NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IOM Chief and UN Humanitarian Coordinator Visit Gaza

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Amman, 20 February 2025 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) Muhannad Hadi have just visited southern Gaza and saw how the humanitarian community is scaling up operations to meet the immense needs of people who have endured more than 500 days of unimaginable hardship. 

    As people return to their home areas across Gaza, entire communities are coming back during the ceasefire to find their residences reduced to rubble. With nearly 90% of homes destroyed, hundreds of thousands are left with nowhere to go. Families have been sleeping in makeshift shelters, bombed-out buildings, or out in the open—exposed to winter rain, wind, and cold. Adding to the misery, basic necessities and essential services have been scarce or non-existent.   

    “The scale of the destruction here is staggering. Families who have lost everything are facing the cold with no protection, no infrastructure or services, and no certainty about what tomorrow will bring,” said DG Pope. “I spoke with parents struggling to keep their children alive, using anything they can find to build makeshift shelters because there is simply nowhere else to go. That’s why we must scale up operations to help the people here, so they can recover with dignity and live inside Gaza safely, as they have the right to do.” 

    IOM, alongside its UN and humanitarian partners, is working hard to increase the flow of emergency shelter assistance. Since 19 January, IOM has dispatched more than 325,000 shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and non-food items to support people in Gaza. IOM has been using its global expertise in emergency response to deliver life-saving aid to people in Gaza through partners since October 2023. 

     

    For more information, please contact: 
     

    Amman: Megan Giovannetti, mgiovannetti@iom.int   
    Cairo: Joe Lowry, jlowry@iom.int   
    Geneva: Daniela Rovina, drovina@iom.int 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Iowa Local 1293 Dexter Laundry Members Prepare for Negotiations

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    The proud and hardworking IAM Local 1293 members at Dexter Laundry in Fairfield, Iowa, build U.S.-made professional laundry machines.

    The 170-member group recently sent four members to the IAM’s William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Hollywood, Md. The negotiation team prepared a unified approach for upcoming talks with the employer.

    Over the week, the committee and Winpisinger Center representatives worked together to produce the necessary negotiation tools and plans. The team prepared by going over negotiating committee responsibilities and ground rules, developing a bargaining calendar, bargaining surveys, research for negotiations, power analysis, contract and proposal costing, drafting contract language, presenting proposals, membership communication, and membership mobilization strategies.

    Watch the video report here.

    “This training has been extremely helpful,” said Doug House, an IAM Local 1293 negotiations team member. “We looked especially at getting updates out to the membership. We will be distributing text cards over the coming weeks, and members can complete them to receive bargaining updates.” 

    House was very upbeat and positive about the week’s program, saying, “we will be ready.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rail Division Local Chairmen Visit Winpisinger Center for Training

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    IAM Rail Division Local Chairmen, also known as lead or first stewards, recently attended the Basic Local Chairman Class at IAM Union’s William W. Winpisinger Center in Hollywood, MD.

    Helping to lead the class from District 19 were:

    • Reece Murtagh, President/Directing General Chairman
    • Marty Rosato, Secretary-Treasurer 
    • John Denny, General Chairman and Assistant President/Directing General Chairman
    • Kenny Krause, General Chairman and Assistant to the President/Directing General Chairman
    • General Chairs Heath Jacobs, James Orwan, Jason Gibbs and Daniel Tavares

    Transportation Communications Union/IAM’s Allison Parker and Cortney Anderson instructed the claim writing portion of the training, and IAM Associate General Counsel in the IAM Legal Department Connie Vallas spoke to the class about the intricacies of the Railway Labor Act.

    Josh Hartford, Special Assistant to the International President for the Rail Division, also stopped by to introduce himself and speak with local chairs.

    Representatives of United Healthcare, Locomotive Engineers and Conductors Mutual Protective Association (LECMPA), IAM Veteran Services, and the Law Office of Christy and Ferguson also contributed to the training about their respective association with rail workers.

    “This class focused mainly on claim writing and claim negotiations,” said Krause. “We also briefly touched on hearings and investigations. It was a great group of guys; they were engaged the whole week and said they’re leaving with a lot of things they didn’t know.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Meadow Lake — Update – Meadow Lake RCMP: two charged after shooting on Waterhen Lake First Nation

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    February 11, 2025
    Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan

    News release

    On February 8, 2025 at approximately 6:15 p.m., Meadow Lake RCMP received a report of a shooting on Waterhen Lake First Nation.

    Officers responded immediately and located an adult male with injuries described as serious in nature. He was transported to hospital for treatment. Investigators were notified he passed away in hospital on February 13.

    Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes, Meadow Lake RCMP, Saskatchewan RCMP’s General Investigation Section and Forensic Identification Services have continued to investigate. As a result, on February 16, Logan Lapratt was charged with: one count, second-degree murder, Section 235(1), Criminal Code and Derek Lasas was charged with: one count, manslaughter with a firearm, Section 236(a), Criminal Code in relation to the death of 29-year old Antoine Hamm from Waterhen Lake First Nation.

    Logan Lapratt and Derek Lasas are scheduled to appear in Meadow Lake Provincial Court on February 18, 2025 (Information #90468305 and #90468306).

    Previously released information:

    Meadow Lake RCMP: two charged after shooting on Waterhen Lake First Nation | Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    –30–

    Backgrounder

    Around 6:15 p.m. February 8, 2025, Meadow Lake RCMP received a report of a shooting at a residence on Waterhen Lake First Nation. One male was reportedly injured and was transported to hospital for treatment of injuries. We do not have an update on their condition.

    As a result of continued investigation by Meadow Lake RCMP, Saskatchewan RCMP’s General Investigation Section and Forensic Identification Services, two 42-year-old males were arrested on Waterhen Lake First Nation without incident on February 8, 2025.

    42-year-old Logan Lapratt from Waterhen Lake First Nation is charged with:

    one count, attempted murder, Section 239, Criminal Code;
    one count, aggravated assault, Section 268(2), Criminal Code;
    one count, discharge firearm with intent, Section 244, Criminal Code
    42-year-old Derek Lasas from Waterhen Lake First Nation is also charged with:

    one count, aggravated assault, Section 268(2), Criminal Code;
    one count, possession of a firearm in motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code
    Both accused appeared in Meadow Lake Provincial Court on Monday, February 10, 2025

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Haffner Energy and ATOBA Energy collaborate to unlock the SAF value chain and scale the market

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    This strategic partnership secures long-term offtake agreements, unlocking financing and accelerating the scale-up of SAF production.               

     

    Vitry-le-François, France / Lyon, France (February 20, 2025, 6:00pm CEST)

    Haffner Energy, a leading solid biomass-to-clean fuels solutions provider, and ATOBA Energy, a SAF aggregator committed to unlocking the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) value chain by solving the financial dilemma between producers and final offtakers, are joining forces to accelerate the development of SAF projects and facilitate their financing, they announced today.

    France-based Haffner Energy relies on its 31-year experience to design, manufacture, supply, license, and operate proprietary disruptive clean fuels solutions, including critical technology for SAF production, using all types of biomass residues wet or dry, such as agricultural and municipal waste. The company has already announced the development of a couple of SAF projects, notably Paris-Vatry SAF in France, where full scale production is expected to be reached by 2030 when the next stage of the European SAF mandate kicks in. Partnering with SAF aggregator ATOBA will significantly enhance SAF offtake then.

    “We are particularly excited about this partnership with ATOBA, as it will facilitate the financing of our SAF projects, starting with Paris-Vatry. One of the most crucial challenges in securing financing for SAF production facilities is the ability to obtain offtake contracts that guarantee the purchase of SAF at a stable, price for periods exceeding five years. The key advantage provided by ATOBA is that it offers this guarantee while significantly reducing risks and commitments for airline clients. This will facilitate and accelerate their engagement in SAF procurement. As such, it is a win-win model for all stakeholders and we are extremely pleased that ATOBA has identified us as a strategic and unique player in the SAF ecosystem”, said Haffner Energy co-founder and CEO Philippe Haffner.

    Indeed, the SAF market is facing challenges in expanding at the rate demanded by environmental needs and regulatory mandates. While producers need long-term, stable pricing contracts to amortize their investments, airlines seek assurance of optimum market prices in the context of a still-immature industry with diverse competing technologies. This conflict of expectations currently hinders the development of SAF production projects, and ATOBA’s unique business model brings the solution.

    “We are delighted to launch an offtake agreement with Haffner Energy, a company that has demonstrated for decades the quality and robustness of its biomass transformation technological and industrial solutions. Haffner Energy plays a key role in unlocking second-generation feedstocks, which are essential for both Alcohol-to-Jet and Gas Fischer-Tropsch SAF pathways. At ATOBA, we strongly believe that a variety of technologies and pathways are required to meet our aviation decarbonization targets, as the best production route and feedstock depend on the specific regional characteristics. Having Haffner Energy in our portfolio of SAF producers is an essential brick in our aggregation strategy, reinforcing our ability to provide diversified, reliable, and scalable SAF solutions to the market”, highlighted ATOBA Energy co-founder and CEO Arnaud Namer.

    Also based in France, ATOBA uniquely unlocks the SAF financial stalemate through its upstream and downstream SAF offtake portfolio management. By offtaking from diversified producers and technologies like Haffner Energy, ATOBA mitigates technological and pricing risks associated with the various SAF production pathways, and enables the closing of long-term offtake agreements among airlines, jet-fuel distributors, SAF producers, and financial institutions, which are essential for scaling the industry.

     

    About Haffner Energy

    Haffner Energy designs, manufactures, supplies, and operates biofuel and hydrogen solutions using biomass residues. Its innovative, patented thermolysis technology produces Logo Blue ATOBA Energy – small Sustainable Aviation Fuel, as well as renewable gas, hydrogen, and methanol. The company also contributes to regenerating the planet through the co-production of biogenic CO2 and biochar. A family-owned company co-founded 32 years ago by Marc and Philippe Haffner, Haffner Energy has been working from the outset to decarbonize industry and all forms of mobility, as well as governments and local communities. Further information is available at www.haffner-energy.com.

     

    About ATOBA Energy

    ATOBA is the midstream Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) aggregator focused on accelerating the aviation industry’s energy transition through solving the financial dilemma between airlines and producers. ATOBA provides long-term SAF contracts to airlines and jet-fuel resellers at optimized market SAF pricing indexes. The company brings high security and competitiveness to the SAF supply chain for its airline partners via offtake from diversified producers and technologies, as well as best-in-class sector expertise. Simultaneously, ATOBA’s aggregation strategy allows the SAF industry to scale by providing producers with long-term offtake agreements that support their Final Investment Decisions for their  SAF production plants. Further information is available at www.atoba.energy

     

    Media relations

    Haffner Energy laetitia.mailhes@haffner-energy.com  tel. +33 (0)6 07 12 96 76

     ATOBA Energy press@atoba.energy  tel. +33 (0)6 11 65 92 74

    Investor relations

    Haffner Energy investisseurs@haffner-energy.com 

    ATOBA Energy investors@atoba.energy tel. +1 310 874 7871    

     

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Democratic Republic of Congo: MSF staff member critically injured in Masisi town after shots hit MSF base

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Kinshasa/Goma/Brussels – A staff member from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been critically injured after shots hit the MSF base in Masisi town, in Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, on the morning of 20 February. A child who had sought refuge with his family in the MSF compound was also wounded by gunfire. MSF strongly condemns the shootings, which seriously undermine the principle of protecting aid workers and humanitarian facilities in times of conflict.  

    “This morning, one of our colleagues on duty at the MSF base in Masisi was seriously injured by a bullet – one of many bullets to hit our premises over recent weeks,” says Stephan Goetghebuer, MSF head of programmes.  “Unfortunately, his life is in danger. During the shootings, a child who had taken refuge at our base was also slightly injured by a bullet. We strongly condemn this latest episode of violence, which has directly impacted a humanitarian facility that should be protected from gunfire.”  

    Since early January, the area in and around Masisi town in southern North Kivu province has been fought over almost daily by VDP/Wazalendo fighters (allied with the Congolese army) and the M23/Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC). The clashes have led to an influx of wounded – most of them civilians – at Masisi general referral hospital, which is supported by MSF, while thousands of people have sought refuge at the MSF base and the hospital compound.  

    “On Thursday, intense fighting, including the use of heavy weapons, took place in the town itself, which has been controlled by the M23/AFC since mid-January,” says Goetghebuer. “Notably, fighting took place between the MSF base and the market in front of the hospital, where thousands of people have been sheltering for days.”

    Since early January, Masisi hospital, the MSF base and the immediate surroundings have been the scene of numerous serious incidents.   

    On 16 January, two civilians were shot in front of Masisi hospital; one was killed. On 19 January, the hospital and MSF base came under fire and two MSF staff were injured when a rocket hit MSF’s garage next to the hospital. On 28 January, a woman was shot dead during clashes that took place between the MSF base and nearby MSF office. On 16 February, a Ministry of Health staff member was wounded by a stray bullet that entered the hospital.   

    An influx of displaced people to at Masisi general referral hospital, supported by MSF. These people are fleeing clashes between the armed parties in the territory of Masisi. Democratic Republic of Congo, January 2025.
    MSF

    “These violent, recurring incidents are unacceptable,” says Goetghebuer. “Despite our repeated appeals to the warring parties to protect humanitarian and health facilities, the safety of patients and medical and humanitarian staff is clearly not being taken into account. Humanitarian law is being flouted. This must stop.”  

    Masisi hospital, supported by MSF since 2007, has received dozens of war-wounded in recent days.

    In view of the repeated violent incidents affecting MSF’s work in Masisi town, MSF is currently considering how to adapt its activities in the region, where people’s medical and humanitarian needs are massive. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: DR Congo violence has pushed 35,000 to Burundi, says UN refugee agency

    Source: United Nations 2

    Peace and Security

    Escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has continued to uproot thousands more people to neighbouring countries where they face dire conditions without many basic necessities, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.

    UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, reported on Thursday that 35,000 Congolese nationals have now reached Burundi since the beginning of February, as Rwanda-backed M23 fighters continue to advance across both South and North Kivu.

    The UN human rights office (OHCHR) in DRC also expressed concern over growing lawlessness as warlords responsible for grave crimes including rape, were reportedly sprung from prison in Goma, Kabare and Bukavu in recent days.

    These former detainees are now at large and pose a threat to their former victims and judges who sentenced them, along with the lawyers who represented victims of sexual violence, said Patrice Vahard, Director of the UN Joint Human Rights Office in DR Congo (UNJHRO).

    “The consequences will be huge, first for the state of law, but in particular for these women who believed in justice because they received help, but who unfortunately now risk being confronted by some of their tormentors.”

    Burundi arrivals

    UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado told UN News that those fleeing DR Congo are entering Burundi via its northwestern border.

    “The vast majority are women and children, they are arriving exhausted, tired,” she said. “Many of them tell our teams on the ground that they have lost family members, sometimes children, while they were fleeing.”

    Ms. Sarrado described dire conditions at the border and said that the majority of those arriving from DRC do so by unofficial means, with many taking risks to cross the Ruzizi River.

    “Some of them are sheltering in the open, just in makeshift shelters, others are being sheltered in schools and also in a stadium at the border,” the UN refugee agency official added.

    Needs are increasing and there is a significant shortage of basic services in the displacement shelters including toilets, food and water.

    Goma aid lifeline resumes

    The UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Thursday that it had partially resumed food assistance to parts of Goma, which fell to M23 rebels three weeks ago.

    But as fighting between M23 and national troops continues, the UN aid agency expressed alarm at “soaring hunger” caused by people fleeing displacement camps.

    In North Kivu, WFP has reached 9,000 people with emergency food assistance out of a target of 83,000. “Security must improve for WFP to reach tens of thousands more of the most vulnerable populations at risk,” it stressed.

    Where possible, the UN agency is delivering vital nutrition supplies to treat moderate acute malnutrition in children aged six to 59 months, amid surging staple food prices that have made it increasingly difficult for families to eat.

    Prices rise along with insecurity

    The price of maize flour has risen by nearly 67 per cent, salt is 43 per cent more expensive than before the crisis erupted and the cost of cooking oil has increased by up to 45 per cent, WFP said.

    “Escalating violence is forcing more families to flee – and now they have no food, no security and nowhere safe to go,” said WFP spokesperson Shaza Mograby. “The desperation of affected communities continues to grow by the day.”

    Humanitarians continue to struggle to reach the most vulnerable while major access routes remain blocked and Goma International airport remains closed.

    “WFP’s priority is to resume operations fully as soon as it is safe to do so,” the UN agency insisted.

    “The longer we are unable to give food and emergency assistance to families affected by the conflict, the greater and more dire their needs are,” said Peter Musoko, WFP’s Country Director and Representative in DRC.

    “I do not want to see children and mothers sink deeper into hunger and severe malnutrition. We need the violence to stop so we can resume our humanitarian activities. The most vulnerable people in DRC cannot afford to be overlooked during this crisis.’

    WFP plans to reach seven million of the most vulnerable women, men, and children in DR Congo with lifesaving food and nutrition assistance this year. It is working with other UN agencies, NGOs and Government partners to address immediate needs and prepare for a potential large-scale response once conditions allow.

    A key part of this operation is the WFP-run UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) operation. It provides aid teams with critical access and logistical support for their work across the country but it urgently requires $33.1 million to avoid the suspension of operations by the end of March.

    In recent weeks, the UNHAS fleet relocated to Kalemie in Tanganyika, establishing a new operational hub for eastern DRC.

    So far this year, the air service has transported 2,464 passengers, including humanitarian workers relocated from Goma and Bukavu; it has also delivered 23 metric tons of essential light cargo across DR Congo. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Do your taxes, get benefits

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Every year, thousands of people in B.C. leave money on the table by not claiming the benefits for which they are eligible.

    It’s estimated that more than one in 10 eligible people in Canada do not file their taxes and nearly one-quarter are young people, 18-24. By filing, most people can get money back or their taxes reduced.

    An estimated one in five renters don’t file their taxes, though many could receive support through B.C.’s renter’s tax credit. This provides as much as $400 for renters with adjusted incomes up to $63,000, or a partial credit for adjusted incomes up to $83,000. To claim the renter’s credit, people should fill out Form BC479 British Columbia Credits when doing income tax returns.

    Depending on family income, people are automatically enrolled for many benefits and credits when they file their taxes. These include the B.C. family benefit and the climate-action tax credit.

    The B.C. family benefit is deposited in eligible families’ bank accounts around the 20th of each month. The average family receives an annual total of $2,000 from the B.C. family benefit and the one-year BC Family Benefit Bonus, which lasts until June 2025. Approximately 275,000 families with children receive support through the benefit.

    The climate-action tax credit for individuals and families can provide a family of four as much as $1,008 for the 2024-25 tax year. More than two million families and individuals will receive more than the 2023-24 tax year.

    Help is available to find benefits and credits, and to help people prepare their taxes.

    B.C.’s Benefits Connector includes information about supports, including tax credits and benefits. It also includes help for renters and homeowners, supports for business owners, and ways to save on health care, transportation and education.

    For people with simple tax situations, volunteers at a free tax clinic can help with tax returns. The federal government hosts an online directory with information about where to go for help.

    One in five people living on very low income don’t file their taxes, missing out on getting benefits and credits that can help. Consider visiting a free tax clinic and using the B.C. Benefits Connector to get some support in 2025.

    Quick Facts:

    • Canadians missed out on almost $2 billion in unclaimed benefits in 2015, according to a 2020 report published in Canadian Public Policy.
    • Men are more likely than women to not file.
    • It is estimated that almost one-fifth of people who have lived in Canada for less than 10 years don’t file their taxes.
    • Service BC guides people through provincial programs and services.
      • Call 1 800 663-7867 for help available in more than 220 languages.

    Learn More:

    Explore available benefits like the B.C. family benefit, the climate-action tax credit and the renter’s tax credit by visiting the B.C. Benefits Connector here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/home/benefits

    For information about free tax clinics, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/free-tax-help.html

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation — Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes: two arrested in relation to homicides on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Saskatchewan RCMP has arrested two suspects in relation to four homicides on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation, SK.

    On February 4, 2025 at approximately 11:15 a.m., File Hills First Nations Police Service received a report of sudden deaths at a residence on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation.

    Officers immediately responded. They located four deceased persons in the residence. Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes took carriage of the investigation and investigated the deaths as homicides. Initial investigation suggested the residence may have been targeted.

    As a result of continued investigation, Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes located and arrested 18-year-old Darrius Racette in Yorkton, SK on February 18, 2025.

    A youth has also been arrested. We anticipate charges will be laid against them later today. Further details will be provided as we are able to. We will not be able to identify the youth as per the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

    Darrius Racette is facing four counts, first-degree murder, Section 235(1), Criminal Code in relation to the deaths of Tracey Hotomani, Sheldon Quewezance, Shauna Fay and Terry Jack.

    “We thank the public for their cooperation and patience as these investigations were conducted. Officers rely on witnesses and members of the community to come forward with information to further investigations,” says Inspector Ashley St. Germaine, Senior Investigative Officer with the Saskatchewan RCMP’s Major Crimes Branch.

    “We also share our condolences with the families and community members impacted by this tragedy.”

    The Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes Family Liaison team and Victim Services continue to communicate with the victims’ families.

    File Hills First Nations Police Service, Regina Police Services and Saskatchewan RCMP’s General Investigation Section, Forensic Identification Services, Historical Case Unit, Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams, Indigenous Policing Services, and local RCMP detachments all assisted with this investigation.

    Darrius Racette is scheduled to appear in Yorkton Provincial Court on February 20, 2025.

    To our media partners: We understand there were audio issues with our livestream. We have attached the statements to media, as prepared for delivery.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Burlington Man Who Committed Shooting Sentenced to 10-Year Prison Term

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on February 18, 2025, Loren Senna, III, age 41, of Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Senna previously pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine base and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

    According to court records, on March 19, 2021, Senna leaned out of the driver’s side window of the Jeep he was driving and fired multiple rounds from a semi-automatic rifle-style handgun while chasing another vehicle through a densely populated area of the Old North End in Burlington, Vermont. Although fired bullets went into multiple residences, and although pedestrians were present at the time of the shooting, no one was injured. Senna then sped through Burlington, briefly tried to hide in a parking lot, and crashed into an occupied Burlington Police Department cruiser with his Jeep while escaping the parking lot. He subsequently abandoned the Jeep and ran away on foot, throwing the semi-automatic handgun and a loaded pistol into an empty railcar. A short time later, Senna was pulled over in South Burlington, Vermont, driving a truck that belonged to a friend. In the truck were over 200 grams of cocaine base, over 20 grams of cocaine, and over 4 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture. Within a blue backpack on the floor on the passenger side was another loaded pistol. On Senna’s person was $5,812 in cash and a 9-millimeter bullet.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher stated “The defendant’s shooting and subsequent flight from law enforcement the evening of March 19, 2021, were shocking and extraordinarily dangerous. I commend our law enforcement partners for their bravery, and their quick, collaborative, focused investigative work that night to apprehend the shooter without injury to the public, the officers involved, or to the defendant.” Specifically, the Acting United States Attorney thanked the Burlington Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the South Burlington Police Department for their contributions to this case.

    “From dispatch to patrol, to detectives, to our identification unit, dozens of BPD employees took part in this elaborate case, to say nothing of our partners at the South Burlington police department and in federal law enforcement,” said Burlington Chief of Police Jon Murad. “Given the volume of gunfire, the intentional collision with a cop, and the span of the multiple crime scenes—a shooting scene, a vehicle crash, discarded evidence, a traffic stop—it’s nothing short of a miracle that no one was shot or seriously injured. I’m tremendously grateful to the US Attorney’s office, particularly AUSA Cate, for prosecuting this case and winning the kind of just, effective sentence that ensures the defendant won’t put the public at risk again for a long, long time.”

    “The reckless actions of Loren Senna, who fired a weapon from a moving vehicle in a residential neighborhood, posed a serious threat to public safety,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Field Division. “This case highlights the dangers posed by armed felons and drug traffickers that underscores the importance of aggressive enforcement measures to keep our communities safe. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold violent offenders accountable.”

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole P. Cate and Zachary B. Stendig. Senna was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Coface : 2024 results: net income at €261.1m, up 8.6%, and proposed dividend at €1.40

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    2024 results: net income at €261.1m, up 8.6%, and proposed dividend at €1.40

    Paris, 20 February 2025 – 17.35

    • Turnover: €1,845m, down -0.6% at constant FX and perimeter and down -1.3% on a reported basis
      • Trade credit insurance revenue decreased by -2.2% at constant exchange rates, with slightly positive customer activity in Q4-24
      • Client retention is still high at 92.3% but down slightly from 2023 records; pricing remained negative at -1.4%, in line with historical trends
      • Business information once again recorded double-digit growth (+16.3% at constant FX); factoring stabilised at +0.3% with solid growth in Q4-24
    • Net loss ratio at 35.2%, improved by 2.5 ppts; net combined ratio at 65.5%, up 1.2 ppt
      • Gross loss ratio at 33.4%, improved by 2.4 ppts with still high opening year reserving and high reserve releases
      • Net cost ratio increased by 3.6 ppts to 30.2%, reflecting slightly lower revenues and continued investment, in line with our strategy
      • Net combined ratio in Q4-24 at 68.7%, up 9.7 ppts due to a higher net cost ratio and a very low combined ratio in Q4-23 (59.0%)
    • Net income (group share) of €261.1m, up +8.6%, of which €53.4m in Q4-24, the highest annual figure since the adoption of IFRS 17. Annualised RoATE1at 13.9%
    • Coface continues to be backed by a solid balance sheet:
      • Estimated solvency ratio at ~196%2, above the upper end of target range (155% to 175%)
      • Proposal to distribute3 a dividend per share of €1.40 representing an 80% pay-out ratio
      • Earnings per share reached €1.75
    • Coface signed the acquisition of Cedar Rose, strengthening its capabilities in information services in the Middle East and Africa
    • Gonzague Noël has been appointed as Group Chief Operating Officer (COO)

    Unless otherwise indicated, change comparisons refer to the results as at 31 December 2023

    Xavier Durand, Coface’s Chief Executive Officer, commented:
    “2024 was marked by the launch of our Power the Core strategic plan which is deliberately focused on innovation.
    In an environment characterised by weak economic growth, a decrease of our clients’ activity and an increase in the number of bankruptcies, the discipline of our underwriting enabled us to contain the increase in the combined ratio, which rose moderately to 65.5%. Finally, we benefited from the repositioning of our investment portfolio to achieve a return on average tangible equity of 13.9%, above our mid-cycle targets. The net income of €261m marked the highest level since the transition to IFRS 17.
    All these achievements would not have been possible without the engagement of our employees.
    These good results and solid solvency ratio of 196% allow us to propose the payment of a dividend of €1.40 per share to the Shareholders’ meeting.”

    Key figures at 31 December 2024

    The Board of Directors of COFACE SA approved the consolidated financial statements at 31 December 2024 at its meeting of 20 February 2025. The Audit Committee at its meeting on 18 February 2025 also previously reviewed them. Accounts are non-audited, certification is in progress.

    Income statements items in €m 2023 2024 Variation % ex. FX*
    Insurance revenue 1,559.1 1,512.9 (3.0)% (2.2)%
    Services revenue 309.2 331.9 +7.4% +7.4%
    REVENUE 1,868.2 1,844.8 (1.3)% (0.6)%
    UNDERWRITING INCOME/LOSS AFTER REINSURANCE 395.4 368.7 (6.8)% (5.3)%
    Investment income, net of management expenses, excluding finance costs 12.4 91.7 638.0% 595.7%
    Insurance Finance Expenses (40.0) (42.5) 6.4% 12.9%
    CURRENT OPERATING INCOME 367.9 417.9 +13.6% +12.8%
    Other operating income / expenses (5.0) (8.6) 74.5% 74.2%
    OPERATING INCOME 362.9 409.2 +12.8% +12.0%
    NET INCOME (GROUP SHARE) 240.5 261.1 +8.6% +6.3%
             
    Key ratios 2023 2024 Variation
    Loss ratio net of reinsurance 37.7% 35.2% (2.5)% ppts
    Cost ratio net of reinsurance 26.6% 30.2% 3.6% ppts
    COMBINED RATIO NET OF REINSURANCE 64.3% 65.5% 1.2% ppt
             
    Balance sheet items in €m 2023 2024 Variation
    Total equity (group share) 2,050.8 2,193.6 +7.0%
    Solvency ratio 199% 196%1         -3 ppt

    * Also excludes scope impact

    1This estimated solvency ratio constitutes a preliminary calculation made according to Coface’s interpretation of Solvency II regulations and using the Partial Internal Model. The final calculation may differ from this preliminary calculation. The estimated solvency ratio is not audited.

    1.   Turnover

    In 2024, Coface recorded a consolidated turnover of €1,844.8 million, down by -0.6% at constant FX and perimeter compared to 2023. As reported (at current FX and perimeter), turnover was down -1.3%.

    Revenue from insurance activities (including bonding and Single Risk) fell -2.2% at constant FX and perimeter, although the year ended on a slightly more positive note (Q4-24 revenue from insurance activities rose +3.7% and total revenue increased +4.3%). Client retention remains high at 92.3% (but down from the record level in 2023), in a competitive market where Coface implemented risk mitigation plans that impacted renewals at the beginning of the year. New business rose to €126m, up €9m compared to 2023 driven by an increase in demand and the positive effects of investments for growth, mainly in the mid-market segment.

    Client activity grew modestly at 0.5%, below the historical average with an improvement in Q4-24 (+0.4%). Over the year, the decline in activity in the metals sector, with lower prices, partially offset the positive trend in the agri-food sector. The price effect remained negative at -1.4% in 2024 (vs. -1.9% in 2023), in line with long-term trends.

    Turnover from non-insurance activities was up +8.2% compared to 2023. Factoring turnover stabilised at +0.3% with a positive Q4-24 that reversed the full-year trend. Information services turnover rose +16.3%. Fee and commission income (debt collection commissions) increased by +19.6%, from a low base, due to the increase in claims to be collected and investments made in third-party debt collection. Commissions were up +6.6%.

    Total revenue – in €m
    (by country of invoicing)    		 2023 2024 Variation % ex. FX4
    Northern Europe 379.6 362.2 (4.6)% (4.6)%
    Western Europe 380.1 391.8 +3.1% +0.4%
    Central & Eastern Europe 177.1 173.8 (1.9)% (3.2)%
    Mediterranean & Africa 526.3 538.5 +2.3% +5.6%
    North America 171.8 176.6 +2.7% (6.4)%
    Latin America 100.3 77.7 (22.5)% +4.0%
    Asia-Pacific 133.1 124.3 (6.6)% (7.1)%
    Total Group 1,868.2 1,844.8 (1.3)% (0.6)%

    In Northern Europe, turnover was down by -4.6% at constant and current FX, due to the selective non-renewal of some loss-making policies at the beginning of the year, despite the stabilisation of client activity in Q4-24.

    In Western Europe, turnover increased by +0.4% at constant FX (+3.1% at current FX and perimeter following the integration of certain African countries in the first half of the year) thanks to a sharp increase in information services sales (+30.3%) combined with a better Q4-24 in credit insurance under the effect of significant business catch-up.

    In Central and Eastern Europe, turnover fell -3.2% at constant FX (-1.9% at current FX) due to the decline in client activity, which weighed on credit insurance, despite a high client retention rate. Factoring was down -1.0% at constant exchange rates.

    In the Mediterranean and Africa region, which is driven by Italy and Spain, turnover rose +5.6% at constant FX and +2.3% at current FX driven by robust sales in credit insurance and services and a stronger economic environment.

    In North America, turnover was down -6.4% at constant FX but increased by +2.7% at current FX due to the integration of Mexico in this scope. The region saw a slowdown in client activity despite higher retention and a fairly strong economic environment.

    In Latin America, turnover rose +4.0% at constant FX but fell -22.5% at current FX. The region is benefiting from a recovery in client activity after 2023 was dominated by risk prevention actions. However, the transfer of Mexico to the North America region had a negative impact.

    In Asia-Pacific, turnover decreased by -7.1% at constant FX and -6.6% at current FX. This lower turnover was due to a slowdown in client activity that robust sales were unable to offset and selective non-renewal of certain policies.

    2.   Result

    • Combined ratio

    The annual combined ratio net of reinsurance was 65.5% in 2024, up 1.2 ppt year on year.

    (i)  Loss ratio

    The gross loss ratio stood at 33.4%, a 2.4 ppts improvement on the previous year. This improvement reflects both the gradual normalisation of the loss experience, offset by rising reserve releases. The amount of claims recorded is now higher than in 2019. The total number of claims decreased, offset by an increase in the number of mid-sized claims.

    The Group’s provisioning policy remained unchanged. The amount of provisions related to the underwriting year, although discounted, reflects the increase in the claims frequency. Strict management of past claims enabled the Group to record 51.9 ppts of recoveries.

    The net loss ratio improved to 35.2%, down 2.5 ppts compared to 2023.

    (ii)  Cost ratio

    Coface is pursuing a strict cost management policy and is continuing to invest, in line with its Power the Core strategic plan. As a result, over the full year 2024, costs rose by +5.5% at constant FX and perimeter, and by +5.3% at current FX.

    The cost ratio before reinsurance was 33.7%, up 2.2 ppts year on year. This rise was mainly due to the decline in revenues (1.0 ppt), embedded cost inflation (1.5 ppt) and ongoing investments (1.5 ppt). In contrast, the improved product mix (information services, debt collection and fee and commission income) had a positive effect. High reinsurance commissions explain the remainder of the variation.

    • Financial result

    Net financial income for 2024 was €91.7m, up sharply compared to 2023. This figure includes capital gains of +€11.4m, which more than offset negative market value adjustments on investments of -€2.9m. The FX effect remained slightly negative at -€2.7m but improved significantly compared to 2023, which was marked by the accounting effect of IAS 29 (hyperinflation) in Turkey and Argentina as well as the sharp devaluation of the Argentine peso.

    The portfolio’s current yield (i.e. excluding capital gains, depreciation and FX impact) was €96.6m, of which €25.7m in Q4-24. The accounting yield5, excluding capital gains and fair value effect, was 2.9% for 2024. The yield on new investments made year-to-date was 4.1% and fell in Q4-24 in line with the trend in market rates.

    Insurance Finance Expenses (IFE) stood at €42.5m (€40.0m in 2023).

    • Operating income and net income

    Operating income amounted to €409.2m in 2024, up +12.0% at constant FX.

    The effective tax rate was 29% for the year (vs. 27% in 2023), including the impact of Pillar 2 (global minimum tax).

    In total, net income (group share) was €261.1m, up +8.6% compared to 2023.

    3.   Shareholders’ equity

    At 31 December 2024, Group shareholders’ equity stood at €2,193.6m, up €142.8m or +7.0% (€2,050.8m at 31 December 2023).

    These changes are mainly due to the positive net income of €261.1m and the dividend payment of -€194.3m. Other items include changes in unrealised capital gains for €72.0m.

    The annualised return on average tangible equity (RoATE) was 13.9%, up 0.5 ppt mainly due to the improvement in financial income, which more than offset the decrease in underwriting income (decline in net premiums and slight increase in the combined ratio).

    The solvency ratio reached 196%6, representing a decrease of 3 ppts compared to FY-23. It remains well above the upper end of the target range (155%-175%).

    Coface will propose €1.40 dividend per share at the Shareholders’ meeting, corresponding to a payout ratio of 80%7, in line with its capital management policy.

    4.   Outlook

    Once again, the global economy experienced modest growth in 2024 (2.7%), in line with Coface’s forecasts and still driven being by the United States. The electoral calendar, which involved an unprecedented number of countries, delivered generally unsurprising outcomes, with some exceptions.

    For 2025, Coface is forecasting growth identical to that of 2024 at 2.7%. Further downgrades to European growth are likely to be offset by the good performance of the United States, while political risk remains. Donald Trump’s return to power seems to have been welcomed by economic circles so far, raising hopes of deregulation, which is stimulating in the short term but often carries longer-term risks. The announced introduction of tariffs for many countries is also a destabilising factor for global trade.

    Against this backdrop, Coface is anticipating a continued rise in bankruptcies, as businesses are caught between depleted levels of cheap financing and sluggish growth. Coface and its teams will continue to support their clients in this still uncertain environment.

    At the end of 2024, client activity finally posted a slightly positive performance after several quarters of decline. This slight rebound may give hope that the post-Covid decline in client activity has come to an end. In 2025, Coface will continue to implement its Power the Core strategic plan, which aims to develop a leading global ecosystem in credit risk management.

    5.   Governance evolution

    In the Executive Committee:

    • As of February 1st, 2025, Carole Lytton leads the Specialties Businesses, in addition to her role as General Secretary. She takes over from Antonio Marchitelli who decided to leave and take another appointment outside Coface after many years of dedication to the Group.
    • As of February 3rd, Gonzague Noël has been appointed as Group Chief Operating Officer (COO). He takes over Declan Daly, joins the Group executive committee and reports to Xavier Durand, Coface CEO.

    Conference call for financial analysts

    Coface’s results for FY-2024 will be discussed with financial analysts during the conference call on Thursday, 20 February 2025 at 18.00 (Paris time). Dial one of the following numbers:

    The presentation will be available (in English only) at the following address:
    http://www.coface.com/Investors/financial-results-and-reports

    Income statements items in €m
    Quarterly figures    		 Q1-23 Q2-23 Q3-23 Q4-23 Q1-24 Q2-24 Q3-24 Q4-24   % %
    ex. FX*
    Insurance revenue 395.3 407.8 384.7 371.3 378.6 375.6 375.9 382.7   +3.1% +3.7%
    Other revenue 79.8 76.8 73.4 79.2 85.0 83.4 78.0 85.5   +8.0% +7.6%
    REVENUE 475.1 484.5 458.1 450.4 463.7 459.1 453.8 468.3   +4.0% +4.3%
    UNDERWRITING INCOME (LOSS)
    AFTER REINSURANCE    		 95.3 103.5 91.2 105.4 100.3 94.7 88.8 84.9   (19.5)% (17.9)%
    Investment income, net of management expenses, excluding finance costs (2.6) 4.0 13.0 (2.0) 17.9 22.8 19.0 31.9   (1667)% (1568)%
    Insurance Finance Expenses (2.4) (12.3) (15.4) (9.9) (11.4) (6.7) (7.3) (17.1)   +73.3% +77.9%
    CURRENT OPERATING INCOME 90.4 95.2 88.9 93.5 106.8 110.9 100.5 99.7   +6.7% +7.9%
    Other operating income / expenses (0.3) (0.4) (0.2) (4.0) (0.1) (0.5) (2.6) (5.5)   +38.3% +36.4%
    OPERATING INCOME 90.0 94.8 88.6 89.5 106.8 110.4 97.9 94.2   +5.2% +6.6%
    NET INCOME (GROUP SHARE) 61.2 67.7 60.9 50.8 68.4 73.8 65.4 53.4   +5.1% +4.9%
    Income tax rate 25.5% 21.9% 24.2% 36.0% 27.2% 26.8% 25.5% 36.2%   +0.2 ppt

    Appendices

    Quarterly results

    Cumulated results*

    Income statements items in €m
    Cumulated figures    		 Q1-23 H1-23 9M-23 2023 Q1-24 H1-24 9M-24 2024   % %
    ex. FX*
    Insurance revenue 395.3 803.1 1,187.8 1,559.1 378.6 754.3 1,130.2 1,512.9   (3.0)% (2.2)%
    Other revenue 79.8 156.6 230.0 309.2 85.0 168.5 246.4 331.9   +7.4% +7.4%
    REVENUE 475.1 959.7 1,417.8 1,868.2 463.7 922.7 1,376.6 1,844.8   (1.3)% (0.6)%
    UNDERWRITING INCOME (LOSS)
    AFTER REINSURANCE    		 95.3 198.8 290.0 395.4 100.3 195.0 283.8 368.7   (6.8)% (5.3)%
    Investment income, net of management expenses, excluding finance costs (2.6) 1.4 14.5 12.4 17.9 40.8 59.8 91.7   +638.0% +595.7%
    Insurance Finance Expenses (2.4) (14.7) (30.1) (40.0) (11.4) (18.1) (25.4) (42.5)   +6.4% +12.9%
    CURRENT OPERATING INCOME 90.4 185.5 274.4 367.9 106.8 217.7 318.2 417.9   +13.6% +12.8%
    Other operating income / expenses (0.3) (0.7) (0.9) (5.0) (0.1) (0.5) (3.1) (8.6)   +74.5% +74.2%
    OPERATING INCOME 90.0 184.8 273.4 362.9 106.8 217.2 315.1 409.2   +12.8% +12.0%
    NET INCOME (GROUP SHARE) 61.2 128.8 189.7 240.5 68.4 142.3 207.7 261.1   +8.6% +6.3%
    Income tax rate 25.5% 23.7% 23.8% 26.8% 27.2% 27.0% 26.5% 28.7%   +1.9 ppt  

    * Also excludes scope impact

    CONTACTS

    ANALYSTS / INVESTORS
    Thomas JACQUET: +33 1 49 02 12 58 – thomas.jacquet@coface.com
    Rina ANDRIAMIADANTSOA: +33 1 49 02 15 85 – rina.andriamiadantsoa@coface.com

    MEDIA RELATIONS
    Saphia GAOUAOUI: +33 1 49 02 14 91 – saphia.gaouaoui@coface.com
    Adrien BILLET: +33 1 49 02 23 63 – adrien.billet@coface.com

    FINANCIAL CALENDAR 2025
    (subject to change)

    Q1-2025 results: 5 May 2025 (after market close)
    Annual General Shareholders’ Meeting: 14 May 2025
    H1-2025 results: 31 July 2025 (after market close)
    9M-2025 results: 3 November 2025 (after market close)

    FINANCIAL INFORMATION
    This press release, as well as COFACE SA’s integral regulatory information, can be found on the Group’s website: http://www.coface.com/Investors

    For regulated information on Alternative Performance Measures (APM), please refer to our Interim Financial Report for H1-2024 and our 2023 Universal Registration Document (see part 3.7 “Key financial performance indicators”).

      Regulated documents posted by COFACE SA have been secured and authenticated with the blockchain technology by Wiztrust.
    You can check the authenticity on the website www.wiztrust.com.
     

    COFACE: FOR TRADE
    As a global leading player in trade credit risk management for more than 75 years, Coface helps companies grow and navigate in an uncertain and volatile environment.
    Whatever their size, location or sector, Coface provides 100,000 clients across some 200 markets. with a full range of solutions: Trade Credit Insurance, Business Information, Debt Collection, Single Risk insurance, Surety Bonds, Factoring.
    Every day, Coface leverages its unique expertise and cutting-edge technology to make trade happen, in both domestic and export markets.
    In 2024, Coface employed ~5,236 people and registered a turnover of €1.84 billion.

    www.coface.com

    COFACE SA is listed in Compartment A of Euronext Paris
    ISIN: FR0010667147 / Ticker: COFA

    DISCLAIMER – Certain declarations featured in this press release may contain forecasts that notably relate to future events, trends, projects or targets. By nature, these forecasts include identified or unidentified risks and uncertainties, and may be affected by many factors likely to give rise to a significant discrepancy between the real results and those stated in these declarations. Please refer to chapter 5 “Main risk factors and their management within the Group” of the Coface Group’s 2023 Universal Registration Document filed with AMF on 5 April 2024 under the number D.24-0242 in order to obtain a description of certain major factors, risks and uncertainties likely to influence the Coface Group’s businesses. The Coface Group disclaims any intention or obligation to publish an update of these forecasts, or provide new information on future events or any other circumstance.

    1RoATE = Return on average tangible equity
    2This estimated solvency ratio is a preliminary calculation made according to Coface’s interpretation of Solvency II regulations and using the Partial Internal Model. The final calculation may differ from this preliminary calculation. The estimated solvency ratio is not audited.
    3The distribution proposal will be submitted to the Shareholders’ Meeting to be held on 14 May 2025.
    4 Also excludes scope impact
    5 Book yield calculated on the average of the investment portfolio excluding non-consolidated subsidiaries.
    6 This estimated solvency ratio is a preliminary calculation made according to Coface’s interpretation of Solvency II regulations and using the Partial Internal Model. The final calculation may differ from this preliminary calculation. The estimated solvency ratio is not audited.
    7 The distribution proposal will be submitted to the Shareholders’ Meeting to be held on 14 May 2025.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Coface appoints Gonzague Noël as Group Chief Operating Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Coface appoints Gonzague Noël as Group Chief Operating Officer

    Paris, 20 February 2024 – 17.35

    Coface announces the appointment of Gonzague Noël as Group Chief Operating Officer. This change is effective as of 3 February 2025. Based in Paris, Gonzague reports to Xavier Durand, Chief Executive Officer of Coface. He replaces Declan Daly, who is pursuing his career outside the Group.

    Previously, Gonzague was Head of Global Business Administration & Strategic Initiatives at HSBC CIB, where he was responsible for optimizing resources and improving efficiency.

    He began his career at GE Healthcare in 2001 before holding various management positions within GE Corporate and GE Capital, overseeing strategic projects, M&A operations and operational transformations in Europe, Asia and America.

    With more than 20 years of international experience, Gonzague brings to Coface solid strategic and operational expertise in the management of large-scale transformation projects.
    Gonzague holds a Master of science (MSc) from Emlyon Business School.

    CONTACTS

    ANALYSTS / INVESTORS
    Thomas JACQUET: +33 1 49 02 12 58 – thomas.jacquet@coface.com
    Rina ANDRIAMIADANTSOA: +33 1 49 02 15 85 – rina.andriamiadantsoa@coface.com

    MEDIA RELATIONS
    Saphia GAOUAOUI: +33 1 49 02 14 91 – saphia.gaouaoui@coface.com
    Adrien BILLET: +33 1 49 02 23 63 – adrien.billet@coface.com

    FINANCIAL CALENDAR 2025
    (subject to change)

    Q1-2025 results: 5 May 2025 (after market close)
    Annual General Shareholders’ Meeting: 14 May 2025
    H1-2025 results: 31 July 2025 (after market close)
    9M-2025 results: 3 November 2025 (after market close)

    FINANCIAL INFORMATION
    This press release, as well as COFACE SA’s integral regulatory information, can be found on the Group’s website: http://www.coface.com/Investors

    For regulated information on Alternative Performance Measures (APM), please refer to our Interim Financial Report for H1-2024 and our 2023 Universal Registration Document (see part 3.7 “Key financial performance indicators”).

      Regulated documents posted by COFACE SA have been secured and authenticated with the blockchain technology by Wiztrust.
    You can check the authenticity on the website www.wiztrust.com.
     

    COFACE: FOR TRADE
    With over 75 years of experience and the most extensive international network, Coface is a leader in Trade Credit Insurance & risk management, and a recognized provider of Factoring, Debt Collection, Single Risk insurance, Bonding, and Information Services. Coface’s experts work to the beat of the global economy, helping ~100,000 clients in 100 countries build successful, growing, and dynamic businesses. With Coface’s insight and advice, these companies can make informed decisions. The Group’ solutions strengthen their ability to sell by providing them with reliable information on their commercial partners and protecting them against non-payment risks, both domestically and for export. In 2024, Coface employed ~5,236 people and registered a turnover of €1.84 billion.

    www.coface.com

    COFACE SA is listed in Compartment A of Euronext Paris
    ISIN: FR0010667147 / Ticker: COFA

    DISCLAIMER – Certain declarations featured in this press release may contain forecasts that notably relate to future events, trends, projects or targets. By nature, these forecasts include identified or unidentified risks and uncertainties, and may be affected by many factors likely to give rise to a significant discrepancy between the real results and those stated in these declarations. Please refer to chapter 5 “Main risk factors and their management within the Group” of the Coface Group’s 2023 Universal Registration Document filed with AMF on 5 April 2024 under the number D.24-0242 in order to obtain a description of certain major factors, risks and uncertainties likely to influence the Coface Group’s businesses. The Coface Group disclaims any intention or obligation to publish an update of these forecasts, or provide new information on future events or any other circumstance.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Asian Development Bank and World Bank Group Join Forces on a New Full Mutual Reliance Partnership

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    20 February 2025 — Today, Asian Development Bank President Masatsugu Asakawa and World Bank Group President Ajay Banga signed a groundbreaking new cofinancing partnership.

    The Full Mutual Reliance Framework (FMRF), the first of its kind among multilateral development banks (MDBs), will generate efficiencies, streamline implementation, deliver faster results, and ultimately, achieve better outcomes for borrowing countries.

    This partnership responds to the needs of client countries in Asia and the Pacific who are demanding more rapid, efficient, and effective development financing, and more seamless coordination by MDBs. It also responds to G20 Leaders’ call for MDBs to work more effectively as a system. 

    With this new partnership, one institution will act as the “Lead Lender,” handling all aspects of project design, preparation, appraisal, supervision, and evaluation for both lenders. The other institution (the Trail Lender) may participate in knowledge sharing and limited support but without decision-making or fiduciary responsibilities. The closely aligned policies of the two lenders allow for mutual reliance without compromising standards. 

    This partnership is expected to serve as a model for deeper collaboration among other MDBs and help address pressing development needs while fostering knowledge sharing and innovation.

    As the institutions move towards implementation, they will continue to engage with their respective Boards, borrowers, and other stakeholders.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: America Is Back — and President Trump Is Just Getting Started

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    President Donald J. Trump took office just one month ago, but has already accomplished more than most presidents do in their entire term as he makes good on his promise to usher in the New Golden Age of America.
    Here is a non-comprehensive list of President Trump’s wins after just one month:
    SECURING OUR HOMELAND:
    President Trump declared a national emergency at the border and deployed the military, including the 10th Mountain Division, to secure our nation.
    Illegal border crossings have hit lows not seen in decades as U.S. Border Patrol is re-empowered to once again enforce the law.
    ABC News: “From Jan. 21 through Jan. 31, the number of U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border dropped 85% from the same period in 2024, according to data obtained by ABC News. In the 11 days after Jan. 20, migrants apprehended at ports of entry declined by 93%.”

    Illegal aliens have started turning around in droves amid the crackdown.
    The Department of Homeland Security announced that arrests of criminal illegal immigrants have doubled under President Trump.
    President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, which requires illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft or violence to be detained — honoring the legacy of Laken Riley, a Georgia college student brutally murdered by an illegal alien released into the country.
    President Trump ended “catch-and-release,” reversing the dangerous Biden-era policy that released dangerous illegal aliens back into our communities.
    President Trump shut down the “CBP One” app, which “paroled” more than one million illegal immigrants into the country.
    A migrant shelter in San Diego announced it will shut down after it has received no new arrivals since President Trump took office.

    President Trump terminated all taxpayer-funded public benefits for illegal aliens.
    President Trump ramped up deportation flights of criminal illegal aliens.
    After President Trump announced “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures” against Colombia over its refusal to accept deportation flights from the U.S., the country’s president quickly backtracked — even offering the use of his personal plane for the deportations.
    El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele offered to accept deportees of any nationality, including violent American criminals currently imprisoned in the U.S.

    President Trump began transferring criminal illegal aliens to Guantanamo Bay ahead of their repatriation back to their own countries.
    President Trump re-established the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy.
    President Trump restarted construction of the border wall.
    The Trump Administration officially declared Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the United Cartels, the Gulf Cartel, the Northeast Cartel, and the Michoacán Family as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
    New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) agreed to allow federal immigration officials to operate on Rikers Island and deport illegal alien criminals following his meeting with Border Czar Tom Homan.
    Mexico announced a deployment of 10,000 troops to the border to combat illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking, while Canada announced a flurry of measures to combat fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking following President Trump’s imposition of tariffs on the two countries.
    President Trump implemented an additional 10% tariff on imports from China in order to stem the flow of illegal aliens and fentanyl.
    President Trump ordered an end to birthright citizenship.
    President Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
    The Department of Justice filed suit against the State of New York and some of its elected officials over their willful failure to follow federal immigration law and announced that it will take action against so-called “sanctuary cities” for their obstruction of U.S. law.
    The Department of Homeland Security “clawed back” tens of millions of dollars in funds paid by rogue FEMA officials to house illegal aliens in luxury New York City hotels.
    President Trump reinstated the death penalty for federal capital crimes.
    PROTECTING AMERICAN WORKERS AND FOSTERING ECONOMIC GROWTH:
    President Trump restored a 25% tariff on steel imports and elevated the tariff to 25% on aluminum imports to protect these critical American industries from unfair foreign competition — a move praised by the Steel Manufacturers Association, the Aluminum Association, and businesses across the country.
    Robert Simon, CEO of JSW Steel USA, praised President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, celebrating them “as a project that will flood the U.S. with jobs as trading partners move their industries to U.S. soil to avoid tariffs.”

    Makoto Uchida, the CEO of global automaker Nissan, said President Trump’s tariffs could push the car manufacturer to move its production from Mexico to the U.S.
    President Trump unveiled a plan for fair and reciprocal trade, making clear to the world that the United States will no longer tolerate being ripped off.
    President Trump secured hundreds of billions of dollars in new investments.
    President Trump announced the largest artificial intelligence infrastructure project in history, securing $500 billion in planned private sector investment — with major CEOs agreeing it would not have been possible without President Trump’s leadership.
    Saudi Arabia declared its intention to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years.
    President Trump secured a $20 billion investment by DAMAC Properties to build new U.S.-based data centers.
    Taiwan pledged to boost its investment in the United States.
    Electronics giants Samsung and LG “are considering moving their plants in Mexico to the U.S.” now that President Trump is back in office.

    In February, forecasters from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia revised their economic growth projections for the first quarter of 2025 up from 1.9% to 2.5%, and their unemployment rate projections for the quarter down from 4.2% to 4.1%.
    After a meeting with President Trump, Stellantis announced it will reopen its assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois — putting 1,500 employees back to work — and build its next-generation Dodge Durango in Detroit, Michigan. The company also announced new investments in their Toledo, Ohio, and Kokomo, Indiana, facilities.
    President Trump laid out a visionary plan to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund to maximize the stewardship of the $5+ trillion in assets held by the United States.
    Following President Trump’s victory, the S&P 500 set a new record as the stock market surged to record highs — while major Wall Street firms like JP Morgan Chase posted their highest ever annual profits.
    LOWERING THE COST OF LIVING:
    President Trump directed the heads of all executive departments and agencies to “deliver emergency price relief … to the American people and increase the prosperity of the American worker.”
    President Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council to maximize use of the U.S.’ extensive energy resources, thereby enabling lower energy prices.
    Crude oil prices have fallen over 5% since President Trump took office.
    The Department of Energy postponed burdensome Biden-era efficiency standard rules for the following appliances, saving American consumers large sums:
    Central air conditioners: Biden rules were slated to make air conditioners $1,100 more expensive, according to Alliance for Consumers.
    Gas water heaters: Biden rules were slated to make water heaters $2,800 more expensive.
    Clothes washers and dryers: Biden rules were slated to make washers $200 more expensive.
    Light bulbs: Biden rules were slated to make light bulbs $140 more expensive.
    Walk-in coolers and freezers, commercial refrigeration equipment, and air compressors.

    The total cost of federal regulations in 2023 was a record-breaking $2.1 trillion, or $15,788 per U.S. household, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. By requiring agencies to identify at least ten existing rules, regulations, or guidance documents to be repealed for every one rule they promulgate, President Trump has put the U.S. on track to severely reduce regulatory costs for everyday Americans.
    The National Associations of Manufacturers found the cost of federal regulations was even greater — at $3.079 trillion in 2022.

    Secretary Sean Duffy’s very first action at the Department of Transportation was to initiate rulemaking resetting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards — effectively eliminating the Biden-era electric vehicle mandate.
    NBER economist Mark R. Jacobsen “estimates that a one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers of all income levels approximately 0.5% of their income in the first year of the increase. By the 10th year following the increase, however, this cost becomes regressive, as the increase drives up the price of used cars. A one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers earning less than $25,000 per year 1.12% of their income, but only costs consumers earning more than $75,000 per year 0.41% of their income.”

    RE-ESTABLISHING AMERICAN STRENGTH:
    President Trump secured the release of six American hostages in Venezuela, two Americans in Afghanistan, an American-Israeli citizen in Hamas captivity, a Pennsylvania teacher in Russian captivity, and an American citizen in Belarus — bringing the total number of American hostages released under President Trump to 11.
    President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in pursuit of finally securing peace as negotiations get underway.
    President Trump restored maximum pressure on Iran, “sanctioning an international network for facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the People’s Republic of China.”
    President Trump redesignated the Iran-backed Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
    President Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a visit where he proposed a bold vision for securing lasting peace in Gaza.
    Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman described the proposal as “brilliant, historic and the only idea I have heard in 50 years that has a chance of bringing security, peace and prosperity to this troubled region.”

    President Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who announced his intention to “elevate Japan’s investment in the United States to an unprecedented amount of $1 trillion,” import “historic” quantities of LNG from Alaska, and open new auto plants in the U.S.
    President Trump hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who announced that the Kingdom will accept 2,000 sick children from Gaza “as quickly as possible.”
    President Trump hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a visit where they announced new deals between the two countries on immigration, trade, energy, and artificial intelligence.
    President Trump banned funding to UNRWA — a United Nations agency that employed hundreds of Hamas and jihad operatives.
    President Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, which has illegitimately asserted jurisdiction over internal U.S. matters and baselessly targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
    President Trump reinstated the Mexico City Policy to ensure no taxpayer dollars support foreign organizations that perform, or actively promote, abortion in other nations.
    The Department of State ordered embassies worldwide to only fly the American flag — not activist flags.
    President Trump declared all foreign policy must be conducted under the President’s direction, ensuring career diplomats reflect the foreign policy of the United States at all times.
    The Department of State declared that U.S. foreign policy will be America First going forward.
    Following a visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino agreed to withdraw from China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a debt-trap diplomacy scheme the Chinese Communist Party uses to gain influence over developing nations.
    The U.S. rejoined the Geneva Consensus Declaration, which promotes and strengthens opportunities for women and girls around the world, and protects the family as the fundamental unit of society.
    President Trump cracked down on anti-Semitism by canceling visas for foreign students who are Hamas sympathizers.
    President Trump ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard following years of woke ideologies infiltrating U.S. service academies.
    The U.S. Army barred transgender people from enlisting and stopped using taxpayer funds for sex change surgeries.
    President Trump reinstated, with backpay, U.S. service members who were discharged under the military’s nonsensical COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth restored Fort Liberty, North Carolina, to “Fort Bragg,” in honor of a World War II hero.
    President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization.
    President Trump paused enforcement of the overregulation of American businesses abroad, which negatively impacted national security.
    President Trump proclaimed “Gulf of America Day” after the Department of the Interior officially established it on its mapping databases.
    President Trump initiated a process to build a next-generation missile defense shield over the United States.
    UNLEASHING AMERICAN ENERGY:
    President Trump declared a National Energy Emergency to unlock America’s full energy potential and bring down costs for American families.
    President Trump rescinded every one of the Biden Administration’s job-killing, pro-China, anti-American energy regulations.
    President Trump empowered Americans with choice in vehicles, showerheads, toilets, washing machines, light bulbs, and dishwashers, and killed Biden-era regulations that restricted water flow and mandated inadequate light bulb standards.
    President Trump terminated the job-killing Green New Scam.
    President Trump withdrew from the disastrous Paris Climate Agreement, which unfairly ripped off our country.
    President Trump paused federal permitting for massive wind farms, which degrade our natural landscapes and fail to serve American consumers.
    President Trump reversed bureaucratic regulations that impeded Alaska’s ability to develop its vast natural resources.
    President Trump re-opened 625 million acres for offshore drilling, which Biden banned in his waning days, in order to “drill, baby, drill.”
    President Trump scrapped an Obama-era rule on greenhouse gases.
    President Trump ended the Liquefied Natural Gas pause and approved the first LNG project since the Biden Administration banned them last year.
    BRINGING BACK COMMON SENSE:
    Health systems across the nation stopped or downsized their sex change programs for minors following President Trump’s “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” executive order.
    In Illinois, Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital paused sex-change surgeries for patients under 19 as it “work[s] to understand the rapidly evolving environment.”
    In Colorado, Denver Health announced it would stop performing sex change surgeries on minor children, while UCHealth said it was ending so-called “gender-affirming care” for all minors.
    In Washington, D.C., Children’s National Hospital “paused” prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapies for minors, while Northwest Washington Hospital did the same.
    In Virginia, VCU Health and Children’s Hospital of Richmond “suspended” providing transgender-related medication and surgeries for minors, while UVA Health also “suspended” transgender-related services for minors.

    President Trump ended the unfair, demeaning practice of forcing women to compete against men in sports — which resulted in the NCAA changing its rules.
    The Department of Education launched investigations into the California Interscholastic Federation and the Minnesota State High School League over their failures to comply.

    President Trump made it the official policy of the U.S. government that there are only two sexes.
    President Trump banned COVID-19 vaccine mandates at schools that receive federal funding.
    President Trump rolled back the Biden-era push to mandate paper straws.
    President Trump instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to stop production of the penny, which cost 3.69 cents each to make.
    President Trump directed full enforcement of the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer dollars from being used to fund or promote elective abortion.
    The Department of Transportation terminated the approval for New York City’s burdensome “congestion pricing” scheme.
    RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT
    President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to maximize government productivity and ensure the best use of taxpayer funds — which has already achieved billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers.
    President Trump commenced his plan to downsize the federal bureaucracy and eliminate waste, bloat, and insularity.
    President Trump ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week.
    President Trump ordered federal agencies hire no more than one employee for every four employees who leave.
    President Trump ended the wasteful Federal Executive Institute, which had become a training ground for bureaucrats.
    President Trump ordered the termination of all federal Fake News media contracts.

    President Trump ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren, which funneled cash to left-wing advocacy groups — to halt operations.
    President Trump ordered an end to anti-Christian bias in the Federal Government.
    President Trump ordered an examination of all regulations to assess any infringements on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
    The Environmental Protection Agency canceled tens of millions of dollars in contracts to left-wing advocacy groups, announced an investigation into a scheme by Biden EPA staffers to shield billions of dollars from oversight and accountability, and put 168 “environmental justice” employees on leave.
    President Trump stopped the waste, fraud, and abuse within USAID — ensuring taxpayers are no longer on the hook for funding the pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, such as sex changes in Guatemala.
    President Trump ordered an end to the weaponization of the Federal Government against American citizens.
    The Department of Justice immediately began rooting out politically motivated lawfare that occurred in the Biden Administration.

    President Trump reversed the massive over-expansion of the IRS that took place during the Biden Administration.
    President Trump eliminated discriminatory DEI offices, employees, and practices across the bureaucracy alongside a return to merit-based hiring — including at the Federal Aviation Administration, where the Biden Administration specifically recruited individuals with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric issues.
    As a result, taxpayer-funded PBS closed its DEI office, Disney dropped two of its DEI programs, Goldman Sachs ended its DEI policy, and Institutional Shareholder Services announced it would no longer consider diversity of company boards when making its voting recommendations.
    The Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation into discriminatory DEI policies at Comcast, an entity it regulates.

    President Trump ordered an end to all censorship of Americans by the federal government.
    President Trump ordered a review of funding for all non-governmental organizations, so taxpayers are no longer funding those that undermine America’s interests.
    The Department of State issued a “pause” on existing foreign aid grants to ensure accountability and efficiency.

    President Trump lifted last-minute collective bargaining agreements issued by the Biden Administration, which sought to impede reform.
    President Trump overrode bureaucratic red tape that limited water availability in California following the failure of the state’s water system during the devastating wildfires.
    President Trump terminated the Biden-era electric vehicle mandate.
    President Trump suspended the Biden-era EV charging program, which had resulted in just eight charging stations despite $7.5 billion earmarked for the program.

    President Trump shut down the wasteful Biden-era “Climate Corps” program.
    The Federal Communications Commission took action against a Soros-backed radio station that leaked sensitive information about ICE operations.
    President Trump ordered the declassification of documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
    President Trump opened the White House Press Briefing Room to non-legacy media outlets as the White House sets a new standard for transparency in the digital age.
    President Trump reinstated press privileges for roughly 440 journalists who the Biden Administration sought to silence.
    President Trump fired members of The Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees amid their obsession with perpetuating radical, left-wing ideology at taxpayer expense.
    President Trump revoked the security clearances of the 51 “spies who lied.”
    EMPOWERING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
    President Trump established the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which redirects the national focus to promoting health rather than simply managing disease.
    President Trump took executive action to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
    President Trump established the White House Faith Office to protect Americans’ religious liberty.
    President Trump ordered an end to the radical indoctrination of children in K-12 schools that receive federal funding.
    President Trump took executive action to support parents in choosing the best education for their children.
    President Trump established the Presidential Working Group on Digital Asset Markets to strengthen U.S. leadership in digital finance.
    President Trump granted full and unconditional pardons to 23 pro-life Americans who were unjustly persecuted by the Biden Administration.
    President Trump pardoned two Washington, D.C., police officers who were imprisoned simply for doing their jobs of apprehending criminals.
    President Trump has had his cabinet confirmed by the Senate at a far faster pace than his predecessors, with a majority of his cabinet earning confirmation in his first month.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Manchester Digital Campus gets green light

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A major government office complex has been given planning consent to be built in Manchester.

    A major government office complex has been given planning consent to be built in Manchester.

    Manchester Digital Campus will be a state-of-the-art hub constructed on the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats after the city’s planning committee approved the Government Property Agency’s (GPA) scheme at a meeting today (Thursday 20 February 2025).

    The campus will bring together a number of Civil Service departments with a focus around digital skills and create significant employment opportunities and economic benefits in the region.

    Mark Bourgeois, CEO at the GPA, said:

    We are delighted with the decision and are grateful for the support of the many stakeholders in Manchester. The GPA team is proud to be working on this exciting project in support of the Government’s growth mission.

    The GPA exchanged contracts to acquire five-and-a-half acres of the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats from the city council in May last year with a view to constructing a state-of-the-art digital campus.

    Both the agency and Manchester City Council have been working together on the plans for Ancoats, culminating in a parallel proposal for the digital campus and an adjacent public park.

    The council and the GPA held a joint consultation around emerging plans for the former retail site in August and September last year, inviting local residents, businesses and other stakeholders to help guide proposals to create the new government digital campus – delivered by the GPA – and a new city centre park space, delivered by the council.

    Mark added:

    We are pleased to be working with Manchester City Council on these regeneration  plans, and look forward to creating fantastic and sustainable workplaces to support the transformation of the Civil Service.

    This proposed development, builds on the work MCC and the GPA undertook last year in putting in place an updated Strategic Regeneration Framework, and the shared ambition to regenerate the Ancoats former retail site, creating employment and wider business opportunities, supported by the digital campus.

    New city centre park  

    Alongside the new campus, the new park will improve access to quality green space in Manchester city centre, creating a connection to the existing Cotton Field Park behind and through to Ancoats and New Islington.  

    The park space has been designed in collaboration with landscape architects Planit-IE following public consultation.  

    A central lawn and plaza will create a green buffer to Great Ancoats Street, with various tiered gardens navigating the different level changes across the site, alongside play areas, paths and tranquil areas to escape the noise of the city. The park has been designed to make sure that it is fully accessible. 

    The site will accommodate new walking and cycling routes, helping to link to other city centre active travel investment in Ancoats, Northern Quarter and out towards the Etihad Campus.

    To note – development across the rest of the site will be brought forward as a later development phase. More information will be made available in due course.

    Leader of the Council, Bev Craig said: 

    Gaining planning approval for both the GPA’s digital campus and the latest city centre park is the launchpad for the transformation of this site.  

    Our ambition has long been to bring the former retail park back into active use and working in partnership with the GPA we are delivering a quality, low carbon development that will bring 7,000 civil service jobs to Manchester in the coming years. 

    The new digital campus plays to Manchester’s strengths. We have fostered one of the fastest growing tech and digital communities in the UK, with a growing international reputation. The transformation of this brownfield site supports our ongoing growth in the sector, which translates into quality employment and development opportunities for our residents.  

    We stand ready to work with this Government to bring forward other ambitious investments in Manchester that can continue our path of sustainable economic growth, supporting our residents to thrive. 

    At the same time, the new park is a welcome addition to our city centre green spaces and a reimagining of the former retail site that has for many years acted only as a barrier to the community behind – and an eyesore in one of the most exciting parts of our city.

    For more information contact comms@gpa.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 20 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The Global Geopolitical Situation: Foreign Secretary speech at G20 South Africa

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s intervention on Discussions on the Global Geopolitical Situation at the G20 Foreign Ministerial Meeting, South Africa

    Thank you very much, Ronald (Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa) and let me say, my dear brother, what a joy is to see the G20 in Africa at long last. And we thank Brazil for its stewardship last year.

    The challenges that we face are truly global.

    We will not begin to tackle them unless we harness the potential of this continent, bursting with growth and opportunities and with so many young people, talented young people at its heart.

    The starkest challenge we face is escalating conflict, both between and within nations, driving vicious cycles of grievance, displacement and low growth.

    Your presidency, Ronald calls for solidarity, and solidarity starts by recognizing and naming the victims of war and injustice.

    Innocent Ukrainians enduring bombardment night after night from Odessa to Zaphorizhya, the hostages still cruelly held underground by Hamas, 16 months old on from the trauma of October the 7th, and the Palestinian civilians driven from their homes in Gaza and the West Bank, the Sudanese refugees flee their burning villages to escape across the border to Chad, the overwhelming majority of them, women and children having endured the most unimaginable and indiscriminate violence.

    As I said when I visited Chad, there can be no geopolitical stability, whilst there remains a hierarchy of conflicts, with those on this continent finding themselves at the bottom of the global pile.

    And that’s why, since starting this job, I’ve made a reset with the so called Global South, a central plank of the UK Foreign Policy, and it’s why I doubled British aid for Sudan, and I prepared a conference in London to push for a political process which will end the fighting and protect civilians.

    And that’s why I’ve called out the Rwandan Defence Force operations in the eastern DRC as a blatant breach of the UN Charter which risks spiralling into a regional conflict, and that’s why I will again make clear to President Kagame, that further breaches of DRC’s sovereignty will have consequences.

    Because at the heart of my government’s approach to foreign policy lies the belief that regional and geopolitical stability can only be delivered through respect for international law and the principles of the UN Charter.

    And as my Canadian, Australian, Japanese colleagues have said, respect for international law must underwrite a free and open Indo Pacific, just as it must underwrite the Euro Atlantic, with the security of those two regions ever more closely linked.

    And as we turn to the Middle East, the ceasefire in Gaza is painfully fragile, I’m grateful that so many of us here today are working together to ensure that it holds we must continue to work together tirelessly to secure the release of the remaining hostages, to bolster the Palestinian Authority, and to boost aid into Gaza and to develop a long term plan for governance and security on the strip so that we can advance towards, a two state solution. Which remains the only long term viable pathway to peace.

    And finally, in Ukraine, the only just and lasting peace will be a peace that is consistent with the UN Charter, and we want that as soon as possible.

    You know, mature countries learn from their colonial failures and their wars, and Europeans have had much to learn over the generations and the centuries.

    But I’m afraid to say that Russia has learned nothing.

    I listened carefully to Minister Lavrov intervention just now he’s, of course, left his seat, hoping to hear some readiness to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.

    I was hoping to hear some sympathy for the innocent victims of the aggression.

    I was hoping to hear some readiness to seek a durable peace.

    What I heard was the logic of imperialism dressed up as a realpolitik, and I say to you all, we should not be surprised, but neither should we be fooled.

    We are at a crucial juncture in this conflict, and Russia faces a test.

    If Putin is serious about a lasting peace, it means finding a way forward which respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and the UN Charter which provides credible security guarantees, and which rejects Tsarist imperialism, and Britain is ready to listen.

    But we expect to hear more than the Russian gentleman’s tired fabrications.

    Updates to this page

    Published 20 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Nick Park CBE, unveils statue of Feathers McGraw at Animate, Preston

    Source: City of Preston

    Nick Park CBE, four-time Academy Award®-winner and Preston-born creator of Wallace & Gromit, has officially opened the city’s £45m+ Animate entertainment and leisure destination.

    The Honorary Freeman of Preston and multi award-winning filmmaker, unveiled a four-foot-high bronze statue of Feathers McGraw, the villainous penguin character in the Wallace & Gromit animated films, to mark the opening, close by to the existing famous Wallace & Gromit bench at Preston Markets.

    Joining Nick at the unveiling were the Mayor of Preston Councillor Philip Crowe, Chris Butler and Chris Jones, owners and directors of Castle Fine Arts Foundry, which created the statue, and Merlin Crossingham, Bafta@ award-winning creative co-director of Wallace and Gromit at Aardman Animations.

    Nick and Merlin are executive directors and creative directors, respectively, at Bristol-based independent studio Aardman, makers of the Wallace & Gromit films and other beloved brands, including Shaun the Sheep, Creature Comforts, Chicken Run, and Morph.

    Nick Park CBE said:

    “As a proud Prestonian, I couldn’t be more ‘egg-cited’ to see our infamous Feathers McGraw joining Wallace and Gromit in my hometown.

    “I’m not sure how happy Wallace and Gromit will be, though, to have their arch nemesis clutching the limelight.”

    Councillor Matthew Brown, Leader at Preston City Council said:

    “To have Nick Park officially opening our flagship regeneration scheme, Animate, is a genuine honour and landmark moment for the Council and the city. In addition, the new Feathers McGraw statue is a fantastic complement to the Wallace and Gromit bench, which has drawn so many visitors to Preston – its popularity has blown us away.

    “Today heralds a new era for Preston, providing an unrivalled multi-tenanted entertainment and leisure complex for residents and visitors from the wider regionin the ownership of our city.”

    Chris Jones, Director at Castle Fine Arts Foundry added:

    “It was such an honour for us all at the Foundry to be given the opportunity to depict the deliciously malign Feathers McGraw in bronze, having enjoyed creating Wallace & Gromit a couple of years ago.

    “We had felt Feathers ‘wee beady eyes’ upon us in the workshop for a good few months since we completed him, so it was both a relief and a joy to put him where he truly belongs, alongside his arch nemeses in Preston.”

    Animate features The Arc Cinema with eight screens, 16-lane Hollywood Bowl bowling alley with gaming zone, public realm, a socialising unit and 164-space basement car park, alongside leading family restaurant brands Ask Italian, Cosmo, Taco Bell, Argento Lounge and a variety of street food outlets and a cocktail bar in Mad Giant Food Hall, run by Northern Lights Group.

    The scheme was delivered by Maple Grove Developments (MGD), part of Preston-based contractor Eric Wright Group, on behalf of Preston City Council. Commercial property agents Sanderson Weatherall are the estate managers.

    Built on the former indoor market and car park site, Animate is fully owned by Preston City Council and is one of six major projects in Preston’s Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme, a £200m programme including £20.9m of funding by UK Government to support several regeneration projects.

    The leisure scheme supports the Council’s commitment to Community Wealth Building – a fair, inclusive and ethical approach to fostering sustainable economic development and prosperity for all in Preston – via measures including using locally based businesses and the creation of approximately 300 full and part-time jobs when fully open and 105 apprenticeship weeks worked throughout the construction period to date.

    Opening dates at Animate

    • Argento Lounge – Open
    • Taco Bell – Open
    • The Arc Cinema – Open
    • Hollywood Bowl – opening March
    • Ask Italian – opening early April 
    • Mad Giant Food Hall – coming soon  
    • Cosmo – coming soon

    Visit Animate Preston for more information

    Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme

    Projects included in Preston’s £200 million Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme are:

    • Animate – £45m multi-use entertainment and leisure complex anchored by a state-of-the-art cinema and bowling venue next to Preston Markets
    • Educate Preston: The creation of a new Careers and Employment, Information, Advice and Guidance Hub in the Harris Quarter.
    • Renewal of Harris Quarter Assets: Investment to support the redevelopment of publicly-owned buildings in the Harris Quarter to support new cultural and community uses, including Amounderness House.
    • Illuminate and Integrate: A project to deliver improved pedestrian and cycleway infrastructure, street lighting and other public realm improvements within the Harris Quarter.
    • Preston Youth Zone:The development of Preston Youth Zone as a state-of-the-art facility for young people in Preston aged eight to 19.
    • #HarrisYourPlace:The refurbishment of the Grade I listed Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library, enhancing and protecting the building for future generations.
    • Preston Pop Ups: £1m pop-up programme of events bringing together new temporary event space, artworks and improvements to public realm infrastructure, aimed at boosting visitor activity in the Harris Quarter.

    For more information, visit Invest Preston.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council commemorates tenth anniversary of Care Day with tree planting ceremony

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    To mark the tenth anniversary of Care Day, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council held a special tree planting ceremony at the Palace Demesne, Armagh recently. Pictured at the event was Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Sarah Duffy, Geraldine McGuigan and young people from VOYPIC, with Councillors Jessica Johnston and Peter Lavery.

    In a heartfelt commitment to the wellbeing of local young people in care, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough (ABC) Council held a special tree planting ceremony to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Care Day.

    The event, which took place on Wednesday 12 February at the Palace Demesne in Armagh saw representatives from Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC), elected representatives and council staff come together to mark this special occasion and honour those with lived care experience.

    Symbolising growth, strength and hope for the care-experienced youth, this tree is a living tribute that will serve as a reminder of ABC Council’s commitment to nurturing a brighter future for all young people in our community.

    Speaking at the event, Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Sarah Duffy said:

    “We are thrilled to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Care Day by taking meaningful action to support our young people in care. This tree is not only a symbol of our commitment to the care community but also represents the resilience and potential of the young individuals who inspire us each day.”

    This tree planting ceremony to mark the tenth anniversary of Care Day was proposed by Councillor Jessica Johnston (Alliance Party NI).

    Care Day, which takes place on Friday 21 February 2025, is a day dedicated to raising awareness and celebrating the lives of children and young people in care. The initiative emphasises the importance of community support, inclusion, and resilience for those who have navigated the challenges of the care system.

    Care Day in the UK and Ireland is a joint initiative across five children’s rights charities and is led in Northern Ireland by Voice of Young People in Care.

    To learn more about Care Day 2025, click here.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Manchester Digital Campus and latest city centre park gets planning green light

    Source: City of Manchester

    A major government office complex bringing 7,000 civil service jobs to Manchester alongside a new urban park have been given planning consent to be built in Ancoats.

    A major government office complex bringing 7,000 civil service jobs to Manchester alongside a new urban park have been given planning consent to be built in Ancoats.

    Manchester Digital Campus

    The campus will be a state-of-the-art hub constructed on the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats after the city’s planning committee approved the Government Property Agency’s (GPA) scheme at Manchester City Council planning committee today (Thursday 20 February)

    The campus will bring together a number of Civil Service departments with a focus around digital skills and create significant employment opportunities and economic benefits in the region.

    The state-of-the-art campus will bolster Manchester’s digital and tech sector, driving economic growth and new employment opportunities for the city.  

    New City Centre Park

    Alongside the new campus, the new park will improve access to quality green space in Manchester city centre, creating a connection to the existing Cotton Field Park behind and through to Ancoats and New Islington.

    The park space has been designed in collaboration with landscape architects Planit-IE following public consultation.

    A central lawn and plaza will create a green buffer to Great Ancoats Street, with various tiered gardens navigating the different level changes across the site, alongside play areas, paths and tranquil areas to escape the noise of the city. The park has been designed to make sure that it is fully accessible.

    The site will accommodate new walking and cycling routes, helping to link to other city centre active travel investment in Ancoats, Northern Quarter and out towards the Etihad Campus.

    Mark Bourgeois, CEO at the GPA, said:

    “We are delighted with the decision and are grateful for the support of the many stakeholders in Manchester. The GPA team is proud to be working on this exciting project in support of the Government’s growth mission.”

    The GPA exchanged contracts to acquire five-and-a-half acres of the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats from the city council in May last year with a view to constructing a state-of-the-art digital campus.

    Both the agency and Manchester City Council have been working together on the plans for Ancoats, culminating in a parallel proposal for the digital campus and an adjacent public park.

    The council and the GPA held a joint consultation around emerging plans for the former retail site in August and September last year, inviting local residents, businesses and other stakeholders to help guide proposals to create the new government digital campus – delivered by the GPA – and a new city centre park space, delivered by the council.

    Mark added:

    “We are pleased to be working with Manchester City Council on these regeneration plans, and look forward to creating fantastic and sustainable workplaces to support the transformation of the Civil Service.

    “This proposed development, builds on the work MCC and the GPA undertook last year in putting in place an updated Strategic Regeneration Framework, and the shared ambition to regenerate the Ancoats former retail site, creating employment and wider business opportunities, supported by the digital campus.”

    Leader of the Council Bev Craig said:

    “Gaining planning approval for both the GPA’s digital campus and the latest city centre park is the launchpad for the transformation of this site.  

    “Our ambition has long been to bring the former retail park back into active use and working in partnership with the GPA we are delivering a quality, low carbon development that will bring 7,000 civil service jobs to Manchester in the coming years. 

    “The new digital campus plays to Manchester’s strengths. We have fostered one of the fastest growing tech and digital communities in the UK, with a growing international reputation. The transformation of this brownfield site supports our ongoing growth in the sector, which translates into quality employment and development opportunities for our residents.  

    “We stand ready to work with this Government to bring forward other ambitious investments in Manchester that can continue our path of sustainable economic growth, supporting our residents to thrive. 

    “At the same time, the new park is a welcome addition to our city centre green spaces and a reimagining of the former retail site that has for many years acted only as a barrier to the community behind – and an eyesore in one of the most exciting parts of our city.”  

    Find out more about the redevelopment of the former retail site. 

    Read the planning applications here

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Sues Nation’s Largest Vape Distributors for Fueling the Youth Vaping Epidemic

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a lawsuit against 13 major e-cigarette, or “vape,” manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for their role in fueling the youth vaping epidemic. These companies are responsible for illegally distributing, marketing, and selling flavored disposable vapes – including popular brands such as Puff Bar, Elf Bar, Geek Bar, Breeze, MYLE, and more – which have become extraordinarily popular among minors. An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation found that these companies market highly addictive, candy- and fruit-flavored nicotine products to underage consumers, mislead customers about the safety and legality of their products, illegally ship products to New York, and violate health regulations designed to curb youth vaping.  

    With this action, Attorney General James is holding the nation’s leading vape distributors accountable for their role in this public health crisis. The landmark lawsuit seeks hundreds of millions of dollars, including financial penalties for wide-ranging violations of local, state, and federal laws; damages and restitution for the public health impact of the companies’ illegal actions; the recovery of all revenue made from unlawful activity; and the establishment of an abatement fund to address the youth vaping crisis in New York. 

    “The vaping industry is taking a page out of Big Tobacco’s playbook: they’re making nicotine seem cool, getting kids hooked, and creating a massive public health crisis in the process,” said Attorney General James. “For too long, these companies have disregarded our laws in order to profit off of our young people, but we will not risk the health and safety of our kids. Today, we are taking critical steps toward holding these companies accountable for the harm they have caused New Yorkers.” 

    The vaping industry has adopted deceptive, inescapable marketing strategies that are reminiscent of the tactics that made the tobacco industry infamous. Vaping companies directly target youth with bright, colorful packaging, candy and fruit flavors, social media and influencer campaigns, and unproven claims that their products are “safe” alternatives to cigarettes. The vape products the defendants often help develop, design, and even taste-test are intended to attract young people, with eye-catching, cartoonish packaging and flavors like “Blue Razz Slushy,” “Sour Watermelon Patch,” “Unicorn Cake,” “Fruity Bears Freeze,” “Cotton Candy,” “Rainbow Rapper,” “Sour Fruity Worms,” “Fruity Pebbles,” and “Strawberry Cereal Donut Milk,” to entice kids.

    Vape companies use bright, colorful packaging and candy and fruit flavors to entice children.

    The OAG investigation found that these companies often rely on social media in their marketing and ensure their vapes are abundantly available within walking distance of schools in an effort to reach young consumers. The companies also make use of celebrity or influencer endorsements, sponsor brand activations and social media photo opportunities at popular festivals and events, and promote dangerous vaping trends and challenges to drive engagement online. One company, Puff Bar, ran a social media advertisement during the early days of the pandemic lockdown that billed their vapes as “the perfect escape from back-to-back zoom calls [and] parental texts.”

    Vaping advertisements feature bright colors and candy, as well as illegal discounts and relatable language to attract kids.

    The investigation also revealed that vape companies have long been aware that their products pose health risks to users – and are particularly harmful to youth – but have continued to target young people with deceptive and misleading messages about the products’ safety. In particular, the companies’ advertisements often position vaping products as a safer, healthier alternative to cigarettes. One of the defendants has even advanced conspiracy theories in an attempt to brush away concerns over the safety of vaping, repeatedly pushing the idea that state governments were campaigning to crush vaping in an attempt to boost tobacco sales for financial gain. In addition, despite knowing that New York banned the sale of flavored vapor products in 2020, the companies have continued to sell these products while intentionally misleading customers about the legality of the sales.

    None of the companies named in the lawsuit have received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their fruit – or – candy flavored vapes, making their sale illegal under federal law. Attorney General James’ lawsuit alleges the companies have knowingly and intentionally ignored FDA warning letters and regulations, as well as the federal Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, which prohibits online sales of vaping products to consumers and unlicensed retailers. In addition to violating federal bans on shipping these products, the companies fail to register with the appropriate authorities, verify recipients’ ages, or follow any other shipping restrictions.

    Attorney General James also alleges that these vape companies have blatantly disregarded New York state public health laws, including several policies enacted in recent years to curb youth vaping. In 2020, New York banned the sale of flavored vapor products, restricted the shipment and transport of nicotine products, and raised the legal purchase age for all vapes to 21. The state also banned coupons and discounts on vapes, and began requiring certain companies to disclose dangerous ingredients in their vapes. The vape companies named in this lawsuit have repeatedly and knowingly violated these laws.

    The OAG investigation uncovered widespread evidence of this illegal conduct, including documents showing illegal shipments of flavored vapes to New York residential addresses, communications demonstrating companies’ knowledge of health and legal risks, and company advertisements and social media campaigns that misleadingly promoted vapes as safe and fun.

    The rise in youth vaping has reversed years of progress in reducing tobacco and nicotine use among adolescents. According to the New York State Department of Health (DOH), e-cigarette use among high school students has skyrocketed over the past decade, with flavored vapes being the most commonly used tobacco and nicotine product among youth. Attorney General James’ lawsuit highlights the severe health risks associated with vaping, including nicotine addiction, respiratory issues, and long-term cognitive impairments. According to the American Lung Association, some vape ingredients have been found to cause irreversible lung damage, while nicotine exposure during adolescence can permanently alter brain development. Kids who use nicotine products are also at increased risk for future addiction to other drugs. 

    The rapid rise popularity of vaping among teenagers reversed years of progress in reducing youth nicotine use. 

    For their illegal conduct and role in fueling the youth vaping crisis, Attorney General James is seeking broad relief from the companies, including a permanent ban on selling flavored vapes in New York, significant financial penalties and restitution for harm caused to New Yorkers, public corrective statements to inform consumers of the dangers of vaping, and the creation of an abatement fund to address and mitigate the effects of the public health crisis these companies helped create. In addition, OAG is pursuing total disgorgement of all revenues earned as a result of illegal activity. In total, Attorney General James is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in financial compensation for the havoc these companies’ products and marketing have wreaked on New York’s kids and their health and well-being.

    The manufacturers, distributors, and retailers named in the lawsuit are Puff Bar, MYLE Vape, Pod Juice, Mi-One Brands, Happy Distro, Demand Vape, EVO Brands, PVG2, Magellan Technology, Midwest Goods, Safa Goods, EVO Brands, and Price Point Distributors, as well as Price Point principals Weis Khwaja, Hamza Jalili, and Mohammad Jalili. 

    “These predatory companies purposefully preyed on our classmates and peers, irreparably damaging our lives,” said Erin Kennedy, founder of anti-vaping advocacy group at East Hampton High School and a frontline witness to the second youth nicotine epidemic. “Therapeutic tools are the only useful actions to try to help the second wave of youth nicotine addiction. Money received from lawsuits with vaping companies must be funneled to therapeutic treatments to try and undo the harm, even death, created by these exploitative companies.”

    “I thank Attorney General James for her significant financial commitment to Suffolk County to hopefully invest in community-based therapeutic treatments for my friends and classmates who have been poisoned and now struggle with nicotine addiction,” said Samantha Price, founder of anti-vaping advocacy group at East Hampton High School and a frontline witness to the second youth nicotine epidemic.  

    “Vaping continues to be a public health issue for teens and young adults and has been exacerbated by irresponsible marketing strategies,” said Dr. Susan Gasparino, Medical Director of the Clinical and Community-Based Programs at the Center for Community Health & Prevention at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “I applaud and sincerely thank Attorney General Letitia James for, once again, taking action to hold these companies accountable. Her efforts, paired with the counseling and educational services like those we provide at our Center’s clinic, are what it takes to see change and advocate for the health of our young people.” 

    “Parents Against Vaping is enormously grateful to New York’s Attorney General Letitia James and her team for their ongoing commitment to and leadership in the fight to protect kids from a predatory industry that seeks to addict an entire generation to nicotine,” said Meredith Berkman, Co-Founder of Parents Against Vaping. “By going after those who deliberately market, promote, and peddle illegal flavored vapes to minors, causing serious negative health consequences that can impact young people for years to come, the Attorney General makes clear that she will not allow these bad actors to continue making enormous profits while harming New York’s children.” 

    “The vaping industry has taken advantage of youth as a vulnerable and profitable market through flavoring, advertising, and sales techniques, putting their health at risk,” said Melissa Safford, Program Director of Uplift Irondequoit. “Our coalition and community work hard to promote prevention amid a market that is flooded with false claims surrounding the safety and benefits of vaping. It is wonderful to see that Attorney General James is continuing to be a champion for youth’s health, protecting them from the vaping industry.” 

    “The Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) offers our professional support to the continued leadership by our New York State Attorney General Letitia James in her unwavering efforts to keep New Yorkers safe from unscrupulous marketing strategies flagrantly targeting our youth and exposing them to dangerous and addictive nicotine products,” said Steve Chassman, Executive Director of LICADD. “Nicotine is a potent mind- and mood-altering drug that potentially develops into a physical and psychological dependence. The implications of nicotine intoxication and dependence for young people on their mental, physical, academic, and social well-being are far reaching when dangerous levels of nicotine are consumed at a vulnerable age. These dangerous products are being callously marketed as ‘candy-like’ materials, distorting the harmful effects the drug has on human development. LICADD commends Attorney General Letitia James for fighting for the health and wellness of our youth who are potentially falling prey to monetary greed and a total disregard of public health.” 

    This lawsuit builds on Attorney General James’ efforts to hold the vaping industry accountable. Last month, Attorney General James filed a lawsuit against a retailer in upstate New York for knowingly selling vapor products to underage customers. In April 2023, Attorney General James secured $462 million from Juul Manufacturers for its role in the youth vaping epidemic. In August 2021, Attorney General James co-led a bipartisan coalition calling on the FDA to regulate e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products. In December 2020, Attorney General James ordered dozens of retailers across the state to immediately stop selling e-cigarette products to underage customers and to stop selling flavored vaping products in violation of New York state law. Also in December 2020, Attorney General James held a roundtable with elected officials, students, and parents on the subject of vaping among young people in New York state. In July 2020, Attorney General James cracked down on three online retailers that were illegally selling e-cigarettes online to consumers in New York, including minors. In April 2019, Attorney General James led a coalition of seven states in urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take stronger action in addressing the scourge of e-cigarette use among youth by taking proposed measures such as strengthening guidance, beginning enforcement earlier, and banning online sales of e-cigarettes.   

    This matter is being handled by Special Counsel Monica Hanna with assistance from Health Care Deputy Bureau Chief Leslieann Cachola, Special Counsel for Complex Litigation Collen Faherty, Assistant Attorneys General Alex Finkelstein, Wil Handley, and Joy Mele, Legal Assistants Ketty Dautruche and Dana-Ann Henry, and Document Review Managers Carol Cheng and Kristin Petrella, under the supervision of Health Care Bureau Chief Darsana Srinivasan. Data analysis was provided by Data Scientist Blythe Davis under the supervision of Deputy Director Gautam Sisodia and Director Victoria Khan of the Research and Analytics Department. The Health Care Bureau is part of the Division of Social Justice which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Leads Multistate Coalition to Defend the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today co-led a coalition of 23 attorneys general to warn against efforts by the Trump administration and Elon Musk to defund and disband the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB is an independent agency that oversees big banks, lenders, credit card companies, and mortgage servicers and ensures companies are following federal consumer protection laws. Since its creation, the CFPB has helped millions of New Yorkers and Americans by helping homeowners facing foreclosure stay in their homes, stopping banks from charging junk fees, and returning more than $20 billion to the pockets of consumers nationwide. Attorney General James and the coalition argue in an amicus brief filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland that dismantling the CFPB would significantly harm consumers and hamper enforcement of federal consumer protection laws.

    “Eliminating the CFPB will hurt everyday people and benefit billionaires like Elon Musk and his friends,” said Attorney General James. “The CFPB has put billions of dollars back in the pockets of Americans by going after predatory lenders, deceptive companies, and slashing junk fees. The only reason to get rid of this watchdog agency is to protect bad actors. Working families need the CFPB, especially as rising prices are making it hard to make ends meet and put food on the table. My office is leading this coalition to help protect the agency that has protected all of us.”

    On February 9, the Trump administration directed the CFPB to stop all its ongoing work and to not begin any new investigations. The CFPB was formed in 2011 following the Great Recession to enforce federal consumer protection laws. Since its creation, the CFPB has worked with state attorneys general to address consumer issues related to banking, student loan servicers, mortgage servicers, auto lending, and other consumer financial matters. The CFPB has also partnered with attorneys general to stop deceptive, unfair, and abusive conduct by companies. As a result of the Trump administration’s actions, the nation’s largest banks are no longer being closely watched for compliance with key consumer protections by any federal regulator.

    In their brief, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the administration’s efforts to destroy the CFPB could prevent consumers from reporting issues of fraud or deception. The coalition also writes that efforts to shut down the CFPB would significantly reduce oversight of big banks, further harming consumers. The attorneys general warn that this may lead to financial institutions loosening their regulatory compliance, as was seen in the years leading up to the financial crisis.

    Attorney General James has partnered with the CFPB on several actions to protect consumers and hold companies accountable. In January 2024, Attorney General James, the CFPB, and a multistate coalition sued a web of related shell companies for running an illegal debt-relief enterprise and swindling consumers out of more than $100 million. In April 2024, Attorney General James, the CFPB, and a multistate coalition won an $811 million judgment against a bond services company, Libre by Nexus, for unfairly targeting immigrants and their families with deceptive and abusive tactics. In January 2023, Attorney General James and the CFPB sued one of the nation’s largest auto lenders, Credit Acceptance Corporation (CAC), for deceiving thousands of low-income New Yorkers into signing high-interest car loans. The CFPB and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) also sued a cash advance company for defrauding 9/11 victims out of money intended to help cover their medical costs, lost income, and other critical needs.

    Joining Attorney General James in filing today’s brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Aberdeen Man Sentenced to More than 10 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Oxford, MS – An Aberdeen man was sentenced Wednesday to 140 months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine.

    According to court documents, Brandon Lenoir, 43, of Aberdeen, Mississippi pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi to distribution of methamphetamine.  Lenoir was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Debra Brown in Oxford on Wednesday to 140 months in prison for drug trafficking. He was further sentenced to five years of supervised release.

    Lenoir is a repeat offender having been convicted on prior occasions of drug and firearms crimes.

    “Methamphetamine destroys individuals, families and communities, and those who traffic it deserve to go to prison,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I commend the joint efforts of our AUSA, the DEA and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics in removing this repeat drug offender and the poison he peddles from our streets.”

    “The DEA is committed to ensuring our communities remain safe and free from the devastating impacts of drug trafficking. The lengthy sentence handed down to a repeat offender underscores the seriousness of these crimes and our unwavering determination to hold those who contribute to the cycle of addiction accountable,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw. “Together, we will continue to work diligently to protect our neighborhoods from the dangers of drugs.”

    The Drug Enforcement Administration, alongside the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad M. Doleac prosecuted the case.

    This investigation and resulting case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Inmate Given Life Sentence for Brutal Murder of Cellmate at Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TERRE HAUTE— Lawrence Taylor, 44, formerly of Akron, Ohio, and current inmate of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, has been sentenced to life in federal prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

    According to court documents, Taylor and Jan Stevens (“Stevens”) were inmates at the Federal Correctional Complex, in Terre Haute, Indiana, and housed within the Special Housing Unit (“SHU”). Taylor and Stevens were cellmates in the SHU for just three days prior to January 12, 2019.

    On January 12, 2019, at approximately 1:25 a.m., a SHU staff member walked by Taylor’s and Stevens’s cell and observed Stevens lying on the lower bunk, partially covered with a sheet, with his head at the foot of the bed. Taylor was also inside the cell, standing in front of the door window. Upon a second glance, the staff member saw a laceration to Stevens’s neck, along with blood spattered against the wall and pooling on the floor. The next day, a forensic pathologist conducted an autopsy of Stevens and found his cause of death to be 43 stab wounds to his body, most significantly to the neck area, leading him to bleed out. During an interview with FBI agents, Taylor admitted to killing Stevens with a weapon he had possessed for the previous three months.

    At the time of the murder, Taylor was serving a 284-month sentence for a series of bank robberies in 2009.  Prior to the murder of Stevens, Taylor was projected to be released from the Bureau of Prisons in September 2031.

    “This murder extends beyond the taking of a life – it shatters the lives of those closest to the victim.  Taylor’s act was heinous; well justifying the imposition of a life sentence,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “I commend the FBI, Corrections Officers and our federal prosecutors who handled this case with such a determination for justice.”

    “This life sentence reflects the FBI’s commitment to justice for all victims including those who are incarcerated in federal correctional facilities. The brutality of this violent murder deserves the maximum penalty allowed under the law,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI will continue to work closely with the Bureau of Prisons and all of our law enforcement partners to investigate and apprehend those who commit violent acts and hold them accountable.”

    “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message – those who threaten or harm others will be held accountable,” said a Federal Bureau of Prisons Spokesperson. “The safety and security of our facilities will always be the FBOP’s top priority in our mission to ensure public safety.”

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jayson W. McGrath and former Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Warden, who prosecuted this case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Debt Vulnerabilities And Financing Challenges In Emerging Markets And Developing Economies—An Overview Of Key Data

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    Summary

    Many emerging markets and developing economies face elevated debt vulnerabilities and financing needs. Following the 2020-21 surge in debt levels associated with the COVID-19 shock, and the subsequent tightening in global financial conditions, many emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs)1 are grappling with rising debt service burdens that squeeze the space available for development spending. Pandemic-induced deficits have declined, and debt levels have stabilized and are projected to remain stable or slightly decline under staff’s baseline assumptions. However, many EMDEs are confronting high costs of financing, large external refinancing needs, and a decline in net external flows amid important investment and social spending needs. To help address these challenges, countries would benefit from actions, both at domestic and international level, to proactively expand their capacity to finance development spending. There are also important risks to the baseline that will require careful monitoring. This paper aims to help inform the international debate on these issues by providing factual data and insight on the debt vulnerabilities and financing pressures facing EMDEs.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Battleford — Battlefords RCMP: three arrested after fleeing from police in stolen vehicle

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On February 14, 2025 at approximately 10:45 p.m., Battlefords RCMP received a report of a firearm discharge in North Battleford, SK. Investigation determined the firearm was discharged from a vehicle with three individuals inside; no injuries were reported to police.

    Battlefords RCMP responded immediately and located the suspect vehicle in the parking lot of a business on 99th Street. The vehicle fled the scene. Officers activated emergency lights and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle did not stop. Officers initiated a pursuit and attempted to use a tire deflation device to stop the vehicle, however it fled southbound through Battleford to the Red Pheasant First Nation.

    Officers patrolled the Red Pheasant First Nation in an effort to locate the suspect vehicle. RCMP Police Dog Services and Saskatoon Police Service both assisted with this search.

    At approximately 12:30 a.m. on February 15, 2025, officers located the suspect vehicle stuck in a ditch on the Red Pheasant First Nation. One adult male suspect was arrested at the scene.

    Investigation determined the vehicle had been stolen earlier that night. Officers located a firearm and a magazine a short distance from the vehicle.

    Officers then received a report that the two additional suspects were at a residence on the Red Pheasant First Nation. Officers attended the residence and arrested the two adult male suspects.

    As a result of investigation, 21-year-old Jamieson Thomas of Sweetgrass First Nation is charged with:

    • one count, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, Section 88(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, flight from peace officer, Section 320.17, Criminal Code;
    • one count, theft of truck, Section 333.1(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, operate a conveyance in a manner dangerous to the public, Section 320.13(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, careless use of a firearm, Section 86(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of firearm/weapon/device ammunition in motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, discharge firearm while being reckless, Section 244.2(3), Criminal Code; and
    • one count, unauthorized possession of a firearm, Section 91(1), Criminal Code.

    18-year-old Kojac Adams of Sweetgrass First Nation is charged with:

    • one count, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, Section 88(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, operate a conveyance in a manner dangerous to the public, Section 320.13(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, flight from peace officer, Section 320.17, Criminal Code;
    • one count, careless use of a firearm, Section 86(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of a firearm when knowing possession unauthorized, Section 92(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of firearm/weapon/device ammunition in motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, theft of truck, Section 333.1(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, resisting/obstructing peace officer, Section 129(a), Criminal Code;
    • one count, fail to comply with release order condition, Section 145(5)(a), Criminal Code; and
    • four counts, weapons possession contrary to order and fail to surrender authorization, Section 117.01(1), Criminal Code.

    23-year-old Mackenzie Wahobin of Red Pheasant First Nation is charged with:

    • one count, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, Section 88(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, flight from peace officer, Section 320.17, Criminal Code;
    • one count, careless use of a firearm, Section 86(1), Criminal Code,
    • one count, discharge firearm with intent, Section 244.2(3), Criminal Code;
    • one count, unauthorized possession of a firearm, Section 91(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of firearm/weapon/device ammunition in motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, theft of truck, Section 333.1(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, resisting/obstructing peace officer, Section 129(a), Criminal Code;
    • one count, fail to comply with probation orders, Section 733.1(1), Criminal Code; and
    • one count, operate a conveyance in a manner dangerous to the public, Section 320.13(1), Criminal Code.

    Jamieson Thomas, Kojac Adams and Mackenzie Wahobin made their first appearance in North Battleford Provincial Court on February 18, 2025.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Tai Software Carrier Performance Audit Feature Helps Freight Brokers Optimize Relationships and Reduce Risk

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tai Software, a leading provider of Transportation Management Systems (TMS) for freight brokers, has launched Carrier Scorecards, an advanced feature designed to help brokers assess and improve carrier relationships and reduce the risk of fraud through data-driven performance audits.

    Carrier Scorecards provide a structured approach to evaluate carriers based on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as punctuality, responsiveness, and overall customer satisfaction. Using tailored audit questions, brokers gain specific insights into each carrier’s performance. These insights help them make more informed decisions when selecting carriers for future shipments.

    “Powerful relationships drive our industry. We developed Carrier Scorecards to give brokers a tool to refine their carrier relationships based on concrete performance data,” said Daniel Ely, Product Chief Officer. “Leveraging these insights is a broker’s best strategic step toward providing exceptional customer experiences and building sustainable, long-term partnerships.”

    Key Features of Carrier Scorecards

    • Carrier Performance Audits: Brokers create customized audit questions to evaluate carriers on KPIs that align with their business objectives. Following every shipment, brokers use these audits to gather feedback from customers.
    • Carrier Score Calculation: Each audit response contributes to an overall carrier rating on a 1 to 5-star scale. These scores are calculated based on question categories and response frequency, giving brokers an accurate and real-time view of carrier reliability.
    • Total and Individual Service Scores: Carriers receive both an overall score and specific scores for pickup and delivery. Each audit question also receives a separate score, allowing for a detailed performance breakdown.
    • Scorecard Availability: Each carrier’s scorecard is readily accessible in their profile, along with the number of audits completed, providing an easily accessible performance history.
    • Filter Scores by Date: Brokers can view carrier scores for a specified date range, allowing for more focused performance tracking during specific periods.

    Here’s an example of how powerful Carrier Scorecards can be for a broker. The scorecards will report both on-time and late deliveries. If a broker notices a pattern of late deliveries from a certain carrier, they have the choice to address the issue directly with that carrier or consider other carrier options for critical shipments in the future.

    Carrier Scorecards empower freight brokers to make strategic data-driven carrier selections that reduce operational risks, enhance service quality, and drive business growth. This feature is now available to all users as part of Tai’s commitment to advancing efficiency and scalability for all freight brokers.

    About Tai
    Tai Software is a fully integrated freight management platform that drives efficiency and growth for brokers. Tai TMS automates operations for both Full Truckload (FTL) and Less-than-Truckload (LTL) shipments, integrating seamlessly with major carriers and technology partners. With over 500 tool integrations and more than 20 years of industry innovation, freight brokers trust Tai TMS to simplify their processes and focus on strategic business growth. To learn more about Tai Software, visit www.taisoftware.com.

    Please contact Vanessa Galvis, Marketing Director, at vanessa.galvis@tai-software.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Overland AI Opens New Factory for Manufacturing Advanced Ground Autonomy at Scale

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SEATTLE, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Overland AI, a leader in autonomous ground systems, announced the opening of the Overland AI Factory in South Seattle. Congressman Adam Smith, representing Washington’s Ninth Congressional District, visited yesterday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the facility, which will significantly enhance the company’s in-house manufacturing and production of autonomous ground vehicles at scale.

    Congressman Adam Smith participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Overland AI Factory (South Seattle)

    The Overland AI Factory is designed for end-to-end development and rapid production of both crewed and uncrewed ground vehicles, integrating sophisticated tooling and scalable workflows. The facility will serve as a hub for Overland AI-designed platforms and the precision upfitting of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vehicles, enabling mission-ready adaptability for defense and national security applications.

    “I’m honored to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of this new Overland AI Factory,” said Congressman Adam Smith. “By investing in local talent and resources, Overland AI is fostering innovation and creating job opportunities in the Ninth Congressional District to support our national security.”

    The Congressman touring Overland AI’s new facility with co-founders Stephanie Bonk (President) and Greg Okopal (Chief Operating Officer)

    Located in Seattle’s industrial corridor, Overland AI’s new Factory accelerates the development of ground vehicles powered by OverDrive. With differentiated capabilities like GPS-denied operation and multi-robot coordination, OverDrive-enhanced vehicles are supporting tactical operators today across the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command. The Factory’s strategic location near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, key military airports, and major seaports streamlines defense logistics and the rapid deployment of mission-ready autonomous systems for mission partners.

    “This facility marks a new chapter for Overland AI and the future of autonomous ground systems,” said Greg Okopal, co-founder and chief operating officer of Overland AI. “By bringing manufacturing in-house, we are now offering our partners an integrated solution, from remote operator to effect on the battlefield.”

    “The Overland AI Factory cements the region’s role as a hub for defense technology and manufacturing,” said Byron Boots, co-founder and chief executive officer of Overland AI. “This opening reinforces our commitment to advancing ground autonomy for national security.”

    For more information, visit https://www.overland.ai.

    About Overland AI
    Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Overland AI is powering ground operations for modern defense. The company leverages over a decade of advanced research in robotics and machine learning, as well as a field-test forward ethos, to deliver advanced autonomy for unit commanders. Hazardous missions in austere and electronically denied environments demand that this technology is reliable and resilient. Overland AI’s autonomy kit and OverDrive stack enable ground vehicles to navigate off-road without GPS or direct operator control, while its OverWatch C2 provides commanders with precisely coordinated capabilities that are vital for complex missions to succeed. Overland AI is developing these capabilities and putting them into the hands of tactical operators today.

    Media Contact
    Kristen Hoff
    kristen@firecrackerpr.com
    Firecracker PR
    1-888-317-4687 ext. 702

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/00a4379a-11e2-4231-8453-8a80fb2055bb

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/266e9ad0-4d9b-41bb-9635-03772d2718a1

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Orocidin and Syngene Partner to Accelerate Biotech Innovation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BEVERLY HILLS, California, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Orocidin A/S (“Orocidin”), a subsidiary of Nordicus Partners Corporation (OTCQB: NORD) (“Nordicus” or the “Company”), a financial consulting company specializing in supporting Nordic and U.S. life sciences companies in establishing themselves in the U.S. market, announces a strategic partnership with Syngene International Limited (“Syngene”),

    Syngene’s mission is to work as an extension of its client’s team. Together the teams solve the complex challenges associated with GMP peptide development programs using cutting-edge technology and scalable solutions, while maintaining the highest quality standards. Syngene’s capabilities enable efficient and scalable manufacturing with reduced lead times, ensuring the most robust and streamlined supply chain for future commercialization.

    “We are very impressed with Syngene’s professionalism, commitment to scientific excellence, and ability to deliver high-quality work on time,” said Allan Wehnert, CEO & Founder of Orocidin. “This partnership secures access to highly skilled scientists and state-of-the-art facilities ensuring the development and progress of Orocidin’s QR-01.”

    Alex Del Priore, Senior Vice President – Development & Manufacturing Services, Syngene International Ltd added: “We are delighted to partner with Orocidin in advancing their peptide programs. With a shared focus on speed, scale, and supply chain security, Syngene is well positioned to help biotech companies like Oricidin bring new drugs to market faster and more reliably.”

    For further information, contact:
    Mr. Henrik Rouf
    Chief Executive Officer
    hr@nordicuspartners.com
    Tel +1 310 666 0750

    Investor Relations
    Jonathan Paterson
    Harbor Access Investor Relations
    Jonathan.Paterson@Harbor-Access.com
    Tel +1 475 477 9401

    About Orocidin
    Orocidin’s mission is to develop the preferred treatment against aggressive periodontitis. Our innovative therapeutic agent, QR-01, distinguishes itself through its unique ability to provide treatment of both inflammation and bacterial infection.

    About Syngene
    Syngene International Ltd. is an integrated research, development, and manufacturing services company serving the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, nutrition, animal health, consumer goods, and specialty chemical sectors. Syngene’s more than 5600 scientists offer both skills and the capacity to deliver great science, robust data security, and world class manufacturing, at speed, to improve time-to-market and lower the cost of innovation. With 2.2 Mn sq. ft of specialized discovery, development, and manufacturing facilities, Syngene works with biotech companies pursuing leading-edge science as well as multinationals, including BMS, GSK, Zoetis and Merck KGaA. For more details, visit www.syngeneintl.com For the Company’s latest Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report, visit https://esgreport.syngeneintl.com.

    About Nordicus Partners Corporation
    Nordicus Partners Corporation is the only U.S. publicly traded business accelerator and holding company for Nordic life sciences companies. Leveraging decades of combined management experience in domestic and global corporate sectors, Nordicus excels in corporate finance activities including business and market development, growth strategies, talent acquisition, partnership building, capital raising, and facilitating company acquisitions and sales. In 2024, Nordicus acquired 100% of Orocidin A/S, a Danish preclinical-stage biotech company developing next-generation therapies for periodontitis and 100% of Bio-Convert ApS, a Danish preclinical-stage biotech company dedicated to revolutionizing the treatment of oral leukoplakia. For more information about Nordicus, please visit: www.nordicuspartners.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
    This press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate,” “intend,” “continue” or “believe” or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss our plans, strategies, prospects and expectations concerning our business, operating results, financial condition and other similar matters. We believe that it is important to communicate our future expectations to our investors. There may be events in the future, however, that we are not able to predict accurately or control. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release speaks only as of the date on which we make it. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Bitget’s CEO Gracy Chen Joins Consensus Hong Kong 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company will be attending Consensus 2025, set to be held in Hong Kong, scheduled from February 18 to 20 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. Consensus’ expansion into Hong Kong highlights Asia’s growth as a global powerhouse for Web3, with millions of crypto users, blockchain developers, and industry leaders. Serving as the most influential crypto event, Hong Kong sees itself strategically positioned as a pivotal digital assets hub, uniting East and West for pivotal conversations and plans that will define what’s next for the future of technology.

    Bitget CEO, Gracy Chen, will be a distinguished speaker at the event, sharing her insights on a panel titled ‘Beyond Trading: How Crypto is Shaping the Market‘ on the Mainstage on Wednesday, 19 February, at 2:30 PM HKT. Since assuming the role of CEO in May 2024, Gracy has been instrumental in driving Bitget’s global strategy, leading to a fourfold increase in the company’s user base and establishing strategic partnerships, including collaborations with big names like Lionel Messi and LALIGA. Her leadership has propelled Bitget into the ranks of the top global exchanges. 

    “One trend that I observed is the integration of centralized exchange and decentralized exchange. All of the strongest exchanges have put a lot of resources into building their DEX service, not just focusing on the CEX service. In 2024, we saw great growth in our DEX, Bitget Wallet, which hit 45 million users,” said Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget. “For trash time in the market, it is the best time to be more focused on our own product and really create value for our targeted users and community. That’s probably how we survived in the last bear market.”

    On February 18th, Bitget held the BGB Builders Night, an exclusive event celebrating BGB’s all-time high. The event promises networking with fellow BGB holders, industry influencers, and project founders and was opened by Bitget CEO Gracy, who shed light on Bitget’s future developments. Attendees engaged with key members of the BGB and Bitget Wallet teams, participated in the ‘BGB Hunt’ for a chance to win $BGB, and exchanged ideas with Bitget CEO, Gracy. 

    Participation in Consensus Hong Kong 2025 shows Bitget’s dedication to creating a collaborative environment to drive innovation within the crypto community. This event will convene the industry’s brightest minds, serving as a launchpad for meaningful discussions, networking, and the forging of partnerships that will influence the trajectory of the digital asset landscape.

    About Bitget

    Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 100 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions, while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a world-class multi-chain crypto wallet that offers an array of comprehensive Web3 solutions and features including wallet functionality, token swap, NFT Marketplace, DApp browser, and more.

    Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World’s Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM markets, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist) and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.

    For more information, users can visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Bitget Wallet

    For media inquiries, users can contact: media@bitget.com

    Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, users can refer to the Terms of Use.

    Contact

    Simran Alphonso

    media@bitget.com

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/961f8995-8b0c-4f27-8793-17ca12645372

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c97f743b-d88d-41ef-b337-8668848a682b

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts: Budget Resolution “Provides the Blueprint and Resources Trump Needs to Deliver Prosperity and Keep Americans Safe”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, praised the budget resolution as providing the framework to help fund President Trump’s priorities. Ricketts discussed the resolution while on a conference call with Nebraska media:
    “Last week, my Senate Budget Committee colleagues and I advanced a budget reconciliation resolution that will lay the groundwork to fund President Trump’s priorities. This week, the plan is to pass it on the Senate floor,” Ricketts said. “This budget resolution represents a significant step forward in giving President Trump the resources he needs to deliver security and prosperity for the American people. It instructs committees of jurisdiction to execute on President Trump’s agenda.”
    “The American people elected President Trump to secure the border, restore American strength, and unleash American energy,” Ricketts closed. “This budget resolution provides the blueprint and resources he needs to deliver prosperity and keep Americans safe. I look forward to passing it quickly to help deliver results for Nebraskans and the American people.”
    [embedded content]
    Watch the video HERE.
    TRANSCRIPT:
    Senator Ricketts: “Last week, my Senate Budget Committee colleagues and I advanced a budget reconciliation resolution that will lay the groundwork to fund President Trump’s priorities.
    “This week, the plan is to pass it on the Senate floor.
    “This budget resolution represents a significant step forward in giving President Trump the resources he needs to deliver security and prosperity for the American people.
    “It instructs committees of jurisdiction to execute on President Trump’s agenda.
    “First, the budget resolution provides a blueprint to secure the border.
    “This budget proposal provides a framework to spend roughly 175 billion dollars to finish the border wall and upgrade border technology.
    “It envisions increasing the number of detention beds so dangerous criminals aren’t released into our country.
    “It envisions increasing the number of ICE officers and Border Patrol agents who work to expedite the removal of criminal illegal aliens.
    “It envisions adding more assistant U.S. attorneys to prosecute drug cartels – and more immigration judges to clear our case backlog.
    “After four years of Biden’s open border policies, we need resources now to secure the border.
    “This framework will help us do that.
    “Second, this budget resolution calls for the revitalization of our military.
    “This would mean critical new funding – roughly 150 billion dollars – for the Department of Defense to improve readiness.
    “It calls for more funds for the continued modernization of our nuclear triad.
    “It calls for the strengthening of our defense industrial base to help us build more ships for the Navy.
    “The budget resolution also calls on the Pentagon to perform an audit to ensure our tax dollars are being spent effectively.
    “These provisions will help us deter adversaries like Communist China.
    “It will help keep Americans safe.
    “Third, this budget provides a framework for unleashing American energy production.
    “That would mean blocking the Biden administration’s natural gas tax.
    “That would mean facilitating the development of America’s abundant natural resources.
    “And that would mean requiring new oil and gas lease sales.
    “These common-sense policies will combat the soaring cost of energy.
    “Finally, this budget resolution is fully paid for.
    “We save by reversing Biden’s Green New Deal spending.
    “We save by rolling back burdensome Biden mandates and regulations.
    “The American people elected President Trump to secure the border, restore American strength, and unleash American energy.
    “This budget resolution provides the blueprint and resources he needs to deliver prosperity and keep Americans safe.
    “I look forward to passing it quickly to help deliver results for Nebraskans and the American people.”

    MIL OSI USA News –