NewzIntel.com

Category: United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council welcomes extra £2 million potholes cash as highways improvements ramp up

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The council had already committed to a £9.7 million highways capital programme, including a raft of road repairs across the city.

    Now an extra £2 million has been secured from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) via West Midlands Combined Authority, meaning even more potholes can be filled and surface works carried out.

    As part of council work that was already planned, crews will be in action around the city this spring and summer – including resurfacing Cannock Road at the end of July.

    Other roads to be resurfaced in the coming weeks include: Merridale Road, Wellington Road, Millfields Road, Wood End Road, Lichfield Street, Hall Lane, Wrottesely Road, Ruskin Avenue, Whitgreave Avenue, Prestwood Road and Neachells Lane.

    The full list of roads in line for repairs to date can be seen below. More roads will be added to the programme and people will be kept updated on progress.

    With more than 460 miles of road and over 800 miles of footway to maintain, the City of Wolverhampton Council, like all other authorities in the country, must prioritise where to focus.

    It does this through examining data from condition surveys and road inspections, determining where resurfacing or other surface treatments can make the most difference.

    The programme follows a preventative approach aimed at reducing the need for thousands of pothole repairs the council carries out every year.

    Councillor Qaiser Azeem, Cabinet Member for Transport and Green City at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We know how important keeping our roads in a good condition is to people.

    “That is why we are investing in more highways improvements and people will see even more work taking place across the city over the coming weeks and months.

    “We welcome this additional funding, and we will make sure it’s put to use tackling more potholes on our city’s roads.

    “We take responsibility of maintaining our highways network very seriously and understand how an efficient, safe and smooth flowing highway network for all modes of transport is important for economic productivity and social connection.”

    As well as road resurfacing and pothole repairs the council’s highways capital programme for 2025/26 also includes resurfacing footpaths, car park and streetlighting upgrades, road safety schemes and more.

    This budget includes an additional £500,000 investment from the council as part of its commitment to addressing the issue of potholes.

    People can report potholes in Wolverhampton by visiting Report a pothole
    https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/parking-and-roads/roads/report-pothole here Report a pothole | City Of Wolverhampton Council

    From graffiti, fly posting and flytipping to potholes and faulty streetlights, people can also report issues, details and locations quickly and easily via Love Clean Streets App
    https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/contact-us/love-clean-streets-app Love Clean Streets App | City Of Wolverhampton Council Photographs can also be submitted.

    Planned road resurfacing
    Cannock Road from Stafford Steet to Springfield Road
    Merridale Road from Chapel Ash to Oaks Crescent Park/Graiseley
    Lichfield Street from Bow Street to Mount Pleasant
    A41 Wellington Road from Prouds Lane to Mount Pleasant
    Neachells Lane, including Planetary Road to Wednesfield Way, Wednesfield Way to Alfred Squire Road and Alfred Squire Road to High Street
    Wrottesley Road from Wergs Road to Chilgrove Gardens
    Wood End Road – Roundabout to Amos Lane
    A4039 Millfields Road
    Whitgreave Avenue to the roundabout at Leacroft Avenue
    Ruskin Avenue – Entire length
    Hall Lane from Hurst Road to Robert Wynd
    Prestwood Road from Bushbury Road to Thorneycroft Lane
    Planned surface treatment
    Fairview Road
    Blackhalve Lane from Cannock Road to City boundary
    A449 Penn Road from southbound roundabout Penn Road to the end of the dual carriageway near Lonsdale Road
    Birches Barn Road from Bradmore Road to roundabout Stubbs Road
    Rookery Street from roundabout at Well Lane to Rookery Bridge
    Springhill Lane from Warstones Road to city boundary (Wynne Crescent)
    Bhylls Lane from Langley Road to Castlecroft Road
    B4484 – Pear Tree Lane from roundabout Blackhalve Lane to Cannock Road
    Birchfield Avenue and Nethy Drive
    Cockshutts Lane
    Downing Close
    Bilston Road from Moseley Road to Keyway
    Elston Hall Lane from Short Road to Three Tuns Lane
    Millfields Road from Manor Road to Tarmac Road
    Wellington Road from no.121 to Stowheath Lane East Park
    Moseley Road from Willenhall Road to Waite Road
    A41 Bilston Road from eastbound roundabout Ring Road to Commercial Road
    A459 Dudley Road from Goldthorn Hill to Bromley Street
    A4123 Birmingham Road from Cockshutts Lane to Grove Street
    Darlaston Lane from city boundary to Bilston Road
    Warstones Road from Coalway Road to the roundabout at Stourbridge Road
    Earl Croft Road and Enville Road and back of footway Warstones Drive
    Codsall Road from city boundary to roundabout at Pendeford Avenue
    Kirby Close to King Street 
    B4161 – Henwood Road and Tettenhall Road
    B4163 – Salop Street – Oxford Street – Bank Street
    A41 – Wellington Road to Prouds Lane
    Cumberland Road – Cumberland Road – Prouds Lane and back of footway Central Avenue

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Healthy eating barriers for Essex under-5s revealed

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    A child’s meal tray

    The first-ever study to examine food and nutrition in preschools in Essex has uncovered significant challenges in providing healthy meals to under-5s.

    Led by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and commissioned by Essex County Council Public Health, the Nourishing Our Future (NOF) preschools report identified food costs and managing food preferences – including an increasing reluctance to try new foods – as the two biggest obstacles to healthy eating in the county.

    Essex has extremes of health and wealth within its population of 1.5 million and the 2023-24 National Child Measurement Programme found that 21% of reception-age children (4-5 years old) in Essex are living with obesity or are overweight, underlining the need for targeted local interventions.

    Of Essex’s 298 preschools, 67 took part in the Nourishing Our Future study, which set out to understand the current food environment and identify possible improvements.

    The study involved workshops, an online survey, menu and photo analysis and parent interviews, and is published on the same day that report authors Dr Kay Aaronricks and the NOF team at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), along with Emily Fallon and Susie Threadgold of Essex County Council, are presenting findings to MPs at an event held by the Food Foundation at the House of Commons.

    When it comes to barriers to providing nutritious meals, 59% of preschools in Essex consider the cost of food to be the greatest challenge, with children’s food preferences and allergies the second biggest factor.

    The majority of preschools in the county (57%) only have basic food preparation facilities, such as a microwave, and over two thirds (69%) of children in Essex bring their own food to preschool in the form of parent-provided lunchboxes.

    The study identified that these lunchboxes often contained high levels of processed food and had greater nutritional variability than meals provided by the preschools. It also found many lunchboxes of two to four-year-olds included pouches of baby food.

    In contrast, meals provided by preschools more consistently adhered to nutritional guidelines, featuring higher protein content, more fruits and vegetables, and less processed food.

    One preschool said: “We face a significant challenge with promoting healthy eating to families.  Our children’s lunchboxes consist of a lot of processed, unhealthy foods that are high in sugar and additives.”

    Another said: “Children are sometimes not used to being encouraged to try anything new! This is evident in some lunch boxes, where the contents never vary.”

    One preschool adopts “family mealtimes” to encourage children to try different food. They said: “A lot of children have never eaten the type of food we serve such as soup or pulses and only consume fruit from pouches… It is an increasing challenge to encourage children to try new foods but our family mealtimes where they can watch other children and staff eating and drinking really helps.”

    An analysis of 414 photographs of meals (87% home-packed food and 13% provided by the preschool) studied nutritional content. While starchy carbohydrates were well-aligned with portion size guidelines and fruit and vegetables slightly exceeded the target, dairy provision was slightly below and protein was significantly below guidelines.

    When it comes to promoting healthier lunchboxes, 75% of communication with parents is carried out at drop off or pick up times Preschools also said they would appreciate support on how to better advise and engage parents in healthier food choices.

    The rising cost of food was the single greatest challenge to healthy eating identified by the study. As a recent report by the Food Foundation set out, healthier foods are more than twice as expensive per calorie than less healthy foods. For preschools that provide lunches, delivering high-quality, nutritious meals is becoming increasingly difficult.

    Preschools, along with childminders and day nurseries, are not permitted to charge a compulsory fee for food, meaning the cost is borne by the early years settings themselves or through a voluntary contribution from parents.

    Practitioners consistently highlighted the financial strain, with one preschool noting, “Fresh food is increasing in price all the time; food purchasing in general has risen significantly over the last two years.”

    Trying to provide food on a budget, while also catering to children’s individual food preferences and allergies, adds to the difficulty. One preschool said: “We really try to accommodate food allergies, but more and more children are showing [as] intolerant and [have an] allergy and it is really increasing our spending on food.”

    Policy recommendations set out in the Nourishing Our Future report include a nationally funded early years food scheme to support both preschool and parent-provided meals, ensuring affordability and respecting parental choice, establishing public health support for parents on healthy eating, including nutrition advice, and developing targeted programmes to help children build positive relationships around food preferences.

    “Our study involved preschools from across Essex, as well as parents, which is important as parents’ voices are often missing from healthy food policy development.

    “The report shows that although there is a great deal of excellent work being done by preschools across Essex, there is a need for action to improve the nutritional landscape for young children, including improving children’s relationship with food.

    “We would like to see appropriate national funding for preschools to allow them to provide healthy food for all children. However, simply replacing lunchboxes with setting-provided food for one meal a day won’t solve the wider issues for the child or their family, such as what will they eat at the weekend or during the holidays.

    “We must support all families in being able to access affordable, healthy food alongside appropriate nutritional advice, because healthy food should be available to all. Of course, there are much wider societal issues around the prevalence of convenience, ultra processed food and the targeted marketing of foods that are high in fat salt and sugar, and tackling this also needs to be a priority.”

    Dr Kay Aaronricks, Head of the School of Education at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)

    The full report is available here: https://nourishingourfuture.co.uk/2025/05/14/preschool-briefing/

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Extra funding to help take pride in the Capital

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Over the coming year, dedicated teams of cleansing staff from the Council are making their way around the Capital with the aim of sprucing up each neighbourhood and ward.

    The funding being used is almost a million pounds of additional resource allocated in the February 2024 budget to be used this year as well as the same amount each year going forward.   

    The ‘Pride in our City’ project began in March when teams concentrated their efforts around the Leith Walk area (Ward 12) clearing 36 tonnes of dog fouling, litter, dumped items, graffiti, weeds and chewing gum.  

    The Council is using a dedicated website and email address www.edinburgh.gov.uk/cleanstreets and cleanstreets@edinburgh.gov.uk to keep residents up-to-date on when they will be in their area and asking residents to help them prioritise where they think the work most needs to be carried out. Community events are listed on the webpage and how to get involved.  

    Work is now moving to the Leith area (Ward 13) for the next few weeks where the team has its first community event tonight (Wednesday 14 May). This will help the cleansing teams prioritise which streets should be cleaned. They will also carry out inspections of each neighbourhood they work in and use complaint data to help prioritise the streets that most need to be spruced up. 

    Social media is also being used to keep residents up-to-date with progress and signage is being placed in areas where the cleansing teams are working to make local residents and businesses aware. 

    As the teams work in each area around the city, they will also report any other issues they spot, such as pot holes looked after by other Council teams, but which need addressed.  

    Cllr Stephen Jenkinson Environment Convener said:

    I’m really pleased to see this project progressing with the additional funding we allocated last year as it is so important that we all take pride in our city. We’re playing our part as a Council and we’re asking residents in every neighbourhood and ward across Edinburgh to do the same. We are a stunning Capital city popular not only with our residents but also with visitors from across the globe so it’s very important that we all make an effort to do all we can to keep the city looking its best.  

    I’d encourage you to check out our dedicated webpage for updates on when we are coming to your neighbourhood/ward and let us know if there are particular issues in streets in your area such as dog fouling, fly tipping, weeds, graffiti or general littering. If you live, work or study in the Leith area and are aware of streets causing issues which need to be cleaned, I’d also encourage you to go along tonight and tell the team or email them using the dedicated email address. 

    Also for residents and visitors to Edinburgh please make sure you play your part helping us to keep our beautiful Capital city clean by binning your litter responsibly when out and about. For our residents please recycle where possible and book a special uplift appointment for bulker items if you are unable to book a slot at one of our Household and Waste Recycling Centres for appropriate disposal.

    Further information 

    Videos being shared on social media of street cleansing and graffiti removal. 

    Community event – Wednesday 14 May 2025, 3pm to 6pm

    Ward 13 Leith community workshop
    Thomas Morton Hall, Leith Theatre
    28-30 Ferry Road
    Edinburgh, EH6 4AE

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Leader response: Government announces major civil servant move away from Whitehall

    Source: City of Manchester

    Council Leader Bev Craig reacts to the announcement that thousands more civil servants will be moved to UK regions – including a major Digital and AI innovation campus in Manchester. 

    Bev said:

    “The new Manchester Digital Campus will be transformational to our city. We have been working closely with this Government to bring forward this flagship digital campus to Ancoats that will bring 7,000 quality jobs to Manchester, building on the success of the growing Government digital and AI cluster already in the city and turbocharge our plans for economic growth in digital, AI and cyber sectors.

    “This is great news from the Cabinet Office delivering on their ambition to connect Whitehall with local communities outside of London. Locating Government jobs in Manchester is a boost for our residents, and also helps national government deliver better services, tapping into our growing and talented workforce and helping get stuck in with real life issues that can improve services, lead to better Government and improve lives.

    “Over the last decade Manchester has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and one of fastest growing tech and digital ecosystems in the UK. The new digital and AI campus will accelerate that and attract more businesses to the UK to help grow the economy.  We are excited to work in partnership with National Government to deliver this transformational change.”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to media reports that a ‘reset’ with the EU could require the precision breeding act to be dropped from UK legislation

    Source: United Kingdom – Science Media Centre

    Scientists comment on reports of an EU ‘reset’ which could mean the precision breeding act is dropped from UK legislation. 

    Dr Penny Hundleby, Senior Scientist at the John Innes Centre, said:

    “As a scientist with over thirty years in genetic technologies, I’ve seen how innovation can transform agriculture. The UK now has a rare opportunity to lead globally in precision breeding — with the legislation passed and the science ready.

    “To delay this progress in order to align with slower EU processes would undermine our ability to deliver resilient, sustainable crops at a time when food security and climate resilience are more urgent than ever. We risk forfeiting a clear post-Brexit advantage grounded in science, safety, and evidence.”

    Prof Huw Jones, Chair in Translational Genomics for Plant Breeding, Aberystwyth University, said:

    “Closer ties with the EU are a good thing but let’s not lose the logical regulatory progress we have made this side of the Channel. Simple gene editing is a speedier and more reliable breeding method to develop the crops we need in a changing world. It’s illogical to regulate these crops as GMOs and it is the EU that has been slow to follow the broad consensus on this. If there are no foreign genes, and the changes could have been generated by conventional breeding, they need regulation – but not as GMOs.”

     

    Prof Neil Hall, Director of the Earlham Institute, said:

    “Given the pressures on global food security, driven by climate change, the growing population and new diseases, it’s important that we harness all of the technical innovations at our disposal to ensure the sustainability of our agricultural systems. 

    “Over the past three years, including these last few months, Parliament has demonstrated important and legitimate leadership by passing the primary and secondary legislation to enable precision breeding in plants. It’s time to enable science research to help farmers adapt to our changing world.”

     

    Prof Jonathan Jones FRS, Group Leader at The Sainsbury Laboratory, said:

    “The Precision Breeding Act (PBA) provides an opportunity to protect our crops from pests and disease with biology rather than chemistry, and also enables new routes to more nutritious food, and I applaud this government and its predecessor for taking the legislation through to final approval and implementation.  It is to my mind the sole Brexit dividend. 

    “However, it takes a long time between producing an improved plant in a lab and creating and obtaining approval for a variety that farmers can plant.  I think it’s highly likely that by the time any precision bred varieties in the UK are ready to plant (likely at least 5 years from now) the EU will have approved its own version of the PBA.

    “So, the government should stick to its guns on the PBA but quietly point out to the EU that, although there are no scientifically credible safety concerns with using these methods, the timelines in this industry are such that it will be a long time before any products are authorized in the UK and thus before any potential problems might arise.”

     

    Prof Sarah Gurr, Chair in Food Security at Exeter University, said:

    “It is sad to realise that whilst we  embraced the need for GM vaccines during the recent COVID epidemic and we seem reticent to embrace gene edited crops. The need for climate proofed and disease resilient gene edited crops is paramount in our quest for sustainable agriculture.”

     

     

     

    https://www.thetimes.com/article/08fe3606-e6ab-4a66-bb31-017165028f08

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14710677/Concessions-Starmer-Brexit-reset-EU-demands-UK-abandons-GM-crops.html

     

     

     

    Declared interests

    Jonathan Jones “is a senior investigator at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, and uses molecular and genetic approaches to study disease resistance in plants. Jones co-founded Norfolk Plant Sciences in 2007 with Prof Cathie Martin of JIC, with the goal of bringing flavonoid-enriched tomatoes to market (www.norfolkplantsciences.com). Jones is on the board of www.isaaa.org, the science advisory board of the 2Blades foundation (www.2blades.org) and the board of NIAB Cambridge University Farm. Jones has isolated and is deploying new resistance genes against potato late blight from wild relatives of potato, and conducting field trials to evaluate how well they work to protect the crop in the field and to generate improved varieties of potato (see http://www.tsl.ac.uk/news/blight-resistant-maris-piper/). See also http://www.tsl.ac.uk/groups/jones-group/.”

    Penny Hundleby “is part of the Crop Transformation Group at the John Innes Centre and using genetic technologies to better understand the role of plant genes. The group provides gene editing resources to the UK and international research community and have been working with gene editing technologies in crops since 2014.”

    Huw Jones: “I am speaking as a researcher at Aberystwyth University and not representing other organisations that I am affiliated with.  I am a member of the FSA ACNFP and Defra ACRE. My declarations of interest are listed on the websites of those Depts.”

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury appointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    New Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury appointed

    Jim O’Neil has been appointed as a new Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury.

    Jim brings a wealth of experience from investment banking and corporate finance to the Treasury, after a long career at Bank of America. He also has experience in the public sector, spending three years at UK Financial Investments. As Chief Executive of UKFI, he managed the government’s holdings in Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, and UK Asset Resolution. 

    His appointment is part of the government’s plan to deliver its number one mission to kickstart economic growth as part of the Plan for Change, and follows the Chancellor’s commitment to lead the most pro-growth Treasury in the country’s history.

    Jim’s experience will help the government to secure private investment, boost the economy, and ultimately put more pounds in people’s pockets. His deep knowledge of the private sector will help the government to rip out the barriers to growth, provide support for the key industries at home, and work to secure open and fair trade abroad.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

    I’m very pleased to welcome Jim as our new Second Permanent Secretary, his extensive knowledge of the private sector will be vital in helping us deliver our number one mission to grow the economy. It’s fantastic to have him join the Treasury’s top team.

    Jim O’Neil said:

    I am delighted to have been appointed Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury at this important time for our country and our economy. We are living through a time of great change globally, making the need for an economy of stability, resilience, and growth all the more important. I look forward to working with the Chancellor, her ministers, and officials across the department to deliver on these missions so the Treasury can bring positive change to the lives of people right across the country.

    Jim is expected to start in his new position in July and will work alongside the two other Second Permanent Secretaries in HM Treasury, Beth Russell who is based at the Darlington Economic Campus and Sam Beckett who is also Chief Economic Adviser. As well as overseeing tax and spending, Beth will continue to be responsible for devolution and regional growth including engagement with regional and local government and others in the north. 

    Jim was appointed through a fair and open competition and has completed all of the necessary declarations of interest.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Celebrating one year of fostering for East Midlands Councils

    Source: City of Derby

    As the UK marks Foster Care Fortnight this May, Foster for East Midlands Councils is celebrating the milestone of a successful first 12 months of foster carer recruitment across the region.

    Formed in April 2024, Foster for East Midlands is a collaborative initiative between Derby City, Derbyshire, Nottingham City, and Nottinghamshire Councils, funded by the Department for Education. United under one name, the councils are working together to find loving, local foster homes for children in their communities.

    This regional approach brings together years of experience, good practice, and shared values. Instead of competing to recruit the same foster carers, the councils now work together making it quicker and easier for prospective foster carers to begin their journey.

    Among the new carers are Sharnie and Zak, who live with their young daughter. Inspired to foster through Foster for East Midlands Councils, they are now encouraging others to explore this life-changing path.

    Foster carer Sharnie said:

    We chose to foster through Foster for East Midlands Councils because we knew it would connect us to a supportive network within our local community. Foster carers play a vital role in helping councils provide the best care for children, and it’s comforting to know we’re part of a system that genuinely prioritises their wellbeing. The ongoing support and resources we’ve received from our local council have been invaluable—whether it’s training, guidance, or just someone to talk to when we need it.

    The moment we were approved to foster was incredible. We were excited but also nervous at first, and everyone we’ve met has been so kind and helpful. We’ve never felt alone in this journey. It’s truly rewarding to know we’re making a positive impact on children’s lives right here in our own area.

    Over the past year, Foster for East Midlands Councils has also implemented the Mockingbird programme—a global award-winning model that creates extended families of foster carers for mutual support. Led by The Fostering Network, Mockingbird nurtures relationships between children, carers, and support networks, promoting resilience and long-term stability. Following its success, two new constellations will launch this year in Nottinghamshire and Derby City, extending support to even more carers.

    Highlights from the first year of Foster for East Midlands Councils (April 2024 – March 2025) are:

    • 1,204 enquiries received
    • 420 converted into initial applications
    • 215 initial home visits completed
    • 110 households submitted a full application
    • 19 households approved following panel taking the total across the two counties to 58 over the year
    • 4 successful Mockingbird constellations

    Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Lead Council’s Cabinet Member for Foster East Midlands said:

    The launch of Foster for East Midlands Councils is a big step forward in how we find and support foster carers in our region. By working together, we’ve created a more joined-up, user-friendly service for anyone thinking about fostering. This teamwork helps us break down barriers and make the process simpler, more consistent, and better suited to the needs of carers and the children we look after.

    At the heart of this partnership is a shared goal: to build a strong, supportive system that helps more children stay close to home—near their schools, friends, and the communities they know. We understand how important a stable, loving home is for a child’s future, and with this new approach, we’re determined to offer that chance to even more young people across the East Midlands.

    Janet Daby, Minister for Children and Families said:

    As a former fostering social work registered manager, I’ve had the privilege of seeing so many children flourish thanks to foster care. It’s fantastic to see the success of Foster for East Midlands Councils, enabling more children in the region to grow up in safe, loving homes. 

    As part of our Plan for Change, we want to encourage more people to transform a child’s life chances through fostering, which is why we’re investing £40 million across the country to increase the number of foster homes and strengthen support for families.

    Foster for East Midlands Councils welcomes people from all backgrounds, what matters most is your dedication and your desire to support children who need a safe and loving home.

    If you’re considering fostering find out more visit Foster for East Midlands web page, call 03033 132 950 or email hello@fosterforeastmidlands.org.uk

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Gaza: Minister for the Middle East statement, 14 May 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Oral statement to Parliament

    Gaza: Minister for the Middle East statement, 14 May 2025

    Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer made a statement to the House of Commons on Gaza.

    Mr Speaker,

    Yesterday, alongside partners, the UK convened a meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the intolerable civilian suffering and humanitarian need in Gaza.

    As I told this House yesterday, Israel’s denial of aid is appalling. 

    Tonnes of food are currently sitting rotting at the Gaza/Israel border, blocked from reaching people who are starving.

    Israeli Ministers have said Israel’s decision to block this aid is a “pressure lever”.

    This is cruel and it is indefensible.

    Overnight yet more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes.

    This must end.

    The message yesterday was clear.

    The world wants Israel to stop and change course immediately.

    With our allies we are telling the Government of Israel:  lift the block on aid entering Gaza now. Enable the UN and all humanitarians to save lives, now. We need an immediate ceasefire, now.

    Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool or military tactic. And the UK will not support any aid mechanism that seeks to deliver political or military objectives or puts vulnerable civilians at risk.

    The International Court of Justice case on genocide is ongoing.

     Mr Speaker,

    We support the ICJ. We support its independence.

    The ICJ issued a set of provisional measures in this case and we support those measures.

    Israel has an obligation to implement them.

    It is the UK government’s long-standing position that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies.

    The UK is fully committed to upholding our responsibilities under domestic and international law.

    And we have at all times acted in a manner consistent with our legal obligations, including under the Genocide Convention.

    The devastation from this conflict must end.

    Our complete focus is on lifting Israeli restrictions on aid,

    On freeing the hostages held by Hamas,

    On protecting civilians,

    And on restoring the ceasefire.

    We will work urgently with our allies and partners on further pressure to make Israel change course.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

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  • MIL-OSI: Powerdyne International Inc. Announces A letter to the Shareholders update

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    North Reading, MA, May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Powerdyne International, Inc. (Ticker: PWDY) (“Powerdyne” and / or the “Company”) announces A Letter to the Shareholders Update.

    Dear Shareholders,

    We would like to thank all our shareholders for their patience and perseverance as Powerdyne International, Inc. (the “Company”, “Powerdyne”, “us”, “we”) continues to grow and evolve.

    In the coming year, Powerdyne will continue our focus on two key objectives: up-listing PDI to OTCQB and expanding the company through internal growth, acquisitions, or mergers.

    With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the initiative to repatriate manufacturing to the United States, CM Tech anticipates a heightened demand for its custom-designed motors. Although CM Tech does not currently supply the AI market directly, it provides motors for semiconductor equipment manufacturers who produce automated machinery for fabricating silicon wafers used in microprocessor chips. These chips are integral to AI, smart televisions, mobile phones, computers, and almost all smart devices. The AI chip market is projected to exceed $90 billion by the end of 2025 and to grow beyond $100 billion in 2026 and subsequent years.

    Regarding CM Technology, we have been engaged by a prominent international corporation headquartered in the United States to collaborate on the custom design of a motor for their new product line. We have reviewed the design specifications, submitted preliminary designs along with price quotes, and are currently awaiting their feedback. We will keep you informed as further developments occur.

    In January, we also engaged a highly experienced outside sales representative to enhance our business by expanding our current customer base and exploring new opportunities in other motor industries, such as medical devices, unmanned vehicles (UAVs), and other potential applications.

    As mentioned in the October shareholder update, our goal of acquiring motor companies was to expand CM Tech’s market exposure to new sectors. We are also focused on growing our business through increased sales, which can be more cost-effective and less risk adverse. We will add critical staff to support exponential growth and eliminate redundant staffing to enhance profitability and increase shareholder value.

    At the end of December, discussions resumed with a company regarding a potential acquisition. In late January, an NDA and a Letter of Intent to Purchase were signed. After reviewing their financials, it was determined that the company’s profits did not justify the asking price. As a result, the Letter of Intent to Purchase was rescinded. Another non-disclosure agreement has since been signed with a new motor company, which is currently preparing their financials to meet the auditor’s requirements. Powerdyne will conduct a thorough due diligence to ensure any acquisition makes financial sense. With pre-approved funding still available, other potential acquisitions will continue to be explored. 

    We plan to present continued updates to the overall strategic plans for Powerdyne as we advance through 2025 and beyond. Our success hinges on sustaining conservative growth, managing costs effectively, and identifying additional companies that align with Powerdyne’s business model.  Our objective remains the same to deliver maximum value and return on investment for our loyal shareholders through ongoing growth and profitability.

    Yours sincerely,

    Jim O’Rourke

    Chief Executive Officer

    Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

    The use of the word “Company” or “Powerdyne” refers to Powerdyne International, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Certain statements in this press release contain or may suggest “forward-looking” information (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that involves risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different from expectations. Statements contained herein that look forward in time that include everything other than historical information, involve risk and uncertainties that may affect the Company’s actual results, including statements relating to future investments, deployment of capital, growth, and creation of long-term stockholder value. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,’ “expects”, “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” and similar statements. Powerdyne may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. Current Reports on Form 8-K, in its annual report to stockholders, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by the Company, including but not limited to, plans and objectives of management for future operations or products, the market acceptance or future success of our products and our financial performance. The Company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors including but not limited to, those set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 (available at http://www.sec.gov). Powerdyne undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    About Powerdyne International, Inc.

    Powerdyne International, Inc. (www.Powerdyneinternational.com)  now consists of two wholly owned subsidiaries CM Technology LLC and Frame One LLC. CM Technology is a New England-based motor manufacturer which has been in business for over 19 years. CM Technology specializes in the design and custom building of industrial servomotors both brush and brushless motor designs. CM Tech’s current market focus is on the niche motor demands for low volume, high-quality cost-effective motors which are primarily used in industrial robotics for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. robots.

    Frame One LLC is a custom picture framing shop located in North Reading, MA. Frame One has been in business since 2006 and brings with it a strong client base consisting of local schools, colleges, artist guilds, artists, interior decorators/designers, museums, photographers, art galleries and theaters.

    For more information on Powerdyne go to:  www.Powerdyneinternational.com

    Contact:
    Powerdyne International, Inc.
    info@powerdyneinternational.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: DfE Update: 14 May 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Correspondence

    DfE Update: 14 May 2025

    Latest information and actions from the Department for Education about funding, assurance and resource management, for academies, local authorities and further education providers.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    DfE Update academies: 14 May 2025

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    DfE Update local authorities: 14 May 2025

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    Details

    Latest for further education

    No edition.

    Latest information for academies

    Article Title
    Webinar Academy finance professionals May power hour – HMRC
    Webinar Q&A drop-in sessions: Academies chart of accounts and automation
    Webinar DfE Energy for schools: simplified buying of gas and electricity
    Webinar Buying ICT for your school
    Webinar The Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) webinar

    Latest information for local authorities

    Article Title
    Reminder Submit your section 151 (S151) officer assurance return and schools financial value standard (SFVS) assurance statement for 2024 to 2025
    Webinar DfE Energy for schools: simplified buying of gas and electricity
    Webinar Buying ICT for your school
    Webinar The Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) webinar

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Have your say to Keep Manadon Moving

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Residents, businesses, schools and community groups are being asked for their views on the future of Manadon Roundabout.

    The scheme, which is being funded in the most part by the Department of Transport, was given the green light earlier this year.

    Plans revealed today show a new initial design, with extra capacity on the entrances to the roundabout, as well as new bus priority and improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.

    In person information events will take place:
    Wednesday 21 May, 5.30pm to 7pm, Manadon Sports Hub
    Wednesday 4 June, 5.30pm to 7pm, Manadon Sports Hub
    Friday 20 June, 4.30pm to 6pm, Manadon Sports Hub
    Saturday 21 June, 10.30am to 12.30pm, Central Library

    The transformation of under-used green space off Treveneague Gardens into a new park with footpaths, biodiversity enhancements and recreational space for local residents is also in the plans.

    A six-week engagement exercise called ‘Keep Manadon Moving’ will allow residents to have their say on the plans through a number of channels and help shape the final design of the scheme.

    Manadon Roundabout is at the heart of Plymouth’s transport network. It connects people to their jobs, families, schools and the hospital. It’s also a key gateway to the A38, Tavistock Road and the city centre, linking our community with Devon, Cornwall and the wider UK.

    We’ve all been there; experienced long queues at peak times, unpredictable delays, safety risks and unreliable travel. It has to change, not just for us now, but for the future as Plymouth grows.

    If we do nothing, congestion will worsen as the city continues to grow, queues will extend dangerously onto the A38, and access to key places like Derriford Hospital, Plymouth Argyle matches and the dockyard will be harder than ever.

    Here’s what’s being proposed to fix it:

    • A38 eastbound off-slip widening – expanding to four lanes, increasing capacity and easing traffic entering Manadon Roundabout
    • A38 westbound off-slip widening – creating an extra lane to increase capacity and improve safety
    • A386 Tavistock Road northbound improvements – a new traffic lane heading north, removing the existing merge to improve flow
    • A386 Tavistock Road southbound improvements – a new lane to reduce bottlenecks onto the roundabout and a
    • New signalised junction at Southwell Road to improve access
    • A386 Outland Road improvements – an additional lane on the approach to the roundabout to increase capacity
    • Mannamead Road – New bus priority lane northbound
    • New cycle bridge across the A38 at Manadon – connecting north and south
    • Replacement of the existing pedestrian bridge over the A386 Tavistock Road – Making it fully accessible for all users
    • Improved footbridge over the A38 to the west of Manadon
    • New pedestrian crossing at Southwell Road – safer access for residents
    • New woodland pathways – linking green spaces with the road network.

    Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “We must improve Manadon, not just for reliability and efficiency today, but also for the future and we’re determined to get it right.

    “At the basis of this will be robust and meaningful engagement across a number of channels, not just with residents, but across a broad demographic of business and organisations.

    “So please, look at the plans, fill in the forms, have your say. We have been very clear that resident feedback can shape the final design of this scheme and that’s why your impact is crucial.”

    With improvements to bus reliability among the aims for the scheme, Richard Stevens, Managing Director of Plymouth City Bus, said: “We welcome improvements to the Manadon Interchange and are fully onboard with the ethos and vision behind the scheme.

    “I’d encourage all bus users to get involved with the engagement process and ensure that their views on the initial design of the scheme are heard.”

    Have your say on the bid to Keep Manadon Moving at: https://keepmanadonmoving.commonplace.is

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cycle Saturday event at Les Quennevais14 May 2025 Islanders are invited to come along to a free cycling event this Saturday at Les Quennevais Cycle Track, 11am to 4pm. A range of activities will be on offer for all ages and abilities, whether a regular… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    14 May 2025

    Islanders are invited to come along to a free cycling event this Saturday at Les Quennevais Cycle Track, 11am to 4pm. 

    A range of activities will be on offer for all ages and abilities, whether a regular cycle commuter or learning to ride for the first time: 

    • Try-a-bike: test ride cycles including adapted cycles, cargo cycles, e-bikes and pedal bikes with Powerhouse, Bicycle Workshop and Cycle Without Limits 
    • Learn to ride: join a session with Jersey Sport, open to all ages 
    • Guided cycle rides: to Corbière or St Peter’s Village and return 
    • Cycle clinic: get your cycle safety checked for free by a qualified mechanic 
    • Talk to representatives: from Better Journeys Week and States of Jersey Police 
    • Get a free heart health check: with the cardiology nursing team.

    The event is being hosted by I&E’s Climate Change Engagement team with Jersey Sport and local cycle shops also taking part. 

    More information about the event, including timings of activities can be found on gov.je: Cycle Saturday.​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New alert system flags up if patient needs urgent care14 May 2025 ​Islanders are now able to access potentially life-saving heart treatment more quickly thanks to a new initiative that flags up if they need rapid care. ​And the pioneering work, which is being conducted… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    14 May 2025

    ​Islanders are now able to access potentially life-saving heart treatment more quickly thanks to a new initiative that flags up if they need rapid care. 

    ​And the pioneering work, which is being conducted by the Jersey Heart Team, is feeding into a national project which will shape how heart failure is treated worldwide in the future.

    The new initiative – one of a number of projects in the Jersey Fighting Failure (JeFF) programme –​ ​​involves a simple blood test and a new, automatic alert system. 

    ​​If a clinician believes a patient may be at risk of heart failure, they can order a blood test to see if the person has a high level of a particular protein – B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). An extremely high level of BNP is associated with heart failure. 

    ​Under the new initiative, the Jersey Heart Team is automatically alerted if a patient in the community or in the Hospital has an extremely high level of BNP. Previously, the lab would send the results back to the GP or medic who ordered the test, and they would then need to refer the patient to the heart team. 

    If a patient’s BNP level is found to be extremely high, they are invited for an Echocardiogram – a cardiac ultrasound – and a review of their case. Under the new scheme they are seen within 48 hours if they are in the community, or 24 hours, if they are an inpatient. 

    ​​Due to this intervention, patients are able to access vital treatment much sooner – with most patients being prescribed medication immediately after their scan. 

    ​​Gualberto Jardim is one of the patients who has already benefitted from the new alert system. Thanks to his rapid treatment he has been able to return to work as a plasterer.

    “I’m very lucky,” he said. “I had very dangerous heart failure but because I was prescribed some specific heart medication my dangerous condition improved rapidly to almost normal health.” 

    Patients are tracked by the heart team to see if an early intervention helps with their longer-term medical outcomes. The information collected by the team will be analysed and then shared as part of the quality improvement projects under the British Society of Heart Failure’s “25 in 25” initiative – which seeks to reduce heart failure deaths by 25% in 25 years. 

    ​Meanwhile, the blood sample process will be streamlined even further as a new piece of kit – which can test someone’s blood for BNP in minutes from a finger prick – will arrive in the Island shortly. The machine means that some blood tests will be undertaken in the community rather than requiring a blood sample to be sent to the Hospital’s pathology lab for analysis. 

    The news of the alert system comes a year after it was announced that Jersey had been selected to take part in the “25 in 25” scheme. 

    Dr Brian Wang, Clinical Fellow in Cardiology, said: “It’s incredibly exciting to be involved in the “25 in 25” initiative and amazing to see firsthand how patients are already benefitting by being treated more quickly if elevated levels of BNP are detected in their blood. The projects that we’re doing on the Island not only benefits Jersey patients but also help to shape how heart failure will be treated globally in the future.” 

    The Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Tom Binet, added: “This is another piece of great news from the Jersey Heart Team. The team is not only helping to save lives, but they are undertaking important research into heart failure. Investing in preventative health care through initiatives such as early screening or changes in lifestyle will help reduce the need for hospitalisations or emergency care. This results in better outcomes for patients and will also help to bring down the costs of running the Island’s health system.”​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: £10 million regeneration scheme set to breathe new life into St James Street

    Source: City of Derby

    A bold £10 million regeneration project has been unveiled, breathing new life into the heart of Derby city centre.

    Developer St James Street (Derby) Ltd, working in partnership with Derby City Council, has launched ambitious plans to restore, regenerate and revitalise more than a dozen properties on St James Street, one of the city’s most historically significant but underused areas.

    The developer acquired the properties from Clowes Developments in summer 2024, supported by Derby City Council and the Government’s Future High Streets Fund (FHSF).

    The properties comprise a mix of long-term vacant ground floor shops and extensive redundant upper floor spaces.

    Marc and Rebecca Brough, owners of the development company, recently acquired Allestree Hall from Derby City Council and are also founders of Cubo, the UK’s fastest growing high-end flex office company.

    St James Street has long been considered an ‘at risk’ street, with vacancy rates consistently exceeding 50%. However, with the opening of the city’s brand-new live entertainment venue, Vaillant Live, and the restored Derby Market Hall, the street is set to gain enhanced visibility and footfall.

    Beginning with the transformation of The Tramshed, a disused historic warehouse space, into Grade A office space, the scheme aims to completely overhaul ground-floor retail units and repurpose extensive, unused upper floors.

    A planning application is now ready to be submitted to create 29 apartments on the upper floors of the properties, stretching from The Strand to the end of St James Street, as well as new shopfronts on the vacant ground floor units.

    Future phases include plans to rejuvenate St James’s Yard and reinstate the pedestrian link from Sadler Gate through to St James Street.

    Rigby & Co acted on behalf of St James Street (Derby) Ltd to acquire the site from Clowes Developments.

    Commenting on the launch of the scheme, Marc Brough said:

    We opened the first Cubo flexible office space at the corner of St James Street in 2020 and it has saddened me to see how this once-thriving street has become so run down and neglected since then.

    As a company we are committed to breathing new life into these buildings – bringing long term vacant buildings back into economic use, driving higher footfall and vibrancy and creating a vibrant environment that will benefit businesses, residents and visitors.

    We could not have embarked on this journey without the unwavering support from Derby City Council and their extended team and partners who have played a key role in helping bring our vision to life through the Future High Streets Fund.

    Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Strategy and Policy, welcomed the news:

    We were thrilled to partner with St James Street (Derby) Ltd on this project to revitalise this key area of our city centre. The team have made rapid progress and we’re looking forward to seeing the first phase of the scheme come to life.

     Working closely with our partners, we’ve been able to make great progress in revitalising areas of our city centre. St James Street is a prime example of how, by collaborating with private sector partners, we can bring our vision for a vibrant city centre to life.

    Commercial property and regeneration specialists Rigby & Co acted for St James Street (Derby) Ltd in acquiring the properties from Clowes Developments.

    Russell Rigby, managing director of Rigby & Co added:

    This is a massive shot in the arm for Derby city centre – the scheme needs vision, pace, experience and a ‘can-do’ attitude to overcome a number of barriers which have previously held this street back from releasing its full potential.

    This ambitious scheme not only signals a new chapter for St James Street, but it also reinforces Derby’s commitment to transforming Derby city centre through innovation and partnership working.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Boralex reports net earnings of $41 million for the first quarter of 2025 and the start of production at the Limekiln wind farm, its first operational project in the United Kingdom

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MONTREAL, May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Boralex Inc. (“Boralex” or the “Corporation”) (TSX: BLX) is pleased to report its results for the first quarter of 2025.

    Highlights

    Financial results

    • Lower EBITDA(A)1, operating income and net earnings in Q1-2025
      • Production down 4% (1% on a Combined1 basis)2 from Q1-2024 and 10% (11%) below anticipated production1. Good weather conditions in Canada partially offset less favourable conditions in France.
      • EBITDA(A) of $176 million ($199 million) in Q1-2025, down $19 million ($19 million) from Q1-2024, mainly attributable to lower production and short-term power purchase agreements prices that were more favourable in Q1-2024, in France.
      • Operating income of $65 million ($99 million) in Q1-2025, down $41 million ($35 million) from Q1-2024.
      • Net earnings of $41 million in Q1-2025, down $32 million from Q1-2024.
    • Lower cash flow related to operating activities for the quarter but consistently strong balance sheet
      • Net cash flows related to operating activities of $172 million for Q1-2025 compared to $230 million for Q1-2024.
      • Discretionary cash flows1 of $74 million for Q1-2025, down $4 million from Q1-2024.
      • $388 million in cash and cash equivalents and $504 million in available cash resources and authorized financing1 as at March 31, 2025.
      • Extension of the term of the revolving credit facility to 2030 in April 2025, along with an increase in the letter-of-credit facility guaranteed by Export Development Canada from $350 million to $470 million in April.

    Update on development and construction activities

    • Start of production at the 106 MW Limekiln wind farm in Scotland
    • Progress in under-construction and ready-to-build projects in spite of supply chain and construction costs challenges
      • Ongoing construction at the Apuiat wind project in Québec (total 200 MW, Boralex’s share 100 MW), with commissioning scheduled for summer 2025.
      • Construction of the Hagersville (300 MW) and Tilbury (80 MW) storage projects in Ontario progressing on schedule, with commissioning planned for the fourth quarter of 2025.
      • Ongoing work on the Des Neiges Sud wind project in Québec (total 400 MW, Boralex’s share 133 MW), with phased commissioning scheduled for in late 2026/early 2027.
    • 129 MW added to early-stage project pipeline

    “Boralex has had a good start to 2025 with the commissioning of Limekiln, our first wind farm in Scotland, which is a major step toward achieving our growth objectives in the United Kingdom, a market with strong development potential. I am very grateful to our teams, whose dedication continue to ensure the company’s growth in our strategic markets. In a context of increasingly volatile resources, the geographic and technological diversification of our operations makes us more resilient,” said Patrick Decostre, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boralex.

    “During the quarter, our wind assets in Canada delivered a strong performance, partially offsetting lower contributions from wind farms in France, which were adversely affected by less favourable wind conditions and the impact of lower contribution from short term contracts. Our teams remain fully focused on improving the operating performance of our assets, pursuing with our cost optimization initiatives and strengthening our selling price optimization strategy. In the coming quarters, Boralex is planning to bid on multiple projects under the calls for tender to be issued this year in each of our target markets. We look forward to sharing news on our 2025-2030 strategic plan at our Investor Day, which will be held on June 17 in Toronto,” Mr. Decostre added.

    ______________________________________________
    1 EBITDA(A) is a total of segment measures. Anticipated production is an additional financial measure. “Combined,” “discretionary cash flows” and “available cash resources and authorized financing” are non-GAAP financial measures and do not have a standardized definition under IFRS. Consequently, these measures may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. For more details, see the Non-IFRS financial measures and other financial measures section of this press release.
    2 Figures in brackets indicate results on a Combined basis as opposed to a Consolidated basis.

    1st quarter highlights

    Three-month periods ended March 31

        Consolidated   Combined  
    (in millions of Canadian dollars, unless otherwise specified) (unaudited)   2025   2024   Change   2025   2024   Change  
                $   %           $   %  
    Power production (GWh)(1)   1,691   1,767   (76 ) (4 ) 2,334   2,355   (21 ) (1 )
    Revenues from energy sales and                                  
    feed-in premium   226   259   (33 ) (13 ) 267   291   (24 ) (8 )
    Operating income   65   106   (41 ) (39 ) 99   134   (35 ) (26 )
    EBITDA(A)   176   195   (19 ) (10 ) 199   218   (19 ) (9 )
    Net earnings   41   73   (32 ) (44 ) 41   73   (32 ) (44 )
    Net earnings attributable to                                  
    shareholders of Boralex   30   55   (25 ) (46 ) 30   55   (25 ) (46 )
    Per share – basic and diluted   $0.29   $0.53   ($0.24 ) (46 ) $0.29   $0.53   ($0.24 ) (46 )
    Net cash flows related to operating                                  
    activities   172   230   (58 ) (25 ) —   —   —   —  
    Cash flows from operations(2)   135   157   (22 ) (14 ) —   —   —   —  
    Discretionary cash flows   74   78   (4 ) (5 ) —   —   —   —  
    (1) Power production includes the production for which Boralex received financial compensation following power generation limitations as management uses this measure to evaluate the Corporation’s performance. This adjustment facilitates the correlation between power production and revenues from energy sales and feed- in premium.
    (2) The cash flows from operations is a non-GAAP financial measure and does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. Accordingly, it may not be comparable to similarly named measures used by other companies. For more details, see the Non-IFRS and other financial measures section of this press release.

    In the first quarter of 2025, Boralex produced 1,691 GWh (2,334 GWh) of electricity, 4% (1%) less than the 1,767 GWh (2,355 GWh) produced in the same quarter of 2024. The decrease was attributable mainly to unfavourable wind conditions in France and to a lesser degree to hydropower in the United States. Boralex ended the quarter with production that was 10% (11%) below anticipated production.

    Revenues from energy sales and feed-in premiums for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, amounted to $226 million ($267 million), 13% (8%) lower than in the first quarter of 2024. The decrease was mainly attributable to the lower production and price impact in France, where Boralex had benefited from higher prices in the previous year. EBITDA(A) amounted to
    $176 million ($199 million), down 10% (9%) from the first quarter of 2024. The lower prices in France were partly offset by a decrease in the inframarginal rent contribution, which no longer applies in 2025. Operating income totalled $65 million ($99 million), compared to $106 million ($134 million) for the same quarter of 2024. Boralex posted net earnings of $41 million, down $32 million from $73 million in the same quarter of 2024.

    Outlook

    Boralex’s 2025 Strategic Plan is built around the same four strategic directions as the plan launched in 2019 – growth, diversification, customers and optimization – and six corporate targets. The details of the plan, which also sets out Boralex’s corporate social responsibility strategy, are found in the Corporation’s annual report. Highlights of the main achievements of fiscal 2024 in relation to the 2025 Strategic Plan can be found in the 2024 Annual Report, which is available in the Investors section of the Boralex website.

    In the coming quarters, Boralex will continue to work on its various initiatives under the strategic plan, including project development, analysis of acquisition targets and optimization of power sales and operating costs.

    Finally, to fuel its organic growth, the Corporation has a pipeline of projects at various stages of development defined on the basis of clearly identified criteria, totalling 8 GW of wind, solar and energy storage projects.

    Dividend declaration

    The Company’s Board of Directors has authorized and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.1650 per common share. This dividend will be paid on June 16, 2025, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 30, 2025. Boralex designates this dividend as an “eligible dividend” pursuant to paragraph 89 (14) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and all provincial legislation applicable to eligible dividends.

    About Boralex

    At Boralex, we have been providing affordable renewable energy accessible to everyone for over 30 years. As a leader in the Canadian market and France’s largest independent producer of onshore wind power, we also have facilities in the United States and development projects in the United Kingdom. Over the past five years, our installed capacity has increased by more than 50% to over 3.2 GW. We are developing a portfolio of projects in development and construction of more than 8 GW in wind, solar and storage projects, guided by our values and our corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. Through profitable and sustainable growth, Boralex is actively participating in the fight against global warming. Thanks to our fearlessness, our discipline, our expertise and our diversity, we continue to be an industry leader. Boralex’s shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLX.

    For more information, visit www.boralex.com or www.sedarplus.ca. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

    Non-IFRS measures

    Performance measures

    In order to assess the performance of its assets and reporting segments, Boralex uses various performance measures. Management believes that these measures are widely accepted financial indicators used by investors to assess the operational performance of a company and its ability to generate cash through operations. The non-IFRS and other financial measures also provide investors with insight into the Corporation’s decision making as the Corporation uses these non-IFRS financial measures to make financial, strategic and operating decisions. It is important to note that the non-IFRS financial measures should not be considered as substitutes for IFRS measures. They are primarily derived from the audited consolidated financial statements, but do not have a standardized meaning under IFRS; accordingly, they may not be comparable to similarly named measures used by other companies. In addition, these non-IFRS financial measures are not audited and have important limitations as analytical tools. Investors are therefore cautioned not to consider them in isolation or place undue reliance on ratios or percentages calculated using these non-IFRS financial measures.

    Non-IFRS financial measures
    Specific financial measure Use Composition Most directly comparable IFRS measure
    Financial data – Combined (all disclosed financial data) To assess the performance and the ability of a company to generate cash from its operations and investments in joint ventures and associates. Results from the combination of the financial information of Boralex Inc. under IFRS and the share of the financial information of the Interests.

    Interests in the Joint Ventures and associates, Share in earnings (losses) of the Joint Ventures and associates and Distributions received from the Joint Ventures and associates are then replaced with Boralex’s respective share in the financial statements of the Interests (revenues, expenses, assets, liabilities, etc.)

    		 Respective financial data – Consolidated
    Discretionary cash flows To assess the cash generated from operations and the amount available for future development or to be paid as dividends to common shareholders while preserving the long-term value of the business.

    Corporate objectives for 2025 from the strategic plan.

    		 Net cash flows related to operating activities before “change in non-cash items related to operating activities,” less:

    (i) distributions paid to non-controlling shareholders;
    (ii) additions to property, plant and equipment (maintenance of operations);
    (iii) repayments on non-current debt (projects) and repayments to tax equity investors;(iv) principal payments related to lease liabilities;
    (v) adjustments for non-operational items; plus
    (vi) development costs (from the statement of earnings).

    		 Net cash flows related to operating activities
    Cash flows from operations To assess the cash generated by the Corporation’s operations and its ability to finance its expansion from these funds. Net cash flows related to operating activities before changes in non-cash items related to operating activities. Net cash flows related to operating activities
    Available cash and cash equivalents(1) To assess the cash and cash equivalents available, as at the balance sheet date, to fund the Corporation’s growth. Represents cash and cash equivalents, as stated on the balance sheet, from which known short-term cash requirements are excluded. Cash and cash equivalents
    Available cash resources and authorized financing(1) To assess the total cash resources available, as at the balance sheet date, to fund the Corporation’s growth. Results from the combination of credit facilities available to fund growth and the available cash and cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents


    (1)     For more details on the reconciliation between the non-GAAP financial measure and the most directly comparable financial measure, see the Capital and liquidity – Available cash resources and authorized financing section in this report.

    Other financial measures – Total of segments measure
    Specific financial measure Most directly comparable IFRS measure
    EBITDA(A) Operating income
    Other financial measures – Supplementary Financial Measures
    Specific financial measure Composition
    Credit facilities available for growth The credit facilities available for growth include the unused tranche of the parent company’s credit facility, apart from the accordion clause, as well as the unused tranche credit facilities of subsidiaries which includes the unused tranche of the credit facility – France and the unused tranche of the construction facility.
    Anticipated production For older sites, anticipated production by the Corporation is based on adjusted historical averages, planned commissioning and shutdowns and, for all other sites, on the production studies carried out.


    Combined

    The following tables reconcile Consolidated financial data with data presented on a Combined basis:

          2025     2024
    (in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited) Consolidated Reconciliation(1) Combined Consolidated  Reconciliation(1) Combined
    Three-month periods ended March 31:            
    Power production (GWh)(2) 1,691 643 2,334 1,767 588 2,355
    Revenues from energy sales and feed-in            
    premium 226 41 267 259 32 291
    Operating income 65 34 99 106 28 134
    EBITDA(A) 176 23 199 195 23 218
    Net earnings 41 — 41 73 — 73
      As at March 31, 2025 As at December 31, 2024
    Total assets 7,582 924 8,506 7,604 872 8,476
    Debt – Principal balance 4,095 554 4,649 4,032 556 4,588
    (1) Includes the respective contribution of joint ventures and associates as a percentage of Boralex’s interest less adjustments to reverse recognition of these interests under IFRS. This contribution is attributable to the North America segment’s wind farms and includes corporate expenses of $1 million under EBITDA(A) for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025 ($1 million as at March 31, 2024).
    (2) Includes compensation following electricity production limitations.


    EBITDA(A)

    EBITDA(A) is a total of segment financial measures and represents earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, adjusted to exclude other items such as acquisition and restructuring costs, other losses (gains), net loss (gain) on financial instruments and foreign exchange loss (gain), with the last two items included under Other.

    EBITDA(A) is used to assess the performance of the Corporation’s reporting segments.

    EBITDA(A) is reconciled to the most comparable IFRS measure, namely, operating income, in the following table:

              2025           2024   Change
    2025 vs 2024
    (in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited) Consolidated   Reconciliation(1)   Combined   Consolidated   Reconciliation(1)   Combined   Consolidated   Combined
    Three-month periods ended March 31:                              
    EBITDA(A) 176   23   199   195   23   218   (19 ) (19)
    Amortization (74 ) (16 ) (90 ) (73 ) (15 ) (88 ) (1 ) (2)
    Impairment (6 ) —   (6 ) —   —   —   (6 ) (6)
    Other gains (losses) (4 ) —   (4 ) 4   —   4   (8 ) (8)
    Share in earnings of joint ventures                              
    and associates (28 ) 28   —   (19 ) 19   —   (9 ) —
    Change in fair value of a derivative                              
    included in the share in earnings of                              
    a joint venture 1   (1 ) —   (1 ) 1   —   2   —
    Operating income 65   34   99   106   28   134   (41 ) (35)
    (1) Includes the respective contribution of joint ventures and associates as a percentage of Boralex’s interest less adjustments to reverse recognition of these interests under IFRS.


    Cash flow from operations and discretionary cash flows

    The Corporation computes the cash flow from operations and discretionary cash flows as follows:

      Consolidated
      Three-month periods ended   Twelve-month periods ended  
      March 31   March 31   December 31  
    (in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited) 2025   2024   2025   2024  
    Net cash flows related to operating activities 172   230   157   215  
    Change in non-cash items relating to operating activities (37 ) (73 ) 236   200  
    Cash flows from operations 135   157   393   415  
    Repayments on non-current debt (projects)(1) (64 ) (65 ) (238 ) (240 )
    Adjustment for non-operating items(2) 5   —   11   7  
      76   92   166   182  
    Principal payments related to lease liabilities(3) (7 ) (6 ) (20 ) (19 )
    Distributions paid to non-controlling shareholders(4) (4 ) (18 ) (38 ) (52 )
    Additions to property, plant and equipment        
    (maintenance of operations) (2 ) (2 ) (10 ) (10 )
    Development costs (from statement of earnings) 11   12   56   57  
    Discretionary cash flows 74   78   154   158  
    (1) Includes repayments on non-current debt (projects) and repayments to tax equity investors, and excludes VAT bridge financing, early debt repayments and repayments under the construction facility – Boralex Energy Investments portfolio.
    (2) For the twelve-month periods ended March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, favourable adjustment consisting mainly of acquisition and restructuring costs.
    (3) Excludes the principal payments related to lease liabilities for projects under development and construction.
    (4) Includes distributions paid to non-controlling shareholders as well as the portion of discretionary cash flows attributable to the non-controlling shareholder of Boralex Europe Sàrl.


    Available cash resources and authorized financing

    The Corporation computes the cash flow from operations and discretionary cash flows, as well as available cash resources and authorized financing, as follows:

    (in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited) As at March 31,
    2025    		   As at December 31,
    2024    		  
    Available cash and cash equivalents(1)        
    Cash and cash equivalents 388   592  
    Cash and cash equivalents held by entities subject to project debt agreements and restrictions (318 ) (526 )
    Bank overdraft (13 ) (5 )
    Available cash and cash equivalents 57   61  
    Credit facilities of the parent company    
    Authorized credit facility(2) 550   550  
    Amounts drawn under the authorized credit facility(3) (178 ) (157 )
    Unused tranche of the parent company’s credit facility 372   393  
    Unused tranche of the subsidiary’s credit facilities 75   69  
    Credit facilities available for growth(4) 447   462  
    Available cash resources and authorized financing 504   523  
    (1) Available cash and cash equivalents is a non-GAAP measure and doesn’t have a standardized meaning under IFRS. Accordingly, it may not be comparable to similarly named measures used by other companies. For more details, see the Non-IFRS and other financial measures section in this report.
    (2) Excluding the accordion clause of $200 million ($150 million as at December 31, 2024).
    (3) As at March 31, 2025, this amount included $13 million in letters of credit ($33 million as at December 31, 2024).
    (4) Credit facilities available for growth is a supplementary financial measure. For more details, see the Non-IFRS and other financial measures section in this report.


    Disclaimer regarding forward-looking statements

    Certain statements contained in this release, including those related to results and performance for future periods, installed capacity targets, EBITDA(A) and discretionary cash flows, the Corporation’s strategic plan, business model and growth strategy, organic growth and growth through mergers and acquisitions, obtaining an investment grade credit rating, payment of a quarterly dividend, the Corporation’s financial targets, the projects commissioning dates, the portfolio of renewable energy projects, the Corporation’s Growth Path, the bids for new storage and solar projects and its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) objectives are forward-looking statements based on current forecasts, as defined by securities legislation. Positive or negative verbs such as “will,” “would,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” “continue,” “intend,” “assess,” “estimate” or “believe,” or expressions such as “toward,” “about,” “approximately,” “to be of the opinion,” “potential” or similar words or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology, are used to identify such statements.

    Forward-looking statements are based on major assumptions, including those about the Corporation’s return on its projects, as projected by management with respect to wind and other factors, opportunities that may be available in the various sectors targeted for growth or diversification, assumptions made about EBITDA(A) margins, assumptions made about the sector realities and general economic conditions, competition, exchange rates as well as the availability of funding and partners. While the Corporation considers these factors and assumptions to be reasonable, based on the information currently available to the Corporation, they may prove to be inaccurate.

    Boralex wishes to clarify that, by their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and that its results, or the measures it adopts, could be significantly different from those indicated or underlying those statements, or could affect the degree to which a given forward-looking statement is achieved. The main factors that may result in any significant discrepancy between the Corporation’s actual results and the forward-looking financial information or expectations expressed in forward-looking statements include the general impact of economic conditions, fluctuations in various currencies, fluctuations in energy prices, the risk of not renewing PPAs or being unable to sign new corporate PPA, the risk of not being able to capture the US or Canadian investment tax credit, counterparty risk, the Corporation’s financing capacity, cybersecurity risks, competition, changes in general market conditions, industry regulations and amendments thereto, particularly the legislation, regulations and emergency measures that could be implemented for time to time to address high energy prices in Europe, litigation and other regulatory issues related to projects in operation or under development, as well as certain other factors considered in the sections dealing with risk factors and uncertainties appearing in Boralex’s MD&A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.

    Unless otherwise specified by the Corporation, forward-looking statements do not take into account the effect that transactions, non-recurring items or other exceptional items announced or occurring after such statements have been made may have on the Corporation’s activities. There is no guarantee that the results, performance or accomplishments, as expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, will materialize. Readers are therefore urged not to rely unduly on these forward-looking statements.

    Unless required by applicable securities legislation, Boralex’s management assumes no obligation to update or revise forward- looking statements in light of new information, future events or other changes.

    For more information:

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Thousands of Civil Service roles moved out of London in latest reform to the state

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Thousands of Civil Service roles moved out of London in latest reform to the state

    Civil servant roles, including senior leadership, will be relocated to 13 locations across the UK to develop and deliver policy closer to communities

    • Thousands of Civil Servants – including senior leaders – will be based in towns and cities across the UK to work with frontline workers and local leaders.

    • New digital and AI campus in Manchester and energy campus in Aberdeen to turbocharge local talent and expertise in these communities.

    • As part of our Plan for Change to re-wire the state, 11 central London offices will be closed including one of the largest Whitehall buildings – saving £94m per year – as the number of roles in the capital is reduced by 12,000.

    Thousands of civil service jobs will be relocated to 13 towns and cities across the country as part of our Plan for Change.

    The shake up will require more senior and policy roles to be based outside London. This will deliver and develop government policy closer to the communities it affects as part of a more productive and agile state.

    The plans will see officials working closely with frontline workers, facilitating greater understanding of the real issues facing local services and people, and how central government policy can support them.

    Changes will be introduced so talented young people from across the UK are able to progress straight from school or university into the Civil Service and rise all the way up to the most senior roles, without ever having worked in Whitehall.

    Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, said:

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

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

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

    As part of the spending review, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden has written to all departments requiring them to relocate key roles and strengthen the Government’s presence around the UK. 

    Government departments now will submit plans for how many roles they plan to move to each of the locations as part of the spending review.

    Departments will be assessed on their commitments to the programme as part of the spending review. As well as increasing the number of officials working in Greater Manchester and Aberdeen, where two new government campuses will be created, roles will be created in Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Darlington, Newcastle and Tyneside, Sheffield, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast and York.

    The changes are projected to bring £729m in local economic benefits to these areas between 2024 and 2030.

    New Regional Government Campuses

    Under the plans and to accelerate the delivery of the Missions, three major new Government campuses will be created. 

    Government campuses involve departments moving skilled roles to the same town or city to boost collaboration – bringing civil servants with different skills and expertise but the same policy or delivery focus, to solve issues and improve services for working people across the country.

    The first two of these, the new Government Digital and AI Innovation Campus and Energy Campus, will be in Manchester and Aberdeen.

    Manchester is already home to the second HQs of DSIT and DCMS, as well as a key base for GCHQ. The new campus will harness the city’s reputation as a global digital hub. 

    Aberdeen is the site of DESNZ’s second HQ, and the new HQ for Great British Energy.

    The new campuses will partner with local government and universities to deliver the government’s missions, improve the talent pipeline into Government and boost growth and opportunity. 

    Supporting Senior Civil Service Careers Outside London

    To ensure those based outside of London have equal professional growth and development opportunities, with full end-to-end careers, the Government will locate 50% of UK-based Senior Civil Servants in regional offices by 2030. 

    This will be supported by a new ambition for the Fast Stream programme to have 50% of placements offered outside of London by 2030, making it increasingly possible for future leaders and managers to progress in their careers without ever needing to work in the capital. 

    A new ‘Career Launch Apprenticeship’ programme will also open for applications this Summer, starting in 2026. The Level 3 Business Administrator apprenticeship programme will train up future civil servants based in Birmingham and Manchester, as well as London. 

    A new secondment scheme will also be developed and launched, in partnership with the Local Government Association, with Civil Servants placed directly with local authorities, building links within regions, and ensuring those delivering policy, experience first hand the work of local government and the services they provide.

    Making Savings in London

    Alongside the relocation of jobs, 11 London office buildings will be closed over the next five years and the number of London based civil servants will reduce by 12,000 by 2030 – down from 95,000 FTE staff to 83,000 – as the government focuses on saving taxpayer money and delivering better public services across all parts of the UK. 

    The move is set to deliver £94 million in savings annually by 2032, by getting rid of large, expensive London real estate. The plans include the closure of two major Westminster government buildings – 102 Petty France, one of the largest government buildings in London and home to 7,000 FTE staff, and 39 Victoria Street – which together cost tens of millions of pounds a year. 

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Alexandra Jones, Sally McInnes, Sally Sheard, James Strachan, Aruna Verma and Simon Wessely appointed to the ACNRA Board.

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Alexandra Jones, Sally McInnes, Sally Sheard, James Strachan, Aruna Verma and Simon Wessely appointed to the ACNRA Board.

    The Secretary of State has appointed 6 Board Members to the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives for four years from 10 March 2025 to 09 March 2029.

    Alexandra Jones

    Alexandra Jones, the Director of Anti-Money Laundering at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, brings a wealth of experience in governance, compliance, and leadership to her role. At the SRA, Alexandra leads the development and implementation of AML policies, ensuring regulatory compliance across the legal sector. Her career spans diverse sectors, including finance and regulation, providing her with a unique perspective on risk management and ethical considerations.

    Before joining the SRA, Alexandra served as CEO of the Registry Trust, where she gained deep insight into legal and ethical issues related to data access, copyright, and privacy. She also held senior roles at the Financial Ombudsman Service and HSBC Bank, where she managed teams while upholding confidentiality and compliance standards. Her leadership experience is complemented by her commitment to professional development, including studying data ethics at the London School of Economics.

    Alexandra’s career reflects a dedication to promoting transparency and integrity. She is motivated by the vision of safeguarding collective heritage and leveraging it as a resource for education and public engagement.

    Sally McInnes

    Sally McInnes was formerly Head of Unique and Contemporary Content at the National Library of Wales. A professionally trained archivist, she has extensive experience in promoting, preserving and providing access to unique content of national significance, as well as policy development within the Welsh cultural sector.

    Sally has a particular interest in managing digital content, as well as improving professional competence in digital preservation, for which she has earned international recognition. As a former Director of the Digital Preservation Coalition, she worked to raise public and institutional awareness of digital preservation issues in Wales and beyond.

    She has played a leading role in a number of national and international professional networks. In recognition of her contribution to recordkeeping, she was awarded an MBE in 2024 for Services to Documentary History. She is a Fellow of the Archives and Records Association.

    Sally Sheard

    Professor Sally Sheard is Executive Dean of the Institute of Population Health at the University of Liverpool, where she also holds the Andrew Geddes and John Rankin Chair of Modern History. She is a health policy analyst and historian, with a research focus on the interface between expert advisers and policymakers. 

    Sally has extensive experience of using history in public and policy engagement, including working with national and local government organisations and health authorities. She has written for and appeared in numerous television and radio programmes. In 2018 she wrote and presented the twenty-part BBC Radio 4 series National Health Stories, to mark the seventieth anniversary of the NHS. Her books include The Passionate Economist: how Brian Abel-Smith shaped global health and social welfare (Policy Press, 2013); Making Genetics and Genomics Policy in Britain: from Personal to Population Health (co-authored with Philip Begley; Routledge, 2022) and NICE: A Contemporary History of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (co-authored with Paul Atkinson; Routledge, 2025).

    James Strachan

    James is Chief Executive of Eastleigh Borough Council in south Hampshire, and has been a senior leader in Hampshire local government for 16 years.  In addition to overseeing local services such as waste collection, planning, homelessness support and elections, James is ultimately responsible for information governance at the Council.  Prior to moving to Hampshire, James was Director of Public Services and Marketing at The National Archives, and served as Secretary to the official review of the 30-year rule, which was commissioned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. 

    James has also worked at the Cabinet Office, and had a career in publishing prior to joining the civil service.  He oversaw the online launch of Encyclopaedia Britannica in Europe and was among the first employees of the mobile network ‘3’, negotiating the first ever mobile highlights deal with the Premier League.  James lives in Salisbury and serves as a magistrate on the West Hampshire Bench, based in Southampton.

    Aruna Verma

    Aruna Verma is a distinguished lawyer, associate professor, and Campus Dean at The University of Law, Moorgate. With a strong background in legal education and practice, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of legal professionals. As an academic leader, she combines her expertise in law with a passion for teaching, ensuring that students gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills essential for success in the legal profession.

    Her career spans legal practice, academia, and educational leadership, making her a respected figure in the field. At The University of Law, she oversees academic programs, fosters student engagement, and works closely with industry professionals to bridge the gap between law school and legal practice.

    Beyond academia, Aruna is known for her contributions to legal scholarship, mentorship, and commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession. Her leadership ensures that the Moorgate campus remains a hub for aspiring solicitors and barristers, preparing them for the challenges of the ever-evolving legal Landscape.

    With her wealth of experience and dedication to legal education, Aruna Verma continues to make a lasting impact on both students and the legal community. Aruna also sits as a Chair at The Valuation Tribunal and the Chair of Governors at a local school. Aruna is a trained mediator and online dispute resolution specialist.

    Simon Wessely

    Sir Simon Wessely FRS is the Regius Chair of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN), part of King’s College London (KCL), the first such chair in the United Kingdom. He is also a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at the Maudsley and King’s College Hospitals.

    After studying medicine and History of Art at Cambridge, he finished his medical training at Oxford. He is an active clinical academic psychiatrist with >1000 publications, a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). He is a Past President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal Society of Medicine. He was Dean of the IOPPN (2022-23) and is now a Non Executive Director of NHS-England.

    In 2003 he founded the King’s Centre for Military Health Research, which is now ranked 1st globally for publications on military health. He remains the Honorary Consultant Advisor in Psychiatry to the British Army, and works with several charities for Veterans. He was knighted in 2013 for services to military health and psychological medicine. He continues to have a broad interest in how people and populations react to adversity, past present and future.

    He chaired the government’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act (2017-19), which should receive Royal Assent at Easter. He also was a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission (2017-23). His amateur interests revolve around history, and he is proud of having written some papers in “proper” history journals. Finally, if you are a follower of “Desert Island Discs” you will know his favourite occupation is arguing in Viennese cafes , perhaps reflecting the fact that his father was born in Central Europe, coming over to the UK in 1939.

    Remuneration and Governance Code

    Board Members will be remunerated at a rate of £386 per day. James Strachan requested not to be remunerated for this role. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments.

    The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. None of the candidates have declared any significant political activity.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: CMA response to the Independent Water Commission’s call for evidence

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Correspondence

    CMA response to the Independent Water Commission’s call for evidence

    The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its response to the Independent Water Commission’s call for evidence, in relation to the water sector in England and Wales.

    Documents

    CMA response to the Independent Water Commission’s call for evidence

    PDF, 197 KB, 8 pages

    Details

    The CMA responded to the Independent Water Commission’s call for evidence.

    Our response focuses on the CMA’s overall role in the water regulatory system, in particular our role in conducting regulatory appeals and redeterminations.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council crackdown on underage vape sales in Tunstall

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    Published: Wednesday, 14th May 2025

    Stoke-on-Trent City Council is stepping up its crackdown on underage and illegal vape sales after seizing more than £21,000 of illegal cigarettes, tobacco, and vapes from a Tunstall shop.

    It follows the sale of an illegal vape to a 17-year-old girl. The legal limit for vapes is 600 puffs, the one sold was three times over the legal limit.

    Trading Standards officers, supported by Staffordshire Police, visited TKT Express on High Street Tunstall on Friday, 9 May. During the operation, they discovered illegal products hidden in a nearby car linked to the shop. Officers seized 22,360 cigarettes, 6.2kg of tobacco and 290 vapes- all illegal – and with a total retail value of £21,600. The shop is now under formal investigation.

    Councillor Amjid Wazir OBE, cabinet member for city pride, enforcement and sustainability for Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Our teams are taking firm action against shops that put young people at risk. I want to thank our Trading Standards for more hard work that protects all residents and upholds the law.

    “We want our city to be a safe place for children and young people, so the fact that this shop sold an illegal vape to somebody underage shows complete disregard for their safety. We will take action against those who put people at risk and undermine the hard work of legitimate businesses.”

    “I encourage any residents to report any suspicious activity related to illegal tobacco, vapes, or underage sales.”

    Anyone who wants to report a similar issue to Trading Standards can call the Trading Standards Hotline 01782 238444 or visit stoke.gov.uk

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Interactive hub opens to provide support during major city centre transformation works

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The ‘Urban Room’ will provide drop in sessions at set times, pre-booked meeting opportunities and direct assistance from staff at City of Wolverhampton Council and contractor, Taylor Woodrow.

    It will give businesses, residents and visitors easy access to information about the scheme and dedicated support for any concerns or issues they have as the 2 and a half year programme, which started in January, progresses.

    The first Urban Room sessions will initially take place between 12pm and 1.30pm on Tuesdays, with the plan to increase the number of sessions over time.

    Works on the major £19 million transformation of Wolverhampton city centre are underway on Darlington Street and will move onto Lichfield Street and Queen Square. It follows extensive consultation with businesses, the public and key stakeholders.

    The completed scheme will deliver high quality improvements such as wider, brighter, safer streets; vibrant public events spaces; more trees, greenery and seating; and easy access for buses, cycles and taxis.

    The aim is to stimulate more visitors and spend with businesses and act as a catalyst for further investment, while contributing to creating a pleasant environment to support and encourage healthy city living lifestyles.

    It is the third and final phase of City of Wolverhampton Council’s city centre improvements programme following completed schemes in the Victoria Street and University of Wolverhampton at The Halls areas that have seen regular events staged in the new spaces, increasing city centre footfall and economic spend and attracting new investment such as Superbowl UK, set to open their new venue in the Mander Centre units off Victoria Street on 21 May.

    Councillor Chris Burden, the council’s Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said: “We want people to enjoy our city centre from the moment they arrive, and these works are the next step in our transformation plans that are delivering positive outcomes.

    “This is a scheme for everyone, and the Urban Room is another way we are connecting with businesses, residents and visitors to ensure they are supported during the works and fully understand it so they can maximise the opportunities it presents to them.

    “Funded totally by external funding, it will create an enhanced walking, cycling and dwell space, as well as infrastructure for events and attractions, and a better environment for city centre living, which will all help boost the local economy.

    “The works will also complement other transformational development schemes already underway or in the pipeline in the city centre, including the £150 million Interchange and commercial district, and thousands of new homes coming at Smithgate and Canalside – all helping to create hundreds of new jobs and further investment opportunities.”

    Stuart Townsend, Taylor Woodrow Operations Manager, said: “We are excited to announce our drop in sessions for businesses and members of the public to address any queries, concerns, or compliments.

    “During these sessions, we will showcase drawings of the scheme, have updates on our social value projects locally, and we will be displaying information, including a video about the scheme.

    “Additionally, we will provide information about our chosen charities, The Way Youth Project Board, and have brochures available for career opportunities. “This is a positive step in keeping stakeholders and the passing public updated on how we Taylor Woodrow and the council are working together to deliver a better city centre.”

    Funding for the scheme consists of £13.5 million from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) fund, £3 million from the Towns Fund and £2.6 million from the Active Travel Fund.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Aberdeen Youth Movement member attends United Nations forum in New York

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    Aberdeen Youth Movement member, Mariah Ichakpa was honoured to be selected to attend the 2025 United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum in New York last month.

    Mariah was 1 out of 20,000 people who applied to be selected to attend the forum that offered young people a visible platform to meaningfully engage with Member States, have their voices heard and be included in the global dialogue on key issues affecting the world’s population.

    Held at the United Nations headquarters, the forum’s theme of ‘youth at the forefront: leveraging science and social inclusion for sustainable development’, allowed Mariah to make a speech to the forum attendees from across the world and her inspired message was ‘If you want to see a nation’s future, look into the eyes of its youth – we are the mirror and the map’.

    Mariah said: “Representing Aberdeen and Scotland was an unforgettable experience. Sharing Scotland’s story and how we became the first part of the UK to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law was a huge achievement in helping spread awareness.

    “One of the biggest takeaways for me was that impact doesn’t always have to come from the top down. Youth-led initiatives when supported and given a platform can drive real and measurable change.

    “Leaving New York, I felt inspired. But more than that I felt responsible. We have a lot of work to do. And I’m ready to keep showing up and working alongside other passionate youths in Aberdeen Youth Movement (AYM), Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) and across the world to make a difference.”

    Councillor Martin Greig, Convenor of Aberdeen City Council’s Education and Children’s Services Committee, said: “I was delighted to hear about Mariah’s incredible experience in New York. She spoke eloquently at the UN Youth Forum to represent young people in our city and on behalf of the rest of Scotland.

    “It is a major achievement to promote youth justice from the local perspective on a global stage. I am grateful to Mariah and to all the team who have given support for this important human rights action.”

    Aberdeen Youth Movement is the official voice of young people in Aberdeen, working closely with multiple organisations to improve the representation of young people in the city. The group consists of young people aged between 16 and 25 from different areas and interest groups.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Manchester Libraries – winner of the Library of the Year Award

    Source: City of Manchester

    Manchester Libraries has won the ‘Library of the Year’ Award at the prestigious British Book Awards 2025 held at Grosvenor House London on Monday, 12th May.

    The revival of the Library of the Year award at this year’s British Book Awards event was awarded to Manchester Libraries in recognition of its multi-strand and city-wide Blue Peter Book Club Live programme which made ‘superb’ use of the revered Blue Peter brand to bring children and families into contact with libraries and reading.

    The programme engaged with people who had never or very rarely visited a library, resulting in an 88% visitor increase compared to a typical Saturday, with 60% of these attendees living in an area of high deprivation. Connecting with readers via local schools, the incentive saw children’s library membership increase by 33% during the campaign compared to the same period in 2023, and 12,308 people become new library members during the campaign period.

    It was launched at a special Book Club Live event at Central Library by the Blue Peter presenters and It engaged with people who had never, or very rarely visited the library. The team also created a badge trail to connect 13 cultural venues, distributed 20,000 trail maps and enlisted local partners to act as champions as part of the event programme which spread across the city.

    Describing the levels of engagement as ‘phenomenal’ the judges also commended the library on the committed team who saw the opportunity to work with Blue Peter and run with it grabbing the attention of children and young people who had never been into that library and kept hold of them afterwards.

    Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure said:

    “This is a truly phenomenal win. For Manchester Libraries to be crowned Library of the Year at the British Book Awards is just fantastic news for our libraries team who worked so hard to make these events a resounding success.  We are privileged in this city not just have the magnificent Manchester Central Library but numerous neighbourhood libraries that serve their communities, providing literary nourishment as well as a huge array of additional benefits to the communities they serve. We took the opportunity to work with Blue Peter and with thanks to them and all our partners, we delivered an exceptional programme of events which has been recognised at the highest levels .”

    Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of judges, said:

    ‘In the Library award’s return year, Manchester Libraries is a truly worthy winner, showing how to use resources, access and breadth to change lives through reading. That it did this at scale, should not be off-putting to other libraries, but rather indicates what can happen when a range of partners pull together. We hope this winner provides a template for others to follow, whatever the size.’

    Karen Napier MBE, CEO, The Reading Agency said:

     ‘Congratulations to Manchester Libraries for winning with their city-wide Blue Peter project. The project drove a huge number of children from areas of high deprivation to the library and many for the first time, opening the doors to so much opportunity and the 33% increase in children’s library membership is a remarkable achievement. I do also want to acknowledge every library service that submitted to the award this year, which demonstrated the innovation at the heart of the sector. Libraries are lighthouses for the future, and spaces where knowledge is curated, truth is protected, and communities are strengthened. They are powerful community hubs, places where everyone is equally rich in access to ideas, creativity, and where the transformative power of reading connects us to worlds beyond our own.’

    Jen Cleary, Director North West, Arts Council England said:

    “Many congratulations to Manchester Libraries on their Library of the Year award for the Blue Peter Book Club Live. It is so important for children to discover the joy of reading and this was a fantastic opportunity to do so on their doorstep and in a fun environment. We’re pleased to have supported the project through our National Lottery Project Grants programme and to see how many children were engaged with it. I hope they are all continuing to enjoy discovering new books at their local library.”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Work complete on upgrade for pedestrian zone bollards

    Source: City of Leicester

    WORK to upgrade and extend the network of automatic bollards that surround Leicester’s central pedestrian zone is now complete.

    Over the past few months, the city council has been replacing old automatic bollards and installing additional units in new areas as part of a range of measures to improve pedestrian safety and manage vehicle access in the city centre.

    The new bollards will be lowered to allow vehicles into the pedestrian zone during allowable hours for loading and unloading but will prevent unauthorised vehicles from entering the zone at all other times.

    The automatic bollards are designed to rise immediately after a permitted vehicle has entered the pedestrian zone. This is to prevent tailgating and unauthorised entry. Warning signs and red lights are in place to alert drivers of the risk.

    Eligible residents and businesses based within the zone will need to use a new authentication system with PIN code to gain entry through the new bollards outside of allowable hours.

    Letters detailing the changes have been sent to every residential and business address within the pedestrian zone, advising people of the new access requirements and how to register for authorisation.

    One-time use PIN codes can also be issued to those with legitimate reasons for accessing the zone outside of permitted hours.

    Martin Fletcher, Leicester City Council director of highways, said: “Leicester’s pedestrian zone was established back in 2006, and the infrastructure installed at that time needed renewing or replacing to ensure it continued to be fit for purpose.

    “Over the years, we have also extended the zone to include Church Gate, Haymarket, St Martins, Greyfriars and Hotel Street, so this was also a good opportunity to upgrade and extend the systems we have in place to keep the area secure.

    “By upgrading infrastructure and tightening up access for vehicles to the pedestrian zone, we can more effectively clamp down on those who abuse the system and continue to provide an environment for shopping and leisure activities where people can feel safe.”

    As part of the package of measures, the number of locations where automatic bollards are in place has been increased to ten.

    Existing loading and unloading hours will be strictly enforced, with all delivery vehicles expected to be out of the pedestrian zone by 11am from Sunday to Friday, and by 9am on Saturdays.

    Leicester’s pedestrian zone covers an area that’s about the size of seven-and-a-half football pitches and includes the Highcross and Haymarket shopping centres, the streets around the Clock Tower, and the independent shops and cafes in St Martin’s Square and The Lanes.

    More information about the new measures can be found at www.leicester.gov.uk/bollards

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Portsmouth Tennis Centre receives national award for inclusive programme

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    Chosen from more than 2,000 nominations across 25 different categories, Portsmouth Tennis Centre was crowned the most inclusive tennis centre in the nation, attaining the prestigious Tennis Opened Up Award.

    Portsmouth Tennis Centre is owned by Portsmouth City Council, and is operated by registered charity and social enterprise BH Live.

    The LTA Tennis Awards recognises the vital work volunteers, coaches, officials, and players contribute to make tennis an enjoyable, safe, and accessible sport for all.

    BH Live’s tennis coaches work closely with the LTA and community partners to deliver an inclusive coaching framework for all.

    Currently more than 400 players attend weekly tennis sessions, including people with head injuries, dementia, Down’s Syndrome and visual impairments. Inclusive sessions are tailored to participants’ individual needs. Adjustments to facilitate play include smaller courts, raised court lines, smaller rackets, foam tennis balls, and games played at a slower pace. The centre is also completely accessible with ramps, automatic electric doors and accessible toilet facilities.

    The team actively encourages more young people to enjoy the game from an early age too. They do this by providing free to attend open days throughout the year for families to have a go at playing games and try out coaching drills. BH Live also funds and delivers coaching sessions to hundreds of school children across the city so they can try out the sport.

    Last year, the team welcomed more than 1,200 attendees to its school holiday camps, with half of the places provided through Portsmouth City Council’s HAF Fun Pompey programme, which is funded by the UK government. The programme providing hot meals and activity spaces for children whose families are in receipt of benefits and eligible for free school meals.

    Portsmouth Tennis Centre was also the LTA Tennis Awards 2023 Hampshire & Isle of Wight winner in the ‘Tennis For All Category’ in recognition for bringing tennis to under-represented groups and communities throughout the city.

    Cllr Lee Hunt, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport at Portsmouth City Council said:

    “It is wonderful to see the Portsmouth Tennis Centre’s efforts recognised at a national level with this award, which officially now the most inclusive tennis centre in the nation!

    “Encouraging healthy lifestyles in our communities, and promoting positive physical health is priority for us. We are thrilled that we are able to offer these opportunities for anyone in the city who wants to get involved with tennis, thanks to this collaboration with BH Live.”

    On behalf of BH Live, Macca Neaves, Tennis Manager, shared;

    “We’re thrilled to see our inclusive tennis programme and fantastic facilities recognised. But the real highlight is watching more people walk through our doors and give the sport a try. I’m incredibly proud of our team for their dedication, and deeply grateful to our city partners and customers — they’re the true stars for stepping up and embracing tennis. We hope this inspires even more people to come along, pick up a racket, and get involved.”

    More information about Portsmouth Tennis Centre can be found online at bhliveactive.org.uk/tennis-centre.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Health and Social Care Secretary’s speech on men’s health

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Speech

    Health and Social Care Secretary’s speech on men’s health

    Wes Streeting spoke at the launch of the Centre for Policy Research for Men and Boys (CPRMB) on Tuesday 13 May

    It is a genuine pleasure to be here alongside so many friends, people I don’t yet know, but people we want to work with.

    It’s great to have such a wide range of people and organisations represented around the room, who are creating spaces for men to fight loneliness.

    Encouraging open conversations about masculinity and providing positive role models for boys across our country.

    I want to thank you, Richard, for picking up this agenda and helping to force it into the mainstream.

    Society has been slow to wake up to the fact that a lot of men and boys are really struggling today, and you’re playing a big role in correcting that.

    And as you alluded to in your remarks, making sure that this is a mainstream agenda and not one that is surrendered to the margins and the extremes.

    So, I’m looking forward to working with you and your institute as we begin to develop solutions to the inequalities and injustices that men and boys face in our country today.

    The truth is it can be quite tough to be a young man in today’s society.

    Lots of boys, particularly those from working class backgrounds like mine, are falling behind at school and are worried about their futures.

    The proliferation of toxic influences and content on social media is leading a lot of boys astray.

    A lot of content on social media that provided a real challenge for girls in terms of positive body image and what it meant to be a perfect girl or a woman in our society. Those challenges are now applying to men and boys in similar if sometimes different ways.

    And all of this is contributing to a crisis in masculinity.

    Since taking on the health and social care brief in opposition three and a half years ago, I’ve been very outspoken about the fact that it takes seven and a half years for women to receive a diagnosis for a common condition like endometriosis, or that a universal experience like menopause is still treated as if it’s a rare condition affecting alien species.

    And I feel just as enraged about the inequalities in men’s health, frankly.

    Men are living four years less than women.

    The gap widens if you just look at working class communities.

    Men are disproportionately affected by cancer, cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes.

    The tragedy is that many of these conditions are treatable and even preventable.

    Black men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as white men.

    And suicide is the number one killer of men under the age of 50, which was a fact so shocking that I nearly fell off my chair when I first heard it and actually asked for the statistic to be checked. And the fact that it’s now more commonly cited should not make the fact itself less shocking or outrageous.

    Nothing frustrates me more than when men’s health and women’s health are pitted in opposition to each other, as if by focusing on men’s health strategy, we are in any way detracting from the work we’re doing on women’s health.

    This is not an either or.

    It very much has to be on hand, and we will address both.

    And it also does a disservice to lots of women in our society, as if somehow women don’t care about their fathers and grandfathers, their brothers, their sons, their nephews, any less than we care about our mothers or grandmothers, our sisters.

    It’s really serious.

    So I actually think that we are all in this together, and we will succeed as a society if we’re working together to tackle the injustices and inequalities that affect men and women.

    There’s a common problem across the NHS that women’s voices are not heard, and women are not listened to.

    When it comes to men, I think the problem is often we’re more reluctant to speak up in the first place.

    One in three men have never had a conversation with a brother, father or grandfather about their health.

    The same number would prefer to suffer in silence than go to the doctor about their mental health.

    So, I think we’ve got to teach men from a young age that it’s okay to feel, to hurt, and to ask for help.

    Doing so doesn’t make you any less of a man.

    And I think that making sure this generation of young men and boys are aware of that fact is how we make them less likely to channel their emotions into anger, aggression, or depression.

    This is all why we’re doing the first ever Men’s Health Strategy.

    I announced this last year at the Emirates Stadium to coincide with Movember, alongside a large number of men’s groups and organisations, charities and men’s health ambassadors.

    It was a great event, but one of the things that came out of it on the day and since has never ceased to amaze me. And that is just how many people said thank you.

    That’s not just because as a politician, it’s rare for someone to say thank you.

    I mean, to be fair, we’ve got to give people something to be grateful about.

    But, actually, I was saying to people, look, you can thank us when we’ve done something.

    All I’ve done is say we’re going to have a strategy.

    We hadn’t even launched the call for evidence at that point.

    So I said, thank you.

    When we’ve done something, when we’ve had an impact and we’ve started to change those statistics and change things about their lives and futures.

    But actually the pushback I got was, no, actually, we’re genuinely grateful because we’ve been fighting for this for so many years and haven’t had a hearing, let alone someone being prepared to launch a call for evidence that will lead to a strategy.

    And that tells us something about the extent to which men’s health has been overlooked, and particularly men’s mental health.

    So we launched our call for evidence for the Men’s Health Strategy in April, and I was about to say, I want to ask everyone who hasn’t responded yet to do so and spread the word further.

    But actually, we have been really overwhelmed and really struck by just how positive and engaged such a large number of organisations have been.

    So, but nonetheless, we want to make sure we engage as many men, as many organisations and as many different types of men and different parts of the country from different communities as we have.

    Which is right.

    We have to look at the data and we will take an evidence-based approach.

    But as we know, statistics paint a picture to an extent but what we also need to do is understand the story that we want to tell.

    We’re talking about the experience of men and boys today and how we’re going to make it so much better, so we could do with more insight as well as data, especially from those grassroots organisations in this room and beyond, in a range of communities across the country, whether on physical health or mental health, whether we’re talking about white men or Black men, whether we’re talking about class inequality as well, which is at the heart of a lot of mental health. Any serious attempt to address mental health must confront these inequalities head on.

    So, we’ve got our work cut out for us. Doing is a lot more important than talking.

    We’ve done the easy bit, in my view.

    We’ve committed to having a strategy to making a difference and making sure that we’re proud of the impact.

    But in order to be successful, this isn’t just a challenge that government can address.

    This is about government playing its part, but working in partnership with civil society, with businesses, with all of us as citizens to try and tackle what are a wide range of challenges and problems facing men and boys.

    And that’s why this gathering is really important to me, the department and the government, because we need to do this with you rather than to you. A with this level of enthusiasm, this level of energy, we genuinely think we can do something impactful that we’ll be able to look back on for the rest of our lives with pride, knowing that we were prepared to confront the problems and the challenges head on, and make sure that boys growing up in this country today, whoever they are, whatever their background, can achieve their fullest potential and look forward to a life well lived, rather than experience the deep anxiety and despair far too many boys in our country are experiencing today.

    So thank you very much in advance.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Kuwait: Qudsi Rasheed

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Kuwait: Qudsi Rasheed

    Mr Qudsi Rasheed OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to The State of Kuwait.

    Mr Qudsi Rasheed OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to The State of Kuwait in succession to Ms Belinda Lewis who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.  Mr Rasheed will take up his appointment during September 2025.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full Name: Qudsi Rasheed

    Year Role
    2021 to 2024 Cairo, Deputy Head of Mission
    2020 to 2021    Full Time Language Training (Arabic), FCDO four months as Deputy Director Covid Task Force
    2018 to 2020   FCO later FCDO, Deputy Director Multilateral Policy and Head of Sanctions Unit
    2017 to 2018  Beirut, Head of UK Syria Office
    2014 to 2017 UKRep Brussels, External Relations (Relex) Counsellor
    2011 to 2014   FCO, Legal Adviser, Legal Directorate
    2011 Joined FCO
    2008 to 2011  Barrister (called to the Bar of England and Wales)
    2007 to 2009   UCL and King’s College London, Visiting Lecturer

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City council’s cabinet to consider changes to waste and recycling collections Proposals to introduce weekly food waste collections along with a revamp of the way that Lancaster City Council collects waste and recycling are set to be considered by councillors.

    Source: City of Lancaster

    Proposals to introduce weekly food waste collections along with a revamp of the way that Lancaster City Council collects waste and recycling are set to be considered by councillors.

    New wheelie bins

    To comply with the Government’s ‘Simpler Recycling’ scheme – which aims to create consistency in the way recycling is collected – councils across England must begin collecting food waste by March 31 2026.

    On Tuesday May 20 the city council’s cabinet will meet to decide the best way for the collections to be introduced in the Lancaster district. One of the main proposals is to switch from the current recycling boxes to new 240-litre wheelie bins.

    These larger bins would make it easier for households to store recyclables like glass, plastic, tins, cardboard and paper while reducing mess on the streets. If the proposals get the green light, recycling collections would move to every three weeks instead of every two, as there will be more space in each bin.

    The same three-week cycle is also being proposed for grey bins, as people throw away less once they start recycling food waste weekly.

    Councillor Paul Hart, cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, said: “Bringing in food waste collections is part of a national plan to simplify how waste and recycling is collected, but it also gives us a chance to take a fresh look at how we do things.

    “If people are putting their food waste out for collection each week, their grey bins won’t fill up so quickly. And bigger recycling bins — something lots of residents have asked for – should make things easier and tidier.

    “I know these are big changes, but other councils that have already made the switch are seeing less waste going into grey bins and more being recycled. That’s what we’re aiming for too.”

    The council has received around £1.46million in funding from the government to support the roll-out of food waste collections and this will be used to purchase new vehicles and food waste caddies for households.

    Each household will receive a free caddy to keep in their kitchen for food waste, which can be emptied it into a new outside food waste bin, also provided by the council, once full.

    • More information on the proposed changes and FAQs are available on the council’s website at www.Lancaster.gov.uk/food-waste.

    The agenda for the cabinet meeting can be found here: https://committeeadmin.lancaster.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=297&MId=8606

    Last updated: 14 May 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Kuwait

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Kuwait

    Mr Qudsi Rasheed OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to The State of Kuwait.

    Mr Qudsi Rasheed OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to The State of Kuwait in succession to Ms Belinda Lewis who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.  Mr Rasheed will take up his appointment during September 2025.

    Curriculum Vitae

    Full Name: Qudsi Rasheed

    Year Role
    2021 to 2024 Cairo, Deputy Head of Mission
    2020 to 2021    Full Time Language Training (Arabic), FCDO four months as Deputy Director Covid Task Force
    2018 to 2020   FCO later FCDO, Deputy Director Multilateral Policy and Head of Sanctions Unit
    2017 to 2018  Beirut, Head of UK Syria Office
    2014 to 2017 UKRep Brussels, External Relations (Relex) Counsellor
    2011 to 2014   FCO, Legal Adviser, Legal Directorate
    2011 Joined FCO
    2008 to 2011  Barrister (called to the Bar of England and Wales)
    2007 to 2009   UCL and King’s College London, Visiting Lecturer

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK-Angola trade mission strengthens economic ties

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    UK-Angola trade mission strengthens economic ties

    British businesses explore Angola’s crucial sectors, forging partnerships for continued sustainable growth.

    His Majesty’s Ambassador Bharat Joshi welcomed UK Trade Envoy Calvin Bailey MBE MP and a delegation of over 20 UK businesses eager to explore investment opportunities in Angola’s rapidly expanding infrastructure, agriculture and financial services sectors.

    Together they have successfully launched their first trade and investment mission to Angola on 6 to 7 May 2025. This reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to fostering international partnerships that drive sustainable economic growth.

    HM Trade Envoy to Angola, Calvin Bailey MBE MP, Angolan Minister for Planning, Vitor Hugo Guilherme, HM Ambassador to Angola, Bharat Joshi, Angolan Deputy Minister for Industry, Carlos Carvalho and Director for Europe at the Angolan MFA, Ambassador Maria Cuandina de Carvalho

    During the mission, delegates engaged in strategic site visits to landmark projects, such as: the New Luanda International Airport and the Special Economic Zone (ZEE). These visits complemented a high-profile business forum in Luanda. British and Angolan leaders, including H.E. Minister of Planning Victor Hugo Guilherme, H.E. Deputy Minister for Industry Carlos Rodrigues and H.E. Deputy Minister for Public Investment Ivan dos Santos, discussed collaboration opportunities to deliver mutual economic benefits.

    His Majesty’s Ambassador Bharat Joshi highlighted the importance of the mission, stating:

    I am proud to welcome the first Trade Mission of my tenure, led by UK Trade Envoy Calvin Bailey MBE MP.

    UK companies have a fantastic record of creating local wealth and jobs, investing in local skills and markets and supporting development programmes that make a real difference in communities.

    The size of the delegation reflects our excitement about the opportunities in Angola to build sustainable, long-term partnerships that deliver for both our countries.

    Trade and investment remain central to the UK government’s international strategy, unlocking opportunities, generating high-quality jobs and improving livelihoods in both nations.

    UK Trade Envoy Calvin Bailey reinforced this vision, stating:

    Angola is a land of opportunity. This trade mission demonstrates the UK government’s commitment to forging stronger economic partnerships with Angola.

    With £2.5 billion in bilateral trade already flowing between our nations, we’re connecting British expertise with one of Africa’s most dynamic economies through engagements at transformative projects like the Luanda Special Economic Zone and the New Luanda International Airport, creating meaningful opportunities that deliver prosperity for both our nations.

    The mission has already delivered tangible results, with investment discussions underway and promising business relationships established. These efforts mark more than commercial transactions – they signify a deepening of the UK-Angola economic partnership, paving the way for long-term prosperity.

    Delegates visit to the New Dr. António Agostinho Neto in Luanda

    As the UK continues to strengthen its global trade relationships, this mission represents a significant milestone in fostering sustainable growth and opportunities that will benefit businesses and communities across both nations.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator

    The Charity Commission has launched a statutory class inquiry into several charities and issued orders to temporarily restrict the issuing of cheques.

    The charity regulator for England and Wales has launched a statutory class inquiry into a group of charities where there is evidence that they are issuing or have issued cheques, which are then exchanged for cash.

    Following an unannounced visit by HMRC to a company in Hackney, 105 charities were found to have cashed cheques with it to a value of £22 million between December 2021 and March 2023.

    The 10 charities initially under inquiry are: Inspirations (1109974), Beis Aharon Charitable Trust Limited (1010420), Mifal Hachesed Vehatzedokoh (1139320), Friend of Beis Soroh Schneirer (1153647), One Heart – Lev Echod (1167227), Yad Vochessed Association Limited (1112797), Friends of Beis Chinuch Lebonos Trust (1153187), Chasdei Dov Trust (1181900), Friends of Mercaz Hatorah Belz Macnivka (1126075), The Rehabilitation Trust (288622).

    These 10 charities have been prioritised following an assessment of a range of factors, including the number of cheques issued, and total value of cheques cashed. The Commission expects to extend the number of charities under investigation over time.

    Using powers available to the Commission during an inquiry, the regulator will determine the facts around how these charities have transferred funds. It will also investigate how trustees had oversight of what happened to funds exchanged for the cheques, and if this cash has been used properly to support what the charities were set up to do. The Commission will seek to establish how trustees determined that these financial transactions were in their charity’s best interests.

    The regulator has issued an immediate order to temporarily stop any of the charities under inquiry from issuing cheques without its prior consent.

    The scope of the inquiry may also be extended if additional regulatory issues emerge during the Commission’s investigation.

    Notes to editors:

    1. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society. Find out more: About us – The Charity Commission – GOV.UK
    2. A statutory inquiry is a legal power enabling the Commission to formally investigate matters of regulatory concern within a charity, or class of charities and to use protective powers for the benefit of the charity and its beneficiaries, assets, or reputation. An inquiry will investigate and establish the facts of the case so that the Commission can determine the extent of any misconduct and/or mismanagement; the extent of the risk to the charity, its work, property, beneficiaries, employees or volunteers; and decide what action is needed to resolve the concerns.
    3. Under section 76(3)(f) of the Charities Act 2011, the regulator has issued a restricted transactions order which will prohibit the issuing of cheques without the Commission’s written consent.
    4. The Commission’s guidance on internal financial controls can be found via this link: Internal financial controls for charities: protect your charity from fraud and loss (CC8)  – GOV.UK. It makes clear that pre-signed blank cheques should be prohibited under charities’ financial control policies.

    Press office

    Email pressenquiries@charitycommission.gov.uk

    Out of hours press office contact number: 07785 748787

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 May 2025

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