Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

03 JANUARY 2026 – Empire Offshore Wind LLC (Empire) filed a civil suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today 2 January 2026 challenging the U.S. Department of the Interior’s order directing a suspension to the Empire Wind project. As part of that case, Empire plans to seek a preliminary injunction and allow construction to continue while the litigation proceeds.

While Empire continues to work closely with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the other relevant authorities to find a prompt resolution to the matter, the order is in Equinor’s view unlawful and threatens the progress of ongoing work with significant implications for the project. The preliminary injunction filing is necessary to allow the project to continue as planned during this critical period of execution and avoid additional commercial and financing impacts that are likely to occur should the order remain effective.

Empire has coordinated closely with numerous federal officials on national security reviews since it executed its lease for the project in 2017, including with the Department of War, and has complied with relevant national security related requirements identified as part of the regulatory process. In addition, Empire meets regularly with officials charged with oversight of security issues for the project, including weekly meetings with the U.S. Coast Guard and other marine first responders.

Empire Wind is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to deliver a critical new, near-term source of electricity for New York, bolstering grid reliability at a time of rapidly growing demand. Once completed, the project is expected to provide enough power to electrify approximately 500,000 homes in New York.

Empire Wind is more than 60 percent complete and represents a significant investment in U.S. energy infrastructure, jobs, and supply chains. Equinor has invested over USD 4 billion of which USD 2.7 billion has been drawn under the project financing. Empire Wind has per 30 September 2025 a gross book value of around USD 3.1 billion, including South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. The project’s construction phase alone has put nearly 4,000 people to work, both within the lease area and through the revitalization of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

Empire and its contractors are complying with the order, while continuing activities required in order to prevent impacts to health, safety, and the environment.

December 30 2025 – Investors are likely to face a more demanding but opportunity-rich market in 2026, affirms the CEO of one of the world's largest independent financial advisory organizations as they look to the year ahead to build and safeguard wealth.

Nigel Green of deVere Group says the year ahead rewards discipline, selectivity, and execution rather than broad momentum.

Markets have adjusted to a world of higher rates, geopolitical friction, and rapid technological change.

This adjustment, he comments, has created clearer pricing signals and sharper differentiation between companies that deliver and those that rely on expectation.

“Opportunity isn't disappearing, it's becoming more precise.”

Nigel Green identifies three global forces that will shape investor outcomes in 2026: the transition of AI from promise to performance, the dominance of a narrow group of market leaders, and volatility driven by policy decisions.

He argues that each creates openings for investors prepared to engage actively rather than retreat.

AI moves from ambition to accountability

Artificial intelligence remains one of the most powerful drivers of corporate investment globally. Spending over the past two years has been substantial, flowing into infrastructure, computing power, research, and deployment at exceptional speed.

The emphasis now is on results.

“Markets are no longer paying for potential alone,” says Nigel Green. “They're paying for delivery and performance.”

Revenue growth across AI remains uneven and costs remain elevated. Some companies are already converting investment into cash flow and margin improvement, while others are still struggling with scale, pricing, and timing.

The deVere CEO expects 2026 to sharpen this divide.

“Execution separates leaders from laggards,” he notes. “This creates clearer opportunity for investors who focus on fundamentals rather than hype.”

He stresses that this phase strengthens, rather than weakens, the long-term case for AI by placing value on efficiency, discipline, and realistic expectations.

Market concentration sharpens selection

Global equity performance continues to rely heavily on a relatively small group of dominant companies. While this concentration increases sensitivity to earnings and guidance, it also removes ambiguity about where leadership sits.

“When leadership is narrow, analysis matters more,” says Nigel Green. “Strength is visible, and weakness is exposed quickly.”

This dynamic accelerates price discovery. Companies that deliver are rewarded decisively, while those that disappoint are repriced without delay. The gap between market leaders and the rest continues to widen.

For investors, this environment favors selective positioning over broad exposure.

“Dispersion creates opportunity,” he adds. “It rewards those willing to back quality and move away from comfort.”

Policy volatility creates entry points

Policy decisions remain a powerful driver of market movement. Expectations around interest rates continue to influence risk appetite, while confidence around timing remains fluid as inflation trends diverge across regions and economic data sends mixed signals.

Rather than undermining opportunity, Nigel Green says this creates movement.

“Volatility driven by policy creates entry points. Repricing is where opportunity emerges.”

Trade policy remains a key influence. Sudden tariff decisions earlier this year triggered sharp market reactions, underlining how sensitive sentiment remains to abrupt change. Supply chains continue to adjust, particularly for companies with international exposure.

Fiscal policy adds another layer. Tax incentives have supported earnings but raised expectations. Investors are increasingly focused on the quality and durability of growth rather than results supported by temporary measures.

Taken together, these forces point to a market that is active, selective, and responsive rather than fragile.

“I believe in 2026 we'll see that strong returns don't require calm conditions,” the deVere Group CEO concludes.

“They require judgment, discipline, and the confidence to act when pricing adjusts.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

Landmark corporate shift follows yearslong animal welfare campaign; advocates now push for federal ban on kangaroo imports

WASHINGTON – The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action today announced a landmark achievement in animal welfare advocacy: as of Jan. 1, 2026, Adidas, New Balance, and ASICS have officially ceased using kangaroo leather in shoes. They join Nike, Puma, Sokito, and Diadora, which have already ended production using kangaroo skin. With Umbro committed to ending use in 2026 and Mizuno committed to phasing out all kangaroo leather from its models, nine major athletic footwear companies in total have ended or pledged to end the practice—a corporate animal welfare victory unprecedented in scale and impact, accomplished through the Center's Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign.

“In a five-year period, the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign convinced all of the world's major athletic shoe companies to stop sourcing kangaroo skins for their soccer shoes, including some of the biggest brand names in all the world,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy. “This is a triumph of moral intention but also of human ingenuity at work to develop alternative products that perform for consumers. We can have it both ways – doing the right thing and delivering for consumers.”

Indeed, Adidas, Sokito, and Puma have all noted they have developed synthetic materials that are superior to kangaroo leather.

Campaign Background

The Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign launched in 2020 to expose the inhumane and unethical commercial kill of kangaroos in Australia with the aim of getting athletic wear shoemakers that used kangaroo leather for soccer cleats to stop using it, as the shoe production was driving the kill. Each year, approximately 2 million kangaroos are killed in Australia's commercial hunting industry – the largest land-based wildlife slaughter in the world. The kill includes nursing mothers, leaving joeys to die of starvation, predation, exposure, or blunt force trauma.

“The campaign employed a multi-faceted strategy combining direct corporate outreach, shareholder engagement, consumer education, and grassroots activism,” said Jennifer Skiff, director of the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign at the Center. Activists staged protests in the United States, Germany, Australia, Canada, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand, and played a key role in the campaign. “We also engaged with corporate shareholders and directors, appealing to them to stop their participation in an inhumane, unethical commercial kill that, in many cases, conflicted with their own corporate policies,” said Skiff.

“The Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign is the most impactful wildlife campaign I’ve seen in my twenty years as an activist,” said animal rights campaigner Donny Moss. “What began as a bold moral stance, that wildlife should never be commodified for fashion, has grown into a global movement that permanently changed an industry.”

“Each company chose to stop using kangaroo skin based on the facts we provided,” Skiff said. “Working together as a global team, we created an epochal shift by exposing the truth behind the kill. These wins send a clear message to other companies: cruelty has no place in commerce.”

Looking Ahead

With these corporate victories secured, the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action are now turning their attention to the larger set of kangaroo products in trade, including skins for uses other than athletic shoes and meat for pet food. The organizations are pushing forward with the Kangaroo Protection Act in the U.S. Congress, which would ban the import of kangaroo body parts or products made from kangaroo into the United States. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., introduced the Kangaroo Protection Act H.R. 1992 in March 2025. U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Cory Booker introduced a companion bill in the Senate in June 2025.

The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action are calling to the public to contact their members of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor the Kangaroo Protection Act to prohibit the importation of kangaroo parts and products into the United States.

ABOUT

Animal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) whose mission is to help animals by promoting laws and regulations at federal, state and local levels that forbid cruelty to all animals. The group also works to enforce existing anti-cruelty and wildlife protection laws. Animal Wellness Action believes helping animals helps us all. X: @AWAction_News

The Center for a Humane Economy is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) whose mission is to help animals by helping forge a more humane economic order. The first organization of its kind in the animal protection movement, the Center encourages businesses to honor their social responsibilities in a culture where consumers, investors, and other key stakeholders abhor cruelty and the degradation of the environment and embrace innovation as a means of eliminating both. The Center believes helping animals helps us all. X: @TheHumaneCenter

The KOF Economic Barometer continues in December its upward movements of the previous months. At the end of this year, the outlook for the Swiss economy for the start of 2026 is above average.

In December, the KOF Economic Barometer increases by 1.7 points to a level of 103.4 (after 101.7 in the previous month). The positive developments are reflected in the production side indicator bundles included in the Barometer. A particularly favourable outlook is shown by the indicators for manufacturing. Among the demand side indicators however, both the indicator bundles for private consumption as well as for foreign demand are under pressure.

The majority of the sub-indicators within the producing industry (manufacturing and construction) exhibit positive developments. The sub-indicators for employment prospects, for stockpiling of intermediate goods, as well as for the general business situation show a particularly bright outlook. The sub-indicators for production activity and for order backlogs, however, are weakening.

Many of the sub-indicators within manufacturing reflect the positive developments. In particular, the sub-indicators for the metal industry as well as for the wood, glass, stone and earth segment strengthen. The favourable outlook is slightly dampened by weakened developments of the sub-indicators for food and beverage producers as well as for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.

As 2025 progressed, the global economy had largely moved beyond post-COVID distortions, but growth remained uneven and the path into 2026 looks fragile. 

Preparations for this weekend’s first round of junta-imposed elections in Myanmar have resulted in unlawful attacks that may amount to war crimes as well as a drastic increase in arbitrary detentions and further crackdowns on freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today.

The military’s passage in July of the Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic General Elections criminalizes speaking out or inciting violence against the election or election workers. Jail sentences under the law range from three years to a maximum of life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

“This junta-organized election contrasts starkly with Myanmar’s nationwide democratic elections in 2015 and 2020. Whereas 2015 was a period of hope, promising peace and respect for human rights, the current era is one of hopelessness, where war crimes, arrests and surveillance are a feature of daily life,” said Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher.

“Many in Myanmar are opposed to this election because they fear it will leave the same people who have been unlawfully killing Myanmar civilians for five years in a position of entrenched power, outside the bounds of accountability and justice that they must face.”

Election law weaponized by military rulers

The junta has claimed its election law is designed to protect workers, equipment and the election process itself. But in the weeks leading up to the first round of voting on 28 December, the junta has weaponized it to intensify repressive tactics, homing in on criticism of any kind, even social media reactions, messages and posts.

In the months since the law was passed, at least 229 people have been charged under the law for “attempting to sabotage election processes,” according to military-controlled media.  Those detained include artists and people putting up anti-election stickers.

In September, a man in Myanmar's Shan State was sentenced to seven years with hard labour for criticizing the election. In early December, a man was arrested near Yangon for a Facebook message condemning the vote, while another was arrested for damaging an election billboard. There are also reports of people in camps for Internally Displaced Persons being pressured to vote under threat of losing aid.

Out of a total of 330 townships nationwide, there are an estimated 56 under martial law throughout the country where no voting will take place, according to the UN human rights office. The winner of the previous elections in 2015 and in 2020, the National League for Democracy, has been dissolved and its leaders Aung San Suu Kyi, Win Myint and others remain detained.

In 2025, air strikes in Myanmar are on track to reach record levels compared to any year since the 2021 coup. In areas of armed conflict, where the junta is trying to gain control of places so as to hold voting there, attacks have also risen since the election date announcement. The UN said this month that these attacks “seem intentioned to regain key contested areas where elections have been announced to take place”.

In one such attack, Amnesty International documented a deadly manned paraglider bombing at a festival in central Myanmar, where people had also gathered to publicly demonstrate against the election. Civilians including children were killed after the motorized paragliders dropped mortars in the middle of a crowd. On 10 December, the military bombed a hospitalheld by the ethnic resistance organization, the Arakan Army, in Rakhine State’s Mrauk-U township. This continued a pattern of attacking hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure throughout the country since the coup.

Amnesty International calls on the international community to focus on the human rights abuses that are a feature of this election process and to prioritize accountability in Myanmar. It should refocus its attention on suspending jet fuel shipments to the country and on bringing suspected perpetrators to justice. Amnesty International also urges the International Criminal Court (ICC) to proceed with arrest warrants for Min Aung Hlaing, the senior general who is positioning himself to emerge as civilian leader after this election, as well as other Myanmar junta officials under the ICC’s investigation.

Background

After seizing power in a coup almost five years ago, the Myanmar junta – presently known as the State Security and Peace Commission – is now attempting to entrench its rule through the ballot box, with a first round of voting on 28 December, followed by additional rounds starting in January.

The staggered voting process is a result of the coup itself, as the military’s attempt to take full power on 1 February 2021 was met with nationwide resistance, leaving large parts of the country under the control of armed groups and pro-democracy forces. The military has killed at least 7,000 civilians since the coup. The true figure is likely much higher.

Increased hostilities between the Myanmar military and armed resistance groups have meant that many Rohingya and other marginalized groups have been caught in the crossfire, further eroding their rights.

Queensland's Regional University Industry Collaboration (RUIC) program leverages The Connection Table to support engagement with innovation-driven leaders

The Regional University Industry Collaboration (RUIC) program has subscribed to The Connection Table platform to expand its reach and connect innovation-driven leaders across the state's regions.

Funded by the Queensland Government and delivered by CSIRO, RUIC is designed for Queensland-based SMEs, providing support at every stage of their R&D journey.

The program offers the skills, funding, expertise, and networks necessary to drive innovation across the state's regions, including access to up to $50,000 in dollar-matched funding for collaborative research projects with partner universities across regional Queensland. RUIC's subscription to The Connection Table will increase engagement with emerging leaders who are already driving innovation across Queensland's regions. Through its Connection Table subscription, the RUIC team will:
● Access networks and industry members who may be unaware of the RUIC program
● Connect with members who understand real-world commercial challenges to better match SMEs with the research community
● Expand the reach and impact of the RUIC program across Queensland.

The subscription provides RUIC with access to The Connection Table's extensive network of rural leaders and national opportunities.

“This engagement creates a powerful combination,” Jo Palmer, Co-Founder of The Connection Table stated.

“RUIC ensures Queensland SMEs have the research capabilities and funding to innovate. The Connection Table ensures the RUIC team have visibility of the national influence opportunities that can be leveraged by program participants to scale their impact beyond the immediate research projects.”

In 2026 the RUIC team will host online events leveraging the Connection Table's network, focusing on agriculture, health and manufacturing.

The three RUIC facilitators based regionally across Queensland are already accessing the platform to connect with members and seek introductions to identify potential research projects.

RUIC's subscription to The Connection Table demonstrates the program's commitment to identifying and supporting leaders who are already demonstrating innovation and leadership within the regions, providing them with pathways to extend their influence nationally.

“Queensland's regions are driving genuine innovation through university partnerships,” Palmer added. “Our role is ensuring these innovation leaders have the platforms to share their expertise nationally and influence the policies that support R&D across Australia.”

The RUIC program supports researchers from regional Queensland universities to build industry engagement skills, connect with local businesses, and turn research into real-world impact through masterclasses and collaborative research initiatives.

About The Connection Table

The Connection Table is Australia's leading digital platform connecting rural, regional, and remote leaders with national influence opportunities including board positions, speaking engagements, and professional development. The organisation serves as a bridge between grassroots rural leadership and metro-dominated decision-making tables, addressing the confidence gap facing rural professionals and making rural voices visible in national contexts. For more information, visit theconnectiontable.com.au

About the RUIC program

A single laundry load containing synthetic clothing can release thousands of plastic microfibres from nylon, acrylic and polyester materials.

Lab testing of an SA-made washing machine filter at Flinders University shows it can be a useful new way to help protect waterways from polyester and other synthetic microparticles.

Flinders researchers are also developing a novel approach to enhance nanoplastic capture on cellulose filters using a plasma polymer coating.

23 DECEMBER 2025 – Empire Offshore Wind LLC (Empire) is complying with the notice received from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on 22 December, ordering the suspension of ongoing activities on the Outer Continental Shelf citing national security concerns.

The Department of Interior has confirmed that a total of five offshore wind projects under construction have received notices. Empire Wind is engaging with relevant authorities to better understand this matter. Equinor has extensive experience in the US and around the world operating offshore energy infrastructure and working with military and civilian authorities to ensure compliance with national security requirements.

Empire Wind will connect to New York’s grid, delivering reliable power and strengthen the state’s energy security. Once completed, the project will provide enough power to electrify 500,000 homes. Empire Wind has coordinated closely with the federal officials on national security reviews since it executed its lease for the project in 2017, including with the Department of War.

Empire Wind is complying with relevant national security related requirements, identified as part of the regulatory process conducted over several years. Empire plans to continue to work with BOEM and other federal agencies to continue to implement all necessary mitigation for the project.

The project is more than 60% complete, with trenching, cable-laying and cable pulling ongoing on the US outer continental shelf. In total, dozens of vessels, around 1,000 people, and more than a hundred companies in the US and globally have been working in coordination on the Empire Wind project. The stop work order threatens the progress of these activities and without a swift solution there may be significant impact to the project.

Empire and its contractors are complying with the order, safely suspending all ongoing activities related to the Empire Wind Project on the Outer Continental Shelf, with the ability to perform any activities that are necessary to respond to emergency situations and/or to prevent impacts to health, safety, and the environment.

Empire Wind is being developed under contract with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to deliver a critical new source of electricity for New York. that will bolster grid reliability at a time of rapidly growing demand. The project’s construction phase has put nearly 4,000 people to work, both within the lease area and in revitalization of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

Empire Wind has per 30 September 2025 a gross book value of around USD 3.1 billion, including South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. Total amount drawn under the project finance term loan facility per 30 November 2025 was around USD 2.8billion.

Equinor’s ownership to Empire is held through the Equinor Wind US LLC.

Equinor is a broad energy company with more than 35 years of history in the US. Equinor has invested more than 60 billion USD in the US to date, including in oil, gas and renewables.

23 DECEMBER 2025 – Estimates for progress and costs for the Snøhvit Future project have been updated. The project has been postponed compared to the original plan and cost estimates have increased by approximately NOK four billion since 2024.

The Snøhvit Future project strengthens Norway's position as a reliable and long-term supplier of gas produced with very low greenhouse gas emissions. The project secures jobs in Hammerfest, Norwegian value creation and energy supply to Europe towards 2050.

The project has two purposes. Onshore compression will help maintain plateau production on Hammerfest LNG when the pressure in the reservoirs decrease.Electrification of Hammerfest LNG will cut annual CO2 emissions by 850,000 tonnes, equivalent to two per cent of Norway's annual emissions.

In the development phase, it is expected that about 70% of value creation will go to Norwegian companies and more than a third of this to Northern Norway.

“Snøhvit Future is about halfway completed. It is demanding to execute such a large project in an operating plant. In addition, there has been an extensive turnaround at Melkøya this year, and we underestimated the complexity of planning and executing the project under these circumstances. We also had temporary safety shutdowns that have affected progress,” says Trond Bokn, Equinor's senior vice president for project development.

Onshore compression is now expected to start in 2029, one year after the original plan.

Every autumn, the status of development projects that have submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) is reported in the national budget. Cost estimates for the Snøhvit Future project were not ready for this year's reporting, but it was communicated that investments would increase.

The cost estimate for the project is now more than NOK 20 billion (2025). When the PDO was submitted to the authorities in 2022, the original cost estimate was NOK 13.2 billion. Adjusted for inflation, this corresponds to NOK 14.7 billion.

Other factors that have affected the progress and thus the cost development of the project over the past year:

The weather in the winter of 2024/2025 was worse than normal, limiting work in certain areas of the plant.
Increased engineering costs due to more complex integration into existing facilities.
The turnaround in the summer of 2025 was extended which postponed the resumption of project work on Melkøya.
High inflation has led to a significant increase in costs for the acquisition of equipment.