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Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI China: Global gene banks add over 11,000 seed samples to Svalbard Vault

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

    Staff members transport seed samples into the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, on June 3, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Fourteen gene banks from around the world are depositing more than 11,200 seed samples this week at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, underscoring the critical role of crop diversity in future food security.

    Nestled in the Arctic permafrost on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, the Seed Vault is the world’s largest secure backup facility for crop diversity. To date, it safeguards over 1.3 million seed samples from across the globe.

    This 67th deposit includes vegetables and traditional crops that are not only vital for nutrition and climate resilience, but also for maintaining cultural identities, the Crop Trust, a managing partner of the facility, said in a press release on Tuesday.

    Among the new deposits are South Korea’s perilla and adzuki bean, Dutch heritage cabbage and spinach varieties, and Benin’s ancient cereal fonio and melon — examples of the profound link between seeds and cultural traditions worldwide.

    “These additions offer another snapshot of the rich diversity now held in the Seed Vault,” said Stefan Schmitz, executive director of the Crop Trust. They reflect how cultural heritage is intertwined with the survival of often-overlooked plant varieties — varieties that are vital to the future of food, he added.

    In total, 31 boxes of seeds are being deposited this week by gene banks from Austria, Benin, Kenya, Lebanon, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam, and Zambia.

    “The value of these seeds is immense,” said Hanne-Berit Brekken, Norway’s state secretary at Ministry of Agriculture and Food. “They will support scientists, breeders, and farmers in preparing our food systems to face both natural and human-made challenges.”

    Established in 2008, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault aims to protect the genetic diversity of the world’s food crops from threats such as war, climate change, and natural disasters. With a capacity to store up to 4.5 million distinct seed varieties, it serves as a global insurance policy for agriculture, housing duplicates from gene banks worldwide — as well as new varieties yet to be collected. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: SW China mountainous county brews global matcha success

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

    An aerial drone photo taken on May 15, 2025 shows Wei Yong (C) explaining key points of planting to tea farmers in Jiangkou County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

    In Jiangkou County, nestled in southwest China’s mountainous Guizhou Province, a centuries-old tea tradition is fueling a modern global boom.

    In 2024, the county’s matcha sales exceeded 1,200 tonnes with an output value surpassing 300 million yuan (about 41.7 million U.S. dollars), while its products have been exported to overseas markets including Japan, the United States and France.

    As a major matcha-producing country, China is poised to produce over 5,000 tonnes of matcha in 2025. Notably, Guizhou, leveraging its high-altitude tea farms, low latitude and misty climate, accounts for one quarter of China’s national output and exports to more than 40 countries and regions.

    Jiangkou County, located at the foot of Guizhou’s UNESCO-listed Fanjing Mountain, was once a poverty-stricken region but is now a pioneer in the field of matcha production. This turnaround began in 2017, when cutting-edge matcha industrial technology was introduced to this area.

    Led by industry leaders in partnership with allied enterprises and local farmers, this initiative has established a province-wide matcha industrial network in Guizhou — spanning 22 counties and empowering nearly 100,000 tea growers via increased incomes.

    The county’s tea fields currently cover 160,000 mu (about 10,667 hectares), with 20 percent dedicated to matcha production.

    “We control every step from farming to processing — to ensure premium quality,” said Meng Zude, chairman of Gui Tea Group, a leading tea company that manages the industrial cluster in Jiangkou.

    Meng explained that farmers focus on cultivation while allied partners process leaves. Gui Tea Group then refines leaves into premium matcha. From field to factory, free technical support ensures EU-standard compliance across the supply chain, Meng added.

    Jiangkou County has adapted Japanese matcha techniques to local conditions through both collaborations with experts and in-house research and development. Farmers now implement fertilization protocols, eco-friendly pest control and precision pruning — critical steps that ensure high-quality tencha leaves.

    Four tonnes of matcha have already been exported to Japan in 2025, while another six tonnes are scheduled for shipment to this traditional matcha hub this year, according to Chen Xiaoming, deputy director of Gui Tea’s foreign trade business.

    “Domestic clients now approach us directly, while Japanese buyers seek raw material supplies,” Chen said, adding that inquiries have grown significantly.

    “Matcha isn’t just a drink,” said Chen. “It’s a lifestyle China now leads.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China rising in rankings of universities

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

    China Daily | June 4, 2025

    Students take selfies during the 8th International Culture Festival of Tianjin Foreign Studies University in North China’s Tianjin, April 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    The global higher education landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, as China shows consistent improvement in academic output while universities in the United States face downward pressure in global rankings amid recent student visa policies, experts said.

    China has surpassed the US for the first time in the number of universities listed in the latest Global 2000 university rankings. Chinese institutions now account for 17 percent of the list, up from 324 last year to 346 this year, while the number of ranked US universities dropped from 329 to 319.

    The World University Rankings 2025, released on Monday by the Center for World University Rankings, revealed that 98 percent of Chinese universities improved their positions — a surge attributed to enhanced research performance and sustained government investment in higher education.

    Tsinghua University rose six places to rank 37th, excelling in employability and research. Peking University advanced three places to the 44th, while the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences jumped four places to 46th — surpassing Shanghai Jiao Tong University in the 61st place and Zhejiang University in the 68th position.

    Nadim Mahassen, president of the Center for World University Rankings, said that China is well represented among the world’s top universities, and further financial backing from the government will allow the country to be more competitive in the rapidly evolving global academic landscape.

    Although the US still has eight of the world’s top 10 universities — led by Harvard, MIT and Stanford — 83 percent of its listed institutions declined in rank. The United Kingdom’s Cambridge and Oxford secured the fourth and fifth places, respectively.

    Mahassen said that while the US still boasts the top universities in the world, the decline in ranking of the vast majority of its higher education institutions on the list is concerning.

    “At a time when Chinese universities are reaping the rewards of years of generous financial support from their government, American institutions are grappling with slashed federal funding and disputes over academic freedom and free speech,” he said.

    Recent controversies, such as the Trump administration’s move to revoke enrollment of international students at Harvard, later blocked by a federal judge, highlight the challenges facing US higher education.

    “For many years, American universities were able to attract a large number of international students, particularly from China. But with China’s extraordinary ascent in the rankings, coupled with the recent visa policies of the US, the situation may change soon,” Mahassen said.

    Liu Wei, senior vice-president of New Channel International Education Group and CEO of its overseas study division, said that China has been gaining ground in multiple international ranking systems — including QS, Times Higher Education and the Academic Ranking of World Universities — showing consistent improvement in academic output and global research influence.

    He emphasized that recent US visa policies toward Chinese students, such as the announcement of revoking the visas of some of those studying in “critical fields”, are also influencing the global higher education landscape and may affect the future rankings of US and Chinese institutions.

    “Stricter visa policies have introduced uncertainty for Chinese students seeking to study in the US, prompting many to consider alternatives,” Liu said.

    Countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and Singapore, as well as some European countries, have ramped up efforts to attract international students, particularly those diverting from the US.

    Universities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region also moved quickly to offer assistance when Harvard’s ability to admit international students was curtailed.

    Chen Zhiwen, a member of the Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy, said that Chinese students contribute significantly to research productivity and academic exchanges on US campuses, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, as well as among postgraduate students.

    A decline in the number of Chinese students due to visa policies could have an impact on academic output in US higher education, Chen said. Chinese universities could benefit from this in the long term, as students who planned to study in the US may instead enroll in top domestic institutions, boosting China’s academic and research environment, he added.

    “Since 2018, the proportion of Tsinghua University graduates pursuing overseas studies has shown a declining trend,” he said, adding that the trend could usher in a more multipolar higher education system, reducing the US’ historical dominance.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK commitment to the Indo-Pacific reaffirmed at global summit in Singapore

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    UK commitment to the Indo-Pacific reaffirmed at global summit in Singapore

    In the face of an unpredictable geo-political landscape, the UK’s approach to the Indo-Pacific reflects its determination to be a dependable and forward-looking security partner in the region.

    The United Kingdom has reinforced its long-term strategic commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, emphasising the critical importance of enhancing security cooperation and defence partnerships across this vital geo political space. 

    At the annual Shangri-La Dialogue hosted by IISS, Lord Coaker and the Chief of Defence Staff led a delegation from the UK who demonstrated the UK’s continued determination to working alongside partners to address shared security challenges and uphold the rules based international system. 

    This commitment will be further demonstrated this summer as the UK’s Carrier Strike Group visits the region – providing another opportunity to reinforce the UK’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

    And all this engagement is helping to strengthen the UK’s industrial base and create high-skilled jobs while also driving mutual prosperity and security across the Indo-Pacific. 

    Colonel Eddie Maskell-Pedersen, Head of the British Defence Staff in South East Asia said: 

    It’s been a great year for UK Defence activity in this region already. In Singapore alone we’ve had the Commander of UK Strategic Command attending the Defence Technology Summit, a bilateral visit from our Chief of the Air Staff, the Director of Development from the Royal Navy attending IMDEX along with a formal port call from HMS SPEY.   

    Our Defence cooperation with Singapore and with our partners across this region is going from strength-to-strength and our Global Defence Network looks forward to continuing to support the positive momentum we have across Southeast Asia.

    British High Commissioner to Singapore Nik Mehta said: 

    Singapore has yet again played host to a fantastic opportunity for regional defence engagement, and the UK delegation has had the chance to strengthen our relationships with this critical part of the world and underline our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

    Following hot-on-the-heels of this event we have our Carrier Strike Group visiting the region, providing a crowning moment for our relations with Singapore and across the Indo-Pacific.

    His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific Martin Kent said: 

    The security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific is indivisible from that of the Euro-Atlantic – and closer partnership has never been so vital. 

    The UK is a defence industrial superpower, with defence and security exports to Asia Pacific worth over £2.1bn in 2023. The UK delegation at this year’s Dialogue and the upcoming visit of the Carrier Strike Group highlight the strength of our defence industrial base, and our commitment to building mutual security and prosperity with the region. 

    Notes to editors

    • The UK High Commissioner to Singapore also posted about the Shangri-La Dialogue on his LinkedIn – Nikesh Mehta

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 4, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 4, 2025.

    Artist Janenne Eaton’s retrospective is a compelling account of our troubled times
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Shiels, Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT University Janenne Eaton R E E F 2015 enamel paint, vinyl decals, mirror and polymer clay on canvas Geelong Gallery Gift of the artist, 2019. Photographer: Mark Ashkanasy © the artist. With bad news-overload it is easy to conclude it is

    ‘Not available in your region’: what is a VPN and how can I use one safely?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meena Jha, Head Technology and Pedagogy Cluster CML-NET, CQUniversity Australia Linaimages/Shutterstock “This video is not available in your location”. It’s a message familiar to many people trying to watch global content online. But beneath this frustration lies a deeper question – how do we navigate digital borders

    Just the ticket? The problem with local body candidates aligning with national political parties
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julienne Molineaux, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images With accusations flying thick and fast last year about supposed “dysfunction” and a “shambles” at Wellington City Council, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown stepped in and appointed a Crown Observer. Announcing

    The chicks are alright: what songbirds can teach us about divorce and moving on
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frigg Janne Daan Speelman, PhD Candidate in Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University Charli Davies, CC BY-NC-ND In humans, it’s very common for the traditional family structure of two parents raising children to change abruptly. Usually, this happens when the parents decide to separate. Many separated couples are able

    Former Congress staffer allowed to return to New Caledonia
    By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk One of seven people transferred to mainland France almost a year ago, following the May 2024 riots in New Caledonia, has been allowed to return home, a French court has ruled. Frédérique Muliava, a former Congress staffer, was part of a group of six who were

    Ship runs aground in Fiji – then its rescue vessel capsizes
    RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Maritime Safety Authority has launched an investigation into Goundar Shipping Limited following two incidents involving its vessels. Late last month, one vessel ran aground on the reef of Ono-i-Lau, and villagers had to step in to ferry stranded passengers to nearby islands using small boats. On Monday, the Lomaiviti Princess II was

    Curious Kids: can spiders swim?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leanda Denise Mason, Vice Chancellor Research Fellow in Conservation Ecology, Edith Cowan University A great raft spider (_Dolomedes plantarius_). Salparadis/Shutterstock Can spiders swim? Waubra Preschool students, Victoria, Australia What a great question! Most spiders don’t swim by choice. But they sure can survive in water when they

    A two-state solution is gaining momentum again. Does it have a chance of success?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Thomas, Lecturer in Middle East Studies, Deakin University As Israel’s devastating war in Gaza has ground on, the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was thought to be “dead”. Now, it is showing signs of life again. French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly pressing other European

    Senior public servants think GenAI will boost productivity – but are worried about the risks
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Many bold claims have been made about Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and its capacity to improve productivity and generate workplace efficiencies. A recent Microsoft survey found 24% of private sector leaders have already deployed GenAI across their organisations. Many

    People with severe mental illness are waiting for days in hospital EDs. Here’s how we can do better
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sebastian Rosenberg, Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, and Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney Matthew Ashmore/Shutterstock On ABC’s 4 Corners this week, psychiatrists and nurses have warned New South Wales’ mental health system is in crisis. They report some patients with severe mental

    With a government review underway, we have to ask why children bully other kids
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marilyn Campbell, Professor, School of Early Childhood & Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock The federal government has launched a “rapid review” to look at what works to prevent bullying in schools. Led by mental health experts, the review will underpin a new national standard to

    In the trade wars, there are lessons for the US from Brexit. Australia and our trading partners should take note
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Draper, Professor, and Executive Director: Institute for International Trade, and Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Trade and Environment, University of Adelaide General_4530/Getty While the Trump administration’s on-again, off-again trade wars wreak havoc on the business plans of the world’s exporters, the risks to the

    ‘That was rude’: why the new Broadway musical Death Becomes Her was ripe for TikTok memes
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Camp, Senior Lecturer, School of Music, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau A few snippets of musicalised dialogue from the cast album of the new Broadway musical Death Becomes Her – with music and lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, and a book by Marco

    Motarilavoa Hilda Lini, ‘a trailblazer’ for Vanuatu women in politics, dies
    RNZ Pacific Motarilavoa Hilda Lini, a pioneering Ni-Vanuatu politician, has died. Lini passed away at the Port Vila General Hospital on Sunday, according to local news media. Lini was the first woman to be elected to the Vanuatu Parliament in 1987 as a member of the National United Party. Motarilavoa Hilda Lini in 1989 .

    Fiji coup culture and political meddling in media education gets airing
    Pacific Media Watch Taieri MP Ingrid Leary reflected on her years in Fiji as a television journalist and media educator at a Fiji Centre function in Auckland celebrating Fourth Estate values and independence at the weekend. It was a reunion with former journalism professor David Robie — they had worked together as a team at

    Australia’s lowest paid workers just got a 3.5% wage increase. Their next boost could be even better
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Buchanan, Professor, Discipline of Business Information Systems, University of Sydney Business School, University of Sydney Carlos Castilla/Shutterstock A week ago, the Australian Financial Review released this year’s “Rich List”. It reported the number of billionaires in Australia increased from 150 to 166 between 2024 and 2025.

    What’s a ‘Strombolian eruption?’ A volcanologist explains what happened at Mount Etna
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Teresa Ubide, ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor in Igneous Petrology/Volcanology, The University of Queensland Fabrizio Villa / Getty Images On Monday morning local time, a huge cloud of ash, hot gas and rock fragments began spewing from Italy’s Mount Etna. An enormous plume was seen stretching

    The Queensland government is cancelling renewable energy projects. Can the state still reach net zero?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute Johan Larson/Shutterstock On the surface, Queensland’s new government is doing exactly what it pledged before winning office in October – repealing the state’s ambitious renewable energy targets and cancelling a huge pumped hydro project near Mackay. But since the start

    PNG’s Namah calls for tighter bio controls, patrols on Indonesian border
    By Scholar Kassas in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea minister has raised concerns about “serious issues” at the PNG-Indonesia border due to a lack of proper security checkpoints. Culture and Tourism Minister Belden Namah, who is also the member for the border electorate Vanimo-Green, voiced these concerns while supporting a new Biosecurity for Plants

    Samoa parliament formally dissolved after months of uncertainty
    RNZ Pacific Samoa’s Parliament has been formally dissolved, and an early election is set to take place within three months. After months of political instability and two motions of no confidence, Prime Minister Fiāme Naomi Mata’afa said she would call for the dissolution of Parliament if cabinet did not support her government’s budget. MPs from

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Sabalenka weathers Zheng storm to reach French Open semis

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

    China’s tennis sensation Zheng Qinwen lost to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the French Open women’s singles quarterfinals on Tuesday.

    The 22-year-old Zheng, the eighth seed, broke first in the first set before the 27-year-old Sabalenka came back to win a tie-breaker. The top seed maintained the momentum in the second set to seal the victory.

    Zheng Qinwen reacts during the women’s singles quarterfinal between Zheng Qinwen of China and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros, Paris, France, June 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

    Zheng has delivered her career best performance at the French Open by reaching the quarterfinals.

    “That was a true battle, and honestly I have no idea how I was able to break her back and get back in the first set. I was just trying to fight and put as many balls as I could back because I didn’t start well. I am really glad that I found my rhythm and won this match,” Sabalenka said after the game.

    At the Italian Open quarterfinals last month, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion Zheng defeated the three-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka for the first time. This time at Roland Garros, also on the clay, Sabalenka took the match against Zheng as a revenge.

    “I have to say that last tournament I was pretty exhausted, and honestly at the end of the match I was actually glad that I lost that match, because I needed a little break before Roland Garros. Today, I was just more fresh, and I was ready to battle,” Sabalenka explained.

    As the best result for Sabalenka at the French Open before was the semifinals in 2023, she hopes to make breakthroughs this time, “Everyone wants that beautiful trophy. I am really glad that I have another opportunity, another semifinal to do better than I did last time. I really hope that by the end of the clay season this year, I will be very proud of myself.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: New-look China women’s volleyball team opens VNL campaign in Beijing

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

    A revamped Chinese women’s volleyball team is set to begin its 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) campaign on home soil, as the Beijing leg of the tournament kicks off Wednesday at the National Indoor Stadium.

    At a pre-tournament press conference Tuesday, newly appointed head coach Zhao Yong and team captain Gong Xiangyu expressed both hope and determination ahead of their opening match against Belgium.

    “Playing at home brings both pressure and motivation, but the motivation is greater,” said Zhao, 49, who took over as head coach last month, succeeding Cai Bin. “It has been years since a major international tournament was held in Beijing, and for this new generation of players, it is more of an encouragement.”

    China’s 18-player squad for the Beijing leg features a host of newcomers, with more than half making their national team debut. The roster includes Wu Mengjie, Zhuang Yushan, Tang Xin, and Dong Yuhan as outside hitters; Wang Yuanyuan, Wan Ziyue, Shan Linqian, Chen Houyu, and Wang Aoqian as middle blockers; Gong Xiangyu, Yang Shuming, and Fan Boning as opposites; Zou Jiaqi, Yin Xiaolan, and Zhang Zixuan as setters; and Ni Feifan, Wang Mengjie, and Zheng Xinyi as liberos.

    “All the athletes have shown great commitment and a strong desire to bring honor to the country and the team,” Zhao said. “We hope to grow and improve through tough competition.”

    Gong, 28, now in her 10th year with the national team, said the players are supporting one another as they embrace a new chapter.

    “We are a completely new team. Every chance to play against world-class opponents is a valuable learning opportunity,” she said. “The encouragement among teammates is our greatest strength.”

    China will face Belgium in its opening match. The two teams last met at the 2022 FIVB Women’s World Championship, where China earned a straight-set victory (25-18, 25-18, 27-25). In that match, Belgium’s outside hitter Britt Herbots posted a match-high 21 points.

    “Belgium has a very strong and complete outside hitter,” Gong said. “We are fully focused on this match and hope to give our best performance in front of home fans.”

    Herbots, 25, missed nearly two years of international play due to injury but is now back with the Belgian national team. “Every VNL match is difficult for us,” she said. “I hope to help the younger players enjoy the game and keep improving. I’m very happy to be back, and as an experienced player, I’ll try to help the team with my experience.”

    The five-day Beijing leg features six teams: China, Belgium, Poland, Thailand, Türkiye, and France. All six will be in action Wednesday, with France taking on Türkiye and Thailand facing Poland.

    After the opener against Belgium, China will meet Poland on Thursday, face France on Saturday, and wrap up with Türkiye on Sunday.

    China, a traditional powerhouse in women’s volleyball, has a decorated international history, with three Olympic gold medals (1984, 2004, 2016), two World Championship titles (1982, 1986), and five World Cup titles (1981, 1985, 2003, 2015, 2019).

    At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, China advanced through the group stage undefeated but fell short of the podium following a quarterfinal loss to Türkiye.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chelsea sign Essugo in time for Club World Cup

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

    Chelsea has finalized the signing of Portuguese midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting CP. The 20-year-old joins the newly crowned UEFA Conference League winners for a fee of 18 million pounds (24.3 million U.S. dollars) and has signed a contract through June 2033.

    Essugo, known for his tough tackling, spent last season on loan at La Liga side Las Palmas, where he made 27 appearances and was a bright spot in an otherwise difficult campaign that ended in relegation.

    The Portugal under-21 international made history as the youngest ever player to debut for Sporting’s first team, breaking the record previously held by Luis Figo when he took the field at 16 years and six days old. He also spent the 2023-24 season on loan with Chaves, appearing in 14 matches.

    The deal was initially agreed upon in March but was completed with the reopening of the transfer window ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup. Essugo will join Chelsea’s squad for the tournament, which kicks off with a match against Los Angeles Galaxy on June 16.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Kimmich nears 100th cap for Germany

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

    Preparing for his 100th appearance with the German national team this Wednesday against Portugal, Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich is reflecting on his journey in football.

    Ahead of the UEFA Nations League semifinal, the 30-year-old is set to face one of the sport’s all-time greats, Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Joshua Kimmich (L) of Bayern Munich controls the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart in Munich, Germany, May 8, 2022. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)

    Kimmich was just eight years old when the Portuguese legend made his international debut in August 2003, and nine when Ronaldo competed in his first major tournament, the 2004 UEFA European Championship.

    “Going into my 100th game is special, but it feels like I’m still far away from what he’s accomplished over the past 20 years,” said Kimmich, a 2020 treble winner with Bayern.

    The German international praised Ronaldo as “someone I watched as a boy, and he’s still competing at a very high level.”

    Ronaldo, 40, has amassed 220 caps and 136 goals for Portugal-figures Kimmich described as “incredible” as he reflected on his own career and the so-called “title-less generation” of German players.

    “We have the chance to win a smaller title with the Nations League,” said Kimmich, with one year remaining before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His only international title so far is Germany’s 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup victory. He emphasized his desire to add a major trophy soon.

    Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann will be without several key players in the semifinal, including Jamal Musiala, Antonio Rüdiger and Kai Havertz. But Kimmich said the Nations League title is meaningful for “us, because we can prove we can beat big nations.”

    He stressed that the tournament has implications beyond 2025. “The World Cup preparation doesn’t start in a few months-it starts now,” Kimmich said, noting that winning a major title remains a constant goal.

    Kimmich, who has played at a world-class level as both a fullback and midfielder-according to German legend Lothar Matthaus-has endured highs and lows in the national team shirt, including early World Cup exits in 2018 and 2022.

    Now, with Nagelsmann’s generational overhaul, Germany is reemerging as a contender. The team is revitalized by young talent, but still light on experience. “There aren’t 15 players who have already won a lot,” Kimmich said.

    For him, facing Ronaldo marks more than just a personal milestone-it’s a symbol of a new chapter. “Everyone’s determination to win some silverware is tangible. Everyone is joining the team trying to prove their class.”

    Kimmich also spoke of a new atmosphere and a stronger winning mentality-qualities Ronaldo has embodied for two decades. The Portuguese forward’s record continues to inspire Kimmich and his teammates to pursue long-overdue international success.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Hong Kong and New Zealand, the easiest jurisdictions for doing business in APAC, says GBCI 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Global Business Complexity Index (GBCI), recently launched by TMF Group, analyses the business environment of 79 jurisdictions, accounting for 94% of the world’s GDP. It also ranks them based on over 250 indicators of business complexity, with the jurisdiction ranked 1st as the most complex and the jurisdiction ranked 79th, the least.

    Among the world’s 10 least complex jurisdictions for doing business, Hong Kong, SAR remains the 4rth easiest jurisdiction for the second year in a row. The jurisdiction offers a favourable business environment, characterised by a straightforward and low tax regime that appeals to international businesses.

    New Zealand, also included in the 10 easiest jurisdictions worldwide, maintains its reputation as a straightforward place for business operations. This is largely due to the government’s proactive approach in welcoming foreign investments and streamlined administrative processes.

    Meanwhile, business complexity in India (18th) is mainly driven by recent regulatory changes, according to this year’s GBCI report. Over the past year, India has introduced numerous regulatory amendments aimed at boosting transparency and accountability. Although these are expected to bring benefits in the long term, they have added layers of complexity for businesses operating in the country, requiring constant adaptation to new compliance needs.

    Japan is ranked 43rd in this year’s GBCI, showing a decrease in complexity from last year’s position (38th). This decrease in complexity is partly due to recent simplifications and governmental initiatives to provide English-language support to international financial service companies. These measures facilitate easier operations and reduce barriers for foreign businesses, improving investment attractiveness.

    Singapore, ranking 48th, continues to demonstrate resilience and adaptability in its trade corridors. This jurisdiction invests heavily in technology and infrastructure upgrades, reinforcing its status as a regional hub.

    China’s Mainland (10th) enters the top 10 most complex jurisdictions for businesses in 2025. According to the report, the complexity is driven by its frequent regulatory changes and regional disparities. Despite these challenges, the government continues to offer incentives to attract investment and to promote infrastructure development to enhance trade logistics.

    TMF Group’s Head of APAC, Shagun Kumar, commented: “We’re seeing a growing effort by decision-makers and businesses across APAC to reduce unnecessary burdens for doing business in the region — these have in the past delayed development, leading to complex evaluations for investment. Such efforts contribute to unlocking the region’s drive towards economic growth, and we expect businesses to adapt and continue to leverage the potential of APAC as a key contributor for their global strategies.”

    Top and bottom ten (1= most complex, 79= least complex) 
    1. Greece  79. Cayman Islands 
    2. France  78. Denmark 
    3. Mexico  77. New Zealand 
    4. Turkey  76. Hong Kong, SAR 
    5. Colombia  75. Jersey 
    6. Brazil  74. Netherlands 
    7. Italy  73. Jamaica 
    8. Bolivia  72. British Virgin Islands 
    9. Kazakhstan  71. Curaçao 
    10. China’s Mainland  70. Czech Republic 
       

    Media Contacts
    Marina Llibre Martin
    marina.llibremartin@tmf-group.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Former Congress staffer allowed to return to New Caledonia

    By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk

    One of seven people transferred to mainland France almost a year ago, following the May 2024 riots in New Caledonia, has been allowed to return home, a French court has ruled.

    Frédérique Muliava, a former Congress staffer, was part of a group of six who were charged in relation to the riots.

    Under her new judicial requirements, set out by the judge in charge of the case, Muliava, once she returns to New Caledonia, is allowed to return to work, but must not make any contact with other individuals related to her case and not take part in any public demonstration.

    Four days after their arrest in Nouméa in June 2024, Muliava and six others were transferred to mainland France aboard a chartered plane.

    They were charged with criminal-related offences (including being a party or being accomplice to murder attempts and thefts involving the use of weapons) and have since been remanded in several prisons across France pending their trial.

    In January 2025, the whole case was removed from the jurisdiction of New Caledonia-based judges and has since been transferred back to investigating judges in mainland France.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Not available in your region’: what is a VPN and how can I use one safely?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meena Jha, Head Technology and Pedagogy Cluster CML-NET, CQUniversity Australia

    Linaimages/Shutterstock

    “This video is not available in your location”. It’s a message familiar to many people trying to watch global content online. But beneath this frustration lies a deeper question – how do we navigate digital borders safely and ethically?

    As our digital lives expand, so too does our desire for access. Maybe you want to see the latest streaming shows before they arrive in your country. Maybe you’re a sports fan wanting to watch live broadcasts of international events. Or perhaps you need to log into your company’s secure intranet while at home or overseas.

    Enter the virtual private network (VPN) – a technology that’s become as essential as antivirus software for many. With many commercial and free VPN providers on the market, interest in these services has grown in recent years.

    How does a VPN work?

    A VPN is like a secure tunnel between your device and the internet. When you use a VPN, your internal traffic is scrambled into unreadable data and routed through a remote server, which also masks your real IP address.

    Think of it like this: instead of sending a postcard with your return address, you send it in an envelope to a trusted friend overseas who mails it on your behalf. To anyone looking at the envelope, it looks like the message came from your friend and not you.

    This technique shields your identity, protects your data from snoopers, and tricks websites into thinking you are browsing from another location.

    While often marketed as tools for online privacy, VPNs have grown popular for another reason: access.

    Many people use VPNs to access geo-blocked content, secure their internet activity, work remotely – especially when handling sensitive data – and protect against online tracking and targeted advertising.



    Read more:
    What does it mean to ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ all cookies, and which should I choose?

    VPNs are legal, if a bit grey

    VPN services are offered by dozens of providers globally. Companies such as NordVPN, ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN and Surfshark offer paid subscriptions with strong security guarantees. Free VPNs also exist but come with caveats (more on this in a moment).

    In most countries, including Australia, using a VPN is completely legal.

    However, what makes it murky is what one might use it for. While using a VPN is legal, engaging in illegal activities while using one remains prohibited.

    Streaming services like Netflix or Disney+ license content by region. Using a VPN to access a foreign catalogue may violate their terms of service and potentially be grounds for account suspension.

    Australian law does not criminalise accessing geo-blocked content via VPN, but the copyright act does prohibit circumventing “technological protection measures” in certain cases.

    The grey area lies in enforcement. Technically, copyright law does ban getting around certain protections. However, the latest advice does not mention any cases where regular users have been taken to court for this kind of behaviour.

    So far, enforcement has mostly targeted websites and platforms that host or enable large-scale copyright infringement; not everyday viewers who want to watch a show a bit early.

    Beware of ‘free’ VPNs

    Not all VPNs are created equal. While premium services invest in strong encryption and privacy protections, free VPNs often make money by collecting user data – the very thing you may be trying to avoid.

    Risks of unsafe VPNs include data leaks, injection of ads or trackers into your browsing, and malware and spyware, especially in free mobile apps that claim to provide a VPN service.

    Using a poorly designed or dishonest VPN is like hiring a bodyguard who sells your location. It might give the impression of safety, but you may actually be more vulnerable than before.

    Okay, so how do I choose a VPN?

    With so many VPNs available, both free and paid, it can be hard to know which one to trust. If you are considering a VPN, here are five things to look for.

    No-log policy. A trustworthy VPN should have a strict no-log policy, meaning it does not store any records of your internet activity, connection time or IP address. This ensures even if the VPN provider is hacked, subpoenaed or pressured by a government, they have nothing to hand over.

    Strong encryption standards. Encryption is what makes your data unreadable to anyone snooping on your connection, such as hackers on public WiFi or your internet provider. A somewhat technical thing to look out for is AES 256-bit encryption – it’s extremely secure and is used by banks and governments.

    Independent audits. Reliable VPN services voluntarily undergo third-party audits to verify their privacy claims and the security of their infrastructure.

    Kill switch. A kill switch is a critical safety feature that automatically blocks internet traffic if the VPN connection drops. This prevents your real IP address and data from being exposed, even momentarily.

    Jurisdiction. VPNs are subject to the laws of the country they are based in. The countries in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand) may legally compel providers to hand over user data. If a VPN service has a strict no-log policy and does not collect information about what you do online, then even under legal pressure, there is nothing to hand over. So, you are safe.

    In an era of growing surveillance, cybercrime and corporate data collection, VPNs are essential tools for reclaiming your online privacy and data.

    But like any tool, the effectiveness (and ethics) of VPNs depend on how you use them. Next time you fire up your VPN, ask yourself – am I just dodging a digital border, or actively protecting my online freedom?

    Meena Jha 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. ‘Not available in your region’: what is a VPN and how can I use one safely? – https://theconversation.com/not-available-in-your-region-what-is-a-vpn-and-how-can-i-use-one-safely-256559

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Dragon boat races spark rise in tourism spending during ancient Chinese festival

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

    Villagers compete during a dragon boat race at Xixi National Wetland Park in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, on May 31, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    In the watery maze of Diejiao Village in Foshan, south China’s Guangdong Province, dragon boat teams race through S-curves, L-bends and tight C-turns with breathtaking precision. Spectators gasp and cheer as the 25-meter-long boats spin around corners at full speed, water spraying in their wake.

    A popular Cantonese saying captures the spirit of the event: “Ning ho bou laan, bat ho paa maan,” meaning, “It’s better to crash the boat than to paddle slowly.” It’s no surprise, then, that Chinese social media users have dubbed this tradition the “F1 on water,” with thrilling clips of races going viral across the country and beyond during the recent Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

    The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year, and in 2009, it became the first Chinese holiday to be inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. People throughout China and all over the world celebrate the festival, which has a history stretching more than 2,000 years.

    Festivities vary from region to region but usually share several features: a memorial ceremony offering sacrifices to an ancient Chinese patriotic poet is combined with sporting events such as dragon boat races, zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) feasts, and folk entertainments such as opera performances.

    These rich traditions are increasingly influencing how people choose their travel destinations. Across China, more tourists are seeking out immersive cultural experiences, and the Dragon Boat Festival offers both vibrant celebrations and a focus on deep-rooted heritage.

    This year’s holiday — May 31 to June 2 — turned Foshan into a travel magnet, with its total tourist bookings up 167 percent year on year. Hotel reservations jumped 145 percent, and airline ticket sales rose 110 percent.

    “Chinese dragon boat racing has long gone global,” said Chen Xiaolin, a Chinese-Canadian and the leader of a dragon boat team from Victoria, Canada, that joined an international dragon boat competition in east China’s Suzhou city on May 31.

    Chen originally founded the team in Victoria to connect with the local Chinese community. But over time, more and more local residents joined. “That might be because residents in Victoria really enjoy water sports like kayaking and canoeing, which have similarities to dragon boat racing,” she said.

    Yvonne Christine Ann Sharpe, a 70-year-old team member, had eight years of canoeing experience before she tried her hand at dragon boat racing. Sharpe told Xinhua that canoeing allows paddlers to switch hands, making it a bit easier than dragon boat racing, which has a complex technique and requires full team synchronization to maintain balance and speed.

    “Hard connectivity, soft connectivity and economic ties lay the foundation for tourism, but cultural connectivity is key to sustaining its appeal,” said Tang Jinwen, an associate professor at the Management College of Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University. Tang noted that traditional festivals like the Dragon Boat Festival are becoming cultural events that connect China with the world.

    Traditional Chinese festival experiences are drawing growing numbers of international visitors to explore and connect with Chinese culture firsthand, particularly following the country’s rollout of its visa-free travel policies.

    According to data from the National Immigration Administration, 231,000 foreign nationals entered China during this year’s Dragon Boat Festival holiday under these new policies — a 59.4 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

    Hotel searches for inbound international tourism during the holiday more than doubled this year, according to data from online travel giant Trip.com. The top-10 source countries for related inbound travel were Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, Russia, Japan, Britain, Australia and France.

    Beijing, China’s capital city, welcomed 67,000 international tourists during the holiday, a year-on-year increase of 35.8 percent. These visitors spent a total of 720 million yuan (about 100 million U.S. dollars), which was 41.1 percent higher than the same period last year.

    China has been vigorously boosting its domestic consumption, notably in its culture and tourism sectors. Since the beginning of 2025, local governments have rolled out a variety of incentives, ranging from cultural vouchers to ticket discounts, aiming to unlock spending potential.

    These efforts intensified during the 2025 Dragon Boat Festival. In central China’s Hubei Province, more than 160 A-level scenic areas offered ticket discounts, pass bundles and family deals. Shandong Province distributed 50 million yuan in cultural tourism vouchers covering attractions, hotels and cultural products.

    As China’s economy reaches a certain level, a growing emphasis is being placed on exploring traditional culture and, in particular, how it is reflected in consumption, said Wang Qing, who works at a market economy institute under the Development Research Center of the State Council.

    Elements of traditional culture are likely to play increasingly important roles in shaping consumption in China, Wang said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Kickstarting economic transformation

    Source: Scottish Government

    £24 million to realise Kishorn Port potential.

    A multi-million pound investment is being made in one of Scotland’s most strategically important ports.

    Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will invest up to £24 million at Kishorn Port in the west Highlands to enhance its capacity and capabilities, with an expanded dry dock and land reclamation enabling the manufacture of floating offshore wind foundations.

    The expanded facilities are forecast to attract projects with the potential to support up to 1,500 jobs once the port is fully developed.

    The investment forms part a Scottish Government commitment of up to £500 million over five years to develop the country’s ports and offshore wind supply chain. The funding will help ensure businesses and communities secure maximum benefit from the country’s growing renewables capabilities.

    As a strategic location for offshore wind components marshalling and manufacturing, Kishorn Port will play a crucial role in supporting current offshore wind developments and is well positioned to capitalise on future opportunities extending beyond Scotland.

    The port houses one of the largest openings of any dry dock facility in Europe, making it a unique and valuable asset.

    Announcing the award ahead of making an investment-focused speech today at Panmure House in Edinburgh, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said:

    “This is one of the most significant public investments in our port infrastructure in decades. It is crucial to ensuring Kishorn Port and the communities it supports can reap the benefits of the global renewables market.

    “It is a clear signal from the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise that will give investors the confidence to invest millions more in the area’s wider infrastructure, economy and people.”

    HIE chief executive Stuart Black said:

    “Offshore wind presents a massive opportunity for the Highlands and Islands and Kishorn is one of several ports that are at the heart of this. The facility has provided skilled jobs in a rural area for many decades and this is likely to grow significantly, which is vital to community resilience in a priority west coast location.

    “The proposed dry dock expansion and land reclamation will greatly enhance the port’s capacity to support offshore wind and the contribution it makes to Scotland’s economy. I’m delighted that we’ve been able to secure this significant additional funding for the region and look forward to continuing to work with Kishorn Port Ltd as the project develops.”

    Kishorn Port Limited (KPL) Directors Alasdair Ferguson said:

    “This is a significant milestone in the continuing development of Kishorn Port. The port expansion will provide the catalyst for the support and creation of jobs within Wester Ross and the wider Highlands, benefiting communities across the area. We’re grateful to Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Government for their support. 

    “With the quarry on site, Kishorn Port is ideally suited to concrete manufacturing of floating offshore wind sub-structures, with local content, laydown, marshalling, and long-term integration and assembly possible at the port as part of the wider project in the long-term.”

    Background

    Other investments made as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment of up to £500 million include:

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tenfold increase in UK drone deliveries for Ukraine at 50-nation Ukraine summit

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Tenfold increase in UK drone deliveries for Ukraine at 50-nation Ukraine summit

    The UK is investing a record £350m this year to increase the supply of drones to Ukraine from a target of 10,000 in 2024 to 100,000 in 2025

    The UK is ramping up its support for Ukraine with a target to achieve a tenfold increase in production and procurement of drones to deliver to Ukraine this year.

    With more than 10,000 drones delivered to Ukraine last year by the UK, tens of thousands more have already been delivered towards an ambitious new target of 100,000 drones for the current financial year. The record £350m investment in drones for Ukraine is part of the UK’s £4.5bn military support this year.

    As Ukraine’s Armed Forces have demonstrated the effectiveness of drone warfare in defending against Putin’s illegal invasion, the UK has been doubling down on investment in drones with British defence companies, including small to medium sized enterprises, supporting the UK economy and jobs, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

    Convening a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) with his German counterpart, the Defence Secretary will also announce that the UK will spend a further £247m this year on training the Armed Forces of Ukraine, supporting its highly successful programme of training for Ukrainian recruits on British soil, Operation Interflex, which has provided more than 55,000 Ukrainian recruits with basic combat training since 2022 – with contributions from 13 partner nations.

    Ukrainian units have confirmed that UK-provided drones have helped stabilise parts of the frontline by driving back Russian attacks and protecting Ukrainian lives, and Defence Intelligence has confirmed that drones currently kill more people than artillery on the frontline in Ukraine.

    As well as this, the Defence Secretary will confirm the completed delivery of 140,000 artillery munitions by the UK for Ukraine since the start of 2025, in a vital boost for Ukraine’s frontline troops.

    As part of the Strategic Defence Review – published on Monday – the government announced more than £4bn for autonomous systems and drones for the UK Armed Forces, to help learn the lessons from Ukraine. This follows the government’s historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of UK GDP by April 2027.

    The Defence Secretary is set to join the German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, to host Ukrainian Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, at the latest meeting of the 50-nation strong UDCG at NATO headquarters today (Wednesday).

    Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

    The UK is stepping up its support for Ukraine by delivering hundreds of thousands more drones this year and completing a major milestone in the delivery of critical artillery ammunition.

    We are learning lessons every day from the battlefield in Ukraine, which British companies are using to develop advanced new drones to help protect Ukraine’s civilians and also strengthen our own national security.

    Defence is an engine for growth, delivering on this government’s Plan for Change, and this investment will help keep us secure at home and strong abroad, while ensuring the UK is a world leader in rapidly developing drone technology.

    To provide further training and equipment supplies for Ukraine’s forces, the UK will also invest £40m in the trust fund for NATO’s NSATU mission for Ukraine, for which the UK is the framework nation, which is prioritising rapid procurement of spare parts and fuel for vehicles, training, and consumables to support troops in combat.

    Artillery is critical to Ukraine’s war effort, holding back Putin’s forces from making significant gains on the frontline. With supply chains around the world under unprecedented strain, securing reliable sources for artillery ammunition is vital for Ukraine’s defence.

    Many of the drones built in the UK harness new cutting-edge technology, from highly manoeuvrable first-person view (FPV) drones to precisely attack Russian targets, to interceptor drones designed to boost Ukraine’s air defence by destroying Russian missiles and drones, to new fibre-optic drones which are tethered via a cable which safeguards against jamming from Russian electronic warfare systems.

    The UK has also been providing low-cost drones which can drop explosives on Russian positions. Between this type of drone and FPV systems, these two types of drone are reported to be responsible for 60-70% of damage currently caused to Russian equipment.

    The UK is fully committed to working with allies to step up support to ensure Ukraine remains in the strongest possible position, which is why £4.5 billion of military support will be provided this year – more than ever before.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 June 2025

    Invasion of Ukraine

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to observational study on low calorie diets and depressive symptoms

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    An observational study published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health looks at the mental health consequences of low calorie diets.

    Prof Stella Chan, Charlie Waller Chair in Evidence-based Psychological Treatment, University of Reading, said:

    “This research study contributed to the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry by showing a potential link between dietary habits and mental health in US adults. The study also provided further observations around individual differences by gender and BMI status. However, these findings must be treated with caution because of methodological limitations. Cross-sectional findings can only show an association but cannot identify causal directions. Depressed individuals could be more prone to following a restrictive diet, or that diets and mental health have no direct association but are underpinned by common risk factors. These findings can also only generalised to mainstream U.S. populations, biasing towards those who were able and willing to complete relevant measures. Future research should widen relevant mental health outcomes, such as disordered eating and anxiety which often co-occur with depression, and to use more robust measures than self-reported self-identified measures on dietary habits.”

    Prof Susan Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health, University of Oxford:

    “This is an observational study and so the apparent association between reported ‘calorie-restricted’ diets and symptoms of depression is at high risk of confounding from other factors. Higher quality data comes from controlled clinical trials where the consensus of evidence is that weight-loss interventions lead to small improvements in symptoms of depression (e.g. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7116866/, and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38084632/).

    “It is possible that the benefits of weight loss observed during a trial may also relate to the structured support offered to participants and it maybe that people trying to lose weight alone, without support may experience poorer mental health.  This has not been specifically demonstrated, but if true, it would reinforce the importance of providing access to structured and supportive programmes for people living with obesity and who want to lose weight to improve their health.”

     

    Prof Naveed Sattar, Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine/Honorary Consultant, University of Glasgow, said:

    “This study is seriously limited as cross-sectional so cannot determine cause and effect, and reverse causality may play a role whereby people having to consider such diets may be doing so for other reasons in their lives that leads them to gain weight.  In low calorie diet randomised trial in people with type 2 diabetes, quality of life improved significantly compared to no intervention (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29221645/) whereas the same low calorie intervention in people living with Long COVID, did not observe any adverse impact on depressive symptoms, but rather a potential benefit in the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) score at 6 months (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39779922/).”

    ‘Mental health consequences of dietary restriction: increased depressive symptoms in biological men and populations with elevated BMI’ by Gabriella Menniti et al. will be published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health at 23:30 UK time on Tuesday 3 June, which is when the embargo will lift.

    DOI: 10.1136/ bmjnph-2025-001167

     

    Declared interests

    Prof Susan Jebb:

    1. The Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial government department set up in 2000 to represent consumer interests in relation to food;
    2. The Chair, Professor Susan Jebb is also Professor of Diet and Population Health at the University of Oxford, a member of the Public Health England Obesity Programme Board and Chair of the DH Public Health Responsibility Food Network;
    3. Here’s a link to her register of interests from the FSA website : https://www.food.gov.uk/about-us/professor-susan-jebb-obe-phd-frcp-hon-fmedsci-fsa-chair

    Prof Naveed Sattar: “NS has consulted for and/or received speaker honoraria from Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Afimmune, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Carmot Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Hanmi Pharmaceuticals, Janssen, Menarini-Ricerche, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Metsera, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Roche; and received grant support paid to his University from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, and Roche. No shares in any medical areas.”

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: French authorities block Greenpeace ship from participating in UN Ocean Conference

    Source: Greenpeace

    French authorities have blocked Greenpeace International’s ship Arctic Sunrise from entering the port of Nice, where the “One Ocean Science Congress” and the UN Ocean Conference are being hosted. This was retaliation against Greenpeace France, highlighting the weaknesses of the French network of Marine Protected Areas last month in the Mediterranean Sea, in an expedition on board the Arctic Sunrise.
    Greenpeace International will write a formal letter of complaint to the United Nations, deploring the behaviour of the hosting French government. Civil society participation is a core element of the UN Ocean Conference.
    The presence of the Arctic Sunrise in Nice would coincide with the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior by French secret services in Auckland.
    Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Ellie Hooper says, “It’s ironic that so close to the 40th anniversary of the French Government’s attempt to silence Greenpeace here in Auckland by bombing the Rainbow Warrior, the French Government is again trying to shut us down by blocking our ship from entering Nice.”
    “But just like we were not silenced then, neither will we be silenced now. Climate change, ecosystem collapse, and accelerating species extinction pose an existential threat, and our work has never been more important.”
    The Arctic Sunrise had been invited by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the “One Ocean Science Congress” and in the Ocean wonders parade taking place right before the UN Ocean Conference.
    Greenpeace International had intended to deliver the messages of three million people calling for a moratorium on deep sea mining to the politicians attending the conference. The ship’s entry to Nice has now been blocked.
    Mads Christensen, Greenpeace International’s Executive Director, says, “The French authorities’ attempt to silence fair criticism ahead of this UN Ocean Conference is clearly a political decision and is utterly unacceptable. Greenpeace and our ships have been working peacefully to protect the oceans for decades. The Arctic Sunrise highlighted the failure of the French government to properly protect its Marine Protected Areas – where bottom trawling is still permitted – and now we are being punished.
    “France wants this to be a moment where they present themselves as saviours of the oceans, while they want to silence any criticism of their own failures in national waters. We will not be silenced. We believe the voices of the three million calling for a stop to deep sea mining must be heard in Nice. Greenpeace and the French government share the same objective to get a moratorium on deep sea mining, which makes the ban of the Arctic Sunrise from Nice even more absurd.”
    Millions of people around the world have joined Greenpeace’s campaign to stop deep sea mining from starting. In 2023, the Arctic Sunrise crew took action at sea to bear witness to the threat of the deep sea mining industry. They peacefully protested against The Metals Company, which had been publicly accused of “environmental piracy” by the French government a few weeks ago, given their attempt to bypass international law by requesting an exploitation permit through President Trump’s administration.
    Right now, the Rainbow Warrior is in the Tasman Sea to expose the damage being done to ocean life there and will be in New Zealand to mark the anniversary of the bombing in Auckland on 10 July.
    Onboard photographer Fernando Pereira died in the attack, which came soon after Operation Exodus, in which the Greenpeace flagship had evacuated victims of American nuclear tests on Rongelap Atoll and was preparing to oppose French nuclear tests on Mururoa Atoll.
    Following the first-ever deep sea mining licence application by The Metals Company to the United States, Greenpeace says that now is the time to resist and stop this industry from starting.
    This UN Ocean Conference will be a key moment to galvanise support ahead of the July meeting of the International Seabed Authority, the UN regulator.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Adjusting Imports of Aluminum and Steel into the United States

    Source: US Whitehouse

    class=”has-text-align-center”>BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
     
    A PROCLAMATION

    1.  On January 11, 2018, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) transmitted to me a report on the Secretary’s investigation into the effect of imports of steel mill articles (steel articles) on the national security of the United States under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (section 232).  The Secretary found and advised me of his opinion that steel articles are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States.

    2.  In Proclamation 9705 of March 8, 2018 (Adjusting Imports of Steel Into the United States), and Proclamation 9980 of January 24, 2020 (Adjusting Imports of Derivative Aluminum Articles and Derivative Steel Articles Into the United States), I concurred with the Secretary’s findings that steel articles, as defined in clause 1 of Proclamation 9705, and derivative steel articles, as described in clause 3 of Proclamation 9980, are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States, and I decided to adjust the imports of those steel articles and derivative steel articles by imposing a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on such articles imported from most countries.  In Proclamation 10896 of February 10, 2025 (Adjusting Imports of Steel Into the United States), I decided to adjust the imports of steel articles and derivative steel articles by imposing a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on such articles imported from all countries. 

    3.  On January 19, 2018, the Secretary transmitted to me a report on the Secretary’s investigation into the effect of imports of aluminum articles on the national security of the United States under section 232.  The Secretary found and advised me of his opinion that aluminum articles are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States.

    4.  In Proclamation 9704 of March 8, 2018 (Adjusting Imports of Aluminum Into the United States), and Proclamation 9980, I concurred with the Secretary’s findings that aluminum articles, as defined in clause 1 of Proclamation 9704, and derivative aluminum articles, as described in clause 3 of Proclamation 9980, are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States, and decided to adjust the imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles by imposing a 10 percent ad valorem tariff on such articles imported from most countries.  In Proclamation 10895 of February 10, 2025 (Adjusting Imports of Aluminum Into the United States), I decided to adjust the imports of aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles by imposing a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on such articles imported from all countries.

    5.  In Proclamation 10896 and Proclamation 10895, I instructed the Secretary to continue to monitor imports of steel articles and derivative steel articles, and aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles, respectively, and to review the status of such imports with respect to the national security of the United States.  The Secretary has done so and has advised me accordingly.

    6.  After considering current information newly provided by the Secretary, among other things, I have determined that it is necessary to increase the previously described steel and aluminum tariffs to adjust the imports of steel and aluminum articles and their derivative articles so that such imports will not threaten to impair the national security.  In my judgment, the increased tariffs will more effectively counter foreign countries that continue to offload low-priced, excess steel and aluminum in the United States market and thereby undercut the competitiveness of the United States steel and aluminum industries.  Although the previously imposed steel and aluminum tariffs have helped provide critical price support in the United States market, they have not yet enabled these industries to develop and maintain the rates of capacity production utilization that are necessary for the industries’ sustained health and for projected national defense needs.  I have determined that increasing the previously imposed tariffs will provide greater support to these industries and reduce or eliminate the national security threat posed by imports of steel and aluminum articles and their derivative articles.  

    7.  Accordingly, I have determined that it is necessary and appropriate to increase the tariff rate for imports of steel articles and derivative steel articles, and aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles, from 25 percent ad valorem to 50 percent ad valorem effective as of 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 4, 2025.  I have also determined that it is necessary and appropriate to modify the way in which the tariff measures described in Executive Order 14289 of April 29, 2025 (Addressing Certain Tariffs on Imported Articles), apply to steel articles and derivative steel articles, and aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles, to ensure the effectiveness of the tariff changes described in this proclamation and the alignment of policy priorities between this proclamation and Executive Order 14289.  I have further determined that it is necessary and appropriate to allow for the implementation of the U.S.-UK Economic Prosperity Deal of May 8, 2025 (EPD), and to accordingly provide different treatment, as described below, for imports of steel and aluminum articles, and their derivatives, from the United Kingdom.  

    8.  Section 232 authorizes the President to adjust the imports of an article and its derivatives that are being imported into the United States in such quantities or under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security.

    9.  Section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2483), authorizes the President to embody in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) the substance of statutes affecting import treatment, and actions thereunder, including the removal, modification, continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other import restriction.

    Now, Therefore, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 232; the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); section 301 of title 3, United States Code; and section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, do hereby proclaim as follows:
    (1)  As set forth in Annexes I and II to this proclamation, as of 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 4, 2025, the tariffs proclaimed by Proclamation 9704, as amended; Proclamation 9705, as amended; Proclamation 9980, as amended; Proclamation 10895; and Proclamation 10896 are modified to increase the respective tariff rates from an additional 25 percent ad valorem to an additional 50 percent ad valorem. 
    (2)  The modifications to the HTSUS made by clause 1 of this proclamation shall be effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 4, 2025, and shall continue in effect, unless such actions are expressly reduced, modified, or terminated.
    (3)  Any imports of articles set forth in Annex II to this proclamation that were admitted into a United States foreign trade zone under “privileged foreign status” as defined in 19 CFR 146.41 before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 4, 2025, shall be subject upon entry for consumption made on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 4, 2025, to the provisions of the tariff in effect at the time of the entry for consumption.
    (4)  Any article set forth in Annex I to this proclamation, except those eligible for admission under “domestic status” as defined in 19 CFR 146.43, that is subject to a duty imposed by this proclamation and that is admitted into a United States foreign trade zone on or after June 4, 2025, may be admitted only under “privileged foreign status” as defined in 19 CFR 146.41, and will be subject upon entry for consumption to any ad valorem rates of duty related to the classification under the applicable HTSUS subheading.
    (5)  Effective as of 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 4, 2025, Executive Order 14289 is amended by revising section 3(a)(ii) to read as follows:  “(ii) An article subject to tariffs pursuant to the actions listed in section 2(d) or 2(e) of this order shall not be subject to additional tariffs on that article pursuant to the actions listed in section 2(b) or 2(c) of this order.”  As set forth in Annex III of this proclamation, this amendment shall be effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 4, 2025, and shall continue in effect, unless such actions are expressly reduced, modified, or terminated.
    (6)  Notwithstanding any prior proclamation or Executive Order, the non-aluminum, non-steel content of all aluminum and steel articles and derivative articles shall be subject to tariffs pursuant to Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025 (Regulating Imports With a Reciprocal Tariff To Rectify Trade Practices That Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits), as amended, and any other applicable tariffs.  The additional ad valorem duties described in clause 1 and clause 7 of this proclamation shall apply only to the steel content of articles in Chapter 73 of the HTSUS and only to the aluminum content of articles in Chapter 76 of the HTSUS.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall issue authoritative guidance mandating strict compliance with declaration requirements for steel and aluminum content in imported articles and outlining maximum penalties for noncompliance, including that importers who submit underreported declarations may be subject to severe consequences, including but not limited to significant monetary penalties, loss of import privileges, and criminal liability, consistent with United States law.
    (7) Notwithstanding clause 1 of this proclamation, the applicable rates of duty for articles of the United Kingdom that would otherwise be applicable pursuant to Proclamation 9704, as amended; Proclamation 9705, as amended; Proclamation 9980, as amended; Proclamation 10895; and Proclamation 10896 shall remain at 25 percent ad valorem.  On or after July 9, 2025, the Secretary may adjust the applicable rates of duty and construct import quotas for steel and aluminum consistent with the terms of the EPD, or he may increase the applicable rates of duty to 50 percent if he determines that the United Kingdom has not complied with relevant aspects of the EPD. 
    (8)  The Secretary shall continue to monitor imports of the articles and derivative articles described in Annexes I and II to this proclamation, and shall, from time to time, in consultation with any senior executive branch officials the Secretary deems appropriate, review the status of such imports with respect to the national security of the United States.  The Secretary shall inform the President of any circumstances that, in the Secretary’s opinion, might indicate the need for further action by the President under section 232.  The Secretary shall also inform the President of any circumstances that, in the Secretary’s opinion, might indicate that the duty rate provided for in this proclamation, or any proclamation issued pursuant thereto, is no longer necessary.
    (9)  No drawback shall be available with respect to the duties imposed pursuant to this proclamation.
    (10)  The Secretary may issue regulations and guidance consistent with this proclamation, including to address operational necessity.
    (11)  The Secretary, in consultation with the United States International Trade Commission and CBP, shall determine whether any modifications to the HTSUS are necessary to effectuate this proclamation and may make such modifications through notice in the Federal Register if needed.
    (12)  CBP may take any necessary or appropriate measures to administer the tariffs imposed by this proclamation.
    (13)  Any provision of previous proclamations and Executive Orders that is inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation is superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.

    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
    third day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                                   DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Increases Section 232 Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum

    Source: US Whitehouse

    COUNTERING TRADE PRACTICES THAT UNDERMINE NATIONAL SECURITY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation to increase the tariff to 50% on steel and aluminum.

    • President Trump is taking action to protect America’s critical steel and aluminum industries, which have been harmed by unfair trade practices and global excess capacity.
    • President Trump is raising the tariff on steel and aluminum imports from 25% to 50%, with the higher tariff set to go into effect on June 4, 2025.
      • Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the United Kingdom will remain at 25%, with possible changes or quotas starting July 9, 2025, depending on the status of the U.S.-UK Economic Prosperity Deal.
      • The steel and aluminum tariffs will apply only to the steel and aluminum contents of imported products, whereas the non-steel and non-aluminum contents of imported products will be subject to other applicable tariffs.
    • President Trump is cracking down on false import declarations by requiring strict reporting of steel and aluminum content, with tough penalties like fines or loss of import rights for violators.
    • President Trump is exercising his authority under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to adjust imports of steel and aluminum to protect our national security.
      • This statute provides the President with authority to adjust imports being brought into the United States in quantities or under circumstances that threaten to impair national security.

    RESTORING FAIRNESS TO STEEL AND ALUMINUM MARKETS: President Trump is taking action to end unfair trade practices and the global dumping of steel and aluminum.

    • Foreign nations have been flooding the United States market with cheap steel and aluminum, often subsidized by their governments.
    • A report from the first Trump Administration found that steel import levels and global excess were weakening our domestic economy and threatening to impair national security.
      • The report found that excess production and capacity has been a major factor in the decline of domestic aluminum production.
    • While the domestic steel industry briefly achieved 80% capacity utilization in 2021, subsequent trade pressure has depressed domestic production.  In 2022 and 2023, capacity utilization fell to 77.3% and 75.3%, respectively.  High import volumes from sources exempt from Section 232 tariffs were a major factor in depressing domestic production volumes. 
    • For aluminum, there was an increase in the capacity utilization rate between 2017 and 2019, from 40% to 61% during that period. But since 2019, the aluminum capacity utilization has once again seen a steady decline, falling from 61% to 55% between 2019 and 2023.  
    • The United States does not want to be in a position where it would be unable to meet demand for national defense and critical infrastructure in a national emergency.

    STRENGTHENING AMERICA’S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY: President Trump’s decision to close existing loopholes and exemptions will strengthen United States’ steel and aluminum industries.

    • In his first term, President Trump imposed Section 232 tariffs to protect the American steel and aluminum industries from unfair foreign competition.
    • The steel tariffs that President Trump implemented led to thousands of jobs gained and higher wages in the metals industry.
      • These tariffs were hailed as a “boon” for Minnesota’s iron ore industry, with state officials crediting tariffs for bolstering the local economy. 
      • Steel and aluminum imports drastically decreased under President Trump, falling by nearly a third from 2016 to 2020.
      • The tariffs led to a wave in investment across the United States, with more than $10 billion committed to build new mills.
    • Earlier this year, President Trump restored and strengthened Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, widely celebrated by the American steel and aluminum industries.
    • Now, President Trump is once again being praised by our steel and Aluminum industries for his decision to raise tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum even higher and protect American workers.

    TARIFFS WORK: Studies have repeatedly shown that contrary to public rhetoric, tariffs can be an effective tool for achieving economic and strategic objectives.

    • A 2024 study on the effects of President Trump’s tariffs in his first Administration found that they “strengthened the U.S. economy,” and “led to significant reshoring” in industries like manufacturing and steel production.
    • A 2023 report by the U.S. International Trade Commission that analyzed the effects of Section 232 and 301 tariffs on more than $300 billion of U.S. imports found that the tariffs reduced imports from China, effectively stimulated more U.S. production of the tariffed goods, with very minor effects on prices.
    • According to the Economic Policy Institute, the tariffs implemented by President Trump during his first Administration “clearly show[ed] no correlation with inflation” and only had a temporary effect on overall price levels.
    • An analysis from the Atlantic Council found that “tariffs would create new incentives for US consumers to buy US-made products.”
    • Former Biden Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen affirmed last year that tariffs do not raise prices: “I don’t believe that American consumers will see any meaningful increase in the prices that they face.”
    • A 2024 economic analysis found that a global tariff of 10% would grow the economy by $728 billion, create 2.8 million jobs, and increase real household incomes by 5.7%.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Even if Putin and Zelenskyy do go face-to-face, don’t expect wonders − their one meeting in 2019 ended in failure

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Anna Batta, Associate Professor of International Security Studies, Air University

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrive at the Elysee Palace in Paris in 2019. Ian Langsdon/Pool Photo via AP

    Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met for a second time in Istanbul in a month on June 2, 2025. Missing, again, were the country’s two leaders.

    For a fleeting moment ahead of the first meeting in mid-May 2025, there existed the faintest prospect that Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine would join, sitting down in the same room for face-to-face talks.

    But it didn’t happen; few expected it would. On that occasion, Putin refused Zelenskyy’s offer of face-to-face talks in Istanbul.

    Even though neither leader met in the Istanbul summits, they have met before.

    In Paris in 2019, the two men sat down together as part of what was known as the Normandy Format talks. As a scholar of international relations, I have interviewed people involved in the talks. Some five years on, the way the talks floundered and then failed can offer lessons about the challenges today’s would-be mediators now face.

    Initial hopes

    The Normandy Format talks started on the sidelines of events in June 2014 commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The aim was to try to resolve the ongoing conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatist groups in the country’s Donbas region in the east. That conflict had recently escalated, with pro-Russian separatists seizing key towns in the Donetsk and Luhansk after Russia illegally annexed the peninsula of Crimea in February 2014.

    The talks continued periodically until 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Until that point, most of the discussion was framed by two deals, the Minsk accords of 2014 and 2015, which set out the terms for a ceasefire between Kyiv and the Moscow-armed rebel groups and the conditions for elections in Donetsk and Luhansk.

    By the time of the sixth meeting in December 2019, the only time Zelenkyy and Putin have met in person, some still hoped that the Minsk accords could form a framework for peace.

    Under discussion

    Zelenskyy was only a few months into his presidency. He arrived in Paris with fresh energy and a desire to find peace.

    His electoral campaign had centered on the promise of putting an end to the unrest in Donbas, which had been rumbling on for years. The increasing role of Russia in the conflict, through supporting rebels financially and with volunteer Russian soldiers, had complicated and escalated fighting, and many Ukrainians were weary of the impact of internally displaced people that it caused.

    By all accounts, Zelenskyy went into Paris believing that he could make a deal with Putin.

    “I want to return with concrete results,” Zelenskyy said just days before meeting Putin. By then, the Ukrainian president’s only contact with Putin had been over the phone. “I want to see the person and I want to bring from Normandy understanding and feeling that everybody really wants gradually to finish this tragic war,” Zelenskyy said, adding, “I can feel it for sure only at the table.”

    One of Putin’s main concerns going into the talks was the lifting of Western sanctions imposed in response to the annexation of Crimea.

    But the Russian president also wanted to keep Russia’s smaller neighbor under its influence. Ukraine gained independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. But in the early years of the new century, Russia began to exert increasing influence over the politics of its neighbor. This ended in 2014, when a popular revolution ousted pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and ushered in a pro-Western government.

    More than anything, Russia wanted to arrest this shift and keep Ukraine out of the European Union and NATO.

    Those desires – Ukraine’s to end the war in Donbas, and Russia’s to curb the West’s involvement in Ukraine – formed the parameters for the Normandy talks.

    And for some time, there appeared to be momentum to find compromise. French President Emmanuel Macron said that the 2019 Paris talks had broken years of stalemate and relaunched the peace process. Putin’s assessment was that the peace process was “developing in the right direction.” Zelenskyy’s view was a little less enthusisastic: “Let’s say for now it’s a draw.”

    Talking past each other

    Yet the Putin-Zelenskyy meeting in 2019 ultimately ended in failure. In retrospect, both sides were talking past each other and could not reach agreement on the sequencing of key parts of the peace plan.

    Zelenskyy wanted the security provisions of the Minsk accords, including a lasting ceasefire and the securing of Ukraine’s border with Russia, in place before proceeding with regional elections on devolving autonomy to the regions. Putin was adamant that the elections come first.

    The success of the Normandy talks were also hindered by Putin’s refusal to acknowledge that Russia was a party to the conflict. Rather, he framed the Donbas conflict as a civil war between the Ukrainian government and the rebels. Russia’s role was simply to push the rebels to the negotiating table in this take – a view that was greeted with skepticism by Ukraine and the West.

    As a result, the Normandy talks stalled. And then in February 2022, Russian launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    Way forward today?

    The nascent negotiations between Ukraine and Russia that began in Istanbul in May 2025 represent the first real attempt to bring high-level delegations of both sides together since 2019.

    Many of the same challenges remain. The talks still revolve around the issues of security, the status of Donetsk and Luhansk, and prisoner exchanges – that last point being the only one in which common ground appears to be found, both in 2019 and now.

    But there are major differences – not least, three years of actual direct war. Russia can no longer deny that it is a party of the conflict, even if Moscow frames the war as a special military operation to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine.

    And three years of war have changed how the questions of Crimea and the Donbas are framed.

    In the Normandy talks, there was no talk of recognizing Russian control over any Ukrainian territory. But recent U.S. efforts to negotiate peace have included a “de-jure” U.S. recognition of Russian control in Crimea, plus “de-facto recognition” of Russia’s occupation of nearly all of Luhansk oblast and the occupied portions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

    Another major difference between the negotiation process then and now is who is mediating.

    The Normandy negotiations were led by European leaders – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Macron of France. Throughout the whole Normandy talks process, only Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia were involved as active participants.

    Today, it is the United States taking the lead.

    And this suits Putin. A constant issue for Putin of the Normandy talks was that Germany and France were never neutral mediators.

    In President Donald Trump, Putin has found a U.S. leader who, at least at first, appeared eager to take on the mantle from Europe.

    But like the Europeans involved in the Normandy talks, Trump too is encountering similar barriers to any meaningful progress.

    Members of Ukrainian and Russian delegations attend peace talks on June 2, 2025, in Istanbul.
    Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Getty Images

    The Istanbul negotiations on May 16, 2025, were less productive than many people hoped. A proposed 30-day ceasefire agreement didn’t come to fruition; instead the parties agreed on a prisoner-exchange deal. Follow-up talks on June 2 ended after barely an hour, according to Turkish officials. Again, one point agreed on was a prisoner swap.

    The Paris peace talks, too, led to a prisoner exchange – but little more. It appears that getting the leaders of Ukraine and Russia to agree on anything more ambitious is as elusive now as it was when Putin and Zelenskyy met in 2019.

    The views expressed in this article represent the personal views of the author and are not necessarily the views of the Department of Defense or of the Department of the Air Force.

    – ref. Even if Putin and Zelenskyy do go face-to-face, don’t expect wonders − their one meeting in 2019 ended in failure – https://theconversation.com/even-if-putin-and-zelenskyy-do-go-face-to-face-dont-expect-wonders-their-one-meeting-in-2019-ended-in-failure-257093

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Suspected people-smuggling gang arrested in nationwide crackdown

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Suspected people-smuggling gang arrested in nationwide crackdown

    Six people have been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry of hundreds of migrants in dawn strikes by Immigration Enforcement across the UK

    A suspected organised crime boss and his associates have been arrested for allegedly facilitating hundreds of Botswana nationals into the UK illegally, as part of a surge in law enforcement activity to take down people-smuggling gangs.

    In the early hours of Tuesday 3 June, five men and one woman were arrested in strikes across the country in Cheltenham, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Bradford. The lead suspect, a 37-year-old Botswana national, was arrested in Cheltenham on suspicion of assisting and planning the illegal entry of other migrants from Botswana into the UK.

    The suspected criminal gang is believed to have facilitated the entry of more than 200 Botswana nationals into the UK illegally over a two-year period, leading them into a life of fraud and exploitation. Once in the country, it is believed they assisted in submitting false asylum claims using fake documents in order to fraudulently legalise the migrants stay in the country. They are also believed to have assisted the migrants with illegal employment in care homes, working with the most vulnerable without adequate training or medical expertise.

    Officers acted on intelligence that suggested the lead people smuggler was exploiting the individuals he lured here under false pretences, forcing them to do unpaid work.

    Organised criminal gangs often use cruel tactics to control their beneficiaries, with victims often subject to debt bondage at the hands of the gangs who trap them in unsafe situations in order to fill their pockets.

    The arrests come as part of the latest initiative under this government’s Plan for Change to bear down on the criminal gangs profiting at the expense of vulnerable individuals and restore order to the asylum system. Since the election almost 30,000 people with no right to be here have been returned – a 12% increase compared to the same period 12 months ago. Illegal working visits and arrests are also up by more than 40%

    This government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will go further than ever before to protect the UK’s borders and strengthen the wider immigration and asylum system, including protecting it against abuse from criminal gangs. New counter terror-style powers will be introduced to smash the smuggling gangs before they have a chance to act.

    Security Minister, Dan Jarvis said:

    I want to commend the dedication and professionalism of our criminal investigators and Immigration Enforcement officers for these significant arrests. Their tireless efforts have disrupted criminal networks that profit from exploiting vulnerable individuals and undermining our immigration system.

    This operation demonstrates that we will use the full force of the law against those who facilitate illegal entry into the UK for exploitation. Our enforcement teams work day and night to protect our borders and communities from harm, and this successful operation is testament to their commitment.

    The government remains resolute in our approach to tackle illegal migration and the criminal enterprises that enable it, and through our Plan for Change will continue to restore order to the asylum system that collapsed in recent years.

    Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigations lead, Phillip Parr said:

    This is one of our highest priority investigations due to the scale of the threat, the number of people believed to be involved, the immense harm these victims are potentially at risk of, and the amount of financial gain the suspects stand to make.

    I’m immensely proud of my team’s coordinated and targeted approach in this operation. We’ve not only disrupted this criminal network but also safeguarded potentially hundreds of individuals from further exploitation and harm. This operation demonstrates the power of partnership working in tackling complex organised crime.

    There is no place for those who profit from human misery, and we will continue to use all available powers to pursue and prosecute those involved in these despicable crimes.

    This government is tightening UK visa controls and building a more sustainable workforce, reducing reliance on overseas workers, as set out in the immigration white paper in May. The strategy contains new financial measures, penalties or sanctions, including for sponsors of migrant workers or students where there is evidence of abuse. New measures already in effect require care providers in England to prioritise recruiting international care workers who are already in the UK and seeking new employment.

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In the trade wars, there are lessons for the US from Brexit. Australia and our trading partners should take note

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Draper, Professor, and Executive Director: Institute for International Trade, and Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Trade and Environment, University of Adelaide

    General_4530/Getty

    While the Trump administration’s on-again, off-again trade wars wreak havoc on the business plans of the world’s exporters, the risks to the global economy continue to grow.

    The self-inflicted scale of disruption to global trade patterns is enormous. Yet there are echoes with the United Kingdom’s experience of Brexit, both for the United States economy now and its trading partners worried about their trading futures.

    Fortunately, while it is painful, Trump’s push toward economic isolationism brings opportunities for other trading nations to strengthen their ties.

    This is especially the case in our Indo-Pacific region, where Australia is looking to new trade partners and deepening existing ties.

    The economic consequences of Brexit

    The UK economy is relatively diminished since 2016, when David Cameron, as Prime Minister, called the Brexit referendum on whether to leave the European Union.

    A study of UK businesses found three key impacts in the three years before formal Brexit took place in 2020:

    1. the UK’s decision to leave the European Union generated major, sustained, uncertainty for the business community. Since business invests and trades, that was highly consequential
    2. anticipation of Brexit gradually reduced investment by about 11% between 2016 and 2019
    3. Brexit reduced UK productivity by between 2% and 5%.

    A new report establishes that since 2020, when formal Brexit took place, the UK is experiencing its worst trade slump in a generation. This decline contrasts with growing trade in other industrial nations, indicating the COVID pandemic was not to blame.

    Harsh lessons in bargaining power

    The EU did not change to suit the UK. Rather, because of the EU’s influential role in regulation known as the “Brussels effect”, the UK must realign with EU standards to win back market access.

    For decades, the UK had ceded its trade bargaining capacity to Brussels. It was always on the back foot as its inexperienced negotiators locked horns with seasoned EU trade diplomats.

    The British also learned that outside the EU, their relative trade bargaining power, as well as foreign policy prestige, was much diminished. Many countries focused on dealing with the EU without the UK’s involvement.

    Overall, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that Brexit hastened the UK’s inexorable transformation from “Great” to “Little” Britain.

    MAGA echoes

    The Brexiteers were motivated by free trade and the belief EU trade policies prevented the UK from more liberalisation.

    Trump’s decision to disentangle the US from world trade is motivated by protectionist desires, in the mistaken belief blocking imports will “Make America Great Again”.

    Like the Brexiteers, Trump will find business confidence will diminish and the US economy will be worse off. Data this week showed US manufacturing contracted for the third straight month in May amid tariff-induced supply chain delays.

    Just like the UK, US economic decline relative to its trading partners will accelerate.

    Obviously, a huge difference between British folly and US hubris is that the US has market and geopolitical power in most of its bilateral negotiations, whereas the UK did not.

    Yet, whereas the Trump administration assumes the US is the more powerful party in all reciprocal tariff negotiations, it is now learning that some major trading powers (China, the EU, India), and even some middle powers (Canada, Mexico, Australia), will not simply roll over when faced with overt coercion.

    Moreover, as Great Britain learned to its cost, the US will find its soft power rapidly diminishing, and foreign policy objectives more difficult to attain. US allies, while in some cases in need of weaning themselves from over-dependence on the US military umbrella, are now actively hedging their security bets.

    What should trading partners do?

    There is an opening for Australia to seize the moment with new trade partnerships, and by deepening existing relationships.

    We have a golden opportunity in our chairmanship of the 12-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership group this year.

    This high-standards, deeply liberalising, trade agreement is a gold standard template to anchor our global trading partnerships. Members include Canada, Japan, Mexico, Singapore and the UK and representatives will be meeting in Brisbane next week.

    Specifically, Australia, our trans-Pacific partners and the EU need to agree to work collaboratively to converge on modern trade rules and support for free trade. Then take those accords into the World Trade Organization to strengthen and revitalise the institution, with or without the US.

    In addition, we need to quickly conclude both the stalled bilateral free-trade agreement with the EU, and the second phase of our trade agreement with India. This would cement two huge new markets of sufficient existing (EU) and potential (India) scale to rival both the US and Chinese markets.

    Finally, we need to double down on our existing trade partnerships with Southeast Asian countries, anchoring on the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This will bolster ASEAN-centrality in regional trade arrangements and balance both US withdrawal and China’s advance into the region.

    While this will not be easy, the effort has to be made and needs to start now.

    Peter Draper 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. In the trade wars, there are lessons for the US from Brexit. Australia and our trading partners should take note – https://theconversation.com/in-the-trade-wars-there-are-lessons-for-the-us-from-brexit-australia-and-our-trading-partners-should-take-note-257555

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A two-state solution is gaining momentum again. Does it have a chance of success?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Thomas, Lecturer in Middle East Studies, Deakin University

    As Israel’s devastating war in Gaza has ground on, the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was thought to be “dead”. Now, it is showing signs of life again.

    French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly pressing other European nations to jointly recognise a Palestinian state at a UN conference in mid-June, focused on achieving a two-state solution. Macron called such recognition a “political necessity”.

    Countries outside Europe are feeling the pressure, too. Australia has reaffirmed its view that recognition of Palestine should be a “way of building momentum towards a two-state solution”.

    During Macron’s visit to Indonesia in late May, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto made a surprising pledge to recognise Israel if it allowed for a Palestinian state.

    Indonesia is one of about 28 nations that don’t currently recognise Israel. France, Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and South Korea are among the approximately 46 nations that don’t recognise a Palestinian state.

    The UN conference on June 17–20, co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, wants to go “beyond reaffirming principles” and “achieve concrete results” towards a two-state solution.

    Most countries, including the US, have supported the two-state solution in principle for decades. However, the political will from all parties has faded in recent years.

    So, why is the policy gaining traction again now? And does it have a greater chance of success?

    What is the two-state solution?

    Put simply, the two-state solution is a proposed peace plan that would create a sovereign Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state. There have been several failed attempts to enact the policy over recent decades, the most famous of which was the Oslo Accords in the early 1990s.

    In recent years, the two-state solution was looking less likely by the day.

    The Trump administration’s decision in 2017 to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy there signalled the US was moving away from its role as mediator. Then, several Arab states agreed to normalise relations with Israel in the the Abraham Accords, without Israeli promises to move towards a two-state solution.

    The Hamas attacks on Israel – and subsequent Israeli war on Gaza – have had a somewhat contradictory effect on the overarching debate.

    On the one hand, the brutality of Hamas’ actions substantially set back the legitimacy of the Palestinian self-determination movement in some quarters on the world stage.

    On the other, it’s also become clear the status quo – the continued Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank following the end of a brutal war – is not tenable for either Israeli security or Palestinian human rights.

    And the breakdown of the most recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the return of heavy Israeli ground operations in May and reports of mass Palestinian starvation have only served to further isolate the Israeli government in the eyes of its peers.

    Once-steadfast supporters of Israel’s actions have become increasingly frustrated by a lack of clear strategic goals in Gaza. And many now seem prepared to ignore Israeli wishes and pursue Palestinian recognition.

    For these governments, the hope is recognition of a Palestinian state would rebuild political will – both globally and in the Middle East – towards a two-state solution.

    Huge obstacles remain

    But how likely is this in reality? There is certainly more political will than there was before, but also several important roadblocks.

    First and foremost is the war in Gaza. It’s obvious this will need to end, with both sides agreeing to an enduring ceasefire.

    Beyond that, the political authority in both Gaza and Israel remains an issue.

    The countries now considering Palestinian recognition, such France and Australia, have expressly said Hamas cannot play any role in governing a future Palestinian state.

    Though anti-Hamas sentiment is becoming more vocal among residents in Gaza, Hamas has been violently cracking down on this dissent and is attempting to consolidate its power.

    However, polling shows the popularity of Fatah – the party leading the Palestinian National Authority – is even lower than Hamas at an average of 21%. Less than half of Gazans support the enclave returning to Palestinian Authority control. This means a future Palestinian state would likely require new leadership.

    There is almost no political will in Israel for a two-state solution, either. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been shy about his opposition to a Palestinian state. His cabinet members have mostly been on the same page.

    This has also been reflected in policy action. In early May, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved a plan for Israel to indefinitely occupy parts of Gaza. The government also just approved its largest expansion of settlements in the West Bank in decades.

    These settlements remain a major problem for a two-state solution. The total population of Israeli settlers is more than 700,000 in both East Jerusalem and the West Bank. And it’s been increasing at a faster rate since the election of the right-wing, pro-settler Netanyahu government in 2022.

    Settlement is enshrined in Israeli Basic Law, with the state defining it as “national value” and actively encouraging its “establishment and consolidation”.

    The more settlement that occurs, the more complicated the boundaries of a future Palestinian state become.

    Then there’s the problem of public support. Recent polling shows neither Israelis nor Palestinians view the two-state solution favourably. Just 40% of Palestinians support it, while only 26% of Israelis believe a Palestinian state can “coexist peacefully” alongside Israel.

    However, none of these challenges makes the policy impossible. The unpopularity of the two-state solution locally is more a reflection of previous failures than it is of future negotiations.

    A power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland was similarly unpopular in the 1990s, but peace was achieved through bold political leadership involving the US and European Union.

    In other words, we won’t know what’s possible until negotiations begin. Red lines will need to be drawn and compromises made.

    It’s not clear what effect growing external pressure will have, but the international community does appear to be reaching a political tipping point on the two-state solution. Momentum could start building again.

    Andrew Thomas 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. A two-state solution is gaining momentum again. Does it have a chance of success? – https://theconversation.com/a-two-state-solution-is-gaining-momentum-again-does-it-have-a-chance-of-success-257890

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: The Netherlands: Leyden Labs lands €20 million EIB investment facilitated by HERA to advance pandemic preparedness activities

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • European Investment Bank and Leyden Labs sign €20 million financing to advance Leyden Labs’ pandemic preparedness activities, guaranteed by European Commission’s InvestEU initiative through its Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA).
    • Funding is part of “HERA Invest,” a €110 million top-up to the European Union’s InvestEU initiative, meant to address pandemic readiness, biodefense and antimicrobial resistance.
    • Leyden Labs will use the funding to advance development of its novel non-vaccine approach, with nasal sprays containing broadly-protective antibodies to defend against seasonal and pandemic viral infections.

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Dutch clinical-stage biotechnology company Leyden Laboratories B.V. have signed a €20 million financing deal to advance development of the Company’s broadly-protective antibodies to defend against seasonal and pandemic viral infections. Leyden Labs’ lead program is a pan-influenza nasal spray currently in clinical development (PanFlu), which has the potential to provide first-in-class influenza protection and meaningfully reduce the burden of influenza infection, including in infection from Avian Flu (H5).

    The venture debt financing agreement is supported under the European Commission’s InvestEU programme and specifically falls under “HERA Invest.” This €110 million initiative from the European Health Union is meant to address biodefence, pandemic readiness and antimicrobial resistance in Europe, as a top-up to the European Union’s InvestEU initiative, funded by the EU4Health programme.

    “The COVID-19 pandemic taught us multiple lessons, including that we should strengthen the EU’s preparedness and autonomy in key areas like bio sciences.” stated EIB Vice President Robert de Groot. “With the support of the European Commission, the EIB backs highly innovative EU companies like Leyden Labs with venture debt, enabling them to grow and thrive in Europe. Technological innovations from companies like Leyden Labs are key for European competitiveness and the well-being of our society.” 

    Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, added: “Respiratory viruses are common and affect us all, especially the most medically vulnerable. Today’s agreement reaffirms our commitment to invest in innovation to strengthen preparedness and protection against respiratory viruses. HERA Invest is a prime example of Europe at the forefront of medical advancements in response to serious threats to health.”

    “We are thrilled with this endorsement of our approach and support from HERA and the European Investment Bank. This will accelerate our efforts to provide broad, universal protection against current and future viral outbreaks. We are grateful that HERA and the EIB understand the urgency and significance of investing in initiatives to ensure Europe is prepared for pandemic viruses. This concern is greater than ever given the increasing threat of an avian influenza outbreak,” said Koenraad Wiedhaup, co-founder and CEO of Leyden Labs. 

    Leyden Labs’ product candidates are nasal sprays that administer broadly protective antibodies directly to the respiratory mucosa. Leyden Lab’s solutions are designed to work at the earliest moment, before the virus even reaches systemic circulation. Systemically administered vaccines primarily generate systemic protection against viruses, however, this may be a limitation that contributes to suboptimal efficacy. Airborne viruses, including influenza, do not directly enter systemic circulation, but rather, they enter the body through the nose and mouth. The Company’s antibodies aim to protect against full viral families, so they keep working even when a virus mutates and evolves. This intranasal strategy also has the potential to benefit people with weakened immune systems because it does not rely on the person to be able to mount an immune response in order to be protective.

    The Company’s novel approach has the potential to transform the way the healthcare ecosystem thinks about viral prophylaxis, while also providing an innovative solution for use both in times of seasonal outbreaks as well as pandemic emergencies.

    HERA’s responsibility is to ensure that the EU and Member States are ready to act in the face of cross-border health threats. The €20 million proceeds of this financing will support further development of Leyden Labs’ novel, non-vaccine approach to fighting respiratory viruses to contribute to European pandemic preparedness efforts.

    Background information:

    Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA). The European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) supports projects that strengthen preparedness and response capacities in the field of health. HERA was established as a direct consequence of the lessons learned from the initial management of the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure a solid Union response to serious-cross border health threats and secure ready availability and accessibility of medical countermeasures. HERA’s responsibility is to ensure that the EU and Member States are ready to act in the face of cross-border health threats, and its mandate covers both the strengthening of preparedness in advance of future emergencies and the implementation of a swift and efficient response once crisis hits.

    HERA Invest is a €110 million top-up to the InvestEU programme, funded by the EU4Health programme. It is implemented by the EIB and supports projects that focus on pathogens with pandemic potential, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear threats, and antimicrobial resistance. Together with HERA, the EIB assesses whether an operation meets HERA Invest’s criteria.

    The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investment for EU policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments previously available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is deployed through implementing partners who will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. The Netherlands owns a 5,2% share of the EIB. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals and national priorities. More than 90% of its activity is in Europe. Over the last ten years, the EIB has made available more than €27 billion in financing for Dutch projects in various sectors, including research & development, sustainable mobility, drinking water, healthcare and SMEs. In 2024 the EIB Group, which also includes the EIB’s subsidiary, the European Investment Fund (EIF), made available more than €3 billion for Dutch projects.

    Leyden Laboratories B.V. (Leyden Labs), founded in 2020, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in the Netherlands. Leyden Labs is working to free people from the threat of respiratory viruses, by leveraging its Mucosal Protection Platform to develop a portfolio of candidates aimed at providing protection against influenza, coronaviruses, and other respiratory viruses through a new class of broadly protective nasal sprays. Leyden Labs is supported by a strong syndicate of investors and ambassadors; VC investors include GV (formerly Google Ventures), Casdin Capital, F-Prime Capital, ClavystBio (a life sciences venture investor established by Temasek), Polaris Partners, Qiming Venture Partners, Invus, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Byers Capital / Brook Byers and Bluebird Ventures.To learn more, visit www.leydenlabs.com.

    CR9114, Leyden Labs’ lead product candidate for the PanFlu program, is a human monoclonal antibody that protects against influenza in preclinical models. Leyden Labs holds an exclusive license from Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to develop and commercialize CR9114.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Need to incorporate specific measures to better support the health coverage of islands in the EU cohesion policy framework – E-001524/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    Health services and infrastructure are already a priority under Cohesion Policy enabling Member States to promote equal access to healthcare and strengthen health system’s resilience[1].

    Implemented through shared management, national authorities can tailor investments addressing territorial needs, as access to basic healthcare is vital to support the right to live where people reside.

    For Greece, some EUR 416 million[2] under the European Regional Development Fund, support health infrastructure and equipment at all levels of the National Health System across regions, including Primary Healthcare, eHealth and telemedicine[3].

    Complementary, some EUR 323 million[4] under the European Social Fund Plus, support measures targeting marginalised and isolated communities such as the creation of 127 Local Health Units[5] and Mobile Healthcare Units[6], promotion of citizen registration with a personal doctor, the development of integrated information technology systems, long-term and mental healthcare actions, especially in remote areas, and staff training to improve access and quality[7].

    To help islands and outermost regions address multi-faceted problems, the Commission will launch a consultation on an Islands Strategy as announced in the communication of 1 April 2025 ‘A modernised Cohesion policy: The mid-term review’[8].

    The Commission will keep working with Member States to mobilise reforms and investments based on community needs, encouraging them to address the specific challenges of their islands through Cohesion Policy support[9].

    Since deliberations on the post-2027 framework of Cohesion Policy are still ongoing, it is premature to comment on its content at this stage, as its final outcome will depend on the results of discussions with the co-legislators .

    • [1] In total, EUR 7.4 billion have been allocated by Member States across the EU from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Interreg to support health-related investments under Cohesion Policy for 2021-2027. These include improvements in healthcare infrastructure, long-term care, and digitalisation, in line with national and regional smart specialisation strategies. Examples of ERDF support include investments in health infrastructure and equipment, that improve access to mainstream high-quality healthcare and long-term care (LTC) services across the EU. Cohesion policy also supports research and innovation linked to healthcare, digitalizations and e-health, based on Member States’ and regions’ smart specialisation strategies (S3).
    • [2] Public expenditure.
    • [3] Through 13 regional programmes.
    • [4] Public expenditure.
    • [5] Local Health Units (TOMYs) — Τοπικές Μονάδες Υγείας ( ΤΟΜΥ ).
    • [6] Mobile Healthcare Units (KOMYs) — Κινητές Μονάδες Υγείας ( ΚΟΜΥ ).
    • [7] European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) investments fall under the horizontal intervention field 160 and 16-
      Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy ( OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 159 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2021%3A231%3ATOC)
      https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1060/oj/eng.
    • [8] https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information-sources/publications/communications/2025/a-modernised-cohesion-policy-the-mid-term-review_en.
    • [9] The Commission’s Communication on ‘The road to the next multiannual financial framework’ clearly sets out the need for a simpler, more focused and more impactful budget with a leaner budgetary architecture consolidating current spending programmes to overcome a currently fragmented funding landscape.
      6d47acb4-9206-4d0f-8f9b-3b10cad7b1ed_en.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Commission meddling in the Romanian presidential election – E-001112/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    Democracy is a founding value of the EU. Elections are at the core of democracy and should be fair and free from any interference.

    The conduct and the organisation of elections are the competence and responsibility of the Member States, in accordance with their national constitutional and legislative rules, while respecting their international obligations and EU law.

    National competent authorities and courts have the primary responsibility of ensuring compliance with these rules. The Commission has no comment on the decision by the Romanian Constitutional Court of 6 December 2024 to annul the first round of the Romanian presidential elections, nor on the decisions taken by the Romanian Electoral Bureau as regards the validation of candidates in national elections. These matters fall entirely under the responsibility of the Member States.

    Last updated: 3 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Artificial Intelligence in health care in the EU – E-002076/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002076/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Gerald Hauser (PfE)

    With its ‘Artificial Intelligence in healthcare’ initiative, the Commission is actively encouraging the use of AI technologies in that sector[1]. The aim is to fundamentally transform health care in the EU. The Commission recommends the use of AI for, among other things, efficiently allocating health-care resources, solving key challenges in the health-care system, reducing costs, optimising administrative processes (e.g. appointment scheduling, electronic patient records), improving diagnoses and devising ‘personalised treatment plans’.

    In terms of content, the Commission is largely drawing on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) guidelines, which called for ‘automated triage processes’ as early as 2023. In Austria, it is already the case that certain diagnostic decisions and treatment approvals are no longer made by doctors but by AI systems.

    • 1.What is the legal basis for the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare in the EU?
    • 2.Who is liable for mistakes (such as the rejection of suitable diagnostic procedures, late treatment appointments, treatment errors or resulting damage to health or death) caused by the use of AI?
    • 3.Does the Commission fundamentally support the idea that it should no longer be doctors but AI systems that decide who receives what medical treatment or appointment, when, where and how – or indeed whether they receive any treatment at all?

    Submitted: 22.5.2025

    • [1] https://health.ec.europa.eu/ehealth-digital-health-and-care/artificial-intelligence-healthcare_en
    Last updated: 3 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Election of non-permanent members of the Security Council | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    The UN elected Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia, and Liberia to serve two-year terms as non-permanent members of the Security Council, starting in January 2026.
    https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1163971

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nSli5tIwDY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Latvia: elected as Security Council non-permanent member 2026-2027 | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Comments to the media by Baiba Braže, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, following the elections of the incoming five UNSC member states for 2026-2027.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOusoaS532Q

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Axiom Mission 4 Launches to the International Space Station

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    Axiom Mission 4, set to lift off at 8:22 a.m. EDT (1222 UTC) on Tuesday, June 10, is Axiom’s fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-4 is launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.

    During their two-week stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, the crew of Ax-4 will engage in science, outreach, and commercial activities.

    Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. This mission will send the first ISRO astronaut to the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. Ax-4 will also carry the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station.

    Launch coverage is led by Axiom Space, with support from NASA and SpaceX; NASA’s primary mission responsibilities begin during Dragon’s approach to the International Space Station, the start of Ax-4 integrated operations. Learn more about NASA’s role in Ax-4 and how we’re working with our industry partners to open low Earth orbit to more people, more science, and more opportunities: https://go.nasa.gov/4mRkpGj

    Song: ‘Apache’ by Kevin Graham
    Content ID: WXGBDH0A08QGK9CG

    Song: ‘Majestic Skies’ by Strength To Last
    Content ID: VINOM8MWVMC8LB7X

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4TT_1e6rkM

    MIL OSI Video –