New York, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin Thunderbolt, the recently launched upgrade of Bitcoin supported by Satoshi-era miners and early contributors, including Nubit. As the only native boosting solution and stablecoin settlement layer on Bitcoin, earlier this month, the Trump family–backed crypto project WLFI integrated its stablecoin USD1 into Bitcoin Thunderbolt.
On June 25th, Bitcoin Thunderbolt unveils Bitcoin Alpha, a new initiative aimed at accelerating the growth of Bitcoin by encouraging meaningful participation in network activity, where contributions are recognized through the Alpha Points system. Bitcoin Alpha is built on a simple belief: that the future of Bitcoin belongs to those who build it. As the most widely adopted upgrade and soft fork on Bitcoin in the past decade, Thunderbolt has already facilitated over 4 million transactions and 267,000 unique users, making it the natural foundation for Bitcoin Alpha’s launch.
Bitcoin Alpha offers a rare opportunity for early participants to help shape the next wave of innovation on Bitcoin. Open to all Bitcoin users, it encourages meaningful contributions across the ecosystem. Depending on when and how they engage, early contributors may receive up to 10× Alpha Point multipliers. As part of its evolving roadmap, Bitcoin Alpha will also introduce Thunderbolt Station, decentralized payment nodes designed to support the long-term utility and liquidity of Bitcoin Thunderbolt. Station operators may unlock access to incentives like Boosting Codes and other forms of economic alignment. These mechanics are designed to reward meaningful contributions while ensuring the long-term sustainability of Bitcoin.
The first phase of Bitcoin Alpha has already attracted over 50 project submissions, including teams backed by academic institutions and investors such as Polychain. All selected projects share defining traits: they are shipping real products and making meaningful contributions to Bitcoin’s long-term resilience and growth. With Bitcoin Thunderbolt offering faster payment rails, Bitcoin is now poised for what may be its most significant wave of growth in over a decade.
New York, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin Thunderbolt, the recently launched upgrade of Bitcoin supported by Satoshi-era miners and early contributors, including Nubit. As the only native boosting solution and stablecoin settlement layer on Bitcoin, earlier this month, the Trump family–backed crypto project WLFI integrated its stablecoin USD1 into Bitcoin Thunderbolt.
On June 25th, Bitcoin Thunderbolt unveils Bitcoin Alpha, a new initiative aimed at accelerating the growth of Bitcoin by encouraging meaningful participation in network activity, where contributions are recognized through the Alpha Points system. Bitcoin Alpha is built on a simple belief: that the future of Bitcoin belongs to those who build it. As the most widely adopted upgrade and soft fork on Bitcoin in the past decade, Thunderbolt has already facilitated over 4 million transactions and 267,000 unique users, making it the natural foundation for Bitcoin Alpha’s launch.
Bitcoin Alpha offers a rare opportunity for early participants to help shape the next wave of innovation on Bitcoin. Open to all Bitcoin users, it encourages meaningful contributions across the ecosystem. Depending on when and how they engage, early contributors may receive up to 10× Alpha Point multipliers. As part of its evolving roadmap, Bitcoin Alpha will also introduce Thunderbolt Station, decentralized payment nodes designed to support the long-term utility and liquidity of Bitcoin Thunderbolt. Station operators may unlock access to incentives like Boosting Codes and other forms of economic alignment. These mechanics are designed to reward meaningful contributions while ensuring the long-term sustainability of Bitcoin.
The first phase of Bitcoin Alpha has already attracted over 50 project submissions, including teams backed by academic institutions and investors such as Polychain. All selected projects share defining traits: they are shipping real products and making meaningful contributions to Bitcoin’s long-term resilience and growth. With Bitcoin Thunderbolt offering faster payment rails, Bitcoin is now poised for what may be its most significant wave of growth in over a decade.
Press Release Nokia signs revolving credit facility with its pricing mechanism linked to the company’s sustainability targets
Nokia’s financing strategy maintains steadfast link with its sustainability strategy with EUR 1.5 billion multicurrency revolving credit facility.
New facility builds on previous work in this area including sustainability-linked guarantee facility and sustainable finance framework.
Pricing mechanism linked to reduction of Nokia’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
26 June 2025 Espoo, Finland – Nokia announced today the recent signing of a EUR 1.5 billion five-year multicurrency revolving credit facility (“RCF”) with two one-year extension options, and continues with a sustainability pricing mechanism linking the margin of the RCF to two key RCF sustainability targets outlined below. The margin of the RCF will increase or decrease depending on Nokia’s progress towards reaching these targets. The new RCF will replace the EUR 1,412 million RCF agreement dated 18 June 2019.
Nokia’s key RCF sustainability targets include annual target observation periods and dates, with RCF pricing adjustments impacting the following year: Reduction of absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (“GHG”) Reduction of absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions.
Nokia’s financing strategy is linked to its sustainability strategy and today’s announcement builds on previous sustainable finance activities. These activities include linking the margin of Nokia’s revolving credit facility to Nokia’s sustainability targets in 2019, Nokia’s first sustainability-linked guarantee facility in 2022, as well as the launch of Nokia’s sustainable finance framework in 2023.
Nokia is committed to reducing its Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions. Nokia has a Net-Zero target of 2040 which is approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), ensuring that Nokia’s greenhouse gas emissions targets and paths towards those targets are independently validated.
Further information on the detailed operational approach Nokia has taken to reducing GHG emissions can be found in the Net-Zero climate transition plan detailing Nokia’s commitments and targets as well as the actions being taken to decarbonize in selected scopes. In March 2025, Nokia published its 2024 Annual Sustainability Statement, prepared for the first time in accordance with the provisions of the newly applicable EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and with the requirements of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards.
“We’re delighted with the strong support and commitment from our key banking partners in this refinancing transaction that connects our financing strategy with our sustainability priorities,” said Marco Wirén, Chief Financial Officer, Nokia.
“Nokia’s sustainability approach is centered on protecting and creating value for our company, and our stakeholders. We are committed to our climate transition plan, which is built to deliver efficiency and innovations in our value chain. Continuing to link the pricing of the revolving credit facility to our science-based climate goals is a strong step forward demonstrating our commitment to our sustainability targets,” said Subho Mukherjee, Vice President of Sustainability, Nokia.
About Nokia At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.
As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.
With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.
Press Release Nokia signs revolving credit facility with its pricing mechanism linked to the company’s sustainability targets
Nokia’s financing strategy maintains steadfast link with its sustainability strategy with EUR 1.5 billion multicurrency revolving credit facility.
New facility builds on previous work in this area including sustainability-linked guarantee facility and sustainable finance framework.
Pricing mechanism linked to reduction of Nokia’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
26 June 2025 Espoo, Finland – Nokia announced today the recent signing of a EUR 1.5 billion five-year multicurrency revolving credit facility (“RCF”) with two one-year extension options, and continues with a sustainability pricing mechanism linking the margin of the RCF to two key RCF sustainability targets outlined below. The margin of the RCF will increase or decrease depending on Nokia’s progress towards reaching these targets. The new RCF will replace the EUR 1,412 million RCF agreement dated 18 June 2019.
Nokia’s key RCF sustainability targets include annual target observation periods and dates, with RCF pricing adjustments impacting the following year: Reduction of absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (“GHG”) Reduction of absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions.
Nokia’s financing strategy is linked to its sustainability strategy and today’s announcement builds on previous sustainable finance activities. These activities include linking the margin of Nokia’s revolving credit facility to Nokia’s sustainability targets in 2019, Nokia’s first sustainability-linked guarantee facility in 2022, as well as the launch of Nokia’s sustainable finance framework in 2023.
Nokia is committed to reducing its Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions. Nokia has a Net-Zero target of 2040 which is approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), ensuring that Nokia’s greenhouse gas emissions targets and paths towards those targets are independently validated.
Further information on the detailed operational approach Nokia has taken to reducing GHG emissions can be found in the Net-Zero climate transition plan detailing Nokia’s commitments and targets as well as the actions being taken to decarbonize in selected scopes. In March 2025, Nokia published its 2024 Annual Sustainability Statement, prepared for the first time in accordance with the provisions of the newly applicable EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and with the requirements of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards.
“We’re delighted with the strong support and commitment from our key banking partners in this refinancing transaction that connects our financing strategy with our sustainability priorities,” said Marco Wirén, Chief Financial Officer, Nokia.
“Nokia’s sustainability approach is centered on protecting and creating value for our company, and our stakeholders. We are committed to our climate transition plan, which is built to deliver efficiency and innovations in our value chain. Continuing to link the pricing of the revolving credit facility to our science-based climate goals is a strong step forward demonstrating our commitment to our sustainability targets,” said Subho Mukherjee, Vice President of Sustainability, Nokia.
About Nokia At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.
As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.
With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.
LONDON, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brizy, the website creation platform known for its intuitive visual builder and multi-platform flexibility, is expanding into e-commerce with the launch of Brizy Shops – a new Cloud add-on powered by a seamless integration with Ecwid. Brizy Shops allows anyone to build and manage an online store with the same simplicity Brizy is known for.
Brizy has consistently pushed the boundaries of website creation, offering a versatile suite that spans WordPress, Brizy Cloud, and even a dedicated Shopify app. With its advanced AI website building capabilities and robust white-label solutions, Brizy has become a go-to platform for hundreds of thousands looking to simplify web development and design. The introduction of Brizy Shops further solidifies this commitment, extending Brizy’s signature drag-and-drop visual builder directly into the realm of online retail within Brizy Cloud.
A New Standard for Simplicity in e-Commerce
Brizy Shops is engineered to simplify the e-commerce journey, directly tackling the frustrations businesses often face when building and managing an online store:
No Tech Headaches: Avoid the complexities of manual setup, plugin conflicts, and constant updates. Brizy Shops offers a seamless, stable, and hassle-free foundation within Brizy Cloud.
Faster Go-to-Market: Visually build, launch, and iterate your online store with ease using Brizy’s intuitive drag-and-drop builder, getting your products to customers quicker.
Complete Flexibility: Effortlessly mix e-commerce with any other Brizy Cloud content, including landing pages, lead generation, and pop-ups, creating a harmonious online ecosystem.
Full Creative Control: Design your shop exactly how you envision it with pixel-perfect precision. Customize every detail, from product layouts to checkout flows, to create a truly bespoke shopping experience.
Brizy Shops is available to all Brizy Cloud users, with a 14-day free trial offered to let users explore and test the full e-commerce experience with no commitment. The free trial will remain available moving forward.
Promotions and Offers
For a limited time, Brizy is offering launch pricing discounts on all three Brizy Shops plans—supporting stores from 100 to unlimited products. It’s a great opportunity for early adopters to lock in savings and scale with confidence.
“We didn’t want to reinvent e-commerce – we wanted to make it actually usable for the everyday creator. Brizy Shops does that. It’s smooth, visual, and gets out of your way so you can start selling fast. Our goal has always been to remove the friction from building online. With Brizy Shops, you get the power of e-commerce without the complexity: no plugins, no coding, no guesswork. It’s the fastest way we’ve seen to go from idea to income.”, explained Dimi Baitanciuc, Co-Founder & CEO of Brizy.
Whether you’re launching a product line, selling digital goods, or offering services, Brizy Shops brings flexibility and speed to your storefront. Combined with Brizy’s AI tools, white label options, and platform reach, this launch marks a significant step in making e-commerce as easy and accessible as content creation.
About Brizy London-based Brizy is a VC-backed technology company specializing in next-generation website-building solutions. Brizy’s offerings span WordPress, Shopify, Brizy Cloud, eCommerce and White Label AI, all designed to help businesses grow their online presence with ease. www.brizy.io
LONDON, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brizy, the website creation platform known for its intuitive visual builder and multi-platform flexibility, is expanding into e-commerce with the launch of Brizy Shops – a new Cloud add-on powered by a seamless integration with Ecwid. Brizy Shops allows anyone to build and manage an online store with the same simplicity Brizy is known for.
Brizy has consistently pushed the boundaries of website creation, offering a versatile suite that spans WordPress, Brizy Cloud, and even a dedicated Shopify app. With its advanced AI website building capabilities and robust white-label solutions, Brizy has become a go-to platform for hundreds of thousands looking to simplify web development and design. The introduction of Brizy Shops further solidifies this commitment, extending Brizy’s signature drag-and-drop visual builder directly into the realm of online retail within Brizy Cloud.
A New Standard for Simplicity in e-Commerce
Brizy Shops is engineered to simplify the e-commerce journey, directly tackling the frustrations businesses often face when building and managing an online store:
No Tech Headaches: Avoid the complexities of manual setup, plugin conflicts, and constant updates. Brizy Shops offers a seamless, stable, and hassle-free foundation within Brizy Cloud.
Faster Go-to-Market: Visually build, launch, and iterate your online store with ease using Brizy’s intuitive drag-and-drop builder, getting your products to customers quicker.
Complete Flexibility: Effortlessly mix e-commerce with any other Brizy Cloud content, including landing pages, lead generation, and pop-ups, creating a harmonious online ecosystem.
Full Creative Control: Design your shop exactly how you envision it with pixel-perfect precision. Customize every detail, from product layouts to checkout flows, to create a truly bespoke shopping experience.
Brizy Shops is available to all Brizy Cloud users, with a 14-day free trial offered to let users explore and test the full e-commerce experience with no commitment. The free trial will remain available moving forward.
Promotions and Offers
For a limited time, Brizy is offering launch pricing discounts on all three Brizy Shops plans—supporting stores from 100 to unlimited products. It’s a great opportunity for early adopters to lock in savings and scale with confidence.
“We didn’t want to reinvent e-commerce – we wanted to make it actually usable for the everyday creator. Brizy Shops does that. It’s smooth, visual, and gets out of your way so you can start selling fast. Our goal has always been to remove the friction from building online. With Brizy Shops, you get the power of e-commerce without the complexity: no plugins, no coding, no guesswork. It’s the fastest way we’ve seen to go from idea to income.”, explained Dimi Baitanciuc, Co-Founder & CEO of Brizy.
Whether you’re launching a product line, selling digital goods, or offering services, Brizy Shops brings flexibility and speed to your storefront. Combined with Brizy’s AI tools, white label options, and platform reach, this launch marks a significant step in making e-commerce as easy and accessible as content creation.
About Brizy London-based Brizy is a VC-backed technology company specializing in next-generation website-building solutions. Brizy’s offerings span WordPress, Shopify, Brizy Cloud, eCommerce and White Label AI, all designed to help businesses grow their online presence with ease. www.brizy.io
Xi chairs CPC leadership meeting to review work regulations on decision-making, deliberation, coordination
Xinhua | June 30, 2025
The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting on Monday to review a set of regulations on the work of the Central Committee’s decision-making, deliberative and coordinating institutions.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.
Announcement on Open Market Operations No.123 [2025]
(Open Market Operations Office, June 30, 2025)
The People’s Bank of China conducted reverse repo operations in the amount of RMB331.5 billion through quantity bidding at a fixed interest rate on June 30, 2025.
Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense
BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) — The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting on Monday to review a set of regulations on the work of the Central Committee’s decision-making, deliberative and coordinating institutions.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 30 — The Communist Party of China (CPC) had more than 100.27 million members at the end of 2024, up by nearly 1.09 million from 2023, according to a report issued Monday ahead of the Party’s 104th founding anniversary.
The membership of the CPC has steadily expanded, with its structure continuing to improve and primary-level Party organizations growing stronger, said the report released by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.
Moreover, the CPC had 5.25 million primary-level organizations at the end of 2024, an increase of 74,000 compared with the previous year.
The CPC continues to exercise self-supervision and self-governance by upholding the spirit of reform and applying strict standards. It has focused on strengthening primary-level organizations, and nurturing a team of Party members who hold themselves to the highest standards, so as to provide an organizational guarantee for building China into a strong country and realizing national rejuvenation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization.
Data from the report showed that over 2.13 million people joined the CPC in 2024. Of these people, 52.6 percent were from the forefront of production and work, 54.4 percent held diplomas of junior college or above, and 83.7 percent of them aged 35 or below.
Party membership continued to see positive changes in terms of its composition. The report revealed that about 57.79 million Party members, or 57.6 percent of the overall membership, held junior college degrees or above at the end of 2024, 1.4 percentage points higher than the level recorded at the end of the previous year.
By the end of 2024, the CPC had nearly 31 million female members, accounting for 30.9 percent of its total membership, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous year. The proportion of members from ethnic minority groups remained at 7.7 percent.
Workers and farmers accounted for about 33 percent of all CPC members.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
This photo shows the Hg LaserWeeder, a 24/7 intelligent laser weeding robot at a product launch event in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, June 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
A Chinese company has rolled out a 24/7 intelligent laser weeding robot, which it claims is potentially the country’s first of its kind.
The robot, Hg LaserWeeder, was showcased on Saturday at an event hosted by Huagong Technology Industry Co., Ltd., one of its developers, in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province.
Equipped with data models covering thousands of crop and weed varieties and an AI-powered vision system, the robot can dynamically adjust its laser intensity to eliminate weeds while sparing crops, said Xiong Bian, AI algorithm lead at the company’s research institute.
“This robot is expected to replace chemical herbicides, known as the ‘number one soil killer,’” Xiong said.
The technology, which maintains a weed removal rate of over 95 percent, aims to eliminate chemical herbicide residues that contaminate soil and water, reducing agricultural pollution at its source.
A high-end version of the robot features up to 32 laser heads, enabling it to destroy as many as 320,000 weeds per hour, which is four to eight times more efficient than traditional methods that combine manual labor and herbicides, according to the company.
The recognition and targeting process takes less than five milliseconds from image capture to weed elimination.
Ma Xinqiang, chairman of Huagong Technology, said that building a new development paradigm and driving high-quality growth requires strengthening innovation more than ever before.
Huagong, he added, will continue to increase investment in innovation, boost talent density, and expand its network of partners.
The company said the weeding robot has completed algorithm validation trials in test fields in Yunnan and Heilongjiang provinces, and global pre-orders are now open.
Mass production is targeted for 2026, it added.
This photo shows the Hg LaserWeeder, a 24/7 intelligent laser weeding robot demonstrating weeding operation at a product launch event in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, June 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Visitors learn about the Hg LaserWeeder, a 24/7 intelligent laser weeding robot at a product launch event in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, June 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Guests attending the delivery ceremony of the 700th A320 family aircraft assembled by Airbus Tianjin to Chengdu Airlines pose for a group photo in front of the A320neo aircraft in Tianjin, north China, July 8, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Forty years after delivering its first aircraft to the Chinese mainland, Airbus is eyeing further growth in the biggest single-country market for its aircraft.
Currently, about 2,200 Airbus planes are in service in China, accounting for more than 50 percent of China’s civil aviation market, compared with less than 10 percent in 1995, according to Airbus China.
Despite decades of rapid development, China’s aviation industry is far from saturation and still has huge potential for growth, said George Xu, Airbus executive vice president and CEO of Airbus China. Airbus estimates that China will need approximately 9,000 new planes over the next 20 years.
As an example of high-tech cooperation between China and Europe, the collaboration between Airbus and China encompasses research and development, manufacturing and final assembly, operational support, dismantling, and recycling after retirement.
Since its launch in 2008, the Tianjin Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line (FAL) has produced about one-third of the more than 2,000 Airbus aircraft currently in service in China’s fleet, and has also delivered planes to customers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The second A320 Family FAL in Tianjin is expected to be completed by the end of this year and start production early next year, which is expected to double its production capacity in China.
Currently, approximately 200 suppliers in China support the production of Airbus’ commercial aircraft, with the total value of such industrial cooperation exceeding 1 billion U.S. dollars a year, according to Airbus China.
As part of the celebrations marking 40 years of Airbus’ business in China, a refurbishment project for the first Airbus aircraft — an A310 — that was delivered to China in 1985 and retired in 2006, was jointly launched by Airbus, the China Civil Aviation Science Popularization Foundation, and the Civil Aviation Museum in Beijing on June 25.
Cooperation between Airbus and China is a win-win model, which not only has contributed to China’s aviation industry and the global aviation industry chain but also has significantly increased Airbus’ market share in China, while enhancing its competitiveness and industrial resilience, said Xu.
“China’s suppliers, such as Aviation Industry Corporation of China and many private enterprises, have shown strong competitiveness. On the basis of competitiveness, we will deepen cooperation with various suppliers and cooperate with China’s supply chain to achieve a win-win situation,” said Xu. “I believe that China will play a very important role in helping to strengthen the global aviation supply chain in the future.”
In the future, there is much potential to be tapped in terms of cooperation in decarbonization, digitalization and intelligence, said Xu, adding that China has many strengths in these areas.
“Airbus is committed to being a trustworthy long-term partner of China’s civil aviation and contributing more to the high-quality development of China’s civil aviation,” Xu said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China will conditionally resume imports of certain aquatic products from Japan, excluding 10 prefectures, including Fukushima and Gunma, the General Administration of Customs issued an online notice on Sunday.
The move follows long-term international monitoring and independent sampling by Chinese authorities regarding the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which found no abnormalities.
The administration said that it also comes on the premise that the Japanese government has pledged to ensure the safety of aquatic products exported to China.
Effective immediately, imports of aquatic products originating from Japan will be resumed, apart from products from the 10 designated prefectures such as Fukushima, Gunma, Tochigi and Ibaraki.
Japanese businesses exporting aquatic products to China must comply with relevant Chinese regulations on the registration of overseas food producers, said the notice.
The administration stated that such imports must be accompanied by an official health certificate issued by the Japanese authorities, a certificate confirming compliance with radioactive material testing requirements and a certificate of origin.
If Japan fails to effectively fulfil its regulatory responsibilities, China will promptly adopt control measures to ensure the health and safety of its citizens, said the notice.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Contractor fined for violation of safety legislation The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on March 21, 2023, at a construction site on Anderson Road. It is suspected that a worker, while carrying out debris clearance work at a building under construction, fell from a height onto the canopy on the first floor of the building. The worker was unconscious and passed away on the same day. Issued at HKT 14:47
Nasdaq Copenhagen Euronext Dublin London Stock Exchange Danish Financial Supervisory Authority Other stakeholders
Date 30 June 2025
Share buyback programme–week 26
The share buyback programme runs in the period 2 June 2025 up to and including 30 January 2026, see company announcement of 2 June 2025.
During the period the bank will thus buy back its own shares for a total of up to DKK 1,000 million under the programme, but to a maximum of 1,600,000 shares.
The programme is implemented in compliance with EU Commission Regulation No. 596/2014 of 16 April 2014 and EU Commission Delegated Regulation No. 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016, which together constitute the “Safe Harbour” regulation.
The following transactions have been made under the programme:
Date
Number of shares
Average purchase price (DKK)
Total purchased under the programme (DKK)
Total in accordance with the last announcement
79,000
1,348.30
106,515,381
23 June 2025
6,000
1,346.53
8,079,180
24 June 2025
5,000
1,365.82
6,829,100
25 June 2025
5,000
1,359.51
6,797,550
26 June 2025
5,200
1,357.97
7,061,444
27 June 2025
4,000
1,380.40
5,521,600
Total under the share buyback programme
104,200
1,351.29
140,804,255
Bought back under share buyback programme executed in the period 28 January 2025 – 28 May 2025
414,200
1,207.12
499,988,706
Total bought back
518,400
1,236.10
640,792,961
With the transactions stated above, Ringkjøbing Landbobank now owns the following numbers of own shares, excluding the bank’s trading portfolio and investments made on behalf of customers:
518,400 shares under the above share buyback programmes corresponding to 2.04 % of the bank’s share capital.
In accordance with the above regulation etc., the transactions related to the share buyback programme on the stated reporting days are attached to this corporate announcement in detailed form.
Kind regards
Ringkjøbing Landbobank
John Fisker CEO Detailed summary of the transactions on the above reporting days
Heavy surf and intense rains hit Sydney beaches during a 2020 East Coast Low. Lee Hulsman/Getty
Right now, a severe storm likely to be the first significant east coast low in three years is developing off the coast of New South Wales. It’s expected to intensify today before approaching the coastline on Tuesday. Huge waves, sustained heavy rains and very strong winds are likely.
At this stage, it’s expected to linger offshore south of Coffs Harbour – the same area hit hard by unprecedented floods on the Mid-North Coast last month. Residents on the coast or in low-lying areas have been asked to prepare.
There’s nothing new about east coast lows, intense winter storms which can hit coastlines anywhere from southern Queensland to Tasmania. But what is new are the historically warm seas. Just like a tropical cyclone, east coast lows feed on ocean heat. And just like a tropical cyclone, they can intensify rapidly if the conditions are right.
The storm looming this week has been intensifying very fast, to the point it could be classified as a “weather bomb” – a storm undergoing explosive cyclogenesis.
If the storm shapes up as predicted, we can expect to see damage to houses and trees as well as significant beach erosion – especially in heavily populated areas exposed to the storm’s southern flank.
The Bureau of Meteorology is issuing warnings about the looming east coast low.
What to expect from this storm
It’s too early to say just how bad this storm will be. Much depends on how intense it becomes and how close it tracks to the coast.
Earlier storms have caused flooding of businesses and properties and significant disruptions to transport networks and electricity supplies.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting strong to damaging winds and moderate to heavy rain for this deepening weather system from Tuesday onwards, and hazardous surf conditions for much of the week.
Sea surface temperatures are 1 to 2.5°C above average off most of the NSW coast. This ocean heat will act as fuel for the storm, boosting the chance of even stronger winds and heavy rain if the centre moves closer to the coast and slows down.
The NSW winter storm is intensifying and is expected to hit the Mid-North Coast on Tuesday 1 July. Bureau of Meteorology
East coast lows are distinct
Why do winter storms need their own title? East coast lows are quite distinct. They’re most common in autumn and winter, but they can occur any time.
These weather systems usually form after an upper atmosphere low or deep trough gets stronger over eastern Australia.
This triggers the development of a low pressure system at sea level near the coast to the east of the upper level system. These often intensify rapidly.
During summer, these weather systems can occasionally form in the aftermath of a Coral Sea tropical cyclone as it moves towards the central east coast. By the time the decaying cyclone reaches the cooler waters of the Tasman Sea, it has lost its characteristic warm core. It can now rapidly transition into an east coast low.
Two of Australia’s most populated areas, Sydney/Central Coast and Brisbane/Gold Coast are in the zone most likely to be affected by these intense storms.
What role is climate change playing?
About 90% of all extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases goes into the oceans. The world’s oceans are now at their warmest point on record.
Marine heatwaves are causing many unwelcome changes. Warmer waters made South Australia’s ongoing devastating algal bloom more likely. A huge marine heatwave hit Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef before heading south. In southeast Australia, the warm East Australian Current is pushing further south, taking warm-water species into Tasmanian waters.
As climate change intensifies, researchers have found intense east coast lows will actually become less common in the future – but the storms which do form could be more dangerous. A similar trend is likely for tropical cyclones around Australia.
As the world gets hotter still, the intensity of rainfall extremes associated with these weather systems is expected to rise – especially short-duration rainfall.
That means a higher risk of river and flash flooding, more damage from high energy wind and waves along exposed coasts and significant erosion of beaches and cliffs. Damage to the coasts will be worsened by rising sea levels.
Bracing for more extremes
It’s been a terrible six months for extreme weather. The year started with severe flooding in northern Queensland in February, followed soon after by Tropical Cyclone Alfred which hit heavily populated parts of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.
A couple of weeks later, intense rains devastated western Queensland, causing huge livestock losses. But even as floods hit the east coast, farmers across the continent’s southern reaches are struggling with extreme drought.
As the Mid-North Coast braces for yet more extreme weather, residents should heed warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology, visit the NSW emergencies and natural disasters website and listen to information provided by the national broadcaster.
Steve Turton has received funding from the Australian government.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heidi Norman, Professor of Australian and Aboriginal history, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Convenor: Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group, UNSW Sydney
Hay Local Aboriginal Land Council staff and members with researchers and actuaries from Finity Consulting.UNSW Indigenous Land and Justice Research Group
The shift to clean, renewable sources of energy presents a rare opportunity for First Nations people, not only as energy users but as landholders.
We wanted to explore the potential for First Nations land in the energy transition across New South Wales. The transition is well underway, but the pace must accelerate to meet state targets for 2030 and beyond.
Our new report found the state’s 121 Aboriginal Land Councils have an opportunity to partner with renewable developers and build solar, wind or transmission lines on their own land.
Such projects can offer jobs during construction and a smaller number of ongoing positions, as well as annual payments. This is why farmers and other landholders often look to renewable projects as a reliable source of income.
To date, the 447 square kilometres of the state owned by Aboriginal Land Councils has not been actively used in the energy transition. As a result, First Nations involvement in the transition has been limited and the renewables boom has not flowed to these communities.
Making this opportunity a reality will require collaboration with governments, electricity networks and industry, as well as policy support.
The role of land councils
In NSW, land councils have been operating since 1983, the year the state government passed laws recognising Aboriginal land rights. About a third of Australia’s First Nations people live in NSW.
Land councils have a statutory responsibility “to improve, protect and foster the best interests of all Aboriginal persons within the Council’s area and other persons who are members of the Council”. These councils manage their land to protect culture and heritage.
Generating wealth through the development of Aboriginal land is a key objective of Aboriginal land rights in NSW.
Aboriginal goals in the energy transition
Following analysis of the land potentially available to renewable energy projects, our research moved on to exploring what Aboriginal land councils want from the energy transition.
We ran workshops with three land councils: Tibooburra in the far northwest, Hay in the southwest and Brewarrina in the northwest of the state. Each had expressed interest in renewable developments and concern around exposure to extreme weather events.
In these workshops, land council members told us about their priorities for energy.
Reliable energy was a major concern for Tibooburra, far from the main electricity grid.
For Brewarrina on the Barwon River, energy security in the face of heatwaves and floods was front of mind. High energy bills in housing ill-equipped for extreme weather was another big issue.
Members of Hay land council told us they wanted ownership and equity share in renewable energy projects. Their goal was to create opportunities to live, work and care for Country.
The Hay Local Aboriginal Land Council (brown) is found in the South-West Renewable Energy Zone, while Tibooburra (green) and Brewarrina (orange) land councils are more remote. Norman, H., et al. (2025) APPI Policy Insights Paper, CC BY-NC-SA
Renewable energy, First Nations land
Aboriginal land councils own and manage about 450 square km of land in NSW. Resolving outstanding land claims would further expand the estate.
Our analysis reveals current land holdings could host up to 11 gigawatts of solar or 1.6 gigawatts of onshore wind energy projects.
But several barriers stand in the way. There are long delays in the processing of Aboriginal land claims and the return of vacant Crown Land. This limits options for land councils to contribute to renewable energy development.
Realising opportunities in the energy transition
Our case studies demonstrate the potential for Aboriginal land to support the state government’s renewable energy efforts. This can also bring economic and social benefits to Aboriginal communities. But the opportunities will vary from place to place.
In areas at the edge of the grid, such as Tibooburra and Brewarrina, Aboriginal land could help meet regional energy demand through small to mid-scale wind and solar projects, microgrids and batteries.
Hay Local Aboriginal Land Council, on the other hand, is in the South-West Renewable Energy Zone. This is an area where new renewable energy projects, storage facilities and high-voltage transmission lines are already being constructed. Land under claim here holds huge economic potential for both mid-scale renewable energy (solar installations feeding into the local electricity network) and large-scale renewable energy projects.
Unlocking the power of renewable energy zones (NSW EnergyCo)
How can authorities support land councils?
At present, local Aboriginal Land Councils need expertise and resources to turn this opportunity into reality.
Our report identified four broad areas for policy reform:
Build capacity for land councils to manage clean energy opportunities and risks on their landholdings. This could include establishing a dedicated government team to support interested land councils, and funding land councils to engage expertise and develop renewable energy projects.
Enable collaboration between electricity network distributors and land councils to set up microgrids. One case study, Tibooburra Local Aboriginal Land Council had land suitable for a microgrid and battery to support the energy provider. But early-stage support is needed to develop such projects.
Pilot programs to develop mid- and large-scale renewable energy projects on land council holdings. A partnership between lands councils and planning authorities could demonstrate a model for arranging approval processes. Programs by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency have proven successful in the past. We recommend funding these organisations to run a program for land council-developer partnerships in large-scale renewables.
Strengthen recognition of Aboriginal rights to unlock the renewable energy potential of Aboriginal land. This could include expediting land claims and land transfers and providing incentives for cooperation between land councils and Traditional Owners.
The next five years will be crucial for NSW’s renewable energy transition. Getting the foundations right now could empower Aboriginal landholders and their regional communities to get the most out of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Heidi Norman receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Australian Public Policy Institute, Boundless and the NSW Government.
Saori Miyake receives funding from Australian Public Policy Institute and Boundless for this project.
Sarah Niklas receives funding from the Australian Public Policy Institute and Boundless for this project.
Therese Apolonio receives funding from Australian Public Policy Institute, Boundless and the NSW Government.
“Good evening, Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Vice-Presidents and leaders of international and multinational organisations, authorities, ladies and gentlemen. The Queen and I are honoured and want to extend you our warmest welcome to the Royal Alcazar of Seville and to this courtyard of the maidens, the Spanish Patio de las Doncellas. And let me tell you, it doesn’t get warmer than this.
Now it’s pleasant, but as you know, the heat today was very, very strong. This setting is a magnificent example of everything the city represents, a true melting pot of origins, cultures and schools of thought, whose openness and conviviality are not just outward traits, they are a genuine way of viewing the world. Allow me to recall here the words attributed to Averroes, the 12th century philosopher from Al-Andalus, born in Cordoba, not too far from here, which are regrettably as appropriate now as they were so many centuries ago.
Back then, he said, ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hatred and hatred leads to violence. This is the equation, end of quote. I am sure you will agree that this equation, both simple and worrisome, can explain some of the conflicts of our time.
It can also partly explain the erosion of the multilateral world. Dear friends, this conference in Seville is of enormous value, precisely because the equation that makes it happen and gives it substance is quite the opposite. What brings us to Seville for the next few days and what we expect from this conference represents a tangible source of hope for the future.
In the face of deeply concerning and terrifying events and trends we are witnessing in our world, and it is certainly an uplifting and opposing equation that revives our battered confidence in humanity. Can we ascertain that not all is lost, that we have not wasted so many decades of real advancement in the construction of a more stable, peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world? We all have a say to this question, to answer it, to make it possible to say yes. With so many voices accusing the multilateral world of inefficiency and deadlock, this conference is proof that even if it’s not always the most direct route or the fastest, multilateralism is still the best and more durable path to peace and progress, because it includes us all and gives everyone a voice.
At a time when it is often said that the bridges of dialogue are being torn down, this conference is bringing together over 10,000 people from all places and origins to discuss how to modernise the development finance framework to make it more effective, ambitious and resilient in dealing with the complex challenges of a rapidly changing world. While so many claim that the UN system is suffering from chronic fatigue, this conference is a reflection of the continuing importance of the Sustainable Development Goals as set out in the agenda that the UN adopted a decade ago. That agenda, just five years from its deadline, remains a yardstick for our ambition and dedication as citizens of the world.
We are in a perfect place for assembling and building consensus. Spain welcomes you as a country that believes pragmatism must never be in opposition to principles and values. We also believe that only through broad-based participation will the world truly have a chance to succeed in global challenges such as hunger, extreme poverty, gender equality, climate change and many more.
For all these reasons, the UN, with the values of its Charter, its agencies, its rules and its presence on the ground, is more vital than ever. We are proud to host this international conference following the ones held in Monterey, Doha and Addis Ababa. It will be a space to converse at a critical juncture about global development, financing and governance, fiscal systems, private funding and maximising the impact of ODA, Official Development Assistance.
We eagerly await the adoptions by consensus of the Seville Commitment and the launch of the SBA, the Seville Platform for Action. From these days forth, they will be the roadmap for reinvigorating the development finance framework. Your Excellencies, dear friends, the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, born here in Seville 150 years ago, wrote, Hoy es siempre todavía, today is forever now or still now, bidding us to act now rather than later.
Let us bear it in mind as a motto to help galvanise our will and capacity to advance in development financing, shedding light in its path forward in this tumultuous 21st century. Let us do it here and now in Seville, in Spain, in 2025. The eyes of many millions are on this conference.
Their hopes and their needs deserve results and they certainly do not deserve failure and deception. What better place and what better time to revive their trust and confidence. Queen Letizia and I wish you success.
We hope you also enjoy your stay here in Seville. So welcome to Spain. Welcome to Andalusia.
(…)”
The KOF Economic Barometer decreases in June. After a moderate increase in the previous month, it now falls to its lowest level so far this year. The outlook for the Swiss economy deteriorates.
In June, the KOF Economic Barometer decreases by 2.5 points to a level of 96.1 (after revised 98.6 in the previous month). The negative developments are reflected in the majority of the indicator bundles included in the KOF Economic Barometer. In particular, the indicator bundle for manufacturing is considerably under pressure. The negative perspectives are slightly cushioned by the indicator bundle for foreign demand which shows an improved outlook this month.
Within the producing industry (manufacturing and construction), the sub-indicators for different aspects of business activity exhibit predominantly negative developments. The sub-indicators for the general business situation show a particularly strong downward tendency. Also weakened are the sub-indicators for production activity, stockpiling of intermediate goods, order backlogs, and stocks of finished products. Slightly positive, but almost unchanged, are the perspectives for the exports sub-indicators.
The predominantly negative developments are present along the majority of sub-indicators within manufacturing. Particularly weakened are the sub-indicators for the wood, glass, stone and earth segment, the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, as well as the metal industry. The sub-indicators for the textile industry remain nearly unchanged.
30 JUNE 2025 – Equinor has struck oil in exploration well 7720/7-DD-1H, Drivis Tubåen, on the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea.
The well was drilled in the Drivis structure on the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea. According to preliminary estimates the size of the discovery is 9-15 million barrels of oil.
Grete Birgitte Haaland, Equinor’s senior vice president for Exploration & Production North
“Only a short time after Johan Castberg came on stream and is producing at full capacity, we have made a new discovery that can provide additional reserves for the field. The Johan Castberg volume base originally estimated at 450–650 million barrels, our clear ambition is to increase the reserves by a another 250–550 million barrels.
“To realise this, we are planning six new exploration wells and continuous exploration activity. At the same time, we will develop Isflak as a rapid field expansion with planned start-up in 2028,” says Grete Birgitte Haaland, Equinor’s senior vice president for Exploration & Production North.
The oil was proven in a new segment called the Tubåen formation 1769 metres below the seabed in 345 metres of water. The well was drilled by the Transocean Enabler drilling rig as an exploratory extension from a production well. The licensees will consider tie-in of the discovery to the Johan Castberg field.
The Barents Sea is the least explored ocean area on the Norwegian continental shelf. With the Johan Castberg’s production facilities in place, it becomes more attractive to explore the neighbouring areas. Going forward, two rigs will drill both production wells and new exploration wells in the areas around Johan Castberg and Goliat. Equinor will drill one to two exploration wells annually around Johan Castberg.
On 17 June, the field reached a plateau and is now producing about 220,000 barrels of oil per day. Every three to four days, a loaded tanker now departs from Johan Castberg.
Facts
Drivis Tubåen is the fourteenth exploration well in production licence 532. The licence was awarded in the 20th licensing round in 2009. Transocean Enabler is now continuing drilling operations on the Johan Castberg field in production licence 532 for Equinor. The partners in the Johan Castberg licence are operator Equinor (46.3 percent), Vår Energi (30 percent) and Petoro (23.7 percent).
The financialisation of household savings in India has gained significant momentum, with the share of equities in household savings rising from 2.5 per cent in FY20 to 5.1 per cent in FY24, according to an SBI Research report released on Monday.
The report noted that the Indian credit market is witnessing structural shifts, with headline bank credit growth figures potentially masking underlying trends. It added that, going forward, the sources of credit origination through bank deposits—primarily household savings—need to be closely monitored.
According to the report, public sector banks (PSBs) are expected to show stable growth of 12.2 per cent in FY25, compared to a growth rate of 13.6 per cent in FY24.
However, PSBs’ share in incremental credit has increased significantly, rising to 56.9 per cent in FY25 from 20 per cent in FY18.
“The government’s 4R strategy—recognition, resolution, recapitalisation, and reforms—has reaped rich dividends. The asset quality in the banking system is now at a record low of 2.6 per cent in H1 FY25, down from 11.5 per cent in FY18,” the report stated.
After 14 years of decline, PSBs’ share in outstanding credit has improved to 52.3 per cent in FY25, up from 51.8 per cent in FY24 and down from 75.1 per cent in FY10.
Sectoral credit growth indicates that lending to various sectors has moderated, driven by a slowdown in credit to the services sector and agriculture and allied activities.
The share of personal loans in incremental credit growth has declined to 37 per cent in FY25 from 43 per cent in FY24, while the industry’s share has increased to 17 per cent in FY25 from 11 per cent in FY24.
“The X factor in credit growth is credit to the MSME sector, which has risen by 17.8 per cent year-on-year,” said Dr Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Advisor, State Bank of India.
“Interestingly, MSMEs depend greatly on large corporates through backward integration (and at times, forward integration). Hence, MSME activity levels could be a useful gauge of overall corporate activity, with all financing channels—banks and non-banks—embedded holistically,” he noted.
Moreover, private credit deals totalled Rs 774 billion in FY24, marking a 7 per cent growth over CY23. This growth is helping meet the diverse financing needs of India Inc. through tailored solutions, primarily via Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), while the issuance of Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) also remains prevalent.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defended his democratic socialism on Sunday and argued that his focus on economic issues should serve as a model for the party, even though some top Democrats have been reluctant to embrace him.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mamdani said his agenda of raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and on corporations to pay for ambitious policies such as free buses, a $30 minimum hourly wage and a rent freeze was not only realistic but tailored to meet the needs of the city’s working residents.
“It’s the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and yet one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty, and the rest are seemingly trapped in a state of anxiety,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker.
Mamdani’s stunning victory over former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday’s primary election has some party figures worried that his democratic socialism could feed Republican attacks on Democrats as too far left ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Business leaders have also expressed concern about his policies.
Democrats have struggled to find a coherent message after their resounding loss in the November elections that saw President Donald Trump return to the White House and his Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress. A Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month showed that a majority of American Democrats believed their party needs new leadership and to be more focused on economic issues.
Earlier on Sunday, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents part of the city, told ABC’s “This Week” that he wasn’t ready to endorse Mamdani yet, saying that he needed to hear more about Mamdani’s vision.
Other prominent New York Democrats, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have also thus far declined to endorse Mamdani.
Trump, himself a native New Yorker, told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” that if Mamdani wins the mayoral race, “he’d better do the right thing” or Trump would withhold federal funds from the city.
“He’s a communist. I think it’s very bad for New York,” Trump said.
Asked about Trump’s claim that he is a communist, Mamdani told NBC it was not true and accused the president of attempting to distract from the fact that “I’m fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower that he has since then betrayed.”
He also voiced no concern that Jeffries and other Democrats have not yet endorsed his candidacy.
“I think that people are catching up to this election,” he said. “What we’re showing is that by putting working people first, by returning to the roots of the Democratic Party, we actually have a path out of this moment where we’re facing authoritarianism in Washington, D.C.”
Mamdani’s criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza has set him apart from many mainstream Democrats and prompted allegations of antisemitism, which he has fiercely denied. Earlier this month, during an appearance on the political podcast The Bulwark, Mamdani declined to condemn the pro-Palestinian phrase “globalize the intifada,” which some Jews view as antisemitic and a call to violence.
Jeffries told ABC that Mamdani needed to “clarify his position” on the phrase to reassure Jewish New Yorkers.
Pressed again on Sunday, Mamdani said it was “not language that I use” but again did not condemn it. He said he did not want to determine for others what words are permissible or impermissible, arguing that Trump has done that by targeting pro-Palestinian activists for their speech.
“We have to root out that bigotry, and ultimately we do that through the actions,” he said.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, elected as a Democrat, is running as an independent in November’s election after Trump’s Justice Department dropped corruption charges against him, fueling accusations of a quid pro quo that he has denied. The Republican nominee is Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, and lawyer Jim Walden is also running as an independent.
Cuomo has not yet decided whether to remain in the race as an independent.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defended his democratic socialism on Sunday and argued that his focus on economic issues should serve as a model for the party, even though some top Democrats have been reluctant to embrace him.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mamdani said his agenda of raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and on corporations to pay for ambitious policies such as free buses, a $30 minimum hourly wage and a rent freeze was not only realistic but tailored to meet the needs of the city’s working residents.
“It’s the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and yet one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty, and the rest are seemingly trapped in a state of anxiety,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker.
Mamdani’s stunning victory over former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday’s primary election has some party figures worried that his democratic socialism could feed Republican attacks on Democrats as too far left ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Business leaders have also expressed concern about his policies.
Democrats have struggled to find a coherent message after their resounding loss in the November elections that saw President Donald Trump return to the White House and his Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress. A Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month showed that a majority of American Democrats believed their party needs new leadership and to be more focused on economic issues.
Earlier on Sunday, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents part of the city, told ABC’s “This Week” that he wasn’t ready to endorse Mamdani yet, saying that he needed to hear more about Mamdani’s vision.
Other prominent New York Democrats, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have also thus far declined to endorse Mamdani.
Trump, himself a native New Yorker, told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” that if Mamdani wins the mayoral race, “he’d better do the right thing” or Trump would withhold federal funds from the city.
“He’s a communist. I think it’s very bad for New York,” Trump said.
Asked about Trump’s claim that he is a communist, Mamdani told NBC it was not true and accused the president of attempting to distract from the fact that “I’m fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower that he has since then betrayed.”
He also voiced no concern that Jeffries and other Democrats have not yet endorsed his candidacy.
“I think that people are catching up to this election,” he said. “What we’re showing is that by putting working people first, by returning to the roots of the Democratic Party, we actually have a path out of this moment where we’re facing authoritarianism in Washington, D.C.”
Mamdani’s criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza has set him apart from many mainstream Democrats and prompted allegations of antisemitism, which he has fiercely denied. Earlier this month, during an appearance on the political podcast The Bulwark, Mamdani declined to condemn the pro-Palestinian phrase “globalize the intifada,” which some Jews view as antisemitic and a call to violence.
Jeffries told ABC that Mamdani needed to “clarify his position” on the phrase to reassure Jewish New Yorkers.
Pressed again on Sunday, Mamdani said it was “not language that I use” but again did not condemn it. He said he did not want to determine for others what words are permissible or impermissible, arguing that Trump has done that by targeting pro-Palestinian activists for their speech.
“We have to root out that bigotry, and ultimately we do that through the actions,” he said.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, elected as a Democrat, is running as an independent in November’s election after Trump’s Justice Department dropped corruption charges against him, fueling accusations of a quid pro quo that he has denied. The Republican nominee is Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, and lawyer Jim Walden is also running as an independent.
Cuomo has not yet decided whether to remain in the race as an independent.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
On June 26, the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University named after B.N. Yeltsin was held in Bishkek. Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University took part in it. The Council, formed in the spring of 2025, is called upon to promote the development of KRSU. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Chairman of the State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiev, who was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of KRSU.
In his speech, he emphasized the strategic importance of the university for training highly qualified personnel who will contribute to the development of Kyrgyzstan.
KRSU is the flagship of higher education in our country. We must pay special attention to the quality of students’ training, because they will be the ones who will manage various sectors of the economy and state institutions in the future, Kamchybek Tashiev noted.
The Board of Trustees includes 16 representatives of government agencies, academic, public and commercial organizations, industrial enterprises of Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Among the Russian members of the Board of Trustees of KRSU are the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation on Education, Chairman of the Council of ANO “Eurasia” Alena Arshinova, Managing Director for New Technologies and Projects of the Rostec State Corporation Maxim Nagaitsev, Rector of the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University Dmitry Ivanov, Director of JSC “Petersburg Tractor Plant” Sergey Serebryakov. The Polytechnic University was represented by the Rector, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy. All members of the Board of Trustees of KRSU were unanimous in their assessment of the importance of creating a single educational space of Russia and Kyrgyzstan and the flagship role of KRSU in this integration process.
The key topic of discussion was the KRSU development strategy until 2030 and the long-term vision until 2040. Acting Rector of the University Sergey Volkov presented a plan for the transformation of the university, including the creation of engineering and technical, biomedical and socio-humanitarian clusters. Particular attention is paid to the training of specialists in the field of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and nuclear medicine. SPbPU, as a curator university, will assist in updating educational programs and developing a research base.
An important event was the approval of the project for the construction of a new campus of KRSU for 15,000 students. A land plot of 30 hectares has already been allocated near the state residence “Ala-Archa”. The construction is financed by the Russian Federation, and the design will begin immediately after the signing of the intergovernmental agreement.
Another initiative was the creation of the KRSU Endowment Fund, the first in the Kyrgyz Republic. The fund will accumulate donations and direct investment income to support students, scientific grants and infrastructure development. Members of the board of trustees, including representatives of Gazprom and Rostec, expressed their willingness to participate in its formation.
The meeting raised issues of combating corruption in universities, expanding the network of regional colleges of KRSU and developing bilingual education programs. Kamchybek Tashiev called for strengthening efforts to preserve the Russian language in the educational space of Kyrgyzstan.
The Russian language is not only a communication tool, but also a key to advanced knowledge. We must resist attempts to displace it, he stressed.
The meeting ended with agreements on further cooperation. Russian universities, including SPbPU, will provide expert and methodological support to KRSU, and industrial partners will assist in the employment of graduates.
I am confident that the combined efforts will allow KRSU to become not only the leading university in Kyrgyzstan, but also one of the leaders in education in Central Asia, summed up Igor Maslov, Head of the Russian Presidential Administration for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.
On June 27, a meeting of the Governing Council of KRSU was held. It was chaired by Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky. At the meeting, Sergey Volkov was unanimously elected as the rector of KRSU for 5 years. The Polytechnic University congratulates Sergey Volkov on his appointment to the position and wishes him success in implementing the ambitious development tasks of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University.
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.
The Board of Directors in Columbus A/S has decided to initiate a share buyback programme for a total amount of up to DKK 16m. The authority to buy back shares was granted at the company’s Annual General Meeting held on 29 April 2025, allowing for share buyback of up to 10% of the share capital in the period until 29 October 2026 (18 months from the date of the General Meeting).
Purpose The purpose of the share buyback programme is to reduce the Company’s share capital and to hedge obligations under share-based incentive schemes. At the next Annual General Meeting in April 2026, the Board intends to propose a cancellation of shares acquired under the programme, unless such shares are used to meet obligations under share-based incentive schemes.
Timeline The share buyback programme will run from 30 June 2025 until 11 March 2026 at the latest, both days included. During this period, Columbus A/S may buy back shares for a total amount of up to DKK 16m in accordance with article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 (MAR) and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052, which together with MAR constitutes the ‘Safe Harbour’ Regulation.
Terms of the share buyback
Columbus A/S has appointed Nordea Danmark, Filial af Nordea Bank Abp, Finland as lead manager to execute the buyback independently and without any influence from Columbus A/S, and within the parameters set out in this announcement.
A maximum of 1.6 million shares may be acquired under the buyback programme, corresponding to 1.24% of the current share capital of Columbus A/S.
Shares may not be acquired at a price deviating by more than 10% from the most recently quoted market price of the shares on Nasdaq Copenhagen at the time of acquisition.
The share purchase price may not exceed the price of the last registered independent trade or the price of the highest independent bid on the trading venue.
The maximum number of shares that may be acquired on any single trading day may not exceed 25% of the average daily trading volume of Columbus A/S shares on the relevant trading venue. The average daily volume figure must be based on the average daily volume traded in the 20 trading days preceding the date of purchase.
A company announcement will be published weekly throughout the duration of the programme with details of transactions executed under the programme.
Ib Kunøe Søren Krogh Knudsen Chairman of the Board CEO & President
For further information, please contact: CEO & President, Søren Krogh Knudsen, +45 70 20 50 00
The Board of Directors in Columbus A/S has decided to initiate a share buyback programme for a total amount of up to DKK 16m. The authority to buy back shares was granted at the company’s Annual General Meeting held on 29 April 2025, allowing for share buyback of up to 10% of the share capital in the period until 29 October 2026 (18 months from the date of the General Meeting).
Purpose The purpose of the share buyback programme is to reduce the Company’s share capital and to hedge obligations under share-based incentive schemes. At the next Annual General Meeting in April 2026, the Board intends to propose a cancellation of shares acquired under the programme, unless such shares are used to meet obligations under share-based incentive schemes.
Timeline The share buyback programme will run from 30 June 2025 until 11 March 2026 at the latest, both days included. During this period, Columbus A/S may buy back shares for a total amount of up to DKK 16m in accordance with article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 (MAR) and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052, which together with MAR constitutes the ‘Safe Harbour’ Regulation.
Terms of the share buyback
Columbus A/S has appointed Nordea Danmark, Filial af Nordea Bank Abp, Finland as lead manager to execute the buyback independently and without any influence from Columbus A/S, and within the parameters set out in this announcement.
A maximum of 1.6 million shares may be acquired under the buyback programme, corresponding to 1.24% of the current share capital of Columbus A/S.
Shares may not be acquired at a price deviating by more than 10% from the most recently quoted market price of the shares on Nasdaq Copenhagen at the time of acquisition.
The share purchase price may not exceed the price of the last registered independent trade or the price of the highest independent bid on the trading venue.
The maximum number of shares that may be acquired on any single trading day may not exceed 25% of the average daily trading volume of Columbus A/S shares on the relevant trading venue. The average daily volume figure must be based on the average daily volume traded in the 20 trading days preceding the date of purchase.
A company announcement will be published weekly throughout the duration of the programme with details of transactions executed under the programme.
Ib Kunøe Søren Krogh Knudsen Chairman of the Board CEO & President
For further information, please contact: CEO & President, Søren Krogh Knudsen, +45 70 20 50 00
The share repurchase programme runs as from 26 February 2025 and up to and including 30 January 2026 at the latest. In this period, Jyske Bank will acquire shares with a value of up to DKK 2.25 billion, cf. Corporate Announcement No. 3/2025 of 26 February 2025. The share repurchase programme is initiated and structured in compliance with the EU Commission Regulation No. 596/2014 of 16 April 2014, the so-called “Market Abuse Regulation”, and the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016 (together with the Market Abuse Regulation, the “Safe Harbour Rules”).
The following transactions have been made under the program:
Number of shares
Average purchase price (DKK)
Transaction value (DKK)
Accumulated, previous announcement
1,101.985
547.25
603,060,688
23 June 2025
7,440
620.28
4,614,885
24 June 2025
6,494
628.98
4,084,620
25 June 2025
11,518
629.74
7,253,311
26 June 2025
10,367
632.52
6,557,303
27 June 2025
19,858
646.98
12,847,808
Accumulated under the programme
1,157.662
551.47
638,418,615
Following settlement of the transactions stated above, Jyske Bank will own a total of 1,115,662 of treasury shares, excluding investments made on behalf of customers and shares held for trading purposes, corresponding to 1,88% of the share capital.
Attached to this corporate announcement, aggregated details on the transactions related to the share repurchase programme are shown by venue.
The share repurchase programme runs as from 26 February 2025 and up to and including 30 January 2026 at the latest. In this period, Jyske Bank will acquire shares with a value of up to DKK 2.25 billion, cf. Corporate Announcement No. 3/2025 of 26 February 2025. The share repurchase programme is initiated and structured in compliance with the EU Commission Regulation No. 596/2014 of 16 April 2014, the so-called “Market Abuse Regulation”, and the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016 (together with the Market Abuse Regulation, the “Safe Harbour Rules”).
The following transactions have been made under the program:
Number of shares
Average purchase price (DKK)
Transaction value (DKK)
Accumulated, previous announcement
1,101.985
547.25
603,060,688
23 June 2025
7,440
620.28
4,614,885
24 June 2025
6,494
628.98
4,084,620
25 June 2025
11,518
629.74
7,253,311
26 June 2025
10,367
632.52
6,557,303
27 June 2025
19,858
646.98
12,847,808
Accumulated under the programme
1,157.662
551.47
638,418,615
Following settlement of the transactions stated above, Jyske Bank will own a total of 1,115,662 of treasury shares, excluding investments made on behalf of customers and shares held for trading purposes, corresponding to 1,88% of the share capital.
Attached to this corporate announcement, aggregated details on the transactions related to the share repurchase programme are shown by venue.
The pace of talks to resolve the war in Ukraine depends on Kyiv’s position, the effectiveness of U.S. mediation, and the situation on the ground, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks televised on Sunday.
Five months into U.S. President Donald Trump’s term, there is no clear end to the war Russia launched in February 2022 against its smaller neighbour, despite his 2024 campaign vow to end it in one day.
Trump, who has pushed both sides towards ceasefire talks since his January inauguration, said on Friday he thinks “something will happen” about a settlement of the war.
“A lot depends, naturally, on the position of the Kyiv regime,” Peskov told Belarus 1 TV, the main state television channel in Russia’s neighbour.
“It depends on how effectively Washington’s mediating efforts continue,” he said, adding that the situation on the ground was another factor that could not be ignored.
Peskov did not elaborate on what Moscow expects from Washington or Kyiv. Moscow has been demanding that Ukraine cede more land and abandon Western military support, conditions Kyiv calls unacceptable.
While no date has been set for the next round of talks, Peskov said Russia hoped dates would become clear “in the near future.”
After a gap of more than three years, Russia and Ukraine held face-to-face talks in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 that led to a series of prisoner exchanges and the return of their dead soldiers.
They have made no progress towards a ceasefire, however. Their blueprints for a peace deal shared at the June 2 talks were “absolutely contradictory memorandums”, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
Russia, which already controls about a fifth of Ukraine, continues to advance gradually, gaining ground in recent weeks in Ukraine’s southeastern regions of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, and ramping up air attacks nationwide.
Turkey, which hosted the previous round of talks, is ready to host them again, it said on Friday.
NAIROBI, Kenya – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that millions of Sudanese refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries risk plunging deeper into hunger and malnutrition as critical funding shortages force drastic cuts to life saving food assistance.
Since conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, more than 4 million people have fled to neighbouring countries in search of food, shelter and safety – with families often arriving traumatised, malnourished, and with little more than the clothes on their backs.
WFP quickly mobilized to provide emergency assistance to refugees escaping to seven neighbouring countries. Food and cash, hot meals, and nutrition support have been provided in the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda. The agency also expanded support to host communities who have generously welcomed refugees, despite often grappling with their own food insecurity needs.
However, continued food assistance is quickly exceeding available funding. WFP’s support to Sudanese refugees in CAR, Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya may grind to a halt in the coming months as resources run dry. In Uganda, many vulnerable refugees are surviving on less than 500 calories a day – less than a quarter of daily nutritional needs – as new arrivals push refugee support systems to the breaking point. And in Chad, which hosts almost a quarter of the four million refugees who fled Sudan, food rations will be reduced in the coming months unless new contributions are received soon.
“This is a full-blown regional crisis that’s playing out in countries that already have extreme levels of food insecurity and high levels of conflict,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP’s Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Regional Crisis. “Millions of people who have fled Sudan depend wholly on support from WFP, but without additional funding we will be forced to make further cuts to food assistance. This will leave vulnerable families, and particularly children, at increasingly severe risk of hunger and malnutrition.”
Children are particularly vulnerable to sustained periods of food insecurity. Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates among refugee children in reception centres in Uganda and South Sudan have already breached emergency thresholds as refugees are severely malnourished even before arriving in bordering countries to receive emergency assistance.
Inside Sudan, WFP has worked to scale up assistance to reach over 4 million people per month – four times more than at the beginning of 2024. Vital support to new refugees in neighbouring countries was also expanded; in Chad, WFP quadrupled warehouse capacity and expanded food pipelines to support the influx of refugees crossing from Darfur and to sustain cross-border operations into Sudan. In Egypt and South Sudan, WFP scaled up cash assistance after the civil conflict began in 2023, enrolling eligible Sudanese families within hours of arrival to provide immediate support.
“Refugees from Sudan are fleeing for their lives and yet are being met with more hunger, despair, and limited resources on the other side of the border,” said Hughes. “Food assistance is a lifeline for vulnerable refugee families with nowhere else to turn.”
WFP is urging the international community to mobilise additional resources to sustain food and nutrition assistance for Sudan’s refugees and the host communities supporting them.
WFP needs just over US$200 million to sustain its emergency response for Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries for the next 6 months. An additional $575 million is needed for life-saving operations for the most vulnerable inside Sudan.
“Ultimately, humanitarian support alone will not put an end to conflict and forced displacement –political and global diplomatic action is what’s urgently needed to end the fighting so that peace and stability can return,” said Hughes.
Notes to editors:
Package of high-resolution photos is available here.
Countries hosting refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan:
Central Africa Republic: WFP is supporting over 25,000 refugees and returnees who have fled the conflict in Sudan. Sudanese refugees receive full rations while CAR citizens returning due to the fighting receive a 75 percent food ration. WFP requires US$4 million to maintain support through October, and will be forced to stop all support for refugees from August unless additional funds are received.
Chad: Chad hosts one of the largest and fastest growing refugee populations in Africa with nearly 1.4 million refugees. The country is experiencing enormous pressure on already limited resources as 860,000 refugees and 274,000 returnees have arrived since the Sudan crisis began more than two years ago. Around 1,000 refugees continue to arrive daily into Chad, mostly from North Darfur, numbers similar to the high rates seen at the beginning of the Sudan crisis. WFP aims to support more than 1.2 million Sudanese refugees, returnees, and families in host communities in 2025. If no further funding is confirmed, food assistance will be reduced in the coming months. WFP needs US$77 million for its Sudanese refugee response for the next six months (June – November 2025).
Egypt: Around 1.5 million Sudanese affected by the crisis have arrived in Egypt since the conflict began two years ago, making it the largest host country for arrivals from Sudan, followed by South Sudan. In April, WFP was forced to reduce the number of Sudanese refugees, and refugees of other nationalities receiving food assistance (through cash-based transfers) from 235,000 to 200,000 people. This amounts to a 15 percent cut due to reduced funding. The amount of food refugees receive was also cut by 33 percent.
Another reduction in beneficiaries, from 200,000 to 170,000 people, followed in May 2025 – also due to funding constraints. In June, WFP had to further reduce the number of assisted beneficiaries to 150,000. If no additional funding is received, WFP will be forced to halt critical humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable people in August 2025. The total funding requirements until end of 2025 are US$20 million.
Ethiopia: WFP currently supports more than 800,000 refugees with cash and in-kind food assistance at 50 percent rations: 100,000 are Sudanese refugees, of which 20,000 are new arrivals in Amhara and Benishangul Gumuz region, where they receive full rations. WFP requires $18 million to support Sudanese refugees for the next 6 months (June to November) – and a total of US$40 million to continue supporting all refugees at half rations through December.
Libya: WFP is providing monthly food assistance and nutrition support to 50,000 refugees, most of whom have fled Sudan since the start of the war in 2023. This is a fraction of the estimated 313,000 Sudanese refugees who have arrived in Libya in the last two years, a figure that UNHCR forecasts could reach 650,000 by the end of 2025. However, WFP does not have the funds to expand beyond its current caseload, and will be forced to end all assistance by the end of July without additional funding. WFP requires $5 million to continue its support from July to November 2025.
Uganda: Uganda is home to 1.9 million refugees, including 81,000 from Sudan. WFP supports over 660,000 refugees overall, down from 1.6 million supported by WFP in April with hot meals, food assistance, nutrition and livelihood programmes to boost self-reliance. Since March, refugees classified as moderately vulnerable are receiving just 22 percent rations. WFP requires $6 million to support Sudanese refugees for the next 6 months (June to November) – and a total of US$50 million to provide all refugees with full rations through 2025.
South Sudan: WFP has assisted 1 million of the 1.16 million new arrivals to South Sudan since the conflict began, of whom 365,000 are Sudanese refugees and the remainder South Sudanese returnees. New arrivals are supported with hot meals, food and cash assistance, and nutrition support immediately after they cross the border. Influxes over the past two years have brought the total number of refugees in South Sudan to more than half a million. Funding shortfalls mean assistance to refugees is being prioritised based on vulnerability. New arrivals who continue onward to established refugee camps receive monthly food assistance at 50 percent rations due to a combination of funding shortfalls and high levels of need within the camps and host communities. WFP also provides nutrition and school meals programmes in refugee camps. WFP faces a US$71 million shortfall for the Sudan refugee response (June – November).
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
