
Ibiza Swim Week strengthens international presence in second edition
Last Friday, Ibiza hosted the second edition of Ibiza Swim Week, an event that continues to carve out its place in the international swimwear fashion calendar.
The initiative, which is steadily gaining momentum, is spearheaded by Nía Vásquez, founder of Ibiza-based premium bikini label Cocora Shop.
This year, the number of participating brands doubled compared to its inaugural edition, reaching a total of 16 labels, highlighting Vásquez's ambition to position Ibiza as a European hub for designer beachwear. International participation and local presence
The brand lineup featured names from the US, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, France, Italy, the UK, Spain, and Hawaii, alongside three Ibiza-based labels, reflecting a blend of global appeal and local identity.
Drawing inspiration from formats such as Miami Swim Week and New York Swim Week, Ibiza Swim Week combined runway shows with a direct-to-consumer market, live DJ sets, and artistic performances. The immersive format is designed to engage not only end consumers, but also buyers and industry professionals.
Organisers noted that "both the casting and the selection criteria were managed from the US," aiming to uphold production standards aligned with leading American swimwear events. Brand Ellas at the second edition of Ibiza Swim Week. Credits: David Reinoso.
Set against the backdrop of the Hotel Aguas de Ibiza in Santa Eulalia, the event sought proximity to the area's affluent tourist demographic.
In doing so, Ibiza Swim Week positions itself as both a creative platform and a commercial showcase, with a distinctly international outlook. This article was translated to English using an AI tool.
FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com
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South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Nato leaders agree to hike military spending after pressure from Trump
The 32 leaders endorsed a final summit statement saying: 'Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defence- and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations.' Spain had already officially announced that it cannot meet the target, and others have voiced reservations, but the investment pledge includes a review of spending in 2029 to monitor progress and reassess the security threat posed by Russia. Mr Trump called the spending boost 'something that no-one really thought possible. And they said, 'You did it, sir. You did it.' Well, I don't know if I did it, but I think I did'. The leaders also underlined their 'ironclad commitment' to Nato's collective security guarantee – 'that an attack on one is an attack on all'. Ahead of the summit, Mr Trump had again raised doubts over whether the United States would defend its allies. The show of unity vindicated Nato secretary general Mark Rutte's billing of the summit as 'transformational', even though it papered over divisions. 'Together, allies have laid the foundations for a stronger, fairer and more lethal Nato,' Mr Rutte told reporters after chairing the meeting in The Hague. 'This will fuel a quantum leap in our collective defence.' The spending hike requires each country to spend billions of dollars. It comes as the United States – Nato's biggest-spending member – shifts its attention away from Europe to focus on security priorities elsewhere, notably in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific. But ahead of the meeting, Spain announced that it would not be able to reach the target by the new 2035 deadline, calling it 'unreasonable'. Belgium signalled that it would not get there either, and Slovakia said it reserves the right to decide its own defence spending. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stood conspicuously aside from other leaders in the summit family photo. After the meeting, he said that Spain can execute Nato's defence plans by spending only 2% of gross domestic product on defence. 'In today's summit, Nato wins and Spain wins something very important for our society, which is security and the welfare state,' Mr Sanchez said. Mr Trump lashed out at Spain after the meeting. 'They want to stay at 2%. I think it's terrible,' he said. 'You know what we're going to do? We're negotiating with Spain on a trade deal. We're going to make them pay twice as much.' Many European countries face major economic challenges, and Mr Trump's global tariff war could make it even harder for America's allies to reach their targets. Some countries are already squeezing welfare and foreign aid spending to channel extra funds into their military budgets. On Tuesday, Mr Trump complained that 'there's a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly'. He has also criticised Canada as 'a low payer'. In 2018, a Nato summit during Mr Trump's first term unravelled due to a dispute over defence spending. But Mr Rutte conceded that 'these are difficult decisions. Let's be honest. I mean, politicians have to make choices in scarcity. And this is not easy'. But he said: 'given the threat from the Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative'. Other countries closer to the borders of Russia and Ukraine – Poland, the three Baltic states and Nordic countries – have committed to the goal, as have Nato's European heavyweights Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands. In their statement, the leaders said they were united 'in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia'. It had been feared that Mr Trump would object to that assessment, which European governments need to justify higher spending. The US president has been reluctant to support Ukraine in its war against Russia's full-scale invasion. 'We stand by Ukraine in its pursuit of peace and will continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path to Nato membership,' Mr Rutte said. The Trump administration has vetoed Ukraine's bid to join Nato for the foreseeable future. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the agreement 'is a big win, I think, for both President Trump and I think it's also a big win for Europe'. He told reporters that 'we're witnessing the birth of a new Nato, which means a more balanced Nato'. Mr Stubb said it would take nations 'back to the defence expenditure levels of the Cold War'. Nato countries started to cut their military budgets in safer times after the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer threw his weight behind the hike, declaring: 'This is the moment to unite, for Europe to make a fundamental shift in its posture and for Nato to meet this challenge head-on.' In a fresh take on Mr Trump's Maga movement, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said: 'We should choose a motto, 'make Nato great again'.' After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Nato allies agreed to make 2% of GDP the minimum spending level. Last year, 22 countries were expected to hit that target, up from just three a decade ago. In The Hague, the allies endorsed a major revamp of their spending targets. They upped the ante for what Nato calls 'core defence spending' to 3.5%, while changing how it is counted to include providing military support to Ukraine. To hit Mr Trump's 5% demand, the deal set a second target of 1.5% of GDP for a broader range of defence-related spending, such as improving roads, bridges, ports and airfields so that armies can deploy more quickly, countering cyber and hybrid attack measures, or preparing societies to deal with future conflicts. Progress will be reviewed in 2029, after the next US presidential election. 'This declaration is historic. We are 32 allies supporting that ambition, which is huge,' said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. 'We have been struggling to get above 2% and now we said 3.5%, which is necessary in order to reach our capabilities.' Earlier this month, Nato agreed individual purchasing targets for nations to stock up on weapons and military equipment to better defend Europe, the Arctic and the North Atlantic, as part of the US push to ramp up security spending. 📸 Leaders gather for a family photo at the #NATOsummit in The Hague 🇳🇱 — NATO Spokesperson (@NATOpress) June 25, 2025 Extra funds will also be needed should the Trump administration announce a draw-down of forces in Europe, where around 84,000 US troops are based, leaving European allies to plug any security gaps. The Pentagon is expected to announce its intentions in coming months. Beyond Mr Trump's demands, European allies and Canada have steeply ramped up defence spending out of concern about the threat posed by Russia. Several countries are concerned that Russia could carry out an attack on Nato territory by the end of the decade. Hungary is not one of them, though. 'I think Russia is not strong enough to represent a real threat to us. We are far stronger,' said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, fielding questions from reporters, leaning back with his hands thrust into his pockets. Mr Orban is considered Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in Europe.

Finextra
2 hours ago
- Finextra
12 Years Ago: The First nexo Standards Transaction, a Milestone for European Payments: By Arnaud Crouzet
On June 5, 2013, a major step was taken towards the harmonization of card payments in Europe. I had the privilege of executing the very first live transaction based on the protocols and standards that would become nexo standards, in an Auchan store in Faches-Thumesnil, France, for a symbolic amount of €1. This pioneering moment, realized in partnership with Ingenico and Crédit Mutuel-CIC, under the umbrella of the OSCar consortium, marked the first operational implementation of a universal card payment solution built on SEPA standards. --> First SEPA card transaction – June 5, 2013 – France, using the French CB brand From a Merchant's Vision: Solving Fragmentation in Payments In 2012, I joined the OSCar consortium as the first merchant. Our goal was clear: overcome the fragmentation that plagued international merchants, who had to maintain different payment solutions for each country, leading to operational complexity and significant costs. At the time, the lack of harmonization across card schemes forced merchants to adapt to local protocols, resulting in fragmented acceptance, complex technical setups, and high maintenance costs. For large retailers like Auchan, a standardized, pan-European solution promised major operational efficiencies. The OSCar initiative, backed by key players such as American Express, Visa Europe, Mastercard Europe, GIE CB, Consorzio Bancomat, Ingenico, Verifone, Atos Worldline, and others, aimed to create this breakthrough by combining: SEPA-FAST payment application (common terminal application) payment application (common terminal application) EPAS ISO 20022 Acquirer protocol (standardized POS-to-acquirer communication) From France to Europe: Proving Cross-Border Interoperability Just three months after the first French transaction, the solution was successfully replicated in the Jumbo Paõ de Açucar store in Amoreiras, Lisbon. This second live pilot confirmed the cross-border capabilities of the solution — no local adaptation was required. A single, unified payment application and protocol could now be deployed across different European countries, in line with the SEPA Cards Framework objectives set by the European Payments Council (EPC). The pilot demonstrated: No impact on customer experience: payment remained seamless at checkout. on customer experience: payment remained seamless at checkout. Significant simplification of the technical architecture for merchants. of the technical architecture for merchants. Interoperability across multiple domestic and international card schemes without cobadging constraints. across multiple domestic and international card schemes without cobadging constraints. New opportunities for card issuers to extend their acceptance reach. --> SEPA card transaction – September 30, 2013 – Portugal, using Visa and Mastercard brands A Turning Point for the Entire Payment Ecosystem This milestone had profound implications for all stakeholders: Stakeholder Benefit Merchants Simplified acceptance infrastructure, lower costs, faster innovation, cross-border reach Banks / Acquirers Standardized acquiring infrastructure, reduced integration costs, pan-European services Domestic Card Schemes Extended acceptance without dependency on international brands (e.g., no mandatory cobadging). nexo standards also help domestic schemes to accelerate the deployment of new functionalities, thanks to the native integration of features already available internationally. For example, contactless acceptance and PIN Online have been supported in nexo protocols since the beginning, whereas some countries took over 10 years to roll them out. International Schemes Opportunity to simplify multi-country deployment, foster open competition Solution Providers Ability to offer standardized, scalable, SEPA-compliant solutions. Reduced development and maintenance costs, easier multi-country deployments. A single solution deployable anywhere, for everyone. Consumers Faster, consistent, and secure payment experiences across Europe The open, universal, and standardized approach also allowed merchants and acquirers to anticipate regulatory evolutions, notably around interchange fee regulations, brand choice obligations, and the broader European card payments harmonization agenda. In particular, brand choice — mandated under PSD2 and its Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) — is natively supported by nexo protocols. Merchants and consumers can select their preferred payment brand on co-badged cards. nexo integrates and configures brand selection flows in full compliance with regulatory obligations and with guidelines from the European Payments Stakeholders Group (EPSG), as specified in the SEPA Cards Standardisation Volume (Book). Furthermore, brand choice is not only a European requirement: nexo standards enable merchants globally to address similar needs wherever brand selection is expected or mandated. nexo Standards: From a Vision to a Global Reality Following these first pilots, the initiative evolved rapidly: EPASOrg transitioned to become nexo standards in 2014 . transitioned to become . The initial protocols were refined, expanded, and formalized into a globally recognized suite of ISO 20022-based standards. nexo protocols have since been adopted by major players across Europe and beyond — not only for card payments but also supporting mobile and QR Code-based payments. They are now evolving to incorporate Instant Payments, and will likely move to integrate the Digital Euro in the future. Key Milestones: Year Evolution 2013 First live transaction (France), Cross-border validation (Portugal) 2014 Formal launch of nexo standards 2016 Publication of nexo Retailer Protocol for POS-to-ECR communication based on ISO20022 2018 Increased adoption in major payment infrastructures 2021 nexo standards began exploratory work on mobile acceptance and SoftPOS integration. 2022 Launch of nexo QR Code initiatives for dynamic merchant-presented QR acceptance 2024 Extension toward Instant Payment use cases 2025 Preparatory study on Digital Euro nexo standards now used by leading retailers, acquirers, and solution providers globally nexo standards protocols are now referenced in European regulatory frameworks and recognized by major payment organizations, reinforcing their position as a global standard for card and payment acceptance interoperability. Looking Ahead: The Open Standard for the Future of Payments Today, nexo standards is an established, open, flexible, and scalable framework. The standards are used in diverse environments, from traditional POS to SoftPOS and e-commerce acceptance. Initiatives are also exploring Instant Payment use cases based on nexo frameworks. It supports: Interoperability across multiple payment types and acceptance environments — including in-store, e-commerce, SoftPOS, cards, mobile, and QR codes. Work is actively underway to integrate Instant Payments use cases . Discussions are also progressing toward the adoption of nexo standards for the future Digital Euro , already recognized by the European Central Bank (ECB) as a key technical framework. across multiple payment types and acceptance environments — including in-store, e-commerce, SoftPOS, cards, mobile, and QR codes. Work is actively underway to . Discussions are also progressing toward the adoption of nexo standards for the , already recognized by the European Central Bank (ECB) as a key technical framework. Future-proofing with ISO 20022 compliance, worldwide migration to this modern structure providing flexibility for new and future services (cards, Instant Payment, CBDC, e-Invoicing, …). with ISO 20022 compliance, worldwide migration to this modern structure providing flexibility for new and future services (cards, Instant Payment, CBDC, e-Invoicing, …). Innovation through standardized, open APIs and cloud-native architectures (in progress) through standardized, open APIs and cloud-native architectures (in progress) Global reach with deployments in Europe, Africa, Americas, Middle East, Australia and Asia By providing a common language for the industry, nexo standards empowers all players — merchants, banks, payment schemes, and technology providers — to build a more connected, efficient, and secure payments ecosystem. Twelve years on, the journey continues — driving payments toward a more open, interoperable, and innovative world. What started with a symbolic €1 transaction has grown into a global movement shaping the future of harmonized, secure, and innovative payments worldwide.


Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Biggar pilot housing project with smart sensors hailed a resounding success
Sensors monitored property conditions such as temperature, humidity and motion. A groundbreaking smart tech pilot project at a retirement complex in South Lanarkshire has been hailed a resounding success. The recently-completed six-month project saw the installation of a range of unobtrusive sensors at a facility in Biggar. And it is believed there could be 'significant benefits for both tenants and the housing providers' as well as an estimated annual saving of £18.5 million when applied across all of Scotland's sheltered housing developments. Covering retired individuals at Bield's Langvout Court in Biggar, the project involved sensors being placed around communal spaces and ten individual properties at the development in order to monitor property conditions such as temperature, humidity and motion. Gavin Wright, head of property management at Bield, commented: 'This project exemplifies how thoughtful innovation can support older people to live independently, safely and with dignity. 'We're proud to have played a key role in a partnership that's delivering real, positive change. The smart technology we trialled at Langvout Court has brought clear cost savings and improved safety. As a result, we're now exploring how this approach can be rolled out across our wider estate.' Involving Glasgow-based digital health innovator Archangel alongside Bield Housing and Care and the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre (DHI), the completed project underwent a comprehensive assessment by Edinburgh-based digital technology consultancy firm FarrPoint. The project, entitled 'Evaluating care delivery in rural settings', showcased the latest technology innovations and was funded by the UK Government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as part of the Glasgow City Region (GCR) 5G Smart and Connected Places Programme. Data was relayed immediately to Archangel's ambient assisted living (AAL) secure technology platform and automatically monitored 24/7 to proactively address any potential issues that might arise in relation to the living conditions of tenants. The sensors were connected via the Angelnet resilient connectivity network, with the data then becoming available to all stakeholders via the Archangel platform. The project delivered an annual £7670 saving in heating costs and an annual £2825 saving in maintenance costs. An £18.5 million annual saving is estimated when factored out across all of Scotland's sheltered housing developments. Tom Morton, CEO of Archangel, commented: 'The independent FarrPoint evaluation confirms real, measurable outcomes that address today's operational, financial and regulatory pressures as well as a return on investment within the first year. By aggregating data across housing and care environments, the Archangel platform delivers safer homes, reduces energy and maintenance costs, improves compliance and frees up staff time. 'This isn't about experimenting with innovation. It's about helping leaders turn information into action, confidently and cost-effectively. Our partners are empowered to deploy secure, proven, scalable solutions with real-time insights available 24/7 that drive strategic impact, operational efficiency and better outcomes for people and communities.' The final report, produced by FarrPoint, demonstrates the considerable impact that the use of smart sensors can have in the housing sector: ■ Reduced utility costs ■ Reduced maintenance costs ■ Reduced manual checks ■ Improved tenant safety ■ Improved regulatory compliance The use of smart technology can also be used to monitor other environmental conditions to detect risks such as legionella. Kate Milne, economist at FarrPoint, who led the assessment, said: 'As independent consultants, we often do studies evaluating the real impact that technology can bring, and I'm pleased that this particular assessment showed positive benefits of intelligent sensors to residents at Langvout Court. Not only did it enhance their sense of safety and wellbeing but also supported Bield staff to deliver more timely, informed responses.' The innovation scheme has been made possible through funding from the UK Government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as part of the Glasgow City Region (GCR) 5G Smart and Connected Places Programme. Janette Hughes, director of planning and performance with DHI (and Chair of the UKTIN Health Working Group), who alerted Archangel to the funding opportunity, added: 'This is ultimately about making housing more connected and safer, which allows for more responsive communities creating the conditions for people to live happier, longer and more secure lives in their own properties.' And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.