NewzIntel.com

Category: Germany

  • MIL-OSI Global: Thanks to social media platforms, election interference is more insidious and pervasive than ever

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Andrew Buzzell, Postdoctoral Fellow, Rotman Institute of Philosophy, Western University

    Seemingly innocuous conversations, informed by online campaigns, could interfere with elections. (Matt Quinn/Unsplash), CC BY

    Election interference is a much broader phenomenon than is often assumed. Once limited to intimidation, voter fraud or hacking, election interference includes more mundane, pervasive and ubiquitous interactions. A seemingly innocuous and casual chat with a neighbour or barista could now be considered part of a hostile influence campaign.

    From this perspective, interference is less about how ballots are cast and more about shaping the motivations, intentions and contexts in which voters think about politics. Yet those same processes, debates, persuasions and messy arguments are integral to democracy.

    If “election interference” encompasses all efforts to influence opinion, do we risk diluting its meaning, creating a new hollow accusation like “fake news?” More importantly, if this broad view is right, it raises difficult new challenges beyond the narrow measures of election law.

    Blurred lines

    Germany recently accused Elon Musk of meddling in their February election, claiming that his prominent endorsement of the Alternative for Germany party on X was an illegal foreign donation. During the 2022 Brazilian election, misinformation on WhatsApp and Telegram swayed voter intentions, and the Superior Electoral Court frequently requested that content be taken down.

    Much of this content was homegrown, produced, endorsed and circulated by Brazilians themselves. If such content was traditional journalism, existing laws and standards could be applied. But when it resembles ordinary political speech, many see takedowns as censorship. Blurred lines between citizen speech and journalism complicate the laws and policies designed to address clearly defined electioneering.

    During the 2020 Taiwan elections, officials worried that pro-unification memes came not only from Chinese-controlled bots and paid posters (itself a form of election interference), but were trending because the TikTok algorithm systematically prioritized it.

    And in the United States, the legislative push to ban TikTok gained momentum alongside political concern that an apparent uptick in anti-Israel sentiment was caused by covert manipulation of TikTok’s algorithm.

    Broader concerns

    Concerns about election interference should extend the focus beyond the ballot to include information vulnerabilities. Politicians of all stripes have called for action on deceptive speech, but there is little agreement on the nature of the problem, especially across partisan divides

    Complaints about fake news are as likely to be strategic as sincere. News isn’t just about facts, it’s about what matters and why, and as such, media regulation should not solely be determined by the legal system. There is the risk that any effort to control content used to interfere with elections (propaganda, disinformation, fakes) will be inescapably partisan, thus unacceptable in democracies.

    The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) notes some of these concerns. The act indicates that monitoring and reporting about societal risks and public transparency databases will be required. It establishes “trusted flaggers” (experts and civil society groups) to help moderate content. It doesn’t mention elections, but voices concerns that platforms may be “used to disseminate or amplify misleading or deceptive content, including disinformation,” which can undermine fundamental rights.

    The DSA is new but already facing friction. The U.S. has indicated that enforcement may undermine free speech. Other issues include the absence of funding, the lack of standards for transparency databases and growing mistrust in the very idea of flagging. Flagging posts has been criticized for conflating editorship with censorship

    Free speech

    There are two schools of thought in competition with each other pertaining to free speech. The first defines it as freedom from interference with the media environment, and the view that the response to bad speech should be more and better speech, not censure.

    Currently, too much speech is circulating, along with the power given to algorithms and human moderators to make sense of it. This suggests a different ideal — the freedom to be informed and in control of our information environments, to feel authentically represented and to have fair dealings with speech platforms. Translating these to policies and slogans is much harder than a hands-off approach to media regulation.

    Overwhelmed with information, consumers favour brands, curators, editors, tastemakers, vibes and tribes that align with their personal values. If there is a shift in values, consumers cancel, unfollow and disconnect — and then replace the source.

    Trust-breaking disrupts the systems we use to filter, verify and contextualize information. This is exemplified in “firehose of falsehood” tactics and hack-and-leak operations that simultaneously sow distrust and weaponize predictable reactions.

    Scales of influence

    For every internationally important election or referendum, there are hundreds of local contests, municipal elections, internal party nominations and the like that shape political realities just as meaningfully. Influencers operating at small scales can have outsized effects that ripple through broader constituencies. A post on a local forum might spark a thousand invisible offline conversations.

    These broad concerns about vulnerabilities in our media systems matter all the time, not just during elections. Political representation requires trust in the media that inform us about what other people and communities think and care about. These reflections are distorted by online social media platforms and messaging apps.

    We will have to eventually consider something like a “made in Canada” Digital Services Act that can give voters a voice in the kind of information environment they want. There’s much to be learned from the EU’s early lessons, especially as they respond to American tech companies that control so much of the online information space.

    Andrew Buzzell received funding from SSHRC.

    – ref. Thanks to social media platforms, election interference is more insidious and pervasive than ever – https://theconversation.com/thanks-to-social-media-platforms-election-interference-is-more-insidious-and-pervasive-than-ever-251764

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What Britons and Europeans really think about immigration – new analysis

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Claire Kumar, Senior Research Fellow, ODI Global

    Shutterstock

    When we hear about immigration from politicians and media across Europe, the story is almost always negative. In some countries, this is old news. The UK tabloid press has printed thousands of anti-migrant articles over the last two decades. Anti-immigrant rhetoric has been a feature of Danish politics since the early 1990s. In contrast, Viktor Orban’s extreme, racist and Islamophobic rhetoric – adopted largely from 2015 – marks Hungary out as a relative newcomer.

    Across Europe, refugees and other migrants are routinely represented as a problem or “crisis”. It would be natural to assume, then, that the public feels the same way – that attitudes to immigration are negative, possibly worsening. Politicians routinely imply this when they say they must introduce strict immigration rules in response to public concerns.

    Opinion polls regularly show that the European public disapprove of the government’s handling of immigration and may see levels as too high. But long-term European Social Survey (ESS) data – the latest of which came out at the end of 2024 – shows positive trends.

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

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

    At ODI Europe, my colleagues and I have been studying public attitudes and political narratives around migration across Europe for five years. Our analysis has found that, compared to 20 years ago, more Europeans (in many, but not all countries) feel immigration makes their country a better place to live.

    Positive attitudes have particularly increased in Ireland, the UK, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. Similar positive trends emerge when the public is asked about the economic and cultural impacts of immigration.

    The UK is among the countries with the least anti-immigration views in Europe. While in 2002-03 only 27% of the British public felt immigration had a positive impact on the economy, this has jumped to 66% in 2023-24. However, it is a drop from the 69% who felt immigration had a positive economic impact in the previous survey round (2020-22).

    The UK also topped the table in the last World Values Survey as a country that is highly accepting of immigration and particularly welcoming of the cultural diversity it brings.



    Read more:
    The UK now ranks as one of the most socially liberal countries in Europe – new research

    The Migration Observatory finds that a majority of the British public favours making immigration easier for workers coming into the NHS, care work and other jobs where there are shortages.

    Researchers from the think tank British Future have found that most of the public would prefer current levels of international student migration to stay the same or increase. International students currently make up 40% of net migration to the country.

    Why the differences?

    The disparity between what we hear about public attitudes and what the data actually shows merits some explanation.

    We know that people’s attitudes on migration are largely stable, based on deeply held values and mainly formed when young. People’s attitudes are relatively slow to change. Generational change is likely key to explaining the long-term positive trends in this area. On the other hand, the salience of immigration – whether the public see immigration as a top issue of concern – can fluctuate dramatically, driven by media attention and political narratives.

    This sounds incongruous given the rise of the far right in some European countries. However, we know that austerity policies, economic insecurity and economic decline are key factors driving the far-right vote.

    Researchers have also uncovered a “reverse backlash” effect. This is where greater success of populist radical right parties is actually accompanied by more citizens reporting positive attitudes on immigration, specifically because they want to distance themselves from radical right views.

    Negative trends

    What does stand out in the latest round of ESS data is that more negative trends are emerging across multiple countries simultaneously. This is most notable in Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands and Poland, but also in Iceland and France.

    In Ireland, there is a substantial ten percentage point fall from the previous survey round (2020-22) in respondents reporting that immigration makes their country a better place to live. The UK sees a five percentage point fall (from 68% to 63%) on the same question – still a significant positive majority compared to only 17% who feel immigration makes the UK a worse place to live – but a notable shift nonetheless.

    This could be a temporary fluctuation, like the kind seen in Sweden and Germany, between 2018-19 and 2020-22. Both countries took in high numbers of refugees during Europe’s so-called “refugee crisis”, which may have led to an uptick of concern around the impact of immigration. However, these fluctuations can be minor and short-lived.

    Another possibility is that we are finally seeing public attitudes shift in line with the more hostile, anti-immigrant environment that has been nurtured by politicians and media. This could be the start of another generational shift – possibly a reflection of the fact that some far-right groups are proving to be particularly popular with younger voters.

    These dips may prove temporary – if not, we risk squandering the public good of a positive European public precisely at a time when Europe needs immigration the most.

    Claire Kumar via ODI Global – has received funding from IKEA Foundation for this research work.

    – ref. What Britons and Europeans really think about immigration – new analysis – https://theconversation.com/what-britons-and-europeans-really-think-about-immigration-new-analysis-252268

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How a new wave of fighter jets could transform aerial combat

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David Bacci, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Thermofluids Laboratory, University of Oxford

    The most advanced fighter jets in the world are known as “fifth generation”. They contain technologies developed in the first part of the 21st century. Examples of fifth generation fighter jets include America’s F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor, China’s Chengdu J-20 and Russia’s Sukhoi SU-57.

    Now, however, nations are moving ahead with the sixth generation of combat jets. In the past few months, China has flown its J36 and J50 prototype jets. Meanwhile, the US has selected Boeing to build a new fighter aircraft called the F-47.

    As with previous generations, the sixth will incorporate major advances in aircraft design, onboard electronics (avionics) and weapon systems.

    But how will the new generation of jets stand out from the previous one? Future combat jets will not see dramatic increases in maximum speed, nor in flight performance. Instead, the true innovations will be in how these systems operate and achieve dominance in aerial combat.

    Like the fifth generation, the sixth will be dominated by stealth technology. This helps fighters jets to reduce their chances of being detected by infrared and radar sensors, to the point that when their signatures are eventually picked up, the opponent has no time to act.

    Stealth is achieved through particular shapes of airframe (such as diamond shapes) and coatings on the aircraft – called radar absorbing materials. The airframe is the fundamental structural framework of an aircraft, encompassing the fuselage, wings, tail assembly and landing gear.

    The diamond-like shapes that already characterise fifth generation jets are likely to remain in the upcoming generation of fighter, but they will evolve.

    A common feature we’re likely to see is the reduction or complete removal of vertical tails at the back of the aircraft and their control surfaces. In current aircraft, these tails provide directional stability and control in flight, allowing the aircraft to maintain its course and manoeuvre.

    However, sixth generation jets could achieve this control with the help of thrust vectoring – the ability to manipulate the direction of engines and therefore the direction of thrust (the force that moves the jet through the air).

    The role of vertical tails could also be partially replaced by devices called fluidic actuators. These apply forces to the the wing by blowing high speed and high pressure air on different parts of it.

    F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. Vertical tails can be seen at the rear of this fifth generation jet.
    US Air Force / Paul Holcomb

    The removal of the vertical tails would contribute to the fighter’s stealth. The new generation of fighters is also likely to see the use of novel radar absorbing materials with advanced capabilities.

    We’ll see the introduction of what are known as adaptive cycle engines on sixth generation fighters. These engines will feature what’s known as a three stream design, which refers to the airstreams blowing through the engine. Current jets have two airstreams: one that passes through the core of the engine, and another that bypasses the core.

    The development of a third stream provides an extra source of air flow to increase the engine’s fuel efficiency and performance. This will allow both the capability to cruise efficiently at supersonic speed and deliver a high thrust during combat.

    It is likely that China and the US will build two separate fighters with different airframes. One will have a bigger airframe, designed for use in an area like the Pacific Ocean region. Here, the ability to fly further and carry a heavier payload will be key, because of the distances involved. Airframes designed for this region will therefore be larger.

    Another fighter jet carrying a smaller airframe will be designed for use in areas such as Europe where agility and manoeuvrability will be more important.

    The next wave of jets will have a system in the cockpit that gathers lots of information from other aircraft, ground surveillance stations and satellites. It would then integrate this data to give an enhanced situational awareness to the pilot. This system would also able to actively jam enemy sensors.

    Another key feature will be the deployment of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (Ucavs), a form of drone aircraft. The piloted fighter jet would be able to control a variety of Ucavs, ranging from loyal wingmen to cheaper, unpiloted fighter jets that will assist the mission, including protecting the piloted fighter.

    This will all be the responsibility of something called the advanced digital cockpit, a software-driven system that will use virtual reality and allow the pilot to effectively become a battle manager. Artificial intelligence (AI) will be a key feature of the support systems for the drones. This will allow them to be controlled with complete autonomy. The pilot will assign the main task – such as, “attack that enemy jet in that sector” – and the system will carry out the mission without any further input.

    Another advancement will be the weapon systems, with the adoption of missiles that not only will be capable of travelling at hypersonic speeds, but will also incorporate stealth features. This will further reduce the reaction times of enemy forces. Directed energy weapons systems, such as laser weapons, could potentially appear in later stages, as this technology is under study.

    Under America’s sixth generation fighter programme, the US Navy is working on a separate jet called the F/A-XX, complementing the F-47.

    The UK, Italy and Japan are also working on a jet project known as the global combat air programme (GCAP). This will replace the Eurofighter Typhoon in service with the UK and Italy and the Mitsubishi F-2 in service with Japan.

    Germany, Spain and France are working on a fighter programme called the future combat air system (FCAS). This could supersede Germany and Spain’s Typhoons and France’s Rafale.

    The path for sixth generation fighter jets seems to have already been traced, but uncertainties remain. The feasibility of some of the characteristics described and development times and costs are not yet well defined. This interval of time was more than ten years for fifth generation fighter jets – and the sixth is going to be far more complex in terms of requirements and capability.

    A new generation of fighter jet is expected to remain on active duty for something like 30 years. But warfare across the world evolves rapidly. It is unclear whether the design requirements we are fixing today remain relevant over the coming years.

    David Bacci is affiliated with Cranfeild Defence & Security (CRanfield University) – Visiting Research Fellow

    – ref. How a new wave of fighter jets could transform aerial combat – https://theconversation.com/how-a-new-wave-of-fighter-jets-could-transform-aerial-combat-252949

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Apple Intelligence comes to Apple Vision Pro today with visionOS 2.4

    Source: Apple

    Headline: Apple Intelligence comes to Apple Vision Pro today with visionOS 2.4

    March 31, 2025

    UPDATE

    Apple Intelligence and new spatial experiences come to Apple Vision Pro today with visionOS 2.4

    Alongside the first set of powerful Apple Intelligence features, users can discover new content with Spatial Gallery and the Apple Vision Pro app for iPhone, and share the magic of spatial computing with enhancements to Guest User

    visionOS 2.4 is available today, bringing the first set of powerful Apple Intelligence features that help users communicate, write, and express themselves on Apple Vision Pro — all while taking an extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI.1 With the new Spatial Gallery app, users have access to a curated collection of spatial content spanning art, culture, nature, sports, and more. visionOS 2.4 also introduces the Apple Vision Pro app for iPhone to help users easily find new content and apps, and enhancements to Guest User make sharing Vision Pro experiences even easier.

    Apple Intelligence on Apple Vision Pro

    With Writing Tools, users can refine their words by rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, and many third-party apps. With Rewrite, users can adjust the tone of their text to make it more friendly, professional, or concise, or specify the change they’d like to make using Describe Your Change. Proofread checks grammar, word choice, and sentence structure, and provides suggested edits. Users can also select text and have it recapped in several formats with Summarize. With Compose, users can ask ChatGPT to generate content for anything they are writing about from the systemwide Writing Tools.2

    Image Playground allows users to easily create fun and unique images from themes, costumes, accessories, and places. Users can add their own text descriptions, and can even create images in the likeness of a family member or friend using photos from their photo library. The experience is integrated directly into apps like Messages and Freeform, and is also available as a dedicated app for Apple Vision Pro.

    Apple Intelligence takes emoji to an entirely new level, offering users the ability to create original Genmoji by simply typing or speaking a description into the emoji keyboard. Genmoji can be added inline to messages, shared as a sticker, or sent as a Tapback.

    Smart Reply in Messages and Mail provides suggestions for a quick response, and will identify questions to ensure everything is answered.

    With natural language search in the Photos app, it’s even easier to find a specific photo or moment in a video just by describing it. Create a Memory Movie lets users create the movies they want to see by simply typing a description. Using language and image understanding, Apple Intelligence will pick out photos and videos based on a user’s description, craft a storyline with chapters based on themes identified from the photos, and arrange them into a movie with its own narrative arc. As with all Apple Intelligence features, user photos and videos are kept private, and are not shared with Apple or anyone else.

    visionOS 2.4 also includes support for Priority Messages in Mail, Mail Summaries, Image Wand in Notes, Priority Notifications in Notification Center, and Notification Summaries. The initial set of Apple Intelligence features is available in visionOS 2.4 for users with their device and Siri language set to U.S. English.

    Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing whenever possible to protect users’ privacy. For requests that require access to even larger models, Private Cloud Compute extends the privacy and security of Apple products into the cloud to unlock even more intelligence. When using Private Cloud Compute, users’ data is never stored or shared with Apple; it is used only to fulfill the request. Independent experts can inspect the code that runs on Apple silicon servers to continuously verify this privacy promise, and are already doing so.

    Curated Spatial Content with Spatial Gallery

    Spatial Gallery, a new app for Apple Vision Pro, features spatial photos, spatial videos, and panoramas curated by Apple, and gives users a window to captivating and powerful moments spanning art, culture, entertainment, lifestyle, nature, sports, and travel, with new content released regularly.

    At launch, users can discover stories and experiences from iconic brands including Red Bull, Cirque du Soleil, and Porsche; go behind the scenes with Apple Originals like Severance, The Studio, and The Morning Show; and listen to conversations with top artists like Bad Bunny, Charli xcx, and Keith Urban.

    The Apple Vision Pro App for iPhone

    The Apple Vision Pro app for iPhone offers a new way for users to discover new spatial experiences, queue apps and games to download, easily find tips, and quickly access information about their Vision Pro, all from their iPhone.

    The Discover page features recommendations for new and notable experiences on Apple Vision Pro, from popular apps like Explore POV and JigSpace, to Apple Arcade games like Gears & Goo, to Apple Immersive experiences like Metallica, which gives viewers unprecedented access to the band through a remarkable storytelling format only possible on Vision Pro.

    The My Vision Pro page helps users get the most out of their Apple Vision Pro, offering tips and key information such as their current visionOS version and device serial number. Users with vision correction needs can now store and view the App Clip code for their ZEISS Optical Inserts in the Apple Vision Pro app.

    New Enhancements to Guest User

    visionOS 2.4 lets users start a Guest User session on Apple Vision Pro with their nearby iPhone or iPad. To make it easier to guide a guest through the Vision Pro experience, users can now choose which apps are accessible to their guests and start View Mirroring with AirPlay from their iPhone.

    New Apple Immersive Video Content

    VIP: Yankee Stadium premieres this Friday, April 4, featuring an all-encompassing look at how elite athletes, die-hard fans, dedicated staff, and epic moments make the Bronx ballpark legendary. Bono: Stories of Surrender pulls back the curtain on the deeply personal experiences that have shaped Bono as a son, father, husband, activist, and U2 frontman. The groundbreaking film from Apple TV+ premieres May 30, and will be available in 2D and in Apple Immersive Video.

    Availability

    • visionOS 2.4 is available today as a free software update for Apple Vision Pro. For more information, visit apple.com/visionos/visionos-2. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages.
    • Apple Vision Pro is available in Australia, Canada, China mainland, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, the UAE, the UK, and the U.S.
    • Apple Intelligence will be available in beta on Apple Vision Pro with visionOS 2.4. The first set of features will be available for Vision Pro users with their device and Siri language set to U.S. English. Feature availability varies by region; Apple Intelligence is subject to regulatory approval and not yet available in China.
    • The Spatial Gallery app will be installed with visionOS 2.4 for users in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, the UAE, the UK, and the U.S. It can be downloaded from the App Store for Vision Pro.
    • The Apple Vision Pro app for iPhone will be available with iOS 18.4. The app will be available to download from the App Store, and will automatically appear on a user’s iPhone once they update to iOS 18.4 and have both devices associated with the same Apple Account.
    1. The first set of features will be available for Apple Vision Pro users with their device and Siri language set to U.S. English.
    2. Integration with ChatGPT is available only in regions where the ChatGPT app and service is available. Refer to Open AI for Chat GPT availability.

    Press Contacts

    Corey Nord

    Apple

    cnord2@apple.com

    Andrea Schubert

    Apple

    a_schubert@apple.com

    Apple Media Helpline

    media.help@apple.com

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI: 2024 Earnings Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Continued recovery of margins and strong improvement in cash generation

    Relevance of the selectivity strategy implemented in 2024, prioritizing margins

    • Another year of strong improvement in adjusted EBITDA margin: 7.5% in 2024, up 40 basis points compared to 2023
    • Slight increase in adjusted EBITDA to €75.1 million, despite the 5.8% decrease in revenue
    • Gradual recovery in net income, group share: -€15.8 million in 2024, compared with -€22.7 million in 2023
    • Net income, group share adjusted for amortization of customer relationships: -€6.0 million, compared with -€12.9 million in 2023

    Sustained momentum for the Group’s profitable growth drivers

    • Confirmation of Germany’s strong potential: +33.6% growth, accretive adjusted EBITDA margin for the Group
    • Expansion of the Energy business: +28.5% growth, including +52.0% in France, driven by accelerated development in solar

    Strong improvement in cash generation, solid financial position

    • Net free cash flow: €5.9 million, compared with -€17.0 million in 2023
    • Net bank debt: €0.8 million at the end of 2024
    • Bank debt successfully refinanced in November 2024 for €120 million

    On track to meet 2026 targets

    • Tripling of revenue in Germany compared to 2023
    • Tripling of revenue in Energy in France compared to 2023
    • Adjusted EBITDA margin above 10% in the Group’s three main geographies: Benelux, France and Germany

    Today, Solutions30 SE is announcing its consolidated earnings for the year ended December 31, 2024, prepared in accordance with IFRS. Solutions30’s 2024 consolidated financial statements as approved by the Management Board were examined by the Supervisory Board on March 31, 2025. The auditors, PKF Audit & Conseil, have completed their audit of the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024. The audit report relating to the certification of these statements as well as the Group’s consolidated financial statements for 2024 are available on the Solutions30 website (www.solutions30.com) under the “Investor Relations” section.

    Gianbeppi Fortis, Chief Executive Officer of Solutions30, stated: “In 2024, we made the strategic choice to prioritize margin improvement over revenue growth, adopting a more selective approach in certain mature markets. This choice has paid off as, this year, we were once again able to significantly improve our margins and we even achieved a slight increase in our adjusted EBITDA, despite a decline in revenue. The German market, where we are now firmly established, has confirmed its strong potential. Increased infrastructure investment in Germany should further expand the range of opportunities available to us. Energy services also confirmed their status as a solid growth driver, particularly in France, where they accounted for almost 30% of our Q4 revenue, with excellent prospects, especially in renewable energy.
    Following significant transformations in 2024, both in our organization and in our business portfolio, we are entering 2025 on a solid footing, with renewed confidence in the Group’s fundamentals. We have set a clear path for 2026, which we presented at our Capital Markets Day last September: tripling our revenue in Germany and in energy services in France, and achieving an adjusted EBITDA margin above 10% in our three main geographies. We are well on track to meet these ambitions.”

    Key figures – Consolidated data
    In millions of euros 2024 2023 Change
    Revenue 996.0 1,057.0 (5.8)%
    Adjusted EBITDA 75.1 74.6 0.7%
    As a % of revenue (EBITDA margin) 7.5% 7.1%  
    Adjusted EBIT 28.4 22.6 25.6%
    As a % of revenue 2.9% 2.1%  
    Operating income 0.6 (2.7) n.a.
    As a % of revenue 0.1% (0.3)%  
    Net income, group share (15.8) (22.7) n.a.
    Adjusted net income, group share * (6.0) (12.9) n.a.
    Free cash flow 40.2 13.4  
    Free cash flow net 5.9 (17.0)  
           
    Financial position figures
    In millions of euros    		 31.12.2024 31.12.2023 Change
    Equity 108.1 124.6 (16.5)
    Net debt 73.8 78.4 (4.7)
    Net bank debt 0.8 (5.7) 6.5

    * Adjusted for amortization of customer relationships (group share) net of the associated tax impact – charge relating to past acquisitions, purely accounting in nature, with no cash impact, and unrelated to tangible assets.

    Solutions30’s consolidated revenue for 2024 amounted to €996.0 million, down -5.8% compared to 2023. This includes an organic contraction of -6.4%, a +0.2% impact from acquisitions, and a +0.4% favorable exchange rate effect. It reflects the Group’s strategic orientations, aimed at giving greater priority to margins over revenue growth, in a context where it is currently operating in markets and business segments at different stages of maturity. Solutions30 chose to scale down its exposure to the telecommunications sector notably in France and in Spain, where certain contracts no longer met its profitability requirements. At the same time, the Group accelerated its development in its profitable growth drivers in Germany and in energy services.

    Adjusted EBITDA amounted to €75.1 million, up +0.7% on 2023, despite lower revenue, reflecting a further increase in adjusted EBITDA margin to 7.5% from 7.1% in 2023 (+40 basis points). This performance reflects the relevance of the selective strategy implemented by the Group in 2024.

    Free cash flow reached €40.2 million, a clear €26.8 million improvement compared to 2023 (€13.4 million). This reflects a favorable trend in working capital, in a context where Solutions30 is increasingly and continuously focusing on profitability and cash generation. Net free cash flow, after repayment of lease liabilities and interest paid on these liabilities, turned positive in 2024, at €5.9 million, compared with a negative -€17.0 million in 2023.

    As a result, the Group’s financial position remains very solid, with a cash position net of bank debt close to breakeven at the end of 2024 (-€0.8 million). In addition, all financing needs are fully covered by the successful refinancing of the Group’s bank debt in November 2024, for a total amount of €120 million.

    Analysis by geographical segment

      2024 2023 Change
    Benelux      
    Revenue 371.6 381.6 (2.6)%
    Adjusted EBITDA 37.1 43.6 (14.9)%
    Adjusted EBITDA margin % 10.0% 11.4% (140 bps)
    France      
    Revenue 360.8 403.3 (10.5)%
    Adjusted EBITDA 34.1 35.5 (3.9)%
    Adjusted EBITDA margin % 9.5% 8.8% +70bp
    Other Countries      
    Revenue 263.6 272.1 (3.1)%
    Adjusted EBITDA 16.3 5.5 +196.4%
    Adjusted EBITDA margin % 6.2% 2.0% ‘+420bp
    HQ* (12.4) (10.0) 24%
    Revenue 996.0 1,057.0 (5.8)%
    Adjusted EBITDA 75.1 74.6 +0.7%
    Adjusted EBITDA margin % 7.5% 7.1% +40 bps

       * Costs related to the Group’s centralized functions

    Benelux

    In the Benelux, the Group’s leading geography in terms of revenue, revenue amounted to €371.6 million in 2024, down slightly by -2.6% (-2.8% organic) from a very high comparison basis (+72% in 2023). This decline is due to the Connectivity business (2024 revenue of €282.2 million, down -7.2%), as the fiber-optic roll-out in Belgium has been slowed by negotiations between service providers aimed at streamlining their roll-out operations nationwide. In addition, the merger between Proximus and Fiberklaar is prompting the adaptation of the Group’s operational processes.

    Energy revenue reached €64.8 million, up +11.6%, driven by the roll-out of smart meters and strong momentum in energy transition support services, notably with the entry into production of the contract to modernize over 1,000 km of low-voltage electricity network in Flanders. In addition, the acquisition of Xperal in September 2024 opens up new prospects in the solar sector in Benelux.

    Lastly, Technology activities maintained their strong momentum, with revenue up by +27.6% to €24.5 million, driven notably by the launch of a new IT support contract in the fourth quarter.

    The Benelux’s adjusted EBITDA margin remained in double-digit territory throughout the year at 10.0%, demonstrating the Group’s ability to effectively adapt its processes and organization to the temporary slowdown in the Connectivity business. Adjusted EBITDA thus amounted to €37.1 million in 2024.

    France

    In France, revenue amounted to €360.8 million, down -10.5% (-11.0% organic). Revenue from the Connectivity business contracted by -26.9% to €208.8 million, reflecting the selective measures implemented since the second quarter to improve margins. This has led the Group to significantly reduce its exposure to certain contracts that were no longer meeting its profitability requirements, with an impact compounded by the slow-down in the fiber roll-out market since the beginning of the year.

    In 2024, Solutions30 successfully continued to expand its Energy business, achieving sustained growth of +52.0% to reach revenue of €78.4 million, or 22% of the total (almost 30% in the fourth quarter). In the photovoltaic sector, the Group benefits from a highly dynamic market and a leading position. The Energy business thus represents a strategic diversification lever for the Group in France, with the ambition of reaching €150 million in revenue from this segment by 2026.

    In the Technology business, revenue amounted to €73.6 million, up +11%, driven by a surge in activity linked to the 2024 Olympics and continued momentum in IT support services.

    France’s adjusted EBITDA margin stood at 9.5%, up 70 basis points compared to 2023. This increase results from the increased selectivity strategy implemented in the Connectivity business, which prioritizes margin improvement over revenue growth. It also reflects the ramp-up of the Energy business and the associated scale effects, as well as ongoing efforts to streamline the organization and central functions.

    Other Countries

    In Other Countries, revenue amounted to €263.6 million, down -3.1%. This trend includes an organic contraction of -4.5% partially offset by a positive currency effect of +1.4%, reflecting the appreciation of the zloty and the pound sterling against the euro during the period.

    With revenue up +33.6% to €84.4 million, Germany confirms in 2024 its status as a powerful growth driver and the Group’s future third pillar in Europe, alongside Benelux and France. Leveraging strong relationships with Germany’s six main telecom service providers, Solutions30 is successfully replicating its business model in this market whose exceptional potential continues to materialize, supported by the accelerated roll-out of fiber networks, and strong future investment momentum in infrastructure in general.

    In Poland, strong growth continues, reaching +18.0% in 2024. In Italy, the agreement reached with the main telecom client has effectively eliminated the associated risk, allowed business to return to normal as of the third quarter, with progressively improving economic conditions expected over the first half of 2025. Revenue was down -16.0% for the year, but returned to growth in the fourth quarter. In Spain, where revenue contracted by -34.2%, the Group has considerably reduced its exposure to the mature telecoms market, and is restructuring its Connectivity business while refocusing on the Energy and Technology businesses. Finally, in the United Kingdom, revenue was down -23.3%, reflecting increased selectivity and a refocusing on the fiber and energy services markets.

    Adjusted EBITDA in Other Countries stood at €16.3 million, three times its 2023 level (€5.5 million). The adjusted EBITDA margin was 6.2%, compared with 2.0% in 2023. This significant improvement reflects Germany’s solid performance. It also results from the return to breakeven in Italy, after the losses recorded in 2023, as well as the initial progress made in the United Kingdom.

    Consolidated earnings

    On the basis of adjusted EBITDA of €75.1 million for 2024, after accounting for depreciation and operational of €14.9 million (compared to €22.8 million in 2023), and after amortization of the right-of-use assets (IFRS 16) amounting to €31.8 million (€29.2 million in 2023), the Group’s adjusted EBIT stood at €28.4 million, up +25.6% compared to 2023, representing 2.9% of full-year revenue (2.1% in 2023).

    Operating income returned to positive territory in 2024, reaching €0.6 million, compared with a loss of -€2.7 million in 2023. It includes:

    • €13.4 million in net non-current operating expenses. These expenses mainly include restructuring costs, reflecting the measures taken by the Group to support the selective downsizing in certain markets and to optimize its organizational structure accordingly, particularly in Spain, the United Kingdom, and France.
    • €14.5 million in amortization of customer relationships, stable compared to 2023. This charge, relating to past acquisitions, is purely accounting in nature, with no impact on cash flow, and does not relate to tangible assets.

    Net financial income was -€14.7 million, compared with -€13.1 million in 2023. It includes a bank interest charge of -€7.2 million, compared with -€5.4 million in 2023, mainly reflecting a higher average drawdown in 2024, and interest on leases (IFRS 16) of -€3.2 million (-€1.7 million in 2023). It also includes, in 2024, non-cash income of €1.1 million, linked to the downward adjustment of earn-out liabilities from past acquisitions (compared with a -€0.8 million charge in 2023).

    After accounting for a net tax expense of -€1.4 million, the Group’s share of So-Tec’s income (equity-accounted) for €0.4 million, and deducting minority interests of €0.7 million, Net income group share amounted to -€15.8 million, a considerable improvement compared to 2023 (-€22.7 million). Adjusted for the amortization of customer relationships net of the related tax impact, Adjusted net income Group share – which strictly reflects the Group’s operating performance – amounted to -€6.0 million, compared with -€12.9 million in 2023.

    Cash flow

    The Group’s 2024 operating cash flow was €56.6 million. The change in working capital, restated for non-cash items, represents an inflow of €1.6 million, compared with an outflow of -€26.2 million in 2023. In addition to the impact from the decrease in revenue, this sharp improvement reflects the Group’s evolving business profile, as well as the enhanced focus on cash generation, with favorable trends in average customer payment terms and advance payment flows. The change in working capital includes a significant reduction in factoring of -€40.5 million, due to a lower volume of receivables in France as a result of the aforementioned decrease in activity, as well as favorable payment terms in Germany. As a result, net cash flow from operating activities rose sharply in 2024, to €58.2 million, compared to €34.1 million in 2023.

    Net investments amounted to €18.0 million, or -1.8% of revenue, in line with their normative levels of around 2%, and were mainly related to information systems and technical equipment. In particular, Solutions30 relies on its proprietary IT platform, Smartfix, as a strategic tool to efficiently manage its large-scale operations. This platform accounts for the bulk of the Group’s annual investments.

    Overall, free cash flow amounted to €40.2 million in 2024, a significant improvement over 2023 (€13.4 million). After repayment of lease liabilities and related interest (IFRS 16), amounting to -€34.3 million, net free cash flow turned positive in 2024, at €5.9 million, compared with -€17.0 million in 2023.

    Taking into account -€3.5 million in earn-outs paid on past acquisitions, -€0.1 million in acquisitions made during the period, -€6.9 million in interest paid, -€14.3 million in net reimbursements of loans, -€1.9 million in debt issuance costs and the -€1.1 million impact of exchange rate fluctuations, the change in cash position was -€22.0 million.

    Financial position

    Solutions30 maintains a solid financial position, combining strong liquidity with a net financial debt of almost zero. At December 31, 2024, the Group’s gross cash position stood at €96.3 million, compared with €118.2 million at the end of December 2023. Gross bank debt amounted to €97.0 million, compared with €112.5 million at December 31, 2023, due to the repayment of loans during the year. As a result, the Group’s net bank debt was nearly breakeven, at €0.8 million at December 31, 2024, compared with a net cash position of €5.7 million at December 31, 2023.

    This financial position is all the more solid given the significant reduction in receivables sold under the Group’s non-recourse factoring program, which amounted to €69 million as of December 31, 2024, compared to €109 million as of December 31, 2023. Factoring can finance working capital from recurring activities that have fully developed, at a very modest cost. This program, combined with a solid financial position, provides Solutions30 with the resources it needs to finance its growth strategy.

    Including €68.8 million in lease liabilities (IFRS 16) and €4.1 million in potential financial debt linked to future earnouts and put options, the Group’s total net debt stood at €73.8 million at December 31, 2024, down slightly from €78.4 million at December 31, 2023.

    In November 2024, Solutions30 completed the refinancing of its entire bank debt, for a total amount of €120 million, including an effective loan of €83 million and a loan commitment of €37 million to finance growth. This new facility, arranged with a syndicate of eight core relationship banks, strengthens the Group’s financial base and provides it with the resources needed to support its continued expansion, particularly in the energy sector. With a 7-year maturity, it also extends the debt maturity profile while maintaining a cost comparable to that of the previous debt.

    Outlook

    Following a year in which Solutions30’s selective strategy proved effective, the Group intends to continue prioritizing margins over volumes in its most mature markets, while allocating more resources to segments offering the strongest prospects for profitable growth, particularly in Germany and in energy services.

    Confident in its positioning and ability to seize the numerous opportunities within its markets, the Group is fully committed to achieving its 2026 objectives, as presented at the Capital Markets Day held on September 26, 2024. These include achieving an adjusted EBITDA margin in excess of 10% in each of its three main geographies: Benelux, France, and Germany.

    In the Benelux, the Group is confident it will be able to capitalize on its leading market position and return to growth during 2025.

    In France, Energy Solutions revenue is set to triple compared with 2023, reaching €150 million in 2026. For Connectivity Solutions, the Group is focused on stabilizing its activity levels while applying strict contract selectivity.

    In Germany, Solutions30 is targeting a first milestone in 2026, with revenue ranging between €150 million and €200 million. Germany should continue to grow faster than the rest of the Group, ultimately becoming one of its largest contributors. In the longer term, the country is set to benefit from strong investment momentum in infrastructure, which should translate into numerous growth opportunities for Solutions30, not only in fiber optics, but also in Energy (smart grids, solar power, energy storage, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, smart meters) and Technology (rail network signaling, Internet of Things) businesses.

    In the rest of Europe, Solutions30 has adopted a portfolio management approach, aiming at sustaining Poland’s profitable growth, further improving performance in the UK, and either restoring margin in Italy and Spain by 2026 or initiating a strategic review in these two countries.

    Webcast for Investors and Analysts

    Date: Monday, March 31, 2025
    6:30 PM (CET) – 5:30 PM (GMT)

    Speakers:
    Gianbeppi Fortis, Chief Executive Officer
    Amaury Boilot, Group General Secretary

    Connection details:

    Webcast in French or English : https://channel.royalcast.com/solutions30-fr/#!/solutions30-fr/20250331_1

    Upcoming Events

    2025 Q1 Revenue Report – April 29, 2025 (after market close)
    TPICAP Conference – Paris – May 15, 2025
    Annual General Meeting – June 17, 2025
    Portzamparc Mid & Small Caps Conference –  June 19, 2025
    2025 Half-year Results – September 17, 2025 (after market close)
    2025 Q3 Revenue Report – November 5, 2025 (after market close)        

    About Solutions30 SE

    Solutions30’s mission is to make the technological developments that are transforming our daily lives accessible to everyone, individuals and businesses alike, especially with regard to the digital transformation and the energy transition. With its network of more than 16,000 technicians, Solutions30 has completed over 65 million call-outs since its inception and led over 500 renewable energy projects with a combined maximum output surpassing 1800 MWp. Every day, Solutions30 is doing its part to build a more connected and sustainable world. Solutions30 has become an industry leader in Europe with operations in 10 countries: France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Poland. The capital of Solutions30 SE consists of 107,127,984 shares, equal to the number of theoretical votes that can be exercised. Solutions30 SE is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN FR0013379484- code S30). Indices : CAC Mid & Small | CAC Small | CAC Technology | Euro Stoxx Total Market Technology | Euronext Tech Croissance.
    Visit our website to learn more: www.solutions30.com

    Contact

    Individual Shareholders:
    actionnaires@solutions30.com – Tel: +33 1 86 86 00 63

    Analysts/Investors:
    investor.relations@solutions30.com

    Press – Image 7 :
    Charlotte Le Barbier – Tel: +33 6 78 37 27 60 – clebarbier@image7.fr

    The Group uses financial indicators not defined by IFRS:

    • Profitability indicators and their components are key operational performance indicators used by the Group to monitor and evaluate its overall operating earnings and earnings by country.
    • Cash flow indicators are used by the Group to implement its investment and resource allocation strategy.

    The non-IFRS financial indicators used are calculated as follows:

    Organic growth includes the organic growth of acquired companies after they are acquired, which Solutions30 assumes they would not have experienced had they remained independent. In 2024, the Group’s organic growth included only the internal growth of its long-standing subsidiaries.

    Adjusted EBITDA is the “operating margin” as reported in the Group’s financial statements.

    Free cash flow corresponds to the net cash flow from operating activities minus the acquisitions of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment net of disposals.

    Calculation of free cash flow:

    In millions of euros 31.12.2024 31.12.2023
    Net cash flow from operating activities         58.2                 34.1        
    Acquisition of fixed assets, net         (18.6)         (21.4)
    Disposal of non-current assets after tax         0.7                 0.7        
    Free cash flow         40.2                 13.4        

    Net free cash flow corresponds to free cash flow less “Repayment of lease liabilities” and “Interest paid on lease liabilities” as shown in the Group’s consolidated statement of cash flows.

    Calculation of net free cash flow:

    In millions of euros 31.12.2024 31.12.2023
    Free cash flow         40.2                 13.4        
    Repayment of lease liabilities         (31.1)         (28.7)
    Interest paid on lease liabilities         (3.2)         (1.7)
    Free cash flow net         5.9                 (17.0)

    Cash net of bank debt corresponds to “Cash and cash equivalents” as it appears in the Group’s financial statements from which is deducted “Loans from credit institutions, long-term” and “Short-term loans from credit institutions, lines of credit, and bank overdrafts” as they appear in note 10.2 of the Group’s annual financial statements.

    Adjusted EBIT corresponds to operating income as shown in the Group’s financial statements, to which “Customer relationship amortization” and “Other non-current operating expenses” are added and from which “Other non-current operating income” is deducted.

    Reconciliation between operating income and adjusted EBIT:

    In millions of euros 31.12.2024 31.12.2023
    Operating income         0.6                 (2.7)        
    Customer relationship amortization         14.5                 14.4        
    Other non-current operating income         (2.2)                 (0.4)        
    Other non-current operating expenses         15.5                 11.4        
    Adjusted EBIT         28.4                 22.6        
    As a % of revenue         2.9        %         2.1        %

    The adjusted group share of net income corresponds to the “Net income, group share” as shown in the group financial statements, to which is added “Amortization of customer relationships, group share” and from which is deducted the “Tax impact on amortization of customer relationships, group share.”

    In millions of euros 31.12.2024 31.12.2023
    Net income, group share         (15.8)         (22.7)
    Amortization of customer relationships, group share         13.2                 13.1        
    Tax impact on amortization of customer relationships, group share         (3.4)         (3.3)
    Adjusted group share of net income         (6.0)         (12.9)

    Net debt corresponds to “Debt, long-term,” “Debt, short-term,” and long- and short-term “Lease liabilities” as they appear in the Group’s financial statements from which “Cash and cash equivalents” as they appear in the Group’s financial statements are deducted.

    Net debt/EBITDA ratio corresponds to “net debt” divided by annualized EBITDA.

    Net debt-to-equity ratio corresponds to “net debt” divided by equity.

    Net debt:

    In millions of euros 31.12.2024 31.12.2023
    Bank debt         97.0                 112.5        
    Lease liabilities         68.8                 76.4        
    Future liabilities from earnouts and put options         4.1                 7.7        
    Cash and cash equivalents         (96.3)                 (118.2)        
    Net debt         73.8                 78.4        
         
    Operating margin (Adjusted EBITDA)         75.1                 74.6        
    Net debt ratio 0.98 1.05
         
    Equity         108.1                 124.6        
    % of net debt         68.2        %         62.9        %

    Net bank debt corresponds to “Long-term loans from credit institutions” and “Short-term loans from credit institutions, lines of credit, and bank overdrafts” as they appear in note 10.2 of the Group’s annual financial statements from which are deducted “Cash and cash equivalents” as they appear in the Group’s financial statements.

    Net bank debt:

    In millions of euros 31.12.2024 31.12.2023
    Loans from credit institutions, long-term         74.3                 75.6        
    Short-term loans from credit institutions and lines of credit         22.7                 37.0        
    Gross bank debt         97.0                 112.6        
    Cash and cash equivalents         (96.3)         (118.2)
    Net bank debt         0.8                 (5.7)
    Cash net of bank debt         (0.8)         5.7        

    Gross bank debt corresponds to “Loans from credit institutions, long-term” and “Short-term loans from credit institutions, lines of credit, and bank overdrafts” as they appear in note 10.2 of the Group’s annual financial statements.

    Working capital corresponds to “current assets” as reported in the Group’s financial statements (excluding “Cash and cash equivalents” and “Derivative financial instruments”) less “current liabilities” (excluding “Debt, short-term,” “Current provisions,” and “Lease liabilities”).

    Working capital:

    In millions of euros 31.12.2024 31.12.2023
    Inventory and work in progress         24.7                 25.7        
    Trade receivables and related accounts         219.5                 211.6        
    Current contract assets         0.9                 1.0        
    Other receivables         79.1                 66.5        
    Prepaid expenses         6.1                 3.1        
         
              (171.7)         (200.1)
    Trade payables         (143.4)         (120.8)
    Tax and social security liabilities         (21.0)         (15.0)
    Other current liabilities         (56.8)         (18.9)
    Working capital         (62.6)         (46.9)
         
    Change in working capital         (15.6)         17.7        
    Non-monetary items         14.0                 8.5        
    Change in working capital adjusted for non-monetary items         (1.6)         26.2        
         

    Net investments correspond to the sum of the lines “Acquisition of current assets,”
    “Acquisition of non-current financial assets,” and “Disposal of non-current assets after tax” as they appear in the consolidated statement of cash flows.
    Net investments:

    In millions of euros 31.12.2024 31.12.2023
    Acquisition of non-current assets         (18.2)         (21.6)
    Acquisition of non-current financial assets         (0.4)         0.2        
    Disposal of non-current assets after tax         0.7                 0.7        
    Net investments         (17.9)         (20.7)

    Operating costs correspond to costs incurred for the Group’s operations, included in the “operating margin” (excluding structural costs).

    Structural costs correspond to costs incurred by the Group’s head office functions in various countries, included in the “operating margin” (excluding operating costs).

    Expenses related to the Group’s centralized functions refer to costs incurred by the parent company’s headquarters functions and are included in the “operating margin.”

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Proactis SA 12 months revenue 31 January 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Proactis SA Announces Financial Information for the year ended 31 January 2025

    Paris – March 31, 2025 – Proactis SA (Euronext: PROAC), a leading provider of comprehensive spend management and business process collaboration solutions, today announces financial information for the year ended 31 Janvier 2025, in accordance with the “European Transparency Obligations Directive” financial disclosure requirements.

    Financial data

    in € million     12 months – Year ended 31 Jan 2025   18 months – Year ended 31 Jan 2024     % Change
    2025/ 2023(*)
                     
    Consolidated Operational Revenue     5.5   11.3     (52) %
    SaaS (**)     5.0   9.4     (47) %
    Services     0.4   1.9     (76) %
                     
    Management fees     3.8   6.6     (42) %
                     
    Consolidated Revenue     9.3   17.9     (48) %
    (unaudited Figures)                
    (*) Percentages calculated on exact numbers, not the rounded numbers shown
    (**) SaaS is a model of delivering technology where a software solution is hosted (cloud computing) as a service for its customers.
    Clients do not buy the technology but pay a subscription fee to use it.
     

    The extended 18-month period in the previous financial year reflected a change to the Proactis Group year-end date to 31st January. The current fiscal year covers the period from February 1st, 2024, to January 31st, 2025.

    Because of the extended additional 6 months on previous fiscal year period, pertaining to the change of year end date, the decrease of the revenue looks higher; still, it is below the level of the prior period due principally to non-renewal of contracts in specific non-core product areas, and contract value decreases.

    For clarity purposes we present the FY25 figures compared to the last 12 months of FY23, and they are as below:

    in € million     12 months – Year ended 31 Jan 2025   12 months period ended 31 Jan 2024   % Change
    2025/ 2023(*)
    (12 months to 01-2024)
                   
    Consolidated Operational Revenue     5.5   6.9   (20) %
    SaaS (**)     5.0   6.1   (18) %
    Services     0.4   0.8   (42) %
                   
    Management fees     3.8   4.5   (15) %
                   
    Consolidated Revenue     9.3   11.4   (18) %
    (unaudited Figures)              
    (*) Percentages calculated on exact numbers, not the rounded numbers shown
    (**) SaaS is a model of delivering technology where a software solution is hosted (cloud computing) as a service for its customers.
    Clients do not buy the technology but pay a subscription fee to use it.    		    

    The change to Service revenues reflects a large implementation project in the FY23 comparative that has since been completed.

    The total consolidated revenue includes Group Management fees related to transfer pricing agreements.

    * * * *

    About Proactis SA (https://www.proactis.com/proactis-sa), a Proactis Company

    Proactis SA connects companies by providing business spend management and collaborative business process automation solutions for both goods and services, through The Business Network. Our solutions integrate with any ERP or procurement system, providing our customers with an easy-to-use solution which drives adoption, compliance and savings.

    Proactis SA has operations in France, Germany, USA and Manila.

    Listed in Compartment C on the Euronext Paris Eurolist.

    ISIN: FR0004052561, Euronext: PROAC, Reuters: HBWO.LN, Bloomberg: HBW.FP

    Contacts
    Tel: +33 (0)1 53 25 55 00
    E-mail: investorContact@proactis.com

    * * * *

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joint Declaration by the Foreign Ministers of the Weimar +

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Joint Declaration by the Foreign Ministers of the Weimar +

    Joint Declaration by the Foreign Ministers of United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain as well as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in Madrid (31st March 2025)

    30/03/2025. Madrid, Spain. Foreign Secretary David Lammy poses for family photo ahead of Weimar+ meeting. Picture by Ben Dance / FCDO

    Three days after the anniversary of the Bucha massacre, we reiterate our unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, building on our Warsaw Declaration of 19 November, our Berlin Declaration of 12 December and our Paris Declaration of 12 February.

    Ukraine has shown its strong commitment to peace, also by agreeing to a full ceasefire without preconditions. However, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has not ceased. Instead of imposing new conditions and launching continued attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure that cause more and more victims, Russia must now show it is serious about ending its war.  We call on Russia to stop its delaying tactics and reciprocate by agreeing without delay, as Ukraine has done, to an immediate unconditional ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully. We need to see progress within a clear timeframe.

    Building on the recent meetings in Paris and London, we took forward the discussion on how best to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which is vital for Ukraine, for Europe and for the whole international community.

    We remain committed to further political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support for Ukraine, together with our international partners. To this end, we will strengthen Ukraine through significant short and long-term military support, also in the framework of Capability Coalitions and the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which will hold its next meeting on 11 April. Many European partners, including the members of this group, have made substantive additional pledges to support Ukraine militarily and are planning similar commitments in the future.

    We also stand ready to apply further pressure on Russia using all tools available, including by adopting new sanctions, to hinder its ability to wage its war of aggression and to ensure Ukraine is placed in the best position possible to secure a just and lasting peace. We reiterate that Russia’s assets should remain immobilized until Russia ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates it for the damage caused.

    We are also strongly committed to ensuring full accountability for war crimes and the other most serious crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The progress made on establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, within the framework of the Council of Europe, is an important step.

    A credible pathway to peace must include humanitarian relief efforts, notably the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilians and the return of all Ukrainian children and other civilians unlawfully deported and transferred to Russia and Belarus.

    We support efforts for a ceasefire that can lead to the establishment of a just and lasting peace. We welcome recent progress to define the essential elements for a viable and sustainable ceasefire, including a clear framework of monitoring and verification.

    Peace must be sustainable, backed by effective guarantees to prevent further acts of aggression. Real, robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine are an indispensable element of a just and lasting peace, based on Ukraine’s sovereign right to determine its security relationships with its partners, and on the duty of the international community to prevent future Russian aggression. We stand ready to play a leading role in this regard.

    Peace must be just, and Russia’s war of aggression cannot end with a reward to the aggressor. There can be no agreement that compromises on Euro-Atlantic security and the independence, sovereignty territorial integrity of Ukraine. We will not accept any agreement that restricts Ukraine’s military and defence industry or the military presence of partner countries in Ukraine.

    We stand ready to do our share in order to achieve this peace. Europe now provides almost two thirds of all support to Ukraine, and 60% of military aid. We reiterate our ironclad commitment to NATO as the bedrock of Euro-Atlantic security and commit to take on greater responsibility for the future of the security and defense of the European continent, aiming at a significant result at the summit in The Hague.

    We reiterate the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny and to defend its democracy. Ukraine’s future is in Europe and in the European Union, and Ukraine’s future is crucial for the security of Europe. Europe must be fully involved in the negotiations and will make its own decisions.  

    We remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s repair, recovery and reconstruction, in coordination with international partners.

    We reaffirm our commitment to our democratic values, and to further engage with our global partners in order to promote together a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the universal principles of the United Nations Charter.

    We reaffirm that Europe must assume more responsibility for its own security and become better equipped and deal with immediate and future challenges.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Nuclear war threat: why Africa’s pushing for a complete ban

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Olamide Samuel, Track II Diplomat and Expert in Nuclear Politics, University of Leicester

    At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, intensified by strategic dynamics involving the US, Nato and Russia over Europe’s security, nuclear weapons are back on the agenda.

    In recent times, Russia has openly threatened to use nuclear weapons. The UK and France are considering ways to rapidly increase their nuclear weapons stockpiles.

    Germany, Poland, Sweden, Finland, South Korea and Japan are now seeking nuclear weapons capabilities.

    Even a limited nuclear war in Europe would lead to catastrophic global climatic effects. Huge amounts of debris thrown high into the atmosphere would block sunlight, causing global temperatures to drop sharply. It would be much harder to grow food around the world.

    This would severely threaten Africa’s food security, exacerbating mass migration, disrupting supply chains and potentially collapsing public order systems.

    How should African countries respond to this growing threat?

    Based on my experience in nuclear non-proliferation and politics, I argue that African leaders need to proactively confront the risks, while there is still time.

    All African states, except for South Sudan, abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This is an international agreement which limits the spread of nuclear weapons. And 43 African states have gone further to join the African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Pelindaba). This was negotiated in the belief that it would “protect African states against possible nuclear attacks on their territories”.

    As conflict and uncertainty pushes many western leaders to support the madness of nuclear weapons proliferation, African leaders are in a unique position to push back against this.

    Africa’s strength in numbers in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Nuclear Ban Treaty, is a vehicle the continent can use to address nuclear weapons risks, head-on.

    Global divide

    On one side, nuclear-armed states cling to deterrence for their national security. They insist that possessing nuclear arsenals keeps them safe.

    At present, there are nine nuclear-armed states: the US, Russia, the UK, China, France, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. These countries possess around 12,331 nuclear warheads (as of 2025).

    The use of only 10% of these weapons could disrupt the global climate and threaten the lives of up to 2 billion people.

    On the other side, African countries and other non-nuclear-weapon states such as Ireland, Austria, New Zealand and Mexico highlight how deterrence creates unacceptable risks for the entire international community.

    This global majority – the 93 countries that have signed the Nuclear Ban Treaty and 73 that are party to it – argue that real safety comes from eliminating nuclear threats.

    The Nuclear Ban Treaty became international law on 22 January 2021. It is the first instance of international law challenging the legality and morality of nuclear deterrence.

    Since 2022, states parties to the Nuclear Ban Treaty have held formal meetings to address current nuclear risks. In March 2025, at their third meeting, 17 African states officially recognised nuclear deterrence as a critical security concern. They called on nuclear armed states to end deterrence.

    The deterioration of the international security environment is so palpable that there has been a noticeable shift in nuclear ban states’ perception of nuclear threats. Nuclear disarmament is no longer just a humanitarian or moral concern to these states, it is now a national security concern.

    South Africa warned that

    any use of nuclear weapons would result in catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would have a global impact.

    Ghana likewise stressed that Africa is not immune to nuclear war’s fallout:

    Africa, despite its geographic distance from the immediate hotspots of nuclear conflict, is not immune to the repercussions of nuclear weapons.

    Africa bears a unique historical connection to nuclear issues. Nuclear testing in the Sahara Desert in the 1960s, when France detonated nuclear bombs in Algeria, had devastating consequences. Widespread radioactive contamination harmed local communities, caused long-lasting health problems, displaced populations, and left large areas environmentally damaged and unsafe for generations.

    For its part, Nigeria recalled that Africa had “long acknowledged the existential threat nuclear weapons posed to human existence.”

    The meeting determined that it is unacceptable that states parties are exposed to nuclear risks, “created without their control and without accountability”. It stressed that eliminating nuclear risks “is a prime and legitimate concern and national responsibility” of states.

    Next steps

    Delegates effectively asked whether their own national security concerns had less value than those of nuclear-armed states. I think this is a valid question.

    Africa’s leaders and their allies in the Nuclear Ban Treaty are reframing what “national security” means in the nuclear age.

    Rather than accepting a world perpetually held hostage by the madness of nuclear deterrence, they are asserting that the security of nations – and of peoples – is best served by dismantling this threat to humanity.

    They are prioritising human life, development and international law over the threat of overwhelming force.

    The outcome of this contest will have profound implications, not just for Africa but for the entire globe.

    Olamide Samuel is affiliated with the Open Nuclear Network.

    – ref. Nuclear war threat: why Africa’s pushing for a complete ban – https://theconversation.com/nuclear-war-threat-why-africas-pushing-for-a-complete-ban-253171

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Nuclear war threat: why Africa’s pushing for a complete ban

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Olamide Samuel, Track II Diplomat and Expert in Nuclear Politics, University of Leicester

    At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, intensified by strategic dynamics involving the US, Nato and Russia over Europe’s security, nuclear weapons are back on the agenda.

    In recent times, Russia has openly threatened to use nuclear weapons. The UK and France are considering ways to rapidly increase their nuclear weapons stockpiles.

    Germany, Poland, Sweden, Finland, South Korea and Japan are now seeking nuclear weapons capabilities.

    Even a limited nuclear war in Europe would lead to catastrophic global climatic effects. Huge amounts of debris thrown high into the atmosphere would block sunlight, causing global temperatures to drop sharply. It would be much harder to grow food around the world.

    This would severely threaten Africa’s food security, exacerbating mass migration, disrupting supply chains and potentially collapsing public order systems.

    How should African countries respond to this growing threat?

    Based on my experience in nuclear non-proliferation and politics, I argue that African leaders need to proactively confront the risks, while there is still time.

    All African states, except for South Sudan, abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This is an international agreement which limits the spread of nuclear weapons. And 43 African states have gone further to join the African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Pelindaba). This was negotiated in the belief that it would “protect African states against possible nuclear attacks on their territories”.

    As conflict and uncertainty pushes many western leaders to support the madness of nuclear weapons proliferation, African leaders are in a unique position to push back against this.

    Africa’s strength in numbers in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Nuclear Ban Treaty, is a vehicle the continent can use to address nuclear weapons risks, head-on.

    Global divide

    On one side, nuclear-armed states cling to deterrence for their national security. They insist that possessing nuclear arsenals keeps them safe.

    At present, there are nine nuclear-armed states: the US, Russia, the UK, China, France, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. These countries possess around 12,331 nuclear warheads (as of 2025).

    The use of only 10% of these weapons could disrupt the global climate and threaten the lives of up to 2 billion people.

    On the other side, African countries and other non-nuclear-weapon states such as Ireland, Austria, New Zealand and Mexico highlight how deterrence creates unacceptable risks for the entire international community.

    This global majority – the 93 countries that have signed the Nuclear Ban Treaty and 73 that are party to it – argue that real safety comes from eliminating nuclear threats.

    The Nuclear Ban Treaty became international law on 22 January 2021. It is the first instance of international law challenging the legality and morality of nuclear deterrence.

    Since 2022, states parties to the Nuclear Ban Treaty have held formal meetings to address current nuclear risks. In March 2025, at their third meeting, 17 African states officially recognised nuclear deterrence as a critical security concern. They called on nuclear armed states to end deterrence.

    The deterioration of the international security environment is so palpable that there has been a noticeable shift in nuclear ban states’ perception of nuclear threats. Nuclear disarmament is no longer just a humanitarian or moral concern to these states, it is now a national security concern.

    South Africa warned that

    any use of nuclear weapons would result in catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would have a global impact.

    Ghana likewise stressed that Africa is not immune to nuclear war’s fallout:

    Africa, despite its geographic distance from the immediate hotspots of nuclear conflict, is not immune to the repercussions of nuclear weapons.

    Africa bears a unique historical connection to nuclear issues. Nuclear testing in the Sahara Desert in the 1960s, when France detonated nuclear bombs in Algeria, had devastating consequences. Widespread radioactive contamination harmed local communities, caused long-lasting health problems, displaced populations, and left large areas environmentally damaged and unsafe for generations.

    For its part, Nigeria recalled that Africa had “long acknowledged the existential threat nuclear weapons posed to human existence.”

    The meeting determined that it is unacceptable that states parties are exposed to nuclear risks, “created without their control and without accountability”. It stressed that eliminating nuclear risks “is a prime and legitimate concern and national responsibility” of states.

    Next steps

    Delegates effectively asked whether their own national security concerns had less value than those of nuclear-armed states. I think this is a valid question.

    Africa’s leaders and their allies in the Nuclear Ban Treaty are reframing what “national security” means in the nuclear age.

    Rather than accepting a world perpetually held hostage by the madness of nuclear deterrence, they are asserting that the security of nations – and of peoples – is best served by dismantling this threat to humanity.

    They are prioritising human life, development and international law over the threat of overwhelming force.

    The outcome of this contest will have profound implications, not just for Africa but for the entire globe.

    – Nuclear war threat: why Africa’s pushing for a complete ban
    – https://theconversation.com/nuclear-war-threat-why-africas-pushing-for-a-complete-ban-253171

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI: Powered by 5th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute E6 Shapes Deliver Breakthrough Cloud Performance and Efficiency

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    — Leading cloud services providers expand their adoption of EPYC CPUs to meet growing public cloud demand —

    SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) announced 5th Gen AMD EPYC™ processors power the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Compute E6 Standard shapes. 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors, the world’s best server CPUs for enterprise, AI and cloud1, enable OCI Compute E6 shapes to deliver up to a 2X increase in cost to performance, compared to the previous E5 instance generation based on testing by OCI2.

    The new OCI Compute E6 shapes build on the success of the previous E5 generation to deliver leadership performance and cost efficiency for general-purpose and compute-intensive workloads. These OCI shapes add to the selection of more than a thousand compute instances powered by AMD EPYC processors across all major cloud service providers.

    “The rapid adoption of AMD EPYC processors in the cloud underscores our ability to deliver innovative, high-performance solutions that enable our partners to create highly competitive cloud offerings,” said Dan McNamara, senior vice president and general manager, Server Business, AMD. “The combination of OCI’s flexible infrastructure and the performance of 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors helps customers accelerate their most demanding workloads while optimizing their cloud infrastructure.”

    “Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is committed to providing our customers with the best-performing, most cost-effective cloud offerings,” said Donald Lu, senior vice president, software development, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “With the new OCI Compute E6 Standard shapes powered by AMD EPYC processors, we are delivering an unparalleled combination of compute power, scalability, and efficiency that meets the demands of today’s most complex workloads.”

    Availability and Customer Adoption
    OCI Compute E6 Standard bare metal instances and virtual machines are available today in multiple regions, including US East (Ashburn), US West (Phoenix), US Midwest (Chicago), Germany Central (Frankfurt), and UK South (London), with a rollout planned for additional regions in the coming months.

    Supporting Resources

    About AMD
    For more than 50 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics, and visualization technologies. Billions of people, leading Fortune 500 businesses, and cutting-edge scientific research institutions around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work, and play. AMD employees are focused on building leadership high-performance and adaptive products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) website, blog, LinkedIn, and Twitter pages.

    AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, EPYC and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
    Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company—ushering in the new era of cloud computing.

    _____________________________

    1 EPYC-029D: Comparison based on thread density, performance, features, process technology and built-in security features of currently shipping servers as of 10/10/2024. EPYC 9005 series CPUs offer the highest thread density, leads the industry with 500+ performance world records including world record enterprise leadership Java® ops/sec performance, top HPC leadership with floating-point throughput performance, AI end-to-end performance with TPCx-AI performance and highest energy efficiency scores. Compared to 5th Gen Xeon, the 5th Gen EPYC series also has more DDR5 memory channels with more memory bandwidth and supports more PCIe® Gen5 lanes for I/O throughput, and has up to 5x the L3 cache/core for faster data access. The EPYC 9005 series uses advanced 3-4nm technology, and offers Secure Memory Encryption + Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV) + SEV Encrypted State + SEV-Secure Nested Paging security features. For additional details, see https://www.amd.com/en/legal/claims/epyc.html#q=epyc5#EPYC-029D

    2 OCI launches high-performance E6 Standard compute instances powered by AMD: Comparative workload performance per core cost analysis for E5 and E6 shapes – https://blogs.oracle.com/cloud-infrastructure/post/oci-launches-highperformance-e6-standard-compute-instances-powered-by-amd

    The MIL Network –

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

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

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

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

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

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

    And also, by working together with our international partners. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Because together we will save lives.

    We will secure our borders.

    We will smash the gangs that undermine our security…

    And deliver fairness for the working people we serve.

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Prime Minister announces massive surge in immigration enforcement as returns reach 24,000 since the election

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Prime Minister announces massive surge in immigration enforcement as returns reach 24,000 since the election

    The Prime Minister today (Monday 31 March) announced the government has returned more than 24,000 individuals with no right to be in the UK since the General Election – the highest returns rate for eight years.

    • More than 24,000 people with no right to be here returned since July
    • Highest rate of returns in eight years
    • 21% increase enforced returns as government begins to restore order to immigration system under the Plan for Change 

    The Prime Minister today (Monday 31 March) announced the government has returned more than 24,000 individuals with no right to be in the UK since the General Election – the highest returns rate for eight years. 

    Speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, where over 40 countries and organisations have come together to agree new action to smash people-smuggling gangs, the Prime Minister outlined how the government is finally restoring order to the immigration system after years of failure.

    The continued rise in removals includes a 21% increase in enforced returns and a 16% increase in foreign national offenders being removed from the UK since July 5th, including the 4 biggest returns charter flights in the UK’s history, with a total of more than 850 people on board.

    The massive surge in removals followed the government’s immediate action to redeploy staff across the Home Office to work on policies that deliver results. 

    At the Summit the Prime Minister set out the approach this government is taking to finally take on organised immigration crime – one that moves beyond gimmicks and instead delivers hard graft, international leadership, and delivers on working people’s priorities for secure borders.

    He set out how this is based on giving law enforcement tougher powers than ever to smash the smuggling gangs, ramping up removals to record levels, surging illegal working raids to end the false promise of jobs used by gangs to sell spaces on boats and leading a renewed international law enforcement effort.

    Since taking office the government has reset its approach to global cooperation, striking new bilateral agreements with key international partners including France, Germany, Italy, and Balkan states to disrupt smuggling networks and accelerate removals.

    This is backed by the work of Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt who has been negotiating new agreements to bring together international policing, intelligence, and border enforcement to dismantle organised immigration crime networks at home and abroad.

    This work has already seen arrests of major people smuggling kingpins through joint investigations with the National Crime Agency.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

    Immigration crime funds the vile people-smuggling gangs that trade in human misery, breach our borders and threaten Britain’s economic security. This government is taking back control, doing the hard graft needed to deliver results, working with our international allies to smash these gangs and secure our borders. 

    We’ve already removed more than 24,000 people with no right to be here and we’re finally shutting down exploitative illegal working, dismantling criminal networks, while forcing people-smuggling gangs out of business.

    For too long, the UK was a soft touch. That ends now. No more gimmicks, no empty promises, just serious action for British security.

    With over 40 international partners joining the UK’s call to treat people-smuggling like terrorism, today’s summit marks the beginning of a new global coalition to take the fight to the criminal gangs at every stage of the smuggling chain.

    This is backed by landmark legislation through the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, giving new powers to seize migrants’ phones to identify smugglers, criminalise those who endanger lives at sea, and ensure every business carries out right-to-work checks – ending the exploitation of illegal labour for good.

    Additional information:

    Between 5 July and 22 March 2025 there were 24,103 returns, the highest 9 month period compared to any 9-month period since 2017. Prior to this from Jan – Sept 2017, returns were 25,225.

    Of total returns since 5 July 2024:

    • there were 6,339 enforced returns of people with no legal right to remain in the UK
    • 3,594 were of foreign national offenders (FNOs)
    • 6,781 were asylum related returns

    From 5 July 2024 to 22 March 2025 there have been 46 charter flights for returns to countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America

    The full stats can be seen here.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Large European and US organizations are prioritizing reindustrialization investments over short-term profitability

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press contact: 
    Florence Lièvre  
    Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 71  
    Email: florence.lievre@capgemini.com

    Large European and US organizations are prioritizing reindustrialization investments over short-term profitability

    • To mitigate concerns over supply chain pressures, rising tariffs and trade disputes, cumulative investments within and outside of domestic markets projected to reach $4.7 trillion over the next three years, up from $3.4 trillion in 2024
    • More than half have invested in nearshoring or reshoring their manufacturing over the past year, with 35% planning to increase investments in nearshoring in 2025 to diversify their manufacturing
    • Friendshoring, in terms of sourcing and production, is poised to become a key route forward for nearly three quarters of organizations

    Paris, March 31, 2025 – The 2025’ edition of the Capgemini Research Institute’s report, ‘The Resurgence of manufacturing: Reindustrialization strategies in Europe and the US’, published today, shows that large organizations across the US and Europe are intensifying their focus on reindustrialization to mitigate concerns over supply chain pressures, rising tariffs and trade disputes. The reconfiguration of global supply chains and manufacturing capacity, including ‘reshoring’ and ‘nearshoring1production, as well as diversification, is being strategically prioritized over short-term profitability. Nearly 60% of executives are determined to continue their efforts despite higher costs and most organizations (65%) are reducing reliance on Chinese products. Instead, they are planning to invest in ‘friendshoring’1over the next three years to de-risk their supply chains.

    According to the survey conducted from January 1st to 20th, 2025, market tensions are driving large European and US organizations to accelerate their plans to diversify their manufacturing and supply chains: two thirds have an active or in-progress reindustrialization strategy – up from 59% in 2024.

    “After decades of globalization, the imperative to reindustrialize is clear. Organizations are intensifying their efforts to de-risk and diversify their manufacturing and supply chains through friendshoring to reinforce proximity to markets,” said Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer at Capgemini. “Complexities and costs involved in re-orchestrating supply chains are not being underestimated. Business leaders are investing to navigate the unpredictable macro-environment and drive long-term competitiveness, taking advantage of advanced technologies. In an evolving global landscape, regional collaboration with suppliers, technology providers and policymakers will be key to build a resilient and adaptable manufacturing ecosystem.”

    Rising tariffs and strain on supply chains drive reindustrialization
    Supply chain resilience, geopolitical concerns, and a desire to be closer to customers emerge as the top drivers of reindustrialization. Supply chain pressure is cited by an overwhelming majority (95%) of executives, a significant increase from 69% in 2024. The desire to be closer to customers is cited for the first time, arriving in second position (92%).

    Rising tariffs are further exacerbating supply chain challenges, with 93% of executives expressing concerns about their impact. Reindustrialization is increasingly viewed as a strategic response to the geopolitical environment – notably for battery/energy storage manufacturing, automotive and telecom – with more than half of executives across regions stating that tariffs are accelerating their reshoring and reindustrialization efforts.

    Executives acknowledge the complexity and cost of reindustrialization. More than six in ten (62%) expect rising capital costs in the next three years but half foresee reduced logistics and supply chain costs within the same period thanks to greater proximity to customers. In addition, nearly two-thirds still view the domestic skills gap as a major challenge, showing no improvement from 2024.

    Nearshore and friendshore manufacturing to surge in the next three years
    Over the past year, business leaders across sectors say that they have intensified their strategy to relocate their production and supply chain with more than half (56%) having invested in either nearshoring or combined reshoring and nearshoring of their manufacturing, up from 42% in 2024. This trend is predicted to continue. In the next three years, onshore and nearshore operations are expected to rise to account for 48% (up 7 percentage points) and 24% (up 2 percentage points) respectively, of total manufacturing capacity.

    According to the report, ‘friendshoring’ is poised to become a key route forward for most organizations (73%) in terms of sourcing and production. It is expected to account for 41% of total manufacturing capacity in the next three years, up from 37% in 2024. More than eight in ten (82%) executives indicate that they plan to reduce supply chain reliance on China, a significant increase from 58% in 2024. Organizations surveyed have instead targeted reindustrialization destinations in North America, UK, Mexico, Vietnam, India and North Africa.

    Advanced technologies to accelerate reindustrialization while driving innovation and reducing costs
    Most organizations (62%) are focusing on upgrading manufacturing facilities to make them smart and tech enabled. Over half of them have realized more than 20% cost savings through digital technologies in their reindustrialization efforts and a large majority (84%) plan to invest in advanced manufacturing technologies to further reduce costs.

    More than 6 in 10 organizations are looking at critical technologies like data and analytics and AI/Machine Learning to support reindustrialization in the next three years. Organizations are also considering emerging technologies such as Gen AI and 5G & Edge computing; blockchain and digital twins; and quantum technologies.

    In addition, nearly three quarters (73%) of organizations foresee that reindustrialization will help catalyze a shift toward sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing practices, a significant increase from 56% in 2024.

    To read the full report: LINK

    Report Methodology
    During January 1-20, 2025, the Capgemini Research Institute surveyed 1,401 executives employed at organizations with more than $1 billion in annual revenue, across the US, the UK, and continental Europe (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordics, and Spain). Organizations surveyed operate across 13 key industrial and manufacturing industries. Executives surveyed were at director level and work across diverse business, technology, and manufacturing-related functions. The Capgemini Research Institute also interviewed supply chain and manufacturing executives and experts at large organizations globally.

    About Capgemini
    Capgemini is a global business and technology transformation partner, helping organizations to accelerate their dual transition to a digital and sustainable world, while creating tangible impact for enterprises and society. It is a responsible and diverse group of 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong over 55-year heritage, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to unlock the value of technology to address the entire breadth of their business needs. It delivers end-to-end services and solutions leveraging strengths from strategy and design to engineering, all fueled by its market leading capabilities in AI, generative AI, cloud and data, combined with its deep industry expertise and partner ecosystem. The Group reported 2024 global revenues of €22.1 billion.

    Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

    About the Capgemini Research Institute
    The Capgemini Research Institute is Capgemini’s in-house think-tank on all things digital. The Institute publishes research on the impact of digital technologies on large traditional businesses. The team draws on the worldwide network of Capgemini experts and works closely with academic and technology partners. The Institute has dedicated research centers in India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was ranked #1 in the world for the quality of its research by independent analysts for six consecutive times – an industry first.

    Visit us at https://www.capgemini.com/researchinstitute/

    1 In this research, reshoring is defined as bringing manufacturing/production back to the domestic market/country of headquarters. Nearshoring is defined as moving manufacturing/production to a nearby or neighboring country. Friendshoring is a growing trade practice where supply chain networks are focused on countries regarded as political and economic allies, to further reduce risk exposure.

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Expands Its Smart Laundry Offerings With Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo

    Source: Samsung

    ▲ Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo_Dark Steel
     
    Samsung Electronics today announced the addition of the Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo1 — an All-in-One Washer and Electric Dryer with a 7-inch AI Home touchscreen – to its lineup of Bespoke AI Laundry appliances. The combined unit eliminates the need to transfer laundry between washing and drying, while also bringing fast drying performance and intelligent functionality that makes laundry remarkably convenient.
     
    Samsung has continued to innovate in the laundry room to offer consumers a wide array of washer and dryer models for spaces of all sizes and layouts. The Bespoke AI Laundry Ventless Combo was a standout in 2024, as it raised the bar for all-in-one washer-dryers by eliminating the common performance sacrifices associated with the format. The new Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo builds on its innovation and success, giving consumers another stylish and convenient space-saving option.
     
    “At Samsung, our mission is to create smart home solutions that make life easier, more efficient and more sustainable, elevating home space to the next level in both performance and style,” said Jeong Seung Moon, EVP and Head of R&D Team for Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “The Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo brings exceptional time-saving efficiency to the laundry room in a compact all-in-one solution.”
     
     
    Convenient, Time Saving Functionality
    ▲ Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo_SuperSpeed
     
    The Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo is a powerful model that washes and dries clothes completely in a single machine in just 68 minutes2 when using the Super Speed cycle. Its roomy 5.3 cu. ft. Ultra Capacity drum lets users do more laundry in a single load, and its vented design uses the internal heater and fan to move hot air through clothes and vent out moisture, ensuring clothes are always dried quickly and thoroughly. For even more convenience, the Vented Combo can simply swap out the currently installed washer and electric vented dryer.
     
    And with Samsung’s AI Bubble technology, users can enjoy clean clothes, cycle after cycle. Water, air and detergent combine to create a cleansing foam that seeps into fabrics for an effective wash. To tackle tough stains without spending time pretreating them, the Steam Wash cycle comes into action. The drum releases steam to thoroughly saturate every item in the load and ensure an effective deep clean.
     
     
    Effortless Operation
    ▲ Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo_Lifestyle
     
    Like the other products in Samsung’s Bespoke AI Laundry lineup, the Vented Combo automates the process of washing and drying clothes, streamlining laundry routine and making it faster, easier experiences. Its intuitive 7-inch AI Home display is simple to use and gives a quick access to the Combo’s settings for effortless operation. And for those busy moments when the user is multi-tasking or has their hands full, convenient Voice Control capabilities let them give commands to turn the Combo on or off, access settings and more.3
     

    Samsung’s AI Opti Wash & Dry technology uses powerful AI sensors to detect soil levels and fabrics, automatically adjusting settings as needed during the cycle to deliver a better wash and dry.4 For added convenience, the Flex Auto Dispense System automatically dispenses up to 47 loads5 of detergent — or users can choose to split the compartment, so it dispenses up to 34 loads of fabric softener and 25 loads of detergent. And when the clothes are finished drying, the Auto Open Door pops open, allowing leftover moisture to evaporate, preventing unpleasant, musty odor so clothes are fresh and dry when taken out.

     
    And with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, users can also get end-of-cycle alerts and remotely start, stop or delay the Combo from their mobile phone, using the SmartThings app.6
     

    Innovations To Improve Energy Efficiency
    ▲ Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo_Lifestyle1
     
    The Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo is engineered for seamless sustainable living. As an ENERGY STAR® Certified washer-dryer, it has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for delivering energy efficiency along with the latest in technological innovation.7
     
    SmartThings Energy allows them to monitor power consumption and estimate their monthly electricity bill for improved control over their energy usage.8 They can also turn on AI Energy Mode9 to have the Vented Combo automatically optimize its energy consumption and reduce usage by up to 30%.10 The Vented Combo is also equipped with Samsung’s Less Microfiber cycle setting, which allows users to gently clean synthetic textiles while reducing 39% of microfibers released into the ocean.11

     

    Availability and Pre-Orders
    Samsung’s Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo comes in two premium colors — Dark Steel and Brushed Black for the U.S. consumers. Only the Brushed Black is available in Canada and the Dark Steel in Mexico. For those who prefer the ventless version, the Bespoke AI Laundry Ventless Combo with Heat Pump is available in Dark Steel.
     
    The Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo is now available for pre-order in the U.S. and will be available in Canada and Mexico in 2Q of 2025.
     
     
    1 Among 27″ combo washer/dryers. Sold only in USA, Canada and Mexico.2 Based on using a Super Speed cycle only with a 10 lb. DOE load (cotton 50% + polyester 50%). Individual results may vary based on actual load content.3 Available on Android and iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required. Bixby availability may vary depending on the country. Bixby only recognizes certain accents and dialects of English (U.K.), English (U.S.), English (India), French (France), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Korean (South Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain) and Portuguese (Brazil).4 Fabric sensing operates for 8 lbs (3.6kg) and under. Based on AI algorithm using IEC 8 lbs (3.6kg) load. To prevent wear, wash like fabrics together. Results may vary.5 Expected number of loads: Detergent compartment can hold general detergent for up to 25 loads. Flex compartment can hold one of the following: softener for up to 34 loads, general detergent for up to 22 loads or specialty detergent for up to 29 loads. Actual results may vary depending on individual use.6 Available on Android and iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required.7 Visit www.energystar.gov for more information on ENERGY STAR® guidelines.8 Available on Android and iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required.9 Can be applied on Towels, AI Opti Wash & Dry , Heavy Duty, Super Speed, Small Load cycle only when the selected washing temperature is ‘hot.’ Applicable to wash only.10 Based on internal testing with IEC 8lbs. (3.6kg) load except for Small Load cycle [IEC 4lbs. (1.8kg) load]. Results may vary depending on the actual usage conditions.11 Based on testing by the Ocean Wise Plastics Lab using a 2kg load of 100% polyester hoodies, comparing the Synthetics cycle on a Samsung conventional model 27″ washing machine with US design and the Less Microfiber cycle. Results may vary depending on the actual clothes and usage conditions. Applicable to wash only.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Electronics Unveils ‘AI Home’ Vision at Welcome to Bespoke AI Event

    Source: Samsung

     
    Samsung Electronics unveiled its refreshed “AI Home” vision and innovative appliance lineup at its global launch event, Welcome to Bespoke AI, in Seoul, Korea. With a focus on providing a more secure and intuitive user experience, the company introduced an AI Home experience, showcasing advanced AI features and a wider range of screen-enabled appliances.
     
    Jeong Seung Moon, EVP and Head of the R&D Team for Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics, opened the global press conference by introducing the company’s vision for creating an AI Home that harmoniously connects various devices and, as a result, caters to user needs in every room of the home.
     
    “Through our Bespoke AI appliances, Samsung has brought an AI Home to life that not only enhances everyday convenience but also enables energy savings and care,” said Jeong Seung Moon. “We will continue to expand the advanced AI Home to more households, leveraging smart screens, Bixby and Knox security.”
     

    The 2025 Bespoke AI Appliance Lineup
    ▲ Samsung unveiled the new Bespoke AI appliances for 2025.
     
    During the event, Samsung introduced its Bespoke AI appliances for 2025, which bring new and innovative functionalities to solve users’ difficult problems.
     
    At the heart of the company’s vision is the AI Home display.1 Built upon the innovation of the first introduction of the AI Home display last year, the AI Home with new size options has been expanded to a broad range of new products, such as Bespoke AI Refrigerators, the Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo, Washers and Dryers.2

     
    The 9-inch AI Home screen on the Bespoke AI Refrigerator lineup increases consumers’ options by offering a similar experience to what’s available on the larger AI Family Hub screen. With the upgraded AI Vision Inside,3 food management has been enhanced with new features such as automatic recognition of processed food items,4 for models with the AI Family Hub and those with the AI Home. Through the 7-inch AI Home in the Bespoke AI Laundry, users can intuitively control the washing and drying cycles, as well as monitor and control other connected devices.5
     

    Moreover, the new Bespoke AI appliances bring enhanced features that adapt to consumer needs. For example, the Bespoke AI Hybrid Refrigerator utilizes AI to efficiently cool the inside of the fridge, detecting its current status and predicting internal temperature changes to effectively adapt cooling.
     
    The Bespoke AI Laundry includes new functions to enhance consumer convenience, with new standalone models that have upgraded AI Wash and AI Dry to AI Wash+ and AI Dry+,6 as well as models to be launched in Europe, using up to 55% less energy than class A minimum requirements for the washer.7 Also, Samsung unveiled the new Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo, which is the first ever vented combo in its class.8 It significantly reduces drying time, finishing both washing and drying in 68 minutes with its Super Speed cycle.

     
    Samsung is continuing to innovate its vacuum cleaner lineup, as well. The cordless stick vacuum cleaner, the Bespoke AI Jet Ultra, will be launched with the world’s most powerful9 suction power of up to 400W.10 The upgraded AI Cleaning Mode 2.011 classifies more diverse environments12 like corners13 and the type of carpets14 for improved cleaning performance.

     
    Samsung also revealed the Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra.15 Not only is the robot vacuum cleaner designed to climb thresholds, but it is also enhanced with AI Object Recognition for complex environments,16 which can recognize obstacles as small as 1cm, and even transparent liquids17 for better cleaning results. And when it encounters corners or walls, the brush pops out, allowing it to clean areas that can be difficult for typical robot vacuum cleaners to deal with.

     
     
    Samsung Home Appliances Bring Easy To Use, Care and Saving to Consumers
    Samsung elaborated further on its “AI Home” vision and its commitment to integrating AI across the connected experience to cater to diverse lifestyles — through the core benefits of Easy to Use, Care and Saving.
     
    Thanks to the adoption of the AI Home display, users will find it easier than ever to engage with the full functionality of their Bespoke AI appliances. The smart screen is now an even better central control hub, even connecting third party devices through SmartThings without the need for a separate hub device.18 Users can also utilize features like the refrigerators’ Daily Board to receive personalized information and better manage their day — or use Map View to effortlessly monitor and control other connected devices.

     
    The upgraded Bixby allows for easier control of appliances through voice commands and enhances usability through new features like Voice ID.19 It personalizes services by recognizing the user’s voice, automatically switching to the Samsung account of the speaker and showing their calendar on the screen. And if that person also uses the low vision option on their Galaxy smartphone, it will be automatically synced to the screen for a better viewing experience.
     
    New SmartThings services were also introduced during the event, including Family Care,20 which sends an alert to other family members if a user’s movement is not detected at the set time — or if there is no activity for a certain amount of time after the last activity. It is also possible to use the robot vacuum cleaner to look for signs of an emergency, with all of this functionality being tightly secured by Samsung Knox.
     
     
    Continued Efforts To Deliver Reliable Experiences
    To complete its “AI Home” vision for 2025, Samsung shone a light on how it is pushing the boundaries of innovation, prioritizing a trusted experience for users.
     
    First, Samsung will apply enhanced Knox security to devices across the lineup so that users will be able to enjoy their AI Home experience with peace of mind. This year in particular, Trust Chain, which is part of Knox Matrix, is applied to all Wi-Fi enabled appliances launching in 2025. Users can continuously monitor products’ security status in real time through the dashboard.21
     
    Knox Vault is also applied to home appliances for the first time,22 storing particularly sensitive user information, such as passwords and authentication information, in a separate hardware chip to ensure protection. Furthermore, to protect against the potential of future quantum attacks, Samsung’s security is also equipped with post-quantum cryptography (PQC), a part of Knox Matrix Credential Sync, for its screen-applied products.23

     
    Another key priority for Samsung is making sure that customers can use the latest software features on their existing appliances without buying new ones. With Smart Forward,24 the software update service through SmartThings, Samsung continuously updates its appliances with new features to enhance the consumer experience.
     
    Samsung is also actively improving product maintenance. SmartThings Home Care utilizes AI to diagnose each appliance’s status, and if signs of malfunction are detected, it sends a notification in advance. In addition, a technical support representative can provide guidance on remote measures based on pre-diagnosis results.25 This support feature has already expanded to more countries, including France, Netherlands and Canada, following Korea and the United States.
     
    By integrating all of these wide-ranging initiatives, Samsung aims to create safer and more reliable smart home experiences that users can enjoy with comfort and peace of mind.
     
    ▲ Samsung DA held a global event to unveil its vision and new products.
     
     
    1 AI Home display refers to the 7″ or 9″ LCD screen on the product. Does not mean all services available on the AI Home are AI or generate information or outcome using AI. Certain functions accessible through the AI Home utilize AI-based algorithms, which can be updated periodically to improve accuracy. AI-based algorithms may generate incomplete or incorrect information.2 AI Home is available on select models, and its availability may vary by region.3 Available on select T-Type and French Door refrigerator models. As of April 2025, AI Vision Inside can recognize 37 food items like fresh fruits and veggies. If the food is not recognizable, it may be listed as an unknown item. AI Vision Inside cannot identify or list any food items in the fridge door bins or freezer. It recognizes food items based on deep learning models, which may be updated periodically to improve accuracy.4 AI Vision Inside will recognize and recommend that users save processed food items that have been placed inside multiple times, allowing up to 50 items to be saved with the designated name. Processed foods are limited to those that keep a certain packaged form. AI Home recommends saving the item after it has been input more than 4 times during 30 days.5 A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required. Third-party devices must be SmartThings compatible.6 Based on an advanced AI-created algorithm. It may not detect certain fabrics or accurately identify them when a load includes a mixture of different fabric types. To prevent wear, wash like fabrics together. For US, the names of features are applied differently; AI OptiWash and AI OptiDry to AI OptiWash+ and AI OptiDry+.7 Based on Samsung internal testing. The energy consumption of this 9KG model is EEI 21.8, which is 55% more energy efficient compared to the minimum threshold of energy efficiency class A (EEI 52 for 9KG models). Energy ratings tested with Eco 40-60 program, 55% savings tested with Eco 40-60 program.8 Among 27” vented washer/dryers. Sold only in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.9 Based on testing by SLG Prüf- und Zertifizierungs GmbH, in accordance with the IEC 62885-4 Cl.5.8 standard, using a handheld type vacuum cleaner (with no brush) in Jet mode. The results were compared to cordless stick vacuum models available on the market with a stated suction power within 30% of the actual suction power of the Samsung model tested by SLG. Based on sales data between January 2024 and December 2024 as compiled by an independent market research institute.10 Based on testing by SLG Prüf- und Zertifizierungs GmbH, in accordance with the IEC 62885-4 Cl.5.8 standard. Measured at the inlet of the non-motorized tool when the dustbin is empty, using Jet Mode and a large capacity battery that is fully charged. Lasts up to 1 min.11 The updated functions of AI Cleaning Mode 2.0 can be activated after registering the stick vacuum cleaner on the SmartThings App. The operation of AI Cleaning mode 2.0 may be limited in certain environments, such as when the All-in-one Clean Station is unplugged or Wi-Fi connection is unstable or the Bluetooth connection status between the stick vacuum cleaner and the All-in-one Clean Station is unstable. If AI Cleaning mode 2.0 does not work frequently, please move the All-in-one Clean Station to a space without obstacles nearby. To enable continuous function updates, keep Wi-Fi on in the house on at all times.12 The ability to identify different cleaning environments and the time it takes to change the settings can be affected by environmental conditions.13 When used with Slim LED Brush+. Corner and floor-wall joint detection only operates in hard floor environments. “Corner” refers to the area where two flat and closed walls meet. The suction power increases about 2-3.5 seconds after the brush is pressed against the wall. If the brush contacts only one side of the corner or if there is a gap in the corner, it may not be recognized as a corner, and the recognition accuracy and reaction speed may vary depending on the wall shape and actual usage environment.14 When used with Active Dual Brush.15 Product features are still in development and may change. It does not guarantee final specifications.16 Based on our deep learning model trained using a predefined set of data and may yield incomplete or incorrect information. New datasets may be introduced to our learning model from time to time to enhance its accuracy.17 A liquid spill is defined as having a size of 7cm x 7cm or larger. Identification may be affected by the size of the stain or the environmental conditions of the floor, such as the floor pattern.18 Available in the refrigerators’ 32” AI Family Hub and/or 9” AI Home. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required. All products must be connected to SmartThings. Only 3rd party devices that are compatible with SmartThings can be registered.19 Bixby availability may vary depending on the country. Bixby only recognizes certain accents and dialects of English (U.K.), English (U.S.), English (India), French (France), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Korean (South Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain) and Portuguese (Brazil). Voice ID will be available starting May of 2025 through Smart Forward update. Launch date may differ according to region and country. Bixby activated Samsung Account is required. Up to six accounts can be registered per device. To increase the accuracy of identifying each voice, it is recommended for you to register your voice in quiet surroundings. Voice ID is done based on the tone of voice used during registration process. Any change or modification to your voice may lead to misidentification.20 Appliance must support Wi-Fi and connect to SmartThings to activate service. Users can activate the service on the SmartThings.21 Trust Chain Dashboard is applied to appliances with 7-inch or 9-inch AI Home, and AI Family Hub screen launching in 2025.22 Knox Vault is applied to Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra and appliances with 7-inch or 9-inch AI Home, and AI Family Hub screen launching in 2025, except Bespoke AI Oven.23 PQC is applied to appliances with 7-inch or 9-inch AI Home, and AI Family Hub screen launching in 2025, except Bespoke AI Oven.24 Smart Forward updates are available for software only, and for models released after 2017 that are equipped with standardized OCF protocol. Adequate hardware specifications may be required for certain updates. Available on Android and iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required.25 Applicable to appliances launched after 2018 and is supported on models with standardized OCF protocol released from 2018 onward. Supported features may vary according to region and country. Appliance must support Wi-Fi and connect to SmartThings to activate service.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected ketamine worth about $50 million at airport (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    ​Hong Kong Customs detected two drug trafficking cases involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport over the past two days (March 29 and 30) and seized a total of about 102 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $50 million.
     
    The first case involved two female passengers, both aged 23, who arrived in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany, on March 29. During customs clearance, Customs officers found about 81kg of suspected ketamine inside their check-in suitcases. They were subsequently arrested. The arrested persons have been jointly charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug.
     
    In the second case, a 27-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, yesterday (March 30). Customs officers seized about 21kg of suspected ketamine from her checked-in suitcase during customs clearance. The woman was subsequently arrested.
     
    The two cases will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (April 1).
     
    Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
     
    Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
     
    Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
     
    Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hosting the UN climate summit is far from ‘madness’ – here’s how Australia stands to benefit

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney

    Opposition Leader Peter Dutton would withdraw Australia’s bid to co-host next year’s global climate summit if the Coalition wins the federal election.

    Australia has lobbied hard for the right to host the talks, known as COP31, in conjunction with Pacific nations. Australia has emerged as a leading contender, and has the backing of most countries in its United Nations grouping, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and New Zealand.

    However, Dutton on Sunday described the idea of hosting the UN climate conference as “not something we are supporting — it is madness”. He also falsely claimed it would cost Australia “tens of billions” of dollars to host the event.

    Australia would reap big benefits by hosting the high-profile global talks. It would likely attract considerable investment in renewables and clean energy export industries, and strengthen Australia’s national security during a time of increasing geo-strategic competition in the Pacific. To pull out now would be a costly move.

    Decison deferred until June

    The decision on who will host COP31 in 2026 was expected at last year’s summit in Azerbaijan. But it was deferred until June this year – after Australia’s next federal election.

    Hosting rights are shared between five UN country groupings on a rotational basis. The final decision is made by consensus.

    Australia’s bid to host with Pacific nations has considerable support. But Turkey, the only other country in the running to host COP31, has so far resisted lobbying efforts to persuade it to drop out.

    An economic boost for Australia

    Hosting the UN climate talks is a massive economic opportunity for Australia.

    COP31 would be one of the biggest diplomatic summits Australia has ever hosted. Tens of thousands of people could be expected for a fortnight of negotiations, with satellite events held across the nation and the Pacific.

    Adelaide is in the box seat to play host. The South Australian government estimated hosting the UN talks could generate more than A$500 million for the state. But economic benefits would be much wider, and longer-lasting, than tourism receipts from those attending. The talks are a chance to attract investment for Australia’s energy transition and for clean energy industries of the future, including critical minerals and green iron.

    The UK government’s assessment of the value of hosting the UN climate summit in Glasgow in 2021 found the net economic benefit was double that spent – around A$1 billion. That includes benefits from trade deals and foreign investment. With abundant critical minerals, and excellent wind and solar resources, Australia has even more to gain.

    Hosting the world’s largest climate summit is a chance to attract the investment needed to replace ageing and unreliable coal-fired power stations. According to the Clean Energy Investor Group, which represents the capital behind large-scale renewables, more than 70% of the investment in clean energy comes from international sources.

    Dutton says he plans to replace coal with nuclear power (and to rely on gas until nuclear plants are built decades from now). The Coalition’s nuclear plan would require hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer support.

    Securing our place in the Pacific

    Working with Pacific nations to address climate change is key to Australian national security.

    Australia aims to be the security partner of choice for Pacific island countries. And Pacific island countries are crystal clear: climate change is their “single greatest threat”.

    In 2022, Solomon Islands signed a security deal with China, which raised the prospect of a potential Chinese naval base in Australia’s maritime approaches. Foreign Minister Penny Wong – who was in opposition at the time – described it as the worst foreign policy blunder in the Pacific since the end of WWII.

    The Albanese government has looked to cement Australia’s place in the Pacific by working with island nations to address climate change. In July 2022, Albanese joined Pacific leaders to declare a Pacific climate emergency and launched bid to co-host a UN climate summit with Pacific nations. In 2023, Australia signed a climate migration deal with Tuvalu that also prevents Tuvalu from pursuing a security deal with China.

    Pacific leaders have welcomed Australia’s plans to host the UN climate talks and have agreed to work together to advocate for the joint bid. Walking away now could do real damage to Australian strategy in the region.

    Embracing our clean energy future

    Hosting COP31 is a chance to set up Australia’s economy of tomorrow, signalling the shift from fossil fuel heavyweight to clean energy superpower.

    Australia is leading the clean energy transition. This is a story to tell the world. One in three households have rooftop solar. Already 40% of the main national power grid is powered by wind, solar and storage. We are on track for 80% renewables by 2030.

    South Australia is moving even faster, set for 100% clean electricity by 2027. Hosting COP31 in the state is also a chance to showcase clean energy export industries, especially plans to produce green iron and green steel at the Whyalla steelworks.

    Australia is the world’s largest exporter of raw iron ore, but is well positioned to export more-valuable, and lower-polluting, green iron to major economies in our region. The potential export value of green iron is estimated to be $295 billion a year, or three times the current value of iron ore exports.

    More broadly, our clean energy exports – including green metals, green fertilisers and green fuels – could be worth six to eight times more than our fossil fuel exports.

    Walking away from the chance to host the world and showcase our clean energy future would be costly indeed.

    Wesley Morgan is a fellow with the Climate Council of Australia

    – ref. Hosting the UN climate summit is far from ‘madness’ – here’s how Australia stands to benefit – https://theconversation.com/hosting-the-un-climate-summit-is-far-from-madness-heres-how-australia-stands-to-benefit-253423

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Dutton says it would cost too much to host UN climate summit, but pulling out would cost Australia even more

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney

    Opposition Leader Peter Dutton would withdraw Australia’s bid to co-host next year’s global climate summit if the Coalition wins the federal election.

    Australia has lobbied hard for the right to host the talks, known as COP31, in conjunction with Pacific nations. Australia has emerged as a leading contender, and has the backing of most countries in its United Nations grouping, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and New Zealand.

    However, Dutton on Sunday described the idea of hosting the UN climate conference as “not something we are supporting — it is madness”. He also falsely claimed it would cost Australia “tens of billions” of dollars to host the event.

    Australia would reap big benefits by hosting the high-profile global talks. It would likely attract considerable investment in renewables and clean energy export industries, and strengthen Australia’s national security during a time of increasing geo-strategic competition in the Pacific. To pull out now would be a costly move.

    Decison deferred until June

    The decision on who will host COP31 in 2026 was expected at last year’s summit in Azerbaijan. But it was deferred until June this year – after Australia’s next federal election.

    Hosting rights are shared between five UN country groupings on a rotational basis. The final decision is made by consensus.

    Australia’s bid to host with Pacific nations has considerable support. But Turkey, the only other country in the running to host COP31, has so far resisted lobbying efforts to persuade it to drop out.

    An economic boost for Australia

    Hosting the UN climate talks is a massive economic opportunity for Australia.

    COP31 would be one of the biggest diplomatic summits Australia has ever hosted. Tens of thousands of people could be expected for a fortnight of negotiations, with satellite events held across the nation and the Pacific.

