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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI: High Wire’s Overwatch Expands Portfolio to Include Critically Needed Professional Services

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BATAVIA, Ill., Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI), a leading managed security services provider (MSSP), announces its first professional services client for Cyber Advisory consulting. This marks a significant milestone as the company expands its offerings to provide expert cyber services that complement its robust managed security services portfolio.

    The client, a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate with a diverse range of privately held businesses, is headquartered in the U.S. and has global operations in the transportation, mining, construction, and shipbuilding industries. The client engaged High Wire – Overwatch due to the quality, caliber, and strength of experience the company’s cyber advisors bring to the table.

    The cyber advisory engagement includes a dynamic set of outcomes, including board-level advisory services, risk assessments, strategic planning and execution, compliance consulting, support for mergers and acquisitions, and incident response management.

    As part of the scope of work, the client will receive tailored cybersecurity expertise, ensuring their security posture aligns with industry best practices and regulatory requirements. Additionally, the services will include developing board-level Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), creating a comprehensive risk register, and establishing a robust communication program.

    Ed Vasko, CEO of High Wire – Overwatch, commented: “We are thrilled to announce our first Cyber Advisory consulting engagement with such a distinguished and diverse organization. This collaboration highlights the growing demand for specialized cybersecurity expertise, and we’re excited to provide the high-level advisory support that enables our clients to meet their cybersecurity objectives. Our cyber subject matter experts bring deep experience across various industries, and we’re proud to help this global leader strengthen its security strategy.”

    About High Wire Networks
    High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI) is a fast-growing, award-winning global provider of managed cybersecurity. Through over 200 channel partners, it delivers trusted managed services for more than 1,100 managed security customers worldwide. End customers include Fortune 500 companies and many of the nation’s largest government agencies. The company’s 24/7 Security Operations Center is based in Chicago, Illinois.

    High Wire was ranked by Frost & Sullivan as a Top 15 Managed Security Service Provider in the Americas for 2024. It was also named to CRN’s MSP 500 and Elite 150 lists of the nation’s top IT-managed service providers for 2023 and 2024.

    Learn more at HighWireNetworks.com. Follow the company on X, view its extensive video series on YouTube, or connect on LinkedIn.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    The above news release contains forward-looking statements. The statements contained in this document that are not statements of historical fact, including but not limited to, statements identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “appear,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “hope,” “indicate,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and other variations or negative expressions of these terms, including statements related to expected market trends and the Company’s performance, are all “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information, and include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performances and are subject to a wide range of external factors, uncertainties, business risks, and other risks identified in filings made by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in the company’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any statement is based except as required by applicable law and regulations.

    Media Contact
    Lori Aleman
    Director of Marketing
    Tel (602) 920-0902
    Email Contact

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Prairie Provident Announces Spud of Basal Quartz Horizontal Well

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Prairie Provident Resources Inc. (“Prairie Provident” or the “Company”) (TSX:PPR) is pleased to announce the spud of the Basal Quartz horizontal well 100/14-32-29-18W4. Drilling operations are expected to take eight days to complete, after which the well will be fracture stimulated and brought on-stream. This is the Company’s third Basal Quartz well following the successful drilling and completion of 102/03-19-030-18W4 and 100/15-32-029-18W4 in the fourth quarter of 2024.

    ABOUT PRAIRIE PROVIDENT

    Prairie Provident is a Calgary-based company engaged in the exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties in Alberta, including a position in the emerging Basal Quartz trend in the Michichi area of Central Alberta.

    For further information, please contact:

    Dale Miller, Executive Chairman
    Phone: (403) 292-8150
    Email:  info@ppr.ca

    Forward-Looking Information

    This news release contains certain statements (“forward-looking statements”) that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future performance, events or circumstances, are based upon internal assumptions, plans, intentions, expectations and beliefs, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated or suggested therein. All statements other than statements of current or historical fact constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically, but not always, identified by words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “budget”, “forecast”, “target”, “estimate”, “propose”, “potential”, “project”, “seek”, “continue”, “may”, “will”, “should” or similar words suggesting future outcomes or events or statements regarding an outlook.

    Without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to: the anticipated drilling time of the Company’s Basal Quartz well and the well being successfully fractured and brought on-stream.

    Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors, expectations or assumptions of Prairie Provident which have been used to develop such statements, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which are inherently uncertain and depend upon the accuracy of such expectations and assumptions. Prairie Provident can give no assurance that the forward-looking statements contained herein will prove to be correct or that the expectations and assumptions upon which they are based will occur or be realized. Actual results or events will differ, and the differences may be material and adverse to the Company. In addition to other factors and assumptions which may be identified herein, assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: results from drilling and development activities; consistency with past operations; the quality of the reservoirs in which Prairie Provident operates and continued performance from existing wells (including with respect to production profile, decline rate and product type mix); the continued and timely development of infrastructure in areas of new production; the accuracy of the estimates of Prairie Provident’s reserves volumes; future commodity prices; future operating and other costs; future USD/CAD exchange rates; future interest rates; continued availability of external financing and internally generated cash flow to fund Prairie Provident’s current and future plans and expenditures, with external financing on acceptable terms; the impact of competition; the general stability of the economic and political environment in which Prairie Provident operates; the general continuance of current industry conditions; the timely receipt of any required regulatory approvals; the ability of Prairie Provident to obtain qualified staff, equipment and services in a timely and cost efficient manner; drilling results; the ability of the operator of the projects in which Prairie Provident has an interest in to operate the field in a safe, efficient and effective manner; field production rates and decline rates; the ability to replace and expand oil and natural gas reserves through acquisition, development and exploration; the timing and cost of pipeline, storage and facility construction and expansion and the ability of Prairie Provident to secure adequate product transportation; the regulatory framework regarding royalties, taxes and environmental matters in the jurisdictions in which Prairie Provident operates; and the ability of Prairie Provident to successfully market its oil and natural gas production.

    The forward-looking statements included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance or promises of future outcomes and should not be relied upon. Such statements, including the assumptions made in respect thereof, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward- looking statements including, without limitation: reduced access to external debt financing; higher interest costs or other restrictive terms of debt financing; changes in realized commodity prices; changes in the demand for or supply of Prairie Provident’s products; the early stage of development of some of the evaluated areas and zones; the potential for variation in the quality of the geologic formations targeted by Prairie Provident’s operations; unanticipated operating results or production declines; changes in tax or environmental laws, royalty rates or other regulatory matters; the imposition of any tariffs or other restrictive trade measures or countermeasures affecting trade between Canada and the United States; changes in development plans of Prairie Provident or by third party operators; increased debt levels or debt service requirements; inaccurate estimation of Prairie Provident’s oil and reserves volumes; limited, unfavourable or a lack of access to capital markets; increased costs; a lack of adequate insurance coverage; the impact of competitors; and such other risks as may be detailed from time-to-time in Prairie Provident’s public disclosure documents (including, without limitation, those risks identified in this news release and Prairie Provident’s current Annual Information Form dated April 1, 2024 as filed with Canadian securities regulators and available from the SEDAR+ website (www.sedarplus.ca) under Prairie Provident’s issuer profile).

    The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release, and Prairie Provident assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, or otherwise, except as may be required pursuant to applicable laws. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Allied Energy Corporation Outlook: Strong Growth and Strategic Developments

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Key Points:

    Expansion & Optimization of Production Capacity

    • Thiel Site Expansion: Increasing power generation capacity to 3.5 MW by Q3 2025, leveraging Texas’ competitive electricity rates (8.73¢ per kWh) for enhanced profitability.
    • Gilmer Lease Enhancements: Upgrading 116 pump jacks to smaller, energy-efficient units, reducing costs and unlocking production potential from Caddo & Strawn formations.
    • SWD & Natural Gas Expansion: Advancing new Saltwater Disposal (SWD) lease negotiations and actively exploring natural gas reserves for long-term sustainability.

    Strategic Partnerships & Portfolio Growth

    • Green Lease Collaboration: Working with Petroloro, LLC and ORO Energy, LLC, with key strategic plans expected by Q2 2025.
    • Enerhash & Sloan Project: Overcoming 2024 operational delays, with anticipated returns in Q2 2025.
    • Prometheus Development: Strengthening ties with Miller ESP to support drilling and operational advancements.

    Strategic Realignments & Focus on High-Value Ventures

    • Exit from Energix Partnership: Decision driven by missed milestones, allowing a shift toward more lucrative opportunities.
    • Diversified Growth Strategy: Ensuring a robust energy portfolio through operational efficiency, resource expansion, and financial discipline.

    CARROLLTON, Texas, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Allied Energy Corporation (OTC: AGYP) is excited to announce significant strides in our ongoing projects and production capacity expansion, reinforcing our optimistic outlook for the company’s future. With the momentum of these developments, the company is well-positioned for substantial growth in the coming months.

    Production Buildout at Thiel Site: A Game-Changer for Capacity Growth

    At our Thiel site, we are making significant strides in expanding operational capacity by constructing and installing two 1.25 MW generators. The new production pad has already been successfully laid, and noise abatement testing is scheduled shortly.

    Once the first two generators are running at full capacity, we plan to add a third unit, increasing the site’s total capacity to an impressive 3 to 3.5 MW by the end of Q3 2025. This expansion strategically positions Allied Energy to capitalize on Texas’ booming energy sector, where industrial power consumption is projected to grow significantly in the coming years.

    Market Potential & Financial Impact

    • Dominance in Energy Production: Texas leads the nation in energy production, contributing significantly to U.S. crude oil and natural gas outputs. source: eia.gov
    • Competitive Electricity Rates: With commercial electricity rates in Texas averaging 8.73¢ per kWh, our scalable operations can take advantage of low-cost power, maximizing margins. source: chooseenergy.com
    • Projected Revenue Growth: At full capacity (approximately 3.5 MW), the Thiel site could generate significant revenues, depending on operational efficiency and market conditions.

    “By strengthening our infrastructure now, we are ensuring long-term scalability, improved financial performance, and the ability to compete with industry leaders in power generation and energy solutions. The Thiel is a key site in our portfolio, and we are very pleased with the progress. We expect to see strong returns from these investments, and the addition of the third genset will significantly enhance our operational capabilities,” said George Monteith, CEO of Allied Energy Corporation.

    Strategic Development at Gilmer Lease

    At our Gilmer lease, Allied Energy continues to optimize operations with the replacement of 116 pump jacks with smaller, more efficient units. We have also placed a packer in the well to cut off Mississippi water, enabling production from the Caddo and possibly the Strawn formations. One well is currently being converted, and depending on its performance, we plan to convert two additional wells in Q3 and Q4.

    Strategic Development at Gilmer Lease: Enhancing Efficiency & Maximizing Production

    At our Gilmer lease, Allied Energy continues to optimize operations by replacing 116 pump jacks with smaller, more efficient units. This upgrade reduces maintenance costs, energy consumption, and mechanical failures, ensuring greater long-term operational efficiency.

    Additionally, we have strategically placed a packer in the well to cut off Mississippi water intrusion, allowing uninterrupted production from the Caddo formation and potentially unlocking reserves from the Strawn formation. Currently, one well is undergoing conversion, and based on its performance, we plan to convert two additional wells in Q3 and Q4.

    Advantages of These Operational Activities

    • Improved Efficiency & Cost Reduction: Smaller, modern pump jacks consume up to 30% less energy than traditional units, lowering operating costs while maintaining steady production. (source: API)
    • Maximizing Reserve Potential: Unlocking secondary formations like Strawn could increase overall recoverable reserves, extending the well’s productive lifespan.
    • Environmental & Regulatory Benefits: Optimizing operations aligns with state and federal efficiency standards, reducing environmental impact and ensuring compliance with industry best practices. (source: EIA)

    “These strategic enhancements position Allied Energy for sustained growth, ensuring higher production efficiency, lower costs, and maximized asset value. We’re committed to ensuring that each well reaches its full potential. Our team is working diligently to implement improvements that will help us achieve optimal production from these properties,” said Monteith.

    Green Lease: Collaborating for Future Developments

    Allied Energy is in ongoing discussions with partners Petroloro, LLC and ORO Energy, LLC to determine future developments at our Green Lease. We are currently awaiting an outline of activities from ORO Energy, LLC and plan to finalize our strategic plans for this lease in Q2 2025. These discussions represent an exciting avenue for growth and diversification of our portfolio.

