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Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI Security: Met launches a new way for Londoners to hear about neighbourhood policing

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A new way for Londoners to receive updates directly from local officers is being rolled out as part of the Met’s focus on neighbourhood policing.

    Officers will use Met Engage to provide their communities with crime prevention advice, information about local events and meetings, updates on ongoing incidents and investigations, and information about successful outcomes and operations.

    Neighbourhood policing is at the forefront of the Met’s work to deliver more trust, less crime and high standards.

    Communities have told the Met they want to be more connected to their local policing teams and the Met is asking people to sign-up for Met Engage here.

    Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said:

    “Every day, officers and staff across the Met are out tackling the crimes that really affect people – things like shoplifting, phone theft and burglary. Their crime-fighting is making a difference and we’re seeing large reductions in these types of offences in London.

    “But real progress means more than just numbers going in the right direction – it means working with communities, not just policing them.

    “Met Engage is about having a two-way conversation. It’s a way for people to stay informed with precise local updates, to tell us what is most important to them and to challenge misinformation. It’s about shaping policing together and I would encourage everyone to sign-up.”

    People who sign up to the email service will be asked to complete a survey, where they’ll be able to select where they live and choose the type of alerts they’d like to be informed about. This means the messages they receive will be specifically tailored to them.

    Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said:

    “I am pleased to see the launch of Met Engage. Both the Mayor and I have been clear that neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of safer communities. By providing an easy way for Londoners to stay in touch with their local neighbourhood police teams, the Met are able to better respond to the needs of our communities.”

    “Communication and partnership with communities is essential to the Met’s efforts to cut crime and increase public confidence. I am proud to say that City Hall has part funded Met Engage to bolster neighbourhood policing and drive down crime across the capital, building a safer London for everyone.

    “Met Engage is a key part of the Met’s community-first approach, by providing a platform for people to raise concerns, while also being kept updated on the issues that matter most in their local area.

    The Met is placing communities at the heart of everything it does by putting more officers into neighbourhood policing to focus on the issues that matter most to Londoners.

    Our new neighbourhood policing model means that every borough now has an additional 500 staff ranging from Superintendent to PCSOs, working closer than ever with communities to understand their concerns and act upon them.

    Local officers are using intelligence from residents and businesses to help shape policing priorities and reduce crime including shoplifting or anti-social behaviour.

    By relentlessly targeting the right areas and the right people, we can bring relief to communities blighted by crime and anti-social behaviour.

    Met Engage is provided by VISAV Limited, a company that has produced similar products for other police forces across the UK.

    While Met Engage will provide opportunities for the public to highlight issues, it is not a crime reporting tool and will not replace all the existing methods of reporting crime including the Met website, calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese films score major wins at Golden Goblet Awards

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

    The 27th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) wrapped up Saturday with the Golden Goblet Awards, where the Kyrgyzstani film “Black Red Yellow” won best feature and three Chinese films took top honors in the main competition.

    Director Aktan Arym Kubat (center) accepts the best feature film award for “Black Red Yellow” at the Golden Goblet Awards ceremony in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]

    “Black Red Yellow,” directed by Aktan Arym Kubat, follows a master weaver’s forbidden romance with a horse herder, which ends in silent separation and an unfinished carpet — until its unveiling years later stirs old memories.

    “This is a glorious moment for Kyrgyz cinema,” Kubat said in his acceptance speech. He said carpets are an inseparable part of traditional culture and daily life in Kyrgyzstan and noted that the award also marks the birth of his grandson. “Black Red Yellow” was the festival’s closing film.

    Chinese filmmaker Cao Baoping won best director for the comedy crime drama “One Wacky Summer,” a decade after earning the same honor for “The Dead End” at SIFF. Cao said the new film, with its dark humor, is sharper, funnier and more down-to-earth than his previous works.

    Chinese filmmaker Cao Baoping holds his best director trophy for the comedy crime drama “One Wacky Summer” at the Golden Goblet Awards ceremony in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]

    The film continues the lighter, comic direction Cao first explored with his 2006 debut, “Trouble Makers.” Set in Tianjin at the turn of the century, “One Wacky Summer” follows a small-time thug who, trapped in debt, impulsively kidnaps his nephew in a failed extortion plot, sparking family feuds and criminal chaos.

    Cao thanked SIFF for recognizing his work for the second time in 10 years, saying it “shows the festival’s encouragement for artistic persistence, as well as its diversity and inclusiveness.”

    Wan Qian won best actress for her role as a desperate killer posing as a caregiver in Wang Tong’s “Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts.” The film weaves together themes of elder care, love and crime, delivering a stark examination of human nature and morality.

    Wan Qian accepts the best actress award for “Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts” at the Golden Goblet Awards ceremony in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]

    “Turns out there really is a dawn after the wild night,” Wan said on stage. “I’m deeply grateful to the team behind ‘Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts.’ Your professionalism made the film remarkable. As we emerge from the long night and the light shines on us, I hope it’s not just me who is seen, but everyone behind me — because they are the ones truly holding up this trophy.”

    “Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts” also won the jury grand prix, an award it shared with the Japanese film “On Summer Sand” by Shinya Tamada.

    Director Qiu Sheng (center) holds the outstanding artistic achievement award for “My Father’s Son” at the Golden Goblet Awards ceremony in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]

    “My Father’s Son,” a co-production between China and France, received the outstanding artistic achievement award. Director Qiu Sheng said the film is a tribute to his late father, who died in 2005.

    Additional major awards went to Portuguese actor Jose Martins, who won best actor for “The Scent of Things Remembered.” Korek Bojanowski and Katia Priwieziencew received best screenplay for the Polish film “Loss of Balance,” and Markus Nestroy was awarded best cinematography for “You Believe in Angels, Mr. Drowak?”

    Director Bian Zhuo jumps as he and producer Zhang Jie receive the Asian New Talent best feature film award for “As the Water Flows” at the Golden Goblet Awards in Shanghai, June 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]

    In the Asian New Talent section, “As the Water Flows” by Bian Zhuo won best feature film, while Liryc Dela Cruz of the Philippines took best director for “Where the Night Stands Still.” Best actor went to Chinese actor Shi Pengyuan for “Water Can Go Anywhere” while Indian actress Meenakshi Jayan won best actress for “Victoria.” Prabath Roshan earned best cinematography for Sri Lanka’s “Riverstone,” with Lalith Rathnayake and Nilantha Perera sharing best scriptwriter.

    In other sections, the Spanish film “Constanza” won best documentary, while “The Songbirds’ Secret,” a France-Switzerland-Belgium co-production, took best animation. The Chinese film “Crow” won best live-action short, and the Russian-Kazakh film “Son” was named best animated short.

    This year’s Golden Goblet Awards received a record 3,900 submissions from 119 countries and regions. The main jury was chaired by Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, best known for “Cinema Paradiso.”

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: CMA takes first steps to improve competition in search services in the UK

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government Non-Ministerial Departments

    Press release

    CMA takes first steps to improve competition in search services in the UK

    The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is today proposing to designate Google with ‘strategic market status’ (SMS) in general search and search advertising.

    • CMA proposes to designate Google with strategic market status under the new Digital Markets Competition Regime
    • Roadmap published setting out potential early actions to improve outcomes for consumers and businesses
    • Measures could help unlock broader growth, investment and innovation in the UK tech sector and wider economy

    The CMA will consult on the proposal ahead of a final decision in October. If designated, the CMA would be able to introduce targeted measures to address specific aspects of how Google operates search services in the UK.

    The CMA has also published a roadmap of potential actions it could prioritise were Google to be designated. Early priorities include: requiring choice screens for users to access different search providers; ensuring fair ranking principles for businesses appearing on Google search; more transparency and control for publishers whose content appears in search results; and portability of consumer search data to support innovation in new products and services.

    Search in the UK    

    Google search accounts for more than 90% of all general search queries in the UK – with millions of people relying on it as a key gateway to the internet and more than 200,000 businesses in the UK relying on Google search advertising to reach their customers. These services matter to our economy and society – so it is vital that competition works well.

    The CMA’s investigation has heard concerns, including:

    • Google’s index of billions of websites, its access to trillions of historical searches, and its ecosystem of information, are extremely hard for others to replicate
    • Higher costs of search advertising than would be expected in a more competitive market
    • Limited transparency and fairness in how Google ranks and presents search results
    • Publishers can face challenges in securing fair terms and control over how their content is used in Google’s search and AI-generated responses
    • Default agreements with mobile device manufacturers can make it more difficult for competitors to reach customers
    • Innovative businesses can struggle to compete as people can’t easily share their search data with firms developing new services

    A proportionate, pro-innovation approach

    The UK’s new Digital Markets Competition Regime can help unlock opportunities for innovation and growth, by promoting competition in digital markets while protecting UK consumers and businesses from unfair or harmful practices. It is flexible and highly targeted, with the CMA able to design proportionate, bespoke interventions to address specific aspects of the way a firm engages in a digital activity. It includes a participative engagement process involving diverse stakeholders, from the largest firms to challengers and consumer groups. The CMA is also applying its ‘4Ps’ – Proportionality, Pace, Predictability and Process – to avoid any action taken hampering innovation or creating uncertainty for investors.

    To support pace and provide greater predictability for Google and other market participants, the CMA has published a Roadmap of how it would prioritise actions taken during the first half of any designation period. Measures are designed to promote competition and innovation in ways that benefit the UK economy, while ensuring that UK consumers and businesses are treated fairly.

    Early priority measures outlined in the roadmap include:

    • Requiring choice screens to help people easily select and switch between search services (potentially including AI assistants)
    • Ensuring fair and non-discriminatory ranking of search results
    • More control and transparency for publishers over how their content collected for search is used, including in AI-generated responses and search results more generally
    • Supporting data portability to help new businesses bring innovative products to market

    The CMA plans to consider a second category of actions to address more complex issues over a longer period (starting in the first half of 2026). These include concerns about the impact of Google’s bargaining position on publishers, its treatment of rival specialised search firms, and concerns about transparency and control in relation to search advertising.

    The CMA has carefully considered how generative AI is changing the search landscape. While use of AI assistants is growing, it remains significantly smaller than Google search. Google is already incorporating generative AI features – such as AI Overviews – into its search products and developing its own assistant, Gemini. The CMA’s proposed SMS designation would include AI-based search features, though not Gemini AI Assistant itself. This position will be kept under review as usage evolves.

    Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said:

    Google is the world’s leading search tool and plays an important role in all our lives, with the average person in the UK making 5 to 10 searches a day. It is equally critical for over 200,000 UK businesses which rely on Google to reach their customers. Google search has delivered tremendous benefits – but our investigation so far suggests there are ways to make these markets more open, competitive and innovative.

    Today marks an important milestone in our implementation of the new Digital Markets Competition Regime in the UK. Alongside our proposed designation of Google’s search activities, we have set out a roadmap of possible future action to improve outcomes for people and businesses in the UK.

    These targeted and proportionate actions would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google’s search services – as well as unlocking greater opportunities for innovation across the UK tech sector and broader economy.

    The CMA welcomes views on its proposed designation decision and accompanying roadmap. A final decision on SMS designation will be made by the deadline of 13 October.

    Alongside its live SMS designation investigations into search and mobile ecosystems, the CMA has been keeping under review the timing and scope of any further SMS designation investigations. The CMA is focused on progressing current SMS investigations and associated actions to improve outcomes in those markets for the remainder of 2025. We will keep under review possible options for a further designation investigation and anticipate this will be considered by the CMA Board in early 2026.

    More information about the investigation is available on the case page.

    Notes to editors

    1. All enquiries from journalists should be directed to the CMA press office by email on press@cma.gov.uk or by phone on 020 3738 6460.
    2. Sarah Cardell has also written a blog post about the investigation.
    3. Search advertising is where an advertiser pays for its advert to appear next to the results from a user’s search. The investigation relates to Google’s general search and search advertising activities.
    4. A finding that Google has SMS does not imply that it has acted anti-competitively. If the CMA designates Google as having SMS, it would then be able (subject to a legal framework that includes further public consultation and showing that measures are proportionate) to introduce interventions (including as set out in the roadmap) to unlock competition, increase innovation, and protect consumers.
    5. In line with the CMA’s prioritisation principles and the strategic steer from government, the CMA’s roadmap considers targeted measures where it can make a difference in the UK, and which fit with steps taken, or proposed, in other jurisdictions such as the EU and US.
    6. The CMA is also considering additional measures to ensure general search and search advertising is open to competition, including from AI services, by addressing barriers to entry and expansion. However, these complex issues are being scrutinised around the world and the CMA recognises that any action taken must fit with decisions being taken elsewhere.
    7. The CMA will be consulting with affected businesses and consumer groups widely over the coming months. The CMA expects to consult on a first set of priority interventions shortly after any designation decision and will publish an updated roadmap addressing our approach to the more complex issues we have identified in early 2026.

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    Updates to this page

    Published 24 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: D. Trump Confirms Iran’s Strike on US Military Base in Qatar

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    NEW YORK, June 24 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that Iran launched a missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar in retaliation for recent U.S. airstrikes on the country’s nuclear facilities. He called the strike a “very weak response” that caused no casualties and “little damage.”

    In a series of posts on the social media site Truth Social, the US president said Iran had fired 14 missiles, 13 of which were intercepted and one was abandoned because it posed no threat. He credited Iran for “advance warning,” which he said prevented any loss of life.

    D. Trump called on Iran and Israel to strive for “peace and harmony” in the region.

    The US leader also thanked the Emir of Qatar for his role in promoting regional stability. According to him, no Qatari citizens were harmed in the incident.

    Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid bin Mohammed al-Ansari confirmed that several Iranian missiles were intercepted over the Qatari capital Doha on Monday. Tehran said the strikes targeted the US-run Al Udeid air base. The spokesman said the base had been evacuated in advance and no casualties were reported.

    Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the missile attack on a US air base, saying the operation was aimed at US military facilities in Qatar and Iraq. The IRGC called the Al Udeid air base “the headquarters of the US Air Force and the largest strategic asset” of the US military in the region. It added that six missiles were fired at the facility.

    Despite the attack, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Tehran was committed to its “brotherly and friendly relations” with Qatar, noting that the Iranian operation posed no danger to the country. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Scientists and NSU graduates have developed an algorithm for controlling a swarm of drones using the “detection-delivery” scheme

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Scientists from NSU, engineers from Smart Drones LLC (SmartDrones platform) and specialists from the Siberian Fire and Rescue Academy of the State Fire Service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry presented a joint development — an algorithm for controlling a swarm of drones, online detection and determination of the coordinates of detected objects using AI. The technology was tested at an off-site meeting dedicated to the introduction of innovative technologies in the work of agricultural producers, which took place in the Ordynsky District on June 20 with the participation of Deputy Governor of the Novosibirsk Region Irina Manuilova, Minister of Science and Innovation Policy of the Novosibirsk Region Vadim Vasiliev and Minister of Agriculture of the region Andrei Shindelov. The off-site meeting of representatives of science, developers of advanced technologies and innovative projects was held at the production site of Dary Ordynska OPKh LLC.

    The researchers demonstrated the ability of drones to interact in space using the detection-delivery scheme, distributing tasks: one of them detects an object, determines and transmits coordinates to another drone, which carries out delivery according to the specified coordinates. The control algorithm can be scaled to any number of devices and different types of recognized objects.

    The joint development is the result of agreements that were reached after testing drone delivery in April. Then, a new model of an unmanned aerial vehicle, developed by NSU scientists for delivering goods to hard-to-reach areas, successfully covered a distance of 4.5 km across the Ob River and delivered the goods to their destination. The test flight was part of the first tests in Siberia of SmartDrones Fires technology for detecting and extinguishing fires using a swarm of drones and AI technologies, jointly with the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Novosibirsk Region.

    — Based on the results of the tests, we decided to combine the two technologies and try to work them out in a complex, namely: one drone, controlled using specialized SmartDrones software developed by our company, automatically analyzes data from a video camera, detects a person and transmits his coordinates to the second drone developed by NSU. The second UAV automatically delivers the necessary parcel, which may include water, medicine, etc., according to the specified coordinates. In two months, we took the necessary steps for integration and presented the new technology in action at an off-site meeting that took place at the end of last week, — said Alexey Meleshikhin, founder of the Smart Drones company, a graduate of the Physics Department of NSU.

    In the future, NSU researchers and engineers from the SmartDrones startup will work together to improve the technology for controlling a swarm of drones using the “detection-delivery” scheme and plan to create a full-fledged digital platform that will find application in various areas – agriculture, tourism, emergency prevention, etc.

    — Now we have worked out the interaction of two drones and tested the algorithm “detection and delivery of water”. We have shown how the automatic data transfer from the first drone to the second one works, so that the latter arrives at these coordinates and makes the delivery. In the future, we plan to conduct testing on a larger number of devices, when we can have several drones, each of them monitoring its own square and solving the problem of detecting different types of objects that need different types of delivery – water, medicine, life jacket, etc. In the future, the technology can be scaled to an unlimited number of devices. In addition, the platform being developed will allow drones to make various joint decisions. For example, to calculate the distance of an object and determine who will fly to it faster and deliver, for example, a first aid kit to a victim; what to do in case of loss of communication with one of the UAVs, etc. All these algorithms will be worked out and implemented on the basis of the SmartDrones digital platform, — explained Alexey Meleshikhin.

    The Smart Drones company, founded by NSU graduates and developing the SmartDrones Fires hardware and software complex for automatic fire detection and calculation of the forces and means required to extinguish them using a swarm of drones and AI technologies, is a resident of AkademPark and the winner of the spring, 30th, anniversary accelerator A:START.

    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 –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: The war won’t end Iran’s nuclear program – it will drive it underground, following North Korea’s model

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Burke, Professor of Environmental Politics & International Relations, UNSW Sydney

    The United States’ and Israel’s strikes on Iran are concerning, and not just for the questionable legal justifications provided by both governments.

    Even if their attacks cause severe damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, this will only harden Iran’s resolve to acquire a bomb.

    And if Iran follows through on its threat to pull out of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), this will gravely damage the global nuclear nonproliferation regime.

    In a decade of international security crises, this could be the most serious. Is there still time to prevent this from happening?

    A successful but vulnerable treaty

    In May 2015, I attended the five-yearly review conference of the NPT. Delegates debated a draft outcome for weeks, and then, not for the first time, went home with nothing. Delegates from the US, United Kingdom and Canada blocked the final outcome to prevent words being added that would call for Israel to attend a disarmament conference.

    Russia did the same in 2022 in protest at language on its illegal occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine.

    Now, in the latest challenge to the NPT, Israel and the US have bombed Iran’s nuclear complexes to ostensibly enforce a treaty neither one respects.

    When the treaty was adopted in 1968, it allowed the five nuclear-armed states at the time – the US, Soviet Union, France, UK and China – to join if they committed not to pass weapons or material to other states, and to disarm themselves.

    All other members had to pledge never to acquire nuclear weapons. Newer nuclear powers were not permitted to join unless they gave up their weapons.

    Israel declined to join, as it had developed its own undeclared nuclear arsenal by the late 1960s. India, Pakistan and South Sudan have also never signed; North Korea was a member but withdrew in 2003. Only South Sudan does not have nuclear weapons today.

    To make the obligations enforceable and strengthen safeguards against the diversion of nuclear material to non-nuclear weapons states, members were later required to sign the IAEA Additional Protocol. This gave the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wide powers to inspect a state’s nuclear facilities and detect violations.

    It was the IAEA that first blew the whistle on Iran’s concerning uranium enrichment activity in 2003. Just before Israel’s attacks this month, the organisation also reported Iran was in breach of its obligations under the NPT for the first time in two decades.

    The NPT is arguably the world’s most universal, important and successful security treaty, but it is also paradoxically vulnerable.

    The treaty’s underlying consensus has been damaged by the failure of the five nuclear-weapon states to disarm as required, and by the failure to prevent North Korea from developing a now formidable nuclear arsenal.

    North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 2003, tested a weapon in 2006, and now may have up to 50 warheads.

    Iran could be next.

    How things can deteriorate from here

    Iran argues Israel’s attacks have undermined the credibility of the IAEA, given Israel used the IAEA’s new report on Iran as a pretext for its strikes, taking the matter out of the hands of the UN Security Council.

    For its part, the IAEA has maintained a principled position and criticised both the US and Israeli strikes.

    Iran has retaliated with its own missile strikes against both Israel and a US base in Qatar. In addition, it wasted no time announcing it would withdraw from the NPT.

    On June 23, an Iranian parliament committee also approved a bill that would fully suspend Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA, including allowing inspections and submitting reports to the organisation.

    Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, said the US strikes:

    […] delivered a fundamental and irreparable blow to the international non-proliferation regime conclusively demonstrating that the existing NPT framework has been rendered ineffective.

    Even if Israel and the US consider their bombing campaign successful, it has almost certainly renewed the Iranians’ resolve to build a weapon. The strikes may only delay an Iranian bomb by a few years.

    Iran will have two paths to do so. The slower path would be to reconstitute its enrichment activity and obtain nuclear implosion designs, which create extremely devastating weapons, from Russia or North Korea.

    Alternatively, Russia could send Iran some of its weapons. This should be a real concern given Moscow’s cascade of withdrawals from critical arms control agreements over the last decade.

    An Iranian bomb could then trigger NPT withdrawals by other regional states, especially Saudi Arabia, who suddenly face a new threat to their security.

    Why Iran might now pursue a bomb

    Iran’s support for Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria’s Assad regime certainly shows it is a dangerous international actor. Iranian leaders have also long used alarming rhetoric about Israel’s destruction.

    However repugnant the words, Israeli and US conservatives have misjudged Iran’s motives in seeking nuclear weapons.

    Israel fears an Iranian bomb would be an existential threat to its survival, given Iran’s promises to destroy it. But this neglects the fact that Israel already possesses a potent (if undeclared) nuclear deterrent capability.

    Israeli anxieties about an Iranian bomb should not be dismissed. But other analysts (myself included) see Iran’s desire for nuclear weapons capability more as a way to establish deterrence to prevent future military attacks from Israel and the US to protect their regime.

    Iranians were shaken by Iraq’s invasion in 1980 and then again by the US-led removal of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. This war with Israel and the US will shake them even more.

    Last week, I felt that if the Israeli bombing ceased, a new diplomatic effort to bring Iran into compliance with the IAEA and persuade it to abandon its program might have a chance.

    However, the US strikes may have buried that possibility for decades. And by then, the damage to the nonproliferation regime could be irreversible.

    Anthony Burke received funding from the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council for a project on global nuclear governance (2014–17).

    – ref. The war won’t end Iran’s nuclear program – it will drive it underground, following North Korea’s model – https://theconversation.com/the-war-wont-end-irans-nuclear-program-it-will-drive-it-underground-following-north-koreas-model-259281

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: A carbon levy on global shipping promises to slash emissions. We calculated what that means for Australia’s biggest export

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Brear, Director, Melbourne Energy Institute, The University of Melbourne

    Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Moving people and things around the world by sea has a big climate impact. The shipping industry produces almost 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions – roughly the same as Germany – largely due to the movement of container ships, bulk carriers and tankers.

    Under international rules, these emissions are not included in any nation’s greenhouse gas reporting. That means they often escape scrutiny.

    Unlike cars, international shipping can’t shift to using low-emissions electricity – the batteries required are too big and heavy. So clean fuels must play a role.

    A proposed shake-up of the global shipping industry would encourage the use of clean fuels and penalise shipping companies that stick to cheaper, more polluting fuels. Should it proceed, emissions from global shipping would be regulated for the first time.

    Using our peer-reviewed modelling, we investigated how the changes might affect Australia’s largest export: iron ore.

    What is the proposed carbon levy all about?

    The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is the United Nations body responsible for regulating international shipping. It recently approved a draft plan to tackle the shipping sector’s contribution to climate change through a type of “cap and trade” scheme.

    The plan would involve setting a limit, or cap, on how much each shipping company can emit. Companies must then either buy credits or be penalised if they go over their limit. Companies that stay under their limit – for example, by using cleaner fuels – would earn credits, which they could then sell.

    In this way, high-emitting shipping companies are penalised and low-emitting companies are rewarded.

    Under the plan, the total limit for emissions from global shipping would fall each year. This increases the incentive for companies to switch to lower emission fuels and makes higher-emission fuels progressively more expensive to use.

    The plan is scheduled to be adopted by the shipping industry in October this year and would begin in 2027.

    Not all fuels are the same

    The proposed change is particularly significant for Australia. As a remote island nation, our imports and exports are heavily reliant on massive ships. This is most important for our commodity exports – iron ore in particular.

    Our recently published modelling estimated the emissions and financial impacts of various low-emission shipping options for Australia’s exports.

    We estimated Australia’s commodity exports create about 34 million tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. This is about 8% of Australia’s domestic greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s not included in Australia’s national reporting.

    Using the same modelling, we then examined how the proposed new regulation would affect the cost of shipping Australia’s largest export, iron ore. We chose a common route from Port Hedland in Western Australia to Shanghai in China.

    First, we looked at current fuel costs, as well as overall shipping costs measured per tonne of delivered ore. Shipping costs include both the fuel costs and the cost of the ships designed to use it. Then we estimated how much fuels and shipping might cost from 2030, assuming the proposed regulation has come into force.

    We also examined three types of fuel.

    The first was heavy fuel oil (HFO), one of the main fuels used in international shipping. It’s traditionally the cheapest shipping fuel and also has the highest greenhouse gas emissions.

    The second was “blue” ammonia. This fuel is typically made from natural gas using a manufacturing process where the carbon in the natural gas is captured and stored. It has lower greenhouse gas emissions than heavy fuel oil, but it is not a “green” fuel.

    Thirdly, we looked at “green” ammonia, which is produced using renewable energy. We examined two types of green ammonia – that produced using current technology, and “advanced” green ammonia, made using new technologies in development.

    Is green ammonia an answer?

    From about 2030, the overall cost of shipping powered by heavy fuel oil will start to rise significantly under the proposed regulation. That’s because shipping companies using this fuel must purchase credits from those using cleaner options.

    Blue ammonia may then make it cheaper to ship iron ore from Australia to Asia. Users of this fuel could generate and sell credits that higher-emitting fuel users buy, offsetting some of the shipping costs associated with using blue ammonia.

    But if international shipping is to reach the IMO’s goal of net-zero emissions by about 2050, this is very likely to require a green fuel.

    However, green ammonia is more expensive than heavy fuel oil and blue ammonia with current technology. And our analysis found the proposed regulation – and associated subsidy – doesn’t make it the lowest cost shipping option from 2030 onwards either.

    This is why technological innovation is important. CSIRO projections of the future costs of renewable energy and green-fuel manufacture suggest that, should technologies improve, green ammonia may compete on cost with heavy-fuel oil in the 2030s, even without subsidies.

    If so, this zero-emission fuel could become the cheapest way to export Australian iron ore.

    Looking ahead to net-zero

    As our calculations show, a combination of regulation and innovation could help international shipping achieve its goal of net-zero emissions.

    These fuels could be made in Australia, and potentially used by other industries such as rail, mining, road freight and even aviation.

    Such an industry would therefore contribute significantly to the world’s emission-reduction goals, and could help Australia realise its ambition to become a major global exporter of green fuels and other green products.

    Michael Brear receives research funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Australian Research Council, the Future Energy Exports CRC and the Clean Marine Fuel Institute. He also receives funding from other government and industry organisations for work on other aspects of energy and transport decarbonisation.

    Gerhard (Gerry) F. Swiegers is an ARC Industry Laureate Fellow and the Chief Technology Officer of Hysata. Hysata is a manufacturer of electrolysers which are used for green hydrogen manufacture. Green hydrogen is a key feedstock for the manufacture of green ammonia.

    Michael Leslie Johns receives funding from the ARC and Future Energy Exports CRC.

    Nguyen Cao receives funding from the Future Energy Exports CRC and the Clean Marine Fuel Institute.

    Rose Amal is the leader of the Particles and Catalysis Research Group, Co-Director of ARC Training Centre for the Global Hydrogen Economy and the Lead of the PowerFuels Network under NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub. Rose receives funding from Australian Research Council (ARC) and Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Department of Education (Trailblazer Recycling and Clean Energy program), ARENA and NSW Environmental Trust. She was an ARC Laureate Fellow.

    – ref. A carbon levy on global shipping promises to slash emissions. We calculated what that means for Australia’s biggest export – https://theconversation.com/a-carbon-levy-on-global-shipping-promises-to-slash-emissions-we-calculated-what-that-means-for-australias-biggest-export-258915

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 24, 2025

  • Iran Launches Missile Strike on US Base in Qatar as the West Asian Conflict Spreads

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Iran launched ballistic missile attacks on Monday against the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts US and allied forces, in what Tehran described as retaliation for recent American bombing of its nuclear facilities. The primary target was Al Udeid, the largest US military installation in West Asia, located southwest of Doha, there are also reports indicating that Iran has targeted the Ain al-Assad base in Iraq. Qatari and US officials reported no casualties from the attacks, as Qatar stated the base had been evacuated earlier as a precautionary measure due to rising regional tensions and its air defense systems successfully intercepted the incoming missiles.

    A US defense official confirmed that Al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran, stating that there were no reports of US casualties at the time. The attack occurred hours after Qatar closed its airspace and the US Embassy directed American nationals to shelter in place. Observers witnessed a battle between interceptors and incoming ballistic missiles in the sky over Qatar.

    The missile attack, however, has triggered strong condemnation across West Asia and beyond. Countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Yemen, and the Palestinian Authority have all denounced Iran’s strike on the Qatari-based facility.

    Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has assured residents that the security situation remains stable and under control.

    Amid the escalating tensions, the US State Department has issued an updated travel advisory for Kuwait, citing the volatile regional situation. The advisory comes in the wake of the broader Israel-Iran conflict, with the US Embassy in Kuwait urging increased vigilance and implementing temporary access restrictions to key American military installations, including Camp Arifjan, Camp Buehring, Ali Al Salem Air Base, and Camp Patriot. These facilities are now accessible only to essential personnel, reflecting growing concerns about the potential expansion of the conflict in this strategically significant region.

    The crisis has also sent shockwaves through the aviation industry. Air India has announced the immediate suspension of all operations to West Asia. In a coordinated move, the UAE has joined Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait in closing its airspace as a precautionary measure.

    In response to the developments, the Indian Embassy in Qatar has issued an advisory urging members of the Indian diaspora to stay indoors, remain calm, and closely follow updates from Qatari authorities.

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: South Korean President Appoints 11 Ministers

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    SEOUL, June 24 (Xinhua) — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who took office in June, has appointed 11 ministers, including defense, foreign affairs and unification, his office said Monday.

    Ahn Kyu-baek was appointed Minister of Defense.

    Former Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun was appointed as the head of the department, and Jeong Dong-yeon was appointed unification minister.

    All candidates for ministerial posts are subject to approval by the National Assembly. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU students won six medals at the “I am a professional” Olympiad

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    The results of the All-Russian Student Olympiad “I am a Professional” – one of the largest educational projects in the country – have been summed up. NSU students won six medals: three gold and three bronze.

    Master’s student Faculty of Information Technology Ivan Baksheev won the gold medal and became the winner of the Olympiad for the fourth time. This year, he immediately went to the final as last year’s medalist. The Olympiad included two rounds: theoretical and practical, both under strict online proctoring.

    — I have been participating in the Olympiad for several years now. This year was my last chance, as the Olympiad is not held for postgraduates. The most difficult tasks were those on the physical protection of critical facilities, but in the end I solved them best. And in the practical round, I had to urgently deal with memory dumps — quickly find the necessary software, install and use it. The results were expected: judging by the scores, it was already clear in April that the gold was in my pocket, — Ivan shares.

    The student is currently continuing his research work, with his interests focused on various aspects of information theory, including issues related to data protection:

    “I am studying various aspects of information theory and plan to enroll in graduate school at NSU or one of the institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, continuing to work in this field,” he says.

    The gold medal in the Psychology track was won by Lyubov Pecherina, a student at the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU. The Olympiad was held in two stages – an online qualifying round and an in-person final, which Lyubov wrote at the TSU site.

    — During my school years, I actively participated in Olympiads — I won and took prizes. In my fourth year, I wanted to test my knowledge again, but in the direction of my studies at the university, that is, psychology. The result was the status of a gold medalist, that is, first place. The Olympiad tasks were really interesting, and completing them brought me considerable pleasure. I think the most difficult task was the one in which I had to read an English-language article from a scientific journal on cognitive sciences and write an abstract for it, also in English. But what I liked most was the task about the problems of the modern urban environment and the psychological consequences of living in the city, which required multidisciplinary knowledge. I was once again convinced that the main thing when solving problems in the Olympiad is not to be afraid to think and always go beyond the curriculum, to act creatively. I was amazed at such a high result. When I saw my gold medal diploma, tears came to my eyes, and I realized that all the effort I put into my studies was not wasted, says Lyubov.

    Lyubov is currently studying the characteristics of self-perception in people with autism spectrum disorders and is preparing to enter the NSU Master’s program in counseling and clinical psychology.

    — I study autism spectrum disorder, namely, what characterizes and distinguishes the perception of the surrounding world, oneself, one’s body and emotions in people with ASD from neurotypical people. In the future, I plan to enroll in a master’s program at NSU, finish and publish an article dedicated to the peculiarities of self-perception in autistic people, and, of course, take part in the Olympiad again, — Lyubov shares.

    Another gold medal winner is Alexander Tomilov, a student Faculty of Natural SciencesHe became the winner in the track “Chemistry”.

    — I have been participating in this Olympiad for the second year, because it gives an opportunity to demonstrate my knowledge and receive a reward in the form of an increased scholarship or cash prizes for medalists. This year I managed to become a gold medalist in Chemistry and a prize winner in Physics, which I am very happy about. The selection was held online, the semi-final included theoretical problems, and the final at Moscow State University was a practical course. There, it was necessary to work in a chemical laboratory: prepare solutions, carry out synthesis and analyze products. This year, the problems were closer to those we solve at the department, so I coped with them more confidently. The medal is both recognition and financial support, — says Alexander.

    Nazim Mustafin, a student of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, became a two-time bronze medalist of the Olympiad in two tracks at once: Chemistry and Biotechnology.

    — There is a qualifying round for both Olympiads, but I only wrote the chemistry qualifying round, since my diploma in biotechnology was accepted last year. The chemistry qualifying round was quite difficult, so I didn’t think I would make it to the final. However, I was lucky, — says Nazim.

    The final of the chemical track took place at Moscow State University. Nazim managed to meet friends in Moscow, visit various museums and become a prize winner.

    — Last year I won a silver medal in biotechnology and fourth place in chemistry — this year the results have shifted a little. The student track for the master’s degree is more difficult: I had to compete with graduates of the master’s degree. The final in chemistry itself was easier this year — I scored 99 points out of 100 for the practical. But in biotechnology they added a choice of problems, and it became more difficult to calculate the time correctly, — Nazim admits.

    Nazim calls participation in the Olympiad a challenge and an opportunity to earn money – there is a solid cash prize for medals. Next year, he plans to try his hand at mathematics and quantum computing.

    — I am very happy with this victory. Now the period of active study is over, so I plan to delve into the theoretical foundations of what I do in the laboratory, at the same time I am working there on a project to assemble an experimental setup, — the prize winner concludes.

    Also, a bronze medal in biotechnology was won by a student of the Faculty of Natural Sciences Anna Skotareva. This is her first participation in this track, and immediately – a prize place.

    — I have been participating in Olympiads since the first grade. At university I decided to continue — this year I tried myself in biotechnology for the first time and unexpectedly received bronze. The tasks were classic, without surprises. The topics about industrial ecology and synthetic structures turned out especially well — they are close to what I do, — Anna shares.

    In addition, Anna became the winner in the track “Ecology”. Now she studies genes associated with antibiotic resistance in prokaryotes, is interested in systems biology and bioinformatics.

    “These days it’s difficult to be a specialist in one field; you need to be able to adapt quickly,” says Anna.

    The All-Russian Olympiad “I am a Professional” is the flagship project of the presidential platform “Russia – the Land of Opportunities”. It is held with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, more than 35 leading universities in the country and over 500 companies, including Yandex, Sber, VTB, Rosatom, Russian Railways and others.

    Congratulations to the winners and prize winners!

    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 –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Four missing after mountain stream collapses in northwest China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    LANZHOU, June 24 (Xinhua) — Four people were still missing as of 10:30 p.m. Monday after a torrent collapsed in Xinquan Village, Jingyuan County, northwest China’s Gansu Province, local authorities said.

    The disaster occurred at approximately 6:00 p.m. on the same day, after which local authorities immediately mobilized public safety, emergency response, firefighting and communications personnel to search for missing persons and evacuate residents. Rescue operations, evacuation work, risk assessment and other emergency rescue activities are currently ongoing.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China has announced plans to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Xinhua | 24.06.2025

    Keywords: China

    Source: Xinhua

    China has announced plans to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. China has announced plans to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China to hold military parade to mark 80th anniversary of victory in Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Xinhua | 24.06.2025

    Keywords: China

    Source: Xinhua

    China to hold military parade to mark 80th anniversary of victory in Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War China to hold military parade to mark 80th anniversary of victory in Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Xi Jinping to attend grand gathering to mark 80th anniversary of victory in Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Xinhua | 24.06.2025

    Keywords: China

    Source: Xinhua

    Xi Jinping to attend grand gathering to mark 80th anniversary of victory of Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War China will hold a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The National Bank of Belarus raises the refinancing rate to 9.75 percent per annum

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    MINSK, June 24 /Xinhua/ — The National Bank of Belarus will raise the refinancing rate from 9.5 percent to 9.75 percent from June 25. This decision was made at a meeting of the board of the National Bank of the country dedicated to the development of the situation in the economy and monetary sphere. The relevant information was published by the press service of the Belarusian National Bank on Monday.

    As noted by the National Bank of Belarus, despite the continued positive dynamics of economic growth, the macroeconomic imbalance caused by the widening gap between the growth rates of labor productivity and wages is increasing. As a result of the increase in wages, consumption increases, leading to a significant increase in consumer imports. Income growth increases the creditworthiness of citizens, which, in turn, leads to increased demand for imported durable goods. The increase in consumer imports for the four months of 2025 amounted to 14.5 percent, which also indicates the risks of increased pressure on the current account balance of the balance of payments.

    At the same time, there is a stable liquidity surplus in the banking system and an annual growth of the money supply at a level above 15 percent. Given the emerging high inflation trajectory, the Board of the National Bank of Belarus considers it necessary to make decisions aimed at increasing the attractiveness of savings in the economy and, as a consequence, the growth of the resource base for investment activity.

    “In order to mitigate the above risks and stimulate investment activity, a decision was made to increase the refinancing rate by 25 basis points to 9.75 percent per annum from June 25, 2025, and the rates on permanently available liquidity support operations /overnight credit, overnight SWAP/ and bilateral liquidity support operations /lombard loans at a fixed rate and SWAP transactions/ by 25 basis points to 11.25 percent per annum,” said Roman Golovchenko, Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Belarus. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: UN Secretary General alarmed by Iran’s missile strike on US military base in Qatar

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    UNITED NATIONS, June 23 (Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned about Iran’s missile attack on a US military base in Qatar, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

    According to him, A. Guterres is deeply concerned about the further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Secretary-General has repeatedly condemned any military escalation, including Iran’s strike on Qatari territory on Monday, the press secretary said in a statement.

    A. Guterres once again called on all parties to cease hostilities and on UN member states to comply with their obligations under the UN Charter and other norms of international law, the statement said. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Baths, wine, and sex make life worth living’: how ancient Romans used public baths to relax, work out and socialise

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University

    iLongLoveKing/Shutterstock

    Standing in the vast ruins of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, hundreds of gulls circle above. Their haunting cries echo voices from 1,800 years ago. Today, the bare shell of what was one of Rome’s largest bath complexes mostly sits empty, occasionally playing host to opera performances.

    But what were the baths of ancient Rome actually like back then? And why were the Romans so into public bathing?

    Public baths everywhere

    While living in Rome for almost a year, I noticed the remains of ancient baths (thermae in Latin) everywhere.

    Virtually every emperor built them, and by the middle of the fourth century there were 952 public baths in the city.

    The largest were the baths built by the emperor Diocletian (284–305). Around 3,000 people a day could bathe at this 13-hectare complex.

    These baths, like most, contained a room (the caldarium) heated by air ducts in the walls and floors. The floors were so hot special sandals were worn.

    Another room leading from it was milder (the tepidarium), before bathers entered the frigidarium, which contained a cold pool. A 4,000-square-metre outdoor swimming pool was the central feature.

    Public baths also often featured gymnasiums, libraries, restaurants and exercise yards.

    Today, the baths of Caracalla mostly sit empty.
    Wirestock/Getty

    ‘Baths, wine, and sex make life worth living’

    The philosopher Seneca, also an advisor to the emperor Nero, lived above a bath complex around 50 CE.

    He described the sounds of people “panting in wheezy and high-pitched tones” as they lifted weights. Others plunged into swimming tanks with a loud splash. Shop-owners selling food yelled out the prices of their wares. Some sang loudly for their own pleasure in the bathroom.

    One 4th-century CE account describes how aristocrats sometimes arrived at the baths with 50 servants attending them.

    Sections of the baths were reserved for these guests, who brought their finest clothes and expensive jewellery.

    While emperors built large public bath complexes, there were many smaller private ones. Entry fees were low and sometimes free during festivals and political campaigns. This allowed all social classes to use the baths.

    Women and men bathed separately and used the baths at different times of the day. Some bath complexes had areas designated for women only. The physician Soranus of Ephesus, who wrote a treatise on gynaecology in the second century CE, recommended women go to the baths in preparation for labour.

    In a crowded and polluted city like Rome, the baths were a haven. Warm water, smells of perfumed ointments, massages and a spa-like environment were pleasures all could indulge in.

    A first-century CE inscription declared that

    baths, wine, and sex make life worth living.

    Baths and the grim reality of slavery

    Baths were places of great social importance, and nudity allowed bathers to show off their physical prowess.

    Archaeological evidence suggests even dentistry was performed at the baths.

    Behind these images of indulgence, however, lay the grim reality of slavery. Slaves did the dirtiest work in the baths.

    They cleaned out cinders, emptied toilets and saw to the clearing of drains.

    Slaves came to the baths with their owners, whom they rubbed down with oil and cleaned their skin with strygils (a type of scraper). They entered the baths through a separate entrance.

    Baths across the empire

    Baths were popular in every city and town across the Roman Empire. A famous example is Aquae Sulis – the modern town of Bath – in England (which was under Roman rule for hundreds of years). At Aquae Sulis, a natural hot spring fed the baths. The goddess Minerva was honoured at the complex.

    The remains of similar bath complexes have been found in North Africa, Spain and Germany.

    Extensive remains of a Roman bath at Baden Baden in Germany are among the most impressive.

    Similarly, at Toledo in Spain, a public Roman bath complex measuring almost an acre has been found.

    Baths were often built in military camps to provide soldiers with comforts during their service. Remains of military baths have been found all over the empire. Researchers have found and excavated the baths for the army camp at Hadrian’s wall, a wall built to help defend the Roman Empire’s northern frontier in what is now modern Britain.

    The baths at Chester contain hot rooms (caldaria), cold rooms (frigidaria) and also a sweat room (sudatoria), which is similar to a sauna.

    A long history

    The Romans weren’t the first to use public baths. Their Greek forebears had them too. But the Romans took public bathing to a empire-wide level. It became a marker of Roman culture wherever they went.

    Public bathing would continue in the empire’s Islamic period and became famously popular under the Ottomans, who ruled the empire between 1299 and 1922. Turkish hammams (baths) remain an important public institution to this day and they descend directly from the Romans. Istanbul still contains 60 functioning hammams.

    Roman baths were not only technically ingenious and architecturally impressive, they connected people socially from all walks of life. As the gulls circle over the baths of Caracalla in Rome, their haunting cries connect us to that very world.

    Peter Edwell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. ‘Baths, wine, and sex make life worth living’: how ancient Romans used public baths to relax, work out and socialise – https://theconversation.com/baths-wine-and-sex-make-life-worth-living-how-ancient-romans-used-public-baths-to-relax-work-out-and-socialise-257466

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: European stock markets outperform US amid shift in investor focus

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

    European stock markets were bullish in the first half of the year as investors in the United States increasingly turned to European capital markets in an effort to diversify, German media reported on Monday.

    According to the German news agency DPA, European stock markets have outpaced their U.S. counterparts in terms of growth, an unseen development in years.

    Despite the sluggish economy, the German stock markets have grown strongly and the benchmark DAX index has soared by 16 percent since the beginning of this year. Stock exchanges in Spain and Italy also recorded double-digit growth, in contrast to the moderate growth of less than two percent in the U.S. markets.

    Analysts from Munich Alliance and Deutsche Bank, cited by DPA, pointed to indications of capital shifting from the United States to Europe. They attributed this trend to investor concerns over the uncertainty sparked by erratic U.S. trade policies and the depreciation of the U.S. dollar.

    European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde also noted the trend during the monetary policy press conference earlier this month, highlighting growing investor confidence in Europe.

    “We perceive a serious momentum to improve, to change, to simplify, to streamline, and to encourage and … welcome capital into Europe,” Lagarde said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Britain unveils 10-year industrial strategy to cut energy costs, support key sectors

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

    The British government on Monday unveiled a comprehensive 10-year Industrial Strategy designed to tackle long-standing structural challenges facing British industry, including high energy costs and lengthy delays in electricity grid connections.

    The plan also outlines targeted support for eight high-growth sectors, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and digital technology.

    A major component of the strategy is the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, which aims to reduce electricity bills by up to 25 percent for more than 7,000 energy-intensive businesses – including those in the steel and chemicals sectors – starting in 2027. These savings will come from removing several existing charges on electricity bills that currently fund renewable energy generation and backup supply systems.

    Complementing this initiative, the British Industry Supercharger program will expand support for approximately 500 companies in sectors such as ceramics, glass, and aluminum. These firms currently receive a 60 percent discount on electricity network charges, which will increase to 90 percent from 2026, a move expected to lower operating costs and enhance global competitiveness.

    To address persistent delays in connecting to the electricity grid, the government plans to launch a Connections Accelerator Service by the end of 2025. The service will work in coordination with energy providers, devolved governments, and local authorities to expedite grid access for major investment projects.

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the strategy as “a turning point for Britain’s economy and a clear break from the short-termism and sticking plasters of the past.”

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves emphasized the plan’s investment-friendly approach, noting that it would ease business energy costs, unlock funding for advanced technologies, and support job creation. “It will boost our economy and create jobs that put more money in people’s pockets,” she said.

    The government stressed that the reforms would not lead to higher taxes or household energy bills. Instead, they will be financed through adjustments to the national energy system and increased revenues from carbon pricing.

    Beyond energy reforms, the strategy includes sector-specific support for eight high-potential industries: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defense, digital and technologies, financial services, life sciences, and professional and business services. Each sector will receive tailored policy frameworks and funding packages over the next decade.

    While industry representatives have broadly welcomed the announcement, some experts and business leaders have voiced reservations. Critics argue that although the electricity price reforms may enhance competitiveness, they are unlikely to fully close the gap with lower industrial power costs in countries like France and Germany. Britain’s electricity prices remain closely linked to wholesale gas markets, which still account for a larger share of Britain’s energy mix than in many European countries.

    Others questioned the government’s ability to follow through on its long-term commitments, citing past inconsistencies in industrial policy. Several industry voices also called for faster implementation amid intensifying global competition for green investment.

    The government said detailed action plans for each sector will be published in phases over the coming months. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Defying all odds, “Desert Poplar Spirit” works green miracles in Taklimakan

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

    An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 25, 2024 shows the autumn scenery of the desert poplar forest at the Huludao (Gourd Island) scenic spot in Yuli County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

    In the vast wilderness of Xinjiang’s Taklimakan Desert, the populus euphratica, or the desert poplar, thrives against harsh conditions, withstanding cold, heat, alkali, and extreme drought while serving as a natural barrier against sandstorms.

    Mirroring the indomitable nature of the trees, a dedicated group has taken root there, tirelessly working to transform sand into greenery. Their perseverance has crystallized into what locals call the “Desert Poplar Spirit.”

    Nurjamal Emdulla is one of them. After graduating from college in 2010, she returned to her hometown of Awati County in Aksu Prefecture to join the local forestry and grassland bureau.

    In 2021, local authorities initiated a sand control project in the county’s Aiximan region on the northwestern margin of the Taklimakan, an area characterized by extensive sand dunes resulting from desertification. This was when Nurjamal Emdulla’s war against the sands began.

    For days on end, she would spend over ten hours in the field. “I teach workers planting techniques — how to dig holes, plant saplings, and water them correctly,” she explained. “And how to secure each sapling’s base with wire mesh to prevent wildlife from damaging the young plants.”

    The commute to and from work was no easy feat. “When sandstorms rage, visibility drops greatly, and even fresh footprints vanish instantly. Getting lost was routine,” she recalled. “My mom would always complain that ‘as a girl, you don’t even have a chance to wear dresses.’”

    For Nurjamal Emdulla, the harsh working conditions were never the real challenge. What truly unsettled her was the seeming impossibility of life taking root in those barren sands.

    For desert control workers, failure is a daily companion. One strong sandstorm can uproot freshly planted saplings in minutes. And the scorching heat and lack of water can also claim the fragile seedlings.

    “Oftentimes, it felt like what we were doing was pointless,” she even considered quitting.

    The turnaround came in spring 2022. One day, Nurjamal Emdulla discovered some new green on the branches of the saxaul shrubs, although it was too pale to be seen. “The trees were alive! I saw hope,” she recalled, with tears brimming in her eyes.

    Nowadays, vast stands of saxaul trees and tamarisk flourish across the once-barren lands, and long-absent wild animals such as hares, foxes and pheasants can be spotted occasionally.

    The same kind of despair that once bothered Nurjamal Emdulla was also felt by people in Wenaletaikushi village in Kashgar Prefecture.

    The village was encircled by desert on three sides, with encroaching dunes just 50 meters from the nearest homes. Villagers tried to plant trees but failed due to drought. Cotton and wheat yields withered season after season. Many abandoned their homes in search of a better life.

    Dai Zhigang, 55, from the forestry and grassland bureau of Kashgar, was sent to work as head of the village in 2023 with a battle cry: “We will tame this desert!”

    With the township government’s backing, the village implemented drip irrigation systems to resolve the water shortage issue. And a trial planting of saxaul trees and Russian olive shrubs began in earnest.

    “At the beginning, villagers were doubtful,” he said; some call him “bottle gourd head,” which in the Uygur language means a stubborn, silly person.

    Indeed, the campaign was not without its struggles: the newly leveled sand dunes would reclaim their heights overnight after sandstorms; the freshly planted saplings were often uprooted by shifting sands.

    After facing one defeat after another, a forest comprised of sand-fixation trees had successfully taken root last year.

    “Now the villagers are convinced and as determined as I am to continue with our planting,” Dai said. More and more villagers have voluntarily joined the desert prevention and control team. By this spring, over 160 hectares of desert had been regreened.

    The resilience and perseverance are evident not only on the frontlines of desert control but also within research institutions, where science is waging its campaign against the encroaching sands.

    Li Zhijun, a professor of Tarim University in Aral City, is called the “Desert Poplar Princess” by her colleagues.

    Over the past 25 years, she has traveled across the Tarim Basin to collect wild poplar germ plasm resources, leading multiple studies on the conservation and restoration of populus euphratica forests.

    Li and her team spend over six months each year conducting field surveys. When their cars get stuck in the soft sands, they pick up their heavy ladders and sampling gear, and trek the remaining kilometers.

    They climb up and down the trees to collect samples and conduct measurements. When encountering strong winds, the team could only hold hands with one another and push forward against wind and sand.

    “The desert poplar is a part of my life. Their resilience and vitality inspire me, enabling me to persist,” said the 62-year-old.

    Over the years, she led her team to over 60 counties and cities, collecting over 4,000 samples of poplar genetic resources. She developed conservation plans for various genetic resources of the species and established a gene pool for China’s poplar resources.

    Every day, such stories of failure, success, struggle and perseverance unfold across the vast deserts of Xinjiang.

    Thanks to decades of sand control efforts, China completed a 3,046-km green belt of trees and sand-blocking technologies last November to fully encircle the Taklimakan Desert.

    A brighter prospect is emerging for the sand fighters.

    “We not only work to control the sand, but will also make money from it,” said Dai Zhigang. Besides planting saxaul and poplar trees to fix the sand, the village is also cultivating economic crops such as licorice, roses, and watermelons. He also set aside a section of vacant sandy land with plans to create a desert park to attract tourists.

    Asked about his plans to retire, he replied, “I’ll keep working with the desert until the day these old bones turn to dust!”

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Baths, wine, and sex make life worth living’: how ancient Romans used public baths to relax, work out and socialise

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University

    iLongLoveKing/Shutterstock

    Standing in the vast ruins of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, hundreds of gulls circle above. Their haunting cries echo voices from 1,800 years ago. Today, the bare shell of what was one of Rome’s largest bath complexes mostly sits empty, occasionally playing host to opera performances.

    But what were the baths of ancient Rome actually like back then? And why were the Romans so into public bathing?

    Public baths everywhere

    While living in Rome for almost a year, I noticed the remains of ancient baths (thermae in Latin) everywhere.

    Virtually every emperor built them, and by the middle of the fourth century there were 952 public baths in the city.

    The largest were the baths built by the emperor Diocletian (284–305). Around 3,000 people a day could bathe at this 13-hectare complex.

    These baths, like most, contained a room (the caldarium) heated by air ducts in the walls and floors. The floors were so hot special sandals were worn.

    Another room leading from it was milder (the tepidarium), before bathers entered the frigidarium, which contained a cold pool. A 4,000-square-metre outdoor swimming pool was the central feature.

    Public baths also often featured gymnasiums, libraries, restaurants and exercise yards.

    Today, the baths of Caracalla mostly sit empty.
    Wirestock/Getty

    ‘Baths, wine, and sex make life worth living’

    The philosopher Seneca, also an advisor to the emperor Nero, lived above a bath complex around 50 CE.

    He described the sounds of people “panting in wheezy and high-pitched tones” as they lifted weights. Others plunged into swimming tanks with a loud splash. Shop-owners selling food yelled out the prices of their wares. Some sang loudly for their own pleasure in the bathroom.

    One 4th-century CE account describes how aristocrats sometimes arrived at the baths with 50 servants attending them.

    Sections of the baths were reserved for these guests, who brought their finest clothes and expensive jewellery.

    While emperors built large public bath complexes, there were many smaller private ones. Entry fees were low and sometimes free during festivals and political campaigns. This allowed all social classes to use the baths.

    Women and men bathed separately and used the baths at different times of the day. Some bath complexes had areas designated for women only. The physician Soranus of Ephesus, who wrote a treatise on gynaecology in the second century CE, recommended women go to the baths in preparation for labour.

    In a crowded and polluted city like Rome, the baths were a haven. Warm water, smells of perfumed ointments, massages and a spa-like environment were pleasures all could indulge in.

    A first-century CE inscription declared that

    baths, wine, and sex make life worth living.

    Baths and the grim reality of slavery

    Baths were places of great social importance, and nudity allowed bathers to show off their physical prowess.

    Archaeological evidence suggests even dentistry was performed at the baths.

    Behind these images of indulgence, however, lay the grim reality of slavery. Slaves did the dirtiest work in the baths.

    They cleaned out cinders, emptied toilets and saw to the clearing of drains.

    Slaves came to the baths with their owners, whom they rubbed down with oil and cleaned their skin with strygils (a type of scraper). They entered the baths through a separate entrance.

    Baths across the empire

    Baths were popular in every city and town across the Roman Empire. A famous example is Aquae Sulis – the modern town of Bath – in England (which was under Roman rule for hundreds of years). At Aquae Sulis, a natural hot spring fed the baths. The goddess Minerva was honoured at the complex.

    The remains of similar bath complexes have been found in North Africa, Spain and Germany.

    Extensive remains of a Roman bath at Baden Baden in Germany are among the most impressive.

    Similarly, at Toledo in Spain, a public Roman bath complex measuring almost an acre has been found.

    Baths were often built in military camps to provide soldiers with comforts during their service. Remains of military baths have been found all over the empire. Researchers have found and excavated the baths for the army camp at Hadrian’s wall, a wall built to help defend the Roman Empire’s northern frontier in what is now modern Britain.

    The baths at Chester contain hot rooms (caldaria), cold rooms (frigidaria) and also a sweat room (sudatoria), which is similar to a sauna.

    A long history

    The Romans weren’t the first to use public baths. Their Greek forebears had them too. But the Romans took public bathing to a empire-wide level. It became a marker of Roman culture wherever they went.

    Public bathing would continue in the empire’s Islamic period and became famously popular under the Ottomans, who ruled the empire between 1299 and 1922. Turkish hammams (baths) remain an important public institution to this day and they descend directly from the Romans. Istanbul still contains 60 functioning hammams.

    Roman baths were not only technically ingenious and architecturally impressive, they connected people socially from all walks of life. As the gulls circle over the baths of Caracalla in Rome, their haunting cries connect us to that very world.

    Peter Edwell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. ‘Baths, wine, and sex make life worth living’: how ancient Romans used public baths to relax, work out and socialise – https://theconversation.com/baths-wine-and-sex-make-life-worth-living-how-ancient-romans-used-public-baths-to-relax-work-out-and-socialise-257466

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s top diplomat meets Indian National Security Advisor

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

    Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, meets with Shri Ajit Doval, India’s national security adviser and special representative for the India-China boundary question, in Beijing, capital of China, June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China’s top diplomat Wang Yi met with Ajit Doval, India’s National Security Advisor and India’s Special Representative on the China-India boundary question, in Beijing on Monday.

    Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said that important consensus on improving bilateral relations was reached by the leaders of the two countries during a meeting in Kazan, Russia last year.

    Wang said that China and India should adhere to the important consensus that they are opportunities for each other’s development and pose no threat to each other, and that they are partners, rather than rivals.

    Wang said that China and India should adhere to the direction of good-neighborliness and friendship, strive for a mutually beneficial and win-win prospect, demonstrate the historical wisdom of the two ancient civilizations, properly handle sensitive issues, and maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.

    Doval said that the important consensus reached by the two leaders charted the course for bilateral relations, adding that the strategic goals of India and China are aligned, with development being both nations’ top priority.

    India is willing to strengthen coordination with China in multilateral spheres, fully supports China, which is the rotating chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), in successfully hosting its summit, and believes that the two major Asian countries can make greater contributions to the international community, Doval added.

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Cinity preview at CineEurope showcases China’s tech power

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

    The first footage from James Cameron’s highly anticipated “Avatar: Fire and Ash” was presented at CineEurope in Barcelona, Spain, on June 18, using the Chinese-developed Cinity projection system.

    An “Avatar: Fire and Ash” logo on display at CineEurope in Barcelona, Spain, June 18, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Film Group]

    At CineEurope, the official convention of the International Union of Cinemas, a sub-5 minute presentation of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” was showcased using China’s premium cinema system Cinity, developed by China Film Group. The showcase delivered an immersive audiovisual experience that drew acclaim from global film industry professionals.

    James Cameron continues his pursuit of cinematic perfection in “Avatar: Fire and Ash” with 4K, 3D and 48fps screening technology. His selection of the Cinity system for the film’s first global reveal demonstrates his trust in its premium format capabilities — delivering Pandora’s vibrant landscapes with unprecedented clarity to create a sensory revolution for audiences worldwide.

    Industry veterans in attendance praised the system’s exceptional color depth, contrast, dynamic range and motion clarity. Several noted that Cinity’s unmatched brightness and high frame rate deliver superior 3D that fully realizes directors’ visions. The presentation of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” received particular acclaim for its immersive quality, with its high brightness and frame rate achieving something other systems cannot.

    In a video message shown at the China premiere of “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 2022, Cameron stated that Cinity technology helps moviegoers experience Avatar’s world more immersively than ever before. He then confirmed continuing the partnership with Cinity to create the ultimate big-screen experience, declaring it the new gold standard for film screening. 

    The Cinity cinema system, which utilizes independent Chinese intellectual property rights, is an advanced projection system featuring 4K, 3D, ultra-high brightness, high dynamic range, wide color gamut, high frame rate and immersive sound technologies, which makes films more vivid and immersive. It debuted in director Ang Lee’s film “Gemini Man” in 2019, demonstrating its huge potential to international studios and exhibitors.

    Cinity’s cinema projection system and LED cinema projection system are now expanding across Europe, delivering novel, exceptional and groundbreaking premium viewing experiences to audiences. The technology demonstrates China’s transition from follower to standard-setter in cinema tech, marking a key step in the globalization of Chinese film technology, according to a statement from China Film Group.

    Industry insiders and cinemagoers at CineEurope in Barcelona, Spain, June 18, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Film Group]

    The “Avatar” franchise revolutionized the film industry in 2009 with its first installment. It became a global cultural phenomenon, ushered in the 3D era for cinemas worldwide, accelerated the growth of IMAX and transformed China’s film industry. The original film earned $2.92 billion and remains the highest-grossing movie in history, while its sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” grossed $2.32 billion to become the third-highest grossing film worldwide.

    “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the third film in the franchise, opens worldwide on Dec. 19, continuing James Cameron’s Pandora saga. The story follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as their family confronts grief after Neteyam’s death and the aggressive Ash People tribe led by Varang. The cast also includes Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin and Kate Winslet.

    The film preview in Barcelona featured a video appearance from James Cameron in New Zealand, who paid tribute to his late collaborator Jon Landau. Cameron promised audiences they would see “a side of Pandora you didn’t know existed,” adding that “Avatar” films are “made to be experienced on the big screen.”

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China Postal Airlines launches Zhengzhou-Luxemburg international cargo route

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

    China Postal Airlines launches Zhengzhou-Luxemburg international cargo route

    Updated: June 24, 2025 09:39 Xinhua
    A cargo plane of China Postal Airlines from China’s Zhengzhou to Luxembourg is pictured on the tarmac before its maiden flight at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, June 23, 2025. China Postal Airlines officially launched the Zhengzhou-Luxemburg international cargo route on Monday, with an initial weekly schedule. The flight frequency will be increased based on market demand, further strengthening the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg “Air Silk Road” as a thriving multi-industry corridor. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A cargo plane of China Postal Airlines from China’s Zhengzhou to Luxembourg is pictured before its maiden flight at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Staff members load cargo onto a plane of China Postal Airlines from China’s Zhengzhou to Luxembourg before its maiden flight at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Staff members transport cargo for a plane of China Postal Airlines from China’s Zhengzhou to Luxembourg before its maiden flight at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy: 8 Things You Should Know About Iran

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    June 23, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Monday wrote a Substack post outlining eight ideas that should inform how the American public thinks about the Trump administration’s strikes against Iran and President Trump’s refusal to learn the lessons of America’s previous military misadventures in the Middle East.
    “America’s addiction to military intervention in the Middle East is a stubborn habit to break for our nation, and it’s heartbreaking,” Murphy wrote. “It’s heartbreaking mostly because we have continuous evidence that believing we can change minds or political realities in this complicated region by brute military force is folly.”
    Murphy explained the American people are not the ones pushing for endless conflict:  “But, we keep going to war, despite the evidence telling us “hell no,” because of a powerful but wrongheaded group of warmongers and cheerleaders in Washington: hawkish politicians; profit-obsessed weapons sellers; and capable but naively optimistic military planners.
    He laid out various potentially dangerous consequences of Trump’s decision to strike Iran: “The worst consequence, of course, is a full-blown war in the region that draws in the United States…If Iran kills American troops, the conflict could spiral and America would be back at war in the Middle East…Another potentially dangerous consequence would be the fall of the regime in Tehran. The Supreme Leader is a murderous tyrant who wants Israel wiped off the map and has killed hundreds of U.S. troops in Iraq. Even if he were pushed out internally, he could be replaced by someone even more hardline and bent on revenge, willing to order terrorist attacks all over the globe. A third scenario, a civil war in which Iran descends into chaos, could be even worse for the United States and the region…”
    Murphy argued diplomacy, not military intervention, is the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon: “You cannot bomb knowledge out of existence. Iran knows how to make a nuclear bomb…And bombing their facilities just destroys their equipment; it does not eliminate their knowledge… If Iran makes the decision to build a weapon, and they have a country like Russia helping them, they could easily get a weapon in a dangerously short amount of time…If America hadn’t already successfully negotiated and implemented an agreement with Iran to stop them from obtaining a nuclear weapon, maybe the military option would look more reasonable. Yes, we don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon, but from 2014-2107, Iran’s advanced nuclear research program was dismantled, and we had inspectors crawling all over the country ensuring their compliance. Trump’s national security advisors urged him to stay in the deal – it was working! – but he disastrously withdrew.”
    Murphy concluded: “This is a moment where Congress needs to step in. This week, we are likely to take a vote that makes it crystal clear President Trump does not have the authorization for these strikes or a broader war with Iran. This is also a moment for the American people to stand up and say we do not want another war in the Middle East. In the last twenty years, we have seen the untold damage done – the lives lost, the billions of dollars wasted, and our reputation squandered – and we won’t allow Trump to take us down that path again.”
    Murphy released a statement Saturday night following the strikes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Tuesday, June 24, 2025

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Note: All times local

    Brussels, Belgium

    8:20 a.m. The Prime Minister will depart for The Hague, the Netherlands.

    The Hague, the Netherlands

    10:15 a.m. The Prime Minister will arrive in The Hague, the Netherlands.

    2:30 p.m. The Prime Minister will meet with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs.

    Note for media:

    3:15 p.m. The Prime Minister will meet with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof.

    Note for media:

    4:00 p.m. The Prime Minister will have an audience with Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

    Note for media:

    5:15 p.m. The Prime Minister will meet with leaders of Nordic countries.

    Note for media:

    7:25 p.m. The Prime Minister will attend the official welcome by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

    Note for media:

    • Host broadcaster

    7:45 p.m. The Prime Minister will attend a reception given by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

    Closed to media

    8:25 p.m. The Prime Minister will participate in a family photo with NATO Allies.

    Note for media:

    8:45 p.m. The Prime Minister will attend a dinner given by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

    Note for media:

    • Host broadcaster

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Romania’s new government sworn in

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

    Romanian President Nicusor Dan (C, Front) poses with members of the new government headed by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan (3rd L, Front) after a swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni presidential palace in Bucharest, Romania, on June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Romania’s new pro-European government, led by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, was sworn in Monday evening before President Nicusor Dan, marking the end of a period of political instability and interim leadership.

    The new cabinet is backed by a broad ruling coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party (PSD), National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR), and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR). Earlier in the day, the coalition secured a strong parliamentary mandate with 301 votes in favor and only 9 against.

    Following the swearing-in ceremony, Bolojan outlined the government’s core priorities: restoring public financial order, ensuring effective governance, and safeguarding citizens’ rights.

    President Dan welcomed the formation of the new cabinet, emphasizing the urgent need for fiscal reform and expressing optimism about Romania’s economic outlook. He cited the country’s dynamic private sector and reiterated the national goal of joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by the end of 2026 – a move he said could enhance foreign investment and reduce borrowing costs.

    Dan also underscored the importance of state reform and rebuilding public trust, urging both the coalition and minority representatives to act in the national interest.

    The newly formed government includes 16 ministers and five deputy prime ministers, one of whom is an independent tasked with overseeing state reform. Cabinet portfolios have been distributed proportionally among the coalition parties.

    With 311 seats in Romania’s 464-member Parliament, the ruling coalition holds an outright majority. Earlier on Monday, party leaders signed a political agreement outlining a pro-Western agenda, a rotating premiership, and key policy objectives, including structural reforms and increased administrative transparency. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: European countries call for restraint amid escalating conflict in Mideast

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

    Protesters holding placards are pictured in The Hague, the Netherlands, June 22, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    European leaders have voiced deep concern over the escalating conflict in the Middle East, following a series of military strikes that have intensified fears of a wider regional war.

    Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, in a statement released Monday, said the Croatian government is “monitoring the situation with great concern,” particularly the direct confrontations between Israel and Iran.

    He warned that further escalation could lead to a range of consequences, including rising energy prices, increased migration, and the threat of terrorist attacks.

    “Our position is clear: escalation should be avoided,” the statement read. “The Croatian government calls for restraint, calming of tensions, and de-escalation of the conflict.”

    Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also criticized the recent U.S. military action in the region, calling the strike on Iran a violation of international law.

    “There is no doubt that the United States violated international public law,” Vucic said at a press conference following a meeting of the General Staff.

    Drawing parallels with the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, he emphasized the need for respect for the UN Charter and international norms. Vucic also lamented the missed opportunity for diplomacy between Iran and Israel.

    In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed the lower house of parliament ahead of the upcoming European Union Council meeting, urging renewed diplomatic engagement.

    “Only coordinated diplomatic action can ensure peace in the region,” she said, after the U.S. strike on three Iranian nuclear sites.

    Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa issued a statement on Sunday calling for “restraint and the urgent resumption of diplomatic efforts,” stressing that diplomacy remains the only viable solution to the conflict.

    He reaffirmed Portugal’s alignment with the United Nations and the European Union in advocating for de-escalation and avoidance of further military confrontation.

    Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro echoed this sentiment on social media, calling for “maximum restraint from all parties and a return to negotiations.”

    Meanwhile, the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) issued a strongly worded condemnation of the U.S. airstrikes, labeling them a “clear violation” of the UN Charter and international law. The party argued the attack reflects a broader strategy of global domination by the U.S. and its allies.

    Israel launched a series of large-scale airstrikes on June 13 targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities, killing a number of senior commanders and nuclear scientists. In response, Iran carried out missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory.

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States had carried out attacks on three nuclear-related sites in Iran: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

    In retaliation, Iran launched a missile attack on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar Monday evening. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: European executives eye huge opportunities in Chinese market

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

    A humanoid robot asks questions at the sixth Qingdao Multinationals Summit in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, on June 19, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    At the venue of the 6th Qingdao Multinationals Summit, Umberto Englmann, director of operations at German e-commerce firm Internet Up GmbH, looked out over the coastline of the eastern Chinese host city and reflected on its vitality.

    “It’s dynamic, open and innovative,” he said. “You can feel China is ready to grow with international companies from Europe and other regions.”

    His observations reflect a broader view shared by many European executives attending the summit, which was held last week and drew 570 participants from 43 countries and regions. For many, China’s vast market, high-level opening up and reputation for being an innovative manufacturing powerhouse continue to make it a key driver of sustainable growth.

    Roland Lukas, chief financial officer of Internet Up GmbH, said that the company’s success was closely tied to China.

    “Our Snapbuy platform bridges Asian sellers and Western consumers, and it is easy to bring goods from China to Europe and the U.S., because the supply chains are very well organized in China,” he said. “The opportunities are huge, and China is very important for our growth.”

    Internet Up, one of the fastest-growing e-commerce firms in Europe, is seeking new manufacturing and logistics partners in China to further expand its presence, according to Lukas.

    A report released during the summit revealed that the operating revenue and profits of major foreign-invested industrial enterprises in China increased by 14.5 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively, in 2024 compared to 2019 levels.

    China’s strong innovation capabilities and robust industrial and supply chain systems have helped multinationals maintain their competitive edge globally.

    Belgium-based Bekaert Group, a global leader in steel wire transformation and coating technologies, is a long-term participant in China’s market. The company has invested more than 1.5 billion euros in China since 1993 and plans to invest further.

    “We are upgrading our product portfolio, especially in low-energy and green technologies,” said Kurt Van Rysselberge, head of Bekaert China, adding that China is becoming an innovative manufacturing powerhouse, which is a very favorable environment for multinational companies.

    China is rapidly deploying green energy and Bekaert is part of these value chains, the executive said, adding that this offers tremendous opportunities to create a virtuous cycle to create low-carbon products that will be very competitive on the world markets.

    Bekaert is ramping up innovation in areas like hydrogen generation, tire reinforcement, offshore wind components, and sustainable construction, and many of the innovations come from China.

    This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union. The two sides have become each other’s major trading partners, with the annual bilateral trade growing from 2.4 billion U.S. dollars to 780 billion U.S. dollars over the past 50 years.

    “Over the past 50 years, China-EU cooperation has created immense value on both sides,” said Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. “Access to China’s supply chain has enhanced additional purchasing power for European consumers and integrated China into the global value chain.”

    Eskelund added that China’s investment in human capital, including the annual output of engineers, has made it a natural partner for R&D collaboration. For many European companies, China isn’t just a market, but a place to innovate and co-create, he said.

    China’s efforts to build a first-class business environment, including expanded visa-free travel, national treatment for foreign investment and shortened negative lists for greater market access, have boosted investor confidence.

    Looking ahead, European executives said the momentum of collaboration is only building. “China’s opening up is very beneficial for the world, and also for China itself. We can work together and do great business,” said Lukas. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: German industry sees dim outlook as U.S. tariffs weigh on economy

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

    Germany’s leading industry association has slashed its 2025 economic forecast, warning that escalating global trade tensions driven by U.S. tariff policies could plunge Europe’s largest economy into its third consecutive year of recession.

    At the annual “Day of Industry” event, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) projected a 0.3 percent contraction in German GDP this year, down from its earlier estimate of a 0.1 percent decline.

    “U.S. tariff policies — including announced and partially implemented duties on a wide range of imports — combined with geopolitical uncertainties, are dampening global growth,” BDI Director General Tanja Goenner said on Monday.

    BDI now expects global GDP to grow by 2.7 percent in 2025, half a percentage point lower than its earlier forecast, with the United States among the most affected.

    Although Washington has temporarily suspended “reciprocal tariffs” on European Union goods, the levies are set to resume on July 9. BDI estimates that, together with existing U.S. tariffs on EU-made cars and steel, these measures could reduce Germany’s 2025 growth by around 0.3 percentage points.

    “The German industrial sector is bracing for another difficult year,” Goenner said, noting that industrial output remains 9 percent below pre-pandemic levels and factory utilization is stuck below 80 percent. Despite some signs of stabilization, she added, “there is no sign of a real recovery.”

    Germany’s economy contracted in both 2023 and 2024, its first consecutive recession in two decades, driven largely by a prolonged downturn in manufacturing.

    “There is still a long road ahead to emerge from recession,” BDI President Peter Leibinger said. While he welcomed recent government measures such as tax relief, he stressed the need for more substantial reforms.

    Leibinger called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition to implement bold structural changes, including cutting red tape and permanently lowering energy costs to restore Germany’s long-term industrial competitiveness. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 24, 2025
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