NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Birmingham set for government jobs boost to drive local growth and deliver for communities

    Source: City of Birmingham

    Published: Friday, 16th May 2025

    Birmingham has been named as one of 13 locations where more Civil Service jobs will be moved in a boost for the local economy.

    Under the shake up, government roles will be shifted outside of London to towns and cities in all four nations of the UK, delivering and developing policy closer to the communities it affects.

    The move is projected to bring £729 million worth of economic benefit to the 13 growth areas by 2030.

    Currently, 13,330 civil service roles are based in Birmingham. Over 34,000 full time equivalent roles are based in the wider West Midlands, with 14 major Government departments having a presence in the region.

    Councillor John Cotton, leader of Birmingham City Council, said:

    “This is a vote of confidence in Birmingham which will create jobs and help our young and talented population to build careers in the civil service.

    It is great to have a government that cares about all regions of the country, and we will work with the government to ensure that the apprenticeship pilot benefits people in every community of Birmingham.”

    Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, said:

    “To deliver our Plan for Change, we are taking more decision-making out of Whitehall and moving it closer to communities all across the UK.

    “By relocating thousands of Civil Service roles we will not only save taxpayers money, we will make this Government one that better reflects the country it serves. We will also be making sure that Government jobs support economic growth throughout the country.

    “As we radically reform the state, we are going to make it much easier for talented people everywhere to join the Civil Service and help us rebuild Britain.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Can One Be Just in an Unjust Society? A Graduate Conference on Ethics and Politics

    Source: Universities – Science Po in English

    What happens when ethics meet politics? A new generation of political theorists is rethinking classic notions and divides dating back from Ancient Philosophy and the Age of Enlightenment. On the occasion of the eleventh edition of Sciences Po’s Graduate Conference in Political Theory, in May 2025, we spoke with its organisers, Sciences Po School of Research’s PhD students Cloé Artaut, Thomas Charrayre, Sibylle Léonard and Ciara Luxton. From ancient ideals of the just city to contemporary struggles over global justice, they walk us through the Conference’s purpose and programme.

    Why did you choose to bring together these two concepts, “ethics” and “politics”, for this eleventh doctoral conference?

    Thomas Charrayre: Going back – perhaps in a somewhat textbook-like way – to ancient philosophy, we see that the notions of ethics and politics have long been closely intertwined. For instance, Plato develops the idea of an organic unity between the good life and the just city: a well-organised society was seen as a necessary condition for a happy life, and, conversely, the virtue of citizens as essential to the establishment of justice.

    In the modern world, this unity dissipates: we tend to draw a clear line between private and public life, between what we do as individuals and what we do as citizens. We assume that it is possible to act justly even within an unjust society. Our moral imagination is, in fact, full of heroic figures who manage to follow their own ethical code despite living in politically unjust contexts – think, for example, of the Righteous Among the Nations.

    This separation between ethics and politics is also reflected in the academic world. We distinguish between ethical philosophy and political philosophy, political theory and political science, as though ethics were solely concerned with right and wrong, while politics dealt only with what is or isn’t possible. Indeed, when we ask for an ethical analysis of a situation, we expect a moral judgement; whereas a political analysis is supposed to describe power dynamics and potential outcomes.

    The conference we are organising seeks to revisit these distinctions, which we often take for granted, without necessarily advocating a return to the Greek conception of the good. That is why it revolves around three key areas, all aimed at showing just how blurred the boundary between ethics and politics can be. The first area brings together presentations focused on the historical study of the relationship between ethics and politics, in order to illustrate how this relationship varies depending on context. The second explores the possible need to “moralise” politics – that is, to view it as a domain governed first and foremost by ethical norms. Lastly, the third area features contributions that offer a political critique of moral norms, analysing the political implications of our ethical beliefs.

    Participants in the conference come from France, but also from Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Quebec, and the United Kingdom. What does this international perspective bring?

    Ciara Luxton: Having spent time in France and elsewhere in Europe as a visiting fellow, Nancy Fraser, our the guest of honour for this edition, has shown how much scholarship can benefit from engagement with ideas that are culturally embedded. Her work demonstrates a deep appreciation both for what is specific to national contexts and for the perspectives that intersect around questions of global justice. Inspired by Nancy Fraser’s example, we have put together panels ranging from the intimate ethics of the body and sexuality to intrinsically collective issues such as planetary justice and climate transition. The international outlook of our conference therefore enriches these reflections on the connections and tensions between ethics and politics.

    Intercultural exchange offers us a unique opportunity to challenge our intuitions – often shaped by national and cultural inheritances – and to rethink them in light of other traditions. We have the privilege and the pleasure of welcoming to Sciences Po – an institution that is resolutely international and multilingual – young researchers from far and wide, brought together by a shared language of political and moral theory. The bilingual nature of the event (French–English) facilitates direct and inclusive dialogue between participants, reflecting our shared commitment to advancing research together. Here, political theory takes on a truly global dimension: our conclusions, far from being confined to a single country, engage with the realities of diverse societies. In a connected world, our analyses are interdependent: an idea originating in Quebec can inspire reform in Italy, just as a moral insight from Ireland can cast new light on a political hypothesis from France.

    In this way, we are creating a space for exchange among a new generation of scholars, who will continue this dialogue throughout their careers. Together, we will develop new ways of thinking about politics and ethics, experiment with more flexible and inclusive methodologies, and build conceptual tools suited to a globalised world.

    Nancy Fraser, Professor of Philosophy at the New School in New York, will be giving a public lecture during your event. She has worked extensively on social justice, feminism, and equality. What perspective will she bring?

    Sibylle Léonard: Nancy Fraser is the guest of honour for this edition. She brings a fundamentally critical perspective to the theme of “Ethics and Politics.” Like many feminist theorists, she challenges the classical Enlightenment-era separation between the ethical and political spheres – a division that sees ethics as a matter of individual conscience, while politics is understood as an impersonal domain concerned with government systems, laws, public policy, and quantifiable data such as votes and taxes. I am thinking in particular of Iris Marion Young’s book Justice and the Politics of Difference, which addresses this issue.

    In her approach to social justice, Nancy Fraser puts forward the ethical-political norm of parity of participation: everyone must be able to take part, on an equal footing, in social, economic, and political life. This is an ethical norm in that it defines what it means to treat individuals as equals; but it is also – and above all – political, insofar as it demands institutions that can guarantee the real-world conditions for such equality. This demand is expressed through her tripartite conception of justice – redistribution, recognition, and representation – which she sets out in her book Scales of Justice. According to Fraser, these three dimensions are co-constitutive; they cannot be ranked or addressed in isolation. It is their imbrication that enables a nuanced analysis of contemporary injustices.

    Thus, against single-issue approaches that fragment social struggles, Nancy Fraser advocates for an integrative way of thinking, at the intersection of theory and practice, ethics and politics. She stands within a critical tradition that combines insights from Marxism, materialist feminism, anti-racist and anti-imperialist struggles, and democratic and ecological theory. The cross-cutting nature of her thought explains its deep resonance with the wide range of topics addressed during this graduate conference.

    A highlight of the conference will be Nancy Fraser’s lecture on 19 May, titled “Politics and Ethics in Extremis: A View from Trump’s America.” It will echo her recent analyses of the rise of authoritarian right-wing movements, the impasses of liberal progressivism, and the need to build counter-hegemonic blocs capable of advancing a genuine emancipatory project – themes she explores in her 2019 book The Old Is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born.

    What will you take away from organising this major conference?

    Cloé Artaut: The Graduate Conference is part of a well-established tradition within Sciences Po’s doctoral programme in political theory. Organising its eleventh edition, in May 2025, has been both a unique and formative intellectual and collective experience for us. We now fully appreciate just how valuable it is to have the opportunity, early in our research careers, to organise an academic event of this scale. It is a real learning experience, and one that reflects an essential aspect of the work of a scholar.

    From an organisational point of view, it allowed us to strengthen our skills in scientific coordination, learning how to balance intellectual rigour with logistical constraints and the expectations of participants. On the intellectual front, our aim was to create a space for international and interdisciplinary dialogue around a theme we saw as both classical and timely: the relationship between ethics and politics. Drawing on a line of thinking that dates back to ancient philosophy, as Thomas reminded us, but has undergone many developments in the contemporary era, we wanted to explore how these two concepts – and the links between them – continue to shape our political practices and analyses. This meant building a conference programme that reflected that ambition, giving equal space to both historical approaches and more modern reinterpretations.

    While we feel we largely achieved that goal, it was both surprising – and very rewarding – to discover that some of the proposals we received were quite far from what we had initially imagined when drafting the call for papers, yet still highly relevant to our theme. The gap between what we anticipated and what actually emerged proved to be immensely fruitful, allowing us to construct a rich and diverse programme that we are ultimately very proud of!

    Following the conference, we are considering coordinating a special journal issue dedicated to the conference theme. This project would allow us to extend the conversation we began, showcase the research presented, and continue fostering dialogue among the young scholars involved.

    En savoir plus 

    Cover image caption: Sibylle Léonard, Cloé Artaut, Ciara Luxton et Thomas Charrayre, PhD students at Sciences Po (credits: Sciences Po)

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Refunds still available for 4,000 people who didn’t submit their debt relief order application

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Refunds still available for 4,000 people who didn’t submit their debt relief order application

    People who started a debt relief order application before April 2024 but did not complete the process are being offered refunds for any fees paid

    • Almost 4,000 people are still due a refund for debt relief order applications they paid for but did not submit 

    • The Insolvency Service has written to those due a refund and £65,000 has already been reimbursed since March 

    • Refunds worth a total of £500,000 are still available going back to 2016 for those who did not finish the application process 

    The Insolvency Service is trying to refund money to 4,000 people who made payments towards a debt relief order (DRO) but did not submit their application.  

    Before April 2024, a £90 fee was payable when making a DRO application. 

    Applicants could choose to pay in full or in instalments.  

    However, many thousands of people made a payment towards the fee, but did not submit their application. 

    The £90 fee was scrapped by the Government in April 2024 to make things easier for people with debts to access the help they need. 

    The Insolvency Service still has £500,000 to return to individuals who paid towards these incomplete applications, going back to 2016. 

    The agency has already written to 5,000 people due a refund, with around 1,000 responding and £65,000 being reimbursed since March so far.  

    Another letter is due to be sent out in the coming days.  

    Caroline Shanahan, senior leader in the Personal Insolvency Team at the Insolvency Service, said: “We sent letters to all 5,000 people who are due a refund, but many of them have not come back to us. There are still about 4,000 people who have not responded.  

    We want to return their money as soon as possible, but they need to contact us after receiving the letter.

    In some cases, people may have changed their email address or moved home, meaning we do not have their current details to contact them. Those people can still apply for a refund if they paid towards a debt relief order that was not submitted, they just need to get in touch and let us know.

    Applications for DROs are made through authorised intermediaries. Up until April 2024, payments were made by the individual as part of the application process, either in full or in instalments.  

    The Insolvency Service is keen to provide refunds directly to the individuals who made payments towards the application fee but did not complete their application for whatever reason. 

    If you are owed a refund 

    If you feel you are due a refund after making a payment but not submitting a debt relief order application, please contact dro.preorder@insolvency.gov.uk 

    To request payment into your bank account or building society, please include the following details:  

    • Debt Relief Order application number (if known) 

    • Your name 

    • Your address 

    • Your telephone number 

    • Bank/building society Name 

    • Account name (as shown on bank statement) 

    • Bank account number (full 8 numbers) 

    • Bank sort code (full 6 numbers) 

    • Building Society roll number (if applicable) 

    All applications will be fully verified against system inform to prevent fraudulent claims.  

    If you would like to request a cheque instead, please state this in your email. 

    If your contact details have changed since making the application, please include your previous name and address alongside your current details.  

    If payment was made by a charity or third party on your behalf, please provide the details of the organisation that made the payment. 

    You can also write to us, including the above information in your correspondence, at: The Insolvency Service DRO Team, C/O Met Office, Fitzroy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB. 

    ENDS 

    Further information 

    • Letters were sent to individuals this week, dated May 2025. 

    • Any interested parties with further questions can call the Insolvency Service customer service helpline on 0300 678 0016. It is open Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm and on Fridays from 9am to 3pm

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI China: China enhances legal protection for seniors

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

    BEIJING, May 16 — China has introduced an array of new measures to strengthen legal services and protections for senior citizens, according to a guideline jointly released by seven government bodies, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Supreme People’s Court.

    As China’s population ages, with over 310 million people aged 60 and above, the move aims to address disputes and risks affecting the elderly while promoting an elderly-friendly social environment.

    One of the key elements of the document is the enhancement of litigation services for seniors. Courts are encouraged to improve barrier-free facilities and offer tailored services such as online litigation service, and home-based case filing.

    The guideline also calls for harsher penalties for crimes targeting the elderly, including fraud, theft and extortion, as well as infringement on the property rights of the elderly under the disguise of elderly care. It also places emphasis on early risk prevention in areas like inheritance disputes, elder care consumption, financial management, and health-related products.

    To better protect vulnerable groups, the guideline proposes eliminating income-based restrictions for elderly individuals seeking legal aid in cases of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.

    Furthermore, it extends the umbrella of legal aid to cover eligible elderly individuals, such as those who are of advanced age, living in solitude, incapacitated, and intellectually disabled.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Svitlana Buriak wins the 11th IBFD Frans Vanistendael Award

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Amsterdam, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At a ceremony this afternoon, Svitlana Buriak was announced as the winner of the award for her publication titled “International Taxation of Global Value Networks“, published by IBFD Doctoral Series.

    The ongoing discussions regarding the allocation of taxing rights between countries in the digital age have primarily centered around concepts such as permanent establishments (PE) and substantive economic presence. In her book, Svitlana Buriak addresses a crucial yet often overlooked aspect: the increasing trend of ‘servicification’ in the global economy. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, the author brings into focus the role of intangibles and non-equity modes of internationalization, shedding light on the challenges associated with the division of economic rent that arises from these developments. Overall, an eminently readable and thought-provoking work.

    For these reasons, the jury concluded that the publication deserved to win the award, which was personally conferred by Rosa Vanistendael, the widow of Frans Vanistendael.

    About the author

    Dr. Svitlana Buriak is a tax advisor specializing in transfer pricing at Loyens & Loeff (Amsterdam), assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), and director of the UvA Centre for Transfer Pricing and Income Allocation. With around 10 years of experience combining practice and policy-oriented academic work, Dr. Buriak focuses on addressing complex international tax and transfer pricing challenges through innovative and practical solutions. Her approach is grounded in legal research, economics, and policy considerations, taking into account evolving economic and business realities, as well as international relations, aiming to deliver legal analyses that are both legally sound and relevant in today’s global landscape.

    Applications and Nominations are welcome for the 12th IBFD Frans Vanistendael Award 2026

    Submissions are accepted until 31 December 2025 at ibfd.award@ibfd.org. Competition rules for 2026 will be available on the website as of next week. The 12th Frans Vanistendael Award will be conferred at IBFD’s headquarters in Amsterdam in May 2026. 

    About IBFD
    IBFD is a leading international provider of cross-border tax expertise, with a long-standing history of supporting and contributing to tax research and academic activities. As an independent foundation, IBFD utilizes its global network of tax experts and its Knowledge Centre to serve Fortune 500 companies, governments, international consultancy firms and tax advisers.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Eightco Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Quarter Driven by Focus on Deploying Capital into the Refurbished Apple Products Business and Prioritizing Financial Stability for Long-Term Growth

    • First quarter 2025 revenue growth of 25% to $9.9mn compared to $8.0mn for the prior year quarter, due to focus on refurbished apple products sales
    • First quarter 2025 operating loss of $1.4mn, a reduction of 55% compared to an operating loss of $3.2mn for the prior year quarter, due to lower SG&A and absence of restructuring and severance expenses in the first quarter of 2025

    Easton, PA, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eightco Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: OCTO) (the “Company” or “Eightco”) today announced financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025.

    Paul Vassilakos, CEO of Eightco and President of Forever 8 Fund, LLC, the Company’s primary operating subsidiary (“Forever 8”), stated “In order to improve our cost structure to deliver long-term value to shareholders, we continue to reduce operating costs and address selling and administrative expenses. Our goal is to remain on this path to further support the Company’s growth as it continues to explore funding options.”

    Mr. Vassilakos continued, “Our current operations provide the infrastructure to significantly scale revenues with a relatively modest increase in expenses. I continue to witness substantial progress within Eightco and believe our accomplishments provide a strong foundation to scale revenues rapidly. The demand for our inventory capital, especially in the refurbished apple products business, continues to underscore the value we believe we can bring to clients. We have now emerged from a transformative period, where I am confident in our ability to accelerate growth and drive sustained success for Eightco and our stakeholders.”