    Prometheus: Focused on Future SWD Development

    We are actively negotiating a new SWD lease and exploring potential new locations for drilling. In addition, our partnership with Miller ESP is evolving as we assess future development opportunities. We remain focused on ensuring long-term sustainability and profitability through strategic planning in the SWD space.

    Ongoing Research and Natural Gas Expansion

    Our research into future natural gas resources and the identification of expansion opportunities continues to move forward. We are exploring new locations to broaden our operations and strengthen our presence in areas that complement our existing project sites. These initiatives will further enhance Allied Energy’s ability to meet growing demand while maximizing shareholder value.

    Enerhash and Sloan Project: Continues to evolve in 2025

    Our successful stewardship of the Enerhash and Sloan projects will continue to pay dividends through 2025. However, we were advised in November 2024 that operational issues have caused delays in their scheduled payment. Despite this, Allied Energy anticipates returns from this venture in Q2 of 2025.

    Strategic Decision: Parting Ways with Energix for the Time Being

    After careful consideration, Allied Energy has made the strategic decision to cut ties with Energix for the time being due to missed critical, time-sensitive milestones. As more lucrative opportunities have emerged, we believe it is in the best interest of the company to focus our resources on these ventures. However, we remain open to the possibility of reigniting a relationship with Energix in the future should the opportunity align with our long-term goals.

    “We are constantly seeking the best opportunities to maximize value for our shareholders. While we have decided to part ways with Energix for now, we look forward to exploring future collaborations when the time is right,” said Monteith.

    Allied Energy Corporation is well-positioned for growth in 2025 and beyond, with a clear focus on increasing capacity, enhancing production, and making strategic partnerships. We remain committed to delivering value to our shareholders and continuing to build a diversified and robust energy portfolio.

    About AGYP:

    Allied Energy Corp. is an energy development and production company acquiring oil & gas reserves in some of the most prolific hydrocarbon bearing regions of the United States. The Company specializes in the business of reworking & re-completing ‘existing’ oil & gas wells located in the thousands of mature oil & gas producing fields across the United States. The Company applies its knowledge, experience, and effective well-remediation technologies to achieve higher production volumes, longer well life, and more efficient recovery of the proven and available oil and gas reserves in the fields/projects in which it has acquired an ownership interest. The Company will utilize updated technologies such as hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), drilling of lateral (“horizontal”) legs in productive zones, and utilizing new cased hole electric logging to locate bypassed pays, all to enhance daily rates and oil & gas recoveries. By acquiring interests in a growing number of selected projects in various regions, Allied Energy Corp. is diversifying its exposure and effectively minimizing risk as it pursues corporate growth, top line & bottom-line revenues to the benefit of all stakeholders. There are proven, recoverable reserves contained in the many aging oil & gas fields that have been bypassed by companies moving away from these fields in search of deeper, more plentiful, but more costly reserves. The Company plans to concentrate on bypassed oil and gas as there is less competition and, as mentioned above, the costs are considerably less. Additionally, the company will acquire interests in marginal wells that can be acquired at minimal cost, of which there are 420,000 wells in the U.S. Quoting Barry Russell, President of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (“IPAA”) – “With approximately 20 percent of American oil production and 10 percent of American natural gas production coming from marginal wells, they are America’s true strategic petroleum reserve.”

    Safe Harbor Statement:

    This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has tried, whenever possible, to identify these forward-looking statements using words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “potential” and similar expressions. These statements reflect the Company’s current beliefs and are based upon information currently available to it. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or advise in the event of any change, addition or alteration to the information catered in this Press Release, including such forward-looking statements.

    Contact:

    Allied Energy Corporation
    Phone: 972-632-2393
    Email: info@alliedengycorp.com
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlliedEnergyCo1

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2612d1fd-1f10-4e95-91f3-d9fa7cca0e78

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Brutalism – the architectural style that dared to summon a new world from the ashes of World War II

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Michael Allen, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, West Virginia University

    Boston City Hall, which was completed in 1968, is considered a classic example of Brutalist architecture. Yunghi Kim/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

    Some viewers of “The Brutalist” are probably getting their first taste of Brutalism, the architectural style that gives the film its name.

    The film, which has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, centers on the efforts of fictional protagonist László Tóth to realize a mammoth, bunkerlike, concrete structure that will house a community center in Pennsylvania.

    A survivor of the Holocaust, Tóth insists on the building’s overwhelming scale, starkly unadorned concrete surfaces and labyrinthine interior in order to create an architectural version of the designer’s own shattered, traumatized inner world. The near-maniacal drive to finish the work becomes an intensely personal project of overcoming his trauma.

    Yet “The Brutalist” doesn’t relay much about Brutalist architecture beyond its reflexive relationship to Tóth. Drawings and photographs of real-life Brutalist buildings appear in several scenes as glimpses into Tóth’s originality and style. But the structures come across as the progeny of one architect’s ego, while the philosophy behind Brutalism remains unexplained.

    The actual story of Brutalism is so much more.

    What you see is what you get

    In my research, I’ve explored how architecture can embody values such as the common good and the human struggle for well-being. Specifically, my work explores how architecture after World War II presented a vision of a new world, one that could overcome decades of violence, exploitation and oppression.

    Brutalism, which flourished from the 1950s until around 1980, is one style that has taught me a lot.

    Brutalist buildings emphasize form using assemblies of monumental geometric shapes. While some critics find Brutalism’s heavy look and utilitarian use of materials like concrete, brick and glass harsh – even ugly – there is a beautiful intent behind them.

    Historian and critic Reyner Banham articulated Brutalism’s core ideas in a 1955 review of Peter and Alison Smith’s Hunstanton School, which was completed in 1954 in Norfolk, United Kingdom.

    Banham latched onto the French term “beton brut” – “bare concrete” – to christen the emergent style. The architects at the forefront of what Banham termed “New Brutalism” were actually thwarting the overly theorized, self-referential modernism of the times. Their buildings, he explained, exhibited three simple traits: an easily visible interior plan, direct expression of structure, and building materials that were valued for their own traits.

    In “The Brutalist,” Tóth’s insistence on plain concrete, as well as Cararra marble for the community center’s altar, captures the core of the philosophy. The materials used for Brutalist structures are not chosen as mere cladding, but as components that are essential to the building’s design. Their presence is an endorsement of their utility and beauty.

    Some Brutalist buildings, such as the Hunstanton School, are made of brick instead of concrete. Others use stone. The goal is honest expression, not in-your-face experimentation.

    Monuments to the masses

    Beyond the devotion to the materials, plan and form of buildings, Brutalism often signified a devotion to social change.

    Brutalism sought to upend preexisting social hierarchies and divisions. Its staggering forms made monuments out of ordinary places frequented by ordinary people: homes, schools, libraries.

    In the U.S., public colleges and universities erected Brutalist structures to celebrate the expansion of higher education to the masses, thanks to the GI Bill. In a project led by Walter Netsch, the University of Illinois-Chicago wove together its buildings with concrete walkways leading to a central, outdoor amphitheater. Harry Weese’s Forest Park Community College in St. Louis consisted of long, monumental brick blocks that made the junior college appear as a temple.

    Chicago-born architect Walter Netsch made an outdoor amphitheater the beating heart of the University of Illinois-Chicago’s campus.
    ArchEyes

    Well-known, if not always well-loved, public buildings such as Boston City Hall, which was built in 1968, expressed faith in modern democracy, giving the majestic government buildings of the past a new look to signify a modern egalitarianism.

    Other projects emphasized the triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement. The Neigh Dormitory at Mary Holmes College in West Point, Mississippi, was completed in 1970 by the firm of Black architect J. Max Bond Jr. Architectural historian Brian Goldstein described it as “modernism as liberation.”

    Despite Brutalism’s social optimism, it is not without detractors. In 2014, Northwestern University demolished Bertrand Goldberg’s Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago despite pleas from preservationists. According to the university, the concrete construction made the building impossible to adapt for new laboratory space.

    In Goshen, New York, county officials long viewed Paul Rudolph’s Orange County Government Center as an ugly and unpleasant seat of government, and almost succeeded in having it demolished. The building has since been remodeled to cloak the Brutalist design.

    New buildings for a new world

    In the U.K., cities faced damages from Nazi bombing during World War II as well as long-deferred upgrades to public housing. Brutalism was a key part of postwar housing recovery and expansion efforts.

    Perhaps the most iconic Brutalist structure in the U.K. is Erno Goldfinger’s 31-story Trellick Tower, a frequent setting for film and music videos.

    That same year, Alison and Peter Smithson unveiled their massive apartment complex, Robin Hood Gardens, in London. With its hulking concrete forms and “streets in the sky” – wide, outdoor decks on each story that were meant to mimic street life and facilitate contact with neighbors – the project demonstrated that working-class people could not only have modern apartments, but also live in new ways. London’s massive, middle-class Barbican Estate, completed in 1982, created a small city within the city, replete with plazas, a waterway and iconic concrete and brick buildings.

    London’s Robin Hood Gardens was famously built with ‘streets in the sky.’
    Matthew Lloyd/PA Images via Getty Images

    Other European Brutalist works directly confront the horrors of World War II.

    The Swiss-French architect and artist known as Le Corbusier built the Convent at Sainte Marie de La Tourette in France in the 1950s with concrete shapes resembling cannons and machine-gun barrels in its walls.

    In Paris, Georges-Henri Pingusson’s Memorial to the Martyrs of Deportation, built in 1962, commemorates the lives of 200,000 victims of the Holocaust through an assemblage of stark, monolithic concrete forms.

    While the Soviet Union’s 1950s and 1960s prefabricated concrete panel housing estates built under Premier Nikita Khruschev embody the Brutalist devotion to cost efficiency and social problem-solving, projects in the former Yugoslavia show how Brutalism could symbolize the rebirth of a people. Housing projects and commercial blocks in New Belgrade forged a new architecture for a new nation – and, in a sense, a new nationality.

    And on the site of the Jasenovac concentration camp in Croatia, run by a Nazi puppet regime, architect Bogdan Bogdanović crafted perhaps the most optimistic acknowledgment of the will to overcome the 20th century’s darkest hours.

    Where slave labor once made bricks, and thousands lost their lives, the designer crafted a massive concrete monument, completed in 1969. The stark form suggests a flower emerging from tortured soil but set upon thriving anyway.

    To me, monuments like Bogdanović’s show how Brutalism is the perfect style to convey the earnest hope that a new world is possible.

    Bogdan Bogdanović’s memorial honors the people killed at the Jasenovac concentration camp in Croatia.
    Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

    Michael Allen is an Advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

    – ref. Brutalism – the architectural style that dared to summon a new world from the ashes of World War II – https://theconversation.com/brutalism-the-architectural-style-that-dared-to-summon-a-new-world-from-the-ashes-of-world-war-ii-248957

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Managers can help their Gen Z employees unlock the power of meaningful work − here’s how

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kelly Kennedy, Director of Transformative Learning, University of Connecticut

    Finding fulfilling and motivating work is a challenge for many people, but it can be especially difficult for those just starting their careers. And as Generation Z professionals – those born between 1997 and 2012 – increasingly seek personalized career paths, managers are tasked with helping employees find meaning in their roles while also meeting organizational goals.

    Some managers may view Gen Z’s desire for meaningful work as a form of entitlement, but dismissing it can be costly. Research shows that employees who find their work meaningful experience greater job satisfaction, which directly boosts productivity. Meanwhile, ignoring this need can lead to higher employee turnover and “quiet quitting.” In short, helping younger employees find meaning on the job isn’t just good for them – it’s a smart business strategy.

    As business professors who study meaningful work, we wanted to understand how managers can help younger staff thrive. So, together with leadership consultant Shanna Hocking, we asked a range of Gen Z professionals about their workplace experiences. Through these conversations, we identified three crucial factors that can help managers unlock meaning for early career professionals: self-knowledge, adding value and relationships.

    By addressing these areas, managers can foster a supportive environment where Gen Z professionals thrive.

    The 3 keys to meaningful work

    Self-knowledge is about understanding who you are and what you value, and recognizing your strengths and weaknesses. Research shows self-awareness can be a powerful tool for creating a productive and engaged workforce.

    To help Gen Z employees develop self-knowledge, encourage them to reflect on what energizes and interests them. To get the ball rolling, you can ask them to think about their college experiences, internships and important personal milestones. These reflections can help them uncover patterns in what they enjoy and what drives their motivation.

    Additionally, many Gen Z professionals seek roles that align with their values. It’s common for them to focus on developing a sense of purpose that extends beyond a specific job title.