    Adelaide is in the box seat to play host. The South Australian government estimated hosting the UN talks could generate more than A$500 million for the state. But economic benefits would be much wider, and longer-lasting, than tourism receipts from those attending. The talks are a chance to attract investment for Australia’s energy transition and for clean energy industries of the future, including critical minerals and green iron.

    The UK government’s assessment of the value of hosting the UN climate summit in Glasgow in 2021 found the net economic benefit was double that spent – around A$1 billion. That includes benefits from trade deals and foreign investment. With abundant critical minerals, and excellent wind and solar resources, Australia has even more to gain.

    Hosting the world’s largest climate summit is a chance to attract the investment needed to replace ageing and unreliable coal-fired power stations. According to the Clean Energy Investor Group, which represents the capital behind large-scale renewables, more than 70% of the investment in clean energy comes from international sources.

    Dutton says he plans to replace coal with nuclear power (and to rely on gas until nuclear plants are built decades from now). The Coalition’s nuclear plan would require hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer support.

    Securing our place in the Pacific

    Working with Pacific nations to address climate change is key to Australian national security.

    Australia aims to be the security partner of choice for Pacific island countries. And Pacific island countries are crystal clear: climate change is their “single greatest threat”.

    In 2022, Solomon Islands signed a security deal with China, which raised the prospect of a potential Chinese naval base in Australia’s maritime approaches. Foreign Minister Penny Wong – who was in opposition at the time – described it as the worst foreign policy blunder in the Pacific since the end of WWII.

    The Albanese government has looked to cement Australia’s place in the Pacific by working with island nations to address climate change. In July 2022, Albanese joined Pacific leaders to declare a Pacific climate emergency and launched bid to co-host a UN climate summit with Pacific nations. In 2023, Australia signed a climate migration deal with Tuvalu that also prevents Tuvalu from pursuing a security deal with China.

    Pacific leaders have welcomed Australia’s plans to host the UN climate talks and have agreed to work together to advocate for the joint bid. Walking away now could do real damage to Australian strategy in the region.

    Embracing our clean energy future

    Hosting COP31 is a chance to set up Australia’s economy of tomorrow, signalling the shift from fossil fuel heavyweight to clean energy superpower.

    Australia is leading the clean energy transition. This is a story to tell the world. One in three households have rooftop solar. Already 40% of the main national power grid is powered by wind, solar and storage. We are on track for 80% renewables by 2030.

    South Australia is moving even faster, set for 100% clean electricity by 2027. Hosting COP31 in the state is also a chance to showcase clean energy export industries, especially plans to produce green iron and green steel at the Whyalla steelworks.

    Australia is the world’s largest exporter of raw iron ore, but is well positioned to export more-valuable, and lower-polluting, green iron to major economies in our region. The potential export value of green iron is estimated to be $295 billion a year, or three times the current value of iron ore exports.

    More broadly, our clean energy exports – including green metals, green fertilisers and green fuels – could be worth six to eight times more than our fossil fuel exports.

    Walking away from the chance to host the world and showcase our clean energy future would be costly indeed.

    Wesley Morgan is a fellow with the Climate Council of Australia

    – ref. Dutton says it would cost too much to host UN climate summit, but pulling out would cost Australia even more – https://theconversation.com/dutton-says-it-would-cost-too-much-to-host-un-climate-summit-but-pulling-out-would-cost-australia-even-more-253423

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In Ancient Greece and Rome, who were the harpies, and why did they stink so much?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kitty Smith, PhD Candidate in Classical Greek and Roman History, University of Sydney

    Krikkiat / Shutterstock.com

    Once yelled at women seen to be pestering or annoying – or at feminists questioning and threatening the status quo – “harpy” has long been used as a derogatory term targeting women.

    But have you ever wondered what a harpy was in the first place?

    Much like similar derogatory titles “siren” and “fury”, the term “harpy” is derived from a group of monstrous female figures from ancient Greek and Roman mythology.

    This picture depicts the harpies being driven from the table of King Phineus, a story told in the Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes, in which Jason and the Argonauts search for the golden fleece.
    The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Rogers Fund, 1967

    Who were the harpies?

    In Greek and Roman myth, the harpies were a group of animal-human hybrid monsters on par with other such mythological creatures like the sirens, the sphinx, and the centaurs.

    Harpies were commonly imagined as an amalgam of a bird’s body, such as wings and claws, with a woman’s head.

    The ancient story of the Aeneid, by Latin poet Virgil, describes the story’s hero Aeneas encountering harpies on his quest to found Rome, saying:

    Maiden faces have these birds, foulest filth they drop, clawed hands are theirs, and faces ever gaunt with hunger.

    This description matches a common design from Greek and Roman art of birds with women’s heads.

    In Greco-Roman myth, the harpies were typically tasked with meting out justice on behalf of Zeus and other gods by using their great speed from their wings and sharp talons.

    The importance of their claws was likely a result of their name, which was derived from the Ancient Greek word for “snatching” (ἁρπάζω or harpazdo).

    As was common of many mythological figures with hybrid features, the way their animal features were portrayed tended to vary across different media (art or literature), different narrative purposes, and over time.

    Sometimes the claws were emphasised; other times it was their supernaturally swift wings and voracious hunger.

    Harpies were also a common motif in many parts of the Muslim world. This roughly 12th Century statue is from modern-day Iran.
    The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Cora Timken Burnett Collection of Persian Miniatures and Other Persian Art Objects, Bequest of Cora Timken Burnett, 1956

    Enforcers of swift justice

    The harpies were not nice people. They existed in myth to dish out punishments from the gods.

    Their primary target? Phineus, a seer and king of Salmydessus in Thrace, a city believed to have been located on the Western coast of the Black Sea near the modern day Turkish town of Kıyıköy.

    His story is told in the Argonautica by ancient Greek author Apollonius of Rhodes. This tale centres on the journey of Jason and the Argonauts in search of the golden fleece.

    In the story, Phineus is said to have abused his powers as a seer by sharing too many of the gods’ secrets with mortals.

    This was among the most egregious of crimes in the eyes of the gods, so an especially awful punishment was decided upon.

    Phineus was blinded and given the dubious gift of immortality while still allowed to age endlessly. And worst of all, he was set upon by the harpies.

    Every time Phineus picked up and tried to eat food, the harpies would burst out from the clouds, moving as fast as lightning, and

    with their crooked beaks incessantly snatched the food away from his mouth and hands.

    The harpies brought a further gift for Phineus: their smell. This supernaturally “intolerable stench” could putrefy food, so any scraps the harpies didn’t grab were left rotting on the table. You couldn’t even stand near it, “so foully reeked the remnants of the meal”.

    And while the harpies swooped in and out in seconds, their smell stuck to the rotting food (and probably poor Phineus).

    Some ancient poets add a little extra zest and disgust by also suggesting the harpies may have been defecating on the food, and presumably Phineus.

    Most notable is Virgil in his text the Aeneid who wrote about “foedissima ventris proluvies”, meaning:

    the foulest discharges from their bellies.

    This was likely an exaggeration of their bird-like qualities, used to emphasise how disgusting and monstrous they were.

    Phineus was eventually given a reprieve from the harpies, by order of Zeus, so he could help the hero Jason on his quest for the golden fleece.

    Having completed their job, the harpies then flew to Crete to live in a cave far away from annoying mortals – only being disturbed once by Aeneas on his meandering path to Rome.

    The story of Phineus helped harpies become a metaphor for greed.

    Those compared to harpies could include greedy house-guests overstaying their welcome, people living extravagantly or frivolously, or even family members taking advantage of wealthy relatives.

    Although the harpies were female monsters, the term was not exclusively applied to women, but used to describe groups of greedy people.

    Harpies were often associated with greed. In this Renaissance painting, part of a series depicting the Seven Deadly Sins, a harpy-drawn chariot is being used by Gluttony (who has wings, carries a jug and and wears wine leaves in her hair).
    The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Frederic R. Coudert Jr., in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh A. Murray, 1957.

    Harpies today

    Happily, today the title of “harpy” is falling out of favour as a derogatory term. But the hordes of monstrous, snatching, winged women live on in modern books, games, comics, movies and TV shows.

    From video games with swathes of harpy-like creatures snatching and clawing at the protagonist, like the 2020 video game Hades, to characters in stories inspired by Greek and Roman myth, the harpies are sticking around – like a bad smell.

    Kitty Smith is a member of the Australian Society for Classical Studies.

    – ref. In Ancient Greece and Rome, who were the harpies, and why did they stink so much? – https://theconversation.com/in-ancient-greece-and-rome-who-were-the-harpies-and-why-did-they-stink-so-much-249722

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Foreign auto brands seize growth opportunities in China

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    An increasing number of foreign-funded enterprises are seizing development opportunities in China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) sector by boosting investment, expanding their market presence, and advancing projects, research and cooperation.

    The global automotive industry’s shift from internal combustion vehicles to NEVs has opened new opportunities for both China and Germany, said Helmut Stettner, CEO of Audi FAW NEV Co., Ltd.

    “We see that the switch to electric mobility is accelerating in China, especially in the premium market. Despite some challenges, it continues to offer significant growth potential for Audi. We want to and will participate in this development,” he added.

    In March, German carmaker BMW partnered with Chinese tech giant Huawei to develop an in-car digital ecosystem specifically tailored for the Chinese market. Tesla’s Megafactory in east China’s Shanghai, the first of its kind built by Tesla outside the United States, also exported its first batch of Megapack energy-storage batteries this month.

    “China’s NEV market holds immense potential, continuously improving business environment and complete, efficient industrial and supply chains, which are the key factors driving foreign auto companies to invest and deepen their presence in the Chinese market,” said Gao Yuning, deputy dean of School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University.

    In 2024, China’s production and sales of NEVs both exceeded 12 million units, solidifying the country’s leading position in the global market. China has established a comprehensive industrial chain, supplying 70 percent of the world’s battery materials and 60 percent of power batteries.

    In recent years, the Chinese government has created a favorable development environment for the NEV market through policies and measures such as purchase subsidies, extensive charging infrastructure, and the construction of intelligent connected vehicle demonstration zones.

    Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that over 60 percent of vehicles purchased under the automobile replacement and renewal subsidy policy in 2024 were NEVs. As of Dec. 19, 2024, foreign brands accounted for more than 35 percent of the vehicles purchased through the policy.

    The open-mindedness of Chinese consumers toward new technologies and innovation, coupled with their focus on intelligent networking technology, has created new avenues for reform and business opportunities for foreign car companies.

    According to a Tesla salesperson in Changchun, northeast China’s Jilin Province, in the past, customers paid more attention to cruising range and cost performance, but now they look at the intelligent configuration of vehicles, such as smart cockpits and automatic parking.

    An increasing number of foreign car companies in China believe that developing new models tailored to the Chinese market is key to their future success. They are focusing on integrating smart driving, car networking and green solutions that align with the preferences and habits of Chinese consumers to achieve market breakthroughs.

    Among them, Volkswagen Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China’s First Automobile Works (FAW) in March to introduce 11 new models specifically tailored for the Chinese market, starting in 2026.

    “Our enduring partnership with FAW is a strong pillar of our success in China. Aligned with our ‘In China, for China’ strategy, we are further advancing FAW-VW’s product portfolio covering all powertrains, with a strong focus on NEVs, to meet evolving customer needs,” said Ralf Brandstaetter, chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China.

    The steady development of the Chinese economy and China’s continuous high-level opening-up are the biggest sources of confidence for foreign investment to boost their presence in China, Gao Yuning said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Rocket crashes after liftoff in Europe’s 1st mainland commercial orbital launch

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A German-built rocket launched from Norway’s Andoya Spaceport crashed and exploded shortly after liftoff on Sunday, marking the first commercial orbital launch from mainland Europe.

    The Spectrum rocket, developed by German startup Isar Aerospace, lifted off at 12:30 p.m. local time (1030 GMT). Around 30 seconds into the flight, it began to tilt before falling back to the ground and exploding. A loud bang was heard during the live broadcast of the event, and video footage showed the 28-meter-tall, 50-ton rocket crashing near the launch pad at Nordmela on the island of Andoya.

    No injuries were reported. Andoya Space, which operates the launch facility, said a crisis team had been activated and it was working closely with emergency services and Isar Aerospace to assess the situation. “Safety during operational activities is Andoya Spaceport’s highest priority,” the company said in a press release.

    The launch had faced several previous delays due to adverse weather conditions. Both Andoya Space and Isar Aerospace said they will provide updates as more information becomes available.

    Following the crash, Isar Aerospace issued a statement, saying that the launch had met its set goals and “the launch vehicle fell into the sea in a controlled manner.”

    “Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success,” said Daniel Metzler, CEO and Co-founder of Isar Aerospace. He emphasized that the mission provided important data and experience for future flights.

    “Now it’s time to analyze all data, learn, iterate and be back on the launch pad as soon as possible,” he added.

    Metzler also affirmed his company’s ambition “to serve customers from around the world to bring their satellites into space and to help Europe solve a major blind spot in its security architecture: access to space.”

    Before liftoff, Andoya Spaceport Operations Director Jon Harr described the event as “an important milestone” not only for Norway but for European space activities as a whole. However, Isar Aerospace had cautioned that no company has ever succeeded in achieving spaceflight in its first test launch.

    Andoya Spaceport officials stressed that such incidents are part of the development process for new space technologies. “Making this work day after day, with so many actors involved, is demanding,” Harr said.

    “Today’s maiden flight has not been launched nominally. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a success,” said Walther Pelzer, executive board member of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and director general of the German Space Agency at DLR.

    He stressed the importance of today’s test, noting that it allows the team to detect errors and adapt quickly – “exactly what we expect from agile companies.”

    The project, known as “Going Full Spectrum,” had been in preparation for months. Sunday marked the final day of an initial 10-day launch window. Previous attempts had to be aborted due to high winds.

    Headquartered near Munich, Germany, Isar Aerospace was founded in 2018 and now has over 400 employees from more than 50 nations. Sponsored by private funding from international investors, it builds and operates launch vehicles for transporting small and medium-sized satellites as well as satellite constellations into Earth’s orbit.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK hosts first major international summit to tackle illegal migration

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    UK hosts first major international summit to tackle illegal migration

    The UK has mobilised over 40 countries and organisations to launch an unprecedented global fight against ruthless people smuggling gangs.

    The UK is spearheading the toughest ever international crackdown on organised immigration crime as the Prime Minister and Home Secretary host a landmark summit today (31 March). 

    The Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) Summit brings together over 40 countries, including the United States, Vietnam, Iraq, and France, to unite behind a new approach to dismantle people smuggling gangs and deliver on working people’s priorities for secure borders.

    This is the first time the full range of factors driving illegal migration, from the supply chain in small boats to anti-trafficking measures, illicit finance and social media advertising, have been explored at a global summit of this scale.

    The summit will also see representatives from Meta, X and TikTok discuss how to jointly tackle the online promotion of irregular migration. 

    Through the summit, the government will use all available levers at its disposal to push forward progress in bringing gangs to justice, tackle the global threat of organised immigration crime and protect vulnerable people from exploitation.

    To back this drive, the Home Secretary has today announced £30 million of funding going directly to high impact operations from the Border Security Command to tackle supply chains, illicit finances and trafficking routes across Europe, the Western Balkans, Asia, and Africa. 

    An additional £3 million will enable the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to increase its capacity to prosecute organised international smugglers and expand its international footprint to support the Border Security Command to pursue, disrupt and arrest those responsible for dangerous people smuggling operations. 

    This reflects the Prime Minister’s long-held view, informed by his work as Chief Prosecutor, that cross border cooperation is the foundation of tackling international gangs and securing Britain’s borders.

    In remarks delivered later today, the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is expected to say: 

    This vile trade exploits the cracks between our institutions, pits nations against one another and profits from our inability at the political level to come together. 

    When I was the Director of Public Prosecutions, we worked across borders throughout Europe and beyond to foil numerous plots, saving thousands of lives in the process. We prevented planes from being blown up over the Atlantic and brought the perpetrators to justice. 

    I believe we should treat organised immigration crime in the same way. 

    I simply do not believe organised immigration crime cannot be tackled. We’ve got to combine our resources, share intelligence and tactics, and tackle the problem upstream at every step of the people smuggling routes.

    The summit will deliver concrete outcomes across Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and North America by strengthening international partnerships, enhancing intelligence sharing, and implementing targeted disruptions to Organised Immigration Crime networks.

    As a direct result, we will be able to strengthen UK borders and security and create a more efficient and manageable asylum system, taking the burden away from housing, the NHS and schools, and giving hotels back to the local economy.  

    Speaking ahead of the summit, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:   

    Smuggler and trafficking gangs make their money crossing borders so law enforcement needs to work together across borders to bring them down. Only a coordinated international response, across the whole irregular migration route, can effectively dismantle these networks.  

    The Organised Immigration Crime Summit is the first of its kind and will reinforce the UK’s position as a leader by securing international commitments to disrupt Organised Immigration Crime at every stage of the business model.   

    The summit demonstrates mine and the Prime Minister’s absolute dedication to disrupting the callous Organised Criminal Gangs, strengthening our borders and ultimately save countless lives.

    The UK’s global leadership on this is issue is already delivering results. France has agreed to launch a unit of specialist officers who are mobile, highly trained and equipped to respond dynamically to prevent small boat launches. 

    Germany has committed to strengthen their laws against those who facilitate smuggling to the UK and a new UK-Italy taskforce is hitting people smugglers’ financial flows. After boosting the resources for the National Crime Agency to work with international law enforcement partners, they have seized 600 boats and engines since July. 

    Along with this, work continues at home through giving law enforcement tougher powers than ever to smash the smuggling gangs, ramping up removals to record levels and surging illegal working raids to end the false promise of jobs used by gangs to sell spaces on boats. 

    This comprehensive approach is a vital aspect of the government’s Plan for Change, with the threat from organised immigration crime increasing in scale and complexity.  

    Organised immigration crime spans multiple countries, nationalities, and criminal methodologies, with recent estimate of the total global income from migrant smuggling reaching $10 billion last year.

    Criminal gangs headed by hundreds of kingpins are using sophisticated online tactics, the abuse of legitimate goods and services, and illicit financial networks to facilitate dangerous and illegal journeys which undermine border security and put thousands of lives at risk each year.  

    The summit will also examine the work of the government’s Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) in supporting the US, by providing innovative space-based maritime surveillance capability to monitor and dismantle any vessels along Haiti’s north coast suspected to be involved in illegal immigration, illegal fishing activities and drug smuggling.

    The JMSC is harnessing cutting edge technology and capabilities to provide 24 hour monitoring of UK waters and ensure our borders are secure, by using satellite to provide a better overall understanding of incoming threats to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The UK government is working with our partners in Turks and Caicos to support and protect the Island from irregular migration. 

    This collaboration demonstrates the UK government’s commitment to deploying advanced capabilities against illegal migration while protecting overseas territories. 

    There has also been a series of major arrests of smuggling kingpins, including: 

    • arrests linked to a major Syrian organised crime group responsible for smuggling at least 750 migrants into the UK and Europe
    • the arrest of a Turkish national suspected of being a huge supplier of small boats
    • the conviction of 2 men in Wales who ran a smuggling ring moving thousands of migrants across Europe
    • the arrests in February of 6 men wanted in Belgium over their suspected involvement in a major people smuggling ring

    These arrests come alongside the NCA working with the authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for the first time, to facilitate the arrests of 3 men linked to a Kurdish people smuggling organised crime group, as well as an increase in the takedown of social media accounts linked to people smugglers.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: B.C. tech companies will be on display at world’s largest tech show

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Twenty-two B.C. companies and universities will promote the province’s unique technology products and services in Germany at Hannover Messe 2025, the world’s largest tradeshow for industrial and energy technologies.

    “As we expand our trade diversification globally, we’re proud to showcase B.C.’s solutions to the challenges of advancing AI, improving energy efficiency and the impacts of climate change worldwide,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “This is the largest number of B.C. companies that have chosen to travel to this event. Advancing our trade and investment opportunities on this global stage will open new markets for B.C.’s economy to grow and prosper.”

    B.C. companies in attendance represent key sectors, including energy transition and critical minerals, clean technology, information and communications technology, creating more opportunities for B.C. businesses to export and attract investment, driving sustainable and innovative growth. B.C. will host a number of activations, events and panels.

    “B.C.’s reputation as a reliable trading partner with innovative solutions, a highly skilled workforce, and strong environmental, social and governance credentials will be a focal point during Hannover Messe 2025,” said Rick Glumac, Minister of State for Trade. “The companies participating at this tradeshow are just a sample of the breadth of innovation and investment opportunities available in B.C.”

    Canada is the partner country for Hannover Messe 2025, taking place in Hannover, Germany, from Monday, March 31, 2025, until Friday, April 4, 2025. More than 250 exhibitors and 260 delegates from Canada will showcase their industrial technology solutions and share their expertise in six pavilions, highlighting Canada’s strengths in artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital solutions, quantum technologies, robotics, advanced materials and clean-energy technologies.

    “The spotlight will definitely be on Team Canada at Hannover this year,” said Jayson Myers, chief executive officer of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, the organization leading Canada’s industrial presence at the fair. “And it couldn’t come at a better time. The Hannover fair attracts close to 200,000 buyers, suppliers and investors from more than 150 countries. There’s no better place to showcase the leading-edge industrial technologies that Canada has to offer the world.”

    B.C.’s deputy minister of jobs, economic development and innovation will lead the mainstage panel on Energy Transition – Innovation & the Bottom Line. This panel will showcase B.C.’s leadership in robotics, automation and advancing hydrogen technology, and will outline the important role governments play in leading and fostering innovation.

    In addition to the activities at Hannover Messe 2025, the deputy minister will have meetings with international investors and clients to strengthen B. C.’s economy in key sectors, particularly energy transition and critical minerals, clean technology, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

    Quick Facts:

    • Hannover Messe 2025 brings representatives together from more than 150 countries.
    • It offers the opportunity to discover new industrial and energy technologies and learn about the latest innovations and trends in advanced manufacturing.
    • Hannover Messe 2025 brings together decision-makers from government and global businesses, providing a platform to discuss industrial trends and transformations.
    • The week-long event typically attracts 6,000 exhibitors and more than 200,000 attendees.

    Learn More:

    For more information about trade and investment in B.C., visit: https://britishcolumbia.ca

    To read the Trade Diversification Strategy, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/international-investment-and-trade/trade-diversification-strategy

    For more information about the companies attending the Hannover Messe 2025 tradeshow, visit: https://www.britishcolumbia.ca/wp-content/uploads/Company-Directory_Hannover_Messe.pdf

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses TV9 Summit 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses TV9 Summit 2025

    Today, the world’s eyes are on India: PM

    India’s youth is rapidly becoming skilled and driving innovation forward: PM

    “India First” has become the mantra of India’s foreign policy: PM

    Today, India is not just participating in the world order but also contributing to shaping and securing the future: PM

    India has given Priority to humanity over monopoly: PM

    Today, India is not just a Nation of Dreams but also a Nation That Delivers: PM

    Posted On: 28 MAR 2025 6:53PM by PIB Delhi

    The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the TV9 Summit 2025 in the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi today. Addressing the gathering, he extended his best wishes to the entire team of TV9 and its viewers. He said that TV9 had a wide regional audience and added that  now there is a global audience also getting ready. He also welcomed and greeted the Indian diaspora who had connected over teleconference to the event. 

    “Today, the World’s eyes are on India”, remarked the Prime Minister, highlighting that people around the globe are curious about India. He noted that India, which was the 11th largest economy in the world after 70 years of independence, rose to become the 5th largest economy in a span of 7-8 years. Citing a report of the IMF, Shri Modi said that India was the only major economy in the world which had doubled its GDP in the last 10 years. Emphasizing that India had added USD two lakh crore to its economy in the last decade, adding that doubling of the GDP was not just about numbers but had major impacts like moving 25 crore people out of poverty forming a ‘Neo-Middle Class’. He further added that the Neo-middle class was beginning a new life with dreams and aspirations along with contributing to the economy and making it vibrant. “India has the world’s largest youth population”, exclaimed the Prime Minister, noting that the youth were rapidly becoming skilled, thereby accelerating innovation. “India First has become the mantra of India’s foreign policy”, highlighted the Prime Minister. He remarked that while India once followed a policy of maintaining equal distance from all nations, the current approach emphasizes being equally close to all—an “Equi-Closeness” policy. The Prime Minister underscored that the global community now values India’s opinions, innovations, and efforts like never before. He emphasized that the world is keenly observing India today and is eager to understand “What India Thinks Today.”

    Prime Minister highlighted that India is not merely participating in the world order but is actively contributing to shaping and securing the future.  He remarked about India’s vital role in global security, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Defying doubts, India developed its own vaccines, ensured rapid inoculation, and supplied medicines to over 150 countries, he added. He emphasized that in times of global crisis, India’s values of service and compassion resonated worldwide, showcasing the essence of its culture and traditions.

    Reflecting on the global context post-World War II, noting how most international organizations were dominated by a few nations, Shri Modi remarked that India’s approach has always prioritized humanity over monopoly, striving for an inclusive and participatory global order. He added that in line with this vision, India has led the way in establishing global institutions for the 21st century, ensuring collective contribution and cooperation. Shri Modi remarked that addressing the challenge of natural disasters, which cause immense damage to infrastructure worldwide, India took the initiative to establish the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). CDRI represents a global commitment to strengthening disaster preparedness and resilience, he added. The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s efforts to promote the construction of disaster-resilient infrastructure, including bridges, roads, buildings, and power grids, ensuring they can withstand natural calamities and safeguard communities across the world. 

    Emphasising the importance of global collaboration to tackle future challenges, particularly in energy resources, Shri Modi highlighted India’s initiative of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a solution to ensure sustainable energy access for even the smallest nations. He remarked that this effort not only positively impacts the climate but also secures the energy needs of Global South countries. He proudly noted that over 100 countries have joined this initiative. Talking about  the global challenges of trade imbalances and logistics issues, Shri Modi highlighted India’s collaborative efforts with the world to launch new initiatives, including the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). He remarked that this project will connect Asia, Europe, and the Middle East through commerce and connectivity, boosting economic opportunities and providing alternative trade routes. He underscored that this initiative will strengthen the global supply chain.

    Underlining India’s efforts to make global systems more participative and democratic, the Prime Minister remarked on the historic step taken during the G-20 Summit at Bharat Mandapam, where the African Union was made a permanent member of the G-20. He emphasized that this long-standing demand was fulfilled under India’s presidency. Shri Modi underscored India’s role as the voice of Global South countries in global decision-making institutions, highlighting India’s significant contributions in various fields, including International Yoga Day, the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, and the development of a global framework for Artificial Intelligence. He remarked that these efforts have established India’s strong presence in the new world order. “This is just the beginning, as India’s capabilities on global platforms continue to reach new heights”, he added.

    Noting that 25 years of the 21st century have passed, out of which 11 years have been dedicated to serving the nation under his government, Shri Modi emphasized the importance of reflecting on past questions and answers to understand “What India Thinks Today.” He highlighted the transformation from dependency to self-reliance, aspirations to achievements, and desperation to development. He recalled that a decade ago, the issue of toilets in villages left women with limited options, but today, the Swachh Bharat Mission has provided a solution. He noted that in 2013, discussions about healthcare revolved around expensive treatments, but today, Ayushman Bharat offers a solution. Similarly, he highlighted that kitchens of the poor, once associated with smoke, now benefit from the Ujjwala Yojana. The Prime Minister pointed out that in 2013, women often remained silent when asked about bank accounts, but today, over 30 crore women have their own accounts due to the Jan Dhan Yojana. He also mentioned that the struggle for drinking water, which once required reliance on wells and ponds, has been addressed through the Har Ghar Nal Se Jal Yojana. He emphasized that it is not just the decade that has changed but also the lives of people. He remarked that the world is recognizing and accepting India’s development model. “India is no longer just a ‘Nation of Dreams’ but a ‘Nation That Delivers’”, he added.

    Shri Modi said that when a nation values the convenience and time of its citizens, it transforms the nation’s trajectory. He highlighted that this is precisely what India is experiencing today. He provided an example of the significant changes in the passport application process. He noted that earlier, obtaining a passport was a cumbersome task, involving long waiting times, complex documentation, and limited passport centers, mostly located in state capitals. He emphasized that people from smaller towns often had to arrange for overnight stays to complete the process. The Prime Minister highlighted that these challenges have now been completely transformed. He shared that the number of passport service centers in the country has increased from just 77 to over 550. Additionally, he remarked that the waiting time for obtaining a passport, which used to be as long as 50 days, has now been reduced to just 5-6 days.

    Remarking on the transformation witnessed in India’s banking infrastructure, Shri Modi highlighted that while banks were nationalized 50-60 years ago with the promise of accessible banking services, lakhs of villages still lacked such facilities. He emphasized that this situation has now been changed. The Prime Minister noted that online banking has reached every household, and today, there is a banking touchpoint within every 5-kilometer radius in the country. He stated that the government has not only expanded banking infrastructure but also strengthened the banking system. He highlighted that banks’ Non-Performing Assets (NPA) have significantly reduced, and their profits have reached a record high of ₹1.4 lakh crore. He added that those who looted public money are now being held accountable, sharing that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recovered over ₹22,000 crore, which is being legally returned to the victims from whom it was taken.

    Stressing that efficiency leads to effective governance, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of achieving more in less time, utilizing fewer resources, and avoiding unnecessary expenditures. He remarked that prioritizing “red carpet over red tape” reflects respect for a nation’s resources. He noted that for the past 11 years, this has been a major priority of his government. 

    Mentioning the past practice of accommodating more individuals in ministries, which often led to inefficiencies, Shri Modi highlighted that his government, during its first term, merged several ministries to prioritize the nation’s resources and needs over political compulsions. He provided examples, noting that the Urban Development Ministry and the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry were merged to form the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. Similarly, the Ministry of Overseas Affairs was integrated with the Ministry of External Affairs. He also mentioned the merger of the Water Resources and River Development Ministry with the Drinking Water Ministry to create the Jal Shakti Ministry. He emphasized that these decisions were driven by the country’s priorities and the efficient use of resources.

    Underlining the government’s efforts to simplify and reduce rules and regulations, the Prime Minister mentioned that approximately 1,500 outdated laws, which had lost their relevance over time, were abolished by his government. Additionally, around 40,000 compliances were removed. He emphasized that these measures achieved two significant outcomes: relief from harassment for the public and conservation of energy within the government machinery. The Prime Minister provided another example of reform through the introduction of GST. He noted that over 30 taxes were consolidated into a single tax, resulting in substantial savings in terms of processes and documentation.

    Underscoring the inefficiencies and corruption that plagued government procurement in the past, often reported by the media, the Prime Minister said that his government introduced the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) platform to address these issues. He explained that government departments now list their requirements on this platform, vendors place bids, and orders are finalized transparently. This initiative has significantly reduced corruption and saved the government over ₹1 lakh crore. The Prime Minister also emphasized the global recognition of India’s Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. He noted that DBT has prevented over ₹3 lakh crore of taxpayers’ money from falling into the wrong hands. He further highlighted that more than 10 crore fake beneficiaries, including non-existent individuals, who were exploiting government schemes, have been removed from official records.

    Emphasising the government’s commitment to the honest utilization of every taxpayer’s contribution and its respect for taxpayers, Shri Modi highlighted that the tax system has been made more taxpayer-friendly. He remarked that the process of filing Income Tax Returns (ITR) is now much simpler and faster compared to earlier times. He noted that previously, filing ITR without the help of a Chartered Accountant was challenging. Today, individuals can file their ITR online within a short time, and refunds are credited to their accounts within days of filing. The Prime Minister also highlighted the introduction of the Faceless Assessment Scheme, which has significantly reduced the hassles faced by taxpayers. He remarked that such efficiency-driven governance reforms have provided the world with a new governance model.

    Highlighting the transformation India has undergone in the past 10-11 years across every sector and field, the Prime Minister emphasized the significant shift in mindset that has taken place. He remarked that for decades after independence, a mindset was promoted in India that considered foreign goods superior. He noted that shopkeepers would often begin by saying, “This is imported!” when selling products. He emphasized that this situation has now changed and today, people proactively ask, “Is this Made in India?”

    Underscoring India’s remarkable progress in manufacturing excellence, emphasizing the recent achievement of developing the country’s first indigenous MRI machine, Shri Modi said that this milestone will significantly reduce the cost of medical diagnostics in India. He underscored the transformative impact of the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives, which have infused new energy into the manufacturing sector. He noted that while the world once viewed India as a global market, it now recognizes the nation as a major manufacturing hub. The Prime Minister pointed out the success of India’s mobile phone industry, stating that exports have surged from less than one billion dollars in 2014-15 to over twenty billion dollars within a decade. He highlighted India’s emergence as a power center in the global telecom and networking industry. Discussing the automotive sector, the Prime Minister remarked on India’s growing reputation in exporting components. He noted that while India previously imported motorcycle parts in large quantities, today, parts manufactured in India are reaching countries like the UAE and Germany. Shri Modi also highlighted the achievements in the solar energy sector, stating that imports of solar cells and modules have decreased while exports have increased by 23 times. He further emphasized the growth in defense exports, which have risen 21 times over the past decade. He stated that these accomplishments showcase the strength of India’s manufacturing economy and its ability to create new jobs across various sectors.

    The Prime Minister remarked on the significance of the TV9 Summit, emphasizing the detailed discussions and deliberations on various topics that will take place. He highlighted that the ideas and visions shared during the summit will define the nation’s future. He recalled the pivotal moment of the past century when India embarked on a new journey towards independence with renewed energy. He noted India’s achievement in gaining independence in 1947 and stated that, in this decade, the nation is striving towards the goal of a developed India. He emphasized the importance of realizing the dream of a developed India by 2047 and reiterated his statement from the Red Fort that collective efforts are essential to achieve this vision. The Prime Minister commended TV9 for organizing this summit, acknowledging their positive initiative and extended his best wishes for the success of the summit. He lauded the TV9 network for involving over 50 thousand youth in various interactions in mission mode and training the selected youth. He concluded by expressing confidence that the youth will be the biggest beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat in 2047.

     

     

    ***

    MJPS/SR

    (Release ID: 2116360) Visitor Counter : 609

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Shanghai attracts more foreign financial firms

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

    The growing presence of more international industry leaders serves as a snapshot of Shanghai’s continued efforts to open up its financial market and bring its financial capacity to the next level.

    A new Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Shanghai municipal government and the City of London Corp on March 20, is the latest example. The MoU, valid until 2028, continues the financial cooperation that started between the two cities approximately four decades ago.

    Alderman Alastair King, Lord Mayor of the City of London, said at the signing ceremony that there is vast room for cooperation between the two cities especially in areas of digital finance, green finance and offshore renminbi.

    With its China operations registered in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area in March 2024, London-headquartered Aspect Capital believes that there are a lot of opportunities as Chinese people upgrade their wealth management needs and more financial innovations drive the ongoing technology advancement in China, according to Lin Han, general manager of Aspect Capital in China.

    As one of the 10 largest commodity trading adviser managers in the world, Aspect Capital now manages about $9 billion of assets.

    On Dec 13, Aspect Capital (China) Ltd completed its registration as a private fund manager with the Asset Management Association of China. The UK CTA manager was the only wholly foreign-owned PFM approved for registration throughout 2024.

    Rapid progress has been made ever since. Aspect China released its first PFM product in January and completed registration of two other products one month later. The company has also submitted its application to become a Qualified Domestic Limited Partner.

    Planning to step up investment in China, Aspect China will expand its local team, apply for more business qualifications and seek strategic cooperation with Chinese domestic financial service providers, said Lin.

    BNP Paribas Securities China’s office registered in Pudong was officially opened on March 19. With its application submitted to the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the country’s top securities watchdog, in April 2021, it obtained approval in April 2024, marking the fourth wholly foreign-owned securities brokerage to be registered in China.

    BNP Paribas Securities China’s businesses now include securities brokerage, securities proprietary trading, securities investment consulting and securities asset management.

    According to Guo Zhiyi, BNP Paribas Securities China’s CEO, this year marks the first that the company can truly extend its reach in China. By incorporating their experience and resources in the international market, the company will advance its cross-border and securities businesses in the country to provide diversified services to both local and offshore clients, he said.

    France’s AXA Global Reinsurance and Germany’s Hannover Re have also opened their Shanghai reinsurance centers in Pudong.

    With its operation set up in Lingang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, AXA can easily connect to the Shanghai International Reinsurance Exchange Ltd founded at the end of 2024, improving the efficiency of data flow and trading transparency, according to Xue Fei, general manager of AXA International Reinsurance (Shanghai) Co Ltd.

    Lujiazui, the core financial area of Pudong, has now gathered around 8,000 financial institutions. Approximately 80 percent of China’s foreign asset managers and 40 percent of the country’s foreign banks have set up operations in Lujiazui.

    According to the Municipal Government Work Report released at the beginning of the year, Shanghai will improve its capacity as an international financial center this year by optimizing its mechanisms, enriching its financial services and expanding product supply. The wider application of e-CNY, further facilitating cross-border financial services, optimizing RMB offshore trading, cross-border trade settlement and overseas financing will be the major focuses, said the work report.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Family to be reunited with Nazi-looted artwork after eight decades

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Family to be reunited with Nazi-looted artwork after eight decades

    The heirs and great-grandchildren of Jewish Belgian art collector Samuel Hartveld are set to receive a painting by Henry Gibbs currently in the collection of the Tate

    • Hartveld and his wife fled Belgium prior to the German occupation during the Second World War, leaving behind their most treasured possessions

    The heirs and great-grandchildren of Jewish Belgian art collector Samuel Hartveld are set to be reunited with a painting that was looted by the Nazis when he fled his home city of Antwerp during the Second World War in May 1940.

    When Hartveld and his wife left the city, the couple were forced to leave behind their most treasured possessions including a painting by Henry Gibbs, titled ‘Aeneas and his Family Fleeing Burning Troy’. The painting is said to have been one of 66 paintings in a gallery owned by Hartveld in Antwerp.

    The narrative painting is believed to be a commentary on the English Civil War, which resulted in exile for many. The painting depicts scenes from ‘The Aeneid’ which is a Latin poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The painting depicts the Trojan hero, Aeneas, trying to rescue his family from the burning city.

    After surviving the war, Hartveld was never reunited with his collection of paintings, as a majority of the works were looted and sold by the German authorities with Hartveld and his family receiving none of the proceeds. Some of his artworks may have changed hands several times since 1940 and are believed to be in galleries across Europe. The painting by Henry Gibbs was eventually purchased from Galerie Jan de Maere in Brussels in 1994 by the Tate collection.

    The independent Spoliation Advisory Panel was established by the government in 2000 to consider claims from anyone, or their heirs, who lost cultural property during the Nazi era, where such an object is now in a UK public collection. Over the last 25 years, the panel has received 23 claims, with 14 works being returned to the heirs of their former owners.

    Arts Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:

    The case of Samuel Hartveld is the perfect example of the Spoliation Advisory Panel doing the work it was designed to do – helping to reunite families with their most treasured possessions that were looted by the Nazis.

    The decision to return the painting to the heirs of Samuel Hartveld and his wife is absolutely the right decision, which I welcome wholeheartedly.

    Director of Tate Maria Balshaw said:

    It is a profound privilege to help reunite this work with its rightful heirs, and I am delighted to see the spoliation process working successfully to make this happen. Although the artwork’s provenance was extensively investigated when it was acquired in 1994, crucial facts concerning previous ownership of the painting were not known.

    I would like to thank the Sonia Klein Trust and the Spoliation Advisory panel for their collaboration over the last year. We now look forward to welcoming the family to Tate in the coming months and presenting the painting to them.

    The trustees of the Sonia Klein Trust said:

    The trustees acting for the Sonia Klein Trust and their counsel, Dr. Hannes Hartung, based in Munich, are deeply grateful to the Spoliation Advisory Panel for their recommendation that Tate Britain restitute the narrative painting of Henry Gibbs’ ‘Aeneas and his family fleeing from burning Troy’ and parliament’s ratification of that recommendation.

