Category: France

MIL-OSI USA: National Retail Federation – World’s Largest Retail Trade Association – Endorses Cantwell’s Bipartisan Trade Review Act

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

04.07.25

National Retail Federation – World’s Largest Retail Trade Association – Endorses Cantwell’s Bipartisan Trade Review Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that the National Retail Federation (NRF) sent a letter endorsing her bipartisan Trade Review Act.

The NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association. In the letter, David French, the NRF’s Executive Vice President, Government Relations, writes:

“The Trade Review Act of 2025 will provide Congress with the opportunity to review and vote on whether to keep announced tariff actions in place. Requiring an explanation as well as an assessment of the tariff actions from the administration is critical. We have seen that the recently announced ‘reciprocal’ tariffs will have a significant negative impact on businesses, especially small retailers. One estimate indicates these tariffs could lead to a $2,100 tax increase per household. The increased tariffs are not sustainable for small businesses that have to pay the tax. Many are concerned about their ability to stay in business as a result.”

“We applaud you for introducing such important legislation to reassert Congress’s role in setting trade and tariff policy. We strongly urge the Senate to quickly support and pass the bill.”

Sen. Cantwell introduced the bipartisan bill on Thursday to reaffirm Congress’ key role in setting and approving U.S. trade policy, and reestablish limits on the president’s ability to impose unilateral tariffs.

The bill has since picked up 12 additional cosponsors – an equal mix of Republicans and Democrats – and been endorsed by multiple major U.S. business organizations, including the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the Main Street Alliance.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Treaty Principles Select Committee

Source: ACT Party

The Haps

The world is about to relearn economics, as Governments erect trade barriers between citizens of their countries and those of other countries. New Zealand cannot change the rest of the world’s trade policies right now, we can only ensure our own house is as competitive as possible. Putting on our own tariffs would be a tax on New Zealanders, we should remain a beacon of free trade for the world. The Government’s latest quarterly plan, filled with ACT initiatives, will keep the reform pressure on.

Treaty Principles Select Committee

The Justice Committee has reported back to the House on the Treaty Principles Bill. Thanks to ACT’s member on the Committee, Todd Stephenson, ALL of the submissions will be included in the final record, even though they couldn’t be processed in time for the report back.

The submissions have been roughly categorised as for or against. The Committee report says ninety per cent are against, and only eight per cent in favour. Free Press knows that’s misleading. The ACT Party and Hobson’s Pledge, two organisations heavily in favour of the bill, helped 55,000 submit between them. Those alone would be 17 per cent in favour but some organisations’ submissions were counted as one.

The truth is Select Committee submissions almost never reflect reality anyway. People are far more likely to submit in opposition to a bill than for it. Submissions on David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill were ninety per cent opposed, but it passed a referendum by two million votes to one million. A similar story played out with abortion law reform.

Like those examples, we know the public overwhelmingly support the principles proposed in the Bill. Scientific polling where everyone’s opinion has an equal chance of being included shows New Zealanders in favour of the principles by an average of two to one. When the third principle – that all people should be equal before the law – is read out, 62 per cent are in favour versus 18 per cent opposed.

A majority of Green voters, even, agree with the third principle, so all may not be lost. It’s the arguments that really matter, and what comes out of the Treaty Principles Bill hearings is that there are no arguments against the Bill. This week Free Press covers off the opponents’ attempts.

If anything, the submission process has shown why the Bill really is needed. Many submitters argued that the chiefs who signed the Treaty never ceded sovereignty. They believe that somehow descendants of the Chiefs shouldn’t have to follow Parliament’s laws (Te Pāti Māori has been acting this out).

The idea that investment, jobs, and growth need clarity from the law, and that people want to be treated equally before it, seems an afterthought to these submitters. As an aside, the ahistorical claim that 100,000 Māori wouldn’t have ceded sovereignty to 2,000 settlers shows how poor the debate in New Zealand has become. If a people devastated by the Musket Wars, worried about the French, and concerned about the threat of Europeans already ashore had nothing to gain from the unrivalled superpower of the day, why did they sign any Treaty at all?

Submitters also argued that Parliament cannot make this law, even if it has the right to make laws generally. The difference between Parliament, on the one hand, and the Courts, Waitangi Tribunal, and bureaucracy, on the other, is that Parliament is elected by the people. What the opponents are really saying is that the people should not have a say on their constitutional future, it should be decided by all the public institutions they can’t actually vote for. Telling people they cannot control the laws they live under usually ends in revolution, Free Press prefers democracy.

Opponents claimed at various times that Māori do not, in fact, have special rights in New Zealand. Just as many claimed that Māori in fact deserve special rights. This was best summed up in the following paragraph from the Green Party section of the report.

One often repeated statement was that Māori were given special privileges under the Resource Management Act. There was no substantive evidence provided for this, and the Auckland City Council in its oral submission rejected that this was the case. It is true that where there is an application for a resource consent for a use outside of the District Plan the interests of Māori, including local iwi and hapu, are relevant to decision making. However it is hard to understand how consultation with the mana whenua is in any way a special privilege.

The Bill gives all people equal rights. If Māori had no special rights there would be no reason to oppose the Bill. The facts are that Māori do have special rights under current law, including in Resource Management law, and that is why the Bill is opposed. Opposition to the Bill is opposition to equal rights for all people.

Other submitters said that the Bill prevents Governments trying to address people’s disadvantage. It does not. It prevents Governments discriminating by race, but there is no reason it cannot help disadvantaged people, regardless of race. There is no reason iwi cannot run charter schools, or their own healthcare, but any group should have the same opportunity. Seeing as not all Māori are disadvantaged and not all disadvantaged are Māori, racial profiling doesn’t do much good anyway.

So what next? The Bill will be debated in Parliament. ACT’s partners will have one last chance to do the right thing. If they do not, that is a shame for them. However it will not change how ACT works for your values. The party will never give up promoting universal human rights, and the next step of the Treaty Principles journey will be clear before the next election.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers Opens Fortieth Session and Meets with Civil Society Representatives

Source: United Nations – Geneva

The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families this morning opened its fortieth session, hearing an address by the Chief of the Human Rights Treaty Branch, followed by a discussion with representatives of civil society representatives from Mexico, Niger, Jamaica and Ecuador.

The Committee adopted the agenda and programme of work for the session, during which it is scheduled to review the reports of Mexico, Niger and Jamaica regarding their implementation of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. At the current session, the Committee will also be adopting lists of issues prior to reporting under the simplified reporting procedure for a number of countries, including Ecuador.

Opening the session, Antti Korkeakivi, Chief of the Human Rights Treaty Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said contemporary migration was an increasingly complex phenomenon. Current safe and regular migration pathways failed to respond to migration trends, often pushing migrants towards hazardous and irregular routes, leaving them vulnerable to violence, exploitation, abuse and even death. Alarmingly, at least 8,938 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2024, making it the deadliest year on record

Speakers on Mexico raised issues concerning migrants’ lack of access to the labour market, the deaths and disappearances of migrants, and the detention of child migrants.

Concerning Jamaica, speakers addressed abuses experienced under bilateral labour mobility agreements and the detention of non-nationals.

On Niger, speakers raised concerns regarding the treatment of migrants at the border, the exploitation of migrant workers, and the lack of mechanisms to protect migrant workers.

The speaker on Ecuador spoke on the challenges faced by Venezuelan migrants and the barriers to achieving regular migration status.

The following non-governmental organizations spoke on Mexico: Kids in Need of Defense; RacismoMX and IMUMI; Asylum Access; Fundación para la Justicia; Sin Fronteras IAP y Asylum Access México; IMUMI; Grupo de acción por la No Detención de Personas Refugiadas; El Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías de Córdova A.C; Grupo de Trabajo sobre Política Migratoria; NGO Coalición México por los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad – COAMEX; Amnesty International; and Global Detention Project.

Amnesty International and Global Detention Project spoke on Jamaica.

The following non-governmental organizations spoke on Niger: Nigerien Network of Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Migration Development Network, and Global Detention Project.

The Defensoría del Pueblo de Ecuador spoke on Ecuador.

The webcast of Committee meetings can be found here. All meeting summaries can be found here. Documents and reports related to the Committee’s fortieth session can be found here.

The Committee will next meet at 3 p.m. on Monday, 7 April to begin its consideration of the fourth periodic report of Mexico (CMW/C/MEX/4).

Opening Statement

FATIMATA DIALLO, Committee Chair, congratulated Antti Korkeakivi for being promoted to the new Chief of the Human Rights Treaty Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

ANTTI KORKEAKIVI, Chief of the Human Rights Treaty Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the Committee this session would consider the reports of Mexico, Niger and Jamaica, and would adopt a list of issues in relation to Tajikistan under the traditional reporting procedure and lists of issues prior to reporting under the simplified reporting procedure for Fiji, Guinea and Ecuador. The Committee would also proceed with a public launch of its general comment no. 6 (2024) next week on the convergent protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families through the Convention and the Global Compact for safe, orderly, and regular migration, which was adopted during the thirty-eighth session in June 2024. Mr. Korkeakivi wished the Committee a fruitful launch.

The Global Compact for Migration presented an excellent opportunity for a comprehensive, human rights-based response to the opportunities and challenges that migration posed nowadays. The general comment urged States to ensure that their laws, policies, and practices effectively addressed the root causes of rising migration flows. Mr. Korkeakivi welcomed the Committee’s commitment to collaborative work with other treaty bodies and mechanisms, particularly the joint initiative with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to elaborate general comments to advance comprehensive public policies that addressed and eradicated xenophobia and its impact on the rights of migrants and their families.

Contemporary migration was an increasingly complex phenomenon. The High Commissioner valued the importance that the Committee attached to the issue of enforced disappearance in the context of migration, alongside the Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants. These three mandates had consistently emphasised the urgent need to enhance efforts aimed at saving lives and protecting the human rights of migrants. Current safe and regular migration pathways failed to respond to migration trends, often pushing migrants towards hazardous and irregular routes, leaving them vulnerable to violence, exploitation, abuse and even death. Alarmingly, at least 8,938 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2024, making it the deadliest year on record

While 60 ratifications provided a solid foundation, increasing the number of ratifications of the Convention remained a top priority for the United Nations High Commissioner. Notably, none of the 27 European Union Member States had signed or ratified the Convention. High Commissioner Türk had reiterated his advocacy efforts during a meeting in December 2024 at the Committee’s thirty-ninth session. He also called for a joint action plan with the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to raise awareness among States that had yet to ratify the Convention.

Mr. Korkeakivi said the liquidity crisis continued to hamper the Committee’s work. The Office was doing its utmost to ensure that the Committee and other treaty bodies could implement their mandates, however, all indications pointed to a continuation of the difficult liquidity situation for the foreseeable future. The treaty body strengthening process reached a key moment with the adoption in December of last year of the biennial resolution on the treaty body system by the General Assembly. However, the biennial resolution did not endorse certain detailed proposals made by the Chairs and corresponding resources to implement them.

On Human Rights Day last year, the Geneva Human Rights Platform, in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, organised an informal meeting of the Chairs and focal points on working methods, exploring the latest developments on the treaty body system. The Office would continue to collaborate with all treaty body experts to strengthen the system. Mr. Korkeakivi wished the Committee a successful session.

Questions and Responses

A Committee Expert welcomed Mr. Korkeakivi to his new position. The Committee was launching general comment 6 relating to the General Compact and was developing another comment relating to xenophobia and discrimination. The liquidity crisis was an ongoing issue. It was important to pass on this concern to the head of the division of the human rights treaty bodies. The Committees were doing their work and now States needed to act.

ANTTI KORKEAKIVI, Chief of the Human Rights Treaty Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, recognised the work carried out by the Committee and other treaty bodies despite the lack of resources.

Statements by Civil Society Organizations

Mexico

In the discussion on Mexico, speakers, among other things, said although Mexico had moved forward in terms of formalising the employment of migrants, there were still structural barriers, including lack of access to migration documents and the labour market. Many companies did not hire migrants due to prejudices and migrants could not open bank accounts due to a lack of documents. Human mobility was hallmarked by racism and xenophobia in Mexico. Racial discrimination persisted in migration, including through hate speech, and there had been a lack of response from the authorities. There had recently been a serious institutional weakening for institutions responsible for migration and disability policies. The State did not have a long-term strategic plan to strengthen the institutions responsible.

Massacres and disappearances of migrants continued to happen in total impunity, and criminal groups continued to bring about disappearances. Comprehensive reparations for damages had not yet reached victims and there had been a lack of progress by Mexican consulates in Salvador and Honduras, making it difficult to access mechanisms for support. The use of the national guard and the army to control the borders was concerning, as it had led to the deaths of migrants.

The deportations from the United States generated greater risks for migrants in Mexico. Arbitrary detention, lack of access to information, and the exclusion of civil society in decision-making were issues. Despite the adoption of important reforms of the Migration Act in 2020 prohibiting the detention of children, observers in Mexico noted that thousands of children were confined in de facto detention centres operated by the National Agency for Family Development that were attached to formal detention centres, putting children on the move at risk. Agriculture migrants were exploited in concerning conditions and developed disabilities due to exposure to unregulated pesticides. It was concerning that the State did not have a strategy to provide healthcare and assistance to these people.

The Mexican Government should take steps to adequately fund the Commission for Assistance to Refugees and the child protection agencies, including Executive Secretaries of SIPINNAS, the Offices for Child Protection and shelters of the Family Development Systems at federal and state levels. The Mexican Government should also increase efforts to ensure no child was returned to their country of origin without a comprehensive plan for the restitution of their rights being provided.

The Committee should ask Mexico how it would ensure that no child migrants would be deprived of liberty? The Committee should urge the Mexican State to streamline proceedings to obtain work permits for asylum seekers and refugees. A register for detained persons should be a priority issue and the framework for families seeking family members should be improved.

Mexico had used immigration detention measures on a large scale, placing hundreds of thousands of at-risk people in detention centres. Concerns persisted about how limits to detention were implemented and the impact of the Supreme Court’s 2023 amparo decision; the Committee was urged to seek greater details about the social services that Mexico provided to people who were released from detention and what plans it had to ensure that released detainees had access to adequate legal procedures.

Jamaica

A speaker said that as countries of origin, Mexico and Jamaica had an obligation to protect their migrant workers from discrimination and labour exploitation by renegotiating bilateral labour mobility agreements that did not allow workers to freely choose and change employers. Jamaica and Mexico had concluded bilateral agreements with Canada governing the terms and employment under the seasonal agricultural worker programme, with around 26,000 Mexican workers and 8,000 Canadian workers participating in the programme in 2024. Research found that Jamaican and Mexican migrants working under the temporary foreign worker programme faced a range of abuses such as wage theft, excessive working hours, unsafe working conditions, and physical and psychological abuse. Mexico and Jamaica should renegotiate their bilateral labour migration agreement with Canada, seeking specific guarantees to ensure that migrant workers in Canda could change employers and jobs freely.

Jamaica was also called on to end the arbitrary arrest and detention of asylum seekers arriving from Haiti or other countries, and to ensure they had access to due process safeguards. The Committee should remind Jamaica of its obligations under the Convention, and ensure that no migrant, refugee, or asylum seeker was detained without legal basis. Jamaica should also provide details of all facilities where non-nationals were detained, and ensure that conditions in these facilities met international standards. Furthermore, Jamaica should end the detention of non-nationals in prison. The Committee should call on Jamaica to cease this practice and to provide information on measures it was taking to reform its immigration enforcement procedures to bring them in line with its international obligations

Niger

Speakers on Niger, among other things, recognised the efforts of Niger in promoting and protecting universal human rights. Efforts by the Niger authorities to respect the rights of migrant workers were welcomed. While Niger had a well-developed judicial arsenal, it faced challenges, including harmonising international treaties with national commitments. The recent ruling related to the entry of foreigners into Niger was a source of concern. Concerns persisted around the treatment of migrants, including violations at border control posts. Several complaints of serious violations of the human rights of migrants had been received at border posts, and there had been massive deportations from Algeria. Several forms of trafficking had been detected, including for prostitution and forced labour. Due to a lack of access to basic services, some migrant women had been forced to turn to prostitution to survive.

The Committee should recommend that Niger put in place a mechanism to protect migrant workers from exploitation, and that Niger amend its legislation to ensure that irregular entry was not prosecuted. Niger should also adopt measures aimed at providing effective reception and care to people who had entered the country. The Committee should recommend that Niger ratify the revised version of the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and the 2011 Convention on Domestic Workers. Niger did not have a national human rights institution; such a body should be established. Training should be provided for the judiciary to ensure migrants could access justice.

Ecuador

The speaker on Ecuador said Ecuador had historically been a country of origin and destination for migrants. Today, the systemic crisis, drug trafficking and organised crime had forced thousands of compatriots to emigrate, mainly to North America, while the country hosted a significant migrant population, mostly Venezuelan.

Although the Ecuadorian regulatory framework promoted the socioeconomic integration of people on the move, structural barriers persisted, especially in access to employment. Between 45 per cent and 60 per cent of Venezuelan migrants had university studies, but only 20 per cent had access to formal work. It was urgent to implement policies that guaranteed decent jobs, access to social security and validation of foreign degrees.

Thirty-one per cent of the migrant population, mainly Venezuelan, remained in an irregular situation. Among the main barriers were the lack of information and requirements that were difficult to meet, such as apostilled criminal records or proof of income, which were inaccessible to those living in poverty. Ecuador should simplify regularisation processes, strengthen information campaigns, and improve consular coordination. It was also key to strengthen the system for registering cases of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. Migrants should be considered in the formulation of public policies, recognising their contribution to the development of the country and moving towards universal citizenship.

___________

Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media;
not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

CMW25.001F

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: International Jazz Day 2025 All-Star Global Concert (Abu Dhabi, UAE) | United Nations

Source: United Nations (Video News)

The global celebration of International Jazz Day 2025 culminates in Abu Dhabi, a UNESCO Creative City of Music.

Led by iconic pianist Herbie Hancock and hosted by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons, this concert will bring together an extraordinary lineup of renowned jazz, blues, classical, and hip-hop artists from around the world.

Among those set to perform: Arqam Al Abri (UAE), John Beasley (USA), Dee Dee Bridgewater (USA), A Bu (China), Terri Lyne Carrington (USA), Kurt Elling (USA), José James (USA), Rhani Krija (Morocco), John McLaughlin (UK), Hélène Mercier (France/Canada), Marcus Miller (USA), Linda May Han Oh (Australia), John Pizzarelli (USA), Dianne Reeves (USA), Arturo Sandoval (USA), Naseer Shamma (Iraq), Danilo Pérez (Panama), and Varijashree Venugopal (India). Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

About the International Jazz Day:

Established by the General Conference of UNESCO in 2011 and recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, International Jazz Day brings together countries and communities worldwide every April 30. The annual International Jazz Day celebration highlights the power of jazz and its role in promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity and respect for human dignity.

International Jazz Day has become a global movement reaching more than 2 billion people annually on all continents through education programs, performances, community outreach, radio, television and streaming, along with electronic, print and social media. The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing International Jazz Day each year.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this International day on a high note in the UNESCO Creative City of Music Abu Dhabi. This edition will highlight the city’s rich tapestry of creativity and cultural heritage while showcasing jazz’s ability to connect communities and promote dialogue and peace across continents.” Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

More information: https://jazzday.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2m0Zq5wEQM

MIL OSI Video –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Ceasefire Monitoring ‘Can No Longer Be Just about Being Present’, Senior Official Tells Security Council, Noting New Capabilities for Real-Time Observation

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

Ahead of the ministerial meeting on peacekeeping that will be held this May in Berlin, speakers in the Security Council today both urged the importance of technological advances to ceasefire monitoring and acknowledged that such efforts alone will not create the sustainable peace that the United Nations seeks to achieve in conflict zones around the world.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, recalled that peacekeeping was originally conceived as a means to monitor a ceasefire or truce. “The original mandate of UN peacekeepers was to provide impartial observation, meticulous reporting and confidence-building support for the political processes aimed at resolving conflicts peacefully,” he said. Then — as now — effective ceasefire monitoring depends on strict adherence to the core peacekeeping principles of consent, impartiality and non-use of force to ensure that peacekeepers are always perceived as credible, unbiased observers who can accurately record and report incidents.

However, spotlighting the “increasingly dynamic” nature of today’s operating environment, he stressed that ceasefire monitoring “can no longer be just about being present”. Rather, it necessitates rapidly understanding — and acting on — what is happening on the ground. To that end, technological advances offer the ability to increase impact by deploying monitoring capabilities beyond traditional demilitarized zones. “Such capabilities allow us to observe vast and complex landscapes in real time, overcoming the limitations of older methods that relied primarily on physical presence,” he observed.

Continuing, he reported that the Action for Peacekeeping-Plus digital transformation strategy is designed to enhance UN missions by providing better tools to swiftly detect violations, effectively coordinate responses and maintain the trust of communities served. However, future monitoring efforts will have to address hazards that extend beyond traditional physical domains, including influence operations, cyberattacks and other hybrid threats. He added: “While peacekeeping can be an integral part of a ceasefire-monitoring regime, the success of any ceasefire remains the sole responsibility of the parties.”

Next to brief the Council was Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz, Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), who emphasized that monitoring the cessation of hostilities remains central to the Force’s mandate. “This mission has taken on even greater importance following the hostilities of October 2023,” he stated, adding that a lasting ceasefire has long been hindered by differing interpretations of obligations under resolution 1701 (2006). Achieving one, he noted, “may still take a long time”.

Elaborating, he said this would potentially require an internal political process in Lebanon — particularly on sensitive issues, such as the military capabilities of Hizbullah and other non-State actors. It would also demand a political track between Lebanon and Israel to resolve matters of sovereignty, territorial integrity and border demarcation. Underlining the importance of Lebanon’s continued consent to the Force’s presence, he also voiced concern over growing disinformation and misinformation. The Lebanese Government has a crucial role to play in fostering public understanding of UNIFIL’s role to prevent misperceptions, he stressed.

Technology, he added, offers a valuable tool for modern peacekeeping. For UNIFIL, it can enhance the safety and effectiveness of peacekeepers and address current surveillance gaps, such as detecting low-flying unmanned aerial vehicles or air strikes that evade radar. Drones equipped with radar and cameras could help monitor wider areas for longer periods, providing real-time intelligence to troops on the ground and improving situational awareness, he observed.

Ulisses de Mesquita Gomes, Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), then provided an update on his operating environment. MONUSCO possesses certain surveillance technologies — including unmanned aerial vehicles for aerial reconnaissance and ground-based radar systems for perimeter security — that have significantly reduced risks to Mission personnel and improved mandate delivery. “These tools could equally be deployed towards ceasefire monitoring,” he said.

He noted, however, that surveillance technology has also been used by armed groups, militia and criminal networks. He reported: “In recent months, we have observed the use of readily available drones for reconnaissance by armed groups and the exploitation of encrypted messaging apps for coordination and propaganda dissemination.” To address this, MONUSCO has adapted its procurement and force-generation strategies to leverage the latest capabilities “within weeks and months, rather than years”, he said.

Also underlining the importance of maintaining the long-term consent of host States and local populations, he said that MONUSCO and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have worked jointly to define the Mission’s priorities and objectives. While the role of technology is important, he added that “the success of our Mission is not solely dependent on technology”. He stressed: “Effective ceasefire monitoring depends on the continued cooperation and consent of the host State and local populations.”

In the ensuing discussion, many Council members pointed to the transformative potential of modern technology in the peacekeeping domain. The representative of Pakistan emphasized that advances in sensing technology — including drones and satellite imagery — can significantly enhance monitoring capabilities by providing “real-time, comprehensive situational awareness”. Denmark’s representative said that enhancing peacekeepers’ capabilities — particularly through technology — would enable significantly greater coverage in operational areas often rendered inaccessible by adverse weather, challenging terrain or security risks.

The representative of France, Council President for April, spoke in his national capacity to similarly state that missions must be equipped with modern technology to effectively implement their mandates. “They must have night-vision capabilities and the latest drone or fixed cameras,” he said, adding: “This is not a secondary matter at all — it is very important because a force without the means is a diminished force.”

For his part, Greece’s representative spotlighted the double-edged sword presented by advanced technology, a point echoed by others today. On that, he observed that technology can be harnessed for peacekeeper training; logistical support; landmine detection, mapping and clearance; and tasks involving surveillance and monitoring. Conversely, he said, “these technologies can also be misused to carry out malicious cyberattacks, to disseminate hate speech or to undermine populations’ trust in peacekeepers through disinformation campaigns”.

The representative of Guyana, too, said that the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation can “exacerbate the gap between local perceptions and expectations about peacekeeping missions and the mission’s actual mandate and capabilities”. She therefore urged the development of robust public-information strategies, spotlighting as an example the use of radio stations by certain missions to counter the spread of negative narratives. The representative of the United Kingdom also voiced support for using technology to counter threats arising from misinformation and disinformation.

In that vein, the representative of the United States rejected recent attacks on the credibility of UN peacekeeping missions — particularly those directed at MONUSCO by Rwandan officials and forces. Such attacks undermine trust in ceasefire monitoring and “cast doubt on their impartiality”, he observed. He added: “The challenges we currently face in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lebanon underscore the necessity for UN peacekeeping to be more efficient, adaptable and focused on long-term solutions to achieve lasting peace.”

“Combining technical tools with human expertise is essential for success,” stressed Slovenia’s representative. She also underscored that effective, impartial and transparent monitoring — based on a clear and well-funded mandate — builds trust and maintains legitimacy. As the UN explores the future of peacekeeping, the ability to support and monitor ceasefires must remain a core part of this endeavour. She stressed, however, that “monitoring alone cannot bring peace”; without political solutions, “monitoring risks to become but a technical activity”.

Others picked up this thread. “The goal of ceasefire monitoring is to win time and space for political settlement,” said China’s representative, adding: “Without a parallel political process, ceasefire monitoring may degenerate from a peace stabilizer to a conflict-freezing agent that will not help achieve the desired goal.” The representative of Panama emphasized that peace operations must be complemented by a greater civil and political component. Further, he stressed that this must be accompanied by investments in development, education, health, employment and economic reconstruction “in order to avoid relapses into social tensions that could rekindle conflicts”.

Sierra Leone’s representative, noting the UN’s ability to create the space necessary for political processes to take root, joined others in spotlighting the importance of partnerships: “Cooperation with host Governments is fundamental to building trust and achieving lasting peace.” The representative of the Republic of Korea, similarly, pointed to host country consent in the context of technology: “Closer coordination with host States, emphasizing the mutual benefits of these innovations, can help foster understanding and garner support.” The representative of Somalia added: “We emphasize strong collaboration with regional organizations, technological providers, academic institutions and civil society organizations.”

Along these lines, the representative of the Russian Federation said that her country is prepared to discuss the possibility of including MONUSCO in the monitoring of an eventual ceasefire — so long as there is a request to this end from subregional organizations. On UNIFIL, she observed that, if the Force was not present, “the Security Council, for example, would not have heard that — since the ceasefire — there have been 50 more shellings coming from Israel, rather than those coming from the north of the Blue Line”.

Algeria’s representative, going further, recalled that the Council has often been briefed on flagrant violations of ceasefires by the missions tasked with monitoring them. “However, the reporting of these violations is usually followed by a concerning inaction to hold the perpetrators accountable,” he said. He added: “This is clearly a matter of accountability — and without accountability, serious questions would naturally be raised about the credibility of mandated UN operations on the ground and about the credibility of this Council.”

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Canberra’s best coffees (as voted by you)

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Working in the city and in need of a coffee in between meetings? ARC is a beautiful light-filled shop and focuses on local produce and great coffees.

Barrio, Braddon

A small and humble café serving delicious food and superb specialty coffee! If you’re looking for the perfect spot to stop off and enjoy a morning coffee before work, then Barrio is your café. You can even take home their roasted beans or homemade hot sauce!

Kopiku is an Indonesian style café located at the O’Connor shops. Blending Asian and Australian influences together why not try this unique place and try out the coffee. You can also grab some Nasi Goreng, Mee Goreng and much more.

Doubleshot, Deakin

Looking for coffee and a healthy menu? Doubleshot Deakin offer a relaxing experience coupled with a guilt free menu.

Curio Press, Lake Burley Griffin

The perfect finish line for those running or walking around the lake. Sit back and enjoy the view, Curio is located next to Blundells Cottage, nestled among the mature, shady trees.

Early Edition, Kingston

Want vintage charm meets modern flavour? Try Early Editions range of coffees and organic lattes. Grab a quick coffee or relax and enjoy the weekend with your friends.

Silo Bakery, Kingston

Looking for a bakery that offers some of Canberra’s best pastries, artisanal bread, and tarts? You need to check out Silo. Renowned for its high-quality food and excellent service, Silo is a popular choice among locals. Stop by for a coffee and a tart, and don’t forget your loaf of bread for the week!

East Row Specialty Coffee, Canberra City

Enjoy Ona coffee and Instagram-worthy food at East Row. Visit their stylish, industrial café for a meal and coffee before work or during lunch. They’re open 7 days and also offer catering.

The Pialligo Bakesmith, Pialligo

Looking for a place to sit outdoors with views of lush trees and gardens? The Bakesmith, owned by the former owner of Le Bon Melange, is the ideal spot to enjoy coffee and a delicious French pastry.

Bedst Coffee, Canberra City

Coffee with a Nordic twist? Try Bedst light, bright roasted coffees. They specialise in coffees from the Nordic region but also showcase coffee from all over the world. A worthwhile trip to check out this niche and popular offering.

Need a coffee on the go? Flatheads not only serves up delicious fish and chips, but also a yummy Will & Co coffee.

Clay Coffee, Turner

Grab a coffee, bring your dog and hang out with friends in the small but inviting outdoor area. A popular spot for locals on weekends serving Redbrick coffee.

DOP is a small but mighty coffee shop serving up authentic Italian Street food and artisan coffee. It’s hole in the wall vibe is hard to miss with the lines of people waiting for a cup of their morning brew!

Superfine Café, Canberra Central

Start your morning feeling superfine! Grab a coffee and specialty toastie on the way to work. Superfine is a popular morning spot known for its friendly staff and good coffee.

Café by day, function space by night, Deakin & Me is a local fave and beloved by all. Grab a coffee and choose a sandwich from the selection in the deli cabinet.

In Canberra’s industrial area and needing a pick-me-up? Pellegrino’s Café is the perfect spot to grab a toastie and takeaway.

Not only does the Cupping Room roast award winning lattes, but they also have a cookbook! Last year this Canberra local café won the Best Flat White in the Wotif awards, so it’s worth trying out.

Good Neighbour, Kingston

Living or working in Kingston and want a great coffee, or an even greater strawberry matcha? Good Neighbour offers delicious baked goods and a huge range of iced matcha’s.

B-side is home to a mix of European comfort foods, tasty coffees, and wines for the night. Wander down Lonsdale Street with which a cup of this European coffee blend.

Ona Coffee House, Fyshwick

Get your award-winning coffee straight from the source. The Ona Coffee House offers those in Fyshwick specialty coffee and a fresh, seasonal menu for breakfast and lunch.

Sonoma Bakery, Braddon

Want amazing specialty coffees, artisan sourdough, and pastries crafted to perfection? Sonoma is worth getting in early for. Enjoy their range of baked goods and coffees.

After a cosy warm pub vibe for your morning coffee? Edgar’s Inn has an awarding winning outdoor beer garden and beautiful scenery to enjoy.

Super Sweet, Braddon

Enjoy a coffee and some delicious cake at Super Sweet. Their selection of foods is mouthwatering.

Want a rainbow salad bagel with your coffee? Nicky’s has you covered! You can also grab a French toast tiramisu which is made with their Redbrick coffee.

Gungahlin

Escape to France without leaving Canberra! This French patisserie will serve you up a cup of coffee alongside a French treat.

Serving up a house cold brew and many more delicious coffee choices this isn’t one to miss.

This hole in the wall café is proud to deliver local and quality ingredients within their great coffee.

After a café that loves to experiment with flavours and try out new coffee styles? The Usual is always adding new and exciting things to its specials, think Caramello cold brews, Taro lattes and so much more.

Woden, Weston Creek and Molonglo

In Woden for the day and need to grab a coffee? Happy Hub café will serve up great coffee and meals with a smile.

On the outskirts of Canberra and need a local comfortable café? Check out Pitch Black Café for a great community vibe.

Village Café, Warramanga

Village Café offers a good cuppa with a friendly smile. They make in-house jams, and their menu includes produce from their kitchen garden. Come for fresh, good-quality food and coffee.

Space Kitchen, Phillip

Looking for the perfect cup of coffee and a sweet treat? Find Space Kitchen in the Woden precinct nestled amongst office buildings. A busy café offering breakfast and lunch and a range of specialty cakes and sweet treats.

Tuggeranong

MIL OSI News –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Author visit bolsters students’ love of reading

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Author Jack Heath says reading should always feel like a treat.

All over the Territory, students from preschool to Year 12 are racing to the finish line for the 20th Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge.

Around 25,000 ACT students have registered this year, with many others inspired to pick up a book along the way.

To complete the challenge, primary students read 30 books, while older students read 15 titles – all before the 5 July deadline.

Schools achieving 100 per cent completion – with students registered in one of five age categories – will be recognised during an awards ceremony next term.

But everyone’s a winner in this event. Year four students at Miles Franklin Primary School in Evatt received a visit this week from local mystery, thriller and suspense writer Jack Heath.

Jack has been an ambassador for the Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge for around 10 years.

Like the school’s namesake, Jack grew up around Canberra and began writing novels in his teens. He has written more than twice as many novels as Stella Miles Franklin, though – 40 at last count.

Jack has been involved in author visits to schools for his whole adult life. He recalls meeting an author through school himself as a Lyneham Primary School student. At the school librarian’s invitation, he joined an excursion and met another local author, Jackie French.

Jack shared some tips for families keen to keep their kids reading. He says not to be afraid of ‘gateway books’, like graphic novels and audio books.

“You want reading to always feel like a treat. That means finding topics and content that interests them, rather than the ones that interest you, or that you think are educational. You want to challenge your kids from time to time, but not too much.”

He suggests bearing in mind the very different environment children are growing up in compared to those in which their parents learnt to read.

“As a result of that, I think it’s important to look for new, exciting books. I definitely want to share with my kids the books that I loved when I was their age, but they just don’t connect, it doesn’t seem to work quite the same way,” he said.

Find a wealth of great reading materials for kids at Libraries ACT.

Reluctant readers aged 7–12 may also benefit from the Story Dogs program.

Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:

MIL OSI News –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Banco Santander Chile: First Quarter 2025 Analyst and Investor Webcast / Conference Call

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SANTIAGO, Chile, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — You are cordially invited to participate in Banco Santander Chile’s (NYSE: BSAC) conference call-webcast on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 10.00 AM (EST time) where we will discuss 1Q 2025 financial results. The Bank’s Officers participating in the conference call are: Patricia Pérez, CFO, Cristian Vicuña, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of IR and Andrés Sansone, Chief Economist. A question and answer session will follow the presentation.

The Management Commentary report will be published on April 30, 2025, before the market opens. The quiet period begins on April 15.

To participate, the webcast presentation can be viewed at: https://mm.closir.com/slides?id=720987

Or please dial in using any of the below numbers:
United Kingdom+44 203 984 9844
USA +1 718 866 4614
Austria +43 720 022981
Brazil +556120171549
Canada +1 587 855 1318
Chile +56228401484
Czech Republic +420 910 880101
Estonia +372 609 4102
Finland +35 8753 26 4477
France +33 1758 50 878
Germany +49 30 25 555 323
Hong Kong +852 3001 6551
Mexico +52 55 1168 9973
Peru +51 1 7060950
Poland +48 22 124 49 59
Russia +7 495 283 98 58
Singapore +65 3138 6816
South Africa +27872500455
South Korea +82 70 4732 5006
Sweden +46 10 551 30 20
Turkey +90 850 390 7512
Ukraine +380 89 324 0624

Participant Passcode: 720987
Please dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the starting time of the conference.

If you have any questions, please contact Cristian Vicuña at Banco Santander Chile at Cristian.vicuna@santander.cl, Rowena Lambert at Rowena.lambert@santander.cl or Claudia Villalon at Claudia.villalon@santander.cl

CONTACT INFORMATION

Cristian Vicuña
Investor Relations
Banco Santander Chile
Bandera 140, Floor 20
Santiago, Chile
Email: irelations@santander.cl
Website: www.santander.cl

Banco Santander Chile is one of the companies with the highest risk classifications in Latin America with an A2 rating from Moody’s, A- from Standard and Poor’s, A+ from Japan Credit Rating Agency, AA- from HR Ratings and A from KBRA. All our ratings as of the date of this report have a Stable Outlook.

As of December 31, 2024, the Bank has total assets of $68,458,933 million (US$68,865 million), total gross loans (including loans to banks) at amortized cost of $41,323,844 million (US$41,569 million), total deposits of $31,359,234 million (US$31,545 million) and shareholders’ equity of $4,292,440 million (US$4,318 million). The BIS capital ratio was 17.1%, with a core capital ratio of 10.5%. As of December 31, 2024, Santander Chile employs 8,757 people and has 236 branches throughout Chile.

The MIL Network –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The radical European peasant movements that formed populist parties and breakaway republics

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jakub Beneš, Associate Professor in Central European History, UCL

From Poland and France to the US, rightwing populist parties dominate rural and post-industrial hinterlands while the centrist liberal vote is concentrated in cities. This urban-rural divide is arguably the main political fault line in Europe and North America today.

It appears the backlash against globalised capitalism is strongest when associated with rural conservatism and xenophobia against migrants. But anti-urban populism has not always been – and perhaps isn’t now – a simple reaction against the forces of modernity.

In my new book, The Last Peasant War: Violence and Revolution in Twentieth-Century Eastern Europe, I explore how peasant movements in eastern Europe during the first half of the 20th century often combined deep resentment of cities with aspirations for radical social and economic change. These movements aimed to create a more egalitarian countryside while enhancing its influence and prosperity.

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.

The first world war was the main catalyst. Warring countries in central and eastern Europe introduced harsh controls of the rural economy to secure food for armies and the urban labour force. Villagers working small plots of land resented these measures and the cities that dictated their terms.

Confronted with shortages at home and death at the front, hundreds of thousands of peasants deserted from the poorly led armies of Austria-Hungary and Russia. In Austria-Hungary, and later in the Russian civil war, scores of thousands of armed peasant deserters banded together to form motley “green” forces based in forests and hilly areas.

These men, along with recently demobilised soldiers, led a wave of bloody violence in many areas of the east European countryside as the old empires disintegrated. Large estates were sacked, officials chased off, and Jewish merchants robbed and humiliated. Peasant crowds often targeted towns as the places that appeared to mastermind and benefit from their exploitation.

In most places, the unrest did not last long. Yet the deserter movements and other forms of rural wartime resistance galvanised interwar agrarian politics – that is, politics concerned with the cultivation and distribution of land – on a scale not seen before or since.

Peasants demanded the breakup and redistribution of large estate land, the end of wars led by parasitic cities, representation of peasants in national governments proportionate to their numbers, and local autonomy.

These were undeniably revolutionary goals. The Russian Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin and his followers were forced to revise the mainstream Marxist view of a backward peasantry. His government legalised land seizures by peasants with a 1917 decree before reintroducing the despised wartime economy and later concluding an uneasy truce with the countryside during the 1920s. The war against the Soviet peasantry was finally won during Stalin’s brutal collectivisation drive in the early 1930s.

Many ambitious peasant initiatives remained isolated from each other: village republics sprouted up in parts of the former Habsburg and Romanov empires with the chief aim of redistributing large estate land.

As the new countries of east central Europe consolidated their power, they faced competition from micro-states in parts of Croatia, Slovenia and Poland. Many short-lived republics were reported across Ukraine and European Russia.

More durable were the rural populist parties that became a defining feature of east European politics. From 1919 to 1923, Bulgaria was ruled by the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union under Aleksandar Stamboliyski, who introduced far-reaching reforms to elevate and reward agricultural work before he was murdered in a coup.

In the former Habsburg lands, agrarian politics mushroomed in the aftermath of the first world war, influencing national politics through the end of the second world war. The peasant masses looked to the Polish People’s party, the Croatian Peasant party, and others to lead them forward on a “third way” to modernity, avoiding the pitfalls of both heartless liberalism and tyrannical communism.

Eastern European governments implemented agrarian reform to benefit land-hungry villagers, but it fell short of expectations. Later, the rise of authoritarian regimes across much of the region by the early 1930s forced many peasant movements out of parliamentary politics. Politically marginalised, reeling from the Great Depression, millions of villagers embraced extremist politics, fascism included.

But Hitler’s occupation of much of eastern Europe found little support among them. Large numbers of peasants joined or supported resistance movements, tipping the scales against the axis forces in Yugoslavia. In Poland, the rural populists had their own armed resistance numbering in the hundreds of thousands: the Peasant Battalions.

By around 1950, peasant revolution was extinguished in Europe. Collectivisation in the east and mechanisation across the continent altered the fabric of rural life. Tens of millions left the land for cities, never to return.

The politics they backed in the era of world wars are now a distant memory. At the time, city dwellers looked at them with a mixture of fear and puzzlement. How, they asked, could men like Stamboliyski and Stjepan Radić of the Croatian Peasant party rail against city life while claiming they wanted to make their societies more equal and prosperous?

Then, as now, the world beyond the metropolis nurtured sentiments far more radical than we often assume.

Jakub Beneš has received funding from UKRI’s Arts and Humanities Research Council.

– ref. The radical European peasant movements that formed populist parties and breakaway republics – https://theconversation.com/the-radical-european-peasant-movements-that-formed-populist-parties-and-breakaway-republics-251379

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Euronext announces volumes for March 2025
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Euronext announces volumes for March 2025

Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo and Paris – 7 April 2025 – Euronext, the leading European capital market infrastructure, today announced trading volumes for March 2025.

Monthly and historical volume tables are available at this address:

euronext.com/investor-relations#monthly-volumes

CONTACTS

ANALYSTS & INVESTORS – ir@euronext.com

Investor Relations        Aurélie Cohen

        Judith Stein        +33 6 15 23 91 97

MEDIA – mediateam@euronext.com

Europe        Aurélie Cohen         +33 1 70 48 24 45

        Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13

Belgium        Marianne Aalders         +32 26 20 15 01

France, Corporate        Flavio Bornancin-Tomasella        +33 1 70 48 24 45

Ireland        Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13

Italy         Ester Russom         +39 02 72 42 67 56

The Netherlands        Marianne Aalders         +31 20 721 41 33

Norway         Cathrine Lorvik Segerlund        +47 41 69 59 10

Portugal         Sandra Machado        +351 91 777 68 97

Corporate Solutions        Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13

About Euronext

Euronext is the leading European capital market infrastructure, covering the entire capital markets value chain, from listing, trading, clearing, settlement and custody, to solutions for issuers and investors. Euronext runs MTS, one of Europe’s leading electronic fixed income trading markets, and Nord Pool, the European power market. Euronext also provides clearing and settlement services through Euronext Clearing and its Euronext Securities CSDs in Denmark, Italy, Norway and Portugal.

As of March 2025, Euronext’s regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal host nearly 1,800 listed issuers with €6.3 trillion in market capitalisation, a strong blue-chip franchise and the largest global centre for debt and fund listings. With a diverse domestic and international client base, Euronext handles 25% of European lit equity trading. Its products include equities, FX, ETFs, bonds, derivatives, commodities and indices.

For the latest news, go to euronext.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

Disclaimer

This press release is for information purposes only: it is not a recommendation to engage in investment activities and is provided “as is”, without representation or warranty of any kind. While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the content, Euronext does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Euronext will not be held liable for any loss or damages of any nature ensuing from using, trusting or acting on information provided. No information set out or referred to in this publication may be regarded as creating any right or obligation. The creation of rights and obligations in respect of financial products that are traded on the exchanges operated by Euronext’s subsidiaries shall depend solely on the applicable rules of the market operator. All proprietary rights and interest in or connected with this publication shall vest in Euronext. This press release speaks only as of this date. Euronext refers to Euronext N.V. and its affiliates. Information regarding trademarks and intellectual property rights of Euronext is available at www.euronext.com/terms-use.

© 2025, Euronext N.V. – All rights reserved.

The Euronext Group processes your personal data in order to provide you with information about Euronext (the “Purpose”). With regard to the processing of this personal data, Euronext will comply with its obligations under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and Council of 27 April 2016 (General Data Protection Regulation, “GDPR”), and any applicable national laws, rules and regulations implementing the GDPR, as provided in its privacy statement available at: www.euronext.com/privacy-policy. In accordance with the applicable legislation you have rights with regard to the processing of your personal data: for more information on your rights, please refer to: www.euronext.com/data_subjects_rights_request_information. To make a request regarding the processing of your data or to unsubscribe from this press release service, please use our data subject request form at connect2.euronext.com/form/data-subjects-rights-request or email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@euronext.com.

Attachment
- Euronext PR Volumes – March 2025
The MIL Network –
April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: LECTRA: Monthly declaration of the total number of shares and voting rights composing the company’s capital (at March 31th, 2025)
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Monthly declaration of the total number of shares and voting rights composing the company’s capital (at March 31^t^h, 2025)

This declaration is established in accordance with Article L.233-8 II of the French Code de Commerce and of Article 223-11 of the Règlement Général of the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF).

Date:

March 31^t^h, 2025

Total number of shares composing the capital:

38,031,057

Total number of voting rights, gross (1):

38,223,207

Total number of voting rights, net (2):

38,190,853

(1) In accordance with the second paragraph of article 223-11 of the Règlement Général of the AMF, the gross total of voting rights is based on the total number of shares composing the company’s capital which have voting rights, including shares deprived of their voting rights

(2) The net total of voting rights is equal to the gross total, minus the number of shares deprived of their voting rights (treasury shares)

Other than the legal notification requirements for crossing the thresholds established by French law, there is no special statutory obligation.

Attachment
- Monthly_declaration_shares_votingrights_march 2025
The MIL Network –
April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joint statement at the 58th Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Joint statement at the 58th Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development

Joint statement on the 58th Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development delivered by Sierra Leone on Monday 7 April 2025, on behalf of Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Zambia and the United Kingdom.
We are making this collective statement to emphasise the urgent need for action to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3. Health is a human right and a foundation of sustainable development, driving economic growth, social cohesion, and individual dignity.

Over the past decades, significant progress has been made in many areas of health. We have seen a reduction in maternal and child mortality, expanded access to modern contraceptive methods as well as maternal and newborn medicines and commodities, improvements in adolescent health and education, addressing sexually transmitted diseases including HIV, and a decline in child and early forced marriages. These achievements give us hope for a healthier future.

However, significant challenges persist, and the urgent need for equal access to health services and opportunities for healthy lives remains out of reach for many.

Health inequalities stemming from complex, interrelated factors such as economic disparities, social exclusion, significant financial hardship, discrimination, and unequal access to resources, has a profound impact on individuals and communities. These inequalities manifest in poor health outcomes, lower life expectancy, reduced household income, and weaker national economic growth potential. Income inequality exacerbates vulnerabilities, limiting access to health services in low-income countries and disadvantaged communities. Social disparities rooted in gender, race, age, class, religion, and ethnicity perpetuate stigma, violence, and adverse health determinants.

Economic disparities within and among countries remain significant, impacting the lives of many individuals. Far too many people are unable to access essential health services or are forced to forgo care due to unaffordability. Rising out-of-pocket health costs are pushing millions into poverty, hindering the realisation of Universal Health Coverage. Conflicts and climate change are straining health systems and the health workforce, contributing to stagnating maternal mortality rates, growing mental health challenges, and the inability of health systems to cope with the rise of non-communicable diseases.

Equitable, inclusive, and resilient health systems are essential to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being. It is imperative to prioritize universally accessible, quality, and comprehensive primary healthcare services. Sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights must enable individuals to make free and informed decisions about their health and their lives. Addressing the social determinants of health – such as poverty, malnutrition, education, water and sanitation, and gender inequality – is critical for achieving inclusive economic growth that strengthens and benefits all of society.

The health and well-being of adolescents and youth also demands greater attention – they require better access to health services, education, and information that enable them to make informed decisions about their lives.

Investing in health, particularly sexual and reproductive health, is not just a matter of well-being, but also a powerful driver of economic growth. UNFPA estimates that allocating an additional $79 billion by 2030 to expand maternal health and family planning services could yield $660 billion in economic benefits by 2050—preventing 400 million unplanned pregnancies, 1 million maternal deaths, 6 million stillbirths, and 4 million newborn deaths, while also enhancing workforce participation and economic productivity (UNFPA, 2022). Similarly, closing the women’s health gap more broadly could further accelerate economic progress, with the World Economic Forum projecting a potential boost of at least $1 trillion annually to the global economy by 2040.

Greater investments in health infrastructure, workforce capacity, and innovative solutions like digital health can improve service delivery and expand access to services. Strengthening and expanding the global health workforce is at the heart of this. We must address health workforce shortages, ensure equitable distribution, enhance training and pay attention to sustainable retention strategies.

It is vital that we, as policymakers, health organizations, and civil society, address disparities within and among countries, ensuring that people in vulnerable situations, including women, children, older persons, migrants, people with disabilities, and those in extreme poverty, have access to quality, comprehensive health services without financial hardship and discrimination. Our role in promoting responsive health systems that cater to the unique needs of at-risk individuals are key to sustainable and inclusive progress.

A healthier population is central to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The ICPD’s Programme of Action has guided countries toward inclusive, equitable policies advancing health and gender equality. By strengthening health systems and addressing inequalities, we can work toward a world where all people can live healthy, productive and fulfilling lives.

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Updates to this page

Published 7 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 8, 2025

MIL-OSI: Coface SA: Disclosure of trading in own shares (excluding the liquidity agreement) made on March 31 to April 4, 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

COFACE SA: Disclosure of trading in own shares (excluding the liquidity agreement) made on March 31 to April 4, 2025

Paris, April 7, 2025 – 17.45

Pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of 16 April 2014 on market abuse¹

The main features of the 2024-2025 Share Buyback Program have been published on the Company’s website (http://www.coface.com/Investors/Disclosure-requirements, under “Own share transactions”) and are also described in the 2024 Universal Registration Document.

Trading session of (Date)	Number of shares	Weighted average price	Gross amount	MIC Code	Purpose of buyback
31/03/2025	9,000	17.6117 €	158,506 €	XPAR	LTIP
01/04/2025	9,000	17.7483 €	159,735 €	XPAR	LTIP
02/04/2025	9,000	17.7345 €	159,611 €	XPAR	LTIP
03/04/2025	11,000	17.4200 €	191,620 €	XPAR	LTIP
04/04/2025	15,000	16.6060 €	249,090 €	XPAR	LTIP
Total 31/03/2025 – 04/04/2025	53,000	17.3313 €	918,561 €		LTIP

CONTACTS

ANALYSTS / INVESTORS
Thomas JACQUET: +33 1 49 02 12 58 – thomas.jacquet@coface.com
Rina ANDRIAMIADANTSOA: +33 1 49 02 15 85 – rina.andriamiadantsoa@coface.com

FINANCIAL CALENDAR 2025
(subject to change)

Q1-2025 results: 5 May 2025 (after market close)
Annual General Shareholders’ Meeting: 14 May 2025
H1-2025 results: 31 July 2025 (after market close)
9M-2025 results: 3 November 2025 (after market close)

FINANCIAL INFORMATION
This press release, as well as COFACE SA’s integral regulatory information, can be found on the Group’s website: http://www.coface.com/Investors

For regulated information on Alternative Performance Measures (APM), please refer to our Interim Financial Report for H1-2024 and our 2024 Universal Registration Document (see part 3.7 “Key financial performance indicators”).

Regulated documents posted by COFACE SA have been secured and authenticated with the blockchain technology by Wiztrust.
You can check the authenticity on the website www.wiztrust.com.

COFACE: FOR TRADE
As a global leading player in trade credit risk management for more than 75 years, Coface helps companies grow and navigate in an uncertain and volatile environment.
Whatever their size, location or sector, Coface provides 100,000 clients across some 200 markets. with a full range of solutions: Trade Credit Insurance, Business Information, Debt Collection, Single Risk insurance, Surety Bonds, Factoring.
Every day, Coface leverages its unique expertise and cutting-edge technology to make trade happen, in both domestic and export markets.
In 2024, Coface employed ~5,236 people and registered a turnover of €1.84 billion.

www.coface.com

COFACE SA is listed in Compartment A of Euronext Paris
ISIN: FR0010667147 / Ticker: COFA

1 Also in pursuant to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016 (and updates); Article L.225-209 and seq. of the French Commercial Code; Article L.221-3, Article L.241-1 and seq. of the General Regulation of the French Market Authority (AMF); AMF Recommendation DOC-2017-04 Guide for issuers on their own shares transactions and for stabilization measures.

Attachment

2025 04 07 – Declaration – Own shares transaction

The MIL Network –

April 8, 2025

MIL-OSI: RUBIS: Information relating to the total number of voting rights and shares as of 31/03/2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Paris, 7 April 2025, 5:45 pm

INFORMATION ON TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTING RIGHTS AND NUMBER OF SHARES PURSUANT TO ARTICLE L.233-8 II OF THE FRENCH COMMERCIAL CODE AND ARTICLE 223-16 OF THE GENERAL REGULATION OF THE FRENCH FINANCIAL MARKETS AUTHORITY

Date	Class of shares	Number of shares	Number of theoretical voting rights	Number of exercisable voting rights (excluding shares bought back by the Company (deprived of voting rights) and shares deprived of voting rights in accordance with art. L. 233-14 of the French Commercial Code)
31 March 2025	Ordinary shares (par value of €1,25)	103,233,081	103,233,081	102,946,179

	Contact
	RUBIS – Legal department
	Tel. : +33 (0)1 44 17 95 95

Attachment

RUBIS: Information relating to the total number of voting rights and shares as of 31/03/2025

The MIL Network –

April 8, 2025

MIL-OSI: Societe Generale: shares and voting rights as of 31 March 2025
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NUMBER OF SHARES COMPOSING CURRENT SHARE CAPITAL AND TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTING RIGHTS AS OF 31 MARCH 2025

Regulated Information

Paris, 7 April 2025

Information about the total number of voting rights and shares pursuant to Article L.233-8 II of the French Commercial Code and Article 223-16 of the AMF General Regulations.

Date Number of shares composing current share capital Total number of
voting rights

31 March 2025 800,316,777
Gross: 888,605,454

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:
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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).

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The MIL Network –
April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: World Health Day (7 Apr. 2025)

Source: Republic of France in English
The Republic of France has issued the following statement:

On this World Health Day, France reiterates its support for a coordinated approach at the international level aimed at guaranteeing solid healthcare systems and universal access to care while resolutely combating inequality This is a prerequisite for collective health security.

During this difficult international period, France reaffirms its full support for the World Health Organization (WHO) and the central role it plays in the global health architecture. It embodies international cooperation, scientific rigor and scrupulous standard-setting.

France also reiterates its support for all international organizations that deal with global health. It is one of the main funders of such efforts and remains committed to the swift adoption of a pandemic agreement.

In order to ensure global health security, France works in particular to advance the fight against epidemics; the promotion of maternal and child health; the One Health approach, which underscores the close ties between human health, animal health and ecosystems; universal health coverage; and the strengthening of healthcare systems. In this regard, the WHO Academy in Lyon, which opened its doors in December 2024, aims to become a global center of excellence for the training of healthcare workers.

France reaffirms its commitment to global health and its conviction that health is a fundamental right for every human being. Since 2000, we have helped provide antiretroviral treatments to 25 million people with HIV/AIDS, treat more than 7 million tuberculosis patients, and distribute nearly 230 million mosquito nets. We have also participated in the vaccination of more than a billion children since 2000 and, through the Muskoka Fund, we funded care for more than 22 million women and children in 2023 to reduce maternal and child mortality.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Amadou Bagayoko: the blind Malian musician whose joyful songs changed west African music

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Lucy Durán, Professor of music, SOAS, University of London

Amadou Bagayoko (1954-2025), Malian guitarist, singer and composer of the famed duo Amadou & Mariam – known as “the blind couple of Mali” – passed away on 4 April in Bamako. He was 70.

The married singers, who met when she was 18 and he 21, took traditional Mali music and blended it with western rock and many other influences to shape a whole new sound that was both rich and playful. They would sell millions of albums for hits like Sunday in Bamako and Sabali.

They would tour the world, opening the 2006 men’s football World Cup, closing the 2024 Paralympics, singing at former US president Barack Obama’s Nobel Prize concert, winning awards along the way.

Despite this fame, they remained tireless activists for Africans with disabilities. They were known and admired at home for their integrity, where Amadou’s passing is much lamented.

As a musician and professor of music with a research focus on Mali’s music, I met and interviewed Amadou several times. His passing heralds the end of an era for Mali’s long-held musical dominance in the international market.

Who are Amadou & Mariam?

Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia were both dedicated promoters of the work of the Institute for the Blind in Bamako, where they had first met in the 1970s as students and went on to be music teachers. They married in 1980 and remained inseparable, forming Amadou & Mariam.

Their hit songs combined the musical traditions of the southern part of Mali, where they both came from (Bougouni, Sikasso) with elements from rock, reggae, Cuban rhythms, and more – all transformed through their own ingenuity, but also, later on, by the ideas of influential producers.

Read more:
Mali’s kora star Toumani Diabaté – a personal reflection by his music producer

In fact, the surnames Bagayoko and Doumbia are both from the ancient lineage (called Boula) of blacksmiths that date back to the time of the emperor Sunjata Keita, who founded the Mali empire in 1235. The blacksmiths (numu) were often powerful kings. This shared heritage in the noble past of the blacksmiths is significant in their musical synergy.

Amadou Bagayoko

Amadou’s career spanned more than five decades, beginning in the early 1970s when he played electric guitar in several influential Malian dance bands of the time, including Les Ambassadeurs, fronted by the legendary singer Salif Keita.

President Moussa Traoré’s 23-year military regime from 1968 to 1991 favoured the voices of the griots. These hereditary musicians sang the praises of the people in power in a flowery, strident style.

The life of these dance bands was on the wane by the late 1980s, which is when “la grand couple aveugle du Mali” (the blind couple of Mali) were launched – at first, two simple voices accompanied by Amadou’s guitar, recorded on cassette.

At the end of Traore’s rule, Amadou & Mariam’s music responded to the new spirit of democracy that the country was hungry for.

There were many things that set this duo apart from other musicians of the region. They were not griots. Their lyrics are often about the power of love – not a straightforward topic in a country where polygyny (up to four wives, as permitted by Islam) is the norm.

Their presence on stage as a blind couple, looking affectionate and mutually supportive, in their chic, coordinated attire, also raised the profile of people with disabilities. Their melodies were catchy and upbeat.

Meeting Amadou and Mariam

Sorting through my research recently I came across a photo I’d taken of them on my old slides, buried in my archives. It was a revelation to see it again.

I took the photo, with their permission, when I first met Amadou and Mariam in 1992 in Bamako. It was at the recording studio that is now known as Bogolan, where they were hoping, at the time, to make some recordings.

It shows Amadou and Mariam in their youth with pride and dignity, values that remained constant for them in later years. On that first encounter, I was struck by their graciousness, their belief in their musical project, and their determination to bring it to a wider public.

I wished at the time that I had the contacts in the record industry to help them. But they did not give up and they slowly built up their career, building on their sound and image, which was and remains unique within the variety of Malian music.

World fame

Against all the odds, with their conviction, talent, strong melodies and good production, Amadou & Mariam became hugely successful in the early 2000s. The album that really launched their international career was Dimanches à Bamako (Sundays in Bamako), brilliantly produced by French-Spanish singer-songwriter Manu Chao, who had had a big international hit with his creative and catchy album Clandestino in 1998.

He brought some of those production values into Amadou & Mariam’s songs. Dimanches à Bamako celebrates the vibrant culture of wedding parties held in the streets of Bamako on Sundays, a day when civil marriage ceremonies are free.

Dimanches à Bamako was the first of several successful albums by Amadou & Mariam that were produced by European producers such as Damon Albarn, with songs like Tie ni Mousso (Husband and Wife) that played on the charming stage presence of Amadou & Mariam as a devoted husband and wife. The songs were accessible and appealing but still delivered punch.

After that first meeting in 1992, we met up again many times, frequently for radio.

Amadou was a much respected and admired musician whose music reached out to audiences around the world. He was hugely loved and appreciated both at home and abroad, not just for his talent and musical creativity as an excellent guitarist and song writer, but also for the image that he and Mariam created on stage.

Together they will be remembered and respected for the values they represent in their music: equality, love, perseverance against disability, and truth. My condolences to Mariam.

Lucy Durán 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. Amadou Bagayoko: the blind Malian musician whose joyful songs changed west African music – https://theconversation.com/amadou-bagayoko-the-blind-malian-musician-whose-joyful-songs-changed-west-african-music-253954

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How the struggles of the UK hospitality sector could hit the rest of the economy

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Zoe Adjey, Senior Lecturer in Hospitality and Events, University of East London

Across the UK, Mother’s Day represented a vital revenue opportunity for the hospitality sector. Bars, restaurants, cafés and pubs would have anticipated a boost courtesy of family groups – and some spring-like weather. Sadly though, due to some harsh financial realities including higher tax and wage bills coming into force now, many of these establishments may not survive to serve customers next Mother’s Day.

The budget has introduced measures that are projected to directly increase the average hospitality wage bill by up to 8.5% thanks to increases in the minimum wage and employer national insurance contributions.

The UK’s most recent GDP figures showed the country’s economy shrank by 0.1% in January. But behind this small decline there was a more concerning trend. Trade in the hospitality industry fell by 2.4% – the biggest economic contraction among the figures – after it had shown promising growth of 0.9% in December.

It’s likely that customers saw so-called “awful April” on the horizon – bringing rises in a range of utility and consumer costs – and were beginning to curb their spending. But costs are rising for venues too. Many of those bars, cafés, restaurants and hotels that remain open will have to increase prices and cut opening hours to make the numbers add up.

Behind each closed pub or empty restaurant lies a story that goes far beyond its four walls. I’ve worked in the sector since my teenage years – from family-run establishments on the Northern Irish coast to venues in London and overseas – and I’ve seen firsthand how business closures affect people. Now, as a lecturer in hospitality, I can see what support this unique sector needs to weather the storm.

I have seen small seaside cafes where owners knew every customer by name, providing essential social connections for elderly visitors who may not have had another social interaction that day. When these cafes closed, the community bonds were severed overnight.

Every shuttered hotel or bar means people losing their livelihoods, perhaps mothers working part-time to balance employment and childcare or students funding their education. The impact of these closures is immediate and profound, and extends throughout the supply chain.

They affect the dairy farmer who supplied the milk, the baker who made fresh pastries each morning, and the technician who serviced the coffee machines. This interconnected web generated £121 billion in economic activity in 2022 across the UK.

Weddings and wakes

Pubs and cafes are more than just businesses. Often, they’re the beating hearts of communities. These are the spaces where neighbours stop to chat, where chance encounters bloom into lifelong friendships and romances, and where people come together for weddings and wakes. When the shutters come down, it represents a tear in the community fabric and threatens the cohesion of neighbourhoods.

As the gathering places where communities come together, pubs and cafes simultaneously create livelihoods that support those same communities. Hospitality in the UK employs an extraordinary 3.5 million people directly (and another three million indirectly through supply chains and support industries). This makes it the UK’s third largest employer, behind only retail and healthcare.

This dual role, as both social hub and major employer, makes these establishments uniquely valuable.

The stark GDP figures for hospitality at the start of 2025 expose a concerning shift in consumer habits, with fewer people choosing to book a table in a restaurant, instead making do with buying in groceries for a meal at home. This harks back to the times of COVID lockdowns. Even people who still visit hospitality venues are spending less per visit, compounding the revenue challenges.

When a family chooses to eat at home rather than visit their local restaurant, the impact extends far beyond that empty table. Farmers, delivery drivers, kitchen manufacturers and cleaning services (to name just some) all feel the pinch.

For the small businesses in the hospitality supply chain – many of which derive more than 80% of their income from the sector – this spending shift is an existential threat. Historically, such changes in consumer behaviour have been early indicators of broader economic downturns, making this pattern particularly worrying.

A VAT reduction offers a compelling solution for UK hospitality business. European countries like Italy and France charge 10% on “food for immediate consumption”, while in Greece it’s 13%. These are far below the UK’s 20%. A change along these lines could protect customers against price rises, improve business cash flow, and offset the wage and NI contribution increases.

And there is precedent for this. During the 2008 recession, Chancellor Alistair Darling cut VAT from 17.5% to 15% for 13 months as part of a stimulus. The following year’s budget reported “positive early signs” of lower prices supporting consumer spending.

But right now, this combination of rising costs and reduced consumer spending creates a perfect storm for an industry that has traditionally underpinned economic recoveries. With millions of people relying on hospitality for their livelihoods, this trajectory of decline must be corrected – or there will be profound implications for the wider pattern of economic growth across the UK.

Zoe Adjey 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. How the struggles of the UK hospitality sector could hit the rest of the economy – https://theconversation.com/how-the-struggles-of-the-uk-hospitality-sector-could-hit-the-rest-of-the-economy-253507

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sara J. Brenneis, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Spanish, Amherst College

A staged recreation of Mauthausen’s liberation, May 6, 1945. Spanish prisoners documented the camp’s actual liberation the day prior using Nazi cameras. National Archives and Records, Cpl. Donald R. Ornitz, US Signal Corps/Administration, III-SC-206395

When American soldiers liberated the Mauthausen Nazi concentration camp in Austria 80 years ago this May, Spanish prisoners welcomed them with a message of antifascist solidarity.

The Spaniards hung a banner made from stolen bed sheets over one of Mauthausen’s gates. In English, Spanish and Russian, it read: “The Spanish Antifascists Greet the Liberating Forces.”

Both American servicemen and Spanish survivors remember the camp’s liberation as a win in their shared fight against extremism, my research on the Spanish prisoners in Mauthausen finds. They all understood the authoritarian governments of Nazi Germany, Italy and Spain as fascist regimes that used extremist views rooted in intolerance and nationalism to persecute millions of people and imperil democracy across Europe.

World War II, the Holocaust and the horrors of Nazi violence have no modern equivalent. Nevertheless, extremism is now threatening democracy in the United States in recognizable ways.

As the Trump administration executes summary deportations, works to suppress dissent, fundamentally restructures the federal government and defies judges, experts warn that the country is turning toward authoritarianism.

As a scholar of the Mauthausen camp, I believe that understanding how American soldiers and Spanish prisoners experienced its liberation offers a valuable lesson on the real and present dangers of extremism.

‘We knew then why we had to stop Hitler’

In 1938, the Nazis established Mauthausen, a forced labor camp in Austria, with an international prisoner population. My research shows that the Nazis murdered 16,000 Jews and 66,000 non-Jewish prisoners at Mauthausen between 1938 and 1945, including 60% of the roughly 7,200 Spaniards imprisoned there.

The Spanish prisoners were committed antifascist resistors sent there in 1940 and 1941. Known as Republicans or Loyalists, they had fought against Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War and Adolf Hitler in World War II.

The young men with the 11th Armored Division of the U.S. Army who liberated Mauthausen would never forget the moment they discovered the camp. It was May 5, 1945, just days before the war ended in Europe. A platoon led by Staff Sgt. Albert J. Kosiek was repairing bridges in this tucked-away corner of Austria when a Swiss Red Cross delegate alerted them to a large Nazi concentration camp nearby.

Mauthausen’s international survivors were among the Nazis’ last prisoners to be freed.

George Sherman was a 19-year-old tank gunner from Brooklyn when his patrol found Mauthausen. He was Jewish and had read about the Nazi camps in Europe in the Army’s newspaper.

American liberators rolling into the Mauthausen concentration camp on May 5, 1945, as photographed by prisoner Francesc Boix. Sgt. Harry Saunders is standing on the left fender.
Francesc Boix/Courtesy of Collections of the Mauthausen Memorial

Still, seeing a concentration camp with his own eyes was alarming.

“The piles of bodies” struck him, he remembered in an oral history recorded for the University of South Florida in 2008. So did “these people walking around like God knows – skeletons and whatnot.”

Sgt. Harry Saunders, a 23-year-old radio operator from Chicago, also remembered the moment he saw the Mauthausen survivors. They were men and women of all nationalities.

“The live skeletons, the people that were in the camp, it was indescribable, it was such a shock,” he said in a 2002 interview for the Mauthausen Memorial’s Oral History Collection in Vienna.

One of the Spanish prisoners at Mauthausen, Francesc Boix, had stolen a camera from the SS in the chaotic moments before the camp’s liberation. Boix photographed Sgt. Saunders rumbling into the concentration camp on an armored car.

Saunders kept that photograph for the rest of his life. It captured a moment of clarity for him.

“When we liberated Mauthausen, we really knew then why we had to stop Hitler and why we really went to war,” he said in the interview.

Frank Hartzell, a technical sergeant with the 11th Armored Division, was 20 when he helped to liberate Mauthausen. He turned 100 this year. We met in mid-March 2025 and discussed his wartime experience.

“What I saw and experienced appalled me,” Hartzell told me.

The outrage has stayed with him for 80 years.

‘Starved and crippled but alive’

The American liberators toured the gas chambers and the crematory ovens in Mauthausen.

Maj. Franklin Lee Clark saw the dead stacked up in “piles like cord wood to the point that they had to bring in bulldozers and make mass graves,” and took photos to document it.

The Spanish banner hanging on the Mauthausen prison gate, May 1945.
Franklin Lee Clark/Emory University Archives, Witnesses to the Holocaust Project

Soldiers from the 11th Armored Division directed locals to bury the men and women murdered by the Nazis. The local Austrians claimed they had not known about their town’s concentration camp. But a farmer who lived nearby had been upset about all the dead bodies visible from her property. She filed a complaint asking the Nazis either to stop “these inhuman deeds” or do them “where one does not see it.”

The American liberators made sure that the townspeople could no longer look away from the murderous rampage carried out in their backyards.

While Boix was taking photos of American soldiers during liberation, the soldiers were taking photos of the welcome banner the Spaniards had painted.

On the back of one snapshot, a Signal Corps soldier typed out his impressions of their message: “I really know what that word (antifascist) means. We liberated these prisoners in the Mauthausen concentration camp near Linz, Austria. They were Poles, Hungarians and Spanish Loyalists (remember the Loyalists?). They had men and women in this camp. Starved and crippled but alive.”

After Mauthausen was liberated, the freed Loyalists set to work documenting the Nazis’ crimes. Along with his countrymen Joan de Diego, Casimir Climent and others, Spanish survivor Joaquín López Raimundo compiled lists of Mauthausen victims and their Nazi captors. Using the Nazis’ own typewriters, they spent two weeks listing the names and personal details of Spanish victims of Mauthausen and of the SS who had killed them.

The result was page after page of evidence they handed over to American war crimes investigators and the International Red Cross.

Boix, meanwhile, gave the Americans hundreds of photo negatives he had rescued from the camp’s photography lab.

Boix later testified about these images in the war crime trials at Nuremberg and Dachau. He described seeing the Nazis beat, torture and murder their victims in Mauthausen and then photograph the bodies. For 2½ years, Boix stole the photographic evidence of their crimes.

He “could not keep those negatives because it was so dangerous,” he testified at Dachau, so he “hid them in various places until the liberation.”

Testimony in the Nuremberg war crime trials. Francesc Boix’s testimony begins at 7:44. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy National Archives and Records Administration. Producer: US Signal Corps)

A lifelong vaccine against extremism

For the American liberators, their up-close view of the horrors of Mauthausen and their interactions with the Spanish antifascist survivors was a lifelong vaccine against extremism.

They witnessed how a fascist leader tore the world apart. They saw with their own eyes the death and destruction of political extremism.

When I interviewed Hartzell, he expressed concern that the United States is going down a dangerous path.

“The USA today is not the USA I fought and came close to dying for,” Hartzell told me.

As American Mauthausen liberator Maj. George E. King warned an interviewer in 1980:

“This is the lesson we have to learn: It could happen here.”

Sara J. Brenneis 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. American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today – https://theconversation.com/american-liberators-of-nazi-camps-got-a-lifelong-vaccine-against-extremism-their-wartime-experiences-are-a-warning-for-today-248813

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City of Derry Jazz Festival announces EY sponsorship

Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

City of Derry Jazz Festival announces EY sponsorship

7 April 2025

St Columb’s Hall will play host to an international medley of talent next month, with the announcement today of the fabulous EY Jazz Lounge on Saturday 3^rd and Sunday 4^th May.

The evenings are being supported by leading professional services company EY as part of an exciting sponsorship arrangement with Derry City and Strabane District Council, following the announcement of the company’s selection of Ebrington Plaza as the location for its new North West office.

The late-night EY Jazz Lounge will bring together some of the most renowned musicians in the world of jazz, led by local jazz legend Paul McIntyre. The line-up features Curtis Efoua Ela (France) drums, Brian Questa (USA) drums and Phil Robson (UK) guitar as well as special guest vocalist Winne Ama.

The intimate gigs are a highlight of a packed programme of events taking place throughout the City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival, which this year runs from Thursday May 01 – Monday May 05.

Council’s Head of Culture, Aeidin McCarter said she was delighted to welcome EY on board for the festival. “The Jazz Festival is one of the city’s flagship events which is vitally important for the local business community and of course the local economy. So I’m delighted that EY are showing their support with this fantastic music showcase event – the perfect way to end an evening on the Jazz Trail.

“As a Council we can take the lead in delivering festivals and events that will enhance the visitor experience here, but we rely very much on the support and good will of our local businesses to really deliver something exceptional. I look forward to working with EY as event partners and I think it’s fantastic that the company is showing its support for the city, and helping to build our profile as a vibrant and exciting visitor destination.”

Aoife Warren, EY UKI Consulting Partner, said: “EY Northern Ireland is delighted to support the City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival. Following the announcement of our newest office location in Northern Ireland in Ebrington Plaza, we are delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with Derry City and Strabane District Council to support the vibrant cultural opportunities that the fantastic City of Derry Jazz Festival brings to the region. At EY, we are proud to support the arts community and we look forward to a weekend of great live music and entertainment.”

This year’s City of Derry Jazz Festival marks 24 years of Ireland’s biggest Jazz extravaganza, and final preparations are now well underway to deliver an unsurpassable programme brimming with the very best home grown and international talent. Over 400 performances will take place over five days, with live music on every stage and street corner.

The City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival is organised and funded by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from Diageo and EY.

Tickets for the EY Jazz Lounge, taking place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4^th May at 11pm, are priced £10 and are available to buy online at www.cityofderryjazzfestival.com/tickets. For regular updates follow the City of Derry Jazz Festival on Facebook Instagram and X @derryjazzfest.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Thales announces next-generation Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for resilient navigation
Source: Thales Group

Headline: Thales announces next-generation Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for resilient navigation

07 Apr 2025

Share this article
- Thales is a global leader in inertial navigation solutions and the first and only manufacturer in France to produce this unique solution based on 3-axis Ring Laser Gyro and MEMS (Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems) accelerometer technology.
- New unit is designed for large-scale production with same level of performance as Thales’s best-in-class TopAxyz IMU, in a lighter, smaller and less power-consuming package.
- This solution is a key achievement resulting from years of research and investment. It is manufactured at Thales’s Valence and Châtellerault sites in France, which provide a sustainable industrial foundation for meeting the long-term demands of both commercial and military markets.
© Thales” id=”image-a12d2c27-d73e-44a5-baa5-72485ff149e4″ data-id=”a12d2c27-d73e-44a5-baa5-72485ff149e4″ data-original=”https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/a12d2c27-d73e-44a5-baa5-72485ff149e4/-/inline/no/Thales+IMU+MEMS.jpg” data-mfp-src=”https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/a12d2c27-d73e-44a5-baa5-72485ff149e4/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/” alt=”© Thales”/>
© Thales

Thales today announces an innovative technology – with the creation of a new Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), in its TopAxyz product line, which uses MEMS technology, creating a breakthrough in navigation solutions.

The new unit, built on Thales’s proven TopAxyz IMU technology, is the result of extensive investment not only in research and development, but also in advanced production facilities, with state-of-the art technology and expertise in inertial navigation. The result is a more resilient navigation system which is more compact (20% smaller), lighter (10% less) and less power-consuming, thanks to the use of MEMS accelerometers, instead of mechanical ones.

Best-in-class performance

TopAxyz is the best-in-class navigation unit on the market today and can be used in a large range of civil and military applications such as aeroplanes, helicopters, UAVs, land vehicles, weapons, launchers and naval. Combat proven, the new IMU maintains the same level of high performance, delivering precise localization, navigation, attitude and heading information, but also offers enhanced resilience in harsh environments such as strong acceleration, vibration, electromagnetic fields and hypervelocity. In commercial aviation, TopAxyz has cumulated 35 million flight hours, demonstrating the best level of accuracy, safety and reliability even in the most critical conditions.

In recent years, GPS jamming and spoofing operations have become increasingly common, affecting the navigation of both civilian and military platforms across all environments – air, land, and sea. Therefore reliable and trustworthy real-time navigation systems that withstand these external threats are essential. The TopAxyz new IMU maintains resilient navigation capability, despite these threats.

Technological innovation

This innovative design is based on Thales’s advanced sensors, using a three-axis Ring Laser Gyrometer (RLG) and three digital MEMS accelerometers with a very small mass and form factor, in a single unit. The MEMS technology facilitates serial production, allowing for a rapid increase in production rates. This development will significantly contribute to the growth of production, which began with the tripling of capacity currently underway at the Thales site in Châtellerault.

Thales – global leader in civil aeronautics and inertial navigation solutions

Thales is a leading player in inertial navigation solutions for over fifty years. This latest-generation Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) capitalizes on the Group’s solid experience expertise in designing high-end Inertial Navigation Systems, based on RLG technology.

Availability

First customer deliveries are expected in early H2 2026.

“With the introduction of MEMS technology, Thales opens a new chapter of its fifty year history in advanced inertial solutions,” said Florent Chauvancy, Vice President Flight Avionics activities, Thales. “This new generation IMU integrating MEMS is a technological and industrial breakthrough towards ever more resilient and competitive navigation solutions, with optimized Size, Weight and Power consumption and best-in-class performance.”
MIL OSI Economics –
April 7, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Committee against Torture Opens Eighty-Second Session in Geneva

Source: United Nations – Geneva

The Committee against Torture this morning opened its eighty-second session, which is being held in Geneva from 7 April to 2 May, during which it will review efforts by Armenia, France, Mauritius, Monaco, Turkmenistan and Ukraine to implement the provisions of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Mahamane Cisse-Gouro, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Representative of the Secretary-General, opening the session, said that the international system was undergoing a tectonic change, and the edifice of human rights that had been built so painstakingly over the decades had never been under such pressure. At the root of this upheaval were the intensification of armed conflicts and crises; the growing influence of authoritarian regimes and the increasing control of autocrats over large swathes of the global economy; social tensions and resentments fuelled by growing inequalities and often directed against refugees, migrants and other vulnerable groups; the impact of climate change on the realisation of fundamental rights; and the misuse of digital technologies to repress, restrict and violate human rights.

In these difficult times, Mr. Cisse-Gouro said, independent voices from treaty bodies were more essential than ever to ensure respect for and implementation of international human rights law. The Committee against Torture played a fundamental role in monitoring and providing guidance to States parties through its concluding observations, general comments and jurisprudence. Mr. Cisse-Gouro encouraged the Committee to continue its invaluable work to strengthen and clarify the applicability of the Convention in a broad range of situations and promote human dignity and justice in all circumstances.

However, Mr. Cisse-Gouro said, in addition to ongoing chronic resource constraints, the current liquidity situation of the United Nations Secretariat had hampered, and continued to hamper, the planning and implementation of the Committee’s work. The Office of the High Commissioner was doing its utmost to ensure that the treaty bodies could carry out their mandates, including highlighting the direct impact of resource limitations on human rights protection on the ground. Nevertheless, all indications suggested that the challenging liquidity situation would persist for the foreseeable future.

The treaty body strengthening process had reached a crucial juncture, Mr. Cisse-Gouro noted. In December last year, the General Assembly adopted the biennial resolution on the treaty body system, which invited the treaty bodies and the Office of the High Commissioner to continue to work to achieve a clear and regularised schedule for reporting by States parties, and to increase their efforts to further use digital technologies in their work. However, the resolution did not endorse the proposal for an eight-year predictable schedule of country reviews.

On Human Rights Day last year, Mr. Cisse-Gouro said, the Geneva Human Rights Platform organised an informal meeting of the Chairs and focal points on working methods, which explored the latest developments in the treaty body system and sought to improve the harmonisation of procedures. The Chairs and focal points also had the opportunity to interact with the coordination committee of special procedures mandate holders, discussing independence and an “all mechanisms” approach to the many challenges the human rights mechanisms were facing. The High Commissioner’s Office would continue to work alongside the treaty bodies to harmonise working methods, particularly in preparation for the annual meeting of the treaty body Chairs in June.

Mr. Cisse-Gouro noted that, at the fifty-eighth session of the Human Rights Council, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk launched his Office’s report on good practices and lessons learned related to transitional justice processes in the context of sustaining peace and sustainable development, which illustrated powerful practices that were victim-centred, inclusive, gender-responsive and innovative. Additionally, the report presented by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief explored the intersections between the right to freedom of religion or belief and the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, with input from the Committee. It showed that States, courts and even those working directly with victims had not consistently taken these rights into consideration in cases raising overlapping concerns, potentially exposing victims to further abuse.

In closing, Mr. Cisse-Gouro expressed the Office of the High Commissioner’s strong support for the Committee’s critical mandate and wished it a successful session.

Claude Heller, Committee Chairperson, said that the Committee agreed that the increasingly deteriorating international situation was fracturing the multilateral system and questioning the values on which United Nations was built. This was a human rights crisis. It was deeply concerning to see States fall short of their obligations under human rights treaties or even withdraw from international human rights bodies. In this context, the Committee needed to continue to fight for these values and principles, the implementation of the Convention, and the prevention of torture.

The United Nations’ liquidity crisis had been felt more deeply recently, Mr. Heller said. States needed to shoulder their obligations to the treaty body system and do everything they could to maintain its operation. The Committee was concerned by the impact of the crisis on its activities but would cooperate with the Office of the High Commissioner to ensure that the efforts to address the situation were aligned.

During the session, Mr. Heller said, the Committee would conduct dialogues to review the reports of Armenia, France, Mauritius, Monaco, Turkmenistan and Ukraine, and would also prepare and adopt lists of issues for Pakistan and Tajikistan and lists of issues prior to reporting for Antigua and Barbuda, Botswana, Iceland, Iraq, Kenya, Montenegro, State of Palestine and Uruguay. Further, the Committee would examine 27 communications, considering 15 communications on the merits and on admissibility and 12 for discontinuance.

Mr. Heller reported that on Tuesday, 29 April, follow-up reports would be presented by the Committee’s Rapporteur for follow-up to concluding observations, the Rapporteur for follow-up on decisions adopted under article twenty-two, and the Rapporteur on reprisals. The Committee would hear a presentation from the Chair of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment on the Subcommittee’s sixteenth annual report in a public meeting on Monday, 14 April, and was also scheduled to adopt its own annual report in a public meeting on Friday, 2 May.

Mr. Heller concluded by thanking States, national human rights organizations, civil society organizations, particularly the World Organization against Torture, and the Committee’s Secretariat for their support of the Committee’s work.

During the meeting, the Committee adopted its provisional agenda for the session.

Documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, will be available on the session’s webpage. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, and webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.

The Committee will next meet in public on Tuesday, 8 April at 10 a.m. to consider the seventh periodic report of Monaco

___________

Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media;
not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

CAT25.001E

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: APO Group Revolutionises Press Release Distribution by Integrating Telegram, Boosting Mobile Accessibility Across Africa

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

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 7, 2025/APO Group/ —

APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the award-winning pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, is pleased to announce the integration of Telegram, the popular mobile instant messaging service, into its press release distribution channels. This exciting new development, which sees the company’s press releases available on the mobile app, further cements APO Group’s position as Africa’s premier digital PR and communications firm, with unmatched reach and engagement in the online space.

With an annual dissemination rate of over 10,000 press releases to more than 250 news websites and 450,000 journalists and bloggers across the continent and globally, APO Group is committed to ensuring that Africa’s stories are shared even more widely and in a manner that is convenient to the continent’s growing mobile population of journalists and news consumers.

Telegram gives these users direct access to the press releases published on APO Group’s www.Africa-Newsroom.com platform, enabling them to instantly share relevant real-time updates and exclusive content with their target audiences. Like the web platform, Telegram subscribers can choose their preferred language channel – English, Arabic, French, or Portuguese – providing bespoke, tailored access to APO Group’s press releases in mobile format.

With close to 53 million downloads (https://apo-opa.co/3FWfLWh) in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in 2024, Telegram has rapidly gained traction amongst the region’s users, fundamentally transforming how news is consumed. Incorporating Telegram into its already comprehensive press release distribution channels supports APO Group’s vision of delivering state-of-the-art communications solutions for Africa and the world.

“At APO Group, we’re not only committed to sharing positive and compelling narratives about the African continent; we also want to make it as easy as possible for journalists to republish our content, enhancing exposure for our clients through a channel that is widely accessible and easy to use, with an unlimited audience size. Tailored functionality ensures that information is relevant, topical, and presented in a user-friendly manner,” explained APO Group CEO Bas Wijne.

“Innovation and digitalisation are key focus areas for us at APO Group when it comes to enhancing our press release distribution services. Telegram presents us with a unique opportunity to further enrich our advanced distribution service, offering journalists a wider range of options to access and share Africa’s stories. This aligns with how the market is evolving, how users are evolving, and how the mobile market is growing.”

In addition to its comprehensive online Africa Newsroom press release distribution platform and the newly launched Telegram mobile news-sharing channel, APO Group is working to provide additional innovative mobile solutions to its clients and the African media in the near future, broadening distribution options even further.

Subscribe to APO Group’s Africa Newsroom Telegram channels using the following links:

English: https://t.me/Africa_Newsroom

French: https://t.me/Africa_Newsroom_FR

Arabic: https://t.me/Africa_Newsroom_AR

Portuguese: https://t.me/Africa_Newsroom_PT

MIL OSI Africa –

April 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival’s outdoor music carnival “ImagineLand 2025” to be held today and tomorrow

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Outdoor music carnival “ImagineLand 2025”, the highlight programme of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2025 (PCF), is being held today and tomorrow (April 5 and 6) from noon to 10pm at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC) Piazza, the Central Lawn & Event Trellis of Salisbury Garden, and the Avenue of Stars free of charge. Today’s (April 5) carnival has attracted many citizens and tourists to watch and participate in its performances and activities.

     The PCF is organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), and one of the programmes, “ImagineLand 2025”, is supported and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency. The Carnival features both daytime and evening programmes. “Go Beyond Concert”, “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” and “Funarts Corner” are available during the day, whereas film programme “Movie Under the Stars” will be held at night.

     “Go Beyond Concert”, curated by veteran music professionals Dr Wong Chi-chung, Chiu Tseng-hei and Vicky Fung, together with young jazz musician Alan Kwan as guest curator, showcases three stages at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, namely the Forest Stage, Grove Stage and Seed Stage, featuring over 35 musicians and artists from Hong Kong and eight countries and regions to perform mesmerising popular songs and original works. Today’s performances at the Forest Stage featured local pop singers such as Ivana Wong, Joey Tang, Cloud, Ashley Lin, and overseas artists including Didirri from Australia, Sunwoojunga from Korea and more. The Grove Stage showcased performances of different musical styles including electronic, jazz, and rap, while the Seed Stage featured energetic performances by young musicians, filling the Piazza with a multicultural atmosphere.

     Tomorrow’s (April 6) performances are also unmissable. The line-up includes erhuist and film composer Wan Pin Chu, the winner of Best Original Music of the 18th Asian Film Awards Ceremony, who will share the stage with renowned local singer-songwriter Yatfung and a cappella group Boonfaysau. Local band Pandora and visiting music groups or musicians, including Naked Feel (the Mainland and Ukraine) , Mathis Picard Trio (France, the United States and the United Kingdom), Invisible Architecture (the United States) and Tomoaki Baba (Japan), will also perform on stage, which should not be missed.

     “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” is now on display featuring Hong Kong comics and animation from different eras and popular characters including Old Master Q, Sau Nga Chun, Ngau Chai and Father from Myboy, Din Dong, Tai Ma Shing, and more to highlight the creativity of local artists. There are themed photo spots where iconic props and fiberglass comic characters are set up for visitors to take pictures with their favourite characters. The exhibition will continue at the HKCC until May 7, and then move to Event Space 1.1, VESSEL, Kwun Tong, for display from May 10 to 29.

     There is a “Funarts Corner” with yarn spinning, paper fan imprinting, a joyful caricature studio, sound healing and music instrument workshops. Visitors can explore and experience Hong Kong’s pop culture in many different ways through the workshops that blend art, music, and crafts.

     “Movie Under the Stars” will be staged at 8pm on both evenings. “Table For Six” (2022) will be screened tonight and “Forbidden City Cop” (1996) on April 6. Audiences can enjoy local comedies while relaxing on the outdoor lawn.

     This year, the LCSD presents the third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, themed “More Than Joy”. Humour has been a trendsetter in Hong Kong’s pop culture scene. The Festival features a diverse range of formats including stage performances, film screenings, thematic exhibitions, and library and outreach activities. Offering insight into the multifaceted development of Hong Kong’s pop culture along the line of “happiness”, the Festival brings audiences not only joy and laughter but also an opportunity to appreciate how pop culture can be transmitted and transformed, and how integration and breakthroughs are possible. For more information, please visit www.pcf.gov.hk/en.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Trade war with the US – protecting EU wine exports – E-001322/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001322/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Joachim Streit (Renew)

US President Donald Trump is threatening to introduce tariffs of up to 200 % on wine, champagne and other alcoholic beverages from the EU if the EU does not withdraw its planned tariffs on US whisky. France would be hit particularly hard, as it exports almost 40 % of its wine from the EU to the US. Germany would also face economic challenges: 15 % of its wine exports go to the US. All in all, the US market is a key consumer for EU-produced wine – 2024 exports were worth EUR 4.9 billion.

1.How does the Commission intend to ensure EU wine producers remain competitive on the US market and mitigate economic damage inflicted by the announced tariffs?

2.What steps are being taken to provide targeted support to affected regions whose economies rely heavily on wine exports?

3.Are there any strategies to diversify export markets and reduce EU wine producers’ dependence on the US?

Submitted: 31.3.2025
Last updated: 7 April 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
April 7, 2025
MIL-OSI: Allstate Canada: Almost 1 in 3 insurance claims are due to a catastrophic weather or climate event
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Homeowners taking steps to prepare during clear blue skies can help reduce the impact of the next storm

MARKHAM, Ontario, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Catastrophic weather and climate events are no longer a rare occurrence in Canada. According to a recent Léger poll conducted on behalf of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada (‘Allstate’), only 27 per cent of Canadian homeowners who responded say they are very confident their home is prepared for a major weather or climate event, such as a tornado, flooding, wildfire, or hail that cause wide-spread damage to communities.

Allstate in-house data shows that 29 per cent of claims it received over the last 10 years – that’s almost 1 in 3 – were from major weather or climate events. Analysis shows the number of claims due to large events was particularly high in 2024, with approximately 2.4 times more claims when compared to 2023.

In fact, the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s industry-wide numbers show that 2024 shattered the record for costliest year for severe weather-related losses in Canadian history, at over $8.5 billion. Given the real possibility of such events in the future, being prepared requires ongoing education and information to support homeowners with adopting proactive behaviours.

‘‘Large weather and climate events are affecting more Canadians more often, year after year,” says Odel Laing, Agency Manager at Allstate Canada. “Insurance coverage can help people recover their homes and vehicles following a severe storm or wildfire, but the family heirlooms, photographs, and other personally important items are more difficult to replace. So, taking steps to prevent or reduce the risk of damage is key.’’

How Homeowners Can Prepare for Catastrophic Weather or Climate Events

Laing offers the following tips that may help protect families and mitigate property damage from a major weather or climate event.
- Create an emergency plan: Identify safe spaces in your home, establish a family communication plan, and know local evacuation routes.
- Build an emergency kit: Have essentials ready for 72 hours, including water, non-perishable food, flashlights, first-aid supplies, and important documents in waterproof containers.
- Secure your property: Install sump pumps, backwater valves, and reinforce windows and doors to help reduce damage from floods and severe storms.
- Prepare for wildfires: Clear dry vegetation around your home, use fire-resistant materials on your home.
- Review and update your insurance: Make sure you have the right coverage you need for you and your family.
For more preparedness advice, visit the GOOD HANDS® blog at blog.allstate.ca/prepare-for-natural-disasters-in-canada.

Léger Poll Methodology
Allstate commissioned Léger to conduct a study among Canadian homeowners to better understand their use of basements, storage habits, flood prevention measures, and overall preparedness for extreme weather events. In order to meet research objectives, an online survey was conducted with 1,000 Canadian homeowners, aged 18 and over, who could express themselves in French or English from January 23 to 27, 2025. It should be noted that due to the non-probabilistic nature of the sample (associated with any web survey), the calculation of the margin of error does not apply. For comparative purposes, a probabilistic sample of 1,000 respondents (web panel) would have a global margin of error of ± 3.1% 19 times out of 20. The margin of error would, however, increase for subgroups.

About Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is a leading home and auto insurer focused on providing its customers prevention and protection products and services for every stage of life. Serving Canadians since 1953, Allstate strives to reassure both customers and employees with its “You’re in Good Hands®” promise. Allstate is committed to making a positive difference in the communities in which it operates through partnerships with charitable organizations, employee giving and volunteerism. To learn more, visit www.allstate.ca. For safety tips and advice, visit www.goodhandsadvice.ca

For more information, please contact:
Stephanie More
Agnostic on behalf of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
416-912-5341
smore@thinkagnostic.com

Maude Gauthier (Quebec only)
Capital-Image on behalf of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
514-915-9469
mgauthier@capital-image.com

Cody Gillen
Public Relations Specialist
905-475-4536
cgillen@allstate.ca

The MIL Network –
April 7, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China Film Administration unveils holiday lineup

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

Officials and filmmakers promote the film lineup for the Qingming Festival and the Labor Day holiday at a promotional event held in Beijing, April 2, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Movie Channel]

The China Film Administration joined forces with filmmakers to hold a press conference on April 2 at the China National Film Museum in Beijing to promote the film lineup for the Qingming Festival and the Labor Day holiday.

The event showcased films slated for release during the Qingming Festival (April 4-6) and the Labor Day holiday (May 1-5).

Among 15 films for the Qingming holiday, highlights include Sha Mo’s “Mumu,” a drama about the deaf community starring pop icon Lay Zhang, and “We Girls,” a gritty drama by renowned director Feng Xiaogang depicting the harsh realities faced by female ex-prisoners as they confront societal challenges and criminal exploitation.

International offerings include Jared Hess’ live-action video game adaptation “A Minecraft Movie” and Kazuya Tsurumaki’s anime film “Mobile Suit Gundam G-QuuuuuuX: Beginning.”

The Hollywood movie “Minecraft” is presented at a promotional event in Beijing, April 2, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Movie Channel]

The Labor Day film season will see eight new releases, including Andrew Lau’s “The Dumpling Queen,” a biopic starring Ma Li about Wan Chai Pier dumpling brand founder Zang Jianhe, and Zhang Qi’s crime film “Trapped,” which has been shortlisted for this year’s Tiantan Award at the Beijing International Film Festival later this month.

Herman Yau’s star-studded financial crime thriller “A Gilded Game” and Wang Mu’s family drama “The One,” a Chinese adaptation of the French film “The Bélier Family” (2014), are also highly anticipated. “Octonauts: The Crisis of the Tsunami” will lead the children’s entertainment slate, continuing the popular animated series.

Andrew Lau introduces “The Dumpling Queen” on stage at a promotional event held in Beijing, April 2, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Movie Channel]

Filmmakers and distributors of several films also took the stage at the event to introduce their projects and highlight each film’s unique appeal.

Additional films releasing in April during the gap between the two holidays were also promoted, including James Hawes’ spy thriller “The Amateur” and Robert Zemeckis’ “Here” — a multigenerational family drama reuniting the “Forrest Gump” creative team.

MIL OSI China News –

April 7, 2025
MIL-OSI: Capgemini to establish AI Center of Excellence in Egypt to accelerate AI-driven innovation for global clients
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press contact:
Mollie Mellows
Tel.: + 44 (0)7342 709384
E-mail: mollie.mellows@capgemini.com

Capgemini to establish AI Center of Excellence in Egypt to accelerate AI-driven innovation for global clients

Cairo, April 7, 2025 – Capgemini today announced it will establish an AI Center of Excellence (CoE) in Egypt focused on accelerating the generative and agentic AI transformation journeys of clients worldwide. Through this new cutting-edge AI hub, Capgemini will invest in research and development, collaborate with local academic institutions, and leverage technology partnerships to help accelerate client adoption of AI at scale. This initiative bolsters Capgemini’s strong ties with Egypt as a strategic innovation hub for global organizations. It also further cements Capgemini’s leadership in AI, reinforcing its commitment to developing talent, leveraging strategic industry partnerships, and accelerating AI-driven innovation to unlock significant value for clients.

Capgemini is committed to driving continued growth and innovation in Egypt. By the end of 2025, it plans to double the number of employees in the country, reaching approximately 1200 highly talented professionals in the fields of digital transformation and innovation.

The new AI hub will house a diverse team of architects, data scientists, product engineers, and project managers, expert in delivering transformative projects from business operations and design to engineering. Clients will benefit from the advantages of time zone alignment, multi-lingual skills, and ease of travel to this conveniently located Global Delivery Center.

“The AI Center of Excellence in this strategic location allows us to support our clients in scaling AI within their own businesses, ensuring they remain at the forefront of innovation,” said Aiman Ezzat, CEO of Capgemini, on the occasion of the France-Egypt Investment Forum. “By investing in the region’s impressive talent and establishing this dedicated AI hub, we are not only fostering significant technological advancements but also creating a robust ecosystem for AI development. Our clients will benefit from enhanced service delivery, industry-specific solutions, and the unique advantages of being supported from Egypt.”

With implementation starting in May 2025, the new AI hub will apply Capgemini’s deep industry-specific expertise to develop intelligent agents that are bespoke to highly regulated industries, such as energy, life sciences and aerospace. It is designed for clients to explore, design and implement cutting-edge technologies that can optimize operations and strategically transform their business, including supply chain and product innovation. By applying advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, Capgemini will help clients across Europe, America, the Middle East, and Asia elevate customer experience to a strategic value driver.

Hossam Seifeldin, CEO of Capgemini in Egypt, said “Egypt is experiencing an impressive growth trajectory, fueled by digitalization and exceptional talent in AI. I am excited to build on the strong foundation we have established in the region. Doubling our workforce and establishing this new AI Center of Excellence will not only drive cutting-edge innovation but also create valuable opportunities for local talent to thrive in a global arena.”

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global business and technology transformation partner, helping organizations to accelerate their dual transition to a digital and sustainable world, while creating tangible impact for enterprises and society. It is a responsible and diverse group of 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong over 55-year heritage, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to unlock the value of technology to address the entire breadth of their business needs. It delivers end-to-end services and solutions leveraging strengths from strategy and design to engineering, all fueled by its market leading capabilities in AI, generative AI, cloud and data, combined with its deep industry expertise and partner ecosystem. The Group reported 2024 global revenues of €22.1 billion.

Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

Attachment
- 04_07_Egypt AI Center of Excellence
The MIL Network –
April 7, 2025

MIL-OSI: Atos brings forward its first quarter 2025 revenue release to April 17, 2025 to synchronize with its liquidity reporting

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release

Atos brings forward its first quarter 2025 revenue release to April 17, 2025 to synchronize with its liquidity reporting

Paris, France – April 7, 2025 – Atos SE announces that it brings forward its Q1 2025 revenue publication date to April 17, 2025 in order to synchronize it with the issuance of its liquidity report required as part of its recurring reporting obligations towards its creditors.

Initially planned on April 25, 2025, the first quarter revenue press release will be issued on April 17, 2025 at 07:30 am (CET – Paris) and will include the Group’s estimated liquidity position as of March 31^st, 2025.

The Group does not plan to hold a conference call on that day and will not provide indications on its 2025 financial objectives, as it will present an update of its strategy and organization during a Capital Markets Day that will be held in Bezons and webcast live on May 14, 2025.

Forthcoming events

April 17, 2025 (Before Market Opening)	First quarter 2025 revenue
May 14, 2025	Capital Markets Day
June 13, 2025	Annual General Meeting

August 1st, 2025 (Before Market Opening)	First semester 2025 results

***

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with circa 78,000 employees and annual revenue of circa €10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 68 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

Contacts

Investor relations:

David Pierre-Kahn | investors@atos.net | +33 6 28 51 45 96

Sofiane El Amri | investors@atos.net | +33 6 29 34 85 67

Individual shareholders: +33 8 05 65 00 75

Press contact: globalprteam@atos.net

Attachment

PR – Atos – Atos reschedules its first quarter 2025 revenue release

The MIL Network –

April 7, 2025

MIL-OSI China: China’s proactive policy helps woo foreign investors

Source: China State Council Information Office

This photo taken on April 26, 2024 shows a BMW electric vehicle displayed at the signing ceremony for deepening strategic cooperation between BMW and Shenyang, in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Despite operating in different industry sectors, several multinational corporations — such as Germany’s Siemens AG, Tapestry Inc of the United States and Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Co — share a common goal of stepping up investment in China’s high-tech and supply chain sectors to stay competitive.

Their top executives, who attended the China Development Forum 2025 in Beijing in March, noted that the Chinese government’s proactive efforts — from expanding domestic demand to fostering emerging and future industries, and deepening international cooperation through greater openness — are sending out strong signals and continuously boosting the confidence of foreign businesses in the Chinese market, despite rising global trade protectionism, unilateralism and geopolitical tensions.

One such company is Mercedes-Benz.

The German automotive group will begin producing the long-wheelbase electric CLA, a compact luxury model, in China this year, followed by the long-wheelbase GLE SUV and an all-new electric van in the coming years.

Ola Kaellenius, chairman of the board of management at Mercedes-Benz, said the company has made significant strides in research and development in China. Powered by its innovation centers in Beijing and Shanghai and supported by 2,000 local experts, the group has advanced its development of connectivity, digitalization, autonomous driving features and electric vehicle transformation.

“Just like other European automotive companies, we have been among the biggest foreign beneficiaries of China’s rapid economic growth,” said Kaellenius.

“At the same time, our industry has been one of the largest recipients of foreign direct investment in China. There is a strong interdependence between China and the European Union. Both sides want to protect jobs in their home markets while reaping the benefits of free international trade,” he added.

Noting that China’s growing focus on boosting domestic consumption is giving global companies greater confidence to invest in the world’s second-largest economy, Joanne Crevoiserat, CEO of Tapestry, said the company is keen to contribute to the country’s consumption upgrade and expansion by bringing more innovative products to this market.

Tapestry is a New York-based luxury goods maker and the parent company of brands like Coach and Kate Spade.

“China is our largest market outside the US, and it is a major source of inspiration for us globally. Many of the innovations we develop here — through partnerships with Chinese companies to serve Chinese consumers — are later introduced to other markets around the world,” Crevoiserat said.

The company, she added, is on track to achieve its goal of opening 100 stores in China between 2022 and 2025, with the milestone set to be reached by the end of this year.

“In addition to investing in physical stores, or brick-and-mortar retail, we will also invest in digital, particularly with the advancements in the Chinese market, as local consumers are fairly digitally engaged,” she said. “So, we have been making investments into our digital capabilities and meeting the consumer demand in an omnichannel way.”

Christophe Weber, president, CEO and representative director of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co, expressed a similar opinion.

Takeda will make targeted investments in data and digital solutions in China to unleash the power of new technology for the future of healthcare, he said.

In January, the Japanese company announced the signing of an investment cooperation agreement to establish its China innovation center in Chengdu, Sichuan province. The new facility will focus on digital healthcare innovation and leverage big data and artificial intelligence technologies to develop solutions.

Eager to stabilize its appeal to global investors in 2025, China will further open up internet-related, cultural and other sectors in a well-regulated manner and expand pilot programs to open fields such as telecommunications, medical services and education, according to this year’s Government Work Report.

The country will encourage foreign investors to increase reinvestment and support collaboration among upstream and downstream enterprises along industrial chains.

The report said national treatment will be ensured for foreign-funded enterprises in areas such as access to production factors, licensing, standards setting and government procurement.

Sang Baichuan, dean of the University of International Business and Economics’ Institute of International Economy in Beijing, said that China enjoys a stable political, economic and social environment when compared to several other countries.

Amid mounting global economic headwinds, China’s steadfast commitment to opening-up, backed by consistent government support and a more level playing field, is encouraging, Sang said.

As China’s innovation capabilities grow, foreign investors are increasingly shifting from “a manufacturingonly focus to collaborative research and development”, he added.

Noting that high-tech, high-efficiency and high-quality growth have become key drivers of China’s economic transformation, aligning with its focus on new quality productive forces, Roland Busch, president and CEO of Siemens AG, said the country has made rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.

First introduced in 2023, new quality productive forces refer to advanced productivity freed from the traditional economic growth mode and productivity development paths.

Busch said innovations such as the open-source foundational model R1 by Chinese AI startup Deep-Seek are examples of how “China surprises us with innovations”.

This momentum is not limited to the private sector.

China’s centrally administered State-owned enterprises, such as State Grid Corp of China and China Mobile Ltd, have deployed AI technologies across more than 500 scenarios in key sectors such as manufacturing, smart vehicles, energy and power, according to information released by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the country’s top State assets regulator, in late March.

These solutions have significantly reduced costs for central SOEs and their partners as well as improved efficiency in research and development, production and customer service.

Seeing more opportunities in areas such as healthcare, consumption, advanced manufacturing and innovation-driven development, a total of 7,574 foreign-invested enterprises were newly established in China in the first two months of this year, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent, said the Ministry of Commerce.

Investment from the United Kingdom, Germany and South Korea climbed by 87.9 percent, 54.7 percent and 45.2 percent year-on-year, respectively, in the first two months, according to the ministry.

During separate meetings with several US business leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Wendell Weeks, chairman and CEO of Corning Inc, in Beijing in March, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao said that China’s economy continues to consolidate and expand its recovery momentum even though it faces growing external uncertainties.

Wang said ongoing policy measures will strongly support economic growth. China will continue to create favorable conditions for foreign companies to increase their investments within its market.

The minister stressed that trade wars produce no winners and protectionism offers no solutions. As the world’s two largest economies, stronger China-US economic and trade cooperation is consistent with economic principles, while decoupling and supply chain disruptions would harm all parties involved, he said.

Miguel Lopez, CEO of German industrial conglomerate Thyssenkrupp AG, said China is not only one of the largest markets for many foreign companies, but also home to the world’s most comprehensive industrial and supply chains, supported by a well-developed logistics system.

Thyssenkrupp will continue to strengthen supply chain management in China and establish closer relationships with local suppliers. This will not only improve risk resilience and lower costs, but also benefit its global markets, Lopez said.

“Looking ahead, only through open collaboration, technological innovation and sustainable development can we collectively build a more stable and efficient global supply chain,” he said.

Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of Danone SA, a French multinational food products company, said that given China’s economic significance, a healthy and growing China benefits the entire world.

“Growth in China contributes to the expansion of the global economy, and a thriving global economy, in turn, supports shared prosperity and peace,” he added.

Between January and February, foreign-invested businesses in China saw their export value grow 6.9 percent year-on-year to 1.08 trillion yuan ($148.9 billion), according to the General Administration of Customs.

MIL OSI China News –

April 7, 2025

Date	Number of shares composing current share capital	Total number of voting rights
31 March 2025	800,316,777	Gross: 888,605,454

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