NewzIntel.com

Category: KB

  • MIL-OSI: PayPal and Wix Advance Strategic Relationship to Deliver Unified Payments Experience for Merchants

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PayPal integrates with Wix Payments, providing a consolidated view for merchants to streamline payment management, enhance conversions and meet growing demand for flexible payment options 

    NEW YORK – Wix.com Ltd. (NASDAQ: WIX), the leading SaaS website builder platform globally1, today announced an expansion of its partnership with PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL), bringing additional online payment options to merchants through Wix Payments. Now available as a built-in part of Wix Payments, this provides U.S.-based merchants a unified, seamless experience that simplifies backend operations and ultimately supports higher checkout conversion. 

    With this deeper integration, PayPal is now available directly in the Wix Payments platform. Merchants can connect their PayPal Business account and manage all transactions from a single dashboard alongside their Wix Payments activity. This setup consolidates reporting, chargebacks, and payouts, helping merchants streamline day-to-day operations and deliver more flexible payment options to customers. Merchants also gain access to PayPal’s broader suite of features, including PayPal Pay Later (BNPL) and Venmo, offering customers more flexible and convenient ways to pay.  

    Funds from PayPal wallet purchases flow directly into merchants’ Wix Payments accounts, simplifying reconciliation and improving visibility over cash flow. This seamless integration gives merchants greater operational efficiency and control, while offering consumers more flexible ways to pay. In addition, as part of this integration, PayPal will also serve as a Payment Service Provider (PSP), powering card processing capabilities within Wix Payments – further streamlining the merchant experience across channels. 

    “We’re always looking for ways to create more seamless experiences for our users and provide them with the best way to accept payments and manage funds online, in person, and on the go,” said Amit Sagiv and Volodymyr Tsukur, Co-Heads of Wix Payments. “By bringing PayPal under the Wix Payments umbrella, we gain significantly more control over the user experience and how PayPal’s products are delivered to our merchants. This deeper integration allows us to improve conversion, offer more value, and drive stronger profitability, while giving our users a faster, more unified checkout flow.” 

    “At PayPal, we share Wix’s commitment to helping businesses grow by giving them faster, more flexible access to the capital they need,” said Michelle Gill, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Small Business & Financial Services, PayPal. “By embedding PayPal’s most popular payment methods—like PayPal Wallet and PayPal Pay Later—directly into the Wix Payments experience, we’re not just enhancing checkout. We’re enabling merchants to get paid quickly, manage everything in one place, and unlock new ways to serve their customers and scale their business.”

    Wix Payments offers small businesses a more streamlined way to manage payments through its platform. Users can handle transactions online, in person, or on the go using a range of secure payment options, designed to accommodate different customer preferences at checkout. With a full suite of options, merchants can adjust preferences to improve conversion rates and simplify day-to-day operations, and manage everything from a single dashboard, making it easier to track and report payments. Learn more about Wix Payments here.

    This solution is available to U.S.-based Wix Payments users with plans to make this feature available in more regions over time.

    About Wix.com Ltd.
    Wix is the leading SaaS website builder platform1 to create, manage and grow a digital presence. Founded in 2006, Wix is a comprehensive platform providing users – self-creators, agencies, enterprises, and more – with industry-leading performance, security, AI capabilities and a reliable infrastructure. Offering a wide range of commerce and business solutions, advanced SEO and marketing tools, the platform enables users to take full ownership of their brand, their data and their relationships with their customers. With a focus on continuous innovation and delivery of new features and products, users can seamlessly build a powerful and high-end digital presence for themselves or their clients. 

    About PayPal 
    PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit https://www.paypal.com, 
    https://about.pypl.com/ and https://investor.pypl.com/.   

    For more about Wix, please visit our Press Room
    Media Relations Contact:  PR@wix.com  
    PayPal PR Contact: louikelly@paypal.com 

    1 Based on number of active live sites as reported by competitors’ figures, independent third-party data and internal data as of H2 2025.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Middlefield Global Dividend Growers ETF Distributions

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Middlefield Global Dividend Growers ETF (TSX: MDIV) (the “Fund”) is pleased to announce that distributions for the third quarter of 2025 will be payable to unitholders of Middlefield Global Dividend Growers ETF as follows:

    Record Date Payable Date Distribution Per
    Trust Unit
    July 31, 2025 August 15, 2025 $0.06
    August 31, 2025 September 15, 2025 $0.06
    September 30, 2025 October 15, 2025 $0.06
         

    The trust units trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol MDIV.

    The Fund offers a distribution reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) for unitholders which provides unitholders with the ability to automatically reinvest distributions, commission free, and realize the benefits of compound growth. Unitholders can enroll in the DRIP program by contacting their investment advisor.

    Middlefield

    Founded in 1979, Middlefield is a specialist equity income asset manager with offices in Toronto, Canada and London, England. Our investment team utilizes active management to select high-quality, global companies across a variety of sectors and themes. Our product offerings include proven dividend-focused strategies that span real estate, healthcare, innovation, infrastructure, energy, diversified income and more. We offer these solutions in a variety of product types including ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds, Split-Share Funds and Flow-through LPs.

    For further information, please visit our website at www.middlefield.com or contact Nancy Tham in our Sales and Marketing Department at 1.888.890.1868.

    This press release contains forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on historical information concerning distributions and dividends paid on the securities of issuers historically included in the portfolio of the Fund. Actual future results, including the amount of distributions paid by the Fund, may differ from the monthly distribution amount. Specifically, the income from which distributions are paid may vary significantly due to: changes in portfolio composition; changes in distributions and dividends paid by issuers of securities included in the Fund’s portfolio from time to time; there being no assurance that those issuers will pay distributions or dividends on their securities; the declaration of distributions and dividends by issuers of securities included in the portfolio will generally depend upon various factors, including the financial condition of each issuer and general economic and stock market conditions; the level of borrowing by the Fund; and the uncertainty of realizing capital gains. The risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results are described under “Risk Factors” in the Fund’s prospectus and other documents filed by the Fund with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes the Fund’s current estimate, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered hereby. Investors and others should not assume that any forward-looking statement contained in this press release represents the Fund’s estimate as of any date other than the date of this press release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Ria Money Transfer strengthens Asia Pacific presence through strategic acquisition of Kyodai Remittance

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BUENA PARK, Calif., July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ria Money Transfer (Ria), a global leader in the cross-border money transfer industry and a business segment of Euronet (NASDAQ: EEFT), today announced that it has become the majority shareholder through the acquisition of 60% of the shares of Unidos Co., Ltd., widely recognized by customers as Kyodai Remittance, a Japan-based funds transfer business and overseas remittance specialist. Leveraging Kyodai’s deep market insight, nuanced understanding of local customer needs and its distinction as the first remittance operator in Japan to be granted a Type 1 Funds Transfer Service Provider license—enabling the processing of high-value transactions exceeding JPY 1 million (approximately USD $6,800)—Ria is set to expand its footprint across the Asia Pacific region.

    Ria and Kyodai have maintained a close and collaborative relationship since 2010. Over the past 15 years, the companies have leveraged their omnichannel strategies to deliver a seamless and integrated customer experience across multiple touchpoints in Japan, such as 44,000 ATMs in Japan Post Bank and Lawson Bank locations nationwide. With the acquisition of a majority stake, Ria will now fully integrate Kyodai’s operations, including its digital products, and provide customers access to its expansive global network of more than 624,000 locations, 4 billion bank accounts, 3.2 billion digital wallets, and Visa debit cards worldwide.

    This acquisition comes amid significant demographic changes in Japan that are reshaping both its society and economy. According to the latest International Migration Outlook report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 144,000 new immigrants moved to Japan on a long-term or permanent basis in 2022, with 55% of them being labor migrants. The top three nationalities were Vietnam, China and Indonesia, reflecting a 150% increase compared to the previous year. This labor market transformation has also impacted the remittance sector. According to the World Bank Group, more than USD $6.07 billion was paid in personal remittances from Japan in 2024, ranking among the top third sending countries in Asia.

    “Kyodai’s success has always been rooted in our values, principles and the unwavering dedication of our employees,” said Yuichiro Kimoto, Chief Executive Officer of Kyodai Remittance. “This new chapter with Ria will allow us to scale further by tapping into a world-class global network, ultimately enhancing our service offering and creating more value for our customers.”

    “Ria and Kyodai’s 15-year partnership has thrived because we share a common mission and values,” said Shawn Fielder, President & Chief Executive Officer of Ria. “Together, we remain committed to delivering secure, convenient, and customer-focused money transfer solutions. By joining forces, we are well-positioned to make an even greater impact on the lives of people in Japan and the communities we serve worldwide.”

    About Ria Money Transfer

    Ria Money Transfer, a business segment of Euronet (NASDAQ: EEFT), delivers innovative financial services including fast, secure, and affordable global money transfers. With the world’s largest cross border real-time money movement network, Ria moves money where it matters.

    Bridging the gap between digital and physical spaces, Ria’s omnichannel products and services provide unprecedented consumer choice, including real-time payments, mobile wallets, currency exchange, home delivery, and cardless ATM payouts. Ria’s global infrastructure, powered by the Dandelion real-time, cross-border payments network, facilitates financial access to customers, agents and partners alike. By creating new market opportunities and promoting economic growth around the world, Ria opens ways for a better everyday life.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Business coalition calls for 25% cut in the cost of red tape by 2030

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Business, universities, and investors have jointly urged the federal government to commit to cutting the cost of red tape by 25% by 2030, in a submission for next month’s Economic Reform Roundtable.

    The push to reduce regulation is in line with action by the EU and the United Kingdom’s Labour government, the submission says.

    “Cutting red tape means faster home builds, quicker loan approvals, and lower prices at the checkout,” it says.

    “For Australians, it’s the difference between waiting months or days for a service, and it ensures growth isn’t choked by unnecessary or outdated processes that haven’t kept up with the modern world.”

    The need to push against red tape is highlighted in the recently-published book Abundance by Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein. The book has impressed Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who has urged his colleagues to read it.

    The coalition of 27 groups includes small, medium and large businesses, universities and the investment community. The united approach is an attempt by business to avoid being divided and trapped at the roundtable, as business felt it was at the 2022 Jobs and Skills summit.

    On taxation, the submission proposes a three-month review, supported by Treasury, the Productivity Commission, business representatives and other stakeholders to “kick start” comprehensive tax reform.

    The exercise would be underpinned by principles that encouraged investment and economic growth.

    Business has become concerned the roundtable could be a way of seeking support for tax increases rather than comprehensive tax reform.

    The submission says tax reform and the trade offs involved, should not be pursued separately from measures to promote efficiency and spending restraint to “ensure government lives within its means”.

    Tax reform should support the dynamism and productivity of Australian individuals and businesses”, the submission says.

    Revenue should be raised with the least possible cost to society, and there should be minimum distortions to work, savings and investment.

    Among other proposals, the coalition urges a boost to investment and innovation by reforming the handling of R&D.

    It says there should be a national strategy to boost Australia’s investment competitiveness.

    The submission backs reforming the framework for environmental and planning approvals. It says there should be a “single, predictable, and transparent approval pathway that provides timely and certain decisions.”

    “Our economic rule book is out of date. If we don’t fix it, not only will Australians struggle to get ahead in life, but future generations are at risk of missing out on the quality of life we enjoy today,” the joint group of industry associations says.

    Michelle Grattan 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. Business coalition calls for 25% cut in the cost of red tape by 2030 – https://theconversation.com/business-coalition-calls-for-25-cut-in-the-cost-of-red-tape-by-2030-259688

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Call for evidence: An inspection of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Call for evidence: An inspection of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK

    The ICIBI invites anyone with knowledge or first-hand experience of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK to submit evidence to contribute to this inspection by close of play 20 August 2025.

    The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has begun an inspection of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK. 

    As Independent Chief Inspector, I am inviting anyone with knowledge or first-hand experience of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK to submit evidence to inform this inspection. I would be pleased to hear about both what is working well and what could be improved in the following areas:  

    • the role of Border Force officers in refusing and cancelling permission to enter the UK at airports, seaports and juxtaposed controls 

    • the efficiency, effectiveness and consistency of current practice 

    • the impact of carrier checks for organisations and passengers 

    • the impact of digitisation of the border on the ability of Border Force officers to identify individuals whose permission to enter the UK should be refused or cancelled 

    These areas of interest are not exhaustive, and I welcome submissions that touch on other points. Information received in response to this call for evidence will play an important part in defining the precise scope and focus of the inspection.   

    This call for evidence will remain open until 20 August 2025.  

    The information you submit may be quoted in the final inspection report, but it is the ICIBI’s practice not to name sources and to anonymise as much as possible any examples or case studies.  

    Please click here  to email your submission to the Independent Chief Inspector.  

    Please note: The ICIBI’s statutory remit does not extend to investigating or making decisions about individual cases or applications for asylum. This remains a Home Office responsibility. The Chief Inspector is interested in hearing from people with lived experience of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK, to the extent that they illustrate or point to systemic problems. 

    Data Protection  

    Information on how we process personal data submitted in response to a call for evidence can be found in the ICIBI privacy information notice available on the ICIBI website.  

    David Bolt CBE, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration

    24 July 2025

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Old pontoon and link bridge at Mount Batten Pier to go

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Work will start next week (last week of July) to remove the old link bridge and pontoon at Mount Batten Pier.

    The structure has been closed to the public since last spring and ferry services rerouted to the landing stage at the Mount Batten Water Sports and Activities Centre nearby.

    An investigation earlier this year found that cracks detected within the bridge link to the pontoon had opened up significantly and could break at any time, posing a risk to marine traffic in the vicinity. Bracing works were carried out to the structure as a temporary measure while options were considered.

    Marine traffic were made aware and asked to keep their distance from the structure.

    The Council has been looking at the logistics of removing the bridge and pontoon and following a competitive tender process, has now entered into an arrangement to transfer ownership of the bridge and pontoon to Voyager Marine, who will also carry out the works to safely remove the structure.

    Logistics are being finalised but this move expected to start next week, subject to tide and weather.

    The Mount Batten Water Taxi service has been using the Mount Batten Sailing and Watersports Centre pontoon to operate since the closure.

    The link bridge will be removed by barge when high tide facilitates this and will be towed away, with the pontoon, to Voyager Boat Yard where they will be repurposed. The work will also involve removal of the piles below the seabed.

    The Plymouth Sound National Marine Park project have plans in train to replace the centre’s pontoon with a new structure. These plans have been extended to include extra provision for the Mount Batten Water Taxi to enable a return to a full service.

    The Council, is working in partnership on the project with the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park and the Mount Batten Centre and its board. Detailed onsite investigations have been carried out and the Council has issued a tender for work to build a new pontoon, with associated seabed infrastructure.

    The contract is expected to be awarded later this summer.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Plymouth Taxi Licensing Team first Council service to earn community safety accreditation

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Plymouth City Council’s Taxi Licensing Team is set to play a greater role in keeping the public safe, thanks to new powers granted through the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) accredited by Devon and Cornwall Police.

    The accreditation recognises the team’s ability to support frontline safety efforts and gives officers additional tools to help tackle anti-social behaviour, manage traffic incidents, and work more closely with police.

    CSAS gives trained Council officers limited police powers, enabling them to respond more effectively to issues that affect residents and visitors across the city.

    Councillor Sally Haydon, Cabinet Member for Community Safety for Plymouth City Council, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for our Taxi Licensing Team and a real boost for community safety in Plymouth. By equipping our officers with additional powers and training, we’re making sure they can respond quickly and effectively to issues that matter to residents. It’s about being proactive, visible, and working hand-in-hand with the police to keep people safe.”

    The team has undergone an assessed training with police colleagues, including traffic management and public engagement. Once accredited, officers will be able to:

    • Request name and address in cases of anti-social behaviour
    • Power to stop and direct traffic to protect public safety
    • Require names and addresses for individuals not complying with the above requests
    • Share and access relevant intelligence with Devon and Cornwall Police

    These new powers will help the team respond more effectively to incidents, increase partnership working between the council and provide a more visible uniformed presence in the community. Officers will continue to wear their standard uniforms, which will now display the CSAS logo as well as carrying police-approved ID badges and powers cards to reflect their new responsibilities.

    The scheme has already proven successful in other parts of the country, and across Devon and Cornwall, and Plymouth’s adoption marks a significant step forward in local efforts to build safer, more resilient communities.

    Find out more about CSAS and other schemes in Plymouth and the surrounding area by visiting www.dc.police.uk/csas

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tree-mendous news from Armada Way!

    Source: City of Plymouth

    We’re branching out again! Over the next few days over 40 new trees will be taking root in Armada Way, adding even more leafy loveliness to the city centre. Here’s the lowdown on our latest green arrivals:

    • Magnolia Kobus – These beauties are blooming marvellous!
    • Alders – Perfectly planted in rain gardens, because they absolutely love a good soak.
    • Himalayan Birch – Forming a stunning copse grove, surrounded by rain gardens for that extra splash of nature.
    • ‘New Horizon’ Elms – Specially bred to thrive in city settings and resistant to Dutch Elm disease, adding strength and structure to the landscape
    • Red Maple – a one-of-a-kind showstopper in the scheme marking the new mobility hub.
    • London Plane – the tallest and most majestic of them all, this striking specimen will be the crown jewel of Armada Way’s canopy.

    These trees have been specially chosen to thrive in a city centre setting, boosting biodiversity and bringing shade, shelter, and seasonal colour to Armada Way. All this in time for the countdown of the big reveal! The first section of the Armada Way regeneration scheme opens on Thursday 31 July! 

    The first zone around the Phoenix Fountain – which includes the brand-new amphitheatre and performance space – will be ready to welcome you. Expect pop-up events, live music, and plenty of reasons to stop and enjoy the space.

    It’s a tree-rific time to be in Plymouth!

    Planting trees in the summer

    We know that there are a lot of questions as to why we’re planting trees in Armada Way this summer.

    We know summer isn’t the ideal time to plant trees – normally, it’s better to do it in the cooler, dormant months. But because Armada Way is such a complex and busy part of the city, we’ve had to carefully plan the work to avoid too much disruption for residents, businesses and everyone who uses the city centre. That means some of the tree planting is happening now, during the growing season.

    We’re not taking any chances though. Our team has worked closely with tree experts, nurseries and contractors to make sure the trees have the best possible chance to thrive. Here’s what we’re doing:

    • Quick turnaround: Trees are being planted as soon as they arrive, so they’re not left out of the ground for long.
    • Top-quality trees: We’ve chosen strong, healthy trees from trusted nurseries that are used to growing for urban environments.
    • Specialist planting team: The people planting the trees are experienced and using the right tools and techniques.
    • Container-grown trees: Where we can, we’re using trees that have been grown in containers, which makes them more adaptable to being planted in summer.
    • Better soil: We’ve used specially engineered soil that holds moisture and nutrients, and we’ve made sure the roots have plenty of space to grow.
    • Boosting root health: We’ve added natural fungi to the soil to help the roots absorb water and nutrients more easily.
    • Smart watering: A built-in irrigation system is in place to keep the trees well-watered, and we’re also using misting during heatwaves.
    • Mulch magic: A layer of mulch around each tree helps keep the soil moist and stops weeds from taking over.
    • Regular checks: Our team is keeping a close eye on the planting to make sure everything’s done properly and the trees are settling in well.

    We’re also being realistic. Even with all these measures, planting trees in a city centre during summer is tough – especially with the kind of heatwaves we’ve had this year.

    That’s why we’ve got a two-year aftercare plan in place. If any trees don’t make it, they’ll be replaced.

    This is all part of making Armada Way greener, more welcoming and better for the future. Thanks for bearing with us while we get it done.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Aberdeen Art Gallery welcomes one millionth visitor

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    Aberdeen Art Gallery has welcomed its one millionth visitor since re-opening in November 2019 following its landmark redevelopment.  
    Eleanor Watson of Giffnock was visiting with her sister and nephew. They were met by Helen Fotherghill, Service Manager – Archives Gallery & Museums, who presented Dorothy with a certificate for an artwork which will be ‘adopted’ in her name – A Ground Swell, Carradale, by William McTaggart, which is on display in the French Impressions gallery. Eleanor also received a goody bag of Tall Ships commemorative items.  
     
    Visitor numbers to the Art Gallery swelled during the Tall Ships Races weekend, with the Gallery offering extended opening hours until 8pm during the event for visitors to enjoy the Monsters of the Deep exhibition and Festival of the Sea events. 
     
    Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesman, said, “The re-imagined Art Gallery, with its outstanding collection, is the city’s flagship cultural venue. I’m delighted to share the news of this major milestone and offer my congratulations to Eleanor Watson on being the millionth visitor. The Art Gallery is a safe, accessible, public space in the heart of the city where you can see great art for free. We want everyone to feel welcome here and we look forward to inspiring and delighting the next million visitors.”  
     
    Commenting on being the millionth visitor, Eleanor said, “I’m thrilled and honoured to be the one millionth visitor. This is my first visit to the Gallery, but my nephew Eoin, who lives in Aberdeen, is a regular visitor, and he suggested we come today. I’m delighted to have this beautiful painting by William McTaggart adopted in my name to commemorate the milestone. I’m looking forward to finding out more about the artist and to visiting again when we’re next in Aberdeen.”  
     
    Eleanor’s nephew, Eoin, said, “The Gallery has been a very important place for me. I visited with my mother from early childhood. I lost both my parents to cancer at a young age and have been away from Aberdeen for some 30 years. Recently returning to the city I am extremely grateful I rediscovered the Gallery. I have faced a number of personal challenges this year and the Saturday morning Artroom sessions at the Gallery run by Elaine from Grampian Hospitals Art Trust, which I have attended for a couple of months, have shone a light in my life. It is so apt and somewhat overwhelming that walking through the door with my Aunts, showing them where Mum and I spent time together, that Eleanor should be singled out as the millionth visitor since reopening.” 
     
    Aberdeen City Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund were the major funders of the Art Gallery redevelopment, with support from many other trusts, foundations, corporate and individual donors. The much-loved building, which was designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie and originally opened in 1885, was completely re-imagined by internationally-acclaimed Hoskins Architects and exhibition designers Studioarc.  
     
    Notable milestones and successes since the re-opening include: 

    2020 – joint winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 
    2021 – only Scottish venue for the prestigious British Art Show 9; named Building of the Year by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland  
    2022 – shortlisted for European Museum of the Year 
    2023 – presented the major special exhibitions Galloway Hoard – Viking Age Treasures (on loan from National Museums Scotland) and Book of Deer, one of the principle antiquities of Celtic Scotland (on loan from Cambridge University Library); named Best Visitor Attraction – Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Thistle awards  
    2024 – acquired a ceramic pot by celebrated British Artist Sir Grayson Perry 
    2025 – offered new experiences for visitors – All Fired Up interactive display of studio ceramics and the McBey reference library, supported by volunteers; achieved Gold level Green Tourism Award  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: 50 years on from the signing of the Helsinki Final Act Russia fails to live up to its promises: UK statement to the OSCE

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Speech

    50 years on from the signing of the Helsinki Final Act Russia fails to live up to its promises: UK statement to the OSCE

    Ambassador Holland commits to continuing to highlight and condemn Russia’s attacks against Ukraine for as long as Russia insists on carrying them out. Doing so is necessary because of the obvious humanitarian imperative but it is also a question of living up to our promises to one another when we signed the Helsinki Final Act.

    Thank you, Mr Chair.

    Mr Chair, there have been 120 Permanent Councils and 46 Special and Reinforced Permanent Councils since Russia launched its illegal full scale war of aggression on Ukraine in February 2022.  The UK has spoken on each of these occasions, highlighting Russia’s violation of the Helsinki principles and the Final Act.

    Next week we gather in Helsinki to mark 50 years of the signature of the Final Act. This should have been a moment to reflect on its positive and historic legacy; alongside the UN and Paris Charters, it has set the standards by which we should treat each other and our citizenry. Instead we are travelling to Finland with drones still pummelling Ukrainian civilian targets indiscriminately and an unapologetic Russia refusing to take the outstretched hand of peace offered to them by the victim of their aggression, Ukraine.

    The UK deeply regrets that there is still no sign of a let up in these attacks on civilians. One of the latest of these was an attack on the entrance to a metro station providing shelter to Ukrainian civilians escaping Russian bombardment. The Russian State evidently want as many Ukrainian people to be terrorised as possible. The UK will continue to highlight and condemn them for as long as Russia insists on carrying them out. As well as an obvious humanitarian imperative, doing so is also a question of living up to our promises to one another when we signed the Helsinki Final Act.

    Thank you, Mr Chair.

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China hopes Thailand and Cambodia can properly resolve dispute through dialogue, MFA says

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) — China is deeply concerned about the ongoing border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia and hopes the two countries can properly resolve the dispute through dialogue and consultation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Thursday.

    Calling Thailand and Cambodia China’s friendly neighbors and important members of ASEAN, the Chinese diplomat noted that good-neighborliness and proper settlement of differences are in the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides.

    In view of the common interests and concerns of countries in the region, China, in a fair and impartial position, continues to make efforts to promote reconciliation and peace talks, thereby playing a constructive role in easing tensions, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China publishes report on research into building SCO community of common destiny

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    ZHENGZHOU, July 24 (Xinhua) — A research report on building a community with a shared future for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was released by a think tank in China on Thursday, calling for a closer regional community with a shared future and focusing on expanding dialogue among civilizations and people-to-people cooperation.

    The document was released by the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, central China.

    The report notes that building a community of shared destiny for the SCO is an important step in line with the flow of history and a significant conceptual innovation in contemporary international relations. It is necessary to formulate a framework for action aimed at promoting regional cooperation through stability and achieving regional prosperity through development.

    In order to fully realize the high-quality platform function of the SCO, all member states should accumulate collective strength while taking into account their own interests, the document added.

    According to the report, the SCO member states have different cultural traditions. They should attach great importance to organizing a broad dialogue among civilizations and cooperation in the fields of culture, education, science and technology, sports, expand exchanges between different groups of people, especially between the media and youth, and continue to hold high-level forums of people’s diplomacy, media forums, youth forums and women’s forums.

    The report emphasizes that in order to improve the regional governance system and make joint efforts to implement modernization, it is necessary to clearly understand the differences between the current major tasks and long-term goals for the future. A series of small-scale but effective projects for improving the people’s well-being of the member states of the organization should be implemented to demonstrate the most significant signs of building a community of common destiny of the SCO. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Flash: Xi Jinping sends condolence telegram to Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russian passenger plane crash

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    Xinhua | 24.07.2025

    Key words: China-Russia

    Source: Xinhua

    Flash: Xi Jinping sends telegram of condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russian passenger plane crash Flash: Xi Jinping sends telegram of condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russian passenger plane crash

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Explosion in northwest Syria, casualty toll under investigation

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    DAMASCUS, July 24 (Xinhua) — A powerful explosion rocked northwestern Syria’s Idlib province on Thursday, causing casualties and causing fires near the town of Maarat Misreen, Syrian state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV reported.

    Idlib’s Disaster Management Authority confirmed that the blast, whose cause has not yet been determined, killed and injured people. Private Syria TV reported that the blast likely occurred at an ammunition depot in the area.

    The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported an unidentified aircraft flying over the region at the time of the explosion, although no official statement has confirmed the airstrike.

    The number of victims and the cause of the explosion are being determined. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Primech Holdings Announces Fiscal Year 2025 Results, Contracted Revenue Backlog at $120.8 Million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Primech Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: PMEC), an established technology-driven facilities-services provider to public and private-sector customers in Singapore, today reported audited financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025.

    FY 2025 Highlights:

    • Revenue grew 2.5% to $74.3 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, compared with revenue of $72.5 million in fiscal year 2024.
    • Gross profit margin expanded 130 basis points to 23.6% as technology adoption and grant support offset wage pressures.
    • Net loss narrowed 40% to $2.2 million, or $(0.05) per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss of $3.2 million, or $(0.10) per share.
    • Cash and cash equivalents increased by 32.7% to $10.1 million; total assets were $41.2 million, and total liabilities were $26.5 million.
    • Future contracted revenue, scheduled for recognition in FY 2026 and onward, totals $120.8 million, providing multi-year visibility.

    Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results:

    Financial Metrics (US$ millions, except per share data) FY 2025 FY 2024 Change
    Revenue $74.3 $72.5 +2.5%
    Gross profit $17.5 $16.0 +9.8%
    Gross profit margin 23.6% 22.0% +160 bps
    Operating loss $(0.9) $(2.8) +65.9% improvement
    Net loss $(2.2) $(3.2) +31.1% improvement
    Basic & diluted EPS $(0.05) $(0.10) +50.0% improvement
    Cash & cash equivalents $10.1 $7.6 +32.6%
           

    Primech A&P Highlights:

    • Over $18.9 million in new contracts secured during fiscal year 2025, including a major contract extension worth $8.3 million
    • Industry recognition achievements, including ASEAN Public Toilet Award for Newton Food Centre management and LOO Awards 2024 Best Market Award
    • Sustainability leadership with nomination as a finalist for the Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards in the “LowCarbonSG” category
    • Strategic partnerships, including membership in the Singapore International Facility Management Association (SIFMA)

    Primech AI Highlights:

    • Revolutionary HYTRON robot launch with successful deployments at Temasek Polytechnic, a major Singapore shopping mall, and one of Singapore’s largest hospitals
    • Global expansion achievements, including partnerships in Hong Kong (Chinachem Group), Japan (Golden Rim Investment), and Europe (TCOrobotics GmbH covering Germany, Austria, and Switzerland)
    • Technology excellence recognition, winning the Robotics category at the Singapore Business Review Technology Excellence Awards 2025
    • Advanced AI integration incorporating NVIDIA Jetson Orin technology components for enhanced robotics performance
    • Manufacturing scale-up with a China production partnership targeting 300 robots’ initial production capacity
    • Product innovation with the launch of the compact HYTRON Lite model optimized for space-constrained environments

    CEO Commentary
    “Primech delivered resilient top-line growth and achieved a significant improvement in our bottom line during our second year as a public company,” said Mr. Kin Wai Ho, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “More importantly, this year marked our dramatic transformation into a technology-first organization through our revolutionary HYTRON AI-powered cleaning robots and aggressive global expansion strategy. We’ve evolved from a traditional facilities services company into an innovative robotics and automation leader.”

    “Our HYTRON technology represents the future of commercial cleaning. We’ve successfully deployed robots at prestigious locations and established partnerships across Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and Europe. With our three-phase expansion plan and $120.8 million of contracted backlog, we are positioned to return to profitability and capture significant market share in the rapidly growing global service robotics sector.”

    Future Contracted Revenues
    As of March 31, 2025, our contracted revenues for future fulfilment were approximately $120.8 million. The following table provides a breakdown of the value of our contracted revenues, which we estimate will be fulfilled in FY2026, FY2027, and subsequent years, subject to cancellations or other contractual changes that are not presently foreseeable. Our order book as of any particular date is not indicative of our revenue for succeeding periods, as secured contracts are subject to cancellations, deferrals, or early terminations by our customers:

      ($’000) (%)
    Estimated amount of services contracted for at April 1, 2025 to be recorded in revenue for FY ending March 31,
    2026    		 59,876 49.5
    Estimated amount of services contracted for at April 1, 2026 to be recorded in revenue for FY ending March 31,
    2027    		 34,069 28.2
    Estimated amount of services contracted for at April 1, 2027 to be recorded in revenue for FY ending March 31,
    2028    		 26,899 22.3
      120,844 100.0
         

    Annual Report on Form 20-F
    The Company will file its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 with the Securities and Exchange Commission later today, which can be accessed on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov and on Primech’s investor relations website at https://investor.primechholdings.com/filings/. 

    About Primech Holdings Limited
    Headquartered in Singapore, Primech Holdings Limited is a leading provider of comprehensive technology-driven facilities services, predominantly serving both public and private sectors throughout Singapore. Primech Holdings offers an extensive range of services tailored to meet the complex demands of its diverse clientele. Services include advanced general facility maintenance services, specialized cleaning solutions such as marble polishing and facade cleaning, meticulous stewarding services, and targeted cleaning services for offices and homes. Known for its commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology, Primech Holdings integrates eco-friendly practices and smart technology solutions to enhance operational efficiency and client satisfaction. This strategic approach positions Primech Holdings as a leader in the industry and a proactive contributor to advancing industry standards and practices in Singapore and beyond. For more information, visit www.primechholdings.com.    

    About Primech AI
    Primech AI is a leading robotics company dedicated to pushing the boundaries of innovation in technology. With a team of passionate individuals and a commitment to collaboration, Primech AI is poised to revolutionize the robotics industry with groundbreaking solutions that make a meaningful impact on society. For more information, visit www.primech.ai.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, for example, statements about completing the acquisition, anticipated revenues, growth, and expansion. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are also based on assumptions regarding the Company’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure that such expectations will be correct. The Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.

    Company Contact:
    Email: ir@primech.com.sg

    Investor Relations Contact:        
    Matthew Abenante, IRC
    President                                        
    Strategic Investor Relations, LLC                                         
    Tel: 347-947-2093
    Email: matthew@strategic-ir.com

     
    ***tables follow***
    Primech Holdings Limited and Subsidiaries
    Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (in thousands except share data, U.S. dollars)
     
        As of March 31,  
        2025     2024  
    Assets            
    Current assets            
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 10,145     $ 7,648  
    Accounts receivable, net (including unbilled receivable of $3,520 and $4,068)     15,633       18,452  
    Government subsidies receivable     1,485       1,368  
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets     1,700       3,810  
    Inventories     44       55  
    Total current assets     29,007       31,333  
                     
    Non-current assets                
    Property and equipment, net     9,686       10,082  
    Right of use assets     2,114       3,406  
    Goodwill     391       667  
    Intangible assets, net     2       21  
    Total assets   $ 41,200     $ 45,509  
                     
    Liabilities and shareholders’ equity                
    Current liabilities                
    Accounts payable and accrued expenses   $ 10,330     $ 9,406  
    Notes payable-current portion     8,481       11,277  
    Lease liabilities-current portion     1,595       2,059  
    Income tax liabilities     461       —  
    Total current liabilities     20,742       22,742  
                     
    Non-current liabilities                
    Notes payable-long term     4,331       5,705  
    Lease liabilities-long term     1,068       1,752  
    Deferred tax liability     255       251  
    Total liabilities     26,521       30,450  
                     
    Shareholders’ Equity                
    Common Stock, 38,417,987 and 35,550,000 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively,     23,961       22,193  
    Additional paid-in capital     924       924  
    Accumulated other comprehensive income     995       923  
    Accumulated deficit     (10,991 )     (9,049 )
    Total Primech Holdings Limited shareholders’ equity     14,889       14,991  
                     
    Non-controlling interests     (210 )      68  
    Total shareholders’ equity     14,679       15,059  
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity   $ 41,200     $ 45,509  
     
    Primech Holdings Limited and Subsidiaries
    Consolidated Statements of Operations and other Comprehensive Loss
    (in thousands except share and per share data, U.S. dollars)
     
        For the Years Ended
    March 31,    		  
        2025     2024  
    Revenues            
    Revenues, net   $ 74,349     $ 72,524  
                     
    Operating costs and expenses                
    Cost of revenue (net of $4,148 and $2,550 of government subsidies)     56,823       59,915  
    General and administrative expenses (net of $318 and $68 of government subsidies)     16,176       13,160  
    Sales and marketing expenses     2,007       2,231  
    Goodwill impairment     291       —  
    Total operating costs and expenses     75,297       75,306  
    Loss from operations     (948 )     (2,782 )
    Other operating income, net (includes $8 and $202 of government subsidies)     (27 )      211  
    Interest expense     (789 )     (1,145 )
    Loss before income taxes     (1,764 )     (3,716 )
    Income tax benefit     (456 )      493  
    Net loss     (2,220 )     (3,223 )
    (Profit)/ loss attributable to non-controlling interests     278       (16 ) 
    Net loss attributable to Primech Holdings Limited     (1,942 )     (3,239 )
    Total foreign currency translation adjustment     72       (24 ) 
    Comprehensive loss   $ (1,870 )     (3,263 )
                     
    Earnings loss per share:                
    Basic and diluted   $ (0.05 )   $ (0.10 )
                     
    Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding:                
    Basic and Diluted     37,584,000       33,929,000  
     
    Primech Holdings Limited and Subsidiaries
    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (in thousands except share data, U.S. dollars)
     
        For the Years Ended
     March 31,    		  
        2025     2024  
    Cash flows from operating activities:            
    Net loss   $ (2,220 )   $ (3,223 )
    Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:                
    Depreciation of property and equipment     1,483       1,640  
    Amortization of right of use assets     2,479       2,203  
    Loss (gain) on disposal of property and equipment     1       (13 )
    Amortization of intangible assets     29       29  
    Share based payment     1,768       —  
    Provision for doubtful accounts     31       —  
    Impairment of Goodwill     291       —  
                     
    Change in operating assets and liabilities:                
    Deferred tax liability     —       (454 ) 
    Accounts receivable     2,888       (3,330 )
    Government subsidies receivables     (111 )      290  
    Prepaid expenses & other current assets     2,132       (2,657 ) 
    Inventories     11       84  
    Accounts payable and accrued expenses     879       (1,329 ) 
    Operating lease liability     (2,731 )     (2,322 )
    Tax payable     462       —  
    Net cash used in operating activities     7,382       (9,082 )
                     
    Cash flows from investing activities:                
    Acquisition of property and equipment     (1,098 )     (909 )
    Proceeds from sale of property and equipment     67       102  
    Net cash used in investing activities     (1,031 )     (807 )
                     
    Cash flows from financing activities:                
    Net Proceeds from issue of new shares     —       9,473  
    Deferred offering costs     —       545  
    Payment of finance lease liabilities     (126 )     (86 )
    Repayment of bank loans     (159,107 )     (3,163 )
    Proceeds from bank loans     154,846       1,412  
    Net cash provided by financing activities     (4,387 )      8,181  
                     
    Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents     1,963       (1,708 ) 
    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents     533       284  
    Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year     7,648       9,072  
    Cash and cash equivalents, end of year   $ 10,145     $ 7,648  
                     
    Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing transactions                
    Acquisition of equipment under finance leases     367       173  
    Recognition of Right of use assets and liabilities     1,167       2,553  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: KraneShares Launches Global Private Company Fund Tracking a New MSCI Index of Venture-Backed Firms

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Krane Capital Management, LLC (“KraneShares”), a global asset management firm recognized for its innovative investment solutions, today announced the launch of the Krane MSCI All Country Private Company Top 10 Series.

    This new offering provides accredited investors with access to a diversified portfolio of large and dynamic venture-backed global private companies, as tracked by the MSCI All Country Venture-Backed Private Company Top 10 Equal Weighted Index.

    The Index is a research-driven benchmark identifying some of the most valuable and influential global private companies with secondary market trading activity. As of June 2, 2025, the Index’s constituents collectively represent over $1.5 trillion in market capitalization1, spanning industries such as artificial intelligence, fintech, aerospace, and digital media.

    The fund seeks to acquire shares in leading private companies through direct purchases, secondary transactions, or derivative contracts. The portfolio will consist of the ten private companies tracked by the index, which currently are SpaceX, ByteDance, OpenAI, Stripe, xAI, Databricks, Anthropic, Revolut, Anduril, and Canva.

    “Our mission at KraneShares is focused on delivering first-to-market, high-conviction strategies that provide investors with transparent and cost-effective access to groundbreaking capital market opportunities like the private markets,” said Jonathan Krane, CEO of KraneShares. “Through their newly launched index, MSCI is applying institutional-class indexing capabilities to identify some of the largest global venture-backed companies with secondary market activity, which we aim to deliver to investors through our fund.

    “The MSCI All Country Venture-Backed Private Company Indexes represent a significant step forward for investors seeking transparency and actionable insights in private markets. By leveraging robust secondary market data and our decades of index construction expertise, we are enabling investors to benchmark and analyze this dynamic asset class with greater clarity and confidence,” said Christine Berg, Head of Americas Index at MSCI. “We are thrilled that KraneShares is utilizing our index to provide access to this asset class to investors.” 

    For more information on the Krane MSCI All Country Private Company Top 10 Vintage 2025 Series 1 Fund, please visit https://kraneshares.com/private-funds/krane-msci-all-country-private-company-top-10-series/.

    Fund Structure and Terms

    Fund Legal Name Krane MSCI All Country Private Company Top 10 Vintage 2025 Series 1 Fund (KC VC 1, LP)
    Index Provider MSCI
    Index MSCI All Country Venture-Backed Private Company Top 10 Equal Weighted Index
    Minimum Capital Commitment $2,500
    General Partner KCM GP, LLC
    Management Company Krane Capital Management, LLC
       

    About KraneShares

    Krane Capital Management, LLC is a subsidiary of Krane Funds Advisors, LLC (KraneShares), a specialist investment manager focused on China, Climate, and Alternative Assets. KraneShares seeks to provide innovative, high-conviction, and first-to-market strategies based on the firm and its partners’ deep investing knowledge. KraneShares identifies and delivers groundbreaking capital market opportunities and believes investors should have cost-effective and transparent tools for attaining exposure to various asset classes. KraneShares was founded in 2013 and serves institutions and financial professionals globally. The firm is a signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI).

    About MSCI

    MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 50 years of expertise in research, data and technology, MSCI powers better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. MSCI creates industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process. To learn more, please visit www.msci.com.

    Citations:

    1. Data from MSCI as of 6/02/2025.

    Risk Disclosures:

    The Fund has not yet received any investments or started its operations, and it lacks any historical record or performance. This information is only a brief summary and is not exhaustive. The terms mentioned here may undergo significant changes without prior notice. It’s essential to note that certain crucial details about the stated terms are omitted, and other key Fund terms are not addressed in this summary. To gain a comprehensive understanding, potential investors should refer to the Fund’s private placement memorandum, limited partnership agreement and subscription agreement (collectively, “the Fund Documents”), which will take precedence in case of any conflicts with the general terms provided here.

    An investor should base any investment decisions solely on the information contained in the Fund Documents. Furthermore, there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its fundraising goals, which could impact its ability to carry out its objectives.

    An investment in the Fund is speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and is suitable only for persons who are willing and able to assume the risk of losing their entire investment.

    The Fund’s portfolio intends to invest in ten private companies tracked by the Index. The Target List does not represent all private technology companies, rather, only private technology companies listed on the MSCI All Country Venture-Backed Private Company Top 10 Equal Weighted (June 2025 Vintage) Index. The Target List may include certain companies that perform poorly or omit other companies that perform well. The Partnership may not invest in all the companies comprising the Target List and may need to expand the pool of investments to fully invest its capital. For the avoidance of doubt, the Partnership’s performance will not track the Target List, in part because the Partnership may not be able to participate in the desired amount or may be weighted differently and therefore the Fund’s performance may deviate from that of the Target List. There is no assurance that the Partnership will achieve its investment or risk management objectives or be profitable.

    The Partnership may invest in portfolio companies which are significantly debt-financed by third parties. While investments in leveraged companies offer the opportunity for capital appreciation, such investments also involve a higher degree of risk.

    The Partnership generally seeks to invest and may be concentrated in private, high-growth technology companies which often include the risks of, rapidly changing science and technologies; obsolescence, fierce competition and rapidly changing investor sentiments and preferences with regard to technology sector investments. Information technology companies may be smaller and less experienced companies, with limited operating history.

    The Interests are being offered without registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in reliance upon an exemption contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Investors will generally not have the right to withdraw from the Partnership (unless permitted by the General Partner in its discretion or as otherwise set forth in the Partnership Agreement) and should be viewed as illiquid. Investors may not be able to redeem their interests in the amount or at the time desired and should only be considered by investors who can bear such risk for an indefinite period of time.

    This communication is not intended by Krane or any of its affiliated funds as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to purchase, any Security. The information set forth in the communication is provided for informational and discussion purposes only and is not intended to be, and shall not be regarded or construed as, a recommendation for a transaction or investment, financial or other advice of any kind. It does not constitute or imply any commitment whatsoever, including without limitation an offer to purchase, sell or hold any Security or to enter into or arrange any type of transaction. Any offering will be made only where permitted by law and by means of the Fund Documents that will contain detailed information about any investment to be offered; no sales will be made, and no commitments to enter into investments will be accepted, and no money is being solicited or will be accepted, until the Fund Documents are made available to prospective investors. Any indication of interest from prospective investors in response to the information provided in the communication involves no obligation or commitment of any kind. Any investment decisions should be based solely on the data in the Fund Documents and after consultation with an investor’s independent advisors.

    The funds or securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by MSCI, and MSCI bears no liability with respect to any such funds or securities or any index on which such funds or securities are based. The Private Placement Memorandum contains a more detailed description of the limited relationship MSCI has with Krane Capital Management, LLC and any related funds.

    The target list of companies herein was compiled based on an MSCI index of private technology companies named “MSCI All Country Venture-Backed Private Company Top 10 Equal Weighted (June 2025 Vintage) Index”. KraneShares licenses this list from MSCI.

    An investment in the Fund would not be appropriate for all investors and involves important legal, operational and tax consequences and investment risks (including, in some cases, volatility, currency and credit risk, illiquidity, and/or loss of principal), each of which should be independently assessed by investors with their professional advisors prior to transacting. This communication does not take into account individual investor circumstances, objectives, or needs. No determination has been made regarding the suitability of any securities, financial instruments, or strategies for particular investors or prospects.

    The interests in the Fund have not been approved or recommended by any United States federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority. The foregoing authorities have not confirmed the accuracy or determined the adequacy of the communication. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

    THIS COMMUNICATION DOES NOT DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT ISSUES RELATED TO AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND. BEFORE INVESTING IN THE FUND, POTENTIAL INVESTORS SHOULD FULLY UNDERSTAND THE FUND’S TERMS AND ANY APPLICABLE RISKS, SOME, BUT NOT ALL, OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED IN MORE DETAIL IN THE FUND DOCUMENTS.

    Foreside Fund Services, LLC provides marketing review services. Foreside Fund Services, LLC is not affiliated with Krane Capital Management, LLC.

    Contact:
    KraneShares Investor Relations
    info@kraneshares.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: One Stop Systems to Report Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ESCONDIDO, Calif., July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — One Stop Systems, Inc. (“OSS” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: OSS), a leader in rugged Enterprise Class compute for artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and sensor processing at the edge, announced today that it will release its second quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, August 7, 2025. A webcast and conference call will be held that same day at 10:00 a.m. ET to review the Company’s results.

    Conference Call and Webcast

    Domestic: 1-800-579-2543
    International: 1-785-424-1789
    Conference ID: ONESTOP (required for entry)
    Webcast:  https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1720675&tp_key=5676c84cc3

    Conference Call Replay

    Domestic: 1-844-512-2921
    International: 1-412-317-6671
    Passcode: 11159702

    A replay of the call will be available after 1:00 p.m. ET on August 7, 2025, through August 21, 2025.

    About One Stop Systems
    One Stop Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSS) is a leader in AI enabled solutions for the demanding ‘edge’. OSS designs and manufactures Enterprise Class compute and storage products that enable rugged AI, sensor fusion and autonomous capabilities without compromise. These hardware and software platforms bring the latest data center performance to harsh and challenging applications, whether they are on land, sea or in the air.

    OSS products include ruggedized servers, compute accelerators, flash storage arrays, and storage acceleration software. These specialized compact products are used across multiple industries and applications, including autonomous trucking and farming, as well as aircraft, drones, ships and vehicles within the defense industry.

    OSS solutions address the entire AI workflow, from high-speed data acquisition to deep learning, training and large-scale inference, and have delivered many industry firsts for industrial OEM and government customers.

    As the fastest growing segment of the multi-billion-dollar edge computing market, AI enabled solutions require-and OSS delivers-the highest level of performance in the most challenging environments without compromise.

    OSS products are available directly or through global distributors. For more information, go to www.onestopsystems.com. You can also follow OSS on X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    One Stop Systems cautions you that statements in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Words such as, but not limited to, “anticipate,” “aim,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “design,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “suggest,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions or phrases, or the negative of those expressions or phrases, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These statements are based on the company’s current beliefs and expectations. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by One Stop Systems or its partners that any of our plans or expectations will be achieved. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this press release due to the risk and uncertainties inherent in our business, performance of our products, growth of the edge computing market, as well as risks described in our prior press releases and in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading “Risk Factors” in our latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, which is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

    Media Contacts:
    Robert Kalebaugh
    One Stop Systems, Inc.
    Tel (858) 518-6154
    Email contact

    Investor Relations:
    Andrew Berger
    Managing Director
    SM Berger & Company, Inc.
    Tel (216) 464-6400
    Email contact

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [MARLOWE PLC – 23 07 2025] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 MARLOWE PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 23 JULY 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 NO

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 50p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 2,292,800 2.9199    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 2,292,800 2.9199    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    50p ORDINARY SALE 600 444.5p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
    NONE        

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
    NONE              

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    NONE      

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 24 JULY 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [ALPHA GROUP INTERNATIONAL PLC – 23 07 2025] – (CGAML)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 ALPHA GROUP INTERNATIONAL PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 23 JULY 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 0.2p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 200,000 0.4728    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 200,000 0.4728    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    0.2p ORDINARY SALE 103,000 4150p
    0.2p ORDINARY SALE 445,000 4150.5506p
    0.2p ORDINARY SALE 50,000 4151p
    0.2p ORDINARY SALE 45,000 4152.5p
    0.2p ORDINARY SALE 420,000 4152.8869p
    0.2p ORDINARY SALE 25,000 4155.84p
    0.2p ORDINARY SALE 25,000 4160p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
    NONE        

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
    NONE              

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    NONE      

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 24 JULY 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Yellowstone has been a ‘sacred wonderland’ of spiritual power and religious activity for centuries – and for different faith groups

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Thomas S. Bremer, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, Rhodes College

    Beehive Geyser, in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. Thomas S. Bremer

    Nearly 5 million travelers come to Wyoming to visit Yellowstone National Park each year, most in the summer months. They come for the geysers, wildlife, scenery and recreational activities such as hiking, fishing and photography.

    However, few realize that religion has been part of Yellowstone’s appeal throughout the park’s history. My 2025 book “Sacred Wonderland” documents how people have long found holiness in Yellowstone: how a landscape once sacred to Native Americans later inspired Christians and New Age communities alike.

    Native reverence – and removal

    Long before European Americans “discovered” the Yellowstone region in the 19th century, numerous Indigenous peoples were aware of its unique landscape – particularly geysers, hot springs and other hydrothermal wonders. Several tribal groups engaged in devotional practices long before it became a park. These included the Tukudika, or Sheep Eaters, a band of mountain Shoshone. They lived year-round within the boundaries of what would become the national park.

    Anthropologists know relatively little about the specific beliefs that Native Americans held about Yellowstone during this era. However, it’s clear most of the Indigenous groups who frequented Yellowstone considered it, as historian Paul Schullery concludes, “a place of spiritual power, of communion with natural forces, a place that inspired reverence.”

    Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park.
    Thomas S. Bremer

    After the Civil War, more Euro-Americans entered the region. In 1872, the U.S. government created Yellowstone as the first national park, setting a precedent for others in the United States and around the world.

    Yellowstone and other U.S. national parks established in the 19th century were products of manifest destiny: the Christian idea that Americans had a divinely ordained right to expand their country across the continent. The nation’s westward expansion included turning supposedly wild, “uncivilized” areas into parks.

    The park system’s creation, though, came at the cost of Indigenous communities. In Yellowstone, the Tukudika were forcibly removed in the 1870s to two reservations in Idaho and Wyoming, as anthropologists Peter Nabokov and Lawrence Loendorf discuss in their book “Restoring a Presence.”

    Christian ministry

    In addition to the concept of manifest destiny, Christians brought their own religious practices to Yellowstone National Park.

    The U.S. Army was responsible for protecting and managing the park from 1886 to 1918. It operated from Fort Yellowstone at Mammoth Hot Springs in the northern part of the park. The last building it erected at the fort was a chapel, which has been in continuous use as a worship space – mostly for Christian groups – since its completion in 1913.

    The Yellowstone National Park Chapel at Mammoth Hot Springs, finished in 1913, was the last building constructed by the U.S. Army at Fort Yellowstone.
    Thomas S. Bremer

    One group that has used the chapel consistently since the 1950s is ACMNP, A Christian Ministry in the National Parks, an evangelical Protestant parachurch ministry founded in Yellowstone. Its volunteers conduct worship services and proselytize among employees and visitors.

    ACMNP began as the brainchild of Presbyterian minister Warren Ost, who had worked as a bellhop at the Old Faithful Inn during summer breaks in seminary. Upon graduation, he formed the ministry, hoping to capitalize on the awe people experience in the parks to affirm believers’ faith and bring new souls to Christ.

    ACMNP’s mission involves placing seminarians and other students in national parks as “worker-witnesses.” They work as paid employees in secular jobs and conduct religious activities after their regular working hours. Additionally, they are encouraged to talk about religion with their fellow workers on the job.

    ACMNP experienced rapid growth in the 1950s and 1960s, boosted by support from National Park Service leadership. Cooperation included reduced-cost housing for their volunteers, and in some parks the superintendents or other high-level officials served on local ACMNP committees.

    At its peak in the 1970s, ACMNP had nearly 300 volunteers working in over 50 locations. However, a federal lawsuit in the 1990s challenged its relationship with the government on the grounds of church-state separation and ended some of the privileges ACMNP had enjoyed. Not long after the legal action, Ost announced his retirement.

    Although the organization has scaled back operations, the ministry in Yellowstone has experienced few changes. ACMNP volunteers continue to offer religious services to park employees and visitors throughout the summer.

    Spiritual fortress

    Another religious group has a very different interpretation of Yellowstone. The Church Universal and Triumphant, which had several thousand members at its height, was founded by Elizabeth Clare Prophet in the 1970s, based on the teachings of her late husband, Mark Prophet.

    The Church Universal and Triumphant is an heir to the “I AM” movement, which flourished in the U.S. during the 1930s. Most prominent among I AM’s influences were theosophy, which promotes esoteric knowledge gleaned from Asian religious traditions as a universal wisdom underlying all religions; new thought, which advocates a mind-over-matter spirituality; and spiritualism, which involves communicating with spirits.

    In the 1980s, Prophet’s followers relocated from California to Montana, where they purchased a large ranch adjacent to Yellowstone National Park’s northwest boundary. With them, they brought an eclectic New Age theology that combines elements of Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism with belief in “ascended masters,” spiritual beings who guide the church. The group’s tradition teaches that beneath Yellowstone are two underground caverns, hidden from human view, that contain a cache of sacred stones with spiritual powers.

    The Church Universal and Triumphant gained attention in the ‘90s when its believers in Montana built underground bunkers. Members believed that their ascended masters had predicted a nuclear war and had instructed the community to prepare to survive underground. When the prophecy of a nuclear attack did not materialize, many members became disillusioned.

    The group struggled to rebuild its reputation and establish goodwill with Montana neighbors, including the National Park Service. Elizabeth Clare Prophet retired in 1999, and since then the church has concentrated more on its publishing and educational enterprises. However, a core community of the faithful still live and worship on their Royal Teton Ranch adjacent to Yellowstone.

    The main church sanctuary at Church Universal and Triumphant headquarters, just outside Yellowstone National Park.
    Thomas S. Bremer

    Although the community teaches that its Montana ranch is a sacred location of the ascended masters, followers’ holiest place in the Western Hemisphere is roughly 35 miles south of Yellowstone, in Grand Teton National Park. They believe humanity began at Grand Teton Mountain and that the faithful will find their destiny there.

    Accordingly, members believe that Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are brimming with spiritual powers, sacred sources of light and energy for the entire world.

    In my conversations with people in the park, I found that very few knew anything about Yellowstone’s religious history at all – especially Native American practices. The ongoing practices of religious communities in the park remain invisible to nearly all visitors. Still, many vacationers interpret Yellowstone’s wonders as evidence of God’s handiwork.

    Thomas S. Bremer received funding in the past to conduct historical research for the National Park Service at Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois.

    – ref. Yellowstone has been a ‘sacred wonderland’ of spiritual power and religious activity for centuries – and for different faith groups – https://theconversation.com/yellowstone-has-been-a-sacred-wonderland-of-spiritual-power-and-religious-activity-for-centuries-and-for-different-faith-groups-261045

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: As Mexico’s LGBTQ+ community battles for inclusion, two drag performers have become internet stars – with more than 2 million TikTok followers

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Francisco Tijerina, PhD Candidate in Hispanic Studies, Washington University in St. Louis

    Turbulence Queen, left, and Burrita Burrona perform at the Mexico City Pride Parade in June 2024. Jaime Nogales/Medios y Media via Getty Images News

    In January 2022, Erick Martínez, also known as Turbulence Queen, introduced a guest on his YouTube channel: Ivan “Momo” Guzmán, with the stage name Burrita Burrona, a drag performer wearing a cartoonish donkey costume topped by a wig.

    During their interview, Turbulence and Burrita shared stories, gossiped and threw shade at Mexican actors, newscasters and performers. Soon after, their careers took off.

    Before Burrita’s first appearance, Turbulence’s YouTube channel had fewer than 5,000 subscribers. Now, after the rebranding of the show to include Burrita’s name, their channel has about 375,000. More than 2 million subscribe to them on TikTok – Turbulence, with 600,000 followers and 16 million likes; Burrita with 1.5 million followers and 28 million likes. Their “El Podcast del Momento” has more than 225,000 subscribers.

    The two proved so popular that corporate sponsors started getting in on the action. Soriana, a large supermarket chain in Mexico, splashed their images on a line of cakes. Netflix Latin America had them hosting a series of videos promoting its new South Korean dramas. The media giant Televisa included Turbulence and Burrita as part of their comedic coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

    Over the past 3 ½ years, the YouTube show has added some new characters, including Burrita’s mom and an on-and-off love interest, a butch lesbian wolf. Along with the interviews, the characters do comedic cooking segments and sketches. Even in today’s fragmented and cluttered media environment, the program regularly gets around 250,000 views, with some episodes reaching more than 1 million.

    While drag performers are not new in Mexico, Burrita is something of a novelty: a drag mascot. Although long a part of Mexico’s commercial culture – mascots promote everything from soccer teams to pharmacies and are a staple at children’s birthday parties – Burrita is the first to do it in drag.

    A clip from an episode of ‘El Podcast del Momento.’

    Discrimination and violence

    As a Mexican scholar who specializes in the study of gender and sexuality, I’m struck by how these LGBTQ+ characters have become enormously popular in what I consider a relatively conservative and deeply religious country. However, that too is changing: Today’s Mexico is sometimes called a conservative country with liberal laws. Still, in a country where about 5% of the population self-identify as LGBTQ+, the battle for inclusion – and more diverse representation of gender and sexuality – is far from over.

    In 2023, conservative groups pressured the International Book Fair of Monterrey to cancel a public short-story reading by drag queens. In 2024, a social media influencer’s misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic remarks ran live on national television. Also in 2024, San Nicolás de los Garza, a city of more than 400,000 people, banned public performances by drag queens. Ironically, San Nicolás is in the state of Nuevo Leon, which has one of the largest LGBTQ+ populations in Mexico.

    Indeed, national policies protecting the LGBTQ+ community don’t always apply equally; some states are more restrictive than others. For example, although Mexico’s Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, three states have yet to ratify it in their state constitutions.

    Turbulence Queen is interviewed on local TV at a 2023 red carpet event in Mexico.
    Jaime Nogales/Medios y Media via Getty Images Entertainment

    In May 2025, Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography reported these findings: 60% of the LGBTQ+ community say they’ve been subjected to some form of violence. Nearly 30% have had suicidal thoughts or have attempted suicide. Just over 37% say they experienced some form of discrimination during the past year. From 2020 to 2025, 25% said they were denied access to health care, education or social support. Hate crimes are on the rise, with 672 reported over a five-year period, including 141 in 2024, a significant jump from the 92 reported in 2023. The 2024 statistic includes 55 murders of transgender women.

    Taking off the mask

    Turbulence and Burrita’s swift success is impressive, but not all LGBTQ+ citizens in Mexico enjoy the same level of recognition and privilege. And as the fight for equal treatment continues, the country’s politics over the past decade has shifted. In 2018, leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador was elected president. His successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and a close ally of López Obrador’s, was elected in 2024.

    But although both López Obrador and Sheinbaum are more progressive than previous administrations, neither has been particularly vocal about their support for the LGBTQ+ community. For instance: Although Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female and Jewish president, mentioned her support for the LGBTQ+ community during her campaign, she has largely ignored LGBTQ+ issues since taking office.

    Until recently, there were few openly LGBTQ+ people pitching products or appearing on television. But Guzmán, who’s the first mascot to perform in drag, is not hiding his sexuality, despite the costume. Rather, he can be read as a symbol of Mexico’s ongoing pursuit of equality. And perhaps his character’s visibility will allow more in the community to be able to shed their masks and come out.

    Francisco Tijerina does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. As Mexico’s LGBTQ+ community battles for inclusion, two drag performers have become internet stars – with more than 2 million TikTok followers – https://theconversation.com/as-mexicos-lgbtq-community-battles-for-inclusion-two-drag-performers-have-become-internet-stars-with-more-than-2-million-tiktok-followers-241552

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Why 2025 became the summer of flash flooding in America

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Jeffrey Basara, Professor of Meteorology, UMass Lowell

    Rescuers searched for survivors after a flash flood in Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, that killed more than 130 people. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

    The National Weather Service has already issued more than 3,600 flash flood warnings across the United States in 2025, and that number is increasing as torrential downpours continue in late July. There’s a good chance the U.S. will exceed its yearly average of around 4,000 flash flood warnings soon.

    For communities in Texas, New Mexico, West Virginia and New Jersey, the floods have been deadly. And many more states have seen flash flood damage in recent weeks, including New York, Oklahoma, Kansas, Vermont and Iowa.

    What’s causing so much extreme rain and flooding?

    Much of the central and eastern U.S. has had above-normal precipitation over the three months from April 23 through July 24, 2025. Blues are 150% to 200% of normal. Purples are even higher.
    NOAA National Water Prediction Service

    I study extreme precipitation events along with the complex processes that lead to the devastating damage they cause.

    Both the atmosphere and surface conditions play important roles in when and where flash floods occur and how destructive they become, and 2025 has seen some extremes, with large parts of the country east of the Rockies received at least 50% more precipitation than normal from mid-April through mid-July.

    Excess water vapor, weaker jet stream

    Flash floods are caused by excessive precipitation over short periods of time. When rain accumulates too fast for the local environment to absorb or reroute it, flooding ensues, and conditions can get dangerous fast.

    Flooding from heavy rain in the Boston area on July 10, 2025, shut down an interstate and filled streets and garages with water.
    John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

    During the warm season, intrusions of tropical air with excessive water vapor are common in the U.S., and they can result in intense downpours.

    In addition, the jet stream and westerly winds – which move storm systems from west to east across the U.S. – tend to weaken during summer. As a result, the overall movement of thunderstorms and other precipitation-producing systems slows during the summer months, and storm systems can remain almost stationary over a location.

    The combination of intense rainfall rates and extended precipitation increases the likelihood of flash flooding.

    The surface rain falls on makes a difference, too

    Local surface characteristics also play important roles in how flash floods develop and evolve.

    When intense precipitation is combined with saturated soils, steep slopes, urban areas and sparse vegetation, runoff can quickly overwhelm local streams, rivers and drainage systems, leading to the rapid rise of water levels.

    When the remnants of Hurricane Helene hit the mountains of North Carolina in October 2024, the intense rainfall on steep slopes quickly filled streams and then rivers that washed away homes in their narrow valleys.
    Sean Rayford/Getty Images

    Because the characteristics of the surface can vary significantly along a stream or river, the timing and location of a heavy downpour pose unique risks for each local area.

    What’s driving flash floods in 2025?

    During the horrific flooding in Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, that killed more than 135 people, atmospheric water vapor in the region was at or near historic levels. The storm hit at the headwaters of the Guadalupe River, over streams that converge in the river valley.

    As thunderstorms developed and remained nearly stationary over the region, they were fueled by the excessive atmospheric water vapor. That led to high rainfall rates. Hours of heavy rainfall early that morning sent the river rising quickly at a summer camp near Hunt, Texas, where more than two dozen girls and staff members died. Downstream at Kerrville, the river rose even faster, gaining more than 30 feet in 45 minutes.

    Overall, a persistent atmospheric pattern in late spring and summer 2025 has included a shift of the jet stream farther to the south than normal and, along with lower atmospheric pressures, has supported excessive rainfall across the central and eastern U.S.

    While the West Coast has experienced dry conditions in early summer 2025 due to a ridge of high pressure, the U.S. east of the Rockies has seen an active storm track with frontal boundaries and disturbances that produced thunderstorms and intense downpours across the region.

    Warmer-than-normal ocean water can also boost rainfall. The Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean are source regions for atmospheric water vapor in the central and eastern U.S. In summer 2025, that water vapor has created extremely humid conditions, which have produced very high rainfall rates when storms develop.

    The result has been flash floods in several states producing catastrophic destruction and loss of life.

    Looking to the future

    The U.S. has seen devastating flash floods throughout its history, but rising global temperatures today are increasing the risk of flooding.

    As ocean and air temperatures rise, atmospheric water vapor increases. Higher ocean temperatures can produce more atmospheric water vapor through evaporation, and a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, fueling downpours. In some high-risk areas, meteorologists, aware of the risks, say they are becoming more proactive about warnings.

    Currently, evidence shows that atmospheric water vapor is increasing in the overall global climate system as temperatures rise.

    Jeffrey Basara receives funding from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and NOAA.

    – ref. Why 2025 became the summer of flash flooding in America – https://theconversation.com/why-2025-became-the-summer-of-flash-flooding-in-america-261650

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Why do MAGA faithful support Trump if his ‘big beautiful bill’ will likely hurt many of them?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alex Hinton, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University – Newark

    Supporters of President Donald Trump demonstrate near his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla., on July 17, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    President Donald Trump signed the wide-ranging One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law on July 4, 2025. It focuses on cutting taxes, mainly for households that earn US$217,000 or more each year, as well as increasing funding for military and border security and revamping social programs.

    Republicans tout it as providing “an economic lifeline for working families” and “laying a key cornerstone of America’s new golden age.”

    Democrat lawmakers argue that, in reality, Trump’s act “steals from the poor to give to the ultra-rich.”

    The act is estimated to increase the country’s debt by more than US$3 trillion over 10 years, while knocking more than 10 million people off Medicaid.

    About 41.4 million adults in the U.S. receive Medicaid. And 49% of Medicaid recipients who voted in the 2024 election backed Trump.

    While 94% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said in a May 2025 survey that they are worried Medicaid cuts will lead to more adults and children losing their health insurance, 44% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents expressed concern about this, according to the KFF Health Tracking Poll.

    Why, then, do Trump’s Make America Great Again supporters – especially those who will be hit hard by cuts to food assistance programs and health care, including hospitals – continue to support him even as he enacts policies that some think go against their interests? Indeed, over 78% of Republicans or Republican-leaning voters say they support the measure Trump signed.

    As an anthropologist who studies MAGA and American political culture, I understand that many of the MAGA faithful believe that Trump is a once-in-a-lifetime leader who is catapulting the U.S. into a new golden age.

    Sure, their reasoning goes, bumps in the road are expected. But they think that most of the criticism of Trump and this latest bill is ultimately fake news spread by radical leftists who have what some call Trump Derangement Syndrome, meaning anti-Trump hysteria.

    President Donald Trump holds up the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that he signed into law on July 4, 2025, at the White House.
    Alex Brandon − Pool/Getty Images

    Trump alone can fix it

    In the eyes of the MAGA faithful, Trump is no ordinary politician. To them, he is a savior who can help ward off the threat of radical left socialism. They believe Trump’s proclamation: “I alone can fix it.”

    Some see Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, as evidence he is divinely chosen to lead the country. Trump himself claimed during his second inaugural address, “I was saved by God to make America great again.”

    As I have repeatedly observed firsthand at Trump rallies and MAGA gatherings and heard in my conversations with Trump supporters, many Trump supporters – even those whom Democrats contend will be hurt by the bill – see the bill as a key step to making America great again. Doing so will not be easy and may cause some pain.

    But as Trump himself has noted about policies such as tariffs, “sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.”

    ‘Fake news!’

    Even if the bill may cause some short-term pain, MAGA stalwarts contend, the apocalyptic claims of critics of massive health cuts are hoaxes spread by the radical left media. White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, for example, dubbed the Medicare cut claims “a big fake news story.”

    This view, based on my research and observations, is unsurprising. Trump has been pushing the “fake news conspiracy” theory, which holds that the media is part of the deep state, since his first term. He even dubbed the press “the enemy of the people.”

    Trump’s fake news rhetorical strategy has been successful in helping him maintain support. Trump supporters take it for granted that negative news coverage of the president is most likely fake news.

    The Trump administration frequently invokes this conspiracy theory, including statements with headlines like “100 Days of HOAXES: Cutting Through the Fake News.”

    The White House is taking the same approach with the new legislation. In June 2025, the Trump administration issued a statement stating “Myth vs. Fact: The One Big Beautiful Bill” and “MYTHBUSTER: The One Big Beautiful Bill Cuts Spending, Deficit – and That’s a Fact.”

    There is already evidence that this depiction is resonating in places such as rural Nebraska, where many residents do not blame Trump for a health clinic that claims it is shutting down due to Medicaid cuts. “Anyone who’s saying that Medicaid cuts is why they’re closing is a liar,” said one woman of the clinic’s closure.

    President Donald Trump holds a rally in July 2024 in Harrisburg, Pa.
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    ‘Crushing it’ in the Golden Age

    More broadly, the MAGA faithful contend, the bill’s critics miss the bigger picture. For the most part, Trump has been “crushing it” while putting “‘W’ after ‘W’ on the board.”

    From their perspective, Trump has assembled an all-star Cabinet team that is implementing key pillars of the MAGA agenda, such as restricting immigration, blocking unfair trade and avoiding drawn-out wars.

    Trump supporters underscore the president’s accomplishments on immigration. Attempted unauthorized border crossings of migrants have plummeted in 2025, amid a rise in arrests of immigrants.

    “Our message is clear,” stated Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, “criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.”

    Gas prices are also down. Trump has followed through on his pledge to supporters to purge what he calls the deep state, by downsizing or gutting entire government departments and agencies.

    Trump has clamped down on woke universities that brainwash students, as MAGA supporters see it.

    He withheld funding from the University of Pennsylvania until it agreed to ban transgender women from playing on women’s sports teams. Trump also cut $400 million in funding for Columbia University because the administration said it did not sufficiently protect Jewish students from harassment during Palestinian rights protests.

    And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in July for his diplomatic work in the Middle East.

    Recounting Trump’s foreign policy achievements, one conservative commentator gushed that Trump “promised we would win so much we’d get tired of winning. Instead, the wins keep coming – and America isn’t tired at all.”

    Trumpism = Trump

    Yet, Trump faces challenges.

    A June 2025 KFF Health Tracking Poll found that support for the new legislation decreased when people were informed about its negative health care impact, for example.

    Republicans could also face backlash in 2028 after the full impact of the act takes effect and people lose health insurance and other public benefits.

    Regardless, I believe MAGA faithful will likely continue to support Trump.

    They may argue over parts of his bill, the airstrikes on Iran or the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

    But, in the end, they will circle the wagons around Trump for a simple reason. Trump created the MAGA movement. He dominates the Republican Party. And there is no Trumpism without Trump.

    Alex Hinton receives receives funding from the Rutgers-Newark Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race in America, Rutgers Research Council, and Henry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.

    – ref. Why do MAGA faithful support Trump if his ‘big beautiful bill’ will likely hurt many of them? – https://theconversation.com/why-do-maga-faithful-support-trump-if-his-big-beautiful-bill-will-likely-hurt-many-of-them-260766

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Afreximbank to avail $75 million to Central Bank of The Gambia in a cross-currency swap

    Source: APO

    African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has signed an agreement to avail a US$75-million five-year cross-currency swap to the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) for the financing of strategic projects undertaken in The Gambia by the Government, through the National Roads Authority (NRA).

    The agreement, signed in Abuja, Nigeria, as part of activities to mark the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM2025) held from 25 to 28 June, provides for Afreximbank to use the local currency proceeds to purchase NRA-issued bonds, which will serve as the swap securities for the transaction, to finance strategic projects undertaken by the Agency.

    Signing the agreement for Afreximbank was Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank, Afreximbank, while Mr. Buah Saidy, Governor of Central Bank of The Gambia, signed for his organisation.

    Commenting on the agreement, Mr. Elmaayergi said that the transaction reflected Afreximbank’s commitment to driving trade finance in Africa by supporting its member countries to achieve much needed liquidity to enable them finance trade-enabling infrastructure in their countries.

    “Through this facility, Afreximbank is using its resources to leverage financing to Africa by unlocking capital and creating additional capacity in support of trade transactions into Africa,” he explained. He noted that this partnership comes at a pivotal time in The Gambia’s development trajectory, as the country intensifies efforts to upgrade its transport infrastructure to meet growing trade and connectivity needs. The cross-currency swap is expected to support the construction and rehabilitation of both rural and urban road networks, reinforcing the Gambia’s commitment to building a more connected, productive and inclusive economy.

    According to him, this initiative will enable more efficient movement of goods and services, reduce travel times for commuters and businesses, and improve road safety. Over the long term, these developments will contribute to a more reliable and extensive national road network, helping to deepen regional integration, enhance agricultural and industrial output, and promote sustainable, broad-based economic growth across the country. This transaction underscores Afreximbank’s ongoing commitment to supporting African countries in mobilizing innovative financing tools to unlock development and trade potential.

    On his part, Governor Buah Saidy acknowledged the need for development financing to address supply-sided constraints to development in The Gambia.  This swap, he said “will relax the binding constraint of a challenging transport network, by enabling NRA to build many more roads that H.E. President Adama Barrow has instructed them to build to ease the movement and lives of Gambians”.

    Governor Saidy noted that the financing made available through the swap will allow NRA to build roads that will open up the economy by connecting the production areas in the rural parts of the country to the markets in the urban centres.

    CBG is a founding shareholder of Afreximbank while NRA, established in 2006, is responsible for the administration, control, construction and maintenance of all roads in The Gambia.

    Oakwood Green Africa served as transaction adviser to the NRA and CBG for the transaction, providing them guidance on the structure and facilitating the swap.

    AAM2025, which attracted an estimated 7,000 participants, including Heads of States, Prime Ministers, ministers and business leaders, from across Africa, the Caribbean and beyond, ended with the Annual General Meeting of Afreximbank Shareholders where Dr. George Elombi was appointed the incoming President of the Bank to replace Prof. Benedict Oramah whose tenure is ending after two five-year terms at the helm.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

    Media Contact:
    Vincent Musumba
    Communications and Events Manager (Media Relations)
    Email: press@afreximbank.com

    Follow on Social Media:
    X: https://apo-opa.co/4lLZIKU
    Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/4kWNH43
    LinkedIn: https://apo-opa.co/41ahgYC
    Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/3TS01HP

    About Afreximbank:
    African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2024, Afreximbank’s total assets and contingencies stood at over US$40.1 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$7.2 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa2), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB-). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its equity impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

    For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com

    Media files

    .

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Mortgage Rate and Home Price Growth Forecasts Revised Lower

    Source: Fannie Mae

    WASHINGTON, DC – Mortgage rates are expected to end 2025 and 2026 at 6.4 percent and 6.0 percent, respectively, downward revisions compared with last month’s forecast of 6.5 percent and 6.1 percent, according to the July 2025 Economic and Housing Outlook from the Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group. The ESR Group also updated its home price growth forecast this month and now projects annual home price growth, on a Q4/Q4 basis, of 2.8 percent in 2025 and 1.1 percent in 2026. These are downward revisions compared with the previously projected 4.1 percent and 2.0 percent. Total home sales are forecast at 4.85 million units in 2025 and 5.35 million units in 2026.

    Visit Fannie Mae’s Data and Insights page to read the full July 2025 Economic and Housing Outlook, including the Economic Developments Commentary, Economic Forecast, and Housing Forecast. To receive email updates with other housing market research from Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research Group, please click here.

    Opinions, analyses, estimates, forecasts, beliefs, and other views of Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group included in these materials should not be construed as indicating Fannie Mae’s business prospects or expected results, are based on assumptions, and are subject to change without notice. How this information affects Fannie Mae will depend on many factors. Although the ESR Group bases its opinions, analyses, estimates, forecasts, beliefs, and other views on information it considers reliable, it does not guarantee that the information provided in these materials is accurate, current, or suitable for any particular purpose. Changes in the assumptions or the information underlying these views could produce materially different results. The analyses, opinions, estimates, forecasts, beliefs, and other views published by the ESR Group represent the views of that group as of the date indicated and do not necessarily represent the views of Fannie Mae or its management.

    About the ESR Group
    Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research Group, led by Chief Economist Mark Palim, studies current data, analyzes historical and emerging trends, and conducts surveys of consumers and mortgage lenders to inform forecasts and analyses on the economy, housing, and mortgage markets.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EU sends firefighting planes to Cyprus

    Source: European Union 2

    The EU has mobilised 2 Canadair airplanes from the EU’s joint firefighting fleet in response to a request for assistance from Cyprus, following a major fire in its Limassol district. The EU has already responded to several wildfire emergencies in Albania and North Macedonia this summer.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Christine Lagarde, Luis de Guindos: Monetary policy statement

    Source: European Central Bank

    Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB,
    Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB

    Frankfurt am Main, 24 July 2025

    Good afternoon, the Vice-President and I welcome you to our press conference.

    The Governing Council today decided to keep the three key ECB interest rates unchanged. Inflation is currently at our two per cent medium-term target. The incoming information is broadly in line with our previous assessment of the inflation outlook. Domestic price pressures have continued to ease, with wages growing more slowly. Partly reflecting our past interest rate cuts, the economy has so far proven resilient overall in a challenging global environment. At the same time, the environment remains exceptionally uncertain, especially because of trade disputes.

    We are determined to ensure that inflation stabilises at our two per cent target in the medium term. We will follow a data-dependent and meeting-by-meeting approach to determining the appropriate monetary policy stance. In particular, our interest rate decisions will be based on our assessment of the inflation outlook and the risks surrounding it, in light of the incoming economic and financial data, as well as the dynamics of underlying inflation and the strength of monetary policy transmission. We are not pre-committing to a particular rate path.

    The decisions taken today are set out in a press release available on our website.

    I will now outline in more detail how we see the economy and inflation developing and will then explain our assessment of financial and monetary conditions.

    Economic activity

    In the first quarter the economy grew more strongly than expected. This was partly because firms frontloaded exports ahead of expected tariff hikes. But growth was also bolstered by stronger private consumption and investment.

    Recent surveys point to an overall modest expansion in both the manufacturing and services sectors. At the same time, higher actual and expected tariffs, the stronger euro and persistent geopolitical uncertainty are making firms more hesitant to invest.

    The robust labour market, rising real incomes and solid private sector balance sheets continue to support consumption. Unemployment stood at 6.3 per cent in May, close to its lowest level since the introduction of the euro. Easier financing conditions are underpinning domestic demand, including in the housing market. Over time, higher public investment in defence and infrastructure should also support growth.

    More than ever, the Governing Council considers it crucial to urgently strengthen the euro area and its economy in the present geopolitical environment. Fiscal and structural policies should make the economy more productive, competitive and resilient. Governments should prioritise growth-enhancing structural reforms and strategic investment, while ensuring sustainable public finances. It is important to complete the savings and investments union and the banking union, following a clear and ambitious timetable, and to rapidly establish the legislative framework for the potential introduction of a digital euro. The Governing Council welcomes the Eurogroup’s commitment to improve the effectiveness, quality and composition of public spending and supports the efforts by European authorities to preserve the mutual benefits of global trade.

    Inflation

    Annual inflation stood at 2.0 per cent in June, after 1.9 per cent in May. Energy prices went up in June but are still lower than a year ago. Food price inflation eased slightly to 3.1 per cent. Goods inflation edged down to 0.5 per cent in June, whereas services inflation ticked up to 3.3 per cent, from 3.2 per cent in May.

    Indicators of underlying inflation are overall consistent with our two per cent medium-term target. Labour costs have continued to moderate. Year-on-year growth in compensation per employee slowed to 3.8 per cent in the first quarter, down from 4.1 per cent in the previous quarter. Combined with stronger productivity growth, this led to slower growth in unit labour costs. Forward-looking indicators, including the ECB’s wage tracker and surveys on wage expectations of firms, consumers and professional forecasters, point to a further decline in wage growth.

    Short-term consumer inflation expectations declined in both May and June, reversing the uptick observed in previous months. Most measures of longer-term inflation expectations continue to stand at around 2 per cent, supporting the stabilisation of inflation around our target.

    Risk assessment

    Risks to economic growth remain tilted to the downside. Among the main risks are a further escalation in global trade tensions and associated uncertainties, which could dampen exports and drag down investment and consumption. A deterioration in financial market sentiment could lead to tighter financing conditions and greater risk aversion, and make firms and households less willing to invest and consume. Geopolitical tensions, such as Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine and the tragic conflict in the Middle East, remain a major source of uncertainty. By contrast, if trade and geopolitical tensions were resolved swiftly, this could lift sentiment and spur activity. Higher defence and infrastructure spending, together with productivity-enhancing reforms, would add to growth. An improvement in business confidence would also stimulate private investment.

    The outlook for inflation is more uncertain than usual, as a result of the volatile global trade policy environment. A stronger euro could bring inflation down further than expected. Moreover, inflation could turn out to be lower if higher tariffs lead to lower demand for euro area exports and induce countries with overcapacity to reroute their exports to the euro area. Trade tensions could lead to greater volatility and risk aversion in financial markets, which would weigh on domestic demand and would thereby also lower inflation. By contrast, inflation could turn out to be higher if a fragmentation of global supply chains pushed up import prices and added to capacity constraints in the domestic economy. A boost in defence and infrastructure spending could also raise inflation over the medium term. Extreme weather events, and the unfolding climate crisis more broadly, could drive up food prices by more than expected.

    Financial and monetary conditions

    Market interest rates have increased since our last meeting, especially at longer maturities. At the same time, our past interest rate cuts continue to make corporate borrowing less expensive. The average interest rate on new loans to firms declined to 3.7 per cent in May, from 3.8 per cent in April. The cost of issuing market-based debt also came down, falling to 3.6 per cent in May. While the growth rate of loans to firms moderated to 2.5 per cent in May, corporate bond issuance was stronger, growing at a rate of 3.4 per cent in annual terms.

    Credit standards for business loans were broadly unchanged in the second quarter, as reported in our latest bank lending survey for the euro area. While banks’ concerns about the economic risks faced by their customers had a tightening impact on credit standards, this was broadly offset by stronger competition among lenders. Meanwhile, firms’ demand for credit increased slightly, benefiting from lower interest rates, but they remained cautious because of global uncertainty and trade tensions.

    The average interest rate on new mortgages has barely changed since the start of the year and stood at 3.3 per cent in May. Growth in mortgage lending edged up to 2.0 per cent in May, in the context of a strong increase in demand, while credit standards tightened slightly in the second quarter.

    Conclusion

    The Governing Council today decided to keep the three key ECB interest rates unchanged. We are determined to ensure that inflation stabilises at our two per cent target in the medium term. We will follow a data-dependent and meeting-by-meeting approach to determining the appropriate monetary policy stance. Our interest rate decisions will be based on our assessment of the inflation outlook and the risks surrounding it, in light of the incoming economic and financial data, as well as the dynamics of underlying inflation and the strength of monetary policy transmission. We are not pre-committing to a particular rate path.

    In any case, we stand ready to adjust all of our instruments within our mandate to ensure that inflation stabilises sustainably at our medium-term target and to preserve the smooth functioning of monetary policy transmission.

    We are now ready to take your questions.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Understanding the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Understanding the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill

    This factsheet aims to help immigration advisers and organisations understand the proposed powers and prepare for upcoming changes.

    The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) has published a factsheet to help immigration advisers and organisations understand the proposed changes under the UK Government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill 2025.

    The factsheet provides a clear summary of the new powers for the IAA being introduced by the Bill and explains what they could mean for advisers and organisations, their clients, and the wider immigration advice sector.

    The Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, aims to strengthen the UK’s border controls and improve the efficiency of immigration enforcement. It introduces new provisions related to entry and detention, digital documentation, enforcement powers, and penalties for non-compliance with immigration rules.

    Key topics covered in the factsheet include:

    • overview of the proposed new enforcement powers for the IAA
    • public engagement
    • impact on vulnerable groups and small businesses
    • support for advisers and organisations

    Heather Laing, Chief Executive, said:

    We know advisers and organisations are working hard to support people navigating the immigration system. With new legislation on the horizon, it’s vital that the sector is equipped with accurate, timely information.

    This fact sheet is part of our commitment to supporting advisers, so that they can give high-quality, informed immigration advice.

    The IAA will continue to monitor the progress of the Bill and provide updates as more details become available. We encourage all registered advisers and stakeholders to read the fact sheet and share it within their networks.

    Read the factsheet

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Business leaders welcome the UK-India Free Trade Agreement

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Business leaders welcome the UK-India Free Trade Agreement

    Business leaders have strongly welcomed the signing of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement.

    Business leaders have strongly welcomed the signing of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement, as Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds and India’s Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, signed the landmark trade deal.

    The £4.8bn trade deal will unlock economic growth for each region and nation of the UK, and is widely backed by large and small businesses across aerospace, financial and professional services, food and drink, and the automotive sector.

    Business Groups  

    Rain Newton-Smith, CEO, CBI said: 

    In an era of rising protectionism, today’s announcement sends a powerful signal that the UK is open for business and remains resolute in its commitment to free and fair trade.  

    A trade agreement with India – one of the world’s fastest-growing economies – is a springboard for long-term partnership and prosperity. UK firms can take advantage of this new platform to scale, diversify and compete on the global stage.  

    The CBI looks forward to working closely alongside the Confederation of Indian Industry to turn ambition into action and negotiation into real-world impact. Ensuring this agreement delivers tangible benefits for businesses on both sides will be critical to meeting the UK’s growth ambitions.

    William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said: 

    The signing of this agreement is a clear signal of the UK’s continuing commitment to free and fair trade. It will open a new era for our businesses and boost investment between two of the world’s largest economies.    

    Currently around 16,000 UK companies are trading goods with Indian companies, and there is high interest in our Chamber Network to grow that.  This deal will create new opportunities in the transport, travel, creative and business support sectors alongside traditional strengths in finance and professional services.

    Policy Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Tina McKenzie, said: 

    India is the fourth largest economy in the world, and today’s trade deal provides exciting growth potential for UK small businesses. 

    Already one-in-seven (14%) of our members who export have India among their overseas markets, and this deal opens the way for that number to grow. It’s welcome that the agreement includes a specific small business chapter. 

    Encouraging more small firms to trade internationally, and making it easier for those who already do to increase their international trade, is an important flank in the quest for economic growth. Reducing barriers is key to achieving that.

    Richard Heald OBE, Chair, UK-India Business Council, said:  

    The UK-India FTA marks a historic milestone in the bilateral relationship.

    Businesses across both countries have long called for an agreement that reduces barriers, enhances market access, and creates a clear framework for long-term, sustainable growth. We congratulate both governments for their commitment and ambition in bringing this complex negotiation to fruition. Success in the FTA will support further economic growth for the world’s 5th and 6th largest economies. It will catalyse collaboration into other areas too.

    Aerospace  

    Tufan Erginbiligic, Rolls-Royce CEO, said: 

    India is an important market for our business, with over 90 years of partnership with Indian industry and the Indian Government.

    We welcome the provisions in this Free Trade Agreement, including those that bring closer alignment with international standards for trade in civil aerospace.

    These agreements will benefit Rolls-Royce and our customers, paving the way for future aerospace growth in India.

    Financial and professional services 

    Ian Stuart, CEO of HSBC UK, said: 

    Today’s signing of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement marks an important milestone for both countries.

    This is a vibrant and fast-growing corridor and will bring huge opportunities for both British and Indian businesses as they seek to grow internationally.  

    As the world’s largest trade bank with deep roots in both countries, we look forward to supporting our clients to take advantage of the full benefits of this historic agreement. 

    Bill Winters CBE, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered and Co-Chair of the UK-India Financial Partnership, said: 

    This landmark agreement between the UK and India – two of the world’s largest and most dynamic economies – is a tremendous achievement.

    It will drive greater innovation, unlock growth, and build prosperity across this long-established corridor of trade, capital and investment.

    As one of the largest and oldest international banks in India, we welcome the certainty the FTA provides for UK services and the meaningful opportunities that lower tariffs will create for businesses large and small in both markets.

    Rohan Malik, EY EMEIA and UK & Ireland Government & Public Sector Managing Partner, said:   

    Over the past decade, total trade value between the UK and India has more than doubled from £16.6bn to £40bn and this agreement will further strengthen the flourishing economic relationship between the two countries. 

    Enhanced access to one of the world’s largest markets should offer considerable advantages for financial and professional services businesses, unlocking commercial opportunities and supporting growth across two strategically significant sectors of the UK economy.

    Adam Gagen, Global Head of Government Affairs at Revolut, said:  

    As a UK fintech with significant business in India, we welcome the announcement of this UK-India FTA.

    It is an important partnership to bring these two vital economies closer together and to foster improved trade links, better investment flows and more jobs.

    Revolut looks forward to working with the UK Government to maximise the value of this FTA and we strongly congratulate the hard work of DBT for getting this over the line.

    Nicola Watkinson, Managing Director for International, TheCityUK, said:  

    India is a market with huge growth potential and a strong FTA between our two markets will open up valuable new trade and investment opportunities for UK businesses.

    The UK financial and related professional services industry is well placed to support India’s growth ambitions through the provision of services in areas such as green finance, risk management and capital market development, as well as benefit from India’s digital innovations.

    We welcome the formal signing of the FTA and look forward to continuing to build on its foundations to forge a strong and lasting partnership with India.

    Automotives  

    Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said:  

    The UK-India trade agreement represents a significant achievement, partially liberalising the Indian automotive market for the first time.

    While the highly complex deal confirms some compromises, its entry into force will provide commercial opportunities for UK manufacturers who will be able to access vastly reduced tariffs on internal combustion vehicles from day one, and on electrified vehicles and parts in the longer term.

    To ensure maximum and timely benefit, we now need rapid ratification and renewed efforts to agree fair and workable solutions on tariff-rate-quotas administration.

    A JLR spokesperson said:  

    We welcome this free trade agreement between the UK and India, which over time will deliver reduced tariff access to the Indian car market for JLR’s luxury vehicles.

    India is an important market for our British built products and represents significant future growth opportunities.

    Food and drink 

    Nik Jhangiani, Interim Chief Executive, Diageo, said: 

    This agreement marks a great moment for both Scotch and Scotland, and we’ll be raising a glass of Johnnie Walker to all those who have worked so hard to get it secured. 

    Jean-Etienne Gourgues, Chivas Brothers Chairman and CEO, said: 

    Signature of the UK-India FTA is a sign of hope in challenging times for the spirits industry. 

    India is the world’s biggest whisky market by volume and greater access will be an eventual game changer for the export of our Scotch whisky brands, such as Chivas Regal and Ballantine’s.

    The deal will support long term investment and jobs in our distilleries in Speyside and our bottling plant at Kilmalid and help deliver growth in both Scotland and India over the next decade.

    Let’s hope that both governments will move quickly to ratification so business can get to work implementing the deal!

    Mark Kent, Chief Executive of the SWA said:  

    The Scotch Whisky industry has long championed a free trade agreement between the UK and India.

    The signing of the FTA is an historic moment and is an important milestone to reducing tariffs on Scotch Whisky in a growing market.

    This will contribute to the government’s growth objective, by laying the foundations for further investment and jobs.

    George Hyde, Head of Trade, The Food and Drink Federation: 

    We’re pleased to see the details of the new Free Trade Agreement with India, with tariffs for iconic British products, including chocolate, breakfast cereals and biscuits set to be phased out over the next decade.

    We also welcome that this agreement protects the UK’s sugar and rice milling sectors, reflecting the vital role these industries play in boosting local economies. 

    With exports of UK food and drink to India already worth nearly £300 million annually, improved access to this growing market will help strengthen the competitiveness of our sector and help future-proof the nation’s food security.

    We look forward to working with government to help businesses make the most of this opportunity.

    Nick Spencer, Export and Travel Retail Manager at Southwestern Distillery Ltd, said: 

    There are tremendous hurdles for UK spirits producers in terms of entering and succeeding in the Indian market.

    The extremely high import tariffs are probably the most significant barrier to entry we have experienced anywhere internationally.

    The FTA is a fabulous step forward. Since its announcement, we have already received significant new interest from Indian importers and the prospect of success in the Indian market now looks much brighter.

    Stephen Davies, Chief Executive of Penderyn Distillery, said:  

    We are developing our business and brand awareness in both domestic and travel retail sectors in India. It’s an exciting and developing market for us.

    The agreement to reduce tariffs will provide a better platform for us and our industry to develop links and build business over the next five years.

    These are exciting times. 

    Medtech  

    Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, said:  

    The UK-India Free Trade Agreement is more than a policy document it’s a foundation for action. 

    India’s deep scientific talent, clear ambition and growing global influence make it one of the most exciting places in the world to build long-term partnerships in science and healthcare.

    And this moment, with the FTA in place, gives companies like ours the confidence to invest, to scale and to co-create in ways that weren’t possible before.

    Deepak Nath, Chief Executive Officer, Smith+Nephew, said: 

    Given the size of the Indian economy and its healthcare system, India is an important location for Smith+Nephew. The Free Trade Agreement offers the potential to build trading links in the healthcare sector. 

    We hope that the Free Trade Agreement will enable Smith+Nephew’s innovative medical technologies to support more healthcare professionals to return their patients to health and mobility.

    Philip McKee, Sales Manager at Biopanda, a Belfast-based medtech manufacturer which exports in vitro test kits for clinical laboratories, veterinary practice, and food safety laboratories, said:   

    Biopanda have been supplying a range of diagnostic products to the Indian market throughout the past ten years. We value the business we have done already throughout India and with the introduction of the UK-India FTA this should benefit in increased trade with the removal of export barriers.  

    This will hopefully increase the market access, allowing our distributors throughout India to provide a larger range of our highly accurate clinical diagnostic products at a lower price to the consumer. 

    Manufacturing 

    Graeme Macdonald, JCB Chief Executive, said:  

    India is a great country in which to do business. JCB has been manufacturing machines there since 1979. So, we know India very well and the opportunity for British businesses in that huge market is significant.  

    It’s the fifth largest economy in the world and is tipped to become the third largest by 2028. This Free Trade Agreement should give British businesses the confidence they need to enter the market, trade more easily and benefit from the massive opportunity.

    Professor Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE, Chairman Coltraco Ultrasonics Limited & Director-General The Durham Institute of Research, Development & Invention, said: 

    Coltraco Ultrasonics is strongly supportive of the India FTA Trade Agreement and proud to have modestly contributed to and advising the British negotiating team on various chapters. 

    The UK private sector can now, because of the India FTA, the Windsor Framework CPTPP, and a variety of other UK FTAs, look out to the world, balancing our exporting and investment opportunities between the USA, the EU and Asia Pacific. 

    It is a tremendous success and we thank British and Indian Civil Servants for their public service in the UK-India FTA.

    Mark Ridgway OBE DL, CEO of Rhodes Group, said: 

    As a manufacturer of advanced metalforming machinery used in the forming and lightweighting of aircraft, India is a strong market for Group Rhodes and offers significant growth potential. The recent UK-India trade deal not only sets the scene for reduced tariffs on machinery but also serves to both enhance our competitiveness as a UK exporter and reduce the complexity of trade with this fast-growing market. 

    Importantly, the UK-India FTA recognises UK origin content of at least 20% as qualification as a ‘local supplier’ in India. This provides equal treatment in the Indian government procurement process and the opportunity for Group Rhodes to build on its existence reference sites within the Indian aerospace sector.

    Idir Boudaoud, Founder and CEO at Sensoteq, said: 

    India is a key growth market for Sensoteq — its vast and rapidly evolving manufacturing sector aligns perfectly with our mission to improve machine reliability through smarter monitoring. This trade deal is a real breakthrough for us. 

    Simplified and transparent customs procedures, modernised rules of origin, and stronger IP protections mean we can enter the market with greater speed, confidence, and security. 

    This agreement gives businesses like ours the access and assurance needed to thrive in one of the world’s most important industrial markets.

    William Crawford, Director of Concrete Canvas Ltd, said:  

    India is a dynamic and vibrant economy and an increasingly important market for Concrete Canvas products. A UK-India FTA will help to accelerate our plans for growth by reducing trade barriers and making us more competitive. 

    This is welcome news for both UK and Indian businesses!

    Creative Industries 

    Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, said: 

    India continues to be incredibly important to the Premier League and our clubs. It is a vibrant country that presents exciting opportunities and significant potential. The opening of our office in Mumbai earlier this year was a significant milestone for the Premier League, demonstrating our commitment to build on longstanding work to engage local fans, develop grassroots and elite football and further promote the game in India.   

    The continued growth of the Premier League and UK businesses in India will have a positive impact on our domestic economy. We welcome the signing of this new trade deal which will support UK businesses operating in India.

    Richard Pring, Co-Founder at Wales Interactive, said: 

    The UK-India Free Trade Agreement has the potential to strengthen creative partnerships and streamline production across borders. With India’s vast film and television industry, it creates new opportunities for studios like ours to collaborate with international talent and share our interactive stories and games with even wider audiences. 

    Digital and Tech 

    Simon Hansford, Chief Commercial Officer at Civo, a cloud provider founded in Hertfordshire, said:  

    The UK-India trade deal is a game-changer for UK businesses. Significant tariff reductions on our exports will mean our products can be more competitive and accessible in India’s rapidly growing market. Guaranteed access to India’s public procurement market and simplified customs processes could be transformational for many.  

    This deal offers substantial benefits, boosting confidence and creating new avenues for growth in areas that were previously challenging to navigate, making it easier for UK SMEs to trade and thrive internationally.

    Clean Energy  

    Neil Spann, CEO of Power Roll, said: 

    As a UK clean energy company committed to fostering global impact, the UK-India trade agreement marks a significant milestone for us.  It lowers barriers to entry and enhances our ability to collaborate with Indian partners in one of the world’s most dynamic renewable energy markets. India’s ambitious solar targets and drive for domestic innovation align perfectly with our flexible solar technology and long-term growth strategy.  

    As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and a key player in the global renewable energy transition, India presents a major opportunity for UK clean energy technology. This trade deal enables us to position UK flexible solar as a key solution to India’s energy goals. We are excited to continue to build upon our existing relationships with valued collaborators by expanding our presence in India following a successful visit earlier this year.

    Transport 

    Chris Woodroofe, Manchester Airport Managing Director, said:  

    We are proud this new route with IndiGo will deliver growth here in the North, and for the UK as a whole. 

    Boosted by the new UK-India FTA, the direct connectivity it provides will unlock opportunities for the region’s businesses to trade with India and will facilitate investment into the UK. 

    That will help turbo charge the Government’s Industrial Strategy by boosting innovation and productivity in the sectors that will sit at the heart of the country’s future prosperity.

    Textiles  

    Bill Leach, Global Sales Director, John Smedley Ltd, said: 

    India is one of the fastest growing luxury markets in the world, and we are very excited about the UK- India Free Trade Agreement coming to fruition. 

    John Smedley knitwear is already sold in over 50 countries around the world, and now that the FTA has been signed, we shall very much look forward to ensuring that an ever-increasing number of discerning luxury consumers in India will enjoy greater access to The World’s Finest Knitwear. 

    We are thankful to DBT for their significant efforts in bringing this FTA to successful conclusion.

    Cosmetics 

    Dr Emma Meredith OBE, Director-General, CTPA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association), said:  

    The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) represents a significant opportunity for the cosmetics and personal care industry.  Tariff reduction and the commitments to ongoing cooperation will enhance market access and create new opportunities for growth for UK brands and manufacturers.  CTPA welcomes the strengthening of the bilateral ties through the negotiation process, a great first step in the delivery of substantial benefits for our sector.

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Hajdu represents Canada at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

    Source: Government of Canada News

    July 24, 2025                    New York City, New York                  Employment and Social Development Canada

    The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, concluded a series of engagements at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York City from July 21 to 23, 2025. The Forum is an opportunity for UN countries to gather and discuss progress made toward the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals are a collective call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and build a just, peaceful and inclusive world for all. 

    Minister Hajdu presented Canada’s National Statement on the SDGs, reaffirming our country’s work towards international collaboration and in advancing the 2030 Agenda. Minister Hajdu emphasized our collective duty to work with national and international partners to drive meaningful change and build a more peaceful, inclusive and prosperous world, for the next generations. 

    On July 22, Minister Hajdu participated in the High-Level Dialogue on Adequate Housing for All, alongside Bob Rae, Canada’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, in his capacity as President of the UN Economic and Social Council. This session highlighted Canada’s focus on housing as a key strategy for reducing poverty, promoting equity, and fostering an inclusive society.

    On the Forum’s final day, Minister Hajdu hosted Canada’s official side event on inclusive and sustainable jobs. This event brought together diverse stakeholders to explore how digital education, disability inclusion, and private sector engagement can help build more inclusive economies. 

    While at the UN, Minister Hajdu and Alexei Buzu, Minister of Labour and Social Protection for the Republic of Moldova, also signed a Declaration of Intent to establish a Canada-Moldova Social Security Agreement. This marks a key step in strengthening bilateral ties and advancing shared goals of inclusion, equity and resilience.

    Canada is focused on advancing the 2030 Agenda both domestically and internationally. While the Government of Canada leads this initiative, partnerships with other orders of government, stakeholders, Indigenous Peoples, and the public are crucial for our collective success.   

    MIL OSI Canada News –