    This decision clearly acknowledges the awful Nazi persecution of Samuel Hartveld and that the ‘clearly looted’ painting belonged to Mr. Hartveld, a Jewish Belgian art collector and dealer.

    The trustees acting for the Sonia Klein Trust further thank the staff at Tate Britain for working with the trustees and their legal representative Dr. Hannes Hartung, to realise the return of this important painting by a highly regarded British painter. The staff at Tate Britain were open minded and prompt in their approval of the Spoliation Advisory Panel’s recommendation.

    Further, the trustees wish to acknowledge the scholarly efforts of Geert Sels, author of ‘Kunst voor das Reich’, in identifying the plight of Samuel Hartveld and his family because of Nazi persecution in Belgium during World War II. With this restitution, the trustees acting for the Sonia Klein Trust honour and remember the life of Samuel Hartveld and his family.

    The Spoliation Advisory Panel received a claim from trustees acting for the Sonia Klein Trust, established for Mr. Hartveld’s heirs, requesting the return of a painting by Henry Gibbs in May 2024. Following extensive research by the Trust’s legal representatives and others into how the family had come to lose the painting, it was identified as being in the Tate’s collection.

    The Spoliation Advisory Panel then considered all the evidence and decided that the legal and moral claims to the restitution of the painting were sufficiently compelling for them to advise the Secretary of State that the Sonia Klein Trust is entitled to its return.

    The Government welcomes Tate’s full cooperation with this process throughout and its prompt agreement to accept the Panel’s recommendation in full.

    ENDS

    Notes to editors

    The Holocaust (Return of Cultural Objects) Act 2009 allows national museums to return cultural objects, where the Spoliation Advisory Panel recommends and the Arts Minister agrees.

    The Spoliation Advisory Panel, together with the equivalent committees in France, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands is a member of the Network of European Restitution Committees on Nazi-Looted Art. The Network promotes international collaboration and information sharing on these issues.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Human Rights Committee Closes One Hundred and Forty-Third Session

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The Human Rights Committee today closed its one hundred and forty-third session after adopting concluding observations on the reports of Albania, Burkina Faso, Mongolia, Montenegro and Zimbabwe.

    Changrok Soh, Committee Chairperson, said the Committee had come to the end of a productive session and commended the Commitete members for their commitment and professionalism.  The Committee had held constructive dialogues with Albania, Burkina Faso, Mongolia, Montenegro and Zimbabwe and the concluding observations would be posted on the Committee’s webpage later today. The review of Haiti was postponed upon the request of the State party due to the difficult human rights situation. The Committee expressed solidarity with the people of Haiti and looked forward to engaging with the State in the next session in July.

    During the session, the Committee adopted a list of issues on Chad and lists of issues prior to reporting on Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Jordan, Mauritius, New Zealand and Samoa, which would serve as important tools to guide dialogues with these States. 

    On individual communications, the Committee considered 19 drafts, including one draft prepared in accordance with the simplified format adopted by the Committee at its one hundred and fortieth session.  The drafts related to 66 communications: 38 were decided on the merits, five communications were declared inadmissible, and 23 communications were discontinued. Regarding the communications decided on the merits, the Committee found violations in 37 of them.

    The Committee also adopted its annual report reflecting its work undertaken during its one hundred and forty-first, one hundred and forty-second and one hundred and forty-third sessions. 

    At its next one hundred and forty-fourth session, the Committee would review the initial and periodic reports of Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Latvia, North Macedonia, Spain and Viet Nam.  The Committee would also adopt the lists of issues prior to reporting on Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Denmark, Ghana, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Rwanda, Sweden and Switzerland.  It would evaluate the reports of Armenia and Germany under its follow-up procedure to concluding observations.

    In closing, Mr. Soh expressed appreciation to members of the bureau as well as the members of the Secretariat, the Petitions Section, United Nations entities, civil society and all those who made the session possible. 

    Before the meeting closed, several Committee Members took the floor, congratulating the five new Committee members and paying tribute to the Chair’s leadership throughout the session.  The Committee was going through challenging times, and it was vital that it continued to work as a united body promoting and protecting human rights around the world. 

    The Committee’s next session will be held from 23 June to 18 July 2025, during which it will review the reports of Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Latvia, North Macedonia, Spain and Viet Nam.

    ___________

    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; 
    not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

     

     

    CCPR25.008E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Mandatory hygiene locks for mobile poultry coops – E-001201/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001201/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Christine Schneider (PPE)

    Germany’s Poultry Salmonella Ordinance provides that, for every flock, poultry coops must be equipped with hygiene locks. This obligation was introduced to transpose at national level the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 on the control of salmonella and other specified food-borne zoonotic agents.

    • 1.To what extent do the Commission’s plans for controlling salmonella and other agents align with the German Government’s interpretation and the resulting national obligation to have hygiene locks for each flock/epidemiological unit?
    • 2.To what extent does the hygiene lock obligation apply to mobile poultry coops, especially given that, in such contexts, the presence of pathogens spread by third parties, wild animals or birds cannot in any way be ruled out?
    • 3.What affordable technical solutions for installing these mandatory hygiene locks does the Commission know of, which can be retrofitted onto existing mobile coops if necessary, meet the requirements and are practical and safe for day-to-day operations, especially as mobile poultry coops generally have limited space and water and electricity supply available?

    Submitted: 20.3.2025

    Last updated: 28 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker Warns of Putin’s Deceit in Ukraine-Russia Ceasefire Talks

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, yesterday delivered remarks on the Senate floor warning that Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted as negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict continue in Riyadh.
    In his remarks, Chairman Wicker explored the 20-year history of Putin’s lies in the service of fulfilling his true ambition: to resuscitate the old Soviet empire. He added analysis on the many ways that Vladimir Putin is still actively trying to undermine American interests, including through the imprisonment of U.S. citizens, previous attacks on U.S. soldiers, and a large nuclear strike complex specifically designed to threaten the United States.
    Chairman Wicker also made brief comments about the state of negotiations with Russia in Riyadh. In his remarks, Wicker noted the extreme asymmetry between Russian and American readouts of negotiations, and how concessions made by Ukraine differ from those made by Russia during talks.
    Ukraine, the Chairman said, has made a good-faith effort to reach an honorable settlement, while Russia appears to be attempting to extract concessions in an effort to boost its negotiating position. Chairman Wicker added that President Trump understands the kind of character that he is dealing with in Vladimir Putin and his true goals.
    Read Chairman Wicker’s full remarks in full below.
    Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to offer some remarks on the situation in Europe and the prospects for peace in Ukraine.
     
    We should start with recent positive developments. President Trump and President Zelenskyy have demonstrated remarkable resolve and remarkable wherewithal.
     
    Just this week, we heard news from the peace talks in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine publicly expressed openness to prisoner exchanges, a welcome development. Notably, Russia did not express such willingness.
     
    We should applaud Ukraine’s overtures. An agreement is within reach that reflects the common cause of the United States and Ukraine.
     
    Separately, much ink has been spilled on the economic investment deal. Less has been said about why the United States is interested in an investment deal with Ukraine. President Trump recognizes that America is better off when Ukraine is free, strong, and industrious. The economic investment deal shows that our president wants peace, and that he wants an honorable peace – one that endures, one that ensures the prosperity and protection of Ukraine and the United States.
     
    This peace will require that Russia put down its weapons in an enduring and verifiable way. It’s clear that Vladimir Putin does not share President Trump’s desire for peace. As Putin’s representatives prepare to sit down with American diplomats, President Putin has ordered salvo after salvo of missiles and drones to strike Ukrainian apartments, killing non-combatant women and children. These are not the gestures of a statesman who wants to negotiate peace. We’re dealing with a tyrant who speaks the language of war and terror.
     
    We have to deal with him, but that’s who he is.
     
    In recent decades, several successive United States presidents have extended the hand of peace to Mr. Putin. Each one of them had different tactics, but none of them achieved the outcome they desired. In this series of failed diplomacy, the common denominator was not the American presidents. Regardless of party, the common denominator was and is Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin, a war criminal.
     
    So, we need to remind the American people of exactly what kind of strongman we’re dealing with here – the  kind of strong man we’re trying to negotiate with, the kind of strong man we’re forced to negotiate with.
     
    Vladimir Putin regrettably is not interested in peace, He’s interested in a phony deal. He’s shown this with his words, his acts of violence, and the peace agreements he has shredded.
     
    Dictators frequently tell us who they really are. In 2007, Putin stood before the Munich Security Conference, and he rejected a world in which nations cooperate. In his other writings, he has publicly mourned the collapse of the Soviet Empire, and he dreams of its resurrection. In 2021, President Putin wrote an essay laying the groundwork for his invasion of Ukraine. This was a year before the recent invasion. In it, he rejected the very right of the Ukrainian people to exist as a distinct and self-governing nation.
     
    This essay is full of lies; it would have made Adolf Hitler proud. But it shows one thing is true: Mr. Putin is a Russian imperialist to the core. Here’s a man who believes the greatest historical tragedy of the last 40 years was the collapse of the Soviet power and influence over Eastern Europe.
     
    Putin publicly proclaims his delusions of grandeur, but he has not stopped at words and speeches. He has used any means necessary to continue his decades-long political warfare against NATO. And he’s ruthlessly worked to achieve the empire he craves.
     
    In the year after his Munich speech, Vladimir Putin and his army invaded their neighbor, the Republic of Georgia. In the year after his essay about Ukraine, he invaded Ukraine. Mr. Putin no longer technically works for the KGB, but he still thinks like a KGB agent – the kind that uses chemical weapons to poison people living in Russia and all over the world. Exacting revenge on his critics without regard for international borders. He jails reporters and activists.
     
    Why does he do this? Because dictators actually live in fear of their own people.
     
    Putin has imprisoned scores of Americans in Russian gulags. He’s killed and kidnapped American citizens across the globe. His commandos have targeted our soldiers in Afghanistan. He has no respect for our country, or for human life in his country or any other country.
     
    And he has the weaponry to back up his threats. Mr. Putin sits atop the world’s largest and most diverse nuclear arsenal. And I might add that this arsenal is postured specifically at us to destroy the United States.
     
    In another perverse action, I have to say this, Mr. Putin has tried to co-opt Christianity, if you can believe that. He’s twisted a religion of repentance into a propaganda machine. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow professes to lead the Russian Orthodox Church. In reality, Kirill is a puppet of Vladimir Putin. His father baptized Vladimir Putin, and now Kirill follows his father’s footsteps by sanctifying the dictator’s crimes, Kirill has blessed the 2022 invasion of Ukraine absurdly claiming that the Russians are fighting against evil. As Patriarch, he blessed the invasion as Russia bombs Ukrainian women and children. Kirill invokes God’s name to justify Putin’s butchery. Kirill is the very definition of the prophet Isaiah’s portrait of corruption: corrupt men like him, those who call evil good, and good evil. Shame on this phony Patriarch.
     
    President Putin has publicly shared his imperialistic dreams. He has violently pursued those goals, even in God’s name. And along the way, he’s torn to shreds every ceasefire deal he’s ever signed.
     
    Now, before World War I, the Kaiser’s regime in Germany called a treaty a “mere scrap of paper.” Well, Vladimir Putin feels the same. He has no regard for the Budapest Memorandum. He has no regard for the INF Treaty. He has no regard for the Minsk Agreement. In each case, Putin has lied, stolen, and misdirected to further his empire-building ambitions.
     
    And that’s what he’s trying to do with the negotiations today. President Trump is interested in peace. President Zelenskyy is interested in peace. President Putin values peace as little as any piece of shredded paper he would deceitfully sign.
     
    Many people do not realize that the Ukrainians have been valiantly and steadily weakening Putin’s forces. Half a million Russian soldiers – half a million souls – have either been killed or injured so severely that they cannot return to the battlefield. That’s half a million Russian moms without sons, wives without husbands. That toll is steep and the blame rests upon one person: the man who ordered the invasion, Vladimir Putin and his imperialistic vision. Russia is barely managing to sustain this war, and I think Mr. President, the American people do not know this, but Russia’s barely hanging on.
     
    They are struggling from heavy battlefield costs and economic sanctions. We should not support a peace deal that could let Russia up off the mat and reconstitute its army. Both the previous and the current Secretaries-General of NATO expect that Russia will not be ready to threaten NATO conventionally for 5 to 7 years. The wrong deal with Russia could allow them to be off to the races sooner, and Russia wants just that.
     
    As we’ve seen this week, Putin is trying to work the peace process deceptively to skew it in his favor. This week, his office has pushed out messages from the peace talks in Riyadh. Putin’s officials maintain that the United States is prepared to lift a number of sanctions the West imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
     
    I certainly hope that’s not true. These Kremlin officials claim that we will soon readmit Russia to SWIFT. SWIFT, of course, is the global financial system that Russia depends on for global trade. Putin relies on trade to finance his war machine.
     
    The Russians also think we’re prepared to grant sanctions relief for any company that ships goods on vessels flying the Russian flag, or that could claim any ties to food production, shipping, or securities. Such a deal would be full of loopholes. Such a deal would be designed to let Russia, which is on the ropes, off the mat.
     
    Mr. Putin’s men asked for all of this, and yet they offer little in return. They won’t even talk about prisoner exchanges. That’s breathtaking, especially when Ukraine has publicly expressed openness to a ceasefire. They’re the ones that have publicly said they’ll agree to a ceasefire. Mr. Putin and his negotiators have never proclaimed that.
     
    The Ukrainians, who’ve been ruthlessly attacked, have extended the hand of peace. Russia still has not, even though it demands so much. Putin says he’s willing to work toward peace, but his demands show that he is lying. His demands make it clear that he intends to use the sanctions relief to rearm. It would be a mistake to grant sanctions relief to Russia without reciprocal support for Ukraine. Doing so would devastate the prospect of a lasting peace. And let me repeat: Mr. Putin has never agreed to a ceasefire to a treaty that resulted in a lasting peace.
     
    As we negotiate in Saudi Arabia, the United States must remember that Russia is barely managing to sustain this war. The economic and battlefield price is very costly for Mr. Putin. Undoing these sanctions would instantly lower Putin’s cost. It would evaporate the leverage these financial penalties have given to the United States and the free world.
     
    As I close, let me reiterate, Mr. President: many have tried to negotiate with Vladimir Putin on his terms. I think President Trump is beginning to understand that peace comes through American and Ukrainian strength, that dictators respond to power because it’s the only thing they respect.
     
    We need to see this Russian dictator and war criminal for what he is: a murderous dictator who hopes he can back us into a corner during the peace process, and thus pursue another invasion.
     
    If Vladimir Putin lives up to a ceasefire or peace treaty with Ukraine, it will be the first time ever. Vladimir Putin has a long track record and it’s filled with lies, violence, and treachery.
     
    That’s who we’re dealing with. We have to deal with him, but that’s who we’re dealing with. Getting a deal with him will be a challenge. We must bear history in mind if we are to reach a settlement that benefits the free countries of the world.
     
    Thank you, Mr. President, and I yield the floor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tourists are cancelling trips to the US – here’s how this could affect its economy

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ross Bennett-Cook, PhD Researcher, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University

    The United States is one of the top three most visited countries in the world. The big draw cards – cities such as San Francisco, New York and Chicago and national parks such as Yosemite – have attracted international tourists for decades. This combined with its role as a global business powerhouse meant it had 66.5 million visitors in 2023 – and the 2024 figure is expected to be higher still.

    But a lot has changed in recent months, and 2025’s figures may not be as strong. The 2024 reelection of Donald Trump as the president of the United States and the consequential changes in foreign diplomacy and relations, alongside internal cultural shifts, are starting to change global attitudes towards the US – attitudes that appear to be affecting tourists’ desire to visit the US.

    In a recent report by research firm Tourism Economics, inbound travel to the US is now projected to decline by 5.5% this year, instead of growing by nearly 9% as had previously been forecast. A further escalation in tariff and trade wars could result in further reductions in international tourism, which could amount to a US$18 billion (£13.8 billion) annual reduction in tourist spending in 2025.

    There is already some evidence of travel cancellations. Since Trump announced 25% tariffs on many Canadian goods, the number of Canadians driving across the border at some crossings has fallen by up to 45%, on some days, when compared to last year. Canada is the biggest source of international tourists to the US. Air Canada has announced it is reducing flights to some US holiday destinations, including Las Vegas, from March, as demand reduces.

    According to a March poll by Canadian market researcher Leger, 36% of Canadians who had planned trips to the United States had already cancelled them. According to data from the aviation analytics company OAG, passenger bookings on Canada to US routes are down by over 70% compared to the same period last year. This comes after the U.S. Travel Association warned that even a 10% reduction in Canadian inbound travel could result in a US$2.1 billion (£1.6 billion) loss in spending, putting 140,000 hospitality jobs at risk.

    An unwelcoming environment?

    Some would-be visitors have cited an unwelcoming political climate as part of a concern about visiting the US – including angry rhetoric about foreigners, migrants and the LGBTQ+ community. The Tourism Economics report also cited “polarizing Trump Administration policies and rhetoric” as a factor in travel cancellations.

    There are other factors that may influence travellers from, for instance, western Europe, which represented 37% of overseas travel to the US last year. These include US tariffs pushing prices up at home and the US administration’s perceived alignment with Russia in the war in Ukraine.

    Canadian trips to the US are going down.

    Research by YouGov in March found that western European attitudes towards the US have become more negative since Trump’s reelection last November. More than half of people in Britain (53%), Germany (56%), Sweden (63%) and Denmark (74%) now have an unfavourable opinion of the US. In five of the seven countries polled, figures for US favourability are at the lowest since polling began in November 2016.

    Border issues

    Some high-profile cases at the US border could also be putting off tourists. In March, a British woman was handcuffed and detained for more than ten days by US Customs Enforcement after a visa problem. In the same month, a Canadian tourist was detained after attempting to renew her visa at the US-Mexico border. During the 12-day detention, she was held in crowded jail cells and even put in chains.

    Mexico is the US’s second largest inbound travel market. Tourism Economics suggests that issues around new border enforcement rules will raise concerns with potential Mexican tourists. During Trump’s first term in office, Mexican visits to the US fell by 3%. In February this year, air travel from Mexico had already fallen 6% when compared to 2024.

    Many countries including Canada have been updating their travel advice for the US. For instance, on March 15 the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its advice for the US, warning visitors that “you may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules”. The previous version of advice, from February, had no mention of arrest or detention. Germany has made similar updates to its travel advisory, after several Germans were recently detained for weeks by US border officials.

    Multiple European countries, including France, Germany, Denmark and Norway have also issued specific travel warnings to transgender and non-binary citizens, as US authorities demand tourists declare their biological sex at birth on visa applications. This comes as the US has stopped issuing of passports with a X marker – commonly used by those identifying as non-binary – for its own citizens.

    Alternative destinations

    As thousands of travellers cancel their trips to the US, other destinations are seeing a spike in interest. Hotels in Bermuda have reported a surge in enquiries as Canadians relocate business and leisure trips away from the US, with some predicting a 20% increase in revenue from Canadian visits.

    Europe too has reported increased bookings from Canada, with rental properties experiencing a 32% jump in summer reservations when compared to last year, according to some reports.

    There are already growing concerns that visa and entry restrictions will disrupt fans and athletes from enjoying 2026 men’s Fifa World Cup, held on sites in the US, Canada and Mexico. Visitors from some countries, such as Brazil, Turkey and Colombia, could wait up to 700 days to obtain visas. The International Olympic Committee has also raised concerns over the 2028 Olympics Games in Los Angeles, although US officials have insisted that “America will be open”.

    With mounting visa delays, stricter border enforcement and growing concerns over human rights and anti-minority rhetoric, the United States risks losing its appeal as a top holiday destination. The long-term impact on its tourism industry may prove difficult to reverse.

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

    – ref. Tourists are cancelling trips to the US – here’s how this could affect its economy – https://theconversation.com/tourists-are-cancelling-trips-to-the-us-heres-how-this-could-affect-its-economy-252858

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –