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Category: housing

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Reserved places policy for Perth and Kinross schools to be agreed

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    Reserved places are the spaces held back in schools to accommodate children from families moving into new catchment areas, ensuring that pupils can attend their nearest schools.

    Reserved places are crucial for managing school admissions, particularly in areas experiencing population growth or residential developments.

    By holding back a designated number of spaces, Perth and Kinross Council aims to ensure that families moving into the catchment area during the year can enrol their children in their local school.

    If children have to attend school outside the catchment area it can incur additional transport costs for the Council and create inconvenience for families.

    Historical patterns of migration, residential developments, and anticipated population shifts have been carefully analysed to determine the reserved places for the next school year.

    While the reserved places system has been in place since 1997, it is reviewed annually to reflect changing demographics and ensure fairness. The success of this system is evident in the high percentage of pupils able to attend their first-choice schools in recent years.

    Councillors will also discuss adjustments to reserved places at certain schools due to fluctuations in rolls, new housing developments, and changes to school infrastructure.

    Councillor John Rebbeck, convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s Learning and Families Committee, said: “Planning for reserved places is essential to ensuring pupils can attend their nearest school.

    “It is a hugely complicated but vital process and I am sure parents and carers appreciate this work as much as I do.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CWA Statement in Response to the Supreme Court Hearing Oral Argument on the Universal Service Fund

    Source: Communications Workers of America

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the Supreme Court hearing oral argument in Consumers’ Research v. Federal Communications Commission considering the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) releases the following statement:

    We firmly believe the decades-old Universal Service Fund is fully constitutional and look forward to the Supreme Court affirming that position.

    We can’t let today’s Supreme Court case distract us from the bigger problem: that Congress must act now to reform the Universal Service Fund and ensure its viability for the future. We need to update the program for the internet age, to ensure that the major players who benefit from our networks contribute their fair share to universal service in this country, and to ensure that we can provide the broadband affordability programs that our economy needs. Congress must move forward with contribution reform to the USF program and not overreact to an extremist legal position threatening the program’s constitutionality. If the Supreme Court were to make a decision jeopardizing the USF—which would be in sharp contrast with the overwhelming public support conveyed in amicus briefs from the communications sector, labor, schools, libraries, health care providers, low-income advocates, and others—Congress should be ready to quickly address that decision in a manner targeted to the Court’s opinion and complementary to the necessary structural reforms.

    Every American household, business, hospital, library, and school should have access to affordable communications services no matter where they are located, and the Universal Service Fund is critical to making that happen. CWA members include technicians and customer support representatives who build and service broadband networks. We see the positive impact of these programs every day. As fiber broadband networks expand, the Universal Service programs will be even more important to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to realize the benefits that high-speed internet service provides.

    ###

    About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

    cwa-union.org @cwaunion

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Quadient SA: FY 2024 results: Solid 1st year delivery of “Elevate to 2030” strategic plan, with Digital Solution achieving €267m in revenue and 61% EBITDA growth to €47m

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Quadient FY 2024 results:
     Solid 1st year delivery of “Elevate to 2030” strategic plan, with Digital Solution achieving €267m in revenue and 61% EBITDA growth to €47m

    Key highlights

    • FY 2024 financial targets achieved
    • Two operating profitability milestones reached:
    • Digital EBITDA margin at 17.5%, up 5.7pts yoy, reflecting strong profitability improvement
    • All three solutions are EBITDA positive
    • Consolidated sales of €1,093 million, up +2.8% on a reported basis, including the contribution of the latest acquisitions
    • FY 2024 subscription-related revenue up +10.2% in Digital and up +11.5% in Lockers
    • FY 2024 subscription-related revenue of €777m, representing 71% of total revenue, up +€30m yoy,
      vs. +      €90m 2026 target
    • FY 2024 Group current EBIT of €146 million, up +2.2% organically
    • Proposed dividend of €0.70 per share, up by €0.05 for the fourth consecutive year
    • FY 2025 outlook: acceleration both in organic revenue growth and in current EBIT organic growth vs. 2024

    Paris, 26 March 2025

    Quadient S.A. (Euronext Paris: QDT), an Intelligent automation platform powering secure and sustainable business connections, today announces its 2024 fourth-quarter consolidated sales and full-year results (period ended on 31 January 2025). The full year 2024 results were approved by the Board of Directors during a meeting held on 25 March 2025.

    Geoffrey Godet, Chief Executive Officer of Quadient S.A., stated: “We have delivered a solid first year of our Elevate to 2030 strategic plan.

    Our Digital Automation platform has reached the record level of c.€270 million in revenue thanks to both the addition of 2,600+ new customers and the contribution from the increased usage and upsell from our existing 16,500 customer base. This strong revenue increase has been delivered together with a significant improvement in profitability with EBITDA rising by 61% to reach €47 million. We are now in a good position to exceed the 20% EBITDA margin ambition set for 2026.

    2024 also saw the highest level of Digital cross-sold deals into our Mail customer base while at the same time our Mail business continues to outpace competition. In Lockers, investments made over the past couple of years are paying off, contributing to a strong performance in H2 with double digit growth in revenue thanks to increased usage of the locker base across all regions. In addition, Lockers have reached EBITDA breakeven over the full year and profitability will further improve as we continue to increase the size of our network, grow its usage and take advantage of the recent addition of Package Concierge in the US residential sector.

    At Company level, this solid performance translates into a €30 million increase in annual recurring revenue, well on track to deliver the €90 million increase targeted by 2026. Based on this solid start to the strategic plan, we are confident in our ability to continue building a €1bn recurring revenue platform by 2030, generating €250 million current EBIT. Therefore, we are proposing to increase our dividend for the fourth consecutive year in a row, to €0.70.

    While macro uncertainties have recently been growing, we are expecting an acceleration of organic growth in revenue and current EBIT in 2025 against 2024 levels.”

    Comments on FY 2024 performance

    Group sales came in at €1,093 million in FY 2024, a +2.8% increase on a reported basis, and +0.4% organic growth compared to FY 2023, in line with Quadient’s expectations. The reported growth includes a positive currency impact of €2 million and a positive scope effect of €24 million, which is related to the acquisitions of Daylight (September 2023), Frama (February 2024) and Package Concierge (December 2024).

    In the fourth quarter of 2024, reported revenue growth stood at +4.1% and organic revenue growth was broadly flat, at -0.2%, compared to Q4 2023.

    Subscription-related revenue reached €777 million in FY 2024, growing +1.6% organically, and representing 71% of total sales. This represents a €30 million increase year-on-year (compared to the +€90 million target by 2026), progressing toward the €1 billion subscription-related revenue target by 2030. Performance in the fourth quarter of 2024 was steady, up 2.1% organically against Q4 2023, driven by a double-digit organic increase in Digital and in Lockers. Non-recurring revenue declined by 2.4% organically in FY 2024, including a 5.1% decline in Q4 2024, essentially due to a high comparison basis in Mail hardware sales.

    By geography, North America (58% of revenue) continued to outperform other regions with a +2.8% organic growth achieved in FY 2024.

    Consolidated sales and EBITDA by Solution

    FY 2024 consolidated sales

    In € million FY 2024 FY 2023 Change Organic change
    Digital 267 245 +9.1% +7.7%
    Mail 732 729 +0.4% (2.5)%
    Lockers 94 88 +5.7% +4.3%
    Group total 1,093 1,062 +2.8% +0.4%

     

    EBITDA and EBITDA margin

      FY 2024 FY 2023
    In € million EBITDA EBITDA margin EBITDA EBITDA margin
    Digital 47 17.5% 29 11.8%
    Mail 200 27.4% 218 29.9%
    Lockers 1 0.6% (3) (3.0)%
    Group total 247 22.6% 244 23.0%
     

    Digital

    In FY 2024, revenue from Digital reached €267 million, up 7.7% organically (+10.1% in Q4 2024 vs. Q4 2023) and up 9.1% on a reported basis (including the contribution from Daylight) compared to FY 2023.

    This solid performance was driven by a strong 10.2% organic growth in subscription-related revenue in FY 2024 (+10.5% in Q4 2024 vs. Q4 2023), including a good contribution from North America and continued positive commercial trends across the platform with further solid cross-selling and up-selling. In FY 2024, subscription-related revenue was representing 82% of Digital total sales, a further increase compared to 80% in FY 2023.

    At the end of FY 2024, annual recurring revenue (ARR), which is a forward-looking indicator of future subscription-related revenue, reached €232 million, up from €206 million at the end of FY 2023, representing a 12.7% organic growth.

    EBITDA for Digital was €47 million in FY 2024, up +61% year-on-year. EBITDA margin was at 17.5%, a strong improvement of 5.7 points compared to FY 2023. In H2 2024, EBITDA margin further improved, reaching 19.1%, after 15.7% in H1 2024. This positive evolution in profitability reflects the combination of subscription-related revenue growth and platform maturity. The Digital solution is well on track to reach its target of EBITDA margin greater than 20% in 2026.

    As part of its customer acquisition strategy, Digital continues to demonstrate strong commercial momentum. Over
    2,600 new customers were added     in FY 2024 thanks in particular to robust cross-selling with Mail, especially in North America. Digital experienced a dynamic fourth quarter, with several key deals secured in the US. Additionally, a new partnership was established with Avaloq to deliver Customer Communications Management capabilities to the financial services industry.

    As part of the customer expansion process, the focus continues to be on further increasing up-selling, notably in financial automation process. Several platform innovations have been made, to bring added value to customers, including the ramp-up and extension of Repay for direct supplier invoice payments in the US and Canada, and new electronic invoice formats (UBL, CII, Factur-X) to align with upcoming European e-invoicing regulation.

    In Quadient’s core geographies, the addressable demand for its Digital automation platform is set to grow from
    c.€6 billion in 2023 to c.€9 billion in 2027, representing a +10% CAGR, creating substantial growth opportunities in both communication and financial automation.

    To capture this growth, Quadient is strongly positioned, leveraging on:

    • a sound base of highly predictable business, with over 16,500 customers, 82% subscription-based revenue,
      and a churn rate well below 5%,
    • a highly recognized platform in financial & communication automation, and 84.5% of Saas customers,
      across three regions,
    • a fully scalable and modulable platform, for small to large customers, driving new client acquisition (+2,600 in FY 2024) and record cross-sell of Digital solutions into Quadient Mail customers and increased upsell opportunities among existing customers,
    • an efficient go-to-market organisation that driving a 34% year-on-year increase in bookings in Q4 2024 and +12.7% growth of ARR at the end of the year.

    Mail

    Mail revenue reached €732 million in FY 2024, down 2.5% on an organic basis (-4.6% in Q4 2024 vs. Q4 2023). The reported growth stood at +0.4%, including the contribution of Frama.

    Hardware sales recorded a minor -1.7% organic decline in FY 2024, despite a 7.3% drop registered in Q4 2024, mainly reflecting a high comparison basis related to deals signed in H2 2023.

    Subscription-related revenue (68% of Mail sales) recorded a 2.9% organic decline in FY 2024.

    EBITDA for Mail was €200 million for FY 2024. EBITDA margin reached 27.4%, down 2.5 points compared to FY 2023. Mail EBITDA margin was impacted by the dilutive effect of Frama acquisition, including integration costs. Frama’s performance is due to improve significantly from 2025 onward, with positive current EBIT already reached in FY 2024 and payback of the acquisition expected in FY 2025.

    Thanks to its strong focus on customer acquisition, Quadient’s Mail business continues to outperform the market. In Q4 2024, commercial performance remained resilient in North America, particularly in highly regulated industries where secure mail communications are key.

    As part of the customer expansion focus, outlook remains strong driven by a high customer satisfaction rate of 95.7% and robust cross-selling performance, especially in the US where a record-breaking performance in placement of Digital solutions was recorded in Q4 2024. Mail business also benefited from the positive impact of the ongoing US mailing systems decertification, though this impact is expected to conclude in Q1 2025. Lastly, Quadient aims at upgrading Frama’s installed base and initiating some cross-selling to promote its Digital offer to Frama’s customers.

    At the end of January 2025, already 42.4% of Quadient installed base has been upgraded with its newest technology.

    Lockers

    Lockers revenue reached €94 million in FY 2024, a +4.3% increase on an organic basis, with strong momentum in the latter part of the year (+8.0% in Q4 2024 vs. Q4 2023, after a strong Q3 2024, up +14.3% year-on-year) and a +5.7% increase on a reported basis compared to FY 2023, including a marginal contribution from Package Concierge.

    Subscription-related revenue was up 11.5% organically in FY 2024 (+19.6% in Q4 2024 vs. Q4 2023), benefiting from:

    • the continued strong volumes ramp up in the British and the French open networks;
    • the sustained strong momentum in the US, driven by higher monetization of usage fees;
    • a resilient performance in Japan, despite an unfavorable e-commerce environment.

    Overall, subscription-related revenue stood at 64% of total revenue in FY 2024, up from 61% in FY 2023.

    Non-recurring revenue (license & hardware sales and professional services) were down 6.8% organically in FY 2024. Hardware sales were still impacted by slower new installations in North America.

    Quadient’s global locker installed base reached c.25,700 units at the end of FY 2024, including c. 3,000 units from Package Concierge, vs. c.20,200 units at the end of FY 2023. This is reflecting an acceleration in the pace of installation of new lockers, notably in the UK, fueled by the partnerships signed by Quadient to host parcel lockers in new suitable locations.

    EBITDA for Lockers was above breakeven, at €1 million in FY 2024. EBITDA margin stood at 0.6%, up by 3.6 points compared to FY 2023. This significant profitability improvement, illustrated by a 6.7% EBITDA margin in H2 2024, was driven by growing recurring revenue and increased usage. Additionally, the revised commercial agreement with Yamato for the Japanese installed base was implemented at the beginning of H2 2023.

    As part of the customer acquisition focus, Quadient is accelerating the pace of installation for new lockers in its open networks in Europe, mostly in France and the UK, with installed base up 145% year-on-year. This is supported by the additional deals signed for premium locations (including Morrisons Daily Stores and ScotRail…). Additionally, the trend for new installations in North America has turned positive in Q4, where market share leadership position in Residences and Universities remains robust.

    As part of the customer expansion strategy, volumes from both pick-up and drop-off in European open networks saw a significant increase, growing sevenfold between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024. The momentum in North America for the locker network, particularly across the multifamily sector and higher education campuses was strong in Q4 2024. In Japan, macroeconomic conditions have impacted parcel volumes, but new initiatives, such as the new partnership with Japan Post, are aimed at driving volume growth and increasing adoption.

    REVIEW OF 2024 FULL-YEAR RESULTS

    Simplified P&L

    In € million FY 2024 FY 2023 Change
    Sales 1,093 1,062 +2.8%
    Gross profit 818 788 +3.7%
    Gross margin 74.8% 74.2%  
    EBITDA 247 244 +1.2%
    EBITDA margin 22.6% 23.0%  
    Current EBIT 146 147 (0.5)%
    Current EBIT margin 13.4% 13.8%  
    Optimization expenses and other operating income & expenses (23) (15) +58.0%
    EBIT 123 132 (7.0)%
    Financial income/(expense) (39) (31) +24.8%
    Income before tax 84 101 (16.8)%
    Share of results of associated companies 1 (0) n/a
    Income taxes (17) (17) +2.8%
    Net income of continued operations 68 84 (19.4)%
    Net income from discontinued operations (0) (14) (98.7)%
    Net attributable income 66 69 (3.4)%
    Earnings per share 1.94 2.02  
    Diluted earnings per share 1.94 2.01  
     

    Gross margin stood at 74.8% in FY 2024 slightly up compared to FY 2023, due to lower cost of sales.

    EBITDA(1) for the Group reached €247 million in FY 2024, up €3 million compared to FY 2023. EBITDA grew by 3.0% organically, driven by strong growth of 80% in Digital and improved profitability in Lockers, which more than compensated for the softer EBITDA performance in Mail. The EBITDA margin reached 22.6% in FY 2024. It was almost stable compared to FY 2023: despite the impact of the change in revenue mix and the dilutive effect of Frama acquisition, the Group EBITDA margin was supported by significant profitability gains in Digital and Lockers.

    Depreciation and amortization stood at €101 million in FY 2024, compared to €98 million in FY 2023. This slightly higher depreciation mainly reflects the increase in Lockers’ asset base.

    Current operating income (current EBIT) reached €146 million in FY 2024 compared to €147 million in FY 2023, up 2.2% on an organic basis. Current EBIT margin stood at 13.4% of sales in FY 2024 compared to 13.8% in FY 2023.

    Optimization costs and other operating expenses stood at €23 million in FY 2024, versus €15 million in FY 2023. This increase mainly relates to the write-off of an IT project, additional office optimization and Frama restructuring costs.

    Consequently, EBIT reached €123 million in FY 2024, versus €132 million recorded in FY 2023.

    Net attributable income

    Net cost of debt was up from €29 million in FY 2023 to €39 million in FY 2024, impacted by higher interest rates. The currency gains & losses and other financial items was broadly flat in FY 2024, compared to a loss of €2 in FY 2023. Overall, net financial result was a loss of €39 million in FY 2024 compared to a loss of €31 million in FY 2023.

    Income tax expense was stable year-on-year at €17 million.

    Net income from discontinued operations of the Mail Italian subsidiary was null in FY 2024, compared to a €14 million loss in FY 2023. This loss included exceptional charges related to the sale process for this subsidiary, which was sold to a local mail distribution company in October 2024.

    Net attributable income after minority interests amounted to €66 million in FY 2024 compared to €69 million in FY 2023.

    Earnings per share(2) stood at €1.94 in FY 2024 compared to €2.02 in FY 2023. The fully diluted earnings per share(2) was €1.94 in FY 2024 compared to €2.01 in FY 2023.

    Cash flow generation

    The change in working capital was a net cash inflow of €9 million in FY 2024 compared to a net cash outflow of €6 million in FY 2023, mostly reflecting the positive impact from timing on prepaid expenses and customers deposits.

    The leasing portfolio and other financing services stood at €623 million as of 31 January 2025, compared to €598 million as of 31 January 2024, up on an organic basis (i.e. excluding currency impact of €18 million) for the first time in several years thanks to good hardware placements in Mail. While generating future subscription-related revenue, this increase in lease receivables resulting from the good performance in the placement of new equipment translates into a cash outflow of
    €7 million in FY 2024. At the end of FY 2024, the default rate of the leasing portfolio stood at around 1.1% compared to c.1.3% at the end of FY 2023.

    Interest and taxes paid increased to €67 million in FY 2024 versus the amount of €55 million paid in FY 2023. The difference was mostly explained by higher interest rates in FY 2024.

    Capital expenditure reached €108 million in FY 2024, up €7 million compared to FY 2023, mostly due to UK locker open network deployment. Capex for Digital reached €24 million in FY 2024, slightly up compared to €22 million in FY 2023 and was mainly focused on R&D and platform development. Capex for Mail remained at fairly high level of €51 million
    (vs. €53 million in FY 2023), due to continued high placement of machines related to the US decertification, which is expected to end in Q1 2025. Capex for Lockers increased from €26 million to €33 million to support the ramp-up of the deployment of the open network in the UK. The sale of Frama real estate in Switzerland generated €6 million in cash inflows in FY 2024.

    All in all, cash flow after capital expenditure (free cash flow) reached €66 million in FY 2024, compared to €64 million in FY 2023.

    Leverage and liquidity position

    Net debt stood at €741 million as of 31 January 2025, a slight increase against €709 million as of 31 January 2024. In FY 2024, Quadient successfully raised approximately €325 million in new facilities, including the following transactions in H2 2024:

    • in October 2024, the Company secured EBRD financing, including a €25 million Schuldschein;
    • in December 2024, the Company secured a USD 50 million bank loan;
    • in January 2025, Quadient further strengthened its financial position with the issuance of a USD 100 million USPP.

    These new facilities enabled Quadient to repay post-closing its €260 million bond due in February 2025 and settle the repayment of Schuldschein loans for €29 million, also due in early 2025. As a result of these transactions, the Company’s average debt maturity has been extended to four years as of the end of February 2025, compared to three years at the end of FY 2023.

    The leverage ratio (net debt/EBITDA) remained broadly stable at 3.0x(3) as of 31 January 2025 compared to 2.9x(3) as of 31 January 2024. Excluding leasing, Quadient leverage ratio remained stable at 1.7x(3) as of 31 January 2025, despite the acquisitions of Frama and Package Concierge in 2024, as well as the implementation of a share buyback programs.

    As of 31 January 2025, the Group had a strong liquidity position of €667 million, split between €367 million in cash and a €300 million undrawn credit line, maturing in 2029.

    Shareholders’ equity stood at €1,113 million as of 31 January 2025 compared to €1,069 million as of 31 January 2024. The gearing ratio(4) stood at 66.6% as of 31 January 2025.

    SHAREHOLDER’ RETURN

    Proposed dividend for FY 2024 stands at €0.70 per share, representing an 8% increase against FY 2023, and a payout ratio of 36.1% of net income, higher than Quadient’s minimum 20% pay-out ratio of net income as per the Group’s dividend policy. This represents a €0.05 year-on-year increase, for the fourth consecutive year. The dividend is subject to approval by the Annual General Meeting, scheduled for 13 June 2025, and will be paid in cash in one instalment on 6 August 2025.

    In addition, Quadient’s announced in September 2024 the launch of a share buyback program for a total consideration of up to €30 million. To date, €10 million worth of shares have been repurchased, with the program set to be executed over an
    18-month(5) period. This operation demonstrates Quadient’s confidence in the value creation potential of its “Elevate to 2030” strategic plan, its ability to reach its FY 2026 leverage ratio target(6) and is in line with the capital allocation policy of the Company, while improving shareholders’ return.

    OUTLOOK

    The evolving dynamics within Quadient’s business portfolio, characterized by strong growth in Digital and Lockers revenue alongside a moderate decline in Mail revenue, will naturally drive a year-on-year acceleration in the Company’s total revenue growth.

    As Digital and Lockers continue to expand their share of Quadient’s revenue and profit, while simultaneously improving their profitability, this shift is expected to contribute to a higher growth in current EBIT

    As a result, Quadient targets an acceleration in organic revenue growth and in current EBIT organic growth in 2025 compared to 2024.

    Quadient also confirms its 3-year guidance for the 2024-2026 period of minimum 1.5% organic revenue CAGR and minimum 3% organic current EBIT CAGR.

    Q4 2024 BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

    Avaloq and Quadient Partner to Elevate Client Communications for Financial Services
    On 3 December 2024, Quadient and Avaloq announced today their partnership to offer unrivaled customer communications management (CCM) capabilities for the financial services industry. Avaloq has selected Quadient Inspire as its standard CCM solution, seamlessly integrating it into the Avaloq platform.

    Quadient Launches SimplyMail in Europe to Help Small Businesses Leverage Digital Solutions to Enhance Efficiency in Mail Operations
    On 11 December 2024, Quadient announced the launch in Europe of SimplyMail, a solution designed to address the growing needs for smaller businesses to automate and optimize their mail operations with ease.

    Quadient Named a Worldwide Automated Document Generation and CCM Leader by IDC
    On 12 December 2024, Quadient announced it has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Automated Document Generation and Customer Communication Management 2024 Vendor Assessment.

    Quadient Recognized in Two IDC MarketScape Reports for Accounts Receivable Automation Applications
    On 16 December 2024, announced it has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Accounts Receivable Automation Applications for Small and Midmarket 2024 Vendor Assessment. Additionally, Quadient has been recognized for the first time as a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Accounts Receivable Automation Applications for the Enterprise 2024 Vendor Assessment.

    Quadient Surpasses 25,000 Global Locker Installations with US Package Concierge Acquisition, Setting Sights on Exceeding €100M of Locker Revenue in 2025
    On 18 December 2024, Quadient announced the acquisition of US-based parcel management solutions provider Package Concierge®, exceeding the 25,000-unit mark in its global installed base. Package Concierge provides innovative digital locker technology that addresses the growing challenges of package management in residential, commercial, retail and university campuses across the United States.

    Quadient strengthens its financial position with a USD50 million bank loan from Bank of America
    On 20 December 2024, announced a USD50 million bank loan from Bank of America. This new credit facility, which comes with a 3-year maturity at a variable rate, strengthens Quadient’s financial position ahead of debt maturities due in 2025.

    Report by Leading Analyst Firm Shows Quadient Recorded the Fastest Growth in 2023 Among CCM Market Leaders
    On 10 January 2025, Quadient announced that a newly released report by market research and consulting firm IDC shows Quadient rapidly closing the gap on the top position. Quadient’s 13.7% year-on-year revenue growth in 2023 has accelerated from its 11% growth in 2022. This is also the fastest growth among the major Customer Communications Management (CCM) vendors globally, outperforming the overall market growth.

    Quadient Secures New c.$1.6 Million Contract to Enhance US Government Agency’s Mail Automation Capacity
    On 14 January 2025, Quadient announced that it has been selected by a US government agency to modernize its mail automation infrastructure in a contract valued at c.$1.6 million. This follows a previous announcement in October 2024, where Quadient was awarded a contract worth nearly $1 million for a similar modernization project with another federal agency.

    Leading Human Resources Technology Company Selects Quadient for Accessibility Compliance in Customer Communications
    On 16 January 2025, Quadient announced that a leading US provider of integrated benefits, payroll, and human resources cloud solutions has selected customer communications management (CCM) platform Quadient Inspire to ensure accessibility compliance for its US federal agency client.

    Quadient Partners with ScotRail to Introduce Parcel Lockers at Stations Across Scotland
    On 21 January 2025, Quadient announced a partnership with ScotRail to deploy Parcel Pending by Quadient automated lockers across Scotland’s rail network. ScotRail, Scotland’s national rail operator, is enhancing its passenger experience and operational efficiency with the installation of parcel lockers in its stations.

    Quadient strengthens its financial position through a USD100 million US Private Placement from MetLife
    On 22 January 2025, Quadient announced that it has signed a new USD100 million US Private Placement (USPP) with MetLife Investment Management (“MIM”), reinforcing its financial position. This new USPP of USD 100 million senior notes has a
    7-year average maturity and comes with an additional shelf facility allowing the issue of senior notes for a maximum aggregate principal amount of USD50 million.

    Quadient Teams Up with Buzz Bingo to Bring Convenient Parcel Lockers to Bingo Clubs Across the UK
    On 28 January 2025, Quadient announced a partnership with Buzz Bingo to deploy Parcel Pending by Quadient automated lockers in 35 of its 81 bingo clubs across the UK, with plans for further installations in the future. This collaboration enhances parcel collection, delivery, and return convenience while improving the customer experience at Buzz Bingo locations.

    Leading US Law Firm Chooses Quadient in a Deal Over $1M to Streamline Mailing, Shipping, and Accounting Processes
    On 30 January 2025, Quadient announced a new contract with one of the largest injury law firms in the US, transitioning the firm from its long-standing provider to Quadient. Under the new agreement, worth over 1 million dollars, the firm is rolling out nearly 100 Quadient iX-Series mailing systems at offices across the country, all seamlessly integrated with Quadient’s cloud-based S.M.A.R.T. accounting and shipping software.

    Quadient Reports Strong Year-End Locker Usage Growth in Multifamily and Higher Education Campuses in North America
    On 31 January 2025, Quadient announced strong year-end momentum in the adoption and usage of its Parcel Pending by Quadient locker network across multifamily and higher education campuses in North America.

    POST-CLOSING EVENTS

    Morrisons Partners with Quadient for Convenient Parcel Delivery at its Morrisons Daily Stores
    On 18 February 2025, Quadient announced a new partnership with Morrisons. The partnership will see Parcel Pending by Quadient parcel lockers installed at 230 Morrisons Daily stores by spring 2025.

    Quadient Enables New Shipping Service with Japan Post on its Open Locker Network, Driving Convenience and Increased Parcel Volume
    On 3 March 2025, Quadient announced an expanded partnership between Japan Post and Packcity Japan, a joint venture between Quadient and Yamato Transport. Thanks to the extended partnership, consumers will not only receive Japan Post deliveries at Packcity Japan’s nationwide open network of automated parcel lockers, but they will also now be able to ship parcels from the lockers, called PUDO stations. Consumers using Japan Post’s Yu-Pack parcel service use a mobile app to ship from a PUDO station, eliminating the need to wait at delivery counters or manually handling shipping slips.

    Quadient Maintains Leader Position on Aspire Leaderboard for Customer Communications and Interaction Experience Software
    On 13 March 2025, Quadient announced it has maintained its leadership position on the Aspire Leaderboard. Produced by independent advisory firm Aspire CCS, the Aspire Leaderboard highlights and compares vendors in the customer communications management (CCM) and customer experience management software space. It is updated in real-time as vendors release enhancements and adjust strategies.

    To know more about Quadient’s news flow, previous press releases are available on our website at the following address: https://invest.quadient.com/en/newsroom.

    CONFERENCE CALL & WEBCAST

    Quadient will host a conference call and webcast today at 6:00 pm Paris time (5:00 pm London time).

    To join the webcast, click on the following link: Webcast.

    To join the conference call, please use one of the following phone numbers:

    ▪ France: +33 (0) 1 70 37 71 66.
    ▪ United States: +1 786 697 3501.
    ▪ United Kingdom (standard international): +44 (0) 33 0551 0200.

    Password: Quadient

    A replay of the webcast will also be available on Quadient’s Investor Relations website for 12 months.


     

    Calendar

    • 3 June 2025: Q1 2025 sales release (after close of trading on the Euronext Paris regulated market)
    • 13 June 2025: Annual General Meeting

    About Quadient®

    Quadient is a global automation platform provider powering secure and sustainable business connections through digital and physical channels. Quadient supports businesses of all sizes in their digital transformation and growth journey, unlocking operational efficiency and creating meaningful customer experiences. Listed in compartment B of Euronext Paris (QDT) and part of the CAC® Mid & Small and EnterNext® Tech 40 indices, Quadient shares are eligible for PEA-PME investing.

    For more information about Quadient, visit https://invest.quadient.com/en/.

    Contacts

    APPENDIX

    Digital: New name for Intelligent Communication Automation

    Mail: New name for Mail-Related Solutions

    Lockers: New name for Parcel Locker Solutions

    FY 2024 and Q4 2024 consolidated sales

    FY 2024 consolidated sales by geography

    In € million 2024 2023 Change Organic
    change
    North America 632 607 +4.0% +2.8%
    Main European countries(a) 369 354 +4.5% (2.0)%
    International(b) 92 101 (9.7)% (5.4)%
    Group total 1,093 1,062 +2.8% +0.4%
    1. Including Austria, Benelux, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy (excluding Mail), Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
    2. International includes the activities of Digital, Mail and Lockers outside of North America and the Main European countries

    Q4 2024 consolidated sales by Solution

    In € million Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Change Organic change
    Digital 73 65 +11.5% +10.1%
    Mail 196 196 (0.3)% (4.6)%
    Lockers 27 22 +20.2% +8.0%
    Group total 295 284 +4.1% (0.2)%
     

    Q4 2024 consolidated sales by geography

    In € million Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Change Organic
    change
    North America 171 160 +7.0% +2.5%
    Main European countries(a) 100 97 +3.3% (2.9)%
    International(b) 24 27 (10.7)% (6.9)%
    Group total 295 284 +4.1% (0.2)%
    1. Including Austria, Benelux, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy (excluding Mail), Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
    2. International includes the activities of Digital, Mail and Lockers outside of North America and the Main European countries

    Financial statements – Full-year 2024

    Consolidated income statement

    In € million FY 2024
    (period ended
    on 31 January 2025)    		 FY 2023
    (period ended
    on 31 January 2024)
    Sales 1,093 1,062
    Cost of sales (275) (274)
    Gross margin 818 788
    R&D expenses (63) (63)
    Sales and marketing expenses (287) (275)
    Administrative and general expenses (187) (176)
    Service and support expenses (116) (109)
    Employee profit-sharing, share-based payments and other expenses (10) (7)
    M&A and strategic projects expenses (8) (11)
    Current operating income 146 147
    Optimization expenses and other operating income & expenses (23) (15)
    Operating income 123 132
    Financial income/(expense) (39) (31)
    Income before taxes 84 101
    Income taxes (17) (17)
    Share of results of associated companies 1 (0)
    Net income from continued operations 68 84
    Net income of discontinued operations (0) (14)
    Net income 67 70
    Of which:

    • Minority interests
    		 1 1
    • Net attributable income
    		 66 69

    Simplified consolidated balance sheet

    Assets
    In € million    		 FY 2024
    (period ended
    on 31 January 2025)    		 FY 2023
    (period ended
    on 31 January 2024)
    Goodwill 1,131 1,082
    Intangible fixed assets 119 121
    Tangible fixed assets 170 156
    Other non-current financial assets 65 65
    Other non-current receivables 2 2
    Leasing receivables 623 598
    Deferred tax assets 38 17
    Inventories 75 67
    Receivables 240 228
    Other current assets 79 84
    Cash and cash equivalents 367 118
    Current financial instruments 1 2
    Assets held for sale 0 9
    TOTAL ASSETS 2,910 2,550
    Liabilities
    In € million    		 FY 2024
    (period ended
    on 31 January 2025)    		 FY 2023
    (period ended
    on 31 January 2024)
    Shareholders’ equity 1,113 1,069
    Non-current provisions 12 12
    Non-current financial debt 722 715
    Current financial debt 347 66
    Lease obligations 38 46
    Other non-current liabilities 3 2
    Deferred tax liabilities 101 104
    Financial instruments 5 5
    Trade payables 104 79
    Deferred income 223 212
    Other current liabilities 242 225
    Liabilities held for sale 0 15
    TOTAL LIABILITIES 2,910 2,550

    Simplified cash flow statement

     

    In €millions

    		 FY 2024
    (period ended
    on 31 January 2025)    		 FY 2023
    (period ended
    on 31 January 2024)
    EBITDA 247 244
    Other elements (15) (19)
    Cash flow before net cost of debt and income tax 233 225
    Change in the working capital requirement 9 (6)
    Net change in leasing receivables (7) (0)
    Cash flow from operating activities 235 219
    Interest and tax paid (67) (55)
    Net cash flow from operating activities 168 165
    Capital expenditure (108) (101)
    Disposal of assets 6 0
    Net cash flow after investing activities 66 64
    Impact of changes in scope (37) (5)
    Net cash flow after acquisitions and divestments 29 59
    Dividends paid (22) (21)
    Change in debt and others 219 (39)
    Net cash flow after financing activities 226 (1)
    Cumulative translation adjustments on cash (6) (2)
    Net cash from discontinued operations (1) (9)
    Change in net cash position 219 (11)

    ([1]) EBITDA = current operating income + provisions for depreciation of tangible and intangible fixed assets.
    ([2]) For the FY 2024, the average compounded number of shares is 34,114,060. Diluted number of shares is 34,486,288.
    ([3]) Including IFRS 16
    ([4]) Net debt / shareholder’s equity
    ([5]) Subject to the renewal of the share buyback authorizations at the 2025 AGM
    ([6]) FY 2026 leverage ratio excluding leasing target of 1.5x

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Stephenville — Update: Additional charges laid by RCMP NL as part of attempt murder investigation in Port au Port

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Additional charges have been laid by RCMP NL’s Major Crime Unit (MCU) against 66-year-old Wayne Harold Hynes of Port au Port West.

    Hynes was charged with attempted murder on March 17, 2025, in relation to an incident that occurred in Port au Port on February 21, 2025. A snowmobiler was shot while traveling across Gravel’s Pond and was left with life-threatening injuries.

    In continuing with the investigation, yesterday, RCMP NL’s (MCU) laid the following additional criminal charges against Hynes:

    • Using a firearm in the commission of a criminal offence
    • Careless use of a firearm
    • Pointing a firearm
    • Discharging a firearm with intent to endanger the life of an individual
    • Assault with a weapon
    • Aggravated assault

    Hynes remains in custody at this time. His next court appearance will take place on March 31, 2025.

    The investigation is continuing.

    Background:

    https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2025/rcmp-nls-mcu-searches-home-port-au-port-part-injured-snowmobiler-investigation

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: How the mind-splitting world of Severance comes together on Mac

    Source: Apple

    Headline: How the mind-splitting world of Severance comes together on Mac

    March 26, 2025

    UPDATE

    How the :br(s):mind-splitting world :br(s):of Severance :br(s):comes together on Mac

    Geoffrey Richman, supervising editor on the global hit Apple Original workplace thriller, shares his creative process, why Mac is an indispensable tool, and his thoughts on who’s behind the video editing at Lumon

    In the fictional world of Lumon Industries, the biotech titan that’s central to the Apple Original series Severance, it’s possible to separate a person’s work and personal selves through a surgical procedure. And yet, for some employees of the cutting-edge company, video editing proves particularly challenging. In episode four of season two, “Woe’s Hollow,” we got a glimpse at a lo-fi attempt in the video that welcomes the Macrodata Refinement Department to the Outdoor Retreat and Team Building Occurrence (ORTBO).

    “It’s hilarious,” says Geoffrey Richman, one of the show’s real-life editors and a three-time Emmy Award nominee. “With the jumpcuts and glitchy edits in the ORTBO video, it feels like Milchick [played by Tramell Tillman] cut the video together quickly with Miss Huang [Sarah Bock] in the back room behind his office.”

    Richman can’t relate. From his iMac in his at-home edit bay in Park Slope, Brooklyn, he works closely with his colleagues — including executive producer and director Ben Stiller — to create a visually and aurally stunning, genre-blurring, certifiable hit show.

    While Milchick may have access to unlimited paper clips and celebratory melon platters, he most certainly doesn’t have access to the Mac-powered setup that Richman relies on to do his job so successfully. His ecosystem of Macs — which includes his iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro — became even more essential during the season two finale, “Cold Harbor.” This was one of the show’s most challenging episodes to edit, according to Richman.

    “For the finale, there was a lot of experimenting with structure and testing out different ideas about how to play out different scenes,” says Richman. “It was a constant flow of ideas and my Mac setup allowed for such a smooth experience.”

    “In cutting the marching band, there were about 70 angles and takes to choose from, so we synced them all up in one multicam clip with banks of nine [3×3 arrays],” he continues. “Being able to play nine angles simultaneously in real time — and switch quickly between all the different options — made it a whole lot easier to find what we wanted at any given moment.”

    The only thing Richman does relate to about the Lumon crew is that he descends a level to work each day, much like the show’s protagonist Mark Scout, played by Adam Scott. On a lower floor within his apartment, Richman edits on iMac, which remotes into a separate Mac mini. This Mac mini runs Avid — the industry-standard video editing software — from a post-production facility in Manhattan’s West Village.

    It’s a familiar setup for Richman, who says the vast majority of all the editing work he’s ever done is on Mac. “I like the interface on Mac a lot better than on a PC,” he says. “I find the way the operating system is laid out to be much more comfortable. I’m able to move between different applications very quickly on Mac.”

    The setup is also ideal for a job that doesn’t always take place at a single desk. Though Richman, along with the rest of the editors on the show, is remote, he occasionally heads to set, where there’s an edit room with iMac. And he’s also brought his MacBook Pro onto set to have easy access to cuts for reference on location as needed.

    “I can work on my laptop and I can work on my iMac, and I can work at the post facility or I can work at Ben’s office, and as long as I’m logged into my account, everything I do shows up everywhere,” says Richman, who appreciates the seamless data sharing and device collaboration that happens with iCloud and Continuity. “I could be lying in bed and I have a thought, and I’ll type it into my iPhone, and then the next day, it just shows up in the Notes app on my desktop. That aspect of Mac I find very handy — to not think about which system I’m physically at.”

    While working on “Woe’s Hollow,” Richman depended on the performance, portability, and exceptional battery life of MacBook Pro for a visit with Stiller near the snow-covered Minnewaska State Park Preserve in upstate New York, where the episode was filmed. Richman also appreciates the multiple ports on MacBook Pro, including an HDMI port, which is important for collaboration during an edit.

    “I was able to go to the place where Ben was staying and plugged my MacBook Pro into his TV, and we were able to edit right off of my laptop,” he says.

    Richman is also a fan of how easy it is to multitask on Mac. “I like running all the things that I use throughout the day all the time,” he says. “So I have Avid running, as well as the Notes app, Slack, Mail, Messages, Calendar, and Safari. All these things are open and running all the time, but then I love that I can use a shortcut to access Mission Control to switch over to a different app.”

    Multitasking is a major component of Richman’s work, as he sometimes works with Stiller on individual scenes — such as the birthing cabin sequence in the season two finale — before the assemblies are completed.

    “I would send Ben cuts of scenes as I finished them to get early feedback on them,” says Richman. “He would either send notes in an email or we would talk about it on the phone, then I could do another pass of the scene even before getting through the whole episode. That way, we knew we were always climbing the same mountain.”

    An episode’s score also happens simultaneously with the edit. Richman speaks with Theodore Shapiro, the show’s composer, regularly during editing. And if Shapiro sends music cues after the workday has ended, Richman is often too excited to wait until the next day to hear them, so he listens immediately from his MacBook Pro or iPhone using AirPods Pro 2.

    “Music is such a big part of enhancing the show,” says Richman. “You can actually shift a scene into a darker tone based purely on the music. Even though everything about the scene would otherwise look pretty light, the music can bring you into the way a character is feeling as opposed to what you’re seeing onscreen.”

    Shapiro composed the two marching band songs used in the season finale, an episode that required an extreme amount of coordination in the editing. Working on his iMac, Richman had to make sure the instruments on camera stayed in sync with the music — all while building one of the most frenetic, tension-fraught sequences of the season. Organizing the marching band footage alone took over a week, and with so many angles and takes to choose from at any given moment, there were potentially hundreds of ways to cut the scenes.

    “Those were definitely scenes where I was jotting down notes on my iPhone and then — to get a different perspective — I’d work on my MacBook Pro, sketching ideas while sitting on my couch or in bed, before bringing those thoughts back to my iMac,” he says.

    For audiences, the finale delivered higher stakes, new insights into the mysterious inner workings of Lumon, and likely a more menacing view of marching bands. For Richman, the finale brought both big obstacles and major rewards.

    “I mean, the marching band scenes were extremely challenging,” he says. “But I hesitate because with the finale, for example, where we were doing a lot of work with structure, that’s a part of the process I particularly enjoy. So it’s challenging, but it’s also very satisfying and just fun.”

    Season two of Severance is now streaming on Apple TV+. Watch Geoffrey Richman, Ben Stiller, and additional Severance editors discuss the making of the season two finale in Behind the Mac, available now on YouTube. (Warning: this film contains spoilers from season two of Severance.)

    Press Contacts

    Starlayne Meza

    Apple

    starlayne_meza@apple.com

    Apple Media Helpline

    media.help@apple.com

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tampa Man Arrested For Robbing Gas Station With A Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Rafael Jimenez (30, Tampa) with one count of Hobbs Act robbery. If convicted, Jimenez faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

    According to the complaint, on March 8, 2025, Jimenez entered a gas station in Tampa and brandished a firearm while demanding money from the register. Shortly after making this demand, Jimenez fired a shot in the direction of the clerk, striking the ground directly behind the clerk.

    Jimenez stole more than $600 from the store as well as cigarettes. He was apprehended after surveillance footage from days before the robbery showed physical similarities between Jimenez and the robber, including a distinctive tattoo. Evidence found in Jimenez’s trash outside his home included a ski mask, gloves, and cigarettes of the same brand the robber had used. Surveillance video from nearby businesses showed a vehicle like Jimenez’s traveling on roads close to the scene of the robbery before and after it occurred.

    This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.

    A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.          

    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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Spring statement: defence spending boosted as further disability benefit cuts announced

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Shampa Roy-Mukherjee, Vice Dean and Professor in Economics, University of East London

    Not even six months on from Labour’s first budget, and the world is a much-changed place. Geopolitical tensions and uncertainties, already high last year, have risen further, and with them the cost of the UK’s debt, while economic growth has stalled. As such, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confronted an array of unpalatable choices – notably cutting disability benefits – to enable her to increase defence spending and stabilise the public finances. Here’s what our panel of experts made of the statement:

    Falling inflation wasn’t enough to prevent further disability cuts

    Shampa Roy-Mukherjee, Vice Dean and Professor in Economics, University of East London

    The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has halved the UK’s 2025 growth forecast to 1%, down from the previously projected 2%. This sluggish growth, coupled with increased borrowing costs, has effectively eliminated the government’s £9.9 billion “fiscal headroom” – its financial buffer – resulting in a £4.1 billion shortfall by 2029-30.

    There was some short-term relief in the latest inflation figures. These showed a slowdown in price rises in February (2.8% against 3% in January). The dip was caused by discounting of items like clothing. But given around half of businesses are considering price rises to combat tax hikes and the national living wage increase coming in April, this relief is likely to be short-lived. The OBR forecasts that inflation will climb back up to 3.2% this year.

    The government had previously set out its controversial plans for £5 billion in welfare cuts. But the OBR rejected the claim that the reforms would save that much, estimating the savings at £3.4 billion, leaving Reeves with a £1.6 billion shortfall. As such, she has had to announce additional welfare reforms.

    These include freezing the universal credit health element until 2030 and reducing it to £50 a week for new claimants. This is aimed at saving an additional £500 million by 2030 – and combined with other planned welfare reforms could affect more than 3 million people. But the standard allowance for universal credit will see an above-inflation increase from 2026-27 and the incomes of those with the most severe lifelong conditions will be protected.

    Civil service administrative budgets are also to be reduced – by 15% by 2029-30. This, along with other efficiency and productivity improvements, will lead to annual savings of £3.5 billion. These cuts will focus on areas like human resources, policy advice, and office management, rather than frontline services.

    The Civil Service could see 10,000 jobs axed.
    pxl.store/Shutterstock

    Reeves resorted to tricks and ‘efficiency savings’

    Steve Schifferes, Honorary Research Fellow, City St George’s, University of London

    Reeves has announced a series of tweaks to her spending plans to address the economic situation which has meant that she is in danger of breaking her self-imposed fiscal rules. The chancellor was at pains to say that these rules are “non-negotiable”.

    But these are unlikely to tackle the deeper problem – that in the short term she cannot rely on economic growth to square the circle of Labour’s three contradictory election pledges. These were more spending on public services, lower taxes and strict fiscal rules.

    The UK, in fact, is particularly vulnerable to the disruption of global trade that is likely to result from US president Donald Trump’s tariff wars. And the productivity gains from her long-term infrastructure plans will take years – if not a decade – to translate into higher growth.

    Like many chancellors, Reeves has resorted to various tricks – such as counting money moved to the defence budget to build tanks and aircraft as capital spending (and therefore exempt from the borrowing rules). And she has called for “efficiency savings” in the civil service and government departments that are unlikely to be realised.

    But the biggest savings are coming from deeper than expected cuts in disability payments and other welfare payments, reducing the income of more than 3 million people. This is upsetting many Labour MPs. Her big sweetener – £2 billion for social housing next year – is actually less than that already allocated by the previous Conservative government.

    Crucially, the further savings likely to be demanded in the spending review (announced on June 11) from unprotected departments including local government, justice and environment, will certainly look a lot like a return to austerity.

    In the end – and possibly as soon as the autumn budget – the chancellor will have to accept that as well as spending cuts, she will have to consider tax increases and possibly even a revision of the fiscal rules.

    Otherwise, she will remain at the mercy of the markets and the forecasters. Any long-term strategy will be strangled by the need to continually adjust policy to meet the fiscal “headroom” target she has set which leaves little room for manoeuvre. This requires an implausibly accurate prediction of the state of the economy in five years’ time by the OBR.

    More reaction to follow shortly.

    The authors 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. Spring statement: defence spending boosted as further disability benefit cuts announced – https://theconversation.com/spring-statement-defence-spending-boosted-as-further-disability-benefit-cuts-announced-253149

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s push for AI deregulation could put financial markets at risk

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sana Ramzan, Assistant Professor in Business, University Canada West

    As Canada moves toward stronger AI regulation with the proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), its southern neighbour appears to be taking the opposite approach.

    AIDA, part of Bill C-27, aims to establish a regulatory framework to improve AI transparency, accountability and oversight in Canada, although some experts have argued it doesn’t go far enough.

    Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump’s is pushing for AI deregulation. In January, Trump signed an executive order aimed at eliminating any perceived regulatory barriers to “American AI innovation.” The executive order replaced former president Joe Biden’s prior executive order on AI.



    Read more:
    How the US threw out any concerns about AI safety within days of Donald Trump coming to office

    Notably, the U.S. was also one of two countries — along with the U.K. — that didn’t sign a global declaration in February to ensure AI is “open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy.”

    Eliminating AI safeguards leaves financial institutions vulnerable. This vulnerability can increase uncertainty and, in a worst-case scenario, increase the risk of systemic collapse.



    Read more:
    The Paris summit marks a tipping point on AI’s safety and sustainability

    The power of AI in financial markets

    AI’s potential in financial markets is undeniable. It can improve operational efficiency, perform real-time risk assessments, generate higher income and forecast predictive economic change.

    My research has found that AI-driven machine learning models not only outperform conventional approaches in identifying financial statement fraud, but also in detecting abnormalities quickly and effectively. In other words, AI can catch signs of financial mismanagement before they spiral into a disaster.

    In another study, my co-researcher and I found that AI models like artificial neural networks and classification and regression trees can predict financial distress with remarkable accuracy.

    Artificial neural networks are brain-inspired algorithms. Similar to how our brain sends messages through neurons to perform actions, these neural networks process information through layers of interconnected “artificial neurons,” learning patterns from data to make predictions.

    Similarly, classification and regression trees are decision-making models that divide data into branches based on important features to identify outcomes.

    Our artificial neural networks models predicted financial distress among Toronto Stock Exchange-listed companies with a staggering 98 per cent accuracy. This suggests suggests AI’s immense potential in providing early warning signals that could help avert financial downturns before they start.

    However, while AI can simplify manual processes and lower financial risks, it can also introduce vulnerabilities that, if left unchecked, could pose significant threats to economic stability.

    The risks of deregulation

    Trump’s push for deregulation could result in Wall Street and other major financial institutions gaining significant power over AI-driven decision-making tools with little to no oversight.

    When profit-driven AI models operate without the appropriate ethical boundaries, the consequences could be severe. Unchecked algorithms, especially in credit evaluation and trading, could worsen economic inequality and generate systematic financial risks that traditional regulatory frameworks cannot detect.

    Algorithms trained on biased or incomplete data may reinforce discriminatory lending practices. In lending, for instance, biased AI algorithms can deny loans to marginalized groups, widening wealth and inequality gaps.

    In addition, AI-powered trading bots, which are capable of executing rapid transactions, could trigger flash crashes in seconds, disrupting financial markets before regulators have time to respond. The flash crash of 2010 is a prime example where high-frequency trading algorithms aggressively reacted to market signals causing the Dow Jones Industrial Average to drop by 998.5 points in a matter of minutes.

    Furthermore, unregulated AI-driven risk models might overlook economic warning signals, resulting in substantial errors in monetary control and fiscal policy.

    Striking a balance between innovation and safety depends on the ability for regulators and policymakers to reduce AI hazards. While considering financial crisis of 2008, many risk models — earlier forms of AI — were wrong to anticipate a national housing market crash, which led regulators and financial institutions astray and exacerbated the crisis.

    A blueprint for financial stability

    My research underscores the importance of integrating machine learning methods within strong regulatory systems to improve financial oversight, fraud detection and prevention.

    Durable and reasonable regulatory frameworks are required to turn AI from a potential disruptor into a stabilizing force. By implementing policies that prioritize transparency and accountability, policymakers can maximize the advantages of AI while lowering the risks associated with it.

    A federally regulated AI oversight body in the U.S. could serve as an arbitrator, just like Canada’s Digital Charter Implementation Act of 2022 proposes the establishment of an AI and Data Commissioner. Operating with checks and balances inherent to democratic structures would ensure fairness in financial algorithms and stop biased lending policies and concealed market manipulation.

    Financial institutions would be required to open the “black box” of AI-driven alternatives by mandating transparency through explainable AI standards — guidelines that are aimed at making AI systems’ outputs more understandable and transparent to humans.

    Machine learning’s predictive capabilities could help regulators identify financial crises in real-time using early warning signs — similar to the model developed by my co-researcher and me in our study.

    However, this vision doesn’t end at national borders. Globally, the International Monetary Fund and the Financial Stability Board could establish AI ethical standards to curb cross-border financial misconduct.

    Crisis prevention or catalyst?

    Will AI still be the key to foresee and stop the next economic crisis, or will the lack of regulatory oversight cause a financial disaster? As financial institutions continue adopt AI-driven models, the absence of strong regulatory guardrails raises pressing concerns.

    Without proper safeguards in place, AI is not just a tool for economic prediction — it could become an unpredictable force capable of accelerating the next financial crisis.

    The stakes are high. Policymakers must act swiftly to regulate the increasing impact of AI before deregulation opens the path for an economic disaster.

    Without decisive action, the rapid adoption of AI in finance could outpace regulatory efforts, leaving economies vulnerable to unforeseen risks and potentially setting the stage for another global financial crisis.

    Sana Ramzan 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. Trump’s push for AI deregulation could put financial markets at risk – https://theconversation.com/trumps-push-for-ai-deregulation-could-put-financial-markets-at-risk-251208

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer, Rosen Introduce Legislation to Enhance Patient Advocacy for Rural Veterans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

    ***Click here to download audio.***

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patient advocacy program employs individuals at VA Medical Centers nationwide to manage the feedback received from veterans and their families. The patient advocate serves as a bridge working directly with VA staff to facilitate resolutions on behalf of all veterans. 

    U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced the Strengthening VA Patient Advocacy for Rural Veterans Act of 2025, which would enhance the VA’s patient advocate program to better support rural veterans receiving care outside of the medical center setting. Specifically, facilities would designate a patient advocate to serve as the coordinator for veterans residing in rural and highly rural areas to improve veteran access and experience. The measure also contains reporting provisions to enhance accountability and Congressional awareness of the issues veterans face when seeking care. 

    “Patient advocates really play an important role in helping our veterans navigate the incredible VA red tape, it’s just outlandish as it is with most bureaucracies,” said Senator Cramer. “What our bill does is it recognizes the unique challenges that are faced by particularly rural veterans, and then it provides targeted support through dedicated patient advocates to ensure they are able to access the healthcare they’ve earned, both in and from their more rural homes.”

    “Far too many veterans in rural parts of Nevada face barriers to receiving the VA medical care and support they deserve,” said Senator Rosen. “Our bipartisan legislation would help improve access to care and resources by establishing VA patient advocates specifically for rural veterans, helping to make sure that they don’t miss out on benefits because of where they live.”

    The Strengthening VA Patient Advocacy for Rural Veterans Act of 2025 is supported by several organizations, including the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the American Legion (TAL), and America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP). 

    “DAV thanks Senator Cramer for introducing the Strengthening VA Patient Advocacy for Rural Veterans Act of 2025,” said DAV National Legislative Director Joy Ilem. “This legislation would improve the VA’s Office of Patient Advocacy and ensure that veterans living in rural and highly rural areas are provided care coordination through a designated patient advocate. These advocates would be able to focus on breaking down unique barriers to care for rural veteran patients and ensure they have access to care where and when they need it.”

    Click here for bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: We must have enduring peace in Ukraine, which ensures Ukraine’s future security and upholds the UN Charter: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    We must have enduring peace in Ukraine, which ensures Ukraine’s future security and upholds the UN Charter: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

    I would like to start by thanking Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya for the briefing today.

    Colleagues, last month marked three years since President Putin launched his illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    The invasion displaced over 10 million people. Today, 12.7 million remain in need of urgent humanitarian support.

    The suffering caused by Russian forces is well known to this Council: war crimes, torture of civilians and prisoners of war, mass killings, the forced deportation of thousands of children, the forced cleansing and Russification of areas under their illegal control.

    It is a shocking record for any state, let alone a Permanent Member of the Security Council.

    In recent weeks, Russian drone and missile attacks have intensified nationwide, with daily reports of damage to residential areas and civilian infrastructure across multiple Oblasts.

    According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mechanism of Ukraine, in one attack which took place on 7 March, two ballistic missiles hit a residential area in Donetsk Oblast killing 11 people and destroying homes. 

    Emergency responders who arrived to treat the wounded were then targeted by further strikes.

    This has to stop. 

    The UK is clear that we want to see an end to the fighting and to the killing. We must have enduring peace in Ukraine.

    Putin could bring about peace tomorrow by withdrawing his forces and ending his illegal invasion.

    President, we welcome US efforts towards just and lasting peace. And we welcome President Zelenskyy’s clear commitment to peace and readiness to move quickly towards a comprehensive and lasting settlement. 

    In agreeing to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, Ukraine has shown that it is the party of peace.  

    Russia must now agree to this without further delay.

    Ukraine’s humanitarian needs are immense, and the UK will continue to do what we can in support. 

    To date, we have committed £477 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine, providing its people with food, water, shelter, and medical care, alongside support to safeguard the rights, dignity, and well-being of civilians.

    We repeat our call on Russia to end its brutal war, withdraw from Ukrainian territory within its internationally recognised borders. 

    Until that day comes, the UK will continue to work with Ukraine and our international partners to achieve a just and lasting peace, which ensures Ukraine’s future security and upholds the core principles of the United Nations Charter.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New guidance sets out rules to follow for scaffolding and skips

    Source: City of Leicester

    NEW guidance has been issued by the city council to make it clear what is expected of people who want to put up scaffolding in Leicester.

    Leicester City Council’s new policy on skips, scaffolding and hoarding licences covers a host of things which applicants or contractors must consider when applying for licences, which need to be in place before work can begin.

    The idea is to bring all of the information needed together in one place, so that it is easier for people to ensure they are complying with the rules.

    City mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Whilst we know that many scaffold companies operate responsibly, we also know that some do not. This is not acceptable – they must comply with our licensing requirements for works on the highway, and they must operate in a safe manner at all times. That’s why we have updated our policy to make sure this information is easily accessible – so that there can be no excuse for those who do not comply; and so that we can take swift action against them.”

    Deputy city mayor Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, who is responsible for regulatory services, licensing and enforcement, added: “We developed this new guidance after consulting with representatives from the scaffolding trade, who have welcomed the clarity it provides.

    “Responsible operators know that our licensing process is there for a reason – to ensure safety. This is, of course, vitally important for both members of the public and those who work in the trade.

    “If you are a householder in need of a scaffolding service, be aware that there is a lead-in time in applying for a licence, as well as a cost involved. Make sure you ask your contractor about their licence. If a quote seems too good to be true or too quick, check that they are applying for a licence and ask to see their application.”

    Scaffold licences have been needed for works on the highways for many years. The new document aims to be very clear on the requirements regarding licensing, but also sets out associated considerations – such as traffic management and how to work around existing street furniture, trees, and utilities.

    The rules include:

    • Scaffolders need to apply for a licence well in advance of the date they wish to install scaffolding on the highway, excepting genuine emergencies for safety reasons. This is to give the council time to properly consider and determine the application.
    • The application process includes the need to provide adequate supporting information, including site plans and traffic management arrangements. This is a basic requirement to demonstrate that applicants have considered the risks and have adequate safety arrangements in place.
    • There is also a section on skips, which also need to be licensed – even if they are only on the highway for a short time.

    If the terms and conditions of a licence are breached, officers from the city council initially contact the licence holder to let them know and to ask them to rectify the problem within 24 hours. A continued breach – or where there is no licence in place – can lead to prosecution.

    The guidance is available online at https://www.leicester.gov.uk/business/licences-and-permits/trade-and-industry/skips-scaffolding-and-hoarding-licensing/

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Resolutions from Tryg A/S’ annual general meeting 2025 (AGM)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Tryg’s annual general meeting was held today. At the AGM, the shareholders adopted the report of the group’s activities in the financial year 2024.

    The annual meeting also approved the following items:

    • Tryg’s annual report 2024, including the resolution on discharge of the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board.
    • Resolution to distribution of profits in accordance with the approved annual report as the profit for the year DKK 4,742m is transferred to the equity.
    • The remuneration report for 2024.
    • The remuneration for the Supervisory Board for 2025 including the fees to members of the Supervisory Board committees.
    • Decision on reduction of share capital by a nominal amount of DKK 25,088,935
    • The proposed decrease and extension of the existing authorisation to the Supervisory Board under Article 8 of the Articles of Association to increase the share capital by means of issuing new shares at a total nominal value of DKK 300,000,000 until 26 March 2030.
    • The proposed decrease and extension of the existing authorisation to the Supervisory Board under Article 9 of the Articles of Association to increase the share capital by means of issuing new shares at a total nominal value of DKK 30.000.000 until 26 March 2030.
    • The proposed decrease and extension of the existing authorisation to the Supervisory Board to acquire own shares at a total nominal value of 300,000,000 DKK until 31 December 2026.
    • Adjustment of the decision on indemnification
    • Approval of the remuneration policy.
    • Expanding the number of members of the Supervisory Board
    • Ten members of the Supervisory Board were elected:
      • Jukka Pertola (independent)
      • Carl-Viggo Östlund (independent)
      • Mengmeng Du (independent)
      • Thomas Hofman-Bang (independent)
      • Steffen Kragh (independent)
      • Benedicte Bakke Agerup (independent)
      • Jørn Rise Andersen
      • Anne Kaltoft
      • Torben Jensen
      • Jonas Bjørn Jensen

    After the annual general meeting, the Supervisory Board elected Jukka Pertola as Chairman and Steffen Kragh as Deputy Chairman.
    Employees have elected the following five members to the Supervisory Board:

    • Elias Bakk
    • Charlotte Dietzer
    • Lena Darin
    • Tina Snejbjerg
    • Mette Osvold
    • PricewaterhouseCoopers Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab was elected as Tryg’s auditor for financial and sustainability reporting.

    The Articles of Association, the remuneration report for 2024 and the remuneration policy for Tryg can be downloaded at tryg.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Forces Conduct Significant Series of Kinetic Strikes Targeting ISIS- Somalia

    Source: United States AFRICOM

    In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted multiple airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia on March 25, 2025.

    The airstrikes occurred in the vicinity of the Golis Mountains, Somalia

    The command’s initial assessment is that multiple ISIS-Somalia operatives were killed and no civilians were harmed. 

    ISIS-Somalia has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. and partner forces. This group’s malicious efforts threaten U.S. security interests.

    U.S. Africa Command, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, continues to take action to degrade ISIS-Somalia’s ability to plan and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, our forces, and our civilians abroad. 

     Specific details about the operation will not be released in order to ensure continued operations security.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Newcomb Man Sentenced for Role in Fatal Altercation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Newcomb man was sentenced to three years of probation for his role in the death of an individual who died from a fatal stab wound during a drunken altercation.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on June 2, 2021, Leighton Spencer, 32, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, and two other individuals were at Spencer‘s home, consuming a mixture of Gatorade and hand sanitizer, followed by beers, when an altercation between the two other individuals occurred. After one person left to cool down and returned, they discovered the third individual deceased in the doorway, covered in blood. Spencer initially claimed the person was sleeping, but emergency services were called.

    The Office of the Medical Investigator ruled the death a homicide caused by a stab wound to the neck, which damaged major blood vessels and the right upper lung lobe. Spencer initially provided conflicting accounts of the incident, blaming others and fabricating causes of death before eventually admitting to the killing. Throughout the investigation, Spencer attempted to deflect responsibility and mislead law enforcement. Ultimately, Spencer admitted he lied and pleaded guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s purported ‘Art of the Deal’ negotiating skills aren’t likely to end the Russia-Ukraine war

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Anton Oleinik, Professor of Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland

    The White House says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserting the truce was effective immediately while also accusing Russia of lying about the deal’s terms.

    Needless to say, it’s far from clear that United States President Donald Trump’s supposed “Art of the Deal” negotiating skills are enough to broker sustainable peace between Russia and Ukraine given the protagonists’ unwillingness to make concessions and the volatile nature of attempts to broker a peace agreement.

    The war waged by Russia has reached the stage where both Russian and Ukrainian officials fear losing face if they make concessions.

    Both view their enemy as an existential threat. Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued Russian defeat would spell “the end of the 1,000-year history of the Russian state,” while Zelenskyy says Russia’s protracted assault is an overt existential threat and the absence of U.S. support threatens the very survival of his country.

    Both sides have seemed prepared to fight until the bitter end. The involvement of a mediator in the form of the United States, therefore, could potentially change the deadly dynamics of the conflict.

    ‘Love to beat them’

    Trump declares being up to this formidable task. He positions himself as a mediator occupying a middle ground between the protagonists, unlike his predecessor in the Oval Office who supported Ukraine.

    In his ghost-written book The Art of the Deal, Trump claimed to enjoy these sorts of challenges:

    “In New York real estate… you are dealing with some of the sharpest, toughest, and most vicious people in the world… I happen to love to go up against these guys, and I love to beat them.”

    But if mediators, including Trump, are to successfully persuade opposing sides to make a deal, they need to properly understand each side’s motives. To what extent is each side malleable so some common ground can be found? Making a deal always requires compromises and concessions.

    Trump is well aware of this, saying recently of any prospective Russia-Ukraine agreement: “You’re going to have to always make compromises. You can’t do any deals without compromises.”

    Understanding motivations

    David McClelland’s theory of human motivation may be relevant in terms of attempts to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia. The social psychologist argued that three motives — the need for achievement, the need for affiliation and the need for power — explains most human behaviour:

    1. The need for achievement explains the desire to be productive and get results;
    2. Concern about establishing, maintaining or restoring a positive relationship with another person or people underpins the need for affiliation;
    3. The will to dominate, to have an impact on another person or people, is the essence of the need for power.

    McClelland predicted that when the need for power significantly exceeds the need for affiliation, conflicts and wars are likely. He viewed a high “power-minus-affiliation” gap as indicative of what he called the “imperial power motive syndrome.”



    Read more:
    Too much power can do very odd things to a leader’s head

    The metaphor of an empire lies at its origin. The empire’s declared mission is to enlighten, civilize and bring order to its subjects. Leaders with the imperial power motive syndrome show reformist zeal to save others, whether they like it or not.

    The social psychologist Robert Hogenraad subsequently adapted McClelland’s theory for computer-assisted content analysis by developing dictionaries of the three needs.

    If the words associated with the need for power — control, domination, victory, for example — occur more often in a text, speech or news reports than words associated with the need for affiliation — like love, family, friends — then the speaker has the imperial power motive syndrome.

    Hawks vs. doves

    My recently published analysis of war-related speeches delivered by Russian, Ukrainian, American, British and French leaders during the three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine gives some clues about the motivations of the parties involved.

    Compared with their western counterparts, Putin and Zelenskyy exhibit the strongest imperial power motive syndrome and are “hawks.” Their need for power, as expressed through their public speeches, significantly exceeds their need for affiliation. Trump, however, appears similar to that of his arch-rival, former president Joe Biden. Both are closer to the “dovish” end of the scale.

    The preliminary outcomes of talks on a potential ceasefire reveal the challenges faced by mediators.

    First, the talks being held in Saudi Arabia were bilateral, with American officials meeting separately with Russian and Ukrainian delegations, as opposed to trilteral.

    Second, no joint statement followed the talks, although it was widely expected.

    Third, the White House issued two separate statements, one on talks with Ukraine’s representatives and the other on discussions with Russia’s representatives.

    The Ukraine statement includes the commitment to continue the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children, whereas the statement on the talks with Russia does not mention any of this.

    This is despite the fact that the International Criminal Court has accused Putin of committing war crimes via the unlawful deportation of children.

    Trump’s antipathy toward Zelenskyy

    The prospects of a peace agreement is further complicated by the history of Trump’s attempts to broker deals in Ukraine.

    The war in Ukraine actually began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and a proxy war in Donbas. Trump was elected president two years later.

    His discourse about Ukraine did not differ significantly from Obama’s and Biden’s until his first impeachment in 2020 for soliciting “the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, to benefit his re-election.”

    His call to Zelenskyy in July 2019 triggered the impeachment. He pushed for two investigations aimed at helping his re-election bid — one into Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and another into the hack of Democratic National Committee servers in 2016 — in exchange for releasing about $400 million of military assistance already approved by Congress and inviting Zelenskyy to the White House at that time.

    During and after the first impeachment, Trump’s language on Ukraine significantly diverged from Obama’s and Biden’s. He began using words like “corruption,” “lies” and “hoax” in relation to Ukraine.

    Moving forward

    All this suggests that Trump’s first impeachment has had a lasting impact on his perception of Ukraine and its leader.

    And so in addition to dealing with two protagonists who are unwilling to make concessions, Trump as a mediator faces challenges related to his past.

    One protagonist, Zelenskyy, may unwittingly remind him of one of the darkest moments in his political career — his first impeachment. This fact should be kept in mind when trying to make sense of the treatment received by Zelenskyy during his most recent visit to the White House and Trump’s references to him as a “dictator.”

    To truly succeed in mediation, Trump must move forward, leaving biases and prejudices related to Ukraine and its leader in the past. But can he?

    Anton Oleinik 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. Trump’s purported ‘Art of the Deal’ negotiating skills aren’t likely to end the Russia-Ukraine war – https://theconversation.com/trumps-purported-art-of-the-deal-negotiating-skills-arent-likely-to-end-the-russia-ukraine-war-252666

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Nobody should be destitute in a modern Scotland

    Source: Scottish Greens

    26 Mar 2025 Human Rights

    Scotland has the keys to ending destitution – it is time our government unlocked the doors.

    More in Human Rights

    The Scottish Government must do more to end destitution for people living under the thumb of the hostile environment, says Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman.
     
    The Green MSP will use a Member’s Business Debate today to call on the Scottish Government to go further in its work to end destitution.
     
    Ms Chapman will call for commitments to five tangible actions to end destitution, including: widening access to universal services and benefits, expanding support for Fair Way Scotland – a partnership that provides advice and accommodation for people with restricted or uncertain eligibility to public funds, creating a new Scottish crisis or hardship grant, and increasing funding for housing, immigration and asylum legal aid.
     
    Ms Chapman said:

    “Right now in Scotland, thousands of people who live in dire conditions are shut out of services and left struggling. Without support, they regularly go cold and hungry. Many are forced into precarious work and dangerous situations to make ends meet, often ending up homelessness.
     
    “We cannot undo all of the damage being done by Westminster, but we have the power to alleviate some of these challenges and change these lives for the better. Unfortunately the Scottish Government isn’t doing nearly enough.
     
    “If we don’t intervene, the cycle of destitution, suffering and exploitation will simply continue.”

    No Recourse to Public Funds is a condition attached to work, family and study visas which restricts access to a lot of aspects of social security, including Universal Credit and child benefit and a range of other support like homelessness assistance.
     
    Ms Chapman added:

    “The No Recourse to Public Funds policy is yet another arm of the UK government’s hostile and racist immigration system. We already know how to mitigate the cruelty of this policy – so we cannot continue to justify blocking people’s access to crucial services in times of desperate need.
     
    “We have universal human rights obligations to help our fellow humans, irrespective of immigration status. Our governments must go further to support those who risk fleeing from one hostile environment to simply enter another, cloaked as a sanctuary.
     
    “Tragically, people in Scotland are dying from destitution as the doors remain closed to those in need. Our government can, and must, widen access to universal services to include people who are stranded by the widest inequality and cut off by the deepest destitution.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Digicel and Caban Energy Combat Climate Change With Solar Rollout

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a powerful statement of its commitment to environmental responsibility and combatting climate change, Digicel today announced a partnership with Caban Energy (Caban) which will diversify its energy source using solar technology and reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while significantly reducing operational costs.

    This partnership in renewable energy infrastructure will support the Caribbean region in achieving its sustainability goals as outlined in the Paris Agreement. As a leader in renewable energy, Caban is working to deploy solar energy and storage solutions on cell towers across Jamaica for Digicel, both in collaboration with Phoenix Tower International (PTI) and independently.

    Providing a reliable, sustainable and cost-effective alternative power source for cell tower, data centers and other critical infrastructure locations, solar energy and storage solutions enhance network reliability, energy security and communications resilience. By integrating renewable energy into its network once fully deployed, Digicel will reduce GHG emissions by over 38,674 tons of CO2e per year or 580,109 tons of CO2e for the life of the project.

    Commenting on the partnership, Digicel Group CEO, Marcelo Cataldo, said; “As a meaningful expression of our Connecting. Empowering mission, our commitment to ESG is fundamental to who we are as a business. With robust social and governance programmes in place, we’re now making tangible progress in our environmental agenda as we drive multiple benefits through the deployment of sustainable, renewable and cost-effective energy solutions. Jamaica is our first market with Caban and is the shape of things to come with the expectation that more of our 25 markets will come on stream in the coming months.”

    Stephen Murad, Digicel Jamaica CEO, elaborates; “In the wake of Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 which caused significant damage to the south coast of Jamaica, and in particular to the power supplies that we rely on to run our telecoms infrastructure, we made a commitment to the Prime Minister of Jamaica that we would invest in renewable energy. We’re proud that just eight months later, we’re honouring that commitment and actively stepping up to help combat climate change.”

    Alexandra Rasch, CEO of Caban, commented; “This is about building a sustainable future for all. With Caribbean countries at the forefront of the negative effects of climate change, the region’s energy landscape is evolving. Mindful of its ESG commitments, Digicel is partnering with us to harness renewable energy sources to benefit those same countries and enable their progress towards achieving national and global climate targets. It makes for an exciting future.”

    About Digicel

    Enabling customers to live, work, play and flourish in a connected world, Digicel’s world class LTE and fibre networks deliver state-of-the-art mobile, home and business solutions.

    Serving nine million consumer and business customers in 25 markets in the Caribbean and Central America, our investments of over US$5 billion and a commitment to our communities through our Digicel Foundations in Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago have contributed to positive outcomes for over two million people to date.

    With our Connecting. Empowering vision at the heart of everything we do – supported by our DIGI values of Diversity, Integrity, Growth and Innovation – our 5,000 employees worldwide work together to make that a powerful reality for customers, communities and countries day in, day out. Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more.

    About Caban

    Caban, founded in 2018, set out to tackle the challenge of decarbonizing the most fossil fuel-dependent industries. Initially focused on providing alternative energy solutions for the telecommunications industry in the Americas, the company has since grown and demonstrated success in supplying energy to several of the world’s largest telecom operators. Building on this momentum, Caban has scaled globally and expanded its reach to support clean energy needs across critical infrastructure sectors worldwide.

    Caban uniquely combines service, hardware, software, and finance to deliver reliable, clean power and boosts your bottom line. This turnkey approach allows you to work directly with one trusted ESG partner to achieve decarbonization across your operations. Visit www.cabanenergy.com for more.

    Contact:
    Antonia Graham
    Head of Group Communications
    +1876 564 1708
    antonia.graham@digicelgroup.com

    Jacqueline Castillo
    info@cabanenergy.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: CentralReach Releases 2025 Edition of Industry Leading Autism and IDD Care Market Report, Highlighting Upward Trends in Service Demands

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Fort Lauderdale, FL, March 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CentralReach, a leading provider of Autism and IDD Care software for ABA, multidisciplinary, and special education, today announced the latest edition of its Autism and IDD Care Market Report. Compiled from an anonymized subset of CentralReach’s industry-leading proprietary CanaryBI dataset of 4 billion data points, the report equips providers with key insights on service delivery, operations, and growth by providing an extensive outlook on current trends and benchmarks shaping the autism and IDD care market. 

    “The Autism and IDD Care Market Report was designed to help providers track industry trends, benchmark performance, and identify opportunities for growth,” shared CentralReach CEO, Chris Sullens. “While our report isn’t a clinical guide, we hope that the data-driven insights it provides may help drive both operational and clinical improvements, strengthening outcomes for providers and the individuals they serve and ultimately, provide the broader industry valuable guidance to navigate the evolving landscape of autism and IDD care.”

    One highlight in the report noted that growth in services is projected to be upwards of 30% in the next two years, indicating continued healthy expansion to serve the demand for care. 

    To read this year’s full Autism and IDD Care Market Report, please visit: centralreach.com/resources/autism-idd-care-report

    About CentralReach
    CentralReach is a leading provider of autism and IDD care software, providing a complete, end-to-end software and services platform that helps children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) – and those who serve them – unlock potential, achieve better outcomes, and live more independent lives. With its roots in Applied Behavior Analysis, the company is revolutionizing how the lifelong journey of autism and IDD care is enabled at home, school, and work with powerful and intuitive solutions purpose-built for each care setting.

    Trusted by more than 200,000 professionals globally, CentralReach is committed to ongoing product advancement, market-leading industry expertise, world-class client satisfaction, and support of the autism and IDD community to propel autism and IDD care into a new era of excellence. For more information, please visit CentralReach.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Daily physical activity, even at light intensities, linked to lower cancer risk

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    News Release
    Wednesday, March 26, 2025

    NIH study finds number of steps taken daily may be more important for cancer risk than the intensity of activity.
    What
    In a prospective cohort study of more than 85,000 adults in the United Kingdom, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and University of Oxford found that individuals who engaged in light- and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity daily physical activity had a lower risk of cancer than individuals who were more sedentary. The findings, published March 26, 2025, in British Journal of Sports Medicine, are among the first to evaluate the cancer risk reduction associated with light intensity activities such as doing errands and performing household chores.
    Previous studies have shown an inverse association between physical activity and cancer risk, but most of these studies relied on self-reported questionnaires, which may not accurately capture the intensity of different activities. Earlier studies that used objective measures were focused on higher-intensity physical activity. In the new study, led by researchers from NIH’s National Cancer Institute, participants in the UK Biobank study (median age of 63) wore wrist accelerometers that tracked total daily activity, activity intensity, and daily step count over a period of one week. The researchers then looked at the relationship between the daily averages and incidence of 13 cancer types, including breast and colorectal cancer, previously associated with physical activity.
    After a mean follow-up of 5.8 years, 2,633 participants had been diagnosed with one of the 13 cancer types. Individuals with the highest total amount of daily physical activity had a 26% lower risk of developing cancer than individuals who had the lowest amount of daily physical activity. The researchers also explored the impact of replacing daily sedentary time with light- and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity and found that this shift was associated with a reduced risk of cancer. The associations between physical activity and cancer risk remained even after researchers adjusted for demographic factors, lifestyle factors, body mass index (BMI), and other health conditions.
    Higher daily step count, but not the pace of the steps (step intensity), was also associated with a lower risk of cancer. Compared with cancer risk in those taking 5,000 steps per day, cancer risk was 11% lower for those taking 7,000 steps per day and 16% lower for those taking 9,000 steps per day. Beyond 9,000 steps, the risk reduction plateaued. The researchers suggested that less physically active individuals may lower their cancer risk by incorporating more walking, at any pace, into their daily routine.
    Who
    Alaina Shreves, M.S., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, and Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford
    Reference
    “Amount and intensity of dail total physical activity, step count and risk of incident cancer in the UK Biobank” appears March 26, 2025, in British Journal of Sports Medicine.
    About the National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH’s efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of people with cancer. NCI supports a wide range of cancer research and training extramurally through grants and contracts. NCI’s intramural research program conducts innovative, transdisciplinary basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiological research on the causes of cancer, avenues for prevention, risk prediction, early detection, and treatment, including research at the NIH Clinical Center—the world’s largest research hospital. Learn more about the intramural research done in NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at cancer.gov or call NCI’s Cancer Information Service, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: An advisor in their pocket: Helping smallholder farmers in Malawi thrive with AI

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: An advisor in their pocket: Helping smallholder farmers in Malawi thrive with AI

    Greater yields and better profits

    Hundreds of Farmer Support Agents (FSAs) have been trained as intermediaries between the tech and the 100,000 households they support. This ensures that farmers without mobile phones will be able to access valuable information. Due to how knowledgeable FSAs are, they’re able to respond with insightful answers that help farmers apply Ulangizi recommendations to any questions they have.

    Most smallholder farmers produce a fraction of their potential yields and this limits their financial mobility, but when they approach farming like a business, their lives often transform for the better. Ulangizi AI is helping them plant more, increase their herds, hire laborers, and improve the economy for their communities. With the chatbot, farmers are learning better ways to care for the right crops and produce more bountiful harvests.  “Being able to save their livelihood is dependent on how quickly farmers know the challenges and how to solve them,” says Ama Akuamoah, Director of Market Engagement, Opportunity International.

    The chatbot provides farmers with details about how much seed they need per acre along with forecasts, giving them an advantage over severe and unpredictable weather patterns. And when their crops are thriving, market data helps them know when to harvest and sell for the greatest profit. Opportunity’s FSAs are also teaching farmers how to steward the land in more sustainable and regenerative ways. With this knowledge, farmers will have more free time to learn new skills or start another business, and they can use the extra money to take care of their families and their homes.

    Opportunity International anticipates that investments in AI will cut the cost of training new FSAs by more than two-thirds, making it possible to grow its FSA program even more. Ulangizi AI will help educate new FSAs much faster and empower them with information that helps millions of smallholder farmers. Ulangizi AI is just the beginning of how Opportunity is leveraging technology. They’re dedicated to developing a suite of AI-powered solutions that support agriculture, education, and upward mobility in Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, and beyond.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Launches 2025 Neo QLED TVs Powered by Samsung Vision AI

    Source: Samsung

    Samsung Electronics America today announced availability of its 2025 Samsung Neo QLED 8K and Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV series. The new lineup offers stunning visuals and immersive sound, and are the first to feature Samsung Vision AI1 with smarter, adaptive features that reimagine what Samsung TVs can do.
    Samsung Vision AI pairs AI-enhanced picture and sound for maximized performance with personalized experiences designed to help you engage more deeply with your content and enjoy a viewing experience catered just to you.
    This includes everything from learning more about the actors on screen and receiving content recommendations with a new “Click to Search” feature, to real-time translations of what you’re watching with subtitles in your preferred language using a new “Live Translate” feature. You can even control your TV with hand motions while wearing your Galaxy Watch, thanks to Universal Gestures – and much more.

    “We know great picture and immersive sound are just the beginning of what shoppers are looking for when choosing a TV today,” said Lydia Cho, Head of Product, Home Electronics at Samsung Electronics America. “In fact, enhanced connectivity, smart features and ease of use are more important than ever. Samsung Vision AI transforms your TV to bring together the best of it all, delivering AI-powered innovations that reinvent what’s possible from your Samsung TV.”
    Neo QLED 8K: Our Best Picture with 8K Resolution

    Featuring two new models (QN990F, QN900F) our Neo QLED 8K series delivers an exceptional glare free picture with Quantum Matrix Mini LEDs, immersive sound and breakthrough experiences, all powered by Samsung Vision AI.
    Built with our most advanced NQ8 AI Gen3 Processor2, the QN990F series (65” – 98” screen class sizes) leverages 8K AI Upscaling Pro3to transform SD, HD or even 4K content into the sharpest and smoothest picture of any Samsung TV.
    The QN990F also integrates our award-winning Glare-Free technology, offering stunning 8K visuals across dark and bright rooms. Plus, the all-new Wireless One Connect Box4 makes installation and connectivity a breeze, wirelessly transmitting your inputs from up to 30 feet away.
    Motion Xcelerator 240Hz5 ensures blazing fast motion clarity for gaming and sports, while AI Motion Enhancer Pro6 smooths the motion of fast-moving visuals and text, so you can always keep your eye on the ball.
    Dedicated top-channel speakers power Dolby Atmos sound, while Object Tracking Sound Pro7 provides dynamic, realistic audio that follows the movements on screen – like creepy footsteps in a horror movie or cars zooming around a track.

    The QN900F series (65” – 85” screen class sizes) offers 8K AI Upscaling8 that enhances any content up to 8K resolution. It will also incorporate Glare-Free technology and feature a new Metal Frame design that beautifully compliments your space and elevates your aesthetic.
    Motion Xcelerator 165Hz offers smooth visuals and blistering speeds. And, Object Tracking Sound+ with Dolby Atmos takes you inside each scene with sound that moves in sync with the content on your screen.
    The QN900F series (65” and 75” class sizes) is available starting today, and the QN990F series and 85” Class QN900F will be rolling out soon.
    QN990F (65” – 98”)

    98” Class QN990F: $39,999
    85” Class QN990F: $8,499
    75” Class QN990F: $6,499
    65” Class QN990F: $5,499

    QN900F (65” – 85”)

    85” Class QN900F: $5,499
    75” Class QN900F: $4,299
    65” Class QN900F: $3,299

    Neo QLED 4K: Enjoy Crisp Clarity in Every Scene

    The Samsung 2025 Neo QLED 4K lineup is the most expansive yet, including three model series (QN90F, QN80F, and QN70F), all featuring Quantum Matrix Mini LEDs for stellar brightness and accurate color across every scene.
    The flagship QN90F (43” – 115” screen class sizes) features the upgraded NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor9, which ensures that content always looks its best – improving picture and sound as you watch. The processor upscales10 older content into 4K resolution, while Neo Quantum HDR+11 analyzes each scene to boost brightness and make visuals appear even more realistic.
    Plus, the QN90F will feature our Glare-Free technology, so you can enjoy your favorite content with virtually no glare. Motion Xcelerator 165Hz12 ensures you’ll experience ultra-smooth motion at blazing fast speeds, no matter the genre.
    Both the QN80F (55” – 100” screen class sizes) and QN70F (55” – 85” screen class sizes) feature the NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor for an AI-enhanced 4K picture and optimized sound, as well as 4K AI Upscaling13 and smooth, tear-free gaming with Motion Xcelerator 144Hz.

    And, later this year, we’re further expanding the QN90F and QN80F series in a BIG way. We’ll offer a 100” class size on the QN80F and a 115” class size on the QN90F, our largest ever consumer display. Both of these ultra-large sizes will uniquely leverage Supersize Picture Enhancer14, which optimizes visuals for our largest screens so you can go bigger without the blur.
    The QN90F series and QN80F series are available for purchase starting today, with the QN70F series arriving soon.
    QN90F (43” – 98”)

    98” Class QN90F: $14,999
    85” Class QN90F: $4,499
    75” Class QN90F: $3,299
    65” Class QN90F: $2,699
    55” Class QN90F: $1,999
    50” Class QN90F: $1,499
    43” Class QN90F: $1,399

    QN80F (55” – 85”)

    85” Class QN80F: $3,499
    75” Class QN80F: $2,299
    65” Class QN80F: $1,799
    55” Class QN80F: $1,299

    Samsung Vision AI will power the viewing experience across our Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K, OLED, The Frame and QLED series, delivering intuitive features like Click to Search15, Live Translate16 and Universal Gestures17 – all of which will help enhance entertainment and simplify interactions with your Samsung TV.
    Also new this year, the Samsung Neo QLED 8K, 4K and QLED lineups will offer access to the Samsung Art Store18, the best way to transform your TV and elevate your home decor with the perfect piece of art for every season, holiday and mood. We’ve seen tremendous success with the Samsung Art Store on The Frame and now we’re excited to bring it to even more Samsung TV owners. Choose from over 3,000 works of art, including exclusives from the world’s leading artists, museums and galleries. Discover work from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dalí, Vincent van Gogh, The Met, MoMA, Art Basel and many more.
    And, our integrated Samsung Tizen OS now offers up to seven years19 of updates, ensuring you’ll have easy access to the latest apps, services and AI features – all from a fast and responsive interface on your Samsung TV.

    Across our massive portfolio of screens, you can also experience endless content with 2,700+ free channels, including 400+ Samsung TV Plus20 premium channels. That’s not to mention console-free gaming, with Samsung Gaming Hub21 serving up thousands of games in partnership with major players like Xbox, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Amazon Luna, and more.
    Plus, our TVs integrate with 340+ smart home brands via SmartThings22 and even unlock exclusive features when you pair with select Samsung devices. All the while, Samsung Knox23 keeps your personal data secure with triple-layer protection.

    No matter which Samsung screen you choose, you can shop confidently from the #1 global TV brand for 19 years running.
    On the audio front, Samsung is also announcing the launch of select Q-series soundbars, including the flagship HW-Q990F ($1,799) and HW-Q800F ($999).
    For more on the latest Samsung TV and audio products, visit www.samsung.com/us/.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Studying at the University of Bologna is very different from how we study at the HSE”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Alina Pakhomova

    Photo from personal archive

    Alina Pakhomova, 4th year student of the educational program “Computer Science and Engineering» MIEM HSE, studied for six months at the oldest university in Europe — the University of Bologna. She went to Italy under the academic mobility program, and upon returning to Moscow, she told about her impressions of life and study in another country, leisure, new friends and, of course, the famous Italian cuisine.

    University of Bologna and the educational system

    The University of Bologna is considered the oldest university in the Western world, where Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Umberto Eco studied. In addition, it is one of the top universities in Italy. Therefore, when I saw that Bologna was on the list of universities to which HSE had the opportunity to apply, there was no doubt: I applied only there. Besides, the programs at other universities, to be honest, were not very suitable.

    When you go on mobility, you replace your courses with those at the university where you will study, regardless of the field. I am in my 4th year of bachelor’s degree, and it turned out that I studied on master’s courses, since they were the best fit for replacement. In addition, there are more master’s programs in English than bachelor’s, which means there is more choice.

    The semester lasts from September to February. Exams were, as in HSE, in autumn and winter, but, unfortunately, in winter they are there both before and after the New Year. After the free winter holidays at HSE, it was difficult to sit and chat during the winter holidays in Italy…

    Lectures and practical classes

    Studying at the University of Bologna is very different from how we study at the HSE. Classes last three hours, sometimes two. Frankly, you lose focus after the usual hour and a half. In Italy, it is important to sit down after a class and reread the lectures, delve into the material and take notes, otherwise you simply won’t remember anything. At the HSE, seminars are very helpful in consolidating the material, which the University of Bologna doesn’t have.

    There are laboratory works, but, unlike HSE, where you most often do the work at home, and in the practical class you only ask questions or already defend the work, in Bologna they are done by students right in the practical classes and only finished at home, which happens rarely, only if you did not have time.

    Probably my favorite course is Artificial Intelligence in Industry, because it was a course where you delve into how everything works in real life, and lectures were often given by invited lecturers from foreign companies. By the way, in Bologna, another common practice in IT areas is a project as an exam. That is, you just pass one big project, and the grade for it is your final grade for the course.

    Where to live in Bologna

    Housing is hard here. The university does not provide dormitories: they are there, but it is almost impossible to get them. If you do not have 1000 euros for a room in a student co-living, where exchange students from other European countries (Erasmus students) usually live, then welcome to the “Hunger Games”. Here you will not choose an apartment, but the landlord (landlord) will choose the one he likes best from the mass of students who want to rent housing.

    Then you need to look for either a double (bed in a double room) or a single (bed in a single room). The prices are 350 and 500 euros respectively. Another option is to join someone and rent the entire apartment.

    Tip 1: try to look for housing through acquaintances or students who were on mobility before you, and do it in advance. Also look through chats, as students often post the housing they lived in and find a replacement.

    Tip 2: Don’t be upset if you can’t find anything in advance. You can rent temporary accommodation and then continue searching in Bologna itself once you’ve arrived there.

    What did you like most about Italy?

    Here it is easy to arrange a mini-vacation and travel to another city or country. For example, I flew for the weekend to France, Denmark and other European countries, because the tickets cost 15-20 euros (1500-2000 rubles) one way. And the journey takes very little time.

    Speaking about Italy itself, it really helped me slow down. In Moscow, you are constantly in some kind of hustle and bustle, constantly going somewhere on the metro, wasting a lot of time on it. In Bologna, on foot, 20 minutes — and you are already there. Here, it is much easier to meet for a short walk or a get-together in a cafe, invite someone for a coffee before work or for an Aperol after classes.

    How the vision of the future profession has changed

    Before Italy, I thought I had decided on the direction I wanted to develop in. My study and work experience combines several areas: IT, marketing, and events. All this makes me an excellent devrel. But after studying abroad, I realized that I don’t want to stop there. I plan to continue my education in a master’s degree. Now I am most interested in product management in the field of high technologies.

    Communication and extracurricular student life

    People and networking were one of the main goals of my trip. There were 7 of us from HSE who went on mobility, and we didn’t know each other before Italy. But the circumstance of finding ourselves alone in another country and trying to figure out a lot of new rules and bureaucratic requirements really brought us together. In Moscow, we would most likely never have crossed paths, and even if we had, we would hardly have become friends: we are all very different. But in another country, everything is different, the very circumstances of life brought us closer. And communication with completely different people, unlike your usual environment in Moscow, changes you a lot.

    In Europe, there is an organization called ESN (Erasmus Student Network). Their branches are usually in every student city. Either students or graduates work there. They organize various meetings and events for dating, trips and travel with big discounts. They also have partners, and you can get discounts in establishments or companies with an ESN member card (it costs 10 euros). For example, one of the partners is a low-cost airline that provides 10% discounts and free luggage space with an ESN card.

    I wouldn’t say that there is some kind of super-organization of all events, but there are simply a lot of them. The events are mainly aimed at introducing people, uniting them by interests and providing an opportunity to have a good time together. For example, one of the events is The Babel Nights: people gather in different audiences and communicate in a certain language. English, Italian, Spanish, French, German – you can choose whichever is closer to you and go to the right audience. You can also go to the theater together (cheaper with ESN) and to exhibitions. In general, everyone will find something to their liking.

    There are other student clubs. For example, some guys just organized a hiking chat and every Saturday they go somewhere on a short day hike. When I left, they decided to expand and create sub-chats for basketball and volleyball fans.

    It’s easy to meet anyone here, but the common problem is that communication is very superficial. To be honest, sometimes you get tired of the huge amount of small talk.

    Local cuisine and favourite dishes

    Food in Italy is a separate topic. What is interesting here is not so much what food is the most delicious, but how Italians treat their food and the order of eating. Take a cappuccino after 12, order a pizza for two, drink autumn special coffee from Starbucks with pumpkin syrup – get ready for deportation, as we often joked when doing something like this. Italians are very sensitive to their gastronomic culture and really don’t like it when someone doesn’t follow the rules.

    My favorite dishes are: croissant with pistachio, cappuccino and lasagne. I won’t mention pizza and pasta because I feel sick from eating so much of them. I don’t understand how Italians can eat pasta every day. Once we asked a friend: “Are there days when you don’t eat pasta for lunch?” His answer perfectly describes the Italian culture: “Of course, but then I’ll definitely have it for dinner.”

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Yemen: Ten Years of War, a Lifetime of Loss 

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    Marking a decade of war in Yemen, Othman Belbeisi, Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa at the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), highlights the resilience of its people, the deepening humanitarian crisis, and the urgent need for global action.

    Ten years. That’s how long Yemenis have been putting their lives on hold – through airstrikes, through hunger, through loss. A decade of war has left Yemen’s infrastructure in ruins and its people exhausted. And yet, as the eleventh year begins, the world seems not to notice Yemen’s plight.

    Today, close to 20 million people in Yemen depend on aid to survive. Nearly five million remain displaced, pushed from one place to another by violence or disaster. The international community, once moved by the staggering images of war and suffering, has switched its focus to new emergencies. But for those who work in Yemen – and for those who live this crisis every day – the story is far from over.

    Ten years. That’s how long Yemenis have been putting their lives on hold – through airstrikes, through hunger, through loss. And yet, as the eleventh year begins, the world seems not to notice Yemen’s plight.

    No one feels this reality more deeply than our Yemeni colleagues, who have remained at their posts through it all to help their own people. Many have worked through airstrikes, instability, and loss, all while worrying about the safety of their families. Now, with rising tensions and deepening funding cuts, they fear for their jobs too. Unlike most of us, they don’t have the option to simply start over. They can’t rely on savings or opportunities elsewhere – their passport alone often determines how far their future can stretch.

    This is the daily reality in a country that, too often, is reduced to headlines about war. But Yemen is so much more than a crisis zone. It is a place of stunning landscapes, ancient cities, rich traditions, warm hospitality and the kind of food that stays in your memory long after you’ve left. But these aren’t the stories that make headlines. Instead, Yemenis are seen only through the lens of conflict and poverty. It’s time we remember the people behind the statistics.

    Like Basma, a mother from Al Hodeidah who was forced to flee with her children to Al Makha in search of safety and water. She used to walk for hours every day just to fill a few jerrycans. Her youngest child once fainted from thirst while waiting in the heat. For years, clean water was a dream until a recently completed water project finally brought some relief to her village.

    IOM Video | Yemen: Ten Years of Crisis and Why We Must Act Now

    Or Ibrahim, a 70-year-old man displaced by heavy floods in Ma’rib. When the waters swept through the settlement, he carried his adult son, who lives with a disability, on his back to safety. They lost everything – their shelter, belongings, and sense of stability – butIbrahim never complained. He focused only on finding help for his son. Now, they live in a temporary tent exposed to the elements, dependent on aid that may not arrive in time or at all.

    Or Mohammed, a young man from Ethiopia who crossed deserts and conflict zones with nothing but the hope of reaching a better life. He never made it to the Gulf. Instead, he found himself stranded in Yemen – detained, beaten, and left without food or shelter. By the time he reached IOM’s Migrant Response Point, he was weak, traumatized, and desperate to go home. The only option left was to register for voluntary return – a journey home that many others never get to take.

    Yemenis are not just victims, They are survivors, caregivers, builders, teachers, mothers, fathers, and children with hopes and ambitions like anyone else.

    These are just three among millions of lives caught in the margins of this protracted crisis. One of the poorest countries in the Arab world is getting poorer – not because of its people, but because the world is slowly turning its back. This war didn’t start yesterday, but its consequences grow heavier by the day. Yemenis are not to blame for what is happening in the world, and yet, they bear the weight of it all. They don’t need our pity – they need our solidarity. Let this be the year we turn empathy into action.

    As the international community gathers in conferences, makes pledges, and sets priorities, Yemen must not be left behind. Yemenis are not just victims. They are survivors, caregivers, builders, teachers, mothers, fathers, and children with hopes and ambitions like anyone else. But words alone will not keep people safe, fed, or sheltered. Don’t let these conversations remain just talk – Yemen needs action. To look away now would not just be a failure of diplomacy – it would be a failure of humanity.

    Originally published on IOM Blogs on 26 March 2025.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/IVORY COAST – Bishops invite “to work together to ensure that the vote on October 31 takes place peacefully”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Abidjan (Agenzia Fides) – “Fair, transparent, inclusive, and peaceful elections.” This is the wish of the bishops of Ivory Coast for the presidential elections on October 31.” Ivory Coast is at a crucial turning point in its history. We therefore call for strengthening its ethical foundations and democratic legitimacy by deciding to politically include all candidates for a fair, transparent, and peaceful presidential election,” said Marcellin Yao Kouadio, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Ivory Coast and Bishop of Daloa, at a press conference on March 24.The bishops called on the authorities in Abidjan to ensure a peaceful climate and an electoral process without the exclusion of any candidate. This was a clear reference to the exclusion of Laurent Gbagbo, Charles Blé Goudé, and Guillaume Soro from the recently published electoral list. Giving all candidates a chance to be elected is all the more necessary and “urgent given that national reconciliation represents a real challenge.” “Despite the government’s considerable efforts, some projects initiated for this purpose have remained like unfinished symphonies,” noted Bishop Marcellin Yao Kouadio. The bishops appealed to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to guarantee the transparency of the electoral process from beginning to end and to work for a climate of trust between political parties and citizens that ensures dialogue and fairness.Addressing the political parties, the President of the Bishops’ Conference called on them to work for national unity and put the common interest first. The media and social networks should disseminate “verified and balanced” information and refrain from any form of incitement to hatred and division. The same appeal was addressed to young people and the defense and security forces, so that they do not allow themselves to be manipulated by political actors and demonstrate professionalism and neutrality in safeguarding the electoral process. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 26/3/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/NIGERIA – Bishop Kukah: “The democratization of development leads to the development of democracy”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – “Democracy is a progressive development. Democracy gives one the opportunity to prove one’s failures and gives one a greater chance to correct past mistakes,” said Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto in his speech at the conference to celebrate the 60th birthday of Emeka Ihedioha, former governor of Imo State, held in Abuja on March 24.”The American constitution was first written in mind to protect the white property,” Bishop Kukah explained, but over time, amendments were made that extended civil rights to the entire population.Bishop Kukah further emphasized that Africans have inherited a system “that is not ours, but we can’t say it’s not relevant to us.”In this context, the Bishop of Sokoto asked whether there are “differences between democracy in Asia and that of Africa.” The answer, he argued, lies in how well the democratic system succeeds in meeting the development needs of the population. “The democratization of development leads to the development of democracy,” Bishop Kukah emphasized. “That is if you decide to equitably democratize development, and not take every institution, university, medical school whatever to your village and if all the roads are done”. A practice often used by African leaders who favor their home regions at the expense of others. The Bishop emphasized that “if we do not have a mechanism by which we are measuring our growth, our chase for a democratic society becomes an empty chase.”Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on the other hand, emphasized in his speech that “democracy in Africa has failed because it is not African.” According to the former President, the democratic model imported from the West is in crisis because it is inconsistent with African values, culture, and ways of life. In this context, Obasanjo emphasized the need for an Africa-centric democratic system that truly benefits the people and not just a privileged elite: “Democracy is meant to be a system of government that delivers to all the people, not just a select few. But what do we have today? A government by a small number of people, for a small number of people, while the majority are deprived of their needs.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 26/3/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/JAPAN – Archbishop Nappa visits Nagasaki and Tokyo: safeguarding the memory of the Japanese martyrs

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tokyo (Agenzia Fides) – On Monday, Archbishop Emilio Nappa, Secretary of the Governorate of the Vatican City and former President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, began his visit to Nagasaki, Japan, at Nishizaka Hill, where Saint Paul Miki and his 25 companions were crucified in 1597 while guarding their village. It was a busy program, alternating visits to some important sites in the history of the Japanese Church with equally significant encounters. “In Nagasaki,” said Father Marco Sungsu Kim, a collaborator of the the Dicastery for Evangelization (section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches), who accompanied Archbishop Emilio Nappa, “the delegation visited the new Cathedral, which houses some remains from the time of the atomic bombings, including the head of a statue of the Virgin Mary, and the Church of Oura, a so-called ‘Minor Basilica’ and co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Nagasaki, where Christians who preserved their faith until the 19th century were rediscovered.”Archbishop Nappa’s visit continued the following day in Tokyo with a visit to the Shinseikaikan Center, founded in 1934 by Father Iwashita as a student dormitory named after Saint Philip. It celebrated its 90th anniversary last year and is currently headed by the Auxiliary Bishop of Tokyo, Andrea Lembo.Archbishop Nappa recalled how since its origins, this center offered not only food and shelter, but also an education based on the values of Catholicism, at a time marked by rampant militarism. “Given the current dominance of nationalism and the many global conflicts, the need for people educated according to these values is becoming ever greater,” Archbishop Nappa said. “It is important to share material goods with the poor, because in this way we can give each other the necessities of life and preserve our fundamental dignity as human beings created in the image of God. However, we must not forget to share the richness of faith with the spiritually poor. I firmly believe that special attention must continue to be paid to this aspect of the commitment to Shinseikaikan.”Yesterday afternoon, at a meeting with catechists of the Archdiocese of Tokyo, Archbishop Nappa recalled that the Catholic Church in Japan, although a minority in the country, nevertheless has an extraordinary history and a centuries-old tradition of martyrdom, distinguished above all by keeping the faith alive during the long years of persecution. In this context, Archbishop Nappa referred to the numerous armed conflicts, particularly in Myanmar, and emphasized the special attention paid by the Archdiocese of Tokyo and the Japanese Church to these peoples. “As former President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, I would like to make a special request to you: Do not forget to teach the Church’s social teaching, both through the catechesis you live in your lives and in the catechesis you address in the classrooms to catechumens and the faithful. Your witness helps us walk the path of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. It is an important message of great persuasive power,” the Archbishop concluded. Archbishop Nappa noted the support the Pontifical Mission Societies provide to about 1,200 mission dioceses in Asia, Africa, and Oceania, including Japan, and invited participants to take advantage of the presence of Father Joseph Naoki Momma, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Japan, to learn more about opportunities to support the work of missionary priests and local priests in mission territories. From Japan, the former President of the Pontifical Mission Societies will travel to South Korea, where he will participate in the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Asian country. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 26/3/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sir Martyn Oliver’s speech to Parentkind

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Sir Martyn Oliver’s speech to Parentkind

    Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, spoke to Parentkind on the role of parents in education.

    Thank you, thank you to Jason [Elsom, CEO, Parentkind] to everyone whether you’re in the room or online. It’s wonderful to be here, I want to thank Parentkind for the opportunity, and for all of the work they do. It’s always fantastic to speak directly to parents and carers. It’s so important that you are involved in the dialogue around education. That your voices, and the voices of your children are heard.

    I know from all my time as a teacher, a head, a multi-academy trust leader and now as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector at Ofsted, that education works best when children, families and schools all work together.

    Education is a team sport, and you need every member of the team to be pulling in the same direction.

    The power of education

    I saw this in my time as an art teacher, if you can believe it. I loved my job. I loved being able to see the impact that education can have on an individual child. You do all that you can to pass on knowledge and skills, but you also want to light a fire in children so they enjoy and keep learning throughout their lives. Teachers do this remarkable work every single day. But it’s in these roles that you also see the limitations of what can be achieved if something in the child’s home life isn’t working.

    My biggest fear as a headteacher wasn’t Ofsted nor was it the responsibility of the actual job itself, it was the fear that there may be or there will be a child in one of my schools whose needs were not being met and that they wouldn’t go on to have the remarkable impact on society that they could have had: a child not able to attend PE enrichment and misses out on a sport they may have excelled at and gone to represent the country in, or a child not taking the right exam option and not going to make a break-through discovery in that field. These are the real-world and long-lasting consequences to what happens in education.

    I saw it again when I became a head of sixth form. It was a wonderful role, helping to prepare young people for the world. But again, it only worked if the child and their family are also active participants in education and that progression.

    In my first school, I stayed and taught art for 7 years and I was really fortunate enough to be given a few classes who I could see through from Year 7 all the way through to taking the their GCSEs and the first A-level class in that school when they got to Year 12. Seeing one generation through the school from start to finish and working with both the children and their parents as they flourished at GCSE and then A-level art before going on to university and having really successful careers is incredibly powerful, and satisfying as a career. The open and honest relationship with parents was critical each and every step of the way.

    And I saw it as a headteacher. In that role, you’re working not just for the community within the school gates, but also the community outside those gates. You need to make sure that the children in the school are getting all the education and the opportunities that they can.

    But you also need to be heavily invested in what happens before they arrive and when they leave school at the end of the day. In some cases, you need to understand why they are not coming in the first place. You need to support the aspirations of children and also the aspirations of their parents and carers. And you need to make sure everyone gets to work together to support the development of every child.

    Beyond the individual

    Of course, we want all parents to be involved in their children’s learning. To read to them, and to read with them. To support them with homework. To challenge and encourage them. I’m sure all of you involved in Parentkind exemplify this.

    But what’s even more encouraging is when parents get involved in the life of the school itself. When they begin to help not only their child’s learning, but the learning of all children at that school, including those who may not have strong parental advocacy.

    We know that schools with strong parent engagement thrive and succeed. As Parentkind regularly point out, it has been linked to improvements in attendance, behaviour, and academic achievement.

    And PTAs are a fantastic way to do that, and I know many of you, here and online, are involved in that way. The same can be said for parent governors, again I know many of you have taken that route.

    I was lucky enough to work with some fantastic PTAs and governors – in my first year of teaching I joined my school’s PTA and by the second year, incredibly, I chaired the group! You can imagine the impact it had on me as a young teacher chairing a group which consisted of the headteacher and chair of governors. Yet again though, I saw the power of parents and the school working together – this time not for the benefit of any one child, but of all children in that community.

    But whether or not you join the PTA or the governing board, parents should understand what schools are doing and why they take the decisions they take. This requires active engagement from the parent, and active communication from the school. In loco parentis only works if the parents and teachers trust each other. It’s a two-way street.

    When it’s done right, when parents and carers really buy in to the school and its ethos, then they become part of a united community, working together.

    When the relationship breaks

    But of course, we have also heard a lot recently about what can happen when this relationship and community is not there. When there is breakdown of trust between parents and schools. Sometimes this results in friction, or even outright hostility between parents and school leaders.

    A survey of teachers called Teacher Tapp reported recently that over 40% of teachers and school leaders reported seeing negative online comments from parents about staff or their school since September.

    In another Teacher Tapp survey at the end of the last school year, 9% of teachers said they had been the subject of an allegation from a parent. Obviously, some of these are legitimate grievances, and parents should be able to raise concerns. But nearly 1 in 10 of teachers feels high to me.

    Other teacher representatives talk about abuse of teachers becoming more of a problem.

    This sort of relationship breakdown can be hard to recover from. Trust is not built overnight, and once it’s lost it can take months or even years to rebuild. But the only way to tackle that is more openness and transparency.

    We want to encourage parental engagement. Engagement in the right way, the way so many of you will be doing it.

    We know how social media has come to influence the dynamics of school communities – positively and negatively. It’s such a powerful tool, and it can be an amazing way to bring people together. But it can also hand a microphone to the pub bore, a megaphone to the bully and help the rabble rouser find his or her rabble without leaving their armchair.

    The world seems to be getting more antagonistic and adversarial. So, you can understand why a school leader might be wary of engaging with parents. But I always found that the way to defuse tensions, tackle rumours and build common purpose with parents is more communication, not less. More openness, not less. And more information sharing, not less. So, I say: join the PTA, don’t join the pile on!

    Because I know from my experience, it will be welcomed. And Parentkind’s survey backs this up too. You found that 85% of teachers agree that parental engagement in school life has benefits and 75% agree that it improves outcomes for young people.

    So I want Ofsted to play its part in better communication.

    Our new report cards

    I hope that our proposals for new report cards, to be introduced from November, will prove a game-changer.

    They are based on what we heard from parents in the Big Listen. You told us that you wanted a broad evaluative approach with clear reporting on what your child’s school or nursery or college is doing well and what it needs to work on.

    That’s exactly what we think we have designed. A report card that provides more detailed and nuanced information for you.

    Now I know some of you were happy with the old system. After all, the one-word overall judgement was praised for its simplicity. But that simplicity also frustrated many parents who wanted more detailed information – more tailored to the needs of their children.

    One-word judgements could also have unintended consequences. Where parents had a choice in schools – in cities and larger towns – the one-word judgement could lead to schools being over or under subscribed. This is frustrating for parents and potentially damaging for schools who could find their local reputation ‘locked’ for years, with a knock-on effect on everything from recruitment and retention of teachers, to local house prices.

    The changes we’re proposing will do things differently. We will report on a much wider range of areas. Things that matter, I hope, to you. Things like behaviour, achievement, attendance, teaching and the curriculum, leadership and governance, and inclusion – really looking in detail at how schools make sure their pupils all have a sense of belonging, especially those who are disadvantaged, vulnerable, or have special educational needs. For each area, you will be able to see a clear grade, and a description of what we found when we inspected the school.

    Report cards will help give a more balanced picture of schools. Because the best schools aren’t perfect and have areas where they could do better, and the schools which might be seen as ‘weaker’ will have aspects of their work that they do really well. In that way a school’s report card will be much closer to a child’s school report. Going back to my art teacher days, the one-word grade paints a monochrome picture of a school; and now we want to paint it in colour.

    Wouldn’t it be great if more balanced reporting, acknowledging both strengths and weaknesses, put paid to the idea that a school is seen as a 100% ‘success’ or a 100% ‘failure’. And instead parents had the information they needed to choose schools based on the specific things they thought were most important to their children.

    Somewhere with great standards of behaviour. Somewhere with exceptional support for children with special educational needs or disabilities. Somewhere which delivers great outcomes and achievements. Somewhere that really prioritises the wellbeing and personal development of its pupils. Parents and carers will be able to see how local schools perform on these. That might change the way schools are seen by their communities and change established patterns of school applications.

    But I know for many of you – particularly if you live outside of cities – there really isn’t much choice between schools. I still think more detailed information will really help you. You’ll be able to see what’s working well and what needs attention at your local school. And I believe this level of information will help inform a better, more constructive conversation between school leaders and their communities – to address some of those tensions I spoke about a few minutes ago.

    And we want to do more to encourage this constructive dialogue. As I said, we know that an engaged community leads to a better school. So, our proposals for inspecting the leadership and governance of a school talk explicitly about the need for leaders to ‘engage with and work effectively with parents and carers and the local community to support pupils’ achievement and well-being.’ – that’s a direct quote from our school inspection toolkit. I know that’s something that Parentkind has welcomed.

    Driving higher standards

    Above all, we hope this approach will drive ever higher standards for children. It will give schools an independent and expert assessment of what they’re doing well and where they could improve. It will validate, assure, and celebrate their hard work, and shine a light on how they can do even better.

    And it will help you, as parents, meaningfully engage with the school on the issues that need attention. Sometimes, it may validate your concerns, other times it may reassure you that an individual experience is not the norm.

    It will also help the government better target support where it is needed. By reporting specifically on topics like attendance or behaviour, we can help government decide when and where to provide expert assistance to those who need it most. And we also want to help schools – as well as nurseries and further education colleges – to see which of their peers are really blazing a trail, through our new exemplary grade. So, we will highlight some of the best national examples of where schools are doing something truly exceptional.

    Initial support from parents

    Of course, what I’ve set out today are our proposals, they are not set in stone. Our consultation on a new way of inspecting is open until 28th April and it’s on our website – ‘gov.uk/Ofsted’. Please, please read the proposals and give us every one of your views.

    I’m sure there are things that could be better. Things we could refine. But we are encouraged that parents seem to support the broad approach that we have set out.

    We recently commissioned independent research from YouGov. They polled parents on our proposed report cards and have just shared the results with us.

    Almost 7 out of 10 of the parents surveyed said they prefer the new-look report cards to our current inspection reports. Just 15% said they preferred the old system.

    And nearly 9 out of 10 parents said the report cards are easy to understand. 84% thought that the colour-coding we propose to use on the reports is helpful.

    And it’s worth adding that two thirds of parents said they support Ofsted continuing to grade schools. That is important, as grading does come in for some criticism – but parents are consistent: they told us in the Big Listen they wanted it and they’ve told us again in this new survey.

    It’s great to see this level of support. But obviously, we need a system that works for everyone. It needs to work for you as parents and, most importantly, it needs to work for children. But it also needs to work for those working in schools and nurseries and colleges.

    Sometimes that’s a balancing act. But I do not see the two as in opposition. After all, you and your children want happy teachers. You don’t want to see high turnover any more than leaders do. And you want schools to be able to focus on what really matters and provide the best possible education.

    So, we’ve tried to design a system that does just that. That drives higher standards for children, that improves reporting for you and enables engagement for you, and that reduces pressure on everyone working in education.

    Conclusion

    So, it’s really important that we capture parents’ opinions in the consultation. So, thank you for all of you who have already taken part – and thank you in advance if you plan to do so.

    And I’d like to end by recognising the incredible work so many of you do as PTA members, or parent governors. Thank you for supporting schools, for contributing to your communities, and for improving the education prospects not just of your own children, but of all the children in your neighbourhoods. So thank you for the work you do, it’s so important. It’s been a pleasure talking to you. Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fast Stream opens doors for North East civil servant Keiron

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Case study

    Fast Stream opens doors for North East civil servant Keiron

    Meet Keiron Ringwood who is among the one in nine fast streamers in 2024 who joined the accelerated development scheme from within the Civil Service.

    Keiron Ringwood

    For Keiron Ringwood, being able to build a career on his home turf has always been a big priority.

    So, after joining the Civil Service straight from university, he wanted to be able to grow his career while continuing to live in his beloved North East of England.

    After working as an administration officer for HMRC in Durham and an executive officer for DEFRA in Newcastle, he applied for the Civil Service’s prestigious Fast Stream accelerated development scheme and secured a place on his second attempt.

    Though it’s best known as one of the UK’s top graduate employers, the Civil Service’s Fast Stream is also open to existing civil servants who made up around one in nine of successful applicants in 2024.

    Keiron’s role as a Fast Stream policy advisor in His Majesty’s Treasury in Darlington has broadened his horizons in ways he never imagined.

    Its combination of formal training and enriched workplace opportunity has set him on a path which should see him become a Grade 7 at the end of three years.

    “What I enjoy most is the chance the Fast Stream gives you to learn about the way the government works and to meet people from different backgrounds and from different parts of the country,” he said.

    “I’m making the most of the experience and learning as much as I can from the people, the training and workplace opportunities I’m getting.” 

    Keiron was brought up in Hartlepool. After getting Cs and Bs in his GCSEs at his local comprehensive school, he came into his own during his Sixth Form years and achieved distinctions in BTEC business and law qualifications. Throughout his studies he also managed to support himself through hospitality jobs at his local McDonalds and Hartlepool Catholic Club.

    Despite gaining a First Class degree in journalism at nearby Sunderland University, he decided against a career in the media and opted instead to follow his parents into the Civil Service.

    “My mum and step dad have been administration officers in DWP for more than 30 years and I was attracted to the structure and security of a Civil Service role,” he said.

    “I put a lot into all my posts, but securing a place on the Fast Stream gave me confidence that the Civil Service was an organisation in which I could progress. If it hadn’t been, I would have left and gone elsewhere.”

    While Keiron did not get into the Fast Stream on his first try, he succeeded on his second attempt and could not have been more delighted to learn the scheme could, in his case, accommodate his request for a local placement 

    “My friends and family are in the region so staying where my roots are is a non-negotiable for me,” he said.

    Keiron currently leads on the policy relating to tax-free childcare, developing the policy in a way that improves take-up.

    Being on the Fast Stream has set him on a steep development path that has seen his confidence increase.

    “I used to feel inferior because of my background and accent,” he said.

    “But I’m learning alongside people with very different upbringings and feel I fit in as I am just fine.”

    Find out more about the Fast Stream here.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: £8million funding secured towards new Heath Town heat network

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DSNEZ) has announced the funding as part of its Heat Network Efficiency Scheme.

    It will contribute towards the critical £19.5million works, with the remainder coming from the council’s Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme.

    All of the properties on the Heath Town estate are supplied with heat via the outdated district heating network that was first installed around 55 years ago and has undergone minor upgrades since.

    The existing boiler house was designed to use coal and is no longer fit for purpose and the boiler house pre-cast reinforced concrete panelling has now reached the end of its life and is starting to fail.

    The new system will improve efficiency through reduced primary energy consumption, network return temperature and pumping energy costs, following upgrades to the network’s control systems, replacement of pumps and pipework, and the installation of new heat interface units (HIUs) for residents.

    Works on the new heat network are expected to start next month (April) and last for 2 years.

    The council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Housing, Councillor Steve Evans, said: “The council’s transformative regeneration of Heath Town has seen extensive demolition of vacant buildings followed by 40 new council homes – the first developed on the estate since the 1960s.

    “This is just the first phase of a total of more than 150 new council homes to be built on the estate over the coming years – and is in addition to existing residential blocks undergoing major improvements by Wolverhampton Homes. All new homes will be connected to the district heating system.

    “It is important the right infrastructure is in place to support this rejuvenated neighbourhood and this funding from government will enable us to put in place a heat network that is fit for purpose and ultimately reduces energy costs for residents.”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Funding boost to keep homes warm and cut energy bills

    Source: City of Leicester

    PEOPLE are being encouraged to use a digital advice tool to see how they might benefit from new support for energy efficient home improvements.

    Leicester City Council has been awarded over £4.5 million of Warm Homes Local Grant funding from the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

    The scheme will offer grants to low-income households to pay for better insulation and other improvements, such as solar panels and low carbon heating, to cut bills for families, slash fuel poverty, and help reduce carbon emissions.

    To be eligible, homes must be privately owned (owner occupied or privately rented); have an energy performance certificate (EPC) between D and G; and have a household income of less than £36,000.

    Applications for the new grants are expected to begin in later-summer, with full details of the amount of support available to households due to be published soon.

    In the meantime, residents can explore how their homes might benefit by using the new Homewise digital advice tool, developed by Energy Saving Trust.

     This free online service helps homeowners identify energy efficiency improvements they could make to their homes. By completing a simple online survey, people can get a personalised action plan tailored to their needs and budget. They’ll also get a breakdown of the cost for any improvements and potential savings.

    Cllr Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for environment and transport, said: “We know that installing energy efficient home improvements can be expensive so the announcement of this Government funding for new grants is very welcome.

    “We are already making free tailored energy advice available to city residents through Homewise. This free online advice is easy to get and will help people see how they can make their home more energy efficient, save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

    “By understanding your home’s energy needs now, you’ll be in a better position to take advantage of the grants when applications open later this year.”

    Laura Atkinson, business development manager at Energy Saving Trust said: “Leicester City Council is leading the way in empowering its residents to identify home energy improvements that will benefit them.

    “We know the value of personalised advice in helping people to make informed choices on how to make their home cheaper to heat and lower carbon emissions – our expert tool Homewise was created with this aim.”

    To find out more about Homewise, and to register for free tailored energy advice for your home, visit leicestercitycouncil.homewise.energy

    The Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme is part of the Government’s national Warm Homes Plan which aims to upgrade five million homes over the next five years to cut bills for families and deliver warmer homes to slash fuel poverty.

    Leicester is one of 73 local authorities, combined authorities and consortium areas to receive a share of over £463,000,000 of Government cash set aside for the scheme.

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