    Financial Highlights and Commentary

    Reallocation of capital back into the refurbished apple products business resulted in revenue growth. This also resulted in a reduction in gross margins from 8.2% for the first quarter of 2025, compared to 17.5% in the first quarter of 2024. The Company also saw a 28% decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses this quarter compared to the prior year quarter, which helped in improving operating losses of $1.4mn compared to a $3.2mn loss in the first quarter of 2024.

    • First quarter 2025 revenues of $9.9mn representing a 25% improvement on the first quarter 2024 revenue of $8.0mn
    • First quarter 2025 gross profit of $0.8mn compared to a gross profit $1.4mn in the first quarter of 2024
    • First quarter 2025 gross profit margin of 8.2%, compared to 17.5% in the first quarter of 2024, due to shift in product mix back into cell phones
    • A 55% improvement in operating losses, down to a $1.4mn loss in the first quarter of 2025, compared to a $3.2mn loss in the first quarter of 2024
    • First quarter 2025 SG&A of $2.2mn, down 29% from $3.1mn in the first quarter of 2024, as a result of continued streamlining and operating costs reduction across all areas of the business
    • First quarter 2025 net loss of $2.5mn compared to a net income of $1.9mn in the first quarter of 2024
    • First quarter 2025 Adjusted EBITDA loss from continuing operations of $0.8mn, compared to Adjusted EBITDA loss from continuing operations of $1.2mn for the first quarter of 2024
        For the Three Months Ended
        March 31,
        2025     2024  
    Revenues, net   9,913,987     7,958,697  
    Cost of revenues   9,100,728     6,569,687  
    Gross profit   813,259     1,389,010  
             
    Operating expenses:        
    Selling, general and administrative expenses   2,229,425     3,127,943  
    Restructuring and severance   –     1,414,838  
    Total operating expenses   2,229,425     4,542,781  
    Operating loss   -1,416,166     -3,153,771  
             
    Non-operating income (expense):        
    Interest income (expense), net   -1,288,804     -1,198,771  
    Gain on forgiveness of earnout   –     6,100,000  
    Other income   21,898     26,677  
    Total non-operating income (expense)   -1,266,906     4,927,906  
             
    Net income (loss) before income tax expense   -2,683,072     1,774,135  
             
    Income tax expense (benefit)   -28,793     –  
             
    Net income (loss) from continuing operations   -2,654,279     1,774,135  
    Net income from discontinued operations, net of tax   105,553     166,828  
    Net income (loss)   -2,548,725     1,940,963  
    Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest   –     -12  
    Net income (loss) attributable to Eightco Holdings Inc.   -2,548,725     1,940,975  
             
             
        For the Three Months Ended
        March 31,
        2025     2024  
    Net income (loss)   (2,654,279 )   1,774,135  
    Interest (income) expense, net   1,288,804     1,198,771  
    Gain on forgiveness of interest   –     –  
    Income tax expense   -28,793     –  
    Depreciation and amortization   574,642     556,299  
    EBITDA   (819,626 )   3,529,205  
    Stock-based compensation   0     0  
    Loss on issuance of warrants   –     –  
    Restructuring       1,414,838  
    Gain on extinguishment of liabilities   –     -6,100,000  
    Adjusted EBITDA   (819,626 )   (1,155,957 )


    Reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

    EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP performance measures. Management believes EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, in addition to operating profit, net (loss) income and other GAAP measures, are useful to investors to evaluate the Company’s results because they exclude certain items that are not directly related to the Company’s core operating performance. Investors should recognize that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA might not be comparable to similarly-titled measures of other companies. These measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, any measure of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

    Reconciliations of the non-GAAP measures used in this press release are included in the table below. Because GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis are not accessible, and reconciling information is not available without unreasonable effort, we have not provided reconciliations for forward-looking non-GAAP measures. Items excluded to arrive at forward-looking non-GAAP measures may have a significant, and potentially unpredictable, impact on our future GAAP results.

    A reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP measure in accordance with SEC Regulation G as above.

    About Eightco

    Eightco (NASDAQ: OCTO) is committed to growth of its subsidiaries, made up of Forever 8, an inventory capital and management platform for e-commerce sellers, and Ferguson Containers, Inc., a provider of complete manufacturing and logistical solutions for product and packaging needs, through strategic management and investment. In addition, the Company is actively seeking new opportunities to add to its portfolio of technology solutions focused on the e-commerce ecosystem through strategic acquisitions. Through a combination of innovative strategies and focused execution, Eightco aims to create significant value and growth for its portfolio companies and stockholders.

    For additional information, please visit www.8co.holdings

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward looking. Words such as “plans,” “expects,” “will,” “anticipates,” “continue,” “expand,” “advance,” “develop” “believes,” “guidance,” “target,” “may,” “remain,” “project,” “outlook,” “intend,” “estimate,” “could,” “should,” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: Eightco’s ability to maintain compliance with the Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements; unexpected costs, charges or expenses that reduce Eightco’s capital resources; Eightco’s inability to raise adequate capital to fund its business; Eightco’s inability to innovate and attract users for Eightco’s products; future legislation and rulemaking negatively impacting digital assets; and shifting public and governmental positions on digital asset mining activity. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause Eightco’s actual results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements, see Eightco’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2025. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Eightco undertakes no duty to update this information or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of such statements to reflect future events or developments, except as required by law.

    For further information, please contact:
    Investor Relations
    investors@8co.holdings

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Putin is testing how far he can push Trump by not turning up for Istanbul talks

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex

    Over three years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the countries are finally meeting for direct peace talks in Istanbul. Vladimir Putin will be not be attending.

    Ironically, given his no-show, it was Putin who suggested the peace talks instead of immediately agreeing to a proposed 30-day ceasefire. But like Russia’s 2024 presidential elections, from the outside the peace talks appear to be a total farce. Putin is not just stringing the international community along, he is also testing his “friendship” with the US president, Donald Trump.

    Trump ran on a platform that he would he end the war in Ukraine quickly (in 24 hours), arguing that he was the only one with the gravitas and strength to handle the Russian leader. Yet Putin has repeatedly ignored Trump’s warnings.

    Two days after Trump was inaugurated, the US president posted that new sanctions would be imposed on Russia if the conflict did not end quickly. Then in early and late March, Trump again threatened sanctions if there was no ceasefire. Most recently, on May 8, Trump called for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, warning that violations would be met with sanctions.

    Putin disregarded every threat, and Trump did nothing to follow through. The pattern seems to be repeating itself.

    Now, Trump is trying to save face by claiming that peace talks are only possible if he and Putin meet in person. If that was the case, why didn’t Trump himself attend? He was only a four-hour plane flight away, making billion dollar deals in the Gulf. But as recently as Thursday, Trump floated the idea that he would only attend if “something happened”.

    Given how important these peace talks should be, it’s odd that there’s so much confusion about why Putin and Trump are not attending. US special envoy Keith Kellogg stated that if Putin had attended, Trump would be there. Trump, meanwhile, has framed Putin’s snub the other way around, claiming the only reason Putin did not attend was because he was not there.


    Institute for the Study of War, CC BY-ND

    Meanwhile, Europeans had warned Putin that if he did not attend and the talks failed to produce a ceasefire, he would face tougher sanctions. But Putin was never going to attend these peace talks even as his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, goaded him to do so by arriving in Ankara a few days ahead of time.

    What could still happen?

    Representatives from the Turkish, Ukrainian and American delegations were due to meet on the morning of May 16, followed by a session with Russia. Reportedly, Turkey is doing everything it can to get the two sides in the same room.

    But hopes are not high for any breakthrough. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said he has no expectations, and Zelensky believes Russia is not serious about achieving anything at these talks.

    Though Putin was the one who suggested the peace talks “without preconditions”, he has sent a low-level delegation. Zelensksy promised to attend if Putin did, but has interpreted the Russian president’s absence as a sign of disrespect.

    Given this backdrop, what can be achieved? Putin has sent his aide (and former minister of culture) Vladimir Medinsky, who Zelensky describes as a “theatre prop”. In Zelensky’s place, the Ukrainian delegation is led by Kyiv’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov.

    Umerov has an impossible task, but will be trying to use the peace talks to take the first steps towards de-escalation. The only real winner in these talks is Turkey, which is playing a much bigger role than expected on the international stage as a power broker and mediator, since Putin didn’t come. Turkey also has good relationships with both Putin and Zelensky.

    It’s certainly hard to take peace talks seriously when there is an awkward back-and-forth just about who is going to attend. And while Trump thinks peace is only possible through bilateral meetings between himself and Putin, it’s clear he can’t even influence Putin to show up to peace talks that the Russian president himself suggested.

    This should give the world little confidence that Putin will agree to a 30-day ceasefire, Ukraine’s main proposal, let alone ever agree to any wider concessions. What’s not clear is what Trump is going to do about it.

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

    – ref. Putin is testing how far he can push Trump by not turning up for Istanbul talks – https://theconversation.com/putin-is-testing-how-far-he-can-push-trump-by-not-turning-up-for-istanbul-talks-256820

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Assisted dying: five questions that need answering before it can work in pratice

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Suzanne Ost, Professor of Law, Lancaster University

    Collagery/Shutterstock

    An attempt to make assisted dying legal in England in Wales continues to make its way through parliament, with MPs currently scheduled to have a final vote on the bill in June.

    The bill has sparked both passionate support and strong opposition, raising vital questions: how would such a law work in practice? Who would deliver it? And what would it cost?

    While much attention has focused mostly on the ethics of assisted dying, the government’s recently published impact assessment looks at the practical side and it deserves closer attention.

    Of course, we shouldn’t base a decision about life and death solely on financial or logistical grounds. But if assisted dying is to become part of the law in England and Wales, we need to understand how it would work in reality. The report highlights a number of key challenges:

    1. The medication question

    The assessment draws mainly on data from 11 other jurisdictions, especially Oregon, where assisted dying has been legal for years. It found that the drugs used can lead to prolonged and unpredictable deaths, in part due to inconsistent drug availability.

    However, the report doesn’t compare this to Switzerland, where assisted dying must be self-administered and is tightly regulated. There, a single barbiturate is typically used, leading to death within two to ten minutes depending on whether it’s taken orally or via injection. This raises questions about what kind of medications would be used in the UK and how reliably they would work.

    2. Opt-outs: who will deliver the service?

    Experience from countries like Canada shows that most doctors opt out of providing assisted dying. In Canada, over 5,000 assisted deaths were carried out by just 80 people. Similarly, in the US and New Zealand, entire institutions – especially palliative care services – have opted out.

    Kim Leadbeater, the MP sponsoring the bill, has confirmed that it would not oblige hospices to participate. While this protects individual conscience, it may leave patients struggling to find willing clinicians or being discharged home to die.

    3. Can the NHS cope with a new service?

    The bill assumes the NHS would be responsible for delivering assisted dying. But is the system ready?

    Switzerland uses volunteer doctors outside the healthcare system, which may be more sustainable. In the UK, oversight is expected to come from a panel including a senior judge or lawyer, a psychiatrist and a social worker.

    However, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) has raised serious concerns, both about the role psychiatrists would play and whether there are enough professionals to fulfil that role. The RCP currently opposes the bill.

    4. Funding: a two-tier system?

    The impact assessment suggests assisted dying would be free at the point of delivery. Yet palliative care – the alternative end-of-life support – often receives less than 40% government funding, relying heavily on charity.

    Could this create a two-tier system, where assisted dying is fully funded while palliative care remains under resourced?

    5. Legal costs and challenges

    If passed, the bill could trigger human rights challenges, particularly around mental capacity and access. Legal experts suggest several grounds on which it might be contested and these cases would need to be defended, incurring additional costs.

    Families might also seek judicial review of a panel’s decision to permit a request for assisted dying. And public protests outside clinics or hospitals offering the service could require increased policing and security – all of which have financial and social implications.

    This bill tackles one of the most morally sensitive issues in society. But if it is to succeed, and be implemented safely, it must be built on more than good intentions.

    The government’s impact assessment lays out the many practical hurdles: medication protocols, workforce readiness, conscientious objection, legal protections, and funding disparities. These aren’t technicalities. They’re the framework that would determine whether assisted dying is accessible, safe and ethically delivered.

    As the bill progresses, the debate must move beyond principle alone. The future of this legislation – and its real world impact – will depend on how well we address these deeply human, and deeply complex, practicalities.

    Suzanne Ost has previously received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy for research that she has conducted.

    Nancy Preston receives funding from Horizon Europe but not for her work on assisted dying. She is affiliated with European Association of Palliative Care where she Co-Chairs the Task Force on the role of palliative care professionals in supporting patients and families considering assisted dying.

    – ref. Assisted dying: five questions that need answering before it can work in pratice – https://theconversation.com/assisted-dying-five-questions-that-need-answering-before-it-can-work-in-pratice-256270

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Governments continue losing efforts to gain backdoor access to secure communications

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Richard Forno, Teaching Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and Assistant Director, UMBC Cybersecurity Institute, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

    Signal is the poster child for strong encryption apps. AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato

    Reports that prominent American national security officials used a freely available encrypted messaging app, coupled with the rise of authoritarian policies around the world, have led to a surge in interest in encrypted apps like Signal and WhatsApp. These apps prevent anyone, including the government and the app companies themselves, from reading messages they intercept.

    The spotlight on encrypted apps is also a reminder of the complex debate pitting government interests against individual liberties. Governments desire to monitor everyday communications for law enforcement, national security and sometimes darker purposes. On the other hand, citizens and businesses claim the right to enjoy private digital discussions in today’s online world.

    The positions governments take often are framed as a “war on encryption” by technology policy experts and civil liberties advocates. As a cybersecurity researcher, I’ve followed the debate for nearly 30 years and remain convinced that this is not a fight that governments can easily win.

    Understanding the ‘golden key’

    Traditionally, strong encryption capabilities were considered military technologies crucial to national security and not available to the public. However, in 1991, computer scientist Phil Zimmermann released a new type of encryption software called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). It was free, open-source software available on the internet that anyone could download. PGP allowed people to exchange email and files securely, accessible only to those with the shared decryption key, in ways similar to highly secured government systems.

    Following an investigation into Zimmermann, the U.S. government came to realize that technology develops faster than law and began to explore remedies. It also began to understand that once something is placed on the internet, neither laws nor policy can control its global availability.

    Fearing that terrorists or criminals might use such technology to plan attacks, arrange financing or recruit members, the Clinton administration advocated a system called the Clipper Chip, based on a concept of key escrow. The idea was to give a trusted third party access to the encryption system and the government could use that access when it demonstrated a law enforcement or national security need.

    End-to-end encryption and backdoor access explained.

    Clipper was based on the idea of a “golden key,” namely, a way for those with good intentions – intelligence services, police – to access encrypted data, while keeping people with bad intentions – criminals, terrorists – out.

    Clipper Chip devices never gained traction outside the U.S. government, in part because its encryption algorithm was classified and couldn’t be publicly peer-reviewed. However, in the years since, governments around the world have continued to embrace the golden key concept as they grapple with the constant stream of technology developments reshaping how people access and share information.

    Following Edward Snowden’s disclosures about global surveillance of digital communications in 2013, Google and Apple took steps to make it virtually impossible for anyone but an authorized user to access data on a smartphone. Even a court order was ineffective, much to the chagrin of law enforcement. In Apple’s case, the company’s approach to privacy and security was tested in 2016 when the company refused to build a mechanism to help the FBI break into an encrypted iPhone owned by a suspect in the San Bernardino terrorist attack.

    At its core, encryption is, fundamentally, very complicated math. And while the golden key concept continues to hold allure for governments, it is mathematically difficult to achieve with an acceptable degree of trust. And even if it was viable, implementing it in practice makes the internet less safe. Security experts agree that any backdoor access, even if hidden or controlled by a trusted entity, is vulnerable to hacking.

    Competing justifications and tech realities

    Governments around the world continue to wrestle with the proliferation of strong encryption in messaging tools, social media and virtual private networks.

    For example, rather than embrace a technical golden key, a recent proposal in France would have provided the government the ability to add a hidden “ghost” participant to any encrypted chat for surveillance purposes. However, legislators removed this from the final proposal after civil liberties and cybersecurity experts warned that such an approach would undermine basic cybersecurity practices and trust in secure systems.

    In 2025, the U.K. government secretly ordered Apple to add a backdoor to its encryption services worldwide. Rather than comply, Apple removed the ability for its iPhone and iCloud customers in the U.K. to use its Advanced Data Protection encryption features. In this case, Apple chose to defend its users’ security in the face of government mandates, which ironically now means that users in the U.K. may be less secure.

    Apple pulled its advanced encryption service from the U.K. market rather than grant the U.K. government backdoor access.

    In the United States, provisions removed from the 2020 EARN IT bill would have forced companies to scan online messages and photos to guard against child exploitation by creating a golden-key-type hidden backdoor. Opponents viewed this as a stealth way of bypassing end-to-end encryption. The bill did not advance to a full vote when it was last reintroduced in the 2023-2024 legislative session.

    Opposing scanning for child sexual abuse material is a controversial concern when encryption is involved: Although Apple received significant public backlash over its plans to scan user devices for such material in ways that users claimed violated Apple’s privacy stance, victims of child abuse have sued the company for not better protecting children.

    Even privacy-centric Switzerland and the European Union are exploring ways of dealing with digital surveillance and privacy in an encrypted world.

    The laws of math and physics, not politics

    Governments usually claim that weakening encryption is necessary to fight crime and protect the nation – and there is a valid concern there. However, when that argument fails to win the day, they often turn to claiming to need backdoors to protect children from exploitation.

    From a cybersecurity perspective, it is nearly impossible to create a backdoor to a communications product that is only accessible for certain purposes or under certain conditions. If a passageway exists, it’s only a matter of time before it is exploited for nefarious purposes. In other words, creating what is essentially a software vulnerability to help the good guys will inevitably end up helping the bad guys, too.

    Often overlooked in this debate is that if encryption is weakened to improve surveillance for governmental purposes, it will drive criminals and terrorists further underground. Using different or homegrown technologies, they will still be able to exchange information in ways that governments can’t readily access. But everyone else’s digital security will be needlessly diminished.

    This lack of online privacy and security is especially dangerous for journalists, activists, domestic violence survivors and other at-risk communities around the world.

    Encryption obeys the laws of math and physics, not politics. Once invented, it can’t be un-invented, even if it frustrates governments. Along those lines, if governments are struggling with strong encryption now, how will they contend with a world when everyone is using significantly more complex techniques like quantum cryptography?

    Governments remain in an unenviable position regarding strong encryption. Ironically, one of the countermeasures the government recommended in response to China’s hacking of global telephone systems in the Salt Typhoon attacks was to use strong encryption in messaging apps such as Signal or iMessage.

    Reconciling that with their ongoing quest to weaken or restrict strong encryption for their own surveillance interests will be a difficult challenge to overcome.

    Richard Forno has received research funding related to cybersecurity from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the US Army during his academic career since 2010.

    – ref. Governments continue losing efforts to gain backdoor access to secure communications – https://theconversation.com/governments-continue-losing-efforts-to-gain-backdoor-access-to-secure-communications-253016

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Landing on the Moon is an incredibly difficult feat − 2025 has brought successes and shortfalls for companies and space agencies

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Zhenbo Wang, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Tennessee

    Several missions have already attempted to land on the lunar surface in 2025, with more to come. AP Photo

    Half a century after the Apollo astronauts left the last bootprints in lunar dust, the Moon has once again become a destination of fierce ambition and delicate engineering.

    This time, it’s not just superpowers racing to plant flags, but also private companies, multinational partnerships and robotic scouts aiming to unlock the Moon’s secrets and lay the groundwork for future human return.

    So far in 2025, lunar exploration has surged forward. Several notable missions have launched toward or landed on the Moon. Each has navigated the long journey through space and the even trickier descent to the Moon’s surface or into orbit with varying degrees of success. Together, these missions reflect both the promise and difficulty of returning to the Moon in this new space race defined by innovation, competition and collaboration.

    As an aerospace engineer specializing in guidance, navigation and control technologies, I’m deeply interested in how each mission – whether successful or not – adds to scientists’ collective understanding. These missions can help engineers learn to navigate the complexities of space, operate in hostile lunar environments and steadily advance toward a sustainable human presence on the Moon.

    Why is landing on the Moon so hard?

    Lunar exploration remains one of the most technically demanding frontiers in modern spaceflight. Choosing a landing site involves complex trade-offs between scientific interest, terrain safety and Sun exposure.

    The lunar south pole is an especially attractive area, as it could contain water in the form of ice in shadowed craters, a critical resource for future missions. Other sites may hold clues about volcanic activity on the Moon or the solar system’s early history.

    Each mission trajectory must be calculated with precision to make sure the craft arrives and descends at the right time and place. Engineers must account for the Moon’s constantly changing position in its orbit around Earth, the timing of launch windows and the gravitational forces acting on the spacecraft throughout its journey.

    They also need to carefully plan the spacecraft’s path so that it arrives at the right angle and speed for a safe approach. Even small miscalculations early on can lead to major errors in landing location – or a missed opportunity entirely.

    Once on the surface, the landers need to survive extreme swings in temperature – from highs over 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius) in daylight down to lows of -208 F (-133 C) at night – as well as dust, radiation and delayed communication with Earth. The spacecraft’s power systems, heat control, landing legs and communication links must all function perfectly. Meanwhile, these landers must avoid hazardous terrain and rely on sunlight to power their instruments and recharge their batteries.

    These challenges help explain why many landers have crashed or experienced partial failures, even though the technology has come a long way since the Apollo era.

    Commercial companies face the same technical hurdles as government agencies but often with tighter budgets, smaller teams and less heritage hardware. Unlike government missions, which can draw on decades of institutional experience and infrastructure, many commercial lunar efforts are navigating these challenges for the first time.

    Successful landings and hard lessons for CLPS

    Several lunar missions launched this year belong to NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. CLPS is an initiative that contracts private companies to deliver science and technology payloads to the Moon. Its aim is to accelerate exploration while lowering costs and encouraging commercial innovation.

    An artist’s rendering of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, which navigated and avoided hazards during its final descent to the surface.
    NASA/GSFC/Rani Gran/Wikimedia Commons

    The first Moon mission of 2025, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, launched in January and successfully landed in early March.

    The lander survived the harsh lunar day and transmitted data for nearly two weeks before losing power during the freezing lunar night – a typical operational limit for most unheated lunar landers.

    Blue Ghost demonstrated how commercial landers can shoulder critical parts of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon later this decade.

    The second CLPS launch of the year, Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, launched in late February. It targeted a scientifically intriguing site near the Moon’s south pole region.

    An artist’s rendering of Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, which is scheduled to land near the lunar south pole for in-situ resource utilization demonstration on the Moon.
    NASA/Intuitive Machines

    The Nova-C lander, named Athena, touched down on March 6 close to the south pole. However, during the landing process, Athena tipped over. Since it landed on its side in a crater with uneven terrain, it couldn’t deploy its solar panels to generate power, which ended the mission early.

    While Athena’s tipped-over landing meant it couldn’t do all the scientific explorations it had planned, the data it returned is still valuable for understanding how future landers can avoid similar fates on the rugged polar terrain.

    Not all lunar missions need to land. NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, a small lunar orbiter launched in February alongside IM-2, was intended to orbit the Moon and map the form, abundance and distribution of water in the form of ice, especially in shadowed craters near the poles.

    Shortly after launch, however, NASA lost contact with the spacecraft. Engineers suspect the spacecraft may have experienced a power issue, potentially leaving its batteries depleted.

    NASA is continuing recovery efforts, hoping that the spacecraft’s solar panels may recharge in May and June.

    An artist’s rendering of NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft. If recovered, it will orbit the Moon to measure the form and distribution of water on the lunar surface.
    Lockheed Martin Space

    Ongoing and future missions

    Launched on the same day as the Blue Ghost mission in January, Japanese company ispace’s Hakuto-R Mission 2 (Resilience) is on its way to the Moon and has successfully entered lunar orbit.

    The lander carried out a successful flyby of the Moon on Feb. 15, with an expected landing in early June. Although launched at the same time, Resilience took a longer trajectory than Blue Ghost to save energy. This maneuver also allowed the spacecraft to collect bonus science observations while looping around the Moon.

    The mission, if successful, will advance Japan’s commercial space sector and prove an important comeback for ispace after its first lunar lander crashed during its final descent in 2023.

    The Resilience lunar lander days before its launch in the payload processing facility at the U.S. Space Force station. The Resilience lander has completed its Earth orbit and a lunar flyby. It is now completing a low-energy transfer orbit and entering an orbit around the Moon.
    Business Wire

    The rest of 2025 promises a busy lunar calendar. Intuitive Machines plans to launch IM-3 in late 2025 to test more advanced instruments and potentially deliver NASA scientific experiments to the Moon.

    The European Space Agency’s Lunar Pathfinder will establish a dedicated lunar communications satellite, making it easier for future missions, especially those operating on the far side or poles, to stay in touch with Earth.

    Meanwhile, Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission-1 is scheduled to deliver NASA’s VIPER rover to the Moon’s south pole, where it will directly search for ice beneath the surface.

    Together, these missions represent an increasingly international and commercial approach to lunar science and exploration.

    As the world turns its attention to the Moon, every mission – whether triumph or setback – brings humanity closer to a permanent return to our closest celestial neighbor.

    Zhenbo Wang receives funding from NASA.

    – ref. Landing on the Moon is an incredibly difficult feat − 2025 has brought successes and shortfalls for companies and space agencies – https://theconversation.com/landing-on-the-moon-is-an-incredibly-difficult-feat-2025-has-brought-successes-and-shortfalls-for-companies-and-space-agencies-256046

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: CCUS explained: experts answer your questions

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    CCUS explained: experts answer your questions

    Got a question about Carbon Capture, Usage, and Storage (CCUS) and the technology involved? Experts answer some of the most common questions here.

    How does CCUS work? 

    Olivia Powis, CEO at the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, says:  

    Carbon Capture, Usage, and Storage (CCUS) is essential for reducing emissions from heavy industries. It can also be used to generate low-carbon power by gas power stations with carbon capture and storage as well as enabling hydrogen power. These sources of power are important for when the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing.

    This low carbon technology captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial facilities, compresses it, and then transports it by pipeline or ship for utilisation or safe and permanent storage deep under the seabed, preventing the CO2 from entering the atmosphere. The CO2 is stored in porous rocks – in old oil fields, gas fields, or saline formation – that act like a sponge and are covered by layers of trapping mechanisms such as impermeable ‘caprock’ – ensuring safe and permanent storage. The CO2 is then monitored to make sure that its stored securely.

    Is CCUS a proven technology? 

    Professor Stuart Haszeldine, Professor of Carbon Capture and Storage at University of Edinburgh, says: 

    Yes, carbon capture and storage has been operating successfully and safely since 1996 at the Sleipner storage site in the North Sea, halfway between Aberdeen and Bergen. A similar project has been developed at Snøhvit offshore in Norway. Experience gained in those operations has led to the Northern Lights project, situated north of Bergen which offers secure CO2 storage commercially to European industries.

    Is CCUS safe? 

    Professor Niall Mac Dowell, Professor in Energy Systems Engineering at Imperial College London, says: 

    Yes, various technical components of the carbon capture, utilisation, transport, and storage value chain have all been extensively deployed in other contexts around the world for decades. In the UK, not only can existing Health and Safety legislation effectively regulate the safety of CCUS, but we are also fortunate to have a wealth of experience in the offshore industry, which will be used to safely store the CO2 several kilometres below the seabed, in formations similar to those that have trapped natural gas for millennia.

    Does CCUS help us tackle climate change? 

    Chris Stark, former CEO at the Climate Change Committee and Head of Mission Control for Clean Power 2030 at the Department of Energy Security & Net Zero, says:

    CCUS provides the lowest cost pathway to reaching net zero which is why the independent Climate Change Committee has declared it a ‘necessity, not an option.’ CCUS gives a range of options to decarbonise that would otherwise not be possible, and it minimises the climate warming emissions released to the atmosphere on our journey to net zero. It will be an important part of our industrial future.

    With an increase in renewable energy, why do we need CCUS? 

    Louise Stott, Deputy Director for Policy at Energy UK, says:

    To help secure our energy supply, we need low-carbon power that is available at all times of the day and in all weathers. Gas-fired power stations with CCUS, used alongside all other forms of low-carbon energy generation, will be able to provide flexible power on the system. Beyond power generation, CCUS will also play an important role in the decarbonisation of heavy industry. There are certain industrial processes, such as cement production, which will only be able to decarbonise through technologies like carbon capture.

    Is CCUS too expensive? 

    Mathilde Fajardy, Energy Analyst at the International Energy Agency, says: 

    CCUS technologies are critical to put energy systems around the world on a sustainable path. The cost of a project depends heavily on the source of the CO2 captured, the distance and mode used to transport it, as well as where and how it is stored. The cost of CCUS also needs to be considered against alternative decarbonisation options – in some cases, CCUS may be the only option available today.

    Is there enough space to safely store carbon captured by CCUS projects? 

    Stuart Payne, CEO at the North Sea Transition Authority, says: 

    The North Sea has the potential to store up to 78 GT of CO2 in a combination of depleted oil and gas reservoirs and natural saline aquifers. That could be enough capacity on the UK Continental Shelf to store centuries worth of UK emissions. In fact, we believe we have an exceptional case for the UK to become a carbon storage centre for the world.

    Further information

    Read more about UK carbon capture, usage and storage.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 16 May 2025 Departmental update Neglected tropical diseases centre-stage at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Sunday 18 May 2025 10:30−13:30
     
    Restaurant Vieux-Bois, Avenue de la Paix 12    		 Snakebite envenoming : reaching our 2030 targets
     
    Host: Ministry of Health, Kenya    		 The objective of this meeting is to build visibility for snakebite on the global health agenda
     
    Sunday 18 May 2025
    17:30−19:30
     
    Restaurant Vieux-Bois, Avenue de la Paix 12
     
         		 Shared progress: how collaborative philanthropy can accelerate country-led health goals
     
    Host: Mohammed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity    		 Under the theme Shared Progress: How Collaborative Philanthropy Can Accelerate Country-led Health Goals, the reception will convene country representatives; global health leaders; philanthropic organizations; and multilaterals to discuss how countries and donors can work collaboratively to forge new pathways for global health progress. 
    Monday 19 May 2025
    13:00−14:30
     
    Centre d’Accueil de la Genève Internationale (CAGI), La Pastorale, Route de Ferney 106    		 Protecting Progress: Integration for Infectious Disease Elimination in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
     
    Host: Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE)    		 The global health landscape is undergoing tectonic shifts, driven largely by the recent significant changes in traditional donor priorities. This, compounded by ongoing challenges of climate change and humanitarian crises threatens to erode decades of progress in eliminating preventable infectious diseases such as malaria, polio, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Given this new reality, integration—both across disease programs and within broader health and development efforts—has never been more urgent.
    Tuesday 20 May 2025
    08:00−10:00
     
    Hôtel Royal, Rue de Lausanne 41    		 Health financing : what now ? What next? Insights from malaria, dengue & NTDs
     
    Hosts: Health Finance Coalition (HFC); Malaria No More; and the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD)    		 The world is witnessing major shifts in the global health landscape. Among these, the decrease in donor funding for climate-sensitive infectious and tropical diseases on the one hand, and the explosive growth of health threats such as arboviruses including dengue, as well as the persistent threat of malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on communities worldwide are likely to be among the most defining factors of future health policy.
    Tuesday 20 May 2025 17:00−19:00
     
    Pavillon Gallatin, Domaine de Penthes, Route de Pregny 26    		 5 Billion Mectizan Treatments Donated and Counting
     
    Hosts: Mectizan Donation Program, Task Force for Global Health    		 The event will celebrate the tremendous progress made towards the elimination of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, notably the 5 billion ivermectin (Mectizan) treatments that have been donated. Since 1987 MSD and the Mectizan Donation Program have provided Mectizan to eliminate onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis worldwide.
    Tuesday 20 May 2025 18:00−20:00
     
    Hôtel Président Wilson, Quai Wilson 47    		 Skin diseases as a global public health priority
     
    Hosts: International Alliance of Dermatology Patient Organizations (GlobalSkin), International League of Dermatology Societies (ILDS), Anesvad Foundation, Health Diplomacy Alliance    		 The event will discuss the importance of addressing skin diseases as a public health problem, and will provide critical discussions on the groundbreaking WHA resolution, “Skin Diseases as a Global Health Priority”.
    Wednesday 21 May 2025
    08:00−09:30
     
    Restaurant Vieux-Bois, Avenue de la Paix 12
         		 Strengthening Strategic Partnerships to fight VBDs, NTDs, and Emerging Infectious Diseases
     
    Hosts: Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Assoc. (JPMA), Permanent Mission of Japan, IFPMA    		 As the field of global health undergoes significant transformation, we aim to raise global awareness of the challenges and solutions related to infectious diseases such as VBDs, NTDs, and emerging infectious diseases that have long affected LMICs. As part of this effort, we would like to overview the progress made and the challenges we face, as well as showcase strategic initiatives/contributions in this field by governments, private sector and international organizations
    Wednesday 21 May 2025
    09:00−13:30
     
    Campus Biotech Innovation Park, Avenue de Sécheron 15    		 Economics of elimination and NTDs
     
    Host: Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE)    		 The event will initiate an International Economics Working Group (IEWG) dialogue, share current work, and explore collaboration on the economics of elimination and neglected tropical diseases.
    Wednesday 21 May 2025
    12:00−15:00
     
    Geneva Press Club,
    Domaine de Penthes,
    Chemin de l’Impératrice 18    		 Accelerating NTD elimination through country-driven efforts and cross-border collaboration
     
    Hosts: Global Onchocerciasis Network for Elimination (GONE), African Union, END Fund, DNDi
     
    Member State Leadership: Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda    		 The purpose of the meeting is to share progress and celebrate successes of NTD elimination milestones, share cross-border collaboration examples, celebrate the endorsement of cross-border agreements and a Call for Action which will inspire and further enhance cross-border and multi-disease collaboration to accelerate progress towards global disease elimination targets. Ministers of Health of Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda will sign a MoU to End VL in Africa. The event will stress the importance of country ownership and strategies to reach NTD public health target and to mitigate the risk of losing the gains made over the past decades, highlighting the opportunity of the implementation of the proposed resolution on skin diseases at WHA78. A signature of an MoU for Visceral Leishmaniasis in East African countries will take place during the ceremony.
    Wednesday 21 May 2025 18:00−20:00
     
    Hõtel Royal, Rue de Lausanne 41    		 Roundtable dinner: The Future of Funding for NTDs
     
    Hosts: The END Fund, DEVEX    		 The event will be hosted by Kate Warren EVP and Executive Editor, Devex and Dr Solomon Zewdu, CEO, The END Fund. The roundtable dinner will bring together a select group of 10–12 senior stakeholders from the private sector, philanthropy, global health, policy and international financing organizations to engage in meaningful dialogue , enabling key decision-makers to share insights, align priorities and identify actions to accelerate progress in combating NTDs. Roundtable dinner: The Future of Funding for NTDS
    Wednesday 21 May 2025 18:30−19:30
     
    Colladon Parc Restaurant,
    Chemin Colladon 5,
    Petit-Saconnex    		 Reception for countries endemic for dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease) and in pre-certification Guinea
     
    Hosts: Ministry of Health, Chad and The Carter Center    		 The reception will be an occasion to celebrate the tremendous progress toward eradication, rally behind the WHA Resolution being voted on, reflect on commitments made in the Abu Dhabi Declaration and N’Djamena Commitment, and look ahead to what remains to achieve Guinea worm eradication by the year 2030.
    Wednesday 21 May 2025 18:30−20:30
     
    The International Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum, Geneva, Avenue de la Paix 17    		 “A seat at the table” – art installation
     
    Hosts: Gilead Sciences, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care Program in Global Primary Health Care, International Alliance of Patient Organizations (IAPO) and UNAIDS    		 Frontline AIDS in collaboration with the Female Genital Schistosomiasis Integration Group (FIG), Education as a Vaccine, Alliance for Public Health, and LVCT Health will contribute artwork to this important event. It will feature stories and an art installation that bring the importance of people-centered care into focus— addressing the imbalance of power in which people with lived experience of disease are too often left out of health system decision-making.
    Wednesday 21 May 2025 18:30−21:00
     
    Hôtel Mandarin Oriental,
    Quai Turrettini 1    		 Ministerial summit: REACH network
     
    Hosts: Nigeria, REACH Network (Chairs: Minister Muhammad Ali Pate [Nigeria] and Professor Samba Sow [former Minister of Health, Mali])    		 The event is convened to reinforce ministerial commitment from existing REACH countries and expand the network’s impact by engaging potential new member countries. It will emphasize integrated, equitable and evidence-driven child survival strategies, particularly mass drug administration of azithromycin
    Thursday 22 May 2025
    08:00−10:00
     
    Hôtel Président Wilson,
    Quai Wilson 47    		 Surveillance and innovation for dengue & arboviruses: international unity to avert future health emergencies
     
    Host: the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases    		 The event will focus on updates on the progression of the arboviral threat worldwide (dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, Oropouche fever), will provide a platform for Member States to make statements on arboviruses experiences and collaborative surveillance strategies, will enable discussions among participants, will serve as a forum for exchange of best practices and networking among participants
    Thursday 22 May 2025
    12:00−14:00
     
    Hôtel Intercontinental,
    Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 7−9    		 Innovation Meets Unity: Advancing Global Health Solutions for Africa
     
    Host: Merck KGaA, Circle Diplomatique Genève    		 Global health leadership discussion to discuss diminished engagement with multilateral institutions which has resulted in weakened health systems in Africa and diminished international support

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s video message to the launch of the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Download the video:
    https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/downloads2.unmultimedia.org/public/video/evergreen/MSG+SG+/SG+29+Apr+25/3365764_MSG+SG+FOOD+CRISES+29+APR+25.mp4

    This Global Report on Food Crises reflects a world dangerously off-course.

    Hunger is not a crisis bound to one place or time: it’s a chronic catastrophe.

    Fueled by conflict, geopolitical tensions, climate chaos, and economic upheaval – food and nutrition crises are rampant and rising.  

    Over 295 million people faced hunger in 2024, the sixth year in a row of rising need.

    From Gaza and Sudan, to Yemen and Mali, conflict-driven hunger is shattering records.

    And climate change is accelerating the crisis, wiping out harvests, livelihoods, and hope.

    Weather extremes are pushing nearly 100 million people to the brink of hunger.

    Just as food insecurity and malnutrition are gaining pace, our ability to respond is hitting the brakes.  

    The dramatic reduction in lifesaving humanitarian funding is compounding the hunger crisis.  

    And the prospect of a trade war will only make things worse.

    Ensuring a food-secure future means rallying financial resources and driving innovation.

    It calls for fair, transparent trade systems that ensure food can move where it’s needed, especially during crises.

    And it requires global solidarity to build resilient, inclusive and sustainable food systems for all.

    The UN Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024, reignites momentum for this vital mission.

    My message is clear: we must heed the dire warnings in this report.

    This July, the Second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake – taking place in Addis Ababa – will be an opportunity for all of us to unite and boost our efforts.

    The time to act is now. Let’s end hunger, together.

    ***
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Pharmacy Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud and Agrees to Pay More Than $1 Million Settlement

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – On May 13, 2025, a Florida-based pharmacy, OHM Pharmacy Services, aka “Benzer,” aka “Auburndale,” pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud and was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $82,000. As part of the global resolution, Benzer also agreed to pay $1,018,000 to resolve False Claims Act violations.

    According to OHM’s admissions in the global resolution of criminal charges and civil claims, the pharmacy dispensed Evzio, one of several naloxone products on the market indicated for use on an emergent basis in the case of opioid overdose. Due to Evzio’s high price, insurers (including Medicare Part D plans) frequently required that health care providers submit prior authorization requests before they approved coverage. OHM completed prior authorization forms in place of prescribing physicians, and in some instances OHM personnel signed the prior authorization forms without the physician’s authorization and submitted information to insurers that made it appear as though a physician, and not OHM, was submitting the information. Moreover, OHM also submitted prior authorization requests to insurers, including Medicare Part D plans, that contained false information. For example, OHM staff filled out and submitted dozens of Evzio prior authorization request forms that falsely asserted that patients had previously tried and failed to successfully use Narcan or naloxone.  

    In connection with the resolution, Benzer entered into an integrity agreement (IA) with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The IA requires, among other things, that Benzer implement measures to ensure that its submission of claims for pharmaceutical products complies with applicable law relating to prior authorizations.  

    The civil settlement concludes the government’s resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by a former employee of kaleo Inc., Evzio’s manufacturer. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Socol v. Benzer Pharmacy Holding, LLC, et al., No. 18-cv-10050-RGS (D. Mass.). As part of the civil resolution, the whistleblower will receive $285,040 of the civil settlement amount.  

    In 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced settlements with kaléo Inc. for $12.7 million and with other pharmacies for $1 million relating to their submission of false claims for Evzio. In 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a $1.31 million deferred prosecution agreement and civil settlement with another pharmacy.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kim Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General; and the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General made the announcement.

    The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham R. George, Chief of the Civil Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin, Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Onfolio Holdings Inc. Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WILMINGTON, Del., May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Onfolio Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ONFO, ONFOW) (OTC: ONFOP) (“Onfolio” or the “Company”), a company that primarily acquires and manages a portfolio of digital marketing and online education businesses, announces financial results for the first quarter ended March 31st 2025.

    Financial Highlights

    • First quarter revenue increased 77% to $2.81M vs. $1.58M in the prior year period and increased 12.8% from $2.49M in Q4 of 2024
    • First quarter gross profit increased 70% to $1.7M vs. $1M in the prior year period and increased 28% from $1.32M in Q4 of 2024
    • First quarter total operating expenses increased 71% to $2.49M vs. $1.45M in the prior year period and increased 23% from $2.01M in Q4 of 2024
    • First quarter net loss increased 72% to $0.80M vs. $0.47M in the prior year period and vs. a $0.14M gain in Q4 of 2024
    • Cash at 3/31/25 was $0.67M vs. $0.48M at 12/31/24

    “We substantially increased our revenue and gross profit during the first quarter of 2025. Our cash used in operations decreased to $0.14M, reflecting improvements in both operational discipline and revenue contribution,” said Onfolio Holdings CEO Dominic Wells.

    “While our net loss increased from $0.47M in Q1 2024, to $0.80M in Q1 2025, $0.27M of this was stock-based-compensation, most of which was a one-time expense, as well as $0.17M in higher amortization expense compared to the prior year. Taking these non-cash increases into account, our net loss improved year-on-year. During the first quarter of 2025, we continued our effort to improve operations within our portfolio companies, which has resulted in reduced cost, better efficiency, a renewed focus on organic growth and the development of new services.

    “During the first quarter of 2025, we also raised non-dilutive capital through the sale of our Series A Preferred Shares, which have consistently paid a 12% annual dividend for over four years. The additional capital was primarily used to strengthen our balance sheet and prepare for our next acquisition.

    “We remain highly focused on continued organic growth within our core digital marketing and online education business units and are pursuing strategic acquisitions to strengthen those businesses.

    “If we continue to execute well on our organic and strategic growth initiatives, we could achieve profitability during the second half of 2025,” concluded Dominic Wells.

    About Onfolio Holdings

    Onfolio Holdings acquires controlling interests in and actively manage small online businesses that we believe (i) operate in sectors with long-term growth opportunities, (ii) have positive and stable cash flows, (iii) face minimal threats of technological or competitive obsolescence and (iv) can be managed by our existing team or have strong management teams largely in place. Through the acquisition and growth of a diversified group of online businesses with these characteristics, we believe we offer investors in our shares an opportunity to diversify their own portfolio risk. Visit www.onfolio.com for more information.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words “may” “will,” “should,” “plans,” “explores,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “continues,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” and similar expressions. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding expected operating results, such as revenue growth and earnings, and strategy for growth and financial results.

    Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing new customer offerings, changes in customer order patterns, changes in customer offering mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, delays due to issues with outsourced service providers, those events and factors described by us in Item 1A “Risk Factors” in our most recent Form 10-K and 10Q; other risks to which our Company is subject; other factors beyond the Company’s control. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

    Onfolio Holdings, Inc.
    Consolidated Balance Sheets
     
          March 31       December 31  
          2025       2024  
                     
    Assets                
    Current Assets:                
    Cash   $ 666,115     $ 476,874  
    Accounts receivable, net     688,763       755,804  
    Inventory     47,027       65,876  
    Prepaids and other current assets     200,763       138,007  
    Total Current Assets     1,602,668       1,436,561  
                     
    Intangible assets     3,022,099       3,323,211  
    Goodwill     4,203,145       4,210,557  
    Fixed Assets     4,707       5,135  
    Due from related party     128,385       126,530  
    Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures, cost method     213,007       213,007  
    Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures, equity method     269,140       268,231  
    Other assets     3,495       9,465  
                     
    Total Assets   $ 9,446,646     $ 9,592,697  
    Liabilities and Stockholders Equity                
                     
    Current Liabilities:                
    Accounts payable and other current liabilities   $ 1,018,752     $ 969,068  
    Dividends payable     105,468       100,797  
    Notes payable, current     526,010       702,634  
    Notes Payable – Related Party, current     –       400,000  
    Contingent consideration     308,943       981,591  
    Deferred revenue     654,971       589,913  
    Total Current Liabilities     2,614,144       3,744,003  
                     
    Notes payable     790,000       450,000  
    Notes payable – related parties     1,049,000       1,049,000  
    Due to joint ventures – long term     –       –  
    Total Liabilities     4,453,144       5,243,003  
                     
    Commitments and Contingencies                
                     
    Stockholders’ Equity:                
    Preferred stock, $0.001 per value, 5,000,000 shares authorized                
    Series A Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, 165,260 and 134,460 issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024     165       134  
    Common stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 5,127,395 issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 December 31, 2024     5,128       5,128  
    Additional paid-in capital     23,459,650       22,316,751  
    Accumulated other comprehensive income     97,152       68,105  
    Accumulated deficit     (19,976,595 )     (19,078,287 )
    Total Onfolio Inc. stockholders equity     3,585,500       3,311,831  
    Non-Controlling Interests     1,408,002       1,037,863  
    Total Stockholders’ Equity     4,993,502       4,349,694  
                     
    Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity   $ 9,446,646     $ 9,592,697  
                     
    The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements  
       
    Onfolio Holdings, Inc.
    Consolidated Statements of Operations
     
             
        For the Three Months Ended March 31,
        2025   2024
             
             
    Revenue, services   $ 1,796,595     $ 723,551  
    Revenue, product sales     1,015,348       863,351  
    Total Revenue     2,811,943       1,586,902  
                     
    Cost of revenue, services     1,016,860       366,706  
    Cost of revenue, product sales     87,963       215,860  
    Total cost of revenue     1,104,823       582,566  
                     
    Gross profit     1,707,120       1,004,336  
                     
    Operating expenses                
    Selling, general and administrative     2,221,346       1,185,184  
    Professional fees     237,905       180,190  
    Acquisition costs     33,410       94,341  
    Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets     –       –  
    Total operating expenses     2,492,661       1,459,715  
                     
    Loss from operations     (785,541 )     (455,379 )
                     
    Other income (expense)                
    Equity method income (loss)     909       (5,154 )
    Dividend income     2,250       –  
    Interest income (expense), net     (100,720 )     (17,720 )
    Other income     4,983       427  
    Gain on change in fair value of contingent consideration     54,173       –  
    Impairment of investments     –       –  
    Gain on sale of business     –       –  
    Total other income     (38,405 )     (22,447 )
                     
    Loss before income taxes     (823,946 )     (477,826 )
                     
    Income tax (provision) benefit     17,518       –  
                     
    Net loss     (806,428 )     (477,826 )
                     
    Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest     12,041       664  
    Net loss attributable to Onfolio Holdings Inc.     (794,387 )     (477,162 )
                     
    Preferred Dividends     (103,921 )     (81,645 )
    Net loss to common shareholders   $ (898,308 )   $ (558,807 )
                     
    Net loss per common shareholder                
    Basic and diluted   $ (0.18 )   $ (0.11 )
                     
    Weighted average shares outstanding                
    Basic and diluted     5,127,395       5,107,395  
                     
    The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements  
       
    Onfolio Holdings, Inc.
    Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
    For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 and 2024
     
        Preferred Stock,
    $0.001 Par value    		   Common Stock,
    $0.001 Par Value    		    Additional    Accumulated   Accumulated
    Other    		    Non    Stockholders’ 
        Shares   Amount   Shares   Amount   Paid-In Capital   Deficit   Comprehensive
    Income    		   Controlling
    Interest    		   Equity
                                         
    Balance, December 31, 2024     134,460     $ 134       5,127,395     $ 5,128     $ 22,316,751     $ (19,078,287 )   $ 68,105     $ 1,037,863     $ 4,349,694  
                          –       –               –       –       –       –  
    Sale of preferred stock for cash     28,000       28       –       –       699,972       –       –       –       700,000  
    Preferred stock and common stock options issued for payment of contingent consideration     2,800       3       –       –       169,997       –       –       –       170,000  
    Stock-based compensation     –       –       –       –       272,930       –       –       –       272,930  
    Payment of note payble by NCI                                                             400,000       400,000  
    Preferred dividends     –       –       –       –       –       (103,921 )     –       –       (103,921 )
    Foreign currency translation     –       –       –       –       –       –       29,047       –       29,047  
    Distribution to non-controlling interest                                                             (17,820 )     (17,820 )
    Net loss     –       –       –       –       –       (794,387 )     –       (12,041 )     (806,428 )
                                                                             
    Balance, March 31, 2025     165,260       165       5,127,395       5,128       23,459,650       (19,976,595 )     97,152       1,408,002       4,993,502  
                                                                             
    Balance, December 31, 2023     92,260       93       5,107,395       5,108       21,107,311       (16,957,854 )     182,465       –       4,337,123  
                                                                             
    Acquisition of Business     17,000       17       –       –       484,983       –       –       126,000       611,000  
    Sale of preferred stock for cash     400       –       –       –       10,000       –       –       –       10,000  
    Stock-based compensation     –       –       –       –       17,887       –       –       –       17,887  
    Preferred dividends     –       –       –       –       –       (81,645 )     –       –       (81,645 )
    Foreign currency translation     –       –       –       –       –       –       (39,134 )             (39,134 )
    Distribution to non-controlling interest     –       –       –       –       –       –       –       –       –  
    Net loss     –       –       –       –       –       (477,826 )     –       (664 )     (478,490 )
                                                                             
    Balance, March 31, 2024     109,660     $ 110       5,107,395     $ 5,108     $ 21,620,181     $ (17,517,325 )   $ 143,331     $ 125,336     $ 4,376,741  
                                                                             
    The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
     
    Onfolio Holdings, Inc.
    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 and 2024
     
             
          2025       2024  
                     
    Cash Flows from Operating Activities                
    Net loss   $ (806,428 )   $ (477,826 )
    Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:                
    Stock-based compensation expense     272,930       17,887  
    Equity method loss (income)     (909 )     5,154  
    Dividends received from equity method investment     –       –  
    Amortization of intangible assets     301,112       125,219  
    Depreciation expense     428          
    Impairment of intangible assets     –       –  
    Change in FV of contingent consideration     (54,173 )     –  
    Net change in:                
    Accounts receivable     67,041       (33,681 )
    Inventory     18,849       117  
    Prepaids and other current assets     (56,786 )     (81,328 )
    Accounts payable and other current liabilities     49,684       (33,390 )
    Due to joint ventures     (1,855 )     3,557  
    Deferred revenue     65,058       34,284  
    Due to related parties     –       9,000  
                     
    Net cash used in operating activities     (145,049 )     (431,007 )
                     
    Cash Flows from Investing Activities                
    Cash paid to acquire businesses     –       (240,000 )
    Investments in unconsolidated entities     –       (10,000 )
    Investment in cryptocurrency     –       –  
    Net cash used in investing activities     –       (250,000 )
                     
    Cash Flows from Financing Activities                
    Proceeds from sale of Series A preferred stock     700,000       10,000  
    Proceeds from exercise of stock options     –       –  
    Payments of preferred dividends     (99,250 )     (70,122 )
    Distributions to non-controlling interest holders     (17,820 )     –  
    Proceeds from notes payable     –       350,000  
    Payments on note payables     (176,624 )     (25,743 )
    Payments on acquisition note payables     –       –  
    Proceeds from notes payable – related parties     –       –  
    Payments on note payables – related parties     –       –  
    Payments on contingent consideration     (108,475 )     –  
                     
    Net cash provided by financing activities     297,831       264,135  
                     
    Effect of foreign currency translation     36,459       (35,612 )
                     
    Net Change in Cash     189,241       (452,484 )
    Cash, Beginning of  Period     476,874       982,261  
                     
    Cash, End of Period     666,115     $ 529,777  
                     
    Cash Paid For:                
    Income Taxes   $ –     $ –  
    Interest   $ 100,720     $ 18,360  
                     
    Non-cash transactions:                
    Preferred dividends accrued   $ 103,921     $ 81,645  
    Notes payable issued for asset acquisitions   $ –     $ 440,000  
    Preferred stock issued for acquisitions   $ –     $ 425,000  
    Settlement of contingent consideration   $ 510,000     $ –  
    Non-controlling interest issued for settlement of note payable   $ 400,000     $ –  
                     
    The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements         

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Occidental and ADNOC’s XRG Agree to Evaluate Joint Venture to Develop South Texas Direct Air Capture Hub

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Occidental (NYSE: OXY) and its subsidiary 1PointFive today announced an agreement with XRG, ADNOC’s investment company, to evaluate a potential joint venture to develop a Direct Air Capture (DAC) facility in South Texas. As part of the joint venture, XRG will consider investing up to $500 million for the development of a DAC facility designed to capture 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The Strategic DAC Framework Agreement was signed by Occidental President and CEO Vicki Hollub and ADNOC Group CEO Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, during U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s state visit to the United Arab Emirates.

    The announcement follows several significant milestones in the development of DAC, including Occidental’s progress on STRATOS, its first DAC facility in West Texas, which is on-track to start commercial operations in 2025; further de-risking of Occidental’s DAC technology; and an award from the U.S. Department of Energy for up to $650 million to support development of the South Texas DAC Hub.

    “We are proud to advance our decades-long partnership with ADNOC and XRG on our South Texas DAC Hub, which we believe will deliver game-changing technology to support U.S. energy independence and global goals. Agreements like this, along with U.S. DOE support, demonstrate continued confidence in DAC as an investable technology that can create jobs and economic value in the United States and Texas,” said Hollub.

    Khaled Salmeen, Chief Operating Officer, XRG, said: “Our longstanding partnership with Occidental continues to drive scalable, high-growth and strategically attractive projects that create long-term sustainable value. The U.S. is a priority market for XRG and we look forward to building on this partnership as we continue to invest in strategic projects across the energy value chain.”

    Occidental and ADNOC have been discussing opportunities to collaborate on carbon capture, utilization and storage projects in the United States and UAE since signing a memorandum of understanding in 2023.

    The South Texas DAC Hub, located on the King Ranch in Kleberg County, Texas, will be close to industrial facilities and energy infrastructure along the U.S. Gulf Coast, where CO2 can be transported for use or securely stored in geologic formations. The site comprises approximately 165 square miles of acreage with the potential to store up to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). The first DAC facility at the Hub is expected to capture 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and is currently in front-engineering and design.

    XRG focuses on transformational global investments that create value across natural gas, chemicals and lower-carbon energy solutions. Occidental and ADNOC have a long-standing partnership at Al Hosn Gas, one of the largest Middle Eastern natural gas developments, and onshore oil and gas development projects in the UAE.

    About Occidental

    Occidental is an international energy company with assets primarily in the United States, the Middle East and North Africa. We are one of the largest oil and gas producers in the U.S., including a leading producer in the Permian and DJ basins, and offshore Gulf of America. Our midstream and marketing segment provides flow assurance and maximizes the value of our oil and gas, and includes our Oxy Low Carbon Ventures subsidiary, which is advancing leading-edge technologies and business solutions that economically grow our business while reducing emissions. Our chemical subsidiary OxyChem manufactures the building blocks for life-enhancing products. We are dedicated to using our global leadership in carbon management to advance a lower-carbon world.

    About 1PointFive

    1PointFive is a Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS) company that is working to help curb global temperature rise to 1.5°C through the deployment of decarbonization solutions, including Carbon Engineering’s Direct Air Capture and AIR TO FUELS™ solutions alongside geologic sequestration hubs. Visit 1PointFive.com for more information.

    AIR TO FUELS™ is a registered trademark of Carbon Engineering ULC.

    About XRG

    XRG is a transformative international energy investment company, focused on lower-carbon energy and chemicals, and headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Wholly owned by ADNOC, XRG has an enterprise value of over $80 billion. Its portfolio includes interests in industry-leading companies that are meeting rapidly increasing global demand for lower carbon energy and the chemicals that are essential building blocks for products central to modern life.

    To find out more, visit: www.xrg.com

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including those relating to the agreement’s benefits and related impact on carbon emissions and Occidental’s and 1PointFive’s deployment and use of DAC technology, which are based on Occidental’s current expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates, and forecasts. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements for purposes of federal and state securities laws. Words such as “believe,” “will,” “may,” “expect,” “plan,” or similar expressions that convey the prospective nature of events or outcomes are generally indicative of forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Unless legally required, Occidental does not undertake any obligation to update, modify, or withdraw any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

    These statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve assumptions that may prove to be incorrect and risks and uncertainties, including those that are beyond Occidental’s control. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements include Occidental’s and 1PointFive’s ability to access necessary technology, to develop and employ existing or new technology on a commercial scale, to access capital, to collaborate with third parties and customers, and to receive approvals from regulatory bodies, as well as market conditions, geopolitical events, and scientific developments. Additional factors that may affect the agreement’s benefits and related impact on carbon emissions and Occidental’s and 1PointFive’s deployment and use of DAC technology can be found in Occidental’s public disclosure and its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which may be accessed at Occidental’s website at oxy.com or the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Information included herein is not necessarily material to an investor in Occidental’s securities.

    Contacts

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A Bishop: “We must disarm hearts and hands in the province of Enga”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wabag (Agenzia Fides) – “Tribal conflicts are deeply rooted in the remote province of Enga, Papua New Guinea. In the past, fighting was the final word in resolving conflicts, mainly territorial ones,” Father Giorgio Licini, a missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) and Caritas collaborator of the Episcopal Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, told Fides.The missionary recounts a situation that the Catholic community is trying to contain: “The roots of tribal conflicts are still emotional. What is done to one member of the tribe is done to all. It is the result of an ‘excess of solidarity’ and the individual’s identification with the group,” explains the missionary. “This is even more dangerous today, as injustice is often caused by widespread alcohol and drug abuse. A trivial fight can result in multiple deaths and the loss of property, regardless of the reasons for the dispute. The clan supports its members regardless of the propriety of their actions. Traditional conflicts over land have now given way to disputes over property in general and, related to it, over elections and political power. The world is changing, but traditional attitudes remain. Defending the tribe’s honor is considered fundamental,” Father Licini notes.The impact on politics is clear: “When a candidate wins a seat in the provincial or national parliament or a ministerial post, it brings immense benefits to the tribe or clan of origin.In Enga province, politics and the concurrent elections are accompanied by fraud, violence, and bloodshed, not least because of the proliferation of heavy firearms, likely smuggled from the neighboring Indonesian province of West Papua.”The missionary recounts one example: “The suburb of Paiam in Porgera is practically a ghost town after tribal fighting erupted in 2020. This year, only forty believers were able to attend Easter celebrations at the local Catholic parish of Blessed Peter To Rot, once a thriving community center. In the past, it was the wealth of land and livestock that determined a tribe’s pride. Today, it is business and political prestige. When I first traveled to the Enga region in 2019, there were few areas where tribal conflicts began. Now it is a dangerous war zone. Homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and churches have been lost.” In this context, as Justin Ain, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Wabag in Enga Province, notes, the local Church is actively committed to preventing and combating all forms of violence, with the goal of “disarming hearts and hands.” Not only by “simply helping the victims,” but above all “with education and awareness.” The bishop explains that “especially with the resources and teams of the diocesan Caritas, they organize meetings with the village population, especially with young people, who are often completely uneducated or illiterate, and make them aware of the consequences of their violent acts for themselves and their families, as well as the damage caused by alcohol and drug addiction, thus discouraging them from expressing their frustration through violence.” The local church is also working long-term, also in view of the national parliamentary elections in May 2027. Enga has six representatives elected in five districts. Elections in Papua New Guinea, and particularly in the Highlands region, are notorious for being marred by intimidation, vote-buying, and fraud during the voting process. “Recently,” the bishop reports, “we invited leaders from all walks of life to a three-day political training course on leadership, representation, and accountability to voters. Because it is from them, whom we consider leaders, that disarmament and non-violence must emanate.” Enga Province in Papua New Guinea has seen repeated outbreaks of political violence in recent years. Although the tensions are often linked to disputes over access to and use of natural resources, they also reflect ethnic and cultural conflicts, often related to competition for resources, land ownership, and access to government services. In 2024, approximately 30 people were killed in tribal clashes in Porgera, Enga Province, involving 17 tribes.The recurring conflicts, characterized by brutal violence and cyclical reprisals, reflect deeper, systemic problems. One conflict was resolved by a ceasefire, the so-called “Hilton Peace Accord,” signed last year in Port Moresby. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 16/5/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/SUDAN – The “drone war” hides a “proxy war”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Friday, 16 May 2025 wars  

    Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – The “drone war” is intensifying in Sudan. The use of armed drones and “suicide drones” (similar to cruise missiles, but cheaper) is primarily the prerogative of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias, which do not have an air force.Even the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), although they have combat aircraft, are making extensive use of drones to bomb areas under RSF control.The latter have expanded the area of action of their devices, targeting Sudan’s administrative capital, controlled by the SAF, as well as the country’s most important seaport, Port Sudan (see Fides, 6/5/2025).Previously, attacks carried out by RSF drones were limited to the White Nile, Nile River, and Northern State regions, as well as Omdurman and El Fasher. Among the targets hit were power plants and fuel depots. The expansion of the areas hit by RSF drones raises the question of whether they are launched from within Sudan or from neighboring countries. This is a legitimate suspicion, especially regarding Port Sudan, which is located several hundred kilometers from known RSF positions. Some radar interference on merchant ships operating in the Red Sea suggests that the drones are launched from bases outside Sudan, perhaps from Puntland, where the United Arab Emirates – accused by the Khartoum government of supporting the RSF (see Fides, 11/4/2025) – has a major base in Bosaso (see Fides, 6/5/2025). According to this hypothesis, those who launch them disrupt the radars of ships navigating in the area to hide their launch site. Remnants of the artillery used by the RSF suggest that it is Chinese-made material supplied to Sudanese paramilitaries by the United Arab Emirates.The Khartoum government has called on Beijing to urgently intervene to prevent the RSF from acquiring Chinese-made drones and strategic aircraft. Minister of Culture and Information and government spokesperson Khaled Al-Aiser stated in a Facebook post on May 15, 2025, that China is a friendly country with historical ties and strategic interests with Sudan. He therefore called on Beijing to intervene with the Abu Dhabi regime to end violations of arms purchase contracts and end-use certificates, under which the RSF has been able to obtain advanced drones.The SAF, in turn, is suspected of using Turkish-made drones to support its offensives against the paramilitaries. There are even unconfirmed reports that, in the RSF drone attacks on Port Sudan, some Turkish experts were injured and later repatriated by air ambulance. Thus, the internal Sudanese conflict risks escalating into a “proxy war” between external powers – particularly Turkey and the Emirates – which would further aggravate the conflict. As Pope Francis, and now his successor, Pope Leo XIV, have repeatedly stated, “to end wars, we must end the arms trade.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 16/5/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Extensive Failures

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Extensive Failures

    In a public inquiry at the end of April, Deputy Traffic Commissioner Nick Denton revoked the standard international goods vehicle operator’s licence held by Transglobal Solutions Ltd with immediate effect.

    He cited extensive and persistent breaches of statutory obligations under the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995.

    Following a pattern of non-compliance, the company and its director, Maricel Taranu, have also been indefinitely disqualified from holding or obtaining an operator’s licence. Mr. Taranu is further barred from acting as a transport manager for any operator.

    The inquiry was unattended by either the company or Mr. Taranu.

    The revocation follows serious concerns uncovered during multiple investigations by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), including vehicles operated without MOTs and road tax presenting a direct risk to public safety, failure to download tachograph data, and extended operation of vehicles without driver cards – both clear violations of drivers’ hours regulations.

    There was a shocking lack of maintenance, culminating in one vehicle being stopped with four loose wheel nuts, a disintegrated tyre, and a defective indicator. On top of this, there was no engagement with the DVSA or the Office of the Traffic Commissioner, despite repeated attempts to obtain essential compliance records.

    Further DVSA inspections revealed that the company had no legitimate maintenance arrangements, minimal operating facilities, and an exceptionally high prohibition and MOT failure rate— double and triple the national average respectively. In addition, false information was provided to authorities regarding vehicle operations, and a warrant for Mr. Taranu’s arrest remains active in Romania for unrelated driving offences.

    Mr Denton said “This is one of the worst operators I have ever come across. Mr Taranu has refused to engage both with DVSA and the traffic commissioner. He has overseen illegal and dangerous operations in the UK and appears to be wanted by the Romanian authorities for serious motoring offences… I cannot allow the company’s vehicles to operate and pose a danger to other road users for a moment longer.”

    He concluded that there should be no room in the industry for Mr Taranu, who has shown an utter indifference to the law and to road safety. The full written decision can be found here.

    For any further details or enquiries, please contact: Email : pressoffice@otc.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: No Credit Check Loans Guaranteed Approval Direct Lender: Instant Small Payday Loans Online – No Denial, Direct Lenders Only! – 

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Brisbane, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    Do you have bad credit but require instant financial help? It can be difficult to know where to get loans guaranteed approval direct lender products without credit checks.

    This in-depth guide discusses how Viva Payday Loans matches bad credit borrowers with direct lenders providing no credit check loans with guaranteed approval. We’ll discuss everything from application procedures to funding times so you can make informed choices about these financial products.

    Why Viva Payday Loans is the Best Option for No Denial Payday Loans

    Viva Payday Loans has become the leading match service for those who are looking for a payday loan with no credit check services. Unlike other lenders that base their decisions heavily on credit scores, Viva Payday Loans’s database of direct lenders places more emphasis on other parameters when considering loan requests, making it simpler for individuals with bad credit to borrow money when they need it.

    What separates Viva Payday Loans from others is its large network of lenders that provide offerings that cater directly to credit-strained borrowers. By negotiating with multiple direct lenders at once, Viva Payday Loans improves approval odds for those who would otherwise be rejected.

    Most customers select Viva Payday Loans due to their honest loan terms and responsible lending principles. With guaranteed approval from direct lenders in their portfolio, Viva Payday Loans ensures that borrowers realize the total effect of their loan contract prior to proceeding.

      >>>> Viva Payday Loans Offers Instant No Credit Check Loans – Apply Today! <<<<

    Learning About No Credit Check Loans with Guaranteed Approval from Direct Lenders

    What is a No Credit Check Loan?

    A no credit check loan is a financial product whereby lenders extend cash advances without carrying out conventional credit checks via significant credit bureaus. In place of credit history, no credit check guaranteed approval direct lender alternatives weigh other criteria such as:

    • Recent income
    • Job stability
    • Banking history
    • Utility company payment history
    • Rent payment history

    This method makes these loans especially available to those with bad credit or limited credit history who may not be able to qualify for traditional financing.

    Direct lenders of no credit check loans tend to utilize income verification instead of credit scores to assess borrowers’ repayment capability. This basic distinction provides opportunities for many Americans who have been shut out of the conventional financial system because of previous credit errors.

     <<<< Viva Payday Loans – Get Cash Now, No Credit Check! >>>

    How Do No Credit Check Loans Exactly Work?

    When you request a loan with no credit check via a site such as Viva Payday Loans, the process differs from traditional loans. Rather than checking your credit report, lenders provide approval based mainly on your present financial status and ability to repay.

    The application process usually takes these steps:

    • Fill out a simple online application with financial and personal details
    • Viva Payday Loans immediately connects your application with their group of direct lenders
    • Your information is reviewed by the lenders, and you get rapid approval decisions
    • You are offered loan terms directly by the lender in case of approval
    • After you accept the loan offer, money is usually transferred by direct deposit
    • Money tends to reach your account within one business day

    The whole process—application to funding—is optimized for speed and convenience, which makes these loans especially suitable for emergency spending when time is of the essence.

    No Denial Payday Loans Direct Lenders Only No Credit Check from Viva Payday Loans

     

    Viva Payday Loans’s Unique Lending Platform – No Credit Check Loan Services

    Viva Payday Loans serves as an intermediary between borrowers and a wide range of direct lenders. This arrangement makes it more likely for bad credit individuals to be approved, as lenders on the site provide no credit check loans and make decisions based on other criteria.

    Some of the main features of Viva Payday Loans’s platform are:

    • Proprietary matching algorithm that effectively matches borrowers with appropriate lenders
    • Higher chances of loan approval than applying directly with individual lenders
    • Sophisticated encryption to secure sensitive personal and financial data
    • Efficient process eliminating the agony of repeated rejections

    Time-efficient method for borrowers looking for payday loans online with no credit check facilities

    Viva Payday Loans platform is unique in providing online payday loans that are fast, safe, and available 24/7. By emphasizing speed and confidentiality, Viva Payday Loans has emerged as the first choice for online credit check loans.

     <<<< Apply with Viva Payday Loans Today – Even If Credit Isn’t Perfect! >>>>

    How Viva Payday Loans’s Direct Lender Network Ensures No Denial Loans

    Viva Payday Loans’s network consists of direct lenders specializing in guaranteed approval loans. The lenders do not solely depend on conventional credit checks but rather on your present financial standing. By considering factors like income and employment, Viva Payday Loans provides no denial of payday loans, even for individuals with a bad credit history.

    This large network provides Viva Payday Loans a competitive advantage when it comes to providing guaranteed approval loans and direct lender access, better ensuring you secure the loan that you need.

    Why Viva Payday Loans Provides Guaranteed Approval for Bad Credit Borrowers

    Viva Payday Loans has established its name by offering access to approval for individuals typically not accepted by mainstream lending avenues. Their emphasis on guaranteed approval for bad credit borrowers is based on their knowledge that credit scores don’t always paint the full picture of a person’s financial situation.

    Most individuals with poor credit histories are financially stable but have encountered temporary financial setbacks such as:

    • Medical crises
    • Loss of employment
    • Divorce
    • Natural disasters
    • Other situations beyond their control

    Viva Payday Loans understands that such individuals are entitled to financial products even with bad credit and operates only with lenders having this value system.

    The “guaranteed approval” feature is derived from Viva Payday Loans’s belief in their large pool of lenders and matching process. Although no financial product can guarantee 100% approval for all applicants, Viva Payday Loans’s method maximizes the chances of identifying a matching lender for each borrower’s case.

    The Viva Payday Loans Advantage for Credit-Challenged Borrowers

    Poor credit or credit-invisible borrowers frequently find themselves with no good lender to turn to. Viva Payday Loans offers a reputable site that welcomes a wide variety of credit profiles and matches users with lenders that provide payday loans and no credit online.

    Viva Payday Loans also streamlines the process of obtaining a loan through a simple online application and a high approval rate, making it well-suited for people in an emergency situation that requires immediate money.

     <<<< Need Fast Funds? Viva Payday Loans Approves You in Minutes! >>>>

    Viva Payday Loans’s Application and Funding Process – Instant Payday Loans Online Guaranteed Approval

    Viva Payday Loans has developed one of the most streamlined application and funding processes in the industry, allowing them to make good on the guarantee of instant payday loans online with guaranteed approval.

    Their simplified application process includes the following:

    Simple Online Application

    • Only takes around 5-10 minutes to fill out
    • Can be completed on any device with an internet connection
    • Gathers basic information regarding identity, income, employment, and banking information

    Immediate Matching System

    • Links applications with suitable lenders in real-time
    • Offers real-time processing of data

    Rapid Approval Decisions

    • The majority of borrowers have decisions within minutes
    • Permits instant examination of loan terms and offers

    Quick Funding Capabilities

    • Several borrowers receive money through direct deposit within the next business day
    • Some lenders provide same-day funding opportunities
    • Ideal for urgent financial requirements

     <<<< Your Emergency Cash Solution: Viva Payday Loans – Click to Qualify! >>>>

    Viva Payday Loans’s Small Payday Loan Options

    Viva Payday Loans’s rapid funding ability makes it a valuable asset for emergency financial circumstances. Whether you’re looking for a $100 emergency payday loan or a $500 cash advance no credit check, Viva Payday Loans has you covered. These small payday loans online are tailored for short-term expenses and are available even for individuals with poor credit.

    Benefits of small payday loans through Viva Payday Loans include:

    • Loan amounts start from as little as $100
    • Simplified approval processes
    • Faster funding times compared to larger loans
    • More manageable repayment terms
    • Shorter repayment periods
    • Potentially lower total costs

    Viva Payday Loans also offers flexibility in repayment, enabling borrowers to align their loan terms with their pay cycle, minimizing the likelihood of default.

    Viva Payday Loans’s No Credit Check Options vs. Traditional Loans

    Traditional bank loans usually involve high credit scores, extensive paperwork, and days (or even weeks) of waiting for approval. Viva Payday Loans, by contrast, offers online no credit check loans with quick approval and quick funding.

    This makes Viva Payday Loans’s services suitable for urgent requirements and easier for borrowers with bad credit who would otherwise be turned down because of previous credit records.

     <<<< Viva Payday Loans – Instant Payday Relief Is One Click Away! >>>>>

    Features and Benefits of No Credit Check Loans

    No credit check loans have a number of advantages:

    • Fast Approval: The majority of applicants are instantly approved.
    • Bad Credit Friendly: For people with bad credit or poor credit.
    • Direct Lender Access: No intermediaries—Viva Payday Loans links you directly to lenders with guaranteed approval loans.
    • Flexible Terms: Choice of payday loans, installment loans, and personal loans based on your requirements.

    Eligibility Criteria for Loans Without Credit Check

    Most direct lenders ask for:

    • Age 18+ (or age of majority in your state)
    • Valid government-issued ID
    • Active checking account for direct deposit
    • Regular income from employment or other source that is verifiable
    • Citizenship in the U.S. or permanent resident status

    Credit score is not a high consideration, so loans without credit are available to nearly anyone who qualifies based on the minimal requirements.

    Documents Usually Required:

    • Identification (driver’s license or state ID)
    • Income verification (recent paycheck stubs or bank statements)
    • Active bank account information (account number and routing number)
    • Contact information
    • Social Security Number

    Various Types of Emergency Loans | Instant Payday Loans Online Guaranteed Approval for Borrowers Looking for No Credit Check Payday Loans

    • Personal Loans

    Personal loans are utilized for multiple purposes and tend to have longer repayment periods. Traditional personal loans look into your credit score, but no credit check personal loans for bad credit individuals are provided by certain direct lenders.

    • Credit Card Cash Advances

    This provides you with the ability to withdraw cash against your credit limit. Yet, excessive interest charges and fees may turn this into an expensive proposition.

    • Payday Loans

    Short-term payday loans are ideal for emergencies. Viva Payday Loans offers online payday loans with guaranteed approval direct from lenders who don’t require a credit check.

    •  Title Loans

    These require a car title as collateral. While easy to obtain, the risk of losing your vehicle makes them a last resort.

    • Paycheck Advances

    Usually provided by an employer or a third-party software program, they enable access to earned wages before receiving a payday. They could act as payday loan alternatives.

      <<<< Viva Payday Loans – Get Cash Now, No Credit Check! >>>

    How Long Does It Take to Get Approved?

    With sites such as Viva Payday Loans, the majority of borrowers get immediate approval once they finish filling out the online application. The assessment is determined by income and employment status, not credit score.

    Payday Loans Online No Credit Check Instant Approval

    • Disbursement Schedule for Quick Loans No Credit Check

    Direct deposit of payday loans online guaranteed approval funds are typically made within 24 hours. 1-hour payday loans can be issued in some instances.

    • 1 Hour Payday Loans Online No Credit Check Instant Approval

    These are best in emergencies that necessitate same-day funding. Viva Payday Loans gives you access to direct lenders with 1-hour payday loans online with no credit check and instant approval.

    • $255 Payday Loans Online Same Day

    A fast way to borrow among Californians and residents in other states, the $255 payday loan has no credit check and is simple to obtain. Access to this loan can be obtained through the network of direct Viva Payday Loans lenders.

    Pros and Cons of No Credit Check Loans

    Pros:

    • Accessibility: Available to subprime borrowers with bad credit
    • Speed: Easy, rapid process to apply for and get money
    • Convenience: Easy online application with few documents required
    • No credit hit: Application doesn’t harm credit score
    • Flexibility: Money can be spent on many things
    • No collateral needed: Most are unsecured

    Cons:

    • High expense: Much higher interest rates and fees than regular loans
    • Short payment terms: Creates pressure to repay
    • Risk of debt cycles: Can cause renewal or rollover cycles
    • Limited credit building: Most don’t report a good payment history
    • Size restrictions: Usually, smaller loan sizes
    • Regulatory differences: Availability and terms differ by state

    For borrowers considering these loans, the most important point is grasping whether the short-term advantage is worth the long-term expense. These products should ideally be considered emergency measures and not part of general money management.

      <<<< Apply with Viva Payday Loans Today – Even If Credit Isn’t Perfect! >>>>

    No Credit Check Loan Scenario in the USA

    The demand for payday loans and no credit checks is growing as many Americans face falling credit scores. Sites such as Viva Payday Loans offer an essential solution to cope with this demand by providing loans with guaranteed approval and direct lender access.

    Small Payday Loans Online With No Credit Check

    1. Options to Small Payday Loans Online No Credit Check and Urgent Loans No Credit Check

    Other alternatives are credit unions, peer-to-peer loans, or a secured loan. These can have more favorable terms and lower interest.

    2. $500 Cash Advance No Credit Check Loans

    Viva Payday Loans’s network provides cash advances of up to $500 for borrowers who need money urgently. These loans are available with rapid approval and guaranteed approval even for bad credit borrowers.

    3. Emergency Loans No Credit Check

    These loans are only for medical bills, car repairs, or emergencies. Viva Payday Loans facilitates your timely access to these emergency loans with no credit check.

    How to Apply for No Denial Payday Loans Direct Lenders Only With No Credit Check?

    • Go to Viva Payday Loans’s website.
    • Complete the loan application.
    • Matched with a direct lender.
    • Accept the loan offer.
    • Fund via direct deposit.

    Types of Alternatives to No Credit Check Loans Guaranteed Approval: Direct Lenders for Instant Cash

    1. Payday Loans Online No Credit Check Instant Approval Alternatives up to $5000

    Sites such as Upstart or LendingClub provide greater loan amounts to those with better financial health, although they do involve a soft credit check.

     2. $255 Payday Loans Online Same Day No Credit Check Alternatives

    Apps such as Earnin or Dave provide paycheck advances with low fees and no conventional credit checks.

    3. 1 Hour Payday Loans Online No Credit Check Instant Approval

    These are ideal for emergencies, as provided by Viva Payday Loans and some select guaranteed approval direct lenders.

      <<<< Your Emergency Cash Solution: Viva Payday Loans – Click to Qualify! >>>>

    Alternatives to Loans for Bad Credit No Credit Check

    Consider alternatives such as secured loans, installment loans, or financial aid programs through community organizations.

    Some Risk-Free Alternatives to No Credit Check Loans – Alternatives to Unsecured Installment Loans

    1. Secured Loans

    Employ collateral such as a vehicle or savings account to secure lower rates and improved terms.

    2. Credit Unions

    Credit unions tend to provide improved rates and lenient approval for bad credit members.

    3. Peer-to-Peer Lending

    Sites such as Prosper or LendingClub provide personal loans with less stringent credit check requirements.

    4. Tribal Loans No Credit Check

    These are provided by Native American tribes and are not subject to state regulations, but costs can be high.

    What Are the Risks of No Credit Check Loans?

    Although no credit check loans offer useful access to capital for many borrowers, they involve serious risks that must be carefully weighed:

    • High APRs
    • Short time to repay
    • Risk of debt trap if not used responsibly
    • No Credit Building Benefits
    • Limited Regulation in Some States
    • Aggressive Collection Practices

    Why Go For No Credit Check Loans?

    These loans open the door to funds when conventional banks close them because of bad credit or no credit history. These loans offer instant approval, are simple to apply for, and are ideal for emergencies.

    Loan Services and Borrowing Options – How to Find a Reputable No Credit Check Loan Direct Lender?

    Always choose licensed and transparent websites like Viva Payday Loans. Search for lenders who provide:

    • Simple loan terms
    • No concealed charges
    • Direct access to the lender
    • Reasonable repayment solutions

    Where to Get The Best No Denial Payday Loans From Direct Lenders Only With No Credit Check?

    Viva Payday Loans is the best lender platform for bridging borrowers and direct lenders of good standing, providing no-denial payday loans. They have a comprehensive network, fast application process, educational tools, and transparency guarantees that make them the best alternative for credit-hard-pressed borrowers looking for guaranteed funding solutions with approval possibilities.

      <<<< Need Fast Funds? Viva Payday Loans Approves You in Minutes! >>>>

    Final Thoughts

    No credit check loans with guaranteed approval direct lenders such as Viva Payday Loans provide a convenient solution for individuals facing bad credit or financial crises. From personal loans to payday loans, Viva Payday Loans provides quick approval, flexible terms, and peace of mind. Whether you require a small cash advance or an emergency loan, the correct platform can be the difference-maker.

    Secure your financial future—begin your online loan process with Viva Payday Loans today.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the easiest loan to get with no credit?

    Payday and installment loans are generally simplest to obtain with no credit.

    Who is the easiest lender to get a loan from?

    Online lending platforms such as Viva Payday Loans, which have big networks of lenders, usually have the easiest requirements.

    Can I get a loan with a 450 credit score in USA?

    Yes, you can get a short-term loan with 450 credit score from Viva Payday Loans.

    Can I get a loan with a 500 credit score?

    You can get a small personal loan or payday loan with your 500 credit score from direct lenders like Viva Payday Loans.

    Which loan company is best for bad credit?

    Viva Payday Loans is one of the best companies to locate lenders who accept bad credit.

    What is the best legit payday loan app?

    Viva Payday Loans is a legitimate and secure method to locate payday loan offers.

    Can I get a loan without a credit check?

    Yes, there are lenders like Viva Payday Loans that will lend you money without doing a hard credit check.

    Which loan company is easiest to get?

    Viva Payday Loans is undoubtedly one of the easiest sites to have a quick loan approved.

    Disclaimer: This announcement contains general information about Get Payday Loan loan services and should not be considered financial advice. Loans are available to US residents only.

    Media Details:

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    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: New chancellor, old constraints: Germany’s Friedrich Merz will have a hard time freeing the country from its self-imposed shackles

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Mark I. Vail, Worrell Chair of Politics and International Affairs, Wake Forest University

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has had an uncertain start to his tenure. John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images

    Friedrich Merz received a rude shock on the morning of May 6, 2025, as he prepared to lose the “in-waiting” qualifier from his title as German chancellor.

    After weeks of negotiations following February’s federal election, Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) had struck a coalitional bargain with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), giving the bloc a thin majority of 13 seats in the 630-member Bundestag, the lower house of Germany’s parliament. Yet, Merz still struggled to ratify his chancellorship.

    He fell short of the majority he needed on the first vote, with 18 members of his coalition voting against him.

    Though he was elected on a second ballot, the initial “no” vote was unprecedented for an incoming chancellor in the postwar federal republic, with insiders claiming that some of those voting “no” were conservatives opposed to Merz’s push to loosen German fiscal rules. Aside from the immediate political embarrassment, the vote was symptomatic of something else: a more deep-seated weakness in both the new chancellor and his government. As a scholar of German politics and history and the author of a forthcoming book on German state traditions and economic governance, I see Merz’s problems, and those of his country, as having deep historical roots.

    Taking the brakes off?

    For Germany and Europe, the stakes in the run-up to the vote to ratify Merz as chancellor could not have been higher – a cascade of crises confronts both. As SPD’s parliamentary leader Jens Spahn noted in the run-up to the May 6 vote: “All of Europe, perhaps the whole world, is watching this ballot.”

    The German chancellor is looking to strengthen both Europe and Germany through firm leadership and heavier spending. He has promised a massive increase in defense outlays in order to create the “strongest conventional army in Europe,” to counter the threat from a bellicose Russia and the United States’ wavering over traditional security commitments to the continent.

    This broad vision, however, is confronted by a number of obstacles, most importantly the so-called “debt brake.” Adopted after the 2008 financial crisis, this “brake” limited annual deficits to a paltry 0.35% of gross domestic product and proscribed any debts at all for the German “Länder,” or regions.

    In March, soon after the February election but before the seating of the new Bundestag, then-presumptive Chancellor Merz called for an exemption to the debt brake for defense spending above 1% of annual gross domestic product, with a promise to do “whatever it takes” to bolster Germany’s military and verbally committing to spend up to US$1.12 trillion (1 trillion euros) over 10 years. The outgoing parliament agreed and also created a $560 billion (500 billion euros) fund dedicated to rehabilitating Germany’s crumbling infrastructure.

    But Merz’s plans to revitalize Germany’s military and infrastructure could be seriously undermined by domestic forces – both within and outside of his coalition. It runs up against long-standing German norms and ideologies that threaten to hamper the state’s capacity and the government’s ability to act decisively.

    Ambivalence about state power

    This wobbly start to the new government hearkens back to old and deeply rooted divisions about the character of the post-World War II German state.

    In the late 1960s, West German Chancellor-to-be Willy Brandt quipped that the federal republic had become an “economic giant but a political dwarf.”

    Though the phrase would become a cliché, it captured both the fraught legacies of World War II and older German ambivalence about state power, which had long been associated with authoritarian politics under both the Nazis and the Wilhelmine Reich following German unification under Bismarck in 1871.

    U.S. President John F. Kennedy, left, rides through the streets of Berlin with West Berlin Mayor Willy Brandt, center, and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
    Bettmann/Contributor

    Until the 1980s, such constraints posed relatively few problems. The country’s postwar “economic miracle” legitimized the fledgling democratic state, while empowering capital and labor within the export sectors that fueled the boom. This effectively devolved political power to economically strategic actors.

    These institutional features also reflected a distinctive postwar model of German politics that weakened centralized power. Achieved in the late 1940s by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, West German sovereignty was fragmented: domestically by federalism and decentralized political institutions, and internationally through integration into NATO and the European Economic Community.

    This “semi-sovereign state,” in political scientist Peter Katzenstein’s famous formulation, helped reclaim German moral credibility from the ashes of fascism and genocide. A decentralized state with robust checks and balances was viewed as both a bulwark against authoritarianism and a recipe for export-led growth and political stability.

    Even after the restoration of full sovereignty with German reunification in 1990, German officials still trod lightly. Their concern was that a more assertive Germany would reawaken old fears about German militarism. Moreover, they were content to privilege economic rather than military power as the coin of their peculiar realm.

    A nation of Swabian housewives?

    The historical ambivalence about the German state’s role and related dilemmas about German power will not be easy for Merz to resolve.

    With respect to Germany’s capacity for decisive leadership, the past three years suggest that much work remains to be done. Confronted with a series of unprecedented shocks − from Russian military aggression in Ukraine, to the attendant energy crisis that exposed German dependence on imported Russian gas, to the rise of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) − Merz’s predecessor, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, called in 2022 for a “Zeitenwende,” or “epochal change,” in defense and energy policy.

    But instead, Scholz’s “traffic light coalition” of (yellow) Liberals, Greens, and (red) Social Democrats dithered and bickered, eventually succumbing to a rare – in German politics – public interparty squabble that ultimately brought down the government in late 2024.

    Reluctant to send its most advanced weapons – notably long-range Taurus cruise missiles – to Ukraine, and unable to overcome the Liberals’ hostility to badly needed fiscal expansion, Scholz was criticized for leading from behind, wary of backlash from pacifist currents in the German electorate and captive to long-held German concerns over expanding the national debt.

    Merz is looking not to repeat the same mistakes. But to accomplish his vision of a revitalized and more secure Germany, he has to overcome both the debt brake and, even more important, the deep ideological currents that gave rise to it.

    These factors intensified long-standing constraints on defense spending, which had failed to keep up with inflation for much of the 2000s and remained far below the NATO norm of 2% of annual gross domestic product.

    The “brake” was subsequently embraced by governments of both left and right, from SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s “Red-Green” coalition of 1998 to 2005 to the governments of Christian Democrat Angela Merkel from 2005 to 2021. As is abundantly clear in the pages of Merkel’s recent memoir, the proverbial character of the frugal “Swabian housewife” was one that she relished rather than resisted.

    But to many observers, this fetishization of austerity has contributed to decades of underinvestment in domestic infrastructure − from roads, to schools, to public buildings, to broader public services − failures which the AfD has been eager to exploit. And as promising as it seems, Merz’s commitment of $560 billion (500 billion euros) is approximately equivalent to the country’s existing needs, without accounting for future depreciation.

    Far-right activists gather near the Ostkreuz railway station in Berlin, Germany, on March 22, 2025 .
    Omer Messinger/Getty Images

    Even Germany’s traditionally punctual train service has become a laughingstock, with jokes about late or canceled trains now standard fare for German comics.

    Going beyond rhetoric

    It remains unclear whether Merz’s rhetorical shift and a constitutional change that permits but does not in itself create more robust defense spending augur a new direction in German politics, or whether Europe’s largest economy will continue to be hobbled by self-imposed constraints and parliamentary squabbling. If the latter happens, Germany risks both continued economic decline and bolstering the AfD, whose support comes disproportionately from economically stagnant former Eastern regions, and which last month surpassed Merz’s CDU in public opinion polls.

    And despite Merz’s commitments, not a single euro of the promised military and infrastructure funds has yet been budgeted. And even if it were, that would not address the country’s yawning needs in other areas, such as state-funded research and development and education.

    Europe, too, needs Merz’s words to turn into action − and soon. The threat of Russia to the east and the turning tide of relations with Trump’s America to the west has put the EU in a bind and in need of strong leadership.

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

    – ref. New chancellor, old constraints: Germany’s Friedrich Merz will have a hard time freeing the country from its self-imposed shackles – https://theconversation.com/new-chancellor-old-constraints-germanys-friedrich-merz-will-have-a-hard-time-freeing-the-country-from-its-self-imposed-shackles-256048

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: NDA appoints two new Non-Executive Board Members

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    NDA appoints two new Non-Executive Board Members

    NDA announces Catriona Schmolke CBE FREng and Dr Neil Bruce OBE CEng as NDA Board members.

    NDA logo

    The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has announced that Catriona Schmolke CBE FREng and Dr Neil Bruce OBE CEng have been appointed to the NDA Board as Non-Executive Board members.

    Neil and Catriona will begin their three-and-a-half-year term on 1 June 2025.

    Catriona brings 40 years of expertise in the infrastructure sector as a hydrogeologist and engineer, with significant experience in Chief Executive, Board Chair and Non-Executive roles. Her career has spanned numerous sectors and major programmes, including nuclear, energy, water, waste, and contaminated land.

    She served as the Chief Safety Security and Sustainability Officer at Jacobs from 2014 to 2020. Catriona currently holds the position of Chair at Artus Air Ltd. Additionally, she serves as a Non-Executive Director and member of the Audit & Risk Committee for the National Physical Laboratory and Scottish Water Group. She is also a Non-Executive Director with NES Fircroft Ltd.

    Catriona is a former Visiting Professor of Sustainability at Newcastle University and serves as a lay member and Chair of the Statutory Safety Committee at Strathclyde University.

    Neil has 40 years of experience, including as a Chief Executive, Board Chair, and Non-Executive Director, in the maritime, resources, nuclear, built environment, and energy sectors. He has managed global and regional markets in over 50 countries, working with public, private, and PE-backed companies.

    Neil’s current roles include Non-Executive Director at McDermott International and Dar Groups; Executive Advisor and Chair with two private equity groups; Chair of a start-up waste-to-biofuels technology business and Visiting Professor at Robert Gordon University Aberdeen.

    His previous roles include President and CEO of SNC Lavalin Group Inc, Group COO at AMEC plc, and various leadership and delivery positions in major projects and in industry associations.

    Peter Hill CBE, the Chair of the NDA, said:

    I am delighted that Catriona and Neil are joining us. Their extensive experience will be invaluable in helping us to drive forward our nationally important mission.

    Catriona Schmolke CBE FREng said:

    I am honoured to join the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority as a Non-Executive Director. As we navigate the complexities of decommissioning and environmental stewardship, I look forward to contributing my expertise and experience in sustainable solutions to this nationally important mission, thus safeguarding the future for generations to come.

    Dr Neil Bruce OBE CEng said:

    It is a privilege to join the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority at this important juncture, as the breadth of its decommissioning work is set to expand. I am committed to leveraging my experience in energy and nuclear markets to support the NDA’s efforts in decommissioning the UK’s nuclear legacy, ensuring we meet the highest standards of safety and efficiency.

    Catriona and Neil were appointed to the NDA Board by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) following a fair, open and transparent selection process.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: NextNRG Reports Preliminary April 2025 Revenues up 154% Year-over-Year

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIAMI, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NextNRG, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXXT), a pioneer in AI-driven energy innovation—transforming how energy is produced, managed and delivered through its advanced Utility Operating System, smart microgrid technology, wireless EV charging and on-demand mobile fuel delivery solutions— today announced preliminary unaudited financial results for April 2025.

    April 2025 Highlights:

    • Revenue: $5.82 million, up 154% year-over-year
    • Gallons Delivered: 1.78 million, up 207% year-over-year

    April marks another strong month of growth, supported by sustained volume increases and recent expansion into Oklahoma, alongside rising demand from national fleet clients using NextNRG’s on-demand fueling platform.

    “Our April performance further validates the strength of our business model and execution strategy,” said Michael D. Farkas, Executive Chairman and CEO of NextNRG. “With year-over-year revenues more than doubling, we are seeing growing demand from national fleet operators who value the reliability, efficiency and sustainability of our smart fueling solutions. We’re not just delivering fuel, we’re laying the groundwork for a cleaner energy future. As we prepare to scale our Next Utility Operating System, our AI-powered microgrid systems, and wireless EV charging products, April’s results reflect our ability to grow rapidly while staying focused on operational efficiency and long-term value creation.”

    Note on Preliminary Results
    The financial results for April 2025 are preliminary and unaudited. Final results may differ and will be confirmed upon the completion of standard month-end and quarter-end closing procedures.

    About NextNRG, Inc.
    NextNRG, Inc. (NextNRG) is Powering What’s Next by implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into renewable energy, next-generation energy infrastructure, battery storage, wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging and on-demand mobile fuel delivery to create an integrated ecosystem.

    At the core of NextNRG’s strategy is its Utility Operating System, which leverages AI and ML to help make existing utilities’ energy management as efficient as possible, and the deployment of NextNRG smart microgrids, which utilize AI-driven energy management alongside solar power and battery storage to enhance energy efficiency, reduce costs and improve grid resiliency. These microgrids are designed to serve commercial properties, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, parking garages, rural and tribal lands, recreational facilities and government properties, expanding energy accessibility while supporting decarbonization initiatives.

    NextNRG continues to expand its growing fleet of fuel delivery trucks and national footprint, including the acquisition of Yoshi Mobility’s fuel division and Shell Oil’s trucks, further solidifying its position as a leader in the on-demand fueling industry. NextNRG is also integrating sustainable energy solutions into its mobile fueling operations. The company hopes to be an integral part of assisting its fleet customers in their transition to EV, supporting more efficient fuel delivery while advancing clean energy adoption. The transition process is expected to include the deployment of NextNRG’s innovative wireless EV charging solutions.

    To find out more, visit: www.nextnrg.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statement describing NextNRG’s goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions, or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Words such as “expect,” “intends,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those related to NextNRG’s business and macroeconomic and geopolitical events. These and other risks are described in NextNRG’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. NextNRG’s forward-looking statements involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although NextNRG’s forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by NextNRG. Except as required by law, NextNRG undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements.

    Investor Relations Contact
    NextNRG, Inc.
    Sharon Cohen
    SCohen@nextnrg.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Time for NZ media to ditch the propaganda and stand against genocide

    COMMENTARY: By Saige England in Christchurch

    “RNZ is failing in its duty to inform the public of an entirely preventable humanitarian catastrophe.”

    Tautoko to Jeremy Rose, Ramon Das and Eugene Doyle for this critique of a review of RNZ’s coverage of a genocide.

    Sadly, this highlights RNZ’s failure to report the genocide from the perspective of the very real victims — more journalists killed in Gaza than the whole of World War Two, aid workers murdered and buried, 17,000 children, including babies, who will never ever grow.

    I respect so many RNZ journalists and have always supported this important national broadcaster but it is time for it to pull up its pants, ditch the propaganda and report from the field of truth.

    I carry my Jewish ancestors in standing against genocide and calling for reports that show the truth of the travesty.

    For reporting on protests I have been pepper sprayed by thugged-up police donning US-style gloves and glasses (illegally carrying pepper spray and tasers).

    I was banned from my own town hall when I tried — with my E Tu press card — to attend the deputy leader Winston Peters’ media conference.

    This government does not want the truth reported, it seems.

    I have reported from the fields of invasion and conflict. I’ve taught journalism and communications. Good journalists remember journalism ethics. Reports from the point of view of the oppressor support the oppressor.

    Humanitarianism means not reporting from the perspective of a mercenary army — an army that has been enforcing apartheid for decades, and which is invoking a policy of extermination for expansion.

    Please read this media review and think of how you would feel if someone demanded that you leave your home. Palestinians have faced oppression and apartheid and “unhoming” for decades.

    Think of the intolerable weight of grief you would carry if a sniper put a bullet between the eyes of a child you love and know.

    Report on the victims. And stop subscribing to propaganda.

    Saige England is a journalist and author, and a member of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA). She is a frequent contributor to Asia Pacific Report. This was first published as a social media post.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s vision for Air Force One will turn it from the ‘Flying White House’ to a ‘palace in the sky’

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Janet Bednarek, Professor of History, University of Dayton

    Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy helped design Air Force One’s color scheme, which has been used since her husband’s presidency. Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images

    Since President Donald Trump excitedly announced that he would be accepting a US$400 million plane from the Qatari government to serve as the next Air Force One, even members of his own party have expressed alarm.

    There’s the price tag of refurbishing the plane with top-secret systems – upward of $1 billion, according to some estimates. Then there are the conflicts of interest from accepting such a large present from a foreign nation – what some say would be the most valuable gift ever given to the U.S.

    But it would also mark a striking departure from tradition.

    While they’re often variants of commercial planes, presidential planes have almost always been U.S. military aircraft, flown and maintained by the Air Force.

    The first White Houses in the sky

    I’m an aviation historian who once worked in the United States Air Force’s history program for three years, so I’m well-acquainted with the history of presidential aircraft.

    Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president to fly while in office. In January 1943, he boarded the Navy-owned, civilian-operated Boeing Dixie Clipper – a sea plane – for a trip to Casablanca to meet with Allied leaders.

    President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the first presidential flight on a Dixie Clipper, a sea plane built by Boeing.
    Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    The security measures needed to safely transport the president – especially during wartime – spurred the creation of the first custom-built aircraft for presidential use, a heavily modified VC-54 Skymaster. Though officially named “The Flying White House,” the new presidential aircraft became better known by its nickname, the “Sacred Cow.”

    President Harry Truman used the Sacred Cow as his presidential aircraft through much of his first term in office.

    In late 1947, the U.S. Air Force ordered a second custom-built presidential aircraft, a modified DC-6, which Truman named the Independence.

    While in office, Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman flew on a modified Douglas C-54, nicknamed the Sacred Cow.
    Museum of Flight/Corbis via Getty Images

    During Dwight D. Eisenhower’s two terms, the president flew on two different planes operated by the Air Force: the Columbine II, which was a customized, military version of Lockheed’s commercial airliner the Constellation, and the Columbine III, which was a Super Constellation.

    Embracing the jet age

    In the 1960s, the use of jet engine technology in U.S. commercial aircraft revolutionized air travel, allowing planes to fly higher, farther and faster. Jet travel became associated with the glamorous and the elegant lifestyles of the “jet set” crowd.

    So it’s fitting that President John F. Kennedy – who was sometimes called the “the first celebrity president” – was the first White House occupant to fly in a jet, the Boeing 707.

    Kennedy’s aircraft was also the first painted in the distinctive light blue-and-white scheme that’s still used today. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy developed it with the help of industrial designer Raymond Loewy.

    It would go on to serve eight presidents before leaving the presidential fleet in 1990, when Boeing delivered the first of two modified Boeing 747s.

    These are the aircraft that continue to serve as the president’s primary plane. Boeing signed a contract to provide two new aircraft in 2017, during Trump’s last term. In 2020, the company decided to refurbish two existing aircraft that were originally built for another customer.

    The refurbishment has been more cumbersome and expensive than building a new aircraft from scratch. But it’s the only option because Boeing closed its 747 assembly line in late 2022.

    A nickname sticks

    On a trip to Florida, the crew of Columbine II first used “Air Force One” as the plane’s call sign to clearly distinguish the plane from other air traffic.

    While the public has associated the name Air Force One with the modified Boeing 707s and 747s and their distinctive colors, any plane with the president aboard will carry that call sign.

    They include several smaller aircraft, also operated by the Air Force, such as the North American T-39 Sabreliner used to transport Lyndon B. Johnson to his ranch in Texas and the Lockheed VC-140B JetStars, the fleet of backup planes used by several presidents, which Johnson jokingly called “Air Force One Half.”

    A cultural and political symbol

    Air Force One has long served as a symbol of the power and prestige of the presidency.

    It became an indelible part of U.S. history in November 1963, when Johnson took his oath of office from Air Force One’s cabin while Kennedy’s body lay in rest in the back of the aircraft.

    Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as president aboard Air Force One following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
    Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Air Force One carried President Richard M. Nixon to China and the Soviet Union for historic diplomatic missions. But it also famously flew him from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to his home state, California, after he resigned from office. On that day, the plane took off as Air Force One. But it landed as SAM 27000, the plane’s call sign used when the president wasn’t on board.

    Trump has been compared to Nixon in more ways than one.

    And Trump’s complaint that Arab leaders have bigger and more impressive airplanes than the current Air Force One is reminiscent of Nixon’s own concerns of being outclassed on the world stage.

    The Nixon family boards Air Force One to fly to California on Aug. 9, 1974, following President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
    Wally McNamee/Corbis via Getty Images

    When president, Nixon strongly advocated for American supersonic transport – a 270-passenger plane designed to be faster than the speed of sound – that he hoped could be modified to serve as a new Air Force One. He feared the failure to develop an SST would relegate the U.S. to second-tier status, as other world leaders – particularly those from England, France and the USSR – traversed the globe in sleeker, better performing aircraft.

    Trump’s concerns about Air Force One seem less focused on safety and security and more on size and opulence. His longing for a “palace in the sky” is befitting for a president drawn to soaring skyscrapers, lavish parades and gold ornamentation.

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

    – ref. Trump’s vision for Air Force One will turn it from the ‘Flying White House’ to a ‘palace in the sky’ – https://theconversation.com/trumps-vision-for-air-force-one-will-turn-it-from-the-flying-white-house-to-a-palace-in-the-sky-256745

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s battle with elite universities overlooks where most students actually go to college

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Amy Li, Associate Professor of Higher Education, Florida International University

    There are nearly 20 million undergraduate college students in the United States. Anadolu/Getty Images

    Headlines often mention the ongoing power struggle between President Donald Trump’s administration and private colleges such as Columbia University and Harvard University.

    But such elite universities educate only a small portion of America’s total undergraduate population, which stood at 20 million in fall 2024.

    As an associate professor of higher education, I have published research on policies that affect college access, retention and graduation. My work has examined data across different types of higher education institutions.

    The Ivies and other elites

    Less than 1% of American college students attend elite private colleges.

    A small group of colleges, consisting of Ivy League schools and other highly selective universities known as “Ivy-Plus,” fit in this category.

    The Ivy League consists of eight private schools that formed an athletic conference in the 1950s. The member universities are known for their academic excellence.

    The Ivy-Plus are highly prestigious colleges located across the country with similar reputations for outstanding academics such as Stanford University, Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    These colleges have extremely competitive admissions, often accepting less than 10% of applicants.

    They enroll students from high-income backgrounds more than any other type of institution. Students from upper-income families represent 60% to 70% of attendees at elite privates.

    Elite private universities confer undergraduate and graduate degrees and focus on research.

    Elite public colleges

    Elite public colleges, such as the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Virginia, are near the top of the U.S. News & World Report’s rankings. They also are often the flagship university in their state, such as the University of Michigan.

    These colleges have highly selective admissions processes as well and often accept about 10% to 20% of applicants.

    The largest portion of revenue at public universities, roughly 40%, comes from government sources that include federal, state and local government grants, contracts and appropriations, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

    Students from upper-income families constitute 50% to 55% of attendees at elite public colleges.

    Like elite private colleges, elite public colleges confer undergraduate and graduate degrees and focus on research.

    Community colleges

    There are 1,024 community colleges in the U.S., serving 39% of undergraduate students.

    These public, two-year colleges grant associate degrees and occasionally bachelor’s degrees. They also offer certificates, workforce training and noncredit courses to prepare students for college-level courses.

    Community colleges have a strong teaching focus and a mission to serve their communities. They tend to guarantee admission to anyone who wants to enroll and offer lower tuition and fees.

    Community colleges are also critical entry points for students from lower-income households and those who identify as racial or ethnic minorities or who are the first in their family to attend college.

    Like other public institutions, community colleges depend heavily on state funding, as well as local property taxes.

    Regional universities

    Roughly 70% of undergraduate students who attend public, four-year institutions enroll at regional public universities.
    Newsday RM via Getty Images

    Of all undergraduates who attend public, four-year institutions, roughly 70% enroll in regional institutions.

    They include colleges in state-run systems such as the State University of New York and California State University.

    There is wide variation in acceptance rates among regional public universities, but they tend to be moderately selective, accepting between half and 70% of applicants.

    Regional public universities offer a wide range of academic programs mostly at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. They also depend heavily on state funding.

    Small private colleges

    Small, less selective private colleges often have acceptance rates of 60% or higher and enroll 3,000 or fewer students.

    Their budgets depend primarily on tuition and fees.

    Some of these types of colleges have suffered from enrollment declines since the early 2000s, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Many of these institutions lacked the large endowments that allowed elite privates to weather the financial challenges brought on by the pandemic.

    A number of small private colleges, such as Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts, have closed or merged with other universities due to financial difficulties.

    These small private colleges often offer academic programs at the bachelor’s and master’s levels.

    Private for-profit

    About 5% of students attend private for-profit colleges.

    These colleges offer courses in convenient formats that may be attractive to older adult students, including those with full-time jobs.

    For-profit college students disproportionately identify as older, Black and female. Students who attend these colleges are also more likely to be single parents.

    In recent years, the federal government has cracked down on false promises some for-profit institutions made about their graduates’ job and earnings prospects and other outcomes.

    The enforcement led to the closure of some colleges, such as ITT Technical Institute and Corinthian Colleges.

    Minority-serving institutions

    Minority-serving institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, have a mission to serve certain populations.
    Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

    Minority-serving institutions have a mission to serve certain student populations.

    Minority-serving institutions include historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, such as Morehouse College; Hispanic-serving institutions, or HSIs, such as Florida International University; Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander-serving institutions, or AANAPISIs, such as North Seattle College; and tribal colleges and universities, or TCUs, such as Blackfeet Community College, which serve Native American students.

    The federal government determines which colleges fit the criteria.

    These are primarily two- and four-year colleges, but some grant graduate degrees.

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

    – ref. Trump’s battle with elite universities overlooks where most students actually go to college – https://theconversation.com/trumps-battle-with-elite-universities-overlooks-where-most-students-actually-go-to-college-254680

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: AI at Work: Who Benefits More?

    Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)

    You probably know that AI is changing the workplace – but did you know how different AI transformation is for men and women? 
     
    Research from LinkedIn and the World Economic Forum shows that while more men hold #jobs that benefit from augmentation, women are more likely to bank on ‘soft’ skills like creativity and critical thinking to edge forward in an #AI workplace.

    Listen to co-author Kim Piaget discuss the findings, and learn more by reading the full ‘Gender Parity in the Intelligent Age’ report.

    The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • India’s GDP growth in Q4 of 2024–25 expected at 6.8–7%: report

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Indian economy is projected to grow at a rate of 6.8–7 per cent in the fourth quarter of the financial year 2024–25, largely driven by the agriculture sector, according to a report released by Bank of Baroda on Friday.

    For the full financial year, GDP growth is estimated at 6.2–6.4 per cent, with the report highlighting that India continues to outperform many of its global counterparts due to strong macroeconomic fundamentals.

    Looking ahead to FY26, the economy is expected to grow at a similar pace of 6.4–6.6 per cent. This outlook is supported by factors such as anticipated monetary easing, lower inflation, robust domestic demand, a budgetary push, and sustained capital expenditure. However, the report cautions that geopolitical conflicts or the imposition of global tariffs could dampen this optimism.

    In Q4 FY25, agriculture is expected to grow by a robust 7.7 per cent—significantly higher than the 0.9 per cent growth recorded in the same period last year. This surge is attributed to record foodgrain production, as reflected in the second advance estimates covering both kharif and rabi crops.

    While overall Q4 growth is expected to exceed that of Q3, the performance is likely to be uneven across sectors.

    In the industrial sector, mining is projected to grow by 1.5 per cent in Q4 FY25, compared to 0.8 per cent in the corresponding quarter of FY24. However, growth in manufacturing is likely to moderate sharply to 1.8 per cent from 11.3 per cent a year earlier, partly due to a high base and weaker corporate earnings. Industries such as iron and steel, capital goods, and textiles witnessed lower profit margins, despite softening commodity prices. The electricity sector is also expected to grow at a slower pace of 5.5 per cent, down from 8.8 per cent in Q4 FY24.

    On a more positive note, the construction sector is projected to maintain strong growth, supported by increased output in steel and cement, along with continued government capital expenditure.

    The services sector shows a mixed trend. The marriage season and events like the Mahakumbh are expected to boost hospitality, transport, logistics, and food and beverage services. The trade, hotels, and transport sector is projected to grow by 6.4 per cent in Q4, up slightly from 6.2 per cent in the same quarter last year. GST collections have also continued their steady growth. However, financial services are likely to slow, with projected growth of 6.6 per cent compared to 9 per cent last year, amid a decline in credit growth.

    Public administration and defence spending are expected to rise, driven by an increase in net revenue expenditure.

    Looking forward, the report notes that rural demand is likely to remain strong in FY26, bolstered by expectations of a favourable monsoon. According to NOAA, neutral ENSO conditions are expected to prevail in the coming months, supporting agricultural output. Consumption is also set to rise, aided by higher disposable incomes and new tax incentives. Additionally, an ongoing easing of monetary policy due to lower inflation is expected to support growth, along with relief from subdued commodity prices.

    “Based on the above factors, we expect the Indian economy to grow by 6.4–6.6 per cent in FY26. However, downside risks remain, particularly for the external sector, due to evolving global tariff challenges,” the report stated. “Any adverse geopolitical conflict or extreme weather event could also pose a risk to growth, although potential bilateral trade deals—particularly with the US—could offer some positives.”

    (Reuter)

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Vice Premier of the State Council of China to visit Russia for bilateral meetings

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing will visit Russia from May 19 to 22 to attend the fifth meeting of the Cooperation Council between China’s Upper and Middle Yangtze River Regions and Russia’s Volga Federal District, as well as a meeting of the chairmen of the China-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between Northeast China and the Russian Far East, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.

    The trip of Zhang Guoqing, who is also a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, will take place at the invitation of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District Igor Komarov and Deputy Prime Minister, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Harbour protection law now in force

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Protection of the Harbour (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 was published in the Government Gazette and came into force today.

    The Development Bureau said the amended ordinance will more effectively regulate the Government in exercising its power to pursue reclamations in the Victoria Harbour.

    The bureau and relevant departments are finalising administrative guidelines for the ordinance. These will be completed and published within two months. The amended ordinance received its third reading and was passed at the meeting of the Legislative Council last Wednesday.

    Amending the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, it sets out a clearer mechanism to regulate reclamations in Victoria Harbour, in particular large-scale reclamations, in order to protect the Harbour.

    It also introduces a streamlined mechanism for small-scale reclamations that improve Victoria Harbour’s functions and harbourfront and for non-permanent reclamations, in order to facilitate and promote harbourfront enhancements.

    According to the amended ordinance, harbour enhancement reclamations and non-permanent reclamations that meet certain criteria and are in the public interest may be granted exemption from the “Presumption against Reclamation” by the Financial Secretary.

    Other reclamations in the Victoria Harbour will still be subject to the stringent presumption.

    To rebut the presumption, it will be necessary to apply three considerations set out in earlier court judgment which are now incorporated in the ordinance, and to comply with the new statutory procedures.

    These include preparing an assessment on a project’s “overriding public need”, publishing a report for public comment, and submitting the report and comments received to the Chief Executive-in-Council for determination.

    The bureau stressed that even under existing arrangements government departments or other persons must submit proposals to carry out reclamations for consideration and approval by the Government.

    It added that the amendments do not change the right of members of the public to apply for judicial review against decisions.

    It stressed that the Amendment Ordinance demonstrates the Government’s commitment to protecting Victoria Harbour, and also provides a more solid legal basis for its long-term protection.

    Moreover, it said the Government will have greater flexibility to promote better use of harbourfront resources and create a harbourfront that everyone can be proud of.

    The Government has made it clear that there is no plan to initiate large-scale harbour reclamations to form land for housing, commercial or industrial developments.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –