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  • MIL-OSI Global: Golden Dome dangers: An arms control expert explains how Trump’s missile defense threatens to make the US less safe

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Matthew Bunn, Professor of the Practice of Energy, National Security, and Foreign Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

    President Donald Trump has grandiose plans for Golden Dome. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    President Donald Trump’s idea of a “Golden Dome” missile defense system carries a range of potential strategic dangers for the United States.

    Golden Dome is meant to protect the U.S. from ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles, and missiles launched from space. Trump has called for the missile defense to be fully operational before the end of his term in three years.

    Trump’s goals for Golden Dome are likely beyond reach. A wide range of studies makes clear that even defenses far more limited than what Trump envisions would be far more expensive and less effective than Trump expects, especially against enemy missiles equipped with modern countermeasures. Countermeasures include multiple warheads per missile, decoy warheads and warheads that can maneuver or are difficult to track, among others.

    Regardless of Golden Dome’s feasibility, there is a long history of scholarship about strategic missile defenses, and the weight of evidence points to the defenses making their host country less safe from nuclear attack.

    I’m a national security and foreign policy professor at Harvard University, where I lead “Managing the Atom,” the university’s main research group on nuclear weapons and nuclear energy policies. For decades, I’ve been participating in dialogues with Russian and Chinese nuclear experts – and their fears about U.S. missile defenses have been a consistent theme throughout.

    Russian President Vladmir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have already warned that Golden Dome is destabilizing. Along with U.S. offensive capabilities, Golden Dome poses a threat of “directly undermining global strategic stability, spurring an arms race and increasing conflict potential both among nuclear-weapon states and in the international arena as a whole,” a joint statement from China and Russia said. While that is a propaganda statement, it reflects real concerns broadly held in both countries.

    Golden Dome explained.

    History lessons

    Experience going back half a century makes clear that if the administration pursues Golden Dome, it is likely to provoke even larger arms buildups, derail already-dim prospects for any negotiated nuclear arms restraint, and perhaps even increase the chances of nuclear war.

    My first book, 35 years ago, made the case that it would be in the U.S. national security interest to remain within the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which strictly limited U.S. and Soviet – and later Russian – missile defenses. The United States and the Soviet Union negotiated the ABM Treaty as part of SALT I, the first agreements limiting the nuclear arms race. It was approved in the Senate 98-2.

    The ABM Treaty experience is instructive for the implications of Golden Dome today.

    Why did the two countries agree to limit defenses? First and foremost, because they understood that unless each side’s defenses were limited, they would not be able to stop an offensive nuclear arms race. If each side wants to maintain the ability to retaliate if the other attacks – “don’t nuke me, or I’ll nuke you” – then an obvious answer to one side building up more defenses is for the other to build up more nuclear warheads.

    For example, in the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviets installed 100 interceptors to defend Moscow – so the United States targeted still more warheads on Moscow to overwhelm the defense. Had it ever come to a nuclear war, Moscow would have been even more thoroughly obliterated than if there had been no defense at all. Both sides came to realize that unlimited missile defenses would just mean more offense on both sides, leaving both less secure than before.

    In addition, nations viewed an adversary’s shield as going hand in hand with a nuclear sword. A nuclear first strike might destroy a major part of a country’s nuclear forces. Missile defenses would inevitably be more effective against the reduced, disorganized retaliation that they knew would be coming than they would be against a massive, well-planned surprise attack. That potential advantage to whoever struck first could make nuclear crises even more dangerous.

    Post-ABM Treaty world

    Unfortunately, President George W. Bush pulled the United States out of the ABM Treaty in 2002, seeking to free U.S. development of defenses against potential missile attacks from small states such as North Korea. But even now, decades later, the U.S. has fewer missile interceptors deployed (44) than the treaty permitted (100).

    The U.S. pullout did not lead to an immediate arms buildup or the end of nuclear arms control. But Putin has complained bitterly about U.S. missile defenses and the U.S. refusal to accept any limitation at all on them. He views the U.S. stance as an effort to achieve military superiority by negating Russia’s nuclear deterrent.

    Russia is investing heavily in new types of strategic nuclear weapons intended to avoid U.S. missile defenses, from an intercontinental nuclear torpedo to a missile that can go around the world and attack from the south, while U.S. defenses are mainly pointed north toward Russia.

    Russia maintains a large force of nuclear weapons like this mobile intercontinental ballistic missile.
    Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via APPEAR

    Similarly, much of China’s nuclear buildup appears to be driven by wanting a reliable nuclear deterrent in the face of the United States’ capability to strike its nuclear forces and use missile defenses to mop up the remainder. Indeed, China was so angered by South Korea’s deployment of U.S.-provided regional defenses – which they saw as aiding the U.S. ability to intercept their missiles – that they imposed stiff sanctions on South Korea.

    Fuel to the fire

    Now, Trump wants to go much further, with a defense “forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland,” with a success rate “very close to 100%.” I believe that this effort is highly likely to lead to still larger nuclear buildups in Russia and China. The Putin-Xi joint statement pledges to “counter” defenses “aimed at achieving military superiority.”

    Given the ease of developing countermeasures that are extraordinarily difficult for defenses to overcome, odds are the resulting offense-defense competition will leave the United States worse off than before – and a good bit poorer.

    Putin and Xi made clear that they are particularly concerned about the thousands of space-based interceptors Trump envisions. These interceptors are designed to hit missiles while their rockets are still burning during launch.

    Most countries are likely to oppose the idea of deploying huge numbers of weapons in space – and these interceptors would be both expensive and vulnerable. China and Russia could focus on further developing anti-satellite weapons to blow a hole in the defense, increasing the risk of space war.

    Already, there is a real danger that the whole effort of negotiated limits to temper nuclear arms racing may be coming to an end. The last remaining treaty limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear forces, the New START Treaty, expires in February 2026. China’s rapid nuclear buildup is making many defense officials and experts in Washington call for a U.S. buildup in response.

    Intense hostility all around means that for now, neither Russia nor China is even willing to sit down to discuss nuclear restraints, in treaty form or otherwise.

    A way forward

    In my view, adding Golden Dome to this combustible mix would likely end any prospect of avoiding a future of unrestrained and unpredictable nuclear arms competition. But paths away from these dangers are available.

    It would be quite plausible to design defenses that would provide some protection against attacks from a handful of missiles from North Korea or others that would not seriously threaten Russian or Chinese deterrent forces – and design restraints that would allow all parties to plan their offensive forces knowing what missile defenses they would be facing in the years to come.

    I believe that Trump should temper his Golden Dome ambitions to achieve his other dream – of negotiating a deal to reduce nuclear dangers.

    Matthew Bunn is a member of the National Academies Committee on International Security and Arms Control and a board member of the Arms Control Association. He is a member of the Academic Alliance of the United States Strategic Command and a consultant to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

    – ref. Golden Dome dangers: An arms control expert explains how Trump’s missile defense threatens to make the US less safe – https://theconversation.com/golden-dome-dangers-an-arms-control-expert-explains-how-trumps-missile-defense-threatens-to-make-the-us-less-safe-258048

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Beyond de-extinction and dire wolves, gene editing can help today’s endangered species

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alex Erwin, Assistant Professor of Law, Florida International University

    Only a few hundred red wolves still exist, most in captivity. JeffGoulden/E+ via Getty Images

    Have you been hearing about the dire wolf lately? Maybe you saw a massive white wolf on the cover of Time magazine or a photo of “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin holding a puppy named after a character from his books.

    The dire wolf, a large, wolflike species that went extinct about 12,000 years ago, has been in the news after biotech company Colossal claimed to have resurrected it using cloning and gene-editing technologies. Colossal calls itself a “de-extinction” company. The very concept of de-extinction is a lightning rod for criticism. There are broad accusations of playing God or messing with nature, as well as more focused objections that contemporary de-extinction tools create poor imitations rather than truly resurrected species.

    While the biological and philosophical debates are interesting, the legal ramifications for endangered species conservation are of paramount importance. As a legal scholar with a Ph.D. in wildlife genetics, my work focuses on how we legally define the term “endangered species.” The use of biotechnology for conservation, whether for de-extinction or genetic augmentation of existing species, promises solutions to otherwise intractable problems. But it needs to work in harmony with both the letter and purpose of the laws governing biodiversity conservation.

    All that’s left of dire wolves today are bones, like these skulls on display in a museum.
    Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

    Of dire wolves and de-extinction

    What did Colossal actually do? Scientists extracted and sequenced DNA from Ice Age-era bones to understand the genetic makeup of the dire wolf. They were able to piece together around 90% of a complete dire wolf genome. While the gray wolf and the dire wolf are separated by a few million years of evolution, they share over 99.5% of their genomes.

    The scientists scanned the recovered dire wolf sequences for specific genes that they believed were responsible for the physical and ecological differences between dire wolves and other species of canids, including genes related to body size and coat color. CRISPR gene-editing technology allows scientists to make specific changes in the DNA of an organism. The Colossal team used CRISPR to make 20 changes in 14 different genes in a modern gray wolf cell before implanting the embryo into a surrogate mother.

    While the technology on display is marvelous, what should we call the resulting animals? Some commentators argue that the animals are just modified gray wolves. They point out that it would take far more than 20 edits to bridge the gap left by millions of years of evolution. For instance, that 0.5% of the genome that doesn’t match in the two species represents over 12 million base pair differences.

    More philosophically, perhaps, other skeptics argue that a species is more than a collection of genes devoid of environmental, ecological or evolutionary context.

    Colossal, on the other hand, maintains that it is in the “functional de-extinction” game. The company acknowledges it isn’t making a perfect dire wolf copy. Instead it wants to recreate something that looks and acts like the dire wolf of old. It prefers the “if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck” school of speciation.

    Disagreements about taxonomy – the science of naming and categorizing living organisms – are as old as the field itself. Biologists are notorious for failing to adopt a single clear definition of “species,” and there are dozens of competing definitions in the biological literature.

    Biologists can afford to be flexible and imprecise when the stakes are merely a conversational misunderstanding. Lawyers and policymakers, on the other hand, do not have that luxury.

    President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act in December 1973.
    Associated Press

    Deciding what counts as an endangered ‘species’

    In the United States, the Endangered Species Act is the main tool for protecting biodiversity.

    To be protected by the act, an organism must be a member of an endangered or threatened species. Some of the most contentious ESA issues are definitional, such as whether the listed species is a valid “species” and whether individual organisms, especially hybrids, are members of the listed species.

    Colossal’s functional species concept is anathema to the Endangered Species Act. It shrinks the value of a species down to the way it looks or the way it functions. When passing the act, however, Congress made clear that species were to be valued for their “aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people.” In my view, the myopic focus on function seems to miss the point.

    Despite its insistence otherwise, Colossal’s definitional sleight of hand has opened the door to arguments that people should reduce conservation funding or protections for currently imperiled species. Why spend the money to protect a critter and its habitat when, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, you can just “pick your favorite species and call up Colossal”?

    Putting biotechnology to work for conservation

    Biotechnology can provide real conservation benefits for today’s endangered species. I suggest gene editing’s real value is not in recreating facsimiles of long-extinct species like dire wolves, but instead using it to recover ones in trouble now.

    Projects, by both Colossal and other groups, are underway around the world to help endangered species develop disease resistance or evolve to tolerate a warmer world. Other projects use gene editing to reintroduce genetic variation into populations where genetic diversity has been lost.

    For example, Colossal has also announced that it has cloned a red wolf. Unlike the dire wolf, the red wolf is not extinct, though it came extremely close. After decades of conservation efforts, there are about a dozen red wolves in the wild in the reintroduced population in eastern North Carolina, as well as a few hundred red wolves in captivity.

    Most of the tiny population of red wolves live in captivity.
    Cornell Watson for The Washington Post via Getty Images

    The entire population of red wolves, both wild and captive, descends from merely 14 founders of the captive breeding program. This limited heritage means the species has lost a significant amount of the genetic diversity that would help it continue to evolve and adapt.

    In order to reintroduce some of that missing genetic diversity, you’d need to find genetic material from red wolves outside the managed population. Right now that would require stored tissue samples from animals that lived before the captive breeding program was established or rediscovering a “lost” population in the wild.

    Recently, researchers discovered that coyotes along the Texas Gulf Coast possess a sizable percentage of red wolf-derived DNA in their genomes. Hybridization between coyotes and red wolves is both a threat to red wolves and a natural part of their evolutionary history, complicating management. The red wolf genes found within these coyotes do present a possible source of genetic material that biotechnology could harness to help the captive breeding population if the legal hurdles can be managed.

    This coyote population was Colossal’s source for its cloned “ghost” red wolf. Even this announcement is marred by definitional confusion. Due to its hybrid nature, the animal Colossal cloned is likely not legally considered a red wolf at all.

    Under the Endangered Species Act, hybrid organisms are typically not protected. So by cloning one of these animals, Colossal likely sidestepped the need for ESA permits. It will almost certainly run into resistance if it attempts to breed these “ghost wolves” into the current red wolf captive breeding program that has spent decades trying to minimize hybridization. How much to value genetic “purity” versus genetic diversity in managed species still proves an extraordinarily difficult question, even without the legal uncertainty.

    Biotechnology could never solve every conservation problem – especially habitat destruction. The ability to make “functional” copies of a species certainly does not lessen the urgency to respond to biodiversity loss, nor does it reduce human beings’ moral culpability. But to adequately respond to the ever-worsening biodiversity crisis, conservationists will need all available tools.

    Alex Erwin 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. Beyond de-extinction and dire wolves, gene editing can help today’s endangered species – https://theconversation.com/beyond-de-extinction-and-dire-wolves-gene-editing-can-help-todays-endangered-species-254670

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: CERo Therapeutics, Inc. Announces Option Exercise for Additional Series D Financing

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERO) (“CERo”), an innovative immunotherapy company seeking to advance the next generation of engineered T cell therapeutics that employ phagocytic mechanisms, announces that the Company has issued additional shares of its Series D Preferred Stock to certain institutional investors (the “Investors”) pursuant to the securities purchase agreement previously entered into by and between the Company and such Investors on April 22, 2025 with respect to the issuance of shares of Series D Preferred Stock for an aggregate purchase price of up to $8 million, including $5 million previously issued in April 2025 and up to $3 million issuable at the option of the Investors. The shares of Series D Preferred Stock are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock.

    “We welcome this vote of confidence and the continued support of our investors as we continue to show progress along our clinical timeline. The completion of our first-in-human dosing represents a significant clinical development milestone in AML for CER-1236, a novel autologous CAR-T therapeutic candidate targeting TIM 4L, and we will continue to communicate results as the data matures,” said Chris Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer.

    The gross proceeds to CERo from today’s closing are expected to be approximately $750,000, with up to $2.25 million of cash that may be funded at one or more additional closings, at the election of the Investors.  CERo intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to take advantage of the two recent FDA IND allowances in liquid and solid tumors and complete the previously announced site activation at MDACC, as well as bring other sites online quickly. 

    This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. 

    About CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.

    CERo is an innovative immunotherapy company advancing the development of next generation engineered T cell therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Its proprietary approach to T cell engineering, which enables it to integrate certain desirable characteristics of both innate and adaptive immunity into a single therapeutic construct, is designed to engage the body’s full immune repertoire to achieve optimized cancer therapy. This novel cellular immunotherapy platform is expected to redirect patient-derived T cells to eliminate tumors by building in engulfment pathways that employ phagocytic mechanisms to destroy cancer cells, creating what CERo refers to as Chimeric Engulfment Receptor T cells (“CER-T”). CERo believes the differentiated activity of CER-T cells will afford them greater therapeutic application than currently approved chimeric antigen receptor (“CAR-T”) cell therapy, as the use of CER-T may potentially span both hematological malignancies and solid tumors. In April 2025, CERo  initiated clinical trials for its lead product candidate, CER-1236,for hematological malignancies.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This communication contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements regarding the financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations of CERo. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements, and are not guarantees of performance. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this communication, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strive,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. When CERo discusses its strategies or plans, it is making projections, forecasts or forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the beliefs of, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to, CERo’s management.

    Actual results could differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements in this communication. Certain risks that could cause actual results to differ are set forth in CERo’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on April 15, 2025, and the documents incorporated by reference therein. The risks described in CERo’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are not exhaustive. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all such risk factors, nor can CERo assess the impact of all such risk factors on its business, or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. You should not put undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements made by CERo or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. CERo undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

    Contact:
    Chris Ehrlich
    Chief Executive Officer
    chris@cero.bio

    Investors:
    CORE IR
    investors@cero.bio

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Ghana Gold Board Reports $4 Billion in Revenue from Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) Sector in Four-Month Period

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 6, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Ghana purchased and exported $4 billion worth of gold from the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector between February and May 2025, according to Sammy Gyamfi, Managing Director, Ghana Gold Board.

    Speaking at the Mining in Motion 2025 Summit on Tuesday, Gyamfi said gold purchasing and exportation was made through the newly established Ghana Gold Board, aimed at curbing illicit gold trading in Ghana.

    “Gold exports from ASM players have exceeded exports from the large-scale sector for the first time. Total gold exported from the ASM sector between February and May reached a new record of 41 tons,” he stated.

    According to Gyamfi, the milestone has increased foreign currency contributed by the ASM sector for the government with in May 2025 alone the sector producing and exporting 11 tons of gold worth up to $1,172 billion in export revenue.

    “The data shows the potential of the ASM if properly annexed,” he added.

    He also announced various upcoming initiatives aimed at empowering the ASM sector and its contribution gold sector expansion while addressing illicit mining. These include launching an ASM skills training program in September 2025 and investments in the Community Mining Scheme operated by the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources.

    The Ghana Gold Board will also launch an Anti-Smuggling Taskforce to address illicit export of gold and a gold tokenization facility to maximize traceability of Ghanaian resources.

    The board also plans to establish an international standardization facility in the country by 2026 to ensure responsible sourcing and sustainability across the entire gold value chain.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Hong Kong: New charges against Joshua Wong designed to prolong his stay behind bars – Amnesty International

    Source: Amnesty International

    Responding to jailed Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong being newly charged with “conspiring to collude with foreign forces” under the city’s National Security Law, Amnesty International’s China Director Sarah Brooks said:

    “Hong Kong’s National Security Law may be turning five years old at the end of the month, and these new charges against Joshua Wong show that its capacity to be used by the Hong Kong authorities to threaten human rights in the city is as potent and present as ever.

    “Once again, the vague and sweeping offence of ‘collusion with foreign forces’ is being weaponized to justify an attack on the freedoms of expression and association.

    “Wong, already jailed for his participation in informal primaries, would have been released in a year and a half. But if this case goes forward, he could face as much as a life sentence.

    “This latest charge against him underscores the authorities’ fear of prominent dissidents and shows the lengths they will go to keep them behind bars for as long as possible – in so doing, continuing a chilling effect on civic activism in the city. The Hong Kong government must drop these charges and cease enforcing the National Security Law immediately, as called for by UN bodies. All people jailed simply for exercising their human rights must be set free.”

    Background

    Joshua Wong was on Friday charged with conspiring to collude with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s Beijing-imposed National Security Law.

    The prominent activist, who was one of 45 opposition figures jailed under the National Security Law last year over their participation in unofficial “primaries”in 2020, faced the new national security offence in court on Friday.

    Under the new charge, Wong is reportedly accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and “other persons unknown” between July 2020 and November 2020 to request foreign countries or organizations to impose sanctions, blockades or engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China. The new charge carries a potential life sentence.

    Wong was previously sentenced to four years and eight months for “conspiracy to commit subversion” in Hong Kong’s largest prosecution under the National Security Law.

    Hong Kong’s human rights situation has deteriorated dramatically since 2020, with more than 300 people arrested for violating the Beijing-imposed National Security Law or a colonial-era “sedition” law. In addition, the so-called Article 23 legislation introduced last year by the territorial/local authorities has further deepened repression and silenced opposition voices in the city.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy Sector – Equinor’s Energy Perspectives 2025

    Source: Equinor

    06 JUNE 2025 – Energy Perspectives 2025 presents four scenarios for the future world economy, international energy markets and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.

    Long-term forecasts of the development in global energy markets are normally very difficult. As this year’s Energy Perspectives report is published, the task is even more complex, as global markets and geopolitics are undergoing massive shifts with unpredictable consequences in both the shorter and longer term. Political priorities affecting global energy markets are shifting further away from decarbonisation towards energy affordability and security of energy supply. On top of this, it is nearly impossible to gauge the short-term impact of trade conflicts and new rules in the geopolitics game.

    “The geopolitical landscape and trade conflicts clearly illustrate that the global cooperation needed for a Paris-aligned energy transition is not present”, says SVP and Chief economist Eirik Wærness.

    A global energy transition roughly in line with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement has become severely delayed and more fragmented, and global greenhouse emissions continued to increase last year. Despite numerous positive developments, the macroeconomic, political and geopolitical realities are characterised by lack of trust, cooperation and burden-sharing, that are slowing down the pace of change foreseen in the Paris Agreement. A reversal of this development will take time, and its success is by no means guaranteed. With short-termism and local and regional priorities dominating policy making, the necessary global changes in the direction of truly sustainable development, balancing the different concerns in the energy trilemma, will be further delayed.

    Energy Perspectives 2025 presents four scenarios for the future world economy, international energy markets and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. The scenarios are built to show how divergent drivers in the energy trilemma (energy security, affordability and decarbonisation) affect long-term developments. The scenarios are not predictions, but possible contrasting pathways, providing a platform for debate, strategic planning and decision making.

    “The insights and analysis provided by Energy Perspectives help us navigate short-term uncertainties without losing sight of long-term tr

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with CEO of the Agence Française De Développement (AFD), in Paris

    Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations

    While in Paris, France, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with Mr. Remy Rioux, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Agence Française De Développement, (AFD), the French development agency, on 6 June 2025. SG Dr. Kao expressed his appreciation for AFD’s role in supporting the implementation of various projects under the ASEAN-France Development Partnership. Both sides also exchanged views on ways to further advance ASEAN-France cooperation.

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with CEO of the Agence Française De Développement (AFD), in Paris appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Grigorenko: Agreement on the Elimination of Violations – a New Instrument in Control Activities

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Document

    Resolution of May 31, 2025 No. 829

    Commercial and government organizations may enter into agreements with regulatory authorities on the proper elimination of identified violations. From the moment the agreement is concluded, the order to eliminate the identified violation is suspended. The corresponding resolution was signed by the Government. This instrument is aimed at reducing the administrative burden on business as part of improving control and supervisory activities under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister – Head of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko.

    The organizations that may apply for the conclusion of an agreement include government agencies, local government bodies, state and municipal institutions, as well as city-forming and strategic enterprises, defense industry organizations, enterprises in the housing and utilities sector, energy, communications, transport, agriculture, and pharmaceutical production.

    Applications from organizations will be considered only for those types of supervision where the controlled entities are primarily organizations of strategic or high socio-economic importance. The effect of the resolution extends to eight types of control:

    — federal state supervision in the field of industrial safety,

    — Federal State Energy Supervision,

    — federal state supervision in the field of safety of hydraulic structures,

    — Federal State Mining Supervision,

    — federal state environmental control (supervision),

    — federal state geological control (supervision),

    — federal state land control (supervision);

    — federal state licensing control of activities related to the production of medicines.

    “The mechanism of agreements will prevent situations when administrative liability for a detected violation may lead to a halt in production, staff reductions, or a reduction in the output of socially significant products. Control authorities must accommodate organizations and build partnerships with them. Especially if eliminating violations requires significant financial and time costs, or the allocation of additional budget funds,” commented Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko.

    To conclude an agreement, organizations develop a draft program for eliminating the identified violations and provide documents confirming that significant time, material costs and capital investments are needed to eliminate the violations. This must be done within 10 working days from the date of receipt of the order.

    The signed agreement is being coordinated with the prosecutor’s office.

    If an agreement is concluded and comes into force, the order regarding the identified violations of mandatory requirements is suspended; after their elimination, the controlled person is not subject to administrative liability.

    Applications can be submitted for violations identified since June 1, 2025. Applications will be denied for those that pose a direct threat to human life and health. For example, if we are talking about corrosion or partial destruction of power line supports, which can lead to collapse, line breakage and, as a result, mass power outages.

    This resolution was developed by the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia and adopted in pursuance of the amendments to the Federal Law “On State Control (Supervision) and Municipal Control in the Russian Federation” that came into force in 2025.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: On the 100th anniversary of the All-Russian Society of the Blind (06.06.2025)

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Central Bank of Russia –

    The All-Russian Society of the Blind (VOS) today unites more than 185 thousand people and helps them overcome difficulties, protect their rights and live interesting, fulfilling lives.

    On June 9, 2025, the Bank of Russia will issue into circulation a commemorative silver coin of 3 rubles denomination “100th Anniversary of the All-Russian Society of the Blind” from the “Historical Events” series (catalog No. 5111-0520).

    The silver coin with a face value of 3 rubles (pure precious metal weight – 31.1 g, alloy fineness – 925) has the shape of a circle with a diameter of 39.0 mm.

    There is a raised edge around the circumference of both the front and back sides of the coin.

    On the obverse of the coin there is a relief image of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation, the inscriptions “RUSSIAN FEDERATION”, “BANK OF RUSSIA”, the coin denomination “3 RUBLES”, the date “2025”, the designation of the metal according to the Periodic Table of Elements of D.I. Mendeleyev, the alloy fineness, the trademark of the St. Petersburg Mint and the pure mass of the precious metal.

    On the reverse side of the coin there is a colored relief logo of the All-Russian Society of the Blind; a relief inscription “100 years” in Braille; at the bottom there is a relief inscription in two lines “100 YEARS”. Above the VOS logo there is a QR code made using the laser matting technique. When you point the smartphone camera at it, the official VOS website opens, where you can get information about the coin using audio description.

    The side surface of the coin is ribbed.

    The coin is made in proof quality.

    The mintage of the coin is 5.0 thousand pieces.

    The issued coin is a legal tender in the territory of the Russian Federation and must be accepted at face value for all types of payments without restrictions.

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

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //vv. KBR.ru/Press/PR/? File = 638847412789745027KOins.HTM

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Marat Khusnullin: Rules for the preparation of standard design documentation have been established

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a resolution approving the rules for preparing project documentation for repeated use (standard project documentation), which establishes, among other things, the specifics of the composition of its sections and the requirements for its content, as well as the specifics of the examination of such documentation.

    “Standard design is an important tool for high-quality construction. The adoption of the relevant resolution will create an effective system for the development and use of standard design documentation. The use of standard designs allows us to reduce construction time by at least six months, since there is no need to develop design and working documentation from scratch. Thus, people receive the necessary schools, kindergartens, hospitals and other socially significant facilities faster. In addition, the use of proven solutions ensures cost savings, a high level of reliability of facilities, minimizes errors and simplifies the approval process. The development of a series of standard designs is planned to begin in 2026, and it will begin with schools. This will be the first step in a large-scale program for the typification of social infrastructure throughout the country,” said Marat Khusnullin.

    The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that changes providing for the procedure for developing standard design documentation were introduced into the Urban Development Code in 2024.

    Series of standard projects will provide up-to-date technical solutions that comply with all established sanitary-epidemiological, fire and other mandatory safety requirements, as well as the most advantageous in terms of functional, technical and economic indicators.

    In addition, such series of standard projects of social facilities will be created for all climatic and seismic regions of the country.

    “The standard design documentation provides for the most relevant technical solutions that allow achieving the functional, technical and economic indicators of capital construction projects at the lowest cost. The Ministry of Construction of Russia pays special attention to the development of this area as part of the implementation of the national project “Infrastructure for Life”, aimed at fulfilling the tasks of socio-economic development of Russia set by the President. The use of design solutions that have already passed the assessment of the state examination of design documentation helps to reduce the construction time of facilities, as well as reduce the financial costs of participants in the investment and construction process,” noted Minister of Construction and Housing and Public Utilities Irek Fayzullin.

    In addition, the Government has defined federal executive bodies and their subordinate institutions authorized to develop standard design documentation. These are the Ministry of Construction of Russia (Federal Autonomous Institution “FCS”), the Ministry of Transport of Russia (Federal State Institution “Rostransmodernizatsiya”, Federal State Institution “Rosgranstroy”), the Ministry of Defense of Russia, and the Federal Protective Service of Russia.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Tatyana Golikova presented the award in the special nomination “Project of the Year of the Family” of the National Internet Content Award

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Tatyana Golikova presented the award in the special nomination “Family Year Project” of the IV National Internet Content Award.

    Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova presented the award in the special nomination “Project of the Year of the Family” of the IV National Internet Content Award, established by the Internet Development Institute. The best projects in 22 nominations were announced on June 5 at a ceremony in the Mosfilm cinema and concert complex.

    As Tatyana Golikova noted at the ceremony, most Russians believe that a large family is the embodiment of cohesion.

    “Our President declared 2024 the Year of the Family. And it has become the most recognizable among thematic years. This became possible thanks to the efforts of the state, society, the media, and the Internet,” said the Deputy Prime Minister. “Based on the results of 2024, we have good results from sociological surveys. Three quarters of Russians develop and strengthen their values after having children. The number of young people who do not want to have children has decreased threefold. And 88% of Russians believe that a large family is the embodiment of cohesion.”

    Tatyana Golikova expressed hope that these trends will continue to be supported.

    In the special nomination “Family Year Project”, the campaign for promoting family values within the framework of the Year of the Family was named the best. Tatyana Golikova presented the award to the general director of the ANO “National Priorities” Sofia Malyavina and the creative director, author of the popular video “Freckle” Ruslana Kharitonova.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why the Musk and Trump relationship is breaking down – a psychologist explains

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Geoff Beattie, Professor of Psychology, Edge Hill University

    It is not a good break-up. These were always two big beasts used to getting their own way. Two alpha males, if you like the evolutionary metaphor, trying to get along. And now the Donald Trump and Elon Musk relationship is in meltdown.

    Who could forget that iconic image from just a few short weeks back? Elon Musk standing behind the seated the US president, Donald Trump, in the Oval Office, towering over him. Trump, his hands clasped, having to turn awkwardly to look up at him. That silent language of the body. Musk accompanied by his four-year old, a charming and informal image, or that great evolutionary signal of mating potential and dominance, depending on your point of view.

    These were also clearly two massive narcissistic egos out in their gleaming open-top speedster. Musk was appointed special advisor to Trump, heading the Department of Government Efficiency, cutting excess and waste. The backseat driver for a while.

    There were a lot of bureaucratic casualties already, road kill at the side of the highway as the sports car roared on with frightening speed. But things were always going to be difficult if they hit a bump in the road. And they did. Perhaps, more quickly than many had imagined.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    There were differing views on what caused the crash. Many pointed to the dramatic fall in the sales of Tesla, a 71% fall in profits in one quarter, and the inevitable impact on Musk’s reputation. And yesterday Tesla shares were falling even faster, as investors panicked. The attacks on Tesla showrooms couldn’t have helped either.

    Others pointed to Trump’s proposed removal of the tax credit for owners of electric vehicles, or the political backlash in Washington over Space X’s potential involvement in Trump’s proposed “golden dome” anti-missile defense system.

    However, according to former White House strategist Steve Bannon, what really caused the crash was when the president refused to show Musk the Pentagon’s attack plans for any possible war with China. There’s only so far being the president’s best buddy can get you. Bannon is reported as saying: “You could feel it. Everything changed.” That, according to Bannon, was the beginning of the end.



    Read more:
    Trump sees himself as more like a king than president. Here’s why

    Elon Musk has criticised Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’.

    So now we watch Trump and Musk stumbling away from the crash scene. One minute Trump is putting on a show for the cameras. He’s beaming away and introducing the “big, beautiful bill”, a budget reconciliation bill that rolls together hundreds of controversial proposals. Next, he is accusing Musk of “going crazy” and talking about withdrawing government contracts from the Musk empire.

    Musk is unhappy too. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” he wrote on X. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong.”

    Rejection and repositioning

    He says he’s disgusted by the bill. Disgust is one of the most primitive of all the emotions. A survival mechanism – you must avoid what disgusts you. He’s social signalling here, alerting others, warning them that there’s something disgusting in the camp.

    Musk is highly attuned to public perception, perhaps even more so than Trump (which is saying something). With his acquisition of X (formerly Twitter), Musk was able to direct (and add to) online discourse, shaping public conversations.

    Psychologically, Musk’s rejection of Trump is an attempt to simultaneously elevate himself and diminish the man behind the bill. He can call out the president’s action like nobody else. He is positioning himself anew as that free thinker, that risk taker, innovative, courageous, unfettered by any ties. That is his personality, his brand – and he’s reasserting it.

    Trump on Musk’s criticism of the ‘big beautiful bill’

    But it’s also a vengeful act. And it’s perhaps reminiscent of another political insider (and geek), former Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings, who was sacked by the then UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, in 2020. Cummings was accused of masterminding leaks about the social gatherings in Downing Street.

    He went on to criticise Johnson as lacking the necessary discipline and focus for a prime minister as well as questioning his competence and decision-making abilities. The revenge of a self-proclaimed genius.

    And revenge is sweet. In a 2004 study, researchers scanned participants’ brains using positron emission tomography (PET) – a medical imaging technique that is used to study brain function (among other things) – while the participants played an economic game based on trust. When trust was violated, participants wanted revenge, and this was reflected in increased activity in the reward-related regions of the brain, the dorsal striatum.

    Revenge, in other words, is primarily about making yourself feel better rather than righting any wrongs. Your act may make you appear moral but it may be more selfish.

    But revenge for what here? That’s where these big narcissistic egos come into play.

    Psychologically, narcissists are highly sensitive to perceived slights – real or imagined. Musk may have felt Trump was attempting to diminish his achievements for political gain, violating this pact of mutual respect. This kind of sensitivity can quickly transmogrify admiration into contempt.

    Contempt, coincidentally, is the single best predictor of a breakdown in very close relationships.

    Disgust and contempt are powerful emotions, evolving to protect us – disgust from physical contamination (spoiled food, disease), and contempt from social or moral contamination (betrayal, incompetence). Both involve rejection – disgust rejects something physically; contempt rejects something socially or morally. Musk may be giving it to Trump with both barrels here.

    Break-ups are always hard, they get much harder when emotions like these get intertwined with the process.

    But how will the most powerful man in the world respond to this sort of rejection from the richest man in the world? And where will it end?

    Geoff Beattie 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. Why the Musk and Trump relationship is breaking down – a psychologist explains – https://theconversation.com/why-the-musk-and-trump-relationship-is-breaking-down-a-psychologist-explains-258213

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: US state passes law allowing experimental drugs to be prescribed – a model for the future?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University

    fizkes/Shutterstock.com

    The US state of Montana has become the first in the country to let patients try experimental drugs – even if they are not terminally ill.

    The new law allows doctors to refer patients to licensed “experimental treatment centres”, where they can access drugs that have only passed phase 1 clinical trials – the earliest stage of testing in humans.

    This goes far beyond existing federal law, which only allows terminally ill patients to access such drugs under the Right to Try Act, passed in 2017.

    Montana already had a fairly permissive right to try law, which was originally designed to let terminally ill patients access treatments that hadn’t yet received full approval by the drug regulator.

    In 2023, that law was expanded to include patients with any medical condition. The latest law goes even further, creating a formal system for clinics to offer these experimental treatments.

    According to an article in MIT Technology Review, the new law was shaped and promoted by a group of longevity advocates – a mix of scientists and influencers who are focused on extending human life.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Before new medicines reach the market, they usually go through several stages of testing. A phase 1 trial is the first step in human studies and is designed to find a safe dose and spot early side-effects. It typically involves a small group – between 20 and 100 people – and does not prove the drug works.

    Only around 12% of drugs that enter phase 1 trials go on to gain full approval. Many fail due to safety issues or lack of effectiveness.

    Montana’s new law allows access to these early-stage treatments with a doctor’s recommendation – even for patients who are not terminally ill. Clinics must be licensed as experimental treatment centres, and 2% of their profits must be used to help low-income patients access these therapies.

    Supporters say it gives people more control over their own health and could help boost innovation in areas like cancer, neurodegenerative disease and age-related decline. There is also hope it could turn Montana into a destination for medical tourism, attracting biotech investment.

    But critics warn that the move could put vulnerable patients at risk.

    Drugs in phase 1 trials may be safe enough to test – but their long-term effects are still unknown, and they may not work. There are also concerns over whether insurers will cover complications, since the drugs are not approved. Legal protections for both patients and doctors remain unclear.

    Longevity advocates could use the new law to try experimental anti-ageing drugs.
    Hyejin Kang/Shutterstock.com

    The situation in other countries

    Elsewhere in the world, access to experimental drugs is more tightly controlled.

    In the UK, experimental drugs are usually only available through formal clinical trials or special “compassionate use” requests – all subject to strict oversight by regulators like the Medicines and Healthcare products
    Regulatory Agency     and the Health Research Authority.

    The same applies across the EU, where compassionate use is typically limited to drugs in later stages of testing.

    Japan has a similar system, called “expanded access clinical trials”, which also limits use to drugs already in phase 2 or beyond.

    And in South America, some countries allow patients to keep receiving experimental drugs after trials end – but not to start them outside of a trial.

    Montana’s decision marks a bold new approach in the continuing debate over patient rights. It raises big questions about safety, ethics, regulation and the role of government in balancing innovation with public health. It could end up being a model for other states – or a cautionary tale.

    Dipa Kamdar 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. US state passes law allowing experimental drugs to be prescribed – a model for the future? – https://theconversation.com/us-state-passes-law-allowing-experimental-drugs-to-be-prescribed-a-model-for-the-future-256991

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Six TV moments that changed British LGBTQ+ history – and what we can learn from them

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kate McNicholas Smith, Lecturer in Television Theory, University of Westminster

    The past two decades have seen a notable rise in LGBTQ+ representation on TV. Recent shifts, however, seem to threaten that progress. LGBTQ+ characters continue to meet tragic ends on screen – while off-screen, queer shows are being cancelled, media companies in the US have joined others in rolling back DEI initiatives and anti-LGBTQ+ violence is on the rise.

    At this critical moment, it feels apt to take a look back at some of the moments that made British LGBTQ+ TV history, exploring why they mattered and what we can learn from them.

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    1. Man Alive (1967)

    In June 1967, the BBC documentary and current affairs series Man Alive focused two episodes on homosexuality. These episodes featured interviews with gay men and lesbian women about their lives and experiences, and how society treats them.

    The episode on “the women” featured an interview set in The Gateways club, a long-running lesbian nightclub on the Kings Road in west London (it closed in 1985). The Gateways also appeared in 1968 film, The Killing of Sister George, one of the first mainstream film representations of lesbian characters.

    ‘The Women’ episode of Man Alive.

    The month after the Man Alive documentaries aired, the Sexual Offences Act legalised homosexual acts between men over the age of 21 in England and Wales, so long as they took place consensually and in private.

    Documentaries such as these took an outside-looking-in approach to the subject matter, but nonetheless addressed the significant (albeit limited) shifts seen in this period.

    2. Girl (1974)

    In 1974, an episode of BBC Birmingham’s anthology series Second City Firsts featured the first kiss between two women on British television. The post-watershed television play portrayed a past relationship between Myra Francis’ army corporal, Chrissie, and Alison Steadman’s recruit Jackie. While this is no happily-ever-after romance, happier flashbacks do show the two women in bed together – a brief, but radical for its time, representation of queer intimacy.

    The broadcast was, unsurprisingly, controversial and was preceded by a special announcement from the controller of BBC. The rights of LGBTQ+ people in the military later became a major campaign, with the ban on openly gay and lesbian people serving lifted in the UK in 2000.

    Notably, fights for LGBTQ+ rights in the military demand equality, but also raise questions around the kinds of inclusions LGBTQ+ people are fighting for. As many activists and writers have argued, LGBTQ+ rights can be co-opted in ways that include some but exclude others, or justify other oppressive forces (for example in what is often referred to as pinkwashing).

    3. Lesbian activists protest Section 28 on the six o’clock news (1988)

    In May 1988, Margeret Thatcher’s Conservative government brought in Section 28: legislation that prohibited local authorities and schools from “promoting” homosexuality, reflecting the powerful anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice of the period.

    The lesbian protestors remember the moment they stormed the studio.

    The evening before the legislation was passed in parliament, a group of lesbian activists interrupted the live broadcast of the six o’clock news. As one of the protesters, Booan Temple, reflected: “By getting on the news, we would be the news.”

    The bill still passed, and Section 28 remained in place until 2000 in Scotland, and 2003 in England and Wales, but the power of LGBTQ+ resistance was palpable. Looking back today, there are worrying echoes of the moral panics of the 1980s to be found in the current climate.

    4. The Brookside kiss (1994)

    In 1985, Gordan Collins (Mark Burgess) came out on Channel 4’s popular soap opera, Brookside – making him the first openly gay character on a British television series. Five years later the soap featured the first pre-watershed kiss between two women, when Beth Jordache (Anna Friel) kissed Margaret Clemence (Nicola Stephenson).

    Anna Friel looks back on her lesbian kiss scene from Brookside.

    The kiss was so culturally significant that it later featured in Danny Boyle’s 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Just one year after the episode, however, Beth died off screen in prison, an example of the “bury your gays” trope (where LGBTQ+ characters are frequently killed off in TV and film).

    Meanwhile, 1994 also saw Eastenders introduce Della Alexander (Michelle Joseph), the soap’s first lesbian and one of the first Black LGBTQ+ characters on British television. Della and girlfriend Binnie departed the soap a year later.

    Bisexual actor Pam St Clement, who played Eastenders matriarch Pat Butcher reflected: “Having given themselves that brief, they didn’t know what the fuck to do with it.”

    5. Coronation Street’s Hayley Cropper (1998)

    In 1998 it was Coronation Street’s turn to make LGBTQ+ TV history, when the ITV soap introduced Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh), a transgender woman initially intended for a comic “bad date” storyline.

    Julie Hesmondhalgh reflecting on Hayley Cropper’s ‘coming out’ scene many years later.

    Following criticism from trans activists, ITV recruited trans actress Annie Wallace as a research assistant to work with Hesmondhalgh on the role. In 2015, Wallace joined Hollyoaks, becoming the first transgender person to play a regular transgender character on a British soap opera.

    Hayley went on to exceed her problematic origins and win the hearts of audiences, educating them, as she did so, on the prejudices and legal barriers trans people faced. Hesmondhalgh, a trans ally and supporter of the charity Trans Media Watch, has, however, reflected that, as a cis actor, she “definitely wouldn’t take it” if the role was offered to her today.

    6. Queer as Folk (1999)

    Back on Channel 4, 1999 saw the broadcast of another groundbreaking show: Queer as Folk, written by Russell T Davies. Based around Manchester’s gay village, Queer as Folk broke boundaries with an unapologetic portrayal of the lives, loves and lusts of a group of queer characters.

    From explicit sex scenes to queer family making, the series’ represented LGBTQ+ lives in previously unseen ways. This radical visibility was, however, largely limited to white gay male characters – reflecting longstanding inequalities in media representation.

    The trailer for Queer as Folk.

    In later work, Davies has represented a more diverse spectrum of LGBTQ+ experience. Returning to Manchester’s queer scene again in 2015, anthology series Banana (2015) began with the story of Dean, a young Black gay man portrayed by British Nigerian actor Fisayo Akinade, and featured Bethany Black as the first trans actor to play a trans role in a British series (a few months before Annie Wallace joined Hollyoaks).

    The following years have seen more, and more diverse, examples of LGBTQ+ representation on TV. But tired tropes and exclusions continue, and the power of representation to shape possibilities, protections and prejudices is more pressing than ever.

    Kate McNicholas Smith 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. Six TV moments that changed British LGBTQ+ history – and what we can learn from them – https://theconversation.com/six-tv-moments-that-changed-british-lgbtq-history-and-what-we-can-learn-from-them-258126

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: So, you want to be a U.S. Army Ranger? | The Creed: Ranger School | Army Lethality

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    Witness the journey as several U.S. Army Soldiers attempt to complete one of the Army’s most challenging tasks: being accepted into the U.S. Army Ranger School.

    About the U.S. Army:
    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: https://www.goarmy.com/?iom=BNL7-22-0029_N_OSOC_OCPA_AL_ocpagen_xx_xx

    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter

    #USArmy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOKZibMQYEA

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: RBI approves the voluntary amalgamation of The Adinath Co-operative Bank Ltd., Surat, Gujarat with Shri Vinayak Sahakari Bank Ltd., Ahmedabad, Gujarat

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    The Reserve Bank of India, in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (4) of Section 44A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, has sanctioned the Scheme of Amalgamation of The Adinath Co-operative Bank Ltd., Surat, Gujarat with Shri Vinayak Sahakari Bank Ltd., Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The Scheme will come into force with effect from June 09, 2025 (Monday). All the branches of The Adinath Co-operative Bank Ltd., Surat, Gujarat will function as branches of Shri Vinayak Sahakari Bank Ltd., Ahmedabad, Gujarat with effect from June 09, 2025.

    (Puneet Pancholy)  
    Chief General Manager

    Press Release: 2025-2026/503

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Enjoy music, activities and the joy of nature at Smestow Valley Midsummer Festival

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The Smestow Valley Midsummer Festival takes place on Saturday 21 June, and has been organised by Wildside Activity Centre, in partnership with City of Wolverhampton Council and Friends of Smestow Valley.

    Entertainment will include live music from local band Just in Time, guided walks from Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, scavenger and bug hunts around the valley site, a mindfulness yoga experience, children’s craft activities and refreshments at the reserve’s Cupcake Lane café.

    There will also be a range of stalls with representatives from the Black Country Geopark, Friends of Smestow Valley, local businesses Nature Makers and Peace of Mindfulness, Wightwick Manor, Canal & River Trust and Wildside Activity Centre.

    The day will run from 10am to 3pm and will take place along the track by the Cupcake Lane café.

    Residents are welcome to come along and enjoy the festival as well as find out more about the work currently being done at the site under the ongoing project to Explore, Enhance, Protect and Promote Smestow Valley.

    Last year, City of Wolverhampton Council, together with partner Canal & River Trust and Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, secured funding of £217,000 from The Heritage Lottery Fund to develop plans for a full application of around £2 million to be submitted in 2026.

    If the application for this delivery phase is successful, renovation of the much loved Meccano bridge is planned, along with other structures linked to the disused railway line which forms the main path through Smestow Valley.

    During the initial development phase, the council has worked with partners Canal & River Trust and Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust as well as the Wildside Activity Centre, Friends of Smestow Valley and Waterside Care.

    This partnership approach has seen a wide range of activity at the site, including improvements to the canal towpath, planting wildflower meadows, restoring historic ponds and hedges and planting native flowers including bluebells and wild garlic.

    These activities, which were funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, helped develop a range of volunteering opportunities as well as an approach to volunteering for the future.

    Over time, the whole project at Smestow Valley aims to increase engagement through school visits, heritage focused volunteering opportunities, biodiversity enhancements, community events, artwork and interpretation as well as online information.

    Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “The Midsummer Festival promises to be a lot of fun for the whole family with a wide range of activities, attractions and stalls on offer.

    “Smestow Valley is a real hidden gem in the city, and we’re delighted to be working with such a wide range of committed partners and local people under the Explore, Enhance, Protect and Promote project to create a green space that we can all be proud of.

    “I’d encourage everyone to come and find out more about the site and enjoy a day with family and friends in beautiful surroundings. We want to welcome our residents along to the Smestow Valley Midsummer Festival – come and make the most of the longest day of the year!”

    Parking is limited, so visitors are welcome to come by foot, bike, bus or, as the valley is by the canal, by boat.

    To find out about the latest activities at the valley and how to get involved visit the Facebook page or sign up to the newsletter.

    To request a guided tour of the site, contact Enquiries.Parks@wolverhampton.gov.uk

    Smestow Valley and rail network is a 4.5km long site, which forms part of the Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark and has a rich history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. It provides visitors with opportunities for healthy activities including walking, cycling and boating.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Leeds is on the right road as new minibuses provide vital support service

    Source: City of Leeds

    Leeds City Council has underlined its commitment to fairness and opportunity for all by making some impressive new additions to its fleet of accessible minibuses.

    The council has taken delivery of 22 Treka Mobility+ vehicles, which are now being used on a daily basis to transport people with special educational needs and disabilities to and from learning, day care and other community settings.

    The minibuses are designed to offer maximum flexibility and comfort, with features requested by the council – including glider doors, detachable seating and lift access for wheelchairs – ensuring they fully meet a whole range of individual requirements and provide an enjoyable journey experience.

    The investment aligns with the council’s Best City Ambition, which aims to make sure that Leeds is a place where people – whatever their background or personal circumstances – can lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.

    The community-focused modernisation of this part of the local authority’s passenger transport fleet will also, it is anticipated, bring long-term financial benefits by reducing ad-hoc maintenance costs and delivering more efficient levels of fuel consumption.

    The council has worked closely with Treka for a number of years, with the reliability and quality of the Yorkshire-based vehicle manufacturer’s aftercare service and support playing a key role in the enduring success of the relationship between the two.

    Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for resources, said:

    “The accessibility, flexibility and comfort offered by these minibuses will mean easier and more enjoyable journeys for everyone who uses them. 

    “In challenging financial times I’m pleased and proud that we have been able to fund this investment to provide high-quality transport for our residents which will make a really positive difference to their lives.

    “I’d like to thank our drivers and the many other council staff who keep our vital passenger transport services on the road day in, day out, they really are helping to change people’s lives.”

    Treka secured the contract to supply the minibuses following an open and transparent tender process conducted through the council’s approved third party framework for vehicle purchases.

    More details about the range of support provided by the council’s passenger transport service can be found here. The addition of the minibuses means the service now has 219 full-sized welfare vehicles at its disposal.

    Click here for further information about the Best City Ambition – the council’s vision for the future of Leeds – and how it aims to improve local people’s lives up to 2030 and beyond.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UEFA must ban Belarus from competitions

    Source: Scottish Greens

    06 Jun 2025 External Affairs Sport

    UEFA must use their platform to condemn human rights violators.

    More in External Affairs

    Belarus should not be allowed to compete in UEFA competitions while enabling war and violating human rights, say the Scottish Greens.

    Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie MSP has written to UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin urging the football body to ban Belarus from all competitions. His call comes ahead of upcoming World Cup qualifiers, including two fixtures between Scotland’s Men’s National Team and Belarus.

    In his letter, Mr Harvie highlights serious concerns over Belarus’ support for Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. He describes Belarus as a key enabler of the war, pointing to its role in allowing Russian forces to use Belarusian territory to launch attacks on Ukraine.

    The Green MSP also draws attention to the human rights crisis within Belarus itself. Since leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed to win 80% of the vote in the widely disputed 2020 presidential elections, the country has seen a steep decline in civil liberties, with reports of political prisoners, torture, and violent crackdowns on peaceful protests.

    Mr Harvie said:

    “Belarus is not just failing to uphold basic human rights at home – it is actively participating in a senseless war abroad. Lukashenko is a brutal authoritarian leader, he must be held to account, not given the platform to sports-wash his horrific humanitarian crimes.

    “UEFA rightly banned Russia for their criminal domestic and international record. As a close ally helping to wage the same wars at home and abroad, why should Belarus be treated any differently?

    “The continued participation of Belarusian sports teams in UEFA competitions flies in the face of the organisation’s own supposed values, particularly its RESPECT campaign, which promotes fairness, dignity and human rights in football.

    “Football doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It sends a message to the world. Now is the time for UEFA to show leadership and ensure that the message is one of peace, an end to complicity and an adherence to human rights.

    “Now is the time to take a stand, Belarus must follow Russia, as well as other nations committing unspeakable crimes, and be made a sporting pariah state until international law is restored.”

    Text of Letter from Patrick Harvie to UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin

    Dear Mr. Čeferin,
     
    I hope this letter finds you well.
     
    I write today as a concerned citizen and Member of the Scottish Parliament with significant concerns relating to continued Belarusian involvement in UEFA football competitions and the subsequent threat that their inclusion poses to UEFA’s values of unity, fair play and respect within football.
     
    In light of Scotland’s Men’s team drawing Belarus in the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers, I believe it is imperative for Scotland’s political representatives to speak out about the hugely problematic inclusion of Belarus given its complicity in Russian aggression and its troubling human rights record.
     
    I urge UEFA to reconsider Belarus’s participation in its competitions, in light of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and Belarus’s complicity in Russia’s unlawful war of aggression.
     
    As I am sure you are aware, Belarus has become a key enabler of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. The Belarusian regime, under President Alexander Lukashenko, has allowed its territory to be used as a launchpad for Russian forces, contributing directly to the suffering and destruction in Ukraine. This ongoing support for Russia’s aggression is a clear and unacceptable violation of international law and the fundamental principles of peace and human rights.
     
    Furthermore, Belarus’s domestic human rights record continues to be appalling. Since the contested presidential elections of 2020, the Belarusian government has consistently violated the rights of its citizens, including the suppression of peaceful protest, arbitrary detention, and the torture of political opponents and dissidents. Numerous international organisations, including the United Nations and the European Union, have condemned the actions of the Belarusian government in the strongest terms.
     
    The ongoing abuse of human rights in Belarus must force a re-evaluation of the country’s eligibility to participate in international sporting events, where respect for human dignity should be paramount. 

    Indeed, a month after Russia resumed its invasion of Ukraine, in March 2022, UEFA announced it was imposing specific restrictions on Belarus with immediate effect. UEFA banned the nation from hosting any international matches, either at club or national team level, as well as barring any spectators from attending games. It does not seem logical that UEFA are willing to take decisive action to remove Russia entirely from its competitions yet invite a key Russian ally which is complicit in the ongoing murder of innocent Ukrainians to continue as a UEFA member nation. It is morally incomprehensible that UEFA continues to promote its very laudable RESPECT campaign whilst allowing a nation that is stationing Putin’s ballistic missiles to compete.
     
    In this context, I urge UEFA to take a strong and decisive stance by excluding Belarus from its competitions until such time as the country ceases its support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine and takes substantial steps to address its widespread human rights violations. Belarus’s continued participation not only tarnishes the credibility of UEFA but also undermines the organisation’s commitment to promoting peace and respect in the footballing community.
     
    We have already seen the importance of sports sending a message about human rights and justice. UEFA’s previous decision to suspend Russian teams and clubs from its competitions in response to the war in Ukraine was a positive and necessary step in aligning sports with ethical values. It is crucial that Belarus, which shares complicity in these actions, is held to the same standards.
     
    UEFA must, as an organisation committed to the values of peace, respect and fairness, take this opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the face of global crises and ensure that its competitions strive to be a platform for moral integrity.
     
    Thank you for your time and consideration of this important matter. I look forward to your response and hope that UEFA will take meaningful action in this regard.
     
    Yours sincerely,
    Patrick Harvie
    Member of the Scottish Parliament
    Co-Leader of the Scottish Green Party

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Save Loch Lomond: 50,000 people write to Planning Minister

    Source: Scottish Greens

    06 Jun 2025 Nature Save Loch Lomond

    There is still time for a Government U-turn to save Loch Lomond.

    More in Nature

    Scottish Green MSP and Save Loch Lomond campaigner Ross Greer has called on the Scottish Government’s Planning Minister to “listen to the Scottish public, not a millionaire theme park operator”. This comes as over 50,000 people write to Ivan McKee in just two weeks, demanding that the Scottish Government withdraw its approval for Flamingo Land’s Loch Lomond mega-resort application.

    Using a portal on the Scottish Greens website, over 50,000 people have now called on the Planning Minister to stop the controversial Flamingo Land proposals to build a mega-resort on the banks of Loch Lomond, including a waterpark, two hotels, over 100 woodland lodges, 370 parking spaces, a monorail and more.

    The planning application is the most opposed in Scottish planning history, with over 155,000 individuals lodging objections ahead of a public hearing last September, alongside organisations such as the National Trust for Scotland, the Woodland Trust, the Ramblers, and Scottish Government environment watchdog, SEPA.

    Despite the National Park’s board rejecting the application unanimously, a Scottish Government official overturned that decision on appeal. 

    Both the Planning Minister and First Minister have refused to use their powers to recall and reject the application, effectively giving Flamingo Land a clear path to proceed with their destructive plans. However, SNP Ministers have just used their powers to block the development of a horse racing track on the site of the battle of Bannockburn due to its historical significance.

    Mr Greer said: 

    “The Scottish Government has got this badly wrong. They are about to allow a greedy developer to trash the gateway to our National Park. It is not too late for a u-turn though. They can still save Loch Lomond.

    “In just two weeks the Planning Minister has heard directly from over 50,000 people calling on him to block these proposals. Public opinion couldn’t be clearer and it is backed up by experts including the Government’s own environment watchdog.

    “I have campaigned side by side with local residents in Balloch for nearly ten years now to stop Flamingo Land. At every stage we have won on the basis of the overwhelming evidence against their plans, but that has all now been overturned by the Scottish Government.

    “I do not understand why the Scottish Government are determined to cosy up to greedy theme park operators rather than protect Scotland’s world famous natural heritage.

    “It’s time for Government Ministers to actually listen to the people of Scotland and save Loch Lomond.”

    Mr Greer added:

    “Thank you to everyone who has yet again taken the time to object to this destructive mega-resort. Together we can stop Flamingo Land. Please continue to share greens.scot/LochLomond with friends and family to ensure the Scottish Government hears how much the public expect them to u-turn and reject these destructive plans.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Belarusbank approved as a full member of the SCO Interbank Association

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Beijing, June 6 (Xinhua) — Belarusbank was approved as a full member of the Interbank Association of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (IBA) following the 21st meeting of the Council.

    Speaking at the meeting held at the China Development Bank headquarters in Beijing on Thursday, participants expressed their willingness to provide high-quality financial services to jointly build a more beautiful SCO common home.

    As an important platform for regional financial cooperation, the SCO IBC should further intensify cooperation between its member banks in the areas of infrastructure connectivity, scientific and technological innovation, industrial modernization, green and low-carbon development, and digital economy, continuously deepen humanitarian exchanges, and strengthen mutual trust and understanding, the meeting participants said.

    The SCO Interbank Association was established in October 2005. Its activities are aimed at supporting economic cooperation in the SCO region. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Tongjiang Port Launches River Freight Service to Russia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) — A river cargo route linking Tongjiang City in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province with Russia’s Khabarovsk was launched this week, the Zhongxinshe News Agency reported.

    On Tuesday, two barges pulled by the tugboat Luntui-610 left the Tongjiang River port and headed to Khabarovsk along the Songhuajiang (Sungari) and Heilongjiang (Amur) rivers, marking the beginning of the navigation period along the specified route.

    The barges carried 1,130 tons of cargo worth a total of 20 million yuan. The goods included building stone, elevator accessories, and non-ferrous steel rolls.

    It is reported that during the current navigation period along the Songhuajiang and Heilongjiang rivers, cement is mainly supplied from China to Russia, and organic fertilizers and copper are supplied from Russia to China.

    Songhuajiang is a large right tributary of the Heilongjiang River. Currently, river traffic connects such Chinese and Russian cities located on the banks of these rivers as Harbin, Jiamusi, Khabarovsk and Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Mongolia received a record number of foreign tourists in May 2025

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    ULAN BATOR, June 6 (Xinhua) — Mongolia received a record 66,360 foreign tourists in May 2025, local media reported on Friday, citing data from the country’s Professional Tourism Association.

    This figure increased by 5,462 people compared to the same period of the previous year.

    Currently, Mongolia’s economy relies heavily on mineral resource exports. Tourism promotion is considered a priority for diversifying the country’s economy and increasing the competitiveness of its tourism sector in the global competitive environment.

    By 2028, Mongolia plans to welcome a total of 2 million foreign tourists as part of its policy to support the tourism sector under the official slogan “Go Mongolia”.

    According to the country’s National Statistical Committee, more than 727.4 thousand foreign tourists visited Mongolia in 2024. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Afghanistan signs memorandums of understanding to support returning refugees and displaced families

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    KABUL, June 6 (Xinhua) — Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has signed four memorandums of understanding with leading humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to returning refugees and internally displaced families, a statement to this effect was released on Thursday.

    According to the memorandums, the aid, which totals approximately US$1.1 million, will support 18,360 returnees and displaced persons, as well as 3,665 local families, the statement said.

    In May, the country’s Ministry of Trade and Industry signed five memorandums of understanding worth US$2.5 million with five humanitarian organizations to improve living conditions in eight provinces.

    The Afghan interim government continues to call on local and international organisations to invest in the country to help address current economic challenges and create jobs. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Police rescue kidnapped man, arrest three kidnappers in northern Afghanistan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    KABUL, June 6 (Xinhua) — Afghan police have rescued a kidnapped man and arrested three suspected kidnappers in northern Afghanistan’s Takhar province, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.

    According to the statement, the suspects kidnapped the man in Takhar’s neighboring Kunduz province and demanded a ransom of US$50,000 for his release. Police tracked the victim to Takhar’s Darqad district and carried out a rescue operation, the statement said.

    The ministry said the kidnappers had been handed over to judicial authorities for further investigation. The identity of the victim was not disclosed. No further details of the rescue operation were given. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The 9th China-South Asia Expo will strengthen regional cooperation

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) — The 9th China-South Asia Expo will be held from June 19 to 24 in Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, an official with China’s Ministry of Commerce announced Friday.

    Jointly organized by the aforementioned department and the people’s government of Yunnan Province, the exhibition will be one of the most important events this year in the field of economic and trade exchanges between China and South Asian countries, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong said at a press conference.

    According to him, in 2024, trade turnover between China and South Asian countries will approach US$200 billion, doubling over the past decade.

    He noted that investment cooperation had also yielded fruitful results, noting that flagship projects had become the main drivers of regional growth.

    China will work closely with South Asian countries to align development strategies, expand cooperation in new areas such as the digital economy, low-carbon development and smart manufacturing, and support the region’s industrialization.

    Li Chaowei, director of the Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Commerce, said this year’s expo will be more international, professional and market-oriented, adding that more than 1,400 enterprises from 54 countries and regions have confirmed their participation.

    The expo will feature 11 themed pavilions covering key industries such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy and modern agriculture. About 1,000 professional buyers are expected to attend the event, Li Chaowei added. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Dimensional Fund Advisors Ltd. : Form 8.3 – EMPIRIC STUDENT PROPERTY PLC – Ordinary Shares

    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: Dimensional Fund Advisors Ltd. in its capacity as investment advisor and on behalf its affiliates who are also investment advisors (”Dimensional”). Dimensional expressly disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares described in this form 8.3.  
    (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.    		    
    (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
    Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 Empiric Student Property PLC  
    (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:    
    (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:
    For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 05 June 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”    		 YES
    UNITE Group PLC/The    		  
       
    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: 1p ordinary (GB00BLWDVR75)  
      Interests Short Positions  
      Number % Number %  
    (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 8,459,352 1.27 %      
    (2) Cash-settled derivatives:          
    (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:          
      Total 8,459,352 * 1.27 %      
    * Dimensional Fund Advisors LP and/or its affiliates do not have discretion regarding voting decisions in respect of 25,066 shares that are included in the total above.  
       
    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  
    1p ordinary (GB00BLWDVR75) Sale 63,523 .9958 GBP  
       
    (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  
               
       
    (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
                   
       
    (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)  
             
       
    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 06 June 2025  
    Contact name Thomas Hone  
    Telephone number +44 20 3033 3419  
       

    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: 21Shares welcomes FCA’s decision to open retail access to Crypto ETNs

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The decision paves the way for broader digital asset adoption in the UK

    London, 6 June 2025 – 21Shares, one of the world’s leading issuers of cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) and the first to list crypto ETNs on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), welcomes the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) announcement today proposing to lift the ban on offering crypto exchange-traded notes (cETNs) to UK retail investors.

    The proposal aims to support innovation and competitiveness in the UK’s digital asset sector while ensuring robust investor protection. Crypto ETNs are already widely accessible to retail investors in other major jurisdictions across Europe, and this change would bring the UK into alignment with global best practice.

    “This is a landmark moment for the UK digital asset market,” said Russell Barlow, CEO of 21Shares. “We fully support the FCA’s move to provide regulated access to crypto ETNs for retail investors. Retail investors in the UK deserve cost effective, efficient and regulated access to the digital asset economy. This consultation represents real progress towards that goal and affirms the FCA’s commitment to balancing innovation with investor protection as well as the UK’s position as a leading global financial centre.”

    In 2024, 21Shares listed the first physically-backed crypto ETNs on the London Stock Exchange, providing professional investors in the UK with regulated access to digital assets. Today’s announcement, which marks a reversal of the FCA’s initial 2021 ban on retail access to crypto derivatives and ETNs, paves the way for retail investors to participate via the same trusted, transparent instruments.

    21Shares looks forward to engaging constructively with the FCA and market stakeholders throughout the consultation process. The firm stands ready to support the expansion of regulated crypto access to retail investors with its comprehensive suite of physically backed ETPs, which includes exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum.

    Notes to editors

    About 21Shares

    21Shares is one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange traded product providers and offers the largest suite of crypto ETPs in the market. The company was founded to make cryptocurrency more accessible to investors, and to bridge the gap between traditional finance and decentralized finance. 21Shares listed the world’s first physically-backed crypto ETP in 2018, building a seven-year track record of creating crypto exchange-traded funds that are listed on some of the biggest, most liquid securities exchanges globally. Backed by a specialized research team, proprietary technology, and deep capital markets expertise, 21Shares delivers innovative, simple and cost-efficient investment solutions.

    21Shares is a member of 21.co, a global leader in decentralized finance. For more information, please visit www.21Shares.com

    Media Contact
    Matteo Valli
    matteo.valli@21shares.com

    DISCLAIMER

    This document is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for securities of 21Shares AG in any jurisdiction. Neither this document nor anything contained herein shall form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any offer or commitment whatsoever or for any other purpose in any jurisdiction. Nothing in this document should be considered investment advice.

    This document and the information contained herein are not for distribution in or into (directly or indirectly) the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which the distribution or release would be unlawful.

    This document does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in or into the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan. The securities of 21Shares AG to which these materials relate have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There will not be a public offering of securities in the United States. Neither the US Securities and Exchange Commission nor any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States has approved or disapproved of an investment in the securities or passed on the accuracy or adequacy of the contents of this presentation. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.

    Within the United Kingdom, this document is only being distributed to and is only directed at: (i) to investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”); or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”); or (iii) persons who fall within Article 43(2) of the Order, including existing members and creditors of the Company or (iv) any other persons to whom this document can be lawfully distributed in circumstances where section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply. The securities are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

    Exclusively for potential investors in any EEA Member State that has implemented the Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 the Issuer’s Base Prospectus (EU) is made available on the Issuer’s website under www.21Shares.com.

    The approval of the Issuer’s Base Prospectus (EU) should not be understood as an endorsement by the SFSA of the securities offered or admitted to trading on a regulated market. Eligible potential investors should read the Issuer’s Base Prospectus (EU) and the relevant Final Terms before making an investment decision in order to understand the potential risks associated with the decision to invest in the securities. You are about to purchase a product that is not simple and may be difficult to understand.

    This document constitutes advertisement within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 and the Swiss Financial Services Act (the “FinSA”) and not a prospectus. The 2024 Base Prospectus of 21Shares AG has been deposited pursuant to article 54(2) FinSA with BX Swiss AG in its function as Swiss prospectus review body within the meaning of article 52 FinSA. The 2024 Base Prospectus and the key information document for any products may be obtained at 21Shares AG’s website (https://21shares.com/ir/prospectus or https://21shares.com/ir/kids).

    ###

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Pocket-Sized Gold Mine: Bitcoin Solaris Nova App Lets Anyone Build Crypto Wealth From Their Phone

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TALLINN, Estonia, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In the early days of crypto, mining was reserved for the technically elite. Specialized rigs, high electricity bills, and complex setups created a wall between everyday people and the wealth being generated behind blockchain technology. Fast forward to 2025, and Bitcoin Solaris is tearing down that wall, placing the power of crypto mining directly into the palm of your hand.

    This isn’t just another blockchain project promising change. Bitcoin Solaris (BTC-S) is delivering it through innovation, accessibility, and mobile-first scalability. BTC-S is powered by a dual-layered, dual-consensus system—combining Proof-of-Work (PoW) with Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) to ensure both security and efficiency. This architecture allows BTC-S to achieve lightning-fast 10,000+ transactions per second while keeping its network highly decentralized and secure.

    But the real revolution is in how it’s mined—and who can mine it.

    Your Phone Is Now a Mining Rig

    At the core of this disruption is the upcoming Solaris Nova App—an intuitive, cross-platform mining tool that lets anyone start earning from their smartphone, desktop, or even a browser. Mining has never been this simple:

    • Cross-device compatibility: Supports ASICs, GPUs, laptops, and smartphones.
    • One-click setup: No coding, no wallet configuration—just tap and go.
    • Real-time wallet rewards: Earnings are visible immediately.
    • Adaptive algorithms: Optimizes based on device specs for peak performance.
    • Energy efficiency: Consumes 99.95% less energy than traditional mining.

    Even more impressive? Bitcoin Solaris has baked in end-to-end encryption, biometric logins, remote wipe capabilities, and gamified features like achievements and leaderboards, making it secure, fun, and inclusive.

    Build Wealth, Stake, and Grow with Liquid Staking

    Bitcoin Solaris doesn’t stop at mining. It also enables liquid staking, allowing users to earn passive income without locking up their assets. When users stake BTC-S, it’s instantly converted into sBTC-S at a 1:1 ratio.

    That means you can:

    • Trade your staked tokens freely.
    • Use them in DeFi protocols like lending or liquidity pools.
    • Participate in governance without losing yield.

    Best of all, liquid staking is fully integrated into the Solaris Nova App. Validator selection is automated, the UI is beginner-friendly, and the security framework ensures peace of mind.

    BTC-S’s model improves both decentralization and capital efficiency, letting your assets work for you from day one.

    Mining Has Evolved—BTC-S Puts It in Your Pocket

    Why Everyone’s Talking About It

    With mobile mining and staking at the center of its offering, it’s no surprise that over 11,000 users have joined the presale so far. And with just around 8 weeks left in the sale, interest is only accelerating.

    • Current Price: $6
    • Next Phase: $7
    • Launch Price: $20
    • Bonus: 10%

    It’s not just retail investors taking notice. Crypto Royal recently published a detailed review of Bitcoin Solaris, praising the project’s smart tech and accessibility. As more influencers weigh in, the momentum continues to build.

    Security Backed by Real Audits and Transparency

    What sets Bitcoin Solaris apart from many crypto projects is its commitment to trust and transparency. It’s passed not one, but two major audits—by Cyberscope and Freshcoins. Plus, the team has completed full KYC verification, further proving it’s here to stay.

    And as excitement continues to spread, you can track updates, join discussions, and be part of the movement on the project’s Telegram and X channels.

    Conclusion: Crypto Wealth Isn’t Reserved for the Elite Anymore

    Bitcoin Solaris is more than a token—it’s a technology shift. It brings together power, speed, and inclusivity in a way the industry has never seen before. Through the exciting release of the Solaris Nova App, anyone—from students to working professionals—can mine, stake, and grow their wealth without needing expensive rigs or deep technical knowledge.

    If you ever felt like you were late to Bitcoin, this is your second chance—but built for the mobile era. And this time, all it takes is the phone in your pocket.

    For more information on Bitcoin Solaris:
    Website: https://www.bitcoinsolaris.com/
     Telegram: https://t.me/Bitcoinsolaris
     X: https://x.com/BitcoinSolaris

    Media Contact
    Xander Levine
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  • UNESCO and MeitY wrap up AI Readiness Consultations with focus on ethical AI in India

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia, in partnership with the IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Ikigai Law, hosted the fifth and final stakeholder consultation on the AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) at the Shangri-La Eros Hotel in New Delhi on June 3. Over 200 experts from government, academia, industry, and civil society convened to strategize the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in India.

    This consultation marked the culmination of a series of five sessions held across New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Guwahati, organized under the joint AI RAM initiative by UNESCO and MeitY’s IndiaAI Mission. The initiative is focused on crafting an India-specific AI policy report that identifies strengths, pinpoints growth opportunities, and offers actionable recommendations for ethical AI adoption across various sectors. The RAM serves as a diagnostic tool to bolster governmental capacity for AI regulation and institutional governance.

    The event commenced with remarks from Tim Curtis, Director of UNESCO’s Regional Office for South Asia, who advocated for an ‘ethics-by-design’ approach to AI development. He emphasized that true inclusivity in AI demands embedding ethical principles from the start and reaffirmed UNESCO’s commitment to supporting India’s vision for a transparent and trustworthy AI ecosystem. Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at MeitY, CEO of the IndiaAI Mission, and Director General of the National Informatics Centre, delivered a keynote address, highlighting India’s pro-innovation stance on developing safe and reliable AI applications. Singh outlined key initiatives, including the AI Kosh platform for datasets, the development of foundation models, and support for Responsible AI projects under the mission’s Safe and Trusted AI pillar.

    A panel discussion on “Safety and Ethics in India’s AI Ecosystem” featured notable experts, including Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow at NITI Aayog; Kavita Bhatia, COO of the IndiaAI Mission; Eunsong Kim, Programme Specialist at UNESCO; Dr. B. Ravindran, Head of Data Science and AI at IIT-Madras; and Mayank Vatsa, Professor of Computer Science at IIT-Jodhpur. The panel delved into emerging policy frameworks, regulatory mechanisms, and governance strategies to promote ethical AI adoption. Ghosh underscored the challenge of balancing AI’s vast potential with its inherent risks, while Bhatia highlighted the collaborative approach of the IndiaAI Mission in fostering both innovation and responsibility.

    The consultation included breakout sessions that explored governance, infrastructure, workforce readiness, and sectoral AI adoption, with a dedicated focus on youth participation in AI development and governance. These discussions provided critical insights for shaping India’s AI policy roadmap. The RAM framework, customized to India’s context, evaluates the AI ecosystem across legal, regulatory, social, cultural, economic, scientific, educational, and technological dimensions using both quantitative and qualitative metrics. Implemented by independent consultants and supported by a diverse national team, the RAM ensures a tailored approach to AI governance.