolve over time, as sub-regional Area Place Plans are still to be added, whilst Action Plans for some priorities are already being developed. Ensuring a clear vision is captured that reflect the community aspirations for their area.”

The Plans will help The Highland Council, partners, and communities to leverage funding by evidencing the impact of every pound spent and the actions associated will provide clarity and manage expectation around how and where resources are prioritised. They will also provide a stronger framework for communities to prepare plans for their own community, empowering them to drive and deliver change.

Community engagement will build a shared understanding of how ‘Place’ underpins development, service delivery and how organisations and communities work together. These plans will be a future guide to get the best impact for people living in an area, based on a shared understanding of local need.

The Area Place Plan is available here (Item 4).

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Works started on Whin Park Play area

Source: Scotland – Highland Council

Works have commenced on the exciting changes taking place at Whin Park in Inverness.

Leader of Inverness and Area, Cllr Ian Brown said: “I am very pleased to announce that works have started on the installation of new play equipment at the flagship Whin Park play area in Inverness.”

Chair of Communities and Place Committee Cllr Graham MacKenzie added: “Play Works Ltd, the contractor for Jupiter Play and Leisure Ltd are now on site to install the exciting new range of play equipment.”

Highland Council and Jupiter Play and Leisure Ltd have released artists impressions of what the new play equipment will look like, including a Loch Ness Monster, a wheelchair accessible Legend Seeker Playship, an adventure mound with tube slide and much more.

Whin Park image 2

Weather dependant, the target is to have the works completed for Easter 2025. The park will remain open during the works, but the main play area and a section of the car park in front of the shop will be closed to allow the works to progress. This also includes the main entrance ramped area to the park. The path network from the Ness Islands and the path at the side of the public toilets will also remain open enabling the public to view the works’ progress during this exciting period for this landmark location.

Michael Hoenigmann, Managing Director of Jupiter Play & Leisure said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to design and build the new play area at Whin Park. This is an ambitious project which will be inclusive for all abilities while offering high play value and challenge. It’s unique features including the Nessie Structure with Interactive Sona Arch will be hugely popular with families that visit the site. We look forward to working closely with the team at Highland Council to deliver this prestigious project.”

Funding for the contract has been awarded by the Scottish Government Play Area Fund (£234,988) which was allocated to the redevelopment of the park by Members of the Inverness, Central, Ness-side, Millburn, and Inverness West Wards.  In 2023, Inverness City Committee Members agreed £150,000 Inverness Common Good Funding; and in 2024 a further £100,000 from the Community Regeneration Fund towards the park development costs.

Watch the video of before and during the current works.

[embedded content]

Further updates on the works’ progress will be promoted by the Council.

Whin Park image 3

Whin Park image 4

Whin Park image 5

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 30, 2025

Preliminary record date	Preliminary payment date
5 May 2025	12 May 2025
29 July 2025	7 August 2025
28 October 2025	6 November 2025
3 February 2026	12 February 2026

Trading venue (MIC Code)	Number of shares	Weighted average price / share, EUR*
XHEL	872,093	4.33
CEUX	–	–
BATE	–	–
AQEU	–	–
TQEX	–	–
Total	872,093	4.33

Category: European Union

Sources

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