    The U.S. workforce now has more people who were born after 1997 than those born between 1946 and 1964.

    For example, one young employee we interviewed, who works in fashion merchandising, told us, “I will make things beautiful and that will be my life.” This is a flexible sense of purpose – one that isn’t tied to any particular job, but rather to a bigger vision of impact. A smart manager will connect day-to-day tasks to employees’ larger goals, helping them see how their contributions fit into the bigger picture.

    Adding value at work comes down to two key things: feeling recognized and knowing one’s contributions make a difference. Our study found that adding value and feeling valued play a crucial role in shaping workplace meaning. For example, when asked what makes work meaningful, a Gen Z worker said, “being part of a team where you are able to contribute and directly see the impact of your work, regardless of the level you are at.”

    So, how do you make Gen Z employees feel recognized? It can be as simple as giving praise or as big as offering a raise. But for many young professionals, meaningful work goes beyond just perks – it’s about feeling like their efforts contribute to a larger goal and make a positive impact on society.

    Finally, how people get work done in the office is often tied to the relationships they have.

    Previous research has shown that Gen Z professionals are more likely to thrive in work environments that prioritize diversity and inclusion and encourage positive relationships between colleagues. Our conversations with Gen Z workers backed that up: They told us they valued quality relationships, collaboration, and support from managers and colleagues.

    Managers can foster this type of environment by encouraging team members to meaningfully connect. As a Gen Z private equity analyst shared with us, “When you work such long hours, it’s nice knowing there’s others in the trenches with you.”

    Building strong relationships with direct reports is also important. Gen Z professionals value being mentored by their managers and receiving regular feedback and honest communication. Research has shown connection at work is powerful for creating a meaningful environment of trust for employees of all ages.

    We also found that Gen Z appreciates being able to take risks – and potentially fail – in a safe space. That’s why mentorship programs can be impactful; they help young professionals develop skills, build confidence and find meaning in their work by providing a safe space for learning and growth.

    3 questions to unlock the power of meaningful work

    Reflection and coaching are powerful tools that help early career employees develop self-awareness, add value and build strong relationships. This work may seem daunting at first, but it’s easy to incorporate into the regular conversations you’re already having as a manager. To bring out the best in your Gen Z employees, start by asking three simple questions during your next one-on-one meeting.

    1. When have you felt most energized at work?

    Asking this question can help early career employees gain a deeper understanding of what motivates them. By identifying key moments, both you and the employee can gain valuable insight into their priorities and interests. Pay close attention to the specific aspects of their work that spark enthusiasm, and observe nonverbal cues such as body language and facial expressions – they can reveal just as much as words about what truly excites them.

    Make it a dialogue by sharing what you’ve noticed about the employee’s interests and discussing ways to tap into their motivations. Then, encourage the employee to find tasks and projects that align with their interests and bring them to the next one-on-one to discuss. From there, when assigning new tasks, be sure to highlight how the work connects to the employee’s interests and the organization’s larger goals.

    2. Where do you feel you contribute the most?

    This question helps early career employees recognize their strengths, allowing them to contribute more effectively and feel like a valued part of the team. As they respond, look for recurring themes in how they approach their work and the quality of their output.

    Help employees see the bigger picture by connecting their efforts to departmental objectives and the company’s overall mission. Highlight how their skills and contributions make a difference – not just in their own work but in supporting their colleagues and driving team success. And be on the lookout for opportunities to genuinely acknowledge their contributions in real time, as well as during performance reviews.

    3. Whom in the company do you want to learn from or work more closely with?

    Bringing up an employee’s work relationships in a one-on-one meeting might seem unconventional, but it’s a valuable opportunity to guide them in building strong partnerships. Plus, showing genuine interest in their connections reinforces your own relationship with them.

    As you discuss their workplace interactions, pay attention to whom they mention and why. Their responses can offer valuable insights into their career aspirations, potential collaboration opportunities and the relationships they find most meaningful.

    Also, remember: You don’t have to have all the answers. If a Gen Z employee comes to you with a question, use it as a chance to connect them with other team members or subject-matter experts. Encouraging them to seek out knowledge from others not only strengthens their network but also fosters a culture of continuous learning and collaboration.

    As Gen Z professionals seek more personalized and fulfilling career paths, managers play a critical role in supporting them. Helping early career team members reach their professional goals will, in turn, help organizations reach their own goals. So if you’re a manager, asking these three simple questions during one-on-one meetings can lead to happier, more motivated workers and a more productive and stable organization.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Managers can help their Gen Z employees unlock the power of meaningful work − here’s how – https://theconversation.com/managers-can-help-their-gen-z-employees-unlock-the-power-of-meaningful-work-heres-how-248993

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Identifying brands as Black-owned can pay off for businesses

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Oren Reshef, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Washington University in St. Louis

    Labeling businesses as Black-owned can significantly boost their sales, we found in a recent study.

    In June 2020, the business-review website Yelp introduced a feature allowing consumers to search for Black-owned restaurants. As professors who study digitization, inequality and the economics of technology, we were interested in understanding its effect. So we analyzed more than two years of data from Yelp.

    We found that restaurants labeled as Black-owned saw a 65% increase in online traffic, more searches and calls, and higher sales through food orders and in-person visits. These results suggest that for many Black-owned businesses, a simple change in their visibility can create new opportunities for growth.

    However, the impact varied by location. The gains were strongest in politically liberal areas and places with lower levels of implicit racial bias, as measured by regional variation in implicit-association test scores. This suggests that platforms are in part channeling, as opposed to creating, customer demand. Interestingly, white customers drove most of the increase, suggesting the label helped raise awareness of businesses they might not have considered before.

    This wasn’t just a 2020 trend – in follow-up analyses, we found similar results among businesses that opted into the feature later. We also collaborated with the online furniture company Wayfair, which launched a “Black Maker” label on its site in 2023, and found that it led to a 57% increase in web traffic. Finally, Yelp rolled out a Latino-owned label on the platform late that year, which led to a similar increase in consumer engagement.

    Why it matters

    This research has implications for business owners, digital platforms and policymakers. Growing awareness of racial inequality – partially driven by the Black Lives Matter movement, especially after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 — has led to increased corporate and customer interest in supporting minority-owned businesses. It also led many companies to make commitments to promote racial equity.

    However, more recently, many companies have dismantled these efforts. For instance, Target recently announced that it was eliminating its program to spotlight Black-owned businesses. Our findings suggest that increasing the visibility of minority ownership – a relatively low-cost change – can substantially improve economic outcomes for Black-owned businesses.

    Our results also show that diversity initiatives aren’t just about warm and fuzzy feelings. Businesses should measure and evaluate their impact to ensure their programs are effective. A well-designed program can benefit the bottom line, while a poorly designed one risks being ineffective or even counterproductive.

    So it’s important to acknowledge the potential risks. Past research, including some of our own, indicates that revealing racial identity sometimes can lead to discrimination or backlash. While our findings suggest that labeling can have positive effects, a poorly implemented policy can backfire. Yelp’s initiative design empowered users looking to support Black-owned businesses while allowing other users to continue searching in alternative ways.

    That means policy design is crucial. What matters isn’t just what information is revealed, but also how it’s communicated. Our analysis shows that customer demand and preferences vary considerably across locations and demographics, meaning that context also matters.

    What still isn’t known

    While our research suggests that businesses experienced economic benefits from adopting the label, it’s crucial to understand which policy designs work best in the long run. For instance, Yelp’s program used an opt-in feature, which may have contributed to its success.

    However, open questions remain. How are platforms affected by labeling businesses? What other types of labels might be impactful, and for which types of businesses? Could some interventions backfire?

    Another key question is, which customers respond to racial identity disclosures? Recent advances in data analytics can help companies refine their strategies, making it easier to target the right consumer groups for more effective initiatives.

    Ultimately, our study is a step toward understanding how transparency and visibility can shape economic outcomes. It highlights a diversity initiative that has benefited both customers and businesses, and provides a road map for companies that want to design initiatives that matter. And, more broadly, it speaks to a question facing all companies: How can companies better understand and shape their societal footprint?

    In the past, Oren Reshef has worked as an Economics Research Intern at Yelp. The company did not intervene in the analysis or the publication process of this article.

    Michael Luca has done consulting for tech companies including Yelp.

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

    – ref. Identifying brands as Black-owned can pay off for businesses – https://theconversation.com/identifying-brands-as-black-owned-can-pay-off-for-businesses-250129

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Israel’s bombing of Gaza caused untold environmental damage − recovery will take effort and time

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lesley Joseph, Research Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering, University of South Carolina

    Vast areas in Gaza have been reduced to rubble. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    The war in Gaza has come with an awful cost. Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed, and thousands more are missing. And while a temporary ceasefire has allowed for increased aid delivery, easing the plight of those facing disease and hunger, experts predict malnutrition and health issues to persist for months or even years.

    Much of the territory’s infrastructure – its schools, hospitals and homes – has been damaged or destroyed. And yet, the tremendous human and societal loss has been augmented by a lesser reported but potentially catastrophic, consequence: environmental devastation.

    In June 2024, the United Nations Environment Programme conducted an environmental impact assessment to evaluate the damage resulting from Israeli military actions in Gaza. It found “unprecedented levels of destruction” from the intensive bombing campaign, along with the complete collapse of water and solid waste systems, and widespread contamination of the soil, water and air. And that was before another six months of bombing caused further damage to Gaza.

    As a scholar of environmental justice, I have thought carefully about the impact that a lack of clean water, access to sanitation facilities, and the absence of basic infrastructure can have on a community, particularly vulnerable and marginalized populations. The current pause in fighting is providing respite for the 2.2 million people in Gaza who have endured more than a year of war. It also provides an opportunity to evaluate the environmental damage to the densely populated enclave in three crucial areas: the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, or WASH; air quality; and waste management.

    Here is what we know so far:

    WASH sector

    According to an interim damage assessment released by the World Bank, U.N. and E.U. in March 2024, an estimated US$502.7 million of damage was inflicted on the WASH sector in Gaza in the initial months of bombing, including damage to approximately 57% of the water infrastructure.

    The United Nations reported that water desalination plants in Gaza, 162 water wells and two of the three water connections with Israel’s national water provider had been severely damaged.

    As a result, the amount of available water in Gaza was at that point reduced to roughly 2-8 liters per person per day – below the World Health Organization emergency daily minimum of 15 liters and far below its standard recommendation of 50-100 liters per day.

    In November 2024, meanwhile, the charity Oxfam reported that all five wastewater treatment plants in Gaza had been forced to shut down, along with the majority of its 65 wastewater pumping stations. This resulted in ongoing discharges of raw, untreated sewage into the environment. As of June 2024, an estimated 15.8 million gallons of wastewater has been discharged into the environment in and around Gaza, according to the U.N. environmental report.

    Meanwhile, sanitation facilities for Palestinians in Gaza are practically nonexistent. Reporting from U.N. Women states that people in Gaza routinely walk long distances and then wait for hours just to use a toilet, and due to the lack of water, these toilets cannot be flushed or cleaned.

    Air quality

    The air quality in Gaza has been drastically impacted by this war. NASA satellite imagery from the first few months of the war found that approximately 165 fires were recorded in Gaza from October 2023 to January 2024.

    With a shortage of electricity, residents have been forced to burn various materials, including plastics and household waste, for cooking and heating. And this has contributed to a dangerous decline in air quality.

    Meanwhile, large amounts of dust, debris and chemical releases have been produced from explosions and the destruction of infrastructure, leading to significant air pollution. In February 2024, the U.N. Mine Action Service estimated that, in the first few months of the war alone, more than 25,000 tons of explosives had been used, equivalent to “two nuclear bombs.”

    Waste management

    In the first six months of bombardment, more than 39 million tons of debris were generated, much of it likely to contain harmful contaminants, including asbestos, residue from explosives and toxic medical waste.

    Human remains are also mixed in with this debris, with estimates that over 10,000 bodies remain under the rubble. Moreover, the three main landfills in the Gaza Strip have been closed and are unable to receive waste or conflict-related debris.

    Substantial damage has been done to five out of six solid waste management facilities, and solid waste continues to accumulate at camps and shelters, with an estimate of 1,100 to 1,200 tons being generated daily.

    The charge of ‘ecocide’

    With such environmental destruction, claims of “ecocide” have been made against the Israeli government by international rights groups.

    Although not presently incorporated into the framework of international law, there have been recent efforts for ecocide to be added as a crime under the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court. Indeed, a panel of experts in 2021 proposed a working definition of ecocide as “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment caused by those acts.”

    To date, 15 countries have criminalized ecocide, and Ukraine is investigating Russia for ecocide for its destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023.

    Various organizations, including the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, the University of California Global Health Institute and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, have stated that the level of environmental devastation in Gaza reaches the proposed legal definition of “ecocide.”

    Although the Israeli government has not responded to these accusations, it has consistently stated that it has a right to defend itself and that it seeks to protect civilians as it conducts its military operations.

    Health impacts of environmental harm

    Regardless of whether the charge of ecocide applies to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, the environmental impact, the spread of disease, and other harmful health impairments will be felt for years to come.

    The United Nations Relief and Works Agency reported an increase in hepatitis A in the enclave, from 85 cases before the current war to 107,000 cases in October 2024. The WHO has reported 500,000 cases of diarrhea and 100,000 cases of lice and scabies, along with the reemergence of polio.

    Polio virus has been found in wastewater, threatening the lives of Palestinian children in Gaza.
    Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images

    The lack of adequate WASH facilities has also disproportionately affected women and girls by interfering with basic menstrual hygiene, harming their mental and physical health.

    Meanwhile, the increased presence of dangerous air pollutants has led to increases in respiratory issues, including nearly 1 million acute respiratory illnesses. Presently, the most common respiratory ailments in Gaza are asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, pneumonia and lung cancer.

    Next steps

    As a licensed environmental engineer, I have never seen the scale of environmental destruction that has occurred in Gaza.

    While the situation is unprecedented, there are concrete steps that the international community can take to help Gaza’s environment recover. The three-stage ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which went into effect on Jan. 19, 2025, is a promising first step. This agreement has allowed some Israeli hostages to be released and Palestinian detainees to return to their homes. It also allows for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to deal with the current food crisis and health emergency.

    Nevertheless, there are significant challenges ahead for the people of Gaza. First, the ceasefire agreement will need to hold – and already there are signs of difficulty in implementing the agreement in full. Should fighting resume, that will close or delay the opportunity for engineers and surveyors to perform detailed, comprehensive field assessments.

    Meanwhile, the need for a post-conflict plan for Gaza has never been starker.

    Recovering from Gaza’s environmental devastation will require Israel and neighboring countries, as well as influential world powers such as the United States and the European Union, to work together to rebuild critical infrastructure, such as water and wastewater treatment plants and solid waste infrastructure. Moreover, to succeed, any long-term plan for the reconstruction of Gaza will need to prioritize the needs and perspectives of Palestinians themselves.

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

    – ref. Israel’s bombing of Gaza caused untold environmental damage − recovery will take effort and time – https://theconversation.com/israels-bombing-of-gaza-caused-untold-environmental-damage-recovery-will-take-effort-and-time-245311

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Gatwick expansion unwanted, say Greens

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    by Green Party

    Responding to the Transport Secretary’s decision to pursue a positive decision for Gatwick Airport to bring its northern terminal into constant use, (1) Siân Berry Green MP for Brighton Pavilion said:

    “The Labour government is trashing its climate credentials one absurd decision at a time. Only one day after receiving critical advice from its own climate advisors on the need to lower flying demand, ministers continue to support yet more unnecessary expansion for the benefit of wealthy investors.

    “Pushing through these damaging plans shows such poor economic judgement. Over 100,000 extra flights a year won’t deliver for our communities. Labour should listen to the public who think airport expansion is the wrong priority. Most of us fly once a year if at all and would rather see cheaper train tickets and more bus routes instead to help with our daily journeys and create jobs where we live, in contrast with frequent flyers leaching money out of the economy.

    “The green economy grew by ten per cent last year, and this is where Labour should be investing to deliver high-wage, long-term jobs across the entire country.”

    (1) Transport planning: Gatwick Airport – GOV.UK

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Environment Agency grants permit for Portland incinerator

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Environment Agency grants permit for Portland incinerator

    Conditions are being put on site operations and granting an environmental permit will not impact outcome of judicial review into site’s planning permission.

    Conditions have been set in the permit on emissions and their monitoring, plant operation, waste type and quantity

    The Environment Agency has today granted an application for a permit to operate a new non-hazardous waste incinerator in Portland port. 

    Following a number of consultations, the agency agreed that Powerfuel Portland Ltd had met all of the necessary criteria needed for the environmental permit to be given for the proposed incinerator. Where an application meets the requirements of the Environmental Permitting Regulations (2016) the agency must issue a permit.

    Conditions have been set in the permit on emissions and their monitoring, operation of the plant and the amount and type of waste to be accepted. The permit limits the waste that can be incinerated to refuse derived fuel – that is produced from domestic municipal solid waste (MSW) and commercial & industrial (C&I) waste unsuitable for recycling.

    A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:

    We have carefully considered all of the submissions we received during the various consultations and we thank everyone who took the time to contact us with their views.

    Background

    The Environment Agency does not look at issues around vehicle movements to and from the site, working hours and whether or not the site is suitable for this kind of work. All of those are matters dealt with through the local authority planning process and is entirely separate from the environmental permitting process. 

    Although the planning permission granted by the Secretary of State is currently subject to a judicial review, we do not consider the outcome of that process would impact our conclusions on the environmental permit. Nor will granting the permit affect the outcome of the court proceedings, which will be determined on their own merits.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Increase of domestic timber to boost UK economy and housebuilding

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Increase of domestic timber to boost UK economy and housebuilding

    New vision by government to deliver on its Plan for Change by increasing timber use in construction and boosting economic growth.

    Credit: BSW Timber

    A new roadmap to get Britain building with the use of sustainable and low carbon building materials, will help solve the housing crisis and achieve 2050 net zero targets.

    New, ambitious plans to increase the use of timber in construction to boost the domestic timber industry, economic growth, rural jobs and housebuilding targets, have been announced by Environment Minister Mary Creagh today (Thursday 27th February) at the Timber in Construction (TiC) Summit in London.

    The government has outlined new methods to deliver on its Plan for Change that will help to build 1.5million sustainable and affordable homes, create a low-waste circular construction sector and drive further investment into domestic timber and wood-processing supply chains.

    Speaking at the TiC Summit, Minister Creagh confirmed the government will recommit to the Timber in Construction Roadmap, which outlines measures to increase the use of timber in the construction sector. 

    David Hopkins (CEO of Timber Development UK), Defra Environment Minister Creagh, Andrew Carpenter (CEO of Structural Timber Association) , Andy Leitch (Deputy Chief Executive of Confor) at the Timber in Construction Summit, London, February 2025 Credit: Timber Development UK

    Using timber in construction is one of the best ways to reduce emissions from buildings. Around 25% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are from the built environment, and larger buildings can store up to 400% more carbon when built out of engineered timber products compared to when built with concrete. Currently only 80% of the timber the UK uses is imported.

    The new Timber in Construction Roadmap outlines more ambitious Government priorities and key actions including:

    • Encouraging the use of sustainable, low carbon building materials, and ensuring carbon emissions are considering during the design, construction and use of buildings.
    • Fulfilling the Government’s commitment to delivering 1.5m homes this Parliament by using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) including the use of timber, to boost productivity in housebuilding and deliver high quality, energy efficient new homes.
    • Creating a circular economy by championing timber’s potential for a clean growth future – supporting the construction sector to use the most sustainable, low carbon materials and construction techniques.
    • Accelerating economic growth by creating new and diverse green jobs in the productive forestry and timber sectors, as well as stimulating further investment into domestic timber and wood processing supply chains.

    These actions will go alongside recommitting to existing plans such as promoting timber as a construction material, boosting skills and capacity across the supply chain and increasing the supply of sustainable timber products.

    Environment Minister Mary Creagh said:

    “This Government is getting Britain building.

     “Our Plan for Change will build 1.5 million homes this Parliament. Timber will play a vital role benefitting development and nature.”

    Forestry Commission Chief Executive, Richard Stanford said: 

     ”To reach net zero, we must increase timber production from homegrown trees and use that timber in our buildings to sequester carbon. The Timber in Construction Roadmap will propel forestry production in England to ensure timber security, reduce our dependence on imports, and address the nature crisis by boosting biodiversity, improving water quality, and providing more green spaces for people.

    “The Forestry Commission will continue to collaborate closely with partners from the timber, forestry, and construction sectors in this critical area of work for many years ahead”.

    Alex Goodfellow, Chair of the Confederation of Timber Industries, and CEO of Donaldson Offsite said:

    “The Minister’s support for the Timber in Construction Roadmap shows the Government’s firm commitment to a growth agenda: growth for forestry, for housing, for low-carbon skills and for the economy. The timber supply chain is a major economic player in the UK, connecting rural and urban environments. 

    “Timber frame construction is a well-proven technology and business model for delivering houses rapidly and sustainably while improving quality.  By accelerating this growth we can build more low-carbon housing today while providing a market pull for expanding forests. As a supply chain we will support the Government to deliver on all of the goals in the Roadmap and help build a more sustainable future.”

    The amended Roadmap goes further than previous Government commitments, setting out more ambitious targets and actions to increase the use of homegrown timber in construction in a move to reduce carbon emissions, provide green jobs of the future, create affordable and sustainable housing, and drive-up economic growth.

    Increasing the domestic production of timber will create new green jobs in the forestry and wood processing sectors, which contribute over £3bn to the UK economy.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Black Country street racing injunction remains in place

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The injunction, led by the City of Wolverhampton Council on behalf of Dudley Council, Sandwell Council and Walsall Council and supported by West Midlands Police, prohibits people from: participating in, as a driver, rider or passenger, street racing; from promoting, organising or publicising gatherings; or from participating as a spectator.

    The injunction covers the whole of the boroughs of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall and anyone found to be breaching it will be in contempt of court and may be imprisoned, fined or have their assets seized. They may also be ordered to pay the council’s legal costs of any hearing.

    The High Court originally granted the full and final injunction in February 2024 with the injunction and power of arrest remaining in force until at least 2027 subject to annual review.

    At yesterday’s review hearing, Mr Justice Ritchie permitted the injunction to continue, with minor amendments to the wording, after hearing evidence from the Claimant councils that there was a “pressing need for a continuance” of the injunction.

    Pardip Nagra, Wolverhampton Anti Social Behaviour Team Leader, told the court that the injunction had reduced racing and led to 7 people being found in contempt of court following committal applications for breach of the injunction in the Black Country over the last 13 months.

    Meanwhile PC Mark Campbell from Operation Hercules, West Midlands Police’s tactical response to street racing, described how there had been a 38% decrease in complaints relating to street racing in the Black Country between 2023 and 2024.

    Mr Justice Ritchie said: “Street racing involves speeding, loud noise, convoys, racing, stunts and obstructions.

    “I find that the order has been very effective in protecting the public, catching criminals, bringing them before the court quickly, and giving them a punishment which seems to be working.

    “This action has probably saved lives and very probably prevented injuries – and the councils and police should be congratulated on doing it.”

    Mr Justice Ritchie added that the injunction will remain in place in its current form until the revised order comes into effect in the coming weeks.

    Speaking on behalf of the Claimant councils, Councillor Obaida Ahmed, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Digital and Community, said: “We very much welcome the High Court’s decision to allow the street racing injunction to continue.

    “The court was presented with a wealth of evidence about the impact that the injunction has had, not only in bringing the perpetrators of street racing to justice but in preventing meets from occurring in the first place, and we hope it will continue to restrain this anti-social and dangerous activity across the Black Country.”

    For more information about the street racing injunction, please visit the street racing pages of the applicants – Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell or Dudley – which are in the process of being updated.

    Incidents of street racing should be reported via asbu@wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk or to West Midlands Police on 101. In an emergency, always dial 999.

    Police are also inviting members of the public to submit dash cam or mobile phone footage of street racing events or dangerous driving via its Op Snap website.

    A further annual review of the injunction will be held by the High Court in around 12 months’ time, on a date to be fixed in due course.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pharmacist sentenced for Covid-19 grant fraud

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Sundip Gill is a registered pharmacist trading from four separate business premises located in Wolverhampton, including chemist shops named Collateral, Your Pharmacy First, Low Hill Pharmacy, and Fallings Park Pharmacy. He is also a director of 2 pharmaceutical companies, Sync Chem Ltd and Collateral Ltd.

    During the Covid 19 pandemic, the Government introduced grants to assist and support local businesses to continue to trade.

    The City of Wolverhampton Council allocated extra funding through the introduction of its Relight Programme. The grants were designed to support local businesses to improve their premises and increase carbon efficiency, with 2 types of grants available, both intended to support the recovery of the local economy.

    Businesses could apply for both grants and, if they met the qualifying criteria, would be awarded up to £5,000 for each successful application. Applications had to be accompanied by 2 like for like quotations for planned improvement works.

    Gill submitted 8 grant applications to the Relight Programme and could potentially have received a total of £40,000.

    However, the council’s Counter Fraud Team were alerted to discrepancies with the quotations supplied by Gill leading to further checks whereupon it was discovered that Gill had submitted fake quotations in support of his grant applications.

    Following a detailed investigation, Gill was charged with 18 offences of dishonesty and Sync Chem Ltd and Collateral Ltd were charged with 6 offences of dishonesty, all under sections 1, 2 and 7 of the Fraud Act 2006.

    Gill denied the charges but was subsequently found guilty on all counts and, at Dudley Magistrates Court on Friday (21 February, 2025), Gill was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months, 200 hours unpaid work to be completed within 12 months and ordered to pay £3,000 costs and a £128 victim surcharge. Meanwhile, Sync Chem Ltd was ordered to pay a fine of £12,000, £2,500 costs, and a £190 victim surcharge and Collateral Ltd was ordered to pay a fine of £6,000, £2,500 costs, and £190 victim surcharge.

    During sentencing District Judge Graham Wilkinson told Gill: “You have been convicted for being fully involved in fraud and your attempts to exploit a system to assist legitimate businesses.” He added that Gill had shown “no remorse.”

    Councillor Louise Miles, the council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “The Relight Programme was designed to support local business through, and to recover from, the Covid-19 pandemic, and not to be abused in the way that it was by Sundip Gill.

    “The council has a policy of zero tolerance towards public sector fraud. It is far from a victimless crime, and its impacts ripple through our society, affecting every individual and the services we all rely on, and we will not hesitate to take action in instances like this.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council led teamwork helps to keep rough sleeper levels down across city

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The data snapshot – taken once a year and based on one night – puts rough sleeper levels in Wolverhampton at 8.

    The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has published the latest figures following a count in October 2024. It shows Wolverhampton has fewer rough sleepers than most cities in the country and one of the lowest levels in the region.

    Across England the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2024 was 4,667. This has risen for the third year in a row, increasing 20% since 2023. The West Midlands region saw a 35% increase in rough sleepers in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the single night figures.

    City of Wolverhampton Council heads a multi agency approach with the P3 Charity, Good Shepherd Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton BID, Wolverhampton Homes, Recovery Near You, West Midlands Police and others.

    Support offered by partner agencies not only addresses housing issues but also helps with reducing debts, improving skills, controlling substance use and managing mental and physical health issues. All those identified as rough sleeping during the count were offered support, including accommodation.

    Councillor Steve Evans, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Housing at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “The low figures are a testament to work that goes into supporting our most vulnerable people all year round.

    “Our revised 5 year Homelessness Prevention Strategy underpins our commitment, through a joined up approach, to ensuring no-one is left behind.

    “We will build on partnership work to tackle the root causes of homelessness while working to deliver good homes in well connected neighbourhoods that support strong families where children grow up well and achieve their full potential.”

    Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: “People who sleep rough also often have complex and multiple health and care needs. An important part of our work in this area is to help people improve their health and social wellbeing, supporting them to find long term solutions and break the cycle.”

    P3 Charity Head of Support & Community Services, Sam Bailey, said: “We’re proud of the collective difference we’ve made to rough sleeping in Wolverhampton, but we can’t rest on our laurels.

    “In collaboration with our partners, we’ll continue the exceptional, people centric approach that we’re known for, ensuring our interventions are effective and long lasting. Our commitment continues until we’re confident there is no longer anyone in Wolverhampton who needs to spend a night on the streets.”

    For details on how to contact support services to help those experiencing rough sleeping, visit Rough sleeping, P3 Charity or Street Support Network – Find Help.

    Donate online via JustGiving or by using the charity’s tap and go points in Railway Drive or Victoria Square.

    Concerned about someone sleeping rough? Visit StreetLink.

    For help with the cost of living visit Cost of Living Support.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko discussed the construction of a school in Bratsk with Sergei Kravtsov and the Governor of the Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Dmitry Chernyshenko discussed the construction of a school in Bratsk with Sergei Kravtsov and the Governor of the Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko held a working meeting with Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov and Governor of the Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev on the topic of building a school in the 26th microdistrict of Bratsk.

    The issue of continuing the construction of a secondary comprehensive school for 1,275 students, which had been suspended due to a lack of funds, was raised during government hour in the Federation Council chaired by Valentina Matviyenko. To resolve it, Dmitry Chernyshenko met with Sergei Kravtsov and Igor Kobzev.

    “Creating educational infrastructure is one of the priority areas. Situations with suspensions and missed deadlines are unacceptable. I ask the Ministry of Education, together with the region, to find optimal options for solving the issue with the involvement of federal budget funds,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    The Deputy Prime Minister added that the situation with the school will be taken under special control.

    “There is indeed a demand for high-quality educational infrastructure in the region, and our task is to provide comfortable conditions for the education of all children. The Ministry of Education has studied the situation. When building schools, an extremely responsible approach is important on the ground. We will keep the issue of building a school in Bratsk under control,” said Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov.

    Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev noted the importance of building a new school in Bratsk. According to him, the central part of the city is growing quite quickly, many children are appearing. Today, more than 1 thousand students in the district study in the second shift.

    “We will do everything to make the new school a real modern center for developing the potential of each child, including children with special needs, the best center for career guidance and self-determination of schoolchildren and, of course, a creative professional environment for teachers. Yes, large construction projects do not always have an easy fate, there are restraining factors, such as the complexity of the designed object, rising prices for construction materials, inflation processes, and the human factor is not excluded in some places. Our task is to complete the construction of a new school in Bratsk through joint efforts,” said Igor Kobzev.

    The Governor of the Irkutsk Region also promised that the school will accept students in September 2027.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Navy Optometrist Recognized for Excellence in Vision Readiness

    Source: United States Navy (Medical)

    The U.S. Navy recognized Lt. Aidan Stubbs, assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Rota, as the Junior Navy Optometrist of the Year for her exceptional leadership, innovation, and dedication to vision readiness—an essential component of operational effectiveness.

    Navy Optometrists provide both routine and acute eye care to military personnel, their families, and other beneficiaries worldwide.

    “Lt. Stubb’s relentless pursuit of excellence and unwavering commitment directly enhance the vision readiness of our warfighters, and ensure they are prepared for any mission,” said Cmdr. Ann MacDonald, Navy Optometry Assistant Subspecialty leader.

    Before arriving in Rota, Stubbs was recognized as the 2023 Optometry Extern Program Director of the Year for her role in training future optometrists. She also presented at the 2024 Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) conference, highlighting Naval Hospital Rota’s success in reducing eyeglass fabrication time for helicopter squadrons from weeks to just days—vastly improving mission readiness.

    In her role as Optometry Department Head, Stubbs leads a highly skilled team that provides comprehensive eye care. As a board-certified fellow of the American Academy of Optometrists, she is considered as an expert in her field.

    “Serving as a Navy Optometrist has been such a fulfilling career,” said Stubbs. “Whether on land, at sea or in the air, optimal vision is mission critical. Clear sight can mean the difference between mission success or failure.”

    Located on the Iberian Peninsula, NMRTC Rota serves as a critical hub for global medical mission, supporting operations across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, ensuring readiness and expertise for any contingency.

    Navy Medicine – comprising of more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Fusion Fuel Appoints Luisa Ingargiola to Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBLIN, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via IBN – Fusion Fuel Green PLC (Nasdaq: HTOO) (“Fusion Fuel” or the “Company”), a leading provider of gas and hydrogen energy solutions, today announced the appointment of Luisa Ingargiola to its Board of Directors, effective February 24, 2025. Ms. Ingargiola will serve as chairperson of the Audit Committee, replacing Rune Magnus Lundetrae, who will remain a member of the Board. She will also serve as a member of the Nominating Committee, Audit Committee, and Compensation Committee. Following Ms. Ingargiola’s appointment, the Board will be comprised of six directors, four of whom have been determined by the Board to be “independent directors” under the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

    Commenting on the appointment, Jeffrey Schwarz, Chairman of Fusion Fuel, said, “Luisa’s extensive experience in public company governance, capital markets, and financial oversight, coupled with her track record of supporting high-growth companies through complex strategic and financial initiatives, make her a tremendous asset to Fusion Fuel. Her expertise will be invaluable as we continue to execute our business strategy and drive long-term value creation. On behalf of my fellow directors, I want to welcome Luisa and look forward to benefiting from her insight and leadership as we build the new Fusion Fuel and position the company for sustainable growth.”

    Ms. Ingargiola currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Avalon GloboCare Corp. (Nasdaq: ALBT) and as a board director for Vision Marine Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: VMAR) and BioCorRx Inc. (OTCQB: BICX), where she also chairs the Audit Committees. Earlier in her career, Ms. Ingargiola was CFO and co-founder of BBHC, Inc., formerly known as MagneGas Corporation. Ms. Ingargiola graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance. She also received a Master of Health Administration from the University of South Florida.

    About Fusion Fuel Green PLC

    Fusion Fuel Green PLC (Nasdaq: HTOO) is an emerging leader in the energy services sector, offering a comprehensive suite of energy engineering and advisory solutions through its Al-Shola Gas and BrightHy brands. Al Shola Gas provides full-service industrial gas solutions, including the design, supply, and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) systems, as well as the transport and distribution of LPG to a broad range of customers across commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. BrightHy, the Company’s newly launched hydrogen solutions platform, focuses on delivering innovative engineering and advisory services that enable decarbonization across hard-to-abate industries.

    Learn more about Fusion Fuel by visiting our website at https://www.fusion-fuel.eu and following us on LinkedIn.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release includes “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target”, “may”, “intend”, “predict”, “should”, “would”, “predict”, “potential”, “seem”, “future”, “outlook” or other similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions) that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Fusion Fuel has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations, including but not limited the ability of the investment reported on to be consummated as anticipated. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties (including those set forth in Fusion Fuel’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission) which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements.

    Investor Relations Contact
    ir@fusion-fuel.eu

    Wire Service Contact:
    IBN
    Austin, Texas
    www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com
    512.354.7000 Office
    Editor@InvestorBrandNetwork.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Lingokids Introduces “Theater” Mode: A Safe, Ad-Free Video Experience for Kids

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lingokids, the #1 learning app for kids, has introduced a new feature, Theater, in selected markets. This dedicated space within the app offers a curated, ad-free video experience designed to provide children with high-quality educational and entertaining content.

    Previously known as Video Mode, this new Mode of Use “Theater” is now completely available for all users in Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Colombia, where families can explore a library of engaging videos tailored to support early learning and development.

    A Safe and Educational Alternative to Streaming Platforms

    Lingokids Theater is designed as a safe and controlled environment where young learners can access age-appropriate content created by educators. The feature includes:

    • Animated stories, songs, and puppetry that introduce key early learning concepts in a fun and engaging way.
    • Activity-based videos such as drawing, dance, yoga, and interactive storytelling that encourage creativity and self-expression.
    • Educational video series developed to reinforce cognitive, social, and emotional skills.

    Unlike traditional streaming platforms, Lingokids Theater ensures a 100% ad-free experience, prioritizing a safe and educational space that aligns with parents’ expectations for quality screen time.

    “Our goal is to offer families a dedicated space where children can enjoy enriching, educational content in a safe and engaging way,” said Rhona Anne Dick, Education & Child Development Lead at Lingokids. “Theater is designed to complement our Playlearning™ approach, giving young learners access to a variety of carefully selected videos that entertain while reinforcing important skills.”

    Currently, Theater is available only in these selected test markets within the Lingokids app. Further updates regarding its availability in other regions will be announced in the future.

    About Lingokids

    Lingokids is an innovative educational platform committed to reimagining early learning. By integrating traditional education with essential life skills, Lingokids’ Playlearning™ approach places children at the heart of an expansive educational ecosystem. Through +2,000 interactive activities across various media formats, the app empowers children to navigate topics such as engineering, empathy, literacy, and resilience. Lingokids is dedicated to preparing children for a well-rounded future that balances academic excellence with personal growth.

    For more information about Lingokids and its educational offerings, visit www.lingokids.com and follow us on social media @Lingokids.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d336fb6b-8c74-4e04-a691-31e7b2c5019a

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Coralogix Strengthens AI Leadership with Appointments of Liran Hason to VP of AI and Alon Gubkin to VP of AI Engineering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Coralogix, the leading full-stack observability platform, today announced the appointment of Liran Hason to Vice President of AI and Alon Gubkin to Vice President of AI Engineering. These strategic hires reinforce Coralogix’s commitment to advancing AI observability, security, and governance, ensuring businesses can confidently monitor and manage AI systems at scale.

    Hason and Gubkin, both co-founders of Aporia, an advanced AI observability and guardrails platform recently acquired by Coralogix, bring extensive expertise in AI monitoring, safety, and large-scale infrastructure. Their leadership will be instrumental in launching Coralogix AI, a new dedicated research center focused on tackling AI transparency, security, safety, and performance optimization.

    Advancing AI Observability and Governance

    As VP of AI, Hason will lead Coralogix’s AI strategy and execution, focusing on the development of advanced AI solutions and safety initiatives. Previously CEO of Aporia, Hason spearheaded the company’s rise as a leader in AI observability and guardrails, earning recognition as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and securing a spot on TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024. His prior experience includes roles as a machine learning architect at Adallom (acquired by Microsoft) and investor at Vertex Ventures.

    “Coralogix is redefining AI observability at a critical moment,” said Hason. “With the rapid adoption of AI, businesses need real-time insights, transparency, and control. I’m excited to drive innovation that empowers enterprises to use AI with confidence.”

    As VP of AI Engineering, Gubkin will lead AI infrastructure and engineering, focusing on building scalable and resilient AI observability solutions. A distributed systems and AI infrastructure expert, Gubkin was instrumental in Aporia’s development, pioneering real-time monitoring and guardrails for AI models.

    “AI systems are evolving rapidly, and observability is the key to ensuring their reliability,” said Gubkin. “At Coralogix, we’re building the next generation of AI monitoring tools, helping enterprises scale AI without compromising on security or performance.”

    Ariel Assaraf, CEO and co-founder of Coralogix said “We’re thrilled to welcome Liran Hason and Alon Gubkin to the Coralogix team at such a pivotal moment in our journey. Their contributions will be essential as we expand our solutions to provide businesses with the tools to optimize and secure their AI systems with confidence. With Liran and Alon on our team, Coralogix is well-positioned to revolutionize how companies monitor, manage, and secure AI systems at scale.”

    For more information about Coralogix and its observability platform, please visit coralogix.com.

    About Coralogix

    Coralogix is a modern observability platform transforming how businesses process and understand their data. Its unique architecture powers in-stream analysis and alerting without reliance on indexing or hot storage. Covering the entire range of observability, Coralogix offers features such as APM, RUM, SIEM, Infrastructure. Monitoring, and more, all streamlined for quick integration and immediate value. Coralogix stands out for its simple pricing model, based solely on data volume ingested. With world-class, free support, all customers enjoy response times of less than 30 seconds and resolution times within 1 hour. Learn more at www.coralogix.com.

    Contact:
    Sophia Meyer
    Fusion PR
    sophia.meyer@fusionpr.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0b961436-1494-4450-abca-c9a0b8f2ebf7

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Mavenir’s Network Intelligence as a Service AI Agents Deliver 40% Mobility KPI Gains in 5G Non-Standalone Networks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RICHARDSON, Texas, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mavenir, the cloud-native network infrastructure provider building the future of networks, today announced a groundbreaking achievement with its full-stack AI framework, Network Intelligence as a Service (NIaaS). For the first time globally, deep reinforcement learning (RL)-based live AI Agents – an integral component of Mavenir’s NIaaS – are autonomously controlling and performing full-closed-loop optimization for operational 5G non-standalone (NSA) networks, delivering over 40% gains in key performance indicators (KPIs) related to mobility in radio access networks (RAN). The significant performance gains were also cost-effective, since NIaaS runs only on CPUs in the field rather than GPUs. Hosted in Mavenir’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), NIaaS has proven these milestones in live Open RAN deployments with two Tier 1 5G NSA operators in South Asia, with each deployment corresponding to 25+ sites and 100+ LTE and New Radio (NR) cells.

    Presenting the first-of-its-kind telco AI capability for large-scale Open RAN operations, Mavenir’s NIaaS has significantly reduced the rate of unstable handovers (including mobility ping-pongs, too-late handovers, too-early handovers, radio link failures and wrong-cell handovers) by 40% to 60% for the aggregate KPI and individual KPI components, thereby improving the mobility robustness of 4G/5G mobile subscribers in the live networks.

    “We are thrilled to lead the industry with our innovative NIaaS that is revolutionizing telecom network operations,” said BG Kumar, President, Access Networks, Platforms, and Digital Enablement at Mavenir. “While traditional SON systems are too functionality-centric, without any guarantees of tangible improvement of the target KPIs in the field, our AI-native NIaaS is KPI-centric, extracting deep-dive intelligence about the KPIs from cell-to-cell, site-to-site, market-to-market, and precisely optimizing those factors impacting the KPIs in the live network. This achievement underscores our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technologies and our in-house skillset of inventing, innovating and designing state-of-the-art AI/ML models to drive tangible improvements in network performance and customer experience,” added Kumar.

    Looking ahead, Mavenir’s NIaaS will focus on consistently improving other operational Telco KPIs, such as connectivity, coverage, traffic management, accessibility, retainability, traffic quality, efficiency and CAPEX/OPEX. Though hosted in Mavenir RIC for the Open RAN deployments, NIaaS is also offered as a stand-alone telco intelligence capability for other domains (such as Packet Core, IMS, etc.). Moreover, NIaaS is not only confined to offering telco AI capabilities in markets with Mavenir network functions (NFs), but also to markets with third-party NFs as well.

    Mavenir NIaaS thus represents a significant leap forward in live telco AIOps, providing operators with AI-native tools to enhance network efficiency, reduce operational costs, and deliver superior service quality to their customers. As the telecom industry continues to evolve, Mavenir remains at the forefront of innovation, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with AI/ML technologies.

    Mavenir’s NIaaS hosts state-of-the-art AI suite including Deep-RL AI Agents – developed by Mavenir – that are blended with transfer learning to autonomously control and optimize mobility offsets across LTE cells, reducing network-wide unstable handovers. These Deep-RL AI Agents for optimization are significantly aided by other agents & models in full-stack AI suite of NIaaS. For example, AI causation and explainability models help in identifying and quantifying the root causes of unstable handovers and mobility KPI degradations, and data clustering and classification models help in correlating radio frequency, mobility, traffic, and other observability patterns across cells and across time, towards evaluating the net effect. The Deep-RL AI Agents address these factors and account for the effect, optimizing the mobility thresholds autonomously in the field.

    About Mavenir:

    Mavenir is building the future of networks today with cloud-native, AI-enabled solutions which are green by design, empowering operators to realize the benefits of 5G and achieve intelligent, automated, programmable networks. As the pioneer of Open RAN and a proven industry disruptor, Mavenir’s award-winning solutions are delivering automation and monetization across mobile networks globally, accelerating software network transformation for 300+ Communications Service Providers in over 120 countries, which serve more than 50% of the world’s subscribers. For more information, please visit www.mavenir.com

    Meet Mavenir at Mobile World Congress 2025, Barcelona, Mar 3-6, 2025.

    To explore Mavenir’s latest innovations and learn more about how Mavenir is delivering the Future of Networks – Today, visit us in Hall 2 (Stand 2H60) at #MWC25.

    Mavenir PR Contact:
    Emmanuela Spiteri
    PR@mavenir.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Captivision Appoints John Jureller to Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIAMI, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Captivision Inc. (“Captivision” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: CAPT), a pioneering manufacturer and global LED solution provider, today announced the appointment of John Jureller to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Jureller will also serve as Chair of the Company’s Audit Committee, bringing extensive financial leadership and corporate governance expertise to the Company.

    With experience spanning consumer products, communications, private equity, real estate, and healthcare, Mr. Jureller has held key financial leadership roles at multinational public and private companies. He has played an instrumental role in growth capitalizations and strategic transactions for small and micro-cap companies. His former corporate affiliations include PepsiCo, Frontier Communications, General Atlantic and Bankers Trust (now part of Deutsche Bank).

    “We are pleased to welcome John to Captivision’s Board of Directors,” said Gary Garrabrant, Chairman and CEO of Captivision. “John brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our board and our company. His career is distinguished by a rare combination of leadership roles with major corporations and dynamic entrepreneurial enterprises.”

    Mr. Jureller holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and a B.S. with Distinction from Cornell University.

    About Captivision

    Captivision is a pioneering manufacturer of media glass, combining IT building material and architectural glass. The product has a boundless array of applications including entertainment media, information media, cultural and artistic content as well as marketing use cases. Captivision can transform any glass façade into a transparent media screen with real time live stream capability. Captivision is fast becoming a solution provider across the LED product spectrum.

    Captivision’s media glass and solutions have been implemented in hundreds of locations globally across sports stadiums, entertainment venues, casinos and hotels, convention centers, office and retail properties and airports. Learn more at http://www.captivision.com/.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to expectations for future financial performance, business strategies, or expectations for the Company’s respective businesses. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of the management of the Company. Although the Company believes that its plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that it will achieve or realize these plans, intentions or expectations. These statements constitute projections, forecasts, and forward-looking statements, and are not guarantees of performance. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this press release, words such as “believe”, “can”, “continue”, “expect”, “forecast”, “may”, “plan”, “project”, “should”, “will” or the negative of such terms, and similar expressions, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

    The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: (1) the ability to raise financing in the future and to comply with restrictive covenants related to indebtedness; (2) the ability to realize the benefits expected from the business combination and the Company’s strategic direction; (3) the significant market adoption, demand and opportunities in the construction and digital out of home media industries for the Company’s products; (4) the ability to maintain the listing of the Company’s ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq; (5) the ability of the Company to remain competitive in the fourth generation architectural media glass industry in the face of future technological innovations; (6) the ability of the Company to execute its international expansion strategy; (7) the ability of the Company to protect its intellectual property rights; (8) the profitability of the Company’s larger projects, which are subject to protracted sales cycles; (9) whether the raw materials, components, finished goods, and services used by the Company to manufacture its products will continue to be available and will not be subject to significant price increases; (10) the IT, vertical real estate, and large format wallscape modified regulatory restrictions or building codes; (11) the ability of the Company’s manufacturing facilities to meet their projected manufacturing costs and production capacity; (12) the future financial performance of the Company; (13) the emergence of new technologies and the response of the Company’s customer base to those technologies; (14) the ability of the Company to retain or recruit, or to effect changes required in, its officers, key employees, or directors; (15) the ability of the Company to comply with laws and regulations applicable to its business; and (16) other risks and uncertainties set forth under the section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F entitled “Risk Factors.”

    These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release and the Company’s management team’s current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of the Company and its directors, officers, and affiliates. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company management team’s views as of any subsequent date. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update, add or to otherwise correct any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events, inaccuracies that become apparent after the date hereof or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

    Media Contact:
    Gateway Group
    Zach Kadletz
    +1 949-574-3860
    CAPT@gateway-grp.com

    Investor Contact:
    Gateway Group
    Ralf Esper
    +1 949-574-3860
    CAPT@gateway-grp.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS: Direct Line Insurance Group plc

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE / DEALING BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR   MORE  
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: AXA Investment Managers S.A.
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		  
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 Direct Line Insurance Group plc
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:  
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 26 February 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”

    YES:  Aviva plc

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: Restricted Tier 1 Note
      Interests Short positions
      Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 10,950,000 3.13    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 10,950,000 3.13    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    Restricted Tier 1 Note Sale 200,000 95.48%

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
             

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
                   

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit
             

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
           

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
    None

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
    None

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 27 February 2025
    Contact name: Mireille KAHINDO
    Telephone number*: +33 1 44 45 97 45

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    *If the discloser is a natural person, a telephone number does not need to be included, provided contact information has been provided to the Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Ress Life Investments A/S announces capital increase

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Ress Life Investments A/S
    Nybrogade 12,
    1203 Copenhagen K
    Denmark
    CVR nr. 33593163
    www.resslifeinvestments.com
    To: Nasdaq Copenhagen
    Date: 27 February 2025

    Corporate Announcement 07/2025

    Ress Life Investments A/S announces capital increase.

    The Board of Directors in Ress Life Investments A/S has today resolved to utilise its authorisation in article 4.8 of the articles of association to increase the company’s share capital with nominally EUR 96,000 by issuance of 192 new shares with a nominal value of EUR 500 each at a price of EUR 2496.32 per share of EUR 500 without pre-emption rights for the company’s existing shareholders.

    After the capital increase, the registered share capital of the company is EUR 87,873,500 divided into 175,747 shares of EUR 500 nominal value each. Each share of nominal EUR 500 carries one vote at general meetings in Ress Life Investments A/S.

    The new shares will be admitted for trading and official listing on NASDAQ Copenhagen A/S under the same ISIN code as the company’s existing shares.

    Updated articles of association of the company are attached.

    Questions related to this announcement can be made to the company’s AIF-manager, Resscapital AB.

    Contact person:
    Gustaf Hagerud
    gustaf.hagerud@resscapital.com
    Tel + 46 8 545 282 27

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The secret lives of polar bear families

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Louise Archer, Postdoctoral Fellow, Biological Sciences, University of Toronto

    Newborn polar bear cubs spend weeks in the den with their mother until they’re old and strong enough to be outdoors. (Dmytro Cherkasov/Polar Bears International), CC BY

    Despite being the largest land carnivore and a top Arctic predator that can weigh over 600 kg, polar bears start off surprisingly small. Blind, almost hairless, and weighing just 600g at birth, cubs are born in maternity dens under the snow. These snow caves keep newborns warm and safe for the first few months of their life, when they grow rapidly by nursing on their mother’s rich milk.

    After three to four months in the den, cubs will have grown to about 20 times their birth weight and will be large enough and furry enough to follow their mothers out into the frigid Arctic spring.

    In a study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management, we used remote cameras to study polar bear families as they emerged from their dens in Svalbard, Norway, gaining insight into the behaviour of mothers and cubs as they experience the world outside the den for the first time.

    Drifting snow helps polar bear dens remain hidden.
    (B.J. Kirschhoffer/Polar Bears International), CC BY

    An elusive phenomenon

    While they provide ideal conditions for developing cubs, maternal dens are difficult for researchers to study and monitor. Challenging weather, limited daylight and the remoteness of many den sites means opportunities for direct observation are few. Often, denning polar bears are identified using tracking devices worn by a bear — usually collars, but also ear or fur tags. These transmit location data via satellite, allowing researchers to track individuals and to study movement patterns.

    As technology has developed, additional data can also be collected from these devices, including data on activity and temperature. An extended stationary period and low activity readings are the telltale signs of denning. Above-ambient temperatures also indicate a bear in a den; insulated by snow and warmed by the mother’s body heat, the interior of the den can be more than 20 °C warmer than the outside.

    In Svalbard, polar bears build their dens on slopes of fjords and mountainous areas, where drifting snow means dens are often impossible to distinguish from the snow-covered surroundings.

    Locating dens

    We relied on GPS locations transmitted from satellite collars worn by females to locate 13 den sites. With the return of daylight to Svalbard in the spring, our team installed time-lapse cameras facing the entrance of each suspected den, capturing footage of polar bear families as they exited. To minimize any disturbance, the final approach was made on foot or by ski, and cameras were collected several months later — long after the polar bear families had departed for the sea ice.

    After processing thousands of images, the camera gave us a detailed look at this cryptic component of polar bears’ life cycle. By linking images back to data from the collars, we were also able to develop a model of the various behaviours caught on camera, providing a new tool to remotely monitor denning bears more accurately.

    A feat of endurance

    Although critical to cubs, denning can be tough on a mother. Pregnant female polar bears usually enter a den in the fall, give birth in mid-winter, and remain in the den nursing their cubs until the family is ready to emerge in the spring. Although their offspring guzzle down high-energy milk, mother polar bears don’t feed at all during this time and rely on their fat reserves, losing up to 43 per cent of their body mass while in the den.

    Despite this clear motivation to get back to hunting seals on the sea ice, polar bear families will often hang out at the den for days or weeks after emerging. On average, the families we monitored in Svalbard stayed at the den site for a further 12 days after first emerging.

    During this time, mother and cubs frequently left the den to explore, sometimes staying outside for less than a minute, and in other cases emerging for hours at a time. Cubs rarely ventured outside without their mother and were seen alone in only five per cent of camera observations. In general, bears spent longer outside when temperatures were warmer and the more days had passed since they first emerged outside.

    This post-emergence period may allow cubs time to acclimatize to the external environment, and to develop the skills and strength they’ll need to follow their mother across the sea ice for the next two-and-a-half years.

    We also saw incredible variation in behaviour post-den emergence, with one family abandoning the den after only a couple of days, and another family remaining at the den for a full month after first appearing outside. Two females even decided to move their cubs to new dens after emerging.

    Consequences of Arctic change

    These kinds of insights lead to new questions: what drives decisions to stay or leave the den, what cues do families respond to? While we continue to build out our data set to better understand these behaviours, on average, we noted that polar bears abandoned their dens about a week earlier than previously recorded in the region. The Barents Sea is one of the fastest warming regions on the planet, and continued monitoring will make clear if this is an emerging trend in response to sea ice loss.

    To get even more detailed information, we have also been testing custom designed camera systems that can capture behaviour continuously.

    Climate warming has already resulted in declining polar bear health in parts of the Arctic that are experiencing rapid loss of sea ice. With continued warming jeopardizing the persistence of polar bears across much of their range, successful denning and reproduction is essential to give the next generation of polar bears a chance.



    Read more:
    Polar bears may struggle to produce milk for their cubs as climate change melts sea ice

    Time spent denning, the date of den exit and the amount of time bears remain at the den after emerging all contribute positively to the subsequent survival of cubs. Yet climate warming means the human footprint in the Arctic is expanding, risking encroachment on denning habitat and disturbing polar bear families.

    Improved monitoring and a deeper understanding of denning behaviour will help to protect polar bears during this critical time.

    Louise Archer receives funding from Polar Bears International. She is affiliated with University of Toronto Scarborough and Polar Bears International. This study was performed in collaboration with the Norwegian Polar Institute and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

    – ref. The secret lives of polar bear families – https://theconversation.com/the-secret-lives-of-polar-bear-families-248764

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Minister for Gambling Baroness Twycross’s speech to the Betting and Gaming Council AGM 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Minister for Gambling Baroness Twycross’s speech to the Betting and Gaming Council AGM 2025

    Minister for Gambling Baroness Twycross’s speech to the Betting and Gaming Council Annual General Meeting 2025

    Good morning everyone. Thank you for the invitation to speak today. It is great to be here to speak to so many of you.

    It was a huge privilege to be appointed as the Government’s gambling minister last year. I would like to thank everyone I have met so far for sharing your knowledge and perspectives on your sector. I am particularly grateful to Michael and Grainne for their constructive engagement on key issues facing your industry. 

    I have also enjoyed meeting a range of people from the wider gambling sector, such as John from Bacta, and Miles from the Bingo Association. 

    Whilst you are all facing different issues, I recognise there are key similarities, one thing you also do have in common is the experience and passion there is in the industry.  

    In my short time in post, I have seen the value this sector brings. Not just in tax receipts and jobs created, but as a leisure activity, for example through a day at the races, enjoying a game of bingo, or time spent in a seaside arcade. 

    I have enjoyed being shown round the Grosvenor casino in Liverpool last year and the Hippodrome earlier this month, and look forward to visiting more venues as soon as possible. 

    You will know that the Government is focused on economic growth. I believe that a growing gambling sector is compatible with creating an even safer one. I want a gambling sector in this country that is one we can be proud of – one that offers good jobs, interesting careers, brings social value, and is one that people enjoy while having vital protections in place. 

    As set out in our manifesto, and as you will be aware, we are also committed to reducing harmful gambling. The licensed, regulated gambling industry is a crucial part of that. 

    I want to work with you to see a safer, more responsible gambling industry. 

    I know that the vast majority of people who gamble do so without experiencing harm, but it is in all our interests that we do better for those customers who could be vulnerable to gambling harm. I have found it helpful to hear from a number of you about measures you are already taking. 

    I am pleased to be able to update you on significant progress on key reforms that deliver on the Government’s agenda.  

    I am sure many of you will have followed the progress of the statutory gambling levy in Parliament over the last few weeks. The legislation has been affirmed by both Houses and became law on Tuesday this week. It will come into force on the 6th of April and operators will be required to make their first levy payments by the 1st of October.

    I know the BGC has been largely supportive of the introduction of a levy, and we recognise the work done by the sector through the voluntary levy previously. This is a huge step forward for the sector and will see increased investment to expand projects and services to reduce harmful gambling. I know that we have a shared aim in this area. 

    The financial support that BGC members have given to research, prevention and treatment services has enabled people in need access to crucial treatment services, and laid a foundation which the levy can build on. It is vital that funding for these services is maintained in the transition to the levy. I welcome the BGC’s commitment that this will be delivered.

    We have now appointed the commissioning bodies for research, prevention and treatment. 

    We are working at pace with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, NHS England, UK Research and Innovation, and with partners in Scotland and Wales, to build robust foundations for the future system. 

    It is crucial we put the right commissioning, accountability and governance arrangements in place. 

    We want to build on the successes of the current system. But the levy will mean funding certainty. This will allow the expert bodies we have appointed to boost efforts to further understand, tackle, and treat gambling harm. We and the commissioning bodies will be led by the best evidence to get funding where it is needed most. 

    The online slots stake limits statutory instrument was also made into law on Tuesday. I know you are all keen to understand exactly when these stake limits will come into force. 

    I can confirm the five pound limit will be in force on the 9th of April, while the two pound limit for younger adults will be in force on the 21st of May. I know that implementing these stake limits is a technical challenge and I am grateful for all the work you have done in preparation for this moment.

    I can confirm that we are moving forward with measures to modernise the regulations for land-based casinos. These changes will allow casinos to offer up to 80 gaming machines, mirroring the rules for small 2005 Act casinos. There will be a sliding scale of machine entitlements, meaning that smaller casinos can also benefit from more machines, commensurate with their size. 

    We will also allow sports betting in all casinos, giving operators the opportunity to expand their product offering. These changes will unlock investment in the casino sector and should provide an economic boost for both operators and machine manufacturers. We are working as quickly as we can to ensure that legislation is laid in Parliament as soon as possible. I know the significance of these measures to many of you here today.

    Turning now to advertising and sponsorship, which you will know has been of significant media and Parliamentary interest in recent months. 

    One of the biggest issues raised with me as Gambling Minister is advertising. 

    I have tasked the industry with doing more to work together to ensure that gambling advertising and sponsorship is appropriate, responsible, and does not exacerbate harm. 

    I am grateful to the BGC for coordinating this work across your membership, and I completely understand that the ability to advertise is an important activity generally, and key advantage that licensed operators have over the illegal market. 

    We know that some people can feel they are being inundated with gambling advertising – and this can be especially true whilst watching sport. Crucially, we know that advertising can have a disproportionate impact on those who are already suffering from gambling harm. We must also be vigilant to any adverse impacts on children and young people. 

    So I am keen for the industry to take the lead in making a robust assessment of the scale and impacts of advertising, so that we are working with the best available evidence.

    Lastly, I want to touch on the issue of the illegal market, which I know is of concern to many of you here today. 

    Illegal gambling is a concern for us all. And we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. I have heard your argument that overregulation leads to, or risks, displacement to the illegal market. This is something that was carefully considered in the development of the white paper and in the decisions that have been made since. 

    We believe the reforms we have introduced together with the Gambling Commission are proportionate and targeted interventions.    

    However, I agree that vigilance is vital when the illegal market threatens revenue for the licensed sector and player protections for vulnerable customers. That is why I have been pleased that the Gambling Commission has increased disruption activity and has a renewed focus on finding innovative ways to tackle the illegal market. 

    On Tuesday, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. One of the provisions in this Bill will give the Commission greater powers to move quickly and effectively to take down IP addresses and domain names associated with illegal websites. This is an important step in equipping the Commission to tackle the illegal market and protect legitimate businesses. 

    Thank you again for the invitation today, and the time many of you have given me since I took up my role.

    I will keep listening and look forward to working with you all to realise our shared vision of a better, safer gambling industry. I hope you are all as keen as I am to take these challenges on.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Over 326,000 children currently supported by Scottish Child Payment

    Source: Scottish Government

    £1 billion paid to help tackle child poverty

    New figures, show that as of 31 December 2024, the families of 326,080 children under 16 years of age were receiving vital support from Scottish Child Payment.  

    Over £1 billion has now been paid to parents and carers since the payment was introduced in February 2021.  

    Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland and provides financial support for families, helping with the costs of caring for a child. It is a weekly payment, currently worth £26.70, for every eligible child that a parent or carer looks after who’s under 16 years of age.    

    While visiting Craigour Park Primary school in Edinburgh, to talk to parents who receive Scottish Child Payment, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:   

    “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority and a national mission.   

    “Our investment in Scottish Child Payment has seen over £1 billion worth of these payments issued by 31 December 2024; that is money directly in the pockets of those families who need it most. 

    “Modelling published in February 2024 also estimates that the Scottish Child Payment could keep 60,000 children out of relative poverty this year. 

    “Scottish Child Payment is actively improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in Scotland – helping their families to access essentials and experiences they might otherwise miss out on because they live on a low income. 

    “In the coming year it is forecast we’ll invest a further £471 million, ensuring that this support continues to reach even more families and children who need it.”

    Head Teacher of Craigour Park Primary, Sally Ketchin, said:  

    “We welcome payments like Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Grants. We can see the real difference this money makes to families in our community.” 

    Case study   

    Ashley Forbes lives in Glenrothes with her three children.  She said:      

    “The two-child cap came in for Tax Credits when I was pregnant with my third child. That meant I would be losing £60 a week when the baby was born so, obviously, that was quite a scary moment. It was huge.   

    “I wasn’t working and my partner at the time was only working part-time so money wasn’t great. It felt like £60 was so much to lose, you know, when you have a baby with milk and all that stuff to buy.      

    “And then when Scottish Child Payment came in, it was a huge relief. I have three kids and they grow so fast. It’s new shoes, new coats and new clothes all the time.   

    “My eldest two do swimming as well which is a really important skill that you need in life. We wouldn’t be able to do this stuff without Scottish Child Payment.     

    “I think Scottish Child Payment is great. We couldn’t do without it.”   

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cabinet makes decision on site for new girls’ school

    Source: City of Liverpool

    A plan to build a new girls’ school in Toxteth was given the green light by Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet last night.

    The approval to establish the Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy, off Upper Parliament Street, also came with a commitment to support a much-loved community centre on the site.

    The approximately four-acre site is made of a number of council-owned parcels of land, parts of which are used by the African Caribbean Centre and the Liverpool Women’s Hospital for a car park.

    At the meeting at the Town Hall, where ward councillors and residents were invited to address members, it was agreed by Cabinet that as part of the school decision the preferred option was for the community centre to also be retained on the current site. A consultation process with the community will now follow.

    The school will be operated by Star Academies, and was approved to open in the city by the Department for Education (DfE) under its Free Schools Programme.

    The school will have a Muslim faith designation, with potentially up to half of its pupils being Muslim, whilst pupils of all other faiths and none will also be welcomed into the school.

    Its eventual roll call of 600 places will support the council in its statutory responsibility to provide school places. Liverpool currently has an increasing serious shortfall of secondary school places.

    The council was required by the DfE to identify a site for the school which must satisfy their criteria.

    The council identified 19 possible sites, exploring five in detail. The Toxteth site, bordered by Upper Parliament Street, Mulgrave Street and Selborne Street, was the only council-owned site that satisfied all the criteria.

    Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “I give a strong commitment to ward councillors, community representatives and other stakeholders that those discussions will be led by Councillor Lila Bennett, Cabinet Member for Employment, Educational Attainment and Skills, and will be meaningful, will be thorough and handled sensitively respecting the importance and heritage of the facility to the people of Liverpool 8 and further afield.

    “It is regrettable the council hasn’t got that balance right in the past. I apologised to representatives of the community when I met with them recently, that communication and meetings with council officers over many years has at times fallen below the professional standards I expect.

    “To re-iterate, no decision has been taken in relation to the African Caribbean Centre, other than our preferred option being it stays on the existing site. We will now consult with the local community and hear from them what they want for the future before anything is decided.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s installed power generation capacity to exceed 3.6 billion kilowatts in 2025

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

    China’s installed power generation capacity to exceed 3.6 billion kilowatts in 2025

    BEIJING, Feb. 27 — China aims to bring its total installed power generation capacity to over 3.6 billion kilowatts in 2025, the National Energy Administration said on Thursday.

    China will work to increase energy production this year. The country plans to maintain crude oil output at over 200 million tonnes and add over 200 million kilowatts of new energy power generation capacity.

    According to the administration, China’s total electricity generation is expected to reach 10.6 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2025.

    In terms of green and low-carbon transformation, the proportion of non-fossil energy power generation capacity is expected to increase to around 60 percent, while the share of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption is expected to reach around 20 percent.

    Zhang Xing, the administration’s spokesperson, said the research and development of key energy technology equipment still needs to be strengthened, and the reform of the energy system and mechanisms needs to be further advanced.

    China will promote high-quality development and high-level security of energy to support the sustained recovery of its economy and to meet people’s growing energy needs for a better life, Zhang added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Marat Khusnullin: In Melitopol, the construction of the infectious disease building of the new pediatric center is being completed

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    In Melitopol, Zaporizhia Oblast, builders are completing monolithic work on the construction of the infectious disease building on the territory of the future multidisciplinary pediatric center. The foundation of the pediatric department building is also already being installed at the site, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin reported.

    “According to the teachings of Soviet educators, caring for children’s health is the most important work of an educator. The Russian construction complex, for its part, is creating infrastructure so that both educators in kindergartens and doctors in clinics and hospitals everywhere could care for the health of our children in comfortable conditions for everyone. In Melitopol, builders have reached a good pace in the construction of a multidisciplinary pediatric center. The structure of the five-story infectious disease building is almost ready, and active work has begun on the construction of a seven-story pediatric building,” said Marat Khusnullin.

    The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that the total area of the hospital will be more than 38 thousand square meters. Children from two regions at once – Zaporizhia and Kherson – will receive comprehensive medical care there. As in the case of the perinatal center in Donetsk, an analogous facility is used here – the design solutions correspond to the project of the Moscow multidisciplinary clinical center “Kommunarka”. Construction work is carried out under the supervision of the PPC “Single customer in the field of construction”.

    “Currently, over 300 construction workers and more than 20 units of equipment are working at the site. The infectious disease building of the medical center is designed for 100 beds, the pediatric building – for 240 beds. The necessary modern furniture and advanced high-tech medical equipment will be installed in the treatment rooms and premises,” said Karen Oganesyan, General Director of the Unified Customer Production and Production Company.

    Completion of the construction of the facility is scheduled for the first half of 2026.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CHP reminds outbound travellers to take precautionary measures against measles infection

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         In view of the recent increase in measles cases in some overseas countries, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (February 27) reminded the public to ensure that they have completed two doses of measles vaccination before travelling abroad to reduce the risk of infection.

         The CHP is concerned about the recent measles outbreaks in Texas of the United States (US). At least 124 cases of measles have been reported since the end of January this year, mostly in people who had not received measles vaccination or whose vaccination history was unknown. Over 80 per cent of the cases involved children under 18 years old, including one fatal case in a school-aged child who had not been vaccinated against measles. The CHP has taken the initiative to contact the US health authorities to learn more about the situation.

         Apart from the US, measles outbreaks have occurred in neighboring countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines, due to suboptimal overall measles vaccination coverage.

         The Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui, stressed that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles.

         “The measles situation outside Hong Kong reflects the importance of vaccination in preventing measles. Under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, the overall immunisation coverage in Hong Kong has been maintained at a very high level through the immunisation services provided by the DH’s Maternal and Child Health Centres and the School Immunisation Teams. As evidenced by the findings on vaccination coverage of primary school students and the territory-wide immunisation surveys conducted regularly by the DH, the two-dose measles vaccination coverage has remained consistently high, well above 95 per cent, and the local seroprevalence rates of measles virus antibodies reflect that most of the people in Hong Kong are immune to measles. On the whole, the risk of a large-scale outbreak in Hong Kong is low. Also, no measles cases have been reported so far this year.”

         “However, as a city with a high volume of international travel, Hong Kong still faces the potential risk of importation of measles virus and its further spread in the local community. Hence, a small number of people who have not completed measles vaccination (such as non-local born people including new immigrants, foreign domestic helpers, overseas employees and people coming to Hong Kong for further studies) are still at risk of being infected and spreading measles to other people who do not have immunity against measles, such as children under one year old who have not yet received the first dose of measles vaccine,” he said.

         Dr Tsui added that people born before 1967 could be considered to have acquired immunity to measles through natural infection, as measles was endemic in many parts of the world and in Hong Kong at that time. He urged people born in or after 1967 who have not yet completed the two doses of measles vaccination or whose measles vaccination history is unknown, to consult their family doctors as soon as possible to complete the vaccination and ensure adequate protection against measles. For those who plan to travel to measles-endemic areas, they should check their vaccination records and medical history as early as possible. If they have not been diagnosed with measles through laboratory tests and have never received two doses of measles vaccine or are not sure if they have received measles vaccine, they should consult a doctor at least two weeks prior to their trip for vaccination.

         “The incubation period of measles (i.e. the time from infection to onset of illness) is seven to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes. When such symptoms appear, people should wear surgical masks, stay home from work or school, avoid crowded places and contact with unvaccinated people, especially those with weak immune system, pregnant women and children under one year old. Those who suspected they are infected should consult their doctors as soon as possible and inform healthcare workers of their history of exposure to measles,” he said.

         For more information on measles, members of the public may visit the CHP’s thematic webpage. For those who are planning to travel, they may also refer to the DH’s Travel Health Service’s webpage for information on measles outbreaks in places outside Hong Kong.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sols 4466-4468: Heading Into the Small Canyon

    Source: NASA

    Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University

    Earth planning date: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025
    The fine detail of the image above reminds us once again that geoscience — on Mars and on Earth — is an observational science. If you look at the image for a few moments, you will see that there are different areas made of different textures. You will also observe that some features appear to be more resistant to weathering than others, and as a consequence stand out from the surface or the rims of the block. Sedimentologists will study this and many other images in fine detail and compare them to similar images we have acquired along the most recent drive path. From that they put together a reconstruction of the environment billions of years in the past: Was it water or wind that laid down those rocks, and what happened next? Many of the knobbly textures might be from water-rock interaction that happened after the initial deposition of the material. We will see; the jury is out on what these details tell us, and we are looking closely at all those beautiful images and then will turn to the chemistry data to understand even more about those rocks.
    In the caption of the image above it says “merged” images. This is an imaging process that happens aboard the rover — it takes two (or more) images of the same location on the same target, acquired at different focus positions, and merges them so a wider range of the rock is in focus. This is especially valuable on textures that have a high relief, such as the above shown example. The rover is quite clever, isn’t it?
    In today’s plan MAHLI does not have such an elaborate task, but instead it is documenting the rock that the APXS instrument is measuring. The team decided that it is time for APXS to measure the regular bedrock again, because we are driving out of an area that is darker on the orbital image and into a lighter area. If you want, you can follow our progress on that orbital image. (But I am sure many of the regular readers of this blog know that!)
    That bedrock target was named “Trippet Ranch.” ChemCam investigates the target “San Ysidro Trail,” which is a grayish-looking vein. As someone interested in water-rock interactions for my research, I always love plans that have the surrounding rock (the APXS target in this case) and the alteration features in the same location. This allows us to tease out which of the chemical components of the rock might have moved upon contact with water, and which ones have not.
    As we are driving through very interesting terrain, with walls exposed on the mesas — especially Gould mesa — and lots of textures in the blocks around us, there are many Mastcam mosaics in today’s plan! The mosaics on “Lytle Creek,” “Round Valley,” “Heaton Flat,” “Los Liones,” and the single image on “Mount Pinos” all document this variety of structures, and another mosaic looks right at our workspace. It did not get a nice name as it is part of a series with a more descriptive name all called “trough.” We often do this to keep things together in logical order when it comes to imaging series. The long-distance RMIs in today’s plan are another example of this, as they are just called “Gould,” followed by the sol number they will be taken on — that’s 4466 — and a and b to distinguish the two from each other. Gould Mesa, the target of both of them, exposes many different structures and textures, and looking at such walls — geologists call them outcrops — lets us read the rock record like a history book! And it will get even better in the next few weeks as we are heading into a small canyon and will have walls on both sides. Lots of science to come in the next few downlinks, and lots of science on the ground already! I’d better get back to thinking about some of the data we have received recently, while the rover is busy exploring the ever-changing geology and mineralogy on the flanks of Mount Sharp.

    MIL OSI USA News –