NewzIntel.com

Category: Great Britain

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK brought its innovation to EXPOMIN 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    The UK brought its innovation to EXPOMIN 2025

    During the week of the mining fair held in Santiago, nine British companies attended in the UK GREAT Zone, receiving hundreds of visitors.

    Ambassador Louise de Sousa, Executive Chairman of Anglo American Chile, Patricio Hidalgo, and Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams at the UK GREAT Zone ribbon cutting ceremony.

    A new edition of EXPOMIN took place in Chile between 22 and 25 April, and the United Kingdom took full advantage of the occasion, with our stand at Espacio Riesco, represented by the British Chilean Chamber of Commerce, (BritCham Chile), and the British Embassy.

    The UK GREAT Zone (UK stand) was inaugurated by the Minister of Mining of Chile, Ms Aurora Williams, the Under-Secretary of Mining, Suina Chahuán, the UK Ambassador to Chile, Louise de Sousa, the Executive Director of the British-Chilean Chamber of Commerce, Elle Denton, and the Executive Chairman of Anglo-American Chile and EXPOMIN, Patricio Hidalgo, who carried out the ceremonial ribbon cutting, to celebrate the opening of the stand.

    British companies

    Nine companies attended in the UK GREAT Zone. Aggreko, Bombas de Pozo, Brigade Electronics, Bupa Seguros, Hesco, Marsh MacLennan, StepChange Global, UMS and Watson Marlow were the organisations exhibiting at the British stand. During the four days at the event, the companies received hundreds of visitors, who were interested in learning more about the services offered by these companies in the mining field. The UK GREAT Zone also held various activities, which included informative talks on the challenges and opportunities of mining, as well as tasting sessions of typical British products.      

    The executive director of BritCham Chile, Elle Denton, highlighted the positive atmosphere surrounding the event, and underlined the relevance of mining innovation and sustainability for the United Kingdom.

    Regarding the British presence at EXPOMIN 2025, Elle Denton said:

    I feel very proud and honoured to have been part of this new successful version of EXPOMIN 2025, where, together with our partner companies, we shared the latest advances in innovation and mining technology, a highly relevant area that consolidates the strong ties that exist between the United Kingdom and Chile.

    Nine British companies were present in the UK GREAT Zone: Aggreko, Bombas de Pozo, Brigade Electronics, Bupa Seguros, Hesco, Marsh MacLennan, StepChange Global, UMS and Watson Marlow.

    During the week of the most important mining fair in Latin America, three talks were held in the UK GREAT Zone. The first of them, led by Anglo American Chile, addressed the main challenges of sustainable mining in current times; the second, organised by Codelco, the state-owed mining conglomerate, dealt with the main points of supply in the mining ecosystem, and the third, by SICEP   (Supplier Company Rating System) a comprehensive supplier qualification platform developed by the Asociación de Industriales de Antofagasta (AIA) which serves as a crucial tool for the mining and industrial sectors in Chile, particularly in the Antofagasta region, to evaluate, monitor, and select suppliers based on rigorous standards.

    Activities in the UK GREAT Zone also included tastings of Twinings tea and Johnnie Walker whisky. These two activities were very well received by those present, who had the opportunity to indulge in the traditional flavours of UK products.

    In addition, the second day of the fair was enlivened by a performance of Scottish bagpipers, who filled the corridors of Espacio Riesco with the sounds of traditional Scottish music.

    The British Ambassador, Louise de Sousa, was also present at the activities carried out throughout the four days, where she used the opportunity to strengthen the relationship with the different exhibitors. She also hosted a networking event at her Residence celebrating mining development and trade relations between the two countries.

    Regarding future collaboration, Ambassador De Sousa said: 

    We are proud to have participated in EXPOMIN 2025, the most important mining fair in Latin America, where we reassert the United Kingdom’s commitment to work together with Chile and the region to maintain sustainable, responsible and forward-thinking mining.

    About the GREAT Campaign

    The GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign is the UK’s international communications programme. It enhances the UK’s global reputation and drives economic growth by encouraging international audiences to visit, study, trade, invest, live and work in the UK.

    Further information

    If you want to know more about the British participation at EXPOMIN 2025, please contact the Communications Office.

    For more information about the activities of the British Embassy in Santiago, follow us on:

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arrest after stolen vehicle located in Elizabeth Vale

    Source: New South Wales – News

    Man arrested in Elizabeth Vale after fleeing in a stolen car.

    About 12.30am this morning Friday 9 May, police observed a stolen car travelling on Henley Beach Road, Mile End.

    The Honda sedan took off from patrols and was last seen in the back streets of Mile End.

    Police sighted the car a short time later travelling on South Road towards the Port River Expressway.

    With the assistance of PolAir and Dog Operations Unit the car was tracked to Main North Road where it was successfully spiked at the intersection of Park Terrace, Salisbury.

    The car was dumped and three people were seen running from the car into nearby backstreets.

    With the continued assistance of PolAir and Dog Operations PD Arlo located a 22-year-old man from Solomon Town nearby on Chaddenwick Road where he was arrested. He has been charged with unlawful possession and his bail has been refused and he will appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court later today.

    Police conducted a search of the area and were unable to locate the following two suspects.

    Police conducted vehicle checks on the Honda which showed that it had been stolen from a Brompton home last month.

    Police ask anyone who may have CCTV or dash cam footage which may assist in the investigation to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Boston, federal partners arrest fugitive convicted of murder in Brazil

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    MILFORD, Mass. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in partnership with federal law enforcement partners from the FBI, apprehended a Brazilian fugitive wanted by authorities in his native country to serve a sentence following his conviction for murder. Officers with ICE Boston and agents with FBI Boston arrested Fernando Antonio Vieira-Martins, 34, in Milford May 1.

    “Fernando Antonio Vieira-Martins murdered someone in his home country and attempted to subvert justice by fleeing to the United States. He represents a significant hazard to the residents of Massachusetts,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “While some in New England may be perfectly fine with criminal alien offenders settling in our communities, ICE Boston will continue to prioritize the safety of our law-abiding public by arresting and removing such criminal alien threats to our neighbors.”

    Brazilian authorities convicted Vieira-Martins June 29, 2022, for murder, and sentenced him to 24 years and nine months in prison. He fled Brazil after that conviction.

    Vieira-Martins illegally entered the United States March 9, 2023, near Calexico, California, without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official.

    On May 10, 2023, Brazilian authorities issued a criminal arrest warrant for Vieira-Martins for failure to serve a sentence for a murder conviction.

    Since his May 1 arrest, ICE has held Vieira-Martins in custody, where he will remain pending removal proceedings.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our communities on X: @EROBoston.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Five Charged with Trafficking Narcotics in the Waterbury Area

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of  Connecticut, Stephen P. Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo today announced that ZACHARY FOSTER, also known as “Lee,” 58, of Waterbury; KEVIN LUCAS, 61, of Waterbury; PHILLION HARVEY, also known as “Dawg,” 52, of New Haven; RONALD McDOWELL, 58, of Waterbury; and KENYA BROWN, 43, of Bristol; have been federally charged with conspiring to traffic narcotics in and around Waterbury.

    As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on November 26, 2024, Foster was sentenced in New Haven federal court to approximately 35 months of imprisonment, time already served, and four years of supervised release, for trafficking narcotics.  In February 2025, an investigation by the DEA New Haven District Office (NHDO) Task Force determined that Foster had resumed his drug trafficking activity.  Between February and April 2025, investigators intercepted hundreds of calls between Foster and his associates coordinating the distribution of cocaine, crack, and fentanyl.

    During the investigation, a search of a stash location that Foster maintained at a residence on National Avenue in Waterbury revealed approximately one kilogram of cocaine, and a search of a location he maintained on Meriden Road in Waterbury revealed approximately 600 dose bags of fentanyl.  Harvey, McDowell, and Brown also were found in possession of distribution quantities of fentanyl.

    On April 16, 2025, a federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment charging each of the five defendants with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, cocaine and fentanyl.  If convicted of the charge, based on the type and quantity of drug attributed to each defendant, and based on Foster’s previous conviction for a serious drug felony offense, Foster faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, and Lucas, Harvey, McDowell, and Brown each faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  Foster also faces additional penalties if he is found to have violated the conditions of his supervised release.

    Foster, Lucas, and McDowell were arrested on federal criminal complaints on April 3, 2025, and are currently detained.  Brown was arrested on April 25, 2025, and is released on $100,000 bond, and Harvey was released on April 29, 2025, and is released on a $50,000 bond.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This matter is being investigated by the DEA New Haven District Office (NHDO) Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The DEA Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Waterbury, East Haven, Branford, West Haven, Ansonia, Meriden, Naugatuck, and Shelton Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan J. Keefe and Natasha M. Freismuth.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Edinburgh appoints visitor levy forum chair

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Julie Ashworth will lead the new forum to advise the Council on all matters related to establishing Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy and its ongoing performance.

    A recruitment panel, comprising senior representatives of the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, Visit Scotland and Edinburgh Association of Community Councils, identified the experienced executive as the ideal candidate to establish and lead the Visitor Levy Forum.

    Councillors formally agreed to the appointment at the full Council meeting on Thursday 8 May.

    Julie brings to the role considerable experience in complex stakeholder management and financial planning, and is a skilled networker with a strong track record of building relationships across multiple industry sectors, local and national governments.

    She is founder and CEO of BroadReach Leadership Consultancy, whose clients span retail, technology, travel, education and the arts.

    An Edinburgh resident, she currently serves as a Public Interest Board Trustee for the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland, is Chair of the Board for the University of Aberdeen and has been a longstanding member of the Institute of Directors, where she is Chair of the Scotland Board. She also contributes on a cross-party working group at the Scottish Parliament and is a member of the Scottish Government’s New Deal for Business Group.

    She has previously held executive and advisory positions with leading organisations operating in the retail sector including Marks and Spencer, Liberty of London, IBM, the Spirit Group and Clear Returns.

    Council Leader Jane Meagher said:

    “I’m delighted that Julie has been appointed as Chair of the Visitor Levy Forum. This independent role will be important in helping to deliver the scheme in a way that benefits everyone living, working in and visiting Edinburgh, making sure big decisions are taken in a way that supports the whole city.

    “Julie’s proven ability to analyse important information and make sound decisions in high profile organisations will be a great asset to this new position. We believe her clear, determined and approachable style mean she is the right person to establish and lead a well-balanced forum where all views are given fair representation.

    “The levy is a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in the future of our city, and with Julie onboard as forum chair, we are well placed to deliver a scheme that will enhance and sustain the things that make Edinburgh such a great place to live in and visit.”

    Commenting on her appointment, Julie Ashworth said:

    “I am excited to get to work with establishing the forum and encouraging a broad range of views from businesses and communities across the city. We are entering a busy period as we build up to the implementation of the levy, and getting underway with the forum is a big opportunity for all of us.

    “As a long-time resident of the city, I am passionate about Edinburgh’s heritage and future success. I strongly believe the forum can play a very important role in helping the levy to be delivered in a way that is fair, just and brings benefits to everyone in the years to come.”

    Julie’s first task will be to establish the Edinburgh Visitor Levy Forum in line with the duties set out in the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act, with the first meeting taking place before 24 July 2025.

    The forum’s purpose is to discuss and advise the Council on matters to do with the levy, including advising the Council on any recommended modifications to the scheme at the formal three-year review point.

    The forum will also be consulted on how the income from the levy will be invested and invited to review and comment on the performance of the scheme and investments once in place. Decisions on amendments to the scheme and how the proceeds from the levy are invested will ultimately be taken by councillors.

    It will comprise an equal number of representatives from the community and businesses operating in the city’s visitor economy, and aim for at least 40 per cent of the representatives to be women. Council officers responsible for the investment streams and officers from the Council’s Programme Management Office will attend forum meetings and may make recommendations to the forum, but will not be members of the forum itself.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A new pope is chosen: A look back on the jostling for the papacy and the conclave’s history

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Colin Rose, Associate Professor of European and Digital History, Brock University

    Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States is the new pope, succeeding Pope Francis, and taking the name Pope Leo XIV. He’s been elected following a millennium-old ceremony known as the papal conclave. During the conclave, the 135 eligible Cardinal Electors of the Catholic Church sequestered themselves and elected the new pope in isolation.

    During that time, they had no contact with the outside world and they voted repeatedly, in written ballots and verbal declaration, until one of them achieved a two-thirds majority.

    Every failure brings sighs from the crowds in St. Peter’s Square as the votes, burned with a chemical admixture, send up a plume of inky black smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. White smoke, signalling a new pope has been elected, provokes cheers and celebrations and the beginning of a new papal era, as was the case after the election of Leo on May 8, 2025.



    Read more:
    How the next pope will be elected – what goes on at the conclave

    The history of the conclave, especially during the Italian Renaissance that I teach and research, tells us a lot about how the papacy is both a religious and a political office.

    The pope is at once the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church as well as the absolute monarch of Vatican City. He is both bishop of Rome and head of state of the smallest sovereign state in the world.

    Politics of the papacy

    In the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, the Vatican was the capital of a much-larger Papal State. This territorial buffer around Rome at its height bordered the territories of Florence, Naples, Milan and Venice, and covered much of northern Italy.

    Popes wielded great influence in the dramatic politics of famous Italian families like the Medici: it was a Medici pope, Clement VII, who helped negotiate the installation of the first Medici duke in Florence.

    Apocryphal accounts persist of Julius II, the so-called “Warrior Pope,” leading a charge over the walls of Bologna in 1506.

    At the same time popes, and Catholic policy, had profound consequences for European and global politics: Clement’s successor Paul III excommunicated England’s King Henry VIII, cementing the English break with Rome in 1538.

    A portrait of Pope Alexander VI Borgia circa 1495.
    (Vatican Museums)

    Alexander VI was more audaciously imperial: he sponsored the treaty that arbitrarily divided the entire world outside of Europe between Spain (his home country) and Portugal in 1494.

    Alexander VI’s historical infamy is perhaps outdone only by his son, Cesare Borgia, made famous by his mention is Niccolo Machiavelli’s book The Prince.

    Becoming pope was a big deal for a cardinal and his family. Leading candidates known as papabili (pope-ables) began strategizing and negotiating even before popes died.

    When a pontiff died, those cardinals abroad began their travels to Rome, construction began on the temporary cells that would house them all during the sequestration and the real work of electing a pope began.

    Enea Silvio Piccolomini left a detailed memoir of his election as Pius II in 1458. In it he describes a process of negotiating, threatening, cajoling and strategizing that make the scheming in the recent movie Conclave look unsophisticated.

    Renaissance Italy wrestled with and ultimately reconciled itself to the political nature of the papacy.

    Many, including popes such as Pius II, expressed discomfort with the political power of the papacy. While it was a clear factor in the schism of European Christendom that led to the emergence of the Protestant churches in the 16th century, in early modern Italy the political power of the papacy was a reality of the diplomatic milieu.

    The empty throne

    The conclave marks a special place in early modern history as a time when ordinary political order was overturned for a brief period known as the sede vacante (the Vacant See).

    The Vacant See was a time when identities were swappable and when, as one Paolo di Grassi told a judge in 1559, “in Vacant See [Romans] are the masters. The People are the Masters.” Di Grassi had, during the Vacant See of November 1559, pursued his own longstanding grudges against his enemies and been involved in at least one armed brawl.

    While they waited for a new pope, Romans and everyone else might have passed the time with another favourite vice: gambling on the conclave’s outcome.



    Read more:
    Who will the next pope be? Here are some top contenders

    European princes and other potentates of the church paid close attention to conclaves, tried to smuggle information in and out and steer the conclave in favour of their preferred candidate.

    In 1730, for instance, Cardinal Lambertini smuggled a letter out of his conclave thanking a benefactor for their donations to his future ordination as Pope Benedict XIV.

    The election held everyone’s attention as a rare and unusually impactful event in the Roman calendar.

    While Rome’s streets thrummed with tension during the chaotic days of a Vacant See, the conclave proceeded serenely and secretly within the Vatican’s walls.

    The use of white smoke to mark the election of a pope only began in the 20th century. During the Renaissance, the sound of bells would be a more effective way to spread the news through Rome, before the new pope was announced to the city and the world.

    Much turns on that announcement now, as much did in previous centuries. The conclave elects both a pope and a head of state. While Vatican City is magnitudes smaller than the Papal State of the past, it remains a sovereign state.

    Papal pronouncements shape not just religious thought but political action, through voting, advocacy and more. The crowds who awaited the announcement of the new pope might be less raucous than Renaissance Romans, but they were nonetheless invested in the results.

    Colin Rose receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. A new pope is chosen: A look back on the jostling for the papacy and the conclave’s history – https://theconversation.com/a-new-pope-is-chosen-a-look-back-on-the-jostling-for-the-papacy-and-the-conclaves-history-255492

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Donald Trump has reduced tariffs on British metals and cars, but how important is this trade deal? Experts react

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Maha Rafi Atal, Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in Political Economy, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow

    The US president called it a “very big deal”. The UK prime minister said it was “fantastic, historic” day. For sure, Keir Starmer and his team will have been delighted that the UK was first in line to negotiate adjustments to Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs announced on “liberation day” just a few weeks ago. But what might the trade deal between the UK and US actually mean? We asked four economic experts to respond to the Oval Office announcement.

    Wins for the UK are real, but limited

    Maha Rafi Atal, Adam Smith Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Political Economy, University of Glasgow

    The new UK-US trade announcement is less a breakthrough than a careful balancing act – partial, tactical and politically calculated.

    Key UK wins are real but limited. Tariffs on British metals and autos are eased, thanks in part to the UK government acquisition of the Chinese-owned Scunthorpe steelmaking facility, removing a longstanding US objection. But even auto tariffs are only scaled back to the general baseline of 10% and not eliminated.

    Agriculture and tech remain the real stress points. The UK has granted market access to US agricultural products, including beef, but crucially without changing its food safety standards. This sidesteps a domestic political fight and avoids undermining the UK’s Northern Ireland arrangements or its EU alignment. Still, if US beef doesn’t meet those standards, the market access may prove meaningless in practice – setting up future pressure points.

    Perhaps the most notable UK win: it retains its digital services tax on US tech giants. That tax hits Silicon Valley hard, and the US wanted it gone. Instead, the announcement punts this to future talks – holding the line for now, but not securing it permanently.

    This isn’t the long-anticipated UK-US free trade agreement. It’s not a treaty, not comprehensive, and not ratified. It’s a limited, executive-level arrangement with more questions than answers – and more negotiations to come.

    Stronger ties and badly needed growth to come

    David Collins, Professor of International Economic Law, City St George’s, University of London

    This deal is an excellent development that should help restore the UK-US trade relationship to what it was before President Trump took office for the second time. At the time of writing, few details about the arrangement are known. But the 25% tariff on UK steel and aluminium has been removed, as has the tariff rate on most car exports – from 27.5% to 10%

    The lower car rate applies to the first 100,000 vehicles exported from the UK to the US each year. Around 101,000 were exported last year.

    More details are promised in the coming days and weeks. Perhaps they will include an agreement which separates the UK from any restrictions that the US intends to impose on the film industry. In return, the UK might eliminate its digital services tax on the US (which I argue it should never have imposed because it will only raise prices for consumers and generate little revenue).

    But overall, it seems clear that the Labour government has prioritised the UK’s relationship with the EU, evidently seeking as close as possible a connection without formally rejoining. So, while this agreement with Trump is well short of a comprehensive free trade agreement, it is a welcome development that should strengthen Anglo-American ties and bring some badly needed economic growth to both countries.

    Political theatre for both sides

    Conor O’Kane, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Bournemouth

    This announcement is a framework for a trade deal rather than an actual formal completed agreement. Trade deals are detailed, complex and take many months to negotiate.

    The US and the UK are both countries with massive persistent structural trade deficits. It is very unlikely that what has been announced will significantly shift the dial on either country’s structural deficit or growth forecast.

    Jerome Powell, chair of the US Federal Reserve, recently warned that Donald Trump’s tariff policy risked higher inflation and higher unemployment at the same time, what economists call “stagflation”. The president’s announcement will prove a welcome distraction from Powell’s comments.

    The deal should perhaps be viewed as symbolic. Trump’s US tariff policy has been chaotic to date and his administration finally has something they can point to as a win in the aftermath of “liberation day”.

    Of course, a trade deal is also a good news story for the Labour government after disappointing local elections. Prime Minister Keir Starmer can claim economic credibility by being first in line for a trade deal, perhaps cementing the “special relationship”.

    Mini-tariffs on UK cars.
    balipadma/Shutterstock

    However, is the US a reliable partner to sign a trade deal with? During his first term, Trump signed a free trade deal with Mexico and Canada (the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA – the successor to Nafta). At the time, he said the deal “will be fantastic for all”. But he subsequently reneged on it.

    There is also a wider strategic element to this. First, the US wanted to get a trade deal in place with the UK ahead of what looks like a comprehensive EU-UK trade deal coming down the line. Second, Trump sees the EU as an economic rival. By signing a deal with the UK, he is signalling to other European countries the possibility of a potentially better trading relationship with the US outside of the EU.

    Deal leaves the door open for EU relationship

    Sangeeta Khorana, Professor of International Trade Policy, Aston University

    The agreement is a tactical win for both countries. It eases trade frictions, supports key industries and sets the framework for a broader UK-US free trade agreement without impacting on the UK’s economic reset with the European Union.

    The UK–US agreement, which suspends some of Trump’s recent tariffs, is sector-specific and far from comprehensive. It preserves UK food safety and animal-welfare standards. And it safeguards post-Brexit EU links while allowing the UK to cement its strategic partnership with Washington. Talks will be launched on aerospace, advanced batteries, data flows and services liberalisation within 12 months.

    This is a timely coup, coming so soon after the India deal. The pact represents a strategic diplomatic gain that brings tariff relief (and potentially the associated uncertainty) for key British industries, while also preserving UK’s regulatory alignment with the EU.

    Maha Rafi Atal is sometimes a volunteer organiser for the US Democratic party/candidates and has no party affiliation or involvement in the UK.

    Sangeeta Khorana is Professor and endowed Chair of International Trade Policy at Aston University.

    Conor O’Kane and David Collins do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Donald Trump has reduced tariffs on British metals and cars, but how important is this trade deal? Experts react – https://theconversation.com/donald-trump-has-reduced-tariffs-on-british-metals-and-cars-but-how-important-is-this-trade-deal-experts-react-256240

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: FM’s message of support to Scotland’s Indian and Pakistani communities

    Source: Scottish Government

    First Minister writes to cross-party groups.

    First Minister John Swinney has written to the Conveners of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party groups on India and Pakistan to express his support in light of the recent tensions between the two countries, following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

    In his letter, the First Minister said:

    “For many in the community, this may be a worrying time, and my thoughts are with those who have family and friends in the region. Scotland’s Indian and Pakistani communities enrich Scotland socially, culturally, and economically.

    “I have called upon leaders in the region to choose dialogue, diplomacy, and shared humanity ahead of force and bloodshed. There can be no winners from further military escalation. Protecting civilians is urgent and paramount.

    “My officials are in contact with various stakeholders in the communities, as well as with Police Scotland, Universities Scotland, and diplomatic missions.  I would urge you to support that dialogue and bring to us any concerns you hear from Scotland’s Indian and Pakistani communities.”

    Background

    India and Pakistan: letter from First Minister – gov.scot

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: David Attenborough’s Ocean reveals how bottom trawling is hurting sealife in horrifying detail

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation, University of Exeter

    A bottom trawl net hanging to dry in the harbour of Harlingen in the Netherlands, showing the rockhopper rollers on the footrope that contacts the seabed. 365 Focus Photography/Shutterstock

    In one of the most powerful scenes of Sir David Attenborough’s new film Ocean, the audience sees industrial fishing from a fish’s perspective.

    Confronting a bottom trawl net as it thunders across the seabed, terrified fish scatter in desperate but futile attempts to escape the vast net swallowing them. The heavy chain that holds the trawl down sweeps away sponges, corals, seagrass and other seabed life, leaving behind utter devastation.

    Attenborough’s latest nature documentary is a visually magnificent and highly personal meditation on the relationship humans have with the sea. It is the most important part of our world, he says. But we have taken it for granted.

    A century of intensifying and destructive fishing has culminated in bottom trawl nets, some as big as cathedrals and weighing many tonnes, being towed along the seabed to catch fish. To allow them to fish more effectively in areas of rough seabed, which is where most marine life is found, fishers in the 1920s invented “rock-hopper” gear: rollers placed along the foot rope that touches the bottom, allowing the net to bounce over obstacles.

    This innovation followed the trajectory of many fishing methods, which was to become more destructive over time to sustain the size of catches in the face of declining fish stocks.

    Trawler nets are designed to gobble up marine life indiscriminately.
    Anney_Lier/Shutterstock

    Shellfish dredging, another fishing method that destroys as it catches, is shown in a second horrifying scene. To catch scallops, steel dredges armed with spikes (imagine the harrows farmers use to break up soil on ploughed fields) drag along the seabed, smashing and pummelling everything. In minutes, seabed life of astonishing diversity and beauty is erased.

    Together, Attenborough explains, bottom trawling and dredging wreak their havoc across an area of seabed larger than the Amazon rainforest every year.

    Attenborough invites viewers to wonder how on Earth these fishing methods are still allowed when the damage is so obvious. Viewers may be even more surprised, and very probably angry, to learn that most marine protected areas in Europe, and indeed worldwide, permit bottom trawling and dredging within their boundaries.

    To understand why this is the case, we have to go back in time.

    A medieval practice

    We know from the parliamentary records of Edward III in 1376 that fishers in southern England were practising bottom trawling as far back as the 1300s. Long-held traditions are hard to change, even when there is irrefutable evidence that they cause harm.

    It is telling, however, that this early description of trawling is a petition urging the king to ban the method for its reckless destruction of habitat and waste of fish.

    Nevertheless, these fisheries expanded because trawling was an efficient means of landing huge quantities of fish. Trawling’s success came at the expense of what we call marine animal forests, habitats built by animals like oysters, horse mussels and sponges – all swept away to leave behind vacant shifting sands, mud and gravel that predominate over vast swaths of seafloor today.

    A recent estimate has suggested that oyster reefs once covered at least 17,000 square kilometres of European seas – an area the size of Northern Ireland. All of this was gone by the beginning of the 20th century. This ecosystem cannot recover until it is offered protection from trawling and dredging. So, why haven’t we protected it?

    Degraded habitats, profoundly altered by trawling, were what scientists and then conservationists found when they first ventured below water after the invention of scuba diving in the mid-20th century. These early submarine explorers mistook them for natural and wild, failing to see the role industrial fishing had played in their creation.

    Being now occupied almost exclusively by creatures used to the passage of trawls – animals that live fast and die young like worms, prawns and whelks – these habitats were labelled as resilient, and not in need of protection.

    This warped perspective fooled us into thinking that marine protected areas left open to bottom trawling would be fine. In the few cases where protected areas exclude trawling, like around the Isle of Arran in western Scotland, the swift resurgence of seabed life has revealed how wrong this assumption was.

    In only five years, sea-moss, sea-nettles, scallops and brittle stars have reoccupied the seafloor, a transformation that is nevertheless just the beginning of a recovery that will carry on for decades.

    Seabeds protected from trawls and dredges can rebound, like this one off the Isle of Arran. It offers a glimpse of what existed before industrial fisheries.
    Henley Spiers/Blue Marine Foundation

    Giving up the trawl and dredge does not mean an end to fishing, as the film explains. In fact, recovering fish populations in protected areas replenish those in fishing grounds nearby, leading to better and more sustainable catches.

