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Category: France

  • Dominant France thrash Wales 4-1 at Euro 2025 to go top of group

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    France produced a dominant display to thrash Wales 4-1 and go top of Group D at Euro 2025 on Wednesday, outclassing their opponents who scored their first goal at a major championship.

    After England beat the Netherlands 4-0 earlier in the day, France went top of the group on six points, followed by the English and the Dutch on three points each.

    Wales, who face England in their final group game on Sunday, have yet to register a point but still have a mathematical chance of going through to the knockouts. France face the Netherlands in their last group game.

    Clara Mateo was at the centre of much of France’s attacking play and lashed them into an early lead, controlling a flick-on from a corner on her chest and firing a volley into the net in the eighth minute.

    The moment thousands of Wales fans had been waiting for came five minutes later when Ceri Holland broke down the left and though her first attempt to find Jess Fishlock was blocked, she managed to steer the ball to the 38-year-old, who poked home Wales’ maiden goal at the women’s European Championship finals.

    That was as good as it got for Wales, who looked set to go into the break level only for Holland to chop down Mateo in the box and Kadidiatou Diani’s spot kick crept over the line after striking the foot of keeper Safia Middleton-Patel.

    Middleton-Patel was at fault just after the break as she lost control of the ball in the box, allowing Mateo to tee up Amel Majri, who thumped it into the net.

    After that the Welsh wilted as the French dominated, with Grace Geyoro scoring their fourth in the 63rd minute, steering home a ball from the right following an extended period of possession to crown a convincing win.

    “We’ve got six points after two matches and that’s what we need to remember. It won’t be an easy (next) game because the Netherlands will have no choice but to attack and score goals,” France coach Laurent Bonadei said.

    Mateo was impressed with how her side bounced back from Fishlock’s equalising goal and how they went on to dominate.

    “We had a bit of a scare at the start of the game but we had confidence in ourselves. It was a great evening, there are different strikers and that’s important for everyone’s confidence,” she said.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Russia: UK and French leaders pledge to jointly combat illegal migration

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    LONDON, July 10 (Xinhua) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with French President Emmanuel Macron at his Downing Street residence on Wednesday, vowing to work together to combat illegal migration.

    “The leaders agreed that tackling the threat of illegal migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires joint solutions,” said a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

    “Both leaders agreed on the need to move forward and make progress in developing new and innovative solutions, including new deterrents to disrupt the business model of these gangs,” the statement said.

    Despite joint funding and collaboration, more than 20,000 people have arrived in the UK from France on small boats across the English Channel this year, a 50 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.

    Both leaders are under enormous pressure in their countries over a surge in far-right and anti-immigration political sentiment. In a speech to the British parliament on Tuesday, Mr Macron called the issue a “burden” for both countries. It remains unclear whether the two sides will reach a new deal to combat illegal migration during the French president’s three-day visit.

    During their meeting on Wednesday, the leaders also discussed joint efforts to further deepen the partnership, from strengthening defense cooperation to increasing bilateral trade and investment.

    A British-French summit is planned for Thursday, at which both sides aim to make concrete progress in these areas, the statement said.

    Macron began a state visit to the UK on Tuesday, the first such visit by a French president since 2008. Macron is also the first head of state from the European Union to visit the UK on a state visit since Brexit. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Trump imposes 50% tariffs on Brazil after spat with Lula

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the U.S. would impose a 50% tariff on all imports from Brazil after a spat this week with his Brazilian counterpart who called him an unwanted “emperor.”

    Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva fired back on Wednesday, saying new tariffs would be met with reciprocal measures.

    In a letter, Trump linked the tariffs to Brazil’s treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial over charges of plotting a coup to stop Lula from taking office in 2023.

    The levies were imposed due “in part to Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans,” the letter said.

    Brazil’s real currency added to earlier losses to fall over 2% against the dollar after the announcement, and companies such as planemaker Embraer EMBR3.SA and oil major Petrobras PETR4.SA also suffered setbacks in the stock market.

    Lula, his vice-president, his finance minister, and others held an emergency meeting in Brasilia on Wednesday night to discuss the new levies.

    In a lengthy post to social media after the meeting, Lula said Trump’s accusations that trade between the two countries was unfair to the U.S. were false, stressing the U.S. runs a trade surplus against Brazil.

    “Sovereignty, respect, and the unwavering defense of the interests of the Brazilian people are the values that guide our relationship with the world,” Lula wrote.

    The U.S. is Brazil’s second-largest trading partner after China and the tariffs are a major increase from the 10% announced in April. Trump’s letter said the 50% tariff will start August 1 and will be separate from all sectoral tariffs.

    On Monday, Lula pushed back against Trump after the U.S. leader threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on the BRICS group of developing nations, which he called “anti-American.”

    “The world has changed. We don’t want an emperor,” Lula told reporters when asked at a BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro about the possible BRICS tariff.

    BOLSONARO ‘WITCH HUNT’

    Tensions between the United States and Brazil had already intensified on Wednesday after Brazil’s foreign ministry summoned the U.S. Embassy chargé d’affaires over a statement defending Bolsonaro.

    Around the same time, Trump, speaking to reporters at an event with West African leaders at the White House, said Brazil “has not been good to us, not good at all,” adding the tariff rates would be based on “very, very substantial facts” and past history.

    The U.S. Embassy in Brasilia confirmed on Wednesday its chargé d’affaires had a meeting with officials from Brazil’s foreign ministry, though it declined to share details about the conversation.

    Trump’s support for Bolsonaro echoed his support for other global leaders who have faced domestic legal cases like French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump has called cases against those leaders a “witch hunt,” a term he used for cases he faced himself in the U.S. after the end of his first term in office.

    Trump said in a social media post on Monday that Bolsonaro was the victim of such a “witch hunt.” The U.S. Embassy in Brasilia issued a statement on Wednesday to the local press echoing his remarks.

    “The political persecution of Jair Bolsonaro, his family and his supporters is shameful and disrespectful of Brazil’s democratic traditions,” it said.

    In a post on social media, Bolsonaro did not mention Trump, but said he “is persecuted because he remains alive in the public consciousness. Even out of power, he remains the most remembered—and most feared—name.”

    In his letter, Trump also directed U.S. Trade Representative James Greer to initiate a probe into what he called unfair trade practices by Brazil, particularly on U.S. companies’ digital trade. Trump also criticized decisions from Brazil’s Supreme Court that he said censored social media firms.

    Brazil’s Supreme Court has long been criticized by Bolsonaro’s allies for ordering social media websites to take down content from leaders of their far-right movement. The court also imposed more responsibilities on those companies last month.

    In his post on Wednesday, Lula rebuffed Trump’s accusations of a witch hunt and said the case against Bolsonaro was up for the courts to decide and not subject to any “threats that could compromise the independence of national institutions.”

    Lula also defended his country’s Supreme Court and its ruling on social media and said “freedom of expression must not be confused with aggression or violent practice.”

    IMPACT ON FOOD EXPORTS

    The tariffs on Brazil could have a significant impact on food prices in the United States. Around a third of the coffee consumed in the U.S., the world’s largest drinker of the beverage, comes from Brazil, which is the world’s largest coffee grower. Annual Brazilian coffee exports to the U.S. are close to 8 million bags, according to industry groups.

    More than half of the orange juice sold in the U.S. comes from Brazil, which has an 80% share of the juice’s global trade. The South American agricultural powerhouse also sells sugar, beef and ethanol to the U.S., among other products.

    “This measure impacts not only Brazil, but the whole U.S. juice industry that employs thousands of people and has had Brazil as its main supplier for decades,” said Ibiapaba Netto, the executive director of Brazilian orange juice industry group CitrusBR.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI China: Enrique eyes more history for PSG after reaching Club World Cup final

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

    Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique urged his team to make one final push to complete a perfect season following their 4-0 victory over Real Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals on Wednesday.

    “I feel great, it was difficult to play this kind of match against a team like Real Madrid, everything is good, and we are happy with the performance, we deserve to win,” the 55-year-old said at the post-match press conference.

    Luis Enrique (C), head coach of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates after the semifinal match between Paris Saint-Germain (France) and Real Madrid (Spain) at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, the United States, July 9, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

    PSG has already secured a domestic league and cup double and captured its first UEFA Champions League title. A win over Chelsea in Sunday’s final would further cement a historic season for the club.

    “We are one step from making a new history of Paris. That is the objective since the beginning, but it is always very difficult to achieve these things, very few teams can do what we are trying to do. If we can achieve our goal, that will be massive for us and for our fans,” Enrique said.

    Fabian Ruiz, who scored twice in the first half, was named man of the match. With three goals so far in the tournament, he has a chance to claim the Golden Boot if he scores again in the final. The Spaniard, however, said his main focus is helping the team win.

    “I always try to give the best of myself to help the team. It’s true that I’m having a great tournament, and I think the fundamental thing is the team and I can help the team win on Sunday, and being able to score a goal and being able to be the top scorer for me is fantastic, but above all is the team,” the 29-year-old said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US imposes sanctions on UN human rights expert

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    LOS ANGELES, July 9 (Xinhua) — The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions against a senior UN official over her role in investigating alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians.

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the sanctions were aimed at UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, accusing her of “illegal and shameful efforts” to encourage action by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against US and Israeli officials, companies and their executives.

    The move is the latest attempt by Washington to stifle an international investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel amid ongoing military operations in Gaza.

    The sanctions were imposed under an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in February that authorized punitive measures against the International Criminal Court for what the U.S. administration called “unlawful and baseless actions” against the United States and Israel. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Bombing of the Rainbow Warrior: A reminder of the power of persistence and resistance, hope and action, to change the world

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Auckland, New Zealand – 40 years ago today, Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior was bombed and sunk in Auckland Harbour by French secret service agents in an operation that murdered photographer Fernando Pereira. The commemoration coincides with Greenpeace resisting a new wave of attacks from the billionaires and corporate polluters who plunder our precious planet. 

    The bombing was an attempt to silence anti-nuclear protests in the Pacific. It backfired, igniting a global outcry and galvanising a movement. “You Can’t Sink a Rainbow” became a rallying call for resistance. It was a call to courage, putting hope into action for a better world.

    Mads Christensen, Greenpeace International Executive Director, said:

    “Whether forty years ago or today, Greenpeace will resist, we will persist, and we will win. Alongside our allies, and inspired by the courage of those who came before us, the global community of people working together in hope and for each other will prevail over those who plunder the planet for profit and power.”

    “This anniversary is a moment to remember Fernando Pereira. It is a moment to remember that when we join together, we can, and have changed the world for the better.”

    “In 1985, the French government wasn’t just trying to sink a ship – it was attempting to sink a movement, to attack activism, and to silence the voice of hope. They failed. They blew wind in our sails.”

    “Greenpeace and the movement refused to back down and continued to campaign against nuclear testing until, in 1996, we won.”

    “In 2025, civil society is under increased attacks from billionaires and fossil fuel companies trying to silence dissent, but we will show again that hope rises as we join together to meet this moment with increased unity and courage”.

    In 1985, the Rainbow Warrior had just helped relocate the people of Rongelap to Mejatto. The 300 Marshall Islanders were suffering severe health effects – including radiation sickness, birth defects, and high cancer rates – as a consequence of the fallout from the notorious 1954 US Castle Bravo nuclear weapons test at Bikini Atoll.

    The crew then sailed to Auckland to join protests against French nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific. The Rainbow Warrior was to lead a flotilla of boats into the test zone to disrupt and draw international attention to atmospheric nuclear tests.

    In the wake of the bombing protests and international pressure against nuclear weapons testing continued to build. Greenpeace mounted three further protest expeditions to Mururoa in 1990, 1992 and 1995 on board the Rainbow Warrior II.

    In 1995 the Rainbow Warrior sailed into the test zone, defying exclusion orders and attempting to disrupt the tests, drawing global media attention and support. French forces seized the ship and arrested the crew, sparking widespread international condemnation. Although six tests went ahead, the intense backlash contributed to President Jacques Chirac announcing a permanent end to nuclear testing and signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996.

    ENDS

    Notes:

    Pictures and video of the Rainbow Warrior lit up as a “beacon of resistance”

    Contacts:

    Simon Black, Greenpeace International:  +61 420 488 219, [email protected]

    Nick Young, Greenpeace Aotearoa: +6421707727, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk, [email protected], phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI China: EU seeks trade deal framework with US, keeps retaliation option open: Officials

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

    The European Union (EU) is pushing for a framework of trade agreement in principle with the United States while retaining the options to retaliate, multiple EU officials said on Wednesday.

    “We are looking for a reliable framework — from which we can keep building our common trade,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament during a plenary session in Strasbourg, France.

    While reaffirming the EU’s adherence to its principles and readiness for “all scenarios,” von der Leyen said the 27-nation bloc favored a negotiated settlement.

    A Commission spokesperson echoed von der Leyen’s remarks, adding that an agreement in principle could be reached “in the coming days.”

    “We’re working hard to get an agreement in principle with the U.S., and that is where our focus is at this point,” the spokesperson said.

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would “probably” send a letter to the EU within two days, adding: “A letter means a deal.”

    “They treated us very badly until recently, and now they’re treating us very nicely. It’s like a different world, actually,” he said.

    Trump also escalated trade tensions by threatening tariffs of up to 200 percent on foreign pharmaceuticals and 50 percent on copper. According to EU data, medical and pharmaceutical products, as well as medicaments have been among the bloc’s top exports to the United States over the past two years.

    EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic told lawmakers that Brussels and Washington had made “good progress” on the text of a joint statement or agreement in principle.

    “I hope to reach a satisfactory conclusion, potentially even in the coming days,” Sefcovic said. However, he emphasized that EU legislation and regulatory autonomy remain “red lines” and are “non-negotiable” in the talks.

    Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, said the EU continues to face “illegal and unjustified” U.S. tariffs, referring to the 50 percent duties on steel and aluminum, and the 25 percent on cars and auto parts.

    “Of course, we are not really accepting this,” Lange told reporters in Strasbourg, adding that two key issues remain unresolved: Washington has yet to commit to significantly cutting existing tariffs or refraining from new ones.

    Lange warned that the EU is prepared to retaliate, with a first package of countermeasures set to take effect on July 14 if no agreement is reached.

    Regarding Trump’s letter, Lange said the EU had not received any correspondence so far and had “no clue” about its contents. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: PSG crush Real Madrid 4-0 to reach Club World Cup final

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

    Fabian Ruiz scored two first-half goals as Paris Saint-Germain reached the FIFA Club World Cup final on Wednesday with a 4-0 rout of Real Madrid.

    Ruiz struck either side of an assured Ousmane Dembele finish as PSG raced to an early 3-0 lead before substitute Goncalo Ramos added a fourth goal three minutes from time.

    The reigning French and European champions will meet Chelsea in the final at the same venue on Sunday.

    PSG took control from the outset in the all-European semifinal, with Ruiz cutting inside and forcing a diving save from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

    The Belgian goalkeeper was again called into action a minute later, showing sharp reflexes to turn the ball away after Nuno Mendes’ goal-bound attempt.

    The Parisian outfit went ahead in the sixth minute when Raul Asencio dithered inside Real Madrid’s box and the ball fell to Ruiz, who slotted into an empty net after Courtois rushed off his line.

    Dembele then finished clinically after Antonio Rudiger gave the ball away in his own half. The former Barcelona forward has now scored 27 goals in 33 games for his club in 2025.

    PSG was in rampant form and Ruiz made it 3-0 by firing low past Courtois following Dembele’s cross.

    At times it looked as if PSG was toying with Real Madrid’s defense. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia went close to scoring again when he beat Asencio with ease in the penalty area, dancing around the center-back before lashing just wide.

    Courtois prevented his team from entering halftime with a four-goal deficit, executing a fingertip save after Mendes’ dipping shot from distance.

    Real Madrid moved the ball with greater fluency after the break and Kylian Mbappe sent a 20-yard attempt over the bar after a slick exchange with Federico Valverde.

    Vinicius Junior, who struggled to make an impact in an uncustomary role on the right wing, then had a rare shot on goal before Jude Bellingham’s powerful long-range effort was blocked by Lucas Beraldo.

    One of the few highlights for Real Madrid was the encouraging form of Eder Militao, fit again after suffering the second anterior cruciate ligament injury of his career in November last year.

    The Brazilian defender, who replaced Asencio in the 64th minute, helped tighten Madrid’s defense and twice went close to scoring late on – sending a header just wide and drawing a full-stretch save from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a low drive.

    But Paris Saint-Germain’s defense proved unbreakable, while at the other end, its appetite for goals remained undimmed.

    Ramos completed the rout by receiving Bradley Barcola’s pass and turning superbly out of trouble before rifling a shot past Courtois. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Everton sign striker Thierno Barry from Villareal

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

    Everton is on the verge of signing French striker Thierno Barry from Villarreal for a fee in the region of 27 million pounds (37 million U.S. dollars).

    Barry flew to Liverpool on Tuesday for his medical check and on Wednesday posted a message to supporters of his former club, all but confirming a done-deal to move to the Premier League.

    “It has been a great honor to have worn this shirt,” wrote Barry on social media.

    “Thank you for the love you’ve given me since day one, with that beautiful memory of my first goal in the stadium. That’s what gave me the strength to go out fighting every weekend for you.”

    “I want to thank my teammates for letting me live an incredible year, full of joy and wonderful people I’ve met within the club and the team,” he added, while also thanking Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia Toral.

    The 22-year-old striker scored 11 goals and gave four assists last season as Villarreal produced an impressive campaign to finish in fifth place in La Liga.

    Barry stood out for his pace and power, which allowed him to lead the Spanish side’s attack and create space for teammates such as Ayoze Perez and Alex Baena.

    He will replace Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who left Everton at the end of June after failing to sign a new contract. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Technology – Moldova’s Virtual IT Park Attracts Global Attention with Record Growth and €1 Billion Revenue Target – MITP

    Source: Moldova Innovation Technology Park (MITP)

    Chisinau, Moldova, July 9th,2025 – Moldova Innovation Technology Park (MITP), the first fully virtual IT park in Europe and a key pillar of Moldova’s innovation ecosystem, continues to break records and transform the country’s economic landscape.

    In 2025, MITP expects its resident companies to generate over €1 billion in revenue, representing a 30% increase compared to 2024 and reaffirming the IT sector as a major engine of Moldova’s economic growth.

    Launched in 2018 by the Government of Moldova, MITP has rapidly evolved into a gateway to Eastern Europe’s emerging tech scene. Today, it unites over 2,370 resident companies from 43 countries, including new entrants from the United States, Germany, the UK, Italy, Ukraine, France, and many others. In 2024 alone, 533 new companies joined — the highest annual growth since the park’s creation.

    “The regional geopolitical context has played a decisive role. In 2021, MITP hosted only three Ukrainian companies. By 2024, this number had surged more than fourteen-fold due to strategic relocations caused by the war. Meanwhile, the number of Romanian-owned companies nearly doubled over the past three years, influenced in part by recent tax changes affecting Romania’s IT sector,”

    — said Marina Bzovîi, Administrator of MITP.

    Beyond the IT sector, Moldova is undergoing a structural economic transformation, marked by a decisive shift from goods-based production to a service-driven growth model. In 2025, the country recorded three historic milestones in services exports:

    $626 million USD in Q1 alone — a record high for the first quarter
    $2.8 billion USD annually — an all-time maximum
    Services now represent 44.5% of total exports, the highest share in Moldova’s history

    IT services lead this growth, totaling $686 million USD, followed by transportation services ($561 million), and business support services ($279 million). Education and health services are also on a strong upward trajectory. As a result, Moldova now enjoys a $900 million USD trade surplus in services, helping offset deficits in goods and positioning the country as a dynamic, services-driven economy.

    “Moldova’s economic model is undergoing a profound transformation — from a traditional, goods-based economy to one driven by high-value services and digital innovation. The extraordinary growth of MITP is a testament to our unwavering commitment to building a future-ready, service-oriented economy that creates skilled jobs and attracts global investors. As we accelerate our digital transformation and promote smart regulation, Moldova is emerging as a competitive, innovation-led destination in the heart of Europe.”
     

    — Doina Nistor, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digitalization and Economic Development of the Republic of Moldova

    MITP is home to pioneering companies that have chosen Moldova as the ideal place to innovate and grow. For example, Parkopedia, founded by Eugene Tsyrklevich, began as a small operation and now provides smart parking solutions for global automotive giants such as BMW, Audi, and Toyota — all developed from Moldova, thanks to MITP’s supportive environment. Meanwhile, Argus AI, co-founded by neurosurgeon Alexandru Andrusca and AI expert Vladimir Verbulski, has created an advanced virtual reality system for neurosurgical planning, making such technology more accessible worldwide. These success stories showcase Moldova’s emergence as an unexpected but highly attractive home for cutting-edge tech and ambitious entrepreneurs.

    The economic impact of MITP is substantial: in 2024, resident companies contributed over €78 million to Moldova’s public budget, four times more than in 2017. About half of this amount comes from businesses established after the park’s launch, highlighting MITP’s role as a catalyst for job creation, investment attraction, and Moldova’s growing digital competitiveness.

    About Moldova Innovation Technology Park (MITP)

    Launched in early 2018 by the Government of Moldova, MITP is an innovative, fully virtual IT park designed to strengthen Moldova’s technology ecosystem and enhance its regional competitiveness. The park offers a unique 7% single tax system, simplified immigration procedures (including an IT Visa program), reduced bureaucratic barriers, and the possibility of a fully virtual presence.

    MITP serves as a central access point to the most attractive incentives and services in the IT sector. Its multi-stakeholder governance model and fully virtual structure make it a one-of-a-kind success story in Europe. The park’s mission is to act as a catalyst for IT investments by promoting flexible government policies, fostering an environment for ICT innovation, and driving Moldova’s economic digital transformation.

    Created for a 20-year period, MITP now unites over 2,370 resident companies from 43 countries, positioning Moldova as a rising tech destination on the global map.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Lactalis’ proposed acquisition of Fonterra’s consumer, dairy ingredients and food service businesses not opposed

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    The ACCC will not oppose Lactalis BSA S.A.S. (Lactalis)’s proposed acquisition of Fonterra Co-Operative Group (Fonterra)’s consumer, dairy ingredients and food service businesses.

    Lactalis and Fonterra both currently acquire raw milk from dairy farmers in Victoria and Tasmania, as well as processing and supplying a range of dairy products across Australia.

    “We looked very closely at the transaction as it will combine two of the largest buyers of raw milk in Victoria and lead to some further consolidation in Tasmania,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

    “While we acknowledge the concerns raised by some representative bodies, after careful consideration we have determined that the acquisition is unlikely to result in a substantial lessening of competition.”

    The ACCC found that across Gippsland, the Murray and Western Victoria, alternative buyers of raw milk would continue to constrain Lactalis if the acquisition proceeded.

    “We found that while the industry in Tasmania is already concentrated, Lactalis has a limited presence and the acquisition would not substantially alter the market dynamics. If the acquisition proceeded, Lactalis would continue to be constrained by Saputo and, to a lesser extent, Mondelez,” Mr Keogh said.

    “Because Fonterra and Lactalis have differing end product mixes, they often seek to acquire milk from farmers with different production profiles. Accordingly, we found that they are not likely to be each other’s closest competitors. This was reflected by analysis which showed very few farmers switched between the two processors.”

    The ACCC also concluded that the transaction was unlikely to substantially lessen competition in the wholesale supply of dairy products such as drinking milk, cream, cheese, chilled yellow spreads and dairy ingredients like milk powder.

    The differing production focus of Fonterra and Lactalis meant that there was limited overlap between the two in the supply of these products.

    For longer-life, readily transportable products such as cheese, dairy ingredients and chilled yellow spreads, the ACCC found that retailers and wholesalers would also continue to benefit from import competition.

    “Supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths are also major customers in this market, with significant levels of bargaining power,” Mr Keogh said.

    “They also have the ability to sponsor new entry or even enter directly, as Coles has demonstrated through its acquisition of Saputo’s milk processing assets.”

    Further information can be found on the ACCC’s public register: Lactalis (BSA S.A.S.) – businesses within the Fonterra Co-operative Group.

    Note to editors

    The term “chilled yellow spreads” refers to butter and other products with a similar texture and fat content, such as margarine.

    The term “raw milk” refers to unpasteurised cow’s milk, whereas “drinking milk” refers to milk that has been pasteurised to make it safe for human consumption. 

    Background

    The ACCC commenced a review of the proposed acquisition on 2 May 2025. As part of the review, the ACCC consulted industry stakeholders including farmers, dairy groups, retailers and foodservice businesses.

    Lactalis BSA S.A.S. is a French multinational dairy group based in Laval, France. Lactalis business activities include acquiring raw milk from farmers and processing it into dairy products and ingredients for domestic consumption and export. In Australia, it owns a range of brands such as Pauls, Vaalia, Oak, Président and Lactalis Foodservice.

    Fonterra is a New Zealand-based dairy co-operative which is owned by around 8,000 New Zealand farmers. In Australia, Fonterra processes raw milk acquired from its farmers into various dairy products as part of its ingredients and consumer and food service businesses.

    It owns consumer brands such as Western Star, Mainland, and Perfect Italiano, and produces certain Bega Cheese products under licence. It supplies foodservice products via the Anchor Food Professionals brand.

    While the ACCC has reviewed the proposed acquisition of Fonterra’s consumer, dairy ingredients and food service businesses by Lactalis, this is not an indication that Lactalis’ bid will ultimately be accepted by the target business.

    Whether Fonterra will ultimately accept Lactalis’ bid is a matter for Fonterra. 

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace holds dawn commemoration of 40 years since Rainbow Warrior bombing, death of photographer Fernando Pereira

    Source: Greenpeace

    Greenpeace Aotearoa held a dawn ceremony on board the Rainbow Warrior this morning to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the original Rainbow Warrior and the death of photographer Fernando Pereira. The ceremony was hosted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and attended by over a 150 people.
    Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr Russel Norman, speaking from the deck of the Rainbow Warrior says, “French government agents came from the other side of the planet not only to kill our friend and colleague, and to kill our ship, but most of all they came here to try to kill our dream of a nuclear free Pacific.
    “And it is true that they killed Fernando, and it is true that they sank the first Rainbow Warrior, now resting in the north of Aotearoa under the watchful eye of Ngāti Kura at Matauri Bay.
    “But it is not true that they killed our dream of a nuclear-free Pacific. In fact, their act of violence was a catalyst for the further growth of the nuclear-free movement here and around the world.”
    At the time of the bombing in 1985, the Rainbow Warrior was preparing to lead a flotilla to Mororoa to protest French nuclear testing.
    Greenpeace International Programme Director Carmen Gravitt, also speaking from the Rainbow Warrior, said, “The French government tried to silence these voices with violence, fear, and intimidation. But they miscalculated. Instead of breaking our movement, they amplified it. They blew wind into our sails.”
    “We built a new Rainbow Warrior and sailed to Moruroa. The peoples of the Pacific rose. And the world joined them. Together, we did not stop – not until we won and France halted its nuclear testing.
    “Every right we have today was won by people who dared to fight for it. People who demanded the vote even when it was dangerous, workers who demanded dignity even when it cost them everything, indigenous peoples and frontline communities who demanded justice even when no one thought they could win. Today, we also honour them. And humbly seek to carry their legacy forward.”
    In the wake of the bombing of the first Rainbow Warrior, protests and international pressure against nuclear weapons testing continued to build. Greenpeace mounted three further protest expeditions to Mururoa in 1990, 1992 and 1995 on board the second Rainbow Warrior.
    In 1995, the Rainbow Warrior sailed into the test zone, defying exclusion orders and attempting to disrupt the tests, drawing global media attention and support. French forces seized the ship and arrested the crew, sparking widespread international condemnation. Although six tests went ahead, the intense backlash contributed to France announcing a permanent end to nuclear testing in 1996.
    Greenpeace Aotearoa says today is a moment to reflect on the past, and remember the life of Fernando Pereira, the photographer who was killed in the bombing. But the organisation also says it is a moment to look to the future and to challenge current attacks on environmental protest.
    “There’s no doubt that we’re facing challenging times. Nature is under attack. Peace and democracy are under attack too. The world feels more unstable than ever,” says Norman.
    “But when the environment and democracy are threatened, we all have to step up and get braver. The bravery of the nuclear-free activists – who sailed into a test zone and put themselves at enormous risk – is an inspiration for the courage we need to find now in the face of the climate and biodiversity crisis.”
    The Rainbow Warrior will be open for tours of the ship for the next two week

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Storm Shadow and missile cooperation to boost jobs as UK and France reboot defence relationship

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    New Storm Shadow and missile cooperation to boost jobs as UK and France reboot defence relationship

    A new ‘Entente Industrielle’ will support thousands of UK jobs across projects including air-to air missiles

    Britain and France are to order more highly lethal Storm Shadow cruise missiles, while stepping up work on its replacement as part of a new refreshed agreement signed today (Thursday 10 July). 

    The new agreement will see the UK and France commit to launch the next phase of their joint project for both deep strike and anti-ship missiles – a step closer to selecting a final design for Storm Shadow’s replacement. 

    The joint development effort will sustain 1,300 highly skilled jobs across the UK, boosting the economy in line with the Government’s Plan for Change. Upgrading the existing Storm Shadow production lines will support more than 300 jobs at manufacturer MBDA. 

    The Prime Minister and President Emmanuel Macron will also today agree to deepen their nuclear cooperation and work more closely than ever before on nuclear deterrence.

    In an important step forward for the UK-France nuclear partnership – a newly signed declaration will state for the first time that the respective deterrents of both countries are independent but can be co-ordinated, and that there is no extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response by both nations.

    As such, any adversary threatening the vital interests of Britain or France could be confronted by the strength of the nuclear forces of both nations. Co-operation between both countries on nuclear research will also deepen, while working together to uphold the international non-proliferation architecture.

    The UK and France are Europe’s only nuclear powers, with deterrents that contribute significantly to the overall security of NATO and the Euro-Atlantic.

    Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said:

    From war in Europe, to new nuclear risks and daily cyber-attacks – the threats we face are multiplying.

    As close partners and NATO allies, the UK and France have a deep history of defence collaboration and today’s agreements take our partnership to the next level. 

    We stand ready to use our shared might to advance our joint capabilities – equipping us for the decades to come while supporting thousands of UK jobs and keeping our people safe. 

    Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said:   

    The UK and France are stepping up together to meet today’s threats and tomorrow’s challenges. We are committed to driving defence as an engine for growth, delivering better fighting capabilities faster, and ensuring our armed forces can operate side by side – from the High North to the Black Sea. 

    This partnership strengthens our leadership in Europe, ensures continued support for Ukraine, and sends a clear signal to our adversaries that we stand stronger, together.

    By deepening defence industrial cooperation with France, it will boost the UK’s own national resilience, ability to deter against attacks, and defend against threats, reinforcing the contribution to NATO.

    The new partnerships will be developed under the refreshed Lancaster House agreement through a new ‘Entente Industrielle’ making defence an engine for growth. 

    These partnerships include:   

    • Agreeing to build the next generation of deep strike, anti-ship missiles, replacing the lethally effective Storm Shadow. This new joint effort will sustain 1,300 high skilled jobs in the UK, boosting the UK economy in line with the Government’s Plan for Change
    • Upgrading the existing Storm Shadow cruise missile production lines in Stevenage to bolster national stockpiles, supporting more than 300 jobs within MBDA and the wider supply chain and making defence investment an engine for growth
    • Jointly developing the next generation of beyond visual range air-to-air missiles for the Royal Air Force’s fighter jets 
    • Starting work on new advanced weapons to give an advantage against adversaries. This will include a new partnership to develop high-tech radiofrequency weapons such as microwave weapons and jammers that could be used to shoot down threats like drones and missiles 
    • The UK and France will also look to harness the power of AI to make their missiles and drones more lethal, by developing algorithms for synchronised strikes

    Under an ambitious new package of defence cooperation under the Lancaster House 2.0 declaration, both countries’ militaries will work closer together than ever before. Recognising the increased threat to European security, the UK and France will expand its jointly deployable force, refocusing it on defending Europe, moving to warfighting readiness to deter, and countering any adversaries. 

    The Combined Joint Force will be able to command a Combined UK/French Corps for the first time – the highest scale of deployed ground forces from a command perspective – made up of thousands of troops and working side-by-side with NATO allies.  

    For the first time it will also integrate space and cyber to counter new threats, boosting the abilities of the UK and France’s joint forces to quickly respond to developments on the battlefield through increased awareness and responsiveness supported by data from beyond just the ground, sea, and air.

    The Combined Joint Force is a crucial step forward in the UK and France stepping up their leadership within NATO, setting a clear path to meet the Government’s Strategic Defence Review commitment of NATO’s strategic Reserve Corp and stepping up on European security. 

    The UK and France will reaffirm their joint leadership of the Coalition of the Willing – a group of over 30 nations working together to coordinate military support for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. The CJF structures provide the bedrock for the coalition, enabling allies to operate under UK-French leadership.  

    This will include cooperating further on an integrated missile system to defend Europe. The UK-led DIAMOND initiative will improve NATO’s integrated air and missile defence by ensuring that the different air defence systems across the Alliance operate better and more jointly across the alliance. 

    These new agreements will continue to build on the Government’s first priority of keeping the country safe, which is a foundation of the Plan for Change.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Ten Years On: Reflections on the Silent Crisis in Burundi

    Source: Amnesty International –

    By Tigere Chagutah

    It has been 10 years since a political crisis erupted in Burundi. Peaceful demonstrations against a controversial third term in office by the late president, Pierre Nkurunziza, were met with brutal repression by security forces. An attempted coup, while Nkurunziza attended a meeting in Tanzania, intensified the government’s violent response, leading to scores of targeted killings, torture, enforced disappearances and sexual violence. Ten years on, the country is yet to reckon with and move on from these events.

    It is in this context that Burundians were called to the polls on 5 June for legislative and local elections. Key opposition leaders, including former warlord Agathon Rwasa, along with their political parties, were barred from participating.  The ruling party, the Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie (CNDD-FDD), claimed a landslide victory, with over 96% of the vote, according to final results confirmed by the Constitutional Court.

    The impunity that followed Burundi’s 2015 crisis has emboldened authorities to continue repressing peaceful dissent and violating other human rights with little consequence. Despite periods of relative calm since the 2020 elections and the death of former President Nkurunziza, systemic abuses persist, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the silencing of civil society and the media. The repressive structures established before and during the 2015 crisis remain intact, with the Imbonerakure youth league continuing to intimidate and assault perceived opponents. Recent incidents such as the sentencing of Dr. Christopher Sahabo on politically motivated charges, attacks on journalists like Willy Kwizera, and President Ndayishimiye’s inflammatory rhetoric against human rights defenders and LGBTIQ+ people, underscore how a lack of accountability for past crimes has sustained a culture of repression and fear.

    A Crisis Rooted in Political Exclusion and Impunity

    The 2015 crisis did not arise in a void. It was the result of deep-seated political tensions, a history of exclusionary governance, and a legacy of impunity for human rights abuses and violations. Many people believe that the ruling party’s decision to ignore the Arusha Accords of 2000, (an agreement that had helped restore peace after a decade-long civil war), by extending presidential term limits without national consensus was a significant breach of trust and violated the social contract established with Burundians.

    The impunity that followed Burundi’s 2015 crisis has emboldened authorities to continue repressing peaceful dissent and violating other human rights with little consequence.

    Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

    In our investigations following the events of 2015, Amnesty International uncovered mass graves that concealed evidence of horrific massacres. More than 400,000 people fled the country, with many still living in exile today. Despite efforts at political dialogue, supported by regional institutions like the East African Community, there has been little to no meaningful accountability for the abuses committed before, during and after the crisis. The failure to ensure that suspected perpetrators are brought to justice and victims are provided with access to justice and effective remedies has left wounds unhealed, and undermined trust in national and regional institutions.

    Imperative for Justice and Accountability

    The lack of independent investigations and judicial action on past and present abuses highlights a broader crisis of accountability in Burundi. Since 2015, the National Human Rights Commission has faced allegations of inaction at a time when many placed their last hopes for a semblance of justice in it. On 5 May, the National Assembly elected new commissioners to lead the national human rights body. The newly established team must fulfil their duty to investigate abuses and violations and assist the Burundian government in upholding its human rights obligations.

    Justice and accountability are not only a moral imperative, but a necessity for sustainable peace in Burundi and the African Great Lakes region. The country cannot move forward without a genuine reckoning with its past. The critical work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission must not be used to advance the interests of the ruling party but deliver the truth and true reconciliation of the people of Burundi. This must go hand in hand with justice and accountability mechanisms, as recommended in the Arusha Accords, including the establishment of a Special Tribunal.  

    The country has all to gain by engaging in a genuine and inclusive dialogue that involves all stakeholders, including political actors, civil society, women and young people to restore trust and build a shared vision for the future.

    Tigere Chagutah

    It is also time for the government to show a commitment to human rights and the rule of law by ensuring independent judicial investigations and cooperating with regional and international bodies, including the International Criminal Court, which opened an investigation into the Burundi situation in October 2017. It must implement the recommendations of the 2015 African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ fact-finding mission report, which emphasized the need for accountability for past and present crimes to address the issue of impunity in the country.

    Beyond justice, Burundi urgently needs a comprehensive human rights and rule of law-based solution to address the root causes of conflict and division. The country has all to gain by engaging in a genuine and inclusive dialogue that involves all stakeholders, including political actors, civil society, women and young people to restore trust and build a shared vision for the future.

    Key principles of the 2000 Arusha Accords on respect for human rights and national unity remain as relevant today as they were 25 years ago. Reviving this spirit of dialogue is critical if Burundi is to escape the cycle of crisis and repression.

    Ten years on, we honor the memory of those who suffered and continue to suffer the consequences of the 2015 crisis and previous cycles of violence. Justice delayed is a hindrance to healing, social cohesion, and the stability of the country and the region.

    Tigere Chagutah is Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa regional office

    This opinion piece first ran in French in La Libre Afrique.

    https://afrique.lalibre.be/79733/dix-ans-apres-reflexions-sur-la-crise-silencieuse-au-burundi/

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: We’re hiring: Culture & Society Editor

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Kim Honey, CEO|Editor-in-Chief, The Conversation Canada

    The Conversation Canada is looking for a Culture & Society editor for a 10-month contract position. (Sandra Seitamaa/Unsplash)

    The Conversation Canada is seeking a dynamic and thoughtful Culture & Society Editor with a background in critical race scholarship to join our editorial team. This remote, full-time, 10-month contract position is ideal for an experienced editor who is passionate about shaping public discourse through rigorous, accessible journalism.

    As the Culture & Society Editor, you will work closely with academics from across Canada, and sometimes globally, to commission, edit and publish articles that explore the intersections of culture, identity, race, media, politics and society. You will play a key role in ensuring our coverage reflects a diversity of voices and perspectives, particularly those grounded in critical race theory, decolonial thought, Indigenous studies and other transformative frameworks that challenge dominant narratives.

    Your responsibilities will include identifying timely and relevant story ideas, working collaboratively with academics to develop their ideas into clear, compelling content and upholding The Conversation Canada’s editorial standards of evidence-based, non-partisan journalism. You will also help expand our network of contributors from equity-deserving communities and ensure inclusive representation in our content, and will work closely and collaboratively with team members to publish stories in a timely fashion.

    This role offers the opportunity to influence national conversations by bringing scholarly expertise into the public sphere, especially on matters of racial justice, cultural expression and societal transformation.

    DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: August 5, 2025

    The ideal candidate will have:

    • A degree in the humanities, social sciences or journalism
    • Demonstrated experience in editing
    • A strong grasp of current debates in race, identity, culture and power
    • Excellent editorial judgment
    • A network of academic and news contacts
    • An understanding of audience development, including SEO practices, web analytics, social media and newsletter engagement
    • Strong organizational skills, with an ability to edit to daily deadlines, manage multiple tasks and work as part of a collaborative team
    • Care and attention to detail
    • Bilingualism is an asset
    • Must be based in Canada

    About The Conversation Canada

    The Conversation Canada is a successful news startup in its eighth year of operation, which has a French-language sister site, La Conversation, in Quebec. It is a unique collaboration between academics and professional journalists, and we belong to a global network with eight other editions covering Africa, Australia, Brazil, France, Indonesia, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. The Conversation Canada has editors in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria, and we offer a friendly working environment with a passionate and mission-driven team.

    How to apply

    Please send applications, including a cover letter, CV, three writing and/or editing samples and three story ideas to Kim Honey at kim.honey@theconversation.com and Lee-Anne Goodman at lee-anne.goodman@theconversation.com.

    Please note only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

    We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of colour, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities.

    – ref. We’re hiring: Culture & Society Editor – https://theconversation.com/were-hiring-culture-and-society-editor-260789

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Celebrates Famed American Cyclist Greg LeMond as He Receives Congressional Gold Medal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Senator Cortez Masto helped pass legislation to award former Reno resident Greg LeMond a Congressional Gold Medal

    Washington, D.C. – Following the 2020 passage of the Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act, supported by U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.), Greg LeMond was today awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by the United States Congress. The ceremony was hosted by Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson.

    “I’m thrilled that Nevada’s own Greg LeMond – an icon to cycling fans worldwide – has been recognized for not only his contributions to the sport, but to his community,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Exemplifying both Nevadans’ independence and a devotion to community, he has contributed his time and effort to so many important causes, from childhood sports to victims of sexual assault to those suffering from childhood illnesses. Greg is the model for what the Congressional Gold Medal should stand for.”

    BACKGROUND:

    Gregory James LeMond was born in California but raised near Reno, Nevada, where he spent much of his time outdoors. He attended Earl Wooster High School in Reno. At age 18, he became the youngest cyclist in the history of the sport to be selected for the United States men’s Olympic team. Greg first competed in the Tour de France in 1984, finishing third, deputizing himself to boost his teammates toward victory. In the 1986 Tour de France, he defeated the field by more than three full minutes, becoming the first American and the first non-European to win cycling’s most prestigious race. In 1987, while recovering from a broken wrist and collarbone, Greg was tragically shot during a turkey hunting accident, leaving him in intensive care and requiring the removal of over 40 shotgun pellets from his abdomen. Following multiple surgeries, Greg mounted a comeback, winning the 1989 Tour de France by eight seconds in the closest finish in the history of the Tour. Greg went on to win a third Tour de France victory in 1990.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM remarks at the British Museum: 9 July 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    PM remarks at the British Museum: 9 July 2025

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s remarks at the British Museum.

    It’s really fantastic to see you here and to just really take in this incredible place that is the British Museum, a world-class institution, which I’m really proud to say is also right in the heart of my constituencies, so welcome to my manor.

    Mr President, Emmanuel, Mrs Macron, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, you’re very, very welcome here and it is fantastic to see you. We have thousands of visitors here every day from all over the globe to admire the Museum’s incredible collection of world history all around us here, every single day. So it’s a real pleasure to welcome two special sets of guests this afternoon, our brilliant French guests and friends who are all here, but also young people representing the next generation and that is so important as we contemplate our history because I know just how important access to the arts, to culture and history is for the next generation.

    Its potential to spark the imagination. There’ll be very many people who come here and have their imagination sparked and that has put a light on for them and for so many other people to transform young people’s lives by bringing history and culture and art into it. And opening their eyes to new possibilities and opportunities and encourage them to reach the full extent of their ambitions and their talents. So no matter where you’re from or who you are, it’s here to bring us together to remind us of our shared history but also the common bonds that endure across languages, across borders and cultures – and that’s what today is all about, making sure that everyone can appreciate our incredible history, inviting young people to bridge our past and our future and igniting the passions and the talent of the next generation.

    And we are celebrating a brilliant initiative today. Everybody is walking around here with a smile on their face and when the President yesterday announced to both Houses what was going to be happening here there was a great cheer went up and that was representative I think of how this is being felt across the entire country.

    It is a brilliant initiative because what Emmanuel, my friend, announced yesterday, this cultural exchange between our two nations, two of the great treasures of our history, the priceless artefacts of Sutton Hoo, which we’ve just been to see upstairs, absolutely incredible story, incredible artefacts. And the Bayeux Tapestry, which means so much and again the smiles as people saw just the depiction on the wall behind me as we walked in tells you just how much this means. Because for Sutton Hoo 1,300 years ago in East Anglia, a wealthy man, we don’t know who it was, probably a King, was buried in a lavish funeral ceremony, an Anglo-Saxon era that of course was put to an end 300 years later by William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, but it is an incredible piece of history that we have here just imagining what that must have been like changing our perception of that era of history frankly and bringing so much learning to us, and of course the Battle of Hastings illustrated by the remarkable Bayeux Tapestry – the beginning of a thousand years of shared culture that is now defined by mutual admiration and kinship, as well of course by some healthy competition as anyone who was watching the Euros on Saturday will attest, but that history, that long history forms the foundation of the European continent as we know it today. Now both these treasures contain stories of war and of peace, of power and of politics, alliances and enemies that we still know all too well in our modern world. They show us how connected our countries have always been, they deepen our appreciation of our shared history and enrich the relationship between our two nations today because we are now entering a new era of world history, a time of huge change and turmoil that has led to insecurity for so many people and in this new world our alliances are in my view more important than ever.

    The strength and solidarity of countries that share the same values, the same aims, the same hope for the future so just as we stood together in the last century to bring peace to Europe and it was a real privilege, Emmanuel, to mark Armistice Day in France, walking with you the same route as Churchill and de Gaulle once walked. Thank you so much again for that invitation to be there at that very special moment and today the UK is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with France leading the coalition of the willing to support Ukraine, as well of course us working together to call for a sustainable peace in the Middle East. And at home we’re working together for our shared security and prosperity, creating jobs and growth for our people, tackling irregular migration, strengthening our defences to protect Europe from any threats, growing our economies and collaborating on the technologies of the future, and forging closer connections between our peoples with this cultural exchange, giving people across Britain the chance to admire a Bayeux Tapestry, and there will be so many people who will want to come here to see that as soon as they can, and people across France to enjoy the treasures of ancient England. Well timed for the thousandth anniversary of William the Conqueror’s birth in 2027, so as we look back together today we are also inspired to look forward towards the future and remember that it is for us to write our own chapter of history now as two nations who forged peace, made our people better off and remain the strongest of allies and the closest of friends and on that note it is a pleasure to welcome my friend, Mr President, Emmanuel, to speak to you today.

    Thank you so much.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM meeting with President Macron of France: 9 July 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    PM meeting with President Macron of France: 9 July 2025

    The Prime Minister met the French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street.

    The Prime Minister met the French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street this afternoon.

    They reflected on the State Visit of the President so far, agreeing that it had been an important representation of the deep ties between our two countries.

    Moving on to discuss joint working, they shared their desire to deepen our partnership further – from joint leadership in support of Ukraine to strengthening our defence collaboration and increasing bilateral trade and investment.

    The Prime Minister welcomed the news that EDF would take a 12.5% stake in Sizewell C leading to lower bills, more jobs and better energy security for the UK.

    The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions. 

    The Prime Minister spoke of his government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.

    The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.

    Finally, they looked ahead to the 37th UK-France Summit taking place tomorrow and agreed to aim for concrete progress on these areas.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Half-Year Statement on the Implementation of the Liquidity Contract as of June 30, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HALF-YEAR STATEMENT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LIQUIDITY CONTRACT  AS OF JUNE 30, 2025

    Bernin (Grenoble), France, July 9, 2025 – Soitec (Euronext Paris) announces that, under the liquidity contract entrusted to BNP Paribas on July 3, 2023, on the settlement date of June 30, 2025, the following resources appeared on the liquidity account:

    • 72,325 Soitec shares, and
    • €904,901

    During the 1st semester of 2025, a total of:

    • 231,383 shares were bought for €14,129,177 (i.e. 2,855 transactions).
    • 208,969 shares were sold for €12,889,302 (i.e. 2,792 transactions).

    We remind you that:

    1. At the time of the previous half-yearly balance sheet, on the settlement date of December 31, 2024, the following resources appeared on the liquidity account:
    • 51,394 Soitec shares, and
    • €2,009,718
    1. During the 2nd semester of 2024, a total of:
    • 215,838 shares were bought for €19,591,223 (i.e. 3,775 transactions);
    • 197,982 shares were sold for €17,859,326 (i.e. 3,174 transactions).
    1. On July 3, 2023, the day before the start of trading, the following resources appeared on the liquidity account:  €8,000,000.

    Aggregate data for each trading day in the 1st semester of 2025 are given in the appendix to this press release.

    *****

    Agenda

    Annual General Meeting: July 22, 2025.

    First-quarter 2025-2026 revenue: July 22, 2025, after market close.

    *****

    About Soitec

    Soitec (Euronext – Tech Leaders), a world leader in innovative semiconductor materials, has been developing cutting-edge products delivering both technological performance and energy efficiency for over 30 years. From its global headquarters in France, Soitec is expanding internationally with its unique solutions, and generated sales of 0.9 billion Euros in fiscal year 2024-2025. Soitec occupies a key position in the semiconductor value chain, serving three main strategic markets: Mobile Communications, Automotive and Industrial, and Edge and Cloud AI. The company relies on the talent and diversity of more than 2,200 employees, representing 50 different nationalities, working at its sites in Europe, the United States and Asia. Nearly 4,300 patents have been registered by Soitec.

    Soitec, SmartSiC™ and Smart Cut™ are registered trademarks of Soitec.

    For more information: https://www.soitec.com/en/ and follow us on LinkedIn and X: @Soitec_Official

    *****

    Media Relations: media@soitec.com

    Investor Relations: investors@soitec.com

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Gwada-negative: the rarest blood group on Earth

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Martin L. Olsson, Medical Director of the Nordic Reference Laboratory for Blood Group Genomics, Region Skåne & Professor of Transfusion Medicine, Head of the Division, Lund University

    Peter Porrini/Shutterstock.com

    In a routine blood test that turned extraordinary, French scientists have identified the world’s newest and rarest blood group. The sole known carrier is a woman from Guadeloupe whose blood is so unique that doctors couldn’t find a single compatible donor.

    The discovery of the 48th recognised blood group, called “Gwada-negative”, began when the woman’s blood plasma reacted against every potential donor sample tested, including those from her own siblings. Consequently, it was impossible to find a suitable blood donor for her.

    Most people know their blood type – A, B, AB or O – along with whether they are Rh-positive or negative. But these familiar categories (those letters plus “positive” or “negative”) represent just two of several dozens of blood group systems that determine compatibility for transfusions. Each system reflects subtle but crucial differences in the proteins and sugars coating our red blood cells.

    To solve the mystery of the Guadeloupian woman’s incompatible blood, scientists turned to cutting-edge genetic analysis. Using whole exome sequencing – a technique that examines all 20,000-plus human genes – they discovered a mutation in a gene called PIGZ.

    This gene produces an enzyme responsible for adding a specific sugar to an important molecule on cell membranes. The missing sugar changes the structure of a molecule on the surface of red blood cells. This change creates a new antigen – a key feature that defines a blood group – resulting in an entirely new classification: Gwada-positive (having the antigen) or -negative (lacking it).

    Using gene editing technology, the team confirmed their discovery by recreating the mutation in a lab. So red blood cells from all blood donors tested are Gwada-positive and the Guadeloupean patient is the only known Gwada-negative person on the planet.

    The implications of the discovery extend beyond blood transfusions. The patient suffers from mild intellectual disability, and tragically, she lost two babies at birth – outcomes that may be connected to her rare genetic mutation.

    The enzyme produced by the PIGZ gene operates at the final stage of building a complex molecule called GPI (glycosylphosphatidylinositol). Previous research has shown that people with defects in other enzymes needed for GPI assembly can experience neurological problems ranging from developmental delays to seizures. Stillbirths are also common among women with these inherited disorders.

    Although the Caribbean patient is the only person in the world so far with this rare blood type, neurological conditions including developmental delay, intellectual disability and seizures have been noted in other people with defects in enzymes needed earlier in the GPI assembly line.

    The Gwada discovery highlights both the marvels and challenges of human genetic diversity. Blood groups evolved partly as protection against infectious diseases (many bacteria, viruses and parasites use blood group molecules as entry points into cells). This means your blood type can influence your susceptibility to certain diseases.

    But extreme rarity creates medical dilemmas. The French researchers acknowledge they cannot predict what would happen if Gwada-incompatible blood were transfused into the Guadeloupian woman. Even if other Gwada-negative people exist, they would be extremely difficult to locate. It is also unclear if they can become blood donors.

    This reality points towards a futuristic solution: lab-grown blood cells. Scientists are already working on growing red blood cells from stem cells that could be genetically modified to match ultra-rare blood types. In the case of Gwada, researchers could artificially create Gwada-negative red blood cells by mutating the PIGZ gene.

    Gwada is a colloquial term for Guadeloupe, a Caribbean island.
    Shutterstock.com

    A growing field

    Gwada joins 47 other blood group systems recognised by the International Society of Blood Transfusion. Like most of these blood-group systems, it was discovered in a hospital lab where technicians were trying to find compatible blood for a patient.

    The name reflects the case’s Caribbean roots: Gwada is slang for someone from Guadeloupe, giving this blood group both scientific relevance and cultural resonance.

    As genetic sequencing becomes more advanced and widely used, researchers expect to uncover more rare blood types. Each discovery expands our understanding of human variation and raises fresh challenges for transfusion and other types of personalised medicine.

    Martin L Olsson is a Wallenberg Clinical Scholar who receives research funding from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (grant no. 2020.0234). He holds other major grants from the Swedish Research Council (grant no. 2024-03772), the Novo Nordisk Foundation (grant no. NNF22OC0077684) and the Swedish government funds to university healthcare for clinical research (ALF grant no. 2022.0287). He is also a member of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT)’s Working Party on Red Cell Immunogenetics and Blood Group Terminology.

    Jill Storry receives funding from the Swedish Research Council (grant no. 2024-03772). She is affiliated with, and the current senior Vice-President, of the International Society of Blood Transfusion, as well as a member of the society’s Working Party on Red Cell Immunogenetics and Blood Group Terminology.

    – ref. Gwada-negative: the rarest blood group on Earth – https://theconversation.com/gwada-negative-the-rarest-blood-group-on-earth-260155

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Technip Energies Advances Mozambique Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNGs) Development, Begins Production in Senegal and Mauritania

    Source: APO

    French engineering and technology company Technip Energies is expanding its presence across Africa’s energy sector, advancing key projects and supporting the continent’s energy transition. The company is set to advance the development of a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel for the $7.2 billion Eni-led Coral Norte project in Mozambique in the short-term period. Following an April 2025 approval by the Mozambican government, Eni will adopt Technip Energies’ FLNG unit with a capacity to produce 3.55 million metric tons of LNG per annum. The project is anticipated to achieve first production by the second half of 2028.

    As part of its commitment to African energy development, Technip Energies is participating as a gold sponsor at African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies, taking place from September 29 to October 3, 2025, in Cape Town. Under the theme Invest in African Energy: Positioning Africa as the Global Energy Champion, the event brings together African stakeholders and global investors to explore opportunities and drive collaboration across the sector.

    Technip Energies is also providing front-end engineering design (FEED) services for ExxonMobil’s 10 million tons per annum Rovuma LNG project in Mozambique under a contract secured in September 2024.

    In June 2025, the company achieved commercial operations for the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel deployed at the bp-operated Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas project offshore Mauritania and Senegal. Built in China, the FPSO is equipped with eight processing and production modules and measures 270 meters in length, 54 meters in width, and 31.5 meters in depth. It is designed to accommodate 140 personnel and process up to 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, enabling the production of 2.3 million tons of LNG annually during Phase 1.

    Technip Energies remains committed to local content development and sustainable growth in African energy markets. The company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Namibia’s national oil company, NAMCOR, during AEW: Invest in African Energies 2024 to collaborate on LNG, carbon-free energy, decarbonization, and skills and technology transfer. A separate MoU with the Republic of Congo aims to strengthen the country’s capacities in LNG, zero-carbon energy solutions, and broader energy transition efforts

    Beyond hydrocarbons, the company is also supporting the growth of Africa’s mining value chain through the delivery of a FEED contract for an alumina refinery in Guinea-Conakry. The facility will process the country’s vast bauxite reserves into alumina for electric vehicle batteries and other energy storage technologies.

    AEW: Invest in African Energies will connect Technip Energies with African energy and global stakeholders for deal signing and to discuss and optimize opportunities within the continent’s extractive sector.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

    About AEW: Invest in African Energies:
    AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.

    Media files

    .

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: The toxic management handbook: six guaranteed ways to make your best employees flee

    Source: The Conversation – France – By George Kassar, Full-time Faculty, Research Associate, Performance Analyst, Ascencia Business School

    If performance management is not implemented properly, it can demotivate and drive out employees. PeopleImages.comYuri A/Shutterstock

    Who said that an organization’s main resource and true competitive advantage lies in its employees, their talent or their motivation? After all, maybe your real goal is to empty out your offices, permanently discourage your staff and methodically sabotage your human capital.

    If that’s the case, research in performance management offers everything you need.

    Originally rooted in early 20th-century rationalization methods, performance management has become a cornerstone of modern management. It has evolved to adapt to contemporary HR needs, focusing more on employee development, engagement and strategic alignment. In theory, it should help guide team efforts, clarify expectations and support individual development. But if poorly implemented, it can become a powerful tool to demotivate, exhaust and push out your most valuable employees.

    Here’s how to scare off your best talent. Although the following guidelines are meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek, they remain active in the daily work of some managers.

    Management by ‘vague’ objectives

    Start by setting vague, unrealistic or contradictory goals. Above all, avoid giving goals meaning, linking them to a clear strategy or backing them with appropriate resources. In short, embrace the “real” SMART goals: stressful, arbitrary, ambiguous, repetitive, and totally disconnected from the field!

    According to research in organizational psychology, this approach guarantees anxiety, confusion and disengagement among your teams, significantly increasing their intention to leave the company.

    Silence Is Golden

    Avoid all forms of dialogue and communication. Never give feedback. And if you absolutely must, do it rarely and irregularly, make sure it’s disconnected from actual work, and preferably in the form of personal criticism. The absence of regular, task-focused and actionable feedback leaves employees in uncertainty, catches them off-guard during evaluations and gradually undermines their engagement.

    How your employees interpret your intentions and feedback matters most. Be careful though: if feedback is perceived as constructive, it may actually boost motivation and learning engagement. But if the same feedback is seen as driven by a manager’s personal agenda (or, ego-based attribution), it backfires, leading to demotivation, withdrawal and exit.


    A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

    Performance evaluation ‘trials’

    Hold annual performance review meetings in which you focus solely on mistakes and completely ignore successes or invisible efforts. Be rigid, critical and concentrate only on weaknesses. Make sure to take full credit when the team succeeds; after all, without you, nothing would have been possible. On the other hand, when results fall short, don’t hesitate to highlight errors, assign individual blame and remind them that “you did warn them!”

    This kind of performance evaluation, better described as a punitive trial, ensures deep demotivation and accelerates team turnover.

    Internal competition, maxed out

    Promote a culture of rivalry among colleagues: circulate internal rankings regularly, reward only the top performers, systematically eliminate the lowest ranked without even thinking of helping them improve, devalue the importance of cooperation and let internal competition do the rest. After all, these are the core features of the “famous” method popularized by the late Jack Welch at General Electric.

    If you notice a short-term boost of motivation, don’t worry. The long-term effects of Welch’s “vitality curve” will be far more harmful than beneficial. Fierce internal competition is a great tool for destroying trust among teammates and creating a persistently toxic atmosphere, leading to an increase in the number of voluntary departures.

    Ignore wellbeing and do not listen, no matter what

    We’ve already established that feedback and dialogue should be avoided. But if, by misfortune, they do occur, make sure not to listen to complaints or warning signs related to stress or exhaustion. Offer no support or assistance, and of course, completely ignore the right to disconnect.

    By neglecting mental health and refusing to help your employees find meaning in their work – especially when they perform tasks seen as meaningless, repetitive or emotionally draining – you directly increase the risk of burnout and chronic absenteeism.

    In addition, always favour highly variable and poorly designed performance bonuses: this will heighten income instability and kill off whatever engagement remains.



    À lire aussi :
    Meditation and mindfulness at work are welcome, but do they help avoid accountability for toxic culture?

    The subtle art of wearing people down

    Want to take your talent-repelling skills even further? Draw inspiration from what research identifies as practices and experiences belonging to the three major forms of workplace violence. These include micromanagement, constant pressure, lack of recognition, social isolation and others that generate long-term suffering. Though often invisible, their reoccurence gradually wears employees down mentally, then physically, until they finally break.

    Obviously, these tips are meant to be taken ironically.

    Yet, unfortunately, these toxic practices are all too real in the daily routines of certain managers. If the goal is truly to retain talent and ensure lasting business success, it is essential to centre performance management practices around meaning, fairness and the genuine development of human potential.

    George Kassar ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    – ref. The toxic management handbook: six guaranteed ways to make your best employees flee – https://theconversation.com/the-toxic-management-handbook-six-guaranteed-ways-to-make-your-best-employees-flee-260733

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: The toxic management handbook: six guaranteed ways to make your best employees flee

    Source: The Conversation – France – By George Kassar, Full-time Faculty, Research Associate, Performance Analyst, Ascencia Business School

    If performance management is not implemented properly, it can demotivate and drive out employees. PeopleImages.comYuri A/Shutterstock

    Who said that an organization’s main resource and true competitive advantage lies in its employees, their talent or their motivation? After all, maybe your real goal is to empty out your offices, permanently discourage your staff and methodically sabotage your human capital.

    If that’s the case, research in performance management offers everything you need.

    Originally rooted in early 20th-century rationalization methods, performance management has become a cornerstone of modern management. It has evolved to adapt to contemporary HR needs, focusing more on employee development, engagement and strategic alignment. In theory, it should help guide team efforts, clarify expectations and support individual development. But if poorly implemented, it can become a powerful tool to demotivate, exhaust and push out your most valuable employees.

    Here’s how to scare off your best talent. Although the following guidelines are meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek, they remain active in the daily work of some managers.

    Management by ‘vague’ objectives

    Start by setting vague, unrealistic or contradictory goals. Above all, avoid giving goals meaning, linking them to a clear strategy or backing them with appropriate resources. In short, embrace the “real” SMART goals: stressful, arbitrary, ambiguous, repetitive, and totally disconnected from the field!

    According to research in organizational psychology, this approach guarantees anxiety, confusion and disengagement among your teams, significantly increasing their intention to leave the company.

    Silence Is Golden

    Avoid all forms of dialogue and communication. Never give feedback. And if you absolutely must, do it rarely and irregularly, make sure it’s disconnected from actual work, and preferably in the form of personal criticism. The absence of regular, task-focused and actionable feedback leaves employees in uncertainty, catches them off-guard during evaluations and gradually undermines their engagement.

    How your employees interpret your intentions and feedback matters most. Be careful though: if feedback is perceived as constructive, it may actually boost motivation and learning engagement. But if the same feedback is seen as driven by a manager’s personal agenda (or, ego-based attribution), it backfires, leading to demotivation, withdrawal and exit.


    A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

    Performance evaluation ‘trials’

    Hold annual performance review meetings in which you focus solely on mistakes and completely ignore successes or invisible efforts. Be rigid, critical and concentrate only on weaknesses. Make sure to take full credit when the team succeeds; after all, without you, nothing would have been possible. On the other hand, when results fall short, don’t hesitate to highlight errors, assign individual blame and remind them that “you did warn them!”

    This kind of performance evaluation, better described as a punitive trial, ensures deep demotivation and accelerates team turnover.

    Internal competition, maxed out

    Promote a culture of rivalry among colleagues: circulate internal rankings regularly, reward only the top performers, systematically eliminate the lowest ranked without even thinking of helping them improve, devalue the importance of cooperation and let internal competition do the rest. After all, these are the core features of the “famous” method popularized by the late Jack Welch at General Electric.

    If you notice a short-term boost of motivation, don’t worry. The long-term effects of Welch’s “vitality curve” will be far more harmful than beneficial. Fierce internal competition is a great tool for destroying trust among teammates and creating a persistently toxic atmosphere, leading to an increase in the number of voluntary departures.

    Ignore wellbeing and do not listen, no matter what

    We’ve already established that feedback and dialogue should be avoided. But if, by misfortune, they do occur, make sure not to listen to complaints or warning signs related to stress or exhaustion. Offer no support or assistance, and of course, completely ignore the right to disconnect.

    By neglecting mental health and refusing to help your employees find meaning in their work – especially when they perform tasks seen as meaningless, repetitive or emotionally draining – you directly increase the risk of burnout and chronic absenteeism.

    In addition, always favour highly variable and poorly designed performance bonuses: this will heighten income instability and kill off whatever engagement remains.



    À lire aussi :
    Meditation and mindfulness at work are welcome, but do they help avoid accountability for toxic culture?

    The subtle art of wearing people down

    Want to take your talent-repelling skills even further? Draw inspiration from what research identifies as practices and experiences belonging to the three major forms of workplace violence. These include micromanagement, constant pressure, lack of recognition, social isolation and others that generate long-term suffering. Though often invisible, their reoccurence gradually wears employees down mentally, then physically, until they finally break.

    Obviously, these tips are meant to be taken ironically.

    Yet, unfortunately, these toxic practices are all too real in the daily routines of certain managers. If the goal is truly to retain talent and ensure lasting business success, it is essential to centre performance management practices around meaning, fairness and the genuine development of human potential.

    George Kassar ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    – ref. The toxic management handbook: six guaranteed ways to make your best employees flee – https://theconversation.com/the-toxic-management-handbook-six-guaranteed-ways-to-make-your-best-employees-flee-260733

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa: Minister Dion George on 47th World Heritage Committee session

    Source: APO


    .

    The Minister, Dr Dion George, has wished the South African delegation negotiating for the proposed extension of iSimangaliso Wetland Park into Maputo National Park in Mozambique well, as they participate at the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, France.

    South Africa is among 195 other countries participating in the 47th Session currently taking place at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters until 16 July 2025. The delegation is led by the Director-General of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Nomfundo Tshabalala, who is supported by South Africa’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Dr Phil Mjwara, and the Chief Executive Officer of iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, Mr Sibusiso Bukhosini.

    “In line with our strategy to elevate our iconic natural sites into world class destinations, the expansion of iSimangaliso into Maputo National Park would translate into ecological protection, job creation, and inclusive tourism, benefitting both South Africans and Mozambicans,” said Minister George.

    The proposed extension of iSimangaliso has been recommended for listing on the UNESCO World Heritage List by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Through the negotiations, team South Africa will propose strong recommendations for sustainable development and reporting, guided by environmental legislations, joint governance structures, as well as matters of a joint management framework for the proposed Transboundary World Heritage Site, should it be successfully listed.

    The World Heritage Committee is an intergovernmental structure that oversees the implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention. South Africa has been a member of this Convention since 1997.

    The two week-long Session will discuss, amongst others, statutory matters such as a report of the World Heritage Centre and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Advisory bodies; State of Conservation (SoC) reports of sites on the World Heritage List and World Heritage List in Danger; Nominations to the UNESCO World Heritage List; and World Heritage Fund requests.

    It is important to also note that ahead of the tabling of the proposed extension of iSimangaliso into Maputo National Park, the South African government undertook a stakeholder consultation process in the month of June 2025. This process was made possible through financial support received from Peace Parks Foundation.

    “The consultation process is an integral part of the process and subsequent tabling of the possible extension at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee,” said Minister George.

    As per the timetable, the proposed extension of iSimangaliso Wetland Park into Mozambique will be discussed by the World Heritage Committee between the 11 – 13 July 2025.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI: Fortinet Report: OT Cybersecurity Risk Elevates within Executive Leadership Ranks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced the findings from its global 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report. The results represent the current state of operational technology (OT) cybersecurity and highlight opportunities for continued improvement for organizations to secure an ever-expanding IT/OT threat landscape. In addition to trends and insights impacting OT organizations, the report offers best practices to help IT and OT security teams better secure their cyber-physical systems. 

    “The seventh installment of the Fortinet State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report shows that organizations are taking OT security more seriously. We see this trend reflected in a notable increase in the assignment of responsibility for OT risk to the C-suite, alongside an uptick in organizations self-reporting increased rates of OT security maturity,” said Nirav Shah, Senior Vice President, Products and Solutions, at Fortinet. “Alongside these trends, we’re seeing a decrease in the impact of intrusions in organizations that prioritize OT security. Everyone from the C-suite on down needs to commit to protecting sensitive OT systems and allocating the necessary resources to secure their critical operations.”

    Key findings from the global survey include:

    • Responsibility for OT security continues to elevate within executive ranks: There has been a significant increase in the global trend of corporations planning to integrate cybersecurity under the CISO or other executives. As accountability continues to shift into executive leadership, OT security is elevated to a high-profile issue at the board level. The top internal leaders who influence OT cybersecurity decisions are now most likely to be the CISO or CSO by an increasingly wide margin. Now more than half (52%) of organizations report that the CISO/CSO is responsible for OT, up from 16% in 2022. For all C-suite roles, this has spiked to 95%. Additionally, the number of organizations intending to move OT cybersecurity under CISO in the next 12 months has increased from 60% to 80% in 2025.
    • OT cybersecurity maturity is affecting the impact of intrusions: Self-reported OT security maturity has made notable progress this year. At the basic Level 1, 26% of organizations report establishing visibility and implementing segmentation, up from 20% in the previous year. The largest number of organizations state their security maturity is at the Level 2 access and profiling phase. The report also found a correlation between maturity and attacks. Those organizations that report being more mature (higher of Levels 0–4) are seeing fewer attacks or indicate that they are better able to handle lower-sophistication tactics, such as phishing. It’s worth noting that some tactics, such as advanced persistent threats (APT) and OT malware, are difficult to detect, and less mature organizations may not have the security solutions in place to determine they exist. Overall, although nearly half of organizations experienced impacts, the impact of intrusions on organizations is declining, with a noteworthy reduction in operational outages that impacted revenue, which dropped from 52% to 42%.
    • Adopting cybersecurity best practices is having a positive impact: In addition to the Levels of maturity affecting the impact of intrusions, it appears that adopting best practices such as implementing basic cyber hygiene and better training and awareness are having a real impact, including a significant drop in business email compromise. Other best practices include incorporating threat intelligence, which spiked (49%) since 2024. Additionally, the report saw a significant decrease in the number of OT device vendors, which is a sign of maturity and operational efficiency. More organizations (78%) are now using only one to four OT vendors, which indicates that many of these organizations are consolidating vendors as part of their best practices. Cybersecurity vendor consolidation is also a sign of maturity and corresponds to Fortinet customer experiences with the Fortinet OT Security Platform. Unified networking and security at remote OT sites enhanced visibility and reduced cyber risks, leading to a 93% reduction in cyber incidents vs. a flat network. The simplified Fortinet solutions also led to a 7x improvement in performance through reductions in triage and setup.1

    Best Practices
    Fortinet’s global 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report provides actionable insights for organizations to strengthen their security posture. Organizations can address OT security challenges by adopting the following best practices:

    • Establish visibility and compensating controls for OT assets: Organizations need the ability to see and understand everything that’s on their OT networks. Once visibility is established, organizations then need to protect critical devices and ones that may be vulnerable, which requires protective compensating controls that are designed for sensitive OT devices. Capabilities such as protocol-aware network policies, system-to-system interaction analysis, and endpoint monitoring can detect and prevent compromise of vulnerable assets.
    • Deploy segmentation: Reducing intrusions requires a hardened OT environment with strong network policy controls at all access points. This kind of defensible OT architecture starts with creating network zones or segments. Standards such as ISA/IEC 62443 specifically call for segmentation to enforce controls between OT and IT networks and between OT systems. Teams should also evaluate the overall complexity of managing a solution and consider the benefits of an integrated or platform-based approach with centralized management capabilities.
    • Integrate OT into security operations (SecOps) and incident response planning: Organizations should be maturing toward IT/OT SecOps. To get there, OT needs to be a specific consideration for SecOps and incident response plans, largely because of some of the distinctions between OT and IT environments, from unique device types to the broader consequences of an OT breach impacting critical operations. One key step in this direction is to have playbooks that include your organization’s OT environment. This kind of advanced preparation will foster better collaboration across IT, OT, and production teams to adequately assess cyber and production risks. It can also ensure that the CISO has proper awareness, prioritization, budget, and personnel allocations.
    • Consider a platform approach to your overall security architecture: To address rapidly evolving OT threats and an expanding attack surface, many organizations have assembled a broad array of security solutions from different vendors. This has yielded an overly complex security architecture that inhibits visibility while placing an increased burden on limited security team resources. A platform-based approach to security can help organizations consolidate vendors and simplify their architecture. A robust security platform with specific capabilities for both IT networks and OT environments can provide solution integration for improved security efficacy while enabling centralized management for enhanced efficiency. Integration can also provide a foundation for automated responses to threats.
    • Embrace OT-specific threat intelligence and security services: OT security depends on timely awareness and precise analytical insights about imminent risks. A platform-based security architecture should also apply AI-powered threat intelligence for near-real-time protection against the latest threats, attack variants, and exposures. Organizations should ensure their threat intelligence and content sources include robust, OT-specific information in their feeds and services.

    Report Overview

    • The Fortinet 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report is based on data from a global survey of more than 550 OT professionals, conducted by a third-party research company.
    • Survey respondents were from different locations around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mainland China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States, among others.
    • Respondents represent a range of industries that are heavy users of OT, including: manufacturing, transportation/logistics, healthcare/pharma, oil, gas, and refining, energy/utilities, chemical/petrochemical, and water/wastewater.
    • Most of those surveyed, regardless of title, are deeply involved in cybersecurity purchasing decisions. Many respondents are responsible for operations technology at their organization and/or have reporting responsibility for manufacturing or plant operations.

    Additional Resources

    1 Fortinet, Fortinet OT Security Platform Customer Success Stories, November 5, 2024.

    About Fortinet
    Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere our customers need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet’s solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. Collaboration with esteemed organizations from both the public and private sectors, including Computer Emergency Response Teams (“CERTS”), government entities, and academia, is a fundamental aspect of Fortinet’s commitment to enhance cyber resilience globally. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.

    Copyright © 2025 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and ™ denote respectively federally registered trademarks and common law trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet’s trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, the Fortinet logo, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiGuard, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiASIC, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiMail, FortiSandbox, FortiADC, FortiAgent, FortiAI, FortiAIOps, FortiAgent, FortiAntenna, FortiAP, FortiAPCam, FortiAuthenticator, FortiCache, FortiCall, FortiCam, FortiCamera, FortiCarrier, FortiCASB, FortiCentral, FortiCNP, FortiConnect, FortiController, FortiConverter, FortiCSPM, FortiCWP, FortiDAST, FortiDB, FortiDDoS, FortiDeceptor, FortiDeploy, FortiDevSec, FortiDLP, FortiEdge, FortiEDR, FortiEndpoint FortiExplorer, FortiExtender, FortiFirewall, FortiFlex FortiFone, FortiGSLB, FortiGuest, FortiHypervisor, FortiInsight, FortiIsolator, FortiLAN, FortiLink, FortiMonitor, FortiNAC, FortiNDR, FortiPAM, FortiPenTest, FortiPhish, FortiPoint, FortiPolicy, FortiPortal, FortiPresence, FortiProxy, FortiRecon, FortiRecorder, FortiSASE, FortiScanner, FortiSDNConnector, FortiSEC, FortiSIEM, FortiSMS, FortiSOAR, FortiSRA, FortiStack, FortiSwitch, FortiTester, FortiToken, FortiTrust, FortiVoice, FortiWAN, FortiWeb, FortiWiFi, FortiWLC, FortiWLM, FortiXDR and Lacework FortiCNAPP. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, contract, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet or any indication of intent related to a binding commitment, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: AI and art collide in this engineering course that puts human creativity first

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Francesco Fedele, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

    A Georgia Tech University course links art and artificial intelligence. Yuichiro Chino/Moment via Getty Images

    Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

    Title of course:

    Art and Generative AI

    What prompted the idea for the course?

    I see many students viewing artificial intelligence as humanlike simply because it can write essays, do complex math or answer questions. AI can mimic human behavior but lacks meaningful engagement with the world. This disconnect inspired the course and was shaped by the ideas of 20th-century German philosopher Martin Heidegger. His work highlights how we are deeply connected and present in the world. We find meaning through action, care and relationships. Human creativity and mastery come from this intuitive connection with the world. Modern AI, by contrast, simulates intelligence by processing symbols and patterns without understanding or care.

    In this course, we reject the illusion that machines fully master everything and put student expression first. In doing so, we value uncertainty, mistakes and imperfection as essential to the creative process.

    This vision expands beyond the classroom. In the 2025-26 academic year, the course will include a new community-based learning collaboration with Atlanta’s art communities. Local artists will co-teach with me to integrate artistic practice and AI.

    The course builds on my 2018 class, Art and Geometry, which I co-taught with local artists. The course explored Picasso’s cubism, which depicted reality as fractured from multiple perspectives; it also looked at Einstein’s relativity, the idea that time and space are not absolute and distinct but part of the same fabric.

    What does the course explore?

    We begin with exploring the first mathematical model of a neuron, the perceptron. Then, we study the Hopfield network, which mimics how our brain can remember a song from just listening to a few notes by filling in the rest. Next, we look at Hinton’s Boltzmann Machine, a generative model that can also imagine and create new, similar songs. Finally, we study today’s deep neural networks and transformers, AI models that mimic how the brain learns to recognize images, speech or text. Transformers are especially well suited for understanding sentences and conversations, and they power technologies such as ChatGPT.

    In addition to AI, we integrate artistic practice into the coursework. This approach broadens students’ perspectives on science and engineering through the lens of an artist. The first offering of the course in spring 2025 was co-taught with Mark Leibert, an artist and professor of the practice at Georgia Tech. His expertise is in art, AI and digital technologies. He taught students fundamentals of various artistic media, including charcoal drawing and oil painting. Students used these principles to create art using AI ethically and creatively. They critically examined the source of training data and ensured that their work respects authorship and originality.

    Students also learn to record brain activity using electroencephalography – EEG – headsets. Through AI models, they then learn to transform neural signals into music, images and storytelling. This work inspired performances where dancers improvised in response to AI-generated music.

    The Improv AI performance at Georgia Tech on April 15, 2025. Dancers improvised to music generated by AI from brain waves and sonified black hole data.

    Why is this course relevant now?

    AI entered our lives so rapidly that many people don’t fully grasp how it works, why it works, when it fails or what its mission is.

    In creating this course, the aim is to empower students by filling that gap. Whether they are new to AI or not, the goal is to make its inner algorithms clear, approachable and honest. We focus on what these tools actually do and how they can go wrong.

    We place students and their creativity first. We reject the illusion of a perfect machine, but we provoke the AI algorithm to confuse and hallucinate, when it generates inaccurate or nonsensical responses. To do so, we deliberately use a small dataset, reduce the model size or limit training. It’s in these flawed states of AI that students step in as conscious co-creators. The students are the missing algorithm that takes back control of the creative process. Their creations do not obey AI but reimagine it by the human hand. The artwork is rescued from automation.

    What’s a critical lesson from the course?

    Students learn to recognize AI’s limitations and harness its failures to reclaim creative authorship. The artwork isn’t generated by AI, but it’s reimagined by students.

    Students learn chatbot queries have an environmental cost because large AI models use a lot of power. They avoid unnecessary iterations when designing prompts or using AI. This helps reducing carbon emissions.

    The Improv AI performance on April 15, 2025, featured dancer Bekah Crosby responding to AI-generated music from brain waves.

    What will the course prepare students to do?

    The course prepares students to think like artists. Through abstraction and imagination they gain the confidence to tackle the engineering challenges of the 21st century. These include protecting the environment, building resilient cities and improving health.

    Students also realize that while AI has vast engineering and scientific applications, ethical implementation is crucial. Understanding the type and quality of training data that AI uses is essential. Without it, AI systems risk producing biased or flawed predictions.

    Francesco Fedele 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. AI and art collide in this engineering course that puts human creativity first – https://theconversation.com/ai-and-art-collide-in-this-engineering-course-that-puts-human-creativity-first-256673

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ​​​​​​​‘Do not invest in US gas exports’ Greenpeace warns EU, backed by new report

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    ‘Do not invest in US gas exports’ Greenpeace warns EU, backed by new report

    Brussels – As European leaders and companies are pushing for increased imports of US liquefied gas (LNG), a new report by Greenpeace USA, Earthworks, and Oil Change International highlights the climate threats and financial risks posed by five major new liquefied gas export projects proposed for the US Gulf Coast, most of them still awaiting a final investment decision.[1]

    “What we found was crystal clear – any further investment in LNG is not compatible with a livable climate,” said Andres Chang, Senior Research Specialist at Greenpeace USA and lead author of the report. “The massive growth in infrastructure along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast has already created significant public health and ecosystem impacts, threatening entire coastal communities. But it doesn’t stop there. We believe this report shows that, if built, these projects would put global climate goals even further out of reach.”

    The report analyses five major US LNG projects – Venture Global CP2, Cameron LNG Phase II, Sabine Pass Stage V, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG Midscale 8-9, and Freeport LNG Expansion – and finds that each would fail the climate test derived from models in the US Department of Energy’s 2024 LNG Export public interest studies.[2] Each would increase greenhouse gas emissions by edging out renewable energy and driving up global fossil fuel use, undermining the world’s ability to meet the Paris Agreement targets and driving more frequent and intense extreme weather events. The report suggests that future US administrations could therefore revoke export authorisations issued under current US President Trump.

    Pressured by Trump and facing the threat of sweeping tariffs, the EU Commission is proposing increased LNG imports.[3] It has also agreed to look into direct public investments by the EU and its member states in gas export facilities outside the EU – including potentially the five US LNG projects analysed in this report – in its Affordable Energy Action Plan released in February 2025.[4]

    “Increasing US gas imports will deepen Europe’s dependence on the US, making the EU and national governments even more vulnerable to Trump’s political extortion. EU leaders must break free from fossil fuel dependency and take control of Europe’s future by investing in a renewable, secure and peaceful energy system. A ban on all new fossil fuel projects in the EU would be the right first step, certainly not funding projects abroad,” said Thomas Gelin, Greenpeace EU climate and energy campaigner.

    Another result of Trump’s pressure is the calls by some Member States and other EU policymakers to weaken the EU methane regulation, which was adopted just last year, in order to continue importing US liquefied gas despite the fact that its production – mostly coming from fracking – is associated with particularly high methane emissions.[5][6]

    “This report adds to a rapidly growing body of evidence that financing U.S. LNG is not a sound decision for insurers, investors, or purchasers – something the EU and America’s Asian allies must keep in mind as President Trump pressures them to increase their imports of U.S. LNG under threat of sweeping tariffs. Countries with climate commitments, such as those in the EU, should be very wary of the climate cost of importing US LNG,” said Dr Dakota Raynes, Senior Manager of Research, Policy, and Data at Earthworks.

    European energy companies have already signed long-term purchase agreements for four of the projects analysed in the report. These contracts extend well beyond 2035, the year by which Europe must phase-out fossil gas if it is serious about meeting its international climate commitments. These companies include SEFE (Germany), BASF (Germany), GASTRADE S.A. (Greece), DTEK (Ukraine), TotalEnergies (France), PKN Orlen (Poland), Gap (Portugal) and Equinor (Norway) – several of which are fully or partially state-owned.[7] 

    “Fossil fuel dependency has long externalized its true costs, forcing communities to bear the burden of pollution, sickness, and economic instability,” says James Hiatt, founder and director of For a Better Bayou. “For decades the oil and gas industry has known about the devastating health and climate impacts of its operations, yet it continues to expand, backed by billions in private and public financing. These harms are not isolated – they’re systemic, and they threaten all of us. This report is a call to conscience. It’s time we stop propping up deadly false solutions and start investing in a transition to energy systems that sustain life, not sacrifice it.”

    Greenpeace calls on EU leaders to stop new long-term purchase agreements for liquefied gas and drop the proposal for direct financial investments in gas export facilities. Instead, the EU should impose a ban on all new fossil fuel projects, including new liquefied gas import terminals, stop all public investments in fossil fuel infrastructure and agree to end fossil gas by 2035 at the latest.

    ENDS

    Notes

    Read the full report: Failing the climate test: LNG projects awaiting final investment decision do not stand up to US Government analysis

    Read the European media briefing

    Watch the press conference recording

    [1] At the time of drafting of the report, all five were awaiting a final investment decision. On June 24, 2025, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG announced a positive final investment decision.

    [2] December 2024 | ENERGY, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF US LNG EXPORTS

    [3] Trump says EU must buy $350B of US energy to get tariff relief – POLITICO

    [4] Action Plan for Affordable Energy 

    [5] The Member States are: Bulgaria, Czechia, Greece, Hungaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

    [6] Liquefied natural gas carbon footprint is worse than coal | Cornell Chronicle

    [7] Source: Sierra Club US LNG Export Tracker, date as of 4 June 2025

    Contacts

    Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

    Katie Nelson, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA, [email protected], +1 (678) 644-1681, (GMT -8)

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Home Affairs to submit ‘Digital ID’ policy to Cabinet for approval

    Source: Government of South Africa

    Home Affairs to submit ‘Digital ID’ policy to Cabinet for approval

    Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber says government is laying the foundation for an ambitious plan to create South Africa’s first ever Digital ID system.

    “Home Affairs will shortly submit a Digital ID policy to Cabinet for approval to conduct public hearings. Beyond the material benefits, such as clamping down on fraud and enhancing inclusion, the Digital ID system will also restore the integrity and pride of our cherished South African identity,” said the Minister.

    He was delivering the department’s Budget Vote in Parliament on Tuesday.

    Schreiber said the department plans to deliver digital versions of enabling documents that can be accessed online and on smart devices.

    “[The] Digital ID will also enable users to remotely authenticate themselves, laying the foundation for a digital revolution not only for government services, but also for critical private sector services like banking, finance and insurance.”

    The Minister said government was committed to the digital transformation of the department – called Home Affairs @ home.

    “We call this vision Home Affairs @ home… Our goal is nothing less than revolutionising the way citizens interact with their government by moving from manual to digital,” said the Minister.

    He said building a new reform model – based on decentralisation, modernisation, digital transformation and remote access – will “restore the hope that South Africa as a whole can work”.

    The constant investments being made in the reform of Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority and Government Printing Works, is starting to compound and grow.

    “During the past year, we have delivered nearly 3.6 million Smart IDs – almost half a million more than the previous annual record. We cleared a visa backlog of over 306 000 applications dating back over a decade.

    “We deported over 46 000 illegal immigrants, the highest number in five years and more than countries like France and Germany combined. We used drones and body cameras to increase the number of attempted illegal crossings that were detected and prevented by up to 215%.

    “We empowered naturalised citizens and permanent residents to obtain Smart IDs for the first time, expanding inclusion and making our country less reliant on the green ID book that is 500% more vulnerable to fraud than the Smart ID.

    “If this is just some of what Home Affairs could do in one year. Just imagine what we can do in five,” said Schreiber.

    Now that the department is enabling all qualifying categories of persons to obtain Smart IDs, “the next step will be to dramatically scale up access to this critical and more-secure enabling document”.

    In line with the Medium-Term Development Plan adopted by Cabinet, the department will do so by expanding the successful pilot project that currently delivers Smart ID and passport services in about 30 bank branches across the country.

    “We will use digital transformation to integrate the Home Affairs IT platform onto banks’ networks, thereby enabling many more bank branches to deliver this service around the country.

    “Our target for this financial year is to expand this service to at least 100 more branches.”

    This same technology reform will enable South Africans to order Smart IDs and passports through their banking app, just like they already when buying electricity or data.

    The department will further introduce the option of home delivery for Smart IDs and passports, using advanced facial recognition technology to secure the process.

    “Through scaling up the existing collaboration with banks, we will rapidly accelerate access to Smart IDs with the goal of ending the production of new Green ID books by the end of this year.

    “This will be a momentous step towards delivering dignity for all, while simultaneously clamping down on fraud,” said the Minister.

    He announced that, by the end of this month, Home Affairs will launch new facilities abroad to assist South Africans living and working overseas. These new facilities will ensure a five-week turnaround time for IDs and passports.

    “We are starting in Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates, followed by France, Germany and The Netherlands later this year, and North America in the new year.”

    He said the ultimate aim is to deliver “Home Affairs @ home”, which will enable every South African, no matter where they are in the world, to obtain services from their government online. – SAnews.gov.za

    Janine

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – The scourge of Sargassum – E-002707/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002707/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Rody Tolassy (PfE), André Rougé (PfE), France Jamet (PfE), Marie-Luce Brasier-Clain (PfE), Marie Dauchy (PfE), Pierre Pimpie (PfE), Virginie Joron (PfE), Angéline Furet (PfE), Mélanie Disdier (PfE)

    A few days ago in Nice, the Commission President unveiled the European ocean pact. In the West Indies, however, our children are still having to breathe in toxic fumes emanating from rotting Sargassum.

    This seaweed scourge has been coming back every season for 14 years now, with devastating effects on people’s health, the environment and the economy.

    This is not only the result of climate change: it is also caused by structural imbalances, including transatlantic currents and eutrophication.

    Faced with this perma-crisis, companies are now coming up with innovative solutions that can be industrialised, such as gathering the seaweed out at sea and turning it into energy or usable materials.

    This positive model could be replicated in other regions affected by the problem in the Caribbean, Africa and the Pacific. It’s time to turn this nuisance into a sustainable resource.

    What strategy is the Commission planning to put in place, in particular via ambitious funding arrangements, to support these initiatives and turn Sargassum into a driver of innovation for the benefit of the overseas territories?

    Supporter[1]

    Submitted: 2.7.2025

    • [1] This question is supported by a Member other than the authors: Jean-Paul Garraud (PfE)

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Is the Commission going to stop subsidising Algeria? – P-002740/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Priority question for written answer  P-002740/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Jean-Paul Garraud (PfE)

    On Monday 30 June 2025, Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist who has been detained in Algeria for more than a year, was sentenced to seven years in prison for ‘glorifying terrorism’ and ‘possessing publications for propaganda purposes harmful to national interests’.

    On Tuesday 1 July, Boualem Sansal, an 80-year-old Franco-Algerian writer who is suffering from prostate cancer, was sentenced on appeal to five years in prison, having already been unjustly detained in Algiers since 16 November 2024.

    Algeria benefits from the 2021-2027 EU-Algeria multiannual indicative programme (MIP), the aim of which is to strengthen the partnership between the two parties. Under the MIP, EUR 172 million was paid to Algeria between 2021 and 2024[1].

    • 1.Can the Commission confirm this amount, and can it tell us how much funding has been allocated for the period from 2025 to 2027?
    • 2.What does the Commission think of the arrests referred to above, and do they constitute a breach of the rule of law?
    • 3.If so, shouldn’t the Commission suspend payment of MIP funding until the Algerian regime brings in reforms and ceases its hostility towards France – a Member State of the European Union – and its nationals?

    Submitted: 4.7.2025

    • [1] https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/18c0dcae-9074-40e0-a8ca765abb44b281_en#:~:text=1.3.&text=L%27objectif%20g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral%20de%20ce,en%20faveur%20de%20la%20jeunesse.
    Last updated: 9 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –