Quadient Maintains Momentum in UK Smart Locker Reach with Shell Service Stations Alliance
The partnership builds on recent strategic alliances, advancing Quadient’s mission to deliver nationwide smart open locker access with first 200 locations underway
Quadient (Euronext Paris: QDT), a global automation platform powering secure and sustainable business connections, announces a new partnership with Shell Service Stations, which has over 540 petrol forecourt locations throughout the UK. Known for its commitment to “making life’s journeys better,” Shell offers a premium retail experience focused on convenience, choice, and quality services.
As part of the new collaboration, Parcel Pending by Quadient smart lockers are being deployed across the UK, with the first 200 installations already rolling out, marking another successful step in Quadient’s mission to scale up to 5,000 open-access units nationwide by 2027. Accessible to all carriers and service providers, the smart lockers offer a flexible, secure platform for 24/7 delivery, returns, and exchanges. They also serve as versatile service points, accommodating temporary storage and services such as prescription pickup, click-and-collect retail orders, spare part distribution, and key collection.
“Partnering with Shell Service Stations brings Parcel Pending by Quadient smart lockers even closer to everyday life for communities across the UK,” said Katia Bourgeais Crémel, EVP Parcel Locker Solutions Europe, Quadient. “Shell’s highly accessible locations are open long hours and seamlessly embedded into people’s daily routines, making them prime locations for expanding our open locker network. Together, we’re simplifying last-mile logistics by offering people a convenient, secure way to send, return, or collect parcels on their terms. This collaboration not only strengthens our UK footprint but also supports Shell’s ambition to deliver more sustainable, customer-centric services.”
“We’re pleased to be working with Quadient to bring their smart locker services to our service stations” said Sarah Reid, Business Development Manager for Convenience Retail Services at Shell UK. “This collaboration enhances the convenience we offer our customers by integrating a trusted, open-access parcel service that elevates the retail experience we offer. It’s another step in expanding our services to meet evolving customer needs while supporting more sustainable, flexible delivery options for communities nationwide.”
To learn more about Quadient’s open locker network, visit parcelpending.com.
About Quadient® Quadient is a global automation platform powering secure and sustainable business connections through digital and physical channels. Quadient supports businesses of all sizes in their digital transformation and growth journey, unlocking operational efficiency and creating meaningful customer experiences. Listed in compartment B of Euronext Paris (QDT) and part of the CAC® Mid & Small and EnterNext® Tech 40 indices, Quadient shares are eligible for PEA-PME investing. For more information about Quadient, visit www.quadient.com.
Media Contacts Joe Scolaro, Quadient Global Press Relations Manager +1 203-301-3673 j.scolaro@quadient.com
Exosens (the “Company”) announces the launch of a share buyback programme and has today entered into an agreement with an investment services provider to repurchase a maximum of 240,000 shares. The buyback period will commence on 31 July 2025 and end on 31 October 2025.
The shares repurchased under this mandate are intended to be used to cover performance share plans for employees of the Group.
This programme is implemented pursuant to the authorisation granted by the Company’s General Meeting of Shareholders held on 23 May 2025, under the terms of the 10th resolution. The purchase price shall not exceed the maximum price authorised by the shareholders at that meeting.
Further details on the programme can be found in section 7.3.4 of the 2024 Universal Registration Document of Exosens.
All information regarding share repurchases carried out under this programme will be made available on the Company’s website: www.exosens.com (under: Home > Investors > Regulated Information > Share Buyback Programme).
About Exosens
Exosens is a high‐tech company, with more than 85 years of experience in the innovation, development, manufacturing and sale of high‐end electro‐optical technologies in the field of amplification, detection and imaging. Today, it offers its customers detection components and solutions such as travelling wave tubes, advanced cameras, neutron & gamma detectors, instrument detectors and light intensifier tubes. This allows Exosens to respond to complex issues in extremely demanding environments by offering tailor‐made solutions to its customers. Thanks to its sustained investments, Exosens is internationally recognized as a major innovator in optoelectronics, with production and R&D carried out on 11 sites in Europe and North America, and employs over 1,900 employees. Exosens is listed on the compartment A of the Euronext Paris regulated market (ticker: EXENS; ISIN: FR001400Q9V2). Exosens is a member of Euronext Tech Leaders segment and is also included in several indices, including the SBF 120, CAC All-Tradable, CAC Mid 60, FTSE Total Cap and MSCI France Small Cap. For more information: www.exosens.com.
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LAE, Papua New Guinea (July 30, 2025) Pacific Partnership 2025 multinational band members pose with students from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology elementary school in Lae, Papua New Guinea, July 30, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Mario E. Reyes Villatoro)
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LAE, Papua New Guinea (July 30, 2025) Pacific Partnership 2025 multinational team member U.S. Navy Lt. Reginald Anderson-Exul speaks during a chaplains combined prayer service aboard the Il Chul Bong, July 30, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Alexander Bussman)
Hagåtña – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announces that, Raymond T. Tammed, age 30, from Piti, Guam, was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment in the U.S. District Court of Guam for Attempted Enticement of a Minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). The Court also ordered five years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory assessment fee. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Tammed must register in every jurisdiction he resides, works, and goes to school.
In May of 2024, federal investigators conducted an internet-based operation to identify and arrest individuals seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors on Guam. During that operation, Tammed contacted an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old girl. Despite believing that he was conversing with an underage girl, Tammed sent sexually explicit messages, sought to arrange a sexual encounter, and sent the undercover agent a selfie and a picture of his genitals. Tammed later arranged to meet the undercover agent at the Andersen Air Force Base Visitors Center, where Tammed was arrested upon arrival.
“This case demonstrates the dangers faced by our children during online activity,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “We will continue these undercover operations to protect our communities from sexual predators. I applaud the efforts of law enforcement in bringing Tammed to justice.”
“Keeping our children safe from exploitation and abuse is the highest priority. By taking predators like Tammed off the street, we are ensuring the safety of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “HSI will continue to seek justice to keep our children safe with zero tolerance for this heinous crime.”
Investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and Air Force Office of Special Investigations Service, Detachment 602.
This case was prosecuted by Benjamin K. Petersburg, Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Guam.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
RESTON, Va., July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ACTFORE, a leading provider of AI-powered breach response and data mining solutions, announced today the company has been granted a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its proprietary technology enabling targeted data extraction from unstructured document sets, a first-of-its kind patent in the data mining industry.
Unlike many industries, the data mining and breach response fields have historically lacked patentable innovations due to their reliance on human-driven workflows and off-the-shelf automation. ACTFORE’s achievement represents a major advancement in automated breach response workflows: the first recognized patent for precision data extraction designed specifically to efficiently and accurately extract sensitive data from massive, unstructured information environments following a breach.
“This patent isn’t just a milestone for ACTFORE, but for the entire industry,” said CEO Christian Geyer. “In a space where most work is still done manually or through tedious and inaccurate workflows, we’ve introduced a scalable, intelligent solution that truly learns and adapts and can work alongside our team of onshore experts to create an approach that merges manual precision with deep learning to create a hybrid workflow that is both fast and legally defensible.”
The patent, “Techniques for Targeted Data Extraction from Unstructured Sets of Documents”, refers to ACTFORE’S dynamic interface that allows operators to define “visual boxes” around regions of interest on a document page, then automatically propagate those selections across structurally similar files using deep learning and FAISS-based clustering. Paired with advanced optical character recognition (OCR), the system can extract high-fidelity text, even from scanned or non-machine-readable documents. This allows for targeted, scalable parsing with minimal redundancy and dramatically reduced review time.
“We’ve essentially built a facial recognition system, but for document layouts,” said Yumna Zaidi, Innovations Team Lead at ACTFORE and Lead Inventor on the patent. “Our tech creates unique embedding vectors for each document structure, letting us match and process them with unprecedented speed and accuracy.”
This combination of automation and expert-driven human review ensures that sensitive information such as names, account numbers, or health data can be extracted quickly, accurately, and consistently, even across large and messy data sets.
“Data breaches happen in chaotic, inconsistent environments and ACTFORE is built to handle the complexity,” added Dhiraj Sharma, Senior Data Scientist and Co-Inventor. “By integrating the latest automation and data mining tools with human judgment, we’re able to respond more efficiently and accurately than traditional methods. That’s where this patent truly delivers value.”
The platform supports a wide range of document types—including unstructured and semi-structured PDFs, images, and text files—and automatically preserves selected coordinates for batch processing at scale. This not only accelerates review but also ensures consistent, defensible results across complex, multi-jurisdictional engagements.
“We didn’t just apply automation for the sake of speed. We designed a product that understands the complexity of each task and empowers humans to make better decisions, faster,” said Sanskriti Shivhare, Team Lead and Co-Inventor.
This newly issued patent strengthens ACTFORE’s growing intellectual property portfolio and reflects its continued investment in transforming breach response through applied AI. As data breach volumes rise and regulatory timelines tighten, ACTFORE’s patented technology sets a new industry benchmark for intelligent, scalable remediation.
About ACTFORE ACTFORE delivers advanced AI/ML-powered data mining solutions for legal counsel, insurance carriers, and corporations, specialising in swiftly detecting and uncovering compromised sensitive information in cyber breaches. Capable of processing over 1 million files per hour, ACTFORE’s on-premises, on-shore, technology-first approach offers the fastest and most accurate assessments, enabling clients to quickly understand the scope of exfiltration, mitigate risk, and make informed decisions about ransom payments. Clients maintain full control of their data through ACTFORE’s secure lab or local deployment options. Trusted by over 25 insurance carriers and 35 law firms, including premier Am Law 100 firms, ACTFORE sets the new standard in incident response and data forensics. For more information, please visit www.actfore.com.
Vienna, Austria – 31th July 2025 – involve.me, a leading funnel builder platform, proudly announces the beta release of its AI Agent, the first conversational AI for funnel creation. Designed to transform how businesses build and optimize sales and marketing funnels, the AI Agent allows users to generate, customize, and refine high-converting funnels using simple English prompts. Users can create interactive landing pages & website embeds with quizzes, forms, surveys and calculators simply by chatting with AI. This marks a new era of user-friendly, intelligent funnel design.
“Over the past year, ‘vibe-coding’ platforms like Lovable and Bolt have gained traction by letting users describe apps in natural language and generate prototypes using AI. While visually impressive, these apps often mask underlying issues (bugs, unhandled edge cases, and security vulnerabilities) that make them unfit for live, business-critical use. What works in a demo rarely works in the real world,” said Vlad Gozman, CEO at involve.me.”
The involve.me AI Agent acts as a virtual funnel expert, capable of generating multi-step funnels, landing pages, and website embeds based on natural language input. Users can then chat with the AI to refine elements in real-time and use the traditional drag-and-drop editor alongside it. This dual approach ensures the user stays in complete control of the creative process every step of the way, while using the stress-tested infrastructure of the platform already used by over 4500 customers.
“We handle our customers’ customer data, so it was crucial to blend the magic of conversational AI funnel generation with the robustness and reliability of business-grade software” Gozman said when talking about deploying the AI Agent at scale in real-world business use-cases.
Key Highlights of the AI Agent:
Conversational funnel creation: The AI Agent allows users to build complete sales and marketing funnels simply by typing plain English prompts in a chat interface. Whether the user needs a lead generation form, a product quiz, or a pricing calculator, the AI iteratively translates ideas into working funnels. Users can ask the AI to make further tweaks in conversations.
Dual editing experience with full control: The AI Agent works alongside involve.me’s drag-and-drop editor, allowing for seamless collaboration between AI-powered automation and manual customization. This hybrid approach keeps users in control.
“Unlike tools that generate code from scratch, involve.me’s AI Agent builds with production-tested components native to our funnel platform, ensuring security, stability, and reliability from the start”, says Gozman.
Built by AI using native components: The AI Agent can leverage many features and building blocks of involve.me. It can implement a multi-page funnel structure, add context relevant content elements, write the required copy, map answers to outcomes and more. And involve.me plans to roll out fast iterations, adding more and more tools, with the aim of eventually making it “the most knowledgeable user of the platform”, according to Gozman.
Eliminates the learning curve: New users can get started without watching tutorials or reading through the knowledge base. The AI acts as a personal assistant, turning user requests into funnel features that users can tweak conversationally or by drag & drop.
Agency-level output, in-house: It eliminates the need for external help, as it puts the power of expert-level funnel creation in every user’s hands. The AI Agent is like an involve.me super-user on demand, delivering results that typically require hours of training or help from an agency.
The AI Agent is available at no extra cost for all involve.me users, across both free and paid plans: This makes AI-powered funnel creation accessible to businesses of any size, without additional overhead.
It’s built on a model-agnostic foundation, supporting multiple large language models (LLMs): This flexible setup means involve.me isn’t tied to any single provider and can easily integrate more advanced models as they emerge, keeping users consistently equipped with the latest AI capabilities.
The current beta release of the AI Agent focuses on funnel creation and editing, but this is only the initial phase of its development. The AI Agent will expand to support full design & logic customization, end-to-end workflow creation, automation, and more. As part of the beta launch, users have the opportunity to shape the future of the AI Agent by providing feedback, suggesting new use cases, and helping prioritize upcoming features in collaboration with the involve.me team.
About involve.me
involve.me is an AI-enhanced funnel platform designed to help businesses convert website visitors into qualified leads through interactive, conversion-optimized experiences. Featuring a powerful drag-and-drop editor, over 300 templates, and a suite of personalization features, involve.me enables users to create everything from product finders and quote calculators to lead magnets and appointment forms.
With the launch of the chat-native AI Agent, involve.me extends its commitment to innovation, combining ease-of-use with deep customization and intelligent automation. The platform integrates with over 60 tools, supports advanced analytics, and is fully GDPR-compliant, making it a trusted solution for companies across sectors and sizes.
For more information on involve.me’s AI Agent, please visit: involve.me/ai-agent
Media Contact: Jonathan Davies Content Marketer involve.me jonathan@involve.me +43 676 54 53 047
VICTORIA, Seychelles, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MEXC, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, held an offline awards ceremony in Europe to thank users for their enthusiastic participation in its Golden Era Showdown mid-year trading event. MEXC presented the 100-ounce gold bar grand prize, valued at 350,000 USDT, to the lucky winner.
The Golden Era Showdown attracted over 200,000 participants and unlocked a 4 million USDT prize pool during its three-week run. The event generated 376,908 daily scratch card chances, 16,635 weekly lucky draw chances, and 5,666 lucky lottery tickets.
Notably, the event’s grand prize utilized an innovative Bitcoin blockchain hash methodology to ensure complete transparency and fairness. The ultimate lottery was determined by the last 5 digits of the first Bitcoin block hash generated after 12:00:00 UTC on July 4, 2025. The winning number was 70270, with winners selected by closest match. The 100-ounce gold bar (valued at 350,000 USDT) corresponded to lottery number 00270, while the 1 BTC prize (valued at approximately 110,000 USDT) was awarded to lottery number 05270.
Other major winners included 0.5 BTC (valued at approximately 55,000 USDT), lottery number 04270; 0.3 BTC (valued at approximately 33,000 USDT), lottery number 03270; and 0.1 BTC (valued at approximately 11,000 USDT), lottery number 02270. Additionally, detailed information about Expert Prize, Weekly Surprises, and Daily Prize winners can be found on the MEXC official website.
At the awards ceremony, winner Soufyan shared his initial reaction to the notification. “When I first got the notification, I couldn’t believe it was real. I kept double-checking until I confirmed it was actually me,” he said.
Soufyan has been using MEXC for about 1.5 years. Initially, he decided to switch to MEXC after hearing many positive reviews about its competitive low fees, frequent events, and generous user rewards. “Since I started using MEXC, I’ve barely used other platforms.” Soufyan explained. When asked for advice to new investors, he suggested avoiding emotional trading and excessive leverage. He also expressed optimism about AI sector tokens this year, emphasizing those with real-world applications rather than speculative projects.
The success of Golden Era Showdown underscores MEXC’s philosophy of putting users first through generous rewards and cutting-edge transparency measures. The event’s record-breaking participation reflects the strong trust users place in the platform, while the seamless prize distribution demonstrates MEXC’s commitment to empowering users and delivering on its promises.
About MEXC Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto.” Serving over 40 million users across 170+ countries, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, everyday airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding. MEXC Official Website｜ X ｜ Telegram ｜How to Sign Up on MEXC
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Namibia’s Petroleum Training and Education Fund (Petrofund) officially launched its flagship scholarship program during the 2nd Youth in Oil and Gas Summit, reinforcing its commitment to building a highly skilled national workforce for the country’s burgeoning oil and gas sector. The new scholarship complements the Namibian government’s free tertiary education policy by fully funding undergraduate and postgraduate students in engineering, geosciences, paramedics and technical vocational training disciplines relevant to upstream oil and gas operations. Courses will be offered at accredited institutions across the Southern African Development Community region and internationally.
As the voice of the African energy sector, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) commends Petrofund’s leadership and forward-thinking strategy to anchor Namibian youth at the core of the country’s growing energy economy. With major discoveries in the Orange Basin and increasing momentum towards first oil, initiatives like this are essential to ensure local capacity meets international operational standards.
In addition to its flagship scholarship program, Petrofund has introduced several strategic initiatives to accelerate youth integration into Namibia’s oil and gas industry. Through its expanded on-the-job training program, more than 82 young professionals have been deployed across various technical roles in collaboration with premier service and operating companies including TechnipFMC, SBM, Subsea 7, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, SLB, BW Energy, Shell, ReconAfrica, TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy. Petrofund has also signed ten memoranda of understanding to deepen these partnerships and enhance practical industry exposure. Additionally, the government-led fund is developing a national oil and gas CV repository – set to launch in Q4 2025 – to bridge the gap between skilled graduates and industry demand.
Petrofund is also strengthening its collaboration with Namibian institutions of higher learning. Partners include the Namibia University of Science and Technology and University of Namibia, along with regulatory authorities such as the Namibia Qualifications Authority; National Council for Higher Education; Namibia Training Authority; and Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Art and Culture. This initiative aims to introduce and accredit more oil and gas-related programs locally, enhancing access to technical education aligned with global industry standards. To date, Petrofund has invested over N$115 million to support 438 Namibians in petroleum-related studies, achieving a 90% internship and employment placement rate for its Master’s level beneficiaries.
As Namibia progresses towards final investment decisions for high-impact offshore projects led by operators such as TotalEnergies and Shell, this program ensure that Namibians are equipped with the technical expertise to actively participate and lead in-country value creation. Imminent first production means Petrofund’s holistic approach to human capital development can align with the country’s Local Content Policy and sets the foundation for long-term, inclusive growth. The AEC supports these efforts as a model for Africa’s youth empowerment in energy.
“Petrofund is setting the standard for what youth empowerment in Africa’s energy sector should look like. By aligning skills development with industry demand and embracing inclusivity, Namibia is not just preparing its young people for jobs – it’s preparing them for leadership. The Chamber fully supports these efforts, which will ensure that Namibians are not just bystanders, but key drivers of their energy future,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
Bold Sports (www.BoldSportsng.com), Nigeria’s emerging digital sports media platform, announced today that it recorded unprecedented audience growth across its digital platforms during the recently concluded Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024, where the Super Falcons lifted their 10th continental title.
From July 5 to 26, 2025, the tournament period saw Bold Sports significantly increase its reach and engagement across its digital platforms, positioning it as one of the most active and influential sports content creators in Nigeria during the championship.
On Facebook, Bold Sports attracted over 18 million video views, with reach climbing to over 4 million users and visits increasing by around 120% to over 120,000. The engagement also rose by over 141% to 1.2 million, while the platform gained more than 65,000 new followers, bringing its total Facebook community to over 130,000 followers.
TikTok content during the same period recorded over 1.2 million video views, with 90,000 likes, over 13,000 profile views, and a significant increase in user engagement, including comments and shares from football fans across the continent.
The official website, www.BoldSportsng.com, crossed 20,000 page views, while the brand’s YouTube channel registered over 146,000 views, fueled largely by interactive watch-along sessions and fan commentary during matchdays.
“The Super Falcons’ journey to a 10th WAFCON title was a historic moment for Nigerian football, and we were proud to capture it with the energy and passion it deserved,” CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Bold Sports, Tosin Oluwalowo, said. “We made a clear decision to cover the tournament from a fan-first, Nigerian perspective — and the numbers show that our audience responded powerfully to that approach.”
“Bold Sports really came through during WAFCON,” Tolu Onigbinde, a Nigerian football fan based in Lagos said. “It wasn’t just the scores from the matches, they made us feel like part of the journey. From the behind-the-scenes stories to the fan banter and post-match reactions, it felt fresh. I followed everything through them.”
Chief Operating Officer and Managing Editor, Kelvin Ekerete, added: “What we’ve seen in the past few weeks validates our belief that Nigerian fans want relatable, and quality content. Our team worked tirelessly across formats and the audience stayed with us every step of the way.”
The Super Falcons sealed their historic title win by defeating host nation Morocco 1–0 in the final played in Casablanca. The victory also marked the successful achievement of the Nigeria Football Federation’s “Mission X” campaign, which was launched prior to the tournament with the goal of winning Nigeria’s 10th WAFCON crown
Throughout the tournament, Bold Sports delivered dynamic coverage, including pre-match previews, behind-the-scenes, player features, match reactions, and engaging social commentary that resonated deeply with fans in Nigeria and across Africa.
The growth achieved during WAFCON 2024 highlights Bold Sports’ rising status as a trusted voice in Nigerian sports media, and underlines the company’s mission to tell Nigerian sports stories through a proudly local, digital-first lens.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Bold Sports.
About Bold Sports: Bold Sports, published by Bold Media Innovations & Creative Hub Limited, is Nigeria’s leading digital sports media platform, providing high-quality, data-driven coverage of Nigerian athletes at home and abroad. Through video, storytelling, and real-time engagement, Bold Sports connects a passionate community of fans with the moments that matter — from grassroots to global competitions.
With a bold, multimedia-first approach, we celebrate Nigeria’s sporting excellence and foster national pride across generations and geographies.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
MHRA outlines intent to speed up patient access to innovative medical devices
Statement of Policy Intent sets out initial thinking on a new Early Access service to help patients benefit sooner from innovative medical devices that address unmet clinical needs.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is setting out its intention to enable earlier access to innovative medical devices that address unmet clinical needs within the NHS. As part of this, capability will be invested to establish a new Early Access service to provide time-limited, conditional access to promising technologies ahead of full regulatory approval, where there is clear clinical need and supporting evidence of benefit for patients.
Designed to support innovators, including small and medium-sized enterprises, the Early Access service aims to help bring safe and effective medical devices to patients more quickly. Focus initially will be on innovative diagnostic devices, particularly those supporting the NHS’s most urgent needs.
This forms part of the MHRA’s wider contribution to the UK Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan and the 10-Year Health Plan, and supports the UK’s ambition to be a global leader in medical device innovation.
The Early Access service will use learnings from the Unmet Clinical Need Authorisation (UCNA) tool piloted in the Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP), and be shaped by stakeholder engagement with key sector representatives.
The initiative sits within a broader programme of regulatory reform, including strengthened post-market surveillance and increased international collaboration. The MHRA will continue to work with industry, clinicians, NHS leaders and other partners to shape the pathway and support growth across the UK MedTech sector.
Notes to editors
For more information on the statement of policy intent, visit [Statement of Policy Intent: Early Access to Innovative Medical Devices] (https://gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices)
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
CAIRO, July 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese automaker Dongfeng launched nine new models in the Egyptian market on Wednesday.
The launch ceremony, which took place at the Cairo International Exhibition Centre, showcased a diverse lineup of models, including the MAGE ICE compact SUV, SHINE ICE sedan, and a range of electric and hybrid vehicles: DONGFENG BOX, DONGFENG 007, MAGE EV, VOYAH FREE, VOYAH DREAM, VOYAH PASSION and MHERO 917.
Liao Qingli, the company’s general manager for the African market, said the new vehicles for the Egyptian market reflect Dongfeng’s advanced engineering technology and innovation, as well as the company’s commitment to meeting the growing needs of Egyptian consumers, adding that the company will open a regional office in Africa and an auto parts warehouse in Egypt.
According to the company, Dongfeng has more than 50 years of experience in automobile manufacturing, and its overseas business covers more than 100 countries and regions in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Xinhua | 31.07.2025
Keywords: China, cybersecurity
Source: Xinhua
China’s Internet Information Office Discusses H20 Backdoor Data Leak Risks with Nvidia China’s Internet Information Office Discusses H20 Backdoor Data Leak Risks with Nvidia
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
CAIRO, July 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese automaker Chery has unveiled five new models as part of its strategy to expand its presence in the Egyptian market.
At an event held earlier this week at Abdin Palace, the carmaker unveiled the Arrizo 5 FL, Arrizo 8, Tiggo 7 Pro Max, Tiggo 8 Pro Max and Tiggo 9 PHEV.
Shen Xiantian, CEO of Chery Egypt, said the carmaker will accelerate the transition to hybrid and smart vehicle technologies and work with global partners and suppliers to build a global sales, service and production network.
“We are currently establishing eight R&D centers, 10 manufacturing plants and parts distribution centers in key regions around the world,” Shen Xiantian said, adding that the automaker will “strengthen local partnerships to meet the needs of regional end users and partners.”
According to the company, Chery will sell more than 580,000 new energy vehicles in 2024, up 232.7 percent year-on-year. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — In 2024, China made continuous efforts to implement information technology in social services such as medical care, health care, social security, employment and elderly care, bringing people a greater sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.
By the end of 2024, the number of users of online medical services in China will reach 418 million, and the country will have 1.07 billion users of electronic social security cards, Wen Ruisong, an official with the State Internet Information Office, said on Wednesday at an event to release a report on the development of informatization in China.
The aforementioned report states that in terms of the level of information technology development among China’s provincial-level administrative units, the top ten places are occupied by Beijing City, Zhejiang Province, Shanghai City, Guangdong Province, Jiangsu Province, Shandong Province, Fujian Province, Sichuan Province, Chongqing City and Tianjin City.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Meeting of Alexander Novak with the co-chairman of the Joint Russian-Saudi Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak made a working visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He met with the co-chairman of the Joint Russian-Saudi Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud.
The participants discussed cooperation within the Joint Russian-Saudi Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation and the results of the implementation of the instructions of the co-chairs of the commission following the last meeting. The parties noted with satisfaction the recent opening of direct flights between the two countries, the signing of several memorandums of understanding in various areas, such as industry, education, media, as well as in terms of organizing the Hajj.
During the talks, the parties discussed prospects for increasing trade turnover and expanding cooperation in key economic sectors of mutual interest. The parties also discussed preparations for the ninth meeting of the intergovernmental commission, which will be held in Riyadh on November 6 this year.
Another topic of negotiations was the situation on the oil market and the prospects for cooperation between the two countries within OPEC.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Government’s financial results for three months ended June 30, 2025
June 30, 2025 HK$ millionJune 30, 2025 HK$ millionand repayment of Government Bondsissuance of Government BondsGovernment Bonds*and repayment of Government BondsGovernment Debts as at June 30, 2025 (Note 3) HK$323,357 million Debts Guaranteed by Government as at June 30, 2025 (Note 4) HK$121,369 million
TABLE 2. FISCAL RESERVES
June 30, 2025 HK$ millionJune 30, 2025 HK$ millionissuance and repayment of Government Bonds(Note 5)Notes:
1. This Account consolidates the General Revenue Account and the following eight Funds: Capital Works Reserve Fund, Capital Investment Fund, Civil Service Pension Reserve Fund, Disaster Relief Fund, Innovation and Technology Fund, Land Fund, Loan Fund and Lotteries Fund. It excludes the Bond Fund, the balance of which is not part of the fiscal reserves. The Bond Fund balance as at June 30, 2025, was HK$216,709 million.Issued at HKT 16:30
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US politics and international security, University of Portsmouth
There are masked men, and some women, on the streets in American cities, sometimes travelling in unmarked cars, often carrying weapons and wearing military-style kit. They have the power to identify, arrest, detain non-citizens and deport undocumented immigrants. They also have the right to interrogate any individual who they believe is not a citizen over their right to remain in the US.
These are agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, known as Ice. This is a federal law enforcement agency, which falls under the control of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and is playing a significant and contentious role in the implementation of Donald Trump’s tough immigration policy.
On the campaign trail Trump promised “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history”. And he is giving Ice more power to deliver his plans.
Since Trump took office in January, Ice funding has been significantly increased. Trump’s “big beautiful bill”, passed by Congress in July 2025, gave Ice US$75 billion (£55 billion) of funding for the next four years, up from around US$8 billion a year.
This funding boost will allow the agency to recruit more agents as well as adding thousands more beds plus extensions to buildings to increase the capacity of detention centres. There is also new funding for advanced surveillance tools including AI-assisted facial recognition and mobile data collection. There’s another US$30 billion going to frontline operations, covering removing immigrants and transport to detention centres.
The president has committed to deporting everyone who is in the US illegally, that is estimated by the Wall Street Journal to be about 4% of the current US population. For the past five months, the numbers of people being picked up by Ice agents has been ticking up fast.
Average daily arrests were up 268% to about 1,000 a day in June 2025, compared with the same month a year earlier. This was also a 42% rise on May 2025, according to data analysis from the Guardian and the Deportation Data Project. However, this is still considerably short of the 3,000 a day ordered by secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
Ice’s tactics have already attracted significant criticism. Right-leaning broadcaster Fox News has reported on how masked agents are not showing ID or naming their agency when picking up people in raids. Other reporting has highlighted allegations that American citizens are also sometimes being swept up in the raids.
The agency, currently led by acting director Todd M. Lyons, has three main divisions: the Enforcement and Removal Operations division, which identifies and deports undocumented immigrants as well as manages detention centres. The Homeland Security Investigations, which investigates criminal activities with an international or border nexus such as human trafficking, narcotics, and weapons smuggling. The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor provides legal advice to Ice and prosecutes immigration cases in court.
Lyons claimed that mask wearing was necessary because of Ice agents being “doxed” – when a person’s personal information such as names and home addresses are revealed online without their permission. Assaults on Ice agents have risen, he claimed. DHS data suggested that there were 79 assaults on Ice agents from January to June 2025, compared to ten in the same period in 2024.
Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries compared mask wearing by Ice agents to secret police forces in authoritarian regimes. “We’re not behind the Iron Curtain. This is not the 1930s.”
The Ice agency was established in 2003 by the George W. Bush administration, partly as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and was part of a broader reorganisation of federal agencies under the then newly created DHS. It incorporated parts of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and some elements of the US Customs Service.
According to the agency’s website, Ice’s core mission is “to protect America through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety”.
News coverage of Ice agents wearing masks and not identifying themselves.
What’s changed?
At the start of the administration in January, the White House gave Ice the authority to hasten the deportation of immigrants that had entered the country with government authorisation during the previous administration. This “expedited removal” authority allowed Ice to deport individuals without requiring an appearance before an immigration judge.
As arrests have grown in the past months, Lyons told CBS News that Ice would detain any undocumented immigrant, even if they did not have a criminal record.
And the Trump administration has also allowed Ice agents to make arrests at immigration courts, which had previously been off limits. This restriction was introduced by the Biden administration in 2021 to ensure witnesses, victims of crimes and defendants would still appear in court without fear of arrest for immigration violations, unless the target was a national security threat.
Protests over Ice raids have spread across California.
However, Lyons rescinded those restrictions in May, part of a broader shift towards aggressive enforcement.
Much of the time, Ice has targeted illegal immigrants. But the agency has also arrested and detained some individuals who were residents (green card holders) or tourists – and, in some cases, citizens.
In recent weeks, according to the Washington Post, Ice has been ordered to increase the number of immigrants shackled with GPS-enabled ankle monitors. This would significantly increase the number of immigrants that are under surveillance. Ankle monitors also restrict where people can travel.
Sparking protests
There have been numerous public protests about Ice raids, most notably in California. This peaked on June 6 after Ice had conducted numerous raids in Los Angeles, resulting in clashes between agents and protesters. This led to the White House sending around 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, despite opposition from California governor Gavin Newsom.
Part of the friction between the Trump administation and the state is that Los Angeles and San Francisco have adopted local policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities including Ice. California has sanctuary laws, such as SB 54, that prohibit local police and sheriffs from assisting Ice with civil immigration enforcement.
However, Trump shows every sign of pushing harder and faster to crack down on illegal immigrants, and Ice agents are clearly at the forefront of how he aims to do it.
Dafydd Townley 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.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
AI to stop prison violence before it happens
Prison officers will use artificial intelligence (AI) to stop violence before it breaks out under new plans set out by the Lord Chancellor today (31 July).
Clampdown on violence in prisons as AI helps to identify dangerous prisoners and bring them under tight supervision
AI will also be used to uncover secret messages sent by prisoners and stop weapons or contraband getting into prisons
Ministry of Justice’s AI Action Plan sets out how tech will cut reoffending and make streets safe as part of Plan for Change
Under the Ministry of Justice’s AI Action Plan artificial intelligence predicts the risk an offender could pose and informs decisions to put dangerous prisoners under tighter supervision to cut crime and deliver swifter justice for victims. This will help to cut reoffending and make our streets safe, part of the Plan for Change.
AI will be used across prisons, probation and courts to better track offenders and assess the risk they pose with tools that can predict violence behind bars, uncover secret messages sent by prisoners and connect offender records across different systems.
The AI violence predictor analyses different factors such as a prisoner’s age and previous involvement in violent incidents while in custody. This will help prison officers assess threat levels on wings and intervene or move prisoners before violence escalates.
Another AI tool will be able to digitally scan the contents of mobile phones seized from prisoners to rapidly flag messages that could provide intelligence on potential crimes being committed behind bars, such as secret code words.
This will allow staff to discover potential threats of violence to other inmates or prison officers as well as plans to escape and smuggle in weapons or contraband.
These phones – often used for gang activity, drug trafficking and intimidation – are a major source of violence in prisons.
This technology, which uses AI-driven language analysis, has already been trialled across the prison estate and has analysed over 8.6 million messages from 33,000 seized phones.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood, said:
Artificial intelligence will transform the justice system. We are embracing its full potential as part of our Plan for Change.
These tools are already fighting violence in prisons, tracking offenders, and releasing our staff to focus on what they do best: cutting crime and making our streets safer.
The AI Action Plan also outlines how the department will create a single digital ID for all offenders with AI helping to link separate records across courts, prisons and probation for the first time.
This will match records that may never be linked through old search systems due to slight typos or missing words, meaning greater monitoring and more effective sentencing.
In the Probation Service, AI pilots have already shown a 50% reduction in note-taking time, allowing officers to focus on risk management, monitoring and face-to-face meetings with offenders.
Building on this success, the tool will be rolled out to all probation officers, and potentially in prisons and courts too.
The AI Action Plan also sets out how technology can ease pressure on courts and improve services for the public. This includes a digital assistant is being developed to help families resolve child arrangement disputes outside of court.
Alexander Iosad, Director of Government Innovation Policy at the Tony Blair Institute, said:
This Action Plan shows exactly the kind of ambition we need across government to embrace AI for a genuine renewal of our public services. If implemented well and at pace, these technologies won’t just ease the pressure on our prisons but also help offenders receive the personalised support they need for effective rehabilitation, making streets safer, and ensuring that victims facing incredibly difficult moments get the justice they deserve. This is what modern, data-driven public service reform to deliver real change for citizens should look like.
Earlier this year, the Lord Chancellor set out her vision for the Probation Service, which included a £8 million pledge to introduce new technology to help risk assess offenders and cut back on admin, increasing focus on those offenders who pose the greatest risk to the public.
In the Spending Review, the Government announced that the Probation Service will receive up to £700 million, an almost 45% increase in funding. This new funding will mean tens of thousands more offenders can be tagged and monitored in the community.
SHENZHEN, China, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aurora Mobile Limited (NASDAQ: JG) (“Aurora Mobile” or the “Company”), a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China, today announced that it plans to incorporate products from Figma, a world – renowned design platform, into its service offerings. Figma’s tools will empower Aurora Mobile to revolutionize the way it approaches design within its business model, ecosystems, and various services.
How Aurora Mobile’s Business Model Will Benefit from Figma
Aurora Mobile’s business model is centered on providing comprehensive services to mobile app developers, leveraging vast amounts of real – time and anonymous device – level mobile behavioral data. By integrating Figma’s design services, Aurora Mobile can enhance the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of its own platforms and the solutions it offers its clients. Figma’s intuitive design tools will enable Aurora Mobile’s design teams to create more engaging and user – friendly interfaces for its data analytics dashboards, marketing campaign management platforms, and customer engagement tools.
Strengthening Aurora Mobile’s Ecosystem with Figma
Aurora Mobile has built a robust ecosystem with partnerships across multiple industries, including mobile app developers, telecommunications carriers, data analytics providers, and AI technology firms. Figma’s stools will play a crucial role in enhancing the design – related aspects of this ecosystem.
For mobile app developers within Aurora Mobile’s network, Figma’s design capabilities can be integrated into the app development process. Designers and developers can collaborate more efficiently using Figma’s real – time collaboration features, ensuring that the final versions of apps have a seamless and attractive design. This will not only improve the quality of apps but also reduce the time – to – market.
In the context of vertical application service offerings, Figma can be leveraged to design more effective data visualization tools. By presenting data in a more visually appealing and understandable way, Aurora Mobile can help its partners to extract deeper insights from the data, leading to better – informed business decisions.
With the services of Figma, Aurora Mobile can enhance the design of its AI – powered solutions, such as GPTBots.ai. A well – designed interface for AI agents can improve user interaction, making it easier for enterprises to use these services and unlocking greater value from the AI technology.
Mr. Weidong Luo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aurora Mobile, commented, “We are thrilled about the potential of integrating Figma’s services into our operations. Design is playing an increasingly vital role in the success of our services and the overall user experience. By leveraging Figma’s world – class design platform, we will drive innovation across our business model, ecosystems, and services, ultimately delivering greater value to our customers and partners.”
About Aurora Mobile Limited
Founded in 2011, Aurora Mobile (NASDAQ: JG) is a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China. Since its inception, Aurora Mobile has focused on providing stable and efficient messaging services to enterprises and has grown to be a leading mobile messaging service provider with its first-mover advantage. With the increasing demand for customer reach and marketing growth, Aurora Mobile has developed forward-looking solutions such as Cloud Messaging and Cloud Marketing to help enterprises achieve omnichannel customer reach and interaction, as well as artificial intelligence and big data-driven marketing technology solutions to help enterprises’ digital transformation.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Aurora Mobile’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Aurora Mobile may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Aurora Mobile’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Aurora Mobile’s strategies; Aurora Mobile’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Aurora Mobile’s ability to attract and retain customers; its ability to develop and effectively market data solutions, and penetrate the existing market for developer services; its ability to transition to the new advertising-driven SAAS business model; its ability to maintain or enhance its brand; the competition with current or future competitors; its ability to continue to gain access to mobile data in the future; the laws and regulations relating to data privacy and protection; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and Aurora Mobile undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
For more information, please contact:
Aurora Mobile Limited E-mail: ir@jiguang.cn
Christensen
In China Ms. Xiaoyan Su Phone: +86-10-5900-1548 E-mail: Xiaoyan.Su@christensencomms.com
In US Ms. Linda Bergkamp Phone: +1-480-614-3004 Email: linda.bergkamp@christensencomms.com
Customer expectations are evolving, and businesses must keep pace to stay competitive. The Customer Experience Africa Summit (CEM), hosted by Vuka Group (www.WeAreVUKA.com) on 12 – 14 August 2025 at Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, is set to be a defining moment for the industry. CEM Africa is where customer experience leaders meet to explore industry shifts, solve pressing CX challenges, and innovate solutions that create measurable business impact. Featuring impactful presentations and workshops led by CX leaders like Zendesk, Cisco and CX Experts, this event will unpack the transformative role of AI and other innovations in reshaping customer engagement.
Here’s why the summit is a must-attend for anyone looking to lead in the CX space.
AI: The Engine of CX Transformation
Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword, it’s a cornerstone of modern customer experience. Delegates will be treated to an exciting keynote, delivered by Ahmad Zureiki, Director of Cisco Collaboration Business for MEA. Titled “Driving Business Success: AI’s Role in Redefining Customer Experience,” Zureiki’s session will explore what it truly takes to unlock AI’s potential for reimagining customer interactions and driving enterprise success. Moving beyond hype to practical applications, Cisco’s insights will set the stage for a summit focused on actionable strategies.
This theme of AI-driven transformation runs through the summit’s workshops. For example, Zendesk’s James Stubbs and Matt Harman will lead “Beyond Bots: AI at Every Stage of the Customer Journey,” a 60-minute interactive session. This workshop will showcase how Zendesk AI enhances self-service resolutions, empowers agents with real-time insights, and streamlines contact centre workflows. Through practical examples, attendees will learn how to embed AI to tackle complex issues, boost productivity, and deliver seamless customer experiences.
Practical Strategies for Exceptional CX
Delivering outstanding customer experiences requires more than technology, it demands strategy and execution. The summit’s workshops address this head-on. One session, “Practical Insights on Delivering a Great Customer Experience,” will explore how organizations can blend proactive engagement, digital channels, and AI-driven solutions to achieve meaningful outcomes. Attendees will tackle key challenges, such as where to begin and how to prioritise, to create CX strategies that drive results.
Another workshop, “Delivering Great CX from Within: Enhancing Employee Experiences with AI,” highlights the critical link between employee empowerment and customer satisfaction. This session will demonstrate how AI can streamline workflows for customer-facing teams, enabling agents and supervisors to deliver better experiences with greater efficiency. By focusing on employee experience, organisations can create a ripple effect that transforms customer interactions.
Learning from AI’s Real-World Impact
As AI reshapes CX, real-world lessons are invaluable. The workshop “Realisation of AI in the Customer Experience Domain – Lessons Learnt So Far” will delve into the evolving landscape of AI adoption. This session will cover trends, challenges, and insights from early adopters, offering practical guidance for organizations at any stage of their AI journey. Whether you’re just starting or refining existing strategies, this workshop will help you avoid common pitfalls and embrace sustainable AI adoption.
Why CEM Africa Summit Matters
The stakes for CX are higher than ever. A recent study by PwC found that 73% of consumers prioritise experience over price, making CX a key driver of loyalty and revenue. The CEM Africa Summit addresses this reality by bringing together industry leaders like Cisco and Zendesk to share actionable insights. As Terry Southam, Group Director: Retail at Vuka Group, notes: “CEM Africa is a catalyst for redefining how businesses connect with customers. By bringing together visionaries like Cisco’s Ahmad Zureiki and Zendesk’s James Stubbs and Matt Harman, we are equipping attendees with the tools to lead in CX innovation.”
Looking Ahead
CEM Africa Summit, taking place at Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, is more than an event, it is a glimpse into the future of customer experience. By spotlighting AI’s transformative power, practical CX strategies, and real-world lessons, the summit will inspire and empower professionals to drive meaningful change.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The summer session of the 14th Beijing Tour for Overseas Talents, a crucial channel for overseas talent to connect with Beijing and develop in the city, commenced on Tuesday at HICOOL industrial park in Beijing’s Shunyi district.
As a platform of international talent exchange and cooperation, the tour brought nearly 30 representatives of student associations and international students from 16 prestigious universities — including Yale University, Columbia University, New York University, and the University of Milan — to engage in networking and matchmaking sessions with leading enterprises and innovation parks in the Chinese capital.
At the opening ceremony, the Investment Promotion Service Center of Shunyi District presented the region’s development environment, highlighting its unique advantages in industrial clusters and business-friendly policies. A service station for overseas student associations was also established to provide comprehensive support for international students who intend to start their careers in Beijing.
During the tour, overseas talent will also visit selected districts in Beijing and the Xiong’an New Area to gain firsthand insight into the city’s innovation and entrepreneurship environment, as well as the latest development in Xiong’an.
The “Hong Kong Talents Beijing Tour” was held concurrently, with 32 outstanding individuals from seven renowned universities — including the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong — invited to visit and engage in exchange activities in Beijing.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The 2025 ZGC Forum on Artificial Intelligence and Future City was held on Tuesday in Beijing, highlighting the deepening integration of AI technologies into urban development.
With the theme “AI + City: A New Digital Era,” the forum showcased a wide range of new applications and innovations driving smart city construction and digital transformation.
Dozens of achievements were released at the event, including upgraded intelligent agent technologies and trusted data infrastructure models, all aimed at enhancing city governance, public services, and digital ecosystems.
The forum also marked the first anniversary of Zhongguancun Science City’s AI empowerment initiative. A total of 44 outstanding use cases were announced this year, covering areas such as healthcare, embodied intelligence, education, and city services. These cases demonstrate how scenario-driven AI solutions are expanding possibilities across sectors.
Collaborations were also a key focus. New partnerships between research institutions, government departments, and urban management bodies were formed to build joint laboratories, explore smart city metrics, and support cross-sector data sharing. Efforts to strengthen data infrastructure for sectors like energy were highlighted as essential to unlocking the value of data as a production factor.
Several participants also jointly launched an AI agent ecosystem cooperation plan, aiming to create more integrated application scenarios, strengthen innovation, and accelerate the transformation of scientific research into practical outcomes.
Derby City Council plans to create a new local supported living provision for young adults aged 18-25 living with learning disabilities, neurodiversity, or autism. The project, in partnership with an external service provider, aims to bridge a gap in local specialist provisions, enabling young people to transition successfully into adulthood.
The service will repurpose two former children’s homes to provide support for up to 12 individuals. The focus is on empowering residents to develop essential skills, maximise their potential, and ultimately move towards independent living.
The proposal to commission an external service provider to deliver, manage and operate the provision in close partnership with the Council will be discussed by Cabinet members at a meeting on Wednesday 6 August.
The Council is committed to enhancing adult social care in Derby by developing innovative care models. This includes integrating Technology-Enabled Care (TEC) to promote independence, improve safety, and provide reassurance to both individuals and their families. This can include a range of devices and apps, from basic community alarms and wearables to more advanced systems like fall detectors and remote monitoring.
Councillor Alison Martin, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Care, said:
This exciting initiative aims to enhance the lives of young adults with additional needs by fostering greater independence and facilitating a smooth transition into adulthood.
Collaborating with an external provider will enable us to strengthen supported living services in Derby, ensuring we deliver high-quality and sustainable solutions that genuinely promote independence.
Currently, Derby City Council supports 366 adults in various Supported Living settings, at an annual cost of approximately £21 million.
Looking ahead, the need for supported accommodation is expected to rise, with the 18-25 age group projected to increase from 13% to 18% of the younger adult population by 2030. Annually, the Council’s Preparing for Adulthood team consistently supports around 40 new entrants to adult social care.
While some young adults currently need out-of-area placements, this project presents an opportunity to expand suitable options within Derby. Many individuals have said they’d prefer to live in the local area, so developing provision in the city will create a positive impact.
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The State University of Management invites you to take part in the XI All-Russian Prize “For Loyalty to Science”. Applications are accepted until August 17.
Participants may include scientists, journalists, press service workers popularizing Russian science, as well as business representatives who have made a significant contribution to supporting the prestige of professional scientific activity and popularizing domestic scientific achievements.
This year the Award includes 11 nominations:
Scientific press service of the year. Scientific journalist of the year. Author of digital content. Recognition. Russian science to the world (nomination named after Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky). On the use of artificial intelligence technology in scientific research. Working with experience: scientists’ contribution to the Victory. Science for children. Special prize named after Khristophor Ledentsov. Special prize named after Daniil Granin. Special prize for the 80th anniversary of the nuclear industry.
All winners will receive a cash prize from the Art, Science and Sport charity foundation, and the winners of the Special Prize for the 80th Anniversary of the Nuclear Industry nomination will also go on a trip on a nuclear icebreaker organized by the Rosatom State Corporation.
The award ceremony will take place at the end of October in Moscow.
Let us recall that the All-Russian Prize “For Loyalty to Science” is awarded annually for outstanding achievements in the field of scientific communication, popularization of scientific achievements and support of the prestige of scientific activity in the Russian Federation. In 2022, the Prize became one of the flagship projects of the Decade of Science and Technology announced by the President of Russia.
You can find out more about the Award and submit an application on the official website, and ask any questions by email at zavernostnauke@minobrnauki.gov.ru.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
What started as a ride to campus for a friend has led to a new career path for Herb Kepa (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pāoa), who recently completed the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4) at EIT Tairāwhiti.
The 56-year-old spent more than three decades working in landscaping and stone masonry before a serious health scare in 2019 forced him to step away from the physical work.
Herb Kepa at EIT Tairāwhiti, where his passion for cooking turned into a new career path.
He spent months in hospital with a torn aorta and has since experienced a series of mini strokes, most of them occurring around the end of the year.
No longer able to return to the work he had done most of his life, Herb was unsure what would come next.
“A friend of mine wanted a lift to come in to check out this cooking course. I sat in on it, and then the tutor asked if I wanted to join up too. I said, I’ve got nothing else to do, so why not give it a go. I’ve been there ever since.”
That decision led to four years of study in hospitality. Herb began with the New Zealand Certificate in Food and Beverage Service (Level 3), followed by a plant-based cookery training scheme, the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 3), and then the two-year New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4), which he completed last year.
While studying, Herb worked part-time at The Vines Restaurant in Makaraka. He continues to work there, preparing entrees, desserts and breads.
“I’ve always loved cooking, but I never thought I’d be a chef,” he said. “I love my breads. It’s something I enjoy.”
Herb said his background in landscaping helped with the hands-on nature of kitchen work, and that returning to study in his 50s came with some challenges but was well worth it.
“I’ve never been one to study. I’m better with my hands. But this is the first time I’ve actually studied properly.”
He said the tutors were “really good”, especially Maaki Gooding, Karen Johnston and Tony Davis who “helped a lot”.
His advice to others thinking about making a change later in life and studying at EIT is simple.
“If you like food, give it a go. It’s definitely worth it. You’re never too old.”
Assistant Head of School for Tourism and Hospitality at EIT, Nikki Lloyd said the level 4 cookery programme allows students to study while they work, attending class one day a week while working in the industry.
“The ability to learn and earn is a win-win for both student and employer. What students learn in class is put into practice in the workplace, giving them the confidence that is critical to their success. Employers often mention how students grow into key roles in the workplace as a result of their training.”
Chef tutor Tony Davis said Herb’s curiosity with food regularly showed results above expectation.
“The enjoyment he gets from cooking is apparent both in the classroom and the workplace. This combined with his steady work ethic has seen him graduate as one of our top students and now a respected, qualified chef in the workplace.”
The European Banking Authority (EBA) today launched a public consultation on its draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) for the supervisory reporting of third-country branches under the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD). This initiative aims to establish uniform formats, definitions, and reporting frequencies for third-country branches, ensuring a consistent and comprehensive approach to regulatory and financial information reporting across the EU. The consultation runs until 31 October 2025.
The draft ITS not only aim at harmonising reporting formats and definitions but also at enhancing supervisory oversight of third-country branches. By introducing structured data collection – covering both the third-country branches and their head undertakings – the ITS support the effective supervision of third-country branches by addressing previous inconsistencies in national approaches and enabling a standardised reporting of their activities across the Union. The new templates should provide a clear picture of the financial soundness, risk exposures, and intra-group dependencies of third-country branches, thereby supporting more effective and consistent supervision across the EU. Importantly, the ITS incorporate a proportionate approach through a “core + supplement” model, ensuring that reporting obligations are tailored to the systemic relevance of each third-country branch. This ensures that supervisory scrutiny is risk-sensitive while maintaining a level playing field.
Consultation Process
Comments on the draft ITS can be submitted to the EBA by clicking on the “send your comments” button on the consultation page. The deadline for the submission of comments is 31 October 2025. All contributions received will be published after the consultation closes, unless requested otherwise.
A public hearing on the draft ITS will take place on 5 September from 10:00 to 12:00 CEST. The deadline for registration is 2 September 2025, 16:00 CEST.
Legal Basis and next steps
The EBA has developed these draft ITS in accordance with Article 48l(1) of Directive 2013/36/EU, which mandates the EBA to specify uniform formats, definitions, and reporting frequencies for the supervisory reporting of third-country branches.
The consultation period will run for three months, during which the EBA invites comments and feedback from stakeholders. Following the consultation, the EBA will finalise the draft ITS and submit them to the European Commission by January 10, 2026. The first reference date for the application of these ITS is anticipated to December 2026, so as to grant Competent Authorities and third-country branches to have an implementation period of approximately one year.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
New members appointed to OPSS Advisory Board
New members appointed to the Office for Product Safety and Standards Advisory Board.
Five new members have been appointed to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) Advisory Board. They are:
Jen Dinmore – Legal Director, Digital, Commerce and Creative team, Lewis Silk
Frank Given – Founder, Close Focus
Amanda Long – Chief Executive, Construction Product Information
Professor John Loughhead – Industrial Professor of Clean Energy at the University of Birmingham and Chair of the Redwheel-Turquoise ClimateTech fund
John McDermid – Professor of Software Engineering, University of York
OPSS welcomes these new members of its Advisory Board, who have a wealth of experience in areas including engineering, regulation, research and standards development.
The OPSS Advisory Board typically meets once a quarter. Its members act as critical friends, providing external challenge and bringing fresh perspectives and ideas, ensuring OPSS is best prepared to deal with current and future challenges. The group is not involved in operational decisions, such as handling individual regulatory incidents.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Scientists comment on a UK air traffic control issue which led to flight delays and cancellations.
Dr Guy Gratton, Associate Professor of Aviation and the Environment, Cranfield University, said:
“National Air Traffic Services (NATS) have said there was a fault with their radar system, and this caused a stop on departing and arriving airline traffic on Wednesday afternoon for about an hour. They control the upper airways of the UK from two sites – Swannick near Southampton, and Prestwick near Glasgow. It’s very integrated, and any interruption, as occurred, can only be solved in the short term by reducing the volume of traffic so as to make absolutely sure that in Britain’s very busy airways system, they achieve safe separation of all aircraft. As the systems come back up, they have to maintain that safe separation whilst introducing new traffic back into the airways system, so even a short delay will cause disruption for some time.
“It looks to me that NATS handled this very well, with departures and arrivals only stopped for about an hour. There’s no sign that safety was compromised, and hopefully the overnight reduction in air traffic will give them a chance to clear the disruption and recommence flying on Thursday morning with only minimal residual delays. It’s inevitable that people directly affected are frustrated, but safety has to be the primary concern.”
Junade Ali, a Fellow at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), said:
“The cause of this significant grounding of aircraft appears to be a technical issue at National Air Traffic Services (NATS). As of 16:25, NATS report a fix is being rolled out, meaning the issue was addressed promptly.
“In late 2023, there was a similar incident related to the IT systems that NATS uses. Given the short duration of the outage, it seems likely this is also an IT or software outage.
“NATS has previously thoroughly investigated such incidents and implemented suitable measures. From prior incident reports, the software is understood to not compromise safety at the expense of keeping airspace open. This is the right approach as, whilst keeping airspace open is important, the public risk appetite demands a high standard of safety when it comes to air travel. Incidents like this remind us of the need for robust IT systems that are resilient.”
Parents in the Western Cape, who wish to apply for a school transfer for their children for the 2026 school year, can submit their applications between 4 and 18 August 2025.
According to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), this applies to learners currently enrolled in Grades 2 to 7 and Grades 9 to 12.
“Transfer applications can also be submitted at the relevant school to which the parent or caregiver wishes to transfer, or at the relevant district office,“ the department explained.
Parents applying will need supporting documents, including the last school report card, identity document (ID), birth certificate, passport, study permit or proof of application or police affidavit, and proof of address or police affidavit.
“Parents who have not registered on the online system previously will first need to register on the online site. Once registration is completed, they can then proceed to the application,” the statement read.
According to the department, schools can only capture applications for their institution, but the online system allows for applications to multiple schools.
Parents or caregivers will be required to fill out the WCED application form, which can also be downloaded from the WCED website. The form can only be submitted to schools or the district office from 4 August 2025 onwards.
Parents can drop off the application form and supporting documents directly at the school or contact the school for details on electronic submissions using only the official WCED form.
Regarding Grades R, 1, and 8 applications, the department announced that schools are currently finalising their admission lists and confirming placements for children on their waiting lists. This process is still ongoing.
“We do, however, appeal to all parents and caregivers who have not yet applied for Grade 1 and Grade 8 for the 2026 school year to do so immediately. The online platform is closed for these late applications.”
Parents are advised to contact their district office or call 0861 819 919 for more information.