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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Vicky Eatrides and Rachelle Frenette to CIPPIC Summer Speaker Series

    Source: Government of Canada News

    “Regulatory Riverbanks: Helping Build Canada’s Telecommunications Future”

    Ottawa, Ontario 
    July 30, 2025

    Vicky Eatrides, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer 
    Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)

    Rachelle Frenette, General Counsel and Executive Director, Legal Services (CRTC)

    Check against delivery

    Introduction

    Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you, Matt, for the warm welcome.

    Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people. Let us take a moment to thank the Anishinaabeg people and to pay respect to their Elders.

    Thank you for inviting us to speak with you today. It is great to be here and to see a number of familiar faces in the room. And a warm hello to everyone joining us online.

    On behalf of the CRTC, I want to thank CIPPIC for your ongoing work to engage students and the academic community in meaningful conversations about Canadian telecommunications policy. By leading various advocacy and research-driven initiatives, CIPPIC continues to make a vital contribution to shaping a more equitable, transparent, and accountable digital landscape.

    And your work is more important than ever.

    Telecommunications shape how we live — how we learn, how we work, how we access healthcare, and how we stay close to loved ones. That is why listening to Canadians grounds telecommunications policy in the lived realities of communities across the country.

    When I think about our role in telecommunications policy, I am reminded of something the Canadian business leader Bonnie Brooks once said: “we build the riverbanks and let the water flow freely.” I think that this is a fitting metaphor for the work of many regulators.  

    At the CRTC, we are building riverbanks in the form of regulatory frameworks that support a healthy and competitive telecommunications industry. And our frameworks are not just built to hold the current — they are meant to guide it.

    We know that effective regulatory policy starts with a clear sense of purpose. So that is where we will start today: our mandate and our place within the broader framework of telecommunications policy.

    Then, let us talk about the CRTC’s ongoing efforts to help connect all Canadians to high-quality Internet and cellphone services. 

    And finally, we will delve into the CRTC’s work on affordability, investment, and consumer protections.

    CRTC mandate

    So let us begin with a quick overview of the CRTC and our mandate, and then briefly touch on the landscape of telecommunications regulation beyond the CRTC.

    Starting with the CRTC.

    The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act establishes the CRTC as a commission consisting of members appointed by the Governor in Council.

    There are currently nine members — a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson for Telecommunications, a Vice-Chairperson for Broadcasting, and six regional Commissioners who are located across the country.

    Commissioners have a team of expert staff supporting them — many of whom have spent their entire careers studying and analyzing the telecommunications and broadcasting industries in both the public and private sectors.

    We have colleagues with consumer, social policy, legal, and other diverse expertise, who help Commissioners make informed decisions that benefit Canadians.

    Now let us turn to our mandate. As you may know, the CRTC is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. We hold public consultations on telecommunications and broadcasting matters and make decisions based on the record.

    This means taking into account a number of different — and often competing — interests as the Commission makes its decisions. These decisions create regulatory frameworks that guide how telecommunications service providers interact with Canadians and with each other.

    The CRTC regulates the telecommunications industry through the Telecommunications Act. Our decisions are guided by the nine telecommunications policy objectives outlined in the Act. These objectives, established by Parliament, range from foundational goals — such as ensuring reliable, affordable, and high-quality telecommunications services — to more targeted aims, like promoting telecommunications research and development in Canada.

    In the broader landscape, telecommunications regulation in Canada is a shared responsibility. In addition to the CRTC, the Minister of Industry holds key regulatory responsibilities under both the Telecommunications Act and the Radiocommunication Act.

    Most notably, the Minister oversees the management of Canada’s wireless spectrum, which is essential for delivering cellphone services and over-the-air broadcasting.

    I mentioned the policy objectives in the Act earlier. These can be supplemented by Government policy directions to the CRTC. Together, the legislation and policy directions serve as guiding principles the CRTC must take into account when making its decisions.

    The current policy direction was issued in 2023. It contains a number of key themes that drive the CRTC’s policy work, such as using regulation to promote competition, affordability, consumer interests, and innovation. Other parts of the policy direction guide the CRTC on how it should do that work, like asking us to ensure that any measures we impose are efficient and proportionate to their purpose.

    Our frameworks are informed by the broader landscape of telecommunications regulation — by Parliament through the objectives in the Act, by the government through the policy direction, and, importantly, by the evidentiary records we build during our public consultations.

    We value diverse perspectives because each voice contributes to the record and directly influences the decisions the Commission makes. That is why organizations like CIPPIC are essential — you help ensure that the interests of Canadians are heard and reflected in our policies.

    I think that is a good segue to the CRTC’s regulatory work.

    Connecting Canadians

    Let us start with the CRTC’s ongoing efforts to connect Canadians to high-quality Internet and cellphone services.

    Most of us here today have had access to high-speed Internet and the latest cellphone technology for many years. We have come a long way, but there is still more work to do to make Internet access available to everyone across Canada.

    Our latest public information shows that about 750,000 Canadian households still lack access to unlimited Internet plans at speeds of at least 50 megabits per second download and 10 megabits per second upload. While the number of households that lack access continues to drop, we know that rural, remote, and Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected.

    An Internet user in the North told the Competition Bureau during their market study on broadband that this “results in feelings of isolation and as though we aren’t a part of Canada.”

    This is a powerful reminder of the impact a lack of connectivity can have, including on our sense of belonging.

    Let me share another example.

    We know that there are communities in Canada that do not have a high school, and where local education can end at grade 9 or 10. This was the case for Angelina in the Northwest Territories, whose story was reported in the media. Angelina had to move 200 kilometres to Yellowknife to attend in-person high school classes. Most of us cannot imagine having had to leave our families and friends at age 15 to go to school.

    So, what does this have to do with connectivity?

    Well, for students like Angelina who do not have a local school, online schooling can be an alternative. But online schooling is only an option for students who have access to high-quality Internet.

    In 2019, the CRTC launched its Broadband Fund as part of a government-wide effort to help connect rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across Canada.

    To date, the CRTC has allocated over $750 million to projects that provide Internet or cellphone services to nearly 50,000 homes in more than 290 communities. The Broadband Fund has also helped improve cellphone service on more than 630 km of major road and build over 5,500 km of fibre across the country.

    Affordability and investment

    While ensuring that Canadians are connected is an important part of the CRTC’s role, we also work to keep Internet and cellphone services affordable and to preserve incentives for providers to invest in reliable, high-quality networks.

    Our Vice-Chair of Telecommunications, Adam Scott, recently described this work as the “Goldilocks problem” in telecommunications policy: if prices are too high, affordability suffers; if prices are too low, investment is discouraged, risking lower service quality and reduced connectivity.

    Solving this issue starts with listening.

    We have heard firsthand the struggles Canadians face affording their telecommunications services. During our public hearing on high-speed Internet, we learned about an individual named Sandy who lived in British Columbia and whose relatives spent more on telecommunications than on food. And similarly, we heard about Brigitte in Ontario, for whom the Internet was a vital lifeline. It was so essential that she had to cut back on other things to afford it.

    These stories show that making sure Canadians have affordable telecommunications is as important as making sure they are connected through programs like the CRTC’s Broadband Fund.

    While Statistics Canada data shows that Internet and cellphone prices are trending down, our latest public opinion research shows that people feel these services have become less affordable over the past year.

    On the other side of the “Goldilocks problem,” we know that building networks is expensive and that fair returns take time. We also know that in remote areas, connecting a single home can cost telecommunications companies several thousands of dollars.

    So how are we tackling the “Goldilocks problem”?

    We are taking action to encourage competition, while maintaining incentives for companies to invest.

    Let us start with cellphone services.

    The CRTC’s rules let smaller regional cellphone providers offer service across Canada by using the networks of larger companies. These rules are helping to provide Canadians with more options than we had before. They are also helping to increase competition between small and large companies, leading to more affordable services.

    Smaller providers are able to reach new areas they could not serve before. But to make sure they keep investing in their own networks, access to the networks of larger companies is only temporary — they must finish building their own infrastructure by 2030.

    We are also taking action to improve competition for Internet services. Over the past few years, Canadians have had fewer options when it comes to choosing an Internet provider. That is why, last August, the CRTC began allowing companies to offer Internet plans using the fibre networks of Canada’s largest telephone companies in areas where those companies do not have their own networks.

    We also put measures in place to make sure companies keep investing in high-quality networks. That includes setting fair rates so large companies are paid for the cost of building fibre networks, limiting where they can use the new rules so that they keep building their own networks, and delaying competitive access to brand-new fibre until 2029.

    Now that these frameworks are in place, our next steps are to keep a close eye on how they are working and to make changes if needed.

    Consumer protections

    That brings us to the last policy area we will cover today — consumer protections.

    We have heard stories of Canadians facing unexpected increases in their monthly bills. We have also heard of Canadians who want to take advantage of a better deal in the market only to be faced with high fees for cancelling their existing service. And we know that Canadians need simple and convenient self-service mechanisms to modify, right-size, or cancel their plans.

    As part of our mandate to protect and empower consumers in their dealings with service providers, the CRTC put in place codes of conduct that help ensure that Canadians have clear contracts, are not surprised by higher bills, and have the information they need to make the best choices about their Internet, cellphone, and TV services.

    Last year, the CRTC launched a comprehensive Consumer Protections Action Plan to modernize our approach to better serve Canadians. And to bring this Action Plan to life, we initiated four public proceedings.

    The first proceeding focuses on preventing bill shock by ensuring Canadians receive advance notice when their discounts or service plans are about to expire.

    The second aims to limit any fees Canadians might face when cancelling or changing plans.

    The third explores how we can expand self-serve options, so that it is easier to find and choose the best Internet and cellphone plans.

    And the fourth proceeding, which was the subject of a public hearing just last month, aims to make Internet plan details clearer and more consistent.

    This is a crucial area of our work that will continue to be a focus for the CRTC.

    In the coming weeks, we will launch a consultation to consider additional consumer protections, including clearer communications or refunds, when Canadians experience a service outage. And looking out further, we plan to combine our consumer protection codes into a single code that is more clear, simple, and consistent across all services. So, stay tuned.

    Conclusion

    Thank you again for welcoming us today.

    If there is one message we hope you take away, it is this: telecommunications policy is not just about towers or cables — it is about people, and it is about building a healthy industry that serves them well.

    At the CRTC, we know that we do not have all the answers. But we do know this: better policy happens when we listen — to individuals, to businesses, and to organizations like CIPPIC that help bring diverse voices into the conversation.

    So here is where you come in.

    Join our public consultations. Share your stories. Challenge our thinking.

    Because at the end of the day, we know that the most effective regulatory riverbanks are the ones we build together.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: imPAC Labs and BigID Join Forces to Bring Data-Centric Cloud Security to Enterprises

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Atlanta, GA , July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — imPAC Labs, the cloud-control plane for security and compliance, today announced a strategic integration with BigID, the leading platform for data security, privacy, compliance, and AI governance, giving security and DevOps teams unified, real-time insight and control from sensitive data all the way to the cloud infrastructure that stores and processes it.

    Data-Centric Cloud Security by imPAC x BigID

    Reimagining Proactive, Data-Centric Cloud Security

    Traditional cloud security tools flag surface-level misconfigurations but lack the context to highlight what really matters: the data at risk. By combining BigID’s deep data discovery and classification with imPAC’s policy automation engine, joint customers can now:

    • Unify Data Intelligence & Cloud Controls – BigID continuously discovers and classifies regulated and high-value data; imPAC ingests that context to enrich cloud configurations and surface previously hidden exposures.
    • Prioritize & Remediate by Actual Risk – BigID’s data signals (PII, PHI, financial data, IP) feed imPAC’s High-Fidelity Risk Scoring, so teams focus on the misconfigurations that endanger the most critical data.
    • Automate Data-Aware Guardrails – Using imPAC Compose and Playbooks, security teams can trigger actions like encryption, revoking access, or quarantining based on BigID’s sensitivity tags the moment risky conditions appear.
    • Continuous Compliance & Audit-Ready Evidence – BigID maps data to GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS and more, while imPAC’s Time Machine captures every configuration change, producing end-to-end proof without manual effort.
    • Cut Noise, Respond Faster – Data context slashes alert fatigue; imPAC automatically raises or lowers severity so responders spend time on the incidents that matter most.

    Availability

    The integrated imPAC + BigID solution is available today.

    About imPAC Labs

    imPAC Labs is the only cloud control plane allowing Security, DevOps, and Compliance teams to move fast while reducing security risk by gaining continuous control over all cloud assets, configurations, and hidden relationships. Teams can now track all configuration changes over time with evidence, build automated no-code guardrails, and ingest contextual DSPM signals for proactive cloud control.

    Enterprises trust imPAC to protect their multi-cloud environments, streamline their audit and compliance burden, safeguard their deployments and unify internal teams with a common goal of strengthening security.

    One unified, self-service hub for proactive cloud control. Learn more at www.impac.io.

    About BigID

    BigID helps organizations connect the dots in data & AI: for security, privacy, compliance, and AI data management.  BigID enables customers to find, understand, manage, protect, and take action on high-risk & high-value data, wherever it lives.

    Customers use BigID to reduce their AI & data risk, automate security and privacy controls, achieve compliance, and understand their data throughout their entire data landscape: from the cloud, on-prem, and everywhere in between.

    BigID has been recognized for innovation as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer; named to the Forbes Cloud 100; the Inc 5000 for 4 consecutive years; the Deloitte 500 for 4 consecutive years; Market Leader in Data Security Posture Management (DSPM); Leader in Privacy Management in the Forrester Wave; and an RSA Innovation Sandbox winner.

    Media Contacts

    imPAC Labs – pr@impac.io
    BigID – comms@bigid.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: EarthOptics™ Surpasses 5 Million Acres Mapped, Solidifies Position as Global Leader In Soil Measurement

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MINNEAPOLIS, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EarthOptics, the leading soil data and measurement platform, has now mapped over five million acres of farmland and rangeland across its agronomic and sustainability business lines. This milestone further cements EarthOptics position as the world’s most comprehensive soil intelligence company—and the unrivaled leader in below-ground data.

    EarthOptics rapid scaling is driving a seismic shift in agriculture, from input efficiency to sustainability measurement, spanning the continental U.S. states and multiple continents. The company’s robust footprint now fuels the largest soil metagenomic dataset ever assembled, unlocking unprecedented insights into the biological, chemical, and physical properties of soil.

    “Our vision is to transform how the world understands and manages soil,” said Lars Dyrud, CEO of EarthOptics. “Surpassing 5 million acres isn’t just a milestone in growth—it’s a signal that the future of agriculture depends on deeper, smarter, and scalable soil insights. No one is doing this at the scale, speed, or accuracy that we are.”

    EarthOptics integrated platform combines ground-truth physical samples with its GroundOwl™ multimodal sensor and artificial intelligence (AI) models. This next-generation approach generates the highest-resolution, actionable insights for growers, agronomists, carbon market operators, and input providers alike. With thousands of soil samples collected weekly, EarthOptics enables data-driven decisions for fertility planning, tillage, crop planning, carbon credits, and biological interventions. The company’s technologies are reducing customer costs by minimizing required sampling and unlocking new value from the soil, be it improved yields or verified carbon sequestration.

    Their unmatched scale has created the world’s most expansive biological soil database, positioning the company at the forefront of predictive agronomy, input optimization, and sustainable land management. This biological dataset is already being utilized to facilitate the early detection of pests, pathogens, and nutrient deficiencies through AI-based modeling.

    Partnering with carbon registries, food brands, ranchers, farmers, agronomists, and input companies, EarthOptics is emerging as the leader in scalable soil analytics. With an expanding customer base and increasing demand for trusted data to back sustainability claims, the company’s reach is accelerating. For more information, go to www.earthoptics.com.

    About EarthOptics

    Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, EarthOptics harnesses advances in soil-sensing technologies, genomics, and data science to provide farmers and ranchers with deep, actionable insights into their soil’s chemical, physical, and biological properties. By blending cutting-edge laboratory analysis with industry-leading field-based sensors, we deliver powerful predictive insights that enable producers to optimize input use, improve soil health, increase yields, and unlock new opportunities in sustainable agriculture. EarthOptics is also the leading carbon measurement company in the U.S., supporting the growth of carbon markets with accurate, verifiable soil data. The company has offices in Raleigh, North Carolina; Emeryville, California; Blacksburg, Virginia; and Fayetteville, Arkansas, with laboratories in Emeryville, California, and Memphis, Tennessee. Learn more at www.EarthOptics.com.

    For media interviews or to request investor materials, please contact:
    Natalie McCracken
    Director of Marketing
    708-220-4342
    natalie.mccracken@earthoptics.com

    For media interviews, contact:
    Jill Means
    Mod Op Vice President, Account Director
    515-710-2667
    jill.means@modop.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Members of N.M. Delegation Call on Trump Administration Demanding Answers on Reported Suspension of Medical Services at Gallup Indian Medical Center

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Recent Reporting Indicates Trump Administration Bureaucratic Hurdles Are Causing Delays and Reductions in Patient Care at Gallup Indian Medical Center

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) called on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Indian Health Service (IHS) Acting Director Benjamin Smith demanding answers regarding recent reports that medical services at the Gallup Indian Medical Center (GIMC) have been suspended or reduced. In the letter, the lawmakers highlight how IHS bureaucratic red tape has made it harder and more expensive for GIMC to deliver timely, effective care and call on HHS and IHS to act swiftly to reverse these harmful decisions and restore critical services.

    “We write today concerned about recent reports that medical services at the Gallup Indian Medical Center (GIMC) have been suspended or reduced, including critical ultrasound services, due to a new Presidential Appointee Approver and Departmental Efficiency Review (PAA-DER) policy in place as of June 30, 2025,” wrote the lawmakers.

    “Unfortunately, these challenges at GIMC are not in isolation, but rather exemplify a disturbing pattern of care disruptions due to administrative delays across the IHS. In short, policies such as PAA-DER are resulting in the exact opposite of efficiency: wasted resources, staffing shortages, and preventable delays in care,” continued the lawmakers.

    “The current situation is unacceptable. Tribal communities deserve the same standard of care and operational efficiency afforded to all Americans. HHS and IHS must act swiftly to reverse these harmful decisions, restore critical services, and fulfill the obligations that the United States has pledged to uphold,” concluded the lawmakers.

    Read the full letter here or below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy and Acting Director Smith:

    We write today concerned about recent reports that medical services at the Gallup Indian Medical Center (GIMC) have been suspended or reduced, including critical ultrasound services, due to a new Presidential Appointee Approver and Departmental Efficiency Review (PAA-DER) policy in place as of June 30, 2025.

    PAA-DER is reportedly effective throughout the Indian Health Service (IHS), requiring that all IHS contracts and requisitions undergo additional layers of approval. The resulting bottleneck is delaying contract renewals for essential personnel, equipment, and services while also delaying the ability of health care workers to immediately diagnose urgent conditions and putting patients at risk. At GIMC, for example, a patient presenting after hours had to be unnecessarily admitted overnight due to the facility’s inability to access diagnostic imaging. Similar delays have affected general surgery, labor and delivery care, and infectious disease testing. GIMC has faced staffing challenges for years, and these new bureaucratic hurdles imposed by PAA-DER are making it harder and more expensive for GIMC to deliver timely, effective care. Unfortunately, these challenges at GIMC are not in isolation, but rather exemplify a disturbing pattern of care disruptions due to administrative delays across the IHS. In short, policies such as PAA-DER are resulting in the exact opposite of efficiency: wasted resources, staffing shortages, and preventable delays in care.

    You have made clear commitments to Tribal Nations and Tribal citizens that you would protect their health care interests and uphold the trust and treaty obligations in your tenure as HHS Secretary. But policies such as PAA-DER do not align with those commitments; Tribal leaders and health experts have said that PAA-DER in particular has created a system that undermines the federal government’s responsibility and forces Tribes to bear the burden of failed processes they did not create. The ongoing service disruptions are not just bureaucratic missteps, but they are threats to lives and to Tribal sovereignty.

    In light of these impediments to service delivery at GIMC, we request that you answer the following questions:

    1. When did GIMC begin scaling back ultrasound services, general surgery, labor and delivery care, and other medical services? Please be specific.
    2. Prior to GIMC’s recent reductions in service, how many open positions did GIMC have in affected departments? Please include a breakdown by department, if possible.
    3. After GIMC’s recent reductions in service, how many open positions did GIMC have in affected departments? Please include a breakdown by department, if possible.
    4. Please identify any efforts IHS is taking to address longstanding staffing shortages in affected departments.
    5. Following the recent reductions in services, has IHS taken any steps to address the scaling back of ultrasound services at GIMC? If not, why not?
    6. Is IHS taking any steps to address the scaling back of general surgery, labor and delivery care, and reduction in medical-surgical beds at GIMC? If not, why not?
    7. How does IHS plan to address longstanding and new recruitment and retention challenges at GIMC? Please include any specific actions taken to address staffing challenges impacting ultrasound, surgical, and labor and delivery services.
    8. Are you aware of any other challenges faced by GIMC resulting in impacts to services? If so, please describe.

    In addition, we urge HHS to immediately reverse the decisions that have limited or cut services at GIMC and other HIS facilities. Specifically, we request that you:

    1. Ensure all pending contracts and requisitions currently held up by PAA-DER, particularly those impacting direct patient care, at GIMC are expedited.
    2. Exempt IHS from the PAA-DER process, recognizing the unique statutory and trust responsibilities the federal government holds to Tribes.

    The current situation is unacceptable. Tribal communities deserve the same standard of care and operational efficiency afforded to all Americans. HHS and IHS must act swiftly to reverse these harmful decisions, restore critical services, and fulfill the obligations that the United States has pledged to uphold.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Myanmar forms interim government before election but top general still in charge

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Myanmar’s military on Thursday nominally transferred power to a civilian-led interim government ahead of a planned December election, with the junta chief remaining in charge of the war-torn country in his other role as acting president.

    An announcement in state media said a decree that granted power to the military after its 2021 coup had been cancelled and a caretaker administration had been formed alongside a special commission to oversee the election.

    The move signals no change to the status quo in Myanmar, with coup leader Min Aung Hlaing holding on to all major levers of power as acting president while retaining his position as chief of the armed forces.

    A state of emergency in place since the coup, which was due to expire on Thursday after seven extensions, has now been lifted, said Zaw Min Tun, a government spokesperson.

    “The interim president and commander in chief said this upcoming six months are the time to prepare and host the election,” he told state media.

    Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected civilian government plunged the Southeast Asian nation into civil war, with the military fighting to contain a rebellion and accused of widespread atrocities, which it denies.

    The election has been dismissed by Western governments as a sham to entrench the generals’ power and is expected to be dominated by proxies of the military, with opposition groups either barred from running or refusing to take part.

    David Mathieson, an independent Myanmar-focused analyst, said the change in power was cosmetic and those in charge would continue to be abusive and repressive.

    “They are just rearranging the same pieces and calling the regime a new name,” he said. “Nothing will change in the near term, but this is part of preparations for an election which we don’t know much about.”

    WAR RAGING

    The extent of the civil war’s impact on the planned election remains unclear. In an effort to create voter rolls, the junta held a nationwide census last year but was only about to conduct it in 145 out of Myanmar’s 330 townships – reflecting its lack of control over swathes of the country.

    Established ethnic minority armies and new armed groups have mounted an unprecedented resistance against the military, gaining control of significant territory, including much of the country’s borderlands.

    China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it supported Myanmar’s efforts to achieve peace and reconciliation.

    “China supports Myanmar’s development path in line with its national conditions and Myanmar’s steady advancement of its domestic political agenda,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

    The military has killed more than 6,000 people and arbitrarily detained over 20,000 since the coup, according to Amnesty International. Myanmar has also seen a return to judicial executions and more than 3.5 million people are internally displaced, an Amnesty report said in January.

    Myanmar’s military has dismissed allegations of abuses as Western disinformation.

    It justified its 2021 coup as a necessary intervention following what it said was widespread fraud in an election three months earlier that was won decisively by Suu Kyi’s now defunct ruling party.

    Election monitoring organisations found no evidence of fraud that would have changed the outcome.

    (Reuters)

  • PM Modi to unveil development projects worth around Rs 2,200 crore in Varanasi on August 2

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to gift a major developmental boost to his parliamentary constituency, Varanasi, by inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 2,200 crore on August 2. The initiatives span across infrastructure, education, healthcare, tourism, cultural preservation, urban development, and rural welfare, aiming at holistic urban transformation and improved quality of life for residents.

    The Prime Minister will address the public and unveil key infrastructure projects including the widening and strengthening of the Varanasi–Bhadohi road, Chhitauni–Shool Tankeshwar road, and the inauguration of a railway overbridge at Hardattpur to decongest the Mohan Sarai–Adalpura Road. He will also lay the foundation for road development projects across Dalmandi, Lahartara-Kotwa, Gangapur, and Babatpur, along with two new railway overbridges at Level Crossing 22C and Khalispur Yard.

    To enhance the region’s electricity infrastructure, PM Modi will launch the Smart Distribution Project and underground electrification works worth over Rs 880 crore.

    In a significant boost to tourism and cultural heritage, PM Modi will inaugurate redevelopment works at eight riverfront kuccha ghats, Kalika Dham, Rangildas Kutiya pond and ghat, and Durgakund. He will also lay the foundation stone for the restoration of Kardameshwar Mahadev Temple, redevelopment of Munshi Premchand’s ancestral home in Lamahi, development of Karkhiyaon – the birthplace of several freedom fighters – and the upgradation of museums and city facility centres in Sarnath, Rishi Mandvi, and Ramnagar zones.

    In line with environmental sustainability, the Prime Minister will launch the development of an urban Miyawaki forest at Kanchanpur and the beautification of Shaheed Udyan and 21 additional parks. Water purification and maintenance works will also be initiated at various historical kunds, including Ramkund and Mandakini.

    To bolster rural water access, PM Modi will inaugurate 47 rural drinking water schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

    As part of his commitment to strengthening education, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the upgradation of 53 schools within the municipal limits and lay the foundation stone for several educational infrastructure projects, including a new district library and rejuvenation of government high schools.

    In the health sector, PM Modi will inaugurate state-of-the-art facilities at Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, including robotic surgery and CT scan installations. He will also lay the foundation for a new Homoeopathic College and Hospital, and open an Animal Birth Control Centre and Dog Care Facility.

    For sports and law enforcement, a new synthetic hockey turf will be inaugurated at Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Sports Stadium, while a 300-capacity Multipurpose Hall at PAC Ramnagar and Quick Response Team (QRT) Barracks will be unveiled.

    In a major announcement for farmers, the Prime Minister will release the 20th instalment of PM-KISAN, transferring over Rs 20,500 crore to more than 9.7 crore farmers across India. This will take the cumulative disbursement under the scheme to over Rs 3.90 lakh crore.

    To engage the youth and promote local talent, PM Modi will launch the registration portal for the upcoming Kashi Sansad Pratiyogita, covering competitions in sketching, painting, photography, sports, knowledge, and employment-related activities.

    The event will also witness the distribution of over 7,400 assistive aids to Divyangjan and elderly beneficiaries, further reinforcing the government’s commitment to inclusivity and social welfare.

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Youth Leader Fund for World without Nuclear Weapons Announces New Group of Youth to Receive Training in Disarmament, Leadership, Storytelling

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    NEW YORK, 31 July 2025 (Office for Disarmament Affairs) – One hundred young participants from 61 countries around the world have been selected to join the second phase of the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons, an interactive learning programme funded by the Government of Japan and managed by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs.  Through online courses, meetings with diplomats and other experts and the development of creative projects, the Youth Leader Fund will equip these young leaders with the knowledge, skills and networks needed to contribute to the global effort to eliminate nuclear weapons — the most dangerous weapons on Earth.

    The 100 selected leaders, aged 18 to 29, were chosen from over 8,400 applications — an overwhelming response that speaks to the increasing interest, passion and commitment of youth to peace and disarmament efforts.

    The new cohort of youth leaders was announced and celebrated during the launch event for the second phase of the Programme, held on 31 July 2025 at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations in New York City.  The hybrid-format event featured a video message from the Government of Japan, followed by in-person remarks by Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.  The newly selected youth participants, members of the first phase of Youth Leader Funder, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs staff, as well as delegates from other Member States also attended the event online and in-person.  Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, delivered a closing remark.

    “In challenging times, the creative and transformative power of youth offers renewed hope for change.  Through the YLF programme, we reaffirm our commitment to young people as architects of the future, building peace upon the foundations laid by the past:  the legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki reminds us of the urgent need to keep nuclear disarmament at the heart of the United Nations’ efforts, as it has been since its inception,” stated Ms. Nakamitsu.

    “I would like to congratulate all of you who were selected from among the many applicants to participate in this second cohort.  As the hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) are ageing, the role of the younger generations, such as yourselves, is becoming even more significant in passing on the realities of the atomic bombings and in conveying them broadly throughout the world,” stated Iwaya Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, in a video message.

    The event featured an intergenerational dialogue between Youth Leader Fund participants and a hibakusha from Nagasaki, highlighting the crucial role of youth in carrying forward the legacy of survivors.  This was followed by a panel discussion, focusing on youth, education and disarmament in the context of the eightieth anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the adoption of the UN Charter.

    Through the Youth Leader Fund programme, participants will gain a fundamental understanding of key issues related to disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control.  Following successful completion of the e-learning component, 50 participants will be selected for a fully funded study tour to Japan, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where they will engage with hibakusha and international and local youth in Japan, with whom they will organize a conference to foster meaningful discussions and exchange of ideas.

    In this second phase of the Youth Leader Fund, young people will explore subjects such as the human cost of nuclear weapons, the role of the United Nations in multilateral disarmament efforts and the impact of nuclear armament on gender and on the environment.  Participants will also engage in skills workshops on leadership and negotiation and a new creative component focusing on journalism and storytelling to communicate about nuclear disarmament in impactful, effective and human-centred ways.

    Under the Youth4Disarmament umbrella, the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs aims to promote youth engagement, education and capacity-building to advance in disarmament and non-proliferation goals.  This includes connecting geographically diverse young people with experts to learn and exchange ideas about current international security challenges, the work of the United Nations and ways to actively participate, building the path towards a secure common future.

    To learn more about the Youth Leader Fund, please visit: disarmamenteducation.org/ylf.

    Contact:  youthleaderfund@un.org.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Announces Nearly $11 Million for Great Trails State Program Projects in the Piedmont

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Announces Nearly $11 Million for Great Trails State Program Projects in the Piedmont

    Governor Stein Announces Nearly $11 Million for Great Trails State Program Projects in the Piedmont
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today, Governor Josh Stein announced that the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has awarded nearly $11 million to trail development and restoration projects in the Piedmont. The General Assembly authorized these funds as part of the Great Trails State Program. 

    “The Piedmont is known for its cities and world-class universities, but from Pilot Mountain to the Haw River, it’s also home to some of our state’s most amazing wildlife and natural wonders,” said Governor Stein. “This funding will spur local tourism and encourage more people to explore North Carolina’s incredible beauty.”

    “Trails bring outstanding benefits to both urban and rural communities, boosting tourism and economic development,” said Pamela B. Cashwell, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “This generous funding, made possible by the N.C. General Assembly, will help transform the state trails system in the Great Trails State.”

    The General Assembly established the Great Trails State Program in 2023, representing a historic investment of $25 million in North Carolina trails. The program offers matching grants to North Carolina local governments, public authorities, NC Regional Councils of Government, and nonprofit organizations. 

    These awards include projects at more than 70 local trails throughout the state, helping to solidify North Carolina as the Great Trails State. In the Piedmont, 37 local trail projects will benefit from $10,923,111 in Great Trails State Program funding, including improvements to the Haw River State Trail and maintenance on the American Tobacco Trail. Governor Stein previously announced more than $13 million in funding to create and restore trails in western and eastern North Carolina.

    “The 125 member organizations of the Great Trails State Coalition thank the North Carolina General Assembly for creating and funding the Great Trails State Program,” said Palmer McIntyre, director of the N.C. Great Trails State Coalition. “This visionary investment in all types of trails across the state will deliver transformative economic, health, and quality-of-life benefits for communities of all sizes. The Coalition will continue to work alongside N.C. State Parks to support this program.” 

    Local communities applied for grants to fund new trail development or to extend existing trails. This includes paved trails or greenways, natural surface trails, biking trails, equestrian trails, and any other type of trail the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources recognizes. Projects could include planning and feasibility studies, design and engineering, acquisition of land for trail development, trail construction, and maintenance of existing trails. Applicants were required to provide matching funds, based on their county tier designation. The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation received 89 applications requesting $28 million, and 79 projects were selected. More than $44.5 million was provided in matching funds for a total trails investment exceeding $69.3 million.

    Piedmont North Carolina grant recipients and amounts: 

    • Alamance County: Alamance County, $150,000 for HRST – Riverwide Enhancements
    • Alamance County: Alamance County, $190,000 for Shallow Ford Expansion and Enhancements
    • Cabarrus County: City of Concord, $500,000 for Concord McEachern Greenway Extension
    • Cabarrus County: City of Kannapolis, $145,000 for Irish Buffalo Creek Greenway Phase 2
    • Chatham County: Chatham County, $251,294 for Haw River State Trail Pegg Tract Improvements
    • Chatham County: Chatham County, $75,000 for Deep River State Trail Feasibility Study for Chatham County
    • Davidson County: City of Thomasville, $100,000 for Memorial Park Drive Greenway Expansion Design & Engineering
    • Durham County: City of Durham, $500,000 for American Tobacco Trail Maintenance
    • Durham County: Durham County, $500,000 for Durham-to-Roxboro Rail Trail Corridor Acquisition
    • Durham and Wake County: Triangle Land Conservancy, $137,092 for Old Creedmoor Trail System
    • Forsyth County: Piedmont Triad Regional Council, $500,000 for Piedmont Greenway: Triad Park/Reedy Fork Segment – Phases 1 and 2
    • Franklin County: Town of Franklinton, $500,000 for Franklinton Nature Preserve
    • Franklin County: Town of Louisburg, $100,000 for Joyner Park Trail Project
    • Granville County: Town of Butner, $500,000 for East Lyon Station Greenway Extension
    • Guilford County: Town of Summerfield, $500,000 for Bandera Farms Park Trails: Piedmont Greenway + Equestrian Trails
    • Harnett County: Harnett County, $230,538 for South River Road Greenway – Phase 1
    • Hoke County: City of Raeford, $175,480 for City Pond Trails and Park Design and Engineering
    • Johnston County: Town of Selma, $500,000 for Selma MST Nature Preserve Trail Phase I
    • Johnston County: Johnston County, $225,000 for Neuse River Trail – Talton Property
    • Orange County: Town of Chapel Hill, $399,000 for Construction of Tanyard Branch Trail Neighborhood Connector
    • Orange County: Orange County, $101,178 for Seven Mile Creek Natural Area Mountains-to-Sea Trail Expansion
    • Randolph County: City of Asheboro, $134,000 for North Asheboro Greenway Design and Engineering
    • Randolph County: Randolph County, $175,000 for DRST Harlan Creek Bridge Design/Engineering
    • Randolph County: Randolph County, $172,000 for Randleman Dam to Randleman Blueway/Paddleway
    • Randolph County: City of Archdale, $143,250 for Hope Valley Road Trail Extension
    • Rockingham County: Town of Mayodan, $251,185 for Farris Memorial Park Trail
    • Rockingham County: Rockingham County Tourism Development Authority, $298,872 for Hogan’s Creek Trail
    • Rowan County: Town of Spencer, $460,000 for Stanback Educational Forest – Rocky Branch Loop Trail
    • Union County: Village of Marvin, $491,925 for Marvin Loop Greenway Completion Project
    • Union County: Town of Waxhaw, $250,000 for Twelve Mile Creek Greenway – Prescot Connector
    • Wake County: Town of Holly Springs, $300,000 for Middle Creek to Camp Branch Greenway
    • Wake County: City of Raleigh, $350,000 for Forest Ridge Park Mountain Bike Trail Extension Project
    • Wake County: City of Raleigh, $400,000 for Marsh Creek Trail Corridor Planning & Feasibility Study
    • Wake County: Town of Apex, $200,000 for Design and Engineering for Reedy Branch Greenway
    • Wake County: Town of Wendell, $500,000 for Buffalo Creek Greenway Phase I
    • Wake County: Town of Morrisville, $417,297 for Sawmill Creek Greenway
    • Warren County: Warren County, $100,000 for Buck Spring Trail Accessibility Improvements 
    Jul 31, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: “We support the efforts currently being led by the United States in the region to get an immediate ceasefire”

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

    Published on July 31, 2025

    Excerpts from the interview given by M. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, to France 24 (New York, July 29, 2025)

    You consider the two-state solution to be the only way of achieving peace. So you’re confirming Emmanuel Macron’s desire to recognize a Palestinian State. Why do so only now? What’s changed?

    THE MINISTER – Because the two-state solution, which is the only one likely to bring peace and stability to the region, is in mortal danger, and the conditions had to be created for it to become credible again. That’s why around nine months ago we decided, with Saudi Arabia, to undertake an initiative to create momentum leading those involved – the Palestinian Authority and the region’s Arab countries, but also the whole international community – to make commitments. These commitments are crystallizing in New York today with a statement by the participating countries, which is historic and unprecedented in that the Arab countries – the countries of the region, of the Middle East – are, for the first time, condemning Hamas, condemning 7 October [attacks], calling for the disarmament of Hamas, calling for it to be excluded from participating in any way in Palestine’s governance and clearly voicing their intention to have normalized relations with Israel in the future and be part of a regional organization on the lines of ASEAN in Asia or the OSCE in Europe, alongside Israel and the future State of Palestine. This is a decisive step being taken, made possible by President Macron’s decision, among other things.

    And a moment ago, the United Kingdom announced that it’s going to recognize Palestine as well, if Israel doesn’t make certain commitments. Do you welcome this decision by Prime Minister Keir Starmer? Has momentum been created?

    THE MINISTER – I welcome it. Indeed, the United Kingdom has become part of the movement created by France to recognize the State of Palestine. With these crucial decisions announced by France and the UK, with the combined efforts of the whole international community gathered here in New York, we want to counter the cycle of violence and war and reopen the prospect of peace in the Middle East.

    The United States isn’t participating in the conference taking place in New York at the moment. Regarding your initiative to advocate for a two-state solution, it’s denouncing an unproductive, ill-timed initiative resembling a publicity stunt. Donald Trump also reckoned that the statement by President Macron a little earlier, last Thursday, doesn’t carry any weight. What’s your reply to him?

    THE MINISTER – Firstly, we support the efforts currently being led by the United States in the region to get an immediate ceasefire, the release of all Hamas’ hostages and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance. But to secure a ceasefire, we still have to sketch out what happens after the war and the political horizon that goes with it. That’s the goal of this UN conference that France is chairing with Saudi Arabia. And in the document we’ve just adopted, with the countries that were part of it, we’re mapping out a credible prospect that’s going to make a positive contribution to a ceasefire being reached in Gaza. Moreover, these efforts we’ve led, these concessions the various parties have made will, at some point, enable the United States to resume the Abraham Accords process that it began during President Trump’s first term. We hope this time will come. But in the meantime, it was obviously unthinkable to stand by and do nothing. (…)

    You said in New York that the two-state solution is the only possibility, that there’s no alternative. Given the situation on the ground for the moment, the two-state solution, as you’ve said yourself, is virtually dead. Isn’t there an alternative, though: for this Israeli Government gradually to bring the idea of any Palestinian State to a definitive end, annex the West Bank – in short, make “Greater Israel” a reality?

    THE MINISTER – You’re right, the alternative to the two-state solution is a state of permanent war. And what we’re seeing today is the two-state solution being threatened, on the one hand, by supporters of “Greater Israel”, who want to deny Palestinians the right to self-determination, and attacked, on the other, by supporters of Hamas or others, who believe Palestine extends from the River Jordan to the sea. Through the historic decision President Macron took, which the British Prime Minister has just taken and others will take, through the commitments being made in New York by the Arab countries today, we’re agreeing with everyone else, the side of peace against the side of war. We’re reopening the possibility of a peace that will involve the two States living side by side in peace and security, with security for Israel and the right of the Palestinians to have their own State.

    Yesterday, for the first time, two Israeli NGOs used the term genocide to refer to what’s happening in Gaza. Several countries have described what’s happening in the Palestinian enclave in that way. That’s the case with Spain and South Africa in particular. What’s France’s position today?

    THE MINISTER – The French Government has no position to take on the legal description of the facts. That’s up to the international courts. What I can say is that the situation in Gaza is disastrous. Gaza is now a death trap where, as I said yesterday from the United Nations General Assembly rostrum, bodies bear the scars of famine and minds are ravaged by terror. It’s unacceptable that in humanitarian distribution queues, women and children are targeted and shot down in cold blood. It’s outrageous and it must stop. That’s why the meeting which was held in Brussels today – or will be held in a few minutes’ time – is so important. It will lead the European Union to speak out so that the Israeli Government finally hears our expectations: access for humanitarian aid and an end to the militarized aid-distribution system, payment by the Israeli Government of the €2 billion due to the Palestinian Authority, an end to, and the abandonment of, the pernicious settlement plans in the West Bank, and in particular the E1 plan for 3,400 housing units, which would cut the West Bank in two and strike a fatal blow to the prospect of two States and to the emergence of a State of Palestine./.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hogback Man Charged After Violent Altercation Involving Firearm Leaves Woman Injured

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Hogback man is facing federal charges after an argument escalated into violence in front of multiple witnesses

    According to court documents, on June 19, 2025, Renaldo Descheny, 43, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted Jane Doe by strangling her and striking her in the face with a firearm. The assault resulted in a laceration requiring hospital treatment. During the altercation, Descheny also pointed the firearm at multiple individuals and discharged the weapon several times, including firing towards the vehicle as the victims attempted to flee.

    Descheny is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Descheny faces up to 10 years in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: TAB Bank Q2 Loans Fund Growth for 218 Companies Totaling $66 Million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OGDEN, Utah, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TAB Bank funded growth for 218 companies in Q2 2025 with loans totaling $66 million. Companies signed with TAB Bank for working capital, cash flow management through factoring, equipment purchases and small business lines of credit. Businesses in the manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, food, fintech and toy/game industries selected TAB Bank as their financial partner.

    Highlights of some of the largest Q2 2025 deals include:

    • $8 million—A leader in global sourcing, supply chain management, manufacturing and nearshoring solutions in Ohio.
    • $5 million—Package Steel Systems, of Massachusetts, the premier builder of metal buildings in the Northeast.
    • $5 million—An exotic and collector car financing dealer in Utah.
    • $5 million—A toy, puzzle and gaming company based in California.
    • $2.5 million— Ryan Transportation, Inc., a Michigan-based truckload transportation provider.

    Additionally, in Q2, TAB Bank provided equipment financing to 140 companies, with a combined value of $15.2 million. Nine companies in the transportation sector—the core industry of the bank’s beginnings—received term loans and accounts receivable lines of credit ranging from $40,000 to $300,000. TAB also funded 55 small- to medium-sized businesses.

    “TAB Bank is a key financial partner, whether a company is looking for creative ways to manage cash flow or to leverage cash or assets to maximize growth,” said Justin Hatch, Chief Lending Officer at TAB Bank. “Our expertise in financing, along with our experience in many industries, allows us to take a comprehensive, creative and strategic view of the business goals and then structure the deal that best meets those needs. We are with our companies every step of the journey, even in some of their most difficult times.”

    The bank’s services include working capital, equipment financing, term loans, lines of credit and commercial real estate loans. TAB Bank’s specialists ensure each client is matched with the right financial product for their industry and growth stage. The bank supports businesses with stellar credit and those without, requiring alternative assessments. To determine creditworthiness, the bank considers various factors, such as income and operational history.

    For more information on TAB Bank’s capital financing and credit solutions, visit TABBank.com.

    About TAB Bank
    At TAB Bank, our mission is to unlock dreams with bold financial solutions that empower individuals and businesses nationwide. We are committed to building value in all we do through our innovative banking products.   Our dedication drives us to continuously improve, ensuring that we meet the evolving needs of our clients with excellence and agility. For over 25 years, we have remained steadfast in offering tailored, technology-enabled solutions designed to simplify and enhance the banking experience. 

    For more information about how we can help you achieve your financial dreams, visit www.TABBank.com.

    Contact Information:
    Trevor Morris
    Director of Marketing
    801-710-6318
    trevor.morris@tabbank.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: As protesters condemn Western media ‘complicity’, Gaza journalists struggle for survival

    Asia Pacific Report

    Protesters demonstrated outside several major US media outlets in Washington this week condemning their coverage of the genocide in Gaza, claiming they were to blame over misinformation and the worsening catastrophe.

    Banging pots and pans to spotlight the starvation crisis, they accused the media of “complicity in genocide”.

    Banners and placards proclaimed “Stop media complicity in genocide” and “US media manufactures consent for Israel’s crimes”, as the protesters demonstrated outside media offices that included NBC News and Fox News.

    But the irony was that while the protests appeared to have been ignored or overlooked by national media in the US – and certainly in New Zealand, they were strongly reported by at least one global news agency, Turkey’s Anadolu Agensi.

    The protests echoed a series of statements by various news media organisations, such as Agence France-Presse concerned about the safety of their journalists from both under fire and the risk of starvation, and media freedom advocacy groups.

    The Doha-based global television news network Al Jazeera, that has been producing arguably the best and most honest news coverage of Gaza and the occupied West Bank – which earned it being banned last year by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority from reporting inside their territory — called for global action to protect Gaza’s journalists.

    It said in a statement that Isael’s forced starvation of the besieged enclave that threatened Gaza’s entire population, including those “risking their lives to shed light on Israel’s atrocities”.

    Death toll passes 60,000
    On Tuesday this week, the world noted a grim milestone in Gaza, with the Health Ministry announcing that the death toll had surpassed 60,000 (this does not include the tens of thousands of people buried under the rubble and missing, presumed dead).

    Put in perspective, that is one in every 36 people in Gaza killed, and more than 90 people on average slaughtered every day.

    Also, 1157 people have been killed near the notorious Israel and US-backed Gaza “Humanitarian” Foundation food depots condemned as “death traps”, while 154 people have died from starvation, 89 of them children with the numbers rising.


    Israel’s genocide – ‘Everyone in Gaza is starving’       Video: Al Jazeera

    An episode of the weekly media watch programme, The Listening Post, took up the theme as well, criticising the failure of many high profile Western news services from adequately reporting the horror of Israel’s devastating and cruel policies.

    “When trying to stave off starvation becomes part of the job. What it means to be a Palestinian journalist in Gaza. The stories they are determined to tell, the incredible risks they are prepared to take,” said host Richard Gizbert when introducing the programme. He wasted no time firing a few caustic shots.

    Metropolitan police on watch for the pro-Palestinian protesters outside Fox News offices in Washington DC this week. Image: AA screenshot APR

    “What is unfolding in Gaza now has the appearance of a final solution, orchestrated by Israel and the United States, Israel’s other ally: The transformation of parts of the Gaza strip into starvation and concentration camps, a place where famine has been turned into a weapon of war,” he said.

    “Reporting on the reality of this genocide can amount to a death sentence. Palestinian journalists can easily identify with the suffering they are documenting since they too are going hungry.

    “They have been targeted because for [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu, like other genocidal leaders before him, starving a population is much easier to do when no one is watching.

    An Al Jazeera reporter ducks for cover as bombs hit a building behind her in a live broadcast from Gaza . . . featured in The Listening Post’s starvation report. Image: AA screenshot APR

    Perpetrator ‘left out’
    “Across Western mainstream media, news outlets have been unable to ignore this story of mass starvation in Gaza. But in report after report, they have made a habit of leaving out a key detail – naming the perpetrators of the famine, Israel.

    “The missing actors, the sanitised language, the use of the passive grammatical voice, it is all part of the playbook for far too many international news outlets and that is exactly what the few Palestinian journalists still standing are out to tell the world.”

    Gizbert explained that “journalists in Gaza already have the world’s toughest assignment”:
    “Job one for almost 22 months now has been survival; job two, telling heartbreaking stories; documenting a genocide while under fire.”

    Hossam Shabat reports on his colleague Anas al-Sharif’s experience at Al Shifa hospital and the starvation of babies in Gaza. Image: Instagram/@hossam_shbat

    Like, for example, Al Jazeera Arabic’s Anas al-Sharif who was reporting live from outside Al Shifa medical complex when a woman behind him collapsed at the hospital’s gate.

    Al-Sharif, who had reported on the genocide of his own people for more than 650 days without rest or complaint, through Israeli occupation airstrikes, drone attacks, and countless “scenes resembling hell”, suddenly could not take it anymore.

    He broke down: “People are falling to the ground from the severity of hunger,” al-Sharif said through his tears. “They need one sip of water. They need one loaf of bread.”

    Al-Sharif has also been threatened by the Israeli military, accusing him of being a “Hamas militant”, an accusation strongly denied by Al Jazeera, denouncing what it called Tel Aviv’s “campaign of incitement” against its reporters in the Gaza Strip.

    Discredited for bias
    Many Western mainstream media – including BBC, CNN, Sky, ITN, and Australia’s public broadcaster ABC — have been repeatedly discredited for their “pro-Israel bias” by scores of journalists who have acted as whistleblowers about the actions of their own news organisations.

    According to a Declassified UK report, for example, the journalists working for a range of outlets from across the political spectrum have “painted a consistent picture of the obstacles faced by reporters who want to humanise Palestinians or scrutinise Israeli government narratives”. The US media is also under attack and has been putting up a lame defence.

    Last week, more than 100 aid groups warned of “mass starvation” throughout Gaza — predictably denied by Israeli government in the face of overwhelming evidence — with their staff severely impacted by shortages and serious implications for journalists already being threatened with targeting by the Israeli military.

    Israel faces growing global pressure over the enclave’s dire humanitarian crisis, where more than two million people have endured 22 months of war. UN Security Council member France has led a group of countries announcing that they plan to recognise the Palestinian state at the UN in September, with United Kingdom, Canada, Malta and Finland among those following with the total number now almost 150 of the 193 UN member states.

    A statement with 111 signatories, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that “our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away”. The groups called for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings and the free flow of aid through UN-led mechanisms.

    Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh reported from Amman that the Israeli government had accused the UK of supporting the establishment of a “jihadi” state and of derailing efforts to reach a ceasefire.

    “But really,” she said, “the Israeli media, for example, is describing this as a political tsunami, a realisation of how significant the tide is, and how improbable it is to turn it back to countries withholding recognition because Israel said it doesn’t want it.”

    Calling for sanctions
    She also noted how 31 high-profile Israelis, including the former speaker of the Knesset, a former attorney general, and several recipients of Israel’s highest cultural award, were calling on world governments to impose crippling sanctions on Israel to stop the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza and their expulsion

    “This was taboo just a few days ago and has never really been done before, certainly not at this level of prominence of the signatories,” Odeh added.

    “Israel is starving Gazan journalists into silence,” says the CPJ. Image: CPJ screenshot APR

    The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) added its voice to the appeal by aid agencies to call for an end to Israel’s starvation of journalists and other civilians in Gaza, backing the plea for states to “save lives before there are none left to save.”

    In a statement on its website, the CPJ accused Israel of “starving journalists into silence”.

    “Israel is starving Gazan journalists into silence. They are not just reporters, they are frontline witnesses, abandoned as international media were pulled out and denied entry,” said CPJ regional director Sara Qudah.

    “The world must act now: protect them, feed them, and allow them to recover while other journalists step in to help report. Our response to their courageous 650 plus-days of war reporting cannot simply be to let them starve to death.”

    ‘Bearing witness’ videos
    Also, last week the CPJ launched a “bearing witness” series of videos from Gaza giving voice to the challenges the journalists have been facing. In the first video, Moath al Kahlout described how his cousin had been shot dead while awaiting humanitarian aid.

    As Israel partially eased its 11-week total blockade of Gaza that began in May, CPJ published the testimony of six journalists who described how “starvation, dizziness, brain fog, and sickness” had threatened their ability to report.

    Among highlights cited by the CPJ:
    • On June 20, Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al Sharif — the journalist cited earlier in this article — posted online: “I am drowning in hunger, trembling in exhaustion, and resisting the fainting that follows me every moment . . .  Gaza is dying. And we die with it.”
    • Sally Thabet, correspondent for Al-Kofiya satellite channel, told CPJ that she fainted consciousness after doing a live broadcast on July 20 because she had not eaten all day. She regained consciousness in Al-Shifa hospital, where doctors gave her an intravenous drip for rehydration and nutrition. In an online video, she described how she and her three daughters were starving.
    • Another Palestinian journalist, Shuruq As’ad said Thabet had been the third journalist to collapse on air from starvation that week, and posted a photograph of Thabet with the drip in her hand.
    • During a live broadcast on July 20, Al-Araby TV correspondent Saleh Al-Natour said: “We have no choice but to write and speak; otherwise, we will all die.”

    Little of this horrendous state of affairs has made it onto the pages of newspapers, websites of the television screens in the New Zealand mainstream media which seems to have a pro-Israel slant and rarely interviews Palestinian journalists or analysts for balance.

    “Stop media complicity in genocide” says the protest banner in Washington DC. Image: AA screenshot APR

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Committee on Health Welcomes Findings of Health Ombud

    Source: APO


    .

    The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, notes and welcomes the report issued by the Health Ombudsman into the treatment and deaths of psychiatric patients at two Northern Cape hospitals.

    Dr Dhlomo said, the report tabled on Wednesday by the Health Ombud, Dr Taole Mokoena is concerning and disturbing as it reveals a deep lack of care at Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital, and Robert Sobukwe Hospital. “The findings of the report are unacceptable, they exposed patients did not receive the quality care that they duly deserve,” said Dr Dhlomo.

    Mental healthcare is of paramount importance and must always remain under public scrutiny, especially in the light of the tragic event at Life Esidimeni, stated Dr Dhlomo. The report highlights the necessity of ensuring that mental health should always be placed under the microscope as it affects vulnerable people.

    The committee commends the proactive steps initiated by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi who lodged a complaint to the Health Ombud. “This demonstrates a commitment of accountability by the Minister and the department to uncover challenges within psychiatric hospitals and the healthcare system,” added Dr Dhlomo.

    In ensuring that the committee provides adequate oversight, the committee will schedule a meeting and invite the Department of Health so that Members of the committee receive a comprehensive briefing. “The transformation of mental health needs to be safeguarded so that patients are treated with dignity,” emphasised Dr Dhlomo

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI: Latest Release of Quark Publishing Platform® Delivers Accelerated AI- Powered Content Automation at Scale for Highly Regulated Industries

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quark Software, the global provider of content automation, intelligence and design software, today announced the July 2025 release of Quark Publishing Platform® (QPP), its enterprise content lifecycle management platform designed to revolutionize how highly regulated industries manage, author, and deliver complex content.

    Built to address the documentation challenges of sectors such as financial services, life sciences, manufacturing, and public sector organizations, the SaaS platform offers unparalleled levels of automation, compliance, and personalization — specifically for use cases like client investment reports, drug safety reports, SOPs, technical data sheets, policy documents, and legislative reports.

    Next-Level Automation with Strict Regulatory Guardrails and Governance

    The July 2025 release introduces powerful new capabilities that enable enterprise content teams to:

    • Achieve 80–100% batch automation of recurring content through data-driven personalization powered by Content Variables
    • Convert unstructured content into structured, reusable, tagged components for compliant output, reducing onboarding costs by 50–80%
    • Leverage AI-powered Repeatable Accelerator Packs (RAPs) for sector-specific use cases, cutting onboarding cycles by 25–30%
    • Seamlessly reuse brand-compliant, design-rich content in Microsoft PowerPoint, drastically improving presentation workflows
    • Gain access to workflow enhancements including agile content strategy, smarter authoring workflows, enhanced usability, and enhanced Microsoft 365 Office desktop app integration

    The result is a smarter, faster, and more scalable way to manage regulated content across global teams — without compromising on compliance, accuracy, or brand consistency.

    Executive Insight
    “This release is a game-changer for content teams facing complex, regulatory data integration and workflow demands,” said Amit Sood, SVP Enterprise Products at Quark. “By combining powerful AI with structured content models, we’ve created a platform that accelerates use case deployment and transforms unstructured content into reusable, audit-ready components to drive enterprise-grade AI. It’s about faster outcomes, better compliance, and enabling teams to do more with less.”

    Built for the Industries That Can’t Afford to Get Content Wrong
    From automating client-facing investment communications to streamlining drug safety reporting, policy documentation, and manufacturing SOPs, QPP is built to support high-stakes content processes where speed and accuracy are critical.

    Use cases include:

    • Financial Services: Fund factsheets, ESG disclosures, regulatory filings
    • Life Sciences: PSURs, CSRs, PADERs, and labeling updates
    • Manufacturing: Technical guides, data sheets, SOPs
    • Public Sector: Legislative documents, policy updates, legal frameworks

    Enterprise-Grade Integration and Security
    The new platform is powered by Microsoft Azure Cloud Services and integrates directly with Microsoft 365 desktop applications — ensuring security, scalability, and accessibility across regulated ecosystems. Advanced permissions, traceable workflows, and Automated Content Validations features ensure trust and accountability across every step of the content lifecycle.

    About Quark
    Quark is a leading provider of AI-powered content automation solutions for highly regulated industries. QPP enables organizations to transform how they create, manage, and distribute content by combining intelligent automation, data integration, and compliance frameworks. With customers worldwide, Quark empowers teams to accelerate enterprise content lifecycle management while ensuring accuracy and regulatory readiness. Visit quark.com for more information.

    Media Contacts:
     Emerson Welch
    Quark
    ewelch@quark.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/emerson-welch/

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: The Payden Securitized Income Fund Offers Timely Strategy for Today’s Income Investors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LOS ANGELES, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With investors increasingly seeking income and diversification amid shifting monetary policy and market volatility, the Payden Securitized Income Fund (PYSFX) offers a compelling approach. The Fund provides access to a wide range of securitized assets—including agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), asset-backed securities (ABS), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs).

    Designed to offer attractive yield potential while seeking limited interest rate sensitivity, the Payden Securitized Income Fund navigates changing market conditions through active management. The Fund seeks to capitalize on market inefficiencies and spread opportunities while maintaining a high degree of liquidity and risk awareness.

    “The Payden Securitized Income Fund is designed with an aim to help investors earn more income, enhance diversification beyond traditional bonds, and maintain flexibility in a changing interest rate environment,” said Gary Greenberg, CFA, Director and Co-Manager.

    Recent market dynamics have favored securitized credit, with CMBS and residential credit offering strong relative value. A resilient U.S. economy and a Federal Reserve nearing the end of its tightening cycle create favorable conditions for active managers seeking differentiated sources of income.

    The Fund’s diversified structure and risk-conscious portfolio management strategy make it a timely solution for investors looking to complement traditional fixed income holdings.

    PAYDEN & RYGEL

    With $160 billion under management, Payden & Rygel is one of the largest privately-owned global investment advisers focused on the active management of fixed income and equity portfolios. Payden & Rygel provides a full range of investment strategies and solutions to investors around the globe, including Central Banks, Pension Funds, London, and Milan. Visit www.payden.com for more information about Payden’s investment offerings, including US mutual funds and Irish-domiciled funds (subject to investor eligibility).

    Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate, so investors’ shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. For the most recent month-end performance, which may be higher or lower than that quoted, visit our website at payden.com or call 800 572-9336.

    For more information and to obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus, visit payden.com or call 800 572-9336. Before investing, investors should carefully read and consider investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other important information about the Fund, which is contained in these documents. Interest Rate Risk: As with most funds that invest in debt securities, the income on and value of your shares in the Fund will fluctuate along with interest rates. When interest rates rise, the market prices of the debt securities the Fund owns usually decline. When interest rates fall, the prices of these securities usually increase. Extension Risk: Rising interest rates can cause the average maturity of the Fund’s holdings of mortgage-backed securities to lengthen unexpectedly due to a drop in prepayments. This would increase the sensitivity of the Fund to rising rates, and could cause certain of the Fund’s investments to decline in value more than they would have declined due to the rise in interest rates alone. The Payden Funds are distributed through Payden & Rygel Distributors, member FINRA.

    This material reflects the firm’s current opinion and is subject to change without notice. Sources for the material contained herein are deemed reliable but cannot be guaranteed. This material is for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer to sell or buy any security. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

    CONTACT

    Kate Ennis
    ennis@daipartnerspr.com
    (301) 580-6726

    This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Cricket’s great global divide: elite schools still shape the sport

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Habib Noorbhai, Professor (Health & Sports Science), University of Johannesburg

    If you were to walk through the corridors of some of the world’s leading cricket schools, you might hear the crack of leather on willow long before the bell for the end of the day rings.

    Across the cricketing world, elite schools have served as key feeder systems to national teams for decades. They provide young players with superior training facilities, high-level coaching and competitive playing opportunities.

    This tradition has served as cricket’s most dependable talent pipeline. But is it a strength or a symptom of exclusion?

    My recent study examined the school backgrounds of 1,080 elite men’s cricketers across eight countries over a 30-year period. It uncovered telling patterns.

    Read more: Cricket: children are the key to the future of the game, not broadcast rights

    Top elite cricket countries such as South Africa, England and Australia continue to draw heavily from private education systems. In these nations, cricket success seems almost tied to one’s school uniform.

    I argue that if cricket boards want to promote equity and competitiveness, they will need to broaden the talent search by investing in grassroots cricket infrastructure in under-resourced areas.

    For cricket to be a sport that anyone with talent can succeed in, there will need to be more school leagues and entry-level tournaments as well as targeted investment in community-based hubs and non-elite school zones.

    Findings

    South Africa is a case in point. My previous study in 2020 outlined that more than half of its national players at One-Day International (ODI) World Cups came from boys-only schools (mostly private).

    These schools are often well-resourced, with turf wickets, expert coaches and an embedded culture of competition. Unsurprisingly, the same schools tend to produce a high number of national team batters, as they offer longer game formats and better playing surfaces. Cricket’s colonial origins have influenced the structure and culture of school cricket being tied to a form of privilege.

    Read more: Elite boys’ schools still shape South Africa’s national cricket team

    In Australia and England, the story is not very different. Despite their efforts to diversify player sourcing, private schools still dominate. Even in cricketing nations that celebrate working-class grit, such as Australia, private school players continue to shape elite squads.

    The statistics say as much; for example: about 44% of Australian Ashes test series players since 2010 attended private schools, and for England, the figure is 45%. That’s not grassroots, it could be regarded as gated turf…

    Proportion of elite male cricketers by school type. Habib Noorbhai

    Yet not all countries follow this route. The West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka reflect very different models. Club cricket, informal play and community academies provide their players with opportunities to rise. These countries have lower reliance on private schools. Some of their finest players emerged from modest public schooling or neighbourhood cricketing networks.

    India provides an interesting hybrid. Although elite schools such as St. Xavier’s and Modern School contribute players, most national stars emerge from public institutions or small-town academies. The explosion of the Indian Premier League since 2008 has also democratised access, pulling in talent from previously overlooked and underdeveloped cities.

    In these regions, scouting is based on potential, not privilege.

    So why does this matter?

    At first glance, elite schools producing elite cricketers might appear logical. These institutions have the resources to nurture talent. But scratch beneath the surface and troubling questions appear.

    Are national teams truly reflecting their countries? Or are they simply echo chambers of social advantage?

    Read more: Cricket inequalities in England and Wales are untenable – our report shows how to rejuvenate the game

    In South Africa, almost every Black African cricketer to represent the country has come through a private school (often on scholarship). That suggests that talent without access remains potentially invisible. It also places unfair pressure on the few who make it through, as if they carry the hopes of entire communities.

    I found that in England, some county systems have started integrating players from state schools, but progress is slow. In New Zealand, where cricket is less centralised around private institutions, regional hubs and public schools have had more success in spreading opportunities. However, even there, Māori and Pasifika players remain underrepresented in elite squads.

    Four steps that can be taken

    1. One solution lies in recognising that schools don’t have a monopoly on talent. Cricket boards must increase investment in grassroots infrastructure, particularly in under-resourced areas. Setting up community hubs, supporting school-club partnerships and more regional competitions could discover hidden talent.

    2. Another step is to improve the visibility and reach of scouting networks. Too often, selection favours players from known institutions. By diversifying trial formats and leveraging technology (such as video submissions or performance-tracking apps), selectors can widen their net. It’s already happening in India, where IPL scouts visit the most unlikely of places.

    3. Coaching is another stumbling block. In many countries, high-level coaches are clustered in elite schools. National boards should consider optimising salaries as well as rotating certified coaches into public schools and regional academies. They should also ensure coaches are developed to be equipped to work with diverse learners and conditions.

    4. Technology offers other exciting possibilities too. Virtual simulations, motion tracking and AI-assisted video reviews are now common in high-performance centres. Making simplified versions available to lower-income schools could level the playing field. Imagine a township bowler in South Africa learning to analyse their technique using only a smartphone and a free app?

    Fairness in sport

    The conversation about schools and cricket is not just about numbers or stats. It is about fairness. Sport should be the great leveller, not another mechanism of exclusion. If cricket is to thrive, it needs to look beyond scoreboards and trophies. It must ask who gets to play and who never gets seen?

    Read more: Why is cricket so popular on the Indian sub-continent?

    A batter from a village school in India, a wicket-keeper from a government school in Sri Lanka or a fast bowler in a South African township; each deserves the chance to be part of the national story. Cricket boards, policymakers and educators must work together to make that possible.

    The game will only grow when it welcomes players from all walks of life. That requires more than scholarships. It requires a reset of how we think about talent. Because the next cricket superstar may not wear a crest on their blazer. They may wear resilience on their sleeve.

    – Cricket’s great global divide: elite schools still shape the sport
    – https://theconversation.com/crickets-great-global-divide-elite-schools-still-shape-the-sport-261709

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: The African activists who challenged colonial-era slavery in Lagos and the Gold Coast

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Michael E Odijie, Associate Professor, University of Oxford

    When historians and the public think about the end of domestic slavery in west Africa, they often imagine colonial governors issuing decrees and missionaries working to end local traffic in enslaved people.

    Two of my recent publications tell another part of the story. I am a historian of west Africa, and over the past five years, I have been researching anti-slavery ideas and networks in the region as part of a wider research project.

    My research reveals that colonial administrations continued to allow domestic slavery in practice and that African activists fought this.

    In one study I focused on Francis P. Fearon, a trader based in Accra, the Ghanaian capital. He exposed pro-slavery within the colonial government through numerous letters written in the 1890s (when the colony was known as the Gold Coast).

    In another study I examined the Lagos Auxiliary, a coalition of lawyers, journalists and clergy in Nigeria. Their campaigning secured the repeal of Nigeria’s notorious Native House Rule Ordinance in 1914. That ordinance had been enacted by the colonial government to maintain local slavery in the Niger Delta region.

    Considered together, the two studies demonstrate how local campaigners used letters, print culture, imperial pressure points and personal networks to oppose practices that had kept thousands of Africans in bondage.

    The methods Fearon and the Lagos Auxiliary pioneered still matter because they show how marginalised communities can compel power‑holders to close the gap between laws and lived reality. They remind us that well‑documented local testimony, amplified trans-nationally, can still overturn official narratives, compel policy change, and keep institutions honest.

    Colonial ‘abolition’ that wasn’t

    West Africa was a major source of enslaved people during the transatlantic slave trade. The transatlantic trade was suppressed in the early 19th century, but this did not bring an end to domestic slavery.

    One of the principal rationales for colonisation in west Africa was the eradication of domestic slavery.

    Accordingly, when the Gold Coast was formally annexed as a British colony in 1874, the imperial government declared slave dealing illegal. And slave-dealing was criminalised across southern Nigeria in 1901. On paper these measures promised freedom, but in practice loopholes empowered slave-holders, chiefs and colonial officials who continued to demand coerced labour.

    On the Gold Coast, the 1874 abolition law was never enforced. The British governor informed slave-owners that they might retain enslaved persons provided those individuals did not complain. By 1890, child slavery had become widespread in towns such as Accra. According to the local campaigners, it was even sanctioned by the colonial governor. This led to some Africans uniting to establish a network to oppose it.

    The Niger Delta region of Nigeria had a similar experience. The colonial administration enacted the Native House Rule Ordinance to counteract the effects of the Slave-Dealing Proclamation of 1901 which criminalised slave dealing with a penalty of seven years’ imprisonment for offenders. The Native House Rule Ordinance required every African to belong to a “House” under a designated head. It went on to criminalise any person who attempted to leave their “House”. In the Niger Delta kingdoms such as Bonny, Kalabari and Okrika, the word “House” never referred to a single dwelling. Rather, it denoted a self-perpetuating, named corporation of relatives, dependants and slaves under a chief, which owned property and spoke with one voice. By the 1900s, “Houses” had become the primary units through which slave ownership was organised.

    Therefore, the Native House Rule Ordinance compelled enslaved people in Houses to remain with their masters. The masters were empowered to use colonial authority to discipline them. District commissioners executed arrest warrants against runaways. In exchange, the House heads and local chiefs supplied the colonial administration with unpaid labour for public works.

    African campaigners in Accra and Lagos organised to challenge what they perceived as the British colonial state’s support for slavery.

    Fearon: an undercover abolitionist in Accra

    Francis Fearon was an educated African, active in the Accra scene during the second half of the 19th century. He was highly literate and part of elite circles. He was closely associated with the journalist Edmund Bannerman. He regularly wrote to local newspapers, often expressing concerns about racism against Black people and moral decay.

    On 24 June 1890, Fearon sent a 63-page letter, with ten appendices, to the Aborigines’ Protection Society in London. That dossier would form the basis of several further communications. He alleged that child trafficking continued.

    As evidence, he transcribed the confidential court register of Accra and claimed that Governor W. B. Griffith had instructed convicted slave-owners to recover their “property”.

    Fearon’s tactics were audacious. He remained anonymous, relied on court clerks for documents, and supplied the Aborigines’ Protection Society with evidence. He pleaded with the society to investigate the colonial administration in the Gold Coast.

    Although the society publicised the scandal, subsequent narratives quietly effaced the African source.

    Lagos elites organise – and name the problem

    Like Fearon, Nigerian campaigners also wrote to the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines’ Protection Society. They denounced the colonial government in Nigeria for promoting slavery, but they did not remain anonymous.

    By this time, the Native House Rule Ordinance had prompted some enslaved people to flee the districts in which it was enforced. They sought refuge in Lagos. Through these arrivals, Lagosian elites learned of the ordinance. They unleashed a vigorous campaign against the colonial state.

    The principal figures in this movement included Christopher Sapara Williams, a barrister, and James Bright Davies, editor of The Nigerian Times. Others included politician Herbert Macaulay, Herbert Pearse, a prominent merchant, Bishop James Johnson and the Reverend Mojola Agbebi. Unlike Fearon’s lone-wolf strategy, they mounted a coordinated assault on the colonial administration. They drafted petitions, briefed sympathetic European organisations, and inundated local newspapers with commentary.

    Their arguments blended humanitarian indignation with constitutional acumen. They insisted that the ordinance contravened both British liberal ideals and African custom.

    After years of pressure the law was amended and then quietly repealed in 1914.

    Why these stories matter now

    Contemporary scholarship on abolition is gradually shifting from asking “what Britain did for Africa” to examining the role Africans played in ending slavery.

    Many African abolitionists who fought and lost their lives in the struggle against slavery have long gone unacknowledged. This is beginning to change.

    The two articles discussed here highlight the creativity of Africans who, decades before radio or civil-rights NGOs, used transatlantic information circuits. They exposed colonial governments that continued to rely on forced-labour economies long after slavery was supposed to have ended.

    They remind us that grassroots documentation can overturn official narratives. Evidence-based advocacy, coalition-building, and the strategic use of global media remain potent instruments.

    – The African activists who challenged colonial-era slavery in Lagos and the Gold Coast
    – https://theconversation.com/the-african-activists-who-challenged-colonial-era-slavery-in-lagos-and-the-gold-coast-261089

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The African activists who challenged colonial-era slavery in Lagos and the Gold Coast

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Michael E Odijie, Associate Professor, University of Oxford

    When historians and the public think about the end of domestic slavery in west Africa, they often imagine colonial governors issuing decrees and missionaries working to end local traffic in enslaved people.

    Two of my recent publications tell another part of the story. I am a historian of west Africa, and over the past five years, I have been researching anti-slavery ideas and networks in the region as part of a wider research project.

    My research reveals that colonial administrations continued to allow domestic slavery in practice and that African activists fought this.

    In one study I focused on Francis P. Fearon, a trader based in Accra, the Ghanaian capital. He exposed pro-slavery within the colonial government through numerous letters written in the 1890s (when the colony was known as the Gold Coast).

    In another study I examined the Lagos Auxiliary, a coalition of lawyers, journalists and clergy in Nigeria. Their campaigning secured the repeal of Nigeria’s notorious Native House Rule Ordinance in 1914. That ordinance had been enacted by the colonial government to maintain local slavery in the Niger Delta region.

    Considered together, the two studies demonstrate how local campaigners used letters, print culture, imperial pressure points and personal networks to oppose practices that had kept thousands of Africans in bondage.

    The methods Fearon and the Lagos Auxiliary pioneered still matter because they show how marginalised communities can compel power‑holders to close the gap between laws and lived reality. They remind us that well‑documented local testimony, amplified trans-nationally, can still overturn official narratives, compel policy change, and keep institutions honest.

    Colonial ‘abolition’ that wasn’t

    West Africa was a major source of enslaved people during the transatlantic slave trade. The transatlantic trade was suppressed in the early 19th century, but this did not bring an end to domestic slavery.

    One of the principal rationales for colonisation in west Africa was the eradication of domestic slavery.

    Accordingly, when the Gold Coast was formally annexed as a British colony in 1874, the imperial government declared slave dealing illegal. And slave-dealing was criminalised across southern Nigeria in 1901. On paper these measures promised freedom, but in practice loopholes empowered slave-holders, chiefs and colonial officials who continued to demand coerced labour.

    On the Gold Coast, the 1874 abolition law was never enforced. The British governor informed slave-owners that they might retain enslaved persons provided those individuals did not complain. By 1890, child slavery had become widespread in towns such as Accra. According to the local campaigners, it was even sanctioned by the colonial governor. This led to some Africans uniting to establish a network to oppose it.

    The Niger Delta region of Nigeria had a similar experience. The colonial administration enacted the Native House Rule Ordinance to counteract the effects of the Slave-Dealing Proclamation of 1901 which criminalised slave dealing with a penalty of seven years’ imprisonment for offenders. The Native House Rule Ordinance required every African to belong to a “House” under a designated head. It went on to criminalise any person who attempted to leave their “House”. In the Niger Delta kingdoms such as Bonny, Kalabari and Okrika, the word “House” never referred to a single dwelling. Rather, it denoted a self-perpetuating, named corporation of relatives, dependants and slaves under a chief, which owned property and spoke with one voice. By the 1900s, “Houses” had become the primary units through which slave ownership was organised.

    Therefore, the Native House Rule Ordinance compelled enslaved people in Houses to remain with their masters. The masters were empowered to use colonial authority to discipline them. District commissioners executed arrest warrants against runaways. In exchange, the House heads and local chiefs supplied the colonial administration with unpaid labour for public works.

    African campaigners in Accra and Lagos organised to challenge what they perceived as the British colonial state’s support for slavery.

    Fearon: an undercover abolitionist in Accra

    Francis Fearon was an educated African, active in the Accra scene during the second half of the 19th century. He was highly literate and part of elite circles. He was closely associated with the journalist Edmund Bannerman. He regularly wrote to local newspapers, often expressing concerns about racism against Black people and moral decay.

    On 24 June 1890, Fearon sent a 63-page letter, with ten appendices, to the Aborigines’ Protection Society in London. That dossier would form the basis of several further communications. He alleged that child trafficking continued.

    As evidence, he transcribed the confidential court register of Accra and claimed that Governor W. B. Griffith had instructed convicted slave-owners to recover their “property”.

    Fearon’s tactics were audacious. He remained anonymous, relied on court clerks for documents, and supplied the Aborigines’ Protection Society with evidence. He pleaded with the society to investigate the colonial administration in the Gold Coast.

    Although the society publicised the scandal, subsequent narratives quietly effaced the African source.

    Lagos elites organise – and name the problem

    Like Fearon, Nigerian campaigners also wrote to the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines’ Protection Society. They denounced the colonial government in Nigeria for promoting slavery, but they did not remain anonymous.

    By this time, the Native House Rule Ordinance had prompted some enslaved people to flee the districts in which it was enforced. They sought refuge in Lagos. Through these arrivals, Lagosian elites learned of the ordinance. They unleashed a vigorous campaign against the colonial state.

    The principal figures in this movement included Christopher Sapara Williams, a barrister, and James Bright Davies, editor of The Nigerian Times. Others included politician Herbert Macaulay, Herbert Pearse, a prominent merchant, Bishop James Johnson and the Reverend Mojola Agbebi. Unlike Fearon’s lone-wolf strategy, they mounted a coordinated assault on the colonial administration. They drafted petitions, briefed sympathetic European organisations, and inundated local newspapers with commentary.

    Their arguments blended humanitarian indignation with constitutional acumen. They insisted that the ordinance contravened both British liberal ideals and African custom.

    After years of pressure the law was amended and then quietly repealed in 1914.

    Why these stories matter now

    Contemporary scholarship on abolition is gradually shifting from asking “what Britain did for Africa” to examining the role Africans played in ending slavery.

    Many African abolitionists who fought and lost their lives in the struggle against slavery have long gone unacknowledged. This is beginning to change.

    The two articles discussed here highlight the creativity of Africans who, decades before radio or civil-rights NGOs, used transatlantic information circuits. They exposed colonial governments that continued to rely on forced-labour economies long after slavery was supposed to have ended.

    They remind us that grassroots documentation can overturn official narratives. Evidence-based advocacy, coalition-building, and the strategic use of global media remain potent instruments.

    Research for these articles was funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 885418).

    – ref. The African activists who challenged colonial-era slavery in Lagos and the Gold Coast – https://theconversation.com/the-african-activists-who-challenged-colonial-era-slavery-in-lagos-and-the-gold-coast-261089

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Cricket’s great global divide: elite schools still shape the sport

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Habib Noorbhai, Professor (Health & Sports Science), University of Johannesburg

    If you were to walk through the corridors of some of the world’s leading cricket schools, you might hear the crack of leather on willow long before the bell for the end of the day rings.

    Across the cricketing world, elite schools have served as key feeder systems to national teams for decades. They provide young players with superior training facilities, high-level coaching and competitive playing opportunities.

    This tradition has served as cricket’s most dependable talent pipeline. But is it a strength or a symptom of exclusion?

    My recent study examined the school backgrounds of 1,080 elite men’s cricketers across eight countries over a 30-year period. It uncovered telling patterns.



    Read more:
    Cricket: children are the key to the future of the game, not broadcast rights

    Top elite cricket countries such as South Africa, England and Australia continue to draw heavily from private education systems. In these nations, cricket success seems almost tied to one’s school uniform.

    I argue that if cricket boards want to promote equity and competitiveness, they will need to broaden the talent search by investing in grassroots cricket infrastructure in under-resourced areas.

    For cricket to be a sport that anyone with talent can succeed in, there will need to be more school leagues and entry-level tournaments as well as targeted investment in community-based hubs and non-elite school zones.

    Findings

    South Africa is a case in point. My previous study in 2020 outlined that more than half of its national players at One-Day International (ODI) World Cups came from boys-only schools (mostly private).

    These schools are often well-resourced, with turf wickets, expert coaches and an embedded culture of competition. Unsurprisingly, the same schools tend to produce a high number of national team batters, as they offer longer game formats and better playing surfaces. Cricket’s colonial origins have influenced the structure and culture of school cricket being tied to a form of privilege.



    Read more:
    Elite boys’ schools still shape South Africa’s national cricket team

    In Australia and England, the story is not very different. Despite their efforts to diversify player sourcing, private schools still dominate. Even in cricketing nations that celebrate working-class grit, such as Australia, private school players continue to shape elite squads.

    The statistics say as much; for example: about 44% of Australian Ashes test series players since 2010 attended private schools, and for England, the figure is 45%. That’s not grassroots, it could be regarded as gated turf…

    Yet not all countries follow this route. The West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka reflect very different models. Club cricket, informal play and community academies provide their players with opportunities to rise. These countries have lower reliance on private schools. Some of their finest players emerged from modest public schooling or neighbourhood cricketing networks.

    India provides an interesting hybrid. Although elite schools such as St. Xavier’s and Modern School contribute players, most national stars emerge from public institutions or small-town academies. The explosion of the Indian Premier League since 2008 has also democratised access, pulling in talent from previously overlooked and underdeveloped cities.

    In these regions, scouting is based on potential, not privilege.

    So why does this matter?

    At first glance, elite schools producing elite cricketers might appear logical. These institutions have the resources to nurture talent. But scratch beneath the surface and troubling questions appear.

    Are national teams truly reflecting their countries? Or are they simply echo chambers of social advantage?



    Read more:
    Cricket inequalities in England and Wales are untenable – our report shows how to rejuvenate the game

    In South Africa, almost every Black African cricketer to represent the country has come through a private school (often on scholarship). That suggests that talent without access remains potentially invisible. It also places unfair pressure on the few who make it through, as if they carry the hopes of entire communities.

    I found that in England, some county systems have started integrating players from state schools, but progress is slow. In New Zealand, where cricket is less centralised around private institutions, regional hubs and public schools have had more success in spreading opportunities. However, even there, Māori and Pasifika players remain underrepresented in elite squads.

    Four steps that can be taken

    1. One solution lies in recognising that schools don’t have a monopoly on talent. Cricket boards must increase investment in grassroots infrastructure, particularly in under-resourced areas. Setting up community hubs, supporting school-club partnerships and more regional competitions could discover hidden talent.

    2. Another step is to improve the visibility and reach of scouting networks. Too often, selection favours players from known institutions. By diversifying trial formats and leveraging technology (such as video submissions or performance-tracking apps), selectors can widen their net. It’s already happening in India, where IPL scouts visit the most unlikely of places.

    3. Coaching is another stumbling block. In many countries, high-level coaches are clustered in elite schools. National boards should consider optimising salaries as well as rotating certified coaches into public schools and regional academies. They should also ensure coaches are developed to be equipped to work with diverse learners and conditions.

    4. Technology offers other exciting possibilities too. Virtual simulations, motion tracking and AI-assisted video reviews are now common in high-performance centres. Making simplified versions available to lower-income schools could level the playing field. Imagine a township bowler in South Africa learning to analyse their technique using only a smartphone and a free app?

    Fairness in sport

    The conversation about schools and cricket is not just about numbers or stats. It is about fairness. Sport should be the great leveller, not another mechanism of exclusion. If cricket is to thrive, it needs to look beyond scoreboards and trophies. It must ask who gets to play and who never gets seen?



    Read more:
    Why is cricket so popular on the Indian sub-continent?

    A batter from a village school in India, a wicket-keeper from a government school in Sri Lanka or a fast bowler in a South African township; each deserves the chance to be part of the national story. Cricket boards, policymakers and educators must work together to make that possible.

    The game will only grow when it welcomes players from all walks of life. That requires more than scholarships. It requires a reset of how we think about talent. Because the next cricket superstar may not wear a crest on their blazer. They may wear resilience on their sleeve.

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

    – ref. Cricket’s great global divide: elite schools still shape the sport – https://theconversation.com/crickets-great-global-divide-elite-schools-still-shape-the-sport-261709

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Speed camera trial for Victoria Road

    Source: City of Plymouth

    A speed enforcement camera is to be trialled on Victoria Road in St Budeaux, following concerns raised by local residents and ward councillors.

    The static camera, which will be installed near the tennis club and play area, will be used to enforce the existing 30mph speed limit in both directions over a six-month period.

    It is one of two being loaned free of charge to Devon and Cornwall Police by a new supplier on a temporary basis to test their operation.

    Victoria Road has been chosen as a suitable site to deploy one of the cameras as it has seen a number of collisions in recent years, some involving serious and fatal injuries and residents have been pressing the Council to introduce measures to tackle speeding and improve safety.

    It is hoped the camera will encourage greater speed limit compliance, as well as help reduce traffic noise along this busy route.

    Councillor John Stephens, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said: “Victoria Road is part of our major road network and runs through a densely populated residential area. There have been a number of collisions there in recent years, some of which were speed-related and some that have resulted in fatalities.

    “Local residents have been raising their concerns about speeding traffic for some time and we are pleased to have been given the opportunity to trial this camera enforcement free of charge. I hope it helps to remind drivers of the limit in place and deter the more deliberate ‘racing’ we often see along this road.”

    The camera is expected to installed next week and will be fixed to a lamp column that will have yellow reflective banding. There will be warning signs on both approaches and it will operate in the same way as other standard speed cameras across the city (not as an average speed camera).

    If the trial is successful the police hope to purchase the camera, which will then remain on Victoria Road.

    The Council does not make any money from speed camera fines. Once police operating costs are met, any surplus from fines goes to Vision Zero and, by law, has to go into road safety measures.

    Vision Zero brings together local councils, emergency services, health trusts, National Highways, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety. Its vision is to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries to zero.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Jersey resident jailed for importing thousands of Ecstasy tablets via the post31 July 2025 A man has been sentenced in the Royal Court today in relation to the importation of a commercial quantity of Class A drugs in 2023. In April 2023, a parcel was sent via international post from Germany… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    31 July 2025

    A man has been sentenced in the Royal Court today in relation to the importation of a commercial quantity of Class A drugs in 2023. 

    In April 2023, a parcel was sent via international post from Germany addressed to Michael Veloso at his business address in St Saviour. During a subsequent examination of the parcel by Jersey Customs & Immigration Service, JCIS, Officers, over 5,500 tablets were found in foil packets within the parcel. 

    Closer examination revealed there were 4,628 MDMA or Ecstasy tablets and 925 2C-B tablets. Both are Class A drugs, 2C-B is a synthetic drug similar to MDMA and has similar effects to MDMA. 

    JCIS Officers arrested and interviewed Veloso, he initially denied any involvement or knowledge of the importation. JCIS Officers undertook extensive investigation into the case and Veloso later admitted being knowingly concerned in the importation. 

    The maximum street value of these tablets is £167,000. Veloso was sentenced today to six years in prison. 

    JCIS Senior Manager Luke Goddard said: “This is a very large seizure of Class A drugs by anyone’s standard and had the potential to cause serious harm to users. Diligent work by JCIS Border Officers and their meticulous investigation has resulted in the successful prosecution of the intended recipient who otherwise would have profited from their drug trafficking activity. 

    “This seizure demonstrates the ongoing efforts by JCIS to seize dangerous drugs at the border, convict those responsible and disrupt the syndicates trying to profit from drug trafficking.” 

    Anyone with information on drug smuggling can report it anonymously via 0800 735 5555.​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The need for specialist foster carers

    Source: City of Derby

    Understanding the need for specialist foster care

    In England, as of 31 March 2024, there were over 83,000 children in care, a number that has steadily increased over the past decade (Department for Education, 2024). While many children thrive in general foster placements, a significant proportion require specialist care due to complex emotional, behavioural, or psychological needs. These young people may have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, or multiple placement breakdowns.

    Specialist foster care provides a structured, therapeutic environment for these children and young people, helping them begin to recover and build a positive future. It is a tailored approach that demands more intensive training and support for carers, but also offers greater impact.

    Case study: Jordan’s Story

    Jordan is 15 years old. He loves science fiction and is fascinated by technology and space exploration. But behind his bright curiosity is a young person who has faced trauma and disrupted attachments. Jordan has difficulty trusting adults and managing his emotions, which has led to several failed placements.

    Yet, in the right environment, one that is safe, consistent, and understanding Jordan begins to open up. He becomes more confident at school, engages in hobbies, and starts building meaningful relationships.

    Jordan’s story illustrates what many children in care need not just a home, but a specialist foster placement that supports healing and personal growth.

    (The above is a representation of a young person in foster care)

    What is specialist fostering?

    Specialist fostering is designed for children and young people with more complex needs who may not be suited to standard foster care. These placements require carers with advanced training and the emotional resilience to manage challenging behaviours, trauma responses, or mental health issues.

    Key features of specialist fostering include:

    • Therapeutic care models and trauma-informed approaches
    • Enhanced financial allowances reflecting the intensity of care required
    • Access to professional supervision and ongoing training
    • Close collaboration with social workers, therapists, and education professionals

    Specialist carers often come from backgrounds in health, education, social care, or emergency services, but individuals from all walks of life who are emotionally mature, patient, and motivated can be successful.

    The impact of specialist foster care

    Specialist foster care can have a profound and measurable impact on the lives of children and young people with complex needs. 

    Young people in specialist foster care often experience:

    • Fewer school exclusions, indicating improved behaviour and engagement in education
    • Better emotional regulation, supported by consistent routines and therapeutic approaches
    • Greater placement stability, with fewer breakdowns compared to standard foster placements
    • Improved long-term mental health, including reduced anxiety and trauma-related symptoms over time

    In addition to the positive outcomes for young people, specialist carers frequently report a stronger sense of purpose and job satisfaction. Many describe the role as demanding but deeply rewarding, especially as they witness meaningful changes in a child’s wellbeing, confidence, and ability to form healthy relationships.

    Specialist fostering isn’t easy, but it is critically important. It offers a second chance for young people like Jordan to thrive, academically, emotionally, and socially. With the right support, foster carers can provide life-changing stability and make a lasting difference.

    If you believe you have the capacity to offer consistent care and emotional support to a vulnerable young person, specialist fostering could be a meaningful path for you.

    How to learn more or get involved

    Foster for East Midlands Councils is actively recruiting specialist foster carers, and our recruitment team are here to talk through the process and support anyone interested in finding our more. Call 03033 132 950, email hello@fosterforeastmidlands.org.uk or visit Foster for East Midlands Councils specialist carers web page. 

    Throughout August, September, and October, the team are hosting a number of foster information events. These sessions are open to anyone interested in fostering and provide opportunities to speak with fostering professionals and ask questions. The sessions are available online using Zoom or come along and meet us in person. 

    To register or find out more, visit the Foster for East Midlands Councils web page. 

    Online Events (via Zoom):

    • Thursday 7 August, 6:30pm–7:30pm
    • Wednesday 20 August, 12:00pm–1:00pm
    • Tuesday 9 September, 6:30pm–7:30pm
    • Thursday 25 September, 12:00pm–1:00pm
    • Wednesday 8 October, 6:30pm–7:30pm
    • Tuesday 21 October, 12:00pm–1:00pm

    In-Person Events:

    • Wednesday 17 September, 6pm–8pm, The Pride Shop, Nottingham, LGBTQ+ event
    • Sunday 28 September, 12pm–4pm, Chesterfield FC Community Trust – this is a drop in session, so just call in at any point during this time.
    • Tuesday 30 September, 6pm–8pm, Curzon Street, Derby, LGBTQ+ event
    • Wednesday 29 October, 6:30pm–7:30pm, Tesco Bulwell, Nottingham

    Visit the website for future events, more dates added each month. 

     

     

     

     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: President of Kyrgyzstan meets with Uzbek Foreign Minister

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    BISHKEK, July 31 (Xinhua) — Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov met with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov in Cholpon-Ata, Issyk-Kul region, on Thursday, the press service of the Kyrgyz president reported.

    During the meeting, issues of bilateral cooperation in all key areas, including economics, investment and culture, were discussed. Particular attention was paid to interaction within the framework of joint projects for the construction of the Kambarata HPP-1 and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

    S. Japarov emphasized that the official visit of the head of the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan is yet another clear proof of the high level of strategic partnership and fraternal relations between the two countries.

    B. Saidov, in turn, conveyed greetings and best wishes to S. Japarov from the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and also confirmed his readiness to make every effort to implement the tasks set by the presidents of the two countries. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 3 CoE Students Pursue In-Depth Research Projects as University Scholars

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    As 2025 University Scholars, three College of Engineering students are spending their last three semesters pursuing personalized research projects.

    Open to all undergraduate students, the University Scholar Program allows students to design an in-depth research or creative project and to craft a learning plan that supports their academic goals during their final three semesters. Each student is mentored by an advisory committee of three faculty.

    Admission to the University Scholars program is based on an application submitted during the first semester of a student’s junior year. Applications are reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of faculty members who may select up to 30 University Scholars in any given year.

    The University Scholars and their projects are below:

    Laxmi Chinmaya Vobbineni ’26
    Project Title: The Synergic Role of Electrical and Chemical Stimulation in Wound Healing of Diabetic Patients

    University Scholar Laxmi Vobbineni ’26 is exploring techniques that can help diabetes patients heal faster from wounds.

    People with diabetes often have trouble healing from wounds. Since high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and weaken the immune system, white blood cells struggle to reach the wound. This can slow tissue repair and lead to ongoing inflammation.

    Wounds may heal very slowly, become chronic, or leave scars—and this can be painful and expensive for patients.

    University Scholar Laxmi Vobbineni ’26, a biomedical engineering and molecular and cell biology double major, is working to help diabetic patients heal from wounds faster by using chemical and electrical stimulation.

    “Chemical stimulation, such as ion channel blockers, in conjunction with electrical stimulation may improve the wound healing process for diabetic patients,” she says.

    By combining these treatments with an ionically-conductive biomaterial called scaffolding, ions can help restore electrical signals in the body that guide white blood cells to repair tissue.

    “Our hope is to develop a system that has high potential for clinical use,” Vobbineni says.

    Vobbineni’s advisors are Syam Nukavarapu, professor and department head in Biomedical Engineering; David Daggett, associate professor-in-residence of molecular and cell biology; and Sangamesh Kumbar, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the UConn Health Center. She also interns at the UConn Health Center under Kumbar, working on projects related to the fields of tissue engineering and drug delivery.

    Vobbineni, a member of the Society of Women Engineers and STEM Scholar Executive Board, volunteers as a nursing aide at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, Connecticut. She also holds an executive board position for the UConn FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League Explore Program, which uses Legos and technology to excite youth about robotics and STEM.

    Her involvement in FIRST began in middle school and high school and sparked her interest in innovation. “This is one of the reasons I decided to pursue biomedical engineering,” she says.

    After graduation, Vobbineni plans to pursue medical school and work in the field of emergency medicine.

    Wyeth Haddock ’26
    Project Title: Developing a Copper-Based Medium Entropy Alloy with Enhanced Mechanical Properties for Space Applications

    University Scholar Wyeth Haddock ’26, at left, is working at the National Center for Electron Microscopy in Berkeley, California this summer.

    As a University Scholar, Wyeth Haddock ’26, a materials science and engineering major, is developing a structural material for use in extreme environments with potential applications in space exploration and nuclear energy.

    His project focuses on synthesizing and analyzing an alloy made from copper, dysprosium, and yttrium (Cu-Dy-Y) that exhibits enhanced mechanical properties. By studying the alloy’s microstructure, phase stability, and mechanical behavior across temperature regimes, Haddock hopes to demonstrate improved material performance in extreme conditions and understand unique deformation behavior.

    “If successful, the alloy could support the development of more durable materials for space exploration,” he says.

    Haddock’s advisors include Seok-Woo Lee, associate professor of materials science and engineering and Director of Undergraduate Studies; and Yuanyuan Zhu, associate professor of materials science and engineering and director of the MSE Honors Program.

    Haddock, an honors student from Fairfax, Vermont, is president of the UConn Running Club, and is a member of the UConn Materials Advantage Society, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Mu MSE Honor Society, and the ASM Board of Trustees. His jobs on campus include work as a campus tour guide and undergraduate teaching assistant. He recently served as a facilitator for the Honors First Year Experience program and as a Floor Mentor for the Honors 2 Opportunities Learning Community.

    This summer, Haddock is a STROBE Summer Undergraduate Research Scholar at the University of California at Berkeley where he works in the National Center for Electron Microscopy at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

    “Throughout my UConn experience, I’ve immersed myself in collaborative communities, working in a lab, facilitating a first-year course, and traveling nationally to compete in running races,” he says. “These sorts of experiences have allowed me to further my learning, as I seek to positively impact the world around me.”

    Haddock intends to pursue a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering, with an emphasis on understanding how atomic structure influences the properties of materials. He hopes to continue research in structural materials, developing the materials necessary for the complex demands of an evolving world.

    Passionate about education and outreach, Wyeth also hopes to continually inspire younger audiences to get involved in materials science and engineering.

    Zhengyang Wei ’26
    Project Title: Stability Analysis on 9D Shear Flow Model by Small-Signal Finite-Gain Lp Stable Theorem

    University Scholar Zhengyang Wei ’26 is exploring ways to improve the stability and performance of aerodynamic designs.

    Turbulence—when fluid flow becomes chaotic—is difficult to control, but preventing it is important in many engineering systems. As a University Scholar, mechanical engineering major Zhengyang Wei ’26 is using mathematical tools to prevent turbulence by studying shear flows. In shear flows, layers of liquid or gas move parallel to each other but at different speeds.

    By finding the conditions that keep the flow stable, Wei’s research can help improve the stability and performance of aerodynamic designs, industrial systems, and other applications. This work contributes to developing effective strategies for controlling shear flows and advancing fluid dynamics research.

    “For example, we can mitigate the transition to turbulence in the wind over an airplane wing, which will make the flight more stable and efficient,” he explains.

    His advisors are Chang Liu, assistant professor in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering; Reza Sheikhi, professor-in-residence in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering; and Jason Lee, professor-in-residence in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering.

    As a member of the FLUids, rEduction, Nonlinearity, and Turbulence (FLUENT) Lab, Wei and Liu published a paper on shear flows in the June 2025 issue of arXiv.

    Wei, a math minor, also is a 2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) awardee. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in fluid stability or optimization.

    As University Scholars, Vobbineni, Haddock, and Wei receive a range of benefits designed to support and enrich their academic journey. These include a financial award that covers the General University Fee and Student Health Services Fee for up to three regular semesters, or until graduation from the program. Scholars are also eligible for course credit fee waivers for up to nine credits of summer or intersession courses, and the opportunity to enroll in graduate-level courses with instructor permission.

    Students accepted into a UConn graduate program while in the University Scholar Program may begin working toward their graduate degree as undergraduates, with the ability to apply eligible graduate-level coursework toward that degree.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Labrador Secures Prison Sentence for Child Predator

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom Attorney General Labrador Secures Prison Sentence for Child Predator

    BOISE — Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit arrested and secured the conviction of Enrique Galeana, 30, for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material. Gem County District Judge Brent Whiting sentenced Galeana to 20 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after serving 10 years on July 14, 2025. Upon release, Galeana must register as a sex offender pursuant to Idaho law. “Every predator we remove from our streets makes Idaho families and communities safer,” said Attorney General Labrador. “Our ICAC investigators work relentlessly to protect children in Idaho from those who would exploit and harm them, and we will continue pursuing these criminals with the full force of the law.” In September 2024, Labrador’s ICAC Unit received a CyberTip indicating Galeana was uploading and distributing child sexual abuse material through an account linked to his phone number. After obtaining search warrants and conducting months of surveillance, ICAC investigators searched Galeana’s home, vehicle, and devices. Officers discovered numerous files depicting children ages 4 to 12. During questioning, Galeana admitted attraction to children ages 3-10 and to accessing the material for sexual arousal. During the investigation, authorities learned Galeana was an inadmissible alien and reported him to the appropriate federal authorities. Lead Deputy Attorney General Madison Allen Gourley prosecuted the case. ICAC Investigator Lauren Lane conducted the investigation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: ARMED CAREER CRIMINAL SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – James C. Mobley, 43, of Gainesville, Florida, was sentenced to a total of 15 years in federal prison following his conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentence.

    U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This sentence ensures that our community will be safer and sends a strong message that there are real and severe consequences for federal firearm offenses. Thanks to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, this armed felon has been called to account for his continued criminal conduct.”

    On July 11, 2024, Gainesville Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop of Mobley. During a search of Mobley’s vehicle, officers located a loaded revolver and various narcotics. Mobley pleaded guilty the day his trial was set to commence on April 28, 2025. Mobley was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his numerous felony convictions for serious drug offenses.

    “We have zero tolerance for gun crimes in our community. My message to those who choose to bring guns and drugs to our streets – we will find you, and we will work with all our criminal justice partners to hold you accountable. Our community deserves safety,” said Chief Nelson Moya, Gainesville Police Department.

    Mobley’s imprisonment will be followed by five years of supervised release. This conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Gainesville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Harley W. Ferguson and Adam Hapner prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: 2025 second-quarter results Solid performance amid a volatile environment Annual Net Cash Flow objective reaffirmed

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Paris (France), July 31, 2025

    2025 second-quarter results
    Solid performance amid a volatile environment
    Annual Net Cash Flow objective reaffirmed

    • Segment revenue of $274m in Q2 2025, up +6% year-on-year, fueled by Geoscience (GEO) and Sensing & Monitoring (SMO)
    • Segment adjusted EBITDAs of $107m in Q2 2025 (+14% year-on-year) or 39% margin (c.+270 bps). Profitability increase mostly driven by: 1/ the end of vessel penalties at EDA in January 2025 and 2/ good progress on the restructuring plan at SMO
    • Net Cash Flow generation of $30m in Q2 2025
    • Bond maturity extended to October 2030 after end-March 2025 successful refinancing, $125m available RCF1
    • 2025 financial objectives reaffirmed

    Sophie Zurquiyah, Chair and CEO of Viridien: “Viridien delivered a solid performance in the second quarter of 2025. Despite a volatile environment, the Group demonstrated resilience, driven by its primary focus on offshore markets and on leading oil companies. Combined with ongoing internal performance improvements, this resulted in robust year-on-year growth in both segment revenue and margins. From a cash perspective, Viridien generated a solid $30 m in Net Cash Flow during the quarter, reinforcing our confidence in reaching our full-year target of $100 m. The combination of a healthy Geoscience backlog and expected licensing activity toward year-end supports our confidence in maintaining momentum on our deleveraging path.”

    (in millions of $)2 Q2 2025 Q2 2024 Change (%) H1 2025 H1 2024 Change (%)
    Segment figures            
    Revenue 274 258 +6% 575 532 +8%
    Adjusted EBITDAs 107 94 +14% 250 200 +25%
    IFRS figures            
    Revenue 234 317 -26% 492 566 -13%
    EBITDAs 68 150 -55% 167 230 -27%
    Operating Income 15 52 -72% 71 72 -1%
    Net Income 6 35 -83% -22 32 n.a.
    Net Cash Flow 30 -6 n.a. 10 24 -61%
    Net Debt 997 941 +6% 997 941 +6%

    KEY HIGHLIGHTS PER BUSINESS LINE3

    Data, Digital and Energy Transition (DDE)

    Segment revenue at $181 m in Q2 2025, up +3% year-on-year driven by Geoscience. New business opportunities are emerging in HPC, while low-carbon initiatives are slowing down due to delays in CCUS projects.

    Geoscience (GEO)

    • Revenue at $115 m (+10%)
    • Solid performance mostly driven by work performed in Latin America and Middle East
    • For the past few years, Viridien has seen growing demand for advanced, high-quality, high-end subsurface imaging, especially in the US Gulf, Middle East, North Africa, and South America

    Earth Data (EDA)

    • Revenue at $66 m (-8%), following a strong performance in the first quarter of 2025
    • New OBN projects started in Norway and the US Gulf

    Segment adjusted EBITDAs reached $101 m, up +6% year-on-year, with a margin increase of c.+160 basis points. This performance reflects improving margins in Earth Data, which now fully benefits from the end of the vessel capacity agreement. EDA Cash EBITDA breakeven over the period.

    Sensing and Monitoring (SMO)

    Segment revenue at $93 m in Q2 2025, a solid +14% increase year-on-year. Activity is mostly driven by the Land segment, with strong deliveries of nodal system in South America and cabled systems in the MENA region, in particular. The Marine segment remains subdued. In New Businesses, Infrastructure monitoring is showing double-digit growth, while our Marlin Offshore Logistics solution achieved encouraging initial commercial success, with a contract signed with ONGC.

    Segment adjusted EBITDAs stood at $13 m, more than double last year’s figure, reflecting both revenue growth and the gradual positive impact of ongoing restructuring actions. In margin terms, second-quarter EBITDA reached nearly 13.7%, representing a c.+620 bp improvement year-on-year.

    Segment adjusted Operating income at $7 m vs -$2m in Q2 2024.

    CONSOLIDATED IFRS FIGURES4

    Profit & Loss

    Consolidated IFRS revenue for the second quarter of 2025 came in at $234m, down -26% year-on-year. EBITDAs stood at $68m, down -55%.

    IFRS Net Income reaches $6m, vs $35m in the second quarter of 2024, after accounting for -$53 m of leases and D&A, -$27m net cost of financial debt, +$12m other financial income linked to the partial capitalization of refinancing operation costs and partly offset by forex impacts, and +$6m of deferred tax assets.

    (in millions of $) Q2 2025 Q2 2024 Change (%) H1 2025 H1 2024 Change (%)
    €/$ exchange rate  1.12 1.08     1.08 1.08   
    Revenue 234 317 -26% 492 566 -13%
    EBITDAs 68 150 -55% 167 230 -27%
    Operating income 15 52 -72% 71 72 -1%
    Equity from investment -1 0 n.a. -1 0 n.a.
    Net cost of financial debt -27 -25 +6% -52 -49 +6%
    Other financial income (loss) 12 -1 n.a. -34 -1 n.s.
    Income taxes 6 -8 n.a. -7 -6 +32%
    Net Income (loss) from continuing operations 5 19 -74% -24 16 n.a.
    Net Income (loss) from discontinued operations 1 16 -92% 2 16 -88%
    Consolidated Net Income (loss) 6 35 -83% -22 32 n.a.

    Cash Flow and Net debt

    Net Cash Flow of $10 m generated in the first half of 2025, including $30 m in the second quarter alone. A solid performance in light of the significant pressure on the Group’s working capital, caused by overdue receivables from Mexican National Oil Company PEMEX (c.$50 m as of June 30, 2025) and largely contributing to the negative -$46m change in working capital over the period.

    Also worth noting that Net Cash Flow in the first half of 2024 included a one-off positive inflow of $38 m, related to the settlement of a litigation with ONGC.

    (in millions of $) Q2 2025 Q2 2024 Change (%) H1 2025 H1 2024 Change (%)
    Segment EBITDAs 108 91 +19% 250 196 +28%
    Income Tax Paid -4 -9 -52% -8 -12 -31%
    Change in Working Capital & Provisions 1 -3 n.a. -46 -3 n.s.
    Other Cash Items -1 0 n.a. -1 0 n.a.
    Cash from Operating Activity 103 78 +32% 195 180 +8%
    Total Capex -58 -57 +1% -119 -115 +3%
    Acquisitions and Proceeds of Assets 1 0 n.a. 1 0 n.s.
    Cash from Investing Activity -56 -56 0% -118 -114 +3%
    Paid Cost of Debt -1 -45 -97% -40 -43 -8%
    Lease Repayment -16 -16 +5% -26 -27 -5%
    Cash from Financing Activity -18 -61 -71% -67 -71 -6%
    Discontinued Operations Acquisitions 0 33 -100% 0 30 -100%
    Net Cash Flow 30 -6 n.a. 10 24 -60%

    Bond maturity significantly extended to October 2030 following the successful refinancing at end-March 2025.
    Ample liquidity in place, including a $125m RCF5.

    (in millions of $) June 30, 2025 Dec. 31, 2024 Change (%) June 30, 2024 Change (%)
    Liquidity 262 392 -33% 430 -39%
    Cash 162 302 -46% 340 -52%
    Undrawn RCF 100 90 +11% 90 +11%
    Gross Debt 1,158 1,223 -5% 1,281 -10%
    Bonds 9876 1,049 -6% 1,126 -12%
    Other borrowings 31 31 -1% 32 -3%
    Accrued interests 25 18 +33% 20 +24%
    Lease liabilities 116 125 -7% 103 +12%
    Net Debt 997 921 +8% 941 +6%

    OUTLOOK

    The oil price environment has remained volatile in recent months but consistently above the $60/bbl threshold, generally considered an industry equilibrium level. In this context, Oil & Gas companies have maintained most of their exploration and development commitments, particularly in Viridien’s core segments.

    Assuming no major disruption to the current environment, Viridien reaffirms its confidence in generating around $100m in Net Cash Flow for 2025, supported by:

    • Geoscience growth, driven by industry-leading technology and a strong backlog;
    • Earth Data late sales, expected to benefit from upcoming lease rounds, combined with disciplined new multi-client engagements;
    • Sensing & Monitoring, fueled by broad land activity.

    ***

    Q2 2025 conference call details

    The press release and presentation will be made available on www.viridiengroup.com at 5:45 p.m. (CET).

    An English-language conference call is scheduled today at 6:00 p.m. (CET).

    Participants must register for the conference call by clicking here to receive a dial-in number and PIN code. Participants may also join the live webcast by clicking here.

    A replay of the conference call will be available starting the following day, for a period of 12 months, in audio format on the Company’s website www.viridiengroup.com.

    Status of the statutory auditors’ procedures

    The Board of Directors met on July 31, 2025, and closed the consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2025. Limited review procedures were completed, and an unqualified opinion has been issued by the statutory auditors.

    Next financial information

    2025 third-quarter results: October 30, 2025 (after market close)

    About Viridien

    Viridien (www.viridiengroup.com) is an advanced technology, digital and Earth data company that pushes the boundaries of science for a more prosperous and sustainable future. With our ingenuity, drive and deep curiosity we discover new insights, innovations, and solutions that efficiently and responsibly resolve complex natural resources, digital, energy transition and infrastructure challenges. Viridien employs around 3,200 people worldwide and is listed as VIRI on the Euronext Paris SA (ISIN: FR001400PVN6).

    Disclaimer

    Certain information included in this press release is not historical data but forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions about current and future business strategies and the environment in which Viridien operates, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results or performance, or the results or other events, to be materially different from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified in Chapter 2 “Risk Management and Internal Control” of the Universal Registration Document dated March 6, 2025, filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) under number D. 25-0075 and available on the Group’s website (www.viridiengroup.com) and on the AMF website (www.amffrance.org). These forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. This press release does not contain or constitute an offer of securities or an invitation or inducement to invest in securities in France, the United States, or any other area.

    Investors contact

    VP Investor Relations and Corporate Finance
    Alexandre Leroy
    alexandre.leroy@viridiengroup.com
    +33 6 85 18 44 31

    APPENDICES

    Quarterly statements are unaudited and not subject to any review. Only IFRS condensed interim consolidated financial statements were subject to a review report by statutory auditors.

    Key Segment P&L figures

    (in millions of $) Q2 2025 Q2 2024 Change (%) H1 2025 H1 2024 Change (%)
    €/$ exchange rate  1.12 1.08     1.08 1.08   
    Segment Revenue 274 258 +6% 575 532 +8%
    DDE 181 177 +3% 396 362 +9%
    Geoscience 115 105 +10% 226 193 +17%
    Earth Data 66 72 -8% 170 169 +1%
    SMO 93 82 +14% 180 170 +6%
    Land 57 29 +99% 108 74 +47%
    Marine 21 42 -50% 46 75 -39%
    Other 15 11 +36% 26 21 +20%
    Segment EBITDAs 108 91 +19% 250 196 +28%
    Adjusted Segment EBITDAs 107 94 +14% 250 200 +25%
    DDE 101 96 +6% 238 199 +19%
    SMO 13 6 +108% 27 16 +63%
    Corporate and other -7 -8 -15% -15 -16 -8%
    Segment Operating Income 22 26 -16% 87 53 +63%
    Adjusted Segment Operating Income 21 29 -28% 86 57 +50%
    DDE 21 39 -47% 87 74 +17%
    SMO 7 -2 n.a. 15 0 n.s.
    Corporate and other -7 -8 -16% -16 -17 -6%
    EDA Cash EBITDA 0 10 -100% 39 44 -11%

    Other KPIs

    (in millions of $) H1 2025 H1 2024 Change (%)
    Geoscience Backlog 317 246 +29%
    Total Capex 119 115 +3%
    Earth Data Library Net Book Value7 508  440 +15%

    Definition of Alternative Performance Indicators (API)

    In its communications, Viridien includes Alternative Performance Indicators, the main ones being Segment Revenue, Segment EBITDAs, Adjusted Segment EBITDAs, and EDA Cash EBITDA. Their definitions are set out in the 2024 Universal Registration Document filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) and are reiterated below:

    • Segment revenue: Segment revenue is prepared in accordance with internal management reporting with Earth Data prefunding revenues recorded based upon percentage of completion.
    • Segment EBITDAs: Segment EBITDAs is defined as earnings before interest, tax, income from equity affiliates, depreciation, amortization net of amortization costs capitalized to Earth Data surveys, and cost of share-based compensation for employees and senior executives. The cost of share-based compensation includes the cost of stock options and allotments of performance shares. Segment EBITDAs is calculated based on internal management reporting, in which prefunding revenue from Earth Data surveys is recognized using the percentage of completion method.
    • Adjusted segment EBITDAs: Adjusted segment EBITDAs is Segment EBITDAs adjusted for non-recurring charges and gains.
    • EDA Cash EBITDA: EDA Cash EBITDA is defined as EDA (Earth Data) adjusted segment EBITDAs less investment in EDA surveys for the period, excluding inactivity compensation fees related to the vessel capacity agreement signed between Viridien and Shearwater. This indicator is used exclusively for the EDA activity.

    Reconciliation of API with the condensed interim consolidated financial statements

    The table below outlines the accounting adjustments made in accordance with IFRS 158 requirements. Over the period, these adjustments primarily relate to major survey projects conducted by Earth Data in the US Gulf and Norway.

      Q2 2025 H1 2025
    (in millions of $) Segment IFRS 15 adjustments IFRS Segment IFRS 15 adjustments IFRS
    Revenue 274 -40 234 575 -83 492
    EBITDAs 108 -40 68 250 -83 167
    Adjustments -1     0    
    Adjusted EBITDAs 107 -40 67 250 -83 167

    Interim Consolidated Statement of Operations

    (In millions of US$, except per share data) H1 2025 H1 2024
    Operating revenues 491.8 565.8
    Other income from ordinary activities 0.1 0.1
    Total income from ordinary activities 492.0 565.9
    Cost of operations (361.0) (424.1)
    Gross profit 131.0 141.8
    Research and development expenses – net (6.8) (9.6)
    Marketing and selling expenses (16.4) (19.0)
    General and administrative expenses (37.7) (38.0)
    Other revenues (expenses) – net 1.0 (3.6)
    Operating Income (loss) 71.2 71.6
    Cost of financial debt – gross (55.2) (55.1)
    Income from cash and cash equivalents 2.9 5.8
    Cost of financial debt – net (52.3) (49.3)
    Other financial income (loss) (34.4) (0.8)
    Income (loss) before income taxes and share of income (loss) from companies accounted for under the equity method (15.4) 21.5
    Income taxes (7.4) (5.6)
    Income (loss) before share of income (loss) from companies accounted for under the equity method (22.8) 15.9
    Net income (loss) from companies accounted for under the equity method (1.0) 0.0
    Net income (loss) from continuing operations (23.8) 15.9
    Net income (loss) from discontinued operations 1.9 16.1
    Consolidated net income (loss) (21.9) 32.0
    Attributable to:    
    Owners of Viridien SA (22.3) 31.6
    Non-controlling interests 0.4 0.4
    Net income (loss) per share9    
    Basic (3.12) 4.43
    Diluted (3.12) 4.41
    Net income (loss) from continuing operations per share8    
    Basic (3.38) 2.17
    Diluted (3.38) 2.16
    Net income (loss) from discontinued operations per share8    
    Basic 0.26 2.25
    Diluted 0.26 2.25

    Interim Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

    (In millions of US$) June 30, 2025 Dec. 31, 2024
    ASSETS    
    Cash and cash equivalents 161.6 301.7
    Trade accounts and notes receivable, net 330.7 339.9
    Inventories and work-in-progress, net 162.1 163.3
    Income tax assets 10.2 22.9
    Other current assets, net 78.8 74.0
    Assets held for sale, net 28.3 24.5
    Total current assets 771.7 926.2
    Deferred tax assets 47.2 43.6
    Other non-current assets, net 9.1 8.9
    Investments and other financial assets, net 24.7 25.7
    Investments in companies under the equity method 5.1 1.1
    Property, plant and equipment, net 205.3 220.6
    Intangible assets, net 589.3 535.4
    Goodwill, net 1,092.8 1,082.8
    Total non-current assets 1,973.5 1,918.1
    TOTAL ASSETS 2,745.2 2,844.3
    LIABILITIES AND EQUITY    
    Financial debt – current portion 63.1 56.9
    Trade accounts and notes payables 113.6 120.9
    Accrued payroll costs 82.5 84.5
    Income taxes payable 12.1 20.4
    Advance billings to customers 20.8 19.2
    Provisions — current portion 17.1 19.7
    Other current financial liabilities 0.0 0.5
    Other current liabilities 218.5 182.5
    Liabilities associated with non-current assets held for sale 2.3 2.4
    Total current liabilities 530.0 507.0
    Deferred tax liabilities 13.2 18.4
    Provisions – non-current portion 33.1 28.8
    Financial debt – non-current portion 1,095.3 1,165.6
    Other non-current financial liabilities 0.0 0.0
    Other non-current liabilities 1.9 1.7
    Total non-current liabilities 1,143.5 1,214.5
    Common stock: 11,201,879 shares authorized and 7,180,449 shares with a nominal value of €1.00 outstanding at June 30, 2025. 8.7 8.7
    Additional paid-in capital 118.7 118.7
    Retained earnings 1,014.7 1,036.5
    Other Reserves (0.9) 55.2
    Treasury shares (20.1) (20.1)
    Cumulative income and expense recognized directly in equity (1.7) (1.1)
    Cumulative translation adjustment (85.0) (113.3)
    Equity attributable to owners of Viridien S.A. 1,034.5 1,084.7
    Non-controlling interests 37.2 38.1
    Total equity 1,071.8 1,122.8
    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 2,745.2 2,844.3

    Interim Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

    (In millions of US$)   H1 2025 H1 2024
    OPERATING ACTIVITIES      
    Consolidated net income (loss)   (21.9) 32.0
    Less: Net income (loss) from discontinued operations   (1.9) (16.1)
    Net income (loss) from continuing operations   (23.8) 15.9
    Depreciation, amortization and impairment   42.6 47.8
    Earth Data surveys impairment and amortization   59.0 116.3
    Depreciation and amortization capitalized in Earth Data surveys   (7.5) (7.0)
    Variance on provisions   (3.6) (0.3)
    Share-based compensation expenses   1.7 1.8
    Net (gain) loss on disposal of fixed and financial assets   (0.8) 0.1
    Share of (income) loss in companies recognized under equity method   1.0 –
    Other non-cash items   30.0 0.8
    Net cash-flow including net cost of financial debt and income tax   98.5 175.4
    Less: Cost of financial debt   52.3 49.3
    Less: Income tax expense (gain)   7.4 5.6
    Net cash-flow excluding net cost of financial debt and income tax   158.1 230.4
    Income tax paid   (8.3) (12.0)
    Net cash-flow before changes in working capital   149.8 218.4
    Changes in working capital   45.0 (38.2)
    – change in trade accounts and notes receivable   51.0 (17.2)
    – change in inventories and work-in-progress   16.8 11.0
    – change in other current assets   (6.7) 0.9
    – change in trade accounts and notes payable   (3.8) (12.5)
    – change in other current liabilities   (12.3) (20.3)
    Net cash-flow from operating activities   194.8 180.2
           
    INVESTING ACTIVITIES      
    Total capital expenditures (including variation of fixed assets suppliers, excluding Earth Data surveys)   (17.2) (17.8)
    Investment in Earth Data surveys, net cash   (101.6) (97.0)
    Proceeds from disposals of tangible and intangible assets   1.0 0.5
    Dividends received from investments in companies under the equity method   – 0.5
    Variation in other non-current financial assets   2.0 (3.3)
    Net cash-flow from investing activities   (115.7) (117.0)
    FINANCING ACTIVITIES      
    Repayment of long-term debt   (1,074.5) (0.4)
    Total issuance of long-term debt   945.7 –
    Call premium   (21.9) –
    Refinancing transaction costs paid   (3.7)  –
    Lease repayments   (26.1) (27.1)
    Interests paid   (40.4) (43.2)
    Dividends paid and share capital reimbursements:      
    – to owners of Viridien   0 –
    – to non-controlling interests of integrated companies   (1.4) (3.8)
    Net cash-flow from financing activities   (222.4) (74.5)
           
    Effects of exchange rates on cash   3.7 (5.3)
    Net cash flows incurred by discontinued operations   (0.4) 29.6
    Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents   (140.1) 12.9
    Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year   301.7 327.0
    Cash and cash equivalents at end of period   161.6 339.9

    1 $125m RCF of which $25m ancillary guarantee facility (used for $12 m) and $100m fully undrawn
    2 Quarterly statements are unaudited and not subject to any review. Only IFRS condensed interim consolidated financial statements were subject to a review report by statutory auditors
    3 Please refer to the “Definitions of Alternative Performance Indicators” in the appendices for explanations of the terms used in this section
    4 The reconciliation of alternative performance indicators to the condensed interim consolidated financial statements is provided in the appendices, along with their definitions
    5 $125m RCF of which $25m ancillary guarantee facility (used for $12 m) and $100m fully undrawn
    6 Including a $66m negative foreign exchange impact compared to December 31, 2024
    7 Post IFRS15 and 16

    8 IFRS 15 requires that Earth Data prefunding revenues be recognized only upon delivery of the final processed data, that is, when the performance obligation is fulfilled. As a result, revenue and margin recognition for ongoing surveys is deferred. Viridien’s segment reporting, however, continues to apply the percentage-of-completion method previously used before the adoption of IFRS 15, for recognizing Earth Data prefunding revenues and associated margins
    9 As a result of the July 31, 2024 reverse share split, the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per shares for June 2024 has been adjusted retrospectively. Number of ordinary shares outstanding has been adjusted to reflect the proportionate change in the number of shares

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Euronext publishes Q2 2025 results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Euronext publishes Q2 2025 results

    Euronext’s diversified business drives all-time record results, supported by organic growth, favourable market conditions and disciplined capital allocation.

    Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo and Paris – 31 July 2025 – Euronext, the leading European capital market infrastructure, today publishes its results for the second quarter of 2025.

    • Q2 2025 revenue and income was up +12.8% to €465.8 million:

    Non-volume-related revenue and income represented 58% of total revenue and income and covered 161% of underlying operating expenses, excluding D&A1:

    • Securities Services revenues grew to €86.2 million (+6.5%), driven by increasing assets under custody, higher settlement activity and double-digit growth in value-added services;
    • Capital Markets and Data Solutions revenue grew to €165.4 million (+12.0%), driven by the continued commercial expansion of Advanced Data Solutions and the strong performance of Euronext Corporate and Investor Solutions and Technology Services, supported by the acquisition of Admincontrol. Like-for-like at constant currencies, revenue grew by +6.5%;
    • Net treasury income grew to €20.0 million (+45.1%), demonstrating the benefits of the Euronext Clearing expansion, high volatility and the internalisation of net treasury income from LCH SA following the derivatives clearing migration in Q3 2024.

    Volume-related revenue was driven by high market volatility in the second quarter:

    • FICC2Markets revenue grew to €87.7 million (+20.1%), driven by another record performance in fixed income trading and clearing and in FX trading;
    • Equity Markets revenue grew to €106.2 million (+9.5%), reflecting a strong quarter in cash equity trading and clearing further boosted by high volatility in the first part of the quarter.
    • Underlying operating expenses excluding D&A were at €168.4 million (+7.9%), in line with Euronext’s 2025 underlying costs guidance. This reflects a step-up in growth investments and the impact of acquisitions, partially offset by a strong cost discipline. Euronext’s underlying operating expense guidance excluding D&A of €670 million excludes Admincontrol, acquired on 13 May 2025.
    • Adjusted EBITDA was €297.3 million (+15.8%) and adjusted EBITDA margin was 63.8% (+1.6pt).
    • Adjusted net income was €204.4 million (+23.8%) and adjusted EPS was €2.02 (+27.0%), supported by received dividends .
    • Reported net income was €183.8 million (+29.7%) and reported EPS was €1.81 (+32.1%).
    • Net debt to adjusted EBITDA3was at 1.8x at the end of June 2025, in line with Euronext’s target range. This ratio reflects the impact of the acquisition of Admincontrol on 13 May 2025 and the dividend payment in May 2025.

    Key figures for the second quarter of 2025:

    in €m, unless stated otherwise Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var % var l-f-l
    Revenue and income 465.8 412.9 +12.8% +10.5%
    Underlying operational expenses exc. D&A                         (168.4) (156.1) +7.9% +3.9%
    Adjusted EBITDA 297.3 256.8 +15.8% +14.4%
    Underlying EBITDA margin 63.8% 62.2% +1.6pts +2.2pts
    Net income4                          183.8 141.7 +29.7%  
    Adjusted net income4                         204.4 165.2 +23.8%  
    Adjusted EPS (basic, in €) 2.02 1.59 +27.0%  
    Reported EPS (basic, in €) 1.81 1.37 +32.1%  
    • Progress with the delivery of ‘Innovate for Growth 2027’:
      • Euronext has strengthened its development in the Nordics and in the UK with the acquisition of Admincontrol on 13 May 2025. This transaction improves the share of subscription-based revenue and is in line with its ambition to scale up the SaaS offering.
      • Euronext is expanding its footprint in the Nordics and in the power business with the acquisition of Nasdaq Nordic’s power futures business. The final regulatory approval for the acquisition has been granted. Euronext and Nasdaq are now focusing on the upcoming migration of open interest from Nasdaq Clearing to Euronext Clearing in Q1 2026.
      • Euronext partnerships with Euroclear5 and Clearstream6 on tri-party collateral management support the broader expansion of its repo clearing services across Europe. In July 2025, Euronext launched the first phase of a multi-year strategy7 to deliver a fully integrated, pan-European clearing model.
      • On 31 July 2025, Euronext announced the submission of a voluntary share exchange offer to acquire all shares of HELLENIC EXCHANGES-ATHEX STOCK EXCHANGE S.A. (“ATHEX”), in exchange for newly issued Euronext shares, at a fixed conversion rate of 20.000 ATHEX ordinary shares for each new Euronext share8,9. Based on Euronext’s closing price of €142.7 as of 30 July 2025, the proposed Offer values ATHEX at €7.14 per share and the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of ATHEX at approximately €412.8 million on a fully diluted basis. The Board of Directors of ATHEX is unanimously supportive of the Offer to ATHEX shareholders and entered into a cooperation agreement with Euronext.

    Stéphane Boujnah, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Managing Board of Euronext, said:
    “In the second quarter of 2025, Euronext achieved all-time record revenue and income of €465.8 million, driven by organic growth and acquisitions. This is the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit topline growth. The strong performance reflects the strength of Euronext’s diversified business model, capable of capturing favourable market conditions and of generating non-volume-related revenue growth.

    We have continued to invest in growth, while we maintained a strong cost discipline. Euronext reached an adjusted EBITDA close to €300 million in Q2 2025, marking a significant +15.8% increase compared to Q2 2024. In Q2 2025, we reached record adjusted EPS of €2.02 per share. Our reported EPS grew by +32.1% compared to Q2 2024, to €1.81 per share.

    We continue to foster the integration and competitiveness of European capital markets via strategic initiatives. With a strong footprint in Italian repo, a growing list of government bond coverage, and the majority of key clearing members already connected, Euronext is well positioned to become the clearing house of choice for European repo.

    Europe shows an unprecedented commitment to establish a Savings and Investments Union, and Euronext is a key player in Europe to accelerate the delivery of this ambition. Since the beginning of the year, Euronext has continued to deploy capital to expand across Europe. We have expanded our presence in the Nordics with the acquisition of Admincontrol and will further strengthen our position with the migration of Nasdaq Nordic’s power futures to Euronext Clearing in Q1 2026.

    The contemplated acquisition of ATHEX would expand our integrated model across Europe to deliver the Savings and Investments Union. We are strongly committed to boosting the development and attractivity of Greek markets internationally and generating efficiencies and competitiveness across the Group.”

    Q2 2025 business highlights

    In €m Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var % var l-f-l
    Revenue and income 465.8 412.9 +12.8% +10.5%
    Securities Services 86.2 80.9 +6.5% +3.9%
    Capital Markets and Data Solutions                           165.4 147.7 +12.0% +6.5%
    FICC Markets 87.7 73.0 +20.1% +20.9%
    Equity Markets 106.2 97.0 +9.5% +9.5%
    Net treasury income 20.0 13.8 +45.1% +45.1%
    Other income 0.3 0.4 -30.4% -31.1%
    • Non-volume-related revenue
      • Securities Services
    In €m Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var % var l-f-l
    Revenue 86.2 80.9 +6.5% +3.9%
    Custody & Settlement 77.5 70.0 +10.8% +7.8%
    Other Post Trade 8.6 10.9 -21.1% -21.1%

    Revenue from Custody and Settlement in Q2 2025 was at €77.5 million, +10.8% compared to Q2 2024. This strong performance was driven by growing Assets under Custody, dynamic settlement instructions and continued double-digit growth in services, supported by the acquisition of Acupay. At the end of the quarter, Assets under Custody amounted to €7.34 trillion, up +4.5% compared to end of Q2 2024. Over 36.9 million instructions were settled via Euronext Securities during the second quarter of 2025, up +15.0% compared to the second quarter of 2024.

    Other Post Trade revenue, which includes membership fees and other non-volume-related clearing fees, was €8.6 million in Q2 2025. The -21.1% decrease compared to Q2 2024 stems from the internalisation of the net treasury income related to Euronext derivatives flows in September 2024, which are now integrated in the net treasury income line.

    • Capital Markets and Data Solutions
    In €m Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var % var l-f-l
    Revenue 165.4 147.7 +12.0% +6.5%
    Primary Markets 46.5 45.5 +2.3% +2.5%
    Advanced Data Solutions 65.2 60.6 +7.5% +4.6%
    Corporate and Investor Solutions and Technology Services                             53.7 41.5 +29.2% +13.5%

    Primary Markets revenue was €46.5 million in Q2 2025, an increase of +2.3% compared to Q2 2024. The second quarter recorded slower equity listing activity explained by a volatile environment. Euronext sustained its leading position for equity listing with 6 new listings.

    Advanced Data Solutions revenue was €65.2 million in Q2 2025, up +7.5% compared to Q2 2024. This dynamic performance reflects the contribution of GRSS, strong appetite from retail and growing monetisation of diversified datasets.

    Corporate and Investor Solutions and Technology Services revenue grew by +29.2% in Q2 2025 to €53.7 million. This strong performance reflects the contribution of Admincontrol for half a quarter and double-digit growth of investor solutions and colocation services.

    • Net treasury income

    Net treasury income was at €20.0 million, +45.1% compared to Q2 2024. This reflect the benefit from the Euronext Clearing expansion and the internalisation of treasury income from LCH SA following the completion of the derivatives clearing migration, as well as higher cash collateral posted to the CCP due to the elevated market volatility.

    • Volume-related revenue
      • FICC Markets
    In €m Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var % var l-f-l
    Revenue 87.7 73.0 +20.1% +20.9%
    Fixed income trading & clearing 51.7 39.2 +31.9% +31.9%
    Commodities trading & clearing 26.7 26.0 +2.7% +3.1%
    FX trading 9.3 7.8 +18.9% +25.2%

    Fixed income trading and clearing revenue reached €51.7 million in Q2 2025, up +31.9% compared to Q2 2024, driven by record fixed income trading activity supported by favourable market conditions.

    Commodities10 trading and clearing revenue reached €26.7 million in Q2 2025, up +2.7% compared to Q2 2024, reflecting record intraday power trading volumes and softer agricultural commodity trading and clearing.

    FX trading revenue was up +18.9%, at €9.3 million in Q2 2025, reflecting record trading volumes in April 2025, which outbalanced the negative currency impact of the USD.

    • Equity Markets
    In €m Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var % var l-f-l
    Revenue 106.2 97.0 +9.5% +9.5%
    Cash equity trading & clearing 93.4 80.4 +16.2% +16.2%
    Financial derivatives trading & clearing 12.8 16.6 -22.9% -22.9%

    Cash equity trading and clearing revenue11 was €93.4 million in Q2 2025, up +16.2% compared to Q2 2024 driven by exceptional market volatility. Euronext recorded average daily cash trading volumes of €13.4 billion, up +21.2% compared to Q2 2024. Euronext reached solid average revenue capture on cash trading at 0.52 bps for the second quarter of 2025, despite higher volumes and larger average order size compared to Q2 2024. Euronext market share on cash equity trading averaged 63.5% in Q2 2025.

    Financial derivatives trading and clearing revenue was €12.8 million in Q2 2025, -22.9% compared to Q2 2024. This mostly reflects lower volatility and the decrease of the average clearing fees. Following the clearing migration, certain clearing fees are now reported in the line Other Post Trade revenues, and as such not fully comparable with Q2 2024.

    Q2 2025 financial performance

    In €m, unless stated otherwise Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var % var l-f-l
    Revenues and income 465.8 412.9 +12.8% +10.5%
    Underlying operating expenses excl. D&A                        (168.4) (156.1) +7.9% +3.9%
    Adjusted EBITDA 297.3 256.8 +15.8% +14.4%
    Adjusted EBITDA margin 63.8% 62.2% +1.6pts +2.2pts
    Operating expenses excl. D&A (171.8) (162.9) +5.5% +1.6%
    EBITDA 293.9 249.9 +17.6% +16.2%
    Depreciation & amortisation (48.2) (47.9) +0.5% +1.0%
    Total expenses (220.0) (210.9) +4.3% +1.2%
    Adjusted operating profit 274.7 234.8 +17.0% +15.7%
    Operating profit 245.8 202.0 +21.7%  
    Net financing income / (expense) (5.7) 3.5 N/A  
    Results from equity investments 24.5 1.2 N/A  
    Profit before income tax 264.5 206.7 +28.0%  
    Income tax expense (68.1) (55.7) +22.3%  
    Minority interests (12.6) (9.2) +36.3%  
    Net income 183.8 141.7 +29.7%  
    Adjusted net income 204.4 165.2 +23.8%  
    Adjusted EPS (basic, in €) 2.02 1.59 +27.0%  
    Reported EPS (basic, in €) 1.81 1.37 +32.1%  
    Adjusted EPS (diluted, in€) 2.01 1.59 +26.4%  
    Reported EPS (diluted, in€) 1.81 1.36 +33.1%  
    • Q2 2025 adjusted EBITDA

    Underlying operating expenses excluding D&A1 were at €168.4 million (+7.9%). The increase compared to Q2 2024 reflects investments in growth and the impact of acquisitions performed in 2025, partially offset by cost discipline.
    As a result of a double digit growth in revenue, adjusted EBITDA for the quarter reached €297.3 million, up +15.8% compared to Q2 2024. This represents an adjusted EBITDA margin of 63.8%, up +1.6pts vs. Q2 2024. On a like-for-like basis at constant currencies, adjusted EBITDA grew by +14.4% compared to Q2 2024.
    Q2 2025 non-underlying operating expenses excluding D&A amounted to €3.4 million, mostly related to the integration of recent acquisitions. As a consequence, reported EBITDA was at €293.9 million, up +17.6% compared to Q2 2024.

    • Q2 2025 net income, share of the parent company shareholders

    Depreciation and amortisation accounted for €48.2 million in Q2 2025, +0.5% more than Q2 2024. PPA related to acquired businesses accounted for €19.1 million. Adjusted operating profit was €274.7 million, up +17.0% compared to Q2 2024. Euronext reported a net financing expense of €5.7 million in Q2 2025, compared to €3.5 million net financing income in Q2 2024. The variation reflects decreasing interest rates, lower cash position after the redemption of the €500 million bond and the recognition of non-cash interest expense related to the convertible bonds.

    Income tax for Q2 2025 was €68.1 million. This translated into an effective tax rate of 25.7% for the quarter, compared to 27.0% in Q2 2024. The tax rate was positively impacted by the tax-exempt €24.5 million dividend received by Euroclear. Share of non-controlling interests amounted to €12.6 million, correlated with the strong performance of MTS and Nord Pool.

    As a result, the reported net income, share of the parent company shareholders, increased by +29.7%for Q2 2025 compared to Q2 2024, to €183.8 million. This represents a reported EPS of €1.81 basic and €1.81 diluted. Adjusted net income, share of the parent company shareholders, was up +23.8% to €204.4 million. Adjusted EPS (basic) was €2.02 and adjusted EPS (diluted) was €2.01. The increase in EPS reflects higher profit and a lower number of outstanding shares over the second quarter of 2025 compared to Q2 2024. The weighted number of shares used over the second quarter of 2025 was 101,374,346 for the basic calculation and 102,130,793 for the diluted calculation, compared to 103,653,544 and 103,986,292 respectively over the second quarter of 2024. The difference in share count is due to the share repurchase programme executed by Euronext and the consideration of the convertible bonds under IAS 33.

    In Q2 2025, Euronext reported a net cash flow from operating activities of €135.0 million, compared to €111.5 million in Q2 2024, reflecting higher profit before tax and higher income tax paid in Q2 2025. Excluding the impact of working capital from Euronext Clearing and Nord Pool CCP activities, net cash flow from operating activities accounted for 52.3% of EBITDA in Q2 2025.

    Q2 2025 corporate highlights since publication of the first quarter 2025 results on 14 May 2025

    • Euronext received regulatory approval for the acquisition of Nasdaq Nordic power futures

    On 4 June 2025, Euronext received regulatory approval for the extension of Euronext Clearing to power derivatives under Article 15 of EMIR. With this final approval, all regulatory approvals for the acquisition of Nasdaq Nordic’s power futures business have been granted. Euronext and Nasdaq continue to focus on the upcoming migration of open interest from Nasdaq Clearing to Euronext Clearing in Q1 202612.

    • Partnership with Clearstream on collateral management

    On 16 June 2025, Euronext and Clearstream announced the start of a new partnership13 to advance the continued development of Euronext Clearing’s collateral management services across repo and other asset classes.
    As part of this initiative, Clearstream will serve as a triparty agent (TPA) for Euronext Clearing, facilitating advanced collateral management capabilities. Clients will benefit from automated, flexible and operationally streamlined solutions that enhance margin and balance sheet optimisation. Clearstream will act as an independent third party, handling the collateral selection, valuation and substitution to ensure compliance with eligibility criteria while minimising operational complexities. In addition, Clearstream will manage settlement and custody services, provide robust regulatory reporting, and support liquidity and risk management objectives. The go-live of this enhanced service offering is scheduled for November 2025.

    • Euronext successfully launched its inaugural convertible bonds issuance

    On 22 May 2025, Euronext announced the success of its offering of senior unsecured bonds due 2032 convertible into new shares and/or exchangeable for existing shares of the Company (“OCEANEs”) (the “Bonds”), by way of a placement to qualified investors only, for a nominal amount of €425 million (the “Offering”)14. The Bonds were issued with a denomination of €100,000 each (the “Principal Amount”), and will be convertible and/or exchangeable into new and/or existing shares of Euronext (the “Shares”) and will pay a fixed coupon at a rate of 1.50% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrear on 30 May and 30 November of each year (or on the following business day if this date is not a business day), and for the first time on 30 November 2025. The initial conversion price of the Bonds is set at €191.1654. Unless previously converted, exchanged, redeemed or purchased and cancelled, the Bonds will be redeemed at par on 30 May 2032 (or on the following business day if such date is not a business day) (the “Maturity Date”).

    • Euronext successfully migrated Italian markets to a harmonised clearing framework

    On 30 June 2025, Euronext completed the migration of the Italian derivatives and cash equity markets to its Core Clearing System. Euronext is now clearing all its financial derivatives, commodities and cash equities markets through a single, streamlined, harmonised clearing gateway. This important milestones delivers to Euronext Clearing clients further material operational and risk management efficiencies, which optimise their total cost of trading on Euronext markets.

    Corporate highlights since 1 July 2025

    • Euronext launched the first phase of its strategic multi-year Repo expansion initiative15

    On 8 July 2025, Euronext announced the launch of its initiative to expand access, improve collateral usage and position Euronext as a leading Central Counterparty (CCP) for European repo markets. As a cornerstone of Euronext’s strategic plan announced in November 2024, the Repo initiative sets in motion Euronext’s vision to build a fully integrated, pan-European post-trade infrastructure. Euronext now offers repo clearing for Spanish, Portuguese and Irish government bonds, alongside its established Italian offering. For the first time, international firms can join the platform with seamless onboarding and scalable settlement operations.

    • Euronext to launch voluntary share exchange offer for all ATHEX shares

    On 31 July 2025, Euronext announced the submission of a voluntary share exchange offer to acquire all shares of HELLENIC EXCHANGES-ATHEX STOCK EXCHANGE S.A. (“ATHEX”), in exchange for newly issued Euronext shares, at a fixed conversion rate of 20.000 ATHEX ordinary shares for each new Euronext share16,17. Based on Euronext’s closing price of €142.7 as of 30 July 2025, the proposed Offer values ATHEX at €7.14 per share and the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of ATHEX at approximately €412.8 million on a fully diluted basis. The Board of Directors of ATHEX is unanimously supportive of the Offer to ATHEX shareholders and entered into a cooperation agreement with Euronext.

    The combination between Euronext and ATHEX is in line with Euronext’s ambition to integrate European capital markets. The combined Group will foster harmonisation of European capital markets on a unified technology. Greek markets would benefit from increased visibility towards global investors as part of the leading single liquidity pool in Europe.

    Euronext expects the combination to deliver €12 million annual run-rate cash synergies by the end of 2028, with implementation costs related to these synergies expected at €25 million. The Offer is in line with Euronext’s investment criteria of ROCE > WACC in year 3 to 5 after the acquisition and is expected to be accretive for Euronext shareholders after delivery of synergies in year 1.

    The Offer is expected to be open for acceptance, subject to regulatory approvals, from Q4 2025. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

    Results Webcast

    A webcast will be held on Friday, 1 August 2025, at 09:00 CEST (Paris time) / 08:O0 BST (London time):

    For the live webcast go to: Webcast

    The webcast will be available for replay after the call at the webcast link and on the Euronext Investor Relations webpage.

    Contacts

    ANALYSTS & INVESTORS – ir@euronext.com

    Investor Relations        Aurélie Cohen                 

            Judith Stein        +33 6 15 23 91 97

    MEDIA – mediateam@euronext.com 

    Europe        Aurélie Cohen         +33 1 70 48 24 45 

            Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13 

    Belgium        Marianne Aalders         +32 26 20 15 01                 

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

    Ireland        Catalina Augspach        +39 02 72 42 62 13                 

    Italy         Ester Russom         +39 02 72 42 67 56                 

    The Netherlands        Marianne Aalders         +31 20 721 41 33                 

    Norway         Cathrine Lorvik Segerlund        +47 41 69 59 10                 

    Portugal         Sandra Machado        +351 91 777 68 97                

    About Euronext 
    Euronext is the leading European capital market infrastructure, covering the entire capital markets value chain, from listing, trading, clearing, settlement and custody, to solutions for issuers and investors. Euronext runs MTS, one of Europe’s leading electronic fixed income trading markets, and Nord Pool, the European power market. Euronext also provides clearing and settlement services through Euronext Clearing and its Euronext Securities CSDs in Denmark, Italy, Norway and Portugal.
    As of June 2025, Euronext’s regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal host nearly 1,800 listed issuers with €6.3 trillion in market capitalisation, a strong blue-chip franchise and the largest global centre for debt and fund listings. With a diverse domestic and international client base, Euronext handles 25% of European lit equity trading. Its products include equities, FX, ETFs, bonds, derivatives, commodities and indices.
    For the latest news, go to euronext.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

    Disclaimer

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

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

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

    Appendix

    The figures in this Appendix have not been audited or reviewed by our external auditor.

    Non-IFRS financial measures

    For comparative purposes, the company provides unaudited non-IFRS measures including:

    • Operational expenses excluding depreciation and amortisation, underlying operational expenses excluding depreciation and amortisation;
    • EBITDA, EBITDA margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin.

    Non-IFRS measures are defined as follows:

    • Operational expenses excluding depreciation and amortisation as the total of salary and employee benefits, and other operational expenses;
    • Underlying operational expenses excluding depreciation and amortisation as the total of salary and employee benefits, and other operational expenses, excluding non-recurring costs;
    • Underlying revenue and income as the total of revenue and income, excluding non-recurring revenue and income;
    • Non-underlying items as items of revenue, income and expense that are material by their size and/or that are infrequent and unusual by their nature or incidence are not considered to be recurring in the normal course of business and are classified as non-underlying items on the face of the income statement within their relevant category in order to provide further understanding of the ongoing sustainable performance of the Group. These items can include:
      • integration or double run costs of significant projects, restructuring costs and costs related to acquisitions that change the perimeter of the Group;
      • one-off finance costs, gains or losses on sale of subsidiaries and impairments of investments:
      • amortisation and impairment of intangible assets which are recognised as a result of acquisitions and mostly comprising customer relationships, brand names and software that were identified during purchase price allocation (PPA);
      • tax related to non-underlying items.
    • Adjusted operating profit as the operating profit adjusted for any non-underlying revenue and income and non-underlying costs, including PPA of acquired businesses;
    • EBITDA as the operating profit before depreciation and amortisation;
    • Adjusted EBITDA as the adjusted operating profit before depreciation and amortisation adjusted for any non-underlying operational expenses excluding depreciation and amortisation;
    • EBITDA margin as EBITDA divided by total revenue and income;
    • Adjusted EBITDA margin as adjusted EBITDA, divided by total revenue and income;
    • Adjusted net income, as the net income, share of the parent company shareholders, adjusted for any non-underlying items and related tax impact.

    Non-IFRS financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable IFRS measures and should be read only in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements.

    Consolidated income statement

      Q2 2025 Q2 2024
    In € million, unless stated otherwise Underlying Non-
    underlying    		 Reported Underlying Non-
    underlying    		 Reported
    Revenues 465.8 – 465.8 412.9 – 412.9
    Securities Services 86.2 – 86.2 80.9 – 80.9
    Custody and Settlement 77.5 – 77.5 70.0 – 70.0
    Other Post Trade 8.6 – 8.6 10.9 – 10.9
    Capital Markets and Data Solutions 165.4 – 165.4 147.7 – 147.7
    Primary Markets 46.5 – 46.5 45.5 – 45.5
    Advanced Data Solutions 65.2 – 65.2 60.6 – 60.6
    Corporate and Investor Solutions
    and Technology Services    		 53.7 – 53.7 41.5 – 41.5
    FICC markets 87.7 – 87.7 73.0 – 73.0
    Fixed income trading and clearing 51.7 – 51.7 39.2 – 39.2
    Commodities trading and clearing 26.7 – 26.7 26.0 – 26.0
    FX trading 9.3 – 9.3 7.8 – 7.8
    Equity markets 106.2 – 106.2 97.0 – 97.0
    Cash equity trading and clearing 93.4 – 93.4 80.4 – 80.4
    Financial derivatives trading and clearing 12.8 – 12.8 16.6 – 16.6
    Net treasury income 20.0 – 20.0 13.8 – 13.8
    Other income 0.3 – 0.3 0.4 – 0.4
    Operating expenses excl. D&A (168.4) (3.4) (171.8) (156.1) (6.8) (162.9)
    Salaries and employee benefits (92.2) (1.1) (93.3) (79.9) (0.4) (80.2)
    Other operational expenses, of which (76.3) (2.2) (78.5) (76.2) (6.5) (82.7)
    System & Communication (26.5) (0.2) (26.7) (24.7) (1.1) (25.9)
    Professional services (17.7) (2.2) (19.9) (13.6) (4.4) (17.9)
    Clearing expense (0.2) – (0.2) (9.9) – (9.9)
    Accommodation (4.5) 0.1 (4.4) (4.1) (0.3) (4.4)
    Other operational expenses (27.3) – (27.4) (23.9) (0.7) (24.6)
    EBITDA 297.3 (3.4) 293.9 256.8 (6.8) 249.9
    EBITDA margin 63.8%   63.1% 62.2%   60.5%
    Depreciation & amortisation (22.6) (25.6) (48.2) (21.9) (26.0) (47.9)
    Total expenses (191.0) (29.0) (220.0) (178.0) (32.8) (210.9)
    Operating profit 274.7 (29.0) 245.8 234.8 (32.8) 202.0
    Net financing income/(expense) (5.7) – (5.7) 3.5 – 3.5
    Results from equity investment 24.5 – 24.5 0.1 1.2 1.2
    Profit before income tax 293.5 (29.0) 264.5 238.4 (31.7) 206.7
    Income tax expense (75.6) 7.5 (68.1) (64.0) 8.3 (55.7)
    Non-controlling interests (13.4) 0.8 (12.6) (9.2) (0.1) (9.2)
    Net income
    share of the parent company shareholders    		 204.4 (20.6) 183.8 165.2 (23.4) 141.7
    EPS (basic, in €) 2.02   1.81 1.59   1.37
    EPS (diluted, in €) 2.01   1.81 1.59   1.36

    Adjusted EPS definition

     In € million, unless stated otherwise Q2 2025 Q2 2024
    Net income reported                183.8                 141.7
    EPS reported (in €) 1.81 1.37
    Adjustments for non-underlying items included in:    
    Operating expenses exc. D&A (3.4) (6.8)
    Depreciation and amortisation (25.6) (26.0)
    Results from equity investments                   –                  1.2
    Non-controlling interest 0.8 (0.1)
    Tax related to adjustments                       7.5                       8.3
    Adjusted net income                 204.4                  165.2
    Adjusted EPS (in €)                     2.02                     1.59

    Consolidated comprehensive income statement

    In € million Q2 2025 Q2 2024
    Profit for the period 196.4 151.0
         
    Other comprehensive income    
    Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss:    
    – Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations    (53.6) 15.2
    – Income tax impact on exchange differences on translation of foreign operations    7.4 (1.9)
    – Gains and losses on cash flow hedges    (2.2) –
    – Change in value of debt investments at fair value through other comprehensive income –    0.3
    – Income tax impact on change in value of debt investments at fair value through
    other comprehensive income    		    –    (0.1)
         
    Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss:    
    – Change in value of equity investments at fair value through other comprehensive income    46.1 6.5
    – Income tax impact on change in value of equity investments at fair value through
    other comprehensive income    		 (0.4) (1.0)
    – Remeasurements of post-employment benefit obligations    1.9 1.9
    – Income tax impact on remeasurements of post-employment benefit obligations – (0.2)
    Other comprehensive income for the period, net of tax (0.8) 20.8
    Total comprehensive income for the period 195.6 171.8
         
    Comprehensive income attributable to:    
    – Owners of the parent 184.0 162.5
    – Non-controlling interests 11.6 9.3

    Consolidated statement of financial position

    In € million 30 June 2025 31 March 2025
    Non-current assets    
    Property, plant and equipment 103.0 107.4
    Right-of-use assets 85.1 88.2
    Goodwill and other intangible assets18 6,586.7 6,096.5
    Deferred income tax assets 24.0 29.1
    Investments in associates and joint ventures 0.8 0.8
    Financial assets at fair value through OCI 403.1 357.0
    Other non-current assets 3.4 3.4
    Total non-current assets 7,206.2 6,682.4
         
    Current assets    
    Trade and other receivables 463.8 574.2
    Income tax receivable 32.2 17.5
    Derivative financial instruments 0.1 2.2
    CCP clearing business assets 348,903.3 341,647.6
    Other current financial assets 59.3 59.5
    Cash & cash equivalents 919.3 1,642.3
    Total current assets 350,378.1 343,943.3
    Total assets 357,584.2 350,625.7
         
    Equity    
    Shareholders’ equity 4,153.5 4,224.6
    Non-controlling interests 144.3 161.7
    Total equity 4,297.9 4,386.3
         
    Non-current liabilities    
    Borrowings 2,311.7 2,537.5
    Lease liabilities 69.8 71.7
    Other non-current financial liabilities 3.5 3.5
    Deferred income tax liabilities 488.4 495.1
    Post-employment benefits 21.2 23.0
    Contract liabilities 53.3 54.2
    Other provisions 7.1 7.0
    Total non-current liabilities 2,955.0 3,192.1
    Current liabilities    
    Borrowings 602.7 524.0
    Lease liabilities 22.2 21.9
    Other current financial liabilities1 103.5 –
    CCP clearing business liabilities 348,949.3 341,695.3
    Income tax payable 68.8 99.3
    Trade and other payables 422.5 526.5
    Contract liabilities 158.5 176.2
    Other provisions 3.7 4.1
    Total current liabilities      350,331.3 343,047.3
    Total equity and liabilities     357,584.2 350,625.7

    Consolidated statement of cash flows

    In € million Q2 2025 Q2 2024
    Profit before tax 264.5 206.7
    Adjustments for:    
    – Depreciation and amortisation 48.2 47.9
               – Share-based payments 5.6 2.9
    -Results from equity investments (24.5) –
    -Gain on sale of associate – (1.2)
    -Share of profit from associates and joint ventures – (0.1)
               – Changes in working capital (43.8) (67.9)
    Cash flow from operating activities 250.0 188.4
    Income tax paid (115.1) (76.9)
    Net cash flows from operating activities 135.0 111.5
         
    Cash flow from investing activities    
    Business combinations, net of cash acquired                                     (400.4) (38.5)
    Proceeds from sale of associate –                              0.9
    Purchase of current financial assets (0.4) (0.6)
    Redemption of current financial assets (0.2) 17.7
    Purchase of property, plant and equipment                                    (3.2)                               (5.0)
    Purchase of intangible assets (28.1) (15.8)
    Interest received                                     7.3 11.3
    Asset acquisitions (27.7) –
    Proceeds from sale of property, plant, equipment and intangible assets – (0.1)
    Dividends received from equity investments 24.5 –
    Dividends received from associates and joint ventures                                         – 0.1
    Net cash flow from investing activities (428.2) (30.0)
         
    Cash flow from financing activities    
    Proceeds from borrowings, net of transaction fees 846.2 –
    Repayment of borrowings, net of transaction fees (925.0) –
    Interest paid (29.2) (28.2)
    Payment of lease liabilities (3.4) (4.2)
    Transactions in own shares 0.0 (10.0)
    Withholding tax paid at vesting of shares (1.9) (1.2)
    Dividends paid to the company’s shareholders (293.4) (257.3)
    Dividends paid to non-controlling interests (18.2) (18.9)
    Net cash flow from financing activities (424.9) (319.6)
         
    Total cash flow over the period (718.1) (238.1)
    Cash and cash equivalents – Beginning of period 1,642.3 1,609.6
    Non-cash exchange gains/(losses) on cash and cash equivalents (4.9) 4.6
    Cash and cash equivalents – End of period 919.3 1,376.0

    Business indicators for the second quarter of 2025

    • Securities Services
    Custody and Settlement Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var
    Number of settlement instructions over the period 36,946,162 32,114,794 +15.0%
    Assets under Custody (in €bn), end of period 7,344 7,030 +4.5%
    • Capital Markets
    Primary Markets Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var
    Number of issuers on Equities – Euronext 1,766 1,862 -5.0%
    Number of issuers on Equities – SMEs 1,371 1,469 -7.0%
    Number of listed Funds 2,179 2,347 -7.0%
    Number of listed ETFs 4,322 3,885 +11.0%
    Number of listed Bonds 57,367 58,147 -1.0%
    Capital raised on primary and secondary market (in €m)      
    Number of new equity listings 13 17  
    Money raised – New equity listings (including over-allotment) 155 3,403 -95.0%
    Money raised – Follow-ons on equities 4,457 2,362 +89.0%
    Money raised – Bonds 316,817 304,686 +4.0%
    • FICC Markets
    Fixed income trading and clearing Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var
    Number of trading days 62 63 –
    Transaction value (in €m, single counted)      
    MTS      
    ADV MTS Cash 59,182 36,287 +63.0%
    TAADV MTS Repo 612,821 448,618 +37.0%
    Other fixed income      
    ADV fixed income 1,588 1,689 -6.0%
    Number of transactions and lots cleared (double counted)      
    Bonds – Wholesale (nominal value in €bn) 8,571 6,918 +23.9%
    Bonds – Retail (number of contracts) 3,313,182 3,658,240 -9.4%
    Commodities trading and clearing Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var
    Number of trading days 91 91 –
    Power volume (in TWh) – ADV Day-ahead Power Market 2.53 2.53 0.0%
    Power volume (in TWh) – ADV Intraday Power Market          0.56 0.36 +58.0%
    Derivatives volume (in lots)      
    Number of trading days 62 63 –
    Commodity 6,746,377 7,898,126 -14.6%
    Futures 6,473,697 7,197,681 -10.1%
    Options 272,680 700,445 -61.1%
    FX trading Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var
    Number of trading days 65 65 –
    FX volume (in $m, single counted)      
    Total Euronext FX 2,025,494 1,783,772 +13.6%
    ADV Euronext FX 31,161 27,443 +13.6%
    • Equity Markets
    Cash equity trading and clearing Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var
    Number of trading days 62 63 –
    Number of transactions (buy and sell) (reported trades included)      
    Total Cash Market 186,375,884 152,354,170 +21.5%
    ADV Cash Market 3,006,063 2,434,193 +23.5%
    Transaction value (€ million, single counted)      
    Total Cash Market 831,391 696,882 +19.3%
    ADV Cash Market 13,410 11,062 +21.2%
    Shares (number of transactions and lots cleared – single counted) 75,751,603 55,211,959 +37.2%
    Financial derivatives trading and clearing Q2 2025 Q2 2024 % var
    Number of trading days 62 63 –
    Derivatives Volume (in lots) – Equity 30,293,449 35,317,815 -14.2%
    Index 10,684,578 13,753,365 -22.3%
    Futures 6,465,795 7,760,863 -16.7%
    Options 4,218,783 5,992,502 -29.6%
    Individual Equity 19,608,871 21,564,450 -9.1%
    Futures 526,418 2,782,606 -81.1%
    Options 19,082,453 18,781,844 +1.6%

    1 Definition in Appendix – adjusted for non-underlying operating expenses excluding D&A and non-underlying revenue and income.
    2   Fixed income, commodities and currencies
    3 Last twelve months adjusted EBITDA. Net debt to last twelve months reported EBITDA ratio was at 1.9x.
    4 Share of the parent company shareholders
    5https://www.euronext.com/en/about/media/euronext-press-releases/euronext-announces-collaboration-euroclear-enhance-euronext
    6https://www.euronext.com/en/about/media/euronext-press-releases/euronext-and-clearstream-launch-partnership-further-strengthen
    7https://www.euronext.com/en/about/media/euronext-press-releases/euronext-launches-first-phase-its-strategic-multi-year-repo
    8https://www.euronext.com/en/about/media/euronext-press-releases/euronext-launch-voluntary-share-exchange-offer-for-all-athex-0
    9 Offer is subject to customary and regulatory approvals.
    10 Including revenue from power trading and clearing
    11 Including equities, ETFs, warrants and certificates
    12www.euronext.com/en/news/euronext-nasdaq-clearing-agreement-power-derivatives-transfer-set-for-march-2026.
    13 www.euronext.com/en/about/media/euronext-press-releases/euronext-and-clearstream-launch-partnership-further-strengthen
    14www.euronext.com/en/investor-relations/financial-information/news/euronext-announces-success-its-offering-bonds-due
    15 www.euronext.com/en/about/media/euronext-press-releases/euronext-launches-first-phase-its-strategic-multi-year-repo
    16 https://www.euronext.com/en/about/media/euronext-press-releases/euronext-launch-voluntary-share-exchange-offer-for-all-athex-0
    17 Offer is subject to customary and regulatory approvals.

    18 The Nasdaq Nordic transaction qualifies as an ‘asset acquisition’. The full purchase price, consisting of a fixed amount of US$35.0 million and a contingent consideration amount estimated at US$115.0 million, is allocated to customer relationships as an intangible asset. The Group has chosen to apply the liability approach that follows IFRIC 1 principles for recognition of the contingent consideration liability, whereby subsequent changes in the liability are adjusted against the carrying amount of the related asset.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Coface SA: Description of the 2025-2026 Share Buyback Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Description of the 2025-2026 Share Buyback Program

    1. INTRODUCTION

    It is reminded that the Shareholders’ Combined General Meeting of COFACE SA (the Company) held on of May 16, 2024, had previously authorised the Board of Directors, in its fourth (4th) resolution, to carry out transactions on COFACE SA’s shares under the framework of the 2024-2025 Share Buyback Program. The main features and description of the said program are published on the Company’s website and on the 2024 Universal Registration Document.

    The Company, listed on Euronext Paris – Compartment A -, wishes to continue to have a Share Buyback Program (the Program), pursuant to applicable regulation (See “Legal Framework” below).

    To this end, the Shareholders’ Combined General Meeting of May 14, 2025 issued a new authorisation to the Board of Directors, with the power to sub delegate in accordance with legislative and regulatory provisions, thirteen (13th) resolution, to implement a new Share Buyback Program on the Company’s shares (Code ISIN FR0010667147). This Program shall replace the existing one established by the Shareholders’ Combined General Meeting of May 16, 2024.

    1. MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 2025-2026 SHARE BUYBACK PROGRAM

    2.1 Date of Shareholders’ General Meeting authorising the Program

    The 2025-2026 Program was authorised by the Shareholders’ Combined General Meeting of May 14, 2025, in its thirteen (13th) resolution.

    The Board of Directors of July 31, 2025, authorised COFACE SA, with the power to sub delegate to the CEO, pursuant to the delegation given by the Shareholder’s Combined General Meeting of May 14, 2025 in its thirteen (13th) resolution, to trade on the Company’s share through the “2025-2026 Share Buyback Program”, whose main features are described below.

    2.2 Allotment by objective of shares held as of June 30, 2025

    COFACE SA held, as of June 30, 2025, 0.57% of its share capital or 852,060 common shares. At that date, the breakdown by objective of the number of shares held was as follows:

    Objectives Number of own shares held
    a) ensure liquidity and boost the market for the Company’s stock through an investment service provider acting independently within the context of a liquidity contract in compliance with the Charter of Ethics recognised by the French Financial Markets Authority 92,102
    b) allot shares to employees of the Company and in particular within the context:
    (1) of profit sharing;
    (2) any stock option plan of the Company, pursuant to the provisions of Articles L.225-177 et seq. of the French Commercial Code;
    (3) any savings plan in compliance with Articles L.3331-1 et seq. of the French Labour Code;
    (4) any allocation of bonus shares pursuant to the provisions of Articles L.225-197-1 et seq. of the French Commercial Code;
    as well as performing all hedging operations relating thereto, under the conditions provided for by the market authorities and at the times to be determined by the Board of Directors or the person acting upon its delegation    		  

    0
    0

    0

    755,958
    e) cancel all or part of the stock thus purchased 0
    TOTAL 852,060

    2.3 Objectives of the 2025-2026 Share Buyback Program

    Purchases and sales of the Company’s shares may be made, by decision of the Board, to:

    Authorised objectives
    a) ensure liquidity and boost the market for the Company’s stock through an investment service provider acting independently within the context of a liquidity agreement, in compliance with the market practice accepted by the Autorité des marchés financiers on 2 July 2018;
    b) allocate shares to the corporate officers and employees of the Company and of other Group entities, in particular within the context of:
    (i) employee profit sharing;
    (ii) any stock option plan of the Company, pursuant to Article L.225-177 et seq. of the French Commercial Code;
    (iii) any savings plan in compliance with Article L.3331-1 et seq. of the French Labour Code;
    (iv) any allocation of bonus shares pursuant to the provisions of Article L.225‑197-1 et seq. of the French Commercial Code;
    as well as performing all hedging operations relating to these operations, under the conditions provided for by the market authorities, and at the times to be determined by the Board of Directors or the person acting by delegation thereof
    c) transfer the Company’s shares upon exercise of the rights attached to securities entitling their bearers, directly or indirectly, through reimbursement, conversion, exchange, presentation of a warrant or in any other manner, to the allocation of the Company’s shares pursuant to current regulations; additionally, perform all hedge operations relating to these transactions, under the conditions provided for by the market authorities and at the times to be determined by the Board of Directors or the person acting by delegation of the Board of Directors
    d) keep the Company’s shares and subsequently remit them as payment or trade within the context of any external growth operations
    e) cancel all or part of the stock purchased
    f) implement any market practice that may be authorised by the French Financial Markets Authority and, more generally, perform all operations in compliance with applicable regulations in particular with Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 16, 2014 on market abuse (market abuse regulation)

    2.4 Maximum percentage of the share capital, maximum number of shares, maximum purchase price and characteristics of the shares that COFACE SA intends to buyback

    2.4.1 Characteristics of the shares that COFACE SA intends to buyback

    Common shares of the Company traded on Euronext Paris:

    STOCK MARKET PROFILE
    Trading Euronext Paris (compartment A), eligible for
    deferred settlement service (SRD)
    ISIN code FR0010667147
    Reuters code COFA.PA
    Bloomberg code COFA FP
    Stock market indexes SBF 120, CAC All Shares, CAC All-Tradable,
    CAC Financials, CAC Mid & Small, CAC Mid 60, Next 150

    2.4.2 Maximum percentage of the share capital

    The Board of Directors can authorise, with the power to sub-delegate under the legal and regulatory conditions, in compliance with the provisions of Articles L.22-10-62 et seq and  L.225-210 et seq. of the French Commercial Code, the purchase of –in one or more instances and at the times to be determined by it – a number of shares of the Company not to exceed:
    (i)    10% the total number of shares composing the share capital, at any time whatsoever; or,
    (ii)    5% of the total number of shares subsequently composing the share capital if it concerns shares acquired by the Company in view of keeping them and transferring them as payment or exchange under a merger, spin-off or contribution operation.

    These percentages apply to a number of shares adjusted, where appropriate, according to the operations that could affect the share capital subsequent to the Shareholders’ Meeting of 16 May 2024.

    2.4.3 Maximum number of shares

    COFACE SA is committed, by law, not to exceed the holding limit of 10% of its capital, such 10% limit being, for information purposes, 15,017,979 shares as at June 30, 2025.

    2.4.4 Maximum purchase price

    According to the thirteen (13th) resolution proposed and accepted by the Shareholder’s Combined General Meeting of May 14, 2025, the maximum purchase price per unit may not exceed €30, excluding costs.

    The Board of Directors may nevertheless, for operations involving the Company’s capital, in particular a modification of the par value of the share, a capital increase by incorporation of reserves following the creation and allocation of bonus shares, a stock split or reverse stock split, adjust the aforementioned maximum purchase price in order to take into account the impact of these operations on the value of the Company’s stock.

    2.4.5 Other information

    The acquisition, disposal or transfer of these shares may be completed and paid for by all methods authorised by the current regulations, on a regulated market, multilateral trading system, a systematic internaliser, or over the counter, in particular through the acquisition or disposal of blocks of shares, using options or other derivative financial instruments, or warrants or, more generally, securities entitling their bearers to shares of the Company, at the times that the Board of Directors will determine.

    The Board of Directors shall have all powers, with the power to sub delegate in compliance with legislative and regulatory conditions, in order to, in accordance with applicable legislative and regulatory provisions, proceed with the permitted reallocation of repurchased shares in view of one of the objectives of the programme, to one or more of its other objectives, or even their disposal, on or off the market.

    2.5 Term of the 2025-2026 Share Buyback Program

    According to thirteen (13th) resolution proposed and accepted by the Shareholders’ Combined General Meeting of May 14, 2025, this Program will have a maximum period of eighteen (18) months from the date of said Combined General Meeting and will therefore continue no later than November 13, 2026 (including) or until the date of its renewal by a Shareholders’ General Meeting, the one occurring first.

    This authorisation concludes the one granted by the fourth (4th) resolution that was adopted by the Shareholders’ Combined Meeting of May 16, 2024.

    1. LEGAL FRAMEWORK

    Legal Framework

    The legal framework used for this document shall be that in force on June 30, 2025.
    It shall be noted that regulation may evolve during time and its updates shall be taken into consideration.

    1. Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 16, 2014 on market abuse (market abuse regulation) and repealing Directive 2003/6/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Directives 2003/124/EC, 2003/125/EC and 2004/72/EC;
    2. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of March 8, 2016 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical standards for the conditions applicable to buy-back programs and stabilisation measures;
    3. Article L.225-206 and following of the French Commercial Code (and updates);
    4. General Regulation of the French Market Authority: Article L.221-1 and seq. and Article L.241-1 and seq.;
    5. AMF Policy Documents.

    Historical figures

    The main features of the Share Buyback Programs have been published on the website of the Company (http://www.coface.com/Investors) and are also described in the Universal Registration Documents.

    Share Buyback Program General Assembly authorising the Program Decision to implement the Program by the Board of Directors Transactions framework
    Liquidity Agreement LTIP Cancellation of shares
    2020 – 2021 May 14, 2020 (Res. 5) July 29, 2020 Yes No Yes1
    2021 – 2022 May 12, 2021 (Res. 17) July 28, 2021 Yes No No
    2022 – 2023 May 17, 2022 (Res. 8) July 28, 2022 Yes Yes2 No
    2023 – 2024 May 16, 2023 (Res. 4) August 10, 2023 Yes Yes3 No
    2024 – 2025 May 16, 2024 (Res. 4) August 5, 2024 Yes No No
    2025 -2026 May 14, 2025 (Res. 13) July 31, 2025 Yes Yes No

    (1)   Own shares transactions Agreement, signed with Kepler Cheuvreux, from October 27, 2020 to January 29, 2021, to buy Coface’s shares for their cancellation. For more information, the reader should refer to the Universal Registration Document published in 2021 on the 2020 financial statements.
    (2)   Own shares transactions Agreement, signed with BNP Paribas Exane, from September 13, 2022 to November 15, 2022, to buy Coface’s shares for their allocation under the LTIP. For more information, the reader should refer to the Universal Registration Document published in 2023 on the 2022 financial statements.
    (3)   Own shares transactions Agreement, signed with Kepler Cheuvreux, from September 11, 2023 to September 29, 2023, to buy Coface’s shares for their allocation under the LTIP. For more information, the reader should refer to the Universal Registration Document published in 2024 on the 2023 financial statements.

    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.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Families Are Hitting the Road for Summer Travel: How to Maximize Every Travel Dollar

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WILMINGTON, Del. and DETROIT, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With summer in full swing, families are hitting the road for vacations, choosing cars over planes for everything from camping weekends to family reunions. Car travel remains the top choice, but rising prices have prompted more travelers to stretch every dollar, especially when traveling with kids, grandparents or even a pet or two.

    “Planning ahead is key,” said Joe Saul-Sehy, personal finance expert and host of “The Stacking Benjamins Podcast.” “Set a budget that includes everything, not just gas and hotels, but food, entertainment and the unexpected. That’s where families often get caught off guard.”

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    One way travelers are maximizing their money is by using rewards programs that allow them to earn on everyday spending. A new option is the GM Rewards program and GM Rewards Mastercard from Barclays which enables cardmembers to earn and redeem points across GM brands. Points can be applied toward new vehicles, exclusive experiences, accessories, services, and digital features like most OnStar plans and Super Cruise.

    “You’re already spending on things like groceries, gas and travel,” Saul-Sehy said. “A card like this helps turn that spending into something that can actually reduce future costs and can make a real difference.”

    Cardmembers can earn up to 10x points on GM purchases – that’s 7x points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases plus up to 3x points for being a GM Rewards Member.

    GM enhances loyalty program and unveils new GM Rewards™ Mastercard® from Barclays.

    There is no cap on earnings, and new cardmembers can earn 30,000 bonus points after meeting initial spending requirements. For more information, visit experience.gm.com.

    The MIL Network –