NewzIntel.com

Category: France

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Request for clarification concerning France’s possible interference in the 2025 Romanian presidential election – P-002053/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Priority question for written answer  P-002053/2025/rev.1
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Jean-Paul Garraud (PfE)

    Following the recent presidential election in Romania, the runner-up, nationalist candidate George Simion, publicly made accusations of foreign interference. He spoke of external influence, in particular from France, which affected the conduct and fairness of the ballot.

    These statements have been backed up in remarks made by Valérie Hayer, Chair of Parliament’s Renew Europe Group, who admitted to having organised meetings in France for the Romanian diaspora to encourage them to vote[1].

    Furthermore, according to Pavel Durov, founder of the platform Telegram, there has been pressure coming from Paris to censor certain conservative Romanian voices. If these accusations prove to be true, it would pose a serious problem with regard to the principles of non-interference and democratic equality between candidates in a Member State or EU candidate country.

    In view of the above:

    • 1.Has the Commission been informed of such actions by French politicians or institutions?
    • 2.Do such initiatives align with the principles of neutrality and non-interference promoted by the EU?
    • 3.Will it request official explanations from the French authorities or open an independent investigation to assess the impact of these incidences on the electoral process in Romania?

    Submitted: 21.5.2025

    • [1] https://x.com/franceinfo/status/1921096329398190324
    Last updated: 12 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ‘I thought we’d arrived at a town rather than a hospital’

    Source: European Investment Bank

    From as early as 4 years old we knew that our daughter, Josephine, would most likely need an operation to correct her scoliosis. The thought of the procedure, which involves screwing metal rods into the vertebrae down most of the spine to straighten it out, filled us with terror. We did everything to avoid it — physical therapy twice a week, horse-riding, swimming, and even an innovative dynamic spine brace that was much more comfortable than the traditional hard braces.

    But after the pandemic disrupted travel to London for her regular brace adjustments, the scoliosis got worse and even the classic hard brace that went down to her hips did nothing. When it became clear that surgery was the only option to stop the S-shaped curve of her spine getting worse and compressing her organs, we set out to find the best orthopaedic surgeon. We met several excellent surgeons in Brussels before trying UZ Leuven, a university hospital about 30 kilometres east of Brussels in Flanders.

    With roots that trace back to 1160, UZ Leuven is one of the largest and oldest teaching hospitals in Europe. KU Leuven, the 600-year-old university to which it is attached, is the oldest in the low countries and considered the most prestigious in Belgium. Turning off the motorway and seeing the massive campus for the first time, I thought we’d arrived at a town rather than a hospital. Impressed by the doctor and the facilities, and relieved that the staff were happy to communicate in English and French, we chose to go ahead with the procedure.

    Some months later in 2024, when my daughter was recovering from her successful operation in the new paediatric wing, I remember looking around at the great facilities, which included a rooftop playground, and a well-appointed playroom with events for patients led by staff, and thinking, “I wonder if this place has had EIB funding? It looks like the sort of thing we’d do…”

    I didn’t know at the time that the Bank would soon sign a €230 million loan to help fund the hospital’s Health Sciences Campus 2.0 Masterplan. This gave me the chance to write about the plan and have many of my own questions answered about the whole hospital.

    Yes, the building that my daughter spent five days in had received EIB funding. The paediatric wing was financed in part with a €325 million loan from the Bank in 2008 under the first phase of the university hospital’s redevelopment. The new loan signed in 2025 is for the second phase of that vision.

    In his office. Dr Wim Tambeur, operations director at UZ Leuven, explained the hospital’s Health Sciences Master Plan. “About 20 years ago, we started to think about and redefine our vision of what a university hospital should be and how we envisioned our role,” he says.

    “We clearly said that a university hospital is quite unique in its setting because it creates innovation by R&D. We should invent better healthcare and better healthcare models, implement them in daily care, and teach the innovation to our students.”

    UZ Leuven is not just a hospital campus but a “city of innovation” integrating clinical care, research, and teaching, he said.

    This approach is reflected in many ways that we noticed during our stay. Our daughter’s doctor, for example, was also a professor at KU Leuven. “A lot of our medical staff are also appointed as professors at the university, so that already creates close interaction,” explained Dr Tambeur. “The real innovation is that our research is really focused on how we can improve clinical practice.”

    As a practical example, Dr Tambeur pointed to the nuclear medicine building on the campus, which will be expanded with funding from the new loan as one part of the plan. The centre develops specialised radioactive molecules for scans that help doctors in the hospital and scientists from the pharmaceutical industry with which they work to get a precise view of the targets where drugs are working in the body. Such molecules have very short lifespans so need to be produced on site to reduce transport times.

    Back at the paediatric wing where my daughter stayed was another great example of how the university hospital combines clinical research with innovation in patient care. The hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit has a unique design in which each baby gets its own quiet little room where parents and family can visit.  

    Typically, neonatal units, such as the one where my daughter spent five weeks after being born in Brussels, are like busy intensive care wards for adults with bright lights and machines constantly beeping. Access even for families is tightly controlled to limit crowding.

    “Neonatal care has improved dramatically in recent decades but has become a lot more intensive,” says Dr Tambeur. “The babies are so surrounded by technical equipment you can barely see them and all the noise and activity is very disturbing for them.”

    Dr Tambeur’s ward is designed in concentric circles, with a bay of individual rooms around a central staffing zone and an outer ring of rooms where brothers, sisters, grandparents and so can visit. “It allows for a lot of family involvement without disturbing the care processes,” he says. “And the monitors beep at the nurse’s station rather than the baby’s bed.”

    Health outcomes for the newborns seem to have improved and the neonatal care department is studying the long term effects of the new care process design, says Dr Tambeur.

    About one year on from the operation, Josephine, who is 15, is rid of her brace, her back is straight, her scar is discreet, and she’s four centimetres taller. We’ve been back to UZ Leuven several times and each time I feel proud to know that the European Investment Bank supports this kind of project.     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Sun Dong headed to Europe

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong will depart for a visit to France and the Netherlands this evening to strengthen Hong Kong’s ties and co-operation in innovation and technology (I&T) with the two countries.

    Prof Sun will attend Viva Technology 2025 (VivaTech) in Paris, France, and deliver a keynote speech on “From Hong Kong to the World: Embarking on the New Journey of Innovation” at a seminar and networking reception organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

    VivaTech, being held from June 11 to 14, is Europe’s annual startup and technology event that brings together startups, tech leaders, corporates and investors to drive I&T and business collaboration.

    During the visit, Prof Sun will also meet leaders of the local I&T sector as well as technology enterprises and tour the I&T and advanced manufacturing enterprises there.

    Prof Sun will return to Hong Kong on June 18. During his absence, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Lillian Cheong will be Acting Secretary.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Largest amphibious exercise on Braunton Burrows since WW2

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Largest amphibious exercise on Braunton Burrows since WW2

    Exercise Catamaran brought together more than 3,000 personnel from several NATO allies to carry out training on the North Devon coast.

    Personnel from several NATO allies took part in the exercise. Copyright: MOD Crown Copyright.

    The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has enabled a major multi-national training exercise alongside NATO allies on Braunton Burrows Training Area, demonstrating its crucial role in supporting military capability.  

    Exercise Catamaran ran between 30 May and 7 June, bringing together military personnel from France, the UK, Brazil, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the US. Royal Marines from 40 and 47 Commando led British involvement in the exercise.  

    It is the largest amphibious exercise of this scale to have been conducted on the training area since it was used by US troops in 1943 to rehearse for the D-Day landings on Utah and Omaha beaches.  

    Ex Catamaran formed part of the wider French-led POLARIS 25 exercise, a month-long training exercise which sees more than 3,000 military personnel from allied nations working on warfighting skills together. The amphibious exercise involved more than 20 surface ships and 40 aircraft in the Atlantic and the Channel and included landing exercises taking place on the beach at Braunton Burrows. 

    Braunton Burrows Training Area is home to one of the largest sand dune systems in the UK and offers a unique place to train.  

    DIO’s Overseas and Training team played an important part in planning and facilitating the exercise. The Foreign Forces team acted as the liaison between the French exercise planners and the Ministry of Defence. They provided expert advice on how the training area could be best utilised to meet training objectives, ensuring that all partners were informed and engaged. 

    Alongside that, Braunton Burrows’ Deputy Training Safety Officer led safety briefings for military personnel, flexibly supported training requirements and ensured a safe place to train was maintained, carefully managing the balance between military training and public access on the area. This technical guidance proved crucial in developing realistic training scenarios that couldn’t be replicated elsewhere in the UK.  

    Braunton Burrows: Enabling Exercise Catamaran

    Brigadier Gavin Hatcher CBE, DIO’s Head of Overseas and Training Region, said:  

    As custodians of the Defence Training Estate, DIO proudly provides a safe and high-quality environment for our Armed Forces and allies to train. While we enable and support important military training year-round, the scale and complexity of Exercise Catamaran has really showcased the versatility and diversity of what we can facilitate.  

    My team has been working closely with the French military for some time to meticulously plan this phase of the exercise on Braunton Burrows Training Area. It has been great to see this collaboration brought to fruition this week with UK military personnel training alongside our allies as they prepare for potential deployments.

    Major Martyn Heenan, Royal Marines, said:  

    Braunton Burrows and the amphibious training it allows is so important as it is one of the most complex operations you can carry out and there’s very few places you can do it. It allows the allied nations involved in this exercise to get onto the same space in a challenging area and work together, which is very difficult to do anywhere else in the world.  

    It’s been a long planning process but DIO have been there all the way through, be it the Foreign Forces team, the Training Safety Officers or the regional commanders, they have really helped with the planning and delivering everything to make this a success.

    Braunton Burrows has to remain accessible to the public at all times, and the site’s Deputy Training Safety Officer conducts careful planning and continuous monitoring alongside colleagues from our industry partner, Landmarc, to ensure military activities can go ahead safely without endangering personnel or members of the public.  

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Eviden launches its XMC Ethernet switch card, a cybersecure and sovereign solution for critical environments

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release

    Eviden launches its XMC Ethernet switch card, a cybersecure and sovereign solution for critical environments

    Paris, France – June 12, 2025 – Eviden, the Atos Group product brand leading in advanced computing, cybersecurity products, mission-critical systems and vision AI today announces the availability of a cybersecure and sovereign Ethernet switching solution, the XMC1Ethernet switch card, specifically designed for mission-critical environments. This innovative solution uses a protocol break of communications to achieve the security and independence of critical communication systems.

    Designed and manufactured in France, this XMC-format Ethernet switch card is a sovereign alternative to market offerings. It is produced at Eviden’s Aix-en-Provence site in France by teams with expertise in mission-critical systems. It complements Eviden’s range of MLS Gateway solutions, which are multi-level security gateways designed for two-way communications between networks of different classifications.

    Eviden’s new XMC Ethernet switch card is designed to protect data effectively. It incorporates powerful protection mechanisms that filter information, detect issues, and report anomalies to ensure secure and reliable transmission.

    Coupled with the CPU card2 of a critical system, Eviden’s XMC Ethernet switch card is configurable, allowing systems to evolve. It offers the ability to partition data between open and secure environments that require a break in protocol for security and confidentiality reasons.

    The card can be integrated on the mezzanine level with third-party embedded computers (air-land, naval or land-based) as well as with Eviden’s multi-level gateway solutions (MLS Gateway).

    Designed for the highest levels of criticality, Eviden’s XMC Ethernet switch card supports multiple protocols3 and is compatible with the AFDX standard4, enabling seamless integration into existing avionics systems. It is also DO-254 DAL A certifiable5 and developed in accordance with standards that support certification to the CC EAL 4+ level6. It incorporates technology from Cetrac.io, a specialist in hardware switching technologies and a partner of Eviden.

    Bernard Payer, Head of Mission-Critical Systems at Eviden, Atos Group, said: “Eviden’s XMC Ethernet switch card is a fusion of technologies designed to guarantee the security and compartmentalization of critical information flows without reliance on foreign technologies or operators. Our next-generation Ethernet switching solution provides operators in mission-critical environments with a sovereign solution in their hands, reflecting the know-how of our teams. I am particularly proud to announce the availability of this solution.”

    Eviden’s XMC Ethernet switch card will be presented at SIAE, June 16-22, booth Avantix S3, GIFAS pavilion, hall 2B C140.

    ***

    About Eviden

    Eviden is the Atos Group brand for hardware and software products with c. € 1 billion in revenue, operating in 36 countries and comprising four business units: advanced computing, cybersecurity products, mission-critical systems and vision AI. As a next-generation technology leader, Eviden offers a unique combination of hardware and software technologies for businesses, public sector and defense organizations and research institutions, helping them to create value out of their data. Bringing together 4,200 world-class talents and holding more than 2,100 patents, Eviden provides a strong portfolio of innovative and eco-efficient solutions in AI, computing, security, data and applications.

    About Atos Group

    Atos Group is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 72,000 employees and annual revenue of c. € 10 billion, operating in 68 countries under two brands — Atos for services and Eviden for products. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, Atos Group is committed to a secure and decarbonized future and provides tailored AI-powered, end-to-end solutions for all industries. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

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

    Press contact

    Isabelle Grangé | isabelle.grange@atos.net | +33 (0) 6 64 56 74 88

    1 XMC: Mezzanine Card switch. A mezzanine board is a secondary electronic board (or daughter board) that, when connected to a main board (or motherboard), allows the addition of specific features to a computer or embedded system, without changing the basic architecture.
    2 CPU: Central Processing Unit
    3 UDP, TCP, ICMP, ARP, IP
    4 AFDX : Avionics Full Duplex switched Ethernet
    5 DO 254 DAL A: the highest criticality level according to the DAL (Design Assurance Level) which categorizes software according to the potential impact of its failures on the safety of aeronautical systems.
    6 CC EAL 4+: Common Criteria Level 4 evaluation system “methodically designed, tested and verified.”

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: NPT Safeguards Agreement with Iran: Resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors, June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Speech

    NPT Safeguards Agreement with Iran: Resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors, June 2025

    France, Germany, the UK and United States (the Quad) delivered a joint statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board meeting introducing a resolution on Iran’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Safeguards Agreement.

    Thank you, Chair.

    On behalf of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, we express our sincere gratitude to Director General Grossi and to his team for their patient and exhaustive efforts to verify Iran’s implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement required under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and to clarify the critical safeguards issues that have been outstanding for more than six years. Unfortunately, as a result of Iran’s long-time failure to cooperate in resolving these issues, the Agency is not able to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.

    Since 2019, Iran has had every opportunity to provide the required, technically credible explanations in response to the IAEA’s questions, which relate to Iran’s core legal obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Regrettably, though, Iran has again refused to engage constructively with the IAEA to provide such explanations, despite multiple requests by the Board to do so since 2020.

    Now, at this Board’s request, Director General Grossi has produced a comprehensive and updated assessment of the possible presence or use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program, addressing the Agency’s ability to verify Iran’s implementation of its safeguards obligations.

    The Director General’s report speaks for itself in describing the full extent of the outstanding safeguards issues in Iran, their connection with Iran’s past nuclear activities, and Iran’s extensive record of obstruction, concealment, deception, and obfuscation in its approach to the work of the IAEA and the implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.

    The report makes clear that:

    Iran has refused to declare nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three undeclared locations in Iran.

    Until the early 2000s, those locations and possibly others formed part of Iran’s undeclared structured nuclear program.

    Iran retained, at Turquzabad, up until 2018, unknown nuclear material and/or heavily contaminated equipment and other assets arising from various locations, the whereabouts of which remain unknown to the Agency.

    These locations, as well as several others, were sanitized through various means, including the wholesale demolition of buildings, at key times in the IAEA’s investigation and despite direct requests by the Agency to preserve them.

    In addition, the Director General’s report underscores that:

    Iran is the only country that is not meeting its obligations related to the implementation of the modified Code 3.1, which it accepted in 2003, even as Iran talks openly about constructing new nuclear facilities. As the Agency has recalled multiple times, the modified Code 3.1 is a legal obligation for Iran under the Subsidiary Arrangements to its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Iran cannot unilaterally modify or suspend implementation of these Subsidiary Arrangements.

    Iran is the only State in the world without nuclear weapons that is producing and accumulating uranium enriched to 60%, which has potential proliferation implications.

    There have been repeated statements by former high-level officials in Iran related to Iran having the capability to manufacture nuclear weapons, which continue to provide concerns.

    The report’s overall assessment is alarming: as a result of Iran’s failure to cooperate with the IAEA, the Director General cannot rule out that nuclear material remains unaccounted for and outside of safeguards in Iran today and he cannot provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. These serious findings should give all of us pause.

    Chair,

    Given the issues reported by the Director General and Iran’s ongoing failure to cooperate with the IAEA, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and United States are bringing forward a resolution for the Board’s consideration finding Iran in noncompliance with its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Our resolution contains the following main points:

    First, it expresses continued, strong support for the Agency’s professional and impartial efforts in carrying out its mandate to verify the implementation of Iran’s safeguards obligations.

    Second, it deeply regrets that Iran has failed to co-operate fully with the Agency, as required by its safeguards agreement.

    Third, it finds Iran in non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement with the Agency in the context of Article XII.C of the Agency’s Statute.

    Fourth, it also finds that the Director General’s inability to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful gives rise to questions that are within the competence of the United Nations Security Council, as the organ bearing the main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, consistent with Article III.B.4 of the Agency’s Statute.

    Fifth, it calls upon Iran to urgently remedy its non-compliance with its Safeguards Agreement by taking all steps deemed necessary by the Agency and the Board, and reaffirms its decision that Iran must urgently act to ensure verification of the non-diversion of nuclear material and abide by its legal obligation to implement modified Code 3.1.

    Chair,

    The resolution defers the timing and content of the report that the Board is required to take pursuant to the IAEA Statute. We hope that Iran takes this final opportunity to provide full and immediate cooperation with the IAEA so that the Director General can report that these matters have been clarified and resolved, and so that the Board can swiftly consider action to find that Iran’s non-compliance has been remedied.

    We do not take this step lightly. The Board of Governors has given Iran every opportunity over the past six years to resolve questions related to undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran. We firmly believe that all IAEA Member States must work together to uphold the integrity of the IAEA safeguards system and the broader nuclear nonproliferation regime, and this shared responsibility includes holding states accountable to their obligations under their NPT-required safeguards agreements. Simply put: the facts are clear, the legal basis is ironclad, and the action is long overdue. That is why we strongly urge all Board members to support this important resolution.

    We understand there are questions about how this resolution may impact separate, ongoing diplomatic efforts with Iran. The IAEA Statute is clear on the Board’s authority to act and find non-compliance when a state is not complying with its obligations under its safeguards agreement. Iran’s legally binding obligation to implement its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement cannot be subject to separate political considerations. This resolution will not undermine diplomatic efforts with Iran – it will only strengthen them. It underscores the importance of Iran’s full cooperation with the IAEA, and its full implementation of its legal safeguards obligations, as the necessary foundation for any enduring agreement that addresses international concerns related to Iran’s nuclear activities. The Director General’s comprehensive report echoes this essential point.

    We also regret that Iran, instead of providing the full cooperation required by its safeguards agreement, has continued to threaten escalation and confrontation. However, let us be clear: this resolution is not an act of escalation by the Board; it is an acknowledgement of the legal and factual reality of Iran’s noncompliance with its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement after many years of concerted effort by the Director General and the Secretariat to resolve fundamental questions related to undeclared nuclear materials and activities in Iran. It is not the Board that is forcing this step on Iran, but Iran who is forcing this step on the Board.

    Chair,

    The Board cannot be intimidated into inaction by Iran’s threats. A failure to act would only embolden Iran’s continued non-cooperation and escalation. Iran has an opportunity it can and should seize – an opportunity to cooperate meaningfully with the IAEA to finally answer the serious and longstanding questions raised by the Director General.

    With these thoughts, we encourage all members of this Board to join us today in upholding the nonproliferation regime.

    Thank you, Chair.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Oceans 28 states have signed the Global Ocean Treaty into law while the UK is failing to get onboard The European Commission and six EU countries, Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia, have today submitted their ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty at the United Nations headquarters. Despite… by Alexandra Sedgwick May 28, 2025

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    The European Commission and six EU countries, Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia, have today submitted their ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty at the United Nations headquarters. Despite repeated promises to sign the Treaty into UK law, the UK government is failing to get onboard. 

    Greenpeace is warning that, while the progress from other European countries is welcome, it is nowhere near enough to ensure the treaty enters into force in 2025, and in time to meet the goal of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 – agreed by all governments in 2022[1]. 

    The UK was among the first countries to sign the Global Ocean Treaty on 20 September 2023, indicating its intention to pass the Treaty into UK law. The current Labour government has repeatedly said it intends to ratify the Treaty, but has so far failed to introduce the necessary primary legislation to do so or to commit to a timeline. This has prompted calls from the International Development Committee and environmental groups to begin the legislative process urgently. Responsibility for this process lies with Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

    Chris Thorne, Greenpeace UK senior ocean campaigner, said:

    “David Lammy wants the UK to be a leader on climate and nature, so he can’t afford to miss the boat on signing the Global Ocean Treaty into UK law. The Treaty can help to protect a third of our blue planet from threats like industrial fishing. As international action on ocean protection accelerates, the UK risks turning up empty handed at a key UN conference next month. Lammy must stop failing the ocean which all life on Earth depends on, prioritise ocean protection and urgently secure parliamentary time for the UK to join other European countries in signing the Treaty into law. We hear legislation has been drafted and is ready to go, it just needs pushing over the line.”

    The Global Ocean Treaty requires ratification by 60 states to enter into force. Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia have joined the 22 other states that have already deposited their ratification at the UN, making a total of 28 so far, nearly half of the 60 required. Governments had aimed to ratify the Treaty by June’s UN Ocean Conference to ensure that it enters into force quickly enough to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030. This Treaty is the only legal tool which can deliver this target on the high seas[2].

    Lukas Meus, Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe ocean campaigner, said:
    “It gives us hope to see such a large group of European countries ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty, but it’s still not enough. Governments had targeted the UN Ocean Conference as their deadline to ratify the Treaty, but even with this group of countries, that target is set to be missed. More countries must ratify the Treaty at the UN Ocean Conference, and should also confirm their support for a global moratorium on deep sea mining. Only then could we call this conference a success.”

    The UN Ocean Conference is the first high-level meeting after a deep sea mining company submitted the first-ever application to mine the deep sea to the US Government, bypassing the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the regulatory body set up by the United Nations to protect the deep sea as the common heritage of humankind and decide whether deep sea mining can start in the international seabed[3].

    With this new looming threat of exploitation, countries must make it clear that deep sea mining must not be allowed to start in 2025 and actively work towards securing a moratorium at the upcoming meeting of the International Seabed Authority in July, just weeks after the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC). 

    Greenpeace UK is calling on the UK government to:

    • Prioritise ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty by making time in the parliamentary schedule ahead of UNOC
    • Speak out in favour of a global moratorium on deep sea mining and use diplomatic influence to build support for this and the multilateral system
    • Implement a full ban on all forms of destructive fishing, including bottom trawling, in all UK marine protected areas
    • Work with the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda and other nations to champion one of the world’s first high seas sanctuaries in the Sargasso Sea. This stunning ecosystem supports a plethora of iconic wildlife including humpback whales, dolphins and sea turtles

    Ends

    Contact

    Alexandra Sedgwick, Greenpeace UK press officer, alexandra.sedgwick@greenpeace.org, 07739 963 301

    Notes to editors

    [1] Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia have joined Palau, Chile, Belize, Seychelles, Monaco, Mauritius, Federated States of Micronesia, Cuba, Maldives, Singapore, Bangladesh, Barbados, Timor Leste, Panama, St. Lucia, Spain, France, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Republic of Korea and Costa Rica.

    [2] In 2022, during the UN Biodiversity COP15, states agreed on a target of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, a figure supported by scientists for several years. 2.7% of the global ocean is currently fully or highly protected from human activities, and the figure is just 0.9% for areas of the high seas, which are beyond national jurisdiction. Greenpeace calculates that at the current rate of protection, the 30% target will not be reached until 2107.

    [3] In a media statement, the European Commission has said that it “deeply regrets” the US president’s Executive Order that “circumvents” the negotiations in the ISA, and that “it is crucial to recall that its provisions reflect customary international law and are thus binding on all states irrespective of whether they have acceded to the Convention or not.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace Indonesia calls for stronger civil collaborations as government ratifies Global Ocean Treaty

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Nice/Jakarta, June 11, 2025 – Greenpeace Indonesia welcomes the Indonesian government decision to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty, also known as Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). The decision was announced by Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono in Nice, France, on June 10, during the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) [1].

    Moving forward, Greenpeace Indonesia urges the government to strengthen its leadership to increasingly mainstream a human rights-based approach in all protection and management efforts for the sustainable future of the ocean, both within and outside the national territory, in line win line with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

    Greenpeace Indonesia also encourages the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other relevant institutions to be more proactive in ensuring Indonesia’s readiness for the implementation–especially once the Global Ocean Treaty will be in force within 120 days after at least 60 countries have ratified it.

    Afdillah, Greenpeace Indonesia Ocean Campaign Team Lead:

    “This is a momentum to ensure that the 5 Priority Blue Economy Programs initiated by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries are implemented effectively by ensuring meaningful multi-stakeholder participation, transparency, stronggenuine sustainability and fairness.”

    Arifsyah Nasution, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Ocean Campaigner and Global Lead for Beyond Seafood Campaign:

    “Congratulations to Indonesia for becoming the 50th country globally and the 4th in the Southeast Asia region, after Singapore, Timor Leste and Vietnam, to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty. We really look forward to welcoming more countries in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region to follow suit.”

    “Aside from the BBNJ, a number of civil society elements and labor movements have also been urging the government to immediately ratify ILO Convention 188 on Work in Fishing [3]. Ratification of C-188 is urgent so that decent working conditions and the rights of Indonesian fishing crews, both those working on Indonesian-flagged fishing vessels and on foreign-flagged fishing vessels outside the Indonesian fisheries management area, can be increasingly protected. This is also a form of commitment and effort to implement effective and progressive policies, a real manifestation of Indonesia’s exemplary diplomacy in the international arena.”

    Notes for Editors:

    [1] Indonesia’s Declaration at UNOC3 on June 10, 2025, by the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries

    Contact Person:

    Vela Andapita, Global Communications Coordinator for Beyond Seafood Campaign at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, +62-817-5759-449, [email protected]

    Afdillah, Greenpeace Indonesia Ocean Campaign Team Lead, +62-811-4704-730, [email protected]

    Arifsyah Nasution, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Ocean Campaigner and Global Lead for Beyond Seafood Campaign, +62-811-400-350, [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: “Nice Declaration” for an ambitious plastics treaty: the wake up call the world needs

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Nice, France – Over 90 member states at the United Nations Ocean Conference today announced their support to the ministerial declaration “The Nice wake up call for an ambitious plastics treaty” which includes a call for the adoption of a global target to reduce the production and consumption of plastic. 

    In response, Graham Forbes, Greenpeace Head of Delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and Global Plastics Campaign Lead at Greenpeace USA, said: “The Nice Declaration, signed by an overwhelming majority of countries, is the wake-up call the world needs. Governments are finally saying the quiet part out loud: we cannot end plastic pollution without cutting plastic production. Full stop.

    “The Nice Declaration tackles the root cause of the crisis, which is the ever-growing, reckless production of plastics driven by fossil fuel giants. The message to industry lobbyists is loud and clear: the health of our children is more important than your bottom line.”

    “We welcome the call for a legally binding global cap on plastic production, and real rules to phase out the most toxic plastic products and chemicals. For too long, treaty talks have been stuck in circular conversations while plastic pollution chokes our oceans, poisons our bodies, and fuels the climate crisis.

    “But this statement only matters if countries back it up with action this August in Geneva at INC-5.2. That means no voluntary nonsense, no loopholes, and no surrender to fossil fuel and petrochemical interests. We need a treaty with teeth—one that slashes plastic production, holds polluters accountable, and protects people on the frontlines.”

    ENDS

    Notes:

    A statement, signed by 234 civil society organisations, was also released in support of the Nice declaration. 

    Contact:

    Angelica Carballo Pago, Global Plastics Campaign Media Lead, Greenpeace USA, [email protected] , +63 917 1124492

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

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: France spent €90,000 to discredit the impact of Pacific nuclear testing – Greenpeace response

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Paris, France – New documents obtained by investigative outlet Disclose suggests that France spent €90,000 to discredit research into the impacts of its nuclear testing in the Pacific. In response: 

    Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said:

    “This act by France is not just a denial of truth — it is an insult to generations who continue to live with the radioactive legacy of these experiments. From the scarred atolls of the Marshall Islands to the irradiated lands of Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), our people carry the enduring fallout of nuclear colonialism – cancers, displacement, environmental devastation, deaths, and loss of generations. Instead of reckoning with its past, France chooses to fund distraction over accountability, image over integrity. This is not the act of a nation seeking justice — it is the act of a nation running from it. The Pacific does not forget and our people will not be silenced. No amount of money can erase the truth written into our Pacific families’ bodies, our lands, and our histories.”

    Pauline Boyer, energy campaigner and nuclear expert at Greenpeace France said: 

    “This is a shamelessly ramped up disinformation campaign by the CEA [France’s Atomic Energy Commission]. Nuclear proponents continue to defend the law of silence at all costs when it comes to the victims of civilian and military nuclear industries. It’s high time the CEA, as well as the French government, acknowledged the facts with transparency and honesty: they deliberately chose to expose populations and their land to radioactive fallout and contamination from French nuclear bomb explosions. Underestimating the number of victims and the extent of the devastating impact on the health of civilian and military populations, in order to reduce the number of compensation claims and minimize this dark chapter in history, is utterly indecent. All the more that France’s choice of the Pacific islands for these nuclear explosions clearly follows a colonialist logic”.

    Last month, a new study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER) and commissioned by Greenpeace Germany, revealed that US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands from 1946-1958 had impacted all atolls, but only three of the 24 atolls, all northern and inhabited at the time of radioactive fallout, received medical cancer screening.

    In July, Greenpeace and the Rainbow Warrior will mark the 40 year anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior I by the French secret service, who were attempting to halt Greenpeace’s campaign against nuclear testing in French Polynesia (Maohi Nui) at the time.  

    ENDS

    A collection of archival images of the Rainbow Warrior bombing can be found in the Greenpeace Media Library. Other archival images of Greenpeace protests against French nuclear testing can also be found in the Library.

    Contacts:

    Mary Chevallier, energy and nuclear comms, Greenpeace France, +33(0)614739229, [email protected]

    Shuk-Wah Chung, Communications Lead – Marshall Islands project, Greenpeace International, (+852) 5420 4186, [email protected]

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

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Greenpeace activists aboard Rainbow Warrior disrupt Pacific industrial fishing operation

    By Emma Page

    Greenpeace activists on board the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior disrupted an industrial longlining fishing operation in the South Pacific, seizing almost 20 km of fishing gear and freeing nine sharks — including an endangered mako — near Australia and New Zealand.

    Crew retrieved the entire longline and more than 210 baited hooks from a European Union-flagged industrial fishing vessel, including an endangered longfin mako shark, eight near-threatened blue sharks and four swordfish.

    The crew also documented the vessel catching endangered sharks during its longlining operation.

    The at-sea action followed new Greenpeace Australia Pacific analysis exposing the extent of shark catch from industrial longlining in parts of the Pacific Ocean.

    Latest fisheries data showed that almost 70 percent of EU vessels’ catch was blue shark in 2023 alone.

    The operation came ahead of this week’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, where world leaders are discussing ocean protection and the Global Ocean Treaty.

    On board the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Georgia Whitaker said: “These longliners are industrial killing machines. Greenpeace Australia Pacific took peaceful and direct action to disrupt this attack on marine life.

    “We saved important species that would otherwise have been killed or left to die on hooks.

    “The scale of industrial fishing — still legal on the high seas — is astronomical. These vessels claim to be targeting swordfish or tuna, but we witnessed shark after shark being hauled up by these industrial fleets, including three endangered sharks in just half an hour.


    Rainbow Warrior crew disrupt longline fishing in the Pacific.  Video: Greenpeace

    “Greenpeace is calling on world leaders at the UN Ocean Conference to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030 from this wanton destruction.”

    Stingray caught as bycatch is hauled onboard the Lu Rong Yuan Lu 212 longliner vessel in the Tasman Sea.

    The Rainbow Warrior is in the South Pacific ocean to expose longline fishing and call on governments to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty and create a network of protected areas in the high seas.

    A Greenpeace activist frees a blue shark caught on a longline in the Pacific . . . the blue shark is currently listed as “Near Threatened” globally by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Image: Greenpeace Pacific

    Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling on the New Zealand government to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty and help create global ocean sanctuaries, including in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

    New Zealand signed the agreement in 2023.

    More than two-thirds of sharks worldwide are endangered, and a third of those are at risk of extinction from overfishing.

    Over the last three weeks, the Rainbow Warrior has been documenting longlining vessels and practices off Australia’s east coast, including from Spain and China.

    Emma Page is Greenpeace Aotearoa’s communications lead, oceans and fisheries. Republished with permission.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lost World War One Soldier Found in France

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Lost World War One Soldier Found in France

    Relatives of a World War 1 Derbyshire soldier gathered in France today to witness his burial with full military honours alongside his comrades – more than a century after he was killed in action.  

    Sjt Ashton’s new headstone, with a personal inscription from his descendants (Crown Copyright)

    A burial service has been held in France for a lost World War One soldier more than a century after his death. The service was supported by Padre John Storey of 5th Bn The Rifles, and soldiers from 1st Bn The Rifles who flew in from Cyprus to support the service.

    Soldiers from 1st Bn The Rifles and Buglers from The Band & Bugles of The Rifles stand with members of Sjt Ashton’s family (Crown Copyright)

    Serjeant Henry Ashton from Derby, who died aged 44 in 1917, was the first named soldier to be buried and laid to rest at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Loos British Cemetery Extension yesterday (10 June 2025). All other soldiers buried at the new Extension to date are unnamed.   

    His remains were discovered during construction work for a new hospital in Lens, and research showed that the remains belonged to a man of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI), with extensive pre-war service demonstrated by the tattered remains of medal ribbons still attached to his uniform. DNA testing then led to formal identification of Sjt Henry Ashton. 

    The service was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’. 

    Alexia Clark, MOD War Detective said: 

    It has been a privilege to identify Sjt Ashton, and to be able to organise this burial service for him. When you consider the half-a-million men still missing from the First and Second World Wars, every one we can identify feels like an achievement. I am delighted that Sjt Ashton’s family have now been able to give him the dignified burial he had been denied for so long.

    Lt Fintan Yeatman of 1st Bn The Rifles presents the flag from Sjt Ashton’s coffin to his great-grandson Paul.

    Sjt Ashton initially served 12½ years with the Seaforth Highlanders before working for the Midland Railway Company. He rejoined the army in March 1915, first with the Derbyshire Yeomanry before transferring to the 14th Battalion Durham Light Infantry in October 1916. 

    Sjt Ashton was killed on 22 April 1917 during operations near Lens. A letter received at home from his officer, Captain Allden Owles, stated that he had died instantly and served bravely. Following the war Henry’s body was not recovered, and he was listed on the Memorial to the Missing at Loos.  

    Commemorations Casework Manager at the CWGC, David Royle, said:  

    It has been an honour to be involved in the identification of Serjeant Henry Ashton. Burial ceremonies like these are a reminder that the work of the CWGC continues and are as important today as when we were first founded. We will care for his grave, and those of his comrades, in perpetuity.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: CREDIT AGRICOLE SA: Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires announces the signing of an agreement to acquire Petits-fils, the leading provider of at-home services for seniors in France, from Clariane

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release

    Montrouge, 12 June 2025

    Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires announces the signing of an agreement to acquire Petits-fils, the leading provider of at-home services for seniors in France, from Clariane

    The acquisition of Petits-fils would establish Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires, a subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole Group, as the leader in at-home services for seniors in France.

    Beyond its commitment to improving access to healthcare, Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires has invested in supporting wellbeing in aging, particularly in two key areas: non-medical accommodation — a sector in which the Group has been active since 2024 — and at-home services, where the acquisition of Petits-fils would represent a pivotal milestone in its development. The transaction is also expected to unlock synergies with other entities within the Crédit Agricole group.

    The French population aged over 75 is expected to grow by 60% by 2040, with 90% of individuals in the age bracket continuing to reside at home. In this rapidly expanding market, Petits-fils has – within just a few years – emerged as the leading provider of at-home services for seniors across France, operating a nationwide franchise network comprising over 292 branches.
    The exceptionally rapid growth of Petits-fils’ services as an intermediary between clients and care workers (at twice the rate of the broader at-home services industry), its strong territorial roots, and the high levels of satisfaction found among Petits-fils’ clients and partners underscore its strategic appeal to Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires.

    Clariane SE and Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires also plan to conclude a nationwide partnership to help caregivers and dependent individuals access support services and suitable care near their place of residence.

    Olivier Gavalda, Chief Executive Officer of Crédit Agricole S.A., commented: “In 2022, the Crédit Agricole Group announced its ambition to diversify its offerings and services to meet all our clients’ needs, particularly in the areas of health and ageing support. The acquisition of Petits-fils, France’s leading at-home services provider for seniors, by Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires, would mark a major step forward in the execution of this strategy.”

    Pierre Guillocheau, Chief Executive Officer of Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires, added: “We would be delighted to welcome Petits-fils and its teams to Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires. We are firmly convinced that the foundational values of Petits-fils — excellence, trust, quality, and compassion — are the cornerstone of its success and of the outstanding relationships it maintains with its clients, their caregivers, its at-home service assistants, and its franchisees. Our ambition is to support the company’s bold growth plan, building on the strength of its management and franchisees, and fostering ties with the Crédit Agricole Group’s regional network.”

    Pursuant to the agreement signed with Clariane, Petits-fils would be acquired by Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires for an enterprise value of €345 million, implying an estimated equity value at closing of approximately €255 million. The transaction is expected to have a limited impact on the CET1 ratios of Crédit Agricole S.A. and the Crédit Agricole Group.

    The transaction remains subject to approval by the French Competition Authority, with closing anticipated in the third quarter.

    About Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires
    A subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole group, Crédit Agricole Santé & Territoires is dedicated to structuring and expanding the group’s service offering in the healthcare sector. It provides pragmatic solutions to two major societal challenges:

    • Improving access to healthcare across France’s regions, aligned with care pathway strategies and territorial healthcare frameworks (e.g., development of telemedicine, support for new medical practice models, deployment of healthcare facilities in underserved areas, etc.)
    • Supporting the ageing population, through both at-home services and non-medical housing solutions.

    About Petits-fils

    Founded in 2014, Petits-fils is now the largest French provider of at-home services to the elderly in France. With over 290 branches — primarily franchised and employing more than 11,000 care workers — Petits-fils provided services to nearly 39,000 individuals in 2024.

    Press Contacts – Crédit Agricole S.A.

    Olivier Tassain: olivier.tassain@credit-agricole-sa.fr – +33 6 75 90 26 66
    Mathilde Durand: mathilde.durand@credit-agricole-sa.fr – +33 6 25 94 01 98

    All our press releases are available at: www.credit-agricole.com

            @Credit_Agricole            Groupe Crédit Agricole            Crédit Agricole
            

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former CEO of Guam Helicopter Company Sentenced to 405 Months in Federal Prison for Criminal Aviation Violations

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Hagåtña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that John D. Walker, age 60, was sentenced by Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood in the District Court of Guam to 405 months imprisonment.  On September 9, 2022, a jury returned guilty verdicts against Walker and his company, Hansen Helicopters, Inc., on 110 counts involving conspiracy to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) and National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”), aircraft parts fraud that caused serious bodily injury and death, employing a mechanic without a mechanic’s certificate, registration violations involving helicopters, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.  Walker was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine, and a $9,900 special assessment fee.  Walker forfeited $58,407,513, which represented the proceeds of aircraft parts fraud and wire fraud, in addition to $11,770,000, which represented the amount of money involved in the money laundering offenses.

    Hansen Helicopters, Inc., was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the FAA and NTSB, in addition to aircraft parts fraud that caused serious bodily injury and death.  Hansen received a five-year term of probation, a $4,900,000 fine, and a $2,000 special assessment fee.

    Walker subverted aviation laws and regulations, enforced by the FAA and NTSB, which protect public health and safety.  Walker used at least 48 shell companies, most incorporated internationally, to operate an illicit helicopter/pilot/mechanic leasing business in Guam. By concealing that his aircraft were unregistered or illegally registered, unairworthy, and maintained and operated by uncertificated airmen, Walker entered fraudulent lease agreements with numerous tuna boat companies.  He earned over $400 million dollars through his scheme. He concealed his crimes by forging documents, counterfeiting aircraft parts, and bribing aviation officials.

    “The defendants built helicopters from an assortment of discarded frames and counterfeit parts,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “They blatantly disregarded aviation laws to build and operate aircraft that should never have left the ground.  Fishing companies throughout the Pacific region relied on these aircraft for spotting tuna.  Unfortunately, the defendants’ quest for money resulted in the deaths of many pilots.  This was a difficult case to investigate and prosecute, but well worth federal resources. I commend our law enforcement partners on bringing these defendants to justice.”

    “Unchecked greed and flagrant disregard for aviation safety create a recipe for disaster with catastrophic results,” said Special Agent in Charge Cory LeGars of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Western Region. “This sentencing epitomizes the criminal justice system’s commitment to holding individuals and companies accountable for egregious illicit conduct. I commend the relentless efforts of our special agents and the outstanding collaboration between our law enforcement, prosecutorial, and regulatory partners, whose collective efforts brought this complex and hazardous fraud scheme to justice.”

    “How many times have we heard, ’It’s just money…’ when it comes to financial crime?” asked Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “This case shows that all too often, innocent people suffer catastrophic harm because of someone else’s greed. Financial crime is not victimless, and IRS-CI will continue to protect our communities from people like Mr. Walker who put their greed above all else.”

    “Over several years, Mr. Walker engaged in a multi-layered scheme to bribe public officials and defraud the government, significantly jeopardizing public safety in the process,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The FBI remains steadfast and persistent in our efforts to investigate these schemes and bring bad actors to justice.”

    This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and in partnership with the Customs and Quarantine Agency of Guam.

    Assistant United States Attorney Stephen F. Leon Guerrero, Special Assistant United States Attorney Marie L. Miller, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha R. Miller prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: Stars light up China’s summer cinemas as market seeks rebound

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

    Actress Zhang Ziyi poses during a photocall for the film “She’s got no name” at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    After a notable box office boost over the Duanwu Festival holiday — powered by Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” — and with a wave of high-profile films like star-studded “She’s Got No Name” joining the schedule, China’s summer movie season, running from June 1 to Aug. 31, is heating up alongside the weather.

    With the Aug. 8 release of Guan Hu’s “Dongji Island” announced on Wednesday, the three-month window — seen by industry observers as China’s most important movie period second only to the Spring Festival holiday — now boasts a lineup of more than 70 domestic and foreign films, ranging from crime thrillers and historical features to animated fantasies and Hollywood imports.

    But beneath the packed schedule lies an urgent question: which ones will be this year’s runaway hits? It’s more than a popularity contest. After a 44 percent drop in 2024’s summer takings from the year prior, the Chinese film market is looking to the season for signs of resilience and perhaps revival. That rebound, if it comes, may hinge on whether one or several high-performing films can once again galvanize the public and drive momentum across the board.

    Some in the industry see “She’s Got No Name,” set for release on June 21, as the season’s first real momentum builder. “If ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,’ which opened on May 30, served as a soft launch,” film critic and Shandong-based cinema manager Dong Wenxin told Xinhua, “then ‘She’s Got No Name,’ packed with stars, may be the one to spark the summer’s first real surge.”

    Directed by Peter Chan and starring Zhang Ziyi, Jackson Yee, Zhao Liying and Lei Jiayin, the highly anticipated noir-tinged thriller is based on a sensational 1945 murder in Shanghai. A sharp re-edit of the 150-minute Cannes version that drew polarized responses last year, the upcoming release runs 96 minutes, now promoted as the first installment of a two-part series. Anticipation remains high: Chan spent eight years on the script, rebuilt historic Shanghai alleyways for the shoot, and framed the story through the lens of gendered violence.

    Dong sees the next major box office surge arriving in late July, driven by the release of period comedy “The Lychee Road” on July 25 and historical feature “731,” currently titled “731 Biochemical Revelations” in English, on July 31. In an interview with Xinhua, Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, also expressed particular interest in the two titles, as well as “Dongji Island.”

    The Zhao Linshan directed “731,” which stars Jiang Wu and Wang Zhiwen, revisits the horrific World War II-era human experiments conducted by Japan’s Unit 731, documenting a painful chapter of history while portraying the Chinese people’s heroic resistance. Leading all summer titles in advance interest with over 600,000 “want to see” clicks on film platform Maoyan, the film could emerge as a cultural flashpoint for both its emotionally charged subject and patriotic undertones.

    Also grounded in history, “Dongji Island,” starring Zhu Yilong, recounts the true story of Chinese fishermen rescuing over 300 British prisoners of war in October 1942, after the Japanese transport ship “Lisbon Maru” was torpedoed and left to sink, despite being secretly packed with more than 1,800 prisoners. The same events were previously explored in Fang Li’s critically acclaimed 2024 documentary, “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.”

    Comedy remains a genre with mass appeal. Based on a popular novel by Ma Boyong, “The Lychee Road” is directed by comedian Da Peng, who also stars in the lead role. The film follows a Tang Dynasty (618-907) official tasked with the near-impossible mission of transporting fresh lychees — typically perishable within days — on a grueling 2,500-km journey from Lingnan in southern China to the capital, Chang’an. His desperate ingenuity in overcoming the logistical challenge becomes a sharp satire of bureaucratic absurdity.

    Rao said the film’s source material already boasts a strong fan base, and its TV drama adaptation has helped warm up audiences ahead of the theatrical release. “Comedy films are almost a necessity during summer,” he added, noting the film’s box office potential.

    Also among the anticipated local releases are the mystery drama “Malice,” written and supervised by Chen Sicheng, known for his commercial instincts and previous hits in the suspense genre; an animated fantasy from Light Chaser Animation adapted from the Qing Dynasty short story collection “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio;” “The Stage,” a big-screen adaptation of the comedy of the same name by comedian Chen Peisi; and the animated drama “Nobody,” which adapts an episode from the acclaimed “Yao-Chinese Folktales” animation series.

    Hollywood titles, despite their waning allure in China, remain an essential piece of the competitive puzzle this summer. “Jurassic World Rebirth” (July 2) brings back dinosaurs and picks up the story after the events of 2022’s “Jurassic World: Dominion.” The franchise’s popularity in China, where each of the three previous entries surpassed 1 billion yuan (139 million U.S. dollars) in box office takings, makes it one of the few American titles with breakout potential.

    Other high-profile imports include “How to Train Your Dragon” (June 13), “F1 The Movie” starring Brad Pitt (June 27), and James Gunn’s “Superman” (July 11).

    Voicing “cautious optimism” over the summer box office, Rao said the Chinese film market is undergoing structural changes, and that only films with truly “hardcore” cinematic elements, the kind that can only be fully appreciated in a theater for their uniquely immersive audiovisual power as a modern technological art form, can effectively draw large audiences.

    From 2017 to 2019, China’s summer box office each surpassed 16 billion yuan, with 2023 setting an all-time seasonal high of 20.62 billion yuan. But 2024 saw a steep drop to 11.64 billion yuan.

    “Based on the current slate, this summer is unlikely to reach the heights of 2023 or the pre-pandemic years,” noted industry blog Yingshi Fengxiangbiao. “Still, if a breakout hit surpassing 3 billion yuan emerges, the season could yet outpace last year.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The 8th Cashmere and Wool Exhibition will open in July

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    The 8th China (Ordos) International Cashmere & Wool Expo will be held from July 18 to 20, 2025 in Dongsheng District, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

    Ordos City is a world-famous agglomeration area of cashmere industry, with more than 360 cashmere enterprises, with an annual processing capacity of 50% of the country and 33% of the world. The market value of Ordos Group is more than 100 billion yuan. This group also took the lead in drafting international cashmere standards.

    This year, the exhibition will attract leading international brands from the UK, France, Italy and other countries, as well as domestic leading enterprises. More than 200 exhibitors are expected to take part in the exhibition.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Czech Republic’s power capacity to reach 32.6GW in 2035, forecasts GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Czech Republic’s power capacity to reach 32.6GW in 2035, forecasts GlobalData

    Posted in Power

    The Czech Republic boasts one of the lowest levels of power import dependence in Europe, thanks to its substantial reserves of hard coal. Nevertheless, the nation is committed to phasing out coal by 2033 and is in the process of establishing a comprehensive framework to support an inclusive transition. This transition is catalyzing investments in nuclear power, renewable energy sources, and natural gas. Against this backdrop, power capacity in the country is expected to reach 32.6GW in 2035, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% during 2024-35, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    GlobalData’s latest report, “Czech Republic Power Market Outlook to 2035, Update 2025 – Market Trends, Regulations, and Competitive Landscape,” reveals that annual power generation in Czech Republic is expected to increase at a CAGR of 0.6% during 2024-35 to reach 76.4TWh.

    The Czech Republic has set a strategic goal to close the majority of its coal plants by 2033. The updated National Energy Plan, released in December 2024, emphasizes the expansion of nuclear energy and the utilization of renewable resources. The plan sets forth objectives to increase the contribution of nuclear energy to 44% and that of renewable energy sources to 28% in the nation’s electricity generation by 2030.

    Attaurrahman Ojindaram Saibasan, Senior Power Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Nuclear energy is pivotal to the Czech Republic’s strategy for phasing out coal. The government endorses the expansion of nuclear capacity, particularly at the Dukovany and Temelín facilities. State participation in financing and the establishment of long-term offtake agreements are instrumental in shaping the trajectory of nuclear development, with the aim of reducing reliance on external energy sources by enhancing domestic nuclear generation.”

    In April 2025, the Czech competition authority dismissed appeals from Electricité de France (EDF), thereby confirming the selection of South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) for the construction of two new 1GW reactors at the Dukovany site. Valued at over 400 billion Czech koruna (approximately $18.2 billion), this project represents the most substantial energy investment in the nation’s history.

    Saibasan concludes: “The power sector presents opportunities in generation, transmission, and smart metering. Investment prospects seem particularly promising in areas such as gas-based power plants, turbines, and related equipment. In the transmission arena, the Czech Republic’s status as a net power exporter means that a substantial volume of electricity crosses its borders. While there is currently no congestion, the potential for such an occurrence in the future is significant.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Reed Demand Written Answers from RFK, Jr. on Firings of Childhood Lead Poisoning Experts at CDC

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Jack Reed (D-RI) are demanding written answers from the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in response to detailed questions on the Trump Administration’s firing of childhood lead experts. On numerous occasions in Senate hearings, Secretary Kennedy has claimed that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is not shuttering the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, and that cities requesting help, like Milwaukee, would receive it when needed. He also claimed, incorrectly, that CDC experts were on the ground in Milwaukee providing assistance. However, after applying for support from the CDC to help mitigate lead found in school classrooms, Milwaukee Public Schools was notified that their request for support was denied because the Trump administration fired the entire Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Surveillance Branch. Local officials continue to confirm that the requested aid is not being provided, and the Secretary has provided no documentation that the fired employees have been rehired, as Baldwin demanded.

    “You offered to follow up with more specifics, which we have not yet received, and to provide responses in a timely manner,” wrote the Senators in a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

    “The CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has played an essential role for many years in identifying lead hazards in homes and the associated risk to children and helping direct resources to the families and communities most in need,” the Senators continued.

    The crisis in Milwaukee has shuttered six schools and displaced 1,800 children. Senator Baldwin visited Milwaukee Public Schools’ Frances Starms Discovery Learning Center to meet with parents whose children’s health was at risk and schools were closed this year because of lead hazards. Senator Baldwin also pressed Kennedy on the firings at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing. Senator Baldwin and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) demanded that the Trump administration reinstate the fired CDC lead poisoning experts and approve Milwaukee’s plea for federal assistance to help keep children safe.

    The full letter is available here and below.

    Dear Secretary Kennedy:

    During the May 20, 2025, hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Budget request, you were asked to clarify the status of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. You offered to follow up with more specifics, which we have not yet received, and to provide responses in a timely manner. We have included additional questions below and ask that you respond no later than June 16, 2025:

    1. Is the CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program operational? Does the Program currently have any staff? If so, how many staff? How many staff were working for the Program as of January 20, 2025 compared to now?
    2. Soon after the April 1, 2025 reduction in force (RIF), you noted in an interview that some of the terminations could “be mistakes.” Was the decision to terminate the staff within the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention branch a mistake?
    3. HHS has reinstated some employees previously terminated by the RIFs, citing health and safety concerns. Does HHS have the ability to reinstate employees from the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention branch in order to deploy to areas like Milwaukee, Wisconsin that are in need of assistance?
    4. During the hearing, reiterating a comment you made the week prior at a HELP Committee hearing, you said, if Congress appropriates the funding for the CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, it will be spent. Has CDC released fiscal year 2025 funding to the 62 states and localities it supports to address gaps in service? How much funding has been spent by the Program in fiscal year 2025? How much funding has been spent by the Program since January 20, 2025?
    5. The fiscal year 2026 budget request proposes continuing funding for the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program outside of CDC and within the proposed Administration for a Healthy America. How does HHS plan to effectuate this program when all program staff have reportedly been terminated? Does HHS plan to hire new experts?
    6. During the hearing, when asked about the status of the Program, you said that a team from the Program was on the ground in Milwaukee to deal with the ongoing crisis of lead contamination in schools. The City of Milwaukee has refuted that claim. Has CDC sent any staff to Milwaukee in response to their request for technical assistance to help with the lead issue in schools? This request is unrelated to the support that was provided to the state last month to certify and calibrate lab equipment.
    7. Has the CDC deployed any teams or provided technical assistance related to the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program since the April 1st reductions in force at HHS? Please outline any activities or work conducted by the Program since this date.
    8. The Rhode Island Department of Health is in year four of a five-year grant from the CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Will CDC follow through on its commitment and provide year five funding later this year?

    The CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has played an essential role for many years in identifying lead hazards in homes and the associated risk to children and helping direct resources to the families and communities most in need. We look forward to your timely responses to these questions, as your answers will help inform the Subcommittee’s fiscal year 2026 bill.

    Again, thank you for your testimony and your commitment to follow up on our questions.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study looking at the association between prolonged use of progestogen contraceptive pill (desogestrel) and risk of brain tumour

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A study published in The BMJ looks at the use of the progesterone contraceptive pill and brain tumour risk. 

    Dr Karen Noble, Director of Research, Policy and Innovation at Brain Tumour Research, said:

    “This study adds to the growing body of evidence around hormone-related risk factors for brain tumours. While it identifies a small increased risk of intracranial meningioma associated with long-term use of desogestrel oral contraceptives, it’s vital to stress that this is a correlation, not proof of causation. Most women taking desogestrel will not develop a brain tumour, and the overall risk remains low. However, the findings do reinforce the critical importance of sustained investment in research into brain tumours, which historically has received just 1% of the national spend on cancer research since records began in 2002.”

    Dr Mangesh Thorat, Honorary Reader in Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London and Consultant Breast Surgeon, Homerton University Hospital, said:

    “This large study using French national database is second in the series of studies by the same group, addressing some of the limitations of their previous study published last year. It shows association between taking a certain progestogen (desogestrel) continuously for more than five years and meningioma risk, however, the magnitude of increase in the risk is small, and short-term use is not associated with increased risk and that the excess risk ceases to exist once the use is stopped for more than a year. These results however do not give any reasons for women using progestogens to panic.”

    What are progestogens?

    “Progestogens are medicinal analogues of naturally produced female hormone progesterone. These are a common component of contraceptive agents, hormone replacement therapy and other hormonal treatments. Two important things to know about these are: first, effects of different formulations vary sometimes substantially and second, the effect of individual drug varies on different organs within our body. Therefore, it is important to consider which specific drug is being used by an individual.”

    What is meningioma?

    “Meningioma is a tumour of coverings of our brain and more than 90% of these are not cancerous. This is a rare tumour, for example, breast cancer is 10-times more common and it is even rarer in young individuals. A proportion of these need to be treated surgically as they increase pressure on the brain and / or nerves. The most common symptoms are persistent headache, and feeling sick all the time often with drowsiness.”

    How much of the risk is attributable to these drugs?

    “Recent studies and a similar study by the same group last year showed that 6 out of more than a dozen progestogen formulations to be associated with significant increase in the risk of developing meningioma. However, these 6 drugs put together account for just over 10% of all meningiomas in women. This study shows that 1 additional drug to be associated with meningioma risk, but the magnitude of increase in the risk is much smaller. In other words, a vast majority of meningioma would occur without use of such drugs.

    “Importantly, this study also shows that many progestogens, for example commonly used tablets like Microgynon or the morning after pill to be completely safe, without any increase in the risk of meningioma.”

    What should individuals using progestogens do?

    “Talk to your healthcare provider regarding the drug you are using. If it is associated with an increased risk of meningioma, this can be changed to a safer alternative. There is no reason to panic as the risk is very small and even in those who developed meningioma, stopping the specific drug has shown to cause regression in the size of meningioma.”

    More research is needed:

    “Although this is a large study, all studies have limitations. This study could not investigate the over-the-counter use of contraceptives. Furthermore, the study cannot provide information on the formulations not commonly used in France but used in other countries. This therefore underscores the need for further research using similar databases in other nations.”

    ‘Oral contraceptives with progestogens desogestrel or levonorgestrel and risk of intracranial meningioma: national case-control study’ by Noémie Roland et al. was published in The BMJ at 23:30 hours UK time Wednesday 11 June 2025.

    DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2024-083981

    Declared interests

    Dr Mangesh Thorat: No conflicts.

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

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: OP-ED: Greenpeace USA leadership pose critical questions during UN Oceans Conference

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Turtle and fish over corals. © Lorenzo Moscia / Greenpeace

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 11, 2025) — President Trump is exacerbating our oceans crisis by signing several Executive Actions that prioritize corporate profit over environmental wellbeing. In the op-ed “Who Will Defend Our Oceans—the Last Global Commons?” published in Common Dreams, Greenpeace USA Interim Executive Director Sushma Raman and Greenpeace USA Oceans Campaign Director John Hocevar discuss solutions for how the international community can stop this dangerous rollback before it is too late.  These include:

    1. Ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty, the only legal tool that can establish marine protected areas in international waters outside of the Southern Ocean
    2. Voting to enact a moratorium on deep-sea mining
    3. Issuing a strong ministerial declaration on the Global Plastic Treaty, a commitment to cutting plastic production, ending single-use plastic, and prioritizing public health, environmental justice, and protection of our ocean

    Excerpts from the piece follow:

    Now is the moment to make it clear that the deep ocean, recognized by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as the common heritage of humankind, cannot be seized by those with the deepest pockets or the best-connected lobbyists.

    The next opportunity for bold action is fast approaching, with governments this week convening at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France. As the US retreats from leadership on ocean protection, the international community is poised to make decisions that could have lasting benefits or far-reaching consequences. 

    While the scale of the threat is daunting, our history reminds us that we are not powerless.

    This week’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, and the critical UN meetings later this Summer, offer governments a crucial chance to protect the hard-won gains and reverse the damages that have been made. Whether they seize it will determine the future of the world’s largest—and most essential—commons.

    Read the full op-ed here.

    Sushma Raman is the Interim Executive Director of Greenpeace USA.
    John Hocevar is the Oceans Campaign Director of Greenpeace USA.

    Contact: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected]

    Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Were the first kings of Poland actually from Scotland? New DNA evidence unsettles a nation’s founding myth

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University

    An illustration from a 15th-century manuscript showing the coronation of the first king of Poland, Boleslaw I. Chronica Polonorum by Mathiae de Mechovia

    For two centuries, scholars have sparred over the roots of the Piasts, Poland’s first documented royal house, who reigned from the 10th to the 14th centuries.

    Were they local Slavic nobles, Moravian exiles, or warriors from Scandinavia?

    Since 2023, a series of genetic and environmental studies led by molecular biologist Marek Figlerowicz at the Poznań University of Technology has delivered a stream of direct evidence about these enigmatic rulers, bringing the debate onto firmer ground.

    Digging up the dynasty

    Field teams have now opened more than a dozen crypts from the Piast era. The largest single haul came from Płock Cathedral in what is now central Poland.

    The exhumed bones were dated between 1100 and 1495, matching written records. Genetic analysis showed several individuals were close relatives.

    “There is no doubt we are dealing with genuine Piasts,” Figlerowicz told a May 2025 conference.

    The Poznań group isolated readable DNA from 33 individuals (30 men and three women) believed to span the dynasty’s full timeline.

    Surprise on the Y chromosome

    The male skeletons almost all carry a single, rare group of genetic variants on the Y chromosome (which is only carried and passed down by males). This group is today found mainly in Britain. The closest known match belongs to a Pict buried in eastern Scotland in the 5th or 6th century.

    These results imply that the dynasty’s paternal line arrived from the vicinity of the North Atlantic, not nearby.

    Mieszko I, the first Piast ruler documented in written sources.
    Jan Matejko, c. 1893 (via Wikimedia)

    The date of that arrival is still open: the founding clan could have migrated centuries before the first known Piast, Mieszko I (who died in 992), or perhaps only a generation earlier through a dynastic marriage. Either way, the new data kill the notion of an unbroken local male lineage.

    Yet genetics also shows deep local continuity in the wider population. A separate survey of Iron Age cemeteries across Poland, published in Scientific Reports, revealed that people living 2,000 years ago already shared the genetic makeup seen in early Piast subjects.

    Another project that sequenced pre-Piast burials drew the same conclusion: local Poles were part of the broader continental gene pool stretching from Denmark to France.

    In short, even if the Piasts were exotic rulers, they governed a long-established community.

    A swamp tells its tale

    While the DNA work progressed, another Poznań team dug into the history of the local environment via samples from the peaty floor of Lake Lednica near Poznań, the island-ringed stronghold often dubbed the cradle of the Piast realm.

    Their study of buried pollen, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows an abrupt switch in the 9th century: oak and lime pollen plummet, while cereal and pasture indicators soar. Traces of charcoal and soot point to widespread fires.

    The authors call the shift an “ecological revolution”, driven by slash-and-burn agriculture and the need to feed concentrated garrisons of soldiers guarding local trade routes carrying amber and slaves.

    Modelling boom and bust

    Using this environmental data, historians and complexity scientists constructed a feedback model of population, silver paid as tribute to rulers, and fort-building. As fields expanded, tributes rose; as tributes rose, chiefs could hire more labour to clear more forest and build forts.

    The model reproduces the startling build-out of ramparts at Poznań, Giecz and Gniezno around 990. It also predicts collapse once the silver stopped flowing.

    Pollen data indeed show the woodlands recovered to some extent after 1070, while archaeological surveys record abandoned hamlets and shrinking garrisons.

    The early Piast state rode a resource boom as the Piasts controlled part of the amber and slave trade routes that linked the shores of the Baltic Sea to Rome.

    The impact of Mieszko’s conversion to Christianity on that lucrative trade remains subject to scholarly debate.

    Reconciling foreigners and locals

    How do these strands fit together? Evidence of a Scottish man in the Piast paternal line does not necessarily imply a foreign conquest. Dynasties spread by marriages as well as by swords.

    For example, Świętosława (the sister of the first Piast king, Bolesław the Brave), married the kings of both Denmark and Sweden, and her descendants ruled England for a time. The networks of Europe’s nobility were highly mobile.

    Conversely, the stable genetic profile of ordinary folk suggests that, whoever sat on the ducal bench, most people remained where their grandparents had farmed.

    The broader research engine

    None of this work happens in isolation. Poland’s National Science Centre has bankrolled a 24-person team across archaeology, palaeoecology and bioinformatics since 2014, generating 16 peer-reviewed papers and a public database of ancient genomes.

    Conferences at Lednica and Dziekanowice now bring historians and molecular biologists to the same table. The methodological pay-off is clear: Polish labs can now process their own ancient DNA rather than exporting it to Copenhagen or Leipzig.

    What still puzzles researchers

    Three questions remain. First, does that British-leaning male line really start with a Pict? The closest known match to the Piasts may change as new burials are sequenced.

    Second, how many commoners carried the same genetic variant? Spot samples from Kowalewko and Brzeg hint that it was rare among locals, but the data set is small.

    Third, why did the silver dry up so fast? Numismatists suspect a shift in Viking routes after 1000 AD, yet the matter is far from settled.

    A balanced verdict

    Taken together, the evidence paints a nuanced picture. The Piasts were probably not ethnic Slavs in the strict paternal sense, yet they ruled, and soon resembled, an overwhelmingly Slavic realm.

    Their meteoric rise owed less to outsider brilliance than to the chance alignment of fertile soils, cheap labour, and an export boom in amber and captives.

    As geneticists conduct more DNA sequencing of remains, such as those of princes in crypts at Kraków’s Wawel castle, and palaeoecologists push their lakebed pollen samples back to 7th century, we can expect further surprises.

    Darius von Guttner Sporzynski receives funding from the National Science Centre, Poland as a partner investigator in the grant ‘The “Chronicle of the Poles” by Bishop Vincentius of Cracow also known as Kadłubek. First critical Latin-English Edition.’ (2022/47/B/HS3/00931).

    – ref. Were the first kings of Poland actually from Scotland? New DNA evidence unsettles a nation’s founding myth – https://theconversation.com/were-the-first-kings-of-poland-actually-from-scotland-new-dna-evidence-unsettles-a-nations-founding-myth-258579

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Merck Foundation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and African First Ladies mark World Hypertension Day 2025 by launching their Annual Awards for Best Media, Fashion, Song, and Film to raise awareness on hypertension, diabetes and importance of healthy lifestyle

    Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marks ‘World Hypertension Day 2025’ in partnership with Africa’s First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Medical Societies and Academia through their “Nationwide Diabetes & Hypertension Blue Points Program, by reinforcing its commitment to improving cardiovascular and diabetes care across Africa, and beyond.

    Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation stated, “At Merck Foundation we observe “World Hypertension Day” by expanding access to quality and equitable care in Hypertension, Diabetes, Endocrinnology and Cardiovascular preventive care, which are all co-related, by providing scholarships for young doctors from across Africa and beyond.

    “Together with our Ambassadors, The First Ladies of Africa, and partners like Ministries of Health, Medical Societies and Academia, we have till today provided more than 860 scholarships for young doctors from 52 countries, of One-Year Online PG Diplomas and Two-Year Online Master’s Degrees in Diabetes, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Endocrinology, Cardiology, and Obesity & Weight Management, as well as One-Year Clinical Cardiovascular Care and Clinical Diabetes Onsite Fellowship Programs in India, a special 3-month Diabetes Mastercourse in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish languages.

    What is special about these scholarships is that they have been provided not only to doctors from capital cities, but also to those from across the country — ensuring wider geographic coverage of healthcare capacity. We remain committed to continuing our efforts to improve healthcare capacity and access to hypertension and diabetes care.”

    Merck Foundation has in total provided more than 2270 scholarships for doctors from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties.

    Dr. Dzifa Ahadzi, Merck Foundation alumnus from Ghana shares, “I have completed my Postgraduate Diploma in Cardiology and currently pursuing MSc in Cardiology. Being a practicing cardiologist, this program has provided me with the opportunity to consolidate my knowledge and apply current advances in cardiovascular care to my clinical practice. Since completing the PG Diploma in Cardiology, I have been involved in establishing a Heart Failure clinic in my hospital that caters to the needs of a diverse population of Heart Failure patients including women with Postpartum cardiomyopathy and Cardio-oncology patients.

    I am extremely grateful to Merck Foundation for the support and exposure it has provided me. It has inspired me and helped me to improve cardiovascular care amongst the population that I serve.”

    Merck Foundation scholarships are of great value, given that as per WHO data, the African region has the highest prevalence of hypertension, with approximately 27% of adults affected.

    Therefore, Merck Foundation has launched several community awareness programs to emphasize on the importance of a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about diabetes and hypertension prevention, early detection and management.

    Merck Foundation, together with The First Ladies of Africa has launched a storybook and its adapted animation Film “Mark’s Pressure”.

    “I believe early education is key to building a healthier community. Through our storybook and animation film “Mark’s Pressure”, we aim to instill healthy habits in children and youth — like reducing salt and sugar, eating well, exercising, and avoiding smoking. I believe that this is the only way to to prevent and manage hypertension and diabetes, which are major risk factors for many serious complications and illnesses.”

    Watch the “Mark’s Pressure” Animation Film here:

    https://apo-opa.co/45pQuid

    Moreover, Merck Foundation’s pan African TV program “Our Africa” conceptualized, produced, directed, and co-hosted by Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation has episodes dedicated to raising awareness about Diabetes and Promoting Healthy Lifestyle.

    Watch the Episodes here:

    https://apo-opa.co/4jMij7M

    https://apo-opa.co/43VGaf9

    “Our Africa” TV Program has been broadcasted on National and Prime TV stations of many African countries like Burundi, Botswana, Ghana, The Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and is currently on social media handles of Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej [Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/4jMijEO), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/4jPaTkd), Twitter (https://apo-opa.co/43XKSco) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/4l3tpX8)] and Merck Foundation [Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/445Av6G), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/3SMH2Ok), Twitter (https://apo-opa.co/403N1Cb) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/3HD4xXz)].

    Additionally, Merck Foundation together with African First Ladies, also launches annually, their Awards for best Media, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, Musicians/ Singers, and new potential talents in these fields from African countries to Promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

    1. Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards 2025 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: Media representatives are invited to showcase their work through strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

    Submission deadline: 30th October 2025.

    2. Merck Foundation Film Awards 2025 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Filmmakers, Students of Film Making Training Institutions, or Young Talents of Africa are invited to create and share a long or short FILMS, either drama, documentary, or docudrama to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

    Submission deadline: 30th October 2025.

    3. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards 2025 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

    Submission deadline: 30th October 2025.

    4. Merck Foundation Song Awards 2025 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a SONG with the aim to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

    Submission deadline: 30th October 2025.

    Entries for all the awards are to be submitted via email to:

    submit@merck-foundation.com

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.

    Contact:
    Mehak Handa
    Community Awareness Program Manager 
    Phone: +91 9310087613/ +91 9319606669
    Email: mehak.handa@external.merckgroup.com

    Join the conversation on our social media platforms below and let your voice be heard:
    Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/445Av6G
    X: https://apo-opa.co/403N1Cb
    YouTube: https://apo-opa.co/3HD4xXz
    Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/3SMH2Ok
    Threads: https://apo-opa.co/4l5X9CL
    Flickr: https://apo-opa.co/4jMiwrA
    Website: www.Merck-Foundation.com
    Download Merck Foundation App: www.Merck-Foundation.com/MF_StoreRedirection

    About Merck Foundation:
    The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality & equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare & scientific research capacity, empowering girls in education and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website. Please visit www.Merck-Foundation.com to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/445Av6G), X (https://apo-opa.co/403N1Cb), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/3SMH2Ok), YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/3HD4xXz), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/4l5X9CL) and Flickr (https://apo-opa.co/4jMiwrA).

    The Merck Foundation is dedicated to improving social and health outcomes for communities in need. While it collaborates with various partners, including governments to achieve its humanitarian goals, the foundation remains strictly neutral in political matters. It does not engage in or support 

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maricopa Man Sentenced to 44 Years in Prison for Second-Degree Murder of a Tohono O’Odham Police Officer

    Source: US FBI

    TUCSON, Ariz. – Carlos Maximilliano Galvan, 44, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced on June 4, 2025, by United States District Judge James A. Soto to 44 years in prison. Galvan previously pleaded guilty to one count of Second-Degree Murder.

    On August 27, 2020, Tohono O’odham Police Officer Bryan Brown responded to a 911 call from the Desert Diamond Casino in Why, Arizona, about an individual who had crashed his vehicle into a handicapped parking sign outside of the casino. The individual then reportedly assaulted two casino employees by striking the truck they were sitting in with his vehicle. When Officer Brown arrived at the scene, he got out of his police cruiser and was confronted by Galvan, who approached him aggressively while brandishing a broken bottle. As Officer Brown stepped around his vehicle to avoid Galvan, Galvan jumped into the police cruiser and drove toward Officer Brown and a United States Border Patrol Agent who had arrived at the scene to assist. The Border Patrol Agent was able to move out of the way, but Galvan struck Officer Brown with the police cruiser, killing him.

    While fleeing from the scene of the murder, Galvan drove the police cruiser across the center lane of the highway and intentionally hit the vehicles of two Border Patrol Agents who were on their way to the scene to assist law enforcement.  

    “The FBI will not waiver in our commitment to ensure those who commit acts of violence against members of law enforcement will be held accountable and punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said FBI Phoenix Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarod Brown. “Today is for Officer Bryan Brown, and his loved ones and colleagues. We hope this sentence brings a degree of comfort to Officer Brown’s family and colleagues.”

    “The defendant attacked not just Officer Brown, but our entire system of justice,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Disrespect for law enforcement escalates, as it did here with a deadly consequence, which is why any assault on a law enforcement officer cannot be tolerated. Our great sorrow goes out to Officer Brown’s family, loved ones, and fellow officers. He demonstrated the ultimate dedication to duty, and we honor him.”   

    The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson Office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frances Kreamer Hope, Alicia Renee Quezada, and Rui Wang, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-20-01566-TUC-JAS
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-091_Galvan

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Software République unveils “vision 4rescue”, an integrated technological ecosystem for the next-gen of Emergency Services

    Source: Thales Group

    Headline: Software République unveils “vision 4rescue”,
    an integrated technological ecosystem for the next-gen of Emergency Services

    • In response to the increasing frequency and intensity of emergencies and natural disasters, Software République introduces “vision 4rescue,” designed to enhance the efficiency of emergency response during critical situations.
    • This ecosystem, comprising 20 interconnected solutions, aims to better integrate the various technologies used by emergency services for faster and more coordinated interventions.
    • For this innovative ecosystem, Software République has joined forces with 3 firefighter/emergency units as well as 4 other technological partners.

    Viva Technology, Paris – June 11, 2025 – For the 2025 edition of Viva Technology, Software République, a group of 7 European companies1 that combine their expertise towards an intelligent, secure and durable mobility, has partnered with three firefighter units2 to unveil “vision 4rescue,” a system of interconnected technological solutions aimed at increasing the efficiency and improving the coordination of rescue and emergency services.

    In France, natural disasters have increased fivefold in fifteen years, with two-thirds of municipalities now likely to experience some kind of major natural disaster3. Faced with more frequent, intense, and complex interventions (natural disasters, industrial hazards, urban accidents, or emergency medical interventions), emergency and rescue professions need to adapt to increasing challenges. This adaptation is all the more necessary given an aging population, growing urbanization, and an increasingly strained healthcare system, where personal assistance now accounts for over 80% of emergency services’ operational activity (4 million interventions per year4). These growing challenges call for new solutions to risk management, intervention methods, as well as the transformation of equipment and technologies used.

    Making a Difference:
    ​    A Technological Ecosystem serving Emergency Services and Populations

    To be more effective, a key factor is removing the technological barriers between the different services used by emergency teams. Whether it involves vehicles, video surveillance cameras, or communication systems, emergency services now need seamless integration among all these devices. “vision 4rescue” offers a system of integrated, interconnected, and secure technologies to address this challenge.

    By combining their expertise and leveraging a deep and comprehensive understanding of the Emergency services requirements, the partners have designed an ecosystem of nearly 20 interconnected solutions to:

    Anticipate with precision emergencies through enhanced field vision and real-time analysis of multi-source data.

    Act more effectively at every stage of the emergency and rescue intervention, with tailored, accessible, and integrated devices.

    Communicate more efficiently with emergency teams and with the public through more direct, faster, and targeted messaging, thereby enhancing collective resilience and the ability to respond effectively.

    Interconnected Equipment: A Decisive Lever for Emergency Response

    “vision 4rescue” includes several pieces of equipment designed to collect and share as much information as possible:

    • Long-range drones (Thales) and short-range drones (Parrot): Equipped with cameras and onboard communication systems, they provide precise surveillance of emergency zones, collecting and sharing information.
    • Connected urban furniture (JCDecaux) serves as a direct communication interface with the population and plays a sentinel role. The short-range drone can use the take-off / landing platform facilitating the incident diagnosis by the emergency services.
    • Renault 4 E-Tech electric vehicle (Renault Group): Tailored to emergency needs, acting as a mobile command center close to the operations.

    In addition to these three pieces of equipment, electronic sensor networks (STMicroelectronics) are used in both urban (urban furniture, traffic lights, etc.) and rural environments (forests, near watercourses, etc.) to detect anomalies.

    Next-Generation Technological Solutions

    Software République integrates a system of technologies into “vision 4rescue” a set of technologies that makes it a unique and comprehensive ecosystem, capable of adapting operational responses in real time to the most complex and simultaneous situations. These include:

    Modeling, simulation, and detection solutions:

    • Dassault Systèmes connects virtual twins of physical and digital systems in a collaborative virtual world to simulate complex risk scenarios, explore prevention plans, and orchestrate the optimal deployment of resources.
    • Cybersecure AI platforms (Thales) manage autonomous drone operations and orchestrate tactical missions, analyzing multi-source data (drones, satellites, etc.) in real time to better detect risks and anticipate their evolution – even from mobile, decentralized command centers like the R4.
    • The Flux Vision (Orange) analysis tools and mission planning tools (HawAI.tech) optimize drone flight paths taking into account all mission constraints.
    • A crisis management solution (Atos) integrates prevention plans, monitoring, and simulation data to organize emergency responses.

    Solutions to enhance responsiveness:

    • A V2X – vehicle to everything – solution (Orange) enables real-time communication between the vehicle and its environment.
    • A tactical communication tool (Atos) connects vehicles, field teams, and drones to maximize data collection, enhanced via AI, and shared in real time.
    • To transmit vital information to firefighters under stress in complex environments, Peripheral uses peripheral vision.
    • Embedded AI and electronic components (STMicroelectronics) optimize equipment responsiveness, reduce latency, and ensure high data security while incorporating energy-saving solutions for greater autonomy and durability.

    Guaranteed connectivity under all circumstances:

    • Hybrid networks and devices (Orange), including onboard 5G network and a connected SOS backpack, along with ultra-light Wi-Fi mesh technology (Green Communications) with embedded resilience applications, ensure communication between emergency teams during critical operations where traditional infrastructure is unavailable.
    • An emergency communication system (Thales) integrated into long-range drone or the R4, geolocates mobile phones in risk zones and sends alert messages to which civilians can respond if needed.
    • A communication solution compliant with the C-ITS (Cooperative Intelligent Transport System) international standard ensures native interoperability and secure exchanges between vehicles and road infrastructure (Atos).

    Key Partnerships

    For this project, Software République and its seven members (Atos, Dassault Systèmes, JCDecaux, Orange, Renault Group, STMicroelectronics, and Thales) partnered with three firefighter units and four other technology partners: Parrot, HawAI.tech, Peripheral, and Green Communications.

    Presentation at VivaTech

    At VivaTech (June 11 to 14, 2025), Software République will showcase “vision 4rescue” (Stand G18, Hall 1.1), highlighting several real-world use cases:

    • Forest Fire
    • Flood
    • Urban Emergency

    1Atos, Dassault Systèmes, JCDecaux, Orange, Renault Group, STMicroelectronics et Thales

    2Brigade des Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris, la Fédération Nationale des Sapeurs-Pompiers et le SDIS 78

    3Source Ministère de la Transition Ecologique

    4Source Ministère de l’Intérieur

    About ​ Software République

    The Software République is defined as an open innovation ecosystem dedicated to intelligent, secure, and sustainable mobility. It was created in April 2021 by six founding members: Atos, Dassault Systèmes, Orange, Renault Group, STMicroelectronics and Thales. In March 2024, JCDecaux became the seventh partner member.

    The Software République builds collective businesses focused on tomorrow’s mobility through its unique horizontal collaboration model. The ecosystem stands out for its innovative approach, combining established companies and start-ups from different backgrounds to bring to market products and services that meet the new challenges of the connected vehicle, the smart city and energy. These projects are based on the complementary expertise of its partners in data analysis, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, connectivity, and virtual twins, and on the ambition to invent a new model of innovation while keeping people and the environment at the heart of its motivations.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: The silent killer: We need better risk governance to beat extreme heat | GP 2025

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Extreme heat is no longer a seasonal inconvenience. It’s a systemic, cross-cutting threat, silently claiming lives, stressing economies, overwhelming cities, and widening inequalities. Yet it remains one of the least governed climate hazards.

    At a high-level special event on extreme heat risk governance at the 2025 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2025, leaders from governments, international agencies, labour unions, academia, and the humanitarian sector came together to discuss how better governance can protect people’s lives from the “silent killer.”

    “Extreme heat is the deadliest of all climate-related hazards,” said the World Meteorological Organization’s Director-General Celeste Saulo. “Yet it remains the least recognized and least managed.”

    The crisis is heating up

    Between 2000 and 2019, extreme heat caused an estimated 489,000 deaths annually. Heat takes its toll on global productivity, with International Labour Organisation estimates showing that in low- and middle-income economies in particular, the costs of injuries from excessive heat in the workplace can reach around 1.5 per cent of national GDP. And these risks are intensifying.

    “This is not just a health crisis. It is an economic, labour and governance crisis,” said Dr. Saulo.

    Despite this, as of 2023 only half of national meteorological services were issuing extreme heat warnings, and just 26 countries had dedicated heat-health early warning systems, WMO reported. 

    Urbanisation is compounding the threat. Cities are warming up twice as fast as the global average, and 68% of the global population projected to live in urban centres by 2050.

    From a reactive to a systemic approach

    Much of the current global approach to heat is reactive: authorities issue warning during events, the respond to spikes, and measure the toll on communities and economies. But the impacts cascade across sectors – disrupting health, labour, agriculture, education, and energy – and this requires a systemic governance response.

    “Heat is a systemic and pervasive risk,” said Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India. “It cuts across public health, economic stability, and ecological resilience.”

    The problem is not technical, but a lack of effective plans and policies to implement live-saving measures.

    “Most of the extreme heat impact is predictable,” said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain. “If something is predictable, it’s preventable.”

    Responses need be rapid, and taken at the level of local communities, using cross-sectoral partnerships.

    Lessons in local leadership

    Examples from several countries demonstrate how integrated governance can work:

    • India first developed a local plan in Ahmedabad and now has 250+ cities and districts with operational heat action plans (HAPs).
    • France, after a devastating heatwave in 2003, launched a multi-ministry effort to integrate adaptation and risk communication. Stakeholders were asked to imagine life under a +4°C scenario, and then develop local and national resilience strategies around this likely reality.
    • The Philippines has developed a real-time “iHeatMap” platform and set up a cross-sectoral national task force to manage health, food, energy, and water impacts during heat events.

    To guide cities in improving heat governance, the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative has developed a resource package on urban extreme heat risk management, which gives practical recommendations to help local and national governments create urban heat strategies.

    “We are learning through lived experience,” said Senator Rosa Galvez of Canada – such as the 2021 heat dome in British Columbia, which lasted 27 days and resulted in 618 deaths. “But we must understand that we cannot adapt forever.”

    Protecting the poorest

    “Poor people can’t afford poor design—especially on a heating planet,” said the International Labour Organization’s Mia Seppo.

    To address this imbalance, we need climate-informed finance that protects workers and promotes inclusive infrastructure investment.

    “Financial strategies must align with just transition principles,” Ms. Seppo said. “Climate risk must be integrated into investment decisions.”

    “Any development project should have a heat risk element,” said Dr. Mishra. “Projects should include protection for both users and workers. Construction companies, for instance, must provide heat protection for labourers.”

    Benoît Faraco, France’s Ambassador for Climate Negotiations for Decarbonized Energies and for the Prevention of Climate Risks, said that regulatory levers and standards can drive climate-resilient investment and avoid maladaptive pathways.

    “Standards and regulation play an important role in prevention. You cannot build a hospital or school as if climate change was not happening; it’s your job in the design to integrate mitigation and adaptation strategy,” he said. “If you let the market do things on heatwaves, people run to buy air conditioning systems, and during peak electricity demand this results in more fossil fuel use. It’s misadaptation.”

    A global framework for local action

    To facilitate coordinated approaches to extreme heat, UNDRR, WMO, WHO and the Global Heat Health Information Network are developing a Common Framework for Extreme Heat Risk Governance. This initiative aims to align actors across sectors, and to support national and subnational entities in integrating extreme heat into their DRR, climate, health, and urban strategies.

    The Common Framework is designed to support the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat, which outlines eight essential course corrections:

    • Accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources.
    • Enhance investments in sustainable, low-carbon energy systems to mitigate heat-related risks.
    • Promote climate-resilient agricultural practices, such as drought-resistant crops and sustainable irrigation.
    • Strengthen food supply chains to withstand heat-induced disruptions.
    • Integrate urban planning with heat mitigation measures, including green infrastructure and shaded areas.
    • Prioritize nature-based solutions that enhance resilience across sectors.
    • Implement national heat action plans, including early warning systems.
    • Establish heat-safe working conditions and policies.

    These actions form the foundation of effective heat governance and call for integrated leadership across all sectors of society, at all levels of government.

    “We must mainstream heat into both climate and disaster governance. We must embrace a multi-hazard approach,” Dr. Saula said. “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We need to align, scale and accelerate.”

    Every extreme heat death is preventable

    Closing the special event, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Kamal Kishore said we should aim for zero heat-related deaths next heat season.

    “We have the science. We know what to do. Now we must act – urgently, together, and at all levels,” he said.

    We can start by making schools safer against extreme heat.

    “One of my dreams is that in five years we will have 100,000 heat-resilient schools in all heat-prone areas,” Mr. Kishore said. “It’s not rocket science. We know what it takes to build heat-resilient schools in terms of built environment. We know how to incorporate green spaces and water bodies in schools. We know what kind of awareness children need to have to deal with heat waves.”

    The Common Framework will provide tools to make schools, homes, and workplaces safer from the heat – but political will, coordinated governance, and community-centred approaches will determine whether the world beats the heat or succumbs to it.

    We need to act for heat resilience today. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: From coast to community: Local leaders drive early warning action at UN Ocean Conference

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Nice, France, 9 June 2025 – As climate extremes intensify and sea levels rise, coastal communities are sounding the alarm – not about distant threats, but about dangers already unfolding. At the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, a side event titled “From Coast to Community: Building Resilience Through Early Warnings” put the spotlight a critical mission: ensuring that every person on Earth is protected by Early Warnings for All (EW4All) by 2027. Co-hosted by the UN Office for Partnerships, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the event brought together ministers, mayors, scientists, and UN leaders.Their message was clear: early warnings save lives – but only if they are inclusive, trusted, and locally led.

    The call: early warnings must be inclusive, trusted and locally led

    Opening the session, Annemarie Hou, Executive Director of the UN Office for Partnerships, underscored that nearly half the world still lacks access to basic early warning systems- She emphasized that early warnings are not just about sensors and satellites, – they are about people, institutions, leadership, and action at every level. From coastlines to city halls, from community organizers to data scientists, everyone has a role to play. 

    “Sea levels are rising. Storms are intensifying. Lives and livelihoods are hanging in the balance. And when disaster strikes without warning, the results are brutal. That’s not just a gap – that’s an injustice.” – Annemarie Hou, UN Office for Partnerships

    Jamaica: Reaching people where they are

    H.E. Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s Foreign Minister, shared how the country is integrating smart technologies and community engagement into its early warning systems. With 70% of the population living within five kilometers of the coast, Jamaica has installed flood gauges, hurricane detection systems, and 15 early warning siren towers – covering 95% of the population. 

    “We’ve partnered with mobile networks to deliver real-time alerts and even used TikTok to reach people where they are. Early warnings must be accessible, relatable, and trusted.” – Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jamaica

    Jamaica’s approach is grounded in legislation, with early warnings embedded in both its Disaster Risk Management Act and Climate Change Policy Framework.

    WMO: The physics of urgency

    Prof. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, delivered a sobering message: science is clear, and the window for action is closing. Greenhouse gas concentrations are at record highs, and the last decade has been the hottest on record. She emphasized that adaptation and coastal resilience are no longer optional – they are essential. Early warnings are a cornerstone of that resilience, but they must be timely, actionable, and globally supported.

     “We cannot negotiate with the laws of physics. Every fraction of a degree matters. Early warnings work – but only if they work for everyone, everywhere.” – Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, WMO

    UNDRR: Local leadership is not optional – It’s essential

    Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, emphasized that early warnings are central to achieving the Sendai Framework’s goals. He reminded the audience that while 108 countries report having multi-hazard early warning systems, 85 still do not. He outlined three priorities: empower local leadership, bridge science and community knowledge, and embed early warnings into broader systems of resilience. He also called for simplified, accelerated financing to support small island states and vulnerable communities. 

    “If we fail on early warnings, we fail on reducing disaster losses. Local actors are not waiting – they are innovating. They deserve investment and political support.” – Kamal Kishore, UNDRR

    Local leadership in action: Voices from the frontlines

    Moderated by Pulitzer Center journalist Delger Erdenesanaa, the panel showcased how cities and communities are turning global goals into local action: 

    – Thabani Nyawose, Speaker of Council, Durban, South Africa, shared how community-based early warning systems saved lives during the devastating 2022 floods. In Quarry Road informal settlement – home to 1,000 residents – not a single life was lost, thanks to a locally managed alert system linked to the South African Weather Service. 

    – Dr. Jérôme Aucan, Head of PCCOS, described how Pacific Island nations are building resilience through decades of investment in ocean modeling, risk knowledge, and regional cooperation. In Tuvalu, early warning data informed over $50 million in adaptation investments and supported legal advocacy at the International Court of Justice. 

    – Rym Nadia Benzina Bourguiba, President of La Saison Bleue, emphasized the power of inclusive dialogue and South-South cooperation. Her organization has mobilized thousands of students and citizens across Africa and the Mediterranean through education, cleanups, and regional summits. 

    – Patricia Desouza, UN Resident Coordinator in Cabo Verde, described how the UN is helping transform early warnings into daily tools for dignity and security. In Mozambique, early alerts triggered evacuation protocols that protected over 3 million people. In Cabo Verde, early warnings are now embedded in agriculture, water governance, and national policy planning.

    A Call to Action: Urgency, Innovation, and Equity

    Closing the session, Prof. Dwikorita Karnawati, Head of Indonesia’s BMKG, called for harnessing AI, big data, and IoT to make early warnings smarter and more accessible. She emphasized that innovation must be paired with capacity building and local ownership. 

    “We must move from managing disasters to managing risk. Early warnings are the bridge.” – Dwikorita Karnawati, BMKG Indonesia

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Mashatile’s office rebuffs claims of misuse of State funds for ’extravagant’ overseas trips

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Mashatile’s office rebuffs claims of misuse of State funds for ’extravagant’ overseas trips

    The Office of the Deputy President has released a statement denying allegations of misusing State funds related to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s international travel. 

    This statement follows extensive media coverage from various news outlets and public speculation on the matter. 

    “Categorically, the Office and the Deputy President have not, as seems to be suggested, misused State funds or been extravagant in financing the costs of the Deputy President’s international travel,” the statement read on Tuesday evening. 

    According to the Presidency, the matter was first raised after a written parliamentary inquiry from Action SA, which prompted detailed disclosures regarding travel expenses.

    “In light of such an expected phenomenon, the Deputy President replied to the question in full and also provided specific details, which include correct figures and breakdown of individual costs by members of the delegation supporting the Deputy President.” 

    The Deputy President’s Office has stressed that all international trips undertaken are in his official capacity, representing the South African government, as directed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

    “Moreover, the majority of these strategic international visits are aimed at strengthening existing bilateral, political, economic and diplomatic relations between South Africa and visited countries.” 

    Mashatile has engaged in several significant international working visits since taking office on 3 July 2024, including trips to Ireland, the United Kingdom and Japan, with further planned visits to France. 

    The Office has provided a comprehensive breakdown of the expenses associated with these trips, stressing that many figures circulated in the media are inflated. 

    News24 recently reported that the Deputy President’s recent trip to Japan in March cost R2.3 million, with R900 000 covering accommodation for him and his wife.

    However, the Presidency stated that the Japan visit was particularly highlighted for its strategic relevance, marking the first high-level engagement between South Africa and Japan in a decade, coinciding with the 115th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

    During the Japan working visit, the country’s second-in-command was accompanied by various Ministers. 

    The Presidency believes that the visit was advantageous for South Africa’s African Agenda, especially considering the current overlap of South Africa’s Group of 20 (G20) chairship and Japan’s upcoming hosting of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in August.

    “This presents a unique opportunity for South Africa to communicate its own and the continent’s position and priorities to Japan, and the expected support and role that Japan could play in this regard.”

    In addition, the Deputy President’s Office stated that the claims of exorbitant costs for certain officials have been disputed, and that the actual expenditure is significantly lower.

    “Regrettably, some of the figures presented by the media are significantly blown out of proportion and do not accurately reflect the cost of the trips. For example, one media liaison officer, referred to by TimesLive as the ‘most expensive supporting official’, is said to have cost R580 582 for Japan alone, when in fact, the total cost for that official is less than R66 000, including flights and accommodation.” 

    The Office has reassured the public that the Deputy President’s travels are conducted with fiscal responsibility and in alignment with South Africa’s commitment to global relations and investment.

    “In terms of the travel policy in the Presidential Handbook, transport for the President and Deputy President during travel outside South Africa is the responsibility and for the account of the State.” 

    In addition, the Office mentioned that the financial responsibilities for the visits, which include travel, accommodation, and other miscellaneous expenses, are typically shared between the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and other participating departments. 

    “In all these visits, the Office of the Deputy President has insisted on the most cost-effective provisions for the Deputy President and his delegations and has therefore not misused or extravagantly used State funds, as alluded.” – SAnews.gov.za

    Gabisile

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Oral question – ‘Choose Europe for Science’ plan and intrusion of wokism at universities – O-000021/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for oral answer  O-000021/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 142
    Mathilde Androuët (PfE), Jean-Paul Garraud (PfE), Galato Alexandraki (ECR), Christophe Bay (PfE), Barbara Bonte (PfE), Marie-Luce Brasier-Clain (PfE), Anna Bryłka (PfE), Marie Dauchy (PfE), Valérie Deloge (PfE), Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR), Anne-Sophie Frigout (PfE), Tomasz Froelich (ESN), Angéline Furet (PfE), Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal (PfE), Catherine Griset (PfE), Jorge Martín Frías (PfE), Fernand Kartheiser (NI), Jorge Buxadé Villalba (PfE), Fabrice Leggeri (PfE), Julien Leonardelli (PfE), Tiago Moreira de Sá (PfE), Aleksandar Nikolic (PfE), Philippe Olivier (PfE), Gilles Pennelle (PfE), Pascale Piera (PfE), Pierre Pimpie (PfE), Julie Rechagneux (PfE), Volker Schnurrbusch (ESN), António Tânger Corrêa (PfE), Dominik Tarczyński (ECR), Hermann Tertsch (PfE), Rody Tolassy (PfE), Laurence Trochu (ECR), Sebastian Tynkkynen (ECR), Matthieu Valet (PfE), Séverine Werbrouck (PfE), Ondřej Knotek (PfE)

    On 5 May 2025, President Emmanuel Macron launched the ‘Choose Europe for Science’ initiative at the Sorbonne amphitheatre to make France and Europe more attractive to researchers and entrepreneurs[1]. This initiative foresees an additional investment of EUR 100 million[2]. For her part, Commission President Von der Leyen proposed EUR 500 million to make Europe a ‘pole of attraction’. The 2030 target is to increase investment in R&D to 3% of GDP. Behind this plan is mainly the desire to attract researchers fleeing the United States, where budget cuts have been decided by the Trump administration, with the aim of countering the influence of wokism in American universities[3].

    • 1.What specific actions does the Commission intend to take to combat wokism and to re-establish universities as places of knowledge and excellence?
    • 2.How will the announced funds be used? To what extent will they primarily benefit European researchers and students in order to improve their working conditions?

    Submitted: 10.6.2025

    Lapses: 11.9.2025

    • [1] Launch of “Choose Europe for Science” at the Sorbonne, Élysée, 5 May 2025, URL: https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2025/05/05/launch-of-choose-europe-for-science-at-the-sorbonne
    • [2] Emmanuel Macron annonce un nouvel investissement de 100 millions d’euros pour séduire les chercheurs étrangers [Emmanuel Macron announces a new investment of EUR 100 million to attract foreign researchers], Le Monde, 5 May 2025, URL: :https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2025/05/05/emmanuel-macron-annonce-un-nouvel-investissement-de-100-millions-d-euros-pour-seduire-les-chercheurs-etrangers_6603132_1650685.html
    • [3] Choose Europe for Science : pour les scientifiques américains, un accueil en France dans des universités délabrées [Choose Europe for Science: American scientists welcomed to France amid dilapidated universities], Libération, 4 May 2025, URL: https://www.liberation.fr/sciences/choose-europe-for-science-pour-les-scientifiques-americains-un-accueil-en-france-dans-des-universites-delabrees-20250504_QGTCYN5GDJAFTFL7J3OSK3J74I/

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard, Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, British Virgin Islands Royal Marine Police assist mariner aboard demasted sailing vessel

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    06/11/2025 02:15 PM EDT

    US Coast Guard, British Virgin Islands Royal Marine Police, and Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard air and surface units rescued a sole mariner aboard demasted sailing vessel in Eastern Caribbean waters northeast of Anegada, British Virgin Islands, Tuesday. Rescued was French citizen Frank Rouvray, 58, who reportedly was on a voyage to the island of Saint Martin when the vessel became demasted, and the distress signal was transmitted to the Coast Guard.

    For more breaking news follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US abuse of tariffs has resulted in global retaliation – Chinese Ambassador to Russia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Moscow, June 11 (Xinhua) — The unilateral imposition of customs duties by the United States has caused widespread opposition around the world, not only causing systemic damage to the American economy, but also seriously damaging the international reputation of the United States, as a result of which the process of “de-Americanization” is taking place at an accelerated pace in many countries around the world, according to an article by China’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia Zhang Hanhui published in the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper.

    The article notes that dissatisfaction with the government’s tariff policy continues to grow in the United States. It is noted that, according to polls, most Americans believe that the government’s economic policy will lead to a recession in the short term, since, on the one hand, the tariff burden significantly reduces the profits of enterprises and exacerbates the difficulties of doing business, and on the other hand, the abuse of duties has led to a sharp increase in the cost of living for the American population.

    Zhang Hanhui notes that the abuse of tariffs has caused discontent and resistance among US allies. The introduction of “mirror tariffs” has seriously damaged the US’s international reputation and deepened its rift with its allies. “A wave of boycotts of American goods is growing around the world. Following the “Buy Canadian” movement that began in Canada in February 2025, tens of thousands of people in Sweden, Denmark, France and other countries have called on social media to “not buy American goods,” while many Europeans have canceled subscriptions to Netflix, Disney and other American platforms,” the article states.

    According to the diplomat, the main victims of the US tariffs are the countries of the Global South, as the abuse of tariffs deprives these countries of economic sovereignty. Such a policy is outright “neocolonialism,” the ambassador said.

    The US tariff policy encourages the countries of the Global South to unite, accelerate the deepening of cooperation with each other and economic relations with other countries. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Zhang Hanhui recalls, said that the BRICS countries have the right to create a trading system completely independent of the US dollar.

    “China has repeatedly said that tariff and trade wars cannot be won, and that protectionism will ultimately harm the interests of all parties and will not find support,” the article says.

    According to the diplomat, China is ready to deepen cooperation and interaction with developing countries and emerging market countries together with Russia, strengthen coordination and cooperation within the framework of such mechanisms as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS. China is ready to “unite to counter economic blackmail by the United States, resolutely defend the common interests of the countries of the Global South, protect international justice and the international free trade system, and promote the construction of a more just and rational global governance system,” Zhang Hanhui emphasized. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –