Category: European Union

MIL-Evening Report: Keith Rankin Analysis – Equity Rights: UBI, SUI, BUI, HUI, or GUI?

Analysis by Keith Rankin.

Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Capitalism is in crisis, and our species’ imagination to save ourselves is sorely lacking. There are of course understandings out there, and solutions; but they are so heavily gate-kept that conversations about saving ourselves are well-nigh impossible. It remains a puzzle why those political and intellectual leaders who would most benefit from a regime of socially inclusive capitalism have been so avid in their anti-reform gatekeeping.

The missing ingredient from the capitalism that most of us know, or know of, is ‘public equity’. Capitalism is presented to us all as a system of markets, individualism, laws, and private property rights. The crisis of capitalism can be addressed through the development of a set of public property rights, which we may call ‘public equity’. It is the establishment of public property rights that is necessary to democratise capitalism.

New Zealand’s surprising history of universal income

At the end of my Zero-Sum Fiscal Narratives (22 May 2025), I suggested that we need to promote a narrative of “public equity over pay equity as an efficient means to correct destabilising inequality”.

In global capitalism, the first real narrative of public equity – even though it wasn’t called that – belongs to the New Zealand social security reforms of 1938. And the particular policy announced in those reforms, and implemented in the 1940 financial year, was known as Universal Superannuation. This was the activation of a human right; the right of a country’s citizens, once they reached a certain age, to receive a private income in the form of a public dividend. Irrespective of race, sex, or creed.

At its initial conception, the ‘Super’ was modest; but was projected to grow, in accordance with affordability constraints and fiscal prioritisation. Most good big things start with small beginnings. An annual payment of $20 was set to commence in 1940. And it commenced in 1940. And the 1938 universal welfare state came in under budget (refer Elizabeth Hanson, The Politics of Social Security, 1980).

The concept of Universal Superannuation proved to be extremely popular; a policy from the radical centre that pleased most of the public, though – until its popularity was demonstrated in 1938 – few of the politicians and other ‘opinion leaders’. The policy came to be because Michael Joseph Savage felt that his Labour Government had to come good on its most important 1935 promise, and because the ‘left’ and ‘right’ proposals favoured by each of the two main factions of the Labour Government (fortunately) cancelled out in the political numbers game.

The universal proposal came through the middle, between left-wing attempts to radically extend redistributive measures favouring working-class families and Labour right-wing attempts to bring in an actuarial pension system based on the supposed ‘miracle’ of compound interest. The latter idea, pushed by the finance industry, was to create a contributory ‘money mountain’ from which pensions from some future date would be paid to retired working men. (This idea disclaimed the obvious reality that all spending of pension income – not just public pensions – represents a slice of present [not past] economic output.)

(On the miracle of compound interest, it is useful to imagine persons born around 1920 saving regular percentages of their salaries from early adulthood until age 65. Such persons became rich from home-ownership, not from compound interest.)

This retirement-income policy based on public equity was not successfully exported to the wider world. The war got in the way, and unconditional non-means-tested payments to citizens of a certain age never caught on internationally. The post-depression environment – a relatively sexually-egalitarian time – was displaced by a post-war environment, which favoured men. The more common post-war welfare model was, in its various guises, ‘social insurance’. And even Universal Superannuation in New Zealand came to be seen, increasingly, through a ‘social insurance lens’; recipients widely believed it was a contributory scheme.

The aim of initially Labour, and subsequently National, was to gradually raise the amount of Super paid until it would render redundant (and henceforth displace) the alternative means-tested Age Benefit. National became increasingly committed to the concept of universal income support, favouring taxable universal benefits which would in practice confer more to each low-income recipient than to each high-income recipient. In the 1950s and 1960s, income tax rates were much more heavily graduated than they have been since the 1980s. (‘Graduation’ of income tax rates means higher ‘marginal tax rates’ faced by people with higher incomes.)

By 1970, the full convergence between Universal Superannuation and the Age Benefit had still not been achieved. Retired persons would still choose either US or AB. The convergence eventually took place, in 1976.

The universality of Super was lost twice, by the same man, who came from ‘working class aristocracy’: Roger Douglas.

Douglas replaced Super with an actuarial (‘money mountain’ for men) system in 1974; a system which became ‘the election issue’ in 1975. This plan was conceived in the days before Equal Pay for women; ie conceived when ‘labour’ was still a highly male-gendered word in certain Labour circles. (Equal pay for women was legislated for in 1972, when Robert Muldoon was Finance Minister.)

Robert Muldoon won a resounding victory – like Savage in 1938 – by committing to Universal Superannuation (albeit under the name National Superannuation). Muldoon, when recreating Super, did so by retiring the Age Benefit, leaving Super as the only publicly-sourced retirement income.

About Douglas’s 1974 scheme, Margaret McLure (A Civilised Community, 1998) wrote (pp.190/91): “Douglas’ plan was rooted in early and mid-twentieth century English labour history… It drew on the 1904 ideas of Joseph Rowntree which had helped shape English social insurance, and on the English Fabian Society’s promotion of a union’s industrial pension plan of 1954… It rewarded the contribution of the fulltime long-serving male worker and provided him [and his dependent wife] with comfort and security in old age.” The full earnings-related benefit would only be payable on turning 60 to life-long workers born after 1957. It was less generous to others, and represented a backward-looking “narrow vision for the late twentieth century”. While more like the current bureaucratic Australian scheme (with its many hidden costs) than today’s New Zealand Superannuation, the Douglas scheme had inbuilt disincentives for people of ‘retirement age’ to continue in some form of paid work after becoming eligible for a pension. An older population – as in the 2030s – requires older workers with work-life flexibility.

Douglas, in the later-1980s, again removed the universality of Super by introducing a ‘tax surcharge’ on superannuitants’ privately-sourced income, an indirect way of converting Super into a means-tested Age Benefit. Douglas renamed National Superannuation ‘Guaranteed Retirement Income’. (Douglas liked the word ‘guaranteed’, using it as a label for other benefits too. ‘Guaranteed’ implies a ‘safety net – ie an income top-up – rather than an unconditional private income payable to all citizens of a certain age. Income top-ups come with poverty traps; very high [sometimes 100%] ‘effective marginal tax rates’, when increased income from one source displaces [rather than adding to] income from another source.)

Super was restored in 1997 as a universal income when Winston Peters was Treasurer in a coalition government; Peters, the heir to the universalist tradition within the National Party as it once was, has enabled Savage’s enlightened ‘public equity’ reform to survive to the present day, albeit as an international outlier.

A Right. Or a Benefit?

The presumption against universalist principles has come from Generation X, the generation born either side of 1970 who have never known any form of capitalism other than 1980s’ and post-1980s’ neoliberalism. (And noting that Roger Douglas was the poster-‘child’ in New Zealand of the neoliberal revolution which acted to restore capitalism to its neoclassical basics; markets, individualism, laws, private property, and public sector minimalism).

This week I read this from Liam Dann, journalist on all matters relating to capitalism, and very much a ‘Gen Xer’, who wrote: Inside Economics: Should you take New Zealand Superannuation if you don’t need it? 4 June 2025. Dann is trying to resolve the clear view of his parents’ generation that Super is a ‘right’, against his own view that Super is an age ‘benefit’; a benefit that should be bureaucratically ‘targeted’. (A benefit in this sense is a redistributive ‘transfer’. By contrast, an income ‘right’ is a shareholder’s equity dividend; in a public context, the word ‘shareholder’ equates to the word ‘citizen’.)

Liam Dann asks an excellent question though – “Should rich people opt out of NZ Super?” – albeit by misconstruing the opting process. New Zealand Super is in fact an ‘opt-in’ benefit, as Dann comes to realise. Much of the present opposition to Super comes from people who would rather that the money paid to the rich was instead paid to bureaucrats to stop the rich from getting it. In reality, there is probably a significant number of rich older people who don’t get Super because they never bothered applying to MSD to get it. As Dann notes, the government is remiss in not collecting data on the numbers of eligible people who do not opt in to NZS. (And journalists, before Dann, have been remiss in not asking for that data.)

We should also note that, in spite of indications that ‘first-world’ life expectancies are levelling out, and indeed falling in some countries, Denmark is looking to raise its age of eligibility for a public pension to 70. In my view, this is moving in the wrong direction. Nevertheless, it is possible to both move in the direction that I am suggesting below, while raising what might be called the age of ‘privileged retirement’, meaning the age at which older people are entitled, as of right, to a higher pension or pension-like income than other citizens.

The Denmark policy is discussed in Denmark to raise retirement age to highest in Europe, BBC, 23 May 2025.

Universal Basic Income.

UBI

A Universal Basic-Income has come to mean an unconditional publicly-sourced private income, available to all ‘citizens’ above a certain age, which satisfies some kind of sufficiency test. Thus, a UBI is meant to be sufficient, on its own; a ‘stand-alone income’. New Zealand Super (NZS) – the present name for Universal Superannuation (from 1940) and National Superannuation (from 1976) – is such an income, designed to meet a sufficiency test. In particular, the ‘married-rate’ Super – $24,776 for a year before tax – is a UBI in Aotearoa New Zealand, payable to people aged over 65 who meet a certain definition of ‘citizenship’; a definition that neither discriminates on the basis of sex, race, nor creed.

However, a UBI is considered, by many of its advocates, to be a sufficient adult income, not just a retirement income. Just as NZS is in practice, a UBI needs to be a complement to wages, not a substitute for wages.

Technically, it is very simple to convert the ‘married-rate’ NZS into a UBI for all adults. Just two things would need to be done: lower the age of entitlement to 18, and pay for it by removing the concessionary income tax brackets (10.5%, 17.5%, 30%). (The higher ‘non-married’ rates would continue to apply to people over 65.) Under this proposal, there would no longer be MSD benefits nor student allowances, though there would still be some benefit supplements for MSD to process, such as Accommodation Supplements and NZS ‘single-rate’ supplements.

This UBI proposal would not be fiscally neutral; though it would be less unaffordable than many people would guess. (In practice, a fiscal stimulus at present could pay for itself in increased growth-revenue in just a few years; it might even ‘return New Zealand to surplus’ sooner than realistic current projections.) For present superannuitants working part-time, it would represent a small reduction in after-tax income, given that they would be paying income tax on their wages at what is commonly known today as the “secondary tax rate”.

Other than fiscal non-neutrality, two objections to such a UBI would be these: New Zealand has too many workers who would not meet the present NZS definition of ‘citizen’; and the UBI would be too generous to young people not working and living with their parents.

So, while it might be less unworkable than many people would expect, this instant-UBI policy is not one I would favour.

SUI

SUI stands for Simple Universal-Income. Self. We note that the prefix ‘sui-‘ means ‘self’; equity rights are a development of liberal individualism, not of ‘socialism’ or ‘communism’. Some people equate public property rights with Marxian collectivism, with the ‘nationalisation of the means of production’. They couldn’t be more wrong. Collectivist schemes involve full government retention of citizens’ incomes; they are schemes of government control; completely the opposite of universal income.

A universal private income drawn as a dividend from public wealth is individualism, not collectivism. Indeed, the natural political home of reformed capitalism is the political centre-right, not the left; albeit the new centre-right, not the privileged and stale centre-right politics which New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has so far represented. A ‘universal private income drawn from public wealth’ is different from a ‘privileged private income drawn from public wealth’.

It would be very simple to create an SUI in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand’s income-tax scale has five rates: 10.5%, 17.5%, 30%, 33% and 39%. The 33% rate has formed the backbone of the New Zealand tax scale since 1988. As with the UBI example above, the SUI proposal simply eliminates the 10.5%, 17.5% and 30% rates. In return every adult economic citizen – effectively every ‘tax resident’ – would receive an annual SUI (ie dividend) of $10,122.50; that’s $195.66 per week. For all people receiving Benefits – including Superannuation, Student Allowances, Family Tax Credits – the first $195.66 per week of their benefit payments would be recategorised as their SUI dividend.

That’s it. (The dividend of $10,122.50 is simply a grossing-up of the maximum benefit accrued through those lower tax rates.) Unlike the UBI option, all existing benefits and bureaucratic infrastructure would be retained; at least until they can be reconfigured in an advantageous way. From an accounting viewpoint, existing Benefits would be split into unconditional and conditional components.

It means no change for all persons earning over $78,100 per year ($1,502 per week) before tax. And it means no change for all persons receiving total Benefit income (after tax) more than $195.66 per week. (These people could continue to be called ‘Beneficiaries’, but without stigma. Without stigma, Superannuitants can be happy to be classed as Beneficiaries.) People whose present total weekly Benefit income is currently less than $195.66 would cease to be called Beneficiaries; they would cease to be clients of the MSD, the Ministry of Social Development.

What this means is that most New Zealanders, on Day One, would see no change in their bank accounts. Nobody would receive a lower income. And for most who receive a higher income, it would be only higher by small amount.

This begs the question, if most people’s disposable incomes do not increase, or only increase by a trivial amount, then why bother? The important societal benefits would be dynamic; would be around incentives.

First, individuals (of all adult ages, male and female, regardless of their position in their households) would be incentivised to take employment risks – including self-employment risks – if they receive a core unconditional income that they do not stand to lose when risk doesn’t pay off. Labour supply is boosted; as is the economy’s ‘surge capacity’ (technically, the elasticity of labour supply increases).

Second, lower-paid individuals – many of whom are women – would have increased bargaining power (through unions and as individuals) and would not have to resort to contestable narratives such as ‘pay equity’ in order to achieve a fair wage.

Third, individuals would be better able to negotiate weekly hours of work to optimise their work-life balance. The SUI would minimise the present ‘twin evils’ of overwork and underwork.

Fourth, and especially for today’s high-income workers, the SUI represents an unconditional form of income insurance to facilitate the acquisition of basic needs during a period of what economists call ‘frictional unemployment’; being ‘between jobs’. Or a period of ‘voluntary unemployment’, such as attending to the health needs of another family member.

Fifth, the SUI would count as a democratic dividend, an acknowledgement that each society’s wealth arises from both (present and past) private and public enterprise, and that – for that reason – both private and public dividends should be part of societies’ income mix. All citizens would have both private ‘skin in the game’ and a sense of ‘public inclusion’, motivating all citizens to have an ‘us’ mentality, rather than a divisive and exclusionary ‘them and us’ mentality.

The SUI is my preferred option for New Zealand for the year 2026.

BUI

BUI stands for ‘Basic Universal-Income’. In the New Zealand context, it could be easily created by removing the 10.5%, 17.5%, and 33% income brackets. Thus, except for high-income-earners (say the five-percenters), there would be an effective flat tax set at 30% of production income. It would work much as the SUI.

I have calculated that, for New Zealand, the BUI would be $7,779.50 per year, effectively $150 per week.

To partially offset the tax cut that would be payable to people earning more than $78,100 per year, the income threshold for the 39% tax rate should come down (to $146,000, from $180,000). Tax cuts would be received by all persons earning between $78,100 and $180,000, with the maximum tax cut of just over $2,000 (just over $39 per week) being payable to someone earning $146,000.

With this BUI, compared to the SUI, there would be more day-one beneficiaries (ie more better-off people) on higher incomes, and fewer day-one beneficiaries on lower incomes. Nobody would be worse off. The dynamic benefits discussed in relation to the SUI would still apply.

This is a policy that the Act Party should embrace, given its stated commitments to liberal-democracy, individualism, enterprise, and the future of capitalism.

A wider benefit of BUI is that it could represent a small beginning to something bigger and better. Just as with Universal Superannuation, the ‘establishment fear-factor’ soon dissipated. And universal benefits came to be embraced in the 1950s by both ‘left’ and ‘right’ in Aotearoa New Zealand; a decade in which there were very few persons of working age relative to persons classifiable as ‘dependents’.

HUI

HUI represents Hybrid Universal-Income; a mix of UBI and SUI. What would happen is that the age of entitlement to New Zealand Superannuation would be lowered, but not all the way to age 18. Today the ‘threshold age’ is 65. Under a HUI, all adult tax residents under the new threshold age would receive a SUI, on the same basis as described above.

A variant of HUI would be more flexible; a flexible Hybrid Basic Income. Everyone between say 30 and 70 would be able to have a UBI for say ten years; otherwise they would have an SUI. (This might be a policy that would work well for Denmark.)

Today a large proportion of babies are born to mothers aged 30 to 40. Many of these mothers might prefer to have children while in their early thirties, but, for financial reasons, end up having their children later. If all adults could choose when to have their ten years UBI, I could imagine many women choosing their thirties, and many men choosing their forties. Thus, women would be able to leave paid work to a greater or lesser extent around when they would most like to have children, and their partners could take their UBI after the mothers of their children have returned to fulltime employment. For persons in their forties, parenting non-infant children fits with the life-stage when many people would like to be establishing their own businesses and becoming employers. This would create incentives to both working-class (and bourgeois) human reproduction, more enterprise, and more employment opportunities in the private sector for youngish and oldish workers.

A further variant of this variant could be to extend the SUI to a UBI for individuals over 60 who lose their jobs on account of redundancy. This would help the many women such as those who were caught out by the Labour Government’s barely-noticed 2020 decision to remove NZS entitlements to ‘non-qualifying-spouses’ (ie people who become redundant, mostly women, whose life-partners are already on New Zealand Superannuation). (We might also note that the Sixth Labour Government – 2017 to 2023 – cut the after-tax wages of all women [and men too] by not inflation-adjusting income-tax bracket thresholds. Looked at in full historical context, Labour governments in New Zealand have not been kind to women.)

GUI

We might note that the UBI case, first-mentioned above, would be very close to a Generous Universal-Income. In this case, only the 39% income-tax rate would be retained, and the UI would be an annual GUI dividend of $20,922.50 (ie $402.36 per week). All income would be taxed at 39% and all economic citizens would receive a weekly private (but publicly-sourced) dividend of just over $400.

Conclusion

The UI policies presented above (possibly excepting the GUI, and the UBI) reflect a liberal non-establishment centre or centre-right political perspective. The GUI and UBI, in practice, realistically reflect only future policy directions (given their clear fiscal non-neutrality), whereas the SUI, BUI, and HUI all represent changes that could be easily implemented in the May 2026 Budget.

My preference, for immediate implementation, is the SUI. In inclusive capitalist societies, public equity returns to individuals are a right. Much of societies’ capital resource is not privately owned.

As in 1938 to 1940, New Zealand can set an example for the democratic reformation of global capitalism. Unfortunately, the 1938 to 1940 reform – Universal Superannuation – was not taken up by an otherwise distracted world. (Sadly, New Zealand’s misguided 1989 monetary policy ‘reform’ – the Reserve Bank Act – was taken up by a then-attentive wider world. Unnecessarily high interest rates have caused huge grief on a global scale.)

We can choose to have a 2026 reform – a technically simple reform, that, through being promoted to the wider world as an example of how capitalism can be democratic and inclusive – which can have beneficial global consequences. Do our leaders have the intellect, imagination and courage that Michael Joseph Savage revealed in 1938? Hopefully ‘yes’, but realistically ‘no’.

*******

Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: Dassault Systèmes: Doubling EPS by 2029, 3D UNIV+RSES creating new growth opportunities
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release
VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY — June 6, 2025

Dassault Systèmes: Doubling EPS by 2029,
3D UNIV+RSES creating new growth opportunities

Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) hosts its 2025 Capital Markets Day at its headquarters in Vélizy-Villacoublay, France, today, June 6, 2025. The event, dedicated to financial analysts and investors, features a series of presentations by the Company’s executive management. It highlights how 3D UNIV+RSES mark a fundamental shift, providing the next generation of virtual-plus-real (V+R) environment. This unlocks the full potential for clients to leverage Gen AI, creating new possibilities and reaching meaningful productivity gains while protecting their IP. Dassault Systèmes elevates the value creation with 3D UNIV+RSES and demonstrates the reasons to believe across Industrial innovation, Mainstream and Life Sciences.

Together, these drivers form a coherent and powerful roadmap, positioning the Company to fully capitalize on significant mid to long-term opportunities. Dassault Systèmes updates its mid-term financial ambition to double non-IFRS diluted EPS by 2029. This allows the adoption of 3D UNIV+RSES to deliver its full potential.

Commencing at 12:45 PM London time / 7:45 AM New York time / 1:45 PM Paris time, the event will be webcast live and recorded. Both the live sessions and replays can be accessed via Dassault Systèmes’ investor website: https://investor.3ds.com/. The on-demand webcast of the event will be available from June 9, 2025.

Pascal Daloz, Dassault Systèmes’ Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“At today’s Capital Markets Day, we unveil the most strategic evolution in Dassault Systèmes’ history. AI for industry becomes our compass, while our next-generation value proposition – 3D UNIV+RSES – defines the next growth cycle of our company.

We are entering a new era: the Generative Economy, where value creation lies at the intersection of the Virtual and the Real – V+R. It is in this hybrid space that tomorrow takes shape and our mission is to empower our customers to imagine, to create and to operate in this hybrid world.

From life-saving therapies to next-generation mobility and resilient, sustainable infrastructure, 3D UNIV+RSES are not just transforming how industry functions – it is redefining what is possible. We are delivering the virtual twin of everything for everyone, infused with trusted AI, to reinvent products, enterprises and business models through the convergence of the Virtual and the Real.
Our 3DEXPERIENCE platform now becomes the engine of the Generative Economy, enabling creation, management and amplification of knowledge, know-how and intellectual property – the new currency of progress.

With 3D UNIV+RSES, we are not simply envisioning the future of industry – we are building it, unlocking new performances, new possibilities and magic experiences. A future where AI is not artificial but augmented, scientific, trustable and deeply human.”

Rouven Bergmann, Dassault Systèmes’ Chief Financial Officer, commented:

[diluted EPS (‘EPS’) on a non-IFRS basis]

“We are building a company for the long term – one that delivers durable, high-quality growth powered by a loyal and expanding client base. Our ambition is clear: to double our earnings per share, and to keep doing so.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a strategic advantage. In the era of AI, it accelerates knowledge creation, unifies collaboration through a single source of truth, and unleashes the full potential of human talent. With the launch of 3D UNIV+RSES, we are unlocking a new phase of cloud adoption and customer engagement.

As a result, we are extending our financial horizon to double EPS by 2029. This shift reflects three key factors: a gradual acceleration in top-line growth, the scale-up of 3D UNIV+RSES, and continued strategic capital allocation, including targeted M&A.

Every move we make is guided by a single principle: creating long-term, sustainable value for our clients, our shareholders and our people, contributing to our EPS and cash generation. We are aligned and positioned to capture the full value of this opportunity.”

Investor Relations Events
- Second Quarter 2025 Earnings Release: July 24, 2025
- Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Release: October 23, 2025
- Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings Release: February 11, 2026
- First Quarter 2026 Earnings Release: April 23, 2026
Forward-looking Information

Statements herein that are not historical facts but express expectations or objectives for the future, including but not limited to statements regarding the Group’s non-IFRS financial performance objectives are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on Dassault Systèmes management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or performances may differ materially from those in such statements due to a range of factors.
The Group’s actual results or performance may be materially negatively affected by numerous risks and uncertainties, as described in the “Risk Factors” section 1.9 of the 2024 Universal Registration Document (‘Document d’enregistrement universel’) filed with the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) on March 18, 2025, available on the Group’s website www.3ds.com.
In particular, please refer to the risk factor “Uncertain Global Environment” in section 1.9.1.1 of the 2024 Universal Registration Document set out below for ease of reference:

“In light of the uncertainties regarding economic, business, social, health and geopolitical conditions at the global level, Dassault Systèmes’ revenue, net earnings and cash flows may grow more slowly, whether on an annual or quarterly basis, mainly due to the following factors:
- the deployment of Dassault Systèmes’ solutions may represent a large portion of a customer’s investments in software technology. Decisions to make such an investment are impacted by the economic environment in which the customers operate. Uncertain global geopolitical, economic and health conditions and the lack of visibility or the lack of financial resources may cause some customers, e.g. within the automotive, aerospace, energy or natural resources industries, to reduce, postpone or cancel their investments, or to reduce or not renew ongoing paid maintenance for their installed base, which impact larger customers’ revenue with their respective sub-contractors;
- the political, economic and monetary situation in certain geographic regions where Dassault Systèmes operates could become more volatile and negatively affect Dassault Systèmes’ business, and in particular its revenue, for example, due to stricter export compliance rules or the introduction of new customs barriers or controls on the exchange of goods and services;
- continued pressure or volatility on raw materials and energy prices could also slow down Dassault Systèmes’ diversification efforts in new industries;
- uncertainties regarding the extent and duration of costs inflation could adversely affect the financial position of Dassault Systèmes; and
- the sales cycle of the Dassault Systèmes’ products – already relatively long due to the strategic nature of such investments for customers – could further lengthen.
The occurrence of crises – health and political crises in particular – could have consequences both for the health and safety of Dassault Systèmes’ employees and for the Company. It could also adversely impact the financial situation or financing and supply capabilities of Dassault Systèmes’ existing and potential customers, commercial and technology partners, some of whom may be forced to temporarily close sites or to cease operations. A deteriorating economic environment could generate increased price pressure and affect the collection of receivables, which would negatively affect Dassault Systèmes’ revenue, financial performance and market position.

Dassault Systèmes makes every effort to take into consideration this uncertain outlook. Dassault Systèmes’ business results, however, may not develop as anticipated. Furthermore, due to factors affecting sales of Dassault Systèmes’ products and services, there may be a substantial time lag between an improvement in global economic and business conditions and an upswing in the Company’s business results.

Non-IFRS Financial Information

Readers are cautioned that the supplemental non-IFRS financial information presented in this press release is subject to inherent limitations. It is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles and should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for IFRS measurements. The supplemental non-IFRS financial information should be read only in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. Furthermore, the Group’s supplemental non-IFRS financial information may not be comparable to similarly titled “non-IFRS” measures used by other companies. Specific limitations for individual non-IFRS measures are set forth in the Company’s 2024 Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on March 18, 2025.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions: http://www.3ds.com

ABOUT DASSAULT SYSTÈMES
Dassault Systèmes is a catalyst for human progress. Since 1981, the company has pioneered virtual worlds to improve real life for consumers, patients and citizens.
With Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 370 000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, can collaborate, imagine and create sustainable innovations that drive meaningful impact.
For more information, visit www.3ds.com

Dassault Systèmes Investor Relations Team                        FTI Consulting
Beatrix Martinez: +33 1 61 62 40 73                                Arnaud de Cheffontaines: +33 1 47 03 69
                                                                Jamie Ricketts : +44 20 3727 1600
investors@3ds.com

Dassault Systèmes Press Contacts
Corporate / France        Arnaud MALHERBE
arnaud.malherbe@3ds.com
+33 (0)1 61 62 87 73

© Dassault Systèmes. All rights reserved. 3DEXPERIENCE, the 3DS logo, the Compass icon, IFWE, 3DEXCITE, 3DVIA, BIOVIA, CATIA, CENTRIC PLM, DELMIA, ENOVIA, GEOVIA, MEDIDATA, NETVIBES, OUTSCALE, SIMULIA and SOLIDWORKS are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes, a European company (Societas Europaea) incorporated under French law, and registered with the Versailles trade and companies registry under number 322 306 440, or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. Use of any Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries trademarks is subject to their express written approval.

Attachment
- Dassault Systèmes: Doubling EPS by 2029, 3D UNIV+RSES creating new growth opportunities
The MIL Network –
June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: TGS Commences Ultra-High Resolution 3D Seismic Survey for Green Volt Wind Development

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

London, United Kingdom (06 June 2025) – TGS, a leading global provider of energy data and intelligence has commenced a geophysical survey for the pioneering Green Volt floating offshore wind farm. Mobilization initiated in Aberdeen last week and the work scheduled throughout June will include an ultra-high resolution 3D (UHR3D) seismic survey used to deliver detailed subsurface data for the floating wind farm’s site characterization.

The Green Volt project is a joint venture between leading offshore wind developers Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn. As Europe’s first commercial-scale floating windfarm at 560 MW, the project is a catalyst for developing a highly specialized UK floating wind supply chain.

Utilizing integrated Multibeam Echo Sounder, Side Scan Sonar, Sub-bottom Profiler and Magnetometer sensors, the advanced survey will enhance geological understanding and provide critical insights for the project’s site planning and risk assessments.

Spanning the full lifecycle from acquisition planning to imaging and interpretation, this campaign for Green Volt will support employment opportunities across the UK, where TGS maintains a significant presence. TGS has 3 offices in the UK with over 200 employees. Offshore survey crews, geophysicists and onshore geoscientists will be engaged throughout the project, ensuring the delivery of high-quality processed data and interpretations.

UHR3D data will provide detailed understanding of the subsurface conditions, revealing potential risks and challenges that are not always accurately captured through traditional 2D data interpolation. The enhanced data collection will help the Green Volt project team identify geological hazards and structural complexities, contributing to improved site assessment and risk mitigation strategies. This, in turn, will form a reliable foundation for the project’s ongoing planning and execution. By leveraging the latest acquisition configurations, TGS will enhance efficiency and improve target resolutions to meet the highest industry standards.

Commenting on the start of this survey, TGS EVP New Energy Solutions, Will Ashby, said:

“This represents a key milestone for TGS to utilize our expertise, technology and resources to support the development of the first commercial floating offshore wind farm, Green Volt. This simultaneous acquisition of all sensors and the application of our cutting-edge processing techniques is reinforcing our commitment to delivering industry-leader data solutions. UHR3D will be a key aspect to developing floating wind farms.”

Matt Green, Project Director for Green Volt said:

“Green Volt is pleased to be working alongside TGS on these important geophysical site surveys, which will not only advance our project but will also further develop our understanding of how the UKCS subsea offshore landscape can support deeper, larger windfarms as we continue to develop our industry. Accurate data is vital component in our learning and will help strengthen the UK’s floating wind supply chain. This contract supports local jobs and innovation, helping to build a world-leading offshore wind sector right here in the UK.”

About TGS
TGS provides advanced data and intelligence to companies active in the energy sector. With leading-edge technology and solutions spanning the entire energy value chain, TGS offers a comprehensive range of insights to help clients make better decisions. Our broad range of products and advanced data technologies, coupled with a global, extensive and diverse energy data library, make TGS a trusted partner in supporting the exploration and production of energy resources worldwide. For further information, please visit www.tgs.com (https://www.tgs.com/).

For media inquiries, contact:

Bård Stenberg
IR & Business Intelligence
investor@tgs.com

About Green Volt
Green Volt is set to become Europe’s first commercial scale floating offshore wind farm, located approximately 80 kilometres off the northeast coast of Scotland.

Jointly developed by Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn, the project will feature up to 35 floating wind turbines with a total capacity of 560 megawatts. Once operational, Green Volt will provide clean power to the UK grid and facilitate the electrification of participating oil and gas platforms.

Developed under Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round, Green Volt aims to reduce carbon emissions by one million tonnes per year, significantly contributing to the UK’s and Scotland’s net-zero targets. The project has secured all necessary planning approvals and, in September 2024, was awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) by the UK Government.

The MIL Network –

June 6, 2025
Spain beat France 5-4 in thriller to reach Nations League final

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal inspired his country to a thrilling 5-4 win over France on Thursday to send the holders through to their third successive Nations League final where they will face Iberian neighbours Portugal.

The European champions dazzled in the first half of the semi-final at the MHP Arena and raced into a 2-0 lead with fine goals by Nico Williams and Mikel Merino inside 25 minutes.

Spain’s 17-year-old starlet Yamal then got in on the act to coolly add a third from the penalty spot nine minutes into the second half before his Barcelona teammate Pedri clipped a sublime fourth into the net less than a minute later.

The goals continued to flow as France striker Kylian Mbappe also slotted home from the penalty spot near the hour mark before Yamal added Spain’s fifth after 67 minutes to cap an exhilarating individual performance.

France then mounted an extraordinary comeback as a stunning strike from Rayan Cherki, Dani Vivian’s own goal and a Randal Kolo Muani finish caused Spain some late jitters but they held on to book a clash with their Portuguese rivals on Sunday.

“I always say it to my mother, I try to give it all,” Yamal told Teledeporte. “It is what motivates me to play football, why I wake up in the mornings.

“France have world class players. The scoreline after 60 minutes was very big, but they have players who make you suffer.

“We (Spain and Portugal) are two very good teams with world-class players. The best will win. I hope to bring the cup to Spain.”

Spain have been nearly imperious under coach Luis de la Fuente, losing just once in over two years, a run that helped them take home the European Championship title last year with victory over England in the final.

Key to De la Fuente’s system is his lively wide men Nico Williams and Yamal, and after Mbappe had wasted a golden early chance in Stuttgart and Theo Hernandez crashed an effort against the crossbar, Williams’ emphatic finish edged Spain in front.

Another fine, flowing move three minutes later resulted in Merino slotting home the second having been picked out by a pinpoint Mikel Oyarzabal pass. It was only the second time France had conceded twice inside the opening half hour of a match during coach Didier Deschamps’ 13-year tenure.

France continued to create openings but could not make their moments count, with their profligacy proving costly as one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or award, Yamal, fired in from the penalty spot after the teenager had been fouled.

Yamal, who already has over 100 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions before he has even turned 18, was equally calm for his second, after Pedro’s fine fourth and Mbappe’s penalty, poking the ball past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

The strike from Olympique Lyonnais’ Cherki deserved to be more meaningful, before Vivian’s intervention gave Spanish supporters some cause for concern.

Substitute Kolo Muani’s goal made extra time look a possibility, but it was too little, too late.

The striker, however, ensured the enthralling semi-final became the first-ever Nations League match to feature nine goals. It was also the first time France had conceded five times in a match since 1969.

“We had some bursts of play we haven’t had for a long time,” France skipper Mbappe said. “But in just 10 minutes of the first half, we conceded two goals — and the same thing happened in the second half.

“We weren’t consistent throughout the 90 minutes, but we did improve. When you don’t win, there are always negative points that come out. But it’s not all negative.”

(Reuters)

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Last of Five Defendants Sentenced in Two Separate Romanian ATM Skimming Conspiracies with Combined Losses of Over $1 Million
Source: Office of United States Attorneys

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK – Ionel Tomescu Baldovin, age 28, a Romanian national, was sentenced Thursday, May 22, 2025, to 33 months in prison for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy impacting two Northern District of New York financial institutions and least five additional financial institutions across the United States. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Baldovin admitted that he conspired with others to place skimming devices and cameras at ATMs at financial institutions, including two financial institutions in the Northern District of New York. Once installed, the devices and cameras captured ATM customers’ account information and personal identification numbers (“PINs”). Members of the conspiracy subsequently created fraudulent debit cards from the captured information, which they used to withdraw currency from customers’ accounts. Baldovin admitted involvement in the conspiracy from October 2017 to April 2018, with losses of over $450,0000 to financial institutions, including losses of over $20,000 from a Northern District of New York financial institution. Baldovin was the only defendant charged in this conspiracy.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also ordered Baldovin to pay $454,447 in restitution, and to serve a 3-year term of supervised release following his incarceration.

In 2019, four Romanian nationals conspired to commit a similar bank fraud skimming scheme. In that conspiracy, skimming devices were placed on ATMs at a financial institution in the Northern District of New York, and fraudulent debit cards were created from the information captured, allowing the defendants access to information from over 500 compromised accounts.

Each Romanian national pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and multiple counts of aggravated identity theft. They were each sentenced as follows:
- Laurentiu Florian Iancu was sentenced December 11, 2024, to 48 months incarceration, three (3) years’ supervised release, and an order of restitution of $169,075.
- Florin Nicolae Mares was sentenced January 18, 2023, to 51 months incarceration, two (2) years’ supervised release, and an order of restitution of $169,075.
- Liviu Samuel Anca was sentenced September 20, 2024, to 40 months incarceration, three (3) years’ supervised release, and an order of restitution of $169,075.
- Teodor Claudiu Stan was sentenced December 19, 2023, to 81 months incarceration, four (4) years’ supervised release, and an order of restitution of over $675,000. During his plea, Stan admitted his involvement in the 2019 Northern District of New York conspiracy with Baldovin, as well as a broader conspiracy through 2022 where he and his co-conspirators made, modified, placed or assisted in placing skimming devices at eight (8) additional financial institutions across the United States.
U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “We commend our federal and local partners for their diligent work in developing these important investigations into strong cases that held multiple defendants accountable for their conduct in the Northern District of New York and beyond.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli stated, “This sentence is the direct result of the commitment by our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue and charge those who willingly defraud our citizens and financial institutions. The FBI will continue to investigate and bring to justice these callous criminals to ensure they pay the price, instead of their victims.”

These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the New York State Police, the Endicott Police and various local police departments outside the Northern District of New York. These cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Grabowski.

MIL Security OSI –
June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Portugal’s new government sworn in

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

Luis Montenegro addresses an inauguration ceremony of the new government in Lisbon, Portugal, on June 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Luis Montenegro, leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and head of the Democratic Alliance (AD), was officially sworn in as Portugal’s new prime minister on Thursday. The 16 ministers of the new cabinet also took their oaths of office.

At the inauguration ceremony, Montenegro pledged to “continue serving the country,” vowed to “declare war on bureaucracy,” and committed to advancing state reforms, maintaining political stability, and boosting social productivity. He also emphasized the government’s intention to engage with the opposition and promote dialogue and cooperation.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said the election result reflected increased political confidence in Montenegro, but stressed that the public had not granted the government “absolute trust.” He noted that the influence of traditional parties is waning while new political forces are emerging — a shift that, although arriving late in Portugal, has not bypassed the country.

Compared to the previous administration, the vast majority of key ministers have retained their posts. The number of ministries has been reduced from 17 to 16, with the Ministry of Economy merged with the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion, and the Ministry of Culture combined with the former Ministry of Youth and Modernization to form the new Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

The most notable change is the creation of a new Ministry for State Reform. Goncalo Matias has been appointed as both minister adjunct to the prime minister and minister for state reform.

At the PSD’s national council meeting last week, Montenegro described the “modernization of public administration” as the “cornerstone” of the next government’s policy agenda.

The new cabinet was sworn in just 18 days after the election, marking the fastest cabinet formation under President Rebelo de Sousa.

The parliament will debate and vote on the new government’s program on June 17 and 18. According to the Portuguese Constitution, the government can only fully assume its duties after the program is approved by the Assembly of the Republic.

MIL OSI China News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Sabalenka ends Swiatek’s reign in thriller, Gauff eases into final

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

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ended champion Iga Swiatek’s dream of lifting her fifth Roland Garros title with a 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0 win in their semifinal clash on Thursday.

Sabalenka was behind at 1-5 in her head-to-head record with Swiatek entering the match but exhibited the dominant form that made her the current world No. 1.

It took Sabalenka two hours and 19 minutes to snap Pole Swiatek’s 26-match winning streak at the event.

Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot during the women’s singles semifinal between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Iga Swiatek of Poland at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros, Paris, France, June 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

“I’m super happy with the win today and beating Iga at Roland Garros,” said the Belarusian. “It’s just something unbelievable and something I’m super proud of, and yeah, just happy to get through this difficult match.”

The 27-year-old will next face world No. 2 Coco Gauff in the final – the first final showdown in a decade between the top two ranked players for the French Open title.

Gauff breezed past French wild card Lois Boisson in the second semifinal 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the final for a second time.

The 2022 finalist will bid for her second Grand Slam title, having won the US Open in 2023 over Sabalenka over three sets.

“My first final here I was super nervous, and I kind of wrote myself off before the match even happened,” said Gauff. “Obviously here I have a lot more confidence just from playing a Grand Slam final before and doing well in one. Yeah, I think going into Saturday I’ll just give it my best shot and try to be as calm and relaxed as possible.”

US Open champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori became the first Italian pair since 1958 to win the French Open mixed doubles, beating Americans Taylor Townsend and Evan King 6-4, 6-2.

In the women’s wheelchair quarterfinals, China’s Li Xiaohui brushed aside Ksenia Chasteau of France 6-2, 6-1 before she combined with compatriot Wang Ziying to defeat France’s Pauline Deroulede and Aniek Van Koot of the Netherlands 4-6, 7-5, 10-5 to advance into the women’s wheelchair doubles final.

Friday’s main focus will be on the two men’s semifinals, where defending champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on Lorenzo Musetti on Chatrier, followed by Novak Djokovic against Jannik Sinner.

MIL OSI China News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Defections are fairly common in Australian politics. But history shows they are rarely a good career move

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Bongiorno, Professor of History, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University

For many years now, Australian political scientists have pointed out that that established partisan allegiance is in decline. In 1967, 36% of Coalition supporters and 32% of Labor voters reported lifetime voting for their side. At the 2022 election, the Australian Election Study found the figures to be 16% and 12%.

These changes help to explain the rising support for independents and minor parties at federal elections; they now take about a third of the primary vote.

So much for voters. What about for politicians? Of course, there have always been plenty of parliamentarians who had an earlier stint as a member of some other party before landing in the one that sent them into parliament. Brendan Nelson was in the Labor Party before he was Liberal. John Gorton was Country Party before he was Liberal. Adam Bandt was Labor before he was Green. And so on. We are all entitled to change our minds, even if switching political parties was once closer to changing football teams – a habit that immediately arouses suspicion in a sports-loving nation.

Senator Dorinda Cox’s switch from the Greens to the Labor Party was apparently a homecoming, according to Cox. She was once a Labor Party member, she said. Last week, she was criticising the party over its approval of Woodside’s Northwest Shelf gas project. This week, she finds Labor’s values aligned with her own.

Of course, her defection has been accompanied by a steady leaking of little details of her Greens career, such as an excoriation of the Labor Party, in her application to run for the Greens, when she said the ALP patronised “women and people of colour” and cared more about its donors than members.

That’s politics, but it’s a democratic deficit that senators elected as part of a Senate team, in a system that has facilitated above-the-line voting since 1984, can sit for years afterwards in the parliament as a member of another party.

But good luck in getting up a constitutional change, via referendum, to change that.

Still, it is easy to understand how such nimbleness breeds cynicism about political parties. Another perspective might be that the fluidity of allegiance out in the electorate has come to inhabit the political class itself.

All the same, defections from one party to another are quite rare these days in federal politics, at least after one is sitting in parliament. But defections from a party to sit as an independent are not and some, such as Bob Katter, have managed to build successful political careers outside the parties.

One who did not was was Julia Banks, the Liberal member for Chisholm, who announced she would not be seeking re-election and then left the party for the crossbench in the wake of Scott Morrison’s ascension to the leadership in 2018. Banks complained of bullying and intimidation within the Liberal Party and the wider parliament, and wrote a book on her experiences. She subsequently failed to gain election as an independent in another seat.

There were several defectors in the last parliament. A House of Representatives crossbench that began at 16 had reached 19 by the end, with the defections of two Liberals (Russell Broadbent and Ian Goodenough, both after losing preselection) and one National, Andrew Gee, the latter over his party’s opposition to the Voice. Only Gee has lived politically to tell the tale, winning Calare as an Independent, as Peter Andren did before him.

Defections from minor and microparties are especially common, based as they often are on a high-profile leader and lacking traditions of party discipline or solid structures of organisational governance. Jacqui Lambie began as a Palmer United Party senator. Tammy Tyrrell began as a Jacqui Lambie Network senator.

The biggest “defection” in modern Australian politics was that of Cheryl Kernot from the Australian Democrats to the Labor Party in 1997. It is easy, over a quarter of a century on, and with the Australian Democrats no longer in the Australian parliament, to underestimate what a big deal this was at the time.

Kernot was a rock star of a politician, leader of the Australian Democrats, and a national celebrity. But there are significant differences with Cox beyond Kernot’s greater eminence. She resigned her Senate seat immediately and would win the marginal Brisbane seat of Dickson in the following year’s election. Then, in 2001, she would lose it to a young and ambitious former policeman named Peter Dutton.

The experience was ultimately an unhappy one for Kernot: she believed that having recruited her into the ranks, the Labor Party – and its leader, Kim Beazley, did not know how to make the best use of her. She was also on the receiving end of some relentlessly negative and sometimes intrusive media coverage. And by her own admission, she made mistakes. The story of her career’s unravelling is not straightforward. The role that gender played in it remains contentious.

Perhaps Kernot’s experience would alone be sufficient to prompt second thoughts in anyone seeking to jump ship. There are, of course, older prohibitions. In the Labor Party, a defector was known as a “rat”. Billy Hughes, the prime minister whose effort to introduce conscription in the first world war split the party, is the most famous of them.

“Rat” is not a word much heard these days, but it was thrown around a bit when Senator Fatima Payman defected in 2024, and applied more seriously in 1996 to Labor Senator Mal Colston when he resigned from the Labor Party in exchange for the deputy presidency of the Senate.

The best historical example of a defection being good for your career is that of Joe Lyons, who ratted on Labor in 1931 to lead a new party called the United Australia Party, a switch engineered by a small group of influential businessmen.
The circumstances – the Great Depression, real fear of civil violence, and the disintegration of a federal Labor government – were highly unusual.

More commonly, defection is a bad career move. Most of the Labor politicians who went over to the breakaway anti-communist Democratic Labor Party (DLP) in the mid-1950s found themselves out of parliament and looking for a new job. Stan Keon, one of those flying high ahead of the split, even occasionally mentioned – unrealistically – as a possible future prime minister, would run a Melbourne wine shop. Others, such as Vince Gair, Queensland Labor premier, lived to fight another day as a DLP senator (and ambassador to Ireland).

Cox has three years left of her senate term. After that, she will be at the mercy of the Labor Party. Labor won three Senate seats at the 2022 half-Senate election in Western Australia and perhaps it could do so again. On that occasion, in a surprise victory, the third place went to the young up-and-coming union organiser, Fatima Payman.

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

– ref. Defections are fairly common in Australian politics. But history shows they are rarely a good career move – https://theconversation.com/defections-are-fairly-common-in-australian-politics-but-history-shows-they-are-rarely-a-good-career-move-258177

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI China: FIFA announces draw for U17 Women’s World Cup

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

The draw for the ninth FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup was announced Wednesday, with the 2025 edition set to feature 24 teams for the first time.

The tournament will take place in Rabat, Morocco, from October 17 to November 8.

It will also mark the first time the global event is held in Africa, with the draw ceremony staged at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Rabat.

Host Morocco will compete in Group A alongside Brazil, Costa Rica and Italy. Defending champion Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been drawn into Group B with Cameroon, Mexico and the Netherlands.

China is in Group C with Ecuador, Norway and the United States. Group D includes Canada, France, Nigeria and Samoa.

Group E features Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, South Korea and Spain, while Japan, New Zealand, Paraguay and Zambia make up Group F.

The top two teams from each of the six groups, along with the four best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 16.

MIL OSI China News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Poland edge China, Belgium dominate Thailand in VNL

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

China suffered its first loss at the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Beijing leg on Thursday, falling to Poland 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-19, 25-21) in a tightly contested match at the National Indoor Stadium.

Poland opposite Magdalena Stysiak and outside hitter Martyna Czyrnianska each scored 20 points to fire their team to victory. Captain and middle blocker Agnieszka Korneluk added 17, while fellow middle blocker Aleksandra Gryka had 12.

Magdalena Stysiak (L) of Poland spikes the ball during the Pool 3 match between China and Poland at the Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2025 at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, June 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

After dropping a closely fought opening set, China responded with a spirited performance in the second, making lineup adjustments and gaining momentum through effective blocking and fast-paced attacks. Outside hitters Tang Xin and Wu Mengjie played key roles as the team leveled the scores at one set apiece.

Zhuang Yushan scored a team-high 17 points, Wu earned 13 points, while Tang contributed 12 points overall, including seven in the second set alone.

“At the beginning, I felt I performed even better than I did in training,” said Tang, 21. “But later on, I got a bit too excited and started to lose focus. Poland adjusted quickly, especially in the third set – their blockers began targeting me more directly, and I had trouble adapting.”

The third set saw both teams battling point-for-point early on, but Poland pulled ahead midway with solid defense and consistent execution, eventually taking it 25-19. In the fourth, China made a strong start, racing into a 3-0 lead, but Poland quickly turned the tide with a 14-10 advantage and maintained a narrow lead down the stretch. Despite China’s late push to save a match point, Poland closed out the set 25-21 to seal their second straight win in Beijing.

“We’re very happy with this win. Coming into the match, we knew it would be difficult, even though we only had a few recent matches to study this ‘new’ Chinese team. Still, we could tell that their players have incredible quality. The younger players may lack experience, but they’ve already shown great technique, talent, and character,” said Poland head coach Stefano Lavarini.

Lavarini noted that the second set slipped away due to a drop in serving quality and missed opportunities in attack, especially against single blocks. However, he added that in the third set, his team regained its rhythm by stabilizing service and playing with more consistency.

“We tried to get back to the level we had in the first set. In the fourth set, China changed many players, so we made some tactical adjustments as well – especially in how we adapted to their different middle blockers and attackers,” the 46-year-old Italian explained.

With the result, Poland improve to 2-0 in the current leg, while China drops to 1-1. Both teams will have a rest day on Friday before returning to action over the weekend.

Earlier in the day, Belgium earned its first win of the Beijing leg with a 3-1 victory over Thailand (25-22, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22).

Belgium captain Britt Herbots led the scorers with 31 points, while opposite Pauline Martin added 19. Middle blocker Nathalie Lemmens contributed 14 points, including five blocks, as Belgium’s offensive trio proved decisive.

“It was a very tough and long match from every perspective,” said Herbots. “Thailand has a unique style of play. There were a lot of fast combinations and long rallies – very tiring on defense. But I’m really happy we got the win. Everyone fulfilled their role, and that’s really important for a team.”

Belgium will next play against France on Friday, while Thailand will face Türkiye.

MIL OSI China News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy Sector – Strengthening UK energy security with new gas sales agreement – Equinor

Source: Equinor

05 JUNE 2025 – Equinor and Centrica sign long-term gas sales agreement of 55 TWh of natural gas per year (around 5 billion cubic meters – bcm) for a period of 10 years starting 1 October 2025 at terms reflecting market prices. The total contract value would be around £20 billion assuming current prices.

“I am very pleased to strengthen the energy partnership with the UK and our longstanding partner and customer Centrica. This agreement will continue to support the UK’s energy security with reliable gas supplies from the Norwegian continental shelf. The flexibility that natural gas offers will play a key role in enabling further development of renewable power and decarbonisation in the UK”, says Equinor’s president and CEO Anders Opedal.

For nearly 50 years, Equinor and partners have developed the Norwegian Continental Shelf to be the largest and most reliable provider of energy to Europe. Britain currently imports nearly 2/3 of its gas requirements from Norway, with Equinor being the major supplier. The annual volumes under this agreement will cover nearly 10% [1] of total annual UK gas demand which makes the agreement among the largest in Equinor bilateral portfolio.

“The UK and the North Sea is a core area in our long-term ambitions to remain a supplier of reliable energy and to help decarbonise societies and industries. The new gas sales agreement with Centrica will be a key element in this. Energy security and decarbonisation must go hand in hand, and I am proud that Equinor is actively delivering both”, says Equinor’s UK Country Manager Alex Grant.

Beyond investments in the UK’s oil and gas production, Equinor already operates three offshore wind farms at Sheringham Shoal, Dudgeon and Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating offshore wind farm. Dogger Bank is under development and will be the world’s largest offshore windfarm once completed. Together with partners Equinor is also developing the UK’s first CO2 transport and storage project and a gas power plant with CO2 capture.

Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive of Centrica, commented: “Equinor is a valued partner, and this landmark agreement underscores the vital role that natural gas plays as a transition fuel as we navigate towards a low carbon energy future. The enduring partnership between Centrica and Equinor exemplifies the strong and strategic relationship between the UK and Norway and I’m immensely proud that we’ve agreed this deal.

“Over the last few years, we’ve seen first-hand how important energy security is. Today’s deal not only ensures the UK’s energy security has improved but also paves the way for a burgeoning hydrogen market. The deal represents a significant investment in the UK’s future, showing that Centrica will make bold investments that drive forward the energy transition while delivering value for our shareholders. We will continue to focus on further improving energy security by working with the UK Government to ensure the right levels of gas storage are in place to complement this landmark gas importation agreement.”

[1] Total UK demand in 2024 at 55.8 bcm

About Centrica

Centrica is an international energy and services company, founded on a 200-year heritage of serving customers in homes and businesses. The company supply energy and services to over 10 million residential and business customers, mainly in the UK and Ireland, through brands such as British Gas, Bord Gáis Energy and Centrica Business Solutions. Centrica has a role at every step of the energy transition. When it comes to energy, Centrica make it, store it, move it, sell it and mend it. The company’s strategy is driven by the purpose of energising a greener, fairer future.

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace activists disrupt industrial fishing operation ahead of UN Ocean Conference

Source: Greenpeace

PACIFIC OCEAN, Friday, 6 June 2025 – Greenpeace activists have disrupted an industrial longlining fishing operation in the South Pacific Ocean, seizing almost 20 kilometers of fishing gear and freeing nine sharks, including an endangered mako, near Australia and New Zealand.

WATCH: PHOTO AND VIDEO HERE: https://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJVCP2NV

With an expert team on a small boat releasing more than a dozen animals, crew aboard Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior retrieved the entire longline and more than 210 baited hooks from a EU-flagged industrial fishing vessel, including an endangered longfin mako shark, eight near-threatened blue sharks and four swordfish. The crew also documented the vessel catching endangered sharks during its longlining operation.

The at-sea action follows new Greenpeace Australia Pacific analysis exposing the extent of shark catch from industrial longlining in parts of the Pacific Ocean. Latest fisheries data showed that almost 70% of EU vessels’ catch was blue shark in 2023 alone. It comes ahead of next week’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, where world leaders will discuss ocean protection and the Global Ocean Treaty.

Georgia Whitaker, Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:

“These longliners are industrial killing machines. Greenpeace Australia Pacific took peaceful and direct action to disrupt this attack on marine life. We saved important species that would otherwise have been killed or left to die on hooks.”

“The scale of industrial fishing – still legal on the high seas – is astronomical. These vessels claim to be targeting swordfish or tuna, but we witnessed shark after shark being hauled up by these industrial fleets, including three endangered sharks in just half an hour. Greenpeace is calling on world leaders at the UN Ocean Conference to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 from this wanton destruction.”

GreenpeaceAotearoa is calling on the New Zealand Government to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty and help create global ocean sanctuaries, including in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand signed the agreement in 2023.

More than two-thirds of sharks worldwide are endangered, and a third of those are at risk of extinction from overfishing. Over the last three weeks, the Rainbow Warrior has been documenting longlining vessels and practices off Australia’s east coast, including from Spain and China.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Sidhu meets with Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security

Source: Government of Canada News

June 5, 2025 – Paris, France – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, met Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) held on June 3 and 4, 2025, in Paris, France.

Minister Sidhu and Commissioner Šefčovič discussed the importance of supporting the rules-based trading system, as well as continuing to collaborate, including among G7 members, in support of an open, stable and predictable trade environment. They also discussed ways to expand Canada-EU trade, including through the implementation of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

The EU market, comprising 27 member states, is Canada’s second-largest global trading partner for goods and services after the United States. Strengthening trade ties with the EU is key to ensuring Canadian businesses and industries have access to diverse markets and partners and supporting economic growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

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MIL OSI Canada News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Sidhu champions rules-based trade with Canada’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and World Trade Organization partners

Source: Government of Canada News

June 5, 2025 – Paris, France – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, this week concluded his participation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) and World Trade Organization (WTO) mini-ministerial meeting, in Paris, France.

At the OECD MCM, Minister Sidhu reaffirmed Canada’s support for the rules-based global trading system and its underpinning values. These include reinforcing the open, stable markets that ensure predictability amidst economic uncertainty, responsibly developing artificial intelligence and standing up for Ukraine. Canada served as vice-chair of the OECD MCM alongside Australia and Lithuania, under the chairship of Costa Rica.

At the meeting, Canada and the Philippines formally took on the role of the 2025 to 2028 co-chairs of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP), a program that was created to address economic and development challenges in Southeast Asia. Minister Sidhu announced that Canada will contribute $2 million to support SEARP’s activities, which align with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and Strategic Partnership with ASEAN.

At the WTO mini-ministerial meeting, Minister Sidhu advocated for deep and meaningful reforms of the WTO to ensure its rules are modernized and continue to support a rules-based global trading system. Canada also called for a pragmatic approach to the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference that considers current economic challenges.

While in Paris, the Minister also hosted a business round table with Canadian companies active in the French market. As Canada seeks to strengthen its collaboration with reliable trading partners, the Minister heard the business representatives’ first-hand perspectives on the opportunities for Canadian businesses in France.

MIL OSI Canada News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Your chance to try simpler train tickets in Yorkshire and the East Midlands this September
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Your chance to try simpler train tickets in Yorkshire and the East Midlands this September

Up to 4,000 rail passengers can take part in each route of the pay-as-you-go ticketing trials.
digital ticketing trials will start from the end of the summer across Yorkshire and the East Midlands

passengers can now sign up for one of the 4,000 places available

demonstrates government action to overhaul ticketing and get more people onto our railways as part of our Plan for Change

From today (6 June 2025), thousands of passengers across the north and East Midlands will have a chance to volunteer to take part in a new digital ticketing trial.

Backed by government funding, the trials will use GPS-based technology to track train journeys, ensuring passengers pay the best fare for the journey they take.

Digital ticketing builds on the government’s plans to overhaul the railways to make them simpler, more flexible and passenger-focused. Ahead of the creation of Great British Railways, the government continues to work to deliver positive changes like this for passengers – attracting more people back onto our trains, boosting the economy and delivering on the government’s Plan for Change.

The trials being operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) and Northern Trains will run along these routes:

Leicester to Derby to Nottingham

Harrogate to Leeds

Sheffield to Doncaster

Sheffield to Barnsley

Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said:

Contactless ticketing is making journeys easier to navigate for millions of passengers and now our digital trials are actively recruiting volunteers to help expand this technology across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

Simplifying ticketing is a major part of our plans to overhaul the railways. I encourage anyone who regularly gets the train along these routes to get involved and help us build a ticketing system that delivers a better experience for passengers and communities across the country.

Unlike the previous rollout of pay-as-you-go, which uses contactless payment at barriers, these trials will use GPS-based technology to track people’s location throughout their train journey.

Up to 1,000 passengers will be able to take part in each route of the trials, meaning 4,000 passengers in total. The first trial to get underway will be on EMR between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, kicking off at the beginning of September. The other routes, operated by Northern, will begin between September and November, with each running for 9 months from the start date.

Anyone interested in taking part should check EMR and Northern Trains’ websites, where a recruitment campaign has been launched.

Alex Hornby, Commercial and Customer Director, Northern Trains, said:

These trials mark an important step forward in simplifying rail travel and making the experience as frictionless as possible for our customers. By trialling pay-as-you-go technology on some of our routes, we’re helping to shape a future where hopping on a train is as easy as checking in and out.

We will now be reaching out to regular customers on those routes to see if they would be willing to participate in these trials later this year. We’re excited to see how they respond and look forward to playing our part in modernising how people travel by rail in the north.

These trials are expected to build on the success of the rollout of contactless ticketing at 53 stations across the south east. Since its introduction, more than 2 million entries and exits have been made using contactless cards or mobile devices, averaging around 140,000 a week – showing how popular the system is with customers using those stations already.

The department is also working closely with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to develop their proposals for rolling out contactless ticketing even further.

Jenna Cowie, Interim Commercial Director at East Midlands Railway, said:

We’re excited to be part of a project that aims to improve the way people travel and it is a great opportunity for our customers in Derby, Nottingham and Leicester to be among the very first in the country to experience a new, smarter way to buy train tickets.

This trial is all about making train travel easier, faster and more intuitive. No more fare confusion – just check in and out with your phone and travel knowing you’ll automatically pay the best-value fare for your journey.

This follows on from a watershed moment last month when South Western Railway (SWR) services became the first train operating company to transfer back into public control since the passing of the Public Ownership Bill, ending almost 30 years of fragmentation and waste under privatisation.

By bringing track and train together, Great British Railways will enable operations to run more seamlessly, bringing accountability and reliability back into the railways and, in turn, helping to reduce delays and cancellations.

Great British Railways will not just be the name of the new nationally owned railway, it symbolises a complete reset that will mark the high standard of service and delivery the public should expect to receive.

This week, the government also announced £15.6 billion – the biggest ever investment – in buses, trams and local train infrastructure for city regions, benefiting working people across the north, the Midlands and the south west. The funding – a more than double real-terms increase in capital spending on local transport in city regions by 2029 to 2030 compared with 2024 to 2025 – will empower local leaders to invest in transport projects that will make a difference to their local area.

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Published 6 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: More than £32 million to resurface roads and build new cycle lanes in the north east and Yorkshire as region hosts UK’s largest women’s cycling race
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

More than £32 million to resurface roads and build new cycle lanes in the north east and Yorkshire as region hosts UK’s largest women’s cycling race

Investing in safer roads will encourage more women to cycle, build healthier, stronger communities and help ease pressure on the NHS.
an extra £20 million boost will improve roads across the north east and Yorkshire – part of an additional £500 million to tackle potholes nationwide

future of Roads Minister visits the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women – the UK’s biggest women’s cycling race – to promote safer roads for female cyclists

this is on top of nearly £12.8 million to build new cycle lanes and pavements in the north east – making active travel easier and easing pressure off the NHS, all part of the government’s Plan for Change

Cyclists in the North East and Yorkshire will get around safely and easily as the government invests an extra £32 million to tackle potholes and build new cycle lanes in the region.

Today (6 June 2025), the Minister for the Future of Roads will be in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, to speak to local schools, cycling clubs and female cycling champions during Stage 2 of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women – the UK’s biggest women’s road cycling race.

The minister will show how the government is taking action to resurface roads and emphasise the need to make them safer and more accessible for all road users, including female cyclists. Her visit follows the £15.6 billion boost announced earlier this week to empower local leaders to invest in local transport projects that will make a real difference across England’s city regions – including South Yorkshire, the north east and Tees Valley.

Pothole-ridden roads put everyone off cycling, with this impact felt the most by women. According to research from Cycling UK, more than half of women (58%) said their cycle journeys were limited by safety concerns and a lack of suitable infrastructure, with 36% of women pointing to poor roads as a main factor.

The government is investing an extra £20 million to resurface roads across the north east and Yorkshire so that cyclists and all road users can get around more safely, more easily and with confidence.

On top of this uplift, local cyclists are also benefiting from an almost £13 million boost to build new cycle lanes and pavements in the north east.

Better roads and new cycle lanes will make it easier and safer for people to cycle. This will lead to 43,000 fewer sick days a year across the country and add £1.4 billion to the UK economy, putting money in the pockets of hardworking families to help deliver the government’s Plan for Change.

Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, said:

Safer roads mean safer spaces to cycle. The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women is a fantastic way to show women and girls the power of cycling and the difference it can make to their lives.

By investing in better roads, we’re delivering our Plan for Change – encouraging more women and girls to hop on a bike, easing pressure on the NHS and building healthier, stronger communities.

Across the country, the government is investing a total of £1.6 billion to resurface roads – enough to fill 7 million extra potholes – which includes an extra £500 million boost to go above and beyond the government’s manifesto commitment.

Lizzie Deignan MBE, Olympic silver medallist and world champion, said:

I am incredibly passionate about getting more women and girls on bikes, whatever their background or ability. The benefits of cycling are vast, from improving your health, meeting new people and developing new skills and confidence.

Having better cycling infrastructure across the UK will definitely break down barriers, which currently prevent women and girls from participating in cycling.

Programmes like British Cycling’s Breeze and Go-Ride clubs are reaching out to local communities and creating opportunities to make it easier for women and girls to access cycling, so we can enable safe and fun environments to make sure that everyone can enjoy the freedom of riding a bike.

With more investment in our roads and cycle lanes, programmes like this can go further as we bring the joy of cycling to more people across the country.

The £13 million for new cycle lanes and pavements in the north east comes from a £291 million package to build new active travel infrastructure across the whole country and encourage more people to walk, wheel, scoot and cycle.

The improvements will help people across the country make 30 million more journeys by bike or foot every year, including more than 20 million new walk-to-school journeys by children and their parents.

Caroline Julian, Director of Brand and Engagement at British Cycling, said:

Significant barriers still exist that prevent many people from accessing the health, economic and social benefits that cycling brings. We know from our research that road safety is the biggest reason that holds people back from getting on a bike. This is, unfortunately, particularly the case for women.

We are encouraged to see the significant government investment in road and cycle lane infrastructure in the north-east and Yorkshire regions. Investing in infrastructure and places to ride, alongside strengthened promotion and enforcement of the Highway Code, is of critical importance to make cycling accessible to all.

RAC Senior Policy Officer, Rod Dennis, said:

Whether on two wheels or four, the quality of the nation’s roads must be improved to make journeys smoother and safer. It’s crucial now that councils use this cash as effectively as possible.

While dangerous potholes must be filled quickly, councils need to do more surface dressing work to ensure decent roads stay in a better state for longer and resurface those that are beyond repair.

IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards, Nicholas Lyes, said:

Poorly maintained roads are not just a nuisance, they are a road safety hazard, particularly for those on two wheels. We welcome this additional funding that focuses not just on smoother surfaces but safer infrastructure, which will improve journey choice for people.

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Published 6 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New ambulances and faster emergency care for patients next winter
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

New ambulances and faster emergency care for patients next winter

Patients will receive better, faster and more appropriate emergency care as the government sets out reforms to shorten waiting times in A&E.
Nearly £450 million investment to expand urgent and emergency care facilities to provide faster care for patients

800,000 fewer patients each year to wait more than four hours at A&E, and more will receive urgent treatment in their community

Part of government’s Plan for Change to modernise NHS services and improve emergencv care.

Patients will receive better, faster and more appropriate emergency care as the government sets out reforms to shorten waiting times and tackle persistently failing trusts.

The new package of investment and reforms will improve patients’ experiences this year, including by caring for more patients in the community, rather than in hospital which is often worse for patients and more expensive for taxpayers.

Backed with a total of nearly £450 million, the plan will deliver:

Around 40 new Same Day Emergency Care and Urgent Treatment Centres – which treat and discharge patients in the same day, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital.

Up to 15 mental health crisis assessment centres to provide care in the right place for patients and avoid them waiting in A&E for hours for care, which is not the most appropriate setting for people who are experiencing a crisis. These centres will offer people timely access to specialist support and are directed to the right care.

Almost 500 new ambulances will also be rolled out across the country by March 2026.

The plan’s emphasis will be on shifting more patient care into more appropriate care settings as part of the move from hospital to community under the government’s Plan for Change to rebuild the NHS, while tackling ambulance handover delays and corridor care.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said:

No patient should ever be left waiting for hours in hospital corridors or for an ambulance which ought to arrive in minutes.

We can’t fix more than a decade of underinvestment and neglect overnight. But through the measures we’re setting out today, we will deliver faster and more convenient care for patients in emergencies

Far too many patients are ending up in A&E who don’t need or want to be there, because there isn’t anywhere else available. Because patients can’t get a GP appointment, which costs the NHS £40, they end up in A&E, which costs around £400- worse for patients and more expensive for the taxpayer.

The package of investment and reforms we are announcing today will help the NHS treat more patients in the community, so they don’t end up stuck on trolleys in A&E. Hundreds of new ambulances will help cut the unacceptably long waiting times we’ve seen in recent years. And new centres for patients going through a mental health crisis will provide better care and keep them out of A&E, which are not well equipped to care for them.

By shifting staff and resources out of hospitals and into communities, and modernising NHS technology and equipment, our Plan for Change will make sure the NHS can be there for you when you need it, once again.

NHS Chief Executive Sir Jim Mackey said:

Urgent and emergency care services provide a life-saving first line of defence for patients – but for too long now, despite the incredible hard work of staff, the speed and quality of NHS care has often not been good enough.

Our patients and staff deserve better, so that is why we need a radical change in approach and to ensure we get the basics right.

This major plan sets out how we will work together to resuscitate NHS urgent and emergency care, with a focus on getting patients out of corridors, keeping more ambulances on the road, and enable those ready to leave hospital can do so as soon as possible.

NHS National Director for Urgent and Emergency Care Sarah-Jane Marsh said:

It is vital that patients can access our urgent and emergency care services in the right place at the right time, and that the care provided is to a standard we would want for ourselves and our own families.

While the 10 Year Health Plan will set out a longer-term vision to transform urgent and emergency services for the 21st century, there is so much more we could all be doing now.

This plan sets out not only what we know is working across the country, but how systems must work together to improve access and quality for the benefit of our patients.

In order to support this shift in delivery focus, NHS England will be asking providers and systems to be accountable to their own local Boards and populations, creating robust winter plans which will be tested during winter exercises throughout September”.

Every day, more than 140,000 people access urgent and emergency care services across England. Since 2010/11, demand has almost doubled with ambulance service usage rising by 61%.

A&E waiting time standards have not been met for over a decade, while the 18-minute target for category 2 ambulance calls has never been hit outside the pandemic.

But at least one in five people who attend A&E don’t need urgent or emergency care, while an even larger number could be better cared for in the community.

The plan focuses on making winter 2025/26 significantly better than recent winters by setting ambitious but achievable targets and increasing transparency about progress.

It marks a fundamental shift in our approach to urgent and emergency care – moving from fragmented efforts to genuine collaboration across the whole system and mean better coordination between NHS trusts and primary care to identify patients most vulnerable during winter.

And it aims to make the most difference to patients by focusing on specific improvements across the healthcare system, aligning resources to areas that need them most.

The plan will also see more patients receive care in the community, rather than being unnecessarily admitted into hospital, through measures including:

More paramedic-led care in the community – which means patients will receive more effective treatment at the scene of an accident or in their own homes from ambulance crews

Increasing numbers of patients seen by urgent community response teams – which provide urgent care to people in their homes, helping to avoid hospital admissions and enable people to live independently for longer. Local areas will be told to lay out how they will expand access to these teams, which includes understanding level of needs;

Better use of virtual wards – which use modern technology to provide patients with hospital-level care at home safely and in familiar surroundings, speeding up their recovery while freeing up hospital beds for patients that need them most

And publishing league tables on performance to drive improved transparency and public accountability and as well as encouraging less effective systems to work more closely with high performing systems to accelerate improvement.

Thanks to the investment and reforms announced today, 800,000 fewer people should be forced to wait more than 4 hours for care in emergency departments this year.

Chief Executive of NHS Providers Daniel Elkeles said:

There is a lot to like about this plan. It’s helpful that we’re seeing it in early summer, with time to ensure meaningful measures are in place ahead of the added pressures of winter.

It’s also good to see that so many parts of the system, including primary, community and mental health care, in addition to ambulance and hospital services, have been factored in.

The extra capital investment for same day emergency care and mental health crisis assessment centres and ambulance services is particularly welcome, as is the emphasis on vaccination – and on this we’d urge NHS staff and the public to play their part by getting that protection.

This plan should result in meaningful progress compared to last winter. As the plan acknowledges the public and our staff want to know the NHS can respond quickly, safely and effectively in an emergency. NHS Providers would like to work with NHSE and the government to develop long term UEC plans that are bold and ambitious.

Association of Ambulances Chief Executives Managing Director Anna Parry said:

The new urgent and emergency care plan reaffirms AACE’s vision for the future of NHS ambulance services. By extending and formalising a wider ambulance sector remit in urgent and emergency care, we will be better placed to help resolve some of the key system pressures, reduce the risks for patients and transform patient care while offering a more positive working environment for our people.

By underscoring the importance of a system-wide focus to achieve improvements in urgent and emergency care, this new plan acts as a genuine challenge to all health and social care leaders, encouraging them to plan and act with purpose to achieve the transformation that is needed. Ambulance service leaders continue to proactively seek increased opportunities for greater collaboration with system partners while identifying new strategies and initiatives within their own ambulance trusts to achieve the transformation targets outlined in the plan.

We are particularly heartened to see the plan’s emphasis on the reduction and improved management of hospital handover delays. Handover delays have the greatest detrimental impact on ambulance resources and create unnecessary delays and additional harm for thousands of patients each year. The elimination of corridor care and the focus on reducing 12-hour waits at emergency departments is also welcomed.

Finally, we wholeheartedly endorse and support the plan’s underlined recognition of the impact of the delivery of sub-optimal care on NHS staff, alongside the pivotal role both leadership and a strong system-level approach must play in the transformation of urgent and emergency care.

NHS Confederation Chief Executive Matthew Taylor said:

Health leaders across systems, providers and primary care will welcome this plan to provide better, faster and more appropriate emergency care, an area which is facing high demand and rising public concern over performance.

As the plan shows, there is a lot of good practice across the health service to build upon, including expanding the number of same day emergency treatment and mental health crisis assessment centres and rolling out more ambulances.

Making sure the NHS does not continue to fall into crisis each winter will be essential for improving public confidence in the health service. Strong collaboration between health partners and with local government to improve discharges out of hospitals will also be key to progress.

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Published 6 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Discusses The 4th Financing for Development Conference—Contribution of the IMF to the International Financing for Development Agenda

Source: IMF – News in Russian

June 5, 2025

Washington, DC: On June 3, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed the staff paper on the contribution of the IMF to the international financing for development agenda, prepared in view of the 4^th Financing for Development Conference (FfD4) to be held in Sevilla, Spain from June 30 to July 3, 2025. The paper outlines the challenging context for development, updates staff’s assessment on the achievability of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and proposes actions to accelerate development progress.

The series of shocks since 2020 has added to longstanding structural challenges, with low-income and fragile countries affected the most. Debt vulnerabilities deserve attention, particularly for low-income countries. While debt appears sustainable for most countries, many are facing high interest costs and elevated refinancing needs that constrain their ability to finance critical spending necessary to progress on their development path. Against this background, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 appears increasingly unlikely.

Accelerating development progress will require a major collective effort, including advancing a strong domestic reform agenda, providing adequate international support to complement and facilitate domestic reforms, and proactively addressing debt vulnerabilities. Importantly, while developing countries share many characteristics, increasing heterogeneity across countries calls for appropriate differentiation in countries’ policy and reform agenda, as well as in the support from the international community.

The IMF has a strong role to play in supporting countries maintain or restore macroeconomic and financial stability, which is a key condition to enable sustainable growth and development. Through its surveillance, capacity development, and financial support to countries faced with balance of payment needs, the IMF helps countries advance this agenda, including through continuous adjustments in its policies to ensure they remain fit for purpose and aligned with evolving needs of the membership. It also plays a leading role on debt and the global debt architecture, through its monitoring of debt vulnerabilities and debt sustainability assessments and further enhancing its work to tackle debt challenges and improve debt restructuring processes, including through the Common Framework and progress at the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable. In all these activities, the IMF collaborates closely with partners, particularly the World Bank.

Executive Board Assessment^[1]

Executive Directors welcomed the opportunity to discuss the contribution of the IMF to the international financing for development agenda, as well as the review of recent experiences in the IMF’s collaboration with the World Bank, ahead of the 4th Financing for Development Conference. Directors concurred with staff’s analysis of the challenging context for development, as the series of shocks since 2020 has added to longstanding structural challenges weighing on economic and social progress in developing countries, with low‑income and fragile countries affected the most.

Directors agreed that debt vulnerabilities deserve specific attention, in particular for low‑income countries. They noted that, while debt appears sustainable for most countries under baseline assumptions, uncertainties and risks to the baseline have increased significantly. In addition, many countries face high interest costs and elevated refinancing needs that constrain their ability to finance critical spending necessary to progress on their development path.

Directors noted with regret that achieving the sustainable developments goals (SDGs) by 2030 appears increasingly unlikely, as it would require financing that exceeds credible assumptions and surpasses what countries could absorb without creating additional macroeconomic imbalances.

Directors agreed that accelerating development progress requires a major collective effort comprising strong domestic reforms, significant international support, and proactively addressing debt vulnerabilities. They noted that, while developing countries share many characteristics, increasing heterogeneity across countries calls for appropriate differentiation in countries’ policy and reform agenda, as well as in the support from the international community.

Directors emphasized the importance of advancing a strong domestic reform agenda to maintain or promote a stable and sound macroeconomic and financial environment and boost private‑sector led growth and job creation. This includes increasing the efficiency of public spending and optimizing the use of available resources, mobilizing domestic resources, strengthening debt management, and improving governance. These reforms are also key to increase resilience against external shocks.

Directors also agreed that international support, through well‑coordinated and sequenced capacity development (CD), and additional public and private financing, will be critical to complement and facilitate domestic reforms. They underlined the importance of proactively addressing debt challenges and supported the proposed approach to: (i) improve further debt restructuring processes to ensure countries with unsustainable debt have access to timely and sufficiently deep debt relief, building on progress already made in particular under the Common Framework and through the work at the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR); and (ii) accelerate the implementation of the “3‑pillar approach” to help countries with sustainable debt and a robust reform agenda, where productive spending is crowded out by high debt service. They welcomed the recent publication of the GSDR “Restructuring Playbook” and supported further strengthening the IMF’s contribution to help address debt vulnerabilities, consistent with its role and policies and respecting its duty of neutrality. They also underlined the importance of further enhancing debt transparency and the accuracy of debt data.

Directors agreed that, while the IMF is not a development institution, it has a strong role to play to help member countries maintain or restore macroeconomic and financial stability, which is a key condition to enable sustainable growth and development. They underlined the importance of IMF surveillance, CD, and financial support to members faced with balance of payment needs, to achieve this objective, and looked forward to the upcoming comprehensive surveillance review and review of program design and conditionality. Directors highlighted the recent reforms to ensure that the lending framework remains fit for purpose, including the finalization in October 2024 of the review of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) facilities and financing and the review of the Charges and the Surcharge Policy, and the significant expansion of CD delivery over time, with a strong emphasis on supporting low‑income countries and fragile and conflict‑affected states. In this context, some Directors saw room to further scale up the IMF’s concessional facilities and CD support. Some others cautioned against placing greater emphasis in IMF‑supported programs on development spending needs and higher financing volumes. Directors supported the continued active role of the IMF on debt issues and its sustained engagement in international efforts to address debt vulnerabilities. Some Directors noted that a greater emphasis in the paper on the IMF’s existing work on climate would have better illustrated that the Fund is already actively contributing to help address these challenges, in line with its mandate. A few Directors also highlighted the macro‑critical nature of inequality and its impact on long‑term stability and development, and supported a deeper analytical and operational engagement on these fronts within the Fund’s existing mandate.

Directors underlined the importance of IMF collaboration with partners, in particular the World Bank and relevant UN agencies, building on comparative advantages and consistent with each institution’s mandate. They welcomed the review of recent experiences in the IMF’s collaboration with the World Bank and underscored the critical importance of maintaining or further deepening this efficient collaboration, leveraging the respective expertise of both institutions for an optimal division of work and avoiding duplication.

Directors underscored the importance of clear communication to promote a better public understanding of the institution’s unique role, mandate, and activities in fostering macroeconomic and financial stability, which is a prerequisite for sustainable growth and development.

[1] An explanation of any qualifiers used in summing up can be found here: http://www.IMF.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm.

IMF Communications Department

MEDIA RELATIONS

PRESS OFFICER: Randa Elnagar

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

@IMFSpokesperson

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/05/pr25184-imf-discusses-4th-financing-dev-conference-contribution-imf-intl-financing-for-dev-agenda

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MIL OSI Russia News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Anand to travel to United Kingdom and France

Source: Government of Canada News

June 5, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she will be in London, United Kingdom, and Paris, France, from June 6 to 7, 2025, for bilateral visits.

In London, Minister Anand will meet with David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom. They will discuss ways to reinforce the close Canada-United Kingdom relationship, including by strengthening security and defence collaboration and expanding economic cooperation.

There, Minister Anand will also meet with Shirley Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, to discuss strengthening the Commonwealth through strategic reforms and focusing on its key strengths, such as advancing democracy and human rights. Minister Anand will also attend a meeting of G7 heads of mission and a round-table discussion with business leaders on defence and economic growth.

Minister Anand will then travel to Paris, where she will meet with Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France. They will discuss Canada and France’s continued collaboration on shared priorities, including defence and security, the promotion of democratic values, the two countries’ consecutive G7 presidencies and the promotion of the French language.

Throughout the trip, Minister Anand will reiterate Canada’s commitment to growing its already close ties with the United Kingdom and France as key transatlantic allies and reliable trading partners.

MIL OSI Canada News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Say Cheese, Partner

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

Across Texas, ranches and dairy farms are churning out products with rich taste and character in every bite. National Dairy Month is the perfect time for Texans to explore the many delicious contributions of this industry to the Lone Star State.

Dairy is playing an increasingly important role in Texas agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture places Texas among the top five dairy-producing states in the country, with almost 300 dairies spread across the state. According to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, dairy production in Texas continues to grow and is valued at billions of dollars—that’s a lot of cheddar.

The number of dairy cows in Texas has also grown over the past two years, even as the rest of the country has seen a decline. Texas now has an in-curd-ible 675,000 dairy cows chewing their cud in our state.

One of the nation’s most consumed dairy products is cheese, which has been in existence for centuries. While its exact origins remain unknown, most experts believe it was discovered accidentally—when milk was stored in vessels made from the stomachs of animals. An enzyme called rennet caused the milk to curdle and preserve itself. Over time, the art of cheesemaking spread across the globe and became part of many cultures, pun intended.

Here in Texas, many cheesemakers use milk produced straight from their own herds. While dairy cows provide most of the milk, goats, sheep, and even water buffaloes also lend a hoof in creating the wide variety of cheeses made here.

One of Texas’ most celebrated cheesemakers is Paula Lambert, who founded Dallas’ Mozzarella Company in 1982. Starting with fresh mozzarella, her company now produces more than 30 cheeses, most developed by Paula herself. She lived in Italy before returning to Texas in 1973. Opening a cheese factory in Deep Ellum near Downtown Dallas was her way of bringing the flavors she loved in Italy back home. As she says, “I had loved fresh mozzarella when I lived in Italy, and back home no one had even heard of an insalata caprese—a mozzarella and tomato salad—and I thought they oughta know about it.”

Paula is considered a pioneer in American artisanal cheese. She has written cookbooks, and received honors such as the American Cheese Society Lifetime Achievement Award and the Grande Dame title from Les Dames d’Escoffier International. Some might say she is a “big cheese” in cheese!

In Dublin, Texas, the Veldhuizen family runs a farmstead cheese operation less than 90 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Stuart Veldhuizen, along with four generations of his family, produces more than 60 wheels of cheese each week. Their cheeses age in a stone cave built by the family, maturing anywhere from two months to two years. Made from milk sourced from their own herd of cows and flock of sheep, their cheeses are crafted entirely on-site at the farm creamery. Together, they’ve made their dream of farmstead cheesemaking come true.

Makers across Texas pour their heart into every wheel and wedge, delivering a taste that’s unmistakably Texan—and there’s a Texas cheese for everyone that’ll hit the spot.

Behind every glass of milk, wedge of cheese, or scoop of ice cream, there’s a Texas story showing a dairy culture bursting with flavor and hard work in the Lone Star State. This National Dairy Month, celebrate with something local and pay homage (or in this case, fromage) to the farmers, ranchers, and producers shaping the future of Texas dairy.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Tiffany Demands PSC to Prioritize Baseload Power Sources, Ensure Affordable Energy for Wisconsinites

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Tom Tiffany (WI-07)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) sent a letter to Summer Strand, Chair of the Public Service Commission (PSC), calling for Wisconsin to lead the way in affordable energy production. Specifically, the letter asks the PSC not to prematurely close coal-fired plants and ensure reliable baseload power to make our state more competitive.

In the letter, Tiffany writes, “If Wisconsin is going to maintain its role as a world-class manufacturing state, we must keep all of our current power plants online and bring new generation online for the future. This is particularly critical as we enter a new era of artificial intelligence and data centers, which require a steady supply of reliable, and low-cost energy, such as coal, natural gas, and nuclear power generation.”

“As you evaluate the future of Wisconsin’s grid, I urge you to resist pressure to close any coal-fired plants prematurely. As you know, shuttering these facilities presents risks – which helps explain why we’ve already seen planned closures of existing coal plants delayed, such as Columbia Energy Center. In short, coal fired plants are a backbone of baseload power, and cannot simply be replaced with intermittent generation provided by wind and solar,” Tiffany added.

“As the Trump administration removes barriers to growth and opportunity, the choice is ours. Will our state keep up with the growing demand for energy, or will we play second fiddle to other states? Will we move to shore up our state’s industrial prowess and prepare for the family-wage jobs of the future by tapping into Made in America energy, or will we allow the radical “climate” lobby to make Wisconsinites poorer while enriching the “green energy” crony capitalists who finance them? We must make sure we are in a position to win and continue to grow, otherwise we run the risk of becoming California; or even worse, Spain or Portugal,” Tiffany concluded.

You may read the full letter here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI: BULGOLD Announces Non-Brokered Private Placement for Gross Proceeds of Up to $1 Million

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States

TORONTO, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BULGOLD Inc. (TSXV: ZLTO) (the “Company” or “BULGOLD”) is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the “Offering”) for gross proceeds of up to $1,000,000 from the sale of common shares of the Company (each, a “Share”) at a price of $0.05 per Share (the “Issue Price”).

The Company has agreed to pay a finder’s fee to arm’s length parties for services rendered in respect of the Offering. The finder’s fee will consist of a cash fee equal to 7.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of Shares sold to third parties sourced by the finders, and finder’s warrants equal in number to 7.0% of the Shares sold to third parties sourced by the finders (the “Finder’s Warrant”). Each Finder’s Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.07 until the date which is 18 months from the closing date of the Offering.

The Company intends to use the proceeds raised from the Offering for exploration as well as for general corporate purposes. The Offering is scheduled to close on or about June 30, 2025 and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Shares will have a hold period ending on the day that is four months and one day following the closing date.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and accordingly may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

About BULGOLD Inc.

BULGOLD is a gold exploration company focused on the exploration and development of mineral exploration projects in Central and Eastern Europe. The Company controls 100% of three quality quartz-adularia epithermal gold projects located in the Bulgarian and Slovak portions of the Western Tethyan Belt: the Lutila Gold Project, the Kostilkovo Gold Project and the Kutel Gold Project. Management of the Company believes that its assets show potential for high-grade, good-metallurgy, low-sulfidation epithermal gold mineralisation.

On March 31, 2025, BULGOLD’s issued and outstanding shares were 27,597,928 of which approximately 40.3% were held by Founders, Directors and Management. Additional information about the Company is available on BULGOLD’s website (www.BULGOLD.com) and on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward‐looking statements and forward‐looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance and include statements relating to the use of proceeds of the Offering and the timing for closing of the Offering. The forward‐looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward‐looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward‐looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks, including the inherent uncertainty of mineral exploration; risks related to title to mineral properties; and credit, market, currency, operational, commodity, geopolitical, liquidity and funding risks generally, including changes in economic conditions, interest rates or tax rates and general market and economic conditions. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward‐looking statements and information contained in this press release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward‐looking statements and information contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward‐looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

For further information, please contact:

BULGOLD Inc.
Sean Hasson, President and Chief Executive Officer
Telephone: +359 887 560 545
Email: sean.hasson@BULGOLD.com
Website: www.BULGOLD.com

The MIL Network –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: President Trump Welcomes German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the White House

Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

“It’s an honor to have you. We have a great mandate from the people, and part of our mandate is we’re gonna have a great relationship with [Germany]. Thank you very much for being here.” –President Donald J. Trump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLAJEScGArE

MIL OSI Video –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: We applaud Syria’s determination to ensure Assad’s chemical weapons programme is destroyed: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Speech

We applaud Syria’s determination to ensure Assad’s chemical weapons programme is destroyed: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Caroline Quinn, UK Deputy Political Coordinator, at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

Let me start by welcoming the strong commitment of the Syrian government to turn the page of history. We applaud Syria’s determination to ensure once and for all that the Assad era chemical weapons programme is destroyed.

The UK is greatly encouraged by Syria’s operational and logistical support to the deployments carried out by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, including access to sites and people, and by Syria’s commitment to engage with the international community.

We also welcome the OPCW Technical Secretariat’s deployments to Syria in March and April. The persistence and professionalism shown by OPCW staff in Syria has been exceptional. As has the consistently high quality of the Technical Secretariat’s work on this important file in a very challenging technical environment.

Important progress has been made towards setting up OPCW offices in Syria and the collection and analysis of samples.

These are vital steps towards Syria’s full implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council resolution 2118, which the Assad regime so flagrantly violated.

There is, however, President, much more work to do in a difficult operational environment.

Due to the secrecy and complexity of Assad’s illegal chemical weapons programme, the precise extent of the challenge ahead is still unknown.

Allow me to make three brief points.

Firstly, both the Syrian government and the OPCW will need to be operationally agile to address any proliferation or health risks found in inspecting sites of concern.

The OPCW’s role is vital. As mandated by the Chemical Weapons Convention and by resolution 2118, the OPCW must verify the Syrian-led declaration and destruction of any remaining elements of Assad’s chemical weapons programme.

Secondly, to achieve this, the OPCW will need technical, financial and logistical assistance from the international community.

The OPCW has provided States Parties with its estimated costs for its work in Syria.

The UK has already provided more than $1 million to the OPCW Syria Missions to support their immediate work and will look to provide further assistance.

We join High Representative Nakamitsu in encouraging others to also provide the necessary resources. In particular, President, we welcome Qatar’s role in representing Syria at the OPCW in The Hague.

Finally, military action by neighbouring states risks delaying OPCW deployments as well as the preservation of evidence at chemical weapons sites. We therefore urge Israel to de-escalate their actions in Syria.

President, we have a historic opportunity to rid Syria of Assad’s chemical weapons.

Let us do our part to support Syria and the OPCW, to enable the new Syrian government to finally close the file on the scourge of chemical weapons use, and on this dark chapter in Syria’s history.

Updates to this page

Published 5 June 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Chagos Deal Sparks Parliamentary Backlash

Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

Statement by TUV MP Jim Allister:

“The hand over the Chagos Islands is a shameful and exorbitantly expensive sell out of sovereignty.

“The UK historically owns the Chagos Islands. Hence its large and strategically important military base there. Yet, under this deal the government is surrendering sovereignty to Mauritius and then leasing back for 99 years its own base! The amount of money is eye-watering, running to well over £20B.

“There is much unease in Parliament about this deal. Yet, the only way there can even be a debate before the deal is implemented is by way of a ‘prayer of opposition’. This is what I have been involved in securing this week. I drafted such a motion and then secured joint submission of the ‘prayer’ under the lead signatures of Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage and myself.

“Several dozen other MPs have now signed the motion with a view to trying to force the government to concede a debate. This is the work now in progress.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Data confirms Protocol damage to GB to NI Trade

Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

Commenting on the latest data from the Office for National Statistics TUV leader Jim Allister KC MP said:

“The statistics published by the Office for National Statistics today are damning. They confirm that the Protocol, rebranded as the Windsor Framework, is driving down trade from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.

“The figures speak for themselves. In 2020, before the imposition of the Protocol, 20.1% of GB manufacturing firms sold to Northern Ireland. Now that figure has collapsed to just 12.9%. In the retail and wholesale sector, the drop is just as stark—from 17.5% down to 12.4%. And across all business sizes and sectors, the share of GB firms trading with NI has fallen by around a third.

“Behind those numbers are real consequences: fewer choices for consumers in Northern Ireland, higher costs for local businesses, and Northern Ireland’s economy being nudged ever closer to the orbit of the Republic of Ireland. That is not accidental — it is the direct consequence of the framework.

“The figures also reveal something else: businesses are not just ceasing trade with Northern Ireland; even those who continue are scaling back. For example, in the retail sector, 14.2% of GB firms report declining sales to Northern Ireland, with only a tiny 1.5% seeing an increase. And 11.4% have stopped trading with Northern Ireland altogether.

“Small and medium-sized enterprises — the backbone of the UK economy — are being disproportionately hit. The extra bureaucracy, costs, and delays caused by the Irish Sea border are discouraging trade.

“When asked directly, GB and NI firms identified the Protocol/Windsor Framework as a major challenge to intra-UK trade. In manufacturing, 24.1% of businesses reported it as a problem. Across all sectors, almost one in every nine businesses pointed to the Framework as a barrier to doing business within their own country.

“So much for the promise of unfettered access.

“This new data from the UK’s own official statistics body corroborates previous findings from NISRA, which showed that while NI imports from GB rose 24% between 2020 and 2023, imports from the Republic of Ireland soared by 51%. That speaks to nothing less than a fundamental reorientation of Northern Ireland’s trade, away from our most important market and towards Dublin.“

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Five countries elected to serve on UN Security Council

Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia, and Liberia were elected on Tuesday to serve as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, with two-year terms beginning in January 2026.

They will serve through the end of 2027 on the UN body responsible for maintaining international peace and security.

They will join the five non-permanent members elected last year – Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia – who will serve through 2026. The incoming members will succeed Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia, whose terms end in December 2025.

The Security Council has 15 members: five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – who hold veto power, and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for staggered two-year terms.

Elections are held annually by secret ballot, with seats allocated by regional group. Candidates must secure a two-thirds majority in the 193-member General Assembly to be elected.

Vote tally

A total of 188 Member States participated in the election, which required only one round of balloting.

In the African and Asia-Pacific group, Bahrain received 186 votes, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) garnered 183 votes, and Liberia received 181 votes, with one country abstaining.

In the Eastern European group, Latvia received 178 votes while 10 countries abstained.

In the Latin America and the Caribbean group, Colombia received 180 votes, with eight countries abstaining.

Debut for Latvia

Latvia will take a seat on the Council for the first time in its history.

With the exception of Latvia, all the elected countries have previously served: Colombia seven times, the DRC twice, and Bahrain and Liberia once each.

Regional groups

The non-permanent seats on the Security Council are distributed according to four regional groupings: Africa and Asia; Eastern Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; and the Western European and other States group.

This year’s election filled five seats: two allocated to Africa, one to Asia-Pacific, one to Eastern Europe, and one to Latin America and the Caribbean.

[embedded content]

By Vibhu Mishra

MIL OSI United Nations News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Labubus, Sonny Angels and Smiskis: Are blind toy boxes just child’s play or something more concerning?

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Eugene Y. Chan, Associate Professor of Marketing, Toronto Metropolitan University

Collectible figurines on display at Pop Mart in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, on April 29, 2025. (Shutterstock)

If you’ve seen videos of people tearing into tiny toy packages online, or noticed teens obsessing over pastel-coloured figurines at the mall, you’ve probably encountered the global craze for blind box toys.

These small collectibles — usually figures of cartoonish characters — are sold in sealed packaging that hides which specific item is inside. You might get the one you want, or you might not. That uncertainty is part of the thrill.

Unlike traditional toys, these figures are marketed as collectibles. Many are part of themed series, with some designs labelled as “rare” or “secret,” appearing in as few as one in every 144 boxes. This sense of exclusivity fuels repeat purchases and has spawned a resale market where rare figures can command hundreds of dollars.

Popular among children and adults alike, blind box toys have grown into a billion-dollar industry. One of the more popular brands is Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company founded in 2010 known for its collectible designer toys sold in mystery packs.

Gen Z consumers, in particular, have embraced blind box toys both as a nostalgic pastime and as a form of legitimate collecting. The proliferation of unboxing videos on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, where creators open dozens of blind boxes on camera, has added to their appeal.

For many fans, these toys offer more than just cuteness: they also provide suspense, surprise and a rush of dopamine with every box opened. But how did this niche product become a global obsession?

From Tokyo streets to western malls

The origins of blind box toys trace back to East Asia. Capsule toy vending machines called gashapon originated in Japan in the 1960s. By the 1980s, they had become a cultural fixture. These machines dispense small toys in opaque plastic balls, with customers never quite sure which item they’ll receive.

In the early 2010s, Chinese companies like Pop Mart adapted the gashapon model for the mainstream retail space. Instead of vending machines, they began selling artist-designed vinyl toys in blind boxes at dedicated boutiques.

A tourist uses a gashapon machine in Osaka, Japan, in 2024. Gashapon machines are similar to the coin-operated toy vending machines seen outside grocery stores and other retailers in North America.
(Shutterstock)

Pop Mart’s success helped transform the blind box into a mainstream commercial phenomenon. Characters like Molly, Skullpanda and Dimoo became instant hits, combining Japanese kawaii esthetics with western pop art sensibilities.

Pop Mart figures have since developed a cult-like following. Many consumers treat the toys as affordable art objects, displayed in cabinets, on purses or traded online.

Today, blind box retail stores have expanded globally from Asia to Europe and North America. In October 2024, Pop Mart opened its first store in the Midwestern United States, located on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile at The Shops at North Bridge. The store offers exclusive products and taps into the growing demand for collectibles among American consumers.

The psychology behind the mystery

What makes blind box toys so hard to resist?

Their success relies on a psychological principle known as variable-ratio reinforcement — the same reward pattern that makes slot machines so addictive.

You never know exactly when you’ll score the item you’re after, but the possibility that the next box might contain it keeps people coming back. This unpredictability keeps people engaged, especially when the potential reward is framed as rare or valuable.

Cconsumer psychology research also suggests that anticipation plays a major role. Studies show that dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical, spikes not just when we get what we want, but when we anticipate it. The sealed packaging, the suspense of unwrapping and the hope for a rare figure all heighten this effect.

Sonny Angels on display in a store in Shenzhen, China, in March 2019.
(Shutterstock)

For younger collectors, the excitement of “the chase” can foster compulsive buying habits. This effect is amplified by the social influence of watching unboxings online or seeing friends complete their sets, and it becomes a powerful loop.

Even when buyers don’t get the figure they want, the sunk cost fallacy — the feeling that they’ve already invested too much time or money to walk away — keeps them buying more.

The hidden costs of blind boxes

As blind box toys surge in popularity, they have drawn criticism from consumer advocates, psychologists and environmentalists alike.

Some worry that blind boxes normalize gambling-like behaviours, especially among children. The randomness, excitement and promise of rare rewards closely mirror the mechanisms behind loot boxes in video games — another product that has sparked global concern over youth exposure to gambling psychology.

Several countries, including Belgium and the Netherlands, have regulated loot boxes under gambling laws. Blind boxes, though currently unregulated, may be next in line for scrutiny.

Read more:
Blind bags: how toy makers are making a fortune with child gambling

There are also environmental concerns. Many blind box toys come in excessive packaging — plastic wraps, foil bags, cardboard boxes — most of which is discarded immediately. The collectibles themselves are often made of non-recyclable plastics, raising questions about sustainability in an era of rising consumer awareness over waste.

Even among adult fans, some critics question whether blind boxes are designed less to bring joy and more to trigger compulsive consumption. The joy of collecting, they argue, is increasingly overshadowed by the mechanics of engineered desire.

What should we make of the blind box boom?

Blind box toys are not inherently harmful, and for many, they’re a source of fun, nostalgia and self-expression. They also offer an accessible way for consumers to engage with designer art in a collectible, miniature form, as many of them are created by individual artists.

But blind box toys also raise deeper questions about how modern marketing leverages psychological triggers associated with gambling, especially when it comes to children.

As these toys continue to gain traction in the West, it’s worth asking more critical questions, like: are we buying into mystery or are we being sold obsession and compulsion?

The blind box trend reflects broader shifts in how products are marketed, how value is perceived and how consumer behaviour is shaped in a digital, attention-driven economy. Understanding the forces at play may be the first step toward more informed — and perhaps more mindful — collecting.

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

– ref. Labubus, Sonny Angels and Smiskis: Are blind toy boxes just child’s play or something more concerning? – https://theconversation.com/labubus-sonny-angels-and-smiskis-are-blind-toy-boxes-just-childs-play-or-something-more-concerning-257611

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – PETI Fact-finding visit to Spain 26-28 May 2025 on labour rights of police officers in the EU – 05-06-2025

Source: European Parliament

Petition No. 1407/2023, submitted by David Gutierrez Prieto on behalf of the Confederacion Espanola de Policia (CEP), led the PETI Committee to organise a fact-finding visit to Spain, in the towns of Algeciras and Barbate. The petition raises concerns about the fundamental and labour rights of police officers in Spain and in the EU and calls for police work to be recognised as a risk profession across Member States.

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Balanced development clause for islands and mountain areas – E-002132/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002132/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Georgios Aftias (PPE)

The European Union’s borders encompass 4 381 376 square kilometres, from the Aegean to Finland, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus, with 65 992 kilometres of coastline. Islands are Europe’s natural borders. Covering an enormous area, they need immediate and balanced development as they tackle the effects of climate change, the demographic and housing crisis and illegal migration with limited access to new technologies and means of transport. Decisions must be coordinated and targeted. This makes it essential that we act immediately with the regions to ensure the balanced development of islands and mountainous areas, given that needs are very high.

In view of the above, can the Commission answer the following:

1.Will there be a mandatory provision for islands and mountain areas in the next Multiannual Financial Framework?

2.Will it act effectively to ensure that mountainous and island regions have adequate funding for goods and services?

3.By means of which financial instruments is it helping to strengthen the economic activities of these regions?

Submitted: 28.5.2025
Last updated: 5 June 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
June 6, 2025