NewzIntel.com

Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI: Inside information: Jouko Pölönen appointed as the CEO of eQ Plc

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    eQ Plc Stock exchange release, inside information

    5 May 2025, at 8:00 AM

    The Board of Directors of eQ Plc (“eQ”) has decided to appoint M.Sc. (Econ & Bus. Adm.), eMBA Jouko Pölönen as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. Jouko Pölönen will assume the position no later than 5 November 2025. Since 28 October 2024, Janne Larma has been serving as eQ’s interim CEO and will continue in that role until Pölönen is able to start as a new CEO.

    eQ will host a press conference regarding Pölönen’s appointment on 5 May at 1:30 PM, welcoming representatives of the media, investors and analysts. Further details regarding participation can be found at the end of this release.

    Pölönen, 55, has made a distinguished career in the financial sector. Most recently, he has served for seven years as CEO of Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company. Prior to that, he held roles such as Head of Banking at OP Financial Group and CEO positions at OP Corporate Bank Plc, Helsinki Area Cooperative Bank, and Pohjola Insurance Ltd.

    “eQ is one of the leading asset managers in Finland, with a particularly strong position in private equity and real estate asset management. I am excited to join eQ’s talented team and confident that together we can create added value for our clients and shareholders. I am highly goal- and results-oriented. I expect that we can drive profitable growth during the coming years,” says Pölönen.

    Chair of the Board Georg Ehrnrooth says that the Board is very pleased to have appointed Pölönen as CEO of eQ.

    “We are convinced that Jouko is the right person to lead eQ and to implement our growth objectives and strategy together with our skilled and professional team,” Ehrnrooth says.

    “Jouko brings in his extensive experience in the financial sector, leadership, and strategic development and execution. In addition, Jouko has a broad network of contacts with investors, businesses, and the public sector. While eQ’s financial performance in the past couple of years has not met the targets, we believe the fundamentals for a turnaround are already in place,” Ehrnrooth continues.

    Pölönen sees significant opportunities in the asset management market:

    “eQ has excellent products that many institutions and family offices rely on. More and more private individuals are saving and investing, and we want to offer also to them the best wealth management products and services to build their wealth. I consider professional asset management as a highly interesting and growing market. A key factor for me in a accepting this role was also the opportunity to become an owner myself,” Pölönen says.

    The three largest shareholders of eQ have agreed to sell a total of one million (1,000,000) eQ shares to Pölönen. Technically, the shares will be sold to Pölönen’s personal investment company. This amount represents approximately 2.4 percent of eQ’s total share capital. As a result of the transaction, Pölönen will rank among the ten largest shareholders of eQ. The share sale will be completed during May.

    Georg Ehrnrooth comments:

    “We want to ensure Jouko’s commitment and give him a strong incentive to drive growth with an entrepreneurial spirit and act in accordance with eQ’s values.”

    Additionally, the Board of Directors has decided to grant Pölönen 100,000 stock options under the 2025 option program. The terms of the option program were announced on 4 February 2025 and are available on the company’s website. Pölönen will receive the options upon the commencement of his employment.

    Jouko Pölönen’s CV is attached to this release.

    Press Conference

    eQ will hold a press conference today, 5 May 2025, at 1:30 PM. Speakers will include Georg Ehrnrooth, Chair of the Board; Janne Larma, interim CEO of eQ; and Jouko Pölönen, appointed CEO of eQ. The event will take place at Studio Eliel in Sanomatalo, Helsinki. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions after the presentations. The event can also be followed via webcast at: https://eq.videosync.fi/2025-05-05

    eQ Plc

    Additional information:

    Janne Larma, interim CEO, tel. +358 40 500 4366
    Georg Ehrnrooth, Chair of the Board, tel. +358 9 6817 8777 

    Distribution: Nasdaq Helsinki, www.eQ.fi, media

    eQ is a Finnish group of companies specialising in asset management and corporate finance business. eQ Asset Management offers a wide range of asset management services (including private equity funds and real estate asset management) for institutions and individuals. The assets managed by the group total approximately EUR 13.6 billion. Advium Corporate Finance, which is part of the group, offers services related to mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions and equity capital markets. The share of the group’s parent company eQ Plc is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. More information about the group is available on our website at www.eQ.fi.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: A subsidiary of Aktsiaselts Infortar signed a shareholders’ agreement for acquiring a shareholding in OÜ Estonia Farmid

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    On 2. May 2025 OÜ EG Biofond (registry code: 11504910) signed an investment agreement and a shareholder ‘agreement for acquiring a 96,6%% shareholding in OÜ Estonia Farmid (registry code: 10627556). A 3.4% shareholding is held by Estonia Farmid OÜ’s subsidiary, Osaühing Estonia (registry code: 10038386).
    According to the agreements, getting an approval from the Competition Authority and additional operations are preconditions for completion of the transaction. Following the transaction, the shareholders of Estonia Farmid OÜ are OÜ EG Biofond with a 96.6% shareholding and Osaühing Estonia with a 3.4% shareholding.
    Estonia Farmid OÜ holds shareholdings in three agricultural companies: Estonia OÜ, Kabala Agro OÜ, and Sõrandu Farm OÜ, collectively employing nearly 150 people. The agricultural group manages a total of 9,400 hectares of arable land in Türi and Järva municipalities, of which over 6,000 hectares are owned by the company. The group’s dairy farms are located in Central Estonia – Oisu, Taikse, and Kabala – with a total of 2,640 dairy cows. The average milk production per cow at the Estonia dairy farm is among the highest in Estonia, reaching 13,300 kilograms annually. In addition to milk production, the company grows 27,000 tons of grains and rapeseed per year. Estonia Farmid OÜ also owns a 40% stake in the Oisu biomethane plant, which helps reduce the carbon footprint associated with milk production.
    “Estonia’s greatest natural resources are food, timber, and minerals – these are the pillars of both our current and future economy. Estonia has fertile farmland, and our milk production is among the best in the region. The dairy industry is definitely one of the sectors where we can compete internationally,” said Ain Hanschmidt, Chairman of the Management Board of Infortar.
    “The economy is set on three pillars – agriculture, industry, and services. In recent years, Infortar has expanded its presence across all three sectors to achieve its ambitions and manage risk. More than that, we have grown to become a market leader in each,” Hanschmidt added.
    “Estonia Farmid, one of Estonia’s strongest agricultural companies, is doing well, but further development requires investments and risk-taking on a scale that the current owners no longer consider reasonable. We’re now at a point where the next steps for Estonia Farmid OÜ should be taken by a new, ambitious owner,” said Jaanus Marrandi, Management Board Member of Estonia Farmid OÜ.
    “Estonia Farmid is being acquired by one of Estonia’s most prominent and financially strong groups – known for its solid reputation and international reach. As a listed company, Infortar provides us with the confidence that the work done so far, as well as future development and stability, will be ensured,” Marrandi emphasized.
    The transaction is not treated as a transaction beyond everyday economic activities or a transaction of a significant importance, nor as a transaction with related persons, within the meaning of the “Requirements for Issuers” part of the NASDAQ Tallinn Stock Exchange rules. The transaction does not have a significant impact on Aktsiaselts Infortar’s activities. The members of the Supervisory Board and the Management Board of Aktsiaselts Infortar are not personally interested in the transaction in any other way.

    Infortar operates in seven countries, the company’s main fields of activity are maritime transport, energy and real estate. Infortar owns a 68.47% stake in Tallink Grupp, a 100% stake in Elenger Grupp and a versatile and modern real estate portfolio of approx. 141,000 m2. In addition to the three main areas of activity, Infortar also operates in construction and mineral resources, agriculture, printing, and other areas. A total of 110 companies belong to the Infortar group: 101 subsidiaries, 4 affiliated companies and 5 subsidiaries of affiliated companies. Excluding affiliates, Infortar employs 6,228 people.

    Additional information:
    Kadri Laanvee
    Investor Relations Manager
    Phone: +372 5156662
    e-mail: kadri.laanvee@infortar.ee 
    www.infortar.ee/en/investor

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A rubbish election: voting in Australia produces mountains of waste – but there’s a better way

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa M. Given, Professor of Information Sciences & Director, Social Change Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT University

    More than 18 million Australians voted on Saturday, after walking past countless corflutes, reading campaign flyers and reviewing how-to-vote cards.

    The 2025 federal election was Australia’s biggest yet, with 710,000 more people on the electoral roll than in 2022. The Australian Election Commission amassed 250,000 pencils, 240,000 vests, 80,000 ballot boxes and 5,000 rolls of tamper-proof tape to stock some 7,000 polling places.

    So, what happens to these materials after polling day? Some are warehoused, ready for reuse next time around. Others are repurposed. But every election also generates a mountain of waste for landfill.

    It doesn’t have to be this way. Australia needs to mandate a cradle-to-grave approach to creating, using, recycling and disposing of election materials. Meanwhile, electronic machines and online voting can reduce the need for paper ballots, just as social media campaigns can reduce paper mail drops.

    Magill School in the Sturt electorate, like most polling centres, was wrapped in lightweight plastic posters.
    Clare Peddie

    Where do election materials go after the polls close?

    In response to inquiries from The Conversation, the Australian Election Commission said most AEC materials, such as tamper-proof tape, vests and pencils, are stored between elections at counting centres. Other materials, such as cardboard voting booths, are recycled or donated to schools or charities.

    Most councils require corflutes to be collected within seven days of an election. But no rules govern reuse or disposal. Corflutes are made from polypropylene, a lightweight plastic that is technically recyclable. But it’s not a straightforward process, so most recycling facilities reportedly cannot accept this waste.

    Some candidates donate corflutes to schools, childcare centres and charities, because the white reverse side can be used to mount artworks.

    Second-hand corflutes have also been used as shelters for homeless people, heat shields for bee hives, or to repair damaged skylights. But no doubt many end up in landfill.

    Are there alternatives?

    Many countries are “greening” their elections. In 2019, India’s election commission directed parties to eliminate single-use plastic including corflutes. In 2024, the United Kingdom’s Westminster Foundation for Democracy outlined strategies for reducing election “pollution”, addressing supply chains and packaging.

    Australia relies heavily on disposable election materials. While many of these can be recycled, it’s better to avoid single-use materials.

    Parties could also display how-to-vote instructions on posters at election sites, rather than handing out individual flyers that are recycled or thrown away.

    In 2022, the AEC introduced plain brown cardboard screens and ballot boxes, saying they are easier to recycle and reuse than previous versions “wrapped” in purple-and-white branded paper. However, Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers says elections will probably always be “highly manual and resource-intensive exercises”. We disagree.

    Could Australia use electronic or online voting to reduce waste?

    Other countries are introducing online voting to reduce waste. One study in Estonia found the carbon footprint of paper-based voting was 180 times greater than internet-based voting. More than 50% of the population voted online in 2023.

    India introduced electronic voting machines in 1982 and mandated them, nationwide, in 2004. In 1999 alone this saved 7,700 tonnes of waste.

    The United States introduced mechanical voting machines in the 1890s, punch cards and scanned ballots in the 1960s, and “direct-recording” electronic voting machines in the 1970s. Today, touch screens are used in many voting booths, with paper records for auditing. Now just 7% of districts rely on paper ballots and hand-counted ballots are rarely used.

    Yet electronic voting machines are not without controversy. Security concerns after the 2016 US election resulted in 94% of districts shifting to optical scanning, and use of “direct-recording” electronic voting machines almost halved.

    Ireland invested €50 million (A$88 million) into electronic voting machines in 2002, but they were never used due to concerns about potential tampering.

    Australia should explore secure options for electronic voting machines and online voting. In its response to The Conversation, the AEC said this would be a matter for parliament to consider, because the law currently demands that elections are in-person events.

    Can social media campaigning help?

    Social media enables candidates and voters to engage in new ways. For instance, Labor senators Katy Gallagher and Penny Wong took part in a Facebook “pop quiz” on April 29, which had 55,000 views. But social media can amplify misinformation, so consumers need to fact-check what they see and hear online.

    Combined, the parties and affiliated groups spent more than A$39 million on advertisements on YouTube, Facebook and Google during the 2025 campaign. The AEC had to update its authorisation guidelines to cover podcasters and other content creators.

    This mirrors global shifts towards social media campaigning. During Canada’s 2025 campaign, Liberal leader Mark Carney (who went on to be elected prime minister) created a video with celebrity Mike Myers, reaching 10 million views.

    While such creative approaches may engage voters, they still carry a carbon footprint. Carney and Myers’ video likely produced about six tonnes of CO₂ emissions due to the energy and electricity used in production, streaming and viewing.

    Mike Myers and Mark Carney used social media creatively in Canada’s 2025 election campaign.

    Text messages also connect candidates with voters. Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots party sent 17 million texts the election campaign. This equates to 240kg of CO₂ emissions from energy-hungry data centres and personal devices.

    This is less than the emissions the average Australian produces in a week. However, the unsolicited texts riled many voters, many concerned about privacy and who wanted to opt out.

    What’s the solution?

    Australia should mandate a reduction in the disposal of election materials.

    Some print materials may always be needed, because not all voters can access digital content or vote online. But the current situation is unsustainable.

    Global experiences show innovation is possible. Australia can reduce its reliance on new, physical materials, while maintaining public trust.

    Australia’s newly elected officials have an opportunity to green future elections, adopting a more sophisticated approach to voting in a digital age. There’s no excuse for producing mountains of plastic and paper waste every three or four years. Our nation deserves better.

    Lisa M. Given receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Association for Information Science and Technology.

    Gary Rosengarten receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Renewable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 CRC, and is a non-executive board member of the Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity.

    Matt Duckham 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 rubbish election: voting in Australia produces mountains of waste – but there’s a better way – https://theconversation.com/a-rubbish-election-voting-in-australia-produces-mountains-of-waste-but-theres-a-better-way-255780

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese astronauts back from six-month mission with record-setting space tasks

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

    The return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship, carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, touches down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2025. The three astronauts are all in good health condition, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui)

    The return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft landed smoothly Wednesday in the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) declaring the mission a success.

    By 2:02 p.m., the Shenzhou-19 crew, Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, had all left the return capsule. They had spent 183 days in orbit and are all in good health, the CMSA said.

    The mission set a world record for the longest single-time extravehicular activities (EVAs), and witnessed two historic milestones, namely, Commander Cai Xuzhe fulfilling the most EVA tasks to date in China and the nation’s first female flight engineer aboard the Tiangong space station.

    Cai has carried out five EVAs in two spaceflight missions, meaning he has completed more EVAs than any other Chinese astronaut.

    “Gazing at the beautiful blue planet countless times in space, I am constantly reminded that this is our shared home, one that we must all work together to protect,” said the 48-year-old mission commander, sitting in a chair in front of the capsule.

    Astronaut Cai Xuzhe is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

    Song Lingdong is the first post-90s Chinese astronaut to conduct EVAs.

    “We have transformed the dedication and hard work of all the researchers into fruitful scientific achievements,” said Song. “We are extremely proud of that.”

    Wang Haoze is China’s first female spaceflight engineer to enter the space station.

    “It feels wonderful to be home, to feel the solid ground beneath my feet once again,” said Wang. “I am now confident and capable of taking on even more challenging tasks in the future.”

    The Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship, launched in October 2024, separated from the space station combination at 4 a.m. After undocking from Tiangong, the spacecraft executed a fast return mode, said Mao Yongjun, an expert from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

    At 12:17 p.m. (Beijing Time), the Beijing Aerospace Control Center issued a return command through the ground station, and the orbital capsule of the Shenzhou-19 spaceship separated from the return capsule.

    Then the brake engine ignited, and the return capsule separated from the propulsion capsule. The return capsule touched down at 1:08 p.m. at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the CMSA said.

    The return of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship, originally scheduled for Tuesday, had been postponed due to unfavorable wind conditions at the Dongfeng landing site, according to the CMSA.

    This return mission featured two technological improvements. Helicopters and search vehicles were equipped with BDS-3 terminals, thus enhancing positioning accuracy and efficiency for ground recovery, Mao said.

    According to Mao, a laser meteorological radar was installed near the landing site to obtain detailed wind field data, boosting forecast accuracy from kilometers to within hundreds of meters.

    Astronaut Song Lingdong is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Bei He)

    LONGEST SPACEWALK

    During the mission, the Shenzhou-19 crew completed three EVAs, setting a world duration record of nine hours for single-time EVAs, said CMSA spokesperson Lin Xiqiang at a previous press conference.

    The crew successfully resolved an unexpected payload adapter jamming problem during their first EVA, ensuring the success of subsequent experiments, Lin said.

    China’s Feitian (“Flying in Space”) extravehicular suits have demonstrated exceptional reliability, having been used for 19 EVAs since the Shenzhou-12 mission, and the most frequently worn suit has been used 17 times, according to Lin.

    Lin said that the space station’s robotic arms, which can be connected and “crawl” on the exterior of the space cabins due to their unique designs, enable astronauts to access all EVA areas.

    Additionally, the coordination support system between space and ground has been refined to provide robust professional backing for EVA planning, real-time control, cross-system collaboration and emergency response.

    Astronaut Wang Haoze is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

    RECORD EXPERIMENTS

    The Shenzhou-19 crew accomplished multiple scientific firsts aboard the space station.

    For the first time globally, they achieved orbital preparation of spinor Bose-Einstein condensates using an all-optical trap, said Lin.

    In Tiangong, the crew established the world’s first space-based optical lattice platform for quantum simulations, with atomic temperatures cooled to tens of picokelvins, reaching an internationally leading level.

    The trio has successfully bred three generations of fruit flies in orbit, collecting over four terabytes of video data documenting their growth, sleep patterns, locomotor activity and reproductive behaviors.

    Upon return, researchers on the ground will analyze the samples brought back by Shenzhou-19 to study the effects of microgravity and a hypomagnetic field on living organisms.

    They have participated in 88 projects spanning space life science, microgravity, fundamental physics, space materials, space medicine, and new space technologies, achieving notable results, said Lin.

    The Shenzhou-19 mission generated over 102 samples of 13 types, which have been returned to Earth for in-depth analysis by scientists. These studies are expected to produce scientific outcomes in fundamental research, new materials, space radiation effects and hypomagnetic biological mechanisms.

    A CMSA video clip has revealed the Shenzhou-19 crew conducting an in-orbit trial of a specialized in-cabin robot — a pipeline inspection system. The astronauts constructed simulated pipelines of varying diameters to assess the robot’s mobility, successfully demonstrating its ability to navigate through pipes of different sizes.

    The pipeline inspection robot, featuring 23 degrees of freedom, draws biological inspiration from echinoderm animals like starfish and sea cucumbers, mimicking their tube feet with an innovative movement mechanism.

    Equipped with an intelligent control system, it processes real-time sensor data to precisely calculate its position and location, enabling navigation through the space station’s pipe network while maintaining operational safety in confined spaces.

    The crew’s work log recorded the human-machine collaborative experiment with an intelligent flying robot “Xiaohang” designed by the Harbin Institute of Technology.

    The voice-controlled intelligent robot can assist astronauts with multiple orbital operations, including taking photos, inspections, materials management and product state examination.

    During the mission, the Shenzhou-19 crew carried out tests using brainwave experiment device and the data will be used to investigate how gravity impacts the processing of visual motion information and to reveal the cognitive and neural mechanisms of human perception in microgravity.

    Last November, the three Chinese astronauts connected with some Bulgarian youth via video links, sharing their space exploration experiences and answering questions about their work and life aboard Tiangong.

    In December, an art exhibition themed “I Love My Motherland” took place simultaneously on the space station and in Beijing and Macao. This marked the fourth exhibition aboard Tiangong and the first to occur in both space and on Earth. The exhibition featured 75 artworks selected from over 20,000 submissions by Chinese teenagers. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Highlights of World Aquatics Diving World Cup 2025 Super Final

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

    Germany’s Lou Noel Guy Massenberg (L)/Moritz Wesemann compete during the men’s 3m synchronised final at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup 2025 Super Final in Beijing, capital of China, on May 2, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Wang Zongyuan, Chen Yuxi clinch titles at Diving World Cup Super Final in Beijing

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

    Chinese Olympic champions Wang Zongyuan and Chen Yuxi crowned the first two individual champions with the head-to-head competition format making its debut at the “Water Cube” in Beijing Saturday.

    In this new format, the top 12 athletes in individual events are seeded and paired according to their rankings. Each diver chooses three dives to perform, and the lower scorer in each pairing is eliminated. In the semifinals, the remaining six divers are divided into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the final.

    Divers returned to their usual pace and dive order by performing six dives in the men’s 3m springboard final. Wang, a two-time 3m springboard synchro champion and two-time silver medalist in individual events at the last two Olympic Games, won the gold with 519.25 points, edging teammate Zheng Jiuyuan into second place with 505.05 points.

    Moritz Wesemann of Germany and Luis Felipe Uribe Bermudez of Colombia finished third and fourth with 430.45 and 418.20 points, respectively.

    “The new format pushed us to enter our peak form from the very beginning and I started high in the first two sessions. In fact, I lost some energy in the final, especially in my 207C which only received 77.40,” said 23-year-old Wang.

    Zheng, 21, celebrated his first 500+point performance in the world level competition. “I have never reached 500+ in the competition before, I felt excited even right now. The new format gave me more uncertainty and pressure. I laughed at myself for my poor first dive 407c with 68 points in the morning,” Zheng said after the awarding ceremony.

    In the women’s 10m platform final, top seed Chen Yuxi demonstrated consistency, finishing with 432.15 points from the heats and semifinals, while Quan Hongchan, who scored 57.75 points on her 207C, accumulated a total of 399.25 points heading into the last four.

    With five stable dives in the final, Chen secured the win with 431.25 points, while Quan finished second with 409.80 due to minor mistakes in her 6243D and 207C. Alejandra Estudillo Torres of Mexico took the bronze with 332.70.

    “I have never tried like this before as three big battles within two days from 10m synchro, mixed team and individual 10m event. I felt fainted at last. It is a huge challenge and a new lesson for me to deal with the new competition format, on the issues of how to relax and adjust myself into form in very short time,”Chen said.

    For Quan, earning a silver medal was the best reward for her discipline and perseverance amid growth pains. “The total time of individual competition was limited within one hour, including the head-to-head, semifinal and final. I felt out of energy a little bit because I could hardly climb up to the platform. A silver is good for me because I am still learning how to balance my growing height and weight,” said the two-time women’s 10m platform Olympic gold medalist.

    China has swept all seven gold medals offered so far at the three-day Super Final. The competition will conclude on Sunday with the women’s 3m springboard and men’s 10m platform finals.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: A clean sweep for China at Diving World Cup Super Final in Beijing

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

    Gold medalist Zhu Zifeng (C) of China, silver medalist Cheng Zilong (L) of China and bronze medalist Cassiel Rousseau of Australia pose for photograph during the awarding ceremony of the men’s 10m platform final at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup 2025 Super Final in Beijing, capital of China, May 4, 2025. (Photo by Na Yuqi/Xinhua)

    With the last two gold medals going to Chen Jia and Zhu Zifeng, China swept all nine gold medals at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final, which concluded at the National Aquatics Center on Sunday.

    In addition, Chen Yuxi, a triple winner in Beijing, and Zhu Zifeng, the men’s 10m platform champion, lifted the crystal Trophy as the Best Female and Male Divers.

    In the women’s 3m springboard, top seed Chen Jia continued her winning streak from 2 previous stops and clinched the title with 382.05 points, edging her Olympic champion teammate Chen Yiwen into second place with 368.40. Maddison Keeney of Australia and Chiara Pellacani of Italy followed as the third and fourth finishers.

    As a rookie to the World Cup, Chen was happy about the victory. “I am really happy with the gold, but I still need to learn a lot from others. I should say I was a slow learner to the new format of head-to-head competition. I found my familiar pace only during the final,” said Chen, who described herself a “late bloomer” as the 20-year-old entered the Chinese national team at the end of last year and made her international debut from 2025.

    Two-time Olympic champion Chen Yiwen said she only recovered about 60 percent of her peak form. “I felt out of physical strength in such a tight schedule of challenges. However, I enjoy competing with other divers and will try to regain my form step by step,” said the 25-year-old.

    Zhu Zifeng and Cheng Zilong drew wild cheers from the crowd when both scored perfect 10s in their attempts in the men’s 10m platform final.

    Second-ranked Zhu Zifeng earned five 10s on his start dive 407C and collected five 90+ scores among six dives with a high mark 102.60 for his 207B, winning with 571.90 points for the title, which brought him the Trophy of the Best Male Diver of the World Cup.

    “I didn’t expect to win this gold medal because I finished second from the two previous stops but I also learned from it. I told myself to concentrate on my own techniques,” said the 22-year-old.

    “I did my best and improved myself on the final results. The competition format made me excited and nervous at the same time. I tried hard to take deep breath to relax myself before each dive,” Cheng said.

    “I don’t really aim to get medals. My aim is to have fun and obviously the more fun I have, the better I do. So the competition is amazing. The fans are amazing. Beijing is amazing and I am here,” added Rousseau, world champion of men’s 10m platform in 2023 Fukuoka worlds.

    The Super Final consisted of nine events and featured 75 divers from 17 countries and regions. According to organizers, the box office surpassed 5.28 million yuan (about 726,000 US dollars) overall, with over 21,000 spectators during the three-day competition.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Far right candidate leads Romania’s presidential election rerun: exit polls

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

    Exit polls showed that George Simion, chairman of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, took the lead in the first round of the Romanian presidential election rerun on Sunday.

    According to the exit polls conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology (CURS), Simion garnered 33.1 percent of the vote, followed by Crin Antonescu of the electoral alliance Romania Forward with 22.9 percent and Mayor of Bucharest Nicusor Dan, an independent candidate, with 20.9 percent.

    In another exit poll carried out by the AVANGARDE Socio-Behavioral Studies Group, Simion secured 30 percent of the vote while Antonescu and Dan both had 23 percent.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Latvia marks 35th anniversary of restoration of independence

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

    Latvia held a series of events across the country on Sunday to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the restoration of its independence.

    Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, along with other government officials and representatives of the public, laid flowers at the Freedom Monument in the capital Riga.

    Speaking at a celebratory session in the parliament, Rinkevics said “The world security and economic order are currently in a free fall. And we do not know where and how this world will land. Yet in this anxious era, amid all the noise, we must each remain clear-headed, listen to our inner voice, and respond with decisive action.”

    The Supreme Council of Latvia, then a republic of former Soviet Union, adopted the declaration “On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia”. In 2000, the Latvian parliament formally designated May 4 as Day of Restoration of Independence through a resolution.

    The Day of Restoration of Independence remains one of Latvia’s most significant national observances. This year’s celebrations featured parades, concerts, exhibitions, and sporting events. Citizens also shared images and videos of the celebrations on social media.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Two-way tourism between China, Europe gathers pace over May holiday

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

    Tourists from Hungary show souvenirs bought at Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    From European visitors walking through China’s historic neighborhoods to Chinese tourists sampling regional cuisine in southern Europe, two-way travel between China and Europe is steadily gaining momentum and evolving in form.

    As the May holiday season unfolds, tourism flows are picking up on both sides, supported by streamlined visa policies and enhanced travel connectivity, and shaped by growing interest in flexible, culturally rich experiences.

    Growing interest in China travel

    “We now have 12 tour groups travelling in China,” said Ewa Gajewska, a project manager with CT Poland, a Polish travel agency specializing in China tours for 25 years. To accommodate heightened demand during Poland’s peak travel period in May, the agency added extra departures beyond its original plans.

    “Almost every group this year has been full, with 26 tourists plus a tour leader,” she told Xinhua, adding that some returning clients are now opting to explore lesser-known but captivating destinations such as Yunnan and Guizhou.

    While Gajewska’s insights reflect the Polish market, similar trends have been observed elsewhere.

    Clients returning from other Asian destinations consistently found China’s tour offerings “more engaging and diverse,” said Alesya Plyavina, manager at Latvian Antario Travel Agency. “Potential tourists are already booking trips to China even for the end of the year.”

    According to Chinese travel platform Trip.com, inbound travel bookings from around the world rose by 173 percent year-on-year as of April 25.

    One major driver behind the renewed interest is China’s recent visa facilitation policies. Since late 2024, China has extended visa-free stays from 15 to 30 days for ordinary passport holders from 38 countries, including 32 European nations. Additionally, travelers from 54 countries, more than half of which are European, are now eligible for visa-free transit in China for up to 240 hours.

    “The extension of the visa-free entry to 30 days helps a lot in generating more demand and bookings,” said Vera Nebel, Asia product manager at German travel agency Ikarus Tours. “We experienced an increase in bookings for those tours of more than 15 days, because it’s a long journey from Germany to China, and it’s a big country.”

    In addition to the visa-free policy, convenient services and infrastructure such as digital payments, shared bikes and high-speed trains have also enhanced the experience for first-time visitors, said veteran Dutch tour guide Tom Lops, who has visited China over 30 times.

    “Think basically, and let yourself be surprised by all the new impressions you will have in this country,” he said.

    Exploring Europe in Chinese way

    As Europeans discover China as a diverse travel destination, Chinese tourists are exploring the continent with increasing depth and sophistication.

    Airbnb China’s latest May holiday report showed Chinese user searches for international destinations had more than doubled from last year, with many European countries ranking among the top 30 choices. Hiking, road trips and island tours are now preferred choices.

    Szymon Sikora, an English-language guide at Poland’s Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, frequently leads Chinese tourists on immersive “miner tours” — a hands-on experience where guests dress as miners and explore underground tunnels.

    “Sometimes I feel maybe I should learn Mandarin,” he told Xinhua, adding that more Chinese tourists are opting for immersive and adventurous experiences over traditional sightseeing.

    In Slovenia, Liao Shasha, general manager of Visdom Travel Agency, noted growing interest from Chinese tourists due to relaxed visa policies and better flight connectivity. Rather than large group tours, Chinese visitors now prefer smaller, flexible groups seeking personalized and upscale experiences, Liao said.

    These evolving preferences mirror not only new global tourism patterns but also broader developments in China. Decades of stable development and high-quality modernization have enlarged the middle-income group in China and led to rising demand for more sophisticated, customized travel experiences.

    “More Chinese tourists are willing to pay for a better life — fine hotels, great food, world-class performances,” said Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy. “These ‘small but fine’ and deeply emotional travel experiences are bringing depth and warmth to global tourism.”

    Tourism brings cooperation opportunities

    As China-Europe travel gathers pace, European observers believe its influence goes beyond tourism — helping foster mutual understanding and encouraging broader cooperation.

    In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the visa-free agreement with China, in place since 2017, has significantly boosted tourism and people-to-people interactions. As the two countries mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, local tourism officials anticipate greater collaboration ahead.

    Haris Fazlagic, president of the Sarajevo Canton Tourist Board, said the visa policy is crucial to expanding tourism. “It gives us the motivation to improve services, expand offerings and reach more Chinese visitors.”

    Looking ahead, Sarajevo aims to launch direct flights, enhance infrastructure and develop experiences tailored to Chinese travelers, Fazlagic added.

    In neighboring Croatia, the number of Chinese tourists in 2024 approached the pre-pandemic record of around 300,000. Meanwhile, “China, with its cultural and historical sights, can be a truly top-notch lure for Croatians,” said Davorko Vidovic, former deputy speaker of the Croatian Parliament.

    He welcomed China’s visa-free policy, seeing it as an essential step toward stronger economic, cultural and political ties.

    “I hope that when the one-year trial ends, the visa-free policy will be extended as it can open up enormous opportunities for cooperation between the two sides,” Vidovic told Xinhua. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi Jinping: A visionary architect of world peace and development

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Chinese President Xi Jinping watches the military parade during the commemoration activities to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2015. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

    In the stately Conference Building at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, a 65-inch-tall resplendent bronze vessel gleams under soft light, its cloisonne enamel blazing in vibrant Chinese red.

    The “Zun of Peace,” presented by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2015 as a special gift for the United Nations’ 70th anniversary, is not merely a delicate artifact. It embodies the aspiration and conviction of the Chinese people to seek peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes, Xi said at its unveiling.

    A decade later, as the top Chinese leader travels to Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, his presence both carries the weight of history and reaffirms a vision of the future.

    Leading a nation always aspiring for peace and harmony in its long history and further strengthened by its battles against militarism, imperialism and fascism in its recent past, Xi commands a unique insight into the value of peace, and has steadfastly championed the building of a peaceful world, a cause of great urgency given the tensions and conflicts on the global landscape today.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) attends a presentation ceremony on which the Chinese government gives the “Zun of Peace” to the United Nations as a gift in New York, the United States, Sept. 27, 2015. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

    ASPIRATION FOR PEACE

    Xi sees history as a mirror from which humanity should draw lessons to avoid repeating past calamities.

    This year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in what is commonly known in China as the World Anti-Fascist War or, more globally, as World War II. Almost every part of the world was involved, and more than 100 million were killed or wounded in what was described as the most destructive conflict in human history.

    The bravery and tremendous sacrifice of the Chinese people played a decisive role in defeating Fascist Japan and offered strategic support to the Allies on the European and Pacific battlefields.

    “History has told us to stay on high alert against war, which, like a demon and nightmare, would bring disaster and pain to the people,” Xi once said. “History has also told us to preserve peace with great care, as peace, like air and sunshine, is hardly noticed when people are benefiting from it, but none of us can live without it.”

    This historical observation features prominently in Xi’s unrelenting pursuit of peace. He has repeatedly reiterated China’s commitment to peaceful development, pledging that China will never seek hegemony, expansion or any sphere of influence, no matter how strong it may grow.

    During a 2014 visit to France, Xi reshaped Napoleon’s metaphor of China as a “sleeping lion” that would shake the world upon awakening. “Now China the lion has awakened. But it is a peaceful, amicable and civilized lion,” Xi said when illustrating the peaceful dimension of the Chinese Dream.

    Xi’s philosophy stems from the millennia-old Chinese culture. An avid reader of traditional Chinese classics, he once expounded how ancient Chinese wisdom views war and peace by quoting “The Art of War,” a Chinese classic written more than 2,000 years ago.

    The book’s key message “is that every effort should be made to prevent a war and great caution must be exercised when it comes to fighting a war,” Xi said when delivering a keynote speech in the UN Office at Geneva in 2017.

    Xi’s view on prudence in warfare is also reflected in his exchanges with foreign leaders and officials.

    “It has long been known that the real experts on military affairs do not want to employ military means to solve issues,” he quoted a Chinese aphorism when meeting with then U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Beijing in 2018.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping straightens the ribbon on a flower basket during a ceremony to present flower baskets to fallen heroes at Tian’anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

    A clear manifestation of Xi’s reflection is to cherish history and honor heroes. “A nation of hope cannot be without heroes,” Xi once said. Every year since 2014, Xi has paid tribute to China’s fallen heroes on Martyrs’ Day, which falls on Sept. 30, a day ahead of the country’s National Day.

    In 2015, when China celebrated the 70th anniversary of its victory in World War II, Xi presented medals to Chinese veterans and representatives from Russia and other countries who assisted Chinese soldiers on the battlefields.

    Nikolai Chuikov, the grandson of Soviet General Marshal Vasily Chuikov, was among those who received a peace medal from Xi. “Of all the honors I have won, I hold the highest regard for the peace medal,” he said.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping (R, front) shakes hands with a Russian veteran in Moscow, Russia, on May 8, 2015. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo) 

    TORCH OF MULTILATERALISM

    Under Xi’s leadership, China has adhered to an independent foreign policy of peace, played an active role in UN peacekeeping missions, and solidified its friendships and partnerships with countries worldwide.

    As hegemonism and protectionism once again rear their ugly heads, the world is gripped by an increasingly intricate array of challenges and uncertainties. In Xi’s eyes, the only way out is to practice true multilateralism. He once compared multilateralism to a torch that can light up humanity’s way forward.

    The Chinese president has consistently urged the international community to safeguard the UN-centered international system forged in the aftermath of World War II and anchored by international law.

    “We must promote multilateralism, the core essence of which is that international affairs should be decided through consultation among all countries, rather than by one country or a few countries,” he said.

    This photo taken on Jan. 2, 2025 shows the 46th fleet of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy during a counter-terrorism and anti-piracy exercise.The fleet traveled over 160,000 nautical miles during its 339-day voyage, escorting ships during missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. (Xinhua/Zhang Dayu)

    Xi, a staunch champion of true multilateralism, has guided China over the years in taking a proactive and constructive role in addressing regional and global hot-button issues.

    To end the Ukraine crisis at an early date, Xi has put forward a four-point proposal, emphasizing that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected; the purposes and principles of the UN Charter observed; the legitimate security concerns of all countries given due regard; and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis supported.

    Under Xi’s leadership, China has conducted shuttle diplomacy and mediation efforts to promote peace talks and initiated the “Friends of Peace” group with Brazil and other Global South countries on the Ukraine crisis at the United Nations.

    Regarding the Middle East, the Chinese president has promoted peace and stability in the volatile region. With China’s mediation, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed in March 2023 to restore diplomatic relations after a seven-year hiatus. In the lead-up to the negotiations, Xi talked separately with the leaders of both countries.

    During a phone call with Xi soon after the breakthrough was achieved, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud applauded China’s increasingly important and constructive role in regional and international affairs.

    In face of the gathering gloom of conflict on the horizon, Xi has championed a transformative approach to collective security. In May 2014, he articulated a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security for Asia. Eight years later, he presented the Global Security Initiative to the world.

    “We, as humanity, are living in an indivisible security community,” he said, advocating dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance, and win-win outcomes over zero-sum approaches.

    “GOLDEN KEY” OF DEVELOPMENT

    Lasting world peace remains one of humanity’s greatest aspirations. For Xi, peace and development are inseparable. He once observed that the tree of peace does not grow on barren land, and the fruit of development is not produced amid flames of war.

    In view of the interlocked relations, Xi insists that the “golden key” to a secure and stable future is to advance sustainable development.

    Since assuming China’s presidency, Xi has positioned development as a pillar of his vision of building a better future for humankind. The initiatives he has proposed in this regard, notably the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, serve as bridges to foster common development through broader collaboration.

    China has provided development aid to over 160 countries, and Belt and Road cooperation has involved more than 150 countries. Under the Global Development Initiative, China has mobilized nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars of development funds and launched more than 1,100 projects, fueling growth and modernization drives in many countries, particularly developing ones.

    An aerial drone photo taken on March 4, 2024 shows trains running on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line in Lagos, Nigeria. Undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation in July 2010 and completed in Dec. 2022, the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line corridor spans 13 km and covers five stations. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

    “China is sharing its development experience with other countries through its development initiatives, which have helped to promote common development,” said Straton Habyarimana, a Rwandan economic analyst.

    “Since these initiatives are people-centered, they address key challenges such as food insecurity and poverty” and have helped ease tensions among countries, he added.

    UPDATE OF WORLD ORDER

    Nestled by the Huangpu River in Shanghai, the New Development Bank was founded by five BRICS countries in 2014 to provide financing support for member countries to bolster transport infrastructure, clean energy and digital infrastructure.

    When Xi visited the bank a few days ago, he saw more than a mere financial institution. He described it as a “pioneering initiative for the unity and self-improvement of the Global South,” underscoring an enduring commitment to building a more just and equitable international order.

    This aerial photo taken on June 17, 2022 shows the headquarters building of the New Development Bank in east China’s Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

    BRICS countries stand at the forefront of the Global South. Xi has personally pushed for the BRICS’ historic expansion in 2023 to create stronger unity among the Global South. The expansion, he said, would further strengthen the forces for world peace and development.

    Developing countries remain underrepresented in the global governance system, which the West has long dominated. China maintains that only when the rise of emerging markets and developing countries is reflected in the global governance system will global development be more balanced and global peace more firmly based.

    During the 2022 Group of 20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, Xi vocally supported the African Union in joining the leading multilateral mechanism, making China the earliest and most vocal champion for amplifying Africa’s voice in global governance.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping walks to the venue of the 17th summit of the Group of 20 in Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

    In recent years, Xi has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative as key global public goods to create a more just and equitable global governance system.

    Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who received the “Zun of Peace” from the Chinese president on behalf of the United Nations 10 years ago, said China’s initiatives to promote global peace and development are inseparable from Xi’s foresight.

    “China is playing an increasingly important role on the world stage, and Xi has demonstrated proactive and crucial leadership,” Ban said. “He always believes that China can only do well when the world is doing well, and when China does well, the world will get even better.”

    In Xi’s own words, “every increase of China’s strength is an increase of the prospects of world peace.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with David Speers, Insiders, ABC

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    David Speers:

    Treasurer, thank you.

    Jim Chalmers:

    It’s been too long, David.

    Speers:

    It’s been too long. After a little bit of sleep, how do you reflect on what happened last night?

    Chalmers:

    It’s still sinking in, David. This was beyond even our most optimistic expectations. It was a history‑making night. It was one for the ages, genuinely. But to pick up on something that Sam said which I think is right, this victory does come as well with healthy helpings of humility as well because we know that there are a lot of challenges to address in our economy and more broadly we know that people are under pressure.

    We know the global environment is uncertain, and we know that this second term has been given to us by the Australian people because they want stability in uncertain times, but not because they think we’ve solved every challenge in our economy or in our society more broadly, but because we’re better placed to work towards solving some of those challenges. So there is an element of humility and there’s a lot of gratitude to the Australian people.

    Speers:

    And I want to just ask you about your approach now to a second term. A second term with a big win and a big majority – bigger than you’ve had in the first term – and this question about how you use this political capital. Just give us a sense of how you are thinking about what you’ll do in this second term.

    Chalmers:

    Well, I think one of the major differences we have between some of the commentary and how we see our own government is this is an ambitious government. You think about some of the changes we’ve made, income tax cuts, some of the budget repair that we’ve done, the big investments in housing, the energy transformation, and particularly in healthcare, this is an ambitious government and we’re looking forward to implementing the agenda that we took to the election.

    I think one thing that tempers some of the discussion I heard from yourself and the counterparts over there is, remember, nobody will control the Senate. It’s not an outcome like we saw under Prime Minister Howard.

    Speers:

    You’ll still have the Greens there.

    Chalmers:

    Well, not just them, in the Senate.

    Speers:

    I think it might, in fact, be just them that you’ll have to rely on, unless you have the Coalition, of course, for legislation.

    Chalmers:

    The point that I’m making is we have a big agenda, we’re looking forward to implementing it with confidence, with the confidence that comes from a big majority, a substantial majority in the House of Representatives.

    Speers:

    But I guess, I mean, I hear your point about reforms that you have done in that first term, but I guess what I’m getting at here is that budget challenge in particular. We do have deficits for the next 4 years under your budget plans of about $150 billion in total. It’s a structural deficit. Something needs to happen to fix that. Is that going to be a priority?

    Chalmers:

    Well, that will obviously require our ongoing attention, but we shouldn’t dismiss or diminish the really quite phenomenal progress that we’ve made in the budget in our first term, a couple of hundred billion dollar turnaround, 2 surpluses – that hasn’t happened for decades – so we’ve made progress.

    But the way that Katy Gallagher and I see that challenge is that’s an ongoing challenge, including in a structural sense, where we have made progress in aged care, the NDIS and interest costs but clearly that will warrant ongoing attention.

    Speers:

    Does the scale of this win give you more confidence to do things that might not be politically popular?

    Chalmers:

    The way that I see the scale of this win, I thought, again not to dance on the political graves of our opponents, but there was a real kind of darkness at the heart of the Coalition campaign, this kind of backward‑looking pessimism which Australians rejected.

    And in rejecting that, I think they embraced the kind of leadership that Anthony Albanese provides which is practical, pragmatic, it’s problem solving, and it’s very forward looking, and that’s the approach that we’ll take.

    Speers:

    So when we look at what you’re facing over the years ahead, the 3 years ahead, I mentioned the budget challenge, you’ve also got the Donald Trump challenge and the prospects of a global trade war and a lot going on. What are your priorities right now?

    Chalmers:

    Well, first of all, I think managing this global economic uncertainty. I’ve already had a briefing from the Treasury Secretary this morning at a quarter to 7.

    Speers:

    Already this morning?

    Chalmers:

    Yes, this morning, I had a briefing with Secretary Steven Kennedy. I’m grateful to him for providing that briefing of the initial –

    Speers:

    Do you talk during the campaign or is this the first sort of proper briefing?

    Chalmers:

    We speak but in not the same way that we would engage outside of caretaker.

    Speers:

    Now that he knows you’re back in the job for sure.

    Chalmers:

    So we had a discussion at a quarter to 7 this morning, back to work. Obviously, the immediate focus is on this global economic uncertainty, particularly the US and China part of that and what it means for us. And so I was able to be briefed on that, what’s happening in markets and what it means for the Australian economy. So clearly, that’s the immediate focus and again. I think one of the reasons why we got this big majority last night is because people recognise that if you wanted stability while the global economy was going crazy, then a majority Labor government was the best way to deliver that. So global economic uncertainty but our agenda is really clear.

    We have to build more homes now, we’ve got to get this energy transformation right, we’ve got to do more to embrace technology – particularly the AI opportunity. There’s a huge agenda there for us and what our agenda boils down to is obviously weathering and withstanding this global economic uncertainty in the near term, but also making sure that we make the Australian people the primary beneficiaries of all of this churn and change that we’re seeing in the world, and so we’ve got a big agenda there and I’m really looking forward to rolling it out.

    Speers:

    And just on the briefing you had this morning, is there any noticeable change in the outlook for the global economy?

    Chalmers:

    I think the spectrum of scenarios is much broader now. We know that the direct impact on us from the tariffs is manageable and relatively modest, but there is a huge downside risk in the global economy. I think what’s happening, particularly between the US and China does cast a dark shadow over the global economy.

    And we’re not uniquely impacted by that, but we’re really well placed, we are quite well prepared because of the progress that Australians made over the course of the last 3 years. So we go in that with a sense of, we’re realistic about how this could play out in the world, but we are optimistic about Australia’s place in it.

    Speers:

    So that is still the number one concern for Australia?

    Chalmers:

    Certainly, for every country, including Australia. But global economic uncertainty really is the big influence on my thinking and my work on day one of a second term and we need to have the ability – and we will have the ability – to manage that uncertainty at the same time as we roll out our domestic agenda – Future Made in Australia, housing, energy, technology, human capital, competition policy.

    Speers:

    The great difficulty you face and the government faced in the first term was inflation and all of those interest rate rises. We saw one rate cut earlier this year – are you looking forward to in the second term seeing a few more rate cuts?

    Chalmers:

    Look, I’m not going to count my chickens on that front. Certainly the market expects there to be a number of interest rate cuts, I don’t make those sorts of predictions. We saw a rate cut in February, and I think that did have an impact on the way people see their prospects.

    Consumer confidence has actually started rebounding from the middle of last year, the tax cuts, petrol prices coming down, and then the interest rate cut has slowly rebuilt confidence off a very low base and so if we do see more interest rate cuts over the course of the rest of the year, I think that will be a very helpful way to boost confidence in the economy, particularly consumer sentiment, and also provide some cost‑of‑living relief for people.

    Speers:

    Nearly every economist says productivity needs to be one of your top priorities as well. Is there more you can do to squeeze more productivity out of the economy?

    Chalmers:

    Yes, and I’m looking forward to rolling out the changes we announced on a national regime for occupational licensing, the non‑compete clauses change, the competition policy I’m working up with the states, reviving national competition policy – big priority for me as Treasurer – so there is an agenda there.

    But also don’t forget, we commissioned from the Productivity Commission 5 big pieces of work on the main drivers – the main pillars of productivity in our economy – we’ll see that in the third quarter of this year. I’m looking forward to receiving that because we’ve got an agenda on productivity, but we can do more, and we will do more.

    The best way to think about the difference between our first term and the second term that we won last night, first term was primarily inflation without forgetting productivity, the second term will be primarily productivity without forgetting inflation.

    Speers:

    That’s interesting, so the priority does shift now to productivity.

    Chalmers:

    And a much broader sense of it – human capital, competition policy, technology, energy, the care economy – these are where we’re going to find the productivity gains, and not quickly, but over the medium term.

    Speers:

    Looking at the politics of what happened last night, there were clearly surprises for you and for all of us watching what happened.

    Chalmers:

    I was trying to keep a lid on it on the panel.

    Speers:

    You can let loose now. What surprised you the most?

    Chalmers:

    Petrie I think, as David said. Petrie, if we can cling on there, that would be an extraordinary outcome. But I’m really grateful for what you said before, David, about Queensland and about these really quite remarkable women that Queensland is sending to the national parliament. You think about Madonna Jarrett, Renee Coffey, Kara Cook, Corinne Mulholland in the Senate, we’ve won back that second Senate seat in Queensland, and people will be hearing a lot about Corinne Mulholland. So very, very proud of the contribution that Queensland is making to this second term of an Albanese Labor government.

    Speers:

    You won’t be so lonely as a Queenslander in the Labor caucus. Just explain to us how it works, if you now have a much stronger Queensland contingent, does that need to be reflected on the front bench?

    Chalmers:

    Well, I think there’s a stronger contingent in a number of states, and so I always think you can never have too many Queenslanders, that’s why I was so pleased to see Anika Wells join the ranks of the Cabinet not that long ago. We’ve been really long on influence but short on numbers, and now we’re hopefully going to be long on influence and long on numbers.

    Speers:

    You’d be keen for another Cabinet or Ministry spot, at least from Queensland.

    Chalmers:

    I’m a Queenslander, and I think that most of the Cabinet should be Queenslanders, that’s just how we’re born and raised, but there’s a lot of good people around the country. Claire Clutterham in Sturt’s amazing.

    Speers:

    Do you expect there will be a bit of a refresh of the Ministry?

    Chalmers:

    That remains to be seen and I haven’t been focused on that at all. The Prime Minister will allocate the portfolios when the dust has settled on the count. We know who will be putting their hands up for ministries but that’s not a big part of my job, it’s not a big part of my focus.

    Speers:

    Now, finally, I just want to ask about the leadership and your future. You did say last night that you absolutely would support Anthony Albanese running again for a third term.

    Chalmers:

    Yes.

    Speers:

    What does that mean for your own leadership ambitions?

    Chalmers:

    Look, I’ve said on probably countless occasions now, if I can sit on the back deck in some period 20 years down the track and think that I was Treasurer in a great Labor government led from go to whoa by Anthony Albanese, I’d be very happy with that.

    And I pay tribute to the Prime Minister. I can’t think of a campaign where a Prime Minister has campaigned more effectively than Anthony Albanese over the course of the last 5 weeks. I think he is the biggest explanation for why we turned around the trouble that we were in at the end of 2024 to the position that we won last night. It was an extraordinary campaign, and I think he deserves to be very proud. My expectation and my hope is that he serves a full term and runs again.

    Speers:

    You’re a student of Labor Prime Ministers past. How does Anthony Albanese now sit in the pantheon?

    Chalmers:

    He’s a Labor hero, and I think the outcome last night and the fact that his leadership has meant that we are surrounded now by even more terrific colleagues. Ali France in Dickson, unbelievable life story, I think he deserves to be very proud about that. But again, coming back to where we started, there is a humility here because we know that there’s a bunch of stuff that we have to address together, but he has every right to feel very proud, and we’re very proud of him.

    I’m personally incredibly proud of him. I rang him during the day yesterday and told him how proud I was of him, and he deserves the lion’s share of the credit for what happened last night.

    Speers:

    Did you talk last night?

    Chalmers:

    No, not last night. I was with you all night sitting – I was sitting a metre and a half from you for about 6 hours probably in the end. I’ll probably have a yak with him today, but I rang him during the day before the result was known, and I said his was an extraordinary campaign, he’s got a lot to be proud of and we are certainly proud to be part of his team.

    Speers:

    Well, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, we do appreciate you backing up this morning. Thank you for joining us.

    Chalmers:

    Thanks, David.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Joint Statement of the 28th ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting

    Source: ASEAN

    1. The 28th ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting (AFMGM+3) took place on 4 May 2025 in Milan, Italy under the co-chairmanship of H.E. Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Minister of Finance II of Malaysia, H.E. Dato’ Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, H.E. Lan Fo’an, Minister of Finance of the People’s Republic of China, and H.E. Pan Gongsheng, Governor of the People’s Bank of China. The Director of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN Secretariat, and the Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were also present at the meeting.
     
    2. We express our deepest condolences to the people of Myanmar and Thailand for the tragic loss caused by the devastating earthquake on 28 March. Our thoughts are with the affected communities during this difficult time, and we stand in solidarity with them as they recover and rebuild.
     
    Download the full statement here.
    The post Joint Statement of the 28th ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A ‘Trump slump’ has lifted the left in Canada and now Australia – what are the lessons for NZ?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grant Duncan, Teaching Fellow in Politics and International Relations, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Trying to capitalise on the electoral success of US President Donald Trump, now that his policies are having real-world effects, is proving to be a big mistake for conservative leaders.

    Australian voters have delivered a landslide win for the incumbent Labor Party, returning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a second term with a clear majority of seats.

    When he said in his victory speech that Australians had “voted for Australian values”, an unspoken message was that they’d firmly rejected Trumpian values.

    Meanwhile, opposition and Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton had such a bad election he lost his own seat. While not the only reason for his electoral demise, Dutton’s adoption of themes associated with Trump backfired.

    As recently as mid-February, however, it was a completely different story. Opinion polls were projecting Dutton’s Coalition to win. Betting markets followed suit, pricing in a change of government.

    But by March, Labor had pulled ahead in the polls, and exceeded expectations in the election itself. As one commentator put it, the Liberals were “reduced to a right-wing populist party that is all but exiled from the biggest cities”.

    Reversal of fortune

    Where, then, did Dutton go wrong? Commentators identified a number of reasons, including his “culture wars” and being depicted by Labor as “Trump-lite”.

    Following a Trumpian pathway turned out to be a strategic blunder. And Dutton’s downfall mirrors Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s defeat in Canada’s election on April 28.

    In January, Canada’s incumbent centre-left Liberals were heading for defeat to the Conservatives. But there were two gamechangers: the Liberals switched leaders from Justin Trudeau to Mark Carney, and Trump caused a national uproar with his aggressive tariffs and his call for Canada to become the 51st US state.

    Pre-election opinion polls then did a dramatic flip in favour of the Liberals, who went on to win their fourth election in a row.

    Poilievre’s campaign had adopted elements of the Trump style, such as attacking “wokeness” and using derogatory nicknames for opponents.

    His strategy failed as soon as Trump rolled out “America First” policies contrary to Canadians’ economic interests and national pride. The takeaway for serious right-wing leaders in liberal democracies is clear: let Trump do Trump; his brand is toxic.

    Not a universal trend

    Trump’s actions are harming America’s allies. His tariffs, disregard for the rule of law, and tough policies on migrants, affirmative action and climate change have seen voters outside the US react with self-protective patriotism.

    A perceived association with Trump’s brand has now upended the electoral fortunes of (so far) two centre-right parties that had been in line to win, and had been banking on the 2024 MAGA success somehow rubbing off on them.

    Admittedly, what has been dubbed the “Trump slump” isn’t a universal trend.

    In Germany, the centre-left Social Democratic-led government was ousted in February, in spite of Trump ally Elon Musk’s unhelpful support for the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

    And in the United Kingdom, the populist Reform UK party has risen above 25%, while Labour has fallen from 34% in last year’s election to the low 20s in recent polls.

    But other governing centre-left parties are seeing an upside of the Trump effect.
    Norway’s next election is on September 8. In early January it looked like the incumbent Labour Party would be trounced by the Conservatives and the right-wing Progress Party.

    Opinion polls dramatically flipped in early February, however, boosting Labour from below 20% back into the lead, hitting 30%. If that trend is sustained, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will get another term in office.

    Denmark’s governing Social Democrats have enjoyed a small polling boost, too, since Trump declared he’d like to take Greenland off their hands.

    Lessons for NZ’s left and right

    The common denominator underlying these shifts to the left seems to be the Trump effect. Voters in countries normally closely allied with the US are turning away from Trump-adjacent politicians.

    In 2024, elections tended to go against incumbents. But, for now at least, people are rallying patriotically around centre-left, sitting governments.

    Ironically, Trump is harming leaders who could have been his allies. Unrepentant as always, the man himself seemed proud of the impact he had in Canada.

    Winston Peters: culture war rhetoric.
    Getty Images

    In Australia and New Zealand, polls in mid-2024 showed support for Trump was growing – heading well above 20%. Australia’s election suggests that trend may now be past its peak.

    In New Zealand, with debate over ACT’s contentious Treaty Principles Bill behind it, and despite NZ First leader Winston Peters’ overt culture-war rhetoric (which may appeal to his 6% support base), the right-wing coalition government’s polling shows it could be on track for a second term – for the time being.

    While the Trump effect may have benefited centre-left parties in Australia and Canada, polling for New Zealand’s Labour opposition is softer than at the start of the year.

    While “America First” policies continue to damage the global economy, centre-right leaders who learn the lesson will quietly distance themselves from the Trump brand, while maintaining cordial relations with the White House.

    Centre-left leaders, however, could do worse than follow Anthony Albanese’s example of not getting distracted by “Trump-lite” and instead promoting his own country’s values of fairness and mutual respect.

    Grant Duncan 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 ‘Trump slump’ has lifted the left in Canada and now Australia – what are the lessons for NZ? – https://theconversation.com/a-trump-slump-has-lifted-the-left-in-canada-and-now-australia-what-are-the-lessons-for-nz-255715

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DHS Announces the Rescission of Romania’s Designation into the Visa Waiver Program

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: DHS Announces the Rescission of Romania’s Designation into the Visa Waiver Program

    strong>WASHINGTON —Today, the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Department of State, rescinded Romania’s Visa Waiver Program (VWP) designation

    Despite security concerns, the Biden Administration designated Romania as a VWP country on January 9, 2025

    On March 25, 2025, DHS paused implementation of the VWP in order to conduct a review of Romania’s designation

    That review has concluded and, given this Administration’s focus on border and immigration security, DHS decided that Romania’s designation should be rescinded in order to protect the integrity of the VWP and to ensure border and immigration security

    Romania may be reconsidered for VWP designation in the future should they meet the statutory eligibility criteria

    “Maintaining the Visa Waiver Program’s high standards is essential to our national security

    In light of this Administration’s focus on border and immigration security, the Secretary of Homeland Security has decided, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to rescind Romania’s VWP designation effective immediately,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin

    “We are grateful for Romania’s close partnership over the years to enhance security cooperation

    Romania may be reconsidered for VWP admission in the future

    ”
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: True American Hero – Army Capt. Daniel Ken Inouye

    Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

    @usarmy Capt. Daniel Inouye’s military and public service lasted more than half a century.

    During a #WWII battle in Italy, amidst heavy fire, Inouye led his platoon with unmatched bravery, taking out an enemy position and refusing to evacuate despite being severely wounded. For his courage and selflessness, he earned the #MedalofHonor. #TrueAmericanHero #military

    For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RqymDyBnt4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: 3D-Printed Railway Station & 6 Manufacturing Myths | WEF | Top Stories Week

    Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)

    This week’s top stories of the week include:

    0:15 Platform boots workplace inclusivity — Inclusively rounds up what potential employers can offer them from reasonable adjustments to assistive technologies. Employees can log in anonymously and state their disabilities and needs for support or resources.

    3:40 Japan 3D-printed this railway station — Hatsushima’s old wooden station was built in 1948 and needed replacing but building a new one would have taken 2 months. Serendix printed the new station’s parts in a week before transporting them to Hatsushima for assembly.

    5:13 How to identify and fight online harms — Making the digital world safe while protecting freedom of expression is an ongoing challenge. Nearly half of US teens say they’re online almost constantly but how safe is their digital world?

    8:41 6 myths about modern manufacturing — We sat down with 4 manufacturing leaders based in Switzerland, Morocco, Belgium and the US to discuss common mistakes people have about the industry.

    _____________________________________________

    The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

    World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
    Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/
    YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/wef
    Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/worldeconomicforum/ 
    Twitter ► https://twitter.com/wef
    LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-economic-forum
    TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@worldeconomicforum
    Flipboard ► https://flipboard.com/@WEF

    #WorldEconomicForum

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PTbZ8cdk0Y

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ‘Silver lining’ effect for many women who separate in midlife

    Source:

    05 May 2025

    A new study challenges a common assumption that Australian women who divorce or separate in midlife are destined for a bleak future.

    While finances can be a struggle and personal happiness declines in the short term, it gradually increases within a few years, often exceeding pre-divorce levels.

    That’s one finding from a South Australian study that tracked over 1400 women who had divorced or separated, comparing them with a control group of over 2500 women who remained in long-term relationships.

    Life satisfaction was tracked over multiple decades, using data from nine waves of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. The findings have been published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.

    Researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) and the University of Adelaide said that social support, perceived control, and income satisfaction influenced how well women adjusted after their relationships dissolved.

    Lead author, UniSA clinical psychology master’s student Olivia Arcangeli, says that divorce and separation are among the most stressful experiences of adulthood, yet little is known about the impact of later-life relationship dissolution.

    “When long-term relationships end during midlife (age 45-50), people still have decades ahead of them, but also less time to re-establish themselves financially and in other ways,” Arcangeli says.

    “We found that within three to four years, divorced and separated women returned to their pre-dissolution levels of life satisfaction. This contrasts with a similar study in Germany, which showed that women still had not returned to pre-divorce levels of happiness five to six years after their relationship ended.”

    The difference between the two countries may be attributed to more lenient attitudes towards divorce in Australia, where there is far less stigma around divorce than in Germany.

    University of Adelaide psychology lecturer, Dr Anastasia Ejova, says the Australian study showed that life satisfaction levels for divorced and separated women matched those of married and partnered women approximately 13.5 years after their relationship ended, and continued growing somewhat faster, slightly exceeding the control group’s life satisfaction in the last few years of measurement.

    “This finding can be explained through the lens of post-traumatic growth, whereby individuals who experience major crises may develop increased insight and gratitude regarding their circumstances, which in turn increases their wellbeing,” Dr Ejova says. “We would ideally need to keep following the women for another few years to see whether the faster growth post-separation is sustained.”

    Women whose life satisfaction levels fell sharply in the years surrounding the relationship breakup experienced greater long-term happiness afterwards.

    The researchers say this could be linked to feelings of relief after dealing with high levels of stress and conflict during their relationship.

    Among the control group, happiness levels also rose later in the marriage, consistent with the view that many marital problems were able to be resolved over time.

    Women with strong support networks, a sense of control over their lives, and a greater ability to manage on their available income reported higher life satisfaction post separation.

    The effects of re-partnering, having children, and education were either non-significant or unexpected.

    Unlike previous research on men and women, this study did not find re-partnering to improve life satisfaction levels post-divorce for Australian women. The researchers note it is possible that the benefits of re-partnering are more likely to be seen in men.

    In addition, despite an assumption that children present significant emotional and financial challenges for divorcees, the study showed minimal differences in happiness levels post-divorce between women with and without children.

    “The findings highlight the need for targeted support services for middle-aged women going through divorce and separation,” Arcangeli says.

    “Providing access to counselling, financial advice and social support networks could help women navigate the emotional and economic challenges of separation more effectively, making a big difference to their long-term wellbeing.”

    Notes for editors

    “Does Time Heal All Wounds? Life Satisfaction Trajectories in Australian Middle-Aged Women Before and After Relationship Dissolution” is published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00853-5

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Luis de Guindos: Interview with Die Presse

    Source: European Central Bank

    Interview with Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, conducted by Jakob Zirm on 28 April 2025

    3 May 2025

    Die Presse: Since June 2024 the ECB has already cut interest rates seven times. How long will this period of interest rate cuts last?

    Luis de Guindos: This will depend on how inflation develops. But we can be optimistic because our latest forecasts show that, from the end of this year, inflation will be very close to our target of 2%. Moreover, inflation continues to fall thanks to three additional factors. First, the euro has appreciated. Second, energy and commodity prices are declining. And third, the current economic uncertainty about tariffs could lead to greater wage moderation than that already suggested by the latest survey results. All these elements contribute to bringing inflation further down. And this is the decisive factor in whether we continue to lower interest rates.

    Where would you place the neutral interest rate, i.e. the rate which neither stimulates nor restricts economic growth? Is this a target for the ECB?

    The discussion about the neutral rate is very interesting from an academic standpoint. However, it is not very helpful for monetary policy decision-making because the neutral rate cannot be directly observed. Our decisions are based on how inflation develops, our projections and how our monetary policy is transmitted to the real economy. And, as I said, we are optimistic that we will sustainably achieve our inflation target.

    The US Federal Reserve is lowering interest rates much more slowly than the ECB. Is the large interest rate differential between the United States and the euro area a problem?

    The situation in the United States and Europe is different. You should look not only at nominal interest rates, but also at real interest rates. In the United States, inflation and inflation expectations are higher than in Europe, due to a different economic outlook. So the interest rate differential is smaller in real terms. In addition, inflation is more persistent in the United States.

    We have policy space to pursue our own monetary policy, but of course we are monitoring what is happening in the United States.

    In 2022 the euro depreciated massively after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates half a year sooner. Is there a similar risk again now?

    Not necessarily at the moment. Despite all the uncertainties and contrary to expectations, the euro appreciated after the tariff announcements. Exchange rate developments depend on many factors. We do not have any exchange rate objective, but we monitor the exchange rate closely because it is an important macroeconomic variable in our assessment of the risks for price stability.

    It is important to moderate exchange rate volatility.

    But if the trend reverses and the dollar becomes significantly stronger again, could this fuel inflation in the euro area again?

    We are closely monitoring exchange rate developments. But there are currently no signs of a weakening of the euro. Much will depend on how the current dispute over tariffs develops.

    The average inflation rate in the euro area is currently 2.2%. However, some eastern European countries still have inflation rates of 3% or 4%. Is inflation really under control everywhere in the euro area?

    Differences in inflation developments between countries are normal, it’s the average that is crucial. Our projections show that both headline and core inflation are on track to reach our 2% target. We are paying particular attention to monitoring services inflation, which is strongly influenced by wages. Here, too, we are seeing signs of a slowdown in wage dynamics.

    Let’s talk about growth. In March the ECB predicted GDP growth of 0.9% for the euro area in 2025. Is this still realistic given the tariff debate?

    You are right – this forecast was made before the announcement of US tariffs. Uncertainty we’ve seen since then has weighed on economic activity and is likely to delay investment and consumption. Uncertainty is always bad for the economy. We already pointed to such downside risks in our March projections. The risks are now materialising.

    In Austria, we are in recession for the third year in a row now. Could the entire euro area slide into a recession?

    No, our baseline continues to expect very low but positive growth. It’s well below potential growth, but I don’t think that the euro area is heading into a recession.

    US tariffs are currently suspended. How bad would the damage be if the trade war were to escalate?

    An all-out trade war would have a very serious impact on growth. I really hope it doesn’t come to that. It is also important to take the diversion effects that can occur in trade flows into account, making the consequences difficult to predict.

    US President Donald Trump recently launched a mass attack on the Federal Reserve and its Chair Jerome Powell. What are the consequences of such an attempt to exert political pressure on the work of central banks?

    The independence of central banks is crucial. It is key to their credibility and thus to combating inflation. Even when inflation was extremely high two years ago, inflation expectations in Europe remained anchored because the central bank was considered independent and credible. This credibility is essential to keep inflation expectations under control and, in particular, to avoid wage-price spirals.

    There has been a discussion on whether the euro’s role as a reserve currency could be strengthened if confidence in the US dollar declines. Do you see that as possible?

    The dollar is clearly leading as a reserve currency. The international importance of the euro is a lot less in comparison. Its future development depends on us, however. If Europe builds stronger capital markets and establishes itself as a true single market, the role of the euro at international level could be strengthened. Closer integration and a more pro-European approach are crucial.

    What would be needed to create a true European capital markets union?

    Three central pillars would be needed. First, we need a true single market – barriers and national legislation that impede further integration must be removed. Second, we need to complete the banking union. We already have single supervision and resolution, but we still lack a common deposit guarantee scheme. Third, we need to further develop the capital markets union itself. These three elements are interconnected – progress in one area is difficult without progress in the other two.

    Many support the capital markets union but little progress has been made. Who is blocking it?

    The problem is that without a true single market for goods and services, the capital markets union is also difficult to implement. The banking union is more advanced but there is still a lot to be done. Capital flows follow the real economy, which is why we need integrated goods and services markets.

    In this situation, does it help if national governments block cross-border bank mergers – as is currently the case in Germany, where UniCredit wishes to buy Commerzbank?

    I will not comment on any specific mergers. But in general, we support cross-border mergers because they are necessary to create truly European banks and complete the banking union.

    Is there too much nationalism in the European financial system?

    Sometimes there is too much national focus. But there is a growing awareness that Europe needs to become more independent. And the only way to remain relevant on the world stage is to be more European and a little less nationally focused.

    The European Commission is now also pushing ahead with the simplification of European regulation. This also applies to the financial market of course. Where should economic activity be made easier for businesses?

    The ECB has set up its own high-level task force, which I coordinate. It’s meant to draw up proposals by the end of the year, which will be passed on to the legislator. This may involve, for example, the implementation of Basel III or reporting, which could be streamlined, or the simplification of bank capital structure, to make it clearer and more understandable for investors. However, simplification does not mean de-regulation, it should not jeopardise banks’ solvency.

    When inflation was high, many euro area countries steeply increased their debt and the ECB bought many government bonds, which amounted to some 30% of the outstanding volume in the case of some countries. Is that a problem?

    Those measures were necessary in the context of the pandemic. But now we need to increase defence spending and preserve fiscal sustainability at the same time in order to avoid rising market interest rates and thus lower private investment. That won’t be easy.

    The Austrian central bank has reported annual losses of more than €2 billion in the past two years. This was due to the purchase of low-yield government bonds. Is that the hidden price of expansionary monetary policy?

    Our monetary policy is not determined by the profit and loss accounts of the central banks. Looking back, central banks have made significant gains over the past ten years. The current loss is a consequence of the high liquidity in the market, on which central banks have to pay higher interest rates. However, this liquidity is currently being reduced at a fast pace. The situation will improve in the future.

    Are the high debt levels of euro area countries jeopardising future growth?

    When markets have doubts about debt sustainability, market interest rates rise, which can reduce private investment. That is why a credible and sustainable fiscal policy is crucial.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Strengthening India-Belgium Partnership: Shri Piyush Goyal Meets Belgian Minister of Foreign Trade Mr. Theo Francken and Minister-President of Flanders Mr. Matthias Diependaele

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 04 MAY 2025 7:55PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, held a productive meeting in Brussels on 2nd May 2025 with Belgian Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade Mr. Theo Francken and Minister-President of the Flanders region Mr. Matthias Diependaele to strengthen the Indo-Belgian partnership across trade, technology, investment, and innovation. This engagement follows the March 2025 visit of HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium to India, where her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the shared ambition to unlock new avenues for collaboration in trade, technology, defence, agriculture, life sciences, innovation, skilling and academic exchanges. The over 300-member Belgian Economic Mission, led by Princess Astrid, infused fresh momentum into this dynamic bilateral relationship. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to building on this momentum to forge resilient, future-focused ties that enhance mutual growth and contribute to a more integrated global economic framework.

    The discussions highlighted growing economic synergies and focused on scaling bilateral trade, fostering industrial collaboration, and deepening investments in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, clean energy, defence production, and pharmaceuticals.The Flanders region, recognized as Belgium’s economic engine, was highlighted as a critical partner with its advanced manufacturing ecosystem, R&D infrastructure, and its strategic role as a European gateway. With India already the world’s fastest-growing major economy and widely expected to remain so over the next two decades ahead—driven by a young, aspirational population and a dynamic reform-oriented environment—the growth story presents an unprecedented opportunity for India and Belgium.

    The two sides reaffirmed their shared vision of mutual prosperity and resilient economic cooperation amidst evolving global challenges. Minister Goyal reflected on India’s transformative economic journey over the past decade, emphasizing reforms that have empowered citizens and entrepreneurs alike. “The last eleven years have not only been about economic upliftment, but about enabling aspirations,” he stated.

    The meeting also reviewed progress in EU–India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, with both parties recognizing the need to address tariff and non-tariff barriers to enhance market access. Minister Goyal reiterated India’s position as a trusted and long-term economic partner for Europe’s growth, remarking, “India is not just a market of the future—it is a collaborator of trust.”

    Belgium remains one of India’s most significant economic partners in Europe. It is India’s 5th largest trading partner within the EU, with bilateral trade reaching USD 15.07 billion in 2023–24. Belgian FDI in India has totaled USD 3.94 billion from April 2000 to September 2024, including a remarkable 39% growth—USD 1.1 billion—in the past year alone. Bilateral cooperation spans a wide array of sectors including defence manufacturing, green hydrogen, nano-electronics, nuclear medicine, and pharmaceutical R&D, reflecting the expanding depth and strategic nature of the Indo-Belgian economic relationship. Both sides agreed to strengthen high-level engagements and facilitate regular visits by business delegations to accelerate trade and investment outcomes.

    ***

    Abhishek Dayal/Abhijith Narayana

    (Release ID: 2126845) Visitor Counter : 56

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to attend ADB’s Annual Meeting in Milan, Italy, from 4th to 7th May 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to attend ADB’s Annual Meeting in Milan, Italy, from 4th to 7th May 2025

    The Union Finance Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with Finance Ministers of Italy, Japan, and Bhutan as well as heads of other international organisations, besides meeting global think-tanks, business leaders and CEOs in Milan

    Smt. Sitharaman will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Milan and also address a plenary session in at the Bocconi University on “Balancing Economic and Climate Resilience”

    Posted On: 04 MAY 2025 4:04PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will lead the Indian delegation of officials from the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, to attend the 58th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Development Bank (ADB), scheduled to take place in Milan, Italy, from May 4 to 7, 2025.

    The meetings will be attended by official delegations of Board of Governors of ADB, official delegations of ADB members and international financial institutions. The Union Finance Minister will participate in the Annual Meeting’s focal events like the Governors’ Business session, Governor’s Plenary Session and as a panelist in the ADB Governors’ Seminar on “Cross-Border Collaboration for Future Resilience”.

    On the sidelines of the ADB’s 58th Annual Meeting, Smt. Sitharaman will also hold bilateral meetings with Finance Ministers of Italy, Japan, and Bhutan, in addition to meetings with President of ADB, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

    The Union Finance Minister will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Milan, besides meeting global think-tanks, business leaders and CEOs, and participating in a Plenary Session of the NEXT Milan Forum at the Bocconi University on “Balancing Economic and Climate Resilience”.

    ****

    NB/KMN

    (Release ID: 2126754) Visitor Counter : 122

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Thousands of veterans to benefit from new UK-wide support network

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    Thousands of veterans to benefit from new UK-wide support network

    Veterans across the UK will have easier access to essential care and support under a new VALOUR system being announced today, as part of the Government’s commitment to renew the nation’s contract with those who have served through the Plan for Change.

    *As nation prepares to celebrate VE Day, the Government announces new UK-wide veteran support system, called VALOUR.    *New VALOUR network will deliver easier access to care and support with new regional networks connecting housing, employment and health services in every corner of the UK.  *Backed by £50m of funding, VALOUR will foster the enterprising spirit of veteran charities, better connect local and national services and ensure veterans’ support is truly data driven.  

    Veterans across the UK will have easier access to essential care and support under a new VALOUR system being announced today, as part of the Government’s commitment to renew the nation’s contract with those who have served through the Plan for Change.  

    £50m of funding will establish a new network of VALOUR-recognised support centres across the UK and and deploy Regional Field Officers to connect local, regional and national services – while harnessing the power of data to shape better services.  

    Defence Secretary John Healey MP and Veterans Minister Al Carns are announcing the new service during VE week, marking a major milestone in meeting this government’s manifesto promise to fully implement the Armed Forces Covenant.    

    The new Regional Field Officers will bring together charities, service providers and local government to provide more evidence and feedback driven support for veterans, across housing, employment, health and welfare.  

    The first VALOUR support centres will be operational next year, tailored to the specific needs on the ground and focused on the demands for each location. This could include advice on how to book GP appointments, access welfare or support with housing issues. 

    The Ministry of Defence is announcing today it will invite veterans to help design VALOUR through research, focus groups and feedback. While VALOUR will initially focus on veterans, the service is designed to be scaled up to support the wider Armed Forces community in the future.  

    Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said: 

    The nation owes a duty to those who’ve served to defend our country, and it is only right that the Government steps up our support to them. The Armed Forces set most people up for success in life but when veterans need help then support is too often a postcode patchwork.  

    Our plan to develop a UK-wide veterans support service will work with enterprising health, employment and housing charities and it is backed by the one of the largest ever Government funding commitments to veterans.   

    This Government is delivering on our Plan for Change and renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve.

    VALOUR will harness the power of data to shape better service provision and ensure the right type of support is available for veterans at a local level.   

    As the delivery arm, field officers will work with local services including local government bodies, to share best practice and guidance. This will include applying the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, the nation’s promise to support the armed forces community and their families, which will soon gain legal footing as part of the manifesto commitment.  

    Veterans Minister, Al Carns, said: 

    As a veteran who served for 24 years, I recognise the unique challenges they’ve faced and the skills they possess. This new investment will ensure that every veteran, regardless of where they live, can access joined up support services in the way they need it.   

    We are creating the UK’s first ever data-driven framework for veterans’ services, ensuring our resources are channelled to where they’re most needed and can make the greatest difference to those who have courageously served their country.

    Director General of the British Royal Legion, Mark Atkinson, said:  

    The Royal British Legion welcomes today’s announcement to improve and better coordinate government support for veterans under VALOUR. Whilst there are a range of government services already in place for veterans, these services can vary depending on where you live and your access to information about the services available. Improved coordination across health, housing, employment, and mental wellbeing services is crucial to helping veterans lead successful lives.   

    We look forward to working closely with government and partner organisations to help turn these commitments into meaningful change.

    Over the past year, the Government has delivered for veterans, including by removing the local connection requirement for veterans seeking social housing and awarding £3.5m of new funding for homelessness services. The recent launch of Op ASCEND has been critical in ensuring veterans can get onto the career ladder and access meaningful jobs.  

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Prime Minister’s open letter to veterans ahead of VE Day

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Prime Minister’s open letter to veterans ahead of VE Day

    An open letter from Prime Minister Keir Starmer to veterans ahead of VE Day celebrations.

    In an open letter to veterans, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

    To our veterans,

    As we approach the VE Day anniversary, I want to salute your ongoing dedication to keeping our country safe. 

    This week, we celebrate the greatest victory our armed forces ever secured. And like so many families across the country, my relatives served and fought in the Second World War. Therefore, it is the highest honour of my role to meet veterans of that conflict. I think of people like Stanley Fisher and Mervyn Kersch, two Jewish veterans of the Normandy landings, who went on to become eyewitnesses to the horrors of the Bergen Belsen concentration camp in the early days of its liberation by British forces. Their stories – and countless others we will hear this week – are a reminder that our victory was not just for Britain. It was also a victory for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil. VE Day is a chance to acknowledge, again, that our debt to those who achieved it can never fully be repaid. 

    Yet as the nation falls silent on Thursday, I know that my mind will also turn to those who carry the torch of their legacy in our armed forces today – people like you. As time marches on, we all have a responsibility to renew the bonds of our history so that future generations inherit our national story as their own. But alongside our history and our values, service is the other great force that binds a nation together. So this week, I want you to know: the whole nation is inspired by the selfless dedication of your example. It is not just that you keep us all safe. It is also that you represent the best of who we are. A living link of service that unites the values we must stand for in the present, with the stories we must pass down from our past. 

    Furthermore, I know that this is not without sacrifice. I will always remember the conversation I had with a sub-mariner in Faslane, who brought home exactly what over 200 days a year underwater means for the simple things most families take for granted. Missing birthdays, weddings, anniversaries. Not being there in the photographs. From the Carrier Strike Group at sea, to our postings in Estonia, Cyprus and here in the UK, every service man and woman I have met has had a version of this story. And I recognise that this too is a debt that can never fully be repaid. But this week, the country will show you just how thankful we all are. Because we know, that without your service, the freedom, peace and joy that these celebrations embody, would not be possible. 

    So, wherever you are, wherever you serve, have a wonderful VE Day. And on behalf of a proud and grateful nation: thank you for your service.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: We talk a lot about being ‘resilient’. But what does it actually mean?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter McEvoy, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Curtin University

    Kinga Howard/Unsplash

    In a world with political polarisation, war, extreme weather events and increasing costs of living, we need to be able to cope as individuals and communities.

    Our capacity to cope with very real stressors in our lives – our resilience – can determine whether we thrive, just survive, or are deprived of a reasonable quality of life.

    Stress vs resilience

    Resilience means having the ability to cope with, and rebound from, life’s challenges and still achieve our goals.

    Stress isn’s something to be avoided. We need to feel some stress to achieve our best. Exposure to manageable levels of stress and adversity develops our coping skills and resilience.

    But if we feel too much stress, we can flounder or become overwhelmed.

    The ability to re-activate ourselves when we feel down, fatigued or disengaged helps to optimise our focus and motivation. Sportspeople, for example, might listen to high intensity music just before a competition to increase their energy levels.

    Conversely, the ability to dampen down emotional intensity can make use feel less stressed or anxious. Exercising, listening to relaxing music, or patting a much-loved pet can prevent high arousal from interfering with completing a task.

    Effective emotion regulation is crucial for adapting to life’s ups and downs, and keeping us on a relatively even keel.

    How does resilience develop?

    Resilience emerges from interactions between personal and environmental factors.

    In addition to emotion regulation skills, personal factors that can bolster resilience include academic achievement, developing a range of skills and abilities (such as sport and music) and problem-solving skills. Many of these skills can be fostered in childhood. And if one area of life isn’t going well, we can still experience confidence, joy and meaning in others.

    Sometimes we need to increase our energy levels, other times we need to lower anxiety.
    Ilias Chebbi/Unsplash

    People who reflect on traumatic experience and develop new positive meanings about themselves (getting through it means I’m strong!) and life (a greater appreciation) can also have higher levels of resilience.

    Genetic factors and temperament also play an important role. Some of us are born with nervous systems that respond with more anxiety than others in novel, uncertain, or potentially threatening situations. And some of us are more likely to avoid rather than approach these situations. These traits tend to be associated with lower levels of resilience. But we can all learn skills to build our resilience.

    Environmental factors that promote resilience include:

    • a nurturing home environment
    • supportive family and peer relationships
    • cultural identity, belonging and rituals
    • modelling from others overcoming hardship
    • community cohesion
    • government policies that provide social safety nets, strong education, anti-discrimination and inclusion
    • investment in facilities, spaces, services and networks that support the quality of life and wellbeing of communities.

    Can resilience be taught?

    Many factors associated with resilience are modifiable, so it stands to reason that interventions that aim to bolster them should be helpful.

    There is evidence that interventions that promote optimism, flexibility, active coping and social support-seeking can have small yet meaningful positive effects on resilience and emotional wellbeing in children and adults.

    However, school-based programs give us reason to be cautious.

    A trial across 84 schools in the United Kingdom evaluated the effectiveness of school-based mindfulness programs. More than 3,500 students aged between 11 and 13 years received ten lessons of mindfulness and a similar number did not.

    There was no evidence that mindfulness had any benefit on risk for depression, social, emotional and behavioural functioning, or wellbeing after one year. Teaching school children mindfulness at scale did not appear to bolster resilience.

    In fact, there was some evidence it did harm – and it was most harmful for students at the highest risk of depression. The intervention was not deemed to be effective or cost-effective and was not recommended by the authors.

    In another recent trial, researchers found an emotion regulation intervention with Year 8 and 9 school children was unhelpful and even harmful, although children who engaged in more home practice tended to do better.

    The evidence doesn’t support school-based resilience programs.
    Mitchell Luo/Unsplash

    These interventions may have failed for a number of reasons. The content may not have been delivered in a way that was sufficiently engaging, comprehensive, age-appropriate, frequent, individually tailored, or relevant to the school context. Teachers may also not be sufficiently trained in delivering these interventions for them to be effective. And students didn’t co-design the interventions.

    Regardless of the reasons, these findings suggest we need to be cautious when delivering universal interventions to all children. It may be more helpful to wait until there are early signs of excessive stress and intervening in an individualised way.

    What does this mean for resilience-building?

    Parents and schools have a role in providing children with the sense of security that gives them confidence to explore their environments and make mistakes in age-appropriate ways, and providing support when needed.

    Parents and teachers can encourage children to try to solve problems themselves before getting involved. Problem-solving attempts should be celebrated even more than success.

    Schools need to allocate their scarce resources to children most in need of practical and emotional support in non-stigmatising ways, rather than universal approaches. Most children will develop resilience without intervention programs.

    To promote resilience, schools can foster positive peer relationships, cultural identity and involvement in creative, sporting and academic pursuits. They can also highlight others’ recovery and resilience stories to demonstrate how growth can occur from adversity.

    More broadly in the community, people can work on developing their own emotion regulation skills to bolster their confidence in their ability to manage adversity.

    Think about how you can:

    • approach challenges in constructive ways
    • actively problem-solve rather than avoid challenges
    • genuinely accept failure as part of being human
    • establish healthy boundaries
    • align your behaviour with your values
    • receive social and professional support when needed.

    This will help you navigate the ebbs and flows of life in ways that support recovery and growth.



    Read more:
    People’s mental health goes downhill after repeated climate disasters – it’s an issue of social equity

    Peter McEvoy is a Professor of clinical psychology at the Curtin enAble Institute and School of Population Health. He is also a Senior Clinical Psychologist at The Centre for Clinical Interventions, Perth, and a Board Member of the Australian Association of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. He does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article. The opinions and perspectives in this article are his own.

    – ref. We talk a lot about being ‘resilient’. But what does it actually mean? – https://theconversation.com/we-talk-a-lot-about-being-resilient-but-what-does-it-actually-mean-245256

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM call with Prime Minister Albanese of Australia: 4 May 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    PM call with Prime Minister Albanese of Australia: 4 May 2025

    The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese.

    The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, this morning.

    The Prime Minister began by congratulating the Australian leader on his historic election win yesterday.

    Australia and the UK has a strong and enduring friendship, and the Prime Minister said he looked forward to working with Prime Minister Albanese in the years to come, including through increased trade and economic security for working people in both countries.

    Discussing defence and security, including our shared support for Ukraine, the leaders also agreed to increase ambition on our joint submarine programme, AUKUS. The Prime Minister said he would ask his AUKUS Adviser, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, to travel to Australia in the coming weeks to discuss the programme further.

    The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Yale scholars’ move to Canada can prompt us to reflect on the rule of law

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jeffrey B. Meyers, Instructor, Legal Studies and Criminology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

    In the most non-controversial and basic sense, the rule of law means formal legality. The law binds citizens and governments. When it comes to nation states, law is enacted by democratically elected legislatures; legal statutes are openly available and sufficiently clear to follow. State actions can be judicially reviewed for compliance with a constitution.

    In its more ambitious conceptualization, the rule of law can also be understood to include substantive human rights and equity. In Canada, The Constitution Act of 1982 references the rule of law in its preamble.

    The modern Canadian iteration of the rule of law — which includes substantive ideas about human rights as well as Indigenous treaty rights — is based on liberal ideas shared by many countries, including, historically, the United States. What distinguishes a rule-of-law state from an authoritarian one to a large extent is whether state actions can be judicially reviewed for compliance with a constitution.

    Although rule of law scholars debate the parameters of the concept of the rule of law, few would debate that what is happening during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term presents anything other than a wholesale attack on the rule of law both domestically in the U.S and internationally.

    I am a rule of law researcher, educator and lawyer. Since Trump was elected to his first term in 2016, I’ve relied on American scholars, from a variety of disciplines, to understand what is happening.

    These include two prominent Yale professors, philosopher Jason Stanley and historian Timothy Snynder, both of whom have recently announced they’re moving to the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

    Authoritarian impulse

    In their scholarship, Stanley and Snyder have sought to explain the authoritarian impulses of the first Trump administration and how to resist it.

    Stanley’s father, a German Jew who fled Germany for America in 1939, carries the remembrance of fascism.

    Both Stanley and Snyder explore the similarities between what is occurring in Trump’s America, Viktor Orban’s Hungary, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Xi Jinping’s China and, equally chillingly, between Trump’s America and Adolf Hitler’s Germany. Even prior to the first Trump presidency, Stanley already asked in his 2015 book, How Propoganda Works, whether the U.S., “the world’s oldest liberal democracy,” might already have become a liberal democracy “in name only?”



    Read more:
    Why the radical right has turned to the teachings of an Italian Marxist thinker

    Examination of propaganda, rhetoric

    In his 2018 book, The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America, Snyder described Trump as a “sado-populist, whose policies were designed to hurt the most vulnerable people of his own electorate.”

    Stanley’s focus on propaganda and rhetoric were especially useful for framing the politics of Trump.

    Similarly, Snyder’s focus on the similarities between Trump and other authoritarian leaders, through their attachment to extreme illiberal ideologies, helped frame public discourse in the U.S. during the first Trump presidency. “Illiberal” does not imply conservative in opposition to “being liberal” (with the resonance of “leftist”); rather, it denotes a repudiation of liberal democracy, in the words of political scientist Thomas J. Main.

    Both Stanley and Snyder are on the public record explaining their decision to immigrate to Canada, on the basis that they can no longer continue their scholarly activities in an American university, even a premier one like Yale.

    Jason Stanley speaks with Amanpour and Company.

    Improper interference

    This is an admission by important thinkers that civil society, intellectuals and critical scholars, in particular, are under assault.

    It comes as no surprise given other developments. Trump’s executive orders, threats to some university funding and crackdowns on activists and academics — as well as the attempted deportations of those without U.S. citizenship — have used the idea of combatting campus antisemitism as cover for an attack on free expression, academic independence and student activism.

    From my perspective as a Jewish person, a post-secondary teacher and as someone with a legal education, all of these developments have hit hard, especially alongside accounts of some of America’s most prestigious law firms caving to improper interference by the Trump administration.

    What ‘fascism’ means

    In the introduction to his bestselling 2020 book, How Fascism Works, Stanley wrote: “In recent years, multiple countries across the world have been overtaken by a certain kind of far-right nationalism; the list includes Russia, Hungary, Poland, India, Turkey and the United States.”

    He explains the choice of the word “fascism” to speak about each of these countries, despite their differences of degree and context:

    “I have chosen the label ‘fascism’ for ultra nationalism of some variety (ethnic, religious, cultural), with the nation represented in the person of an authoritarian leader who speaks on its behalf. As Donald Trump declared in his Republican National Convention speech in July 2016, ‘I am your voice.’”

    In his similarly bestselling book, On Tyranny, published in 2017, Snyder wrote: “To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is not basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.”

    Now that Trump is back in office, Stanley and Snyder, as well as Snyder’s Yale colleague and spouse, Marie Shore, the celebrated author of The Ukrainian Night, are leaving Yale for Canada with good reason.

    Author Timothy Snyder speaks about Democracy and the Risk of Tyranny with Public Policy Forum.

    Shared mutual concern

    While the departure of a handful of prominent academics is hardly a trend, it raises questions about whether there will be an accelerated academic “brain drain”, or more American students in Canada.

    As a Canadian, I would like to say America’s loss is our gain, and I wish these scholars well. I am also aware that narratives of flight to Canada as refuge have historically bolstered national myths while obscuring Canadian inequities. My hope is that Canadians will not observe the arrival of U.S. scholars with smugness, but instead with shared concern.

    We should not be blind to this unique moment in which Canada is called to revisit why we care about Canada and keep watch on the rule of law. Yet, we must also recognize our own profound historical blind spots.

    For example, while an overt threat to sovereignty is new for some Canadians, it is nothing new for Canada’s Indigenous Peoples. Today it’s important to understand the distinctively Canadian importance of Indigenous law to any reaffirmation of the rule of law tradition in Canada in the 21st century.



    Read more:
    Wet’suwet’en hereditary chief is ‘prisoner of conscience’ after failure of Delgamuukw ruling 25 years ago

    Too much cynicism might prevent us from acknowledging the importance of these three scholars’ decisions to leave their country and come to ours at this particular time in history. However, my hope is also that we are also inspired by their considerable truth-telling skills to demand Canada also do better.

    Jeffrey B. Meyers 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. Yale scholars’ move to Canada can prompt us to reflect on the rule of law – https://theconversation.com/yale-scholars-move-to-canada-can-prompt-us-to-reflect-on-the-rule-of-law-254434

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Equisynx.com Enhances Its Platform with Advanced Technology

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, May 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Equisynx.com, a financial company, uses technological advancements aimed at improving its platform’s efficiency. It focuses on enhancing security, optimizing user experience, and ensuring a more streamlined operation. With an emphasis on reliability, the company continues to enhance its services to meet modern financial demands.

    Improved Security Measures

    Security remains a crucial aspect of any financial platform. Equisynx.com implemented updated security protocols to safeguard user information and ensure data protection. These measures include advanced encryption techniques and system monitoring tools to detect and prevent unauthorized access. Strengthening security remains a priority as digital finance continues to evolve.

    Optimization for Better Accessibility

    Ease of access is essential for any financial platform. With technological enhancements, Equisynx.com aims to improve navigation and efficiency. The platform ensures that users can access financial resources without complexity. Clear interfaces and responsive designs contribute to an improved experience, allowing for smooth functionality across different devices.

    Enhanced Performance and Reliability

    A key focus of the technology advancements is the platform’s performance. The integration of advanced technology reduces downtime and increases the speed of operations. Equisynx.com’s improvements aim to maintain consistent reliability, ensuring that financial processes function without delays. By enhancing infrastructure, the company seeks to maintain efficiency while accommodating future growth.

    Adapting to Evolving Financial Needs

    Financial services continue to change as technology advances. The company has taken steps to align its platform with industry trends. The latest updates focus on efficiency, reducing operational delays, and refining automation. These enhancements ensure that users experience improved financial operations without unnecessary complexity.

    Equisynx.com Review and Industry Relevance

    Many discussions about financial technology platforms emphasize reliability and security. A Equisynx.com review often highlights the company’s commitment to improving its infrastructure. As financial platforms expand, security, accessibility, and reliability remain top priorities. Users seeking efficiency often refer to a Equisynx.com review for insights into the platform’s advancements. The continuous updates reflect the company’s focus on meeting financial requirements effectively.

    Strengthening Financial Accessibility

    Simplified financial access is a significant consideration in platform upgrades. By implementing new technologies, it ensures that financial operations remain efficient. Automation and streamlined processes contribute to faster and more effective operations. These enhancements support a more responsive and adaptive platform for financial services.

    Reviewing Equisynx.com’s Approach to Efficiency

    An effective financial platform requires consistent improvement. A Equisynx.com review often emphasizes the company’s focus on refining its system. The recent updates align with industry expectations, ensuring efficiency in operations. As financial platforms develop, reviewing performance remains crucial. A Equisynx.com review provides insights into how the platform maintains reliability and adapts to financial advancements.

    About Equisynx.com

    Equisynx.com is a financial company that provides digital solutions aimed at optimizing financial operations. The company focuses on security, efficiency, and reliability to ensure users can navigate financial processes effectively. By integrating advanced technology, it continues to improve its platform and adapt to industry standards.

    As financial technology evolves, Equisynx.com remains committed to enhancing its system. The company prioritizes security, accessibility, and efficiency in its updates. By evaluating industry needs, it ensures that its platform remains relevant in the financial sector.

    Company Details

    Company Name: Equisynx
    Email Address: media@equisynx.com
    Company Address: 33 Glasshouse St, W1B 5RT London, United Kingdom.
    Company Website: https://equisynx.com/

    Disclaimer: This press release is provided by Equisynx. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three people arrested as part of Counter Terrorism Policing operation

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Three people have been arrested in London as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation.

    Two of the men [A and B] were arrested at separate addresses in north west London and one man [C] was arrested at an address in west London on Saturday, 3 May, as part of the investigation, which is being led by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

    The men, aged 39 [A], 44 [B] and 55 [C], and who are all Iranian nationals were arrested and detained under section 27 of the National Security Act 2023.

    All three men have been taken into custody and searches continue at the three addresses.

    This investigation is not connected to the arrest of five people yesterday as part of a separate Met Counter Terrorism operation.

    Enquiries remain ongoing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Five arrested as part of Counter Terrorism Policing operation

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Counter Terrorism Police have arrested five people on suspicion of terrorism offences as part of a proactive investigation, which is being led by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

    The men, who were arrested on Saturday, 3 May, as part of a pre-planned operation are as follows:

    [A] a 29-year-old man was arrested in the Swindon area
    [B] a 46-year-old man was arrested in west London
    [C] a 29-year-old man was arrested in the Stockport area
    [D] a 40-year-old man was arrested in the Rochdale area
    [E] a man (age to be confirmed) was arrested in the Manchester area

    All five men were arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act (TACT), 2006. Four men [A-D] are Iranian nationals and were detained under TACT. The nationality of the fifth man [E] is still being established and he was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE). All five men currently remain in police custody.

    As part of the investigation, officers are also carrying out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas in connection with this investigation.

    The investigation relates to a suspected plot to target a specific premises. Officers have been in contact with the affected site to make them aware and provide relevant advice and support, but for operational reasons, we are not able to provide further information at this time.

    Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated.

    “The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.

    “We understand the public may be concerned and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.

    “We are working closely with local officers in the areas where we have made arrests today and I’d like to thank police colleagues around the country for their ongoing support.”

    The arrests and search activity is being supported by officers from Greater Manchester Police and Wiltshire Police, as well as colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing from across the country.

    As always, we would ask the public to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that doesn’t look or feel right, then to report it to police – either by calling police, in confidence, on 0800 789 321 or via www.gov.uk/ACT

    In an emergency, always dial 999.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: WAVES Bazaar 2025 garners over ₹250 Crore in Deals and Unveils Major International Alliances: Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, I&B

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 02 MAY 2025 9:33PM by PIB Mumbai

    Mumbai, 2 May 2025

     

    WAVES Bazaar, the flagship global market initiative of the WAVES Summit, has emerged as a powerful catalyst for international collaboration in the media and entertainment industry. Designed to connect creators with investors, buyers, and collaborators across borders, WAVES Bazaar is poised to transform India into a strategic hub for content commerce. WAVES Bazaar 2025 garners over ₹250 Crore in Deals and Unveils Major International Alliances, informed Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, I&B at WAVES in Mumbai today.

    In its inaugural edition, WAVES Bazaar brought together leading players from over 22 countries—including South Korea, Japan, USA, Germany, Russia, Netherlands, and New Zealand—and featured participation from 95 global buyers and 224 sellers. Key buyers included Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Meta, Disney Star, Zee Entertainment, Banijay Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony LIV, YRF, Dharma, Jio Studios, Rotterdam Film Festival, and Rushlake Media.

    Viewing Room & Market Screenings:

    115 filmmakers presented completed works to international buyers.15 standout projects were selected as Top Selects from the Viewing Room and showcased live. These filmmakers were felicitated by acclaimed casting director Mukesh Chhabra, with actor Tiger Shroff joining to support one of the selected titles. Market Screenings, showcased 15 notable and appreciated projects from talented filmmakers.

    Pitch Room: From 104 project submissions, 16 curated projects were selected to pitch live, offering early-stage creators a platform to engage directly with industry stakeholders in the over 2 days of Waves Bazaar.

    B2B Buyer-Seller Market: WAVES Bazaar launched India’s first dedicated B2B buyer-seller meetings in association with FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry), held from May 1–3, enabling targeted deal-making and creative business development.

    Early Business Outcomes

    WAVES Bazaar recorded confirmed transactions worth ₹250 crore across film, music, animation, radio, and VFX sectors within the first day and a half of the market. This figure is expected to rise significantly over the next two days and expected to cross more than 400 crores.

    Notable deals and Landmark Announcements on May 2, 2025

    • Khidki Gaon, a Top Selects film, secured a post-production and VFX deal with the Asian Cinema Fund. The Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) is a support program of the Busan International Film Festival that provides funding for Asian films, including both fiction and documentary projects.
    • Indo-European Animation Alliance (€30 Million) 

    Broadvision Perspectives (India) and Fabrique d’Images Group (Europe) announced a €30 million co-production agreement for four animated features. Each title, budgeted at €7–8 million, will be developed under Indo-French and Indo-Belgian treaty frameworks. The alliance was formalized by Mark Mertens (COO, FDI Group) and Sriram Chandrasekaran (Founder & CEO, Broadvision), establishing a new benchmark for international animation collaborations from India.

    • India–UK Co-Production MoU Signed

    Amanda Groom (Founder & CEO, The Bridge, UK) and Munjal Shroff (Co-founder, Graphiti Studios, India) signed an MoU to co-develop a slate of factual series exploring India’s colonial history. The partnership, developed over years of collaboration since Film Bazaar and finalized at Content India, marks a significant step in transnational storytelling.

    • “Shin chan India Year” Initiative Launched by TV Asahi

    TV Asahi announced the “Shin chan India Year” to celebrate the franchise’s immense popularity in India. Highlights include:

    • Theatrical release of Shin chan: Our Dinosaur Diary on May 9
    • A Diwali 2025 release of a second film, The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India
    • Fan engagement events at Anime India (August) and Mela Mela JAPAN (September)

    This initiative further establishes India’s rising role in the global anime ecosystem and strengthens Indo-Japanese cultural ties.

     

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    PIB TEAM WAVES 2025 | Rajith/ Nikita/ LekshmiPriya/ Darshana | 157

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –