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Category: France

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Minister highlights key foreign policy milestones and sets future direction

    Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

    Statements by M. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, at his hearing before the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee (excerpts) (April 2, 2025)

    (…)

    Thank you for giving me the opportunity to outline the diplomatic track record of the first 100 days of François Bayrou’s government.

    UKRAINE

    The first point, unsurprisingly, relates to Europe’s strategic reawakening and Ukraine’s security. Just over a month ago we entered the fourth year of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, which was a huge jolt for European nations. In recent weeks, as you’ve seen, we’ve made considerable progress towards what could be the resolution of this crisis and, more broadly, a European security architecture capable of deterring the threat for good.

    The Franco-British proposal for a one-month ceasefire in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure was taken up by the Ukrainian President during his discussions with the United States, which, for its part, insisted on an immediate, complete and unconditional 30-day ceasefire. The Ukrainians, for whom this is a significant compromise, accepted it. (…)

    The Russians rejected the proposal, after suggesting they would abide by it. The situation is now clear: Russia is engaging in delaying tactics and wants to gain time. It hasn’t given up its territorial ambitions, it’s proceeding with further strikes on energy infrastructure, is continuing its war crimes and has even just launched the biggest conscription drive for 14 years – 160,000 young people expected to leave for the front. At this stage, it seems to me that Russia owes the United States, which is striving to lead the mediation, a clear response: yes or no.

    LEBANON

    The second point in our track record is support for Lebanon on the road to reconstruction. Although Lebanon was on the edge of the abyss, we managed to negotiate with our US partners a ceasefire that restored the country’s security and stability. It’s holding, despite the tensions, including the most recent ones. Israeli troops have withdrawn from 99% of the territories they had occupied.

    We’ve helped bring an end to a two-and-a-half-year vacancy for the head of State’s role. President Joseph Aoun was elected in January; he met President Macron in Paris on Friday 28 March. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is working to give shape to the new hope for that country so close to France’s heart.

    We’ll continue to support its economic recovery and the restoration of a sovereign State by organizing an international conference dedicated to Lebanon’s reconstruction, in Paris this autumn. Between now and then, we’re advising Israel to enter into talks with Lebanon with a view to a definitive withdrawal from the five points it still occupies and the resolution of border disputes.

    SYRIA

    The third point in our record is our clear-sighted and conditional engagement with Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s criminal regime. We’ve chosen a demanding engagement with the new Syrian authorities, whose past we are aware of, with two goals: to foster a peaceful and inclusive political transition in keeping with Syria’s pluralism, guaranteeing respect for the rights of women and all communities; and to ensure that our security interests, particularly the fight against Islamist terrorism, the destruction of chemical weapons and an end to drug trafficking, are taken into account.

    This explains my visit to Damascus on 3 January and the organization of an international conference on Syria in Paris on 13 February. More recently, we encouraged the signing of an agreement on 10 March between the Damascus authorities and our Kurdish partners in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have spearheaded the fight against Daesh in recent years, so that their rights and interests are taken into account in the Syrian transition and we can continue the fight against terrorism. We also ensured that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) can be deployed in Syria to destroy the regime’s stockpile of illegal chemical weapons.

    Our engagement is clear-sighted, demanding, conditional and reversible. We strongly condemned the massacres of Alawite civilians and let the Damascus authorities know that, in the absence of a fight against impunity, we shall not proceed with a lifting of sanctions.

    AFRICA

    The fourth point in the record is the renewal of our partnerships in Africa. At the end of November, the President of Nigeria was welcomed to Paris to strengthen our ties with the continent’s leading demographic power. It was the first state visit to France by an African head of State since 2017. In mid-January we hosted a state visit by the President of Angola, which took over the presidency of the African Union (AU) a month later.

    I personally have made several visits to sub-Saharan Africa: to the Sudanese border, to demonstrate our unfailing mobilization in the face of the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis; to Addis Ababa, headquarters of the AU, to revitalize, five years after the last session, our strategic dialogue with this new G20 member – because the AU has been admitted as a fully-fledged member; to Thiaroye in Senegal, to speak the truth about our shared history; to Johannesburg, to make France’s voice heard at the G20, whose presidency South Africa holds this year; and to Kinshasa and Kigali, to call on the Congolese and Rwandan heads of State to prioritize diplomacy rather than weapons.

    CHINA/TRADE

    Fifth point in the record: progress on trade negotiations in China. My visit last weekend was a first step towards resolving our dispute on Cognac and Armagnac. Before my visit to Beijing, the industry was under threat of an immediate imposition of definitive tariffs ranging from 34% to 39% on Cognac and Armagnac and the definitive closure of access to duty-free shops.

    The demanding dialogue we’ve been conducting has enabled us to maintain this access for goods that have already arrived in China and delay by three months any imposition of definitive tariffs. This significant reprieve allows us to continue this demanding dialogue with China in order to put this dispute behind us. Next step: high-level dialogue between the Economy and Finance Minister and his Chinese counterpart on 15 May.

    ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

    The sixth point in the record is the success of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit, held in Paris in January with more than 100 countries. Co-chaired by France and India, whose prime minister paid an official visit to France on the occasion, it concluded with a statement tackling, for the first time, the challenges of AI in their entirety – environmental, social and democratic. We also managed to secure an announcement of private investment in France to the tune of €109 billion, to benefit our businesses and fellow citizens, which will be followed up with a €50-billion investment by the European Commission, testifying to France’s attractiveness when it comes to this promising technology.

    IRAN/FRENCH HOSTAGES

    The seventh point in the record is the release of several French hostages. On 17 March, after months of active efforts and four conversations with my counterpart, we secured the release of Olivier Grondeau. It was an especially moving moment, shared by the nation’s elected representatives during a tribute paid on 25 March to him and our two other compatriots, Jacques Paris and Cécile Kohler, who are still being held after more than 1,000 days.

    To free them, we’ll be stepping up the pressure on the Iranian regime. First of all, in the coming days, probably during the European Foreign Affairs Council on 14 April, we’ll be adopting additional European sanctions against those Iranians responsible for the state hostages policy. Secondly, given the unacceptable violations of our two compatriots’ right to consular protection, which are sadly just one aspect of their harsh conditions of detention, we’ll be lodging a complaint against Iran with the International Court of Justice, for violating the right to consular protection. (…)

    What makes our diplomacy strong is precisely that it has a more extensive arsenal than others, ranging from dialogue to sanctions, and that it uses it wisely, having learnt from decades and even centuries of French diplomatic successes.

    It’s this strength that I’ll be harnessing in the next 100 days to defend and promote French interests.

    GAZA

    The first area on which we’re focusing efforts is the search for a lasting political solution in Gaza. We’re working for a permanent ceasefire enabling the release of all the hostages and the massive delivery of humanitarian aid, blocked for several weeks, to the civilian population, who are in a tragic situation. We’re convinced that there’s no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In particular, annexation, the forced displacement of people, and settlement activity are a dead end and a threat to the security of Israel itself.

    We’ll continue to work to find the path to a lasting political solution. In Gaza, we support the Arab plan, which proposes a reconstruction framework and credible security guarantees. It aims to establish a new Palestinian governance, in which Hamas must in no way take part. Outside Gaza, we’ll continue working with our Saudi partners, co-chairing an international conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York in the summer, aimed at restoring the prospect of a two-State solution, which alone guarantees peace and security to the Israelis and Palestinians.

    SUDAN

    The second area we’re focusing on concerns the crisis in Sudan, the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in terms of its scale – 26 million children, women and men in a situation of absolute humanitarian distress. 15 April will mark the second anniversary of the conflict.

    In 2024 we hosted a major international conference on support for Sudan and the neighbouring countries, which raised more than €2 billion in humanitarian commitments. On 15 April I’ll be visiting London for the second conference, co-organized with the United Kingdom, Germany, the European Union and the AU. We’ll review the commitments made last year and call on those involved to shoulder their responsibilities, to ensure that the conflict does not see a third anniversary.

    DRC/RWANDA

    The third area of work concerns diplomatic and humanitarian support in the Great Lakes region. We’re making active efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis tearing apart the eastern DRC, where Rwandan troops are deployed supporting the rebel group M23, in breach of Congolese sovereignty.

    We’re pursuing this goal at several levels: bilaterally, President Macron is in close contact with his two counterparts and the region’s leaders; at the level of the European Union, which recently adopted new individual measures against military leaders from Rwanda and the M23 rebel group; and at the UN, where we played a key role and got the Security Council to adopt a historic resolution at the end of February, unanimously condemning the presence of Rwandan troops in the eastern DRC.

    We’re also in contact with African mediators, who are working on the front line to secure a political resolution to the crisis – i.e. in practical terms, a lasting and mutually-agreed ceasefire and a resumption of negotiations. It’s a matter of urgency. The whole region’s stability is at stake, and the conflict has already led to the displacement of nearly a million people since the beginning of the year, and several thousand deaths. It’s the world’s second most serious humanitarian crisis. So I’ve decided, regardless of the budgetary constraints, to increase our humanitarian support package by €5.5 million.

    IRAN/NUCLEAR PROGRAMME

    Our fourth area of work concerns the search for a binding agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme. Despite the setbacks it has suffered in recent months – the heavy defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Israel’s aerial attack on its territory, a disastrous economic situation – Iran is continuing an agenda of destabilization, raising the stakes in its nuclear programme, which is reaching unprecedented levels, continuing its support for groups that destabilize the region such as the Houthis, supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine by delivering drones and missiles, and a policy of state hostages.

    Ten years after the conclusion of the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA), we remain convinced that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon. Our priority is to achieve an agreement that restricts its nuclear programme in a lasting and verifiable way. The window of opportunity is narrow: we have only a few months before the expiry of the JPoA, secured in particular thanks to French negotiators, to whom I pay tribute. In the event of failure, a military confrontation would become all but inevitable. Its cost would be very high, in that it would very badly destabilize the region. We’ve been doing everything to prevent that, for the past 10 years.

    ALGERIA

    Fifthly, we’re focusing our efforts on opening up diplomatic space with Algeria. The tensions between us, which we didn’t cause, serve neither its interests nor ours. We must reduce them rigorously and with honesty, without weakness. That was the approach behind the Prime Minister’s convening of an interministerial meeting on immigration control providing for a re-examination of the agreements reached between the two countries.

    The telephone conversation between President Macron and his Algerian counterpart reopened a diplomatic space allowing the crisis to be resolved. We intend to take advantage of it to achieve results, in the interests of French people, as regards cooperation on migration, justice, security, the economy and remembrance. The two heads of State decided on some principles. They must now find a way to implement them. On Sunday I’ll be visiting Algiers for this. Other ministerial, and no doubt parliamentary, visits will follow.

    WESTERN BALKANS

    Sixth area where we’re focusing our efforts: the Western Balkans. Exactly 30 years ago, the region was in the grip of a very high-intensity war, right at the heart of the European continent, less than 2,000 kilometres from France. In Serbia, the authorities are facing unprecedented public unrest. The negotiations conducted for several months between President Vucic and the demonstrators have made it possible to announce the formation of a new government in the next few weeks, which is a first step towards calming down the situation. Last Saturday, during a conversation, President Macron had the opportunity to encourage him to move further along that path.

    In Bosnia and Herzegovina, since an arrest warrant was issued against him, the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, is stepping up his secessionist initiatives, which we have systematically condemned. We gave our consent to a strengthening of the European ALTHEA force, which is under French command, by some 600 additional personnel, so that it could be in a position to calm down the situation if it became toxic. (…)

    We’re focusing on the European Political Community summit being held in Tirana on 16 May, providing President Macron with the opportunity to hold meetings with the authorities in the countries of the region – both the ones gripped by the crisis and those which, on the contrary, are making good progress on their pathway to the European Union, particularly Albania and Montenegro.

    ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN

    The seventh area on which we’re focusing efforts is the Caucasus, particularly with our support for Armenia. We welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Nothing stands now in the way of it being signed, which I hope will take place as soon as possible. France will continue to unfailingly support Armenia’s resilience and sovereignty. The determination of Nikol Pashinyan’s government to stay on the path of independence, democracy and peace is remarkable, especially as Russia is not hiding its hostility.

    In this context, we are closely following the trial of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, which began on 17 January at the Baku Military Court. We are being very vigilant as regards the concerns expressed by human rights organizations about the fairness of trials and the treatment of defendants. We call for the release of all prisoners held arbitrarily in Azerbaijan and would like the normalization process between the two countries to allow the issue of prisoners and detainees to be resolved.

    UN OCEAN CONFERENCE

    Our eighth area of work concerns the organization of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice in June. A highlight of our international calendar, 10 years after the conclusion of the Paris climate agreement, it’s set to be its equivalent for the oceans. We’re aiming at several outcomes – one of them is being debated in the Chamber at this very moment – including the entry into force of the international treaty for the protection of the high seas and marine biodiversity, which requires it to be ratified by 60 signatory States. We’ve got to about 20. We’re making active efforts at every level, including that of your committee through Éléonore Caroit, whom I thank. We’ll be opening a ratification office in Nice during UNOC, to encourage countries that are delaying to submit their ratification instruments.

    Allow me to say a word about the two main projects to transform the Ministry.

    INFORMATION WAR

    The first concerns rearmament in the face of the information war. In 2024 France was the European Union country most targeted by foreign interference, with 152 of the 505 cases detected in Europe between November 2023 and November 2024. That year, 2024, saw a great deal of evidence that operations of influence, particularly Russian ones, were being conducted against our civilian population. France has assets to defeat this, but must invest more in informing French people. More broadly, it must not only beef itself up to defend itself but also reinvent itself to make its voice heard, at a time when the information space has become fragmented.

    FOREIGN MINISTRY AND THE PUBLIC

    The second transformation project consists in focusing the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs more on French people and creating through this key State ministry – which is probably one of those least known by our compatriots – a link between diplomacy and nation such as that between the army and the nation. What happens beyond our borders has probably never had so much impact on our compatriots’ daily lives, and both you and I saw during scrutiny of the budget an insufficient understanding of the work we do in parliamentary and ministerial diplomacy to serve our compatriots.

    This transformation project is very far-reaching and affects every dimension of our action. It’s about better assessing and developing the response the Ministry provides to French people’s concerns, for example in terms of employment, the ecological transition, health and immigration. It’s about activating links with French people by supporting economic diplomacy and decentralized cooperation – local authorities are the Ministry’s chief partner. It’s about taking resolute action, with elected representatives of the regions, departments and cross-border communities, to finally remove the many irritants facing the millions of our compatriots who have daily experience of the border. It’s about increasing the number of visits by the Minister within France, which is not customary but seems important in the period we are going through, because our compatriots are worried about what is happening abroad and need to be given some control. Finally, it’s about opening the Quai d’Orsay right up and increasing the number of visits there so that people can properly understand the professions of the diplomatic service, how it can change our compatriots’ lives and why it’s so useful on a daily basis. (…)./.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cooperation of joint investigation team into crimes against Ezidi victims in Syria and Iraq leads to first two convictions

    Source: Eurojust

    With Eurojust’s support, the JIT was set up in October 2021 by the judicial authorities of Sweden and France, with Belgium joining in October 2022 and the Netherlands in June 2023. The main aim of this judicial cooperation is to identify FTFs linked to ISIL (Da’esh) who have returned from Syria or Iraq and were involved in core international crimes, mainly perpetrated against Ezidi victims. Core international crimes are crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    The Netherlands had its first conviction for crimes against the Ezidi in December 2024. A Dutch citizen was convicted of crimes against humanity for the enslavement of a female Ezidi victim, participation in ISIL (Da’esh), promoting crimes with a terrorist objective and abandoning the victim’s son in a helpless position in a war zone. She was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment and identified through the work of the JIT.

    Recently, a Swedish citizen was sentenced to twelve years imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed against nine Ezidi victims. Six of the victims were children under the age of seven. The extensive cooperation through the JIT proved to be crucial for this conviction in Sweden.

    In 2026, a French citizen might be tried on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

    Based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, EU Member States can start investigations into core international crimes committed outside their own territory. Such cases are actively supported and coordinated by Eurojust and the Genocide Network Secretariat (GNS), which the Agency hosts.

    With the financial and operational support of Eurojust, the JIT partners and investigating judicial authorities from Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia fully intend to continue the investigations into crimes against Ezidi victims committed by ISIL (Da’esh). However, they stress the need to receive adequate information and analytical support.

    In view of this, they regret the closure of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD), which ceased its activities in September 2024. With the conclusion of UNITAD’s mandate, information from its database, which is highly relevant to the work of the JIT, has been transferred to the United Nations headquarters. Unfortunately, they have limited capacity to respond to requests for access from national authorities.

    Leading Swedish prosecutor and co-founder of the Eurojust-supported JIT, Ms Reena Devgun, stated: Unfortunately, the closure of UNITAD has slowed down the investigations of the joint investigation team. However, all its members hope that the UNITAD archive will be made easily accessible again soon to all practitioners who investigate core international crimes against Ezidi victims. This is of prime importance to continue their work to end impunity for these atrocities.

    The work of the JIT is also actively supported by the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIIM). Eurojust remains fully at the disposal of the JIT partners to assist with the coordination and support of investigations.

    For further information:

    Belgium and Netherlands sign up to joint investigation team targeting crimes against Yezidi victims in Syria and Iraq (26 June 2023)

    Support to joint investigation team of Sweden and France targeting crimes against Yezidi victims in Syria and Iraq (7 January 2022)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman, Hill Introduce Legislation to Grow Employee Ownership

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
    WASHINGTON––U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) and Representative French Hill (R-AR-02) introduced the S. Corporation Additional Participation (S-CAP) Act, legislation to increase the maximum number of employees who can become shareholders in an S Corporation (S Corps) from 100 to 250.
    “Congress has a duty to shape the tax code with pro-growth policies that spur job creation and capital investment. S Corps are an important element in that framework that also help empower employees with expanded economic opportunity through the enterprise they know and trust most,” said Boozman. “Congress has adjusted S Corps shareholder caps previously, and our bill is another simple but important tax code reform that will benefit millions of small businesses and the hardworking Americans who drive their success.”
    “As a former community banker, I have a deep appreciation for the importance of S Corporations. They are an invaluable tool that helps workers and small businesses alike. That is why I am pleased to introduce the S-CAP Act, which will expand access to the benefits of S Corps,” said Hill. “By increasing equity participation for employees in private companies, S Corps have given more and more families the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. They improve employee retention, motivation, and productivity, and they increase the ability for companies to access capital through diverse sources. S Corps also empower Americans to climb the economic ladder and build generational wealth. This bill will build on the success of S Corps by increasing the number of shareholders they can have. It is a simple change that will have a dramatic positive impact on thousands, if not millions, of hardworking Americans.”
    The S-CAP Act is endorsed by Nabholz Construction, the Subchapter S Bank Association, TransPecos Banks and the American Council of Engineering.
    “In 1949, my grandfather, Bob Nabholz embarked on a journey to build a house for himself and his wife, setting in motion the start of a construction legacy that has thrived for more than 75 years. Today we have 16 offices in seven states and employ more than 1,700 professionals with an expected 2025 revenue of over $1.8 billion. In 1976, Bob saw the value in offering ownership to key employees and invited the first group of team members to become shareholders. He felt it was important to give employees an opportunity to shape the future of our company and have a personal stake in our long-term success. That tradition continues to this day. Employee ownership has been a cornerstone of our company’s success for nearly 50 years. We are very proud of our employee owners and the impact they have on our company and the communities we live in. The proposed increase in the S Corp shareholder cap will give us the ability to offer many more well-deserving employees the opportunity to become owners of Nabholz Construction. We are grateful to Senator Boozman and Congressman Hill for sponsoring this legislation which will help reward and retain top talent, ensuring the long-term growth and success of our company. We respectfully encourage Congress to pass this legislation,” said Nabholz Construction Corporation Chief Executive Officer Jake Nabholz. 
    Background:
    In the United States, S Corps are the most common corporate structure, created in 1958 to help shield family-owned businesses from the double taxation treatment imposed on C Corporations (“C Corps”).
    When established, Congress limited the number of S Corps shareholders to 10.
    Congress, in recognition of the power of S Corps to create jobs and grow the economy, has increased the number of permitted shareholders multiple times, with the most increase raising the cap to 100 in 2004.
    While the 100 shareholder cap was appropriate over twenty years ago, evolving technology, enhanced global competition, and changing regulatory landscapes have made it such that U.S. small businesses need greater flexibility to grow and attract top talent. This is why it’s time for Congress to modernize the shareholder cap.
    In Arkansas, there are 318,525 S Corp employees across the entire state and 38,533,460 nationwide.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected ketamine worth about $13 million at airport (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected ketamine worth about $13 million at airport (with photo) 
    A male passenger, aged 40, arrived in Hong Kong from Paris, France, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected ketamine inside his check-in suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested.
     
    The arrestee has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (April 16).
     
    Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
     
    Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
     
    Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
     
    Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk 
    Issued at HKT 20:30

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cambodia’s haunted present: 50 years after Khmer Rouge’s rise, murderous legacy looms large

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Sophal Ear, Associate Professor in the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University

    Khmer Rouge forces collect weapons left behind by retreating soldiers as they enter Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975. Roland Neveu/LightRocket via Getty Images

    On April 17, 1975, tanks rolled into the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, to cheering crowds who believed that the country’s long civil war might finally be over.

    But what followed was one of the worst genocides of the 20th century. During a brutal four-year rule, the communist-nationalist ideologues of the Khmer Rouge killed between 1.6 million and 3 million people through executions, forced labor and starvation. It represented a quarter of the country’s population at the time.

    Fifty years on, the Khmer Rouge’s legacy continues to shape Cambodia – politically, socially, economically and emotionally. It’s etched into every Cambodian’s bones – including mine.

    Photo of author’s parents in Cambodia, taken in late 1960s.
    Sophal Ear, CC BY

    I write this not just as an academic or observer but as a survivor. My father died under the Khmer Rouge, succumbing to dysentery and malnutrition after being forced to work in a labor camp. My mother pretended to be Vietnamese to save our family. She escaped Cambodia with five children in 1976, crossing through Vietnam before reaching France in 1978 and finally the United States in 1985. We were among the lucky ones.

    Today, Cambodia is physically unrecognizable from the bombed-out fields and empty cities of the 1970s. Phnom Penh gleams with high-rises and luxury malls. And yet beneath the glitter, the past endures – often in silence, sometimes in cynical exploitation.

    Legacy of fear and control

    The Khmer Rouge came to power on a wave of disillusionment, corruption, civil war and rural resentment. Years of American bombing, the 1970 U.S.-backed coup that ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk, and the subsequent deeply unpopular U.S.-aligned military regime set the stage for the Khmer Rouge’s rise.

    A convoy of vehicles commandeered by the victorious Khmer Rouge drives through Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975.
    Roland Neveu/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Many Cambodians, particularly in the countryside, welcomed the Khmer Rouge, with its mix of hard-line communist ideology and extreme Cambodian nationalism, as liberators who promised to restore order and dignity. But for the next four years, the Khmer Rouge, under feared leader Pol Pot, brought terror to the nation through ideological purges, forced labor, racial genocide of minority groups and policies that brought widespread famine.

    People digging a water canal under the guard of an armed Khmer Rouge soldier in 1976.
    AFP via Getty Images

    The regime fell in 1979, when Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia and toppled the Khmer Rouge leadership, installing a new, pro-Hanoi government. But its shadows remain.

    The now ruling Cambodian People’s Party, in power for over four decades, has justified its grip on the country through the trauma of the genocide.

    “Peace and stability” have become mantras used to squash dissent.

    Every sham election becomes a referendum not just on policy but on avoiding a return to war. Critics of Cambodia’s rulers are framed as threats to peace and unity. Opposition parties have been dissolved, activists jailed, media muzzled.

    This political culture of fear draws directly from the Khmer Rouge playbook – minus the overt violence. The trauma inflicted by that regime taught people to distrust one another, to keep quiet, to survive by keeping their heads down. That impulse still shapes public life.

    Justice delayed, and still incomplete

    The Khmer Rouge tribunal – officially the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia – was supposed to bring closure. It has brought some.

    But it took decades to begin, cost over US$300 million and convicted only three senior Khmer Rouge leaders over the 1975–79 genocide. Many mid- and lower-level perpetrators walk free, some are still in government positions, some neighbors to survivors.

    For a nation where the majority of the population was born after 1979, there remains a glaring gap in education and public reckoning over the Khmer Rouge’s atrocities.

    Cambodia’s school curriculum still struggles to teach this period adequately. For many young people, it’s something their parents don’t talk about and the state prefers to frame selectively.

    Economic growth − uneven and fragile

    In raw numbers, Cambodia’s economic progress over the past two decades has been impressive.

    GDP growth averaged around 7% annually before the COVID-19 pandemic. Cities have expanded, and investment – especially from China – has flooded in.

    One of Phnom Penh’s high-end malls.
    Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images.

    But much of this growth is precarious. Cambodia’s economy remains dependent on garment exports, tourism and construction. This leaves it vulnerable to external shocks, such as the Trump administration’s imposition of 49% tariffs on Cambodian goods, now temporarily paused.

    Instead of building a resilient, diversified economy, Cambodia has relied on relationships – with China for investment, with the U.S. for markets – without investing enough in its own human capital. That, too, I believe, is a legacy of the Khmer Rouge, which destroyed the country’s intellectual and professional classes.

    Trauma passed down

    The psychological toll of genocide doesn’t disappear with time. Survivors carry the scars in their bodies and minds.

    But so do their children and grandchildren. Studies in postgenocide Cambodia have shown elevated rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among survivors and their descendants, resulting in intergenerational trauma.

    There are not nearly enough mental health services in the country. Trauma is often dealt with privately, through silence or resilience rather than therapy. Buddhism, the country’s dominant religion, offers rituals for healing, reincarnation and forgiveness. But this isn’t a substitute for systemic mental health infrastructure.

    Worse, in recent years, even the memory of the genocide has been politicized.

    Some leaders use it as a tool to silence dissent. Others co-opt it for nationalist narratives. There’s little room for honest, critical reflection. Some independent initiatives, such as intergenerational dialogue programs and digital archives, have tried to fill the gap but face limited support.

    This is, I believe, a second tragedy. A country cannot truly move forward if it cannot speak freely about its past.

    A tourist looks at portraits of victims of the Khmer Rouge at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh, formerly a Khmer Rouge torture center known as S-21.
    Tang Chhin Southy/AFP via Getty Images)

    The danger of forgetting

    April 17 is not a national holiday in Cambodia. There are no official commemorations. The government doesn’t encourage remembrance of the day Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge. But to my mind, it should. Not to reopen wounds, but to remind Cambodians why justice, democracy and dignity matter.

    The danger isn’t that Cambodia will return to the days of the Khmer Rouge. The danger is that it becomes a place where history is manipulated, where authoritarianism is justified as stability and where development is allowed to paper over injustice.

    As the world marks the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge’s rise, Cambodia must, I believe, reckon with this uncomfortable truth: The regime may be long gone, but its legacy lives on in the institutions, behaviors and fears that continue to shape Cambodia today.

    A personal reckoning

    When I look back, I think of my father – whom I never knew. I think of my mother, who risked everything to save us. And I think of the millions of Cambodians who live with memories they cannot forget, and the young Cambodians who deserve to know the full truth.

    My life has been shaped by what happened on April 17, 1975. But that story isn’t mine alone. It belongs to Cambodia – and it’s still being written.

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

    – ref. Cambodia’s haunted present: 50 years after Khmer Rouge’s rise, murderous legacy looms large – https://theconversation.com/cambodias-haunted-present-50-years-after-khmer-rouges-rise-murderous-legacy-looms-large-254125

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Caisse Française de Financement Local: EMTN 2025-7 GREEN

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Paris, 15 April 2025

    Capitalised terms used herein shall have the meaning specified for such terms in the Caisse Française de Financement Local base prospectus to the €75,000,000,000 Euro Medium Term Note Programme dated 8 July 2024 (the “Base Prospectus”).

    Caisse Française de Financement Local has decided to issue on 17 April 2025 – Euro 1,000,000,000 Fixed Rate Obligations Foncières due 17 April 2035.

    The net proceeds of this issue will be used to finance and/or refinance, in whole or in part, the Eligible Green Loans as defined in the Sfil Group Green, Social and Sustainability Bond Framework which is available on the website of the Issuer.

    A Stabilisation Manager has been named in the applicable Final Terms.

    The Base Prospectus dated 8 July 2024 and the supplements to the Base Prospectus dated 13 September 2024, 30 September 2024, 26 December 2024, 27 February 2025 and 2 April 2025 approved by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers are available on the website of the Issuer (https://www.caissefrancaisedefinancementlocal.fr/), at the registered office of the Issuer: 112-114, avenue Emile Zola, 75015 Paris, France, and at the office of the Paying Agent indicated in the Base Prospectus.

    The Final Terms relating to the issue will be available on the website of the AMF (www.amf-france.org) and of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (www.bourse.lu), at the office of the Issuer and at the office of the Paying Agent.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Societe Generale: Availability or consultation of the information relating to the combined General Meeting of Shareholders dated 20 May 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AVAILABILITY OR CONSULTATION OF THE INFORMATION RELATING TO THE COMBINED GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS DATED 20 MAY 2025 

    Press release

    Paris, 15 April 2025

    The Combined General Meeting of shareholders will be held on 20 May 2025, at 4 pm, at CNIT Forest, 2, Place de la Défense, 92092 Puteaux, France.

    The notice of meeting and the convening notice relating to this Meeting were respectively published in the Bulletins des Annonces Légales Obligatoires (BALO) dated 12 March and 14 April 2025.

    These notices, the convening brochure as well as the documents and information mentioned in Article R. 22-10-23 of the French Commercial Code intended to be presented to the Meeting are now (regarding the information mentioned in Article R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code) or will be made available to the shareholders on Societe Generale’s website at the following address:
    https://www.societegenerale.com/en/societe-generale-group/governance/annual-general-meeting.

    The documents to be made available to the shareholders as part of this Meeting, may be consulted by the shareholders, in accordance with the conditions provided by the applicable regulations, at the administrative office of Societe Generale, 17 cours Valmy – 92972 La Défense Cedex (France), by sending a request by email to the electronic address: General.meeting@socgen.com.

    Press contacts:
    Jean-Baptiste Froville_+33 1 58 98 68 00_ jean-baptiste.froville@socgen.com
    Fanny Rouby_+33 1 57 29 11 12_ fanny.rouby@socgen.com


    Societe Generale

    Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with around 119,000 employees serving more than 26 million clients in 62 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective – to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.

    The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:

    • French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank.
    • Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG.
    • Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.

    Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).

    In case of doubt regarding the authenticity of this press release, please go to the end of the Group News page on societegenerale.com website where official Press Releases sent by Societe Generale can be certified using blockchain technology. A link will allow you to check the document’s legitimacy directly on the web page.

    For more information, you can follow us on Twitter/X @societegenerale or visit our website societegenerale.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Sidetrade reported a 22% increase in Revenue for Q1 2025, including a 26% rise in SaaS subscription.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Robust bookings despite a challenging macroeconomic environment

    €2.77 million in Annual Contract Value (ACV) in Q1 2025

    • Including €1.28 million in new SaaS bookings (ARR)
    • And €1.49 million in Services bookings

    Solid revenue growth of +22%, driven by a +26% increase in SaaS subscriptions, reflecting strong recurring revenue momentum

    Double-digit sales growth confirmed for 2025, despite ongoing market uncertainty

    Sidetrade, the global leader in AI-powered Order-to-Cash applications, today announces €2.77 million in bookings for the first quarter of 2025, along with revenue growth of +22%, including a +26% increase in SaaS subscriptions.

    Olivier Novasque, CEO of Sidetrade commented:

    “While the start of the year has been shaped by an uncertain economic climate—particularly in the United States—we continue to deliver double-digit revenue growth quarter after quarter. In Q1, we commend the strong performance of our European bookings, reflecting solid commercial momentum among existing clients. This was driven by the adoption of new product modules and geographic expansion into new countries. This expansion within our installed base effectively offset the more cautious stance of decision-makers in the US market. Achieving a near-perfect balance (50/50) in our development model over the past three years—between bookings from Europe versus the United States on one hand, and new customer sales versus existing customer upsell on the other—has equipped us with the resilience to navigate more turbulent periods when one of these components temporarily falters. Looking ahead across all four quarters of fiscal year 2025, we are confident in our ability to maintain this equilibrium. Regarding Q1 revenue, our record bookings in 2024, combined with a revenue recurrence rate exceeding 90% and the contribution from SHS Viveon, has enabled us to achieve a strong growth of +22%, continuing the momentum from our standout 2024 performance.”

    €2.77 million in Annual Contract Value (ACV) in Q1 2025
    In the first quarter of 2025, Sidetrade delivered a solid performance, recording €2.77 million in Annual Contract Value (ACV) from new signed contracts, compared to €3.98 million in Q1 2024. It is important to note that Q1 2024 represented an exceptionally high comparison base, with triple-digit growth of +117%, nearing the Company’s all-time record of €4.1 million. While Q1 2025 marks a year-over-year decline of 30% against this particularly strong prior-year quarter, the performance remains robust in absolute terms and significantly exceeds the €1.83 million recorded in Q1 2023, representing a +51% increase over that period.

    During the quarter, strong performance in Europe—driven by existing customers and accounting for nearly 90% of total bookings—more than offset a more mixed performance in the United States. This European momentum was supported by the successful commercialization of new product modules, including CashApps and Augmented Invoice, the latter being dedicated to electronic invoicing. In North America, bookings contributed 15% of Q1 2025 total bookings. The region faced a more cautious investment environment, as key decision-makers adopted a wait-and-see approach regarding new project commitments.

    In addition, new SaaS bookings (New ARR) totaled €1.28 million, compared to €1.85 million in Q1 2024, while Services bookings totaled €1.49 million versus €2.13 million in Q1 2024.

    Sidetrade’s development model—balanced between North America and Europe, and between new customer acquisitions and upsells to the existing client base—provides the Company with strong resilience against short-term market imbalances. This quarter, solid expansion sales in Europe among existing customers ultimately enabled the Company to deliver a robust overall performance, despite a more challenging macroeconomic environment in the US.

    Solid revenue growth of +22%, driven by a +26% increase in SaaS subscriptions, reflecting strong recurring revenue momentum

    Sidetrade

    (€m)

    		 Q1 2025 Q1 2024 Change
    SaaS Subscriptions 12.1 (1) 9.6 +26%
    Revenue 14.3 (2) 11.8 +22%

    All the 2025 information in this financial release is from consolidated, unaudited data.
    (1) includes €1.35 million in recurring revenue from SHS Viveon
    (2) includes €1.90 million in total revenue from SHS Viveon

    Sidetrade recorded a very strong start to fiscal year 2025, posting revenue of €14.3 million for the first quarter, representing year-over-year growth of +22%.

    SaaS subscriptions reached €12.1 million in Q1 2025, reflecting year-over-year growth of 26%, including +12% on a like-for-like basis (excluding the integration of SHS Viveon). This sustained pace underscores the effectiveness of Sidetrade’s SaaS business model and its ability to efficiently convert bookings into recognized revenue.

    In the first quarter of 2025, Services revenue posted modest growth of +3%, reaching €2.2 million. On a like-for-like basis (excluding the impact of SHS Viveon), this represents a decline of -20%. This trend reflects a lower volume of new large-scale projects and more limited-service engagements related to SaaS subscriptions among existing clients.

    Sidetrade continued to expand its footprint with large multinationals. In Q1 2025, subscriptions from companies generating over €2.5 billion in annual revenue grew by 44%. For the first time, contracts from these large enterprises accounted for more than half of Sidetrade’s total subscription revenue, representing 53% of the total—underscoring the Company’s increasingly strong positioning within the large enterprise segment. This momentum is expected to remain a key growth driver in the coming quarters.

    The integration of SHS Viveon’s operations (effective as of July 1, 2024) contributed €1.9 million to Sidetrade’s revenue in the first quarter of 2025, accounting for 13% of the total quarterly revenue.

    It is important to note that all of Sidetrade’s multi-year contracts are systematically indexed to inflation—using the Syntec index for Southern Europe, the UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Northern Europe, and the U.S. CPI for the United States. This mechanism ensures that annual price adjustments are applied automatically to SaaS subscription fees in line with inflation trends, without the need to wait for contract renewal.

    Next financial announcement
    Annual General Meeting: June 18, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM (France, Sidetrade headquarters)
    First Half Year Revenue for 2025: July 16, 2025 (after the stock market closes)

    Investor relations
    Christelle Dhrif                  00 33 6 10 46 72 00           cdhrif@sidetrade.com

    Media relations
    Becca Parlby                    00 44 7824 5055 84           bparlby@sidetrade.com

    About Sidetrade (www.sidetrade.com)
    Sidetrade (Euronext Growth: ALBFR.PA) provides a SaaS platform designed to revolutionize how cash flow is secured and accelerated. Leveraging its next-generation AI, nicknamed Aimie, Sidetrade analyzes $7.2 trillion worth of B2B payment transactions daily in its Cloud, thereby anticipating customer payment behavior and the attrition risk of 39.9 million buyers worldwide. Aimie recommends the best operational strategies, dematerializes and intelligently automates Order-to-Cash processes to enhance productivity, results and working capital across organizations.
    Sidetrade has a global reach, with 400+ talented employees based in Europe, the United States and Canada, serving global businesses in more than 85 countries. Amongst them: Biffa, Bunzl, Engie, Inmarsat, KPMG, Lafarge, Manpower, Page, Randstad, Saint-Gobain, Securitas, Tech Data, UGI, and Veolia.
    Sidetrade is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, adhering to its principles-based approach to responsible business.

    For further information, visit us at www.sidetrade.com and follow @Sidetrade on LinkedIn.

    In the event of any discrepancy between the French and English versions of this press release, only the French version is to be taken into account.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: G20 Finance Ministers set to meet in US

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Group of Twenty (G20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors are set to convene a two-day meeting on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Spring Meetings, taking place in the United States, later this month.

    The G20 is an international forum of both developing and developed countries, which seeks to find solutions to global economic and financial issues. 

    This meeting is part of the Finance Track under South Africa’s G20 Presidency, which will gather Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of G20 member countries, invited countries, and international organisations to discuss global economic challenges, financial stability, and policies aimed at fostering economic growth. 

    South Africa’s G20 Presidency commenced on 1 December 2024 and will run until 30 November 2025. It is taking place under the theme: “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.”

    The Finance Track is co-chaired by Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, and South African Reserve Bank Governor, Lesetja Kganyago. 

    G20 members include the world’s major economies, representing 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.

    The G20 comprises 19 countries (including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and since 2023, the African Union.

    The two-day meeting will take place from 23-24 April 2025, in Washington, D.C.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, Alex Boya’s animated short Bread Will Walk (NFB) selected

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    April 15, 2025 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

    The National Film Board of Canada will be in Cannes this year with Alex Boya’s animated short film Bread Will Walk, which has been selected to screen in the Directors’ Fortnight. Actor Jay Baruchel voices all the characters in the original English version of this frenetic, surrealist satire of our dehumanizing society, designed as a continuous shot.

    Organized by the Société des Réalisatrices et Réalisateurs de Films, the Directors’ Fortnight is a sidebar section of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and runs from May 14 to 24, 2025.

    Bread Will Walk will then be presented in official competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, taking place June 8 to 14, 2025.

    Quotes

    “The NFB is a unique creative space that also stands out for its ability to innovate and take risks. Over the years, it has nurtured the careers of many emerging filmmakers and helped discover new talent. One such talent is Alex Boya, who made his first film, Focus (2014), as a participant in the NFB’s Hothouse animation mentorship program. The selection of Bread Will Walk for the Directors’ Fortnight speaks to the creative and visionary strengths of the NFB’s animation units and its artists. Hearty congratulations to Alex Boya and to everyone at the NFB who contributed to this wonderful film!”
    – Suzanne Guèvremont, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the NFB

    “With his edgy, unorthodox visual approach, Alex Boya treats us to a brilliant, continuous shot filled with surreal metamorphoses, blending hand-drawn animation, painting and digital collage, and in the process reinventing the language of animation. We’re extremely proud that it has been selected for the Directors’ Fortnight, a celebration and showcase of unique artistic visions, which are a hallmark of the creative lab philosophy of our animation units at the NFB.”
    – Christine Noël, Executive Producer, French Animation Unit and English Animation Unit, NFB

    Quick Facts

    About the film

    Bread Will Walk by Alex Boya (11 min 17 s)
    An NFB production (Jelena Popović)
    Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/bread-will-walk

    • Synopsis: A devoted sister flees with her brother, a benevolent, bread-turned zombie. A mob pursues, mouths agape. Streets twist into mazes, reason dissolves, hunger reigns. Can love defy appetite?
    • Bread Will Walk was born of director Alex Boya’s reflection on overconsumption and its dehumanizing effects. Subverting the symbolism of bread, Boya created a parable in which a staple food becomes propaganda and love tries to defy hunger.
    • The sound design is by Olivier Calvert and the score was composed by Martin Floyd Cesar.

    About the filmmaker

    • Alex Boya graduated from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Film Production. The Bulgarian-born Montreal animator and filmmaker is known for his surreal, hand-drawn storytelling. At the NFB, he made Focus (2014) and Turbine(2018), both of which earned Special Mentions at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, with Turbine also winning Best Animation Short at NYC Shorts. Bread Will Walk sees him continue to craft worlds where poetry, technology and absurdity intertwine.
    • Boya is also very active on the animation scene, taking part in conferences and other events. He has grown a sizeable community of social media followers who eagerly keep up with his works as they are made.

    – 30 –

    Stay Connected

    Online Screening Room: NFB.ca
    NFB Facebook | NFB Twitter | NFB Instagram | NFB Blog | NFB YouTube | NFB Vimeo
    Curator’s perspective | Director’s notes

    About the NFB

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Stolen Girl: Disney+ drama is an intriguing companion piece to Netflix’s Adolescence

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rachel Moseley, Co-founder of the Centre for Television History, Heritage and Memory Research, University of Warwick

    From the opening moments of the new Disney+ series The Stolen Girl, you could be forgiven for thinking that you’ve happened upon a Scandi-noir crime drama.

    From the air, we follow a dark Volvo estate driving a dusty road through a tree-lined mountainous landscape. The palette is cool and desaturated, the music underpinned by a distorted electronic buzz. After the sound of a zip, light picks out the face of a child who seems to have been transported in the cramped and claustrophobic boot of the Volvo, that emblem of (Scandinavian) family road safety. “Who are you?” the child asks.

    Unlike Scandi-noir, however, there is no elevated title sequence and the five-episode thriller is set between the north of England and the south of France. We cut to the latter rapidly, to a brightly lit balcony, from which Elisa Blix (Denise Gough), private jet flight crew and the mother of the eponymous girl, looks out at the Côte D’Azur.

    In the first episode, Elisa and her husband, criminal lawyer Fred (Jim Sturgess) realise that their eldest child, Lucia, has been kidnapped while on a hastily arranged sleepover at a new school friend’s house.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    A number of stylistic motifs contribute to the sense of unease which pervades The Stolen Girl. The camera peers around corners into dark, claustrophobic spaces. It creeps along the ground, or tracks slowly towards buildings. In the opening sequence, for example, it drifts through lush, dark foliage towards stone steps, offering a glimpse of a doorway at their apex.

    The significance of this repeated shot doesn’t become clear until near the end of the series. Similarly, motifs from the elaborate décor of the Blixes’ “perfect” home are disturbingly echoed later in the setting of the French villa. As the drama proceeds, flashbacks and memories provide the opportunity to reassess and reinterpret, for the characters and the viewer.

    The Stolen Girl trailer.

    The Stolen Girl is meticulously constructed to unsettle and intrigue the viewer, from sound design and imagery to narrative organisation.

    For the most part, we discover and interpret clues along with another main character – doggedly persistent journalist Selma Desai (Ambika Mod). Her grasp of social media and pop psychology leads her to solve the case ahead of the detectives working it.

    I found myself having light-bulb moments with, and occasionally just before, Selma – an effective and carefully designed immersion technique which, along with frequent reversals and twists, keeps us guessing until near the very end. It’s clever, and satisfying for the attentive viewer as the whole-series release in the UK makes it easily bingeable and easy to pick up clues.

    The series was adapted for television by Catherine Moulton from Alex Dahl’s 2020 novel Playdate. It centres on two mothers and a female journalist, with a young female victim at the centre. This makes it a fascinating companion piece to the much-discussed recent Netflix drama Adolescence, which has been critiqued for its focus on the young male perpetrator and his family.



    Read more:
    Adolescence in schools: TV show’s portrayal of one boyhood may do more harm than good when used as a teaching tool

    There are very clear references to the Madeleine McCann case in The Stolen Girl. Not just in the similarly posed “victim ID” photo of Lucia, but also in the persistent blame directed at her mother Elisa. Described as a “jet-set mum-fluencer”, her decision in a harried moment between work and home facilitated the abduction of her daughter. “She spent half her childhood with me while you were up in the air”, claims her mother-in-law.

    The drama unfolds and the mystery is revealed through a highly screen-literate pastiche of gothic, noir and horror tropes. Central characters are narrated through a costume story told in shirts: tucked in, tied at the waist, over-sized, striped, floral and tailored. The mise-en-scène of The Stolen Girl is simultaneously presented as aspirational (I spotted a number of well-known fancy brands) and carefully crafted to present an unreliable façade, as the perfect life of the white middle-class family at the series’ centre is systematically unpicked.

    As it unravels, a nexus of trauma, infidelity, financial insecurity, lies and secrets are revealed. Like Adolescence, the programme identifies social media as a factor in facilitating crime, but also, through Selma, as an instrument of solving it.

    Rachel Moseley 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. The Stolen Girl: Disney+ drama is an intriguing companion piece to Netflix’s Adolescence – https://theconversation.com/the-stolen-girl-disney-drama-is-an-intriguing-companion-piece-to-netflixs-adolescence-254513

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: London Sudan Conference: Foreign Secretary opening remarks

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    London Sudan Conference: Foreign Secretary opening remarks

    The Foreign Secretary delivered opening remarks at the London Sudan conference.

    Two years on from this war starting, with frontlines shifting again, I fear many onlookers feel a sense of déjà vu. The country’s fraught history also means that some conclude that further conflict is effectively inevitable.

    Many have given up on Sudan. That is wrong. It’s morally wrong when we see so many civilians beheaded, infants as young as one subjected to sexual violence, more people facing famine than anywhere else in the world.

    We simply cannot look away. And as I speak, civilians and aid workers in El Fasher and Zamzam IDP camp are facing unimaginable violence.

    With over four million refugees having fled the country, and instability spreading far beyond Sudan’s border, it’s also strategically wrong to forget Sudan. And that’s why, as Foreign Secretary, I refused to turn away. I felt a duty to confront this war’s horrors head on.

    I have been to the Sudanese border and met with survivors. I have called out attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers in the United Nations.

    And I have doubled our aid to Sudan, and today I am announcing a further £120 million worth of support. But the biggest obstacle is not a lack of funding or texts at the United Nations, it’s lack of political will.

    Very simply, we have got to persuade the warring parties to protect civilians, to let aid in and across the country and to put peace first.

    And so we do need patient diplomacy. Bringing together this group today, focusing of course on the areas where we agree and building out from there is very very important today, indeed. Today’s goal is then to do just that. We all want to see Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity upheld.

    We all want to see a united state, with functioning institutions. We all want to see Sudan’s civilians protected, and the millions of displaced people able to return to their homes.

    This is a strong basis to agree the steps needed then to relieve suffering and to end this awful war. I hope across our three sessions, we can agree a set of principles for our future diplomatic engagement.

    When I met with Sudanese refugees in Chad I was frankly humbled by their resilience.  In the face of unimaginable trauma, they had not given up on their country or the communities around them.

    For their sake, we cannot resign ourselves to inevitable conflict. We cannot be back here one year from now, having the same discussion. So today, let’s show them and the world we have not given up on them. We have not given up on Sudan.

    I am hugely grateful for the support from the African Union, and to my colleagues from France, Germany and the EU in supporting the shared endeavour.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Boralex will release its 2025 first quarter financial results on May 14

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MONTREAL, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Boralex inc. (“Boralex” or the “Company”) (TSX: BLX) announces that the release of the 2025 first quarter results will take place on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.

    Financial analysts and investors are invited to attend a conference call during which the financial results will be presented.

    Date and time

    Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. ET

    To attend the conference

    Webcast link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/3nwdfvm2

    To attend the event by phone: Click here to register for the earnings call. Once you have completed your registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing the link and your personal PIN to connect to the call. If you lose this link and your PIN, you will be able to register again. You must register if you wish to attend the call by phone.

    Media and other interested individuals are invited to listen to the conference and view a presentation which will be broadcasted live and on a deferred basis on Boralex’s website at www.boralex.com. A full replay will also be available on Boralex’s website until May 14, 2026.

    The financial information will be released through a press release and on Boralex’s website on May 14, 2025, at 7 a.m.

    About Boralex

    At Boralex, we have been providing affordable renewable energy accessible to everyone for over 30 years. As a leader in the Canadian market and France’s largest independent producer of onshore wind power, we also have facilities in the United States and development projects in the United Kingdom. Over the past five years, our installed capacity has more than doubled to over 3.1 GW. Our pipeline of projects and growth path total over 78GW in wind, solar and electricity storage projects. We develop those projects guided by our values and our corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. Through profitable and sustainable growth, Boralex is actively participating in the fight against global warming. Thanks to our fearlessness, our discipline, our expertise and our diversity, we continue to be an industry leader. Boralex’s shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLX.  

    For more information, visit boralex.com or sedarplus.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.  

    For more information

    MEDIA INVESTOR RELATIONS
    Camille Laventure
    Senior Advisor, Public Affairs and External
    Communications

    Boralex Inc.

    438-883-8580
    camille.laventure@boralex.com

    		 Stéphane Milot
    Vice President, Investor Relations and Financial
    Planning and Analysis

    Boralex Inc.

    514-213-1045
    stephane.milot@boralex.com

    Source: Boralex inc.        

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO – Appointment of bishop of Molegbe

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 15 April 2025

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Joseph Mopepe Ngongo, doctoral candidate in theology at the Université Catholique du Congo, as bishop of the diocese of Molegbe, Democratic Republic of the Congo.Msgr. Joseph Mopepe Ngongo was born on 15 July 1966 in Gemena, diocese of Molegbe. He entered the Saint François d’Assise Preparatory Seminary of Katokoli and studied philosophy at the Saint Jean-Baptiste Major Seminary of Bamanya and theology at the Université Catholique du Congo.He received priestly ordination on 19 March 1995.After ordination, he was awarded a licentiate in theology from the Université Catholique du Congo (1995-1997), and held the roles of formator (1997-2002) and rector (2002-2011) of the Saint Pierre et Saint Paul Interdiocesan Major Seminary in Lisala.In 2011 he began his studies for a doctorate in France where, at the same time, he served as vicar of the Notre Dame Saint Jacques Cathedral in Reims (2011-2021). In addition, he was moderator of the parishes of the Espace missionnaire Sedan-Yvois and chaplain of the Equipes du Rosaire of the metropolitan archdiocese of Reims (2021-2024).In 2024 he returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to conclude his doctoral studies at the Université Catholique du Congo in Kinshasa. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 15/4/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: One Month to Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2025: Africa’s Energy Licensing Surge to Take Center Stage

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    PARIS, France, April 15, 2025/APO Group/ —

    With just one month to go to the Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2025 forum, the event is shaping up to be a milestone moment for upstream investment on the continent. IAE 2025 will spotlight Africa’s resurgence in exploration activity – with over 150 oil and gas blocks on offer across more than 10 countries on the continent. Backed by national oil companies (NOCs), regulators and government ministries, the forum stands to connect international capital and energy opportunities to investors and developers.

    Africa’s 2025 licensing calendar is one of the most active in recent years, with countries across North, West, Central and East Africa opening acreage and reforming terms to attract global explorers. Dozens of offshore and onshore blocks are being offered through both direct negotiations and competitive bidding, with new rounds in Libya, the Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Algeria and Angola, among others. A central focus of the upcoming forum, these offerings are supported by revised fiscal frameworks, comprehensive seismic data and digitalized platforms aimed at streamlining investor engagement and lowering entry barriers.

    IAE 2025 (https://apo-opa.co/4jrAKig) is an exclusive forum designed to facilitate investment between African energy markets and global investors. Taking place May 13-14, 2025 in Paris, the event offers delegates two days of intensive engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. For more information, please visit www.Invest-Africa-Energy.com. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

    The IAE 2025 program will feature dedicated sessions that highlight new opportunities, policy reforms and strategic deals. An Energy Reform Briefing on Sierra Leone will explore the structural changes aimed at enhancing the country’s competitiveness in upstream oil and gas. A high-profile session from the newly established South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC) will offer insight into the entity’s vision, followed by a live investor pitch. An “In Conversation” dialogue with TotalEnergies will explore the major’s evolving investment priorities in Africa and its role in the continent’s energy transition. Meanwhile, the Premier Invest Deal Room will showcase six major upstream transactions, providing a curated environment for qualified investors, lenders and project sponsors to engage in due diligence and financing discussions.

    IAE 2025 will welcome government officials, companies and financiers. Confirmed ministers include the Republic of Congo’s Minister of Hydrocarbons, Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua; Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Eperikpe Ekpo; Gabon’s Minister of Petroleum, Marcel Abéké; Mauritania’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mohamed Ould Khaled; Senegal’s Minister of Energy, Oil and Mines, Birame Soulèye Diop; Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Energy, Malam Sambu; and Liberia’s Minister of Mines and Energy, Wilmot Paye.

    Industry participation ranges from leading majors such as TotalEnergies, Eni and Perenco, to NOCs including SNPC, SANPC, Gabon Oil Company and Uganda National Petroleum Company. Junior explorers and independents like Afentra, Trident Energy, Oando, UTM Offshore and EcoAtlantic will also join the conversation, alongside key players in technology and finance such as Technip Energies, NOV, SLB, Wärtsilä, Africa Finance Corporation, Rand Merchant Bank and the Trade and Development Bank. Together, leaders from both public and private sectors will engage in high-level discussions on topics ranging from financing the next generation of energy projects, to optimizing value from mature and mid-life assets, as well as transforming power generation across the continent.

    As global investors seek scalable growth opportunities and secure supply options, Africa is presenting a compelling case for upstream development and gas-led industrialization. With one month to go, IAE 2025 offers a timely and focused opportunity to engage with the people, projects and policies shaping the next chapter of African energy.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: European Union – Statement by Jean-Noël Barrot on his arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council (14 Apr. 2025)

    Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

    This weekend, the horror in Ukraine reached its peak with the Palm Sunday massacre. In Sumy in the north-east of the country, innocent civilians were targeted twice by Vladimir Putin’s missiles. It’s a demonstration – if it were still needed – of Vladimir Putin’s contempt for civilians and for the laws of war. Let me remind you that Vladimir Putin is still under an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes. It’s also a demonstration of his real intentions. Whereas Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire more than a month ago now, Vladimir Putin clearly has no intention of moving in that direction. So he must be forced to, and that’s why I’m calling on the European Union to adopt the most severe sanctions against Russia, to paralyse its economy and prevent it from fuelling its war effort. I think the United States, which has put a lot of effort into achieving a ceasefire – and Donald Trump himself has devoted a lot of time and energy to it – can also, through sanctions which are ready, force and oblige Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table.

    In Gaza, the situation is more tragic than ever. Access for humanitarian aid to the enclave stopped more than a month ago now. There must be a return to the ceasefire, unimpeded access for humanitarian aid must be permitted, and the Hamas hostages must be released. Talks can then begin on the basis of the plan prepared by the Arab countries for Gaza’s reconstruction, governance and security, and then for movement towards a political solution, because there is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A political solution is the focus of the United Nations conference chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, which aims to preserve the two-State solution and put it on track, through collective and reciprocal recognition enabling the Israeli people and the Palestinian people to live side by side in peace and security.

    On Iran, today we’re adopting a raft of sanctions against people responsible for the state-hostages policy. That’s the demand I set out at the last Foreign Affairs Council. I’m pleased that we can adopt these sanctions today against seven people and two entities, including Shiraz prison. It was time, because the conditions in which some of [our] French-European compatriots are being held are humiliating and akin to torture in international law, and some of them are deprived of consular protection. That’s why I’ve announced that France will lodge a complaint to the International Court of Justice for the violation of consular protection. And I’ve reminded all our compatriots to avoid travelling to Iran, and those who are in transit to return as soon as possible. At the same time, the United States embarked on talks with Iran this weekend. We very much welcome this initiative, but we’ll be vigilant, with our British and German friends and partners, to ensure that any negotiations that might begin are indeed in line with our security interests when it comes to the Iranian nuclear programme, which poses a significant threat to French and European territory. We’re awaiting the report, in a few weeks’ time, by the IAEA Director General, which is due to demonstrate – or at any rate report on – the progress of that programme.

    Regarding Azerbaijan, I’m very concerned about the rising tensions on the border. I’d like the European mission deployed on the ground to be greatly increased in order to be able to observe and contain those tensions. The peace treaty must now be signed and arbitrary detainees, prisoners, must be released. That’s the gist of what I said last week.

    I’ll end with the situation in the Balkans, which was the focus of discussion yesterday evening and to which we’ll return today to make active efforts to ensure that the region – which is at the heart of the European Union and to which we want to export our stability rather that import its instability – all our efforts must converge to bring stability and a form of calm, despite the tensions that have emerged in recent days.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: European Union – Main results of the Foreign Affairs Council (14 Apr. 2025)

    Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

    M. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, took part in the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) today, Monday 14 April.

    On France’s initiative, the meeting provided an opportunity to adopt further European sanctions against nine individuals and entities responsible for Iran’s state-hostages policy, of which two of our compatriots, Cécile Kohler et Jacques Paris, are still victims – as are several other European citizens – and have been so for nearly three years. These sanctions target judges and prosecutors officiating in courts that do not respect basic rights, as well as detention centres.

    Regarding Ukraine, the Member States emphasized the importance of giving Ukraine the means to negotiate in a position of strength when the time comes. In the coming weeks it is necessary to adopt, as soon as possible, a new package of robust sanctions against Russia containing individual and sectoral measures.

    On Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Minister stressed the importance of signing the peace treaty swiftly, and shared his deep concern about the rising tensions on the border. The role of the European mission deployed on the ground is essential for observing incidents. He reiterated the need to immediately release the people arbitrarily held in Azerbaijan.

    As regards the situation in the Middle East, the Minister recalled President Macron’s visit to Egypt and the need for an immediate return to the ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the hostages and the resumption of humanitarian aid.

    Finally, on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the country’s unity and constitutional order. France favours a firm response by the EU that harnesses all the levers available to it, in order to restore stability.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Speech by PSCST at press conference of French May Arts Festival and French GourMay 2025 (English only)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Speech by PSCST at press conference of French May Arts Festival and French GourMay 2025 (English only) 
    Mrs Cheng (Co-chairman of the Board of French May Arts Festival, Mrs Mignonne Cheng), Mrs Drulhe (Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, Mrs Christile Drulhe), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
     
    Good morning. It is my great honour to join you all at the press conference of this year’s French May Arts Festival and French GourMay.
     
    Since its inception in 1993, French May has spanned over 30 years and established itself as one of Hong Kong’s, and even Asia’s, most prestigious arts and cultural celebrations. Stepping into the 32nd edition, French May Arts Festival will as always bring together world-class artists and programmes with rich French characteristics to the community, further adding vibrancy to the cultural landscape of Hong Kong.
     
    I’m glad to know that this year’s French May will feature more than 60 events spotlighting over 200 French and Hong Kong artists. Highlights include the ongoing exhibition, “Picasso for Asia - A Conversation”, which is co‑presented by French May, Musée National Picasso-Paris and M+, and presents more than 60 masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, together with 130 works of contemporary Asian artists. This project, which is supported by the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, is a good example of initiatives which promote East-West cultural exchanges.
     
    Just last month, we had our Super March welcoming globally renowned arts and cultural programmes and visitors from around the world. And I must thank French May for your commitment to creating a platform for arts and cultural exchanges and bringing about opportunities for the industry and community. Your invaluable contributions complement the Government’s wide-ranging efforts in developing Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchanges.
     
    I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong, and all the collaborating organisations and artists that work together to bring this year’s Festival to life. I’m also glad to note that French GourMay will return this year, with French spirits as well as Hong Kong’s nightlife and bars, being the spotlights of the Festival.
     
    I have no doubt that this year’s French May Arts Festival and French GourMay will be another resounding success for all. Thank you.
    Issued at HKT 12:25

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Iran confirms Muscat to host 2nd round of nuke talks with US

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Iran has confirmed that Muscat, the capital of Oman, will remain the venue for the second round of “indirect” negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

    “Following consultations, it was decided that Muscat continues to be the host of the second round of the negotiations, which are scheduled to be held on Saturday,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying early Tuesday.

    In the first round of Muscat talks on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi engaged in “indirect” discussions with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, facilitated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi. These talks focused on Iran’s nuclear program and the potential removal of U.S. sanctions.

    The talks in Muscat followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement in early March that he had sent a letter to Iranian leaders, delivered through the United Arab Emirates, proposing negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. Iran later agreed on indirect talks.

    Iran signed a nuclear deal in July 2015 with six major countries — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. Under the deal, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

    However, Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the deal in May 2018 during his first term, and reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to scale back its commitments under the deal. Since then, efforts to revive the nuclear agreement have made little progress.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Canton Fair kicks off with record number of export exhibitors

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

    GUANGZHOU, April 15 — The 137th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, kicked off on Tuesday, with the number of export exhibitors exceeding 30,000 for the first time in the history of this famous event.

    Scheduled to take place from April 15 to May 5 in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou, this edition of the fair has attracted about 31,000 participating firms, up by nearly 900 compared with the previous fair.

    More than 200,000 overseas buyers from 215 countries and regions have preregistered, with the lineup featuring the likes of retail giants Walmart and Target from the United States, Carrefour from France, Tesco and Kingfisher from Britain, and Germany’s Metro.

    This edition of the fair is divided into three phases. The first will focus on advanced manufacturing, the second on quality home furnishings, and the third on products that promote a better quality of life.

    The event will involve 172 product zones, including, for the first time, a special zone for service robots focused on showcasing the latest achievements of China’s AI development efforts.

    Xinhua reporters at the fair witnessed an exhibition hall becoming packed with participants just after 9 a.m. Notably, the exhibition area focusing on service robots was especially busy. Many overseas buyers used their mobile phones to capture images of robotic dogs, industrial exoskeleton equipment, automatic cruise robots, coffee-making robots and other products, while asking exhibitors for more details about their functions.

    “This Canton Fair is held in the year when China’s ’14th Five-Year Plan’ nears completion — which is of great significance in promoting the innovative development of trade, thus ensuring stable foreign trade volume and improving foreign trade quality,” said Zhang Sihong, deputy director of the China Foreign Trade Center.

    He noted that the large gathering of global buyers at the fair underlined the trust of the international business community in made-in-China products.

    Guo Yanhu with Gree, a leading home appliances enterprise, said that through green technology innovation and AI intelligent upgrading, the company provides users with efficient and low-carbon solutions, having sold products to more than 190 countries and regions in 2024.

    The Canton Fair has always been an important driver of global trade, said Andre Rocha, president of the Federation of Industries of the State of Goias, Brazil. Here, people can learn about the major global development trends and cutting-edge technologies, as well as solutions that can actually boost industrial development, he added.

    Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is held twice a year in Guangzhou. It is the longest-running of several comprehensive international trade events in China and has been hailed as the barometer of China’s foreign trade.

    Despite the weak momentum of global economic growth, intensified trade protectionism and geopolitical tensions, China’s foreign trade has maintained stable growth.

    According to the General Administration of Customs, China’s total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms expanded 1.3 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025. China’s exports rose 6.9 percent to 6.13 trillion yuan (about 850.1 billion U.S. dollars) during this period, while imports fell 6 percent to 4.17 trillion yuan.

    In addition, the fifth China International Consumer Products Expo, being held on the tropical island province of Hainan in south China this week, has also reaffirmed China’s position as a vital marketplace for global enterprises. It has drawn record participation from over 4,100 brands across 71 countries and regions, reflecting the expanding international appetite for engagement with China’s vast consumer market and its evolving landscape.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EU and Member States pledge over €522 million to address Sudan crisis

    Source: European Commission – Justice

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 15 Apr 2025 To help address the difficult humanitarian situation in Sudan, the European Commission and Member States have pledged €522 million in aid for 2025 at the High-level Conference for Sudan, co-hosted in London today by the Commission alongside the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the African Union.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Lifting unnecessary burden in the EU market in response to the crisis faced by the wine and spirits sector – E-001413/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001413/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Anne-Sophie Frigout (PfE)

    With the wine industry legitimately concerned about the international situation, Europe must also provide a response by removing disincentives to trade within the EU.

    Wines and spirits especially are struggling here, with it still being easier for a vineyard to export internationally than to another Member State.

    In Champagne, winegrowers who sell remotely to European citizens have to pay taxes (excise duties and VAT) for each destination country. The cost is so high and the procedures so complex that many winegrowers simply do not bother.

    This barrier to trade persists, even though online sales are going through the roof and consumers now look to have a direct link with producers.

    Since 2021, there has been a threshold below which internal EU sales to private individuals are treated for tax purposes as sales in France. Above this threshold, a one-stop shop facilitates the return and payment of VAT in the Member States. This initiative to simplify trade between EU countries could be replicated for excise duties on alcohol.

    Will the Commission introduce such a measure in order to facilitate exports between Member States and respond to the crisis faced by this sector?

    Submitted: 7.4.2025

    Last updated: 15 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Where to pay your respects in the City this Anzac Day

    Source: South Australia Police

    Wanneroo, Quinns Rocks and Yanchep RSL sub-branches will once again honour Australian and New Zealand service men and women who served in World War I and the conflicts that followed this Anzac Day.

    Each sub-branch will host a Friday dawn service, supported by the City’s Flagship Funding.

    Mayor Linda Aitken said she was proud to support the services.

    “Anzac Day plays a significant role in Wanneroo’s history, and I thank our wonderful RSL Sub-Branches for honouring service men and women, past and present,” she said.

    “The Wanneroo district was far from Europe, but this did not shield our tiny community from the horrors of World War I and World War II.

    “This year marks 110 years since the ANZAC’s landed at Gallipoli in WWI, with the City losing nine men during the war.

    “I encourage our community to come together this ANZAC Day to honour the bravery, sacrifice and service of our veterans.

    “Attending a local dawn service is a meaningful way to pay your respects and show your support for those who have served, and continue to serve, our country.”

    Those Wanneroo men who paid the ultimate sacrifice were Percy John Ainger, a farmer who enlisted at 17, survived the Western Front but died soon after coming home.

    Richard Waltham, a farmer who died aged 22 in France. Ernest John Dudley White, the son of Henry and Mary-Ann White, the first caretakers of the Yanchep Caves and Hunting Lodge.

    Richard Smales, a 21-year-old gardener. William Cockman, gardener and son of Wanneroo pioneers James and Emma Cockman.

    Charles Knight. The Bennett brothers; Albert, Herbert George, and James Dunn.

    The City’s Flagship Funding supports not-for-profit community groups and organisations delivering community initiatives that recognise, celebrate and commemorate the City’s rich history and diverse culture.

    2025 Anzac Day Services

    Yanchep-Two Rocks RSL Sub-Branch

    Yanchep National Park

    Dawn Service, 5.30am for a 6am start

    Main Service, 10.30am for an 11am start

    Wanneroo RSL Sub-Branch

    Wanneroo Memorial Park

    Dawn Service followed by a march and gunfire breakfast, 5.45am

    Quinns Rocks RSL Sub-Branch

    Quinns Rocks Sports Club

    Dawn Service followed by a gunfire breakfast and two-up, 5.45am for a 6am start

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Australia’s energy transition: a complex regulatory road to nuclear power

    Source: Allens Insights (legal sector)

    Establishing a suitable legislative framework 9 min read

    With the country’s coal-fired power fleet rapidly ageing, nuclear power has been suggested as a possible provider of low-emissions, reliable power to support the energy transition. This raises the question: what changes are required to Australia’s legal and regulatory framework to support the introduction of a nuclear industry?

    Developing any new industry takes time and involves significant, often complex, changes. The development of Australia’s offshore wind sector, for example, has encountered these kinds of challenges, along with its own unique hurdles. In the same way, lifting the federal and state/territory bans on nuclear power is essential to opening the door for nuclear energy projects in Australia.

    In this Insight, we explore the legal and regulatory reforms necessary for nuclear power projects to become a viable option in Australia.

    Key takeaways 

    • Establishing a nuclear industry in Australia requires significant legal and regulatory changes.
    • Lifting the federal and state/territory bans on nuclear power is essential to opening the door for nuclear energy projects in Australia.
    • A dedicated regulatory body would need to be established to oversee the nuclear industry, ensuring safety and compliance.
    • A comprehensive third-party liability regime would need to be implemented to manage risks and provide clarity around accountability.
    • Australian government financial support will be necessary, either via a government-owned nuclear power developer or combining government funding with private sector involvement to support nuclear power projects.
    • Coordination with states and territories would be crucial to align legislative frameworks and enable the successful development of nuclear power infrastructure.

    Key steps to establish a nuclear energy industry in Australia​

    Establishing a nuclear industry in Australia would require significant changes, including lifting existing bans, aligning federal and state legislation, creating a dedicated regulatory body, developing a third-party liability regime and implementing a financing structure capable of attracting long-term investment. 

    The initial steps would require the Government to:

    • lift legislative bans;
    • coordinate with states and territories to ensure consistent frameworks that support the nuclear sector;
    • establish a dedicated regulatory body to oversee the industry’s standards and operations;
    • implement a comprehensive third-party liability regime to address safety and accountability; and
    • develop financing structures that attract investors and international developers.

    1. Lift the federal ban on nuclear power plants

    The development and operation of nuclear power plants in Australia is currently banned under federal legislation, specifically the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 (Cth) (ARPANS Act) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act), and various state legislation.

    The federal ban may be lifted by:

    • amending the EPBC Act to provide a pathway for federal environmental approval of nuclear installations—this would include amendments to the following sections of the EPBC Act: 37J (No declarations relating to nuclear action), 140A (No approval for certain nuclear installations), 146M (No approvals relating to nuclear actions) and 305(2)(d) (Minster may enter into conservation agreements); and
    • amending the ARPANS Act, which regulates the construction, operation, and licencing of small-scale nuclear and radioactive facilities primarily used for medical and medical research purposes (like the Lucas Heights Facility) to provide for the licencing and regulation of civil nuclear power stations. This would also involve expanding the existing scope and application of the licencing regime under that Act to address specific nuclear power plants development and operation issues.

    As an alternative to amending the ARPANS Act, adopting a similar approach to the one taken for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines, which involved the enactment of the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Act 2024 (Cth) (ANNPS Act). Broadly, the ANNPS Act:

    • provided a licencing and safety regime for regulated activities (such as constructing and operating an AUKUS submarine) within designated zones in Western Australia and South Australia; and
    • excluded the operation of state and territory laws that would otherwise apply to such activities.

    Other federal legislation that may need to be amended to support nuclear power plants include: the National Radioactive Waste Management Act 2012 (Cth), the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Act 1987 (Cth), and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (Safeguards) Act 1987 (Cth).

    2. Establish a nuclear energy regulator

    At the same time, Australia would require a new legal authority to regulate industry operations in areas such as nuclear safety, site licencing, construction, operation, decommissioning, fuel and waste.

    Such an authority would be similar to, for example, the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation, which oversees the 36 licensed nuclear sites in Great Britain (including the recently licensed Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C).

    The regulatory body could be established by:

    • expanding the mandate of the regulatory body established under the ARPANS Act (being the Australian Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority) to include licencing and regulation of nuclear power facilities (noting the Coalition’s Nuclear Energy Plan highlights the possibility of also consolidating the functions of this regulatory body with the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office—being the regulatory body responsible for nuclear and chemical weapons treaties); or
    • expanding the functions of the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator, which is responsible for the regulation of the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines.

    3. Coordinate state and territory legislation

    The Government would also need to work with the states and territories to coordinate new federal, state and territory legislation to support the delivery of nuclear power projects.

    This would require NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory to lift their respective bans on nuclear activities.

    4. Implement a third-party liability regime

    Domestic liability regime

    Given community and participant concerns about potential nuclear incidents, most nuclear energy jurisdictions have implemented a comprehensive domestic legal regime governing liability for nuclear events. We expect Australia would need to adopt a similar regime.

    These regimes typically cover topics such as:

    • Liability channelling: to reduce the number of defendants in any claim (and simplify the associated proceedings), jurisdictions adopt one or more mechanisms to ensure that nuclear liability is channelled to the nuclear installation operator only. For example, in the UK, the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 (NIA) allocates liability for a nuclear incident to the operator and provides a full defence in the UK courts to others for the types of liability covered by the NIA. In the Australian context, this would require navigating Australia’s federal system, involving overlapping state and federal laws.
    • Strict liability: to simplify arguments around negligence and causation, many jurisdictions adopt a strict liability regime. That is, the nuclear operator is deemed to be liable for loss flowing from an incident at its installation, regardless of who is actually at fault.
    • Liability caps: while the regimes seek to make it easier to bring a nuclear claim, they typically provide a statutory liability cap in favour of the operator, often with the government operating as an insurer of last resort for claims above the statutory cap. For example, in the UK, the NIA sets annual financial caps on operator liability, after which the UK Government covers claims up to the required minimum thresholds.

    International liability regime

    In addition to implementing a comprehensive domestic liability regime, it is likely Australia would seek to sign and ratify one or more international nuclear liability treaties.

    There are three different (and somewhat competing) international regimes. While Australia might seek to participate in multiple treaties, in practice most jurisdictions choose to participate in one only.

    • The most recent treaty is the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), which was established under the auspices of the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1997 and covers the greatest number of nuclear power reactors globally. Importantly, the United States, Japan, India and Canada have signed and ratified the CSC only. Australia is a signatory to the CSC, but has not ratified the CSC.
    • The 1960 Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy (Paris Convention), supplemented by the Brussels Convention Supplementary to the Paris Convention and most recently updated in 2004, was developed under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). It mainly covers Western European states, including the United Kingdom and France.
    • The 1963 Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, most recently updated in 2004, was also developed under the auspices of the IAEA, but mainly covers states in Eastern Europe and Latin America.

    While it would be possible for Australia to proceed without ratifying one of these conventions (as the PRC and South Korea have chosen to do), Australia’s dependence on a global nuclear supply chain means it is likely to ratify at least one.

    Ratifying a nuclear treaty would bolster Australia’s domestic nuclear liability regime, eg by precluding claims being brought in other signatory jurisdictions for incidents occurring in Australia. The choice of treaty would also shape Australia’s nuclear liability policy, eg because they mandate different levels of state indemnity for nuclear incidents.

    5. Adopt a financing structure

    Funding model

    It is unlikely that a foreign investor funding model, used in the UK and other nuclear energy jurisdictions, would be available for Australian projects. Instead, Australian nuclear power projects would likely be developed by:

    • a new government-owned nuclear power developer— perhaps similar to NBN Co, Australia’s national wholesale open-access data network; or
    • a private developer, partly financed by the Government through a combination of debt and equity—perhaps similar to funding models adopted for Badgerys Creek Airport and the WestConnex road project—both of which involved a mixture of federal grant funding and concessional loans.

    In either case, Australia would need to rely heavily on a ‘national champion’ to drive the development of these projects, in partnership with experienced private sector nuclear companies.

    Expansion of ARENA and CEFC

    Australia may also consider expanding the mandate of existing agencies such as the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Clean Energy Finance Corporation to extend to nuclear energy projects, to provide such grant funding and concessional loans (respectively).

    Government support

    In addition, we expect that federal support would be required for the construction phase of each project, as well as a government offtake contract or revenue underwrite for these projects, in order to secure debt financing.

    To the extent that bank debt is proposed to be included in the financing mix, it is likely that financiers would require extensive due diligence to fully understand the proposed technology, due to the novelty of such technology in the Australian market, and proposed risk mitigants for delay and cost overruns given the challenges experienced for similar projects overseas.

    In determining an appropriate structure, Australia may look to existing nuclear energy jurisdictions for examples and lessons that can be learned.

    For example, in the UK, there has been a shift in the approach to government support contracts—from the ‘contract for difference’ model to a utility model involving a regulated asset base.

    • Contract for difference (Hinkley Point C): investors agree to pay the entire cost of constructing the nuclear plant, in return for an agreed fixed price for electricity output following completion—this is funded by consumers, who will pay the difference between the wholesale electricity price and the final fixed price once the plant is operational.
    • Regulated asset base model (Sizewell C): investors are able to share some of the project’s construction and operating risks with consumers from the start, lowering the cost of capital.

    The complex regulatory road ahead

    While the potential for nuclear energy to contribute to Australia’s low-emissions future is clear, the path to achieving this vision will involve overcoming significant challenges.

    Despite the hurdles, a carefully structured and long-term approach could pave the way for nuclear power to play a role in diversifying Australia’s energy mix and supporting its transition to a sustainable and low-emissions future.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Algeria expels 12 French diplomats in escalation with France

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Algeria on Monday ordered 12 French diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, declaring them “personae non gratae” in a move that marks a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions with France.

    The expulsion follows the arrest of an Algerian consular official by French authorities — an action Algiers described as a blatant violation of diplomatic immunity.

    France confirmed receiving the expulsion notice of the 12 embassy officials, including personnel from the French Interior Ministry.

    French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Algeria to “abandon” the expulsions and said France was ready to “respond immediately” if they went ahead, according to French media reports.

    The expulsion follows Algeria’s summoning of French Ambassador Stephane Romatet on Saturday to protest the arrest of its consular official.

    The detained diplomat was reportedly questioned over alleged links to the 2024 abduction of Amir Boukhras, an Algerian activist based in Paris known on social media as “AmirDZ.”

    Algeria dismissed the case against its consular official as baseless, noting that the only evidence cited by French authorities was his phone being detected near Boukhors’ residence.

    It demanded the diplomat’s immediate release, calling the arrest a “fabricated pretext” that undermines recent efforts to restore Franco-Algerian ties.

    Algiers warned that any further infringement on its sovereignty would trigger a firm response based on reciprocity.

    The confrontation marks the most serious diplomatic rupture between the two countries in years, straining a relationship still shaped by colonial-era grievances and modern disputes, including immigration and France’s backing of Morocco in disputes over Western Sahara.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Mann, Kaptur, Budzinski Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Prioritize Domestic Feedlots and Biofuels

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Tracey Mann (Kansas, 1)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (KS-01), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), and Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Farmer First Fuel Incentives Act. The bill would restrict the eligibility of the 45Z Tax Credit to renewable fuels made only from domestically sourced feedstocks and extend the credit through 2034. U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. 

    “American tax incentives should benefit American-grown products and American farmers, not foreign producers,” said Rep. Mann. “Foreign feedstocks can play a significant role in producing domestically manufactured ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel, but we cannot allow them to displace harvest grown right in our backyard. Our tax code should reward the grit and tenacity of American producers, not prop up feedstocks grown overseas.”

    “Today, I joined my colleagues in this important bicameral and bipartisan effort because helping American farmers, producers, and growers goes beyond state and party lines, and is more important now than ever,” said Rep. Kaptur. “We must ensure the Clean Fuel Production tax credit is structured in a way that benefits domestic producers, and not one that advantages foreign-produced feedstocks from China or Brazil. Our legislation extends this credit through 2034 and will bolster American energy independence by prioritizing American producers and the production of domestic biofuels.”

    The Farmer First Fuel Incentives Act would extend the 45Z tax credit and give the ethanol industry the time and financial incentive to build up the infrastructure needed for the U.S. to be less reliant on foreign fuel, open new markets for farmers, and increase ethanol production across the Midwest. Additionally, this bill fixes the glaring flaw in 45Z that negatively impacts farmers wanting to sell feedstocks to the biodiesel and renewable diesel industry. If 45Z continues as-is, taxpayers are at risk of further subsidizing Chinese-used cooking oil and undermining the use of soy, canola, sorghum, and corn oil in renewable fuels.

    “The Farmer First Fuel Incentives Act is commonsense legislation that stops sending American taxpayer dollars to China, expands robust domestic markets for agriculture producers, and increases certainty for the biofuels industry,” said Sen. Marshall. “With President Trump in the White House and Republicans leading both the Senate and House, we are finally putting American farmers first and supporting biofuels made in the U.S.A. It’s time our energy and agricultural policies reflect that.”

    “Domestically produced biofuel strengthens our energy independence, supports our farmers, and boosts rural economies,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “The introduction of the Farmers First Fuel Incentives Act is an important step as we work to maximize the potential of the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit and clean fuel investments across rural America. By extending the credit for another ten years, this legislation gives farmers and biofuel producers the certainty they need to provide consumers with affordable, lower-carbon fuel options.” 

    The legislation is supported by Growth Energy, American Soybean Association, National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA), National Corn Growers Association, National Sorghum Producers, U.S. Canola Association, and Renewable Fuels Association.

    “We are deeply appreciative of these leaders for introducing legislation that establishes requirements for a tax credit that will level the playing field for America’s corn growers,” said National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “This bill brings American farmers a step closer to unlocking an exciting new market with global reach.”

    “We appreciate the focus on “farmers first” legislation and the support of 45Z and domestic feedstocks like sorghum,” said Amy France, Chair of the National Sorghum Producers. “Domestic biofuel production remains critical to our farm and our country’s success.”

    In September 2024, Rep. Mann introduced the Farmers First Fuel Incentives Act in the 118th Congress. That same month, Reps. Mann and Kaptur penned a letter to then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, urging the Treasury to expedite the issuance of the 45Z tax credit. 

    ###

     

    For more information on Rep. Mann visit www.mann.house.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 15, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 15, 2025.

    Social media is the new election battleground. Is embracing influencers smart, risky or both?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Grantham, Lecturer in Communication, Griffith University From Abbie Chatfield and Hannah Ferguson to Ozzy Man, influencers have never been more central to an Australian election campaign. Much has been made of the increasingly common site of politicians on TikTok or Instagram reels. Some political groups don’t

    Trump’s tariffs rollercoaster is really about Republican unity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lester Munson, Non-Resident Fellow, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney After announcing Liberation Day – stiff “retaliatory” tariffs on every country and penguin-inhabited island in the world – US President Donald Trump rescinded the vast majority of tariffs eight days later when stock and bond markets

    Peters emphasises growing importance of NZ’s Pacific ties with the United States
    By Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai, RNZ Pacific journalist in Hawai’i New Zealand’s Pacific connection with the United States is “more important than ever”, says Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters after rounding up the Hawai’i leg of his Pacific trip. Peters said common strategic interests of the US and New Zealand were underlined while in the state. “Our

    Israeli military reservists court Australian universities amid ‘hypocrisy’ over anti-war protests
    Hundreds of university staff and students in Melbourne and Sydney called on their vice-chancellors to cancel pro-Israel events earlier this month, write Michael West Media’s Wendy Bacon and Yaakov Aharon. SPECIAL REPORT: By Wendy Bacon and Yaakov Aharon While Australia’s universities continue to repress pro-Palestine peace protests, they gave the green light to pro-Israel events

    Why the Mormon church is on an expansion project, with 2 secretive new temples planned for Australia
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brenton Griffin, Casual Lecturer and Tutor in History, Indigenous Studies, and Politics, Flinders University The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced it will build 15 new temples in countries across the world, including one in Liverpool, New South Wales. This follows a similar announcement

    Winter electricity prices are rising – how do we know we’re getting value for money?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Meade, Adjunct Associate Professor, Griffith University, Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research, Griffith University Shutterstock Winter is coming to New Zealand and Australia, and with it come those inevitably higher power bills from heating our homes. But even without that seasonal spike, household power

    Amid the election promises, what would actually help ‘fix’ the housing crisis? Here’s 5 ideas
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, John Curtin Distinguished Professor & ARC Future Fellow, Curtin University Shutterstock As the election campaign rolls on, housing has been, unsurprisingly, a major campaign focus. We’ve seen a series of housing policy announcements from across the political spectrum, including duelling announcements from the major

    New study finds no evidence technology causes ‘digital dementia’ in older people
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nikki-Anne Wilson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), UNSW Sydney RDNE Stock project/Pexels In the 21st century, digital technology has changed many aspects of our lives. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest newcomer, with chatbots and other AI tools changing how we learn and creating

    Amid the election promises, what would actually help ‘fix’ the housing crisis? Here are 5 ideas
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, John Curtin Distinguished Professor & ARC Future Fellow, Curtin University Shutterstock As the election campaign rolls on, housing has been, unsurprisingly, a major campaign focus. We’ve seen a series of housing policy announcements from across the political spectrum, including duelling announcements from the major

    Cutting migrant numbers won’t help housing – the real immigration problems not being tackled this election
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter McDonald, Honorary Professor of Demography, Centre for Health Policy, The University of Melbourne Immigration is shaping as one of the most potent policy issues of the election campaign. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has announced a Coalition government would cut the two major migration programs – permanent

    Focusing on a child’s strengths can transform assessments – and help them thrive after an ADHD or autism diagnosis
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Guastella, Professor and Clinical Psychologist, Michael Crouch Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health, University of Sydney Jota Buyinch Photo/Shutterstock When parents are concerned about their child’s development, they often seek an assessment to address concerns and identify any conditions, such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

    Australian honeybees are under attack by mites and beetles. Here’s how to keep your backyard hive safe
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cornelia Sattler, Research Fellow in Ecology & Videographer, Macquarie University Varroa mites on a male bee larva. Theotime Colin Australia’s honeybees are facing an exceptional crisis. The tiny but devastating foreign pest Varroa destructor is steadily spreading across the country. The mite feeds on baby bees (larvae),

    Would looser lending rules help more people buy a house – or just put them at risk?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Grant, Associate Professor in Finance, University of Sydney doublelee/Shutterstock Big promises on housing were at the centre of both major parties’ announcements at the official federal election campaign launches on the weekend. Among the highlights, Labor pledged to build 100,000 new homes and extend a government-guaranteed

    Why is it so hard for everyone to have a house in Australia?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Bilalnol/Shutterstock Home ownership in Australia was once regarded as proof of success in life. However, it remains elusive for many people today. Prices have soared beyond wage growth, rents keep rising, and even some well-intentioned government

    Why the Mormon church is on an expansion project, with two secretive new temples planned for Australia
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brenton Griffin, Casual Lecturer and Tutor in History, Indigenous Studies, and Politics, Flinders University The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced it will build 15 new temples in countries across the world, including one in Liverpool, New South Wales. This follows a similar announcement

    Owners are officially no longer responsible for tourism accidents on their land – but they never really were
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Peace, Lecturer in Occupational Health and Safety, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington EyesWideOpen/Getty Images Newly announced reforms to the Health and Safety at Work Act mean landowners will no longer be responsible for tourism-related injuries on their properties. But it’s not clear this

    New Zealand’s humanity – does it include all of us, or only for some?
    COMMENTARY: By Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab “Wherever Palestinians have control is barbaric.” These were the words from New Zealand’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner Stephen Rainbow. During a meeting with Philippa Yasbek from Jewish Voices for Peace, Dr Rainbow allegedly told her that information from the NZ Security Intelligence Services (NZSIS) threat assessment asserted that Muslims were the

    Leaked ‘working paper’ on New Caledonia’s political future sparks new concerns
    By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A leaked “working paper” on New Caledonia’s future political status is causing concern on the local stage and has prompted a “clarification” from the French government’s Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls. Details of the document, which was supposed to remain confidential, have been widely circulated online

    Election Diary: Will Peter Dutton help son Harry buy a house?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Political leaders’ kids are routinely put on display to share the glory or the pain of election night. Earlier, they’re often at campaign launches to “humanise” the candidates. Peter Dutton pulled out all stops with the family for his Sunday

    Big Girls Don’t Cry is a powerful, heart-wrenching, and comical celebration of Indigenous resilience and survival
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Case, Lecturer in Musicology, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney Stephen Wilson Barker/Belvoir With Big Girls Don’t Cry, Gumbaynggirr/Wiradjuri playwright Dalara Williams proves herself to be a formidable talent. Cheryl (Williams), Queenie (Megan Wilding) and Lulu (Stephanie Somerville) are three best friends who share a

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Religion News – Shincheonji Church of Jesus France calls out Major French Daily Newspaper for its “biased” and “slanderous” reporting

    Source: Shincheonji Church of Jesus

    STATEMENT – The church announced its official position that Le Parisien distorted facts about Shincheonji France in an article published last week, only quoting speculative statements from someone who left the church. On the other hand the church’s statement made up only two lines of the report, barely reflecting the actual state of the faith community.

    The article was titled “They Treated Us Like Animals” and defined Shincheonji Church of Jesus as one of the “problematic evangelical groups” in France based on the personal testimony of an anonymous former member.

    Shincheonji France says, “the reputation of the church and its members has been seriously damaged”, with the article mentioning training camps, severing relationships, and demands for money.

    But a church official criticized, “We faithfully submitted thousands of characters of written responses to the 12 questions the reporter had sent us in advance, but only two sentences were reflected in the main text of the article,” and “This is less than 1% of the total responses, which seriously limited the opportunity to convey a balanced perspective to readers.”

    They also said, “Considering that the report was published just four hours after the responses were sent to the reporter, we could tell that it was a one-sided, targeted, slanderous article.”

    They continued, “If the written response was insufficient, they (the reporter) could have visited the actual church to check the religious scene and directly heard the voices of the current believers,” adding, “the church is always ready to respond to open communication with the media.”

    The church also provided heart-felt testimonies from believers who are currently practicing their faith at Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

    Teresa (29), who has been attending the church in Paris for six years, said, “Faith is something that is done voluntarily. Here, I came to know God properly and learned how to act as a person of God and shine in the world.”

    Another believer, Axel (30), said, “Before coming to Shincheonji Church, I was looking for the meaning of my life. Since I started believing in Shincheonji Church, I was able to realize what God wants, and I love doing God’s work. While doing my mission, I was able to go on trips that I like, and I was able to meet my wife at church. I am living a truly satisfying life.”

    Even the title of the article itself sparked shock and embarrassment amongst the members, stating, “no one has ever been treated like that, and we do not think that way. It was just used as a sensational article title to attract attention”.
    “In reality, we do not allow threats or stigmatization of those who have left the church, and a culture has been established that respects individual choices even after leaving the church.”

    The church also refuted the claim that the former member “broke up with her boyfriend because of the church’s request,” saying, “It is not true.”

    “The man in question (boyfriend) was a believer who attended the church with her at the time, and I understand that he wanted to get married. However, the woman said that she had no intention of getting married right away. The breakup was a decision made based on conversation between the parties and their personal religious concerns, and the church never induced or forced any choice.”

    They emphasized that “dating and marriage are personal areas based on autonomy and responsibility, and it is not true to link this to the church’s control.”

    The church also took issue with the fact that the article included situations that the interviewee had not actually experienced.

    There was a photo used in the report of a person putting their feet on a radiator, and it was referred to as “corporal punishment”, but the photo had nothing to do with corporal punishment and was taken before the interviewee entered the church.

    “The person in the photo is a man who is still a believer in the church, and at the time, he did that pose thinking that it was okay, and someone else took the picture for fun”, the church said.

    The man in the photo was shocked to see it being used and plans to file an official complaint about it being used without his consent and for misconstruing its intention.

    The church stated, “It is very regrettable that the media cited and reported this statement without fact-checking, as it may give readers the biased perception that the entire Shincheonji Church of Jesus is an abnormal organization.”

    Regarding the “training camp” mentioned in the article, the church explained, “the program was a short-term training program that some missionaries who hoped for religious growth participated in 100% voluntarily.”

    “It consisted of morning prayers, meditation on the word and the person could stop the camp at any time. There was no physical punishment or coercion.”

    “However, we are aware that there is room for misunderstanding from an outside perspective, and we are currently not operating the program.”

    Regarding claims of collecting personal information, restricting internet use, and inducing severance of family relationships, the church stated, “This is completely untrue, and we do not collect anything other than the minimum information required for religious counseling.”

    They emphasized, “We have never restricted internet use or external relationships, and rather, we encourage our members to live exemplary lives in their families and society.”

    The report also accused Shincheonji France of using a false name, ECA Academy. But the church explained, “It was the name of a Bible education program temporarily used in 2019, and at the beginning of the class, we clearly informed that we were affiliated with Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and after that, the decision to join the church was completely up to the individual’s discretion.”

    The church further requests media to;

    • Carry out comprehensive coverage that reflects various perspectives and experiences, and sufficiently reflects the church’s official position and responses
    • Provide fair reporting on the actual experiences and voices of currently active members
    • Establish a reporting culture that respects religious freedom and the dignity of believers, and
    • Refrain from promoting prejudice through provocative expressions and titles.

    Church officials emphasized, “Biased reporting on a specific religion or religious community can result in imposing stigma and prejudice on good believers and undermining religious freedom and human rights,” and “the media should contain diverse voices based on balanced information and mutual respect, rather than provocative approaches that induce hatred.”

    They continued, “We hope that all media, including Le Parisien, will maintain higher ethical standards and balance in religious reporting, and Shincheonji Church of Jesus will continue to do its best to help correct understanding through transparent communication and open dialogue.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Religious News: Statement – Shincheonji Church of Jesus France calls out Major French Daily Newspaper for its “biased” and “slanderous” reporting

    Source: Shincheonji Church of Jesus

    STATEMENT: The church announced its official position that Le Parisien distorted facts about Shincheonji France in an article published last week, only quoting speculative statements from someone who left the church. On the other hand the church’s statement made up only two lines of the report, barely reflecting the actual state of the faith community.

    The article was titled “They Treated Us Like Animals” and defined Shincheonji Church of Jesus as one of the “problematic evangelical groups” in France based on the personal testimony of an anonymous former member.

    Shincheonji France says, “the reputation of the church and its members has been seriously damaged”, with the article mentioning training camps, severing relationships, and demands for money.

    But a church official criticized, “We faithfully submitted thousands of characters of written responses to the 12 questions the reporter had sent us in advance, but only two sentences were reflected in the main text of the article,” and “This is less than 1% of the total responses, which seriously limited the opportunity to convey a balanced perspective to readers.”

    They also said, “Considering that the report was published just four hours after the responses were sent to the reporter, we could tell that it was a one-sided, targeted, slanderous article.”

    They continued, “If the written response was insufficient, they (the reporter) could have visited the actual church to check the religious scene and directly heard the voices of the current believers,” adding, “the church is always ready to respond to open communication with the media.”

    The church also provided heart-felt testimonies from believers who are currently practicing their faith at Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

    Teresa (29), who has been attending the church in Paris for six years, said, “Faith is something that is done voluntarily. Here, I came to know God properly and learned how to act as a person of God and shine in the world.”

    Another believer, Axel (30), said, “Before coming to Shincheonji Church, I was looking for the meaning of my life. Since I started believing in Shincheonji Church, I was able to realize what God wants, and I love doing God’s work. While doing my mission, I was able to go on trips that I like, and I was able to meet my wife at church. I am living a truly satisfying life.”

    Even the title of the article itself sparked shock and embarrassment amongst the members, stating, “no one has ever been treated like that, and we do not think that way. It was just used as a sensational article title to attract attention”.
    “In reality, we do not allow threats or stigmatization of those who have left the church, and a culture has been established that respects individual choices even after leaving the church.”

    The church also refuted the claim that the former member “broke up with her boyfriend because of the church’s request,” saying, “It is not true.”

    “The man in question (boyfriend) was a believer who attended the church with her at the time, and I understand that he wanted to get married. However, the woman said that she had no intention of getting married right away. The breakup was a decision made based on conversation between the parties and their personal religious concerns, and the church never induced or forced any choice.”

    They emphasized that “dating and marriage are personal areas based on autonomy and responsibility, and it is not true to link this to the church’s control.”

    The church also took issue with the fact that the article included situations that the interviewee had not actually experienced.

    There was a photo used in the report of a person putting their feet on a radiator, and it was referred to as “corporal punishment”, but the photo had nothing to do with corporal punishment and was taken before the interviewee entered the church.

    “The person in the photo is a man who is still a believer in the church, and at the time, he did that pose thinking that it was okay, and someone else took the picture for fun”, the church said.

    The man in the photo was shocked to see it being used and plans to file an official complaint about it being used without his consent and for misconstruing its intention. 

    The church stated, “It is very regrettable that the media cited and reported this statement without fact-checking, as it may give readers the biased perception that the entire Shincheonji Church of Jesus is an abnormal organization.”

    Regarding the “training camp” mentioned in the article, the church explained, “the program was a short-term training program that some missionaries who hoped for religious growth participated in 100% voluntarily.”

    “It consisted of morning prayers, meditation on the word and the person could stop the camp at any time. There was no physical punishment or coercion.”

    “However, we are aware that there is room for misunderstanding from an outside perspective, and we are currently not operating the program.”

    Regarding claims of collecting personal information, restricting internet use, and inducing severance of family relationships, the church stated, “This is completely untrue, and we do not collect anything other than the minimum information required for religious counseling.”

    They emphasized, “We have never restricted internet use or external relationships, and rather, we encourage our members to live exemplary lives in their families and society.”

    The report also accused Shincheonji France of using a false name, ECA Academy. But the church explained, “It was the name of a Bible education program temporarily used in 2019, and at the beginning of the class, we clearly informed that we were affiliated with Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and after that, the decision to join the church was completely up to the individual’s discretion.”

    The church further requests media to;

    -Carry out comprehensive coverage that reflects various perspectives and experiences, and sufficiently reflects the church’s official position and responses

    -Provide fair reporting on the actual experiences and voices of currently active members

    -Establish a reporting culture that respects religious freedom and the dignity of believers, and

    -Refrain from promoting prejudice through provocative expressions and titles.

    Church officials emphasized, “Biased reporting on a specific religion or religious community can result in imposing stigma and prejudice on good believers and undermining religious freedom and human rights,” and “the media should contain diverse voices based on balanced information and mutual respect, rather than provocative approaches that induce hatred.”

    They continued, “We hope that all media, including Le Parisien, will maintain higher ethical standards and balance in religious reporting, and Shincheonji Church of Jesus will continue to do its best to help correct understanding through transparent communication and open dialogue.”

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK announces new humanitarian funding for Sudan

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK announces new humanitarian funding for Sudan

    The UK has announced new support to Sudan ahead of the Sudan conference which will bring together international representatives.

    • The UK will commit further life-saving aid for over 650,000 people affected by the ongoing violence as Sudan faces the worst humanitarian crisis on record.
    • A one-day conference will unite foreign ministers and leading humanitarian leaders at a conference in London to mark the two-year anniversary of the brutal conflict in Sudan.   
    • International representatives will discuss how to achieve a peaceful end to the conflict and address the issues preventing aid reaching those most in need. 

    Today [15th April] the UK will co-host a conference in London alongside the African Union, EU, France and Germany to mark the two-year anniversary of the conflict in Sudan with attendees including major donors and multilateral institutions.   

    Bringing together foreign ministers from across the globe, the Foreign Secretary will step up international efforts to protect civilians and work towards an end to the conflict.   

    During a one-day conference, he will announce new life-saving aid to support over 650,000 Sudanese people. Alongside international counterparts, he will also identify steps to improve humanitarian access and find a long-term political solution.   

    Sudan is facing the worst humanitarian crisis on record, with over 30 million people in desperate need of aid, over 12 million people are displaced, and famine is spreading throughout Sudan. Over 12 million women and girls are also at risk of gender-based violence.

    The new £120 million funding announced today will deliver lifesaving food and nutrition supplies, including for vulnerable children and will provide emergency support to survivors of sexual violence. 

    The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy said:   

    Two years is far too long – the brutal war in Sudan has devastated the lives of millions – and yet much of the world continues to look away.  We need to act now to stop the crisis from becoming an all-out catastrophe, ensuring aid gets to those who need it the most.

    As I saw earlier this year on a visit to Chad’s border with Sudan, the warring parties have shown an appalling disregard for the civilian population of Sudan. This conference will bring together the international community to agree a pathway to end the suffering. 

    Instability must not spread – it drives migration from Sudan and the wider region, and a safe and stable Sudan is vital for our national security. The UK will not let Sudan be forgotten.

    African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye said:

    Achieving peace in Sudan depends on valuing every voice and everyone playing a role in building a prosperous Sudan. The African Union is committed to assisting all the people of Sudan build a brighter democratic future by working to silence the guns.

    The ongoing conflict and instability risks spilling over into the wider region, driving Sudanese people away from their homes, with some taking dangerous onward journeys to the UK and Europe. Instability in Sudan also directly impacts the UK’s national security. 

    The UK wants to help tackle instability in Sudan and reduce the level of irregular migration from the region to Europe and the UK as part of its Plan for Change.  

    In January 2025, the Foreign Secretary visited the Chad-Sudan border at Adré to see first-hand the impact of the conflict on refugees.    

    Background

    • Countries and organisations attending the Sudan conference include the United Kingdom, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), France, Germany, Canada, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Norway, Qatar, South Sudan, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, United States of America, alongside high-level Representatives of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States (LAS) and the United Nations (UN).
    • On 17 November, the Foreign Secretary announced a £113 million aid package, which will support over a million people affected by violence in Sudan.  
    • The new £120 million funding announced today is for the 2025/2026 financial year and will deliver food including pulses, oils, salts and cereals.   
    • The UK welcomes the 13 February decision to keep the critical Chad-Sudan Adré border crossing open for three more months. But the Sudanese Armed Forces must keep it open permanently, and without restrictions.     

    • The parties to the conflict continue to obstruct the work of humanitarian agencies, through delaying visas for aid workers and limiting their movements throughout Sudan.

    • Funding announced today aims to reach over 600,000 people including:
    • 670,000 people reached with food assistance for three months.
    • 205,000 people reached through a cash-based response.
    • 600,000 people reached through nutrition and water and sanitation.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –