NewzIntel.com

Category: Scandinavia

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Destiny Bridge and New Kingsway open

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    Known collectively as the Cross Tay Link Road project, Destiny Bridge and the New Kingsway, are key elements of the Perth Transport Futures infrastructure project linking the A9, the A93 and the A94 by providing a crossing over the River Tay.

    The project also includes a 12km active travel path network, connecting the neighbouring communities with Perth city centre and providing alternatives to vehicular traffic. The path network also connects a central hub at a new Park-and-Choose area, and incorporates a green bridge to separate active travel users and wildlife from the road.

    Together, the active travel path network and improved transport infrastructure will deliver on the project’s key priorities of reducing congestion and improving air quality in Perth city centre. Scottish Government, through Transport Scotland, has provided a £40m funding contribution to Perth and Kinross Council.

    First Minister John Swinney said: “The completion of the New Kingsway and Destiny Bridge is a significant milestone for Perth, and I have no doubt that it will be transformative for the area and bring enormous benefits to all who use it.

    “Reducing traffic volumes in the city centre will make journey times quicker, while also helping to reduce pollution, improve air quality, and free up road space for improved public transport.

    “Our £40 million investment in the New Kingsway and Destiny Bridge is in addition to the £150 million Scottish Government has already committed to the Tay Cities Region Deal, which is expected to create 6,000 jobs and lever a further £400 million of investment into the region.

    “This project showcases exactly how, with the right investment and strong partnerships, we will continue to deliver on my priorities of growing the economy, improving public services and protecting the planet.”

    Enabling works on the project commenced in early 2022 following the appointment of main contractor, BAM UK & Ireland. As well as delivering the £150m project on time and on budget, the project team has also generated over £51m of social and economic value within the local area.

    Councillor Grant Laing, Perth and Kinross Council Leader,  said: “As the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken by Perth and Kinross Council, the opening of Destiny Bridge and the New Kingsway marks a momentous achievement for all involved.

    “I would like to offer thanks to the project team for their hard work and dedication; and to residents, particularly those in Stormontfield, Scone and Luncarty, for their patience and understanding during the build.”

    Councillor Laing continued: “As well as positively impacting on the environment and economy, during construction the project has created job opportunities and tackled local skills shortages through a robust outreach and training programme.

    “It has also assisted in, and generated, several legacy projects including the Denmarkfield Allotments and Community Orchards, the new active travel path network and the Community Artwork project, all of which will bring enjoyment and health benefits for our Perth and Kinross residents for many years to come.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schakowsky, Jayapal, Carson, Welch Reintroduce Bill to Restore UNRWA Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (9th District of Illinois)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) has re-introduced H.R. 2411, the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act, with Rep. André Carson (IN-07), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). This bill will end the congressionally and administratively mandated pause on funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 

    The United States has historically been one of the largest financial supporters of UNRWA, which serves nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees across the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. In March of last year, the U.S. paused UNRWA funding after the Israeli government alleged that 12 agency employees had direct involvement in Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack. 

    Following the United Nations’ investigation and proactive commitments made by UNRWA toward complete accountability and reform, all countries except the U.S. have resumed their UNRWA funding, including the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Finland, Germany, Japan, and Sweden. 

    Humanitarian aid and supplies have not entered the Gaza Strip since March 2, when the Israeli authorities imposed a siege. Reports show that supplies are depleting at alarming rates, which could cause deaths from malnutrition and starvation. Several bakeries have already shut down after running out of cooking gas, and the U.N. World Food Programme reports that its flour supplies can only support bread production for five more day. UNRWA has served as the primary humanitarian aid organization operating in Gaza, and without funding, hundreds of thousands of Gaza civilians are left vulnerable.

    “For decades, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been a lifeline for Palestinians throughout the Middle East, providing food, clean water, health care, shelter, education, and livelihoods. UNRWA has provided essential support to those in Gaza throughout the Israel-Hamas war and dire humanitarian crisis. UNRWA and the United Nations have taken swift and decisive actions to address the concerns raised by the U.S. government when it paused funding last year and our allies have long ago resumed funding for UNRWA. The U.S. must follow suit and finally resume funding for this critical humanitarian agency,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “I am proud to co-lead the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act to restore funding to UNRWA and help Gazans get the humanitarian assistance they need at a time of unprecedented crisis.”

    “The scale of this devastating, man-made crisis in Gaza cannot be overstated,” said Congressman André Carson. “Providing humanitarian aid to a starving nation – with funding Congress has appropriated year after year – should not be controversial. We need to end this blockade and restore full humanitarian funding to UNRWA. I urge my colleagues who care about basic human rights, the rights of pregnant women, and the wellbeing of innocent children to join our bill. It’s past time we restore funding and save lives.”

    “For decades, UNRWA has played a unique and integral role in supporting the welfare of Palestinian refugees,” said Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. “The organization’s on-the-ground understanding is invaluable to ensuring that humanitarian aid makes it to the people who need it most — in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and critically in this moment, in Gaza. Permanently revoking funding for UNRWA will unquestionably lead to more devastation and loss of life in Gaza and throughout the Middle East. We must restore U.S. funding to UNRWA to ensure that those acting in good faith to save civilian lives have the necessary resources to continue their irreplaceable work.”

    “Since day one of this conflict, UNRWA has proven to be the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza. It is unacceptable that the funding pause has gone on this long—the civilian populations of Gaza and the West Bank are paying the price. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to intensify, support for humanitarian aid is more important than ever,” said Senator Peter Welch. “Congress must pass this legislation to ensure UNRWA can safely deliver humanitarian assistance to starving women, children, and families desperate for food, medicine, and shelter.”

    Below is a list of all endorsing organizations:

    National Organizations: 99 Coalition, American Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International USA, Amnesty International USA, Carolina Peace Center , Historians for Peace and Democracy, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Center for International Policy Advocacy, Center for Jewish Nonviolence, Charity & Security Network, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), CODEPINK, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces, Demand Progress, Doctors Against Genocide, DSA, End Wars Working Group of Progressive Democrats of America , Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends Committee on National Legislation , Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), George Devendorf, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, Health Advocacy International, Hindus for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, IfNotNow Movement, International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), International Refugee Assistance Project, J Street, Jahalin Solidarity, Jahalin Solidarity, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Justice4palestinians, MADRE, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Medglobal , Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC), Migrant Roots Media, MoveOn, MPower Change Action Fund, Muslim Advocates, Muslims United PAC, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, National Council of Churches, New Jewish Narrative, No Dem Left Behind , Nonviolent Peaceforce, NRC USA, Partners for Progressive Israel, Pax Christi USA, Peace Action, Poligon Education Fund, Presbyterian Church, (USA), Office of Public Witness, Quincy Institute, ReThinking Foreign Policy, ReThinking Foreign Policy, RootsAction.org, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Terre des hommes Lausanne, The Borgen Project, The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR), UNRWA USA National Committee, USCPR Action, Win Without War, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section (WILPF US), Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation 

    State and Local Organizations:  Al Otro Lado, Atlanta Multifaith Coalition for Palestine (AMCP), Barry University, Brooklyn For Peace, Carolyn Eisenberg, Ceasefire Now NJ, Christian Jewish Allies for a just peace for Israel Palestine, Church Women United in New York State, Delawareans for Palestinian Human Rights, Florida Peace & Justice Alliance, FOSNA Pittsburgh , Greater Dayton Peace Coalition, Houston for Palestine Coalition, Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, MARUF CT (Muslim Advocacy for Rights, Unity, and Fairness), Massachusetts Peace Action, Minnesota Peace Project, Muslim Justice League, Nebraskans for Peace Palestinian Rights Task Force, NorCal Sabeel, Oasis Legal Services, Peace Action Maine, Peace Action WI, Peace Action WI, Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!, Peace, Justice, Sustainability, NOW!, Progressive Democrats of America – Central New Mexico, Progressive Democrats of America- Central New Mexico, Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom DC-Metro Action Group, The Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church USA, Bay Area, UPTE Members for Palestine, Valley View Presbyterian Church, Voices for Justice in Palestine, YUSRA

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: Trying too hard for a special tariff deal with Trump could be the wrong way to go

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

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton both agree Australia should react to US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff regime by continuing to seek a special deal. They just disagree about which of them could better handle the challenge of dealing with the rogue president.

    Dutton said after Trump’s announcement, “the deal is there to be done”, but insisted Albanese just isn’t up to the task.

    At Wednesday’s briefing for the red meat industry, Trade Minister Don Farrell said, “Tomorrow might be the end of the first part of the process but we’ll continue to engage with the Americans to get these tariffs removed, as we did with the Chinese.”

    But if there is indeed a deal to be done, at what cost would it come? The price could be higher than any specifics negotiated.

    Australia should be careful of going down the route of supplicant – which, let’s be blunt, is what this would involve.

    It’s long been clear we can’t predict what Trump might do in his international relationships. His appalling bullying of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky; his extraordinary treatment of Canada; his bizarre bid to grab Greenland from NATO ally Denmark – individually, each of these is shocking; collectively, they amount to nearly unimaginable behaviour from a US president.

    The risk of trying to cosy up to the Trump administration in seeking exemptions from the 10% general tariff is that, whatever the overt quid pro quo involved, Trump would then see Australia as owing him something if and when he needed it.

    A deal could mean Australia would later feel somewhat constrained in calling out egregious Trump actions. Even if it didn’t, the perception could be there.

    It’s obvious in retrospect – if it wasn’t all along – that Australia was never going to escape whatever general tariff Trump imposed. At least we are at the bottom of the league table – we’re among the countries minimally hit. As of course we should be, given the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement. As Albanese said, we shouldn’t be targeted at all.

    One area for possible future negotiation is the ban, for biosecurity reasons, on US fresh beef coming into Australia. There have already been talks about this. Albanese on Thursday said Australia wouldn’t compromise its biosecurity, but flagged room for some possible movement.

    This is double-edged. Beef producers will want an exemption, but anything that could be construed as even a remote threat to our biosecurity would go down badly in sections of the electorate, regardless of guarantees.

    Australia is in a solid position to withstand the direct effects of the Trump tariffs. Only about 5% of our exports go to the US.

    The effect on the beef trade could be relatively mild. The Americans have a dwindling cattle herd (the lowest since the early 1950s). Australian lean beef is particularly suitable for burgers. And, given the 10% tariff applies to other countries, we won’t be disadvantaged against other suppliers. So the Americans are likely to continue to need Australian beef – they will just have to pay more for it.

    Peter Draper, professor of international trade at the University of Adelaide, puts the bilateral situation in perspective. “We rode out China’s trade coercion, and China is a much more important trading partner. These tariffs are much smaller.”

    Draper argues that “as a matter of principle, you shouldn’t negotiate with bullies”.

    Also, the US is breaking international trade rules that are crucial to uphold, Draper says. Cutting special deals validate the rule-breaker’s actions, he says.

    The real, and significant, cost to Australia will be what the tariff regime will do to the international economy. Treasurer Jim Chalmers described “Liberation Day” as “a dark day for the global economy”.

    Shiro Armstrong, professor of economics at the Australian National University, says the “main game is stopping the contagion of these tariffs globally and stopping a retreat to a 1930s retaliatory spiral”.

    Armstrong believes that when it comes to getting a special deal, Australia’s chances are probably better than those of most countries.

    But he warns Australia should be “very careful” of a deal involving critical minerals – something the government had on the table and the opposition has said it would pursue. Armstrong points to Trump’s penchant for using “economic coercion to extract concessions”.

    Immediately after the Trump announcement, Albanese had a response ready to go.

    This includes financial encouragement for exporters to seek to grow other markets.

    Australia is not retaliating with counter-tariffs (a sensible stance in line with its free trade beliefs). But there are some “protection-lite” measures in the Albanese package.

    Australian businesses will be put at “the front of the queue” for government procurement and contracts.

    This measure is part of the government’s current “Buy Australian” push. A small dose of protectionism, it may mean taxpayers pay more for goods and services.

    On another front, Albanese said Australia would establish a “Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve”. Details are to come, but it is expected to be a stockpile for these minerals, which are vital for defence equipment in particular. Perhaps such a move is to assure Australians that if there were an agreement to facilitate US access to critical minerals, the government would have belt-and-braces protection for these vital national assets.

    In this first week of the campaign, Dutton has found himself on the barbed wire fence when it comes to Trump. He’s putting himself forward as the better leader to deal with Trump (including fighting him if necessary). He’s also rejecting suggestions he is running on Trump-like policies.

    In general, the first week of the campaign has been a hard slog for the opposition leader. He comes across as undercooked and late with his deliveries. We are still waiting for the modelling of his controversial policy for an east coast gas reservation scheme.

    In the 2022 election campaign, Albanese had a shocker start. But the Liberals now are in a worse place than Labor was then, and Dutton’s campaign needs a significant lift. The question is whether he has the capacity to give it that.

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

    – ref. Grattan on Friday: Trying too hard for a special tariff deal with Trump could be the wrong way to go – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-trying-too-hard-for-a-special-tariff-deal-with-trump-could-be-the-wrong-way-to-go-253737

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: DNO Releases 2024 Annual Report and Accounts

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Oslo, 3 April 2025 – DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today released its 2024 Annual Report and Accounts together with its Remuneration Report and Annual Statement of Reserves and Resources.

    The reports are attached as downloadable files and also available on the Company’s website www.dno.no.

    –

    For further information, please contact:
    Media: media@dno.no
    Investors: investor.relations@dno.no

    –

    DNO ASA is a Norwegian oil and gas operator active in the Middle East, the North Sea and West Africa. Founded in 1971 and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the Company holds stakes in onshore and offshore licenses at various stages of exploration, development and production in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Norway, the United Kingdom, Côte d’Ivoire, Netherlands and Yemen. More information is available at www.dno.no

    This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jayapal, Carson, Schakowsky, Welch Reintroduce Bill to Restore UNRWA Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

    WASHINGTON, DC — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) has re-introduced H.R. 2411, the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act, with Rep. André Carson (IN-07), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), and Senator Peter Welch (VT). This bill will end the congressionally and administratively mandated pause on funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 

    The United States has historically been one of the largest financial supporters of UNRWA, which serves nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees across the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. In March of last year, the U.S. paused UNRWA funding after the Israeli government alleged that 12 agency employees had direct involvement in Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack. 

    Following the United Nations’ investigation and proactive commitments made by UNRWA toward complete accountability and reform, all countries except the U.S. have resumed their UNRWA funding, including the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Finland, Germany, Japan, and Sweden.  

    Humanitarian aid and supplies have not entered the Gaza Strip since March 2, when the Israeli authorities imposed a siege. Reports show that supplies are depleting at alarming rates, which could cause deaths from malnutrition and starvation. Several bakeries have already shut down after running out of cooking gas, and the U.N. World Food Programme reports that its flour supplies can only support bread production for five more day. UNRWA has served as the primary humanitarian aid organization operating in Gaza, and without funding, hundreds of thousands of Gaza civilians are left vulnerable.

    “For decades, UNRWA has played a unique and integral role in supporting the welfare of Palestinian refugees,” said Congresswoman Jayapal. “The organization’s on-the-ground understanding is invaluable to ensuring that humanitarian aid makes it to the people who need it most — in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and critically in this moment, in Gaza. Permanently revoking funding for UNRWA will unquestionably lead to more devastation and loss of life in Gaza and throughout the Middle East. We must restore U.S. funding to UNRWA to ensure that those acting in good faith to save civilian lives have the necessary resources to continue their irreplaceable work.”

    “The scale of this devastating, man-made crisis in Gaza cannot be overstated,” said Congressman Carson. “Providing humanitarian aid to a starving nation – with funding Congress has appropriated year after year – should not be controversial. We need to end this blockade and restore full humanitarian funding to UNRWA. I urge my colleagues who care about basic human rights, the rights of pregnant women, and the wellbeing of innocent children to join our bill. It’s past time we restore funding and save lives.”

    “For decades, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been a lifeline for Palestinians throughout the Middle East, providing food, clean water, health care, shelter, education, and livelihoods. UNRWA has provided essential support to those in Gaza throughout the Israel-Hamas war and dire humanitarian crisis. UNRWA and the United Nations have taken swift and decisive actions to address the concerns raised by the U.S. government when it paused funding last year and our allies have long ago resumed funding for UNRWA. The U.S. must follow suit and finally resume funding for this critical humanitarian agency,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky. “I am proud to co-lead the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act to restore funding to UNRWA and help Gazans get the humanitarian assistance they need at a time of unprecedented crisis.”

    “Since day one of this conflict, UNRWA has proven to be the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza. It is unacceptable that the funding pause has gone on this long—the civilian populations of Gaza and the West Bank are paying the price. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to intensify, support for humanitarian aid is more important than ever,” said Senator Welch. “Congress must pass this legislation to ensure UNRWA can safely deliver humanitarian assistance to starving women, children, and families desperate for food, medicine, and shelter.”

    Below is a list of all endorsing organizations:

    National Organizations: 99 Coalition, American Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International USA, Amnesty International USA, Carolina Peace Center , Historians for Peace and Democracy, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Center for International Policy Advocacy, Center for Jewish Nonviolence, Charity & Security Network, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), CODEPINK, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces, Demand Progress, Doctors Against Genocide, DSA, End Wars Working Group of Progressive Democrats of America , Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends Committee on National Legislation , Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), George Devendorf, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, Health Advocacy International, Hindus for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, IfNotNow Movement, International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), International Refugee Assistance Project, J Street, Jahalin Solidarity, Jahalin Solidarity, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Justice4palestinians, MADRE, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Medglobal , Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC), Migrant Roots Media, MoveOn, MPower Change Action Fund, Muslim Advocates, Muslims United PAC, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, National Council of Churches, New Jewish Narrative, No Dem Left Behind , Nonviolent Peaceforce, NRC USA, Partners for Progressive Israel, Pax Christi USA, Peace Action, Poligon Education Fund, Presbyterian Church, (USA), Office of Public Witness, Quincy Institute, ReThinking Foreign Policy, ReThinking Foreign Policy, RootsAction.org, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Terre des hommes Lausanne, The Borgen Project, The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR), UNRWA USA National Committee, USCPR Action, Win Without War, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section (WILPF US), Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation 

    State and Local Organizations:  Al Otro Lado, Atlanta Multifaith Coalition for Palestine (AMCP), Barry University, Brooklyn For Peace, Carolyn Eisenberg, Ceasefire Now NJ, Christian Jewish Allies for a just peace for Israel Palestine, Church Women United in New York State, Delawareans for Palestinian Human Rights, Florida Peace & Justice Alliance, FOSNA Pittsburgh , Greater Dayton Peace Coalition, Houston for Palestine Coalition, Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, MARUF CT (Muslim Advocacy for Rights, Unity, and Fairness), Massachusetts Peace Action, Minnesota Peace Project, Muslim Justice League, Nebraskans for Peace Palestinian Rights Task Force, NorCal Sabeel, Oasis Legal Services, Peace Action Maine, Peace Action WI, Peace Action WI, Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!, Peace, Justice, Sustainability, NOW!, Progressive Democrats of America – Central New Mexico, Progressive Democrats of America- Central New Mexico, Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom DC-Metro Action Group, The Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church USA, Bay Area, UPTE Members for Palestine, Valley View Presbyterian Church, Voices for Justice in Palestine, YUSRA

    Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS BOTH ARROGANT AND INCOMPETENT”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe where he emphasized that Democrats will continue to demand a serious investigation into the Trump administration’s reckless and dangerous security breach.

    JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let’s bring in right now the House Minority Leader, Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. He sent a letter out yesterday to President Trump calling for the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, to be fired. This morning, Leader, the details are even more shocking as Jeffrey released and, this morning, a chain, a text chain that was sent to him while he was sitting at a Safeway parking lot. The Secretary of Defense, using a commercial app, telling people on this chain, all of whom he did not know that this mission was a go. That F-18s were about to launch at this time, that the target terrorist was in sight. He then described when the second F-18s were launching, again all over a commercial app. He said this is definitely when the first bombs will begin dropping. And on and on and on. Your response? Just this stunning turn of events this morning.

    LEADER JEFFRIES: It’s a stunning breach of America’s national security. The lives of our servicemen and women were put into danger. And this is all being done by the person, the Secretary of Defense, who is charged with protecting the safety and national security of the American people. The problem is we could all see this coming, those who are paying close attention, as opposed to my Republican colleagues who are burying their heads in the sand. Pete Hegseth is the most unqualified person ever to lead the Department of Defense. Mitch McConnell knew it. Lisa Murkowski knew it. Susan Collins knew it. Democrats knew it, and we warned the Trump administration. And now the consequences are being felt. And this is a situation where the Trump administration is both arrogant and incompetent. That’s a toxic combination and American lives are at risk.

    MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Chris Matthews, you have the next question.

    CHRIS MATTHEWS: Congressman, we all know that the Republicans echo whatever President Trump says. They wait for him to speak and then they echo it. Now, back in 1960—I actually remember this—President Eisenhower had to deny that our U-2 flights over Russia, which began in Pakistan and flew to Norway. We were clearly violating their airspace at a very high level. He initially lied about it and said that wasn’t a case of a spy mission. And later he changed his mind and said it was. Do you think Trump, President Trump, is capable of recognizing that his people—Hegseth and Waltz—screwed up, that they went on the Signal line, that they opened it up to Jeffrey Goldberg, who is not one of their friends? They did it all themselves. He had nothing to do with this. Why won’t he come out like Nixon did and said, wait a minute, Haldeman and Ehrlichman screwed up. I’m firing them. Do you think there’s any chance Trump will come clean?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: The only chance is if the public pressure continues, is relentless and intensifies. During the Intel Committee hearing that’s going to take place today, you’re going to see House Democrats aggressively press the Trump administration and demand that there are consequences that occur. Ultimately, the buck stops with the President of the United States of America, which is why I made clear to President Trump yesterday in my correspondence that the Secretary of Defense should be fired immediately if he’s not man enough to own up to his mistakes and resign in disgrace.

    JOE SCARBOROUGH: Tina Brown is with us and has a question.

    TINA BROWN: Mr. Leader, my question also—somewhat similar to Chris’, but at what point do the, you know, do the Republicans themselves break ranks? I mean, is this going to be the one thing that means that they do, as Senator Warner said, find their voice. Is there anybody? Is there anybody there now who is going to lead some kind of, you know, pushback to Congress having been turned into a party of ones? I mean, what is going to happen now in the Caucus?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah. You know, privately, several do express concerns and shake their head on the Floor of the House of Representatives. But publicly, there’s been a lack of courage and that’s unfortunate, because the Congress should be a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. And the Trump administration is completely and totally out of control. But here’s the problem with the modern-day Republican Party. Facts don’t matter. They’ll lie with ease. Facts don’t matter. Hypocrisy is not a constraint to their behavior. They’ll say one thing and do another. All of them had their hair on fire when we’ve had other national security incidents in the past, particularly when there was concerns related to Democratic administrations, and now they’re burying their heads in the sand, because hypocrisy is never a constraint to the behavior of the modern-day Republican Party. And they’ve actually concluded that shamelessness is a superpower, which is why you’ve seen such a shameless reaction, an attack on Jeffrey Goldberg, as opposed to owning up to the horrific facts of this case.

    MIKA BRZEZINSKI: So, Leader Jeffries, if I could just lay out the four layers that I see in terms of a breach of security here and then follow it up with a question. Number one, this was done on Signal. Totally wrong to be doing on Signal. Number two, this included top levels of this administration in many locations around the world, including Russia, instead of inside a SCIF. Number three, they included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, and never noticed throughout the course of this entire chat. And then, four, there was an admission during a hearing yesterday that there are other similar chats like this out there. So with the administration saying that they are not concerned about this, nothing’s going to happen. Just a mistake, no big deal. Are our troops safe? Are we safe?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: There’s every reason to be concerned that the safety and security of our American troops across the world, many of whom are in conflict zones in dangerous places like the Middle East, are at risk. And that’s the reason why we need a full investigation. It should be swift. It should be serious. And it should be substantive. We’re demanding that. We have this Intel Committee hearing that’s getting ready to take place. And that is just the beginning of what we will continue to push for. We need a full and complete investigation and inquiry. These phones should be turned in to the national security professionals to try to figure out what else has been compromised, and what other types of reckless chats are taking place. You know, I’m a member of the Gang of Eight. It’s a high honor to be part of that. We have these classified conversations. We’re not even permitted to bring our phones into any secure location, let alone have conversations on our phones.

    JOE SCARBOROUGH: All right. House Minority Leader, Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

    MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Thank you.

    JOE SCARBOROUGH: Thank you so much for coming this morning.

    Full interview can be watched here. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: New research reveals chemical secrets of Earth’s crust 4.5 billion years ago

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Turner, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University

    The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland. Nido Huebl/Shutterstock

    Earth is the only known planet which has plate tectonics today. The constant movement of these giant slabs of rock over the planet’s magma creates continents – and may have even helped create life.

    In a new paper published in Nature today, colleagues and I reveal secrets of Earth’s crust 4.5 billion years ago. In the process, we also provide a new way to approach one of the biggest enduring scientific mysteries: when did plate tectonics begin?

    Intimately connected to the development of life

    Earth is roughly 4.5 billion years old. Some scientists argue that in its early form, the planet lacked plate tectonics and may have instead been characterised by a stagnant crust (imagine a fixed lid) – similar to the one on Mars.

    Others say it may have been characterised by episodic, stop-start tectonics. The latter might have been triggered by major meteorite impacts that were common early on, but declined in number over time.

    Plate tectonics is intimately linked to the composition of the oceans and atmosphere because the constant movement of the plates also moves carbon and other elements around. It’s also closely linked to how heat is released from Earth’s interior.

    Because of this, plate tectonics is also thought to be intimately connected to the development of life on Earth.

    One of the biggest enduring scientific mysteries is when plate tectonics began.
    Kolonko/Shutterstock

    A distinctive chemical fingerprint

    The movement of tectonic plates produces volcanic activity at their boundaries. But at island arcs, such as the so-called Ring of Fire which encircles the Pacific Ocean, this volcanism has a distinctive chemical fingerprint nearly identical to that of today’s average continental crust. For example, there is a depletion of the element niobium relative to the rare earth elements.

    Because of this, scientists have long thought that the key to determining when plate tectonics began is to find the first appearance of this fingerprint in ancient rocks.

    Unfortunately, the actions of plate tectonics also compress, melt and reprocess the rocks of the Earth’s crust. As a result, ancient rocks are very rare and there are probably none now remaining from the Hadean eon (4.5–4 billion years ago).

    Interestingly, despite much effort over many decades, the results of such attempts to determine the timing of the onset of plate tectonics have resulted in age estimates ranging from 800 million to 4.5 billion years.

    Such a large range suggests a major problem in the approach.

    A new approach

    Beginning in early 2024, the research team I led tried a new approach. The team was made up of four other researchers from the University of Oxford, Curtin University, the University of Technology Queensland and the University of Lyon.

    We used mathematical models to simulate the period of time when Earth’s core was still forming and its surface comprised an ocean of bubbling, molten rock. Specifically, we investigated the degree of melting of Earth’s early mantle – and the behaviour of chemical elements during this process.

    Our results showed Earth’s earliest crust – known as the protocrust – that formed during the Hadean eon, would have a chemical composition identical to that of the modern average continental crust.

    For example, niobium becomes extracted into metal and removed into Earth’s core, whereas the rare earth elements rise to the surface in the magmas that crystallise to form the crust.

    The movement of tectonic plates produces volcanic activity at their boundaries.
    Allen.G/Shutterstock

    The chemical fingerprint was always there

    This discovery has major implications for how we think about Earth’s earliest history. It means the distinctive chemical fingerprint of the continental crust was always there – and only recycled at island arcs ever since.

    It follows that this signature cannot be used to determine when plate tectonics began, explaining why previous studies could not reach any consensus.

    Although major meteorite impacts would have led to melting and reprocessing of the earliest crust, such processes would only have recycled the continental chemical fingerprint, not created it.

    Some of these early large impacts may have also initiated periodic subduction – the downward and sideways movement – of tectonic plates that eventually fell into the continuous, self-sustaining pattern we observe today. However, our study shows that determining when this transition occurred is more complex than long thought and will require new research methods.

    Further modelling of the geodynamics of Earth’s early crust is needed to better understand when it became unstable and started to subduct. So too is a reappraisal of the implications of this for the evolution of the Earth and the ultimate development of life.

    This work also gives us a new way to think about how continents and life might form on other rocky planets.

    Simon Turner 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. New research reveals chemical secrets of Earth’s crust 4.5 billion years ago – https://theconversation.com/new-research-reveals-chemical-secrets-of-earths-crust-4-5-billion-years-ago-253543

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Stuck in the past: Trump tariffs and other policies are dragging the U.S. back to the 19th century

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Eric Strikwerda, Associate Professor, History, Athabasca University

    During Donald Trump’s first term as president, the United States lurched from the absurdity of his lies to the use of his office for personal financial gain, his schoolyard insults and his utter contempt for critics. His term ended with his irresponsible and dangerous incitement of the assault on the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.

    This time around, Trump is replying on outdated tools — tariffs, small government, territorial expansion and nationalism — to solve modern problems of globalization, wealth disparities, the decline of manufacturing jobs and exploitative capitalism.

    On April 2, he announced a baseline tariff of 10 per cent on all countries that import goods to the U.S., including Canada. Canada has also been hit with a 25 per cent levy on Canadian-made automobiles.

    The Trump administration’s current use of 19th-century tools to solve 20th-century problems that are wholly inappropriate for the 21st century threatens to take America back to the 19th century. This is an incredibly dangerous road for the U.S to take.

    The rise of the nation state

    The 19th century was marked by the rise of the nation-state — a single political entity united by geography, culture and language.

    This was, in many respects, the result of the rapidly industrializing world shifting away from monarchical rule and mercantile economics toward limited democratic rule and free-market capitalism.

    It was a time of tariffs, small government, territorial expansion and nationalism. It was also a time of mass migration from Europe to North America, where rampant nativism, colonialism and unchecked and exploitative capitalism shaped the landscape.

    The prevailing belief at the time was that nation-states should use tariffs, adopt isolationist policies to cut off the outside world and seize territory where possible. These measures, it was thought, would foster national unity and allow capitalism to thrive by letting the “invisible hand” of the marketplace work its magic.

    Protective tariffs promised to grow domestic industries, but the economic benefits were not evenly distributed. Wealth disparities grew wider as millions of immigrants arrived on North American shores, only to find deplorable living conditions in the cities and hardscrabble farmland out in the country.

    Some newcomers prospered, of course, but they tended to be those who arrived with money already in their pockets. And they fast learned how to exploit the lack of state-directed regulation, patches of corruption amid rapid western expansion and growing nativism and poverty to their own benefit.

    Many of the 20th century’s problems flowed from these 19th-century trends.

    The economic fallout of tariffs

    Following the financial Panic of 1873 and its ensuing economic depression in both Europe and North America, nation-states unleashed tariffs to protect their domestic economies. It was the wrong strategy to pursue, as it slowed trade even more by limiting the free flow of goods and capital. Money, as is now well-known, needs to move to grow.

    Working families chafed at the lack of labour protections like bargaining rights, health and safety measures, unemployment insurance and sick benefits. In response, they formed unions and initiated waves of strikes throughout the western industrialized world.

    Western North American farmers were furious that tariffs forced them to buy on protected markets while selling on unprotected ones subject to international market prices. They organized, too, by forming farmer co-operatives and backing movements like the Granger movement, populism and progressivism to protect their interests.

    Nation-states, warmed by rising nationalist fires, formed military-defence alliances across Europe and its colonial and former colonial holdings, including Canada. In 1914, these alliances led to the First World War, a global and industrial war the likes of which the world had never seen.

    The Great Depression

    By the 1930s, unrestricted and largely unregulated capitalism, together with astonishing wealth disparities and monopolistic tendencies, plunged the world into the decade-long Great Depression.

    Many governments’ initial response was to impose tariffs once again, and just as in 1873, they only made the problem worse. The simultaneous rise of fascism, which was largely nationalism run amok, brought the world to war again at the end of the decade, to devastating consequence.

    The post-war years saw a concerted international effort at using the nation-state to regulate domestic economies by investing in social services and programs and to rein in runaway capital when its excesses threatened stability.

    International bodies like the World Bank, the United Nations and the International Court of Justice were created to promote peace and stability. This new approach wasn’t always successful in its goals, but so far the world hasn’t seen any global hot wars or massive economic depressions.

    The end of history

    In 1992, historian Frances Fukuyama infamously declared that the world had reached “the end of history.”

    He didn’t mean that time stopped, of course. Instead, he was arguing that the liberal nation-state represented “the end-point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.”

    In his view, the western industrialized world had reached the pinnacle of successful governance and unlimited prosperity.

    Yet, even as western liberal democracy was congratulating itself on its own success, these same nation-states, in conjunction with large corporations, were seeking out lower labour costs and greater profit in the developing world.

    The result was a hollowing-out of North America’s industrial heartlands, along with rampant exploitation of vulnerable labour in places like Asia, South Asia and South Central America. Once mighty American cities declined. Wages failed to keep up with inflation. Farm debt soared.

    This is where the Trump administration re-enters the story — tapping into the frustration and disillusionment of frustrated Americans by promising to restore a “golden age” that never was.

    Trump’s 19th-century playbook

    Despite his promises, Trump’s tariffs are unlikely to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. As history has shown, tariffs do not revive industries that are already gone; instead, they will only make Americans pay more for the things they need.

    A return to small government won’t “make America great again,” either. Instead, it risks repeating the 19th-century pattern of making the rich richer and gutting the very social programs millions of people rely on. The Trump administration’s massive and ongoing cuts to the Social Security Administration are already well under way.

    Trump’s rhetoric about territorial expansion, including threats to annex Greenland and Canada, won’t make the U.S. more secure. It will just exacerbate the sort of international tensions the world saw in 1914 and 1939.

    And with limited resources left to exploit, it’s becoming harder for capital to sustain itself, even as it seeks to wrest whatever is left from our planet, the realities of environmental catastrophe be damned.

    Nationalism, meanwhile, won’t foster a sense of national unity. It will only deepen existing divisions based on race and class. And if history is any guide, the consequences could be even more dire this time around, even pushing the world toward a global conflict unlike anything seen before.

    Eric Strikwerda 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. Stuck in the past: Trump tariffs and other policies are dragging the U.S. back to the 19th century – https://theconversation.com/stuck-in-the-past-trump-tariffs-and-other-policies-are-dragging-the-u-s-back-to-the-19th-century-253106

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Amid Record High Killing of Humanitarian Workers, Speakers Implore Security Council to Ensure Accountability for Attacks on Personnel in Conflict Zones

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    What is the Council going to do to ensure accountability for the killing of aid workers and to prevent more such deaths, a senior United Nations humanitarian official asked the 15-member body today, as she detailed the unprecedented attacks that such workers face in conflict zones around the world.

    Joyce Msuya, Assistant-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, noting the record number of humanitarian workers killed in 2024 — 377 across 20 countries — said many more were injured, kidnapped, and arbitrarily detained.  “Being shot at should not be part of the job,” she emphasized. 

    In Sudan, at least 84 humanitarian workers, all Sudanese nationals, have been killed since the current conflict began in 2023.  Three days ago, the bodies of 15 emergency aid workers were recovered from a mass grave in Rafah — killed several days earlier by Israeli forces while trying to save lives.  “Gaza is the most dangerous place for humanitarians ever”, she said — a statement echoed several times in the ensuing discussion.  More than 408 aid workers were killed there, since 7 October 2023.  

    There is no shortage of robust international legal frameworks to tackle this, she added — “what is lacking is the political will to comply.”   Almost 95 per cent of those killed are local aid workers; but the killing of a local aid worker receives 500 times less media coverage than that of an international staff member.  She also highlighted the challenge posed by disinformation and misinformation campaigns targeting aid organizations. 

    Respect for International Law Is Critical 

    Highlighting three asks, she called on the Council to ensure respect for international law and protect humanitarian workers.  Secondly, “speak out”, she said, adding that “silence, inconsistency and selective outrage is emboldening perpetrators”.  Finally, accountability is crucial, she stressed, adding that the Council must ask concerned Governments to pursue justice, and when national jurisdictions fail it must use international mechanisms.

    Gilles Michaud, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, recalled that he had previously urged the Council to “translate words of support for the protection of humanitarian and United Nations personnel into meaningful action”.  At the time, he also called on Member States to join the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.  “Since that briefing, I regret to inform you that progress has been elusive,” he said.

    In Gaza, the breakdown of the ceasefire has been “particularly brutal”, he emphasized, noting, among others, the direct attack on a clearly identified UN building on 19 March.  On 23 March, a worker of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and other humanitarian staff were killed while providing life-saving assistance — “their bodies left for days before they could be retrieved”, he noted. 

    “Impunity for attacks on humanitarian personnel have become the ‘new normal’,” he said.  Such attacks are perpetrated by non-State actors and Governments alike and, while the motives vary, he stressed:  “But, above all, they do it because they can get away with it.” 

    Closure of Vital Services Due to ‘Criminalization of Aid’ 

    “Through the eyes of a humanitarian, the world is a volatile place,” Nic Lee, Executive Director of the International NGO Safety Organisation told the Council.  On average, at least one aid worker is abducted, injured or killed every day.  Nationally and locally recruited personnel are particularly vulnerable and the international response to their death is lacking.  Violence at the hands of non-State armed groups continues to remain prevalent, with the most common incidents occurring in West and Central Africa. Further, the “criminalization of aid” amid an “explosive growth” in NGO restrictions has led to the closure of vital services for populations in dire need, he said.

    The Council must do more to facilitate diplomatic engagement on humanitarian issues, protect the humanitarian space and “challenge the worrying trend of criminalization of aid”, he said. “The fact is that violence against aid workers is more commonly linked to their identity as civilians than as aid workers,” he added.  The Council must address the double standards of Member States who continue to support those responsible for civilian and aid worker deaths alike. 

    Patterns of Violence Extend Across Multiple Conflict Zones

    When the floor opened, Council members reaffirmed that it is unacceptable to target humanitarian workers and highlighted the frontlines where they are in danger.  The representative of Slovenia recalled the words of the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who addressed the Council in September 2024:  “One conflict informs the other, boundaries are pushed into the zone of the acceptable, and more human suffering follows.” 

    “The pattern of violence against humanitarian workers extends across multiple conflict zones,” Somalia’s delegate said, noting that in Sudan, over 100 aid workers have been killed since April 2023, while Ukraine has lost 23 brave souls, and in Gaza, 399 humanitarian personnel, including 289 UN staff members, paid the ultimate price.  Eight of the aid workers whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave in Rafah recently, he noted, were Red Crescent medics still wearing their protective gear.  This is a “stark violation of every principle we hold sacred”, he said. 

    In Gaza UN Workers Systematically Suppressed, Aid Workers Attacked

    Algeria’s delegate noted that the bodies were buried near destroyed ambulances — they were assassinated by Israeli occupying forces while attempting to save lives.  They deserve justice, he said, stressing that attacks directed at humanitarian personnel, their premises and assets are considered war crimes under international law.  The fact that these basic principles do not seem to apply to the Israeli occupying Power calls into question the relevance of international humanitarian law and the Security Council itself, he said.  Also stressing the need for accountability, China’s delegate stressed the role of UNRWA in Gaza, noting that it has been systematically suppressed and its humanitarian workers attacked. 

    The representative of the United Kingdom noted the one-year anniversary of the attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza, which killed seven aid workers, including three British citizens, and called for the conclusion of the Military Advocate General’s consideration of the incident, including determining whether criminal proceedings should be initiated. 

    In Gaza, the representative of the United States said, “Hamas has cynically misused civilian infrastructure to shield themselves” causing “civilians to be caught in the crossfire”.  He expressed concern about the surge in civilian deaths in Sudan, the constraints faced by humanitarians in South Sudan and the devastating effects of the Russian Federation’s war on Ukraine on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Further, “we condemn the Houthis’ sham so-called judicial proceedings against detainees,” he said, expressing concern about the humanitarian and diplomatic personnel detained by the Houthis. 

    In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone’s delegate said, civilians are caught in the crossfire of armed group activity, while in Haiti, violence from armed gangs has engulfed urban centers, displaced thousands and left civilians at the mercy of lawlessness.  In Ukraine, the Russian Federation uses “cruel double-tap strikes” to target first responders, Denmark’s delegate pointed out.

    The Republic of Korea’s delegate noted that in Sudan, warring parties spread false narratives accusing the Sudan Emergency Response Room of collaborating with their enemies, thereby justifying the denial of humanitarian access and leaving millions in urgent need.  He called upon all States to consider sanctioning those responsible for disseminating unverified and libelous content.  Last year – the deadliest on record for humanitarian workers – also saw the adoption of Council resolution 2730 (2024), he recalled.

    Calls for Stronger Action to Implement Council Resolution 2730 (2024)

    The representative of Switzerland, who presented that text to the Council during the country’s tenure as a non-permanent member, stressed the importance of implementing it and guaranteeing unimpeded humanitarian access.  Several speakers reaffirmed support for that text, including the representative of Greece.  France’s delegate, Council President for April, speaking in his national capacity, echoed the call for justice and said that each time violations occur, the Council has to “speak out, it must react”.  Panama’s delegate said the text “set us on the right track, and it remains fully relevant.” 

    Pakistan’s delegate urged the creation of a “global implementation dashboard” for that resolution — it should provide real-time public tracking of violations, investigations and their outcomes “for everyone to see and follow”. The escalating attacks on humanitarian personnel are not just isolated incidents — “they reflect a growing disregard for international norms,” he said, adding that it is unacceptable that those who work to provide “dignity amidst displacement” are met “not with gratitude, but with gunfire”. 

    Guyana’s delegate expressed support for the Secretary-General’s recommendation for the Council to systematically request the concerned State authorities to conduct prompt, independent and effective investigations into incidents and to report to the Council about the outcomes of these investigations, including on measures to prevent reoccurrence.  The Council must also consider referrals to the International Criminal Court or other international tribunals where State authorities prove unable or unwilling to act, she said.

    “What new instruments can we talk about if the Security Council or the General Assembly of the United Nations are unable to enforce previous ones which remain fully relevant?” asked the Russian Federation’s delegate.  Current international obligations are more than sufficient, he said, calling for more scrupulous compliance.  His delegation abstained from voting on Council resolution 2730 (2024) because it contained some language “which is not fully accurate” and may result in distorted interpretation, he said.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: Nokia completes the share buyback program launched in November 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Nokia Corporation
    Stock Exchange Release
    2 April 2025 at 22:45 EEST

    Nokia completes the share buyback program launched in November 2024

    Espoo, Finland – Nokia Corporation (“Nokia” or the “Company”) has now completed the share buyback program announced on 22 November 2024 the purpose of which was to offset the dilutive effect of the Infinera acquisition. Between 25 November 2024 and 2 April 2025, Nokia repurchased 150,000,000 of its own shares (FI0009000681) at an average price per share of approximately EUR 4.69.

    Nokia expects to cancel the acquired shares in April 2025.

    The repurchases under the share buyback program reduced the Company’s unrestricted equity by approximately EUR 703 million. Nokia Corporation now holds a total of 220,509,131 treasury shares.

    The repurchases were executed otherwise than in proportion to the existing shareholdings of Nokia’s shareholders (directed repurchases) through public trading on the regulated market of Nasdaq Helsinki and selected multilateral trading facilities.

    About Nokia
    At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

    As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.

    With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

    Inquiries:

    Nokia Communications
    Phone: +358 10 448 4900
    Email: press.services@nokia.com
    Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications

    Nokia
    Investor Relations
    Phone: +358 931 580 507
    Email: investor.relations@nokia.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 02.04.2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Nokia Corporation
    Stock Exchange Release
    2 April 2025 at 22:30 EEST

    Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 02.04.2025

    Espoo, Finland – On 2 April 2025 Nokia Corporation (LEI: 549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06) has acquired its own shares (ISIN FI0009000681) as follows:                

    Trading venue (MIC Code) Number of shares Weighted average price / share, EUR*
    XHEL 1,729,256 4.94
    CEUX 1,007,408 4.93
    BATE – –
    AQEU 140,853 4.93
    TQEX 129,103 4.93
    Total 3,006,620 4.93

    * Rounded to two decimals

    On 22 November 2024, Nokia announced that its Board of Directors is initiating a share buyback program to offset the dilutive effect of new Nokia shares issued to the shareholders of Infinera Corporation and certain Infinera Corporation share-based incentives. The repurchases in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR), the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 and under the authorization granted by Nokia’s Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024 started on 25 November 2024 and end by 31 December 2025 and target to repurchase 150 million shares for a maximum aggregate purchase price of EUR 900 million.

    Total cost of transactions executed on 2 April 2025 was EUR 14,834,663. After the disclosed transactions, Nokia Corporation holds 220,509,131 treasury shares.

    Details of transactions are included as an appendix to this announcement.

    On behalf of Nokia Corporation

    BofA Securities Europe SA

    About Nokia
    At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

    As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.

    With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

    Inquiries:

    Nokia Communications
    Phone: +358 10 448 4900
    Email: press.services@nokia.com
    Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications

    Nokia Investor Relations
    Phone: +358 931 580 507
    Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: NSDC, under the aegis of MSDE, has certified 22,455 candidates in the past three years for international mobility

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 5:57PM by PIB Delhi

    The Union Government has been working towards establishing institutional mechanisms to foster the global mobility of Indian workers as well as students, academicians, researches, business persons etc. The Government has been proactively furthering the mobility for Indian workforce through diverse MoUs/agreements such as, Migration and Mobility Partnerships, Labour mobility and Labour Welfare Agreements, Skill Development and Vocational Education and Training with destination countries, which establish a robust framework for legal migration.

    These agreements/MoUs seek to enhance global employment opportunities for Indian workers while protecting their labour rights, preventing irregular migration and supporting skill development.

    National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the aegis of MSDE, has trained a total of 23,254 candidates and certified 22,455 in the past 3 years (2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25) for international mobility.

    Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has MoUs or Memoranda of Cooperation (MoCs) with seven countries, namely, Australia, Denmark, Japan, Germany, Qatar, Singapore and UAE, for cooperation in skill development and Vocational Education and Training. Focused on increased opportunities for Indian workforce, both domestic and global, these agreements facilitate technical exchanges, collaborative training programs, qualification recognition, and the sharing of best practices.

    Further, with the efforts of MSDE, the New Delhi Leaders Declaration accepted by the leaders of G20 made a commitment towards developing an international reference classification of occupations by skills and qualification requirements to facilitate cross-country comparability and mutual recognition of skills and qualifications. The International Labour Organization (ILO) will be the agency undertaking this study.

    It is the constant endeavour of MSDE to engage with different countries and facilitate gainful employment opportunities to the youth of the country. Accordingly, NSDC, under the aegis of MSDE, has undertaken a study of following 16 countries to understand their skill requirements:

    Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Germany, Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Sweden, United States of America, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.

    Additionally, in line with the Budget announcement for the fiscal year 2023-24, MSDE has proposed establishment of 30 Skill India International Centres (SIICs) across various states. The SIICs are envisioned as centralized hubs for individuals seeking employment abroad. The overarching goal of SIICs is to establish a ‘Trusted Workforce Supply Chain’ ensuring fair and transparent skilled mobility from India. Currently, two SIICs have been established, one in Varanasi and another at SDI, Bhubaneswar and further 05 centres have been approved by Project Steering Committee (PSC).

    This information was given by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on April 02, 2025.

    ****

    Manish Gautam/Divyanshu Kumar

    (Release ID: 2117907) Visitor Counter : 86

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Response to the entry into force of the EES in the second half of 2025 in view of the lack of detail regarding the forms and the possible shortage of materials – E-001258/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001258/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Borja Giménez Larraz (PPE)

    The Entry and Exit System (EES), the new registration system for travellers from outside the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or Liechtenstein admitted for a short stay (up to 90 days within any 180-day period), comes into force in the second half of 2025.

    To date, the Commission has not communicated the exact procedure or the forms to be used. As a result, the Member States – especially Spain – do not have the logistical arrangements in place for the collection of this data, such as biometric checks.

    Given the high number of non-EU tourists visiting certain regions of the EU – such as southern Spain – particularly British visitors (with Málaga alone welcoming three million UK tourists annually, or 2 300 per hour):

    • 1.Has the European Commission prepared any contingency plans in case the entry into force of the EES causes disruptions to the European Union’s infrastructure and at the ports of entry?

    Submitted: 26.3.2025

    Last updated: 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Toxic waste water from chemical tankers released into the Baltic Sea – E-001265/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001265/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Maria Ohisalo (Verts/ALE)

    Chemical tankers are discarding cancer-causing waste water into the Baltic Sea. When chemical tankers’ tanks are washed at sea, chemicals such as tall oil, styrene and benzene[1] are spilled into the sea.

    For instance, the company Borealis Polymer[2] admits to releasing chemicals such as benzene into the Baltic Sea when washing its tanks relatively close to coastal settlements near Porvoo, Finland. Benzene can cause cancer, mutations and is toxic to aquatic organisms, including fish.

    Despite the high environmental and health risks, this practice remains legal.

    • 1.What action is the Commission taking to ensure that chemical tankers adhere to stricter environmental regulations regarding chemical discharge into the ocean?
    • 2.What other measures is the Commission taking to address the issue of chemicals being released into the ocean?

    Submitted: 26.3.2025

    • [1] https://johnnurmisensaatio.fi/mita-teemme/hankkeet/kemikaalialushanke/.
    • [2] https://www.hs.fi/alueet/art-2000011062707.html.
    Last updated: 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan: Sexual violence used as weapon of terror against women and girls

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Women

    Amid alarming reports of sexual violence being used as a weapon of terror across Sudan, UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, is warning that over 12 million women and girls – and increasingly men and boys – are estimated to be at risk.

    It is nearly two years since the brutal war between the forces of the military government in Khartoum and the Rapid Support Forces militia erupted, sparking one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

    Human rights abuses have been committed on both sides and more than 30.4 million Sudanese require urgent assistance, with millions displaced, and tens of thousands killed. Nearly 25 million people face acute hunger.

    According to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, there have been increasing and alarming reports of sexual violence being used to terrorise civilians.

    Layla’s story

    In late 2024, in the northern state of Sudan, armed men forced their way into Layla’s* home in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, while she was alone with her children. “They arrested my son and took me to a separate car. I noticed they were looking at my daughter in a disturbing way – she’s 18 years old. Probably they took me away to keep her alone.”, she told UNFPA.

    Layla’s fears for her daughter were a precursor of what she would later confront at an overcrowded prison, where she was held for nearly three weeks.

    © UNFPA Sudan

    A woman, who has fled conflict in Sudan, washes clothes.

    ‘Unimaginable horrors’

    Recounting that they brought her son back and started beating him in front of her, Layla added that they interrogated her, accused her of being a spy and claimed that her husband was working for the army.

    Although the Sudanese army has recently retaken strategic areas of Khartoum, at that time opposition paramilitary forces were in control. Layla described being strip-searched, beaten and detained without charge.

    “I witnessed unimaginable horrors,” she said. “When the officers left, the soldiers would begin raping prisoners. They would take young women out into the yard, and all night long we would hear the screams of girls and women.”

    Over 12 million women and girls – and increasingly men and boys – are estimated to be at risk of assault, an 80 per cent increase from the previous year.

    A growing health crisis

    Since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, the situation has worsened dramatically, with almost 13 million people forcibly displaced – nearly one third of the population – and the health system all but obliterated.

    Across Sudan, UNFPA is providing reproductive health and protection services through 90 mobile health teams, more than 120 health facilities, and 51 safe spaces for survivors of sexual violence.

    This assistance includes clinical treatment and psychological counselling following rape, sexual abuse and assault, as well as referrals for legal assistance and awareness raising among communities of the risks of sexual violence, coercion and trafficking.

    At a UNFPA-supported safe space, Layla explained how she struggled to endure the ordeal in prison. “One day, a 16-year-old girl was brought back to the cell, bleeding heavily,” she recalled. “She came to me, hugged me, and we cried together for an entire day.”

    © UNFPA Sudan

    UNFPA is providing reproductive health and protection services in dozens of locations in Sudan.

    After nine days in prison, Layla stopped eating and drinking, hoping to die instead of being raped as well. Eventually becoming very sick, Layla was released.

    Although Layla and the young survivor were able to find physical and mental health support through the safe space, they are not among the majority.

    According to UNFPA, there have been more than 540 attacks on health facilities reported over the last two years, supplies and equipment are frequently looted, and health workers, patients and ambulances are targeted with violence and intimidation.

    ‘No longer safe havens’

    Maha Mahmoud, a social worker at a UNFPA-supported safe space in Dongola in Northern State, said health facilities are no longer safe havens.

    “I was informed that a young woman had been raped at a maternity hospital,” she told UNFPA. “She’s 18, divorced with one daughter and had been living with her family when opposition forces entered her area. They took her, along with many other women, and raped them.”

    “She lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself surrounded by other girls, all of whom had also been raped. They were then left in the street.”

    The woman would later discover she was pregnant. “She made her way to the safe space, where we provided her with psychological support and all the necessary medical care,” said Ms. Mahmoud, adding that the woman and her baby are slowly recovering. “Since then, we have continued to help her cope with the trauma.”

    Listen to an interview with UNFPA’s Representative ad interim in the country, Argentina Matavel Piccin: 

    Soundcloud

    Urgent appeal

    UNFPA is calling for $119.6 million for its work in Sudan and a further $26 million to assist refugees in the country. In the northern state, UNFPA’s sexual and reproductive health programmes and safe spaces operate with funding from Canada, the European Union, Japan, Norway and Sweden.

    Yet unprecedented funding cuts by many leading donors are throwing into jeopardy the health and lives of hundreds of thousands of women and girls.

    The United States has been a crucial supporter of the people of Sudan, but recent funding cuts will leave some 250,000 women without reproductive health services.

    Training for frontline medical workers has also been halted, and 10,000 women will lose access to safe spaces that provide medical, legal, and psychosocial support.

    * Name changed for privacy and protection.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to observational study about screentime, sleep and depression in adolescents

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    An observational study published in PLOS Global Mental Health looks at screentime, sleep and depression in adolescents. 

    Prof Ben Carter, Professor of Medical Statistics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London, said:

    “The authors have used a pre-registered and hypothesis testing approach taking data from a previous randomised control trial which included 4810 Swedish adolescents from 55 schools aged 12 to 16. In this well set up secondary analysis where the authors apply causal inference to an observational cohort study, they found that in girls screentime displaced sleep and was associated with increased symptoms of depression over a nine-month period.

    “Sleep in the development of adolescents is essential. This study offers biologically plausible data that demonstrates the evidence for widely held views of the impact of displacement of screens and the impact on sleep and symptoms of depression. The authors show that typical screentime in this cohort was in excess of Sweden’s recommended maximum of two to three hours per day. This work supports the introduction of public health leadership and introduction of national recommendations on smartphone use during school evenings for children and adolescents. This would likely lead to collective action to empower parents and help adolescents improve their sleep and prevent daytime sleepiness.

    “Weaknesses include that screentime was defined as leisure time on the internet and they were not able to differentiate between the type of screen used and self-reported. The strengths of this work include that the participants were a sample of typical 12- to 16-year-olds from Europe, they applied causal inference with a directed acyclic graph to explain the causal pathways with a pre-registered a priori hypothesis.”

     

    Prof Chris Ferguson, Professor of Psychology, Stetson University, said:

    “Overall, I don’t find this article to be an impressive addition to our understanding of screen time.  The measures of screen time appear to be self-report, a method known for its unreliability.  The questions are crude and not validated, and likely to prompt hypothesis guessing among participants that could result in false positive results.  There appear to be no proper statistical controls for theoretically relevant variables such as family environment, which might have explained any correlation.  Nonetheless, the results from this study are remarkably weak.  There is no correlation between screen time and depression which would seem to be important as findings go, given how much angst there is about that topic.  Though billed as “longitudinal” the lag between the first and second time frames is probably too short to be meaningful.  Associations between screen time and sleep were weak, overall.  In conclusion, the data are correlational, not causal, of weak or (in the case of depression) null effects.  Unfortunately, the authors also use causal language, which is inappropriate for any correlation design, including longitudinal, particularly given the lack of appropriate statistical controls.  Ultimately, this study tells us very little about adolescent screen time, sleep, depression or anything else. With these limitations, I’d worry about making any firm conclusions which could concern parents or carers about screen use in adolescents without the evidence to back it up.”

    ‘Adolescents’ screen time displaces multiple sleep pathways and elevates depressive symptoms over twelve months’ by Sebastian Hökby et al. was published in PLOS Global Mental Health at 19:00 UK time April 2nd April. 

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0004262

    Declared interests

    Prof Ben Carter: No declarations.

    Prof Chris Ferguson: No declarations

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Five ways to improve net zero action – our new research highlights lessons from the past

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Karen Bickerstaff, Professor in Human Geography, University of Exeter

    Cycling is not only a way to reduce carbon emissions, it also has huge health benefits. LeManna/Shutterstock

    The current UK government and its recent predecessors have shown a reluctance to encourage and enable lifestyle changes that reduce our collective demand for energy.

    Fearing a backlash from voters, many UK politicians neglect key weapons in the fight to mitigate climate change. These include directing investment away from building roads to public transport, establishing reliable infrastructure for the charging and repair of electric vehicles, and making reduction of car travel a key priority for urban planners.

    As researchers focusing on how to accelerate climate action, we argue that shying away from changing the way we live is counterproductive. Conflict and disagreement are part of social change, but there are positive ways forward.

    The problems and, critically, the solutions have overwhelmingly been presented by UK governments as technological. But many of these technologies are still only in development.

    Practical use of nuclear fusion (the energy-generating mechanism that powers the sun), for example, has long been spoken of as “30 years away”. The efficacy of direct air capture (a set of technologies that extract CO₂ directly from the atmosphere) remains a matter of conjecture.

    Meanwhile, demand reduction and lifestyle changes – solutions we know make a difference – are being left in the background.

    In the run-up to the 2024 UK general election, we conducted a survey of almost 3,000 UK citizens – of which just over half (51%) expressed support for a net zero carbon emissions target. Given the apparent indifference or outright opposition of a substantial proportion of voters, it is not surprising that politicians seek to minimise objections to net zero policy by downplaying any suggestion of personal disruption.

    Our survey also asked about people’s willingness to make specific lifestyle changes (to home energy, diet and travel) for climate reasons. On average, 43% were already acting or firmly planning to do so. Another 28% said they might be prepared to make such changes in the future.

    Willingness to make climate-related lifestyle changes:

    This ties in with other research which indicates that people are open to significant changes in their lifestyle to support net zero, if the conditions are right. So, how can this potential for change be realised?

    The answer, we argue, lies in the recent past. Over the last year, as part of a social science taskforce on net zero, we looked back at a diverse range of case studies of societal change to draw lessons for future policy. We now propose that five key steps are needed for effective net zero action.

    1. Galvanise people

    When seeking to build support for contentious change, it is vital to identify issues that can galvanise people. These will often relate to other (non-net zero) benefits. For instance, “school streets” projects have been successful, where other traffic reduction policies have failed, because they emphasise the benefits to the health and wellbeing of children.

    Similarly, the rapid switch from coal heating to gas central heating in the 1960s and ’70s was partly connected to a popular movement for cleaner, “decent” homes.

    Identifying issues that unify people can galvanise support from local communities.
    Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

    2. Focus on fairness

    In our survey, just 37% of people saw a fairer society as a likely outcome of net zero actions, while 63% identified individual finances as a major challenge to achieving net zero. Regulation needs to establish a close connection between net zero measures and equity, so that no groups are unfairly burdened or advantaged. This requires an honest discussion about downsides and trade-offs.

    Measures that focus on cheaper bills, affordable devices, accessible transport and the alleviation of fuel poverty will build optimism. In the successful Danish transition to district heating from the mid-1970s, ensuring affordable and reliable energy was vital in gaining support, as was giving residents a say in decision-making.

    3. Make the policy process relatable

    We noticed that survey participants expressed a lot of cynicism and uncertainty about government action on net zero. Nearly half (46%) doubted that the net zero target was achievable, while most people (62%) had serious concerns about vested interests, under-resourced local authorities (59%), and a lack of government investment in infrastructure (59%).

    People also feel disconnected from decision-making. Many said they had little or no influence on climate policy (59%), and felt there was a lack of power in communities (51%).

    Local authorities, businesses, community groups and other third-sector organisations can help bridge these gaps between national government and everyday life. They should play a key role delivering net zero policies that fit with local needs and issues.

    When Denmark switched to district heating, the delegation of powers to municipal authorities was crucial in supporting community ownership models and empowering residents and community groups. Properly resourced local climate commissions – town- and city-wide groups that bring together local organisations and businesses – can provide an independent, trusted voice to help drive climate action at a local level.

    4. Listen to other people

    People need the chance to listen to and engage with each other. If they doubt their opinions and concerns are recognised, or if their worries are viewed as nothing more than obstacles, conflict becomes more likely.

    Proper dialogue through collaborations like climate citizens’ assemblies can improve understanding of different positions, aspirations and capabilities. Once legitimate concerns and unintended consequences have been identified, potential solutions can be explored.

    There is certainly support for this more interactive approach: 40% of people in our survey felt that affected communities should have a considerable influence on climate policies, alongside local authorities (40%) and elected MPs (42%).

    Without these ongoing conversations, projects can fail. A Dutch carbon capture and storage project, using a depleted gas field under the town of Barendrecht to store CO₂ from a nearby refinery, was cancelled in 2010 following intense local opposition. The government and industry had failed to get public engagement right from the start.

    5. Accept some opposition

    Change to net zero is going to be difficult, and no step the UK government takes will completely eliminate the possibility of disruption and conflict. In our survey, nearly a quarter of respondents were opposed to the UK net zero target. So, politicians need to be more robust and interventionist in making a positive case for net zero, recognising that not everyone is going to agree.

    However, there are grounds to be optimistic that action itself may help unlock support for net zero. Research that has followed school streets projects, for example, shows that once schemes are in place, support among residents and parents increases when anticipated problems (such as traffic displacement) do not materialise – and when the benefits, in terms of children walking and cycling more, become clear.


    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Karen Bickerstaff receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust and ESRC.

    Alice Moseley receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council

    Patrick Devine-Wright receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

    – ref. Five ways to improve net zero action – our new research highlights lessons from the past – https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-improve-net-zero-action-our-new-research-highlights-lessons-from-the-past-244195

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: France holds the presidency of the UN Security Council during the month of April 2025

    Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

    Today, April 1, 2025, France takes over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for a period of one month.

    The Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and, as a permanent member, France is committed to working with its partners to enable it to respond to current challenges and conflicts.

    France succeeds Denmark, which effectively assumed the presidency of the UNSC last month, and precedes Greece, which will take up this function in May, and the French presidency of the Council is therefore at the heart of a “European quarter” of the presidency of the Security Council, through which we mark, together, our commitment to effective multilateralism and respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

    In the face of current challenges, the guiding principle of our presidency will be to make multilateral dialogue prevail over power relations.

    The war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine since February 2022, in defiance of the most fundamental principles of international law, will be at the heart of our mobilization, and France will continue its efforts in favour of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

    The situation in the Middle East will be the subject of a ministerial meeting at the end of the month, chaired by the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, to which international and regional partners will be invited, which will illustrate France’s commitment to peace in that region, and will be part of the preparations for the international conference on the two-state solution co-organised in New York by France and Saudi Arabia.

    Given the seriousness of the ongoing conflicts, France will pay particular attention to the situation in the Great Lakes, those in Sudan and South Sudan, as well as in Haiti.

    The French presidency will also be at the initiative with meetings devoted to peacekeeping operations and the protection of humanitarian workers, two strong commitments to support those who, on the ground, provide assistance to vulnerable populations, and to ensure effective multilateralism, France will continue to demonstrate its commitment to the reform of the Security Council in order to improve its representativeness.

    Throughout its presidency, France will have as its sole compass its commitment to multilateralism, the United Nations system and respect for international law for the maintenance of international peace and security.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting of 17 and 18 March 2025

    Source: Central Bank of Iceland

    In ac­cord­ance with the Mon­et­ary Policy Com­mit­tee Rules of Pro­ced­ure, the minutes of the Com­mit­tee’s most re­cent meet­ing have been pub­lished on the Bank’s web­site. The minutes are pub­lished two weeks after the an­nounce­ment of the Com­mit­tee‘s de­cision.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Convening of the Annual General Meeting of Euronext N.V.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Convening of the Annual General Meeting of Euronext N.V.

    Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo and Paris – 2 April 2025 – Euronext today announced that the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) will take place on Thursday 15 May 2025 at 10.30 CEST at Beursplein 5, 1012 JW Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

    The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

    1.   Opening
    2.   Presentation by the Chief Executive Officer (discussion item)
    3.   Annual Report 2024
    a)   Explanation of the policy on additions to reserves and dividends (discussion item)
    b)   Proposal to adopt the 2024 remuneration report (voting item 1)
    c)   Proposal to adopt the 2024 financial statements (voting item 2)
    d)   Proposal to adopt a dividend of € 2.90 per ordinary share (voting item 3)
    e)   Proposal to discharge the members of the Managing Board in respect of their duties performed during the year 2024 (voting item 4)
    f)   Proposal to discharge the members of the Supervisory Board in respect of their duties performed during the year 2024 (voting item 5)
    4.   Composition of the Supervisory Board
    a)   Re-appointment of Piero Novelli as a member of the Supervisory Board (voting item 6)
    b)   Re-appointment of Olivier Sichel as a member of the Supervisory Board (voting item 7)
    c)   Appointment of Francesca Scaglia as a member of the Supervisory Board (voting item 8)
    5.   Composition of the Managing Board
    a)   Re-appointment of Delphine d’Amarzit as a member of the Managing Board (voting item 9)
    b)   Appointment of René van Vlerken as a member of the Managing Board (voting item 10)
    6.   Proposal to amend the remuneration policy with regard to the Managing Board (voting item 11)
    7.   Proposal to amend the remuneration policy with regard to the Supervisory Board (voting item 12)
    8.   Proposal to appoint the external auditor (voting item 13)
    9.   Proposal regarding cancellation of the company’s own shares purchased by the company under the share repurchase program (voting item 14)
    10.   Proposal to designate the Managing Board as the competent body:
    a)   to issue ordinary shares (voting item 15); and
    b)   to restrict or exclude the pre-emptive rights of shareholders (voting item 16)
    11.   Proposal to authorise the Managing Board to acquire ordinary shares in the share capital of the company on behalf of the company (voting item 17)
    12.   Proposal to authorise the Supervisory Board or Managing Board (subject to approval of the Supervisory Board) to grant rights to French beneficiaries to receive shares in accordance with Articles L225-197-1 and seq. of the French Code of commerce (voting item 18)
    13.   Any other business
    14.   Close

    The AGM will be conducted in English.

    Registration date AGM

    Pursuant to Dutch law and Euronext N.V.’s Articles of Association, the persons who will be considered as entitled to attend and vote at the AGM are those persons who are registered as such in the administrations held by their financial intermediaries (the “Shareholders”) on 17 April 2025, after processing of all settlements on that date (the “Registration Date”).

    Registration and voting instructions

    Shareholders holding their shares through Euronext Securities Milan (i.e. the public) who wish to attend the AGM, provide instructions or grant a power of attorney to vote on their behalf, must complete the form (voting form / attendance card request) provided for this purpose by their financial intermediary or by Euronext Securities Department – Uptevia. The Shareholders should be aware that these documents must be received, no later than on Thursday 8 May 2025 by their financial intermediary for receipt no later than on Friday 9 May 2025 by Uptevia, Assemblées Générales, 90-110 Esplanade du Général de Gaulle 92931 Paris La Défense Cedex, France. The financial intermediary should deliver to the Shareholder a certificate of holding containing: name and city of residence of the Shareholder; number of shares; name and city of residence of the attendee (if different from the Shareholder) and declaration that the shares were in custody with the Euroclear France-admitted institution on the Registration Date. This certificate will serve as the admission certificate for the AGM for the Shareholder.

    Shareholders holding their shares through Euronext Securities Porto in Portugal who wish to attend the AGM, provide instructions or grant a power of attorney to vote on their behalf, must complete the form (voting form / attendance card request) provided for this purpose by Euronext Securities Department – Uptevia Corporate Trust. The Shareholders should be aware that these documents must be received, no later than on Thursday 8 May 2025 by their financial intermediary for receipt no later than on Friday 9 May 2025 by BNP Paribas Securities Services, PT Local Team, Edificio ART’S – Av. D. Joao II – Lote 1.18.01, Bloco B, 1998-028 Lisboa, Portugal. The financial intermediary should deliver to the Shareholder a certificate of holding containing: name and city of residence of the Shareholder; number of shares on the Registration Date; name and city of residence of the attendee (if different from the Shareholder). This certificate will serve as admission certificate for the AGM for the Shareholder.

    Persons without a valid admission certificate will not be given access to the meeting. Attendants may be asked for identification prior to being admitted.

    At the time of the publication of this convening notice, Euronext’s total issued share capital in number of issued shares and in voting rights is published on Euronext’s website:
    https://www.euronext.com/en/investor-relations/capital-and-shareholding

    Webcast

    There will be a live broadcast of the AGM via
    https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/euronextwebcast/20250515_1/

    AGM Documentation

    The AGM Documentation (i.e. this convening notice, the agenda and the explanatory notes thereto including the information on the persons to be appointed to the Supervisory Board and the Managing Board, as well as the 2024 Annual Report) is available:

    • at the registered office of Euronext N.V.: Beursplein 5, 1012 JW Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    • by email request to EuronextCorporateSecretary@euronext.com
    • on Euronext’s website https://www.euronext.com/en/investor-relations/shareholder-meetings
    • at Uptevia – Assemblées Générales – 90-110 Esplanade du Général de Gaulle 92931 Paris La Défense Cedex, France – + 33 1 57 43 02 30

    Managing Board and Supervisory Board of Euronext N.V.
    Beursplein 5, 1012 JW Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Registered at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, under number 60234520

    CONTACTS  

    ANALYSTS & INVESTORS – ir@euronext.com

    Investor Relations        Aurélie Cohen                 

            Judith Stein        +33 6 15 23 91 97          

    MEDIA – mediateam@euronext.com 

    Europe        Aurélie Cohen         +33 1 70 48 24 45   

            Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13 

    Belgium        Marianne Aalders         +32 26 20 15 01                 

    France, Corporate        Flavio Bornancin-Tomasella        +33 1 70 48 24 45                 

    Ireland        Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13                 

    Italy         Ester Russom         +39 02 72 42 67 56                 

    The Netherlands        Marianne Aalders         +31 20 721 41 33                 

    Norway         Cathrine Lorvik Segerlund        +47 41 69 59 10                 

    Portugal         Sandra Machado        +351 91 777 68 97                

    About Euronext  

    Euronext is the leading European capital market infrastructure, covering the entire capital markets value chain, from listing, trading, clearing, settlement and custody, to solutions for issuers and investors. Euronext runs MTS, one of Europe’s leading electronic fixed income trading markets, and Nord Pool, the European power market. Euronext also provides clearing and settlement services through Euronext Clearing and its Euronext Securities CSDs in Denmark, Italy, Norway and Portugal.

    As of December 2024, Euronext’s regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal host over 1,800 listed issuers with around €6 trillion in market capitalisation, a strong blue-chip franchise and the largest global centre for debt and fund listings. With a diverse domestic and international client base, Euronext handles 25% of European lit equity trading. Its products include equities, FX, ETFs, bonds, derivatives, commodities and indices.

    For the latest news, go to euronext.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

    Disclaimer

    This press release is for information purposes only: it is not a recommendation to engage in investment activities and is provided “as is”, without representation or warranty of any kind. While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the content, Euronext does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Euronext will not be held liable for any loss or damages of any nature ensuing from using, trusting or acting on information provided. No information set out or referred to in this publication may be regarded as creating any right or obligation. The creation of rights and obligations in respect of financial products that are traded on the exchanges operated by Euronext’s subsidiaries shall depend solely on the applicable rules of the market operator. All proprietary rights and interest in or connected with this publication shall vest in Euronext. This press release speaks only as of this date. Euronext refers to Euronext N.V. and its affiliates. Information regarding trademarks and intellectual property rights of Euronext is available at www.euronext.com/terms-use.

    © 2025, Euronext N.V. – All rights reserved. 

    The Euronext Group processes your personal data in order to provide you with information about Euronext (the “Purpose”). With regard to the processing of this personal data, Euronext will comply with its obligations under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and Council of 27 April 2016 (General Data Protection Regulation, “GDPR”), and any applicable national laws, rules and regulations implementing the GDPR, as provided in its privacy statement available at: www.euronext.com/privacy-policy. In accordance with the applicable legislation you have rights with regard to the processing of your personal data: for more information on your rights, please refer to: www.euronext.com/data_subjects_rights_request_information. To make a request regarding the processing of your data or to unsubscribe from this press release service, please use our data subject request form at connect2.euronext.com/form/data-subjects-rights-request or email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@euronext.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Euronext publishes its detailed dividend payment schedule for 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Euronext publishes its detailed dividend payment schedule for 2025        

    Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo and Paris – 2 April 2025 – In line with the dividend distribution policy of Euronext, it is proposed to distribute 50% of 2024 reported net profit. As a consequence and subject to approval of shareholders at the Company’s Annual General Meeting to be held on 15 May 2025, the annual gross dividend on the 2024 results to be paid in 2025 amounts to €292.8 million, corresponding to a dividend per share of €2.90 (based on the total number of eligible shares).

    Payment of the annual dividend will occur as follows:

    Ex-dividend date: 26 May 2025

    Record date: 27 May 2025

    Payment date: 28 May 2025

    CONTACTS 

    ANALYSTS & INVESTORS – ir@euronext.com

    Investor Relations        Aurélie Cohen                 

            Judith Stein        +33 6 15 23 91 97          

    MEDIA – mediateam@euronext.com 

    Europe        Aurélie Cohen         +33 1 70 48 24 45   

            Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13 

    Belgium        Marianne Aalders         +32 26 20 15 01                 

    France, Corporate        Flavio Bornancin-Tomasella        +33 1 70 48 24 45                 

    Ireland        Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13                 

    Italy         Ester Russom         +39 02 72 42 67 56                 

    The Netherlands        Marianne Aalders         +31 20 721 41 33                 

    Norway         Cathrine Lorvik Segerlund        +47 41 69 59 10                 

    Portugal         Sandra Machado        +351 91 777 68 97                                 

    About Euronext  

    Euronext is the leading European capital market infrastructure, covering the entire capital markets value chain, from listing, trading, clearing, settlement and custody, to solutions for issuers and investors. Euronext runs MTS, one of Europe’s leading electronic fixed income trading markets, and Nord Pool, the European power market. Euronext also provides clearing and settlement services through Euronext Clearing and its Euronext Securities CSDs in Denmark, Italy, Norway and Portugal.

    As of December 2024, Euronext’s regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal host over 1,800 listed issuers with around €6 trillion in market capitalisation, a strong blue-chip franchise and the largest global centre for debt and fund listings. With a diverse domestic and international client base, Euronext handles 25% of European lit equity trading. Its products include equities, FX, ETFs, bonds, derivatives, commodities and indices.

    For the latest news, go to euronext.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

    Disclaimer

    This press release is for information purposes only: it is not a recommendation to engage in investment activities and is provided “as is”, without representation or warranty of any kind. While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the content, Euronext does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Euronext will not be held liable for any loss or damages of any nature ensuing from using, trusting or acting on information provided. No information set out or referred to in this publication may be regarded as creating any right or obligation. The creation of rights and obligations in respect of financial products that are traded on the exchanges operated by Euronext’s subsidiaries shall depend solely on the applicable rules of the market operator. All proprietary rights and interest in or connected with this publication shall vest in Euronext. This press release speaks only as of this date. Euronext refers to Euronext N.V. and its affiliates. Information regarding trademarks and intellectual property rights of Euronext is available at www.euronext.com/terms-use.

    © 2025, Euronext N.V. – All rights reserved. 

    The Euronext Group processes your personal data in order to provide you with information about Euronext (the “Purpose”). With regard to the processing of this personal data, Euronext will comply with its obligations under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and Council of 27 April 2016 (General Data Protection Regulation, “GDPR”), and any applicable national laws, rules and regulations implementing the GDPR, as provided in its privacy statement available at: www.euronext.com/privacy-policy. In accordance with the applicable legislation you have rights with regard to the processing of your personal data: for more information on your rights, please refer to: www.euronext.com/data_subjects_rights_request_information. To make a request regarding the processing of your data or to unsubscribe from this press release service, please use our data subject request form at connect2.euronext.com/form/data-subjects-rights-request or email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@euronext.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: European Life Settlement Association Announces Date for the Secondary Life Markets Conference 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    London, UK, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The European Life Settlement Association (ELSA), the leading European industry group promoting and supporting the life settlement industry, has today announced the date for the 2025 edition of the Secondary Life Markets Conference (SLM 25).

    The European Life Settlement Association (ELSA)

    After the success of hosting the event in Stockholm, Sweden in 2024, the leading European life settlement conference heads to the offices of EY in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday, 15th September.

    As with previous editions of the conference, SLM 25 will provide cutting-edge insights into the prevailing challenges and opportunities that lay in front of the asset managers, investors and service providers in the life settlement industry via a series of panel discussions and presentations by industry leaders from both sides of the Atlantic.

    “We are delighted to be going to Zurich in September for the Secondary Life Markets Conference,” said Chris Wells, Executive Director at ELSA.

    “The positive feedback we received from taking the event to Stockholm last year, coupled with the significant presence our market has in Zurich and Switzerland more broadly, naturally led us to select Switzerland’s economic engine as the location for this year’s event. The ELSA executive looks forward to seeing both returning attendees, and new ones, in Zurich in September.”

    Alongside the announcement of the date and venue for SLM 25, ELSA is now taking suggestions for panel and presentation topics, and sponsorship opportunities are also available, so please contact Chris Wells at [email protected] for more information.

    The event website will be live before the end of April, when the super early bird ticket price will also be available. Bookmark https://secondarylifemarkets.com/ or visit https://elsa-sls.org/ to sign up to receive the ELSA newsletter, which includes conference updates, industry updates, and more.

    Secondary Life Markets Conference 2025

    About European Life Settlement Association

    Founded in 2009, the European Life Settlement Association (ELSA) is dedicated to promoting transparency through the collaborative development of industry standards and by providing accurate, authoritative information to investors, regulators and the media. ELSA represents both European-based asset managers and service providers in the life settlement market, and non-European firms that have European clients in the life settlement space.

    Press inquiries

    European Life Settlement Association
    https://elsa-sls.org/
    Christopher Wells
    admin@elsa-sls.org

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Trust Stamp Denmark Joins Mastercard Lighthouse MASSIV Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    COPENHAGEN, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Trust Stamp (Nasdaq: IDAI), the Privacy-First Identity Company™ has been selected as one of the five companies to join the competitive Mastercard Lighthouse MASSIV 2025 program. The initiative supports impact-driven technology companies addressing critical global challenges through strategic partnerships, and Trust Stamp’s selection for the program underscores its innovative, privacy-first identity solutions and its potential to drive meaningful social impact on a global scale.

    The Mastercard Lighthouse MASSIV program is a globally recognized platform that provides mentorship, networking opportunities, and strategic resources to companies that develop scalable and impactful technologies. By joining this program, Trust Stamp Denmark will collaborate with Mastercard and industry leaders to scale its impact and extend the reach of its privacy-first identity solutions. The company will focus on advancing financial inclusion, supporting humanitarian aid efforts, and enabling secure digital access for underserved communities. This partnership reinforces Trust Stamp Denmark’s commitment to ethical, privacy-focused identity solutions that drive financial inclusion and digital transformation on a global scale.

    Trust Stamp delivers privacy-first, interoperable identity solutions that empower underserved communities to securely access essential services without compromising personal data. By irreversibly converting biometrics into tokens using proprietary technology, Trust Stamp enhances fraud prevention, operational efficiency, and digital inclusion while ensuring the highest standards of security and privacy.

    “We are very excited to grow our engagement with Mastercard through the Lighthouse MASSIV program. Financial and societal inclusion is at the core of our Mission and by working with Mastercard we have the potential to improve the lives of tens of millions of people. By advocating for adaptable identity solutions and breaking vendor lock-in, we, together with partners in the MASSIV PROGRAM, can empower governments and organizations to implement sustainable and future-proof digital identity systems that prioritize universality, security, and privacy,” said Jonathan Patscheider, Vice President of Trust Stamp Denmark.

    Trust Stamp’s AI-powered identity solutions are designed to provide security and trust in digital transactions while preserving user privacy. As part of the Mastercard Lighthouse MASSIV program, Trust Stamp Denmark will collaborate with Mastercard and industry leaders to drive innovation in identity technology, creating sustainable and scalable solutions that empower individuals and organizations worldwide.

    For more information about Trust Stamp and its initiatives, visit www.truststamp.ai.

    Inquiries
    Trust Stamp                                                   Email: Shareholders@truststamp.ai

    Jonathan Patscheider

    Vice President, Trust Stamp Denmark         

    About Trust Stamp

    Trust Stamp is a global provider of AI-powered services for use in multiple sectors including banking and finance, regulatory compliance, government, healthcare, real estate, communications, and humanitarian services. Its technology empowers organizations via advanced solutions that reduce fraud, tokenize and secure data, securely authenticate users while protecting personal privacy, reduce friction in digital transactions, and increase operational efficiency, enabling customers to accelerate secure financial inclusion and reach and serve a broader base of users worldwide.

    With team members from twenty-two nationalities in eight countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, Trust Stamp trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market (Nasdaq: IDAI).

    Safe Harbor Statement: Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Remarks 

    All statements in this release that are not based on historical fact are “forward-looking statements” including within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The information in this announcement may contain forward-looking statements and information related to, among other things, the company, its business plan and strategy, and its industry. These statements reflect management’s current views with respect to future events-based information currently available and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The company does not undertake any obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after such date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UN Human Rights Council 58: UK Core Group Statement to Introduce Item 2 Resolution on South Sudan

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    UN Human Rights Council 58: UK Core Group Statement to Introduce Item 2 Resolution on South Sudan

    UK Core Group Statement to Introduce Item 2 Resolution on South Sudan. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Simon Manley.

    Thank you, Mr President.

    I am honoured to present, on behalf of a core group of Albania, Ireland, Norway and the UK, this draft resolution on Advancing Human Rights in South Sudan, which proposes to extend the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan for a further year.  

    We do so against a deeply alarming backdrop in South Sudan, with increased fighting in many parts of the country, and the recent arrest of First Vice President, Riek Machar.

    We call on President Kiir to reverse that action. And we urge South Sudan’s collective leadership to engage with regional efforts to de-escalate the situation, and work together to deliver the peaceful, just and prosperous future that South Sudan’s people deserve. A future that was set out in the 2018 Peace Agreement. 

    Mr President, it is clear that the Commission for Human Rights continues to play a critical role in delivering that future. The current events are a sobering reminder that the Commission’s monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation, and its support to accountability, remain as vital today as when it was first established by consensus in 2016.

    Let me also use this opportunity to praise the efforts of others also working tirelessly to improve the human rights situation in South Sudan, including the Office of the High Commissioner, and the UN Mission in South Sudan, headed by Special Representative Nicholas Haysom.

    Mr President,

    We regret that we have been again unable to reach consensus with South Sudan, and reach a single, consolidated text.

    However, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my colleague and friend, Ambassador Deng of South Sudan, for the ongoing, and constructive discussions that we have had, which have helped enrich this text. I would also like to welcome the continued cooperation by the government of South Sudan with the Commission in Juba.

    Mr President, 

    We note, as in previous years, South Sudan’s call for enhanced technical assistance.  We accordingly support draft resolution L.23 from the African Group. 

    Taken together, the two resolutions ensure a comprehensive and holistic approach to improving human rights, with technical assistance and capacity building continuing in addition to independent scrutiny of the human rights situation.

    We therefore urge the Council to adopt this draft resolution and extend the mandate of the Commission, and to vote in favour of the text, should a vote be called.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: From Greenland to the Blockchain: NORDO Meme Coin Turns Trump’s Arctic Ambition into Viral Political Satire

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NUUK, Greenland, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new crypto project is grabbing attention by mixing humor, politics, and polar bears. NORDO, a meme coin inspired by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s infamous 2019 proposal to “buy Greenland,” has transformed a real-world political controversy into a thriving meme-based movement on the blockchain.

    The Origin: A Political Gaffe Becomes a Meme

    In 2019, Trump publicly floated the idea of purchasing Greenland from Denmark. The suggestion sparked global ridicule and was firmly rejected by Danish and Greenlandic officials. Soon after, “Greenland is not for sale” became a viral meme.

    Now, in 2025, that meme has evolved into NORDO, a satirical crypto project built around a fictional conflict between Trump and a defiant polar bear protecting Greenland’s sovereignty and climate.

    What is NORDO?

    NORDO is more than a meme coin—it’s a platform for political commentary, digital creativity, and community-driven humor. The project uses storytelling and satire to highlight issues such as:

    • Climate change awareness
    • Political absurdity and internet culture
    • Decentralized community engagement
    • Memes as tools of activism and resistance

    Trump’s exaggerated persona and the image of a stoic polar bear defending the Arctic form the core of NORDO’s visual identity and meme ecosystem.

    Viral Growth and Online Movement

    NORDO has exploded across Twitter, TikTok, and Telegram, driven by a dedicated meme community. The project’s slogan, “Democracy has claws”, has become a viral catchphrase, often shared alongside satirical videos of Trump being outwitted or stopped by the arctic bear.

    NORDO’s official Twitter account @GreenlandBear, posts daily political memes, cold climate jokes, and social commentary wrapped in meme format, gaining attention from both crypto enthusiasts and casual meme lovers.

    Official Links

    Website: nordobear.com
    Twitter: @GreenlandBear
    Telegram: t.me/greenlandnordo

    Contact:
    Steven
    rarebear@nordo.wtf

    Disclaimer: This press release is provided by the NORDO. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.

    Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.
    Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6776fd94-5786-41ef-a1ba-7d8cbd524c0a

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: RAF to protect European skies on NATO’S eastern flank

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    RAF to protect European skies on NATO’S eastern flank

    UK jets will protect the skies of NATO’s eastern flank once again, working for the first time with Sweden to protect Polish airspace.

    Defence Minister Lord Coaker at a ceremony in Poland to kick off the enhanced air policing mission.

    UK jets will protect the skies of NATO’s eastern flank once again, working for the first time with Sweden to protect Polish airspace.

    British built Typhoon jets arrived in Eastern Poland today, to take part in a NATO enhanced air policing mission.

    RAF pilots will join up with Swedish Airforce Gripen fighter jets, as Europe steps up together to defend NATO airspace. The deployment is the first time that Swedish fighter jets will take part in air policing on the territory of another NATO Ally since they joined the alliance in 2024.

    Touching down in Poland on Tuesday (1 April), Defence Minister Lord Coaker met with Polish Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Marcin Kosiniak-Kamysz and Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson, to outline the UK’s commitment to European security and to mark the start of the operation.

    Defence Minister Lord Coaker said:

    The UK is unshakeable in its commitment to NATO. With threats increasing and growing Russian aggression, it is vital that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies.

    This latest air policing mission in Poland displays the UK’s ability to operate effectively with NATO’s newest member in Sweden and deter our common adversaries across the alliance’s airspace, keeping us secure at home and strong abroad.

    The mission comes as European NATO allies are stepping up on European security and defence spending. NATO remains the cornerstone of UK Defence and this government will continue to pursue a “NATO first” defence policy and take on a leadership role in the alliance.

    Keeping the country safe is the Government’s first priority, and an integral part of its Plan for Change. The work of defence is critical to the security and stability of the UK, keeping us secure at home and strong abroad, whilst supporting all of the Government’s five missions as a foundation of its plan.

    Poland is also a key UK defence and security partner, NATO Ally and partner in the European Group of Five (E5). Our nations have both been large supporters of Ukraine and have the led the way in increasing defence spending in Europe. 

    In last week’s Spring Statement, the Chancellor announced an additional £2.2 billion for defence in 2025/26. This comes on top of the announcement of the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, as the government will hit 2.5% of GDP spend by April 2027, and has a commitment to hit 3% in the next Parliament.

    This mission follows on from 2024’s successful air policing missions across the continent. In April 2024, six Typhoon fighter jets with over two hundred personnel were stationed in Romania defending NATO’s eastern border. Followed on by an August 2024 deployment of four cutting edge F-35B jets to Iceland, defending NATO airspace in the high north.

    This time, six British built typhoons from II (AC) Squadron will be patrolling Polish airspace, having travelled from RAF Lossiemouth.

    ​RAF Typhoons and Voyagers also conduct NATO air policing in the UK through the Quick Reaction Alert Force, based at RAF Coningsby, Lossiemouth and Brize Norton, protecting UK airspace 24/7, 365 days a year.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Orrön Energy AB

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The shareholders of Orrön Energy AB (publ), 556610-8055 (“Orrön Energy” or the “Company”), are hereby given notice of the Annual General Meeting to be held on 5 May 2025 at 11.00 (CEST). The meeting will be held digitally.

    Shareholders may choose to exercise their voting rights at the Annual General Meeting by attending the digital meeting in person, through a proxy or by postal voting.

    Vote at the Annual General Meeting

    Those who wish to exercise their voting rights at the Annual General Meeting must:

    • be entered as a shareholder in the share register kept by Euroclear Sweden AB on 24 April 2025 or, if the shares are registered in the name of a nominee, request that the nominee registers the shares in their own name for voting purposes in such time that the registration is completed by 28 April 2025; and
    • give notice of attendance at the Annual General Meeting to the Company in accordance with the instructions set out in the section “Online participation and voting at the Annual General Meeting” or submit a postal vote in accordance with the instructions set out in the section “Voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting” no later than 28 April 2025.

    Important information regarding participation and voting

    The Board of Directors has decided to hold the Annual General Meeting as a digital meeting combined with an option to vote by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association.

    For terms and instructions for online participation and voting at the Annual General Meeting, please refer to the section “Online participation and voting at the Annual General Meeting” below.

    For terms and instructions for voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting, please refer to the section “Voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting” below.

    Please note that despite thorough preparations, it cannot be ruled out that online participation or voting at the Annual General Meeting do not work as intended due to technical complications attributable to shareholders. The Annual General Meeting will be held regardless of any such complications and there is a risk that votes submitted online at the Annual General Meeting are not registered. Consequently, those who want to be certain of being able to exercise their voting rights should vote by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting.

    Please also note that it will not be possible to vote both by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting and online at the Annual General Meeting. If a postal vote has been submitted in accordance with the terms and instructions for voting by post and such postal vote has not been withdrawn by the shareholder no later than 28 April 2025, the Company will consider the postal vote at the Annual General Meeting.

    It is possible to vote by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting and still follow the Annual General Meeting without exercising any voting rights online, please see the section “Voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting” below for more information.

    Online participation and voting at the Annual General Meeting
    Those who wish to participate at the digital Annual General Meeting in person or through proxy shall give notice of attendance to the Company no later than 28 April 2025 either:

    • electronically through the Company’s website, www.orron.com (only applicable to individuals);
    • by post to Computershare AB, Box 5267, SE-102 46 Stockholm (Att. “Orrön Energy’s AGM”);
    • by telephone to +46 (0)8 518 01 554 on weekdays between 09.00 and 16.00 (CEST); or
    • by email to info@computershare.se.

    The notice of attendance shall state name, personal identification number or corporate registration number, address, telephone number and, where relevant, the number of accompanying advisors (not more than two).

    To participate and vote online, a stable network connection must be maintained throughout the Annual General Meeting. Online participation is possible via a computer, a smartphone or a tablet, provided the device is equipped with an up-to-date operating system and the latest software version. Access to the meeting will be facilitated via a web browser, ensuring a seamless and secure connection to the digital platform.

    Those who give notice of attendance at the Annual General Meeting will receive login instructions on the admission card which will be sent to the address stated in the notice of attendance. On the day of the Annual General Meeting, the digital platform will open for login from 10.00 (CEST), and participants must log in no later than 11.00 (CEST) to attend.

    In connection with each voting item, shareholders will be able to choose between the alternatives “Yes”, “No” and “Abstain”. Engagement and questions during the meeting will be facilitated through a dedicated written Q&A function.

    Those who do not wish to participate or vote online in person may exercise their voting rights at the Annual General Meeting through a proxy in possession of a written, signed and dated proxy form. In order for the proxy to obtain login instructions to the digital platform, the proxy’s name, personal identification number or corporate registration number and address must be included in the notice of attendance. A proxy form issued by a legal entity must be accompanied by a copy of a certificate of registration or a corresponding document of authority for the legal entity. Template proxy forms in Swedish and English are available on the Company’s website, www.orron.com. Proxy forms, certificates of registration and other documents of authority shall be appended to the notice of attendance. Please note that notice of attendance must be given even if a shareholder wishes to exercise its rights at the meeting through a proxy. A submitted proxy form does not count as a notice of attendance.

    Voting by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting
    Those who wish to exercise their voting rights by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting shall use the voting form and follow the instructions available on the Company’s website, www.orron.com. The postal vote must be received by the Company no later than 28 April 2025. The postal vote shall be sent either:

    • electronically in accordance with the instructions available on the Company’s website, www.orron.com;
    • by email to info@computershare.se; or
    • by post to Computershare AB, Box 5267, SE-102 46 Stockholm (Att. “Orrön Energy AGM”).

    If a shareholder’s voting rights are exercised by proxy, a power of attorney and other authorisation documents must be enclosed with the voting form. A proxy form is available on the Company’s website, www.orron.com, and will be sent to shareholders upon request.

    Shareholders who wish to exercise their voting rights by post in advance of the Annual General Meeting may still follow the Annual General Meeting online (without also exercising voting rights online). In order to receive login instructions, please elect for this option in the voting form.

    Proposed agenda
    1.   Opening of the Annual General Meeting.
    2.   Election of Chair of the Annual General Meeting.
    3.   Preparation and approval of the voting register.
    4.   Approval of the agenda.
    5.   Election of one or two persons to approve the minutes.
    6.   Determination as to whether the Annual General Meeting has been duly convened.
    7.   Presentation by the Chief Executive Officer.
    8.   Presentation of the annual and sustainability report and the auditor’s report, the consolidated financial statements and the auditor’s Group report as well as the remuneration report prepared by the Board of Directors and the auditor’s statement on compliance with the policy on remuneration.
    9.   Resolution in respect of adoption of the income statement and the balance sheet and the consolidated income statement and consolidated balance sheet.
    10.   Resolution in respect of disposition of the Company’s result according to the adopted balance sheet.
    11.   Resolution in respect of discharge from liability of members of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer.
    12.   Resolution in respect of the remuneration report prepared by the Board of Directors.
    13.   Nomination Committee proposals:

    • Proposal for the number of members of the Board of Directors.
    • Proposal for remuneration of the Chair of the Board of Directors and other members of the Board of Directors.
    • Proposal for election of Chair and other members of the Board of Directors.
    • Proposal for remuneration of the auditor.
    • Proposal for election of auditor.

    14.   Resolution in respect of the number of members of the Board of Directors.
    15.   Resolution in respect of remuneration of the Chair of the Board of Directors and other members of the Board of Directors.
    16.   Resolutions in respect of Board members:
    a)   re-election of Grace Reksten Skaugen as a Board member;
    b)   re-election of Jakob Thomasen as a Board member;
    c)   re-election of Peggy Bruzelius as a Board member;
    d)   re-election of William Lundin as a Board member;
    e)   re-election of Mike Nicholson as a Board member;
    f)   election of Richard Ollerhead as a Board member; and
    g)   re-election of Grace Reksten Skaugen as the Chair of the Board of Directors.
    17.   Resolution in respect of remuneration of the auditor.
    18.   Election of auditor.
    19.   Resolution for the 2025 Long-term, Performance-based Incentive Plan (LTIP 2025).
    20.   Resolution in respect of delivery of shares under the LTIP 2025 through:
    a)   an issue and transfer of warrants of series 2025:1; or
    b)   an equity swap arrangement with a third party.
    21.   Resolution in respect of authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on new issue of shares and convertible debentures.
    22.   Resolution in respect of authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on repurchase and sale of shares.
    23.   Closing of the Annual General Meeting.

    Proposals for resolutions to be presented at the Annual General Meeting of Orrön Energy on 5 May 2025

    Items 2 and 14–18: Resolutions in respect of Chair of the Annual General Meeting, number of members of the Board of Directors, remuneration of the Chair of the Board of Directors and other members of the Board of Directors, election of Chair of the Board of Directors and of other members of the Board of Directors, and remuneration of the auditor and election of the auditor
    Orrön Energy’s Nomination Committee for the 2025 Annual General Meeting consists of Aksel Azrac (Chair, Nemesia S.à.r.l.), Sussi Kvart (Handelsbanken Fonder) and Richard Ollerhead (JNE Partners LLP). The Nomination Committee for the 2025 Annual General Meeting, appointed by shareholders jointly holding approximately 46 per cent of the shares and voting rights in Orrön Energy as per 1 August 2024, proposes the following:

    • Advokat Klaes Edhall to be appointed as Chair of the Annual General Meeting or, if he is absent, any other person appointed by the Nomination Committee.
    • Six members of the Board of Directors to be appointed without deputy members.
    • Remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors and the Chair of the Board of Directors, including in respect of Committee membership, to be as follows: (i) annual fees for the members of the Board of Directors of EUR 60,000 (excluding the Chair of the Board of Directors); (ii) annual fees for the Chair of the Board of Directors of EUR 120,000; (iii) annual fees for Committee members of EUR 5,000 per Committee assignment (other than Committee Chairs); and (iv) annual fees for Committee Chairs of EUR 10,000; with the total fees for Committee work (including fees for Chairs of Committees) not to exceed EUR 50,000.
    • Re-election of Grace Reksten Skaugen, Jakob Thomasen, Peggy Bruzelius, Mike Nicholson and William Lundin as members of the Board of Directors and election of Richard Ollerhead as a member of the Board of Directors for a period until the end of the 2026 Annual General Meeting. Mr. Ollerhead is a British national born in 1986. Mr. Ollerhead graduated from Balliol College at the University of Oxford, where he obtained a degree in Physics and Philosophy. Mr. Ollerhead worked between 2008 and 2014 at Taconic Capital Advisors in London. From 2015 to 2018 he was part of the European investment team at MSD Partners, which spun out at the end of 2018 as JNE Partners LLP. Mr Ollerhead is a partner at JNE Partners LLP, responsible for a range of equity investments. JNE Partners LLP is the Investment Manager of JNE Master Fund LP, a subsidiary of which (JNE Partners Luxembourg S.à r.l.) is a major shareholder in the Company. Mr. Ollerhead currently holds no Board memberships.
    • Re-election of Grace Reksten Skaugen as Chair of the Board of Directors for a period until the end of the 2026 Annual General Meeting.
    • The auditor’s fees shall be payable upon approval of their invoice.
    • Re-election of the registered accounting firm Ernst & Young AB as the auditor of the Company, which intends to appoint authorised public accountant Anders Kriström as the auditor in charge, for a period until the end of the 2026 Annual General Meeting.

    Item 3: Preparation and approval of the voting register
    The Board of Directors proposes that the register prepared by Computershare AB (on behalf of the Company) based on the Company’s share register, shareholders attending in person or through proxy and postal votes received by the Company is approved as voting register for the Annual General Meeting.

    Item 10: Resolution in respect of disposition of the Company’s result according to the adopted balance sheet
    The Board of Directors proposes that no dividend is distributed and that all distributable funds are brought forward.

    Item 19: Resolution for the 2025 Long-term, Performance-based Incentive Plan (LTIP 2025)
    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to establish a long-term, performance-based incentive plan in respect of Group Management and a number of key employees of Orrön Energy on the terms and conditions set out below (“LTIP 2025”).

    Background and purpose
    The reason for establishing LTIP 2025 is to align the interests of Group Management and other key employees with the interests of the shareholders, and to provide market appropriate reward reflecting continuity, performance and commitment. The Board of Directors believes that the proposed LTIP 2025 will provide Orrön Energy with a crucial component to a competitive total compensation package to attract and retain executives who are critical to Orrön Energy’s future success.

    The performance-based LTIP 2025 has been designed by the Compensation Committee based on market practice and through engagement with the Company’s shareholders, other stakeholders and a remuneration consultant. The plan introduces performance conditions related to total shareholder return and strategic targets which determine the final award for the long-term incentive plan.

    It is considered that the LTIP 2025, as the share option plans in the past, is best financed through delivery of shares allowing the Company to continue to allocate all available capital towards growth.

    The Board of Directors intends to propose to future Annual General Meetings to establish long-term incentive (“LTI”) plans based on principles corresponding to the currently proposed LTIP 2025. In order to be eligible to participate in such future LTI plans, each participant needs to build towards a meaningful shareholding in Orrön Energy, meaning that a certain portion of any allotted shares pursuant to LTIP 2025 (and any future LTI plans) shall be retained until the required level of shareholding has been met.

    Implementation of LTIP 2025
    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting 2025 resolves on the implementation of the LTIP 2025 in accordance with the terms and conditions set out below.

    Terms and conditions

    (a)   Awards under LTIP 2025 are proposed to be made to approximately 9 permanent employees of the Orrön Energy Group (the “Participants”), comprising the CEO and other members of Group Management, as well as certain other key employees. The Board of Directors may, within the total number of shares available under LTIP 2025, invite a limited number of additional Participants in LTIP 2025 following recruitment to the Orrön Energy Group.

    (b)   LTIP 2025 gives the Participants the possibility to receive shares in Orrön Energy subject to uninterrupted employment and the fulfilment of performance conditions over a three-year performance period commencing on 1 June 2025 and expiring on 31 May 2028 (the “Performance Period”). The performance condition is two-fold, where the two conditions have a 75 per cent and 25 per cent weighting in determining the vesting of awards under LTIP 2025 (the “Performance Conditions”). The first Performance Condition is based on the share price growth and dividends (“Total Shareholder Return”) of the Orrön Energy share compared to the Total Shareholder Return of a peer group of companies (the “Peer Group”) (the “Total Shareholder Return Performance Condition”), with a 75 per cent weighting. The second Performance Condition is based on the achievement of strategic performance targets (the “Strategic Performance Condition”), with a 25 per cent weighting. At the beginning of the Performance Period, the Participants will, free of charge, be granted awards (“LTIP Awards”) which, to the extent that i.a. one or both Performance Conditions are partially or fully met, entitle the Participant to be allotted, also free of charge, shares in Orrön Energy (“Performance Shares”) as soon as reasonably practicable following the end of the Performance Period.

    (c)   The LTIP Awards (i.e. the number of Performance Shares that a Participant may be allotted following the expiration of the Performance Period, provided that i.a. one or both of the Performance Conditions are partially or fully met) to be awarded to each Participant shall be calculated as follows:

                     LTIP Award = A multiplied by B divided by C multiplied by D, where

                     A = the Participant’s monthly gross base salary applicable as at the date of grant of the LTIP Award;

                     B = a number of months as determined by the Board of Directors in respect of each Participant, taking into account such factors as industry benchmarking and the Participant’s position within the Orrön Energy Group (but in any case, subject to a maximum    cap of 36 months);

                     C = the volume weighted average price of the Orrön Energy share on Nasdaq Stockholm for the period between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025; and

                     D = the product of the factors representing the proportional increases in the number of Performance Shares under award for each dividend (if any) until allotment, calculated by dividing the value of the Orrön Energy share at closing on the ex-dividend date plus the declared dividend by the value of the share at closing on the ex-dividend date.

            Fractions of allotted Performance Shares shall be rounded-off to the immediate lower whole number.

            Considering the volume weighted average share price of the Orrön Energy share between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025 of SEK 5.9, the total number of Performance Shares that may be allotted under LTIP 2025 as at the date of award of the LTIP Awards (assuming 100 per cent vesting) is 4,450,000, corresponding to approximately 1.6 per cent of the current total number of shares and votes in Orrön Energy. In addition, considering additional Participants (if any) following recruitment and increased awards due to dividends (if any), and the expected social charges linked to award, it is proposed that the total number of Performance Shares under LTIP 2025 shall not exceed 5,450,000.

    (d)   Allotment of Performance Shares will be determined by the Board of Directors after the expiration of the Performance Period on the basis of LTIP Awards made and is conditional on (i) the Participant retaining his or her uninterrupted employment in the Orrön Energy Group until the expiry of the Performance Period and (ii) the extent to which (if any) one or both of the Performance Conditions have been met. The LTIP Award will compensate for dividends distributed (if any), and to ensure further alignment with shareholders’ interests, LTIP 2025 will do so by increasing the number of Performance Shares under award proportionally during the award period through the formula described in (c) above, entailing also a reinvestment of dividends received during the award period. The Board of Directors may reduce (including reduce to zero) allotment of Performance Shares at its discretion, should it consider the underlying performance not to be reflected in the outcome of the Performance Conditions.

    (e)   Minimum and a maximum levels for the Performance Conditions to be fulfilled have been established by the Board of Directors. In order for the LTIP Awards to give Participants entitlement to the maximum number of Performance Shares, the maximum level for both Performance Conditions must have been fulfilled.

    1. In respect of the Total Shareholder Return Performance Condition, the fulfilment of which shall result in an entitlement of a maximum of 75 per cent of the maximum number of Performance Shares, the Performance Condition calculation will be made based on a comparison of Total Shareholder Return of the Orrön Energy share to the Peer Group, comparing the three month period of January to March 2025 prior to the commencement of the Performance Period, with the three month period of January to March 2028 prior to the end of the Performance Period. The LTIP Awards will vest based on the comparative Total Shareholder Return of the Orrön Energy share from no vesting below the 38th percentile performance and with vesting at or above the 38th percentile performance on a straight line basis to 100 per cent vesting of this performance condition at the 75th percentile performance or above. The Performance Condition calculation will be performed by the Board of Directors.
    2. In respect of the Strategic Performance Condition, the fulfilment of which shall result in an entitlement of a maximum of 25 per cent of the maximum number of Performance Shares, the measurement of the Performance Condition will be based on an assessment at the end of the Performance Period, relative to the commencement of the Performance Period, of the fulfilment of strategic performance criteria set by the Board of Directors, reflecting key performance targets such as power generation, investments, financial, sustainability and growth through brownfield and greenfield projects, M&A transactions, geographical or technological expansions and other value accretive events. The Performance Condition fulfilment assessment will be performed by the Board of Directors.
    3. The Performance Conditions described in point 1 and 2 above may each individually lead to a 75 and 25 per cent vesting of the LTIP Awards, respectively, and may also vest partially, leading to a partial vesting of the LTIP Awards. Should both Performance Conditions be fully met, 100 per cent of the LTIP Awards will vest. Orrön Energy intends to present the level of fulfilment of the LTIP 2025 Performance Conditions in the 2028 Annual Report.

    (f)   The Participants will not be entitled to transfer, pledge or dispose of the LTIP Award or any rights or obligations under LTIP 2025, or exercise any shareholders’ rights regarding the LTIP Awards during the Performance Period.

    (g)   Shares allotted under LTIP 2025 (or any future LTI plans) shall be subject to certain disposition restrictions, meaning that the Participants shall be building towards a meaningful shareholding in Orrön Energy. The required level of shareholding will be either 50 per cent or 100 per cent (200 per cent for the CEO) of the Participant’s annual gross base salary based on the Participant’s position within the Orrön Energy Group. Notwithstanding this requirement, the Company may pay part or whole of the allotment of Performance Shares in cash in order to facilitate the payment of the Participant’s tax liabilities, or as otherwise may be determined by the Board of Directors. However, a minimum of 50 per cent of the allotted Performance Shares (after taxes and social security charges) under LTIP 2025 will be required to be retained until the required level of shareholding has been met.

    (h)   Recalculation of the Performance Conditions and the LTIP Awards, including the number of Performance Shares allotted, shall take place in the event of an intervening dividend in kind, bonus issue, split, preferential rights issue and/or other similar corporate events.

    Structure and administration

    The Board of Directors of Orrön Energy will be responsible for the structure and administration of LTIP 2025, as well as for the detailed terms and conditions applicable between Orrön Energy and the Participants. The detailed terms and conditions will be adopted within the scope of the terms and conditions and guidelines stated herein. In connection therewith, the Board of Directors will be entitled to adopt different terms and conditions for LTIP 2025 regarding, among other things, the Performance Period and allotment of Performance Shares in the event of commencement or termination of employment during the Performance Period, e.g. due to new recruitments, illness, disability, death, redundancy, contractual retirement and other exceptional circumstances determined by the Board of Directors.

    The Board of Directors will be entitled to make adjustments in order to comply with special rules or market conditions abroad. In the event that delivery of Performance Shares to Participants cannot take place under applicable law or at a reasonable cost and employing reasonable administrative measures, the Board of Directors will be entitled to decide that Participants may, instead, be offered a cash settlement. In the event of a change of control, all LTIP Awards under LTIP 2025 will vest in full.

    Peer Group

    The Board of Directors has reviewed the Peer Group and determined that it shall consist of the following companies for LTIP 2025: ABO Energy, Arise, Cloudberry, Energiekontor, Eolus Vind, Fortum, Magnora, Ørsted, PNE, Scatec, Solaria and TRIG. The Board of Directors shall have the power to amend the Peer Group in order to maintain a representative and relevant group of companies during the Performance Period.

    Delivery of shares, costs etc.

    In order to secure the delivery of shares to the Participants and cover potential costs (including taxes and social security charges) under the LTIP 2025, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to issue up to 5,450,000 warrants of series 2025:1 (see item 20 a) of the proposed agenda)

    In the event the nine-tenth (9/10) majority requirement applicable to the Board of Directors’ proposal to issue and transfer warrants of series 2025:1 under item 20 a) of the proposed agenda is not satisfied, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve that the Company may hedge its obligations under the LTIP 2025 by entering into (or maintaining) an equity swap arrangement with a third party, whereby the third party in its own name shall be entitled to acquire and transfer shares (including to the Participants) in accordance with the terms and conditions of the LTIP 2025 (see item 20 b) of the proposed agenda).

    The LTIP 2025 will be accounted for in accordance with the accounting standard IFRS 2 and the costs will be charged to the income statement over the Performance Period. The maximum cost for granting LTIP Awards under LTIP 2025, excluding costs related to delivery of the Performance Shares, is approximately 0.25 MEUR, assuming 100 per cent vesting.

    Effects on key figures
    Under the assumptions set out in item (c) above and upon full allotment of Performance Shares, the number of shares under LTIP 2025 amounts to 4,450,000 shares in Orrön Energy (subject to recruitments and adjustments for dividends), corresponding to approximately 1.6 per cent of the current total number of shares and votes in the Company. If the total number of Performance Shares under LTIP 2025 reaches the cap of 5,450,000 shares in Orrön Energy, it will correspond to approximately 1.9 per cent of the current total number of shares and votes in the Company.

    Preparation of the proposal
    The proposal for LTIP 2025 has been prepared by the Compensation Committee and resolved on by the Board of Directors.

    Other incentive schemes in Orrön Energy
    For a description of the Company’s other LTIP’s, reference is made to the Company’s Annual and Sustainability Report for 2024, note 21, and the Company’s website, www.orron.com.

    Majority requirement
    The proposal to implement LTIP 2025 requires support from shareholders representing more than half (1/2) of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting.

    A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal regarding the issue and transfer of warrants of series 2025:1 under item 20 a) of the proposed agenda requires support from shareholders representing not less than nine-tenth (9/10) of both the votes cast and the shares represented at the Annual General Meeting. A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal regarding the equity swap arrangement under item 20 b) of the proposed agenda requires support from shareholders representing more than half (1/2) of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting.

    Item 20: Resolution in respect of delivery of shares under the LTIP 2025 through (a) an issue and transfer of warrants of series 2025:1 or (b) an equity swap arrangement with a third party

    Background
    Under the LTIP 2025 proposed by the Board of Directors under item 19 of the proposed agenda, the Company has an obligation, subject to certain conditions, to deliver shares in the Company to the Participants in the LTIP 2025.

    In order to secure the Company’s obligation to deliver shares and to cover a portion of the costs (including taxes and social security charges), the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to issue and transfer up to 5,450,000 warrants of series 2025:1 on the terms and conditions set out in item 20 a) below. In the event the nine-tenth (9/10) majority requirement applicable to the proposed warrant settlement method is not satisfied, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve that the Company hedges its obligations under the LTIP 2025 by entering into an equity swap arrangement with a third party, whereby the third party in its own name shall be entitled to acquire and transfer shares (including to the participants) on the terms and conditions set out in item 20 b) below.

    The Board of Directors considers the warrant settlement method to be the preferred alternative since the costs for an equity swap arrangement are significantly higher than the costs for issuing and transferring warrants. If the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve the proposed warrant settlement method under item 20 a) below with the requisite majority, the Board of Directors intends to withdraw its equity swap arrangement proposal under item 20 b) below.

    Item 20 a): Resolution in respect of delivery of shares under the LTIP 2025 through an issue and transfer of warrants of series 2025:1
    In order to secure the Company’s obligation to deliver shares under the LTIP 2025, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meetings resolves to issue and transfer warrants of series 2025:1 in the Company on the following terms and conditions:

    1. A maximum of 5,450,000 warrants shall be issued.
    2. The right to subscribe for warrants shall, with deviation of the shareholders’ preferential rights, rest with the Company itself.
    3. The reason for deviating from the shareholders’ preferential rights is to secure the Company’s obligations to deliver shares and to cover any costs (including taxes and social security charges) under the LTIP 2025.
    4. Subscription for the warrants shall take place on a separate subscription list not later than 1 November 2025.
    5. The warrants shall be issued free of charge.
    6. Each warrant shall entitle the holder to subscribe for one new share in the Company. The subscription price for each new share shall be equal to the quotient value of the Company’s share.
    7. The warrants may be exercised during the period from and including 1 June 2025 up to and including 1 June 2029.
    8. The new shares shall carry rights to dividends for the first time on the record date for dividends that occurs after subscription has been effected.
    9. The subscription price and the number of shares for which each warrant entitles subscription may be re-calculated under certain circumstances as set forth in the complete terms and conditions for the warrants.
    10. Upon exercise of all 5,450,000 warrants, the Company’s share capital will increase by SEK 66,312.15 (based on a quotient value of approximately SEK 0.01). If the subscription price exceeds the quotient value of the shares, the excess amount shall be allotted to the non-restricted statutory reserve (Sw. den fria överkursfonden).
    11. The Company may transfer up to 5,450,000 warrants (a) free of charge to Participants (and/or a designated third party) for the purpose of enabling the delivery of shares in the Company under the LTIP 2025 and (b) at a price equal to the fair market value of the warrants as determined using a customary valuation method to a designated third party for the purpose of covering any costs (including taxes and social security charges) under the LTIP 2025.

    The complete terms and conditions for the warrants of series 2025:1 will be available at the Company and on the Company’ website, www.orron.com, not later than three weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting.

    The resolution shall be conditional upon that the Annual General Meeting resolves to establish the LTIP 2025 in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal under item 19 of the proposed agenda.

    A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires support from shareholders representing not less than nine-tenth (9/10) of both the votes cast and the shares represented at the Annual General Meeting.

    Item 20 b): Resolution in respect of delivery of shares under the LTIP 2025 through an equity swap arrangement with a third party
    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve that the Company may hedge its obligations under the LTIP 2025 by entering into (or maintaining) an equity swap arrangement with a third party, whereby the third party in its own name shall be entitled to acquire and transfer shares (including to the participants) in accordance with the terms and conditions of the LTIP 2025.

    The resolution shall be conditional upon that the Annual General Meeting resolves to establish the LTIP 2025 in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal under item 19 of the proposed agenda.

    A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires support from shareholders representing more than half (1/2) of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting.

    Item 21: Resolution in respect of authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on new issue of shares and convertible debentures
    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to authorise the Board of Directors to decide, at one or more occasions until the next Annual General Meeting:

    (i)    to issue no more than 28,500,000 new shares with consideration in cash or in kind or by set-off; and

    (ii)    to issue convertible debentures with consideration in cash or in kind or by set-off, where the number of shares that may be issued after conversion shall not exceed 28,500,000.

    The Board of Directors may resolve to deviate from the shareholders’ preferential rights. If the Board of Directors resolves to deviate from the shareholders’ preferential rights, the reason shall be to enable or facilitate acquisitions of companies or businesses or other major investments.

    The total number of shares that can be issued based on the proposed authorisations under (i) and (ii) may not together exceed 28,500,000. If the authorisation is exercised in full for issues with deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights, the dilution effect is approximately ten per cent.

    A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires the support of shareholders representing at least two thirds (2/3) of the votes cast and of the shares represented at the Annual General Meeting.

    Item 22: Resolution in respect of authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on repurchase and sale of shares

    The Board of Directors proposes that the Board of Directors is authorised, during the period until the next Annual General Meeting, to decide on repurchases and sales of the Company’s shares on the following terms and conditions:

    1. The maximum number of shares repurchased shall be such that shares held in treasury from time to time do not exceed ten per cent of all shares of the Company.
    2. The maximum number of shares that may be sold is the number of shares that the Company at such time holds in treasury.
    3. Repurchase of shares may be made (a) on Nasdaq Stockholm or (b) in accordance with an offer directed to all shareholders.
    4. Repurchase and sale of shares on Nasdaq Stockholm may take place only at a price within the spread between the highest bid price and lowest ask price prevailing and disseminated by Nasdaq Stockholm from time to time. Repurchases of shares in accordance with an offer directed to all shareholders may also take place at a market premium in relation to the price prevailing and disseminated by Nasdaq Stockholm from time to time.
    5. The repurchases and sales shall be made in accordance with the provisions concerning the purchase and sale of a company’s own shares under applicable stock exchange rules and other applicable rules and regulations.

    The purpose of the authorisation is to provide the Board of Directors with an instrument to optimise the Company’s capital structure and to enable the use of own shares as consideration for or as financing of acquisitions of companies or businesses, to secure obligations under incentive plans and to cover costs, including social security charges, that may arise as a result of incentive plans.

    The Board of Directors’ reasoned statement pursuant to pursuant to Chapter 19, Section 22 of the Swedish Companies Act will be available at the Company and on the Company’s website, www.orron.com, not later than three weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting.

    A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires the support of shareholders representing at least two thirds (2/3) of the votes cast and of the shares represented at the Annual General Meeting.

    Number of shares and votes in the Company
    Orrön Energy’s share capital amounts to SEK 3,478,713.38, represented by 285,905,187 shares. Each share carries one vote. Orrön Energy holds, as of the date of this notice, no treasury shares.

    Shareholders’ right to request information

    The Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer shall, if a shareholder so requests and the Board of Directors considers that it may do so without significant damage to the Company, give information at the Annual General Meeting regarding circumstances that could affect the assessment of an item on the agenda and circumstances that could affect the assessment of the Company’s or a subsidiary’s financial situation. The duty to give information also applies to the Company’s relationship with another Group company and the consolidated financial statements.

    Additional documentation
    Complete proposals and other documents that shall be made available prior to the Annual General Meeting pursuant to the Swedish Companies Act and the Swedish Corporate Governance Code are available at Orrön Energy’s office (Hovslagargatan 5 in Stockholm) and on www.orron.com. The documents will be sent to shareholders free of charge upon request if their postal address is provided.

    Handling of personal data and external participants
    For information on how personal data is processed in connection with the Annual General Meeting, see the privacy notices of Euroclear Sweden AB and Computershare AB available at their respective websites, www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Privacy-notice-bolagsstammor-engelska.pdf. and
    www.computershare.com/se/gm-gdpr.

    It will not be possible for the Company to verify if any external persons are following the Annual General Meeting online. Consequently, the Board of Directors has resolved to allow persons who are not shareholders to follow the Annual General Meeting online.

    Stockholm in April 2025
    ORRÖN ENERGY AB (PUBL)
    The Board of Directors

    For further information, please contact:

    Robert Eriksson
    Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations
    Tel: +46 701 11 26 15
    robert.eriksson@orron.com

    Jenny Sandström
    Communications Lead
    Tel: +41 79 431 63 68
    jenny.sandstrom@orron.com

    Orrön Energy is an independent, publicly listed (Nasdaq Stockholm: “ORRON”) renewable energy company within the Lundin Group of Companies. Orrön Energy’s core portfolio consists of high quality, cash flow generating assets in the Nordics, coupled with greenfield growth opportunities in the Nordics, the UK, Germany and France. With significant financial capacity to fund further growth and acquisitions, and backed by a major shareholder, management and Board with a proven track record of investing into, leading and growing highly successful businesses, Orrön Energy is in a unique position to create shareholder value through the energy transition.

    Forward-looking statements
    Statements in this press release relating to any future status or circumstances, including statements regarding future performance, growth and other trend projections, are forward-looking statements. These statements may generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “seek”, “will”, “would” or similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that could occur in the future. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to several factors, many of which are outside the company’s control. Any forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date on which the statements are made and the company has no obligation (and undertakes no obligation) to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From IBM to OpenAI: 50 years of winning (and failed) strategies at Microsoft

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Frédéric Fréry, Professeur de stratégie, CentraleSupélec, ESCP Business School

    Paul Allen (L) and Bill Gates in 1970 at Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington state, US. Microsoft was created five years later. Author unknown/Wikimedia

    Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary. This article was written using Microsoft Word on a computer running Microsoft Windows. It is likely to be published on platforms hosted by Microsoft Azure, including LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary with over one billion users. In 2024, the company generated a net profit of $88 billion from sales worth $245 billion. Its stock market value is close to $3,000 billion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company behind Apple and almost on a par with NVidia. Cumulative profits since 2002 are approaching $640 billion.

    And yet, 50 years ago, Microsoft was just a tiny computer company founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico by two former Harvard students, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, aged 19 and 22. The twists and turns that enabled it to become one of the most powerful companies in the world are manifold, and can be divided into four distinct eras.

    First era: Bill Gates rides on IBM’s shoulders

    At the end of the 1970s, IBM was the computer industry’s undisputed leader. It soon realized that microcomputers developed by young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, such as the Apple II, would eventually eclipse IBM’s mainframes, and so the IBM PC project was launched. However, it soon became clear that the company’s hefty internal processes would prevent it from delivering a microcomputer on schedule. It was therefore decided that various components of the machine could be outsourced using external suppliers.


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    Several specialized companies were approached to provide the operating system. They all refused, seeing IBM as the enemy to be destroyed, a symbol of centralized, bureaucratic computing. Mary Maxwell Gates, who sat on the board of an NGO next to the IBM chairman, suggested the name of her son William, nicknamed Bill, who had just founded Microsoft, and the first contact was established in 1980.

    The problem was that Microsoft was focused on a programming language called BASIC and certainly not specialized in operating systems. Not that this was ever going to be a problem for Bill Gates, who, with considerable nerve, agreed to sign a deal with IBM to deliver an operating system he didn’t have. Gates then purchased the QDOS system from Seattle Computer Products, from which he developed MS-DOS (where MS stands for Microsoft).

    Gates, whose father was a founding partner of a major Seattle law firm, then made his next move. He offered IBM a non-exclusive contract for the use of MS-DOS, which gave him the right to sell it to other computer companies. IBM, which was not used to subcontracting, was not suspicious enough: the contract brought fortunes to Microsoft and misery to IBM when Compaq, Olivetti and Hewlett-Packard rushed to develop IBM PC clones, giving birth to a whole new industry.

    Success followed for Microsoft. It not only benefited from IBM’s serious image, which appealed to businesses, but also received royalties on every PC sold on the market. In 1986, the company was introduced on the stock market. Bill Gates, Paul Allen and two of their early employees became billionaires, while 12,000 additional Microsoft employees went on to become millionaires.

    Second era: Windows, the golden goose (courtesy of Xerox)

    In the mid-1980s, microcomputers were not very functional: their operating systems, including Microsoft’s MS-DOS, ran with forbidding command lines, like the infamous C:/. This all changed in 1984 with the Apple Macintosh, which was equipped with a graphic interface (icons, drop-down menus, fonts, a mouse, etc.). This revolutionary technology was developed in Xerox’s research laboratory, even though the photocopy giant failed to understand its potential. On the other hand, Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, was largely inspired by it: to ensure the success of the Macintosh computer, Jobs asked Microsoft to develop a customized version of its office suite, in particular its Excel spreadsheet. Microsoft embraced the graphic interface principle and launched Windows 1 in 1985, which was soon followed by the Office suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

    Over the following years, Windows was further improved, culminating in Windows 95, launched in 1995, with an advertising campaign costing over $200 million, for which Bill Gates bought the rights of The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up”. At the time, Microsoft’s world market share in operating systems exceeded 70%. This has hardly changed since.

    In 1997, Microsoft even went so far as to save Apple from bankruptcy by investing $150 million in its capital in the form of non-voting shares, which were sold back three years later. During one of his famous keynote speeches, Steve Jobs thanked Bill Gates by saying: “Bill, thank you. The world’s a better place.” This bailout also put an end to the lawsuit Apple had filed against Microsoft, accusing it of copying its graphic interface when designing the Windows operating system.

    Third era: bureaucratization, internal conflicts and a failed diversification strategy

    In the mid-1990s, computing underwent a new transformation with the explosion of the World Wide Web. Microsoft was a specialist in stand-alone PCs, with a business model based on selling boxed software, and it was ill-prepared for the new global networks. Its first response was to develop Internet Explorer, a browser developed from the takeover of the Mosaic browser designed by the Spyglass company, a bit like MS-DOS in its day. Internet Explorer was eventually integrated into Windows, prompting a lawsuit against Microsoft for abuse of its dominant position, which could have led to the company’s break-up. New competitors, such as Google with its Chrome browser, took advantage of these developments to attract users.

    In 2000, Bill Gates handed over his position as Microsoft CEO to Steve Ballmer, one of his former Harvard classmates, whose aim was to turn the company into an electronics and services company. Over the next fifteen years, Ballmer embarked on a series of initiatives to diversify the company by including video games (Flight Simulator), CD encyclopedias (Encarta), hardware (mice, keyboards), MP3 players (Zune), online web hosting (Azure), game consoles (Xbox), phones (Windows Phone), tablets and computers (Surface).

    While some of these products were successful (notably Azure and Xbox), others were bitter failures. Encarta was quickly swamped by Wikipedia and Zune was no match for Apple’s iPod. Windows Phone remains one of the greatest strategic blunders in the company’s history. In order to secure the company’s success in mobile telephony and compete with the iPhone, Microsoft bought the cell phone division of Finland’s Nokia for $5.4 billion in September 2013. The resulting integration was a disaster: Steve Ballmer wanted Microsoft’s phones to use a version of Windows 10, making them slow and impractical. Less than two years later, Microsoft put an end to its mobile phone operations, with losses amounting to $7.6 billion. Nokia was sold for just $350 million.

    One of the outcomes of Microsoft’s multiple business initiatives has been an explosion in the number of its employees, from 61,000 in 2005 to 228,000 in 2024. Numerous internal disputes broke out between different business units, which sometimes refused to work together.

    These turf wars, coupled with pervasive bureaucratization and effortless profitability (for each Windows installation, PC manufacturers pay around $50, while the marginal cost of the license is virtually zero), have hindered Microsoft’s capacity for innovation. Its software, including Internet Explorer 6 and Windows Vista, was soon mocked by users for its imperfections, which were continually plugged by frequent updates. As some people noted, Windows is equipped with a “safe” mode, suggesting that its normal mode is “failure”.

    Fourth era: is Microsoft the new cool (thanks to the Cloud and OpenAI)?

    In 2014, Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as head of Microsoft. Coming from the online services division, Nadella’s objective was to redirect Microsoft’s strategy online, notably by developing the Azure online web hosting business. In 2024, Azure became the world’s second-largest cloud service behind Amazon Web Services, and more than 56% of Microsoft’s turnover came from its online services. Nadella changed the company’s business model: software is no longer sold but available on a subscription basis, in the shape of products such as Office 365 and Xbox Live.

    Along the way, Microsoft acquired the online game Minecraft, followed by the professional social network LinkedIn, in 2016, for $26.2 billion (its largest acquisition to date), and the online development platform GitHub in 2018 for $7.5 billion.

    Between 2023 and 2025, Microsoft invested more than $14 billion in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, giving it a particularly enviable position in the artificial intelligence revolution. ChatGPT’s models also contribute to Microsoft’s in-house AI, Copilot.

    Over the past 50 years, thanks to a series of bold moves, timely acquisitions and failed strategies to diversify, Microsoft has evolved significantly in its scope, competitive advantage and business model. Once stifled by opulence and internal conflicts, the company seems to have become attractive again, most notably to young graduates. Who can predict whether Microsoft will still exist in 50 years? Bill Gates himself says the opposite, but he may be bluffing.

    Frédéric Fréry ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    – ref. From IBM to OpenAI: 50 years of winning (and failed) strategies at Microsoft – https://theconversation.com/from-ibm-to-openai-50-years-of-winning-and-failed-strategies-at-microsoft-253576

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: CoinShares XBT Provider AB (Publ) – 2024 Audited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    02 April 2025

    CoinShares XBT Provider AB (Publ)

    LEI: 549300HGWKR2Q5T8GK64

    CoinShares XBT Provider AB (Publ) – 2024 Audited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2024

    Stockholm – 02 April 2025 – CoinShares XBT Provider AB (Publ) (the “Company”) announces that the Annual Report and Audited Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 were published and posted on 02 April 2025 on the Company website.

    The audited accounts for the Guarantor, CoinShares Capital Markets (Jersey) Limited, for the year ended 31 December 2024 are also available on the website.

    Interested persons may access electronic copies of these documents at https://coinshares.com/etp/documents/

    About CoinShares XBT Provider

    CoinShares XBT Provider AB (Publ) (“CoinShares XBT Provider”), a CoinShares company, is the Swedish-domiciled issuer of the Bitcoin Tracker One (SE0007126024), Bitcoin Tracker Euro (SE0007525332), Ether Tracker One (SE0010296574), Ether Tracker Euro (SE0010296582), series of certificates (collectively, the “Certificates”) which are designed to synthetically track the performance of the price of the relevant underlying crypto-asset, bitcoin or ether, (in Swedish Krona or Euro, respectively), less a fee component.

    In 2015, Bitcoin Tracker One became the first bitcoin-referenced security available on a regulated exchange when it listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. In 2017, Ether Tracker One became the first ether-referenced security available on a regulated exchange when it listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. The Certificates are available and traded in the same manner as any other share or instrument listed on their respective exchanges.

    CoinShares XBT Provider’s Prospectus is approved by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Sw. Finansinspektionen) and the Certificates are governed by Swedish law. CoinShares XBT Provider is not a licensed financial advisor. The views presented in this release are the opinions of the Board of CoinShares XBT Provider and no other party. Bitcoin and Ether are volatile assets and their prices (and the price of securities that are referenced to them) can move quickly, positively or negatively. Prospective investors in the Certificates should carefully consider the suitability of such an investment and whether they have sufficient financial resources in order to be able to bear the risks associated therewith and, in connection with such a determination, should carefully read CoinShares XBT Provider’s latest Prospectus (including, in particular, the risk warnings set out therein). The Certificates do not confer on the holders thereof any claim to or against the relevant underlying crypto-asset to which they are referenced. The value and any payment due under the Certificates will be affected by the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the Euro or, as the case may be, between the US Dollar and the Swedish Kronor. Any returns upon the Certificates will not be the same as the returns which a direct investment of an equivalent sum in the relevant underlying crypto-asset could produce. The Certificates are non-equity linked, non-principal protected, unsecured and unsubordinated and do not bear interest.

    Certificates are non-equity linked, non-principal protected, unsecured and unsubordinated and do not bear interest.

    For further information, please contact:

    CoinShares XBT Provider AB (Publ)
    Artillerigatan 6,
    114 51 Stockholm
    Sweden
    ir@xbtprovider.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Cerence AI Honored with 2025 ECARX Best Contribution Award

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHANGHAI and BURLINGTON, Mass., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) (“Cerence AI”), a global leader pioneering conversational AI-powered user experiences, today announced that it has received a Best Contribution Award at the 2025 ECARX Partnership Conference, held on March 11, 2025, in Hangzhou, China. ECARX, a global automotive technology provider partnering with OEMs to accelerate the future of software-defined vehicles, presented the award in recognition of Cerence AI’s extensive contributions as a trusted, long-term partner delivering cutting-edge, AI-driven solutions to ECARX and its OEM customers. This is the second consecutive year that Cerence AI has been recognized with this award.

    ECARX and Cerence AI are long-term partners, having collaborated since ECARX’s founding in 2017 on automotive programs across a range of Geely brands, including innovative Audio AI solutions and multilingual support in vehicle infotainment systems – all contributing to Geely’s global expansion. This joint effort has also delivered advanced AI-powered voice assistants to enhance the driving experience in Geely’s Proton-, smart-, and Lotus-brand vehicles, as well as equip the entire Lynk & Co lineup with AI capabilities to appeal to the European market.

    Most recently, the companies expanded their partnership to enable ECARX to deploy Cerence’s generative AI-powered solutions to create a more intuitive and integrated experience for smart drivers. In addition, leveraging Cerence AI’s extensive global language capabilities, the ECARX Antora 1000 platform – deployed in the Hongqi 007/009 models – featured enhanced voice functionalities, including English language speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities in 17 languages, supporting Hongqi’s expansion into global markets.

    “It’s an honor to be acknowledged for the second year in a row by our long-term partners at ECARX for our continuous effort and innovation,” said Christian Mentz, Chief Revenue Officer, Cerence AI. “Cerence’s AI-powered, intuitive solutions are a core component of ECARX’s innovative computing platforms. Together, we aim to consistently deliver unparalleled value to automakers, fostering the evolution of AI-driven user experiences across China and in global markets.” 

    To learn more about Cerence AI, visit www.cerence.ai, and follow the company on LinkedIn.

    About Cerence Inc.
    Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) is a global industry leader in creating intuitive, seamless, AI-powered experiences across automotive and transportation. Leveraging decades of innovation and expertise in voice, generative AI, and large language models, Cerence powers integrated experiences that create safer, more connected, and more enjoyable journeys for drivers and passengers alike. With more than 500 million cars shipped with Cerence technology, the company partners with leading automakers, transportation OEMs, and technology companies to advance the next generation of user experiences. Cerence is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with operations globally and a worldwide team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of AI innovation. For more information, visit www.cerence.ai.

    About ECARX
    ECARX (Nasdaq: ECX) is a global automotive technology provider with capabilities to deliver turnkey solutions for next-generation smart vehicles, from the system on a chip (SoC), to central computing platforms, and software. As automakers develop new electric vehicle architectures from the ground up, ECARX is developing full-stack solutions to enhance the user experience, while reducing complexity and cost.

    Founded in 2017 and listed on the Nasdaq in 2022, ECARX now has over 1,800 employees based in 12 major locations in China, UK, USA, Sweden, Germany and Malaysia. To date, ECARX products can be found in over 7.3 million vehicles worldwide.

    The MIL Network –