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Category: France

  • MIL-OSI Global: Universities face getting stuck with thousands of obsolete robots – here’s how to avoid a research calamity

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Carl Strathearn, Lecturer in Computer Science, Edinburgh Napier University

    For more than a decade, the French robotics company Aldebaran has built some of the most popular robots used in academic research. Go to most university robotics departments and you’ll find either Pepper, the iconic three-wheeled humanoid robot, or its smaller two-legged sibling, Nao.

    These fast became the robots of choice for many academics for all research into the capabilities and potential of social robots. They are quick to set up and easy to use out of the box, without the need for any programming skills or engineering knowledge.

    With base prices at around £17,000 for Pepper and £8,000 for Nao – typically plus a few thousand pounds more for extras, online training sessions, service plans, warranties and so on – the robots could be purchased via university research grants.

    With Pepper robots also appearing in customer service jobs, for example in HSBC banks across the US, buyers were attracted by the lure of long-term educational and financial benefits from a state-of-the-art tech supplier. Aldebaran says it has sold approximately 37,000 machines worldwide (20,000 Naos and 17,000 Peppers).

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    However, the company stopped developing Pepper robots in 2021, having struggled to sell as many as it had hoped, and was offloaded by long-time Japanese owner Softbank.

    In February of this year, Alderbaran filed for bankruptcy and restructured amid ongoing financial difficulties. Currently looking for a buyer, it has halved its staff numbers, though it is still making Nao (and a serving assistant on wheels called Plato).

    The uncertainty around the company’s future has stoked fears that it will become impossible to get its robots repaired in future, and that Aldebaran could stop supporting the AI cloud network that the machines need to access to be able to function.

    What does this mean for the future of robotics research in universities?

    Besides fears about Aldebaran’s future, there have long been issues with Pepper and Nao’s durability. They both have rigid, fragile plastic shells, and the machines sometimes overheat. This means they have to be left to cool down after 20-30 minutes, which has often interfered with experiments and data-gathering – as documented in this 2022 study of Nao.

    A spokesperson for Aldebaran agreed that motors can overheat, depending on their use and environment. They said the next generation of Nao, currently in development, has taken this into account in its design.

    For repairs, the only option is Aldebaran or an authorised reseller, or you risk voiding your warranty. This typically involves shipping overseas, which can be slow and costly – more so if the replacement parts are out of stock.

    One of us (Emilia) encountered this during the COVID pandemic. Nao’s batteries need to be used regularly to keep functioning, which led the university’s machine to fail because it was inaccessible during lockdowns. Aldebaran couldn’t supply replacement batteries quickly, which halted research projects at the university for many months and meant that important submission deadlines were missed.

    Meanwhile, software upgrades for Pepper stopped when the company halted development in 2021 (sales stopped in 2024). This robot’s limited processing capabilities make it troublesome to run the large language models (LLMs) that power interfaces like ChatGPT (although these can be run in conjunction with a computer with modifications).

    Nao does have an AI edition that can handle LLMs, though this too requires external modifications. Nao’s upgrades also seem to have been limited, which in our experience appears to have made them more error-prone too. Both robots are already considerably less useful for research purposes in our opinion.

    Finally, Nao and Pepper were not built with adaptability in mind. Unlike more recent machines like the 3D-printed InMoov, made by French designer Gael Langevin, there’s no way of customising their components or appearance.

    Their fixed expressions, gestures and plastic body make them difficult to adapt to different user needs or applications, such as helping at home or in healthcare. This again reduces their usefulness from a research point of view.

    Addressing these concerns, the Aldebaran spokesperson said:

    Spare parts availability on Nao is very good, [barring] the normal supply chain issues, and these were exacerbated during COVID like the rest of the commercial world. Pepper is more limited as it has not been in production for some time, but we are generally able to solve any customer issues.

    Nao is still very active as a product, with production continuing along with software upgrades. We recently launched Nao Activities, a major software upgrade that provides generative AI capabilities for Nao.

    The spokesperson added that are were no plans to switch off AI cloud support for Nao or Pepper, and that the robots are not difficult to use in robotics research, “testament of which is the thousands of units being used in that environment”.

    What can be done?

    If Pepper and Nao do become unusable for research, universities will have to either scrap them or try to redevelop them with custom parts and components. It’s possible they could be hacked and gutted, replacement parts could be 3D-printed, new microprocessors installed and the software made local and open source, which may be enough to get the robots back up and working again.

    However, it probably makes sense for researchers to look forwards instead. But towards what? At a time when university finances are very tight, there may be a reluctance to buy new machines with potentially limited shelf lives. Robots from alternative providers such as Futhat and Unitree are supported by similar cloud-based AI systems.

    Some institutions may consider reallocating vital funding to other departments, with a significant impact across robotics research and education. Universities are at the heart of robotics research, upholding high ethical standards and rigorously testing machines without the conflicts of interest that manufacturers can have.

    Universities can also bring together diverse disciplines like computer science, engineering and cognitive science, fostering collaboration that encourages innovation. With the UK number one globally for research quality in this field, these are the training grounds for the next generation of roboticists at a time when there is a growing skills shortage.

    A different way forward would be for universities to start building and programming robots from scratch. For the cost of a new research robot, say £15,000, you could buy several high-spec 3D printers, hardware and components.

    This wouldn’t be about building entire humanoid robots but prototypes of key aspects such as facial expressiveness or skin, human gestures or emotions. This would allow students to gain important hands-on engineering and programming skills, while conducting novel research exploring current gaps in the field.

    It would make personalising them easier and repairing them quicker and cheaper, if you could 3D-print parts or use parts that could be easily replaced off-the-shelf.

    If universities are to remain relevant in this rapidly evolving field, it’s vital that they learn from their difficulties with Pepper and Nao. At a time when robots are starting to be perceived as reliable and cost-effective support for people, this is a cautionary tale for all.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Universities face getting stuck with thousands of obsolete robots – here’s how to avoid a research calamity – https://theconversation.com/universities-face-getting-stuck-with-thousands-of-obsolete-robots-heres-how-to-avoid-a-research-calamity-256829

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Small Boat: this slim, devastating novel about a real migrant shipwreck reminds us of the cruelty of indifference

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Fiona Murphy, Assistant Professor in Refugee and Intercultural Studies, Dublin City University

    There’s a particular kind of story that’s rarely executed well – one without heroes, without lessons, without even the cold comfort of a villain you can confidently point at and say: there, that’s the evil. Vincent Delecroix’s Small Boat – a slim, bruising novel translated with quiet precision by Helen Stevenson – is that kind of story.

    Small Boat, which was shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize, centres on a real horror: the drowning of 27 people in the English Channel on November 24 2021. They were crowded into an inflatable dinghy in the dark, reaching out over crackling radio lines, asking – in French, in English, in Kurdish – for help. They didn’t get it.

    What is known – not imagined in Delecroix’s pages – is that both French and British coastguards received their calls. And both hesitated, passing responsibility back and forth like a poisoned parcel. People died while operators discussed jurisdiction. The Cranston Inquiry, established to examine the failures of that night, is ongoing, its transcripts and testimonies peeling back the layers of bureaucratic neglect.

    Delecroix doesn’t give us the migrants’ stories directly. He focuses instead on a fictional French coastguard operator, a woman who spent that night on the radio, doing (or not doing) what her training, her weariness, her own justifications allowed. In the aftermath, she is questioned – not in a court, but in a room filled with mirrors. She faces a policewoman who looks like her, thinks like her, speaks with her same clipped, professional cadence.

    She listens back to recordings of her own voice on the rescue line promising help that would not come, offering assurances she did not believe. She is left to reckon with the unbearable fact that someone, somewhere (was it her?) spoke the words: “You will not be saved.”



    Read more:
    International Booker prize 2025: six experts review the shortlisted novels

    She isn’t especially monstrous. She’s tired. She’s professional. She has a young daughter at home and an ex-partner who sneers at her work. She runs on the beach to decompress. In one of the novel’s most arresting turns, she compares herself to a mass-produced tin opener: efficient, functional, affectless. Delecroix draws her with enough delicacy that we cannot quite hate her. And that, of course, is far more unsettling.

    Reading Small Boat, I thought – as one inevitably does – of Hannah Arendt’s banality of evil. Not evil as grand spectacle or ideology, but as administration, the quiet conviction that one is simply fulfilling a role. Arendt coined the phrase watching the trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief Nazi organisers of the Holocaust. Eichmann organised the trains but claimed never to have hated the passengers. What Arendt saw was not a monster but a functionary – and that, of course, was the point.

    I thought too about my own work as an anthropologist researching forced displacement across Ireland, Turkey and Australia. I’ve sat with people whose lives are shaped not by violence in its cinematic form, but by violence as policy: the hotel room without a kitchen, the letter that never arrives, the bed that’s taken away with no warning.

    I’ve heard a senior Irish official describe the state’s provision of housing and support for asylum seekers as “sufficient”. Meanwhile people, stateless and waiting, are asked to prove their vulnerability again and again until even their grief is suspect.

    Institutional indifference

    The institutionalisation of indifference: that’s the real story here. The smugness of protocols. The liturgy of duty rosters and shift reports. It wasn’t evil that let those people drown in the Channel – it was ordinary people in warm offices, citing rules, filling forms, following scripts.

    We can see the birth of such indifference in policies like the UK’s abandoned Rwanda plan, which casually proposed outsourcing asylum itself, as if refuge were a commodity.

    Delecroix’s brilliance lies in showing how violence at the border is carried out not by villains, but by workers. By women with mortgages, men on night shifts, people who’ve learned to sort calls for help by urgency, credibility, accent. “Sorting,” the narrator explains, “is perhaps the most important part of the job.” Not all distress calls are equal. And the assumption – always lurking, never spoken – is that some lives are more likely to be saved.

    At one point, the narrator’s colleague Julien answers calls from migrants by quoting Pascal: “Vous êtes embarqués.” You are already embarked. A fatalist shrug disguised as wisdom. As if to say: you should have thought of all this before you left. The shrug does the work of a policy, the quotation the work of a wall.

    And yet, the narrator cannot fully perform indifference. She is haunted by the sea. She remembers loving it as a child. Now, it terrifies her. She feels it watching her, pursuing her, wanting to surge past the shore and swallow the continent whole. She runs along the beach to quiet her mind – a run that is almost the same length as the journey those on the dinghy tried to make.

    If Small Boat has a flaw, it’s that it sometimes flirts with making guilt into its own form of lyricism. But this too may be deliberate. It is easier, perhaps, to feel sorry than to feel implicated. And far easier to narrate moral confusion than to prevent its causes.

    What Delecroix has written is not a redemption story. It’s not a psychological thriller. It is a chamber piece for one voice and many ghosts. There are no grand gestures here. Just small refusals, small failures. And the small, flickering boats of each human life, drifting toward – or away from – one another in the dark.

    In a world ever more brutal towards those who flee war, hunger and despair, Delecroix’s novel is a necessary and merciless indictment. It reminds us that the shipwreck is not theirs alone. It is ours too.

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

    – ref. Small Boat: this slim, devastating novel about a real migrant shipwreck reminds us of the cruelty of indifference – https://theconversation.com/small-boat-this-slim-devastating-novel-about-a-real-migrant-shipwreck-reminds-us-of-the-cruelty-of-indifference-255052

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s Wong condemns ‘abhorrent, outrageous’ Israeli comments over blocked aid

    Asia Pacific Report

    Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has released a statement saying “the Israeli government cannot allow the suffering to continue” after the UN’s aid chief said thousands of babies were at risk of dying if they did not receive food immediately.

    “Australia joins international partners in calling on Israel to allow a full and immediate resumption of aid to Gaza,” Wong said in a post on X.

    “We condemn the abhorrent and outrageous comments made by members of the Netanyahu government about these people in crisis.”

    Wong stopped short of outlining any measures Australia might take to encourage Israel to ensure enough aid reaches those in need, as the UK, France and Canada said they would do with “concrete measures” in a recent joint statement.


    An agreement has been reached in a phone call between UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar, reports Al Jazeera.

    According to the Palestinian news agency WAM, the aid would initially cater to the food needs of about 15,000 civilians in Gaza.

    It will also include essential supplies for bakeries and critical items for infant care.

    ‘Permission’ for 100 trucks
    Earlier yesterday, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva said Israel had given permission for about 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza.

    However, the UN also said no aid had been distributed in Gaza because of Israeli restrictions, despite a handful of aid trucks entering the territory.

    “But what we mean here by allowed is that the trucks have received military clearance to access the Palestinian side,” reports Tareq Abu Azzoum from Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.

    “They have not made their journey into the enclave. They are still stuck at the border crossing. Only five trucks have made it in.”

    Israel’s Gaza aid “smokescreen” showing the vast gulf between what the Israeli military have actually allowed in – five trucks only and none of the aid had been delivered at the time of this report. Image: Al Jazeera infographic/Creative Commons

    The few aid trucks alowed into Gaza are nowhere near sufficient to meet Gaza’s vast needs, says the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF.

    Instead, the handful of trucks serve as a “a smokescreen” for Israel to “pretend the siege is over”.

    “The Israeli authorities’ decision to allow a ridiculously inadequate amount of aid into Gaza after months of an air-tight siege signals their intention to avoid the accusation of starving people in Gaza, while in fact keeping them barely surviving,” said Pascale Coissard, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Khan Younis.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK stands ready to send more aid to Gaza as Minister pledges further support

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK stands ready to send more aid to Gaza as Minister pledges further support

    Minister for Development announces new UK support for Gaza on first visit in her role to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

    • extra UK aid announced today will support organisations on the ground seeking to get food, water and medicine to those who need it
    • Minister Chapman will call Israel’s decision to allow just a basic amount of food into Gaza ‘abominable’ after an ‘indefensible’ 11-week blockade.
    • on her first visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in her role, the Minister also emphasises the need to release all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and works towards a two-state solution

    Vulnerable Gazans must urgently be given full access to aid, UK Minister for Development, Jenny Chapman said today [Wednesday 21 May] on her first visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in her role. 

    Following the Government’s calls, together with partners, for restrictions on aid access to be lifted, the UK has announced £4m of new UK humanitarian support for Gazans as the Minister reaffirms the UK’s commitment to driving peace in the region.

    The visit comes the day after Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced new sanctions hitting violent West Bank settlers, paused free trade agreement negotiations with Israel and called the Government of Israel’s actions ‘egregious’ and ‘intolerable’. 

    On her visit the Development Minister will say the limited restart of aid deliveries into Gaza is ‘simply not enough’ and she will urge the Israeli government to allow the unhindered provision of aid. She will say the blockade has been appalling and indefensible, particularly following an IPC report noting the entire population of Gaza is experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.

    The Minister will announce new UK support during a visit to a Red Crescent centre, highlighting that the UK stands ready to provide the urgent aid to those who desperately need it, while expressing frustration much of it cannot yet reach them.

    Backing up words with action, the new UK support would cover essential medicines and medical supplies for up to 32,000 people, safe drinking water for up to 60,000 people, and food parcels for up to 14,000 people.

    Minister for Development, Jenny Chapman said:

    The lack of aid reaching ordinary Gazans is appalling. The Israeli government’s failure to allow full humanitarian access to aid workers is abhorrent. Far too few trucks are crossing into Gaza. The UN has warned nearly half a million Palestinians, including children, are facing starvation.

    The UK is clear – Israel will not achieve security through prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people.

    I have heard first hand from aid workers today of the abominable impact of this behaviour on real families. The UK has today pledged new support for Gazans but the brutal reality is most of it is stuck in limbo.

    We need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, a surge of aid, and a path towards long-term peace.

    During the first day of her visit (Wednesday, May 21), Minister Chapman has met with Palestinian Justice Minister Sharhabeel al-Zaeem, and talked to UNRWA representatives on resolving the challenges in getting aid to Palestinian communities.

    Tomorrow, she is due to meet the families of hostages cruelly held by Hamas, where she will highlight the importance of an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated end to the conflict which secures their urgent release. This is the only way to deliver long-term stability in the region, and at home, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

    Background

    • The £4 million contribution announced today will be made to the British Red Cross to deliver humanitarian relief in Gaza through their partner the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. This support has been allocated from the £101 million set aside for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in financial year 2025-26, announced during the official visit of Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa to the UK.
    • UK support to the OPTs since October 7, 2023, has so far provided 405,000 patient consultations across Gaza, food aid to at least 647,000 people, and improved water, sanitation and hygiene services to almost 300,000 people. 
    • Photos from the visit will be available on FCDO Flickr
    • See here for the Foreign Secretary’s statement announcing sanctions on West Bank violence network and the pause on negotiations for a free trade agreement.
    • See here for joint statement from the leaders of the UK, France and Canada on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank delivered on 19/05/2025.
    • See here for joint statement from UK and 26 other humanitarian partners delivered on 19/05/2025.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Email the FCDO Newsdesk (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Power Your Summer Plans with Hot Savings on Samsung Tech

    Source: Samsung

    Summer is heating up at Samsung – and so are the savings.
    The Discover Samsung Summer Sale is coming soon from June 2-8 with big savings on smart home essentials and mobile must-haves to power your summer. Mark your calendar for weeklong offers, curated bundles and new daily deals beginning at 9am ET each day. To get a head start on the savings, download the Samsung Shop App to unlock Early Access to exclusive offers beginning Friday, May 30 at 9am ET.
    Whether you’re planning the ultimate beach weekend, backyard staycation, or backpacking trip, Samsung AI features are here to help you make the most of your summer plans. Explore some of our favorite features for summer and take a peek at current and upcoming offers below.
    For summer travels, let Galaxy AI[1] take the lead on planning. Looking for flights? Hold the side button of your Galaxy S25 and ask Gemini[2] to find deals in real time before saving the results to your Samsung Notes app to easily reference later. Try out local cuisine with ease by pressing the side button of your Galaxy S25 and asking Galaxy AI to translate the menu before providing recommended meal options. And if you want the perfect photo to post, use Galaxy AI’s Generative Edit[3] feature to remove any unwanted background objects.

    Weeklong Deal: Save up to $300 on Galaxy S25 Ultra (promo price: starting at $1299.99)
    Weeklong Deal: Save $60 or up to $150 with eligible trade-in,[4] plus get a case on us with Galaxy Buds3 Pro (promo price: starting at $99.99)

    For backyard dinner parties, your connected kitchen is the ultimate sous chef. Use the AI Home screen[5] on select products in our 2025 Bespoke AI lineup to act as your personal assistant and convenient control center for your smart home. Plan your meals and create grocery lists or view your calendar and leave notes for your family, all from the screen. And once you finish dinner, tackle your sink full of dirty dishes with our latest Bespoke smart dishwasher, the quietest in its class.[6]

    Save up to $1,500 on Bespoke 4-Door French Door with AI Home & AI Vision Inside [7] (promo price: starting at $3,199)
    Save up to $400 on the 38 dBA Bespoke Smart Dishwasher with 3rd Rack Washing System (promo price: starting at $999)

    For movie marathons and more, experience the next big thing in television with Samsung Vision AI[8] on our 2025 TVs. The 2025 Samsung TV lineup offers breathtaking picture and immersive sound, paired with AI-backed features that take your TV to new heights. Use Click to Search[9] for instant info about your shows or movies, or enjoy content in your preferred language with Live Translate[10]. Universal Gestures even lets you control your TV with just a Galaxy Watch[11]. Plus, Samsung Vision AI helps upscale[12] everything you watch into crystal clear resolution, and even adapts your TV’s audio to your room for crisp dialogue and immersive sound. You can also pair your TV with a 2025 Samsung soundbar to amp up the audio even further.

    Happening NOW: Save up to $400 on S90F and S85F series OLED TVs (promo prices: starting at $1,399)
    Happening NOW: Save up to $500 on Q-series soundbars (promo prices: starting at $449)

    We’re also offering great savings on our 2024 OLED TVs, delivering pure blacks, bright whites and Pantone®-Validated color – all backed by powerful AI processors that optimize picture and sound as you watch. Whichever model you choose, you can shop with confidence from the #1 TV brand for 19 years running[13].

    Happening NOW: Save $1,400 on 65” Class OLED S90D (promo price: $1,299)
    Happening NOW: Save $2,100 on 77” Class OLED S95D (promo price: $2,499)

    Check back here next week for even more offers across our home entertainment lineup!
    For on-the-go smart home control, use the SmartThings app[14] on your mobile device. Seamlessly manage your compatible tech with automated routines, whether you’re turning on the lights for your arrival or cranking up the air conditioner on hot days. And with SmartThings Energy’s AI Energy Mode, you can receive personalized tips to help cut down on your energy usage and costs from your Samsung washer to your refrigerator to your TV and beyond.

    Save up to $1,100 on 3 cu. ft. Bespoke AI Laundry Ventless Heat Pump Dryer Combo All-in-One Ultra Capacity Washer with AI Home (promo price: starting at $2,199)
    Click here to download the SmartThings app

    For more on the Discover Samsung Summer Sale and details on the latest offers, visit Samsung.com.

    [1] Galaxy AI features by Samsung are free through 2025 and require Samsung account login.
    [2] Compatible with select apps. Requires Google Gemini account. Results may vary based on input; check responses for accuracy. Google and Gemini are trademarks of Google LLC.
    [3] Generative Edit requires a Samsung account login. Editing with Generative Edit results in a resized photo up to 12MP. A visible watermark is overlaid on the image output upon saving in order to indicate that the image is generated by Galaxy AI. The accuracy and reliability of the generated output is not guaranteed.
    [4] For Samsung Trade-In terms and conditions, click here.
    [5] AI Home LCD Display on RF90F29/23BECRAA Refrigerators accesses AI Vision Inside , Bixby and personalized recipe recommendations based on AI algorithms. Wi-Fi connection and Samsung account required.
    [6] Together with DW90 models, compared to competitor models with MSRP $1399 or less.
    [7] AI Vision Inside can recognize and automatically label 37 unobscured fresh food items such as select fruits and vegetables; other items may be manually labeled. Results vary by manner of placement.
    [8] Samsung Vision Al is only available on 2025 Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED, OLED, QLED and The Frame TV models. Samsung Vision Al features vary by TV model. (Excludes Crystal UHD, FHD and HD TV models).
    [9] Available on certain models only, and on terrestrial, cable TV and Samsung TV Plus.
    [10] Works with antenna broadcast only. Available languages vary and may require download. Translation accuracy not guaranteed.
    [11] Available apps and services may vary and are subject to change without notice. Only supported on Galaxy Watch4 and later models, and Wear OS 5 and higher versions. Galaxy Watch sold separately.
    [12] Viewing experience may vary according to types of content and format. Upscaling may not apply to PC connection and Game Mode.
    [13] Source: Omdia, Feb 2025. Results are not an endorsement of Samsung. Any reliance on these results is at the third party’s own risk.
    [14] Available on Android and iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: OSCE boosts solar energy skills to support Kyrgyzstan’s clean energy transition

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: OSCE boosts solar energy skills to support Kyrgyzstan’s clean energy transition

    To help drive Kyrgyzstan’s transition to clean energy and meet its growing demand for renewables, the OSCE organized a joint initiative in Bishkek focused on both high-level policy dialogue and technical training. This effort was carried out in partnership with the Kyrgyz State Technical University (KSTU) and the Bulan Institute for Peace Innovations.
    On 19 May, over 70 participants – including representatives from government, academia, the private sector, international organizations, and civil society – gathered at KSTU for a roundtable discussion titled “Integration of Renewable Energy Sources into the Energy System of the Kyrgyz Republic and Prospects for RES Development.” The event explored key policy, regulatory, and technical challenges related to scaling up renewable energy – particularly solar and wind power – and examined ways to improve grid integration and expand access to clean energy across the country.
    High-level officials delivered opening remarks, including Dinara Kemelova, Special Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on Mountain Regions Development; Emilbek Ysmanov, First Deputy Minister of Energy; and  Nicolas Faye,  Ambassador of France to the Kyrgyz Republic.
    Alongside the policy discussions, the OSCE, together with KSTU and the Bulan Institute, launched the first of two hands-on training courses on solar photovoltaic system installation and maintenance. The course brought together 24 electricians from various parts of  Kyrgyzstan – including many from rural and remote areas – to gain practical skills in solar system design, installation, and safety. Notably, the active participation of women in the training marked a positive step toward greater gender equality in the energy sector. A second training is scheduled for June 2025.
    “This initiative goes beyond solar panels – it’s about giving people the skills to shape their own energy future,” said Giulia Manconi, OSCE Senior Energy Security Adviser. “By investing in skills development, we’re not only helping Kyrgyzstan unlock its solar potential, but also creating meaningful jobs, promoting local value, and ensuring an inclusive transition to renewable energy that supports the country’s broader energy and climate goals.”
    By building local expertise, this initiative lays the foundation for the creation of a dedicated Solar Training Centre at KSTU, providing long-term support for Kyrgyzstan’s clean energy transition and offering a model that can be replicated across the region.
    This activity is part of the OSCE project on Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Energy Sector in Central Asia, funded by Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Poland.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Concrete actions must be taken ‘to prevent mass starvation of innocent children’ – Plaid Cymru

    Source: Party of Wales

    UK, France and Canada condemn Israeli Government’s military operations in Gaza in a joint statement

    Plaid Cymru’s Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Ben Lake MP has today (Tuesday 20 May) asked for reassurance from the Foreign Secretary that ‘concrete actions’ would be taken to “prevent the mass starvation of innocent children” as promised in the UK, France and Canada’s joint statement.   

    The Israeli Government has blockaded aid into Gaza for 11 weeks, placing 2.1 million people in the region at risk of famine.  

    The United Nations also warned that 14,000 children in Gaza could die within 48 hours without urgent aid.  

    Mr Lake emphasized the “immediacy of the crisis” and urged the UK Government to take the necessary concrete steps, along with international partners, should the Israeli Government continue with its military offensive and aid blockade. 

     

    Speaking in the House of Commons, Ben Lake MP said: 

    “Can I thank the Foreign Secretary for the statement and for reiterating the Government’s commitment to take further concrete action in concert with international allies should the Israeli Government fail to cease its military offensive and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. 

    “Given the immediacy of the crisis and of the warnings that 14,000 children are at risk of starvation, could the Foreign Secretary please reassure the House that those “concrete steps” will be taken at such a time to prevent the mass starvation of innocent children?” 

     

    In his response, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 

    “As I said before and as the Prime Minister’s statement indicates, we will take concrete action, further action, if necessary but it is my sincere hope that we don’t need to take that action because Prime Minister Netanyahu heeds what those within his country and what the international community is saying.” 

     

    Ben Lake MP added: 

    “After the 11-week blockade of aid imposed by the Israeli Government, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached a critical point with the UN warning that 14,000 infants could die within 48 hours if urgent aid does not reach them. The world cannot stand idly by and allow the starvation of thousands of children.  

    “We welcome the joint statement from the UK, France, and Canada opposing Israel’s renewed military offensive and the blockade of food and aid. However, the international community must now take decisive action to ensure that sufficient aid reaches civilians in Gaza immediately, to prevent the starvation of thousands of babies.” 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Gordon Campbell: NZ’s silence over Gaza genocide, ethnic cleansing

    COMMENTARY: By Gordon Campbell

    Since last Thursday, intensified Israeli air strikes on Gaza have killed more than 500 Palestinians, and a prolonged Israeli aid blockade has led to widespread starvation among the territory’s two million residents.

    Belatedly, Israel is letting in a token amount of food aid that UN Under-Secretary Tom Fletcher has called a “a drop in the ocean”.

    Meanwhile, the IDF is intensifying its air and ground attacks on the civilian population and on the few remaining health services. Al Jazeera is also reporting that the IDF has issued “a forward displacement order” for the entirety of Khan Younis, the second largest city in Gaza.

    The escalation of the Israeli onslaught has been condemned by UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who has likened the IDF campaign as an exercise in ethnic cleansing:

    “This latest barrage of bombs … and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in Gaza that is in defiance of international law and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing,” he said.

    If the West so wished, it could be putting more economic pressure on Israel to cease committing its litany of atrocities. Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war has been sparking mass demonstrations across Europe.

    In the Netherlands at the weekend, a massive demonstration culminated in calls for the Netherlands government to formally ask the EU to suspend its free trade agreement with Israel.

    Until now, the world’s relative indifference to the genocide in Gaza has been mirrored by Palestine’s Arab neighbours. As Gaza burned yet again, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates were lavishly entertaining US President Donald Trump — Israel’s chief enabler — and showering him with gifts.

    In the wake of these meetings, Trump and his hosts have signed arms deals and AI technology transfers that reportedly contain no guard rails to prevent these AI advances being passed on to China.

    In addition, Qatar has bought $96 billion worth of Boeing aircraft. Reportedly, this purchase has huge potential implications for the airline industry in our part of the world.

    In all, economic joint ventures worth hundreds of billions of dollars were signed and sealed last week between the US and the Middle East region, despite the misery being inflicted right next door.

    Footnote: Directly and indirectly, Big Tech firms such as Microsoft and Intel continue to enable and enhance the IDF war machine’s actions in Gaza. This is an extension of the long time support given to Israel by Silicon Valley firms via the supply of digital infrastructure, advanced chips, software and cloud computing facilities.

    Yesterday, several Microsoft staff had the courage to interrupt a speech by their CEO to protest about how the company’s Azure cloud computing platform was being used to enable Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

    The extinction of hope
    As the Ha’aretz newspaper reported this week, “The three pillars of hope for the Palestinians have collapsed: armed struggle has lost legitimacy, state negotiations have stalled, and faith in the international community has faded. Now, they face one question: ‘Where do we go from here?’

    As Ha’aretz concluded, the Palestinians seem to have vanished into a diplomatic Bermuda Triangle. What would it take, one wonders, for the New Zealand government — and Foreign Minister Winston Peters — to wake up from their moral slumber?

    Whenever the Luxon government does talk about this conflict, it still calls for a “two state solution” even though, as a leading Israeli journalist Gideon Levy says, this ceased to be a viable option more than 25 years ago.

    “We crossed the point of no return a long time ago. We crossed the point at which there was any room for a Palestinian state, with 700,000 settlers who will not be evacuated, because nobody will have the political power to do so. The West Bank is practically annexed for many, many years . . . Nobody can take this discourse seriously anymore. But, you know, those who want to believe in it, believe in it.”

    Conveniently, the two state waffle does provide Peters and Luxon with cover for their reluctance to — for example — call in, or expel the Israeli ambassador. Or impose a symbolic trade boycott. Or impose targeted sanctions on the extremists within the Netanyahu Cabinet who are driving Israeli policy.

    Instead of those options, the “negotiated two state” fantasy has been encouraged to take on a life of its own. Yet do we really think that Israel would entertain for a moment the expulsion of the hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers illegally occupying the land on the West Bank required for a viable Palestinian state?

    The Netanyahu government has long had plans to double that number, with the settler influx growing at a reported rate of about 12,000 a year.

    The backlash
     Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon is finally creating a backlash, in Europe at least. The public outrage being expressed in demonstrations in the UK, France and Germany finally seems to be making some governments feel a need to be seen to be doing more.

    Not before time. At the drop of a hat, Western nations — New Zealand included — will bang on endlessly about the importance of upholding the norms of international law. So you have to ask . . . why have we/they chosen to remain all but mute about the repeated violations of human rights law and the Geneva Conventions being carried out by the IDF in Gaza on a daily basis?

    “In [Khan Younis’] Nasser Hospital, Safaa Al-Najjar, her face stained with blood, wept as the shroud-wrapped bodies of two of her children were brought to her: [18 month old] Motaz Al-Bayyok and [six weeks old] Moaz Al-Bayyok.

    “The family was caught in the overnight airstrikes. All five of Al-Najjar’s other children, ranging in ages from 3 to 12, were injured, while her husband was in intensive care. One of her sons, 11-year-old Yusuf, his head heavily bandaged, screamed in grief as the shroud of his younger sibling was parted to show his face.

    Ultimately, Israel’s moral decline will be for its own citizens to reckon with, in future. For now, New Zealand is standing around watching in silence, while a blood-soaked campaign of ethnic cleansing unmatched in recent history is being carried out.

    Republished with permission from Gordon Campbell’s column in partnership with Scoop.

    Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: Subsea7 awarded contract offshore West Africa

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Luxembourg – 21 May 2025 – Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Børs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced the award of a sizeable1 subsea contract in West Africa.

    Subsea7 will be responsible for transporting and installing flexible pipelines, umbilicals, and associated subsea components for the connection of a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel as well as the pre-laying activities for an upcoming drilling campaign.

    Project management and engineering work will begin immediately at Subsea7’s offices in Sutton, UK and Suresnes, France, and offshore activity is expected to start in 2026.

    Jerome Perrin, Vice President Africa, Middle East, and Türkiye for Subsea7, said: “Our close and agile collaboration with our clients allows us to make possible cost-effective and reliable offshore solutions for their needs. We are pleased to be able to support this client in executing such a strategically important project in West Africa. ”

    No further details are disclosed at this time.

    1. Subsea7 defines a sizeable contract as being between $50 million and $150 million

    *******************************************************************************
    Subsea7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industry’s partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs.

    Subsea7 is listed on the Oslo Børs (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62.

    *******************************************************************************

    Contact for investment community enquiries:
    Katherine Tonks
    Investor Relations Director
    Tel +44 20 8210 5568
    ir@subsea7.com

    Contact for media enquiries:
    Alan Gorham
    Group Communications Manager
    Tel +44 1224 265750
    communications@subsea7.com
    www.subsea7.com

    Forward-Looking Statements: This document may contain ‘forward-looking statements’ (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘future’, ‘goal’, ‘intend’, ‘likely’ ‘may’, ‘plan’, ‘project’, ‘seek’, ‘should’, ‘strategy’ ‘will’, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the ‘Risk Management’ section of the Group’s Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; (xvii) global availability at scale and commercially viability of suitable alternative vessel fuels; and (xviii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this document. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    This stock exchange release was published by Katherine Tonks, Investor Relations, Subsea7, on 21 May 2025 at 11:15 CET.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cash boost for coastal towns hosting clean energy infrastructure

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Cash boost for coastal towns hosting clean energy infrastructure

    Communities to receive funding for hosting clean energy infrastructure as part of plans to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

    • Britain’s coastal and rural regions to receive a cash boost for hosting the infrastructure needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower
    • communities hosting offshore wind and solar projects in line to receive money from energy developers, to be spent directly on local priorities and services such as community centres, sports facilities, and employment programmes
    • cash boost to regional and local economic growth as part of the Plan for Change

    Britain’s coastal and rural communities will receive a cash boost for new community facilities, better transport links and investment in apprenticeships, under government plans as part of the Plan for Change mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. 

    The proposals will require community benefits for families, businesses   and local community groups who live near offshore wind, onshore wind and solar farms.

    They would enshrine in law a requirement for renewable developers to pay into community benefit funds, ensuring infrastructure projects contribute to residents’ lives, the local economy and growth as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

    This could include new grassroots football pitches in Welsh seaside towns, initiatives to get young people into employment on the Yorkshire coast to train the next generation of engineers, and funding for transport links and schools in the Scottish highlands.

    Coastal and rural areas will play a significant role in hosting the clean energy projects needed to get energy bills down for good and deliver energy security with homegrown power that Britain controls.

    In recognition, the funding will channel community investment into where it has real impact – with families in the area deciding where the money should be spent. The plans also set out how communities could own a stake in renewable energy infrastructure through shared ownership, resulting in profits being reinvested back into the community and the British people having a stake in the clean energy transition.

    The level of payments to communities will range depending on the size of infrastructure projects, from tens of thousands of pounds a year for small developments and up to millions of pounds per year for largescale developments.

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:

    If you live near an offshore wind or solar farm, your local community should benefit from supporting this nationally critical mission.

    The Prime Minister’s mission to become a clean energy superpower is creating good well-paid jobs in these areas, building the infrastructure we need to get energy bills down for working people.

    Our Plan for Change will revitalise Britain’s coastal and rural communities creating community wealth, better facilities and energy security for the country.

    This will benefit every household in the country by getting the UK off fossil fuel dependency and protecting billpayers from price shocks with clean homegrown power.

    The announcement will build on measures introduced in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill where households within 500 metres of new or upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure will get electricity bill discounts of up to £2,500 over 10 years.

    The proposals seek input on which types of energy infrastructure should be required to pay into community benefit funds, which may include renewable and low-carbon electricity  generation, and energy storage.

    Community benefits are an established part of development for energy infrastructure in many countries, including Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

    James Robottom, Head of Policy at RenewableUK, said:

    Renewable energy developers have a long history of providing a wide range of benefits for local communities, such as community benefit funds which support local initiatives, electricity discounts, employment initiatives and environmental projects.

    We welcome the government’s consultation and will engage with it to ensure that the benefits received by local communities hosting energy infrastructure are proportionate and continue to meet their needs. Renewable energy developers are good neighbours and remain committed to providing benefits at an appropriate level to enable local communities to thrive all over the country.

    This builds on Monday’s announcement to support coastal communities with the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, the new SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) agreement that will slash red tape for UK seafood exporters and businesses, and a new twelve-year fisheries access agreement with the EU securing long-term certainty for British fishing fleets.

    The Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will see investment in new technology and equipment to modernise Britain’s fishing fleet, deliver new training and skills to back the next generation of fishers and promote the seafood sector to export our high-quality produce across the world.

    Notes to Editors

    Read more about the working paper. We are inviting views from industry and stakeholders on the proposals until Wednesday 16 July.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Winnie Ho tours eco-districts in Paris

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho visited the headquarters of a local social housing association, L’Union sociale pour l’habitat (USH), and eco-neighbourhoods during her visit to Paris, France, yesterday.

     

    In the morning, Ms Ho met USH’s Director of Economic & Financial Studies Christophe Bellégo to learn about the organisation’s work, including conducting research and analysis on local housing issues, and contributing to their government’s policy formulation.

     

    During the meeting, Ms Ho highlighted the work of the Housing Bureau and the Hong Kong Housing Authority.

     

    She explained that housing is the greatest concern among all key issues of the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, and that the bureau strives to formulate suitable housing policies and deliberate on different measures to address housing issues to cater for the housing needs of different social strata.

     

    The policy initiatives include building Light Public Housing and transitional housing expeditiously to improve the living conditions of people living in inadequate housing at the soonest.

     

    She added that the Hong Kong Housing Authority, established over 50 years ago, has long been providing affordable rental housing to low-income families with housing needs. It continuously enhances the housing ladder to help low- to middle-income families gain access to subsidised home ownership, encouraging them to move up the housing ladder and thus enhance people’s sense of contentment and happiness.

     

    Ms Ho presented to the participants of the meeting the “Well-being design” guide launched last year, which serves as a reference for the future design of new public housing estates and the improvement works of existing estates to create a more comfortable and vibrant living environment for its residents.

     

    She pointed out that apart from housing construction, to continuously enhance the management efficiency and service quality of its nearly 200 public housing estates, the Housing Department has been actively promoting smart estate management and bringing in new technologies to help optimise estate management and building maintenance services.

     

    Guided by the USH, Ms Ho visited two eco-neighbourhoods in Paris, Clichy-Batignolles and Ecoquartier Nanterre Université.

     

    The housing chief made it clear that the Hong Kong Housing Authority also attaches importance to promoting low carbon and energy-saving buildings, green spaces and connectivity with the nearby community when planning and developing new public housing projects.

     

    In the afternoon, Ms Ho called on Chinese Ambassador to France Deng Li to share Hong Kong’s latest housing policies and initiatives, which includes promoting the development of housing construction technologies by leveraging the power of the Greater Bay Area.

     

    Additionally, Hong Kong’s strengths as a super connector and a highly international city were also discussed during her conversation with the ambassador.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Result reporting systems changed

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    u

    The Education Bureau today announced arrangements for new result reporting systems for Category C Other Languages (OL) subjects, with effect from the 2025 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination.

    From the scheduled release date for 2025 HKDSE Examination results, 16 July, candidates attaining A2 or above in French, German or Spanish, N3 or above in Japanese, or TOPIK II Grade 3 or above in Korean, will be deemed to meet the requirement of “Level 2/Level 3 in one of the five subjects in the HKDSE Examination” for civil service non-degree grade appointment purposes.

    New arrangements for Category C OL subjects, commencing from the 2025 HKDSE Examination, were announced by the Hong Kong Examinations & Assessment Authority in 2022.

    Candidates should take the stipulated examinations, administered by the respective official organisations for each language in Hong Kong. Qualifying results will then be included in HKDSE Examination Category C results and reported on HKDSE certificates.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Atos positioned as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Outsourced Digital Workplace Services report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release

    Atos positioned as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Outsourced Digital Workplace Services report

    Paris, France – May 21, 2025 – Atos today announces that it has been positioned as a Leader by Gartner® in its 2025 Magic Quadrant™for Outsourced Digital Workplace Services (ODWS), based on its Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute. This is the ninth consecutive year that Atos has been placed in the Leaders quadrant in a Gartner Magic Quadrant report dedicated to Outsourced Digital Workplace Services (ODWS)1.

    Atos’ digital workplace services provide end-to-end Engaged Employee Experience   through digital collaboration and productivity tools, as well as intelligent customer care services that enable new ways of working and include 20 ‘Tech for Good’ features to address clients’ CSR goals.

    Persona-based employee journeys enable secure and effortless access to applications, resources and devices from any location, allowing every individual to maximize their contribution, regardless of disability or impairment.

    Atos sustainable digital workplace suite, that is included in its ODWS portfolio, fosters more sustainable and cost-effective workplace environments through transparent, responsible sourcing and device lifecycle management to reduce customers’ carbon footprint across the ecosystem.

    Atos Experience Operations Center (XOC) launched in 2024, leverages cognitive analytics, virtual agents, remote diagnostics, innovative device provisioning and robust asset tracking for a secure, frictionless employee device support experience, and also complements Atos’ service desk with proactive issue resolution.

    To quickly identify and address employees’ IT issues before they impact their activity and business operations, the Atos Experience Operations Center (XOC) leverages automation and AI and aggregates data in real time to inform decisions about digital employee experience, allowing agile and responsive decision-making and problem resolution before users are affected.

    Leon Gilbert, EVP & Head of Digital Workplace Business Line, Atos, said: “Gartner recognition is an honor that we believe reflects on our breakthrough approach to human-centric, flexible and hybrid digital workplace environments powered by state-of-the-art technologies and on our commitment to co-create with our customers outcome-driven tailored services. This recognition gives us confidence in our capacity to further transform the future of work.”

    The 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ evaluated 18 service providers based on their Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision.

    To download a copy of the report, please go to https://atos.net/en/lp/gartner-magic-quadrant-for-outsourced-digital-workplace-services-2025

    ***

    Disclaimer

    Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Outsourced Digital Workplace Services, By Karl Rosander, Matt Baldino, Biswajit Maity, Andrea Lanzavecchia, Katja Ruud, Tom Sieber, 24 March 2025

    GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

    Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

    ***

    About Atos

    Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 74,000 employees and annual revenue of c. € 10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 68 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

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

    Press contact

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

    1 The 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Outsourced Digital Workplace Services replaces three separate regional Magic Quadrants for North America, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region, called Magic Quadrant for Managed Workplace Services (2017-2021).

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: SCOR Senior Euro Loans switches to daily liquidity

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PRESS RELEASE | May 21st, 2025 N° 01- 2025

    SCOR Senior Euro Loans switches to daily liquidity

    SCOR Investment Partners, the asset management subsidiary of leading reinsurer, SCOR Group, announces changes to its flagship fund of senior secured bank loans (leveraged loans), 1st lien issued in euro, SCOR Senior Euro Loans.

    With almost 15 years’ experience and close to EUR 2 billion in assets under management in leveraged loan portfolios on behalf of institutional investors, SCOR Investment Partners announces that the fund’s frequency of net asset value calculation has moved from weekly to daily, offering a more flexible investment solution in the asset class. This change is announced alongside the evolution of the fund’s sustainable investment approach.

    These modifications provide investors with access to leveraged loans, an alternative source of bond diversification, through a daily liquidity fund. Leveraged loans, corporate financing instruments, offer liquidity and price transparency that enable immediate investment without a deployment phase, while benefiting from strict credit documentation to manage credit risk. Investors may therefore immediately be exposed to the market, capturing returns while having the ability to manage their exposure on a daily basis.

    Based on a best-in-class approach, the fund’s sustainability analysis is strengthened by the implementation of minimum sector thresholds, determined according to a proprietary methodology. SCOR Senior Euro Loans is classified as Article 8 under the European Regulation on financial services sector sustainability-related disclosures (SFDR).

    These changes came into effect on May 19th, 2025.

    Launched in 2011 and previously named SCOR Sustainable Euro Loans, SCOR Senior Euro Loans has EUR 806 million in assets under management as of March 31st, 2025. Aimed at institutional investors, the fund’s objective remains unchanged: to generate a high current yield while preserving capital over the recommended investment period. The fund is managed by a team of nine experts including six credit analysis, led by Rémy Chupin, supported by a team of four sustainable investment analysts.

    Rémy Chupin, Head of Leveraged Loans at SCOR Investment Partners, commented: “Growing demand from investors such as CLOs has driven the growth of the European leveraged loan market in recent years, bringing its size and its liquidity features closer to those of the high yield market. These factors contribute to offering an actively managed fund with daily liquidity.”

    Louis Bourrousse, CEO of SCOR Investment Partners, added: “I am convinced that our expertise in managing leveraged loans, developed under the leadership of Rémy Chupin since 2011, allows us to offer our institutional clients a liquid solution to diversify their bond allocation. This approach also reaffirms our ambitions in developing our leveraged loan franchise.”

    – End –

    CONTACTS

    About SCOR Investment Partners

    Created in 2008 and accredited by the Autorité des Marches financiers, the French financial market regulatory body, in May 2009 (no. GP09000006), SCOR Investment Partners is the asset management company of the SCOR Group (a leading reinsurer) with offices in Paris, London and Zurich and more than 90 employees.

    Since 2012, the company has given institutional investors access to some of its investment strategies developed for the SCOR Group.

    We create value in the alternative fixed income space targeting superior risk-adjusted returns through a holistic risk approach referencing sustainability considerations.

    The company is structured around three investment platforms: Liquid credit (including High Yield bonds and Leveraged Loans strategies), Real asset financing (including Infrastructure Loans and Real Estate Loans strategies) and Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS).

    Our assets under management or advised reached EUR 21.9 billion in December 2024, including EUR 8.2 billion from external investors (undrawn commitments included).

    Visit the SCOR Investment Partners website at: www.scor-ip.com

    This advertising communication, intended exclusively for journalists and professionals of the press and media, is produced for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer, solicitation, invitation, or recommendation to purchase any service or investment product.

    Before making any final investment decision, you must read all regulatory documents of the Fund, available free of charge upon request, from the Sales & Marketing team of SCOR Investment Partners SE.

    All content published by the SCOR group since January 1, 2024, is certified with Wiztrust. You can check the authenticity of this content at wiztrust.com.

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    The MIL Network –

  • India hosts second Blue Talks ahead of UN Ocean Conference 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in collaboration with the Embassies of France and Costa Rica, organized the “Second Blue Talks” on Tuesday in New Delhi. This high-level event marked a significant step in the lead-up to the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which is scheduled to be held in Nice, France, from June 9 to 13.

    Building on the success of the first Blue Talks in February 2024, this second edition brought together a wide array of participants, including scientists, policymakers, industry leaders, academics, and representatives from civil society. The event provided a platform to accelerate action and forge concrete commitments towards the sustainable use and protection of ocean resources, aligning closely with Sustainable Development Goal 14 and the broader objectives of the UN Ocean Decade.

    The core discussions of the Second Blue Talks centered on conserving and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems, enhancing ocean science and education, reducing marine pollution originating from land-based activities, and strengthening the interconnection between oceans, climate, and biodiversity. These topics formed the foundation of a dynamic stakeholder consultation session designed to generate innovative, long-term strategies for ocean sustainability.

    The event was chaired by Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and co-chaired by Néstor Baltodano Vargas, Ambassador of Costa Rica to India, and Damien Syed, Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy. In his address, Dr. Ravichandran emphasized the importance of prioritizing comprehensive ocean resource mapping, adopting cutting-edge technologies, and investing in human capital to achieve the goals of SDG 14 and the UN Ocean Decade. Ambassador Vargas highlighted the significance of such dialogues in deepening cooperation among nations for sustainable ocean governance.

    A central highlight of the event was the launch of a white paper titled “Transforming India’s Blue Economy: Investment, Innovation and Sustainable Growth.” Developed in collaboration with a strategic knowledge partner, the document outlines a strategic framework to align national efforts, encourage investment, and foster cross-sectoral collaboration. The paper emphasizes the economic and ecological potential of India’s marine resources, supported by the active involvement of 25 central ministries and various coastal states and union territories. These efforts build upon commitments made during India’s G20 Presidency and the Chennai High-Level Principles for a Sustainable and Resilient Blue Economy.

    The report not only acknowledges substantial progress across sectors but also points out key challenges such as limited inter-agency data sharing, inadequate private investment, and technological gaps in areas like offshore wind energy and deep-sea exploration. It offers practical solutions and presents scalable models from across India, such as women-led seaweed farming, smart port development, and eco-friendly ship recycling initiatives that illustrate the synergy between economic development and environmental conservation.

    (Inputs from PIB)

  • MIL-Evening Report: New Caledonia, French Polynesia at UN decolonisation seminar in Dili

    By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk

    New Caledonia and French Polynesia have sent strong delegations this week to the United Nations Pacific regional seminar on the implementation of the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism in Timor-Leste.

    The seminar opened in Dili today and ends on Friday.

    As French Pacific non-self-governing territories, the two Pacific possessions will brief the UN on recent developments at the event, which is themed “Pathways to a sustainable future — advancing socioeconomic and cultural development of the Non-Self-Governing Territories”.

    New Caledonia and French Polynesia are both in the UN’s list of non-self-governing territories to be decolonised, respectively since 1986 and 2013.

    Nouméa-based French Ambassador for the Pacific Véronique Roger-Lacan is also attending.

    After the Dili meeting this week, the UN’s Fourth Commission is holding its formal meeting in New York in July and again in October in the margins of the UN General Assembly.

    As New Caledonia marks the first anniversary this month of the civil unrest that killed 14 people and caused material damage to the tune of 2.2 billion euros last year (NZ$4.1 billion), the French Pacific territory’s political parties have been engaged for the past four months in political talks with France to define New Caledonia’s political future.

    However, the talks have not yet managed to produce a consensual way forward between pro-France and pro-independence groups.

    French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls, at the end of the most recent session on May 8, put a project of “sovereignty with France” on the table which was met by strong opposition by the pro-France Loyalists (anti-independence) camp.

    This year again, parties and groups from around the political spectrum are planning to travel to Dili to plead their respective cases.

    New Caledonia territorial President Alcide Ponga . . . pro-France groups have become more aware of the need for them to be more vocal and present at regional and international fora. Image: Media pool/RNZ Pacific

    Topping the list is New Caledonia’s government President Alcide Ponga, who chairs the pro-France Rassemblement party and came to power in January 2025.

    Other represented institutions include New Caledonia’s customary (traditional) Senate, a kind of Great Council of Chiefs, which also sends participants to ensure the voice of indigenous Kanak people is heard.

    Over the past two years, pro-France groups have become more aware of the need for them to be more vocal and present at regional and international fora.

    French Polynesia back on the UN list since 2013
     In French Polynesia, the pro-independence ruling Tavini Huiraatira party commemorated the 12th anniversary of re-inscription to the UN list of territories to be decolonised on 17 May 2013.

    This week, Tavini also sent a strong delegation to Timor-Leste, which includes territorial Assembly President Antony Géros.

    However, the pro-France parties, locally known as “pro-autonomy”, also want to ensure their views are taken into account.

    One of them is Moerani Frébault, one of French Polynesia’s representatives at the French National Assembly.

    “Contrary to what the pro-independence people are saying, we’re not dominated by the French Republic,” he told local media at a news conference at the weekend.

    Frébault said the pro-autonomy parties now want to invite a UN delegation to French Polynesia “so they can see for themselves that we have all the tools we need for our development.

    “This is the message we want to get across”.

    Pro-autonomy Tapura Party leaders Tepuaraurii Teriitahi (from left), Edouard Fritch and Moerani Frébault, at a press conference in Papeete last week . . . . “We want to counter those who allege that the whole of [French] Polynesians are sharing this aspiration for independence.” Image: Radio 1/RNZ Pacific

    Territorial Assembly member Tepuaraurii Teriitahi, from the pro-autonomy Tapura Huiraatira party, is also travelling to Dili.

    “The majority of (French) Polynesians is not pro-independence. So when we travel to this kind of seminar, it is because we want to counter those who allege that the whole of (French) Polynesians is sharing this aspiration for independence,” she said.

    ‘Constitution of a Federated Republic of Ma’ohi Nui’
    On the pro-independence side in Pape’ete, the official line is that it wants Paris to at least engage in talks with French Polynesia to “open the subject of decolonisation”.

    For the same purpose, the Tavini Party, in April 2025, officially presented a draft for what could become a “Constitution of a Federated Republic of Ma’ohi Nui”.

    The document is sometimes described as drawing inspirations from France and the United States, but is not yet regarded as fully matured.

    Earlier this month, French Polynesia’s President Moetai Brotherson was in Paris for a series of meetings with several members of the French cabinet, including Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls and French Foreign Affairs Minister Yannick Neuder.

    Valls is currently contemplating visiting French Polynesia early in July.

    Brotherson came to power in May 2023. Since being elected to the top post, he has stressed that independence — although it remained a longterm goal — was not an immediate priority.

    He also said many times that he wished relations with France to evolve, especially on the decolonisation.

    “I think we should put those 10 years of misunderstanding, of denial of dialogue behind us,” he said.

    In October 2023, for the first time since French Polynesia was re-inscribed on the UN list, France made representations at the UN Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee), ending a 10-year empty chair hiatus .

    But the message delivered by the French Ambassador to the UN, Nicolas De Rivière, was unambiguous.

    He said French Polynesia “has no place” on the UN list of non-autonomous territories because “French Polynesia’s history is not the history of New Caledonia”.

    He also voiced France’s wish to have French Polynesia withdrawn from the UN list.

    The UN list of non-self-governing territories currently includes 17 territories worldwide and six of those are located in the Pacific — American Samoa, Guam, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Pitcairn Islands and Tokelau.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The main stage of the OGE has begun in Moscow

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The main period of the Main State Examination (OGE) has begun in the capital. It will last from May 21 to July 2.

    “This year, about 120 thousand Muscovites will take the OGE during the main period. 622 exam centers have been organized for them in the capital,” the press service reported.

    Department of Education and Science of the City of Moscow.

    On May 21 and 22, schoolchildren will take exams in foreign languages: English, French, German and Spanish. About 24 thousand people have registered for these subjects. The results of the first exams will be known no later than May 26. You can find them out in your personal account on mos.ru or at school.

    On May 26, ninth-graders will take the OGE in social science, biology, chemistry and computer science, on May 29 – in geography, history, physics and chemistry. On June 3, there will be an exam in mathematics, and on June 6 – in social science, computer science and geography. The OGE in Russian is scheduled for June 9. On June 16, there will be exams in literature, physics, biology and computer science. From June 26 to July 2 – reserve days.

    This year, the federal law on expanding the availability of secondary vocational education is being implemented in the capital. As part of the innovations, ninth-graders entering colleges can only take two mandatory exams – in Russian and mathematics. Those moving to the 10th grade are still required to pass four OGEs: two mandatory and two optional. Participants with disabilities can only take mandatory subjects.

    The most popular elective subjects were social science (more than 34 thousand people), computer science (more than 33 thousand people) and English (more than 23 thousand people).

    Students can use the materials to prepare for exams. “Moscow Electronic School”, where almost 18 thousand lesson scenarios, over 12 thousand video lessons and more than 33 thousand tests are published.

    The additional period of the OGE will be held from September 2 to 23. The current schedule and detailed information are posted on the website Regional Information Processing Center (RCOI) of the city of Moscow. Questions regarding the final certification can be asked by calling the RCOI: 7 499 653-94-50.

    Conducting preparatory activities for the successful passing of the final essay and state exams by schoolchildren not only helps students achieve high results in tests, but also contributes to the development of children’s talents and the formation of skills that will be useful to them in their future profession, and corresponds to the objectives of the project “All the best for children” of the national project “Youth and Children”.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channel the city of Moscow.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/154104073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: SCIO briefs media on Yangtze River Economic Belt development in Chongqing

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

    SCIO briefs media on Yangtze River Economic Belt development in Chongqing

    China SCIO | May 21, 2025

    The State Council Information Office (SCIO) recently organized a media trip to southwestern China’s Chongqing municipality, bringing together over 40 journalists — including foreign correspondents from the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Iraq, Qatar, and Japan — to observe the progress of high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

    A press briefing was held Monday during the trip, where Hu Henghua, deputy secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and mayor of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government, briefed the media and answered questions.

    On May 19, 2025, the State Council Information Office holds a press briefing in Chongqing about the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. [Photo by Liu Jian/China SCIO]

    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   >  

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Jeito Capital Leads a USD 65 million Financing in ReproNovo to Develop Transformational Treatments in Reproductive Medicine and Women’s Health

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Jeito Capital Leads a USD 65 million Financing in ReproNovo to Develop Transformational Treatments in Reproductive Medicine and Women’s Health

    • Proceeds from the financing will advance ReproNovo’s lead candidates RPN-001 (leflutrozole) and RPN-002 (nolasiban), through Phase 2 clinical trials in male infertility and in the treatment of adenomyosis and embryo implantation, respectively
    • In the context of increasing infertility across the world, this investment reflects Jeito’s interest in highly promising clinical-stage biopharma companies developing breakthrough innovations with strong value-creation potential for patients and society

    Paris, France, May 21, 2025 – Jeito Capital (“Jeito”), a global leading independent Private Equity fund dedicated to biopharma, announced today it is leading a USD 65 million (EUR 57 million1) Series A financing round in ReproNovo, a company dedicated to developing innovative treatments for reproductive medicine and women’s health.

    AXA IM Alts and M Ventures co-led the financing round alongside a syndicate of healthcare funds: Ysios Capital and ALSA Ventures.

    Ksenija Pavletic, Jeito Partner and Chief Commercial Officer with 25 years of experience in reproductive medicine and women’s health, will join ReproNovo’s Board of Directors.

    Founded in 2021, ReproNovo is developing novel approaches to address critical gaps in reproductive medicine and women’s health, including male and female infertility as well as uterine health. The company, led by a team of experts in this space – Jean Marie Duvall, Chief Executive Officer, Joan-Carles Arce, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Medical Officer, and BingMei Hao, Chief Financial Officer – brings a proven track record in successful clinical development and commercial launches.

    Since its inception, ReproNovo has rapidly built a pipeline comprising two Phase 2 clinical-stage assets across three disease areas, and the company plans to use the proceeds from this financing to advance this pipeline across multiple programs:

    • With its lead candidate, RPN-001 (leflutrozole), the company will focus on the development of an oral therapy for male infertility due to low testosterone levels. Low testosterone is becoming more prevalent, including in younger men, highlighting the urgent need for an efficacious treatment option.​ This trend coincides with a broader decline in male reproductive health, now recognized as a major public health problem2.
    • RPN-002 (nolasiban), also orally administered therapy, is a first-in-class compound to manage adenomyosis, an overgrowth of endometrial tissue into the uterus that can result in severe menstrual bleeding and pain. Similar to endometriosis, this is a common gynecological condition, with recent imaging studies identifying features of adenomyosis in nearly one in four women undergoing gynecological evaluation3.

    RPN-002 will also be explored for improving success rates in assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

    The global decline in fertility rates, coupled with the rising incidence of male infertility (sperm counts have fallen by 50% to 60% over the last four decades4) and the significant health risks women endure during fertility treatments underscore the urgent and underserved need for innovative reproductive solutions that address both genders and these global challenges comprehensively.

    Through this investment, Jeito reaffirms its commitment to highly promising companies with transformational science that has the potential to deliver strong value for patients and society. By tackling male infertility and women’s health at a global scale, ReproNovo is addressing not only a significant patients’ concern but also a major societal issue.

    Dr. Rafaèle Tordjman, MD, PhD, Founder and CEO of Jeito Capital, said:
    “ReproNovo combines strong innovative potential, a seasoned team, and a clear ambition to address one of the most pressing global challenges of our time: declining birth rates. At Jeito, we are committed to advancing breakthrough innovations with significant value for both patients and society. This investment reflects that commitment. We are proud to support the acceleration of ReproNovo’s clinical development and help unlock its potential to become a future market leader.”

    Ksenija Pavletic, Partner and Chief Commercial Officer at Jeito Capital, added:
    “As approximately one in six people worldwide will face infertility issues, we are proud to support ReproNovo, whose commitment to advancing novel therapies in reproductive health aligns well with our focus on accelerating cutting-edge technologies and the commercialization of treatments with transformative benefits for patients. We are highly impressed by the ReproNovo team, whose members have a strong track record in this field, having brought a number of compounds successfully through clinical development and onto the market. Their deep understanding of the field will enable them to effectively address critical unmet needs that have a strong impact on society.”

    Jean Marie Duvall, Co-founder and CEO of ReproNovo, concluded:
    “We are focused on innovative therapeutic solutions for male and female infertility and pioneering management options for conditions like adenomyosis. Our aim is to address critical gaps in the landscape of infertility and women’s health worldwide. We are thrilled to announce the successful closing of our $65 million Series A funding round with this strong, sector specialized group of investors, marking a significant milestone in our journey to becoming a leading reproductive medicine and women’s health company.”

    About Jeito Capital
    Jeito Capital is a global leading Private Equity fund with a patient benefit driven approach that finances and accelerates the development and growth of ground-breaking medical innovation. Jeito empowers and supports managers through its expert, integrated, multi-talented team and through the investment of significant capital to ensure the growth of companies, building market leaders in their respective therapeutic areas with accelerated patients’ access globally, especially in Europe and the United States. Jeito has built a diversified portfolio of clinical biopharmas with cutting-edge innovations addressing high unmet needs. Jeito Capital is based in Paris with a presence in Europe and the United States.
    For more information, please visit www.jeito.life or follow us on LinkedIn.

    About ReproNovo

    ReproNovo is a cutting-edge biopharmaceutical company identifying and developing innovative solutions to address critical gaps in reproductive medicine and women’s health. Our team is composed of proven experts with deep experience in reproductive medicine, drug development, regulatory affairs and business development who have throughout their careers successfully brought multiple therapies to market. Lead clinical compound, RPN-001 (leflutrozole), is initially being developed to treat male infertility. RPN-002 (nolasiban) is a first-in-disease and first-in-class molecular entity to manage adenomyosis and increase the probability of embryo implantation in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments. Both assets are Phase 2 ready. ReproNovo is financed by Jeito Capital, AXA IM Alts, founding investor M Ventures, Ysios Capital and ALSA Ventures. Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, the company has its primary development team in Copenhagen, Denmark, and an additional development site in Barcelona, Spain. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.repronovo.com.

    Contacts:

    Jeito Capital                                        
    Rafaèle Tordjman, Founder & CEO
    Jessica Fadel, EA
    Tel: +33 6 33 44 25 47

    Maior                                                ICR Healthcare
    Stéphanie Elbaz                                Mary-Jane Elliott / Davide Salvi / Kris Lam
    Tel: +33 6 46 05 08 07                        Jeito@icrhealthcare.com
    Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700

                                                    Sean Leous
                                                    sean.leous@icrhealthcare.com  
    Tel: +1 (646) 866 4012

    1EUR/USD exchange rate: 1 EUR = 1.1343 USD date May 5, 2025 (source: Banque de France)
    2Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of samples collected globally in the 20th and 21st centuries. Human Reproduction Update. 2022; https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmac035
    3Alson S, et al. Prevalence of adenomyosis features in women scheduled for assisted reproductive treatment, using the Morphological Uterus Sonographic Assessment (MUSA) group definitions. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2024;103:1142–1152.
    4 Fortune “The global ‘spermpocalypse’ proves infertility is no longer just a women’s problem, says male fertility CEO” (May 2024)

    The MIL Network –

  • EU, Britain go ahead with new Russia sanctions without waiting for Trump

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The EU and Britain announced new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday without waiting for Washington to join them, a day after President Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin brought about neither a ceasefire in Ukraine nor fresh U.S. sanctions.

    London and Brussels said their new measures would zero in on Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and financial firms that have helped it avoid the impact of other sanctions imposed over the war.

    “Sanctions matter, and I am grateful to everyone who makes them more tangible for the perpetrators of the war,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

    He said it “would be good” if the United States added its help, adding: “It is important that America remain involved in the process of bringing peace closer.”

    The sanctions were unveiled without an immediate announcement of corresponding steps from Washington, despite intense public lobbying from European leaders for the Trump administration to join them if Russia rejected a ceasefire.

    “We have repeatedly made it clear that we expect one thing from Russia – an immediate ceasefire without preconditions,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on the sidelines of a meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels.

    As Russia had not accepted a ceasefire, “we will have to react,” he said. “We also expect our U.S. allies not to tolerate this.”

    Trump told reporters on Tuesday he was deliberating over what actions to take, but gave no further details.

    “We’re looking at a lot of things, but we’ll see,” he said.

    In a two-hour conversation with Putin on Monday, the U.S. president dropped his earlier insistence on an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and signalled that the war he once promised to end in 24 hours was no longer his to fix – a message that leaves Ukraine vulnerable and its allies worried.

    Asked on Monday why he had not imposed fresh sanctions to push Moscow into a peace deal, Trump said that could make the situation worse and affect the chance of a deal, while adding: “But there could be a time where that’s going to happen.”

    Trump said after talking to Putin he had told Zelenskiy and European leaders that Russia and Ukraine would immediately start negotiations on conditions for a ceasefire, a process Russia said would take time.

    Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks in more than three years on Friday at Trump’s behest, but failed to agree a truce after Moscow presented conditions that a member of the Ukrainian delegation called “non-starters”.

    POPE WILLING TO HOST TALKS

    Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that Pope Leo had confirmed to her his willingness to host in the Vatican the next round of negotiations to try to end the war.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a congressional hearing on Tuesday that Putin had not received any real concessions in the U.S. effort to initiate talks and existing U.S. sanctions on Russia remained in place.

    “The president … believes that right now, you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking, and there’s value in us being able to talk and drive them to get to the table. We’ll see,” Rubio said.

    Ukraine says it is ready for an immediate ceasefire. The Europeans say Russia’s insistence on talks first is proof that Putin, who started the war by invading his neighbour in 2022, is not prepared to end it.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said a further package of sanctions was being prepared.

    “It’s time to intensify the pressure on Russia to bring about the ceasefire,” she wrote on X.

    RUSSIA SAYS IT WILL NOT BOW TO ULTIMATUMS

    Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia would never bow to what she called ultimatums.

    Putin said on Monday that Moscow was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about a future peace accord. “Now, accordingly, the ball is in Kyiv’s court,” Zakharova said.

    Brussels and London signalled they have not given up hope of persuading Washington.

    “Let us push Vladimir Putin to put an end to his imperialist fantasy,” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

    Britain’s Foreign Minister David Lammy said “delaying peace efforts will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine to defend itself and use our sanctions to restrict Putin’s war machine”.

    The latest sanctions are aimed mainly at cracking down on a shipping fleet Russia uses to export oil, circumventing a $60 a barrel price cap imposed by the G7 group of industrialised countries to limit Russia’s income.

    Britain and the EU said they would also work to lower the cap, which imposes far less of a discount on Russian oil now that global prices have fallen this year.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-Evening Report: A sculpture made from 80 tonnes of sand, Mirrorscape is remarkable – but too much is left unsaid

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Clarke, Senior Lecturer in English, University of Tasmania

    Mirrorscape (detail), 2025, Théo Mercier.

    Photo credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

    The first impulse is to kick it. After all, it’s a sand sculpture. And as everyone who has grown up near a beach appreciates, if it’s made of sand, then it’s asking to be kicked. But for the wall-high protective glass, Mirrorscape, by the French artist Théo Mercier, may not have survived my visit to MONA.

    On a low, curved stage sits a scene of mundane wreckage. Two utility vehicles serve as centrepieces. One is upturned, its front chassis exposed. It rests on the carcass of a two-seater lounge. A mattress is draped over the upper side of the wreck, a broken log, a signifier of the non-human world in this otherwise secular scene of anthropocentric waste, rests against the lower side.

    The other vehicle is upright but seriously damaged. Another mattress rests against it. A bundle of electrical conduit spills out of the tray. A worker’s boot limps over the bedding like a deflated balloon.

    It’s as though a couple of ute loads of tradies have smashed into a Derwent Park bungalow.
    Photo credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

    Strewn around the battered wrecks are pieces of domestic infrastructure and appliances: bricks, cracked concrete slab, a washing machine, broken joists and beams, snarled corrugated iron sheets.

    It’s as though a couple of ute loads of tradies have smashed into a Derwent Park bungalow and scampered off.

    This scene is framed by a curved wall of brushed metal panelling, lit above by fluorescent light panels, and sealed behind a wall of glass. This glass is both a protector of the delicate eroding sculpture, and another contrasting visual metaphor employing the work’s foundational element, sand.

    Commitment to realism

    Mercier is a sculptor and a stage director, and the controlled composition of this scene of chaos attests to his multiple talents.

    The team of sculptors – Kevin Crawford, Enguerrand David, Sue McGrew and Leonardo Ugolini – have crafted a remarkable piece.

    The commitment to realism is impressive, from the quilting in the mattresses, to the indentations on the utes’ bodywork, to the creases in the sofa cushions, and the sly joke of a finely crafted sandshoe as if discarded by one of the artists as they stepped from the sculptural into the spectatorial space.

    Looking closer, the human objects – utes, mattresses, sofas – merge into or out of sandstone rock faces, like those found along Derwent River, including the peninsula upon which MONA stands.

    The commitment to realism is impressive.
    Photo credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

    What are we to make of the deliberate collapsing of the “natural” and “human-made” in this piece?

    Mercier styles Mirrorscape as a “diorama of catastrophe”. He describes it as:

    a sculpted dystopian landscape […] using 80 tonnes of compacted sand […] inspired by different dark forces, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, bulldozers – the powers of destruction.

    The conflation of “natural” and “man-made” here, and in the composition of the work, grates. While Mirrorscape may reflect a “man-made” landscape of disaster, precisely whose landscape is it, and who ultimately is responsible for it?

    A work about class

    Mirrorscape is superficially a work about class. Its blunt appropriation of the signifiers of working-class labour and domesticity contradicts the claim that the scene is an archetypal landscape, or humanity’s refuse.

    Mirrorscape might be appreciated as a witty piece reflecting on the kind of “treasures” of our age that future archaeologists might excavate in a local tip. But I found it provided little connection to the contemporary subjects of our present-day disasters.

    Mirrorscape is haunted, so to speak, by the figures who drove the wrecked utes, slept on the wasted mattresses. But their identities and complex lives, very much of our own time, are rendered invisible.

    As a meditation on catastrophe and the “powers of destruction,” Mirrorscape offers a conservative reckoning: that the contemporary human tragedies of inequality, alienated labour, class division and the waste these produce are the “natural” order of things.

    Mirrorscape is haunted by the figures who drove the wrecked utes, slept on the wasted mattresses.
    Photo credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

    This is evident in the way the human objects merge into and out of the rock faces, each designed to erode to the common element: sand.

    In interviews, Mercier stresses the work’s debt to locality, and his engagement with the working-class suburbs neighbouring MONA:

    It was really important to me that everything was really strongly locally grounded, so that you can actually see your own mattress, your own car, your own catastrophe […] it’s a landscape that mirrors you.

    But really, how local is this scene, and what value is there in the reflections it provokes? There is little in this sculpture that relates it directly to the place where it is displayed.

    The images Mercier has chosen, while unconventional, are nevertheless generic. This dulls the potential for the kind of reflection on catastrophe that might impel a change in the minds of its viewers.

    Will MONA’s well-heeled attendees recognise their implication in the human catastrophe this work seeks to capture? Will visitors from the suburbs that neighbour MONA appreciate the reflection that Mirrorscape offers?

    If art is to play any role in motivating us to confront the catastrophes that are now upon us, it needs to go beyond the kind of slowly eroding stasis that is Mirrorscape’s defining quality.

    Mirrorscape is at MONA, Hobart, until February 16 2026.

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

    – ref. A sculpture made from 80 tonnes of sand, Mirrorscape is remarkable – but too much is left unsaid – https://theconversation.com/a-sculpture-made-from-80-tonnes-of-sand-mirrorscape-is-remarkable-but-too-much-is-left-unsaid-256813

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: CoinShares Expands XBT Provider Platform with Seven New Physical Crypto ETPs

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    May 21, 2025 | SAINT HELIER, Jersey | CoinShares International Limited (“CoinShares” or “the Group”) (Nasdaq Stockholm: CS; US OTCQX: CNSRF), a leading global investment company specializing in digital assets with over $6 billion in AUM, announces the expansion of its Swedish XBT Provider Platform with the launch of seven new physically-backed crypto Exchange Traded Products (ETPs).

    CoinShares is leveraging its well-established and respected Swedish platform, CoinShares XBT Provider AB, to offer investors access to new digital assets with best-in-class structuration, cost-effective management fees, and staking rewards for proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies. Each product employs physical replication, meaning the underlying cryptocurrencies purchased and directly held in a regulated custodian.

    The seven new products, all denominated and traded in SEK and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, include:

    Name Management Fees Staking Reward
    CoinShares XBT Litecoin 1.50% p.a. Not a proof of stake crypto
    CoinShares XBT Chainlink 1.50% p.a. Not a proof of stake crypto
    CoinShares XBT Polkadot Reduced to 0.00% p.a. 5.0% p.a.
    CoinShares XBT Solana Reduced to 0.00% p.a. 3.0% p.a.
    CoinShares XBT Cardano Reduced to 0.00% p.a. 2.0% p.a.
    CoinShares XBT XRP 1.50% p.a. Not a proof of stake crypto
    CoinShares XBT Uniswap 1.50% p.a. Not a proof of stake crypto

    Jean-Marie Mognetti, CEO of CoinShares, commented on the launch: “We are glad to reinvigorate the CoinShares XBT Provider platform, which made history as the world’s first open-ended crypto ETP when created in 2015 and subsequently acquired by CoinShares in 2016. With this product extension, we’re enabling Swedish investors to access an expanded range of tokens through a pioneering and time-tested crypto ETP platform. The XBT Provider platform has consistently demonstrated its reliability and has become the trusted choice for Swedish investors seeking exposure to digital assets.

    This expansion represents our commitment to developing the Swedish market, providing institutional-grade investment vehicles that can help bridge the adoption gap that currently exists compared to other European markets. By offering these innovative products on a trusted platform, we aim to accelerate digital asset integration within Sweden’s sophisticated financial ecosystem.”

    “We are happy to see CoinShares expand their offering on our markets. The demand for ETPs is continuing to grow and this is an important step for the Swedish market in meeting that demand. With a broader range of locally listed ETPs, we give investors the opportunity to take advantage of cost-effective, transparent investment opportunities.” says Adam Kostyál, President, Nasdaq Stockholm

    About CoinShares 

    CoinShares is a leading global digital asset manager that delivers a broad range of financial services across investment management, trading and securities to a wide array of clients that includes corporations, financial institutions and individuals. Founded in 2013, the firm is headquartered in Jersey, with offices in France, Stockholm, the UK, and the US. CoinShares is regulated in Jersey by the Jersey Financial Services Commission, in France by the Autorité des marchés financiers, in the US by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. CoinShares is publicly listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker CS and the OTCQX under the ticker CNSRF.

    For more information on CoinShares, please visit: https://coinshares.com 
    Company  | +44 (0)1534 513 100 | enquiries@coinshares.com 
    Investor Relations | +44 (0)1534 513 100 | enquiries@coinshares.com 

    PRESS CONTACT

    CoinShares
    Benoît Pellevoizin
    bpellevoizin@coinshares.com

    M Group Strategic Communications
    Peter Padovano
    coinshares@mgroupsc.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Between Paris and Moscow: Double Portrait in the Interior of the Era

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Exhibition of artists Alexandra Koltsova-Bychkova and Sergey Koltsov “Between Paris and Moscow”— is a cinematic walk. Its geometry is built like a city: wide squares are given over to monumental canvases, and narrow alleys lead to chamber works, sculptures, personal items and photographs. The laconic color scheme: his — deep green and hers — delicate lilac — emphasizes the dialogue of two creative universes. The exhibition is open at the Museum of Moscow until August 24.

    Double Portrait of (Not) Forgotten Artists

    “This exhibition was created following the previous project, ‘Muscovite. Women of the Soviet Capital in the 1920s and 1930s,’ which took place exactly a year ago,” says curator Ksenia Guseva. “One of the heroines was Alexandra Koltsova-Bychkova. Visitors asked questions: ‘Who is she? Why did no one know about her? How did she end up in Paris?’”

    This is how the idea of a personal exhibition was born, which turned into a double portrait – of Alexandra and her husband, sculptor Sergei Koltsov.

    These two artists did not shout about themselves, did not join groups, were not the “main” artists of the era, but perhaps they reflected it most accurately – not in manifestos, but in details and halftones.

    Two retrospectives in one space

    The exhibition has a geography and a clear storyline. The cities act as co-authors. “The story of a married couple is connected with two cities,” explains Anna Trapkova, General Director of the Museum of Moscow. The exhibition begins with revolutionary Moscow, and at its culmination takes the viewer to seething Paris. “This is a combination of a person’s biography, the life of the city and a creative path,” adds Anna Trapkova.

    The exhibition unfolds like a literary script for a good film, divided into four chapters.

    “Obretenie” – Moscow, 1910s, Stroganov School. He is a budding sculptor, in love with the Renaissance, she is a little older – a master of embroidery, unlike her avant-garde peers in red scarves and overalls, feminine and graceful.

    “Paris” is a business trip in the late 1920s, where they discovered the freedom of European modernism and understood that an artist can create for himself and about himself.

    “Outside the Current” – return to the USSR. Koltsov’s recognition – successes in monumental creativity. Koltsova-Bychkova’s rejection of art for the masses.

    “Solitude” – Koltsov leaves life. Creativity became a way to transform loneliness into solitude and contemplation.

    Each of the four sections has its half and its half. And, like in a good movie, there is a plot, a climax, a denouement. There is a general line – the artists’ biographies, their main works. There are details – documents, even Alexandra’s student card from Stroganovka, personal photos: chamber, intimate cards – she in a cambric shirt on a balcony on vacation in Crimea… A beautiful woman who loved to be photographed. She loved to paint her self-portraits and loved it when her husband painted her. She was a muse for him and for herself.

    The exhibition’s graphic design also works to tell the story of two artists who reflected each other in their work. “The inverted titles live in an interesting way – this is a hint at mirrors. You can notice in the writing of the chapters that the capital letters are of an atypical design,” notes graphic designer Rustam Gabbasov, who said that he was inspired by the variety of fonts on Koltsova-Bychkova’s Parisian business card.

    Sergei Koltsov: from Stroganov’s student to sculptor

    The son of a skilled cabinetmaker, Koltsov entered the Stroganov School at the age of 15. During his student years, he created plaster bas-reliefs in the spirit of the Renaissance, a bronze St. George the Victorious, a wooden pagan Bacchus, and showed that he was not afraid of experiments and masterfully worked with different materials.

    The curator points to the only surviving sculpture from the 1920s — a sketch for a monument to Mikhail Frunze. If you remove the Budyonovka, we will see a work that refers to the masters of the Renaissance. “He masterfully juggled various historical styles. Each of his monuments, created in the context of socialism, has a similar source of inspiration,” Ksenia Guseva emphasizes.

    Alexandra Bychkova: Muse, Embroiderer, Artist

    Bychkova came to Stroganov as an experienced craftswoman: she was much better at embroidery than her fellow students. Her diploma work, a panel with three melancholic muses in a flower garden, is a reference to either the Pre-Raphaelites or Borisov-Musatov. In the 1920s, she worked as a costume designer at the theater and headed the embroidery workshop. Among the key exhibits were the elegant hats that Bychkova decorated. Her signature style and color scheme were discernible in them. The hats were brought in worn out, and Alexandra gave them a second life and turned them into art objects rather than wardrobe details. After Stroganov, she entered VKHUTEMAS, but chose the painting department, which determined the direction of her work.

    Unity and independence

    In 1924 they got married, and the exhibition features a touching exhibit – a surviving marriage certificate. She took a double surname – Koltsova-Bychkova, emphasizing their unity and her independence.

    “It’s surprising, but these are completely different artists, sometimes diametrically opposed,” notes Anna Trapkova, director of the Museum of Moscow. “But they are obviously in dialogue.”

    Their dialogue was especially dynamic in their portraits of each other. Koltsova-Bychkova often depicted her husband, drawing parallels, as modernists loved. For example, she paints him with a bandage after an operation, making a reference to Vincent van Gogh’s “Self-Portrait with a Cut-Off Ear and a Pipe.” Among Koltsov’s surviving paintings is a portrait of Alexandra: she stands with a brush and palette, immersed in her work.

    Of interest is Koltsova-Bychkova’s still life with a sculpture of her husband, “Portrait of a Wife,” which the Moscow Museum acquired at auction on the eve of the exhibition.

    “Koltsova-Bychkova depicts herself through the eyes of her husband in a sculptural embodiment. This piece is significant in terms of how their creative destinies intersected and what their love story was,” notes Anna Trapkova.

    Moscow – Paris – Moscow

    In the 1920s and early 1930s, long trips abroad for Soviet artists were not uncommon. Koltsov spent two years in Paris on the orders of the People’s Commissariat of Education, his wife stayed for four. He painted pictures of Parisian life – he shared the views of the French socialists. The largest work of that period is presented at the exhibition – “Parade of the Disabled in Paris”: together with the artist, we observe the annual meeting of veterans of the First World War – the atmosphere and color of the work are tense.

    Koltsova-Bychkova is in demand in Paris. She creates embroideries, prints for fabrics, textile panels. The panels are also at the exhibition – bright, contrasting and at the same time very harmonious.

    After Paris…

    When the couple returned from France, Moscow greeted them with a different city. The NEP was replaced by industrialization, the city was being built dynamically. Artists created frescoes, monumental sculptures, ceramic panels – art was supposed to become part of the architecture. Koltsov was looking for a balance between monumentality and chamber, personal art. And his wife completely immersed herself in painting, as she understood it, without looking back at trends.

    “In Paris, they realized that an artist might not owe anything,” notes curator Ksenia Guseva. “After her return, Alexandra withdrew from professional life, but immersed herself in painting.”

    A monumental artist without a monumental legacy

    Koltsov became a sought-after monumentalist: he supervised the creation and installation of sculptures on the roof of the Lenin Library, and participated in the post-war restoration of Moscow. Ironically, almost none of the monumental heritage was preserved or was not implemented. In the 21st century, during restoration, his sculptures were removed from the facade of the Bolshoi Theater – their subsequent fate is unknown. But the chamber works presented at the exhibition surprise with their diversity: the figure of an old fisherman, a female torso made of wood, a bronze sculpture “Motherhood”, paintings, sketches – the master was interested in different aspects of life, styles, materials.

    They loved living outside the city. For him, the dacha became an escape from endless orders, for her, a place of artistic discoveries. She paints a self-portrait in a dacha hat with a reference to Van Gogh, and draws colorful and complex still lifes with flowers that she grew herself.

    (Not) The Finale. Solitude…

    After her husband died of heart disease in 1951, Koltsova-Bychkova continued to paint the same subjects, but the colors became deeper: instead of fresh light green and pink, they were burgundy, violet, and dark crimson. She began the main late cycle with her husband, and finished it alone — views from the balcony of their apartment.

    “This tragic part is reflected in the exhibition: Koltsova-Bychkova remains alone, continues to live in the famous Pertsov House, sees how the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is being demolished, watches how the House on the Embankment grows. In a series of works, we see changes from the same point in different time periods, in different seasons,” says Anna Trapkova.

    This is a reference to Monet, to his views of the Rouen Cathedral. She devoted 30 years to this series of landscapes.

    Return…

    After her husband’s death, the artist devoted herself to preserving his legacy. She donated her works to museums, and in 1974, she organized her first solo exhibition, bringing back interest in the work of Sergei Koltsov. She painted until the end of her days and, according to her relatives, was a “tough nut to crack.” The archive was preserved by her niece Marina Medvedeva, and then by her children. The Koltsova-Bychkova family helped the creators of the exhibition and attended the opening. “These people were devoted to art their entire lives, and only amazingly talented people — my family — could write and create so much,” says Elena Krugova, Koltsova-Bychkova’s niece.

    Absolutely unlimited artists

    For most, Soviet art is Alexander Deineka, Vera Mukhina, Yuri Pimenov — the mastodons of that era. But there is another layer. “I am interested in looking at the Soviet history of art in a non-standard way. Our task is to discover forgotten names, to look at what was happening with art not from one point of view, but from different ones. These are absolutely unlimited artists,” sums up the exhibition curator Ksenia Guseva.

    The exhibition is an example of a multi-layered approach to revealing the artists’ work. The selection of works, the geometry of the space, and even the unusual fonts tell a long story of great love for art, two cities, and each other.

    Buy tickets for the exhibition “Between Paris and Moscow” you can on mos.ru.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channelthe city of Moscow.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/154121073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s pizza market to exceed 100B yuan within 5 years: report

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

    Visitors taste pizza at the booth of Italy at 2025 Chengdu Europe Culture Season & European Culture Street in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, April 12, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China’s pizza market is projected to surpass 100 billion yuan (about 13.9 billion U.S. dollars) over the next five years, driven by rapid growth in lower-tier cities and rising demand for delivery and ready-to-eat products, according to an industry report.

    The market is forecasted to grow from 48 billion yuan in 2024 to 60.8 billion yuan in 2025, said the report released at the ongoing SIAL Shanghai, an international food exhibition. China had more than 60,000 pizza outlets nationwide by the end of March.

    Between 2016 and 2022, pizza chains in China’s third-tier cities and below grew at a compound annual growth rate of 10 percent, outpacing 7.6 percent growth in first-tier cities. An estimated 15,000 new stores are expected to open in lower-tier markets between 2025 and 2027.

    China’s online pizza market share surpassed in-store sales for the first time in 2022, reaching 58.1 percent. The proportion is expected to continue rising in the coming years, according to the report.

    Pizza entered the Chinese mainland in 1990 with the launch of the first foreign-invested restaurant. Initially considered a premium Western offering confined to top-tier cities, the food item has gained traction over the past decades.

    Analysts attribute the market expansion to increased food delivery adoption, rising consumer spending in smaller cities, and growing demand for personalized, healthier pizza options tailored to local tastes.

    The report noted that despite this momentum, China’s pizza store density remains low compared with other countries. As of 2022, China had 11.7 pizza outlets per million people, compared with 232.4 in the United States and roughly one-third the density of Japan and the Republic of Korea, suggesting ample room for further expansion.

    According to industry experts, the evolution of China’s pizza market reflects both the openness of its consumer market and long-term growth potential.

    SIAL Shanghai, an international food and beverage trade show co-hosted by multiple organizations including France’s Comexposium Group and the China General Chamber of Commerce, spans 200,000 square meters and features more than 5,000 exhibitors from 75 countries and regions.

    The event runs from May 19 to 21 in the eastern Chinese metropolis. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: “A devastating record”: New Greenpeace analysis reveals almost half a million blue sharks caught as ‘bycatch’ in Central and Western Pacific in 2023

    Source: Greenpeace

    TASMAN SEA – A new analysis of the latest fisheries data by Greenpeace Australia Pacific has revealed widespread slaughter of sharks in the Pacific Ocean by industrial longline fishers. The analysis estimates that almost half a million blue sharks were caught as bycatch in the region in 2023, the highest number in recorded history since 1991.
    Greenpeace estimates that around 438,500 near-threatened blue sharks, almost 50 million kilograms, were caught as bycatch in the region in 2023 from Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WFCPFC) data. The figure is double the 2015 numbers.
    The analysis of shark bycatch data also revealed that the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea areas between New Zealand and Australia had some of the highest rates of birds caught on fishing lines – 13% of bycatch from longliners were seabirds like albatross.
    Greenpeace Aotearoa oceans campaigner Juan Parada says, “This rampant destruction of critical ocean life in the high seas between New Zealand and Australia highlights the urgent need for international cooperation to protect the oceans.”
    “The Tasman Sea faces multiple threats from industrial fishing. We’ve recently seen firsthand the destruction caused by bottom trawlers in a similar area of the high seas, where we witnessed graveyards of destroyed coral. Now we see that almost half a million blue sharks were unnecessarily killed in the West and Central Pacific in 2023. That’s so many sharks that if stacked nose to tail, they would reach the International Space Station and back.
    “The international waters between New Zealand and Australia are globally renowned precisely because of the range and variety of ocean life that lives there, from deep sea corals growing on seamounts to sharks, seabirds and migrating whales. 
    “It’s such a significant place that Greenpeace and allies are calling for it to be one of the world’s first global ocean sanctuaries and it must be protected from longlining and bottom trawling so ocean life can thrive,” says Parada.
    The incident happened on Lord Howe Rise, a region renowned for diverse marine life including corals, sponges, whales and seabirds.
    Parada says, “While some countries are working constructively towards protecting the high seas, New Zealand is actively blocking meaningful ocean protection. Shockingly New Zealand is the only country still bottom trawling these waters.
    “To protect the Tasman Sea, New Zealand must stop bottom trawling and get on with helping to create global ocean sanctuaries so all the life that lives there can thrive.” Scientists agree that to help stave off the worst of the climate crisis at least 30% of the world’s oceans must be protected from industrial harm by 2030.
    Creating global ocean sanctuaries in international waters like the Tasman Sea, those areas outside of any one country’s jurisdiction, will play a crucial role in achieving this goal. In 2023 the world won the Global Ocean Treaty, which provides the legal framework for these sanctuaries, but first it must be passed into law.
    Parada says, “Now is the time for cooperation in ocean protection. Every day that passes without the Global Oceans Treaty in force, marine species are being pushed closer to the brink of extinction by the industrial fishing fleet in the high seas.”
    Greenpeace Australia Pacific spokesperson Georgia Whitaker says of the shark bycatch data, “The data is deeply disturbing – it’s a devastating record and a testament to the destructive nature of the industrial fishing industry. Sharks and other animals dying by the hundreds of thousands a year in this one patch of ocean, brutally killed by a legal and indiscriminate fishing practice like longlining. This is an appalling legacy our global leaders are leaving while the blue lungs of our planet are already facing chronic decline. Industrial fishing is sucking our ocean dry, fuelling the biodiversity crisis, and pushing prehistoric animals like sharks to the brink of extinction. Healthy shark populations are central to a healthy ocean – this is a loss we can’t afford.”
    Ahead of the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France, in June, Greenpeace is calling on governments to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty. Both New Zealand and Australia have signed the treaty but have yet to bring it into force.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: “A devastating record”: New Greenpeace analysis reveals almost half a million blue sharks caught as ‘bycatch’ in Central and Western Pacific in 2023

    Source: Greenpeace

    TASMAN SEA – A new analysis of the latest fisheries data by Greenpeace Australia Pacific has revealed widespread slaughter of sharks in the Pacific Ocean by industrial longline fishers. The analysis estimates that almost half a million blue sharks were caught as bycatch in the region in 2023, the highest number in recorded history since 1991.
    Greenpeace estimates that around 438,500 near-threatened blue sharks, almost 50 million kilograms, were caught as bycatch in the region in 2023 from Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WFCPFC) data. The figure is double the 2015 numbers.
    The analysis of shark bycatch data also revealed that the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea areas between New Zealand and Australia had some of the highest rates of birds caught on fishing lines – 13% of bycatch from longliners were seabirds like albatross.
    Greenpeace Aotearoa oceans campaigner Juan Parada says, “This rampant destruction of critical ocean life in the high seas between New Zealand and Australia highlights the urgent need for international cooperation to protect the oceans.”
    “The Tasman Sea faces multiple threats from industrial fishing. We’ve recently seen firsthand the destruction caused by bottom trawlers in a similar area of the high seas, where we witnessed graveyards of destroyed coral. Now we see that almost half a million blue sharks were unnecessarily killed in the West and Central Pacific in 2023. That’s so many sharks that if stacked nose to tail, they would reach the International Space Station and back.
    “The international waters between New Zealand and Australia are globally renowned precisely because of the range and variety of ocean life that lives there, from deep sea corals growing on seamounts to sharks, seabirds and migrating whales. 
    “It’s such a significant place that Greenpeace and allies are calling for it to be one of the world’s first global ocean sanctuaries and it must be protected from longlining and bottom trawling so ocean life can thrive,” says Parada.
    In October last year a New Zealand bottom trawler, t he Tasman Viking, pulled up several types of deep-sea coral while trawling in international waters of the Tasman Sea.
    The incident happened on Lord Howe Rise, a region renowned for diverse marine life including corals, sponges, whales and seabirds.
    Parada says, “While some countries are working constructively towards protecting the high seas, New Zealand is actively blocking meaningful ocean protection. Shockingly New Zealand is the only country still bottom trawling these waters.
    “To protect the Tasman Sea, New Zealand must stop bottom trawling and get on with helping to create global ocean sanctuaries so all the life that lives there can thrive.” Scientists agree that to help stave off the worst of the climate crisis at least 30% of the world’s oceans must be protected from industrial harm by 2030.
    Creating global ocean sanctuaries in international waters like the Tasman Sea, those areas outside of any one country’s jurisdiction, will play a crucial role in achieving this goal. In 2023 the world won the Global Ocean Treaty, which provides the legal framework for these sanctuaries, but first it must be passed into law.
    Parada says, “Now is the time for cooperation in ocean protection. Every day that passes without the Global Oceans Treaty in force, marine species are being pushed closer to the brink of extinction by the industrial fishing fleet in the high seas.”
    Greenpeace Australia Pacific spokesperson Georgia Whitaker says of the shark bycatch data, “The data is deeply disturbing – it’s a devastating record and a testament to the destructive nature of the industrial fishing industry. Sharks and other animals dying by the hundreds of thousands a year in this one patch of ocean, brutally killed by a legal and indiscriminate fishing practice like longlining. This is an appalling legacy our global leaders are leaving while the blue lungs of our planet are already facing chronic decline. Industrial fishing is sucking our ocean dry, fuelling the biodiversity crisis, and pushing prehistoric animals like sharks to the brink of extinction. Healthy shark populations are central to a healthy ocean – this is a loss we can’t afford.”
    Ahead of the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France, in June, Greenpeace is calling on governments to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty. Both New Zealand and Australia have signed the treaty but have yet to bring it into force.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • Airstrikes kill dozens in Gaza, international criticism of Israel grows

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Israeli forces killed at least 55 Palestinians in airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday, local medics said, continuing to bombard the enclave despite mounting international pressure to halt military operations and allow unimpeded deliveries of aid.

    Britain announced it was suspending trade talks with Israel and summoning its ambassador over “egregious policies” in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, while European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas asked for a review of the EU-Israel trade deal, according to Dutch news agency ANP.

    The war, now in its 20th month, has left Gaza in ruins and its population facing a worsening hunger crisis. It has strained Israel’s relations with much of the world and those with its closest ally, the United States, now appear to be wavering.

    The United Nations said no humanitarian aid had been distributed yet in Gaza, although Israel eased its 11-week-old blockade on Monday.

    “Israeli authorities are requiring us to offload supplies on the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing and reload them separately once they secure our team’s access from inside Gaza,” said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

    He said four trucks of baby food were dropped off on the Palestinian side of the border on Monday, and that a few dozen trucks of flour, medicine, nutrition supplies and other basic items entered Gaza on Tuesday.

    Israel’s military said 93 UN aid trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday via Kerem Shalom “after a thorough security inspection”.

    Indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas militants in Qatar appeared to falter again, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he had decided to bring back the senior negotiating team from Doha for consultations.

    Hamas accused Netanyahu of entering the talks in bad faith, pretending to participate in a bid to mislead global public opinion. “No real negotiations have taken place since last Saturday,” the Palestinian Islamist group said in a statement.

    Israel’s military chief said during a Gaza field tour that the army would expand its operations against Hamas, capture additional territory and “clear and destroy the terrorist infrastructure until (Hamas) is defeated”.

    18 DEAD IN AIRSTRIKE ON TWO HOMES, MEDICS SAY

    Israel conducted further airstrikes on Tuesday across the densely populated enclave and medics said the sites hit included two homes where children were among the 18 dead, and a school housing displaced families.

    Israel’s military, which on Monday warned those in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis to evacuate to the coast as it prepared for an “unprecedented attack”, had no comment. Israel says Hamas uses civilian buildings for cover; Hamas denies this.

    In Gaza City, Reuters footage showed men, women and children sifting through the rubble of the Daraj neighbourhood school where they had been sheltering, and where charred pieces of clothing and a red teddy bear lay among scattered belongings.

    At nearby Al-Ahli Hospital, men said prayers over bodies wrapped in white shrouds, before carrying them to their graves.

    “What is our fault? What is the fault of children? What is the fault of the women we found on the stairs with their hair and clothes torn and burned?” said Omar Ahel, who had been sheltering at the school. “By God, this is injustice.”

    Israeli strikes have killed more than 500 people in the past nine days as the military campaign has intensified, Gaza medics say.

    SANCTIONS

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament he, along with the leaders of France and Canada, was “horrified” by Israel’s military escalation, repeating calls for a ceasefire.

    The three nations had warned on Monday of “concrete actions” against Israel if it did not stop military operations in Gaza and lift restrictions on aid.

    In addition to suspending trade talks, Britain announced sanctions against a number of individuals and groups in the Israeli-occupied West Bank over alleged violence against Palestinian residents.

    EU sanctions on violent Israeli settlers have been prepared but have so far been blocked by one member state, the EU’s Kallas said, without naming the country.

    “External pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted on X.

    Israel’s ground and air offensive has displaced nearly all Gaza’s 2.3 million residents and killed more than 53,000, according to Gaza health authorities.

    The campaign began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities near Gaza’s border in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

    The hunger crisis in Gaza deepened after Israel imposed a blockade on supplies from March 2. The U.N. says at least 500 trucks of aid and commercial goods need to enter Gaza every day to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

    Louise Wateridge of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said on Tuesday there was little food left.

    “Everything’s empty. The warehouses, the distribution centres, they’ve been empty for weeks,” she said, speaking from a warehouse in Jordan that she said had food for 200,000 people that could be driven to Gaza in just a few hours.

    Israel’s leadership has insisted that it can free remaining hostages and dismantle Hamas through stepped-up military action. Hamas has said it would free the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and the release of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ ‘running out of patience’ – Peters lashes Israel over Gaza aid blockade

    RNZ News

    New Zealand has joined 23 other countries calling out Israel and demanding a full supply of foreign aid be allowed into the territory.

    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters told RNZ Morning Report today it was “intolerable” that Israel had blocked any aid reaching residents for many weeks.

    The UN is warning that 14,000 babies are estimated to be suffering severe acute malnutrition in Gaza and ideally they need to get supplies within 48 hours.

    The UK, France and Canada have expressed their frustration, with the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy telling Parliament the war in Gaza had entered a “dark new phase” and the UK was cancelling trade talks with Israel.

    Although the situation had come about because of acts of terrorism by Hamas, for residents in Gaza it had become “intolerable”, Peters told Morning Report.

    “We’ve had enough of this and we want the matter resolved and now.”

    A full resumption of aid should have happened a long time ago and it was essential that the United Nations be involved in delivering it.

    ‘Had enough of it’
    “… we’ve just simply had enough of it, utterly so [from Israel].”

    The statement by the countries reaffirmed what had been said for a long time that Israel must make aid available.

    New Zealand also opposed Israel’s latest expansion of military operations in Gaza, Peters said.

    The Palestinian Authority and countries such as Egypt and Indonesia understood New Zealand’s position.

    “We just want to sort this out and the long-term thing [Palestinians’ future alongside Israel] has got to be resolved as well.

    “Israel needs to get the message very clear — we are running out of patience and hearing excuses.”

    Asked if the Israeli ambassador should be called in so the message could be conveyed more clearly, he said it would be a symbolic gesture that would not help starving babies.

    Israel already knew what this country’s stance was, he said.

    It was an appalling situation that had started with “unforgivable terrorism” but Israel had gone “far too far” in its response, Peters said.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s lesser-known destinations draw more inbound tourists

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

    .

    Basking in the sunshine, John Jammet and his wife sat in the courtyard of a traditional house in the historic Pingyao County of north China’s Shanxi Province, with coffee in hand. Their trip seemingly offered them a glimpse into the lives of Chinese back in the day.

    “Last night we traveled in the main streets and the lanterns were very beautiful,” said the man from France. “What attracted me most were a lot of young girls and boys wearing traditional clothes. It showed that they love their culture and history.”

    Fascinated by the video game “Black Myth: Wukong,” Jammet became interested in the culture behind it, and thus decided to come to China and have a look. The couple carefully planned their trip, with it including China’s capital Beijing, Pingyao, the ancient capital Xi’an in northwest China and the picturesque Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China, reflecting their quest to see “both modern cities and traditional culture.”

    “In the Western world, I think there is misunderstanding about China, because our countries are different,” he explained. “It is important to see with our own eyes what’s the truth about China. For me, China is safe and clean, people are kind and helpful.”

    At the mention of China, images that immediately jump into the minds of many foreign tourists are normally the Great Wall, giant pandas and the many skyscrapers in the bustling metropolis of Shanghai in east China.

    Thanks partly to China’s eased visa policies, an increasing number of foreign tourists are now also turning their attention to lesser-known destinations to delve deeper into Chinese history and culture, just like Jammet and his wife.

    Foreign tourists learn to make traditional wheaten food at a homestay in Pingyao, north China’s Shanxi Province, May 15, 2025. (Photo by Qiao Yan/Xinhua)

    OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

    As of the beginning of May, China has granted unilateral visa-free entry to people from 38 countries, and has extended its visa-free transit period to 240 hours for travelers from 54 countries.

    In 2024, China recorded 64.88 million border crossings by foreign nationals, an 82.9-percent increase year on year. In the first quarter of 2025, this number stood at 17.44 million, up 33.4 percent compared to the same period in 2024.

    During the five-day May Day holiday, the most recent vacation in China for family outings and tourism, statistics regarding air ticket bookings on Chinese travel services platform Qunar showed that in addition to the megacities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the lower-tier cities of Chengdu, Xiamen, Nanjing, Chongqing and south China’s Haikou were also among the top-ranking destinations for non-Chinese tourists. In addition, hotel bookings made by foreign passport holders in Zhuhai, east China’s Qingdao and central China’s Wuhan grew by 70, 60 and 50 percent respectively.

    Hotels, restaurants and even hairdressers in residential areas not very close to traditional attractions in Beijing are beginning to greet foreign tourists, while small cities and counties are also seeing more inbound visitors.

    Zachary Iziah Smith, an American travel blogger, poses for a photo at Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, northwest China’s Gansu Province, April 11, 2025. (Xinhua)

    Kang Mobei is general manager of a shop affiliated to the Gansu Provincial Museum, which sells creative cultural products inspired by items in the museum, like a green fluffy toy based on the iconic copper galloping horse.

    Notably, Gansu Province in northwest China is home to many historical sites, including the Mogao Grottoes UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the May Day holiday, she found more foreign tourists in her shop, many of whom came from countries like Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan.

    “Some of them had already been to the museum, and a few even showed me pictures they found on social media platforms like ‘rednote’ when asking for products,” said Kang, who observed that some customers had fluffy toys from other creative cultural product shops dangling from their bags.

    With overseas customers in mind, the store installed POS machines for international bank cards and carried out language training for their staff.

    A foreign visitor (L) learns how to make matcha beverage at a tea industrial park in Jiangkou County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, April 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

    EASIER, FASTER, BETTER KNOWN

    To meet this increasing demand from foreign customers for niche tourist destinations, Chen Wanni and Chen Min last year founded China Explorer Tour (CET), a tour operating company specializing in authentic food, adventure and cultural-immersion themed retreats and experiences across China.

    “It was more successful than we had expected,” said Chen Wanni, admitting that she was prepared for a loss in the first year, but surprisingly they managed to break even. The referral rate of the tourist routes reached 60 percent, with many customers recommending to their friends to come back, while quite a few have come more than once.

    “Tourism is not only an industry, but also a window for overseas travelers to learn about China,” she said.

    Chen Min informed Xinhua that more and more overseas tourists are expressing interest in China’s lesser-known destinations, in addition to the traditional attractions, representing the maturity of the nation’s tourism industry in recent years.

    Tom Peacock-Nazil from Britain last September booked a 10-day tour with CET, and visited not only Beijing and Xi’an but also southwest China’s Guizhou Province, where he saw both the stunning beauty of nature and various ethnic cultures.

    “I realized I had massively underestimated China,” he said. “I think I’ve fallen in love with China. That’s mainly because we’ve been off the beaten track. I’m dying to come back and I’ve been learning about other provinces. I’ve got plans already.”

    Tom Peacock-Nazil (2nd R) and other tourists pose for a photo in Leishan County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, in September 2024. (China Explorer Tour/Handout via Xinhua)

    Sun Weili, a regional manager with the Chinese travel platform Trip.com Group, noted that the surge in foreign tourists for in-depth tours in China is a result of combined efforts. “Along with eased visa policies, they can also feel the convenience in terms of payment and traffic, as well as more diversified tours,” he said.

    For instance, a 16-day luxury train tour from Chengdu to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has attracted overseas visitors, which promises to take them to an in-depth journey to the northwestern region. So far tickets for all the 10 trips between May and October have been sold out, with 70 percent of the customers inbound tourists.

    Meanwhile, thanks to movies, video games and social media, Chinese culture is better promoted across the world, luring more curious overseas visitors to have a closer look. “We are more open and confident,” Sun said.

    Zhang Jun, who is with a travel agency in Datong in Shanxi, has worked as a tour guide for 18 years. He has noted the huge development of inter-city transportation which has made self-guided tours possible. “For instance, we used to sit in overnight trains and transfer to reach Pingyao from Beijing. But now the journey takes less than four hours.”

    John Jammet this time traveled in China for 15 days, which he found not enough to explore the country. “China is big,” he said. “I might need to spend a month here.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Britain suspends trade negotiations with Israel over Gaza aid blockade

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

    British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced on Tuesday that Britain has suspended trade negotiations with Israel over its Gaza blockade. Lammy also said the Israeli ambassador had been summoned.

    Lammy said in a statement in the House of Commons, lower house of the British parliament, that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is “morally wrong, unjustifiable, and it needs to stop.”

    Lammy said he thinks all lawmakers “should be able to utterly condemn the Israeli government’s denial of food to hungry children.”

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza on Tuesday, describing the ongoing civilian suffering as “utterly intolerable,” and called for an immediate ceasefire.

    Addressing the parliament, Starmer said, “The level of suffering, innocent children being bombed again, is utterly intolerable,” and went on to say Britain and their French and Canadian allies are “horrified by the escalation from Israel.” He said an “immediate ceasefire” remains “the only way to free the hostages.”

    He also reaffirmed Britain’s opposition to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and called for a dramatic scale-up in humanitarian aid to Gaza.

    “The recent announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is totally and utterly inadequate,” Starmer said. “We must coordinate our response, because this war has gone on for far too long. We cannot allow the people of Gaza to starve.”

    Britain, France and Canada said on Monday in a joint statement that “if Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid,” they will take further concrete actions.

    Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2, following the expiration of the first phase of a January ceasefire agreement with Hamas. It resumed attacks on Gaza on March 18, which have so far killed more than 3,300 people and injured over 9,350, according to the Gaza-based health authorities.

    On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would allow the entry of a “minimal and basic” quantity of aid into Gaza to prevent “images of mass starvation.” Later, five UN aid trucks entered Gaza through Israel’s Kerem Shalom border crossing on Monday after undergoing security inspections. 

    MIL OSI China News –