Latest news with #HALO
Tatler Asia
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
‘Mission: Impossible': 7 stunts that redefined high-stakes action cinema
The knife to the eye ('Mission: Impossible 2', 2000) The stunt: A knife stops just short of Cruise's eyeball during a brutal, close-quarters fight. Game changer: This bold moment cemented the actor's reputation for going above and beyond, pushing the limits of commitment in performing dangerous stunts. Don't miss: Exclusive: Meet Jess Khan-Lee, the actress making Hong Kong shine in the latest 'Mission: Impossible' movie The Burj Khalifa climb ('Ghost Protocol', 2011) The stunt: Scaling the exterior of the world's tallest building in Dubai using only suction gloves. Game changer: This climb transformed Mission: Impossible into a global spectacle. Cruise trained on glass walls before performing the actual climb hundreds of stories above ground. The image of Cruise clinging to glass became instantly iconic, establishing the franchise's new scale of ambition. The airplane hang ('Rogue Nation', 2015) The stunt: Clinging to the exterior of an Airbus A400M cargo plane during takeoff and flight to 5,000 feet. Game changer: Director Christopher McQuarrie initially suggested this as a joke—Cruise took it literally. Performing the stunt eight times while facing bird strikes, debris impacts and fuel exhaust, this aerial nightmare became the signature marketing imagefor Rogue Nation and set a new benchmark for Mission: Impossible madness. The HALO jump ('Fallout', 2018) The stunt: A high altitude low opening parachute jump from 25,000 to 30,000 feet at dusk, making Cruise the first actor to perform an authentic HALO jump on screen. Game changer: This sequence required 106 jumps to capture three perfect takes, with filming restricted to a narrow window at dusk. Apart from making Cruise the first actor to perform an authentic HALO jump on screen, it demonstrated how the franchise could make physiological extremes as thrilling as traditional action scenes. The motorcycle cliff jump ('Dead Reckoning Part One', 2023) The stunt: Riding a motorcycle off a massive Norwegian cliff, then BASE jumping to safety. Game changer: Described as 'the biggest stunt in cinema history', this leap required one full year of BASE jumping training and 13,000 motocross jumps. Cruise performed it six times from a specially constructed Norwegian mountain ramp. Director McQuarrie considered it the most dangerous stunt the team had ever attempted, pushing the franchise into extreme sports territory. The rooftop jump and ankle break ('Fallout, 2018') The stunt: A London rooftop leap that resulted in Cruise breaking his ankle on impact—and finishing the take. Game changer: This wasn't planned, but it became the ultimate testament to Cruise's dedication. After breaking his ankle, he completed the take anyway—footage of his injury reportedly appears in the final cut. Production halted for three months, yet Cruise continued performing on his healing ankle, underscoring the real dangers of practical stunt work. 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' (2025) As the franchise comes to its epic conclusion, Cruise has saved his most audacious stunts for last. The Final Reckoning promises two sequences that may once again redefine the meaning of 'impossible': one sees Cruise clinging to the wing of a 1930s Boeing Stearman biplane flying upside down through South African canyons at 10,000 feet. The other is an underwater scene filmed in a custom-built 800,000-gallon tank with a 1,000-ton rotating gimbal. After nearly three decades of defying gravity and redefining what's possible on screen, Cruise continues to prove that even the most impossible missions are worth attempting. Credits This article was created with the assistance of AI tools
Stuff.tv
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
Every Mission: Impossible movie ranked ahead of the release of The Final Reckoning
Tom Cruise may have a phonebook of different roles in his illustrious movie career, but his most recognised is arguably IMF Agent Ethan Hunt of the Mission: Impossible franchise (now available to stream on Paramount+). With this movie series spanning nearly 30 years, Hunt has performed enough stunts to leave a Cirque du Soleil artist in cold sweats. He's gone free solo climbing, hung on to an airplane mid-takeoff, completed a HALO parachute jump and ran down the tallest building in the world. However, there's still room for a few more death-defying feats as the franchise wraps up with the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. With this in mind, our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to rank all the Mission: Impossible movies and discover which of these thrilling spy action flicks takes the top spot. Get the latest deals from Sky or Now TV in the UK 7. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) Play MI's trademark scintillating stunts and John Woo seemed like a perfect match, so why is the first sequel widely regarded as the worst of the franchise? Well, beyond those franchise-defining action setpieces involving a breathtaking free solo opener and the bullet-ridden motorcycle chase finale, the main story ends up feeling fairly dull and uninvolving. And even if the premise revolves around a deadly bioengineered virus, there's a love triangle between our leads that falls flat due to a severe lack of chemistry. Still, between a languid stopover in Seville, a half-hearted heist at the horse races and a cliffside careening courtship scene, you'll be egging for the action to kick in again. Fortunately, these rousing OTT sequences are enough to kick you out of drowsiness, for those who stick with it are treated to Woo's trademark slo-mo balletic gunplay and doves. It's a John Woo film, you can't not have doves. 6. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) Play Ethan Hunt's fifth mission introduces shadowy organisation The Syndicate, a cabal of disavowed operatives turned rogue. If those individuals weren't enough, the IMF also faces blowback from the CIA, which brands the agency as uncontrolled and unchecked due to previous events in the series. With Hunt now on the run from both sides, he needs to bring down The Syndicate's leader, Solomon Lane, before the net closes in. This movie still fizzes with action and those ludicrous stunts, one of which features Ethan clinging onto the side of an Airbus transport aircraft during takeoff — talk about no-frills flying. Extra credit also goes to new addition Rebecca Ferguson as the mysterious Ilsa Faust, a capable foil for Ethan with a penchant for rifles and badassery. Still, Rogue Nation doesn't quite carve out its own place in the franchise, as villainous group The Syndicate doesn't quite feel as fleshed out and threatening as it could be, even though Sean Harris offers a brutal antagonist to Ethan and co. The final act is also somewhat forgettable, ending proceedings with a subtle whimper rather than a bombastic crescendo. 5. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) Play Part one of the team's final mission revolves around an AI asset known as The Entity gone rogue, which is right on the money, given public perception of this strange new tech. As various organisations race to secure this potential weapon, Hunt and his team need to make uneasy alliances and discover who or what is pulling the strings from afar. Adding to the mix are a whole host of new and old players, including Hayley Atwell as thief Grace, Henry Czerny as Kittridge, whom we haven't laid eyes on since the very first M:I, and Esai Morales as intimidating assassin Gabriel. Despite its lofty ambition, decent set pieces and technical prowess, Dead Reckoning feels very unbalanced under its vast juggling act, with an overly intricate plot, an excess of side characters with shifting loyalties, a bloated runtime, and confusing double and triple crosses aplenty. And while its endgame motorcycle jump was no doubt impressive, it was marketed to death, dulling its impact in theatres. 4. Mission: Impossible (1996) Play The opening Mission: Impossible is very much a different beast to the missions that followed it, playing it straight and focusing on a deadly game of shadows, Cold War paranoia, and Dutch angles… lots of Dutch angles. When a mission goes awry, Ethan, framed and wanted by his own agency, must dive into a murky world with his talents for espionage and forge new partnerships with unscrupulous types if he's to clear his name and discover who's behind it all. As cool as its lead (perhaps a little too cold), Mission Impossible rarely ventures into OTT territory, though that train versus copter finale more than makes up for it. It takes things at a more slow-burning pace, with shady conversations over espressos rather than explosives. With lashings of suspense, it serves as a great introduction into this shadowy universe where you really can't trust anyone, while the CIA break-in scene is still a highlight that'll have you on the edge of your seat. 3. Mission: Impossible III (2006) Play A much-needed shot in the arm for a franchise that faltered somewhat with the previous entry, Mission: Impossible III sees J.J. Abrams take up the helm, having previous experience in shooting sleuthwork on Jennifer Garner's excellent ALIAS series. The story is much more accessible this time around, with Ethan Hunt trying to juggle a normal life with fiancée Julia and being a clandestine operative, which goes as well as you might expect. The teamwork, which the original TV series was famous for, is on point in this one, particularly during a hostage extraction job in a factory and a drone showdown on a highway. The standout sequence is the mid-movie heist, in which our team needs to infiltrate Vatican City to retrieve an arms dealer, played by the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, who provides real menace and presence as one of the franchise's best villains. The plot moves at a breakneck pace and the screen is littered with Abrams' signature lens flares and grittiness thanks to its digital camerawork. Combining fun, humour, top drawer action and plenty of emotional stakes, this mission proved a great spy film needn't be so po-faced. 2. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) Play Mission: Impossible confidently strides into its fourth film with big shoes to fill, but director Brad Bird nails it with Ghost Protocol, an enjoyable action romp with plenty of absurd stunts and a gripping story. The team is on a mission to track down stolen Russian nuclear launch codes, which takes them on uncharted ground. After disaster strikes, the team must regroup and stop a plot to envelop the world in nuclear fire. It's a suspenseful movie that expertly blends well-drawn characters and a rip-roaring story. Brimming with unforgettable action and some of the finest stunt (and wire) work in the franchise, including a high-altitude jaunt on the exterior of Dubai's Burj Khalifa no less, and a surprisingly tense Kremlin infiltration mission, Ghost Protocol benefits from a tight yet explosive plot that doesn't let up until the credits roll. Peppered in with the action is a fair bit of human drama and baggage, courtesy of a bowless Jeremy Renner as Agent Brandt, Léa Seydoux as shady assassin Sabine, Simon Pegg's fan favourite Benji, and Paula Patton as a vengeful Agent Carter. 1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) Play Fallout easily takes top billing as the gang's best mission, a perfectly taut thriller that quintessentially captures what makes this franchise such a hugely enjoyable popcorn blockbuster. Featuring an all-star cast, including the returning Ving Rhames as Luther and Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa, new additions include Henry Cavill's one-man (and meme-d) gun show, August Walker, and Vanessa Kirby as the daughter of the infamous arms dealer Max from the OG M:I. Fallout expertly positions these characters as valuable pieces on the chessboard who serve their own agendas while helping or harming our heroes' endeavors. Of particular note is the HALO jump onto a Parisien skyline, a helicopter duel that ends on a heart-stopping cliffside encounter and a brutal bathroom brawl that's less WC and more 'did you see that??' Fallout breaks new ground in its thrilling sequences, thanks to Tom Cruise always going that extra mile, and then some, cementing the film's place among the hallowed halls of the finest action movies. Get the latest deals from Sky or Now TV in the UK
Business Upturn
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
Solidus Labs Unveils Agentic-Based Compliance: A New Model for Trade Surveillance Operations
By Business Wire Published on May 22, 2025, 17:38 IST New York, United States: Solidus Labs , the category-definer in trade surveillance and risk monitoring for digital and traditional asset classes, today announced the launch of Agentic-Based Compliance, a groundbreaking model for surveillance operations that leverages a network of AI agents to deliver exponential efficiency, precision, and intelligence across the entire trade surveillance and transaction monitoring investigation lifecycle. Legacy compliance solutions have failed to keep up with the rapid modernization and growing complexity of global markets. Compliance teams are forced to work with a patchwork of disconnected and expensive tools that fail to deliver results efficiently. According to McKinsey , compliance analysts spend 80% of their time on low or moderate-risk issues, often repetitively resolving false positives or performing menial work. This inefficiency extends to market abuse detection: Despite the enormous resources and efforts invested in compliance technology, firms continue to face enforcement actions for missed manipulation. Research shows that market abuse like insider trading occurs in 20% of mergers and acquisitions and 5% of quarterly earnings announcements in U.S. markets. More broadly, only 4% of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) lead to law enforcement investigations. This isn't a failure of effort – it's a failure of architecture. Built on Solidus' proprietary platform, HALO, Agentic-Based Compliance reimagines how financial institutions detect, investigate, and resolve market abuse risks. It replaces legacy systems and siloed workflows with a unified, intelligence-led architecture powered by autonomous AI agents that augment human analysts and operate across a multi-dimensional risk environment. 'Agentic-Based Compliance is the only way compliance teams can stay ahead of emerging complexities like 24/7 off-platform trading, enhanced retail participation and the heightened risks they carry for cyber-enhanced financial crimes and cross-product and cross-market manipulation,' said Asaf Meir, Founder and Chief Executive of Solidus Labs. 'Our vision is simple: Compliance operations should be as scalable, intelligent, and efficient as the markets they're designed to protect. Solidus' Agentic-Based Compliance delivers just that, solving for tech sprawl, alert fatigue, talent shortage and surveillance blind spots that cost firms thousands of hours and can reach billions of dollars in losses and fines.' HALO embeds a fleet of purpose-built AI agents, each designed to streamline a specific stage of the compliance investigation lifecycle — from signal enrichment and alert remediation to model testing, OSINT intelligence feeds, case management, and regulatory reporting. Born in crypto's highly fragmented and complex environment, Solidus' Agentic-Based Compliance is future-proof by design for all asset classes, leading to 20X faster investigations and saving compliance analysts as much as 5 hours of menial work per day. Like all Solidus Labs' solutions, it was developed in tandem with regulatory feedback – aligning with the current and evolving demands of modern financial markets, including the imperatives of market abuse regulations in the U.S., EU, and other leading jurisdictions. Poised to power the next generation of surveillance operations, Solidus' Agentic-Based Compliance is already gaining traction among forward-looking financial firms seeking to modernize their compliance capabilities and reduce operational strain. To learn more, visit . About Solidus Labs Solidus Labs is the category-definer for Agentic-Based Compliance in trade surveillance and risk monitoring. Founded in 2018 by Goldman Sachs veterans, the company merges Wall Street rigor, crypto-native innovation, and cybersecurity principles to reinvent compliance for the modern financial era. At the core is HALO, an AI-powered risk-based platform trusted by financial institutions, crypto firms, and regulators globally to drive proactive, intelligence-led oversight — across any product, venue, or asset class. View source version on Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Business Wire is an American company that disseminates full-text press releases from thousands of companies and organizations worldwide to news media, financial markets, disclosure systems, investors, information web sites, databases, bloggers, social networks and other audiences.
National Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Solidus Labs Unveils Agentic-Based Compliance: A New Model for Trade Surveillance Operations
Article content NEW YORK — Solidus Labs, the category-definer in trade surveillance and risk monitoring for digital and traditional asset classes, today announced the launch of Agentic-Based Compliance, a groundbreaking model for surveillance operations that leverages a network of AI agents to deliver exponential efficiency, precision, and intelligence across the entire trade surveillance and transaction monitoring investigation lifecycle. Article content Article content Legacy compliance solutions have failed to keep up with the rapid modernization and growing complexity of global markets. Compliance teams are forced to work with a patchwork of disconnected and expensive tools that fail to deliver results efficiently. According to McKinsey, compliance analysts spend 80% of their time on low or moderate-risk issues, often repetitively resolving false positives or performing menial work. This inefficiency extends to market abuse detection: Despite the enormous resources and efforts invested in compliance technology, firms continue to face enforcement actions for missed manipulation. Research shows that market abuse like insider trading occurs in 20% of mergers and acquisitions and 5% of quarterly earnings announcements in U.S. markets. More broadly, only 4% of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) lead to law enforcement investigations. This isn't a failure of effort – it's a failure of architecture. Article content Built on Solidus' proprietary platform, HALO, Agentic-Based Compliance reimagines how financial institutions detect, investigate, and resolve market abuse risks. It replaces legacy systems and siloed workflows with a unified, intelligence-led architecture powered by autonomous AI agents that augment human analysts and operate across a multi-dimensional risk environment. Article content 'Agentic-Based Compliance is the only way compliance teams can stay ahead of emerging complexities like 24/7 off-platform trading, enhanced retail participation and the heightened risks they carry for cyber-enhanced financial crimes and cross-product and cross-market manipulation,' said Asaf Meir, Founder and Chief Executive of Solidus Labs. 'Our vision is simple: Compliance operations should be as scalable, intelligent, and efficient as the markets they're designed to protect. Solidus' Agentic-Based Compliance delivers just that, solving for tech sprawl, alert fatigue, talent shortage and surveillance blind spots that cost firms thousands of hours and can reach billions of dollars in losses and fines.' Article content HALO embeds a fleet of purpose-built AI agents, each designed to streamline a specific stage of the compliance investigation lifecycle — from signal enrichment and alert remediation to model testing, OSINT intelligence feeds, case management, and regulatory reporting. Article content Born in crypto's highly fragmented and complex environment, Solidus' Agentic-Based Compliance is future-proof by design for all asset classes, leading to 20X faster investigations and saving compliance analysts as much as 5 hours of menial work per day. Like all Solidus Labs' solutions, it was developed in tandem with regulatory feedback – aligning with the current and evolving demands of modern financial markets, including the imperatives of market abuse regulations in the U.S., EU, and other leading jurisdictions. Article content Poised to power the next generation of surveillance operations, Solidus' Agentic-Based Compliance is already gaining traction among forward-looking financial firms seeking to modernize their compliance capabilities and reduce operational strain. Article content Solidus Labs is the category-definer for Agentic-Based Compliance in trade surveillance and risk monitoring. Founded in 2018 by Goldman Sachs veterans, the company merges Wall Street rigor, crypto-native innovation, and cybersecurity principles to reinvent compliance for the modern financial era. At the core is HALO, an AI-powered risk-based platform trusted by financial institutions, crypto firms, and regulators globally to drive proactive, intelligence-led oversight — across any product, venue, or asset class. Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content Article content
Herald Malaysia
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Ten years on: The HALO Trust and the future of Syria's Palmyra
Ten years after the fall of Palmyra to the so-called Islamic-State, and as Syrians return to their cities following the fall of the Assad regime, The HALO Trust is beginning to look at the Syrian City with the prospect of clearing it of unexploded military ordinance. May 22, 2025 Palmyra (The HALO Trust) By Francesca MerloTen years ago, the so-called Islamic State brutally occupied and destroyed most of the Syrian city of Palmyra. Now almost entirely deserted, the city of staggering historical significance carries the weight of the Syrian civil war in its rubble and in the desert that surrounds a bustling hub on the ancient Silk Road, this crossroads of civilisations suffered catastrophic damage. While its destruction, ironically, brought its beauty to light, and led those who had never known the city to miss it, it also left a lethal legacy. Now, landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) are an imminent threat to the lives of those who, on the horizon of a new political dawn, dare to O'Brien, Country Director for The HALO Trust's Syria operations, has just returned from the ancient city. As the world's largest landmine clearance charity, HALO's presence in Syria, especially following the fall of the Assad regime, is more precious than ever. Already operating in the northwest of the country, the prospect of bringing life back to what once was such a 'sophisticated and prosperous city' is a difficult task, but one that O'Brien is confident can be achieved. Palmyra today In an interview with Vatican News, O'Brien describes Palmyra today and the task ahead.'When I visited, I went up to a fort on a hilltop overlooking the main site and found Russian newspapers dated 2024, showing that there were foreign soldiers there very recently". O'Brien describes visible damage to the fort, but admits not being able to tell how much was caused to the rest of the site, having not visited it before the war. Parts of it, he says, still visibly stand tall. 'But what is noticeable', he adds, is "the destruction of the modern town of Palmyra", which had been developed alongside the historical site. "Its houses, hotels, villas have been destroyed by airstrikes, artillery shells, and small arms fire".As Palmyra has not yet been surveyed - meaning no formal, systematic assessment has been conducted to identify and map the locations of landmines, UXO, or other explosive remnants of war in the area - O'Brien warns that accidents are happening, and this is the first clear indication that there are devices there and that people returning are being affected by explains that part of the reason why the land has not yet been surveyed could be because the area is completely empty. But, in turn, the area being barren could also be due to the explosive contamination. The prospect of resettling As the centrepiece of Syria's heritage, in the past Palmyra provided many jobs, and 'like many places in Syria, it will need to be resettled and rebuilt, which will take a long time'.Having worked in numerous parts of the country, O'Brien is aware of the resettlement challenges in Palmyra, where, as in much of Syria, private property and infrastructure lie in ruins. 'It's a daunting challenge to come back to,' he says. Many Syrians have spent years abroad and may be hesitant to return without guarantees of stability, jobs, or basic services. Unlike Aleppo, where some areas remain livable, the modern town of Palmyra is still entirely uninhabitable - though, he adds, a few hardy traders remain. Desert mines But today, the challenge facing Palmyra is not only how to rebuild its physical structures but also how to remove the lethal remnants left in its in the desert, roughly halfway between Damascus and the Iraqi border, Palmyra is surrounded by vast, sparsely populated areas contaminated with landmines and improvised explosive devices. Unlike the northwest of the country, where frontlines were clearly drawn and mapped by the Syrian Army, central and eastern Syria present a more complex picture. 'Around Palmyra, control shifted between different armed groups', O'Brien explains. 'We haven't seen the maps for these areas, so surveying will be far more challenging'.In the absence of clear records, each patch of ground must be carefully assessed. Technically, he says, this is a different kind of de-mining to what is being done in the northwest. And while Palmyra has been relatively quiet in recent years, the risks remain - both above and below the surface. 'Not all explosive devices detonate as intended', he says. 'There could still be grenades, mortars, even air-dropped weapons hidden in homes and buildings.'Without the capacity to fully clear these hazards before people return, those who come back - whether to rebuild or simply to see what remains - risk encountering violence very similar to that from which they fled. Behind demining 'People have lost their lives, and some continue to risk handling explosives themselves out of desperation or lack of alternatives', O'Brien warns. 'Without proper training or equipment, this is a recipe for disaster'.He explains that handling unexploded ordnance is a task that demands expertise. 'There's a reason we use protective gear and follow strict procedures - without them, the likelihood of fatal accidents rises dramatically'.Surveying and clearance must meet international standards. 'If corners are cut', O'Brien stresses, 'an area might wrongly be declared safe, only for civilians to return and suffer the consequences. It's not just dangerous - in some cases, it's criminally negligent. And it damages public trust in everything we're trying to do'.Yet the urgency on the ground is mounting. Displacement, desperation, and hopes of recovery are driving families back into areas that remain dangerously contaminated. 'We're seeing huge numbers of people returning to areas we know are heavily mined', he says. Years of conflict, sanctions, and territorial fragmentation have left clearance operators with limited resources and reach. 'We're starting from a very low baseline of capacity - and the tragic truth is we simply can't get to every device before people do'.The accident rate right now, he warns, is "horrific". Empowering the local people The HALO Trust's approach focuses on empowering Syrians themselves to lead the clearing effort. 'We have trained local teams to internationally recognised standards, equipping them to safely detect and remove mines and explosives', O'Brien says. 'Currently, our operations are concentrated mainly in northwest Syria, but we aim to extend eastwards to Palmyra and beyond'.However, he is realistic about the difficulties. 'Rehabilitation requires substantial funding, resources, and security guarantees. Many displaced families have established lives elsewhere, hesitant to return until conditions stabilise'.Still, he adds, Syria is not short of human resources. 'There are many motivated, and technically capable people here', O'Brien says. 'We're confident we can train them. But that training - along with the surveying required before safe deployment - takes weeks, sometimes months'.To carry out that training and surveying responsibly, the support of local authorities is essential. 'The government in Damascus has been very supportive', he explains. 'They understand the importance of our work, and we have a strong relationship with authorities across Syria - which is absolutely critical'.HALO's vision for Syria is long-term and grounded in local ownership. 'There are jobs for Syrians in their own areas. Our plan is to mobilise teams quickly, across much of the country. That's the only way to make recovery sustainable.' Security risks and threats When asked about ongoing security threats - particularly the presence of ISIS and foreign forces - O'Brien gives a measured assessment. 'When I first arrived in Syria in December, the roadsides were littered with military debris: tanks, missiles, rocket batteries. Some of that has since been cleared but much still remains'.He emphasises that while the greatest danger to civilians remains mines and cluster munitions, unsecured heavy weapons also pose a long-term threat to stability. 'If these fall into the wrong hands, they can reignite conflict'.As for ISIS, he says, 'they haven't held territory in years". He notes that although there are still isolated cells, and some attacks have been linked to ISIS, most of them have been against Syrian army positions and "they're not targeting organisations like ours or civilians'.More broadly, Syria's post-war security picture is, in his words, 'remarkably good'. A fragile but enduring calm has allowed for reconciliation between factions, and even the beginnings of national military integration. 'Where the next threat may come from is hard to say', he adds. 'But for now, our operating environment is relatively stable'. Funding demining The recent lifting of US sanctions, announced while O'Brien was in Damascus, was met with an outpouring of public emotion. 'The streets filled with people waving flags. I've never seen anything like it', he recalls. 'It was a moment of real hope', even more so than when Assad's regime fell in December when people celebrated, but the uncertainty of what was to come the US supports HALO in many of its operations globally, it does support funding for Syria, so the lifting of sanctions does not directly affect the operation. However the easing of restrictions could open doors. 'It'll allow us to bring in equipment, transfer funds, and move staff more easily', he explains. 'More than that, it signals growing international recognition of Syria's future potential'. Syria belongs to Syrians That potential, continues O'Brien, lies most tangibly in its people.'Syrians want to rebuild. They don't want handouts or foreign experts forever. They want to do the work themselves - and they can. What we need now is investment and belief.'Despite the long road ahead, O'Brien's message is one of cautious optimism. 'This isn't 2011. Syrians have endured fifteen years of war. They're tired, but they're still standing. And that's what makes this moment different'. With the right support, he believes, Syria's minefields - like the wounds of war itself - could one day be buried for good.--Vatican News