    Calling time on destructive fishing

    Perhaps now, at last, the writing is on the wall for bottom trawling and dredging, because they do a more insidious form of damage we have only recently become fully aware of. The ocean floor is one of the planet’s largest carbon stores. A snowfall of sinking organic matter and sediment accumulates on the seabed, where the carbon it contains is buried for thousands of years.

    Left undisturbed, this carbon is out of harm’s way. But when churned up by the passage of trawls and dredges, some is turned back into CO₂, some of which will end up back in the atmosphere.

    The magnitude of these seabed carbon emissions, and their role in climate change, is hotly debated. Getting more reliable estimates is the mission of a five-year project I lead, the Convex Seascape Survey. One thing is already clear from our research, however: there are places underwater – like peat bogs or permafrost on land – that we should not disturb because they harbour immense quantities of carbon.

    Ironically, these muddy basins have in the past few decades become some of the most intensively fished places in the sea because they are home to valuable prawns, which are among the few species still able to support viable fisheries.

    Any country serious about meeting net zero in time to prevent dangerous climate change must act swiftly to protect its seabed carbon stores. And any country serious about ocean conservation knows that marine protected areas are useless if they don’t exclude trawling and dredging.

    David Attenborough, Silverback Films and the Open Planet Studios team have brought these truths to a mass audience, leaving no space for further evasion and denial. What we need now is action.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Callum Roberts receives funding from Convex, the Natural Environment Research Council and the European Research Council. He is on the board of Nekton and Maldives Coral Institute and sits on the Minderoo Natural Ecosystems advisory panel, the Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Science advisory board and the CORDAP science advisory panel.

    – ref. David Attenborough’s Ocean reveals how bottom trawling is hurting sealife in horrifying detail – https://theconversation.com/david-attenboroughs-ocean-reveals-how-bottom-trawling-is-hurting-sealife-in-horrifying-detail-255991

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: HMRC interest rates for late payments will be revised following the Bank of England interest rate cut to 4.25%.

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    HMRC interest rates for late payments will be revised following the Bank of England interest rate cut to 4.25%.

    The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee announced on 8 May 2025 to reduce the Bank of England base rate to 4.25% from 4.50%.

    HMRC interest rates are linked to the Bank of England base rate.

    As a consequence of the change in the base rate, HMRC interest rates for late payment and repayment will reduce.

    These changes will come into effect on:

    • 19 May 2025 for quarterly instalment payments
    • 28 May 2025 for non-quarterly instalments payments

    Information on the interest rates for payments will be updated shortly.

    How HMRC interest rates are set

    HMRC interest rates are set in legislation and are linked to the Bank of England base rate.

    Late payment interest is currently set at base rate plus 4.00%. Repayment interest is set at base rate minus 1%, with a lower limit – or ‘minimum floor’ – of 0.5%.

    The differential between late payment interest and repayment interest is in line with the policy of other tax authorities worldwide and compares favourably with commercial practice for interest charged on loans or overdrafts and interest paid on deposits.

    The rate of late payment interest encourages prompt payment and ensures fairness for those who pay their tax on time, while the rate of repayment interest fairly compensates taxpayers for loss of use of their money when they overpay.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Portadown food business fined over food safety breaches

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    A Portadown food business has been fined for a number of serious food safety breaches discovered by officers from Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council.

    DFWZ Ltd, operating under the trading name ‘Sals Halal’ which is a retailer at Bridge Street in Portadown, was fined £6,750 for six offences plus additional court fees, when the case came before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Tuesday 6 May.

    The offences included; failure to maintain the food premises in a clean condition; failure to protect against contamination and pest control; placing unsafe food on the market; failure to provide adequate storage and disposal for food waste and refuse, and failure to maintain refuse areas free from animals and pests; failure to implement and maintain food safety procedures; failure to label food products to ensure traceability.

    The case was brought by ABC Council after their Environmental Health officers carried out inspections at the business in May 2024. During inspections, officers found a dead mouse, cleaning deficiencies, expired food products and number of other issues. Formal notices were served by the council but due to the serious nature of the offences, legal proceedings were taken against the company.

    A spokesperson for ABC Council, said: “We welcome the outcome of this prosecution, and the fines imposed demonstrate the seriousness of the breaches identified and the continued failure of the business to comply with food safety and hygiene requirements.”

    They added: “We work with hundreds of businesses across the ABC Borough to ensure that food safety is paramount and thankfully the vast majority of business are very responsible, but where we find failings in food safety, we will take robust action to protect the public. It is important that businesses work with us to maintain these important food safety standards and take the appropriate action when formal notices are served.”

    If you would like to find out more about food safety, you can visit the ABC Council webpage – www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/business/food-safety/ – which offers helpful advice and guidance on food safety, food business registration and approval, the food hygiene rating scheme and food allergens.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Support available for start-up businesses

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    New businesses are being encouraged to apply for funding through a grant scheme. 

    Sole traders, partnerships or limited companies who have set up within the Aberdeen City Council boundary since 1 October 2024 can apply to the Business Start-Up Grant Scheme, with one grant per business permitted. 

    Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “This scheme is an example of partnership working that offers help and encouragement to the private sector. The funding available can make a real difference to support emerging businesses.”  

    Finance and Resources convener Councillor Alex McLellan said: said: “This grant scheme will continue to support new businesses to grow and thrive in Aberdeen. 

    “I encourage all eligible businesses to apply and help support the region’s economic growth.”

    Home-based start-ups can apply for funding of £1,000, while those taking on a relatable commercial premise within Aberdeen may be eligible for £3,000. 

    All applicants must be engaged with the Business Gateway service and have an allocated business advisor. This scheme has been funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

    Through the Business Start-Up Grant Scheme 2024/25, 167 new businesses have been supported across the city, including in animal services, education, hair and beauty and technology sectors. 

    Details and eligibility can be found online.

    Applications will be accepted until 28 February 2026 or until the funding has been fully allocated.  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: FMQs: Government urged to empower renters rights in Scotland

    Source: Scottish Greens

    08 May 2025

    Renters rights must be key to a fairer, greener Scotland.

    The Scottish Government has been urged to back Green proposals that will empower renters and improve housing rights.

    Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Green Co-Leader Patrick Harvie underlined his party’s long standing support for rent controls and urged the First Minister to rebalance the private let housing sector in favour of renters.

    Mr Harvie asked the First Minister:  

    “I first raised the need for rent controls well over a decade ago, to the complete disinterest of the SNP Housing Minister of the day.

    “By then private rented housing had already been growing dramatically for years, but rents had continued to spiral.

    “The situation now is far more severe. Even if rent controls had been in place for the last five years, renters in places like Glasgow and Edinburgh would be thousands of pounds a year better off.

    “I’m glad that Green efforts and the work of tenants’ unions have resulted in a Housing Bill with a rent control system for Scotland, even if it is weaker because of SNP amendments. I’m glad that our plans for energy efficiency rules for private landlords are also finally going to happen.

    “But can the First Minister explain why it took so many years of pressure from the Greens to make the SNP accept that rents are too high, standards too low, and that urgent action is needed?”

    In his response the First Minister reiterated his support for the upcoming Housing Bill that was first introduced by Mr Harvie as a Minister.

    In his second question, Mr Harvie asked the First Minister:

    “The frustration comes from the delay, and I know that the frustration is shared by SNP members who voted for rent control policies for many years without action happening.

    “There was never any need for these many years of delay, and we could have done far more good for people by acting sooner.

    “This Housing Bill must make rent more affordable, and it will need to be strengthened to do that.

    “But it must also provide more protection and power for people who rent their homes.

    “People deserve the right to withhold rent payments when issues like mould, damp and overdue repairs are being left by landlords for months, sometimes years on end.

    “Will the First Minister back the Green proposal to give people the right to withhold rent payment until repairs are completed, to stop landlords from profiting while they ignore their responsibilities?

    “Or is this another issue that will take 10 years of pressure before the government acts?”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New reports examine the economic and social impacts of nuclear decommissioning in Scotland A new study led by the National Decommissioning Centre, in collaboration with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), shows that Scotland’s £25 billion nuclear decommissioning programme could deliver significant long-term economic and social benefits at both national and local levels over the next 90 years and beyond.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    A new study led by the National Decommissioning Centre, in collaboration with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), shows that Scotland’s £25 billion nuclear decommissioning programme could deliver significant long-term economic and social benefits at both national and local levels over the next 90 years and beyond.
    The research has highlighted potential economy-wide gains in employment, skills development, household income and consumption offering a positive outlook for communities impacted by the decommissioning process. The study has helped inform politicians and key policy makers on the opportunities and has contributed to the formation of a cross-party committee on nuclear decommissioning in the Scottish Parliament.
    As part of the wider project, the University of Aberdeen’s Just Transition Lab carried out a complementary study to build clear linkages on the broader debates on the Just Transition and report on how local communities in Caithness view the decommissioning process at Dounreay.
    As one of the UK’s key nuclear decommissioning sites, Dounreay plays a crucial role in the NDA’s long-term efforts to safely decommission early nuclear facilities. It has been a stable employer since it was established in the 1950s but the decommissioning process brings uncertainty for the surrounding communities about the future.
    This part of the study found that there are significant impacts of winding down the anchor institution central to high-skilled and high-income employment in the region and that there is a need for a Just Transition in the area. The report found that there is a lack of clarity on how this will be achieved.
    Interviews were carried out with residents and stakeholders in Caithness and North Sutherland directly impacted by decommissioning at Dounreay. The responses were that the issues are compounded by underinvestment in essential infrastructure, rural depopulation, and remoteness. At the same time, the presence of the skilled workforce as well as the increased interest in the region’s renewable energy resources means that decommissioning can be a driver for building future skills and capacities for economic diversification and local resilience.
    Just Transition Lab researchers examined the policy framework of a Just Transition, focusing on how the decommissioning processes align with national and regional visions for a net zero focused economy, how the process of change is engaging with community aspirations for the local economy, and how the policy drivers for a Just Transition are recreated in a remote rural community that faces significant change.
    The researchers also conducted key informant interviews to examine the impacts of decommissioning at Dounreay and the increasing onshore and offshore wind production in Caithness on the local community.
    The findings underscore the necessity for a timely and coordinated approach to regional socio-economic planning in Caithness and North Sutherland. A key aspect of the study is the development of a Just Transition indicator framework tailored to Caithness and North Sutherland. Despite some uncertainties, stakeholders view the decommissioning process as a stabilising force for the region, highlighting its potential to mitigate socio-economic disruptions.
    Dr Daria Shapovalova from the Just Transition Lab said: “This research provides a much-needed framework for planning a Just Transition in regions undergoing significant change. It’s a crucial step toward ensuring that local communities are not left behind in the shift to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. Just Transition context means not only the continuation of employment in the energy sector but also wider community impacts in health and wellbeing, housing, transport and more.”
    Malcolm Stone from the National Decommissioning Centre said: “Whilst it is recognised that the energy sector is undergoing a transition, how the transition will be a ‘just’ one for society is understood less. By considering the impact of decommissioning at the Dounreay facility in Caithness, this far sighted research commissioned by the NDA provides valuable evidence to aid decision makers and the wider community in understanding the complexities of the energy transition, highlighting opportunities for employment, economic diversification and societal impacts.”
    Heather Barton NDA said: “It has been great to engage with another area of the University of Aberdeen, the Just Transition Lab, through our partnership with the NDC. A real strength of working with the NDC is that there are numerous areas where we can collaborate to achieve our goals of decommissioning the UK’s nuclear sites safely, securely, sustainably and cost effectively. This study will help inform politicians and policy makers on key economic development opportunities and enable discussions around support for communities including skills and training.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Black students are increasingly less likely to get a first or 2:1 than their white peers

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David Mba, Vice-Chancellor, Birmingham City University

    Andrii Zastrozhnov/Shutterstock

    Black students are increasingly less likely to get a first or 2:1 than their white peers, according the latest Ethnic Representation Index for higher education in England and Scotland.

    This need for better representation for students was the impetus behind the development of the index, first launched in 2022. I began it while deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Arts London, with the intention of creating a consistent methodology and agreed metrics to measure the progress of universities in England and Scotland in addressing institutional racism, as well as to examine the sense of belonging and inclusion among Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff and students.

    The index exposes the so-called “awarding gap” – that’s the difference between the proportion of white and BAME students awarded a first class or 2:1 degree. For Black and other ethnic minority students in England, it now stands at 14.1%, up from 12.3% the previous year. Indeed, 76% of universities in England and a similar proportion of universities in Scotland have a gap of more than 10%.

    For Black students in particular, the gap is even greater. It now stands at 21.6%, up from 19.3% in England. In Scotland, 81% of universities have a Black awarding gap of over 25%.

    Despite this, though, the index does show some encouraging signs. This is its third and latest iteration, which I co-authored with Chris Lloyd-Bardsley, Adam Weigel and Sandra Longville at the University of Arts London, covers the 2022-2023 academic year.

    According to data from the National Student Survey, the gap in reported satisfaction rates between white and students from ethnic minority backgrounds has narrowed over the last few years. Black students reported a better university experience than their white peers.

    Staff representation

    Staff, by and large, are becoming more representative of the student body. For instance, 20.2% of academics and 33.3% of undergraduates in England are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

    This is by no means parity, but it is progress when we consider that, in the last index, 18.5% of academics were from ethnic minority backgrounds. Representation among professional services staff, professors, senior managers and governors increased, too.

    Progress has also been made in Scotland. Black and ethnic minority students comprise 11.6% of the undergraduate student body there, 16% of postgraduate researchers – and 15.4% of academics. Representation among executive board members also increased.

    Interestingly, irrespective of the near parity in minority ethnic student and academic populations in Scotland, the awarding gaps are still high. This could in part be due to the concentration of staff and students from minority ethnic groups in different departments, schools and subject areas. So, while the overall representation looks equal, minority ethnic staff populations may be concentrated in only a few areas.

    Nonetheless, addressing the awarding gap isn’t entirely about representation.

    Some universities are signed up to the Race Equality Charter: an award provided to institutions addressing problems faced by ethnic minority staff and students. Universities can apply for a bronze or silver award depending on progress.

    At the time of developing this year’s index, 52 universities had achieved an award. I am pleased to note that 77% of these increased the proportion of Black and ethnic minority academic staff relative to students and 65% increased their proportion of Black academics.

    Yet while universities have made progress in some areas, it has stalled in others. In some cases, it has even retreated. The ethnicity pay gap measures the average gap across all university staff, including academic staff and professional services staff. The ethnicity pay gap increased this year by 0.4 percentage points to 6%. At some universities, gaps as high as 27.4% were reported.

    In Scotland, the figures are better, but a pay gap of 1.9% nevertheless persists.

    Mixed success

    And while representation may have increased among academics and professorial staff, the same cannot be said for the highest echelons of management. In England, Black and ethnic minority representation among executive teams fell from 7.7% to 7%. Black representation in England also fell, to only 0.7%.

    In Scotland, ethnic minority representation among executives increased, but Black representation fell. There are no reported Black executive board members in Scotland.

    For students in England, the disparity in continuation rates (the proportion of students who continue their studies into a second year) is 1.3 percentage points between Black and ethnic minority and white students. The disparity in completion rates (the proportion of students who can be tracked through to the end of their qualification) is 2.7 percentage points.

    For Black students in particular the gap is even greater. There is a continuation rate gap of 2.5 percentage points and a completion rate gap of 4.5 percentage points between Black and white students. Some universities in England reported completion rate disparities for Black students of over 15%.

    Moreover, Black and ethnic minority graduates in England are 2.5 percentage points less likely to be in employment or further study 15 months after graduating than their white peers, though this does mark a slight improvement of 0.4 percentage points from last year.

    Students from an ethnic minority background have previously been shown to worry that the absence of lecturers from a similar background could have an effect on their achievement, as well as their sense of belonging at university, their engagement with their course. For these students, having a teacher that looks like them can have a transformational impact.

    We may be tempted to believe the path toward equality in higher education is straight and narrow. Make the commitment, put in place the strategy, the rest will follow. This is evidently not the case. We should gain some comfort that universities are making progress in some areas. However, it is disappointing that higher education institutions have fallen back elsewhere.

    David Mba 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. Black students are increasingly less likely to get a first or 2:1 than their white peers – https://theconversation.com/black-students-are-increasingly-less-likely-to-get-a-first-or-2-1-than-their-white-peers-255546

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Secretary of State marks 80th anniversary of VE Day

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Secretary of State marks 80th anniversary of VE Day

    The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day by opening a special World War II exhibition at Antrim Castle Gardens.

    Secretary of State with the Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Neil Kelly, Deputy Mayor Councillor Paul Dunlop BEM, and World War II expert and tour guide Mike Gilmore.

    VE Day is an occasion to remember the huge sacrifice made by that great generation so that we might live in peace and freedom.

    That is the message from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn, who has commemorated VE Day with a number of visits around Northern Ireland.
    Today, (Thursday 8 May), marks 80 years since Victory in Europe Day when the Second World War came to an end in Europe. The long anticipated news resulted in millions celebrating the end of the war, with street parties, dancing and singing across the country.

    Mr Benn marked VE day by officially opening a special World War II exhibition at Antrim Castle Gardens, hosted by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. He then travelled to the Ulster Aviation Society, where he met with Fred Jennings, a World War II Veteran.

    The Secretary of State also took time to visit the NI War Memorial Museum, which focuses on Northern Ireland’s role in the Second World War and the impact that the war had on its people.

    He finished his day of VE Day commemorations by attending a Service of Remembrance with Thanksgiving at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh.

    At the end of his engagements, Mr Benn said:

    VE Day 80 is our opportunity to remember and to honour the extraordinary courage of that great generation of World War Two veterans.

    Today should remind us all that the cost of peace must never be forgotten. As we hear the stories of those who served and express our profound gratitude to them, let us remember that it was their sacrifice that enabled us to live in peace and freedom.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After 170 Years, Thoreau’s River Observations Inform Our Changing Climate

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Like an expertly choreographed dance, the sequence and timing of natural events through a season, called phenology, give us clues about how the climate is changing.

    For example, a warmer spring may lead to plants leafing and flowering early, potentially disrupting life cycles of the birds and insects who may miss this crucial window if it happens before they migrate. Climate change is throwing such timing out of balance, and unless it directly impacts humans, we may not notice.

