Category: Balkans

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: From a war zone to new diabetes diagnostics and treatments A University of Aberdeen diabetes expert will share the incredible journey which took her from a teenager fleeing war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 to becoming the first female Regius Chair of Physiology – a position appointed directly by the King – three decades later.

Source: University of Aberdeen

Professor Mirela DelibegovicA University of Aberdeen diabetes expert will share the incredible journey which took her from a teenager fleeing war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 to becoming the first female Regius Chair of Physiology – a position appointed directly by the King – three decades later.
Professor Mirela Delibegovic will host a Founders’ Week Lecture to celebrate the 530th anniversary of the creation of the University.
At the free event on Wednesday February 12 she will share with the audience how her early life inspired her research journey and details of her ground-breaking work following in the footsteps of another Aberdeen diabetes pioneer, credited with saving millions of lives.
Professor Delibegovic came to the UK on a scholarship from George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, where her potential as a scientist was encouraged. She went on to study pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh, for a PhD in biochemistry at the University of Dundee and then undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Her initial interest in diabetes research was fuelled by a family history and prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in Bosnia and Herzegovina – and she was determined to play her part in understanding why our bodies stop responding to the effects of our own hormone, insulin.
She now leads the Aberdeen Cardiovascular and Diabetes Centre exploring how diabetes, obesity, heart disease and ageing are woven together and in 2024 her successful research career was recognised when she was appointed by the King as the first female Regius Chair of Physiology.
Her work follows in the footsteps of previous Aberdeen Regius Chair of Physiology, JJR Macleod, who led the Toronto team credited with the discovery of insulin.
Professor Delibogovic said: “Thanks to the team led by Professor Macleod, people living with type 1 diabetes, who do not produce insulin, have been able to inject it for more than a century.
“But it wasn’t until the early 1980s that the receptor through which insulin works was identified and this is crucial knowledge for type 2 diabetes, where the body produces insulin but it doesn’t do its job.
“We are trying to understand if we can use the targets post insulin receptor, to improve patients’ lives either through treatment or through earlier intervention.”
The lecture forms part of the University of Aberdeen’s Founders’ Week celebrations which will also include a discovery day of family fun on Monday February 10 with tours of the Old Aberdeen campus, visits to the Zoology Museum, and STEM activities for all ages delivered by TechFest. The University’s Professor Gordon Noble will also speak at a Café Sci event in Aberdeen Art Gallery on Tuesday February 11 about his research into Pictish kingdoms in north-east Scotland.
The week pays tribute to Aberdeen’s historic origins as an ancient University and provides an opportunity to highlight the important role the institution continues to play in education and research.
Professor Delibegovic collaborates with researchers worldwide and from a range of different disciplines with the aim of turning the findings made at the laboratory bench into diagnostic tools, medicines and other interventions.
“Understanding what causes insulin resistance and finding ways to postpone or even reverse these conditions is crucial to our future health,” she said.
“My hope is that the research we are doing now will lead to simple, achievable and affordable therapies that tackle diabetes and its complications in the future.”
The Founders’ Week inaugural lecture takes place at the Suttie Centre, Foresterhill on February 12 from 6pm to 7.15pm. It will include a question and answer session and will be followed by a reception.
Entry is free but places should be reserved by visiting https://www.abdn.ac.uk/events/21867/

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Assad’s fall opens window for Syrian refugees to head home − but for many, it won’t be an easy decision

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kelsey Norman, Fellow for the Middle East, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

For more than a decade, Syrians have been the world’s largest refugee population.

More than 6 million Syrians have fled the country since 2011, when an uprising against the regime of Bashar Assad transformed into a 13-year civil war. Most ended up in neighboring countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, while a sizable minority wound up in Europe. But the overthrow of the Assad regime in late 2024 by opposition forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has seemingly opened a window for their return, and tens of thousands of former refugees have since made the decision to go back to their homeland.

How many and who decides to go back, and the circumstances under which they reintegrate into Syrian society, will have enormous implications for both Syria and the countries they resettled in. It also provides an opportunity for migration scholars like ourselves to better understand what happens when refugees finally return home.

Previous research has shown that Syrian refugees who are trying to decide whether to return are motivated more by conditions in Syria than by policy decisions where they’ve resettled. But individual experiences also play an important role. Counterintuitively, refugees who have been exposed to violence during the Syrian civil war are actually more tolerant of and better at assessing the risk of returning to Syria, research has shown.

But such research was conducted while Assad was still in power, and it has only been several weeks since Assad fell. As a result, it’s unclear how many Syrians will decide to go back. After all, the current government is transitional, and the country is not fully unified.

The risk of return

In the month after Assad’s fall, about 125,000 Syrians headed home, primarily from Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. But for the majority of those yet to return, important questions and considerations remain.

First and foremost, what will governance look like under the transitional government? So far, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s rule under Ahmed al-Sharaa has suggested the group will embrace inclusivity toward Syria’s diverse array of ethnic and religious minorities. Even so, some observers worry about the group’s prior connections to militant Islamist groups, including al-Qaida.

Similarly, initial fears about restrictions on women’s participation in public life have mostly been assuaged, despite the transitional government appointing only two women to office.

Syrians debating whether to return home must also confront the economic devastation wrought by years of war, government mismanagement and corruption, and international sanctions placed on the Assad regime.

Sanctions blocking the entry of medications and equipment, along with Assad’s bombing of infrastructure throughout the war, have crippled the country’s medical system.

In 2024, 16.7 million Syrians – more than half the country’s population – were in need of essential humanitarian assistance, even as very little was available. In early 2025, the U.S. announced that it was extending a partial, six-month reprieve of sanctions to allow humanitarian groups to provide basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity.

But rebuilding the country’s infrastructure will take much longer, and Syrian refugees will have to weigh whether they are better off remaining in their host countries. This is especially true for those who have worked to build new lives over a long period in exile from Syria.

The caretaker Syrian government will also have to address the issue of property restitution. Many individuals may want to return home only if they indeed have a home to return to. And the policy of forced property transfers and the settlement by Alawite and minority groups allied to the Assad regime in former Sunni areas vacated during the war complicates the issue.

Continued welcome in Europe?

Since the start of the civil war, approximately 1.3 million Syrians have sought protection in Europe, the majority of them arriving in 2015 and 2016 and settling in countries such as Germany and Sweden. As of December 2023, 780,000 individuals still held refugee status and subsidiary protection – an additional form of international protection – with the remainder having received either long-term residency or citizenship.

Syria’s 13-year civil war reduced many homes to rubble.
Ercin Erturk/Anadolu via Getty Images

Subsidiary protection was granted to those who didn’t meet the stringent requirements for refugee status under the Geneva Conventions – which requires a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group – but “would face a real risk of suffering serious harm” if returned to their countries of origin.

Recognition rates for Syrians have remained consistently high between 2015 and 2023, but the breakdown between subsidiary protection and refugee status has fluctuated over the years, with 81% receiving refugee status in 2015 versus 68% receiving subsidiary protection in 2023.

For Syrians in the EU who hold refugee status or subsidiary protection, as well as for those with pending asylum claims, the future is very uncertain. In accordance with the Geneva Conventions, EU law allows governments to revoke, end or refuse to renew their status if the reason to offer protection has ceased, which many countries believe is the case after Assad’s fall.

Since then, at least 12 European countries have suspended asylum applications of Syrian nationals. Some nations, such as Austria, have threatened to implement a program of “orderly return and deportation.”

Conditions in Turkey and Lebanon

A much larger number of Syrians obtained protection in neighboring countries, namely Turkey (2.9 million), Lebanon (755,000) and Jordan (611,000), though estimates of unregistered Syrians are much higher. In Turkey, which hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, Syrians are afforded only temporary protection status.

In theory, this status allows them access to work, health care and education. But in practice, Syrian refugees in Turkey have not always been able to enjoy these rights. Coupled with anti-immigrant sentiments worsened by the 2023 earthquake and presidential election, life has remained difficult for many.

And while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has publicly stated that Syrians should return home according to their own timeline, his previous scapegoating of the refugee population indicates that he may ultimately like to see them returned – especially as many in Turkey now believe Syrian refugees have no reason to stay in the country.

Syrians in Lebanon, which hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees per capita, face even greater economic and legal challenges. The country is not a signatory to the Geneva Conventions, and its stringent domestic asylum law has granted residency to only 17% of the more than a million Syrians who live in the country.

Lebanon has been pressuring Syrian refugees to leave the country for years through policies of marginalization and forced deportation, which have intensified in recent months with a government scheme to deport Syrians not registered with the United Nations. As of 2023, 84% of Syrian families were living in extreme poverty. Their vulnerability was exacerbated by the recent conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon, which led 425,000 Syrians to escape war once again and return to Syria even though conditions at the time were not safe.

Testing the water

Offering go-and-see visits – whereby one member of a family is allowed to return to a home country to evaluate the situation and subsequently permitted to reenter the host country without losing their legal status – is the norm in many refugee situations. The policy is being used at present for Ukrainians in Europe and was used in the past for Bosnian and South Sudanese refugees.

The same policy could serve Syrian refugees now – indeed, Turkey recently implemented such a plan. But above all, we believe returns to Syria should be voluntary, not forced. Getting the conditions right for returning refugees will have enormous implications for rebuilding the country and keeping the peace – or not – in the years to come.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Assad’s fall opens window for Syrian refugees to head home − but for many, it won’t be an easy decision – https://theconversation.com/assads-fall-opens-window-for-syrian-refugees-to-head-home-but-for-many-it-wont-be-an-easy-decision-247051

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: I study democracy worldwide − here’s how Texas is eroding human rights, free expression and civil liberties

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Katie Scofield, Assistant Instructional Professor in Political Science, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Everything is bigger in Texas, except maybe its democracy. Luis Diaz Devesa/Moment via Getty

While concerns about the future of American democracy dominate headlines worldwide, millions of Texans are already seeing a rapid decline in democratic standards.

In December 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a New York doctor for prescribing abortion-inducing medications to a woman in Collin County, Texas, alleging that the shipment violated Texas’ near-total ban on abortion.

Two months earlier, Paxton’s office had sued to block a federal rule protecting women’s out-of-state medical records from criminal investigation. And in 2022, it sued the Biden administration over federal guidelines requiring doctors to perform abortions in emergency situations.

Paxton’s lawsuits – alongside the state’s restrictive abortion policies – raise troubling questions about individual privacy and women’s bodily autonomy in Texas, where I live and teach. And they’re indicative of a broader problem. As my research on democracy and human rights shows, the state government is becoming increasingly antidemocratic.

Scholars examine a number of factors to determine the health of a democracy. Elections must be free and fair. There should be freedom of expression and belief, multiple competitive political parties and minimal corruption. A democratic government must also respect individual freedom.

On many of these metrics, I believe Texas falls short.

Are Texas elections free and fair?

Texas has some of the most restrictive voting laws in the United States, including strict voter ID laws, stringent limits on mail-in and absentee ballots and no online voter registration.

Republicans, who passed each of these policies, claim their concern is a democratic one – election integrity. Yet, when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick offered a US$25,000 reward to anyone who could prove voter fraud in the 2020 election, it led to just one arrest.

The Texas Legislature nonetheless pledged to pass an even more restrictive voting bill in 2021, referencing “purity of the ballot box,” an old Jim Crow phrase. Democratic lawmakers ended up fleeing the state to paralyze the state assembly and keep the most egregious parts of the bill from passing.

Healthy democracies also have robust competition between multiple parties so that voters have real choices at the polls.

Yet since its current constitution was written in 1876, Texas has effectively been a one-party state governed by conservatives. No Democrat has won statewide office since 1994 – the longest Democrats have been locked out of statewide office in any state.

Money in politics

Texas puts no limits on individual campaign contributions to the governor, one of just 12 U.S. states that lacks this common anti-corruption measure.

This has allowed Texas’ current governor, Greg Abbott, who has been in office since 2015, to raise vast sums of money. In the 2022 Texas gubernatorial race – the most expensive in the state’s history at $212 million – Abbott outspent his Democratic opponent by almost $50 million. In 2018, he had 90 times more cash on hand than his Democratic opponent.

Texas’ lack of effective campaign finance regulations has given big donors access to power in the form of gubernatorial appointments.

An in-depth investigation by The Texas Tribune in 2022 revealed that 27 of the 41 members of the governor’s COVID-19 task force were campaign donors who had collectively paid $6 million toward the governor’s reelection. Many were business owners who had a vested interest in reopening the state.

Freedom of expression

Texas is also at the center of a national struggle over academic freedom, a key component of free expression.

Texas passed a law in 2023 requiring public universities to close their diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, offices, depriving the most vulnerable student communities of resources such as scholarships, mental health programs and career workshops.

The Texas Senate is considering expanding this legislation to prohibit “DEI curriculum and course content.”

The mere threat appears to be squelching freedom of thought and intellectual exploration in Texas universities already. The University of North Texas in November started editing course titles and syllabi to remove identity-based topics.

On Jan. 14, Abbott threatened to fire the president of Texas A&M University – a part of my university system – if faculty attended an academic conference showcasing the work of Black, Latino and Indigenous scholars.

Human rights at the border

Abbott’s campaign to control the U.S.-Mexico border has raised concerns among human rights groups about civil rights in the state.

In March of 2021, Abbott declared a state of emergency in counties on the Texas border, allowing him to deploy the Texas National Guard there. The initiative, Operation Lone Star, was supposed to stop migrants from crossing the border outside official government checkpoints.

Since border enforcement is a federal authority, however, the troops have mostly enforced state laws on trespassing or drugs and weapons possession. Guardsmen have also participated in busing migrants to Democratic-run cities such as New York and Chicago and built razor-wire barriers in the Rio Grande.

The result is an $11 billion policing program that has largely targeted Latino American citizens – not immigrants. Fully 96% of those arrested on trespassing charges are Latino, and 75% of those facing court proceedings for that and other crimes as a result of Operation Lone Star are U.S. citizens.

Gov. Greg Abbott, left, and Donald Trump greet Texas National Guard troops in Edinburg, Texas, on Nov. 19, 2023.
Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images

Women’s freedoms

Finally, women’s right to bodily autonomy is under threat in Texas, which has one of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws.

At least three women have died as a result of doctors being afraid to treat their miscarriages. Overall, maternal mortality rates have increased by 56% since the ban was imposed in 2021. Scary statistics haven’t stopped the state’s plans to tighten its ban.

The 2025 Texas legislative session began with Republican legislators having prefiled several bills aimed at ending abortion by mail services, including one that would reclassify common abortion pills as controlled substances like Valium or Ambien. Doctors warn that this reclassification could also make it harder for them to disperse these medications quickly in life-threatening emergencies.

And a handful of rural Texas counties have made it illegal to transport women seeking out-of-state abortions on their roads.

As Texas goes, so goes the nation?

The question of whether a government is democratic is often not black or white. It should be viewed on a sliding scale.

Freedom House, a nonpartisan international democracy watchdog, ranks countries on a 100-point scale based on the factors I mentioned earlier, among others, and labels countries as “free,” “partly-free” and “not free.”

The freest country in 2024, Finland, had a score of 100. The U.S. has been sliding down the rankings, receiving a score of 83 in 2024 – down from 94 in 2010. It’s still solidly in the “free” category, but U.S. democracy looks less like Germany’s and more like Romania’s. The antidemocratic policy changes made in Texas and a handful of other states contribute to this slide.

Freedom House doesn’t rank states, but if it did, Texas would likely still rate as a “free” democracy. There is space for dissent, opposition and free speech. Democratic politicians have occasional political victories.

But Texas is decidedly less democratic than the U.S. at large. Democracy here is not lost, but I fear Texas is in danger of becoming only “partly-free.”

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

– ref. I study democracy worldwide − here’s how Texas is eroding human rights, free expression and civil liberties – https://theconversation.com/i-study-democracy-worldwide-heres-how-texas-is-eroding-human-rights-free-expression-and-civil-liberties-246936

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN – Pope Francis: The Word of God always amazes us and calls us to be witnesses of the Gospel

Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

Sunday, 26 January 2025

Vatican Media

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “The salvation Jesus bestows on us is not yet fully realized. We know this. Yet wars, injustice, pain and death will not have the final word. The Gospel never disappoints”.In St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Pope Francis presided over the Holy Mass on the occasion of the VI Sunday of the Word of God, established in 2019 by the Pontiff himself. The Celebration also marked the conclusion of the three-day event dedicated to the Jubilee of the world of Communication.When we hear the Gospel, the words of God, the Pope suggested, “it is not simply a matter of listening to or understanding them, no. They must reach our hearts and bring about what I said, “amazement”. The word of God always amazes us; it always renews us. It enters our hearts and always renews us”. In fact, “the whole Bible speaks of Christ and his work, which the Spirit makes present and active in our lives and in history. When we read the Scriptures, when we pray and study them, we do not simply receive information about God; we receive his Spirit, who reminds us of all that Jesus said and did. In this way, our hearts, inflamed by faith, wait in hope for the coming of God”.“Let us respond with ardor to the joyful announcement of Christ! The Lord, in fact, did not speak to us as silent listeners, but as witnesses, calling us to evangelize at all times and in all places”, concluded the Pope who then conferred the ministry of Lector to forty lay men and women, from various nations: 4 from Albania, 3 from Argentina, 5 from Austria, 1 from Bolivia, 4 from Brazil, 5 from the Philippines, 1 from Iceland, 6 from Italy, 5 from Mexico, 1 from Poland, 5 from Slovenia.According to the rite, each of them received a copy of the Nova Vulgata Bible: “We are grateful to them and we pray for them. We are all praying for you. Let us commit ourselves to bringing the good news to the poor, proclaiming release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, letting the oppressed go free and announcing the year of the Lord’s favour”.After the celebration, the Pontiff appeared in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer. And on the eve of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, which this year coincides with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Pope Francis recalled the horrors of the Shoah, during which “many Christians also died, including numerous martyrs. The horror of the extermination of millions of Jews and people of other faiths during those years can neither be forgotten nor denied”.The Pontiff then turned his thoughts to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which “is causing the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world, with dramatic consequences in South Sudan too. I am close to the peoples of both countries and I invite them to fraternity, solidarity, to avoid any kind of violence and not to allow themselves to be exploited. I renew my appeal to those who are at war in Sudan for them to put an end to hostilities and to agree to sit at the negotiating table. I urge the international community to do all it can to get the necessary humanitarian aid to the displaced people and to help the belligerents find paths to peace soon”.The Pope also drew attention to the situation in Colombia, in particular in the Catatumbo region, “where clashes between armed groups have claimed many civilian lives and displaced more than thirty thousand people. I express my closeness to them and pray for them”, added the Bishop of Rome, who did not forget that today is World Leprosy Day: “I encourage all those who work on behalf of those afflicted by this disease to continue their efforts, also helping those who heal to be reintegrated into society. May they not be marginalized!” (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 26/1/2025)
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MIL OSI Europe News –

January 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Criminals operating an illegal financial service to launder millions of euros busted
Source: Eurojust

Investigations into the group began in 2023 when border police in Spain noticed suspicious trips from their airports transporting large sums of money. The trips to Cyprus by members of the criminal group were used to deliver criminal profits, which were then laundered. Authorities stopped the criminals from travelling and seized more than EUR 1.8 million.

The authorities discovered that the group was running a sophisticated money laundering service for other criminal organisations. The group acted as a financial service to transfer criminal profits internationally. Cryptocurrencies were used to move cash profits between criminal organisations. To dispose of the cash profits, money was transported on commercial flights, mainly to Cyprus, and by public transport to neighbouring countries of Spain. The group was able to carry out four to six money laundering transactions per week.

Running this financial service required a professionally structured organisation consisting of at least 52 members, operating mostly from Spain and Cyprus. The group worked with contacts outside of their organisation to liaise with clients and receive the cash to be laundered. Their contacts are linked to several commercial companies around the world.

As the financial service was used throughout Europe, authorities had to work together to stop the criminal group. An international investigation was launched by setting up a joint investigation team (JIT) at Eurojust between Spanish, Cypriot and German authorities, Eurojust and Europol. Through the JIT, information from tax and judicial authorities was exchanged that led to the takedown of the criminal group. Europol supported this international operation with experts specialised in financial crime, fighting high-risk criminal networks, unravelling money laundering structures, and tracing cryptocurrency flows.

A series of actions were carried out to stop the financial service. In October 2024, actions were carried out in Spain, France and Cyprus to dismantle the criminal group. This was followed by actions in November 2024 that targeted actors working with the criminal group. A total of 91 searches were carried out, 77 in Spain, 1 in France and 13 in Cyprus. Twenty suspects were arrested in Spain, one in France and two in Slovenia. Authorities seized a total of EUR 8 million in cash, 2 million in bank accounts and froze EUR 27 million in cryptocurrency. Investigations into the group and its financial service continue.

The following authorities were involved in the actions:
- Spain: Investigating Judge no 2 of El Prat de Llobregat; Public Prosecution Office of Barcelona; Guardia Civil Special Central Unit 3, Destabilizing Threat Group-UCO
- Cyprus: Attorney General’s Office; MOKAS (Unit for Combating Money Laundering); Criminal Investigation Department (CID) (in collaboration with other police departments)
- Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office, Landshut; Customs Investigation Office, München
- France: Judicial Court of Marseille, Interregional Specialised Jurisdiction against organised crime (JIRS) ; National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF), Marseille/Nice.
MIL Security OSI –
January 28, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Holocaust Memorial Day marks 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day marks 80 years to the day since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. 27 January 2025

Source: City of Sheffield

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This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day marks 80 years to the day since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Over 1 million people were killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau, to most of whom were jews, murdered as part of the genocide committed by the Nazis.

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Bosnian genocide, which remains the largest mass murder in Europe since World War 2.

As part of this act of remembrance, the city will reflect on the genocide committed against the Roma people by the Nazis during World War 2, and the mass murder of other groups of people whom the Nazis persecuted, as well as other genocides that have taken place more recently including in Cambodia and Darfur.

To highlight these historic anniversaries, Sheffield City Council have organised an event taking place for Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday 27 January, which will be focused on this year’s theme of ‘for a brighter future’.

This event will be taking place in Cutlers Hall between 5.30pm-7pm, with a series of speeches and readings, civic speakers and community speakers the Jewish and other communities and is open for all to attend. There will also be a period of silence and the statement of commitment for Holocaust Memorial Day will be read out.

Leader of Sheffield City Council, Cllr Tom Hunt, said:

“Holocaust Memorial Day gives us the opportunity to come together to remember the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides, who faced unimaginable atrocities.

“It is a moment to renew our commitment to speak out against the denial and distortion of the Holocaust and genocide, to protect the vulnerable and to stand up to injustice and hate.

“Learning from and about the Holocaust and more recent genocides is vitally important as we strive to do all we can to ensure our future is free from oppression, hatred, racism and persecution.”

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Jayne Dunn, will be attending this event alongside Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Fran Belbin, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed, and the Leader of the Green Party, Cllr Douglas Johnson.

Alongside this event, Sheffield City Council have contributed to the ‘80 Candles for 80 Years’, a special nationwide arts and education project launched by Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

The Trust plans to hold a digital exhibition of 80 bespoke candleholders designed and created by communities and organisations from across the UK that highlight the life of an individual or a community persecuted by the Nazis.

Our candleholder was designed following two workshops facilitated by Ignite Imaginations with members of the Reform Jewish Congregation and Muslim members of the Dialogue Society, who came together to develop ideas for the candleholder.

During the workshops and afterwards, there was a strong view that the Sheffield Candleholder should also be telling the story of the unknown people who were murdered, as no one should ever be forgotten.

The digital exhibition is being launched with a film that will be premiered at the UK HMD ceremony in central London on 27 January 2025 to a live audience. Following a grant from The Claims Conference, the project now will include a touring exhibition across the UK from March 2025.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 27, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2024 Article IV Consultation with Albania

Source: IMF – News in Russian

January 27, 2025

Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation^{^[1]} with Albania on January 17, 2025.

The Albanian economy has turned in a strong performance in recent years, underpinned by prudent macroeconomic policies. Output is now well above its pre-pandemic trend thanks to a booming tourism sector. Prudent fiscal policies contributed to a remarkable reduction in public debt while proactive monetary policy, falling global commodity prices, and lek appreciation have facilitated disinflation. External imbalances have shrunk considerably.

Growth prospects are expected to remain robust. Following an expansion of 3.9 percent in 2023, real GDP growth is projected to average around 3½ percent in 2024–2029, driven by domestic consumption, tourism, and construction activity. End-of-year inflation in 2024 is expected at around 2 percent, below the Bank of Albania’s (BoA) 3 percent target. Although base effects from a significant month-on-month drop in early 2024 will temporarily push up inflation in the first half of 2025, a sustained return to target is not expected before 2026, given the high degree of inertia in the inflation process in Albania.

The authorities are expected to outperform their 2024 budget target. With revenues on track, thanks to the favorable conjuncture, and capital spending execution lagging, the primary surplus is projected at around 0.5 percent of GDP in 2024, marginally higher than the
0.3 percent of GDP budget target. The 2025 budget aims for a zero primary balance. The public debt ratio, expected at around 56 percent at end-2024, is expected to decline to around 50 percent in 2029 and is assessed to be sustainable over the medium-term.

Systemic vulnerabilities in the financial system appear broadly contained. The banking sector remains well-capitalized and liquid with average prudential ratios well above regulatory requirements. However, banks’ large-borrower and sovereign exposures represent sources of risk, as does the rapid expansion of banks’ lending to the real estate sector, which has seen continued price increases and accounts for two-thirds of unhedged FX loans.

Notwithstanding the upbeat macroeconomic picture, considerable structural challenges remain. GDP per capita stands at just around a quarter of the U.S. and EU-15 levels, amid rapid aging and emigration. Wide-ranging reforms, including to enhance governance and public financial management frameworks, boost human capital and productivity, are needed to catalyze lasting higher growth and convergence.

Executive Board Assessment^{^[2]}

Executive Directors agreed with the thrust of the staff appraisal. They welcomed Albania’s recent strong economic performance, underpinned by prudent macroeconomic policies and booming tourism. Directors concurred that the outlook remains favorable with broadly balanced risks, but noted structural challenges related to rapid population aging, emigration, low productivity, and governance shortcomings. They emphasized the importance of preserving macroeconomic stability while advancing reforms to accelerate convergence with the EU and promote sustainable and inclusive growth.

Directors considered that maintaining a modest annual primary surplus alongside continued efforts to strengthen debt management would reinforce fiscal resilience. While welcoming the progress on the authorities’ medium‑term revenue strategy, they emphasized that sustained revenue administration and tax policy reforms will be needed to address rising spending needs. Directors stressed that public investment and fiscal risk management reforms, especially related to state‑owned enterprises and public‑private partnerships, remain critical to fiscal transparency.

Directors agreed that uncertainty around the outlook calls for a continued data‑dependent approach to monetary policy. As the sustained lek appreciation is assessed to be largely driven by fundamentals, Directors emphasized that the exchange rate should be allowed to adjust more flexibly, with intervention serving as a complementary tool to address non‑fundamental fluctuations. Carefully weighing the costs and benefits of further reserve accumulation would also be important.

Directors concurred that continued supervisory vigilance is vital given pockets of vulnerability in the financial sector related to credit growth in the real estate sector as well as banks’ large borrower and sovereign exposures. They encouraged the authorities to ensure strict regulatory compliance and greater alignment with EU standards, and to enhance the macroprudential toolkit. Deepening financial markets and improving oversight of non‑bank financial institutions are key to enhancing resilience and preserving integrity.

Directors emphasized that deeper reforms are needed to maximize the gains from the EU accession process. Policies should focus on enhancing productivity by fostering global value chain integration, removing barriers to firm growth, and promoting access to bank lending. Further efforts to update education and training programs, advance on the digital agenda, boost female labor force participation, and diversify renewable energy sources would also be important. Directors emphasized that continued infrastructure investments and governance reforms—including the implementation of the 2024–30 Anticorruption Strategy and further implementation of AML/CFT international standards—are key priorities.

Albania: Selected Economic Indicators
Population: 2.8 million (2023)		Per capita GDP ($): 8300 (2023)
Life expectancy (years): 76.8 (2023)		Literacy rate: 99% (2022)
Nominal GDP ($bn): 23.0 (2023)		Poverty rate: 21.7% (2023)
Quota: SDR 139.3 million (0.03 percent of total)

	2023		2024	2025	2026
			Proj.
Output
Real GDP growth (%)	3.9		3.6	3.5	3.5
Output gap (%)	0.5		0.3	0.1	0.0

Prices
Inflation (%, average)	4.8		2.2	2.8	2.8
Inflation (%, end-period)	3.9		2.0	2.2	3.0

General government finances
Revenues (% GDP)	27.2		28.1	27.9	27.9
Expenditures (% GDP)	28.5		29.8	30.4	30.5
Fiscal balance (% GDP)	-1.3		-1.7	-2.5	-2.6
Public debt (% GDP) 1/ 2/	58.4		56.4	55.5	54.5
Primary balance (% GDP)	0.7		0.5	0.0	0.0

Money and credit
Broad money (% change)	2.0		7.1	5.4	6.6
Credit to the private sector (% change)	5.0		10.7	5.4	6.6

Balance of payments
Current account (% GDP)	-1.2		-3.4	-3.7	-3.9
FDI (% GDP)	5.7		6.0	6.0	5.8
Reserves (months of imports)	7.3		6.3	6.2	6.3
External debt (% GDP)	46.2		41.0	39.8	38.7

Sources: Albanian authorities, World Bank, UNDP, and IMF staff estimates and projections.
1/ Public debt refers to the general government and includes all public domestic and external guarantees as well as arrears from central and local government and VAT refund arrears.
2/ The 2021 SDR allocation equivalent at present to $170 million is recorded with the Bank of Albania and is used as a credit line.

[1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board.

[2] At the conclusion of the discussion, the Managing Director, as Chairman of the Board, summarizes the views of Executive Directors, and this summary is transmitted to the country’s authorities. An explanation of any qualifiers used in summing up can be found here: http://www.IMF.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm.

IMF Communications Department

MEDIA RELATIONS

PRESS OFFICER: Eva Graf

Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/01/24/pr25016-albania-imf-executive-board-concludes-2024-article-iv-consultation

MIL OSI

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 27, 2025

MIL-OSI Europe: EUROPE/GERMANY – “Raise your voice!” The 2025 Star Singers Campaign for children’s rights

Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

Aachen (Agenzia Fides) – The focus of the “Star Singers” campaign of the Pontifical Society of German Missionary Childhood (Aktion Dreikönigssingen) is on children’s rights, and aims to emphasize that all people are beloved children of God and have a right to a life with dignity.The campaign encourages children and young people to work together with their peers from all continents to ensure that their rights are recognized, guaranteed and protected.In 1989, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.Nevertheless, millions of children continue to suffer greatly: 250 million children, especially girls, do not go to school. 160 million children are forced to work, around half of them under exploitative conditions. One in four children worldwide is malnourished. More than 43 million children and young people are refugees and displaced persons fleeing their homes.Children’s rights must therefore continue to be strengthened and their implementation must be further promoted. Because “every human being has the right to live with dignity and to develop integrally; this fundamental right cannot be denied by any country” (Pope Francis in the encyclical “Fratelli Tutti”, 107).”‘Raise your voice! Star Singers for Children’s Rights’ is the motto of the upcoming campaign – and the Singers will bring this message to the people they visit all over Germany”, explained Father Dirk Bingener, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies and of Missionary Childhood in Germany, illustrating the importance of the upcoming campaign theme. “The rights of children must be brought to people’s attention again and again. Our partners in around 1,100 projects worldwide contribute every day to implementing and thus protecting children’s rights,” said Bingener.Every year in the days before Epiphany the “Star Singers” dressed in their costumes of Magi, with their Star and their songs during Christmas time go around visiting German homes. The children from Catholic parishes in Germany carry the “C+M+ B” blessing (“Christus mansionem benedicat – Christ bless this house”) to the families, collecting donations for other children their age who suffer throughout the world.Since its beginning in 1959, the Star Singers Campaign has grown into the largest solidarity campaign in the world by children for children. Children’s projects have been supported in Africa, Latin America, Asia, Oceania and Eastern Europe.The Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood uses the funds to support projects around the world in the fields of education, health, pastoral care, nutrition and social integration.A delegation of Star Singers from the diocese of Freiburg will participate in the celebration with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, January 1. A total of 21 other Star Singers from Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Slovakia and Romania will also be in the Vatican on New Year’s Day.b(MS) (Agenzia Fides, 21/12/2024)
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MIL OSI Europe News –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lord Stuart Peach visits Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Lord Stuart Peach visited Bosnia and Herzegovina from 18 to 20 December 2024.
Lord Stuart Peach

Lord Stuart Peach’s visit was part of the UK’s ongoing commitment to the security, stability and prosperity of the country, and support for BiH aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration.

Over the course of his visit, Lord Peach met BiH Presidency members Zeljko Komsic and Denis Becirovic, Chairwoman of the BiH Council of Minister Borjana Kristo, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konakovic to discuss economic, political and security issues. Lord Peach reiterated the UK’s continuous strong support for BiH’s reform agenda and the UK’s readiness to support the delivery of sustainable reforms that deliver real change for the people of BiH.

He also met Chief of BiH Armed Forces Joint Staff General Gojko Knezevic and Deputies Major General Mirsad Ahmic and Major General Tomo Kolenda to whom he reaffirmed UK commitment to Western Balkans security and support to the Armed Forces of BiH. Lord Peach praised BiH for hosting an important Women Peace and Security Chiefs of Defence Network Conference, organised in cooperation with the UK, emphasised mutual benefits of recent joint training of BiH and UK Armed Forces, and highlighted importance of Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence BiH embracing reform and modernisation in pursuit of Euro-Atlantic integration.

In the light of ongoing pressures on cultural institutions of importance to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lord Peach hosted a dinner with representatives of these institutions which are a vital part of the shared history and values of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was keen to hear from them about the challenges they are facing and potential solutions for ensuring a sustainable future for these institutions, including through proper and timely funding.

Lord Peach’s latest visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina follows visits to North Macedonia and Serbia earlier this week.

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Published 23 December 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Octopuses and their relatives are a new animal welfare frontier − here’s what scientists know about consciousness in these unique creatures

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rachel Blaser, Professor of Neuroscience, Cognition and Behavior, University of San Diego

A common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) off Croatia in the Mediterranean Sea. Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images

We named him Squirt – not because he was the smallest of the 16 cuttlefish in the pool, but because anyone with the audacity to scoop him into a separate tank to study him was likely to get soaked. Squirt had notoriously accurate aim.

As a comparative psychologist, I’m used to assaults from my experimental subjects. I’ve been stung by bees, pinched by crayfish and battered by indignant pigeons. But, somehow, with Squirt it felt different. As he eyed us with his W-shaped pupils, he seemed clearly to be plotting against us.

A common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) in Portugal’s Arrábida Natural Park.
Diego Delso/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Of course, I’m being anthropomorphic. Science does not yet have the tools to confirm whether cuttlefish have emotional states, or whether they are capable of conscious experience, much less sinister plots. But there’s undeniably something special about cephalopods – the class of ocean-dwelling invertebrates that includes cuttlefish, squid and octopus.

As researchers learn more about cehpalopods’ cognitive skills, there are calls to treat them in ways better aligned with their level of intelligence. California and Washington state both approved bans on octopus farming in 2024. Hawaii is considering similar action, and a ban on farming octopus or importing farmed octopus meat has been introduced in Congress. A planned octopus farm in Spain’s Canary Islands is attracting opposition from scientists and animal welfare advocates.

Critics offer many arguments against raising octopuses for food, including possible releases of waste, antibiotics or pathogens from aquaculture facilities. But as a psychologist, I see intelligence as the most intriguing part of the equation. Just how smart are cephalopods, really? After all, it’s legal to farm chickens and cows. Is an octopus smarter than, say, a turkey?

A deepwater octopus investigates the port manipulator arm of the ALVIN submersible research vessel.
NOAA, CC BY

A big, diverse group

Cephalopods are a broad class of mollusks that includes the coleoids – cuttlefish, octopus and squid – as well as the chambered nautilus. Coleoids range in size from adult squid only a few millimeters long (Idiosepius) to the largest living invertebrates, the giant squid (Architeuthis) and colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis) which can grow to over 40 feet in length and weigh over 1,000 pounds.

Some of these species live alone in the nearly featureless darkness of the deep ocean; others live socially on active, sunny coral reefs. Many are skilled hunters, but some feed passively on floating debris. Because of this enormous diversity, the size and complexity of cephalopod brains and behaviors also varies tremendously.

Almost everything that’s known about cephalopod cognition comes from intensive study of just a few species. When considering the welfare of a designated species of captive octopus, it’s important to be careful about using data collected from a distant evolutionary relative.

Marine biologist Roger Hanlon explains the distributed structure of cephalopod brains and how they use that neural power.

Can we even measure alien intelligence?

Intelligence is fiendishly hard to define and measure, even in humans. The challenge grows exponentially in studying animals with sensory, motivational and problem-solving skills that differ profoundly from ours.

Historically, researchers have tended to focus on whether animals think like humans, ignoring the abilities that animals may have that humans lack. To avoid this problem, scientists have tried to find more objective measures of cognitive abilities.

One option is a relative measure of brain to body size. The best-studied species of octopus, Octopus vulgaris, has about 500 million neurons; that’s relatively large for its small body size and similar to a starling, rabbit or turkey.

More accurate measures may include the size, neuron count or surface area of specific brain structures thought to be important for learning. While this is useful in mammals, the nervous system of an octopus is built completely differently.

Over half of the neurons in Octopus vulgaris, about 300 million, are not in the brain at all, but distributed in “mini-brains,” or ganglia, in the arms. Within the central brain, most of the remaining neurons are dedicated to visual processing, leaving less than a quarter of its neurons for other processes such as learning and memory.

In other species of octopus, the general structure is similar, but complexity varies. Wrinkles and folds in the brain increase its surface area and may enhance neural connections and communication. Some species of octopus, notably those living in reef habitats, have more wrinkled brains than those living in the deep sea, suggesting that these species may possess a higher degree of intelligence.

Holding out for a better snack

Because brain structure is not a foolproof measure of intelligence, behavioral tests may provide better evidence. One of the highly complex behaviors that many cephalopods show is visual camouflage. They can open and close tiny sacs just below their skin that contain colored pigments and reflectors, revealing specific colors. Octopus vulgaris has up to 150,000 chromatophores, or pigment sacs, in a single square inch of skin.

Like many cephalopods, the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is thought to be colorblind. But it can use its excellent vision to produce a dizzying array of patterns across its body as camouflage. The Australian giant cuttlefish, Sepia apama, uses its chromatophores to communicate, creating patterns that attract mates and warn off aggressors. This ability can also come in handy for hunting; many cephalopods are ambush predators that blend into the background or even lure their prey.

The hallmark of intelligent behavior, however, is learning and memory – and there is plenty of evidence that some octopuses and cuttlefish learn in a way that is comparable to learning in vertebrates. The common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), as well as the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and the day octopus (Octopus cyanea), can all form simple associations, such as learning which image on a screen predicts that food will appear.

Some cephalopods may be capable of more complicated forms of learning, such as reversal learning – learning to flexibly adjust behavior when different stimuli signal reward. They may also be able to inhibit impulsive responses. In a 2021 study that gave common cuttlefish a choice between a less desirable but immediate snack of crab and a preferred treat of live shrimp after a delay, many of the cuttlefish chose to wait for the shrimp.

Cuttlefish perform in an experiment adapted from the Stanford “marshmallow test,” which was designed to see whether children could practice delayed gratification.

A new frontier for animal welfare

Considering what’s known about their brain structures, sensory systems and learning capacity, it appears that cephalopods as a group may be similar in intelligence to vertebrates as a group. Since many societies have animal welfare standards for mice, rats, chickens and other vertebrates, logic would suggest that there’s an equal case for regulations enforcing humane treatment of cephalopods.

Such rules generally specify that when a species is held in captivity, its housing conditions should support the animal’s welfare and natural behavior. This view has led some U.S. states to outlaw confined cages for egg-laying hens and crates too narrow for pregnant sows to turn around.

Animal welfare regulations say little about invertebrates, but guidelines for the care and use of captive cephalopods have started to appear over the past decade. In 2010, the European Union required considering ethical issues when using cephalopods for research. And in 2015, AAALAC International, an international accreditation organization for ethical animal research, and the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations promoted guidelines for the care and use of cephalopods in research. The U.S. National Institutes of Health is currently considering similar guidelines.

The “alien” minds of octopuses and their relatives are fascinating, not the least because they provide a mirror through which we can reflect on more familiar forms of intelligence. Deciding which species deserve moral consideration requires selecting criteria, such as neuron count or learning capacity, to inform those choices.

Once these criteria are set, it may be well to also consider how they apply to the rodents, birds and fish that occupy more familiar roles in our lives.

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

– ref. Octopuses and their relatives are a new animal welfare frontier − here’s what scientists know about consciousness in these unique creatures – https://theconversation.com/octopuses-and-their-relatives-are-a-new-animal-welfare-frontier-heres-what-scientists-know-about-consciousness-in-these-unique-creatures-241978

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: 2024: Eurojust year in review

Source: Eurojust

Here are a few highlights:

Deepening Cooperation with Latin America

Organised crime groups are increasingly operating on a global scale, which means efforts for cooperation with partner countries outside of the EU is a priority. With 68% of the most threatening criminal networks operate globally, and 36% of these networks engaged in drug trafficking, forging closer partnerships with countries who are frequent origin or transit points is critical.

Over the course of the year, new Working Arrangements were signed between Eurojust and the Prosecution Services of Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru. These arrangements strengthen cooperation in crime areas that affect both the EU and Latin American countries, such as drug and arms trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime.

Launch of the European Judicial Organised Crime Network

In September, we took another important step in the fight against organised crime with the launch of the European Judicial Organised Crime Network (EJOCN). The Network, which is hosted at Eurojust, aims to go beyond investigation-based collaboration to combat organised crime strategically. Specialised prosecutors from all EU Member States are brought together to focus on the horizontal issues that arise in the investigation and prosecution of high-risk criminal groups. This will allow them to tackle recurring legal challenges and identify new, practical opportunities for closer cooperation.

The members benefit from Eurojust’s unique operational expertise in setting up joint investigation teams and using other judicial cooperation tools in cross-border criminal investigations. The first priority focus of the EJOCN is combatting drug-related organised crime connected to European ports and other logistic hubs.

Supporting Accountability Efforts in Ukraine

Documenting and prosecuting core international crimes is a long-term commitment and Eurojust remains resolute in our accountability efforts. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, we have been at the forefront of supporting accountability for Russian crimes. In July, we marked one year since the launch of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. The ICPA’s independent prosecutors and investigators from different countries have been working together regularly at Eurojust, benefitting from the Agency’s dedicated team of legal experts and tailor-made technical, logistical and financial support. This has enabled them to exchange information and evidence quickly and efficiently, and coordinate a common investigative and prosecutorial strategy.

This year also saw the joint investigation team on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine amend the JIT Agreement to enhance investigations on crimes of torture, ill-treatment and filtration.

Hosting Partners in The Hague

Our close partnership with national judicial authorities sits at the foundation of our Agency. Every year, we have thousands of prosecutors coming to Eurojust to discuss cases or participate in coordination centres or coordination meetings. In 2024, we were able to welcome many high level visitors, including the President of Slovenia, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova, Ministers of Justice and Interior from many EU Member States, and many others.

These visits are opportunities to discuss ways to strengthen judicial cooperation, update national authorities on Eurojust’s work, and identify opportunities for closer collaboration.

Welcoming our New Presidency

2024 was also marked by a change in Eurojust’s leadership, with Mr Ladislav Hamran bidding the Agency farewell after serving 11 years in the Presidency – 7 as President and 4 as Vice-President. Austrian National Member Mr Michael Schmid was elected as his successor, with his 4-year tenure beginning in November. We also welcomed a new Vice-President, Spanish National Member Jose de la Mata, in December.

With no equivalent worldwide, Eurojust continued to deliver remarkable results in 2024 , enabling prosecutors and law enforcement authorities from the EU and beyond to bring perpetrators to justice.

MIL Security OSI –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: All-Russian Phygital Games in 2025 will be held in Nizhny Novgorod

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Dmitry Chernyshenko announced the country’s phygital capital in 2025

December 20, 2024

Dmitry Chernyshenko announced the country’s phygital capital in 2025

December 20, 2024

Previous news Next news

Dmitry Chernyshenko announced the country’s phygital capital in 2025

As part of the year-end review, the Government Coordination Center announced the country’s phygital capital in 2025. The qualifying tournament for the upcoming Games of the Future – the Phygital Games – will be held next year in Nizhny Novgorod.

“At the initiative of our President, a new, previously non-existent movement, “phygital”, was created. The first Games of the Future in human history were held with great success, and the heads of seven states came to the Games at the invitation. The format that we created has already been supported in 106 countries,”

noted Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

Phygital disciplines competitions are held in Serbia, Armenia, Cameroon, Uzbekistan and other countries.

In Russia, the development of the phygital movement is defined by a concept approved by the Government. Moreover, the word “phygital” has become one of the main state words of the year in Russia, along with the words “self-realization”, “historical education” and “sovereignty”. More than 3 thousand documents were used for the analysis. RANEPA experts conducted a quantitative and qualitative analysis of strategic planning documents and speeches by Vladimir Putin.

“Russia, as a founding country, must first of all show at home what the development of this amazing product can be. A product that creates a completely new, harmoniously developed personality, which is equally perfect in both the digital and real worlds,” added Dmitry Chernyshenko.

“32 regions have already actively joined the work, 300 of our athletes have already participated in the selection and will go to the Future Games in the Emirates. We would like to wish the guys there all sorts of victories, success, as Russia is used to being a leader in all areas, including sports. We are a great sports power. And despite the fact that phygital is at the intersection of science, education and sports, it is something completely new. We want to give all the records there our resounding names,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

In 2025, the GOTF.Major.Russia Phygital Games will be held in Nizhny Novgorod. 14 Russian cities bid for the right to host the tournament.

“The phygital movement in the Nizhny Novgorod Region is developing at a rapid pace. This year, as part of “CIPR-2024”, we held the first phygital festival, and in the summer – the first phygital camp, we include competitions in phygital basketball, football, racing, hockey and even phygital sledge hockey in the largest sports tournaments. At mass sports events, we organize master classes so that as many children as possible who are keen on computer games get involved in classic sports, and athletes of basic sports gain additional skills with the help of “phygital”. I thank the organizers for choosing our site to hold the All-Russian Phygital Games. It is a great honor for us to host this tournament in the Nizhny Novgorod region. We will make every effort to ensure that the competitions are not only held at the highest level, but also become a real celebration of the sports of the future for all participants,” said the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gleb Nikitin.

The Future Games is a unique tournament in the phygital concept, a sports show of a new format that combines competitions in the physical and digital dimensions. The Future Games 2024 tournament, which was held in Kazan from February 21 to March 3, 2024, was attended by more than 2,000 athletes from different countries in 21 innovative disciplines. The baton of the Future Games was picked up by other countries: next year the tournament will be held in the United Arab Emirates, and in 2026 – in Kazakhstan.

Phygital Games are annual all-Russian competitions in phygital sports. Teams that win the competitions receive the right to participate in the international qualification, and in case of collecting a sufficient number of rating points, a direct ticket to the annual international multi-sport tournament “Games of the Future”.

The Phygital Games 2024 were held in Moscow from September 1 to 8 at the venue of the forum and festival “Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030” in the Luzhniki sports complex. They included competitions of the Russian Phygital Sports Championship 2024 in the disciplines “Rhythm Simulator” and “Tactical Shooting” and the national qualification in Phygital Football and Phygital Basketball.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: EIB Group donates €300 000 to NGOs helping communities affected by flooding in Spain
Source: European Investment Bank
- The EIB Group – through the EIB Institute, the group’s philanthropic and social impact arm – will donate €300 000 to the NGOs Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages and Casa Caridad to support communities affected by flash flooding in Spain.
- The funds will be used to provide psychosocial support, create suitable conditions for children’s schooling and restore housing to a liveable state.
- This donation comes in addition to an initial financial package of €900 million launched by the EIB Group in November to support recovery and reconstruction in the affected areas.
- The EIB Group will channel an additional 400 million through financial institutions to support SMEs and mid-caps affected by the floods.
The EIB Institute, the philanthropic and social impact arm of the European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group), has announced a donation of €300 000 to support communities affected by the flash flooding that devastated parts of Spain on 30 October and in the first few days of November. The donation will be channelled through the NGOs Save the Children Spain, SOS Children’s Villages and Casa Caridad.

The floods have left many communities in urgent need of help. This donation by the EIB Institute will lend critical support for residents to restore decent living conditions. With the funds, Save the Children Spain will provide psychosocial support and create adequate learning conditions for children, SOS Children’s Villages will give communities administrative assistance and help them meet essential needs, and Casa Caridad will help families restore their homes.

The EIB Group is thus continuing to increase its support for recovery and reconstruction in the parts of eastern and south-eastern Spain hardest hit by the storms. This includes a €900 million initial response package announced by the group on 6 November to reschedule and accelerate planned disbursements and thereby facilitate the reconstruction of critical infrastructure to be carried out by regional authorities and public bodies in the affected areas, as was also done following the floods in Central Europe in September.

The EIB has also launched operations to channel approximately €400 million through financial institutions to support SMEs and mid-caps affected by the floods, with a first agreement with Banco Sabadell.

“The EIB Group has been quick to mobilise to support recovery efforts in the aftermath of the devastating floods in Spain. Today, we supplement our lending with this donation from the EIB Institute, as a sign of our solidarity and commitment to helping the hardest hit communities,” said EIB President Nadia Calviño.

“The EIB Institute has a long track record of responding to humanitarian crises with swift, impactful support. Over the past decade, we have consistently prioritised providing aid to the most vulnerable, such as children, single-parent and large families, elderly people, people with disabilities and those suffering from malnourishment. Our donations have reached countless individuals, providing critical aid and building resilience in communities around the world. Our mission is to bring hope and relief to those in need, wherever they may be,” said EIB Institute Director Shiva Dustdar.

The EIB Institute regularly grants aid in response to crises and natural disasters, and donates IT equipment from the EIB. In 2023, EIB donations through the EIB Institute helped populations affected by the war in Ukraine, the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria and the flooding in Slovenia, among other events.

Background information

European Investment Bank

The EIB is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by the Member States. It finances investments that pursue EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality.

The EIB Group, consisting of the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund, reported total financing signatures in Spain of €11.4 billion in 2023, approximately €6.8 billion of which went to climate action and environmental sustainability projects. Overall, the EIB Group signed €88 billion in new financing in 2023.

The EIB Institute was set up within the EIB Group to foster thought-leadership and impact initiatives with European stakeholders and the public at large.
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Amid Growing Strength of Terrorist Groups in Sahel, West Africa, Senior Official Urges Security Council to Scale Up Support within Regional Frameworks

Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

In a region grappling with escalating threats due to violent non-State actors, civic restrictions, political transitions and heightened humanitarian needs, the head of UN efforts in West Africa and the Sahel called on the Security Council for scaled up support within regional frameworks, as speakers welcomed small signs of progress on the democratic front.

Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), presenting the latest Secretary-General’s report (document S/2024/871), reported that he just attended the 15 December Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Summit, where Heads of State took note of the decision of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to withdraw from the organization. ECOWAS responded with an offer of six months for dialogue to encourage those countries to remain, he added. Regional leaders unanimously acknowledge insecurity as the region’s most urgent concern, with terrorists becoming increasingly aggressive, and utilizing sophisticated weaponry, including drones, he said, also drawing attention the spread, beyond the Sahel, of violent extremism and organized crime to northern Benin and Togo, and the Gulf of Guinea countries.

To address such threats, he called for the Council to scale up support within regional frameworks. While the announced operationalization of the ECOWAS Standby Force is a positive step, the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) joint force has ceased operations, and the Accra Initiative is undergoing restructuring, to model the Multinational Joint Task Force, “the primary security cooperation mechanism in the Lake Chad Basin region, and the only functioning platform for cooperation on regional security in West Africa and the Sahel”. He went on to highlight a trip in November to Chad with Special Representative Abdou Abarry, Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), during which they met the Lake Chad Basin Commission as well as a camp for internally displaced persons — of whom the country presently hosts 2 million, amid severe flooding, with the worsening humanitarian situation in other countries leading to further displacement. In this context, he urged support for the underfunded humanitarian appeal, which is less than 50 per cent funded. Addressing climate resilience, he spotlighted meetings held between stakeholders to discuss the transboundary management of water at the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, and welcomed the visit, in December, of the Council’s informal expert group on climate change, peace and security to the Lake Chad Basin region.

On human rights issues, he deplored the closing of 8,200 schools in the region, due to insecurity and expressed concern about persisting human rights violations and civic restrictions in Guinea and Central Sahel. However, he welcomed progress in fighting impunity, citing the conviction of those responsible for the 2009 Guinea stadium massacre. Detailing progress in the region on the democratic front, he noted his visit to Ghana during the presidential and legislative elections; as well as taking note of legislative elections in Senegal on 17 November, Côte d’Ivoire on track to its 2025 presidential elections and Liberia making progress in democratic consolidation. However, in Guinea-Bissau, the parliamentary elections planned for November 2024 have been postponed sine die, he said, also pointing out that, in the Gambia, 2025 will be a critical year for the adoption of constitutional reforms, due to a political environment in which consensus has eroded.

The Council also heard from Levinia Addae-Mensah, Executive Director, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, a network encompassing 750 civil society organizations across the region, who described a “heightened security threat profile”, leading to expanding zones of instability and ungoverned spaces in the region, due to recent democratic transformations and security challenges stemming from the growing strength of terrorist and violent extremist groups in the Sahel and some coastal States. Citing data from the group’s early warning system indicates that 76 per cent of armed attacks occurred around tri-border communities with inadequate State presence, she pointed out that “cascaded negative effects” of such dynamics led to challenges, including the closing of 12,000 schools, exacerbating the vulnerability of girls to early marriage, female genital mutilation and trafficking.

Despite these challenges, she took note of positive trends, including progress towards democratic governance in Liberia, Senegal and Ghana; strengthened early warning systems and response mechanisms; and development of national and local infrastructures for peace. Despite the shrinking of civic spaces, her organization is strengthening resilience through initiatives, such as Security Consultative Committees, which it introduced in Mali, she said, pointing out that such “a dichotomous reality” underscores the value of organic approaches to peacebuilding. In closing, she highlighted processes that presented opportunities to reset approaches to addressing threats in the region, including the 2025 review of United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture and the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions.

In the ensuing discussion, many speakers echoed concerns about the security situation in the region, with several urging support for regional security initiatives. Among them was the representative of Sierra Leone, co-penholder on the file, speaking also for Algeria, Guyana and Mozambique, who urged predictable funding for regional security mechanisms, spotlighting the importance of the Multinational Joint Task Force in fighting terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin, and the potential of a fully operationalized Accra Initiative in addressing security threats, including the recruitment and radicalization of young people in the region.

Switzerland’s delegate called for a holistic approach to security, stressing that insecurity also hinders the improvement of the socioeconomic and humanitarian situation in the region. Voicing alarm about the persistence and spread of armed conflict, terrorism and violent extremism, she said: “It is necessary to engage in actions to maintain and promote dialogue and social cohesion, and to tackle the root causes of fragility.”

The representative of the Republic of Korea concurred, pointing out that the “lack of coordinated regional responses and fragmented counter-terrorism efforts heighten the risk of terrorist expansion across the Central Sahel and into coastal States”. He therefore encouraged ECOWAS and regional States to foster effective collaboration to counter terrorism and transnational organized crime, an appeal echoed by the representative of Japan.

Also on the security front, the United Kingdom underscored that “private military security companies — like the Wagner Group and Africa Corps — are not the answer”. Rather, these entities have a track record of worsening existing conflicts and undermining long-term development and stability. On the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region, he called for more humanitarian access, highlighting his Government’s support for more than 16 million people in the Sahel since 2019.

Similarly, the representative of the United States, Council President for December, speaking in her national capacity, warned that, amid Governments’ struggle to reclaim control over territory, leaders who engage in heavy-handed counter-terrorism tactics, while neglecting to address the drivers of marginalization, are only worsening the security situation.

However, the Russian Federation’s delegate countered that the fractious security situation “is the heavy burden of the consequences of the military aggression waged by Western countries against Libya — a burden borne, to this day, by all States in the region”. Long-term stability in the Sahel requires the international community to support Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso “who stand at the forefront of the fight against pan-African terrorist groups”, she added, also stressing that the Council should respect the decision by members of the Alliance of Sahel States to leave ECOWAS.

Meanwhile, China’s delegate called for the international community to “maintain necessary patience” with countries in transition and provide them with “small constructive support”. Countries in the region must foster collective security and continuously enhance counter-terrorism cooperation, he said. To that end, his country, as announced at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September, will provide expertise and support to the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism and United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism Programme Office for Counter-Terrorism and Training in Africa.

Malta’s delegate was among several speakers highlighting democratic concerns, welcoming Ghana’s introduction of a 40 to 50 per cent target of women in elected and appointed positions. However, she urged transitional Governments to adhere to previously agreed electoral timelines, pointing to postponed elections in Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso, as well as similar negative trends in the Gambia and Nigeria.

Addressing the humanitarian picture, Guyana’s representative, also speaking for Switzerland, as the Council’s informal co-focal points on conflict and hunger, noted that, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 48.6 million people throughout the region were projected to experience food insecurity in the “critical June and August lean period”, mainly due to worsening security conditions in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. She called for increased international support, particularly in capacity-building; respect for international humanitarian law to protect humanitarian personnel, as well as objects indispensable to civilian survival; and a comprehensive overview that acknowledges the interrelated nature of existing and emerging challenges, including food insecurity.

Many delegates drew attention to the exacerbating impact of climate change on the regional humanitarian situation, including Ecuador’s representative, who called on the international community to intensify its efforts in providing aid, and Slovenia’s delegate, who warned that: “Crop failures, combined with the local grievances and ongoing instability create a fertile ground for recruitment by extremist armed groups.” In this context, she echoed the Secretary-General’s call for countries in the region and ECOWAS to develop conflict-sensitive climate adaptation plans as part of comprehensive peacebuilding strategies.

France’s representative concurred, observing that, by making access to resources difficult, climate change impacts “are an additional hurdle in West Africa”. France has therefore renewed its support to regional climate, peace and security mechanisms to address these challenges. He added that improving the situation in the region requires a peaceful political climate, common commitment by all actors to pursue dialogue, a return to constitutional order and universal respect for human rights and the freedoms of association and expression.

NEW – Follow real-time meetings coverage on our LIVE blog.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: UN Disarmament Chief Calls Out ‘Unacceptable Levels’ of Civilian Fatalities in Ukraine, as Security Council Debates Western Arms Supplies to Kyiv, Moscow’s Ongoing Attacks

Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

Meeting again today to discuss Western arms supplies to Ukraine, the Security Council heard that civilians there continue to be killed and injured by a panoply of deadly munitions, while the organ’s members alternately urged a diplomatic end to the violence and condemned Moscow’s initial — and continued — aggression.

“More than 1,000 days have passed since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched on 24 February 2022 in violation of the UN Charter and of international law,” observed Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. Since the Council last met on this topic on 31 October, the world has continued to witness “unacceptable levels” of civilian deaths and injuries, she noted, also spotlighting Moscow’s “systematic and deliberate” targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Transfers of arms and ammunition, and the provision of other forms of military assistance to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, have also continued, she said. Additionally, there have been reports of States transferring — or planning to transfer — weapons and ammunition to the Russian Federation. Further reports refer to an increase in military cooperation between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation, including troop deployment by the former into the latter’s Kursk region.

“I urge all concerned to refrain from any steps that may lead to further spillover and intensification of the conflict, as well as any further harm to civilians,” she said, citing reports by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of over 12,340 civilians killed — and more than 27,836 injured — between 24 February 2022 and 30 November 2024. She also noted reports of cross-border strikes by Ukraine inside the Russian Federation – with some reportedly resulting in damage to civilian objects.

Expressing particular concern over the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, the use and transfer of cluster munitions and recent announcements regarding the transfer of non-persistent anti-personnel landmines, she called on States to abide by their international obligations and become parties to disarmament treaties “as a matter of priority”. Further, universal participation in arms-control instruments is essential to prevent the diversion of conventional arms and to regulate the international arms trade.

Concluding, she reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for “a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine, consistent with the UN Charter”.

United States’ Speaker: Permanent Council Member Violating UN Charter

“This document has meaning,” stressed the representative of the United States, Council President for December, as he took the floor in his national capacity. For 80 years — “through thick and thin”, he noted — the Council has worked to uphold the Charter’s principles and to oppose territorial conquest. Now, today, one of the organ’s permanent members is openly, unashamedly violating the Charter, as well as Council resolutions — that it voted for — to prevent a rogue nation from acquiring nuclear weapons.

He went on to detail Beijing’s continued supply of dual-use items to Moscow’s war-industrial base, stating that China “telegraphs tacit approval for Russia’s war” by doing so. “Russia listens only to strength and action — something we collectively lacked when Russia invaded Crimea, and when it invaded Georgia before that,” he noted, adding: “Appeasement didn’t work then, and it won’t work now.” Therefore, the United States and its partners will continue supporting both Ukraine and the UN Charter.

Russian Federation’s Speaker: Ukraine ‘Gold Mine’ for Military-industrial Complex of ‘Anglo-Saxon Countries’

Meanwhile, the representative of the Russian Federation said that there would have been no war “if the United States had not supported the coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014” and had not “made Ukraine into anti-Russia”. Noting that Ukraine has become a “gold mine” for the military-industrial complex of “Anglo-Saxon countries”, he said that half of all weapons sales went to 41 United States corporations. In 2023, the revenue of 100 major weapons manufacturers reached $632 billion, he added.

“It would be naïve to think that these unprincipled traders will give up on their huge profits for the benefit of the helpless Ukrainians,” he emphasized. Further, he said that the Pentagon had to admit that the whereabouts of more than half of the Javelin and Stinger missiles sent to Ukraine were unknown, highlighting the corruption that “accompanies Western supplies”. He concluded: “My advice to all of those who are hoping that military activities will stop: don’t have any illusions about the real intent of the comedian Zelenskyy. We never had them.”

Ukraine’s Speaker: Kyiv Strikes Legitimate Military Targets on Its Occupied Territory and in Russian Federation

“Ukraine never wanted this war and — more than any country across the globe — Ukraine wants the war to end,” stressed that country’s representative. Noting that the Russian Federation again prefaced today’s meeting “with air terror against Ukrainian cities”, he described Moscow’s behaviour as: “A — plan a strike; B — call a Security Council meeting; C — carry out a strike; D — call a meeting to complain about Western weapons supplies”. This correlation has been registered in at least 18 cases, he emphasized.

Against this backdrop, Ukraine strikes legitimate military targets on its occupied territories and in the Russian Federation, he went on to say, stressing that “it is more than easy” for Moscow to stop the war it launched. Instead, Russian Federation President Vladimir V. Putin called for a “high-tech duel” between his country and the West, in which Moscow would strike Kyiv with medium-range ballistic missiles while Western missile-defence systems would attempt to protect it. “Yesterday’s revelations from Putin leave no room for doubt: his regime must be neutralized as soon as possible,” he urged.

Council Members Weigh In

Throughout the meeting, several Council members also pointed out that it was Moscow who originated the war. “It is quite clear that this conflict began with Russia’s invasion of a neighbouring country in violation of the UN Charter,” stressed the representative of the Republic of Korea. “Today’s meeting on the issue of weapons transfers to Ukraine is irrelevant,” he added, underscoring: “The world knows the difference between an aggressor and a victim.” He also expressed concern over the future of the “illegal coalition” between Moscow and Pyongyang, which is internationalizing the conflict.

Similarly, Japan’s representative — noting today’s “shamefully familiar topic” — underscored that “there is only one aggressor in this conflict”. The Russian Federation launched this unprovoked war of aggression, and that country is the one systematically violating international law. Also expressing concern over Moscow’s military cooperation with Pyongyang and Tehran, he stressed: “We must focus on Russia’s violations of international law and not fall prey to its disinformation or malicious tactics.”

Echoing that was France’s delegate, who said that today’s “umpteenth meeting” on arms transfers requested by the Russian Federation was merely “a smokescreen to mask” its treatment of Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. “There is one aggressor: Russia,” he underscored. Moscow can choose to cease its aggression at any time without harming its own security, but Ukraine’s right to defend itself includes striking Russian Federation military targets.

“Every country has an inalienable right to defend itself in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter,” observed Slovenia’s representative, adding: “By extension, every country has the right to procure the means to defend themselves.” As others, he said that “it is worth pointing to the source of inconsistencies with international law during this war — it is Russia that illegally invaded Ukraine”. Also expressing concern over the extent of mine use in Ukraine, he stressed that these weapons will “pose a threat to the civilian population for years to come”.

Ukraine Most Mined Country in the World

On that, Guyana’s delegate observed that Ukraine is now considered “the most-mined country in the world”, as potentially 23 per cent of its land is at risk of contamination with likely clearing costs of over $34 billion. Emphasizing that such weapons “have no place in our world”, she called on all States transferring weapons and ammunition into the conflict area to do so within the existing international legal framework — including Council resolutions – and with adequate controls in place to prevent their irregular transfer.

In that vein, Mozambique’s delegate called on weapons-exporting States to refrain from transferring arms where risks of human-rights violations or breaches of international humanitarian law exist. Similarly, recipient States must ensure that the arms transferred are used in a manner consistent with applicable international legal instruments and are not diverted or transferred to other destinations. Ecuador’s representative concurred, urging States to act responsibly at every stage of the chain of transfer to prevent the diversion or misuse of arms.

Algeria’s representative, citing the use of modern medium- and long-range missiles in Ukrainian and Russian Federation territory, called on both parties to ensure that these weapons do not fall into the hands of criminals, terrorists or extremist groups — who often use such weapons against defenceless civilians. Adding to that, the representative of Sierra Leone urged all parties to “refrain from further escalation in pursuit of the option of winning battles at all costs”. For his part, the representative of Malta stressed: “The people of Ukraine deserve better. The people of Russia deserve better. Both nations deserve a peaceful future.”

“Weapons may help win a war, but cannot bring about lasting peace,” observed China’s representative, recalling that Beijing has called on the parties to cease hostilities and restore peace for the past three years. “The United States is the only country that has chosen to turn a blind eye to China’s efforts,” he said, adding that one country’s security cannot be achieved at the expense of another’s. He also expressed hope that the United States will abandon the “zero-sum mentality of the cold war”.

Switzerland’s representative, meanwhile, noted that today’s meeting was one of approximately 70 so far dedicated to Ukraine. “And, for the seventieth time, I repeat that Russia must immediately withdraw its troops from the entire territory of Ukraine,” she said, adding: “This repetition is important, however; we cannot — and must not — normalize what has happened in Ukraine.”

“This Christmas, I suggest the Russian delegation reads How Much Land Does a Man Need? by Leo Tolstoy,” said the representative of the United Kingdom. Noting that this is a story about a man who — in his greed to acquire more and more land — exhausts himself and dies, he said that the man is then buried in a six-foot grave — “which is all the land he ends up with”. “The moral is quite clear,” he observed, adding: “The Russians would do well to heed the wisdom of their forebears.”

MIL OSI United Nations News –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese FM holds talks with Serbian counterpart

Source: China State Council Information Office

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djurić in Tianjin on Friday.

Noting that China and Serbia are iron-clad friends and the bilateral ties conform to the correct direction of history, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China is ready to work with Serbia to create new prospects for bilateral relations.

China is constantly improving its high-level opening-up system, which will not only provide impetus for China’s development, but also provide new cooperation opportunities for Serbia and other countries in the world, said Wang.

Wang said Serbia is welcome to join hands with China to realize their respective modernization, adding that China will continue to firmly support Serbia in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and will support Serbia’s development and growth.

Djurić said that deepening cooperation with China has become a cross-party and social consensus in Serbia, adding that Serbia will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China policy and firmly support China in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Serbia looks forward to working with the Chinese side to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and push for greater development of bilateral relations, said Djurić.

He noted that Serbia supports all major initiatives put forward by China, supports the promotion of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries, and looks forward to close communication and coordination with China to jointly tackle global challenges.

MIL OSI China News –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Europe gravitates to greater self-reliance as Trump begins new term

Source: China State Council Information Office

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2024 shows a view of the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. [Photo/Xinhua]

U.S. President Donald Trump’s first days in the White House have sent ripples of unease through Europe. Accusing the EU of unfair treatment, Trump has vowed to impose tariffs to address trade imbalances.

In response, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met in Paris on Wednesday, describing Trump as “a challenge” for Europe while stressing Europe’s strength and unity.

Trump’s policies are poised to affect not just U.S.-Europe trade relations but also Europe’s territorial integrity, defense priorities and economic outlook.

“President Trump’s initial statements and executive orders put transatlantic relations under pressure, not only because of their unpredictability, but also because raw power seems to be more important than legality and international cooperation,” said Philippe Monnier, former executive director of the Greater Geneva Berne Area’s Economic Development Agency.

Bleak economic outlook

The specter of U.S. tariffs on EU imports threatens to send shockwaves through the European economy. Although many EU countries have taken lessons from Trump’s first term and braced themselves for such scenarios, the potential impact remains significant.

Yannis Stournaras, governor of the Bank of Greece, warned that the projected eurozone economic growth of 1.1 percent in 2025 could decline by 0.5 percentage point within two years if the United States imposes 10-percent tariffs.

The effects are expected to be more pronounced in European economies with substantial exports to the United States. Export-oriented countries like Germany are likely to bear the brunt first.

Germany’s exports to America could decline by 10-15 percent in the long term, potentially reducing its GDP by 0.3 percent, said Moritz Schularick, president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. “It might not sound like much, but we’ve barely had any growth beyond that level recently.”

“Trump isn’t concerned with the interests of the Old Continent. He just wants to squeeze more money out of Europeans,” Francois Heisbourg, special advisor at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Austrian newspaper Der Standard.

Italy, a close U.S. ally notwithstanding, is also expected to face challenges. With its significant trade surplus with the United States and relatively low defense spending, Italy is likely to be targeted by Trump’s tariff policies, according to the Italian Institute for International Political Studies.

Speaking at the Handelsblatt Energy Summit in Berlin on Tuesday, German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that while Germany should engage with the new government under Trump with “an outstretched hand… We should not crawl in submission.”

He warned that Germany is ready with countermeasures should tariffs be imposed. “We do not need to be pushed around.”

Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU’s economy commissioner, also affirmed the EU’s readiness to respond in “a proportionate way” to any U.S. actions.

Monnier cautioned that strained transatlantic ties could escalate further.

Pushback in Europe

On top of trade, Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO) has deepened rifts with his European counterparts, who remain strong advocates of climate action and global health initiatives.

Addressing the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “The world is not at a single inflection point; it is at multi-inflection points.” She reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement and urged countries to “deepen global collaboration more than ever before.”

In an interview on Tuesday with Bel RTL, a local media outlet, Belgian Foreign Minister Bernard Quintin voiced concerns over Trump’s isolationist tendencies, viewing them as a culmination of a longstanding trend of U.S. unilateralism.

Critics argue that Trump’s withdrawals allow the United States to evade its financial responsibilities toward global climate protection and public health initiatives.

“This is certainly not a good sign for international climate protection” if the United States is not included, climate researcher Niklas Hoehne from the NewClimate Institute told Germany’s dpa news agency, saying such moves made global climate achievements “more difficult.”

An analysis by Climate Action Tracker, a Berlin-based non-profit climate science and policy institute, estimates that the U.S. withdrawal alone could add 0.04 degree Celsius to global warming by the end of the century.

Europe’s sense of urgency

Trump’s “America First” agenda has galvanized European leaders to advocate for greater autonomy from Washington.

In the realm of defense, Macron has called for a reevaluation of Europe’s defense spending. He said on Monday that Europe’s military budgets of billions of euros should not be directed toward purchasing American weapons.

A report on Europe’s future competitiveness authored by Mario Draghi, former Italian prime minister and former European Central Bank president, revealed that between June 2022 and June 2023, nearly two-thirds of the EU’s defense spending was directed to U.S. companies.

During a joint press conference with Scholz on Wednesday, Macron stressed the need for Europeans “to play their full part in consolidating a united, strong and sovereign Europe.” France and Germany should ensure that Europe is capable of defending its interests while maintaining transatlantic ties, he said.

The recent revelation of Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, has further alarmed European nations.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has warned of the resurgence of “might makes right” policies, calling on Europe to bolster its strength. Speaking to France Inter radio recently, Barrot noted that Greenland is a “territory of the European Union and of Europe.”

“It is undoubtedly no way that the European Union would let other nations of the world, whoever they are, attack its sovereign borders,” he said.

Schularick, the Kiel Institute president, said: “What is certain is that Trump is more interested in deals than in a rules-based global economy. The era of faster globalization, lower tariffs and dispute resolution within the framework of the World Trade Organization is now temporarily over.”

“Europeans cannot remain passive at the risk of disappearing tomorrow,” Jordan Bardella, president of France’s National Rally party and member of the European Parliament, said at the European Parliament on Tuesday.

With Trump’s comeback, Europe faces a critical juncture — whether to remain tethered to Washington or chart its own course in the face of renewed challenges.

“The EU needs to make changes, and this is a good opportunity to get rid of its dependence on Washington and implement its own independent policies by cooperating with other countries in Asia, South America and Africa,” said Croatian political analyst Robert Frank.

MIL OSI China News –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese premier holds symposium with foreign experts in China

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

Chinese Premier Li Qiang holds a symposium with representatives of foreign experts who have won the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award and those who are working in China ahead of the Chinese New Year at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 26, 2025. Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang attended the symposium. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING, Jan. 26 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday held a symposium at the Great Hall of the People with representatives of foreign experts who have won the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award and those who are working in China.

Li extended Chinese Lunar New Year wishes and sincere greetings to the foreign experts, and thanked them for their long-term concern and support for China’s modernization efforts. He also listened to their opinions and suggestions on China’s reform, development and government work.

Experts from countries including the United Kingdom, Poland, Mali, Romania, Germany and Pakistan delivered speeches on topics such as scientific and technological innovation, economic and trade cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, international communication and talent development.

Foreign experts have made positive contributions to China’s new achievements in development in the past year, Li said. Their experiences of working and living in China exemplify the positive interaction and deep integration between China and the world, he said.

Noting that the world needs communication and the process of globalization is irreversible, Li said China consistently advocates strengthening international dialogue and will continue to uphold openness and inclusiveness while actively promoting international exchanges in various fields.

The premier stressed that innovation requires cooperation, and as the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation deepens, scientific research has become increasingly complex and systematic, making open cooperation both a trend and an inevitable choice.

China will continue to expand openness in science and technology, broaden and deepen joint research, actively participate in global technology governance, collaborate with all nations to solve practical problems and jointly address global challenges, he said.

He said China’s doors will always remain open to talents from all countries. The Chinese government will further optimize relevant policies, enhance service guarantees, and build more international exchange and cooperation platforms, continuously creating favorable conditions for foreign talents to work in China, said the premier.

Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang attended the symposium.

MIL OSI China News –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Briefing Security Council on Worsening Situation in Democratic Republic of Congo, Senior Official Says Actions Endangering Civilians, UN ‘Will Not be Tolerated’

Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

Holding an emergency meeting following advances by the 23 March Movement, or M23, towards the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and concurrent attacks on United Nations peacekeepers there, the Security Council heard today that urgent action is needed to address a rapidly deteriorating situation while time remains to do so.

“The United Nations is profoundly concerned by the resumption of hostilities,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. On 23-24 January, M23 fired on positions of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He reported that, as a result, several blue helmets were “killed in carrying out the tasks entrusted to them by this Council”. He also noted that M23 has significantly extended its territorial gains over the past few weeks and has opened a new front in South Kivu, from which MONUSCO recently withdrew.

“At this critical juncture, with the lives of countless vulnerable civilians, peacekeepers and respect for this Council’s mandate at stake, MONUSCO remains committed to the robust defence of its mandate,” he stated. He stressed that, for its part, the Council “must honour the sacrifices made by the peacekeepers who laid down their lives in pursuit of this noble goal by sending a clear and unequivocal message to M23 and its backers that actions endangering the lives of civilians and UN peacekeepers will not be tolerated.”

Also reporting on the situation was Bintou Keita, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of MONUSCO. Noting that M23 and Rwandan forces have penetrated the outskirts of Goma — “causing mass panic and flight amongst the population” — she said that roads are blocked and that M23 has declared Goma’s airspace closed. “In other words, we are trapped,” she said, calling on the Council to “act now” to secure the civilian population, humanitarian-aid workers and all UN personnel.

Calling on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda to continue political negotiations in the context of the Luanda Process, she urged: “More than ever, we must find a political solution.” She also called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from Congolese territory and end support for M23, and on the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “make significant efforts” to neutralize the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, or FDLR.

Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, then stressed that if hostilities spread into Goma, “the impact on civilians could be devastating”. In North and South Kivu, hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured over the last few weeks. Further, hundreds of thousands have fled their homes, humanitarian access remains constrained and hospitals are overwhelmed. Against that backdrop, she urged all parties to “protect civilians and the critical infrastructure they rely on”.

She also urged them to avoid using wide-area explosives and heavy weapons in populated areas. “This will be particularly important should the hostilities spread into Goma, given the risks of conflict in urban areas,” she observed. And, to address the escalating humanitarian crisis “before the situation worsens further”, she called on the Council to end the hostilities, ensure respect for international law and provide adequate funding for humanitarian action.

“The resolution of the conflict in eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo] must be political, not military,” stated the representative of Sierra Leone, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Somalia. The Luanda and Nairobi Processes “remain viable paths to peace”, he said, while underscoring that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo must be respected “by all States and non-State actors alike”. France’s representative, stating that the presence of foreign military forces threatens civilian protection and contributes to displacement, concurred: “Force is not an option.”

Along those lines, China’s representative said: “All external forces should refrain from providing support to M23 and other armed groups to prevent further deterioration.” He also joined other Council members in pointing out that “attacks on peacekeepers may constitute war crimes”. The representative of Greece echoed that, also noting that attacks against MONUSCO peacekeepers constitute a basis for sanctions designations. Also making these points was the representative of the United Kingdom, who observed that “the numbers of those lost and injured is changing by the hour”.

These attacks, stressed Slovenia’s representative, constitute “an attack on peace itself”. Recalling the Council’s recent, unanimous decision to renew MONUSCO’s mandate, she underlined the organ’s responsibility to “stand unequivocally behind [its personnel] in these perilous times and ensure they return safely to their loved ones”. She added: “The international community, and this Council, cannot afford to remain passive in the face of this crisis.” Panama’s representative similarly stated: “History will not judge us on our intentions but, rather, our actions.”

The United Nations must take immediate measures to ensure the safety and security of both civilians and peacekeepers, underscored the representative of Pakistan. Expressing particular concern over a “highly exposed” Pakistani artillery battery near Sake, he stressed that this unit should be quickly redeployed for the safety of its personnel and heavy, expensive equipment. Stating that peacekeepers cannot be expected to implement the “challenging mandate assigned to them by the Council” without adequate support, he also urged the organ to address the root cause of the conflict — the illegal exploitation of natural resources.

On that, Denmark’s representative observed: “The illegal exploitation of natural resources in eastern DRC is a key driver to instability in the Great Lakes region — this must end.” The representative of the United States also expressed concern over the illicit exploitation of mining areas in territories controlled by M23, as did the representative of the Russian Federation: “The struggle to gain access towards strategically important Congolese minerals is one of the reasons for the continuation of the crisis.”

The representative of the Republic of Korea detailed that crisis: “In the past week alone, as [M23] has expanded its territory by 11 per cent, the number of [internally displaced persons] has doubled to 400,000.” He joined other Council members in calling on Rwanda to cease its support for the group and urged both Kinshasa and Kigali to return to dialogue and fully implement their commitments under the Luanda Process. He added: “We recognize the differing interests of the DRC and Rwanda, but further escalation of tensions is simply unacceptable — many lives are at stake.”

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, meanwhile, took the floor to stress that the situation in her country is “not a conflict like others”. Rather, it is “a declaration of war that no longer hides itself behind diplomatic manoeuvres”, she said, stressing that “Rwanda is preparing to orchestrate a carnage in broad daylight”. She also said that it is “clear that this crisis is directly linked to the economic plunder of our country by Rwanda”.

On that, she said that over 150 tons of coltan are illegally extracted and transported to Rwanda each month, where they are fraudulently labelled for export. Yet, while this illicit commerce finances the military activities of armed groups, it is “only one aspect of the aggression carried out by Rwanda”, she stressed. Others include the systematic targeting of peacekeeping forces, the 24 January assassination of the military governor of North Kivu and the sabotage of the Luanda Process.

Underscoring that the Council “cannot content itself with declarations of concern or simply ‘remaining seized of the matter’”, she said that the organ’s duty is to “defend human life without distinction”. It must therefore order an immediate end to Rwanda’s hostilities, impose targeted sanctions against those responsible for the aggression, impose an embargo on the export of all minerals labelled as Rwandan — particularly coltan and gold — and revoke Rwanda’s status as a troop-contributing country. “History will remember your decision today,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rwanda’s representative stressed: “The current crisis could have been averted had the DRC Government demonstrated a genuine commitment to peace.” While the Luanda Process achieved “significant milestones” — including a ceasefire that came into force on 4 August 2024 — the Government and Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo decided to increase militarization in the country’s east in October 2024. This included the deployment of heavy weaponry and additional troops — 10,000 from Burundi — along the border.

“By prioritizing militarization of the conflict instead of embracing the regional mechanisms that have been put in place to foster a sustainable solution born out of dialogue, the conflict has continued to escalate — leading to the prevailing situation today,” he said. He added that the FDLR has “even moved from being a suppletive force to a strategic ally of the Kinshasa Government”. Further, he said that the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has publicly vowed to instigate regime change in Rwanda for two years now.

While stating that “no one should harm peacekeepers”, he expressed concern that MONUSCO is “at the risk of being sucked into a conflict in which it would be a belligerent force”. MONUSCO should therefore focus on protecting civilians instead of fighting alongside Kinshasa’s military coalition. Noting that the situation today mirrors that which occurred 12 years ago, he stressed that “the DRC must play a helpful role — after all, this is a Congolese problem, for which the DRC is looking to outsource its solution.”

“It is with profound regret that this meeting is taking place at a time when a number of peacekeepers have lost their lives in the line of duty,” observed South Africa’s representative. Urging the Council to “send a clear message that peacekeepers’ lives matter”, she underlined the need to “value and safeguard the contribution of those entrusted to carry out the mandates adopted in this chamber”. Extending condolences to all victims’ families, the representative of Uruguay reiterated his country’s “steadfast commitment to peace”.

Angola’s representative pointed to “remarkable progress in the implementation of the Luanda Process”. “We need speedy and unconditional de-escalation of the conflict and genuine, renewed engagement of the parties to explore the ways of overcoming the pending issues,” he added. On that, Burundi’s representative said that the Luanda and Nairobi Processes “set out a clear road map to reach a lasting ceasefire”. Calling on the Council to demand an end to foreign interference and act decisively to guarantee that the Democratic Republic of the Congo can fully exercise its sovereignty and restore peace, he stressed: “Security and stability in Central Africa and beyond are at stake.”

MIL OSI United Nations News –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How Jan. 27 came to be International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Robert Jan van Pelt, Professor, School of Architecture, University of Waterloo

When, in the late 1980s, I began my research on the architectural history of the Auschwitz death camp, Jan. 27 wasn’t marked on any official calendar as a special day of commemoration.

Since then, as a historian who has focused on the history of the Holocaust in general and the history of Auschwitz in particular, and who has with collaborators curated the Auschwitz exhibition now showing in Toronto, I have seen changes in terms of how the Holocaust generally, and Auschwitz in particular, is publicly remembered and commemorated.

Jan. 27 is now identified as an annual International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. On Jan. 27 1945, the Red Army liberated some 7,000 remaining prisoners in Auschwitz, located in south-central Poland. How was this date chosen, and what issues or reflection might it raise?

Poland

With 1.1 million murdered victims — of whom one million were Jews — Auschwitz was the most murderous of the German death camps. It had already become by the mid-1970s a powerful symbol of the Holocaust.

Yet during the Cold War, European nations commemorated the dead of the Second World War on dates that were anniversaries of the end of the war. In Poland, a profoundly Roman Catholic country, the observances of the victims of the war were held on All Saints Day or, since 1955, the Sunday closest to the Ides of April, not Jan. 27.

In the early 1990s, the Polish government led by President Lech Walesa decided to make the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the liberating Red Army at the gates of Auschwitz into a major international commemoration in 1995.

Seventeen heads of state, including German Federal President Roman Herzog, attended the occasion on Jan. 27, 1995. It was, in a sense, a “coming-out” of the now firmly democratic Polish Republic. At that time, Warsaw was eyeing membership of NATO and the EU, which had been formally established by means of the Maastricht Treaty two years earlier.

In the 1995 commemoration, Jews were largely invisible — in fact, Walesa forgot to mention the Jews in his speech.

Dates in the Hebrew calendar

Among Jews, primarily in North America and Israel, Holocaust commemorations are typically associated with three dates in the Hebrew (lunar) calendar:

1. The ninth day of the Jewish month of Av: Since time immemorial, Jews commemorated on this day the destruction of the First Temple (in 586 BCE) and the destruction of the Second Temple (in 70 CE).

2. The 10th day of the Jewish month of Tevet: This day, King Nebuchadnezzar II began the siege of Jerusalem that was to lead to the destruction of the First Temple. Traditionally on this day, Jews say the prayer of the dead for family members whose date of death is unknown. As the date of death of most of the Jews murdered in the Holocaust is indeed unknown, the 10th of Tevet became quite prominent in Israel as a date of Holocaust commemoration.

3. The 27th day of the Jewish month of Nisan: This day, established in 1953 as Yom Hashoah (Shoah Day) by the Israeli government, coincides with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which is a point of great pride to Jews. Thus, Yom Hashoah was meant to commemorate not only the depth of the catastrophe, but at the same time one of the few points of light within the Holocaust.

In American society, a custom arose in the 1980s to hold a commemorative day of the Holocaust in the period that stretches from the Sunday preceding Yom Hashoah to the Sunday following Yom Hashoah, creating a clear link with the Jewish practice. In Canada, Jews mobilized to introduce provincial days of remembrance, insisting that they would follow Jewish practice and be held on Yom Hashoah.

Germany

Months after the 1995 Polish commemoration, the leaders of the allied nations and Germany gathered in Berlin on May 8, 1995 to observe the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. German President Herzog noted that while many Germans still remembered May 8 as a day of defeat, in fact that day had opened a door to a future of peace and co-operation in Europe.

However, some Germans believed that it was now time to move on and stop talking about the the Nazis, the war and the Holocaust.

Herzog decided something had to be done to force continued engagement with the Nazi past, and to shut up revisionists who stressed German victimhood. He proclaimed Jan. 27 as Day of Commemoration of the Victims of National Socialism. It was a politically astute move. He knew that in any discussion about the meaning of the Third Reich, the name “Auschwitz” was the ultimate trump card that could not be beaten.

Sweden, U.K., EU, UN

In 1998, Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson declared Jan. 27 to be an official day of Holocaust Remembrance. This move was to lay the groundwork for a larger Swedish-led inter-governmental educational initiative founded to combat rising antisemitism.

In support of this project, which lead to the Stockholm Declaration and the establishment of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), the British and Italian governments adopted Jan. 27 as a day of commemoration in 1999 and 2000.

A few years later, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia — plus Malta and Cyprus — joined the EU. Until then, it had consisted of countries that had been either stable liberal democracies since 1945, or had become such in the 1970s.

Most of the new members had been communist-ruled. There was nervousness about the baggage they would bring — especially persistent antisemitism. On Jan. 27, 2005, the European Parliament called on the European Council, Commission and member states to make Jan. 27 European Holocaust Memorial Day, to be observed across the EU.

The effects were profound: Aleida Assmann, a prominent historian of collective memory, observed that pan-European importance of the Jan. 27 day of commemoration since 2005 confirmed the Holocaust as a common “europäischer Gründungsmythos” or European foundation narrative

Later in 2005, the General Assembly of the United Nations made Jan. 27 an annual International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The resolution establishing the date invoked the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirmed “that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people, along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.”

What to think of Jan. 27?

While deeply committed to the study of the history of Auschwitz and profoundly engaged with the commemoration of both the Holocaust in general and Auschwitz in particular, if forced to choose, I have a clear preference for Yom Hashoah over Jan. 27.

Jan. 27 as a day of commemoration emerged from initiatives taken by non-Jews at the highest political level, without much consultation with Jews.

A few of my now-deceased Auschwitz survivor friends told me that the entire Jan. 27 date should be cancelled as it has no or little meaning for Jews, and it certainly had no meaning for them as Auschwitz survivors, because they had been taken away from Auschwitz in a death march before the arrival of the Red Army.

Yet now it exists, and better to work with it. All the good reasons why Auschwitz became a symbol of the Holocaust are still valid — especially the fact that it ties a very complex series of events to a real place that everyone can visit.

But I would like to invite all who gather on Jan. 27 to remember the Holocaust to consider also its profoundly political origins. And I hope that they will decide to also attend a similar event a few months later, on Yom Hashoah.

Robert Jan van Pelt is curator for the Auschwitz exhibit at the ROM.

– ref. How Jan. 27 came to be International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust – https://theconversation.com/how-jan-27-came-to-be-international-day-of-commemoration-in-memory-of-the-victims-of-the-holocaust-248104

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese premier meets Serbian PM

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

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, who is in China to attend the 7th China International Import Expo, in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 5, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

SHANGHAI, Nov. 5 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic in Shanghai on Tuesday, who is here to attend the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE).

Noting that China always attaches great importance to its relations with Serbia, Li said that China stands ready to work with Serbia to further implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, maintain close strategic communication, deepen political mutual trust, firmly support each other’s core interests and major concerns, take bilateral cooperation in various fields to a new level, and advance the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in a new era with high quality.

Li said that China is willing to work with Serbia to strengthen the docking of development strategies, jointly implement the China-Serbia free trade agreement, build and operate key cooperation projects, accelerate cooperation in green, digital and artificial intelligence innovation areas, and achieve more mutually beneficial and win-win results.

It is hoped that Serbia will continue to provide a sound business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Serbia, Li said, adding that the two sides should further deepen exchanges and cooperation on culture, tourism, education, sports, media and youth to consolidate popular support for building a China-Serbia community with a shared future.

Vucevic said Serbia firmly abides by the one-China principle, appreciates China for its firm support on issues concerning Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and looks forward to closer exchanges with China, well implementing the bilateral free trade agreement under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, deepening practical cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, education, science and technology, medical and health care, transportation and agriculture, and strengthening people-to-people exchanges.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, who is in China to attend the 7th China International Import Expo, in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 5, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

MIL OSI China News –

January 26, 2025
MIL-OSI China: World leaders hail CIIE’s role in promoting trade, development

Source: China State Council Information Office

Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivers a video speech during the opening ceremony of the seventh China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in east China’s Shanghai, Nov. 5, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Leaders from various countries and global organizations speak highly of the China International Import Expo’s (CIIE) role in promoting multilateral trade and common development.

The seventh CIIE, running from Tuesday to Sunday in Shanghai, hosts 3,496 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions, as a world business gala.

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala noted that since joining the WTO in 2001, China has been a strong supporter of the organization and played a key role in building capacity for least-developed countries.

“As geopolitical tensions intensify and signs of fracturing and fragmentation emerge in global trade and investment, it is crucial for political and business leaders around the world to collaborate on preserving and reforming the multilateral trading system to reflect the changing economic landscape,” she said.

Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said China’s export and import activities have dramatic effects “even very far from its shores.”

The expo sent a message of openness that businesses worldwide can connect, forge partnerships, and contribute to a more prosperous and interconnected global economy, she said.

The CIIE offers companies worldwide, regardless of their sizes, a platform to showcase their capabilities and attract new investments, said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Multinational cooperation for free trade and sustainability should serve as a tool to actively advance global progress, rather than as a means to suppress competition, promote unfair advantages, or create conflict, he said.

Calling the CIIE a platform to support international trade development, cooperation, and new types of global partnerships, Denisa Sakova, deputy prime minister and minister of economy of the Slovak Republic, said her country has benefited greatly from participating in the expo, a place to showcase best and latest products and innovations to Chinese consumers.

The CIIE has become an important platform for strengthening international economic integration, said Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. For Kazakhstan, the expo helps to expand international cooperation with foreign partners and offers new opportunities for distributing Kazakh goods in international markets.

Uzbekistan is taking advantage of opportunities such as the CIIE and striving to promote its position in the rapidly growing and attractive Chinese market, which will definitely deepen cooperation and development in trade, economy, investment, and other areas, said Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said that as a platform for enterprises, people, and cultures to come together from around the world, the CIIE fosters not only business and commerce but also friendship and mutual understanding.

MIL OSI China News –

January 26, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China’s top legislator holds talks with Hungarian official

Source: China State Council Information Office

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with Laszlo Kover, Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 5, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

China’s top legislator Zhao Leji held talks with Laszlo Kover, speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, in Beijing on Tuesday.

Zhao, chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Hungary, and in May, the two sides elevated bilateral relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era.

China is willing to work with Hungary to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate the momentum of high-level exchanges, enhance strategic communication and cooperation, and embark on a new chapter of practical cooperation, jointly creating a bright future, Zhao added.

Zhao also expressed China’s willingness to strengthen policy communication with Hungary in various fields, deepen high-level political mutual trust, firmly support each other’s core interests, and consolidate the political foundation of China-Hungary friendship.

The Chinese side is willing to promote a deep synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Hungary’s “Opening to the East” policy, accelerate the construction of the Hungary-Serbia railway, and expand cooperation in emerging areas such as clean energy, digital economy, and artificial intelligence, to comprehensively elevate the level of cooperation, said Zhao.

Noting that China’s NPC and the Hungarian National Assembly have maintained a long-standing and good relationship, Zhao said the two sides should further strengthen exchanges and interactions at different levels, to enhance mutual understanding, trust, and friendship. He also called on the legislative institutions of the two sides to strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral forums, promoting global governance that is more conducive to maintaining world peace and international fairness and justice.

Kover said Hungary firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to seize the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields, including jointly building the BRI, promoting economic and trade investment, Hungary-Serbia railway construction, and people-to-people exchanges, to contribute to the cooperation between Central and Eastern European countries and China, as well as the development of EU-China relations.

The Hungarian National Assembly is committed to enhancing friendly exchanges with China’s NPC, to make active contributions to the development of bilateral relations, Kover added.

MIL OSI China News –

January 26, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Leadership for Peace Means ‘Living Up to UN Charter’, Says Secretary-General at Security Council Debate

Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council’s high-level debate on “Leadership for peace: united in respect of the UN Charter, in search of a secure future”, in New York today:

I thank the Government of Slovenia for convening this high-level debate on Leadership for Peace.

The topic is rooted in a fundamental truth: Peace is never automatic. Peace demands action. And peace demands leadership.

Instead, we’re seeing deepening geo-political divisions and mistrust. Impunity is spreading, with repeated violations of international law and the UN Charter. Conflicts are multiplying, becoming more complex and deadlier. All regions are affected.

And civilians are paying the steepest price. From Gaza to Ukraine to Sudan and beyond — wars grind on, suffering grows, hunger deepens, lives are upended, and the legitimacy and effectiveness of the United Nations, and this Council, are undermined.

Leadership for peace requires action in at least two key areas.

First — leadership for peace means all Member States living up to their commitments in the UN Charter, in international law and in recent agreements such as the Pact for the Future.

Among other things, the Pact calls for strengthening tools and frameworks to prevent conflict, sustain peace and advance sustainable development, with the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.

It calls for updating our tools for peace operations to allow for more agile, tailored responses to existing, emerging and future challenges.

It reinforces the commitment to all human rights — civil, political, economic, social and cultural.

It includes initiatives around disarmament, peacebuilding, and managing threats posed by lethal autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence and in new domains, including outer space and cyberspace.

It calls for measures to quickly address complex global shocks. And it contains a new push to reform key institutions of global governance, including the global financial architecture and this very Council.

The Pact is a down-payment on these reforms. But we will need strong political will to implement them and rebuild the legitimacy and effectiveness of this Council. Which brings me to my second point about leadership for peace.

Leadership for peace means ensuring that the UN Security Council acts in a meaningful way to ease global tensions and help address the conflicts that are inflicting so much suffering around the world.

Geopolitical divisions continue to block effective solutions. A united Council can make a tremendous difference for peace. A divided Council cannot. It is imperative that Council Members spare no effort to work together to find common ground. And it has proven capable of doing so in some key areas.

From currently overseeing 11 peacekeeping operations on three continents, involving nearly 70,000 uniformed peacekeeping personnel…

To resolutions that help keep vital humanitarian aid flowing to the world’s hotspots…

To the landmark resolution 2719 (2023), which provides for African-Union led peace support operations authorized by the Council to have access to UN assessed contributions…

To the groundbreaking resolutions that recognized the clear implications of peace and security challenges on the lives of women and youth…

To this Council’s growing ties to regional and subregional organizations to foster consensus and peace. These examples — and more — prove that forging peace is possible.

When we consider the most difficult and intractable conflicts on this Council’s agenda, peace can seem an impossible dream.

But I strongly believe that peace is possible if we stick to principles. Peace in Ukraine is possible. By following the UN Charter and abiding by international law.

Peace in Gaza is possible. By sparing no effort for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and the beginning of an irreversible process towards a two-State solution.

Peace in Sudan is possible. By sending a clear message to the warring parties that all Members of this Council — including the five permanent Members — will not tolerate the horrific violence and desperate humanitarian crisis being unleashed on innocent civilians.

The situations on this Council’s agenda are complex and do not have quick fixes. But the scale of the challenge should not deter us. Our only hope for progress on peace is active collaboration and unity among Council Members.

Today, I call on all Members to live up to this great responsibility, and to the promise of the UN Charter. Contribute to this Council’s success — not its diminishment. Let’s ensure that this Council serves as an effective and representative forum for peace — today and in the years to come.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

January 26, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Human Rights Committee Adopts Report on Views Concerning Individual Communications on Colombia, Ecuador, Finland, Greece, New Zealand, Sweden, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Ukraine

Source: United Nations – Geneva

The Human Rights Committee today adopted a follow-up progress report on individual communications, presented by the Special Rapporteur for follow-up on Views, which concerned communications on Colombia, Ecuador, Finland, Greece, New Zealand, Sweden, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.

José Manuel Santos Pais, Special Rapporteur for follow-up on Views, said one individual communication on Colombia concerned a case of enforced disappearance by parliamentary groups. The State party was urged to conduct an independent, thorough and effective investigation of the disappearances of Mr. Anzola and Mr. Molina and prosecute and punish those responsible; release these people if they were still alive; if they were dead, hand-over their remains to their family; and ensure effective reparation, including adequate compensation, and medical and psychological rehabilitation for the authors for the violations suffered. The State party was also under an obligation to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future and to ensure that any forced disappearances gave rise to prompt, impartial and effective investigations. The State party had established a search and investigative unit, but one Committee member noted that many measures had not been implemented and there seemed to be no urgency. The Committee recommended ongoing follow-up dialogue.

A second communication on Colombia involved the killing of a trade unionist. The Committee recommended that the State party promptly conduct a thorough, effective, impartial, independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murder, to establish the truth; provide the family members who were the authors with detailed information about the results of the investigation; and provide adequate compensation to the family members, including sufficient compensation to cover the reasonable legal expenses they have incurred. The State party had reported that it would proceed with the compensation procedure and had published the Committee’s Views publicly. However, it was reported that the State party had not conducted the criminal investigation in a way conducive to the identification of the perpetrators or to shed light on the reasons behind the murder. The Committee therefore recommended follow-up dialogue.

Regarding Ecuador, the communication concerned criminal conviction and the seizure of assets. The Committee recommended making full reparation to the persons whose rights had been violated and ensuring that due process was followed in the relevant suits at law. The State party had outlined that the Committee had not recommended restitution but called for ensuring effective remedy. It was acknowledged that partial reparation had been granted by the courts, with an appeal still pending. There were several conflicting interests in regards to this case. The Committee decided to close the case with partial satisfaction of the Committee’s Views, because the Views issued did not address directly the return of assets to the author, but gave them the possibility to contest the decisions, which had occurred.

On Finland, the communication related to the right to vote for elections at the Sami Parliament. The Committee had requested effective remedy, including to make full reparation to individuals whose rights had been violated. The State party was obligated to review the Act on the Sami Parliament with a view to ensuring that the criteria for eligibility to vote in Sami Parliament elections was defined and applied in a manner that respected the right of the Sami people to exercise their internal self-determination. A detailed proposal sent to the State party had requested several measures, but the authors had not received any written responses to their proposals. The Committee recommended ongoing follow-up dialogue.

The communication for Greece concerned conscientious objection to compulsory military service. Remedies proposed by the Committee included expunging the author’s criminal record, reimbursing all sums paid as fines, providing him with adequate compensation, taking all steps necessary to prevent similar violations in the future, and reviewing the legislation with a view to ensuring the effective guarantee of the right to conscientious objection. The Committee noted there were some positive steps taken, however, some human rights violations remained unaddressed. Contentious objectors still faced discrimination, and in some cases punishment, including fines and imprisonment. The State was requested to continue follow-up dialogue and was encouraged to look further into the matter.

On New Zealand, the communication concerned compensation for wrongful arrest and detention. The Committee recommended providing the author with adequate compensation and taking all steps to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future, including by reviewing its domestic legislation, to ensure that individuals who had been unlawfully arrested or detained as a result of judicial acts could apply to receive adequate compensations. The State party had requested a consultation process with civil society, but there was no timeline provided and no deadline for the subsequent report to be submitted to the Committee. The absence of legislative action demonstrated a lack of willingness on behalf of the State party to fulfil its obligations. In this regard, the Committee recommended follow-up dialogue and would request a meeting with a representative of the State party during a future session.

Regarding Sweden, the communication concerned deportation to Albania. The Committee had recommended that Sweden review the authors’ claims, taking into account the State party’s obligations under the Covenant and the Committee’s present Views, and refrain from expelling the authors to Albania while their requests for asylum were under reconsideration. The State party heeded to the Committee’s recommendations and therefore the Committee decided to close the follow-up dialogue with a note of satisfactory implementation of the Committee’s Views.

In the individual communication on Türkiye, which concerned conscientious objection to military service by Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Committee recommended expunging their criminal records, providing them with adequate compensation, and avoiding similar violations of the Covenant in the future. The State party submitted that it had made amendments regarding crimes related to compulsory military services, and had also abolished the military courts, which the Committee described as a welcome development. However, the author reported that their criminal records had not been expunged, they had not been provided with compensation, and they were still subject to military conscription. Given this, the Committee recommended follow-up dialogue.

On Turkmenistan, the communication included conscientious objection to compulsory military service. The Committee’s recommendations included expunging the author’s criminal record, providing them with adequate compensation, including by reimbursing any legal costs, and taking steps to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future, including by reviewing the legislation of the State party, for instance by providing for the possibility of alternative service of a civilian nature. The author’s counsel had stated that neither he nor the author were aware of any steps taken by the State party to implement the Committee’s Views. One Expert noted there was no convincing evidence that the State party had contemplated compensation of any kind to the author. The Committee decided to close the follow-up dialogue with a note of unsatisfactory implementation of the Committee’s recommendation.

On Ukraine, the communication concerned the impossibility of having life sentence reviewed. The Committee recommended providing the author with a meaningful review of his sentence of life imprisonment on the basis of a clear and predictable procedure, providing him with adequate compensation, and taking all steps necessary to prevent similar violations in the future. Due to the escalating conflict in Ukraine, the author requested that his life imprisonment be replaced with a fixed term imprisonment, which did not exceed 15 years of imprisonment, however, this was rejected by the Supreme Court. In this regard, the Committee recommended follow-up dialogue, but noted positively, that the State party had prepared legislation allowing for any convicted person to have their life sentence considered by the court.

In closing remarks, Mr. Santos Pais said it was his last report as Rapporteur on follow-up to Views. The report on follow-up to Views was essential in monitoring the Committee’s Views and ensuring victims had access to effective remedies. It also ensured accountability for States under the Optional Protocol. He thanked all those who had contributed to the report which was very much a team effort.

The Human Rights Committee’s one hundred and forty-second session is being held from 14 October to 7 November 2024. All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.

The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. on Thursday, 7 November to close its one hundred and forty-second session.

Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media;
not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

CCPR24.024E

MIL OSI United Nations News –

January 26, 2025
MIL-OSI China: WIOTC 2024 focuses on interconnected digital future

Source: China State Council Information Office

The launch ceremony of the White Paper on the Intelligently Interconnected Digital Economy is held in Beijing, Nov. 3, 2024. [Photo courtesy of WIOTC]

The ninth annual World Internet of Things Convention (WIOTC 2024) commenced on Nov. 3, in Beijing, bringing together leaders of government agencies, enterprises, industrial associations and standards organizations worldwide to discuss the future of the Internet of Things (IoT) under the theme, “Towards a New Future for Digital Economy: An Intelligently Interconnected New World.”

The aim of the event was to support the U.N. sustainable development agenda, bridge the global digital divide, create an international model of an intelligently interconnected digital economy in China, and explore new pathways for digital economic collaboration.

In his message to the convention, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the transformative impact of digital technology on business and economic growth. He emphasized that “real-time data sharing, IoT applications, information networking, and artificial intelligence are empowering the development of smart grids, smart homes and smart cities.”

However, he noted the digital divide, saying: “Not all countries or communities are benefiting equally. For those without capacity or connectivity, the digital divide is also an opportunity divide.”

“Digital technology is about bridging divides,” he added, calling for efforts to ensure evolving technologies benefit all people equally.

During the convention, speakers noted China’s significant strides in IoT and digital economy innovation, underscoring the country’s investments in digital infrastructure and supportive government initiatives that have positioned it as a global leader in these fields.

According to He Xuming, chairman of the WIOTC executive committee, the number of global IoT connections is expected to surpass 25 billion this year, with China playing a crucial role. The country’s digital infrastructure is expanding significantly. It is on track to build over 4.3 million 5G base stations to support IoT this year and surpass 3 billion IoT connections, he said.

Yu Hongjun, former vice minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), added that in recent years, China has actively promoted the innovation and development of the internet and digital economy. He said, “The establishment of foundational communication networks, the widespread application of 5G, and the development of 6G have laid a solid foundation for digital economic transformation and upgrading.”

The country’s strategic initiatives proposed during the 20th CPC National Congress, focusing on building a strong digital China and a smart society, were further reinforced by the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. The resolution emphasized “improving the commodity distribution system, and speeding up the development of the Internet of Things.”

“China’s leadership in advancing digital innovation and IoT continues to serve as a powerful model, inspiring nations worldwide to embrace the possibilities of digital technologies,” said Sinisa Berjan, ambassador of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina to China.

The ambassador also stressed the shared responsibility to ensure that the advantages of digital transformation are distributed equally, calling for a world where technology can support an inclusive digital landscape that benefits all.

Berjan called IoT a “critical driver of digital development,” explaining it has the potential to revolutionize key sectors like health care, agriculture, energy and transportation. “IoT enhances productivity, optimizes resource use and empowers communities, ensuring that economic progress aligns with environmental stewardship,” he added.

However, Berjan stressed the need for strong international cooperation to fully unlock these benefits. He called for the sharing of best practices, the development of unified standards, and mutual support among countries to help every nation tap into the potential of IoT.

Platforms like the WIOTC provide invaluable opportunities for such exchanges, fostering a spirit of collaboration that fuels progress, innovation and economic development, he said, adding that “together, we can lay the foundation for a future where the benefits of digital transformation reach every community and individual.”

Leaders from major standardization bodies also underscored the importance of collaboration. Jo Cops, president of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), emphasized that, given the current environmental challenges, “IoT supports the energy transition and the deployment of renewables through smart grid applications.” He added, “To meet our common challenges and goals, we need to collaborate.”

Similarly, Sung Hwan Cho, president of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), advocated for an inclusive digital future, saying, “It is crucial that this progress actually supports the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and bridges the digital divide.”

At the convention, the WIOTC released the White Paper on the Intelligently Interconnected Digital Economy. Zhang Hua, vice chairman of the WIOTC executive committee, explained that the white paper outlines the innovative development direction and theoretical foundation of the global IoT digital economy, including concepts, advanced digital economy models, global market structures, and sustainable development pathways.

The white paper provides expert guidance for global governments on internet development and digital economy upgrades, and serves as a reference for enterprises aiming to transform and enhance their data applications, Zhang said.

MIL OSI China News –

January 26, 2025
MIL-OSI: 18th Global Citizenship Conference to be held in Singapore

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LONDON, Nov. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — More than 400 delegates from over 50 countries are expected to attend the 18^th annual Global Citizenship Conference, which takes place 27–29 November in Singapore.

Hosted by world-leading international citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, this annual event has become the world’s largest and most significant conference on investment migration, bringing together presidents and prime ministers, other senior government ministers and officials, and leading academics, as well as top-tier private client advisors and wealth management professionals, and financial and business media.

The 2024 conference program features sophisticated content on the dynamics shaping the mobility options of wealthy families today. The conference will explore legal and economic developments and their implications, societal impacts relevant to global citizens, and trends in investment and wealth migration, along with regulatory and tax changes and the evolving concept of citizenship. Delegates will have the opportunity to engage with some of the world’s finest minds and latest ideas around global citizenship and interconnectivity and discover how to harness the power of global mobility.

Dr. Christian H. Kalin, Group Chairman of Henley & Partners, emphasizes the timely relevance of connecting across borders as global citizens. “The Great Wealth Migration, as we call it, reflects a global trend fueled by geopolitical instability, economic uncertainty, the climate crisis, and technological disruption. Wealthy individuals are increasingly recognizing that, in an interconnected world, relying solely on any one nation as a place of residence or citizenship — even a prosperous, democratic one — can be a risk they are no longer willing to take. As they consider their options, however, there is a crucial opportunity to reflect on the broader implications of their decisions. How can wealth be used not only for personal advantage but also to create positive social impact? Global citizenship, at its core, is the belief that we have responsibilities that extend beyond our own borders — to our communities and to the world as a whole. This conference seeks to broaden our perspectives through shared global learning, empowering us to drive meaningful change on both a local and a global scale.”

Notable key speakers at the conference include the Hon. Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, and the Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis. The Hon. Mohamed Nasheed, former President of the Maldives and current Secretary-General of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, will also share his insights along with senior government officials from Indonesia, Montenegro, and the South Pacific.

Legendary global investor and best-selling author, Jim Rogers, will offer his perspective on global financial trends. Other distinguished speakers include Dr. Parag Khanna, Founder and CEO of Climate Alpha, Prof. Mehari Taddele Maru of the European University Institute and John Hopkins University, Irene Mia, Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Balaji Srinivasan, American tech entrepreneur, investor, and author of The Network State.

A conference highlight will be the 2024 Global Citizen Award Dinner on 28 November, where a remarkable individual working to advance one of the global challenges affecting humanity today, will be honored. This year’s laureate will be announced at the gala event hosted in collaboration with the Swiss non-profit humanitarian organization Andan Foundation, which focuses on promoting the self-reliance of refugees through education, entrepreneurship, and employment, and to which the net proceeds of the evening will be donated.

For further information and media accreditation to attend the 18^th annual Global Residence and Citizenship Conference, please contact:

Sarah Nicklin
Group Head of Public Relations
sarah.nicklin@henleyglobal.com

The MIL Network –

January 26, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Maia Sandu’s victory in second round of Moldovan election show’s limits to Moscow’s meddling

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

Following a campaign marred by widespread and credible allegations of massive interference by Russia and pro-Russian proxies, Moldova’s incumbent president, Maia Sandu, has won another term in the second round of presidential elections.

According to preliminary results published by the country’s central electoral commission on November 3, Sandu beat her second-round challenger, Alexandr Stoianoglo, with 55% of the vote and on a higher turnout than in the first round of elections on October 20.

There were more than 180,000 votes between the incumbent and her challenger. In a country with an electorate of just over three million people, this is a significant margin, especially when compared with the razor-thin yes vote in the EU referendum that was on the same day as the first round of the presidential election two weeks ago. In that election, Sandu came first with 42%, compared to Staionoglo’s 26%, but in the EU poll, just 10,000 votes separated the yes and the no votes.

Sandu, who campaigned on a strongly pro-European platform, prevailed despite pro-Russian interference and fearmongering and a campaign by Stoianoglo that emphasised the importance of good relations with both Moscow and Brussels.

Moldova’s election result will certainly have come as a relief not only to Sandu and her supporters but also to Moldova’s western partners. It is the first time that a popularly elected president has won a second term in the tiny landlocked former Soviet satellite. The country borders Romania and Ukraine and has a small but significant Russian breakaway region, Transnistria, as a constant reminder of Moscow’s influence in the region.

Moldova’s election presents a clear difference to the Georgian parliamentary election results on October 26, which saw an openly pro-Russian Georgian Dream party win an election considered as neither particularly free nor fair, in results that the Georgia’s opposition-aligned president and western pollsters allege have been rigged.

Sandu’s win, by contrast, demonstrates both the appeal of the idea of a European future and the limits of Russian interference. Yet the understandable enthusiasm about the result in Moldova also needs to be tempered by a more careful analysis of some of the deeply entrenched societal cleavages that the elections have all but confirmed and the difficulties that lie ahead.

Deep divisions

Sandu’s win overall looks impressive. But she did not win the vote in Moldova itself, where Stoianoglo beat her by some 30,000 votes. What saved Sandu, like the EU referendum, was the strong support for her among voters in the diaspora, where she captured almost five times as many votes as Stoianoglo.

Just over 270,000 votes (83%) of the votes cast by Moldovans living abroad, predominantly in western Europe and north America, saw her comfortably across the finishing line. There may be good reasons not to distinguish between votes from inside and outside Moldova – but the optics are not good.

Nor can the overall margin of Sandu’s victory gloss over the fact that her supporters inside the country are predominantly concentrated in the capital and the centre of the country. In the capital Chisinau, in the centre of Moldova, Sandu won with 57%, representing almost one-third of her total vote inside the country. In the north and south of the country, Stoianoglo generally took the largest vote share.

In the country’s second-largest city, Balti in the north, he won 70% of the vote, compared to Sandu’s 30%. In the southern autonomous region of Gagauzia, a hotbed of pro-Russian, anti-European activism, Sandu obtained less than 3%. In Transnistria, Sandu came away with just 20% of the vote.

Map of Moldova showing the breakaway regions of Transnistria and Gaugazia.
Institute for the Study of War

These results are not surprising, given the outcome of the first round of the elections. But they represent fall in support for Sandu compared to in 2020, when she beat the then incumbent, socialist party leader Igor Dodon. Four years ago, Sandu obtained over 250,000 votes more than Dodon, winning almost 58% of the total vote. While she took the overwhelming share of the diaspora vote then as well, she also bested Dodon in most constituencies in the south.

Dodon campaigned for Stoianoglo in this election, but much of the challenger’s support was very probably due to a massive pro-Russian interference campaign that capitalised on many Moldovans’ fears and frustrations. Pro-Moscow messages aimed to capitalise on fears about being dragged into Russia’s war against Ukraine.

But there was also frustration with a government that has made little progress on much needed anti-corruption reforms and presided over a serious cost-of-living crisis in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and made worse by the war on Moldova’s eastern neighbour. Sandu’s party, the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) won a commanding majority in the 2021 elections – so failures of the government are seen as failures of Sandu and her agenda.

Challenges ahead

That Sandu won the presidency again, and against these odds, demonstrates her resilience. But it can’t be taken for granted that her party will similarly prevail in parliamentary elections due by the autumn of 2025. She may well be forced into a difficult cohabitation with a potentially socialist-led government next year. In a parliamentary democracy, in which the powers of the government by far exceed those of the president, this could significantly slow down Moldova’s EU accession negotiations.

But there are also some silver linings on the horizon. That Sandu won clearly demonstrates the limits of Russian interference. There is a core part of the Moldovan electorate that cannot be swayed by Russian misinformation or vote buying. This is a basis on which Sandu and PAS can build.

Perhaps more importantly, Sandu and Stoianoglo both sent conciliatory signals on election eve. Stoianoglo emphasised the importance of respecting the outcome of the democratic process and expressed the hope that Moldovans would now move beyond hatred and division. Sandu acknowledged the concerns of those who had not voted for her and promised to serve as the president of all Moldovans and to work for the country’s further development.

If they both stay true to their word, Moldova may finally break with a past of repeated political crises and economic stagnation.

Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

– ref. Maia Sandu’s victory in second round of Moldovan election show’s limits to Moscow’s meddling – https://theconversation.com/maia-sandus-victory-in-second-round-of-moldovan-election-shows-limits-to-moscows-meddling-242796

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 26, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Cop16: the world’s largest meeting to save nature has ended with no clear path ahead

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Harriet Bulkeley, Professor of Geography, Durham University

Increasing rights for Indigenous people and local communities was one of the few steps forward at Cop16. Philipp Montenegro, CC BY-NC-ND

Progress at the UN’s biodiversity summit, Cop16, in Cali, Columbia, has been slow. Frustratingly so.

There were high hopes that the Colombian hosts could coordinate action between developed and developing countries towards reaching the landmark global biodiversity agreement reached in Montreal, Canada at Cop15 two years ago. But after two weeks and one long night, negotiations ended abruptly. Many delegates had to leave to catch flights home with key issues unresolved.

This conference started with alarming news that the latest edition of the red list – the official record of threatened species – shows that more than one third of tree species face extinction in the wild. That’s more than the number of threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined.

Urging negotiators to recognise the seriousness of this nature crisis, Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro warned they were facing “the battle for life”.

There was certainly no shortage of people seeking solutions.

In the heart of the city, Cop16’s green zone hosted vibrant music, film screenings, indigenous arts and crafts. Local people, businesses and conference delegates discussed creative and collaborative ways to address the nature crisis.

Over in the blue zone, the official conference space, there was a notable increase in the diversity of communities participating across side events and pavilions. The links between biodiversity and human health were highlighted. So too was the importance of nature for water and food security.

In his opening video message, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres urged countries gathered to “engage all of society” as “la Cop de la gente” (a Cop of the people).

So protests from Indigenous people and local communities were particularly powerful. Including greater recognition for these groups in the final decisions from the meeting was a rare sign of progress. A new fund to ensure that these groups would receive a share of the profits from the commercial use of digital sequence information – genetic information from native plants and animals – was another victory.

A new set of principles developed by the UK government to prioritise gender issues in conservation and ensure fair access to the benefits biodiversity action for all marginalised groups received widespread support.

The focus on economic resilience was more prominent than ever, with two days dedicated to business and finance. In 2018, only 300 businesses attended Cop14 in Egypt. In Cali, this number was 3,000.

Delegates assemble for the negotiations at Cop16.
Philipp Montenegro, CC BY-NC-ND

Private investors, pension funds, the insurance industry and public banks stressed the importance of creating robust measures of biodiversity improvement. Business sectors focused on transition plans that could support fair and transparent means of reporting progress. The nature tech sector is growing too, with start-ups expected to attract up to $2 billion (£1.5 billion) in investments by the end of 2024.

Back in the negotiating halls, delegates faced an uphill struggle. Only 44 out of 196 national plans to protect biodiversity have been updated to reflect the new targets. So, it’s no surprise that a gap is widening between current reality and the ambitious set of 23 targets which governments must reach by 2030. While countries agreed to a progress review in 2026, no consensus was reached on the indicators to be used. Progress was painfully slow.

Negotiators debated how the global agreement on biodiversity should interact with its sister conventions on climate and desertification. Further discussions next year might identify how this could work but this probably won’t lead to drastic change. Some countries, including India and Russia, still seemed unwilling to accept the critical risks posed to nature and society of exceeding the 1.5°C global target for climate change.

Many developing nations were concerned that greater integration between the climate crisis and biodiversity would lead to “double counting” of funding with the danger that developed countries could backtrack on their promises to support dedicated action on nature. Others, including the EU, argued that action to conserve and restore nature was an essential part of tackling all environmental and societal global challenges.

The deadlock between these positions continued for days. In the final hours of Cop16, negotiators reached a compromise that sets out a more integrated pathway for bringing action on climate and nature together. While the effects of climate change directly exacerbate biodiversity loss, restoring nature can be a powerful tool in the fight to mitigate the climate crisis and benefit biodiversity. Nature-based solutions – measures like restoring peatlands and wetlands, planting trees and mangroves – help build that resilience.

Heads of state and ministers joining at the midpoint of the meeting pointed out the need to ensure that nature is protected both for its own sake and for the communities that depend on healthy ecosystems for their livelihood and wellbeing.

But at the end of a long final night, these words were not accompanied by concrete plans for action or the financial commitments about how nature protection should be paid for that many at Cop16 were hoping for.

Whole of society, all of government?

The global biodiversity agreement set in 2022 called for a whole of society approach to address the nature crisis. Cop16 certainly delivered. From local communities to huge businesses, there was a spirit of rolling up sleeves and putting investment and innovation to work using nature-based solutions to restore and conserve biodiversity.

One of many packed side-events which bought the ‘whole of society’ together at Cop16.
Philipp Montenegro, CC BY-NC-ND

The same energy and commitment was clear from many of the local and sub-national governments assembled at Cop16. The first gathering of Mayors for Nature demonstrated significant commitment to action.

Leaders from California and Quebec set the tone by investing in large-scale programmes, with Quebec not only committing to fund their own biodiversity action but also contributing to the global biodiversity fund – the first regional government to do so.

But national governments struggled to move forward. The complexity of addressing biodiversity and its necessary interactions with sectors such as agriculture, transport and mining, as well as concerns over historic injustices between developing and developed countries, was perhaps too much for Cop16 to resolve.

The risk is that, as governments navigate these challenges, the private sector could accelerate action without scrutiny. I worry that the lack of policy coordination could deter investors and slow the pace of action that local communities and regional governments want to make. Rather than waiting for global consensus, groups can catalyse change while holding each other accountable to make swift progress to save nature.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Harriet Bulkeley receives funding from the European Commission and currently serves as an advisor to the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

– ref. Cop16: the world’s largest meeting to save nature has ended with no clear path ahead – https://theconversation.com/cop16-the-worlds-largest-meeting-to-save-nature-has-ended-with-no-clear-path-ahead-242160

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 26, 2025
MIL-OSI: Enphase Energy Launches New Home Energy Systems in Romania with IQ Battery 5P and IQ8 Microinverters

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

FREMONT, Calif., Nov. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, today announced the launch of its most powerful Enphase^® Energy System to-date, featuring the new IQ^® Battery 5P and IQ8™ Microinverters, for customers in Romania.

The new Enphase Energy System with the IQ Battery 5P offers a significantly improved experience for homeowners and installers. It enables configurations ranging from 5 to 60 kWh with more power, resilient wired communication, and an improved commissioning experience. Homeowners can also use the Enphase^® App to monitor performance and intelligently manage their battery systems, including the self-consumption feature to help minimize the use of electricity from the grid.

“The Enphase IQ8 Microinverters and IQ Battery 5P are setting a new standard for efficiency and reliability in the Romanian market,” said Stefan Sandu, founder and CEO of Pamasa Construct srl, an installer of Enphase products in Romania. “These innovative solutions empower Romanian homeowners to maximize their solar energy potential. We’re excited to be part of this energy transformation.”

IQ8 Microinverters help maximize energy production and can manage a continuous DC current of 14 amperes, supporting higher-powered solar modules up to 560 W DC. The three newest microinverters – IQ8MC™, IQ8AC™, and IQ8HC™ – feature a peak output power of 330 W, 366 W, and 384 W, respectively. All IQ8 Series Microinverters activated in Romania come with a 15-year warranty.

“We are thrilled to expand our product lineup with Enphase IQ8 Microinverters,” said dr. Nelu Mihai, co-founder of Solaris Romana Americana, a distributor of Enphase products in Romania. “These state-of-the-art solar products, promoting distributed solar based on AC, enhance safely and secure energy independence for customers using Enphase solar systems. We believe that, paired with Enphase’s high quality, strong cybersecurity and warranty, they will provide outstanding value for installers, homeowners, and business owners in Romania. Enphase with its advanced technology has been the essential innovation pioneer of the world’s solar industry since 2006 and will become essential for Romania, as well.“

“The introduction of the IQ8 Microinverters and IQ Battery 5P in Romania highlights Enphase’s strong commitment to providing innovative energy solutions tailored for homeowners worldwide,” said Sabbas Daniel, senior vice president of sales at Enphase Energy. “With exceptional reliability and versatility, the IQ8 Microinverters and IQ Battery 5P establish a new benchmark in home energy innovation, enabling Romanian residents to take charge of their energy independence.”

Enphase provides 24/7 customer support and a 15-year warranty on IQ8 Microinverters and IQ Batteries activated in Romania. For more information about IQ8 Microinverters and IQ Battery 5P in Romania, please visit the website.

About Enphase Energy, Inc.

Enphase Energy, a global energy technology company based in Fremont, CA, is the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems that enable people to harness the sun to make, use, save, and sell their own power—and control it all with a smart mobile app. The company revolutionized the solar industry with its microinverter-based technology and builds all-in-one solar, battery, and software solutions. Enphase has shipped approximately 78.0 million microinverters, and over 4.5 million Enphase-based systems have been deployed in more than 160 countries. For more information, visit https://enphase.com/.

©2024 Enphase Energy, Inc. All rights reserved. Enphase Energy, Enphase, the “e” logo, IQ, and certain other marks listed at https://enphase.com/trademark-usage-guidelines are trademarks or service marks of Enphase Energy, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements related to the expected capabilities and performance of Enphase Energy’s technology and products, including safety, quality, and reliability; and ability to maximize energy production and minimize the use of electricity from the grid. These forward-looking statements are based on Enphase Energy’s current expectations and inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements as a result of such risks and uncertainties including those risks described in more detail in Enphase Energy’s most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other documents filed by Enphase Energy from time to time with the SEC. Enphase Energy undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations, except as required by law.

Contact:

Enphase Energy

press@enphaseenergy.com

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

The MIL Network –

January 26, 2025

Category: Balkans

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Continued welcome in Europe?

Conditions in Turkey and Lebanon

Testing the water

Are Texas elections free and fair?

Money in politics

Freedom of expression

Human rights at the border

Women’s freedoms

As Texas goes, so goes the nation?

IMF Communications Department

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Dmitry Chernyshenko announced the country’s phygital capital in 2025

Dmitry Chernyshenko announced the country’s phygital capital in 2025

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Deep divisions

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Whole of society, all of government?