    To study New England’s regional phenology through a historical lens, UConn Department of Earth Sciences Professor Robert Thorson is looking into 10 years’ worth of Henry David Thoreau’s meticulous, systematic records of river behavior from the 1850s to glean insights into climate change. His findings are published in The Concord Saunterer.

    A season is much more than a block of a few months on the calendar; it is a category of phenomena that varies depending on who you ask, says Thorson. For instance, a season differs if you ask a skier, a fisherman, or a student. To understand something as complex as climate change on a personal level requires helping them see that their seasons are being changed and time-shifted, no matter how they define them. This requires a well-established baseline with a clear definition for each season. Thoreau’s “Journal” provides exactly this.

    Replica of Thoreau’s boat, Musketaquid, on the bank of the Sudbury River, Lincoln, MA. (Photo courtesy of Juliet Wheeler)

    “I don’t pick Thoreau for his philosophy, he’s just a damn good observer,” says Thorson. “He is meticulous, he is daily, he is yearly, and he is systematically rigorous about roaming around 50 square miles and recording it day after day after day after day.”

    Thoreau created an impressive data set from 1850 through 1860, including the 6,000 entries Thorson has cataloged so far by reading line-by-line, indexing, and creating a spreadsheet. Thoreau recorded examples of phenology along the river – for instance, when the first ice occurred, when the river was completely frozen, when the first snow fell, and when the breakup of ice occurred.

    “From these observations, we can establish the timings of discrete phenomena from the mid-19th century using simple statistics,” says Thorson. “The next step is to compare those timings with the modern era using publicly available data; for example, minimum stream discharges from the U.S. Geological Survey.”

    Rather than seeing the year on a calendar, Thorson categorized how Thoreau saw not four, but ten discrete seasons whose exact dates were fluid and based on the physical conditions he observed rather than celestial happenings or arbitrary dates. These seasons included breakup, inland sea, aquatic spring, riparian spring, summer, drought, aquatic autumn, riparian autumn, freeze up, and winter white. Thorson details the timings and characteristics of Thoreau’s river seasons using hundreds of direct, dated, and descriptive quotes. Thorson notes that all of Thoreau’s seasons still exist today, though they have shifted in timing and intensity due to climate change.

    Thorson’s idea is to create a then-and-now comparison and to incorporate statistical analysis between Thoreau’s and modern data sets to understand patterns and trends in the complicated phenomena.

    “Even just answering the question of how much earlier ice breakup is occurring would take nothing more than a than simple statistical analysis. This is eminently translatable to the public because many residents of Thoreau country have experienced river breakup in the past,” says Thorson. “They may have had their dock ripped out by river ice, they may have gone swimming on a certain day, but not others. People could relate to this stuff, and that’s essentially what I’m trying to do.”

    Though Thoreau is remembered primarily for his writings while living on Walden Pond, Thorson points out that he actually spent most of his time on three local rivers, whether walking trails, boating, swimming, or skating.

    “This is a guy who skated 60 miles in one day — upriver to the falls at Framingham on the Sudbury River and then he turned around and skated past Concord all the way down to just north of Lowell in Billerica. Then he turned around and skated back home again. On another winter, he measured ice floes two feet thick. Imagine those conditions today. Now the river hardly freezes at all.”

    Researching this project, Thorson was delighted by the sensory detail of Thoreau’s descriptions. For example, on one August day, he felt the baking “dog-day” heat of the air, the silence of laminar streamflow, the “unctuous” iridescent sheen on sluggish water, and the fetid smell of riverbank muck draped by dead lily pads, says Thorson.

    “But within a day, he can feel fall coming, and all of a sudden, the first rains or the cooling air start to bring change. You get a completely different river from the preceding one of drought, or the one with icebergs stampeding down the river, tearing out bridges. All of this is phenology. All can be timed to a specific day.”

    With these phenological details, Thorson has laid the groundwork for creating a record of climate change. Thorson was initially inspired by Thoreau’s phenology when writing his book “The Boatman,” in which he was only able to sketch Thoreau’s river seasons briefly. With this new article, Thorson pulls it all together to identify the specific seasonal thresholds and present the information in Thoreau’s words to show readers how he saw the year. Thorson hopes the paper inspires collaboration with statisticians to help in the next step of analysis.

    “Probably the first thing I’ll do is explore where the modern records are. I also wanted to pull the historic record together and tighten portions into a robust hypothesis. Thoreau’s work is New England’s best record of broad environmental conditions for the mid-19th century. It’s astonishing. It’s two million words,” says Thorson.

    Noting the contrasts between the river phenology Thoreau so thoughtfully detailed and what we can observe today, Thorson says he hopes this work resonates with readers.

    “Breakup is the most instantaneous and dramatic point in the entire year. We don’t think much about it right now, because we don’t have a lot of river ice, but it used to be two feet thick on the river, and that says something sad about how dramatic the climate change has been. You can read dry numerical facts about how New England’s nighttime average temperatures have risen in the 100 years. But when you make climate change dramatic, as with a bridge being torn apart by a spring freshet, that’s a phenomenon associated with emotion. People pay more attention. The personal narrative of a river system year after year after year — that’s what Thoreau gave us.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neag School Class of 2025 Student Profile: Nathan Kim

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Editor’s Note: As Commencement approaches, we are featuring some of our Neag School Class of 2025 graduating students over the coming days.


    Major:     BS, Sport Management
    Hometown: North Wales, Pennsylvania

    Q: Why did you choose UConn?

    A: Even though UConn is out-of-state for me, I felt drawn to it because of the strength of the program and the unique opportunities it offered. After touring the campus, I just couldn’t say no. It had that true college-town feel, which was exactly what I wanted. Unlike city schools, where you’re walking alongside people from all walks of life, UConn felt like a tight-knit community. Everywhere I went, I’d run into students just like me, and that sense of connection was enough for me.

    Q: What’s your major or field of study, and what drew you to it?

    A: I’m a sport management major, and I’ve known I have wanted to be in this field since high school. UConn, having one of the top programs in the country, made the decision easy. To me, sports are more than just games; they’re a powerful, universal language. They give people a way to express themselves without saying a word. My goal has always been to help others and combining that with my love and passion for sports gave me the perfect path forward: using sports as a tool to make a positive impact in the world.

    Q: Did you have a favorite professor or class?

    A: Man… choosing just one professor feels impossible. I’ve been lucky to have some amazing mentors. But if I had to shout someone out, it’s Dr. Chen. He is my professor and my advisor, and he went above and beyond by agreeing to supervise a club I started at UConn. He’s been consistently supportive, both academically and personally. We’ve had countless run-ins on campus, whether it’s at the gym or just walking around, and every time, it led to a funny or motivational chat I’ll always remember.

    Q: What activities were you involved in as a student?

    A: I was the president of KSA (Korean Student Association) and founded and served as president of GIFT (Guys in Fitness Training). On the job side, I worked briefly as a tour guide and was also part of the athletic operations team for UConn’s sports programs. Getting involved in all these different spaces gave me the chance to meet incredible people and build lasting relationships. Get involved everywhere as much as you can.

    Q: What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?

    A: I was never bored. Not once. People love to say college towns don’t have much going on, but UConn proved them all wrong. If anything, there was too much to do. Even after four years, I feel like I barely scratched the surface of everything this place has to offer.

    Q: What are your plans after graduation/receiving your degree?

    A: I plan to continue working in the sports industry. I’ve been fortunate enough to intern with a few teams, and I’m excited to explore roles in sponsorships and partnerships. Long-term, I want to build something of my own. Something rooted in sports and driven by a bigger purpose. My dream is to make a difference while doing what I love.

    Q: How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in life?

    A: UConn taught me how to be independent and thrive on my own. Sure, it’s fun to be surrounded by friends, go to games together, and eat at the dining halls. But there were also those moments when I had to stand on my own. Those moments helped me figure out who I am, what I value, and the kind of people I want around me. Thanks to the support of my professors, advisors, and friends, I’ve learned a lot about life and about myself.

    UConn taught me how to be independent and thrive on my own. &#8212 Nathan Kim

    Q: Any advice for incoming students?

    A: Come in knowing your “why” and be proud of it. Don’t feel like you need to fit into a mold. UConn has so many clubs, organizations, and communities that you will find your people. Your journey is your own, and that’s what makes it special. Be confident in your path, even if it looks different from everyone else’s.

    Q: What’s one thing everyone should do during their time at UConn?

    A: Okay, I know the default answer is “go to a sporting game,” yes, you should definitely do that, but I want to give you a different take: use the Rec Center. Whether it’s group fitness classes, pickup sports, or just hanging out, the Rec Center is a hub of energy and good vibes. Even if you’re not super into fitness, it’s a great way to meet people and stay active. Honestly, it’s one of the gems of campus life, and I definitely took this for granted. It’s honestly one of the things I will miss the most.

    Q: What will always make you think of UConn?

    A: A husky. No doubt. Every time I see one, I instantly think of UConn. It’s more than just a mascot here. It’s part of who we are. Honestly, I might even get a husky one day.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Latest data on listeriosis

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Latest data on listeriosis

    The infection can cause severe illnesses in the elderly, immunocompromised or those with underlying chronic conditions.

    There were 179 cases of listeriosis reported in England and Wales in 2024, according to new data published today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

    Listeriosis is caused by Listeria bacteria and is usually contracted by eating contaminated raw, chilled, or ready-to-eat foods. Most people with listeriosis won’t have any symptoms or will have mild gastroenteritis. However, the infection can cause severe illnesses in the elderly, immunocompromised or those with underlying chronic conditions. Infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or severe infections in newborn babies.

    The 179 cases reported in 2024 are comparable to the previous year’s figures (177 cases in 2023), and to levels seen in the years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest data show that while listeriosis can affect people of all ages, it poses a significantly greater risk to vulnerable groups, with the highest numbers seen in people aged 80 and over. Of the 28 deaths reported among 142 non-pregnancy cases, 12 were aged 80 years and over. Among pregnancy-associated infections, which accounted for approximately one-fifth of all cases, 43.7% resulted in stillbirth or miscarriage where outcomes were known.

    In England, London had the highest levels of listeriosis (0.39 cases per 100,000 population), whilst the East of England had the lowest (0.23 cases per 100,000 population).

    Vanessa Wong, UKHSA Consultant in gastrointestinal infections, said:

    Listeriosis is a rare infection and most people only experience mild symptoms of gastroenteritis that usually pass within a few days without the need for treatment. However, severe listeriosis is more likely to affect the elderly, very young babies, pregnant women and those with a weakened immune system. The best way to prevent listeriosis is to practise good food hygiene and avoid high-risk foods if you are in a vulnerable group. Foods that carry a greater risk of Listeria include: soft cheeses, pâté, smoked fish, chilled sliced meats and other chilled ready-to-eat products.

    Those at higher risk from severe Listeria infection include:

    • elderly people (risk increases with age)
    • those with malignancies or undergoing immunosuppressive or cytotoxic treatments
    • pregnant women and their unborn or newborn infants
    • organ transplant recipients
    • people with chronic kidney and liver diseases
    • those with uncontrolled diabetes, HIV, alcohol dependency or iron overload

    In most people, listeriosis has no symptoms or only causes mild symptoms for a few days, such as:

    • high temperature
    • aches and pains
    • chills
    • feeling or being sick
    • diarrhoea

    If you’re pregnant, you may also have a stomach ache or notice your baby moving less than usual.

    For advice on avoiding listeriosis during pregnancy or if you are in a high-risk group, please visit the NHS website at Listeriosis – NHS

    In 2024, UKHSA investigated 7 listeriosis outbreaks across England and Wales, linked to various food products including smoked fish, chocolate and strawberry mousse, garlic sausage and pre-packed sandwiches.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Still time to take part in consultation to help protect rare birds at Loch Ruthven

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Slavonian grebe. Credit: Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)

    A public consultation to develop local guidance that could help protect a rare species of bird at Loch Ruthven near Farr is still running until Friday 16 May.

    Supported by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), NatureScot and the Local Access Forum, the consultation invites feedback on potential guidance asking visitors not to canoe, paddleboard or swim at the east end of Loch Ruthven between 1 March and 31 August.

    Numbers of Slavonian grebes – one of the UK’s rarest breeding birds – have been declining since the 1990s and it is hoped that by reducing noise and movement on the loch, the birds would be more likely to achieve a successful breeding season preventing further decline in numbers.

    For more information on the consultation and to share your views, please visit: Consultation on Local Access Guidance for Loch Ruthven

    8 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Argentina: David Cairns

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Argentina: David Cairns

    Mr David Cairns has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Argentine Republic.

    Mr David Cairns has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Argentine Republic, in succession to Mrs Kirsty Hayes, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.

    Mr Cairns will take up his appointment during September 2025.

    Curriculum vitae           

    Full name: David Seldon Cairns

    Date Role
    2019 to present Equinor, Vice President
    2015 to 2019 Stockholm, Her Majesty’s Ambassador and Director of Nordic Baltic Network
    2010 to 2014 FCO, Director, Estates, Security, Corporate Services
    2006 to 2010 Tokyo, Director of Trade and Investment
    2002 to 2006 Geneva, First Secretary WTO
    2000 to 2002 FCO, Private Secretary to Baronesses Scotland and Amos
    1999 to 2000 FCO, EU Directorate. Head of Public Diplomacy
    1995 to 1998 Tokyo, Second Secretary Commercial
    1993 to 1994 FCO, Security Policy Department
    1993 Joined FCO

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

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

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Prime Minister’s remarks at the London Defence Conference: 8 May 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Speech

    Prime Minister’s remarks at the London Defence Conference: 8 May 2025

    Prime Minister’s speech at the London Defence Conference this morning.

    It is a real privilege to be able to speak to you here today on VE Day.

    80 years to the day…

    Since an expectant nation turned on the wireless – as of course it was then…

    To hear Churchill announce victory in our war against Nazi Germany.  

    Just imagine it.

    Beacons lit across the country…

    Bunting up…

    People raising their glasses and thanking the bravery of our armed forces…

    As we will do today.

    And then they came to the streets.

    The late Queen Elizabeth II – who was then a young princess of just 19 –

    Remembering going unnoticed in the crowds, swept up in a ‘tide of happiness and relief’.

    A celebration of defiance… 

    Of sacrifice…

    The courage of that lion-hearted generation…

    The greatest victory in the history of this great nation.

    A victory not just for Britain.

    But for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil…

    For the light of our values – in a world that tried to put them out.

    And, as you know…

    There are people who would happily do likewise today.

    Our values and security are confronted on a daily basis.

    And we have to rise to this moment.

    80 years ago, just round the corner from here, Churchill said…

    “We must begin the task of rebuilding…

    Do our utmost to make this country a land in which all have a chance…

    And in which all have a duty to our countrymen”.

    The post-war generation took on that task on with relish.

    And we must use this moment…

    To do the same.

    Deepening our partnerships with allies old and new –

    From across Europe to meet the defence challenges of our age…

    To the United States…

    an indispensable ally for our economic and national security…

    As you know, talks with the US have been ongoing – and you’ll hear more about that later today.

    But make no mistake – I will always act in our national interest…

    For workers, businesses and families…

    To deliver security and renewal for our country.

    Because the world has changed, decisively.

    I mean, I remember – as some of you will also too…

    The day the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.

    A landmark moment for my generation.

    A sense of freedom, of possibility, of peace.

    European countries finally free to choose their own future.

    I didn’t think then that in my lifetime I would see Russian tanks entering a European country again.

    Yet here we are.

    And here we stand resolutely…

    With the people of Ukraine.

    Together with our allies…

    Showing the strength of our values…

    As well as the value of our strength.

    A few weeks ago, I was with the Prime Minister of New Zealand…

    To visit our forces delivering Operation INTERFLEX in Wiltshire.

    This is a multinational military operation…

    That has trained more than 50,000 Ukrainian troops for the frontline.

    Men and women who are not soldiers by trade…

    Far from it.

    They are accountants, they are builders, businesspeople, you name it.

    Who stepped up from their lives…

    Stepped away from their families…

    And, as veterans did eighty years ago…

    Answered the call to defend freedom and liberty in their homeland.

    And as these brave men and women leave their training in Britain…

    And head to the frontline of freedom…

    They are applauded by their British trainers.  

    I’ve seen this a couple of times now – it’s a really humbling sight.

    A sign of our support and solidary in their struggle…

    Pride and admiration at their courage.  

    Because in this country we know – this isn’t just a fight for freedom and democracy in Ukraine.

    No – it is a new, more dangerous era of history.

    A period of global instability…

    That fuels insecurity for working people here at home.

    The British people have already paid a price for Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, with rising bills and prices.

    Russia already menaces our security…

    They’ve launched cyber-attacks on our NHS.

    Spread disinformation online…

    And we cannot forget, just a few years ago – a chemical weapons attack on our streets in Salisbury.

    In broad daylight, in the heart of England.

    No – the battle lines in Ukraine are the front line for Western values.

    And the argument that defines this age is simple… 

    National security is economic security.

    And that is why we are boosting defence spending, with the largest sustained increase since the Cold War…

    An increase of £13.4bn year on year compared with where we are today. 

    Not just meeting our commitment to spend 2.5% of our GDP on defence…

    But bringing it forward to 2027. 

    And, alongside that, a new ambition for defence spending to rise to 3% of GDP in the next Parliament.

    But look, I do want to be clear – this investment has two objectives.

    Yes of course, the first goal is always the safety and security of the United Kingdom. 

    But the second is to create jobs, wealth and opportunity in every corner of our country. 

    Secure at home, strong abroad.

    You know – at times like this there is a lot of talk about the end of the peace dividend.

    Well, our task now is to seize the defence dividend.

    Felt directly in the pockets of working people.

    Rebuilding our industrial base.

    Creating the jobs of the future.

    The skills for the next generation…

    From the shipyards in Scotland…

    To the missile systems built in Stevenage and Belfast….

    The artillery barrels made at Sheffield forgemasters…

    And the land vehicle development in Wales…

    Mark my words – the British defence industry will be the engine of national renewal.

    Because this isn’t just about increasing our defence spending…

    It’s also about reform and rebuilding.

    And in the coming weeks, we will publish a first-of-its kind, root and branch strategic defence review…

    It will scrutinise every aspect of defence – to determine how we can best meet the threats of today…

    And return Britain to warfighting readiness.

    Alongside our National Security Strategy and our defence industrial strategy…

    We will set out a major overhaul of the British Armed Services…

    Starting by treating our Armed Forces with the respect that they deserve –

    delivering the largest pay rise for over 20 years…

    And good homes for service personnel and their families.

    But also – the biggest shift in mindset in my lifetime –

    To see security and defence…

    Not as one priority amongst many others…

    But as the central organising principle of government –

    The first thought in the morning – the last at night…

    The pillar on which everything else stands or falls.  

    Because – as in 1945…

    This has to be a collective endeavour.

    A national effort.

    A time for the state, business and society to join hands…

    In pursuit of the security of the nation…

    And the prosperity of its people.  

    So whether you’re a world-renowned business…

    Or a smaller, family-run firm…

    You have a vital part to play in boosting Britain’s defences.

    That is why we have launched a new unit – to help SMEs get their foot in the door of the defence supply chain. 

    Because I am clear – the future belongs to the innovators.

    Take the announcement made just last week…

    StormShroud drones…

    Flying as uncrewed guardians to RAF pilots and crew…

    Now, for the first time, made in Britain.

    An investment that supports hundreds of highly skilled jobs…

    Boosting our capabilities for the modern age of drone-based warfare.  

    Possible – only because of industry and military working together.

    Or take the submarines that we’re building in Barrow.

    This one is personal for me.

    Not just because I was there in Barrow at the keel laying in March –

    Not just because I met the workers and the apprentices and saw for myself what it means for them…

    And of course the 42,000 jobs it supports up and down the country…

    It’s also personal for me because just a few days before that visit…

    I went up to the Firth of Clyde, as another boat made in Barrow –

    A Vanguard-class submarine…

    Was coming in off a record-breaking patrol.

    We boarded the sub and met the crew – who had been at sea for months on end.

    And meeting those remarkable men and women is something I’ll never forget.

    There is no greater duty than the one that they carry –

    No task more vital.

    Our security…

    Nato’s security…

    Depends on them.

    They are the quiet custodians of the nation’s greatest capability…

    Part of an unbroken watch that has been maintained for 55 years.

    And in this moment – it’s time for the rest of us to step up and rebuild our country…

    Leading the world in the opportunities of the future.

    Recently, I visited the Carrier Strike Group off the coast of Cornwall…

    And stayed aboard HMS Prince of Wales…

    It was frankly humbling to see F35s taking off with just 100metres of deck to take off – and then returning and hovering to land on a sixpence

    So imagine how I felt later the very same day when I went to see the apprentices at Rolls Royce…Who had made the engines for those very F35s.

    And we need to keep those apprentices busy…

    And mark my words – we are going to do that.

    With the most ambitious programme of work to secure and rebuild our country since 1945.

    Take an example: today, I can announce a £563 million contract to maintain Britain’s fleet of Typhoon fighter jets.

    The backbone of Britain’s air defence…

    Proudly part of the flypast for VE Day that you may have seen on Monday.

    All 130 Typhoons will have their engines maintained by Rolls-Royce…

    Supporting hundreds of jobs in Bristol and beyond…

    Defending British airspace.

    Helping a new generation of service come of age.

    And just imagine – what this means for a young apprentice, aged about 18.

    Entering into the work force with a good job.

    The pride of that work – as a proud I understand from my dad…

    Of knowing that what you do, what you make matters.

    The pride of following in the footsteps of local families…

    Who have been the backbone of their communities for generations.

    The grandchildren of the young men who fought on the beaches of Normandy…

    Now the submariners on a Vanguard-class submarine.

    The descendants of the code breakers at Bletchley…

    Now learning the skills to build a new generation of nuclear submarines in Barrow.

    And the pride of stepping into our national story…

    So those who follow us can say…

    We also rose to meet the moment.

    We also stood firm against tyranny and oppression.

    We also rebuilt Britain – so it serves everyone that serves our country.

    Because on VE day 80 years ago…

    Politicians of all parties and stripes understood that a people who had sacrificed so much were owed a great debt.

    And the truth is – people today are too.

    After years of being buffeted about by insecurity and uncertainty…

    They are owed the same security…

    the same prosperity and peace of mind…

    A good home to live in…

    A well-paid job with strong rights at work…

    An NHS that is there for them when they need it…

    all underpinned by the foundation of national security.

    A defence dividend – that will be felt in the pockets of working people and the prosperity of the country.

    An investment in peace…

    But also an investment in British pride and the British people…

    To build a nation that, once again, lives up to the promises made to that generation…

    Who fought for our values, our freedom and our security.

    Thank you very much indeed.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Stabbing at Munno Para West

    Source: New South Wales – News

    A woman has been arrested after a stabbing at Munno Para West.

    It will be alleged that about 6.40pm today (Thursday 8 May), police and ambulance crews were called to a house in Bronte Crescent after reports that a woman had been stabbed.

    She was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

    The female suspect was arrested at the scene.

    Early indications suggest both parties are known to each other.

    Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cheshire East Council: Best Value Notice (May 2025)

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Cheshire East Council: Best Value Notice (May 2025)

    Best Value Notice issued to Cheshire East Council on 8 May 2025.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Cheshire East Council: Best Value Notice (May 2025)

    PDF, 177 KB, 3 pages

    Details

    On 8 May 2025, the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP, announced in written ministerial statement the issuing of a non-statutory best value notice to Cheshire East Council.

    This best value notice is a formal notification that the department has concerns regarding the authority and requests that the authority engages with the department to provide assurance of improvement.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Newham Council: Best Value Notice (May 2025)

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Newham Council: Best Value Notice (May 2025)

    Best Value Notice issued to Newham Council on 8 May 2025.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Newham Council: Best Value Notice (May 2025)

    PDF, 179 KB, 3 pages

    Details

    On 8 May 2025, the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP, announced in written ministerial statement the issuing of a non-statutory best value notice to Newham Council.

    This best value notice is a formal notification that the department has concerns regarding the authority and requests that the authority engages with the department to provide assurance of improvement.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Nottingham City Council: Ministerial response to the Commissioners’ second report

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Nottingham City Council: Ministerial response to the Commissioners’ second report

    Ministerial response from Baroness Taylor of Stevenage to the Commissioners.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Nottingham City Council: Ministerial response to the Commissioners’ second report

    PDF, 174 KB, 1 page

    Details

    Response from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, to the Commissioners at Nottingham City Council regarding their second report.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Warrington Borough Council: Letter to the Chief Executive (8 May 2025)

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Warrington Borough Council: Letter to the Chief Executive (8 May 2025)

    Letter to the Chief Executive of Warrington Borough Council setting out the proposed statutory support package and seeking representations.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Warrington Borough Council: Letter to the Chief Executive (8 May 2025)

    PDF, 251 KB, 9 pages

    Details

    A copy of the letter to Warrington Chief Executive, Professor Steven Broomhead, from James Blythe, Deputy Director, Local Government Stewardship and Interventions, in response to the Inspectors’ Best Value Inspection report (January 2025).

    The letter sets out the findings of the report, the proposed statutory support package under sections 15(5) and 15(6) of the Local Government Act 1999, including the appointment of a Political Envoy and Best Value Experts, and invites representations on the proposal. All representations received on or before 22 May 2025 will be considered before ministers make their final decision.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Spelthorne Borough Council: Representation (8 May 2025)

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Spelthorne Borough Council: Representation (8 May 2025)

    Representation with accompanying appendix from Spelthorne Borough Council in response to the intervention proposal announced by the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution on 17 March 2025.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Spelthorne Borough Council: Representation

    PDF, 128 KB, 2 pages

    Spelthorne Borough Council: Representation – Appendix A

    PDF, 89.6 KB, 9 pages

    Details

    Written representation and appendix to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government from Spelthorne Borough Council, setting out the Council’s view on the Secretary of State’s intervention proposal of 17 March 2025, provided in line with section 15(9) of the Local Government Act 1999.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Spelthorne Borough Council: Explanatory Memorandum (8 May 2025)

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Spelthorne Borough Council: Explanatory Memorandum (8 May 2025)

    Explanatory Memorandum to the Directions made under section (5) and (6) of the Local Government Act 1999 in respect of Spelthorne Borough Council on 8 May 2025.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Spelthorne Borough Council: Explanatory Memorandum (8 May 2025)

    PDF, 178 KB, 12 pages

    Details

    The Explanatory Memorandum to the Directions made under sections 15(5) and (6) of the Local Government Act 1999 in respect of Spelthorne Borough Council. It summarises the circumstances in which the Secretary of State has made the Directions, the reasons for this exercise of powers and the implications of the Directions for the Authority.

    This Memorandum was issued on 8 May 2025 to reflect the Directions to the Council following the announcement of the statutory intervention.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Spelthorne Borough Council: Directions made under the Local Government Act 1999 (8 May 2025)

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Spelthorne Borough Council: Directions made under the Local Government Act 1999 (8 May 2025)

    The Directions (8 May 2025) made under section 15(5) and (6) of the Local Government Act 1999 in respect to the intervention at Spelthorne Borough Council.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Spelthorne Borough Council: Directions made under the Local Government Act 1999 (8 May 2025)

    PDF, 205 KB, 7 pages

    Details

    A document setting out the Directions made under Section 15(5) and (6) of the Local Government Act 1999 in respect of Spelthorne Borough Council.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 May 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –