NewzIntel.com

Category: Latin America

  • MIL-OSI China: MOFA strongly refutes Chinese Foreign Ministry’s baseless claims regarding Taiwan-Guatemala diplomatic relations

    Source: Republic of Taiwan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs

    MOFA strongly refutes Chinese Foreign Ministry’s baseless claims regarding Taiwan-Guatemala diplomatic relations

    • Date：2025-06-07
    • Data Source：Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs

    June 7, 2025  

    No. 199  

    In response to a media inquiry on June 6 regarding the visit to Taiwan by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and his wife, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied with tired rhetoric, urging Guatemala to “see the ultimate trend” and “make the right choice at an early date,” as well as making false claims regarding the so-called “one China principle.” MOFA strongly condemns these statements, which seek to sabotage diplomatic relations between Taiwan and its allies. 

     

    MOFA solemnly reiterates that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent country and strives to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait; that China, on the other hand, frequently engages in malevolent behavior that undermines regional peace and stability; and that the cross-strait status quo is an objective fact recognized by the international community. In carrying out its sovereign rights, Taiwan maintains with its allies diplomatic relations that are founded on the principles of mutual respect, reciprocity, and mutual benefit. Other countries have no right whatsoever to interfere in them. 

     

    The Republic of China (Taiwan) and Guatemala established diplomatic relations in 1933, long before the People’s Republic of China was founded. Forged more than nine decades ago on a solid foundation of mutual trust, these relations cannot be swayed by any spurious claims. President Arévalo’s visit to Taiwan demonstrates Guatemala’s concrete support for this alliance and underlines expectations that bilateral cooperation will grow even more comprehensive and diverse. Looking ahead, the governments of Taiwan and Guatemala will continue to support each other and work hand in hand on the path of democracy, freedom, and justice. (E) 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Resilient, sustainable food systems are Canada’s best defence against American tariffs

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Érick Duchesne, Professeur, Département de science politique, Université Laval

    Earlier this year, Donald Trump’s administration in the United States reimposed tariffs on Canadian items, including agricultural products, citing supposed national security concerns. Agricultural products have little to do with defence, and the move sent shockwaves through Canada’s farming community.

    We are members of the Common Ground Network, a national initiative of about 100 scholars promoting collaboration for sustainable agriculture and food systems in Canada.

    The Common Ground Network is closely monitoring the impact of tariffs and trade tensions on Canadian communities and the transition to a net-zero economy across all regions of Canada.

    The consequences for Canadian and American agriculture run deep — and could prove long-lasting. According to RealAgristudies’s survey of 660 Canadian farmers, 59 per cent expected a negative impact on their business, rising to 88 per cent in the livestock sector.

    Structural risk ahead if tariffs remain

    Trump’s tariffs have sharply reduced Canada’s agricultural exports to the U.S., with beef, pork and canola hit hardest. U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows an eight to five per cent drop in beef and pork exports in early 2025 compared to 2024.

    Fed cattle prices plummeted 22.6 per cent, with estimated revenue losses of C$4.02 billion. Canola exports are also expected to decline significantly.

    If current tariffs persist, Canada is at risk not just of short-term disruption but long-term structural damage to its agri-food sector. Rising input costs, shrinking revenues and market volatility are squeezing farmers and weakening overall competitiveness. Some Canadian producers are already struggling with oversupply due to market disruption.

    The tariffs could also threaten the economic sovereignty and food access of Indigenous farmers who rely on cross-border trade, and remote communities that depend on imported goods for food supply. If prolonged, these trade shocks could cut Canada’s GDP by three per cent, spark a recession and fuel lasting price volatility.

    American farmers also feeling the pain

    Ironically, Trump’s protectionism is also hurting American farmers. Canada, which supplies 20 per cent of agri-food imports to the U.S., has imposed retaliatory tariffs on goods like cheese and apples, prompting Canadian buyers to shift to other suppliers. That could result in long-term market share loss for U.S. producers.

    Integrated supply chains are strained, with American processors now facing higher costs for Canadian products like canola oil, beef and pork. Combined with domestic issues like water restrictions and labour shortages, U.S. agriculture is under mounting pressure on various fronts.

    Canada and the U.S. have built one of the world’s most integrated agri-food systems. In 2023, bilateral trade in the sector reached US$72.6 billion.

    This interdependence matters: a hamburger might include Canadian beef raised in the U.S., processed in Ontario and served on a Canadian wheat bun. But tariffs and mistrust now threaten this co-operation. Once lost, these market positions may be hard to recover, even after tariffs are lifted, as rebuilding supply chains and cross-border trust will be slow.

    Trade tensions are affecting food security and grocery baskets in multiple ways. Higher costs are passed on to consumers, creating lasting price increases — especially for goods with few substitutes, like coffee.

    The Consumer Price Index shows that prices of food purchased from stores increased 3.9 per cent between January 2025 and April 2025, fuelled by tariffs. Infant formula increased by six per cent, coffee by about 10 per cent and some beef cuts by about 13 per cent.



    Read more:
    Trump tariffs have sparked a ‘Buy Canadian’ surge, but keeping the trend alive faces hurdles

    Shortages from rising costs and reduced U.S. demand limit choices and drive prices up — especially hurting low-income households. These tariffs fuel food inflation and reduce access to essentials.

    Tariffs are also shifting behaviour: Food Processing Skills Canada found that 67 per cent of Canadians are buying more local products, 76 per cent are avoiding U.S. goods and 43 per cent have changed their grocery habits significantly. These trends were echoed in Angus Reid’s February 2025 study.

    The net-zero transition

    The tariffs will probably disrupt Canada’s ability to meet its net-zero emissions targets by 2050. Food processors and farmers in Canada relying on U.S. machinery and clean-tech components now face higher costs, slowing the adoption of low-emission technologies and sustainable agricultural practices.

    The tariffs are likely to undermine efforts to build a resilient, adaptive food system in Canada capable of withstanding climate-related disruptions. Dealing with the tariffs along with the need to reconfigure supply chains will likely increase Canada’s carbon footprint, whether that’s due to the increased transport emissions of distant markets or delayed or cancelled investments in carbon-reducing technologies.

    These trade disruptions also risk diverting political attention away from long-term sustainability goals. The current political focus may prioritize short-term economic stabilization, potentially stalling the momentum needed for a transformative food system change in Canada.



    Read more:
    Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council: A collaborative approach to strengthening food systems

    Canada needs to respond boldly

    Canada can diversify exports through its 15 trade deals, including the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Canada’s 15 trade agreements provide access to 51 countries, representing 66 per cent of global GDP, which is the total value of all goods and services produced in the world during a specific time period.

    Furthermore, Canada can pursue new trade agreements and partnerships in emerging markets and invest more to further help the agri-food sector expand globally.

    Canada can challenge unfair trade practices through the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement’s state-to-state dispute panels and the binational panel review mechanism to challenge U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.

    Canada can also leverage trade alliances like the Ottawa Group — a 14-member coalition that works on addressing multilateral trade challenges — to voice its concerns on the global stage.

    Investing in agricultural innovation can also boost productivity, reduce emissions, enhance global competitiveness and build resilience against tariff shocks.

    Improvements to transportation networks, storage and processing facilities, and broadband connectivity are also critical for reducing supply chain bottlenecks and enabling rural producers to access broader markets.

    Trump has repeatedly threatened Canada’s supply management system, which controls the dairy, egg and poultry industries. Supply management has been a reliable system for Canadian farmers and consumers. Easing interprovincial trade and supporting local food systems to reduce the unnecessary exports of dairy products and cold-climate fruits, beef and seafood could result in greater national self-reliance.

    Dairy cows at a Québec farm.
    THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

    Strategy over retaliation

    In response to American tariffs, there has been a shift in consumer sentiment. This presents an opportunity to encourage consumers to support local producers, reduce dependence on imports and build national economic resilience.

    Canada must rethink its trade and agricultural frameworks for the decades ahead.

    The future of Canada’s farming sector — and by extension its food security, rural communities and economic sovereignty — will depend on its ability to turn today’s crisis into tomorrow’s opportunity.

    Érick Duchesne is a member of the Common Ground Network, which is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Gregory Cameron is a member of the Common Ground Network, which is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Gumataw Abebe is a member of the Common Ground Network, which is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Monika Korzun is a member of the Common Ground Network. She receives research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) as well as Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Monika Korzun is a board member of the Atlantic Food Action Coalition (AFAC).

    – ref. Resilient, sustainable food systems are Canada’s best defence against American tariffs – https://theconversation.com/resilient-sustainable-food-systems-are-canadas-best-defence-against-american-tariffs-257946

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 10th, 2025 Ranking Member Martin Heinrich Statement on Trump Administration’s Attack on America’s National Monuments, Undermining the Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement in response to an opinion issued by the Trump Administration’s Department of Justice asserting that Presidents can modify or revoke national monument designations made using the Antiquities Act of 1906. This position contradicts long-held views of the Justice Department dating back to 1938. 

    “At Donald Trump’s order, his Justice Department is attempting to clear a path to erase national monuments.   

    “Here’s what they don’t understand: Our national monuments are about who we are. They tell the story of our ancestors, support jobs and our rural economies, and connect Americans to our history and the land itself. No president can erase that. 

    “I will oppose any attempt by President Trump or Congressional Republicans to rip away our national monuments, using this outrageous path or otherwise. We’re ready to fight back — and we won’t back down.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Foreign Minister Lin hosts welcome dinner to mark state visit by Guatemala President Arévalo

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Foreign Minister Lin hosts welcome dinner to mark state visit by Guatemala President Arévalo

    Date：2025-06-06
    Data Source：Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs

    June 6, 2025  
    No. 198  

    Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung hosted a dinner on June 5 to mark a state visit by President Bernardo Arévalo of the Republic of Guatemala and First Lady Lucrecia Peinado. Minister Lin conveyed a sincere welcome on behalf of the government of Taiwan and said that Taiwan hoped to build upon the existing solid foundation of cooperation with Guatemala to jointly forge an even more strategically significant partnership.
     
    In his remarks, Minister Lin said that Taiwan and Guatemala enjoyed a deep friendship and had maintained diplomatic ties for more than 90 years, adding that cooperation between the two sides had yielded fruitful results across various domains. He noted that during this state visit, President Arévalo had signed a letter of intent on semiconductor cooperation with President Lai Ching-te and that the two presidents had also witnessed the signing of an MOU on a political consultation mechanism between their respective foreign ministers and the signing of a letter of intent on bilateral investment in supply chains between their respective economic ministers. He stated that these actions not only demonstrated the two countries’ staunch and cordial relations but would also further deepen bilateral cooperation. Minister Lin emphasized that Taiwan’s government would continue to work hand in hand with the Guatemalan government under President Arévalo’s leadership to advance Guatemala’s national development; deepen trade, economic, and investment ties and semiconductor cooperation; and jointly advance comprehensive bilateral collaboration across all sectors. Minister Lin also mentioned how cordially he was received by President Arévalo and First Lady Peinado when he visited Guatemala last October. He said that he had brought home and continued to cherish a menu, signed by President Arévalo, from the banquet held at the president’s residence.
     
    In his remarks, President Arévalo thanked Minister Lin for his warm reception and expressed delight at being able to meet in Taipei again after October 2024, when his wife had visited Taiwan for National Day celebrations and Minister Lin and his wife had visited Guatemala. He said that their interactions had always been convivial and sincere. President Arévalo also pointed out that the attendees of the dinner were experts and leaders in different fields, highlighting how Taiwan-Guatemala cooperation had become more comprehensive and diverse. He said that the documents signed on the morning of June 5 would serve as guideposts for the direction of future cooperation between the two nations and voiced his firm conviction that the Taiwan-Guatemala partnership would continue to grow even closer.
     
    Among other attendees at the dinner were International Cooperation and Development Fund Secretary General Huang Yu-lin; National Taiwan University Professor Chang Pei-zen; Vice Superintendent of National Taiwan University Hospital Lou Pei-jen; President of Chunghwa Telecom Lin Rong-shy; and CIECA Chairman Joseph Jye-cherng Lyu. Interactions at the event were lively and cordial. (E)

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: MOFA strongly refutes Chinese Foreign Ministry’s baseless claims regarding Taiwan-Guatemala diplomatic relations

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    MOFA strongly refutes Chinese Foreign Ministry’s baseless claims regarding Taiwan-Guatemala diplomatic relations

    Date：2025-06-07
    Data Source：Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs

    June 7, 2025  
    No. 199  

    In response to a media inquiry on June 6 regarding the visit to Taiwan by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and his wife, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied with tired rhetoric, urging Guatemala to “see the ultimate trend” and “make the right choice at an early date,” as well as making false claims regarding the so-called “one China principle.” MOFA strongly condemns these statements, which seek to sabotage diplomatic relations between Taiwan and its allies. 
     
    MOFA solemnly reiterates that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent country and strives to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait; that China, on the other hand, frequently engages in malevolent behavior that undermines regional peace and stability; and that the cross-strait status quo is an objective fact recognized by the international community. In carrying out its sovereign rights, Taiwan maintains with its allies diplomatic relations that are founded on the principles of mutual respect, reciprocity, and mutual benefit. Other countries have no right whatsoever to interfere in them. 
     
    The Republic of China (Taiwan) and Guatemala established diplomatic relations in 1933, long before the People’s Republic of China was founded. Forged more than nine decades ago on a solid foundation of mutual trust, these relations cannot be swayed by any spurious claims. President Arévalo’s visit to Taiwan demonstrates Guatemala’s concrete support for this alliance and underlines expectations that bilateral cooperation will grow even more comprehensive and diverse. Looking ahead, the governments of Taiwan and Guatemala will continue to support each other and work hand in hand on the path of democracy, freedom, and justice. (E) 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Peters’ Bill to Shore up Funding to Address Toxic Wastewater in the Tijuana River Valley Passes in the House

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

    Washington, D.C. – Yesterday evening, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Representative Scott Peters’ (CA-50) legislation, H.R. 1948, to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to accept funding from other federal agencies as well as and non-federal sources for wastewater treatment, flood control projects, or other water conservation efforts. Currently, the IBWC relies almost solely upon annual appropriations from Congress or emergency funding to build and maintain its facilities. 

    Rep. Peters and the San Diego Congressional delegation have now secured a total of $650 million for IBWC, which is enough to fully repair and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plan (SBIWTP). SBIWTP is the primary facility on the U.S.-side of the border responsible for treating cross-border sewage. Operations and maintenance projects are currently underway on both sides of the border to combat cross-border sewage pollution, and the region will see incremental improvements as each phase is completed. An increase in funding available from non-federal sources such as cities, states, or non-profits would support these projects, bolster future operation and maintenance of the SBIWTP, and strengthen coordination between local, federal, and binational agencies.  

    “I’ve worked with our Congressional delegation and local advocates for years to bring attention to cross-border sewage pollution, and we now have enough money to fix the SBIWTP and double its capacity,” said Rep. Peters. “Our state and local partners have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of this environmental and public health crisis. Additional funding pathways for the IBWC provide the flexibility we need to better invest in the long-term health and well-being of our region. I urge my Senate colleagues to quickly pass this commonsense legislation.” 

    “Together, our Congressional delegation has successfully secured over half a billion dollars in federal funds to combat cross-border pollution. Our legislation will open up additional funding pathways and help us send more resources to the Tijuana River Valley,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-52). “I’m glad to see this critical bill pass the House and hope to see it swiftly passed in the Senate as well.” 

    “Our San Diego congressional delegation has proudly brought home more than $650 million in federal funds to address the sewage and pollution flowing through the Tijuana River Valley – but we know it’s not enough,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51). “This fix would give the IBWC the permanent flexibility it needs for strategic, long-term investments to improve our health, well-being, and safety on both sides of the border.” 

    This bipartisan legislation would allow other federal agencies or non-federal entities like the Department of Defense, the State of California, the City of San Diego and others to provide funding to IBWC. Specifically, it would: 

    • Allow federal and non-federal entities to provide up to $5 million in funding to IBWC to invest in flood control infrastructure. 
    • Include important legislative safeguards to prevent foreign entities of concern from contributing to the agency. 

    “The passage of H.R. 1948 is a victory for our binational region. It provides the International Boundary and Water Commission with the long-needed ability to accept funding from federal, state, and local government agencies, unlocking resources to advance critical infrastructure that will help mitigate the ongoing transboundary pollution crisis,” said San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Chris Cate. “For far too long, communities in our region have faced devastating public health, environmental, and economic impacts from untreated sewage and urban runoff. With the passage of this bill, we take a meaningful step forward in safeguarding public health, protecting our shared environment, and supporting the region’s economy and community prosperity. We commend our congressional leaders for their ongoing leadership to address these issues.” 

    Letters of support from the City of San Diego can be found here and from the City of Coronado here. 

    A one pager of the bill can be found here. 

    Further Background: 

    Representative Peters has, for years, worked to address the cross-border pollution fouling San Diego’s coastal waters, including pushing for additional funding to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP. The following are some recent actions: 

     

    2025 

    1. In March, Rep. Peters introduced legislation to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to accept funding from federal and non-federal entities for wastewater treatment, flood control projects, or other water conservation efforts. 

    2024 

    1. In January, Rep. Peters took to the House floor to demand that the President’s requested $310 million to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP be included in any upcoming spending deal. 
    1. In February, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation to ask U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro about the effects of cross-border pollution on Navy operations. 
    1. In March, Rep. Peters celebrated the inclusion of $156 million, at his request, for the International Boundary and Water Commission’s (IBWC) construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bill. The IBWC is the federal agency tasked with operating and maintaining the SBIWTP. 
    1. In May, Rep. Peters joined Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) in a bipartisan request for $278 million for the IBWC’s construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations bill. 
    1. In August, Rep. Peters hosted Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma on a tour of the broken wastewater treatment plant. 
    1. In September, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation to reiterate their call for a federal state of emergency declaration amid high levels of toxic gases. 
    1. In December, Rep. Peters and the Congressional delegation successfully fought to include an additional $250 million to fully repair and expand the capacity of the SBIWTP in the government funding bill. This brought the total amount of funds secured to $650 million. 

    2023 

    1. In June, Rep. Peters led a letter with other members of the San Diego Congressional delegation to the governor of Baja California urging accountability for the Mexican government’s commitments to build wastewater treatment infrastructure. 
    1. In July, members of the San Diego congressional delegation requested that the Environmental Protection Agency assist with directing environmental justice funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to help stop the flow of pollutants and urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to tour the broken plant. 
    1. Also in July, they sent a letter to President Biden and submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, calling on the administration to declare this crisis a federal emergency. 
    1. In August, he led two letters to the Office of Management and Budget and to OMB and the State Department, calling for urgent additional funding to confront this crisis.  
    1. In September, he proposed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost U.S.- Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program funding. Additionally, he proposed two amendments to the Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost annual construction funding to the USIBWC to $100 million. 
    1. In October, Rep. Peters led a bipartisan letter to the Department of State demanding a complete account of how the SBIWTP fell into such a severe state of disrepair. 
    1. In December, he led a letter urging leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to include President Biden’s $310 million supplemental budget request to repair the SBIWTP in any upcoming funding package. 

     

    In previous years, Peters and colleagues have secured funding, introduced legislation, called for investigations, and arranged a visit by EPA Administrator Regan in response to the wastewater contamination crisis.  

      

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Robust Operational Results from Lithium Facility Strengthen Summit Nanotech’s Commercial DLE Readiness

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DENVER, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Summit Nanotech Corporation (“Summit”) is proud to announce the one-year operating anniversary of its US direct lithium extraction (DLE) system, which integrates commercial-height columns and high-performance sorbent. The process includes a unique method of flow sequencing, which delivers high efficiency and reliability levels that are not possible in conventional ‘simulated moving bed’ (SMB) processes. Over the past year, the system has played a pivotal role in advancing Summit’s DLE technology, denaLi™, for commercial-scale deployment. It has enabled a direct translation of operating parameters to Summit’s field demonstration plant in Chile.

    The Colorado DLE facility recently processed brines from a major South American salar, yielding impressive metrics and setting new performance benchmarks for the industry:

    • Lithium recovery rate: >98%
    • TDS rejection rate: >95%
    • DLE-specific water makeup: 7 m³/t-LCE

    This operational milestone follows independent, third-party testing of Summit’s proprietary sorbent, showing significantly higher capacity and a higher concentration product compared to leading competitors.

    “All of these data support the commercial readiness of our lithium-selective sorbent and denaLi™ system,” said Amanda Hall, CEO and Founder of Summit. “We worked hard to get our DLE right, and that work has paid off, putting us in a leading position on all-in lithium cost.”

    Looking ahead, the facility is now preparing to process live brine from the Smackover formation in the southern United States, which will further validate the versatility and efficiency of Summit’s technology across diverse assets.

    Joe Arencibia, President & COO of Summit said, “Operating our Colorado facility at commercial-level complexity has allowed us to validate our DLE process on real-world brine. Our denaLi™ platform has delivered consistent results and it’s ready for scaled, global deployment.”

    In the past year, the facility has drawn significant attention from across the lithium ecosystem, hosting visits from investors, industrial partners, university researchers, government, and industry associations. The steady flow of high-profile visitors highlights growing industry confidence in Summit’s technology.

    DLE Done Right

    Summit Nanotech has developed and deployed one of the most reliable and efficient direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies on the market. Its modular system and high-performance sorbent, engineered in North America and designed for commercial complexity, produce high-purity lithium from brines in Chile, Argentina, and the United States, with industry-leading water efficiency.

    Summit is operating a field demonstration plant in northern Chile and a multi-column system in Colorado that enables rapid testing, process development, and sorbent optimization on customer feedstocks.

    Summit is actively developing sorbent and technology supply agreements for projects over 5 kT/y LCE and scaling production to meet global demand. Learn more about how the denaLi™ platform reduces project costs, increases recovery rates, and delivers the lowest levelized cost of lithium at www.summitnanotech.com.

    Media Contact:
    Kristen Gray
    Manager, Communications & Investor Relations
    kristen.gray@summitnanotech.com

    Commercial Sales:

    Rodrigo Mery
    Manager, Business Development
    rodrigo.mery@summitnanotech.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a1434ff6-8e90-46ac-b78e-82749369318d

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Chair Emeritus McCaul on “Fox News Sunday”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security Committees — joined Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday” to discuss the latest on the war in Ukraine, the threat posed by Iranian nuclear proliferation, and the Trump administration’s efforts to protect the homeland from violent illegal immigrants.

    Click to Watch

    Excerpts from the interview:

    On ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia:

    “I think we have to be clear-eyed as to who Mr. Putin is. He has not come to the negotiating table. He is not called for ceasefire like Zelensky. And if you look at the targets that were hit by Ukraine — these were the bombers that carried the cruise missiles …. As opposed to [Putin’s targets]: apartment complex buildings, schools, you know, maternity hospitals and churches. Killing civilians is a criminal act actually, according to the Geneva Convention. So, it’s a very different playing field.

    “How do we get them to the table though? I do think we need a negotiated settlement. We’re not going to have a storm to Berlin like in World War II [with an] unconditional surrender. So you have to put pressure [on Putin]. How do you do that? Secondary sanctions, and secondly, keep the flow of weapons going into Ukraine to pressure Mr. Putin to act in good faith. I have little confidence in him.”

    On Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb and the United States’ ability to respond to similar threats:

    “I think what we saw take place was a mastermind counter offensive. It was a seismic change in modern warfare technology — where you can take a very inexpensive little drone and take out a very expensive, big bomber that drops cruise missiles. I mean, it changes everything on its head, and I know the Pentagon’s looking at this from a standpoint of ‘how can we defend [against] this?’ We don’t have the countermeasures to block these UAVs, and we need to develop those because that will be the future of warfare.”

    On the threat of Iranian nuclear proliferation:

    “Trump says [any deal must have] zero enrichment. He is right about that because if [the Iranians] have enrichment, they get a bomb. So, you know, I think you have to give the diplomats a chance, right? And then when diplomacy breaks down, you have war. There’s no question in my mind, coming out of that meeting, what Mr. Netanyahu’s intentions are, and that is to strike Iran when the negotiations go bad. The question [for Israel] is going to be, what will be the United States’ role? … The retaliation from Iran will be severe, and we have a lot of troops there — US citizens there. They’ll hit Jordan, they’ll hit Saudi Arabia, and they’ll hit Israel. And we are the only country along with Israel that can stop all this from coming in.”

    On the Trump administration’s efforts to protect the Homeland from violent illegal immigrants:

    “The Supreme Court had its order. He was returned to the United States, but now it’s time for our justice. … For 20 years he had a smuggling operation, including smuggling MS-13 gang members, according to the indictment when he came back in. I would argue, to him, you’re probably better off than El Salvador than facing these kinds of charges, and this is precisely the [type of] case that Donald Trump ran on that got him a mandate from the American people.

    “They’re tired of seeing this, and what I’m amazed at — and I saw it at our hearing with Secretary Noem — is seeing the Democrats hold Mr. Garcia up as if he’s some golden boy poster child that they all rally behind when he’s in fact related to MS- 13, a trafficker, he beats his wife. I mean, it’s hardly a model for the Democratic party. I think they’re making a terrible mistake politically, and we saw that play out in the last election.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Politics based on grievance has a long and violent history in America

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

    A statue of Christopher Columbus, toppled by protesters, is loaded onto a truck on the grounds of the state capitol on June 10, 2020, in St Paul, Minn. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

    Recently, President Donald Trump declared that he is “bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes.” He hopes to make up for the removal of commemorative statues important to “the Italians that love him so much.”

    But Columbus Day had not been scrapped or reduced to ashes. Although President Joe Biden issued a proclamation for Indigenous Peoples Day in October 2024, on the same day he also declared a holiday in honor of Christopher Columbus.

    Nonetheless, Trump posted in April 2025, “Christopher is going to make a major comeback.” By using Columbus’ name, which means “Christ-bearer,” a president who covets the praise of faith leaders yoked the explorer to his campaign promise: “For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

    By reasserting the importance of Columbus, the president took a stand against the toppling and vandalism of statues of Columbus. In this case, his act of retribution for his supporters focused on the holiday, which he could declare more easily than returning icons of a fallen man to empty pedestals.

    Trump’s statement invoked the politics of grievance – a sense of resentment or injustice fueled by perceived discrimination – that have characterized his actions for years.

    The list of targets for his retribution, which have included Harvard University, elite law firms and former allies he believes have betrayed him, now exceeds 100, according to an NPR review.

    As a historian of early America, I am familiar with how grievance marked the colonial era. Throughout this period, grievance fueled rage and violence.

    European grievance in America

    Europeans who arrived in the Americas following Columbus’ 1492 journey claimed the territories in the Western Hemisphere through an obsolete legal theory known as the “doctrine of discovery.”

    Spanish, English, French, Dutch and Portuguese rulers, according to this notion, owned portions of the Americas, regardless of the claims of Indigenous peoples. This presumption of ownership justified, in their minds, the use of violence against those who resisted them.

    In 1598, for example, Spanish soldiers patrolling the pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico demanded food from local residents, whom the colonizers saw as their subordinates. The town’s inhabitants, believing the request excessive, fought instead, killing 11 Spaniards.

    In response, the governor of New Mexico, a territory almost entirely populated by Indigenous peoples, ordered the systematic amputations of the hands or feet of residents whom the soldiers thought had participated in the attack. They also enslaved hundreds in the town. Roughly 1,500 residents of Acoma died in the conflict, according to the National Park Service, a response seemingly driven more by grievance than strategy.

    English colonizers proved just as quick to deploy extraordinary violence if they believed Native Americans deprived them of what they thought was theirs.

    In March 1622, soldiers from the Powhatan Confederation – composed of Algonquian tribes from present-day Virginia – launched a surprise attack to protest encroachments on their lands, killing 347 colonists.

    The English labeled the event a “barbarous massacre,” using language that dehumanized the Powhatans and cast them as villainous raiders. An English pamphleteer named Edward Waterhouse castigated these Indigenous people as “wyld naked Natives,” “Pagan Infidels” and “perfidious and inhumane.”

    Opechancanough was paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy in present-day Virginia from 1618 until his death in 1646.
    mikroman6/Getty Images

    War began almost immediately. Colonial soldiers embraced a scorched-earth strategy, burning houses and crops when they could not locate their enemies. On May 22, 1623, one group sailed into Pamunkey territory to rescue captives.

    Under a ruse of peaceful negotiation, they distributed poison to some 200 Native residents. By doing so, the colonial soldiers, driven by grievance more than law, ignored their own rules of war, which forbade the use of poison in war.

    Grievance drove colonists against each other

    Even among colonists, grievance promoted violence.

    In 1692, residents of Salem, Massachusetts, believed their misfortunes were the work of the devil. Their anxieties and anger led them to accuse others of witchcraft.

    As historians who have studied the Salem witch trials have argued, many of the accusers in agricultural Salem Village – modern-day Danvers – harbored resentments against neighbors who had closer ties to nearby Salem Town, which was more commercial.

    The aggrieved found a spokesman in the Rev. Samuel Parris, whose own earlier failure in business had led him to look for a new path forward as a minister. Parris’ anger about his earlier disappointments fueled his indignation about what he saw as inadequate economic support from local authorities.

    In a sermon, he underscored his financial irritation by emphasizing Judas’ betrayal of Jesus for “a poor & mean price,” as if it was the amount that mattered. The resentful residents and their bitter minister fueled the largest witch hunt in American history, which left at least 20 of the accused dead.

    The painting ‘Trial of George Jacobs of Salem for Witchcraft’ in 1692 by T.H. Matteson.
    Tompkins Harrison Matteson/Library of Congress via AP

    The most obvious forerunner of today’s grievance-fueled politics was a rebellion in the spring and summer of 1676 by backcountry colonists in Virginia who battled their Jamestown-based colonial government. They were led by Nathaniel Bacon, a tobacco farmer who believed that provincial officials were not doing enough to protect outlying farms from attacks by Susquehannocks and other Indigenous residents.

    Bacon and his followers, consumed by their “declaration of grievances,” petitioned the local government for help. When they did not get the result they wanted, they marched against Jamestown. They set the capital alight and chased Gov. William Berkeley away.

    Bacon succumbed to dysentery in October, and the movement collapsed without its charismatic leader. Berkeley survived but lost his position.

    The rebellion has become etched into history as a violent attack against governing authorities that foreshadowed the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

    When President Trump invokes alleged insults to one community to satisfy the yearnings of his followers, he and his allies run the risk of once again stoking the passions of the aggrieved.

    Acts of grievance come in different forms, depending on historical and political circumstance. But the urge to reclaim what someone thinks should be theirs can lead to deadly violence, as earlier Americans repeatedly discovered.

    Peter C. Mancall has received support from the University of Southern California, the Huntington Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Oxford University to support his research on early America.

    – ref. Politics based on grievance has a long and violent history in America – https://theconversation.com/politics-based-on-grievance-has-a-long-and-violent-history-in-america-257202

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Storm Duo Churns Over the Pacific

    Source: NASA

    Several weeks into the 2025 eastern Pacific hurricane season, a pair of tropical cyclones churned off the western coast of Mexico. The storms—Barbara and Cosme—are visible in this image, acquired on the afternoon (20:15 Universal Time) of June 9, 2025, by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-20 satellite.
    Around the time of this image, Barbara was a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of about 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm had intensified into a hurricane earlier in the day as it became more organized and formed a partial eyewall. Its run was short-lived, however, as it moved west-northwest over cooler water surfaces. It weakened to a tropical storm by the evening.
    Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Cosme churned nearby with sustained winds of 110 kilometers (70 miles) per hour—close to but not quite hurricane strength—and remained near the hurricane threshold through the evening of June 9. Forecasters called for it to weaken over the next several days.
    Both storms were moving away from Mexico’s mainland. While Cosme stayed well offshore and posed no hazards to land, Barbara was expected to produce dangerous swells and rip currents and deliver gusty winds to coastal areas.
    Barbara was the first hurricane of the eastern Pacific hurricane season, which officially begins on May 15 and continues through November 30. However, tropical cyclones can occur outside this timeframe.
    NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Kathryn Hansen.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Human Rights Council to Hold its Fifty-Ninth Regular Session from 16 June to 9 July 2025

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its fifty-ninth regular session from 16 June to 9 July 2025 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. 

    The session will open at 10 a.m. on Monday, 16 June under the presidency of Ambassador Jürg Lauber of Switzerland.  The opening will be addressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who will present his annual report.  The Council will be meeting in room XX of the Palais des Nations.

    Over almost four weeks, the Council will consider more than 60 reports presented by the Secretariat of the United Nations and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, human rights experts and other investigative bodies on numerous topics and relevant to the situation of human rights in more than 40 countries.  In total, the Council will hold 32 interactive dialogues. 

    During the session, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner on his annual report under agenda item two; on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under agenda item four; and on Ukraine and Colombia under agenda item 10. 

    The Council will hold enhanced interactive dialogues under agenda item two with  the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and on the oral update of the Fact-Finding Mission on the human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Under agenda item four, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, with the participation of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

    On climate change, the Council will hold its annual panel on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights, followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on climate change. The Council will also hold its annual panel on technical cooperation and capacity-building. 

    Under agenda item three, the Council will hold its annual panel discussion on women’s rights, and a panel on safe drinking water and sanitation.  It will also hold interactive dialogues on summary executions, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, transnational corporations, education, health, leprosy (Hansen’s disease), sexual orientation and gender identity, migrants, internally displaced persons, prevention of genocide, trafficking, extreme poverty, discrimination against women and girls, violence against women and girls, judges and lawyers, and international solidarity.   

    The Council will also hear the presentation of the Secretary-General’s interim report on the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, under agenda item 10. Further, it will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea and the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel, under agenda item two; and with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi under agenda item four. The Council will also hear oral updates from the Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan under agenda item two and from the Commission of Inquiry on Syria under agenda item four. 

    Additionally, the Council will hold interactive dialogues under agenda item seven with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and under agenda item nine with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.  Under agenda item 10, it will hold an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic. 

    The final outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of 14 States will also be considered, namely those of Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Madagascar, Iraq, Slovenia, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    A detailed agenda and further information on the fifty-ninth session can be found on the session’s web page.  Reports to be presented are available here. All meetings of this session are broadcast on UN Web TV. 

    First Week of the Session

    The fifty-ninth regular session will open on Monday, 16 June under the presidency of Ambassador Jürg Lauber. After the opening, the Council will begin considerations under agenda item two, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, will present his annual report.  Subsequently, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. This will be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue on the oral update of the Fact-Finding Mission on the human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

    On Tuesday, 17 June, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s annual report, followed by an interactive dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel.  At the end of the day, it will hear the presentation of an oral update by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan. 

    On Wednesday, 18 June, the Council will commence discussions under agenda item three on the promotion and protection of all human rights, holding interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, which will conclude on Thursday, 19 June. This will be followed by interactive dialogues with the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. 

    On Friday, 20 June, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy (Hansen’s disease) and their family members, the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. 

    Second Week of the Session

    In its second week, the Council will conclude its interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons on Monday, 23 June.  It will then hold interactive dialogues with the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

    The Council will start Tuesday, 24 June, with the first part of its annual discussion on women’s rights, focusing on gender-based violence against women and girls in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.  In the afternoon, the second part of the annual discussion on women’s rights will be held, focusing on the commemoration of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy and on overcoming barriers to women’s leadership in peace processes.

    On Wednesday, 25 June, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity. 

    The Council will start Thursday, 26 June, with a panel discussion on the realisation of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, followed by the presentation of reports under agenda item three.  In the afternoon, it will start its consideration of reports under agenda item four on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention, hearing the presentation of an oral update by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, followed by interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, and on the oral update of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi. 

    On Friday, 27 June, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, and the oral update of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the situation of human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and the presentation of the High Commissioner’s oral update on the situation of human rights in Nicaragua.

    Third Week of the Session

    The Council will begin its third week on Monday, 30 June, with its annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights, focusing on facilitating just transitions in the context of addressing the impacts of climate change on human rights.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change.  It will then hear the presentation of the report of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises on the thirteenth session of the Forum on Business and Human Rights under agenda item five on human rights bodies and mechanisms.

    The Council will next start its consideration under item six of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Madagascar, Iraq, Slovenia, Egypt, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will conclude at the end of the day on Wednesday, 2 July. 

    On Thursday, 3 July, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, under agenda item seven on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, under agenda item nine on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance. 

    In the afternoon, the Council will begin discussions under item 10 on technical assistance and capacity-building, with interactive dialogues on the oral presentation of the High Commissioner regarding his Office’s periodic report on the situation of human rights in Ukraine, and on the interim report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the enhancement of technical assistance and capacity-building to assist Colombia in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition. 

    On Friday, 4 July, the Council will hold its annual panel discussion on technical cooperation and capacity-building, focusing on the role of technical cooperation and capacity-building in strengthening national structures which play a role in promoting and safeguarding human rights, particularly national human rights institutions and national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up. 

    This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the oral update of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic.

    In the afternoon, the Council will hear the presentation of the report of the High Commissioner relating to cooperation with Georgia.  It will then start taking action on draft resolutions and decisions. 

    Fourth Week of the Session

    The final week of the Council will be devoted to taking action on draft resolutions and decisions and the appointment of a member of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development and a member of the Working Group on arbitrary detention.  The session will conclude on Wednesday, 9 July.

    The Human Rights Council

    The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, made up of 47 States, which is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.  The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them.

    The composition of the Human Rights Council at its fifty-ninth session is as follows: Albania (2026); Algeria (2025); Bangladesh (2025); Belgium (2025); Benin (2027); Bolivia (2027); Brazil (2026); Bulgaria (2026); Burundi (2026); Chile (2025); China (2026); Colombia (2027); Costa Rica (2025); Côte d’Ivoire (2026); Cuba (2026); Cyprus (2027); Czechia (2027); Democratic Republic of the Congo (2027); Dominican Republic (2026); Ethiopia (2027); France (2026); Gambia (2027); Georgia (2025); Germany (2025); Ghana (2026); Iceland (2027); Indonesia (2026); Japan (2026); Kenya (2027); Kuwait (2026); Kyrgyzstan (2025); Malawi (2026); Maldives (2025); Marshall Islands (2027); Mexico (2027); Morocco (2025); Netherlands (2026); North Macedonia (2027); Qatar (2027); Republic of Korea (2027); Romania (2025); South Africa (2025); Spain (2027); Sudan (2025); Switzerland (2027); Thailand (2027); and Viet Nam (2025).

    The term of membership of each State expires in the year indicated in parentheses.

    The President of the Human Rights Council in 2025 is Jürg Lauber (Switzerland).  The four Vice-Presidents are Tareq Md Ariful Islam (Bangladesh), Razvan Rusu (Romania), Claudia Puentes Julio (Chile), and Paul Empole Losoko Efambe (Democratic Republic of the Congo).  Mr. Efambe also serves as Rapporteur of the Geneva-based body. 

    The dates and venue of the fifty-ninth session are subject to change.

    Information on the fifty-ninth session can be found here, including the annotated agenda and the reports to be presented.

    For further information, please contact Pascal Sim (simp@un.org), Matthew Brown (matthew.brown@un.org) and David Díaz Martín (david.diazmartin@un.org)

    ___________

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

     

    HRC25.006E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ16: Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator Programme

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ16: Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator Programme 
         According to the information of the Customs and Excise Department, since the launch of the Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator Programme, about 90 enterprises have become Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs), and their goods transported to the 16 economies with which Hong Kong has entered into AEO mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) can enjoy customs facilitation arrangements, which is instrumental in facilitating seamless cross-boundary movement of goods. However, there are views that the current rate of enterprise participation in the Programme and the coverage of the Programme are not extensive enough. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the volume and value of imported and exported goods involving Hong Kong AEOs in the past three years, as well as their respective percentages in the total volume and value of such goods;
     
    (2) as there are views that in order to enhance the efficiency of the import and export of local and Mainland goods, Hong Kong must further extend the coverage of the MRA network, of the progress of the authorities’ entering into MRA agreements with more economies; and
     
    (3) as there are views that apart from enabling enterprises to enjoy speedy customs arrangements, being accredited as the AEOs also helps enhance the management standards of enterprises, and the Mainland has even set up training bases to encourage more enterprises to become the AEOs, of the measures put in place by the Government to encourage more local enterprises to become the AEOs?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         Having consulted the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), the reply to the question raised by the Hon Frankie Yick is as follows:
     
         The volume and value of imported and exported goods involving Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs) in the past three years, along with their respective percentages in the total volume and value of imported and exported goods, are shown below:
     

    Year

    Year     At present, Hong Kong has ratified AEO mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) with 16 economies, ranking fourth globally in terms of the number of MRAs after Mainland China, Korea and the United States. The C&ED has been proactively expanding the global network of AEO MRAs with good progress made in recent years. It has signed action plans for AEO MRAs with eight economies including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, Laos, Peru and Chile, marking a significant step towards the conclusion of the MRAs by both sides. The C&ED is now actively engaged in discussions and follow-up work with the customs administrations of these economies regarding the MRAs.
     
         Looking ahead, the C&ED will continue its efforts to expand the MRA network by actively liaising with Hong Kong’s major trading partners and dovetailing with the national development strategy on the Belt and Road Initiative. Priority will be given to discussing the MRAs with Belt and Road economies, including member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, and economies in the South American and African regions, with a view to benefitting more enterprises.
     
         To encourage local enterprises to become Hong Kong AEOs, the C&ED has continuously collaborated with the industry, major chambers of commerce and relevant partners to organise different types of publicity and promotional events, including briefing sessions and exhibition booths, to enhance enterprises’ understanding of the Hong Kong AEO Programme. Last year, the C&ED set up exhibition booths and hosted thematic seminars at major events, such as the Belt and Road Summit jointly organised by the Belt and Road Office and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), as well as the Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the HKTDC, with a view to fostering exchanges with different fields and industries. In addition, the C&ED has been disseminating the latest information on the developments of local and global AEO programmes through its website and social media channels, so as to extend the reach of its publicity and promotional efforts as well as strengthen communication and engagement with stakeholders.
     
         To further enhance the appeal of the Hong Kong AEO Programme, the C&ED has been actively seeking co-operation with various organisations to offer more benefits to the AEOs. For instance, the C&ED collaborates with the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation to provide Hong Kong AEOs with free buyers’ credit checks to help them cope with market risks. In addition, the C&ED signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Enhancing AEO Co-operation in the Greater Bay Area among Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Customs under the AEO MRAs with the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Macao Customs Service in 2023. Through such initiatives as the mutual referral mechanism on AEO applications, enhanced joint publicity and staff training, the MoU deepens the co-operation among the three customs administrations and supports enterprises of the three places to seize development opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
    Issued at HKT 11:05

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Sunrun’s Distributed Power Plant Capacity Surpasses 650 Megawatts, Ready to Support Grid Reliability Ahead of Summer Heat and Hurricanes

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sunrun (Nasdaq: RUN), the nation’s leading provider of clean energy as a subscription service, today announced that it is activating more than 130,000 home batteries, representing over two-thirds of Sunrun’s total battery fleet, to support America’s power grid this summer. In its grid service programs, Sunrun has the capability of dispatching 650 megawatts of peak power—enough to power 480,000 homes, or a city the size of Austin, Texas—at critical times every day to help meet America’s skyrocketing demand for electricity.

    “America is entering a period of insatiable, hockey-stick energy demand driven by manufacturing, data centers, and AI,” said Sunrun CEO Mary Powell. “Sunrun’s laser focus on pairing storage with solar puts us in a position to rapidly bring new generating capacity online to stabilize the grid and help lead the nation toward energy independence.”

    Sunrun’s storage-first strategy has placed the company among the top five energy storage operators nationwide, with nearly a gigawatt of total battery capacity installed—the equivalent of a nuclear power plant’s worth of peak power. Sunrun is the largest distributed battery power plant provider and operator in the world. In the first quarter of this year, Sunrun’s storage attachment rate surged to nearly 70% of new solar customers. The company accounts for roughly half of all new home battery installations in the country.

    Sunrun’s dispatchable power plants recently provided hundreds of megawatts of peak power to the grid in several states:

    • Texas: Sunrun dispatched essential energy during unseasonably hot temperatures, providing cost control to all customers of two retail electricity providers.
    • Arizona: Arizona Public Service called on Sunrun for three consecutive days to dispatch essential energy during unseasonably hot temperatures.
    • California: Sunrun’s statewide residential battery power plant dispatched an average of more than 300 megawatts during a recent two-hour peak load window.
    • New York: Orange and Rockland Utilities activated Sunrun’s residential battery power plant—the largest in the state—several times so far this year to relieve grid stress.
    • Puerto Rico: In response to capacity shortfalls from centralized power plants, the island’s utility provider, LUMA, asked Sunrun to dispatch stored solar energy during 26 emergency power events since January.

    As the U.S. prepares for energy demand spikes and rising temperatures, utilities and grid operators are actively planning future battery dispatches to help stabilize the grid and improve reliability. Notably, Orange and Rockland and LUMA have already asked Sunrun to prepare emergency dispatches as both service areas brace for unusually high temperatures.

    In partnership with electric utilities across the country, Sunrun operates 17 dispatchable power plant programs that improve reliability and help prevent blackouts. With the unique ability to deploy utility-scale battery capacity within months, Sunrun delivers critical grid services with unmatched speed. These programs also help utilities avoid or defer transmission and distribution investments, saving money for all families connected to the grid.

    Sunrun’s subscription model is key to its ability to aggregate, manage, and dispatch hundreds of thousands of home batteries to improve grid reliability. The 48E investment tax credit enables the construction of this grid infrastructure to quickly address America’s looming electricity supply crisis.

    About Sunrun
    Sunrun Inc. (Nasdaq: RUN) revolutionized the solar industry in 2007 by removing financial barriers and democratizing access to locally-generated, renewable energy. Today, Sunrun is the nation’s leading provider of clean energy as a subscription service, offering residential solar and storage with no upfront costs. Sunrun’s innovative products and solutions can connect homes to the cleanest energy on earth, providing them with energy security, predictability, and peace of mind. Sunrun also manages energy services that benefit communities, utilities, and the electric grid while enhancing customer value. Discover more at www.sunrun.com

    Media Contact
    Wyatt Semanek
    Director, Corporate Communications
    press@sunrun.com

    Investor & Analyst Contact
    Patrick Jobin
    SVP, Deputy CFO & Investor Relations Officer
    investors@sunrun.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: EBC Financial Group Launches over a 100 U.S. ETF CFDs, Strengthening Diversification for Global Clients

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EBC Financial Group (EBC) has announced the launch of over 100 new U.S.-listed Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) CFDs, expanding its multi-asset product suite and offering global client’s deeper access to diversified, thematic trading opportunities. The rollout highlights EBC’s ongoing commitment to delivering institutional-grade tools across asset classes, underpinned by flexibility, transparency, and efficiency.

    The new offering includes ETFs listed on the NYSE and NASDAQ, issued by leading asset managers such as Vanguard, iShares (BlackRock), and State Street Global Advisors. Thematic coverage spans a wide range of global macro and sectoral narratives.

    “This expansion reflects our vision to bridge intelligent product design with market relevance,” said David Barrett, CEO of EBC Financial Group (UK) Ltd. “The new products are a natural evolution for traders seeking targeted exposure with greater strategic flexibility. At EBC, we’re building an ecosystem that empowers both precision and performance.”

    Thematic Access Meets Tactical Flexibility

    The additional ETF-linked instruments cover a variety of market exposures, including geographic allocations like the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF; fixed income-focused strategies such as the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond Fund; and sector- or commodity-based indices including the United States Oil Fund LP and the Vanguard Health Care ETF. Other themes include dividend-related baskets, mid-cap equities, and style-based index tracking.

    These developments reflect wider industry interest in instruments that mirror trends in asset allocation without direct ownership of the underlying securities. Across many markets, sector-tilted and style-based index products are gaining relevance as participants seek flexible ways to align with global narratives.

    Historically, ETFs tracking specific economic cycles—such as commodity recoveries or emerging market rebounds—have demonstrated performance differentiation. The iShares MSCI Brazil ETF, for example, notably outperformed the S&P 500 during the post-pandemic recovery period in 2021, highlighting how thematic instruments can diverge from broad indices depending on market cycles.

    These additions serve as both stand-alone trade ideas and complementary instruments alongside EBC’s existing product lineup, enabling advanced portfolio structuring and thematic trading.

    Smarter Exposure: Leverage, Shorting, and Cost Efficiency in One Product

    Compared to direct ETF investments, it presents several key advantages as traders benefit from a simplified cost structure, with no traditional fund management fees or broker commissions. The flexibility to take both long and short positions allows for strategic trading regardless of market direction, while the use of leverage enhances capital efficiency and return potential. These trades are executed in real time via EBC’s recognised platforms, providing seamless access to market opportunities.

    During key market cycles, for example the post-pandemic V-shaped recovery of 2021—certain thematic ETFs, like the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF, significantly outperformed broader indices such as the S&P 500. Our portfolio enables traders to participate in similar trends, adapting quickly to shifting market dynamics with precision and speed.

    Getting Started

    These products can be accessed by registering on www.ebc.com to begin simulated or live trading.

    About EBC Financial Group  
    Founded in London’s esteemed financial district, EBC Financial Group (EBC) is a global brand known for its expertise in financial brokerage and asset management. Through its regulated entities operating across major financial jurisdictions—including the UK, Australia, the Cayman Islands, Mauritius, and others—EBC enables retail, professional, and institutional investors to access a wide range of global markets and trading opportunities, including currencies, commodities, shares, and indices.

    Recognised with multiple awards, EBC is committed to upholding ethical standards and is licensed and regulated within the respective jurisdictions. EBC Financial Group (UK) Limited is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); EBC Financial Group (Cayman) Limited is regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA); EBC Financial Group (Australia) Pty Ltd, and EBC Asset Management Pty Ltd are regulated by Australia’s Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC);  EBC Financial (MU) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Commission Mauritius (FSC).  

    At the core of EBC are a team of industry veterans with over 40 years of experience in major financial institutions. Having navigated key economic cycles from the Plaza Accord and 2015 Swiss franc crisis to the market upheavals of the COVID-19 pandemic. We foster a culture where integrity, respect, and client asset security are paramount, ensuring that every investor relationship is handled with the utmost seriousness it deserves.   

    As the Official Foreign Exchange Partner of FC Barcelona, EBC provides specialised services across Asia, LATAM, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania. Through its partnership with United to Beat Malaria, the company contributes to global health initiatives. EBC also supports the ‘What Economists Really Do’ public engagement series by Oxford University’s Department of Economics, helping to demystify economics and its application to major societal challenges, fostering greater public understanding and dialogue.  

    https://www.ebc.com/ 

    Media Contact:
    Savitha Ravindran
    Global Public Relations Manager
    savitha.ravindran@ebc.com

    Michelle Siow
    Brand & Communications Director
    michelle.siow@ebc.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Bitget Wallet Taps Hana to Boost Social Finance With 680K HANA Rewards

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget Wallet, the leading non-custodial crypto wallet, is working with Hana Network on a new initiative aimed at expanding access to crypto through lightweight, socially-driven user experiences. The move reflects a broader industry shift toward making blockchain tools easier to use by integrating familiar mobile and social behaviors into onboarding.

    The campaign, which runs from June 11 to June 18, introduces a 680,000 HANA token reward pool for users who complete a short series of tasks, including joining community channels and making a small crypto trade through Bitget Wallet. Designed for accessibility, the effort targets new Web3 users, using entry points that feel closer to social media participation than to traditional finance.

    Hana Network offers a mobile-native platform built around the concept of “hypercasual finance,” where users interact through social features like tipping, peer-to-peer transfers, and game-like engagement loops. Account setup is simplified via logins from platforms such as Telegram and X, and users can earn by participating in community activity without navigating complex blockchain interfaces. This positions Hana as part of a growing category of apps seeking to normalize crypto interactions by embedding them in everyday digital routines.

    The campaign reflects Bitget Wallet’s continued focus on expanding the everyday use of self-custody wallets. By incorporating social and mobile-native design elements, the initiative seeks to lower entry barriers for a broader audience, particularly users who are new to crypto or more accustomed to mainstream digital platforms.

    Find out more on Bitget Wallet’s official channels.

    About Bitget Wallet
    Bitget Wallet is a non-custodial crypto wallet designed to make crypto simple and secure for everyone. With over 80 million users, it brings together a full suite of crypto services, including swaps, market insights, staking, rewards, DApp exploration, and payment solutions. Supporting 130+ blockchains and millions of tokens, Bitget Wallet enables seamless multi-chain trading across hundreds of DEXs and cross-chain bridges. Backed by a $300+ million user protection fund, it ensures the highest level of security for users’ assets. Its vision is Crypto for Everyone — to make crypto simpler, safer, and part of everyday life for a billion people.
    For more information, visit: X | Telegram | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | TikTok | Discord | Facebook
    For media inquiries, contact media.web3@bitget.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e0c6f2a5-0738-40d3-ad4a-05c3d55b5b22

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Toxic trend: Another malware threat targets DeepSeek

    Source: Securelist – Kaspersky

    Headline: Toxic trend: Another malware threat targets DeepSeek

    Introduction

    DeepSeek-R1 is one of the most popular LLMs right now. Users of all experience levels look for chatbot websites on search engines, and threat actors have started abusing the popularity of LLMs. We previously reported attacks with malware being spread under the guise of DeepSeek to attract victims. The malicious domains spread through X posts and general browsing.

    But lately, threat actors have begun using malvertising to exploit the demand for chatbots. For instance, we have recently discovered a new malicious campaign distributing previously unknown malware through a fake DeepSeek-R1 LLM environment installer. The malware is delivered via a phishing site that masquerades as the official DeepSeek homepage. The website was promoted in the search results via Google Ads. The attacks ultimately aim to install BrowserVenom, an implant that reconfigures all browsing instances to force traffic through a proxy controlled by the threat actors. This enables them to manipulate the victim’s network traffic and collect data.

    Phishing lure

    The infection was launched from a phishing site, located at https[:]//deepseek-platform[.]com. It was spread via malvertising, intentionally placed as the top result when a user searched for “deepseek r1”, thus taking advantage of the model’s popularity. Once the user reaches the site, a check is performed to identify the victim’s operating system. If the user is running Windows, they will be presented with only one active button, “Try now”. We have also seen layouts for other operating systems with slight changes in wording, but all mislead the user into clicking the button.

    Malicious website mimicking DeepSeek

    Clicking this button will take the user to a CAPTCHA anti-bot screen. The code for this screen is obfuscated JavaScript, which performs a series of checks to make sure that the user is not a bot. We found other scripts on the same malicious domain signaling that this is not the first iteration of such campaigns. After successfully solving the CAPTCHA, the user is redirected to the proxy1.php URL path with a “Download now” button. Clicking that results in downloading the malicious installer named AI_Launcher_1.21.exe from the following URL: https://r1deepseek-ai[.]com/gg/cc/AI_Launcher_1.21.exe.

    We examined the source code of both the phishing and distribution websites and discovered comments in Russian related to the websites’ functionality, which suggests that they are developed by Russian-speaking threat actors.

    Malicious installer

    The malicious installer AI_Launcher_1.21.exe is the launcher for the next-stage malware. Once this binary is executed, it opens a window that mimics a Cloudflare CAPTCHA.

    The second fake CAPTCHA

    This is another fake CAPTCHA that is loaded from https[:]//casoredkff[.]pro/captcha. After the checkbox is ticked, the URL is appended with /success, and the user is presented with the following screen, offering the options to download and install Ollama and LM Studio.

    Two options to install abused LLM frameworks

    Clicking either of the “Install” buttons effectively downloads and executes the respective installer, but with a caveat: another function runs concurrently: MLInstaller.Runner.Run(). This function triggers the infectious part of the implant.

    When the MLInstaller.Runner.Run() function is executed in a separate thread on the machine, the infection develops in the following three steps:

    1. First, the malicious function tries to exclude the user’s folder from Windows Defender’s protection by decrypting a buffer using the AES encryption algorithm.

      The AES encryption information is hardcoded in the implant:

      Type AES-256-CBC
      Key 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0a 0b 0c 0d 0e 0f 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1a 1b 1c 1d 1e 1f 20
      IV 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0a 0b 0c 0d 0e 0f 10

      The decrypted buffer contains a PowerShell command that performs the exclusion once executed by the malicious function.

      It should be noted that this command needs administrator privileges and will fail in case the user lacks them.

    2. After that, another PowerShell command runs, downloading an executable from a malicious domain whose name is derived with a simple domain generation algorithm (DGA). The downloaded executable is saved as %USERPROFILE%Music1.exe under the user’s profile and then executed.

      At the moment of our research, there was only one domain in existence: app-updater1[.]app. No binary can be downloaded from this domain as of now but we suspect that this might be another malicious implant, such as a backdoor for further access. So far, we have managed to obtain several malicious domain names associated with this threat; they are highlighted in the IoCs section.

    3. Then the MLInstaller.Runner.Run() function locates a hardcoded stage two payload in the class and variable ConfigFiles.load of the malicious installer’s buffer. This executable is decrypted with the same AES algorithm as before in order to be loaded into memory and run.

    Loaded implant: BrowserVenom

    We dubbed the next-stage implant BrowserVenom because it reconfigures all browsing instances to force traffic through a proxy controlled by the threat actors. This enables them to sniff sensitive data and monitor the victim’s browsing activity while decrypting their traffic.

    First, BrowserVenom checks if the current user has administrator rights – exiting if not – and installs a hardcoded certificate created by the threat actor:

    Then the malware adds a hardcoded proxy server address to all currently installed and running browsers. For Chromium-based instances (i.e., Chrome or Microsoft Edge), it adds the proxy-server argument and modifies all existent LNK files, whereas for Gecko-based browsers, such as Mozilla or Tor Browser, the implant modifies the current user’s profile preferences:

    The settings currently utilized by the malware are as follows:

    The variables Host and Port are the ones used as the proxy settings, and the ID and HWID are appended to the browser’s User-Agent, possibly as a way to keep track of the victim’s network traffic.

    Conclusion

    As we have been reporting, DeepSeek has been the perfect lure for attackers to attract new victims. Threat actors’ use of new malicious tooling, such as BrowserVenom, complicates the detection of their activities. This, combined with the use of Google Ads to reach more victims and look more plausible, makes such campaigns even more effective.

    At the time of our research, we detected multiple infections in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, India, Nepal, South Africa, and Egypt. The nature of the bait and the geographic distribution of attacks indicate that campaigns like this continue to pose a global threat to unsuspecting users.

    To protect against these attacks, users are advised to confirm that the results of their searches are official websites, along with their URLs and certificates, to make sure that the site is the right place to download the legitimate software from. Taking these precautions can help avoid this type of infection.

    Kaspersky products detect this threat as HEUR:Trojan.Win32.Generic and Trojan.Win32.SelfDel.iwcv.

    Indicators of Compromise

    Hashes

    d435a9a303a27c98d4e7afa157ab47de  AI_Launcher_1.21.exe
    dc08e0a005d64cc9e5b2fdd201f97fd6

    Domains and IPs

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • US cities brace for more protests as parts of Los Angeles placed under curfew

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Several U.S. cities braced for protests on Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration raids, as parts of the country’s second largest city Los Angeles spent the night under curfew in an effort to quell five days of unrest.

    The Governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, said he will deploy the National Guard this week, ahead of planned protests. Protesters and police in Austin clashed on Monday.

    Trump’s extraordinary measures of sending National Guard and Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles has sparked a national debate on the use of military on U.S. soil and pitted the Republican president against California’s Democrat governor.

    “This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk. That’s when the downward spiral began,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a video address on Tuesday.

    “He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety. … Democracy is under assault.”

    Newsom, widely seen as preparing for a presidential run in 2028, and the state of California sued Trump and the Defense Department on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federal troops. Trump in turn has suggested Newsom should be arrested.

    Hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday under orders from Trump, after he also ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard to the city. Marines and National Guard are to be used in the protection of government personnel and buildings and not in police action.

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the deployments were not necessary as police could manage the protest, the majority of which have been peaceful, and limited to about five streets.

    However, due to looting and violence at night she imposed a curfew over one square mile of the city’s downtown, starting Tuesday night. The curfew will last several days.

    Police said multiple groups stayed on the streets in some areas despite the curfew and “mass arrests” were initiated. Police earlier said that 197 people had already been arrested on Tuesday – more than double the total number of arrests to date.

    Democratic leaders have raised concerns over a national crisis in what has become the most intense flashpoint yet in the Trump administration’s efforts to deport migrants living in the country illegally, and then crack down on opponents who take to the streets in protest.

    Trump, voted back into office last year largely for his promise to deport undocumented immigrants, used a speech honoring soldiers on Tuesday to defend his decision.

    He told troops at the army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina: “Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness.”

    ‘FULL-BLOWN ASSAULT’

    “What you’re witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags,” Trump said, adding his administration would “liberate Los Angeles.”

    Demonstrators have waved the flags of Mexico and other countries in solidarity for the migrants rounded up in a series of intensifying raids.

    Homeland Security said on Monday its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division had arrested 2,000 immigration offenders per day recently, far above the 311 daily average in fiscal year 2024 under former President Joe Biden.

    Protests have also taken place in other cities including New York, Atlanta and Chicago, where demonstrators shouted at and scuffled with officers. Some protesters climbed onto the Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, while others chanted that ICE should be abolished.

    Texas Governor Abbott said late on Tuesday that he will deploy the National Guard, which “will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order.”

    “Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal.

    Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest,” Abbott posted on X.

    South Texas organizations are expected to hold anti-ICE rallies on Wednesday and Saturday, CNN reported local media as saying.

    About 700 Marines were in a staging area in the Seal Beach area about 30 miles (50 km) south of Los Angeles on Tuesday, awaiting deployment to specific locations, a U.S. official said.

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta told Reuters the state was concerned about allowing federal troops to protect personnel, saying there was a risk that could violate an 1878 law that generally forbids the U.S. military, including the National Guard, from taking part in civilian law enforcement.

    “Protecting personnel likely means accompanying ICE agents into communities and neighborhoods, and protecting functions could mean protecting the ICE function of enforcing the immigration law,” Bonta said.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday posted photos on X of National Guard troops accompanying ICE officers on an immigration raid. Trump administration officials have vowed to redouble the immigration raids in response to the street protests.

    The last time the military was used for direct police action under the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when the California governor at the time asked President George H.W. Bush to help respond to Los Angeles riots over the acquittal of police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic presented its initiatives to the rectors of BRICS countries at forums in Brazil

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    Rio de Janeiro hosted large-scale events — the second forum of university rectors from Russia, Brazil and Belarus, as well as the second forum of university rectors from the BRICS countries. The events were organized by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro with the support of national rectors’ communities, including the Russian Union of Rectors. They became a powerful platform for strengthening academic ties and promoting joint initiatives. The forums were attended by more than 50 representatives of universities from Russia and Belarus, delegations from Iran, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Indonesia and more than 60 universities from Brazil.

    At the section on educational cooperation, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky emphasized the unique role of BRICS in the modern world: In the conditions of international turbulence, it is education and science that are becoming the most important tools for finding joint answers to global challenges. The BRICS association is one of the few international platforms where interaction is built on the principles of mutual respect and equality, where there are no main ones, where everyone is equal and is committed to working together for the sake of a common future. We see that this approach is of interest and response to many countries. The creation of a ranking of BRICS universities is especially relevant in the conditions of political commitment of the headquarters of international rating agencies. The new system for assessing the quality of education is in great demand.

    The Deputy Minister spoke in detail about the dynamic expansion of the association (the accession of new members: Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Indonesia) and the priorities of the educational agenda. This is the development of the BRICS Network University, recognition of qualifications, support for talented youth and the creation of its own BRICS university ranking.

    The key sections and plenary session were held at the Museum of Tomorrow. SPbPU was represented by a delegation consisting of Vladimir Shchepinin, Director of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade; Ekaterina Belyaevskaya, Head of the Department of International Interuniversity Cooperation; and Nikita Lukashevich and Olga Ergunova, associate professors at the Graduate School of Management and Management. Vladimir Shchepinin spoke at one of the sessions, presenting the Polytechnic University as a key player in the scientific and educational space of Russia in the field of technological development. He drew the attention of the rectors’ community to the potential of SPbPU in solving the problems of sustainable development of the BRICS countries.

    At the thematic session “Artificial Intelligence and Education in the BRICS Countries”, Olga Ergunova presented a report “AI Optimization of Human Resource Management in Smart Cities”, based on the results of a large-scale scientific project supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 25-28-01469). She described in detail the neural network model developed under the auspices of the RSF for forecasting and managing labor markets in the BRICS megacities (Shanghai, Bangalore, Moscow, Sao Paulo).

    Olga Ergunova drew the attention of those gathered to a successful example of comprehensive cooperation between the BRICS countries — the international competition for young researchers “SMART CITY 2030: Sustainable Development Management of BRICS Cities”. The event was first held in 2024 in pilot mode and generated considerable interest. In 2025, the co-organizers of the competition are SPbPU, the Russian Institute of Tsinghua University (China), Lovely Professional University (India) and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The Rectors’ Forum provided an opportunity to announce the expansion of the competition and invite new representatives of the BRICS countries to participate.

    The SPbPU delegation held talks with existing partner universities in Brazil (these are nine leading universities in the country), and also met with new promising educational institutions and agencies. Among them are the Federal Agency for Technological Education, the Secretariat for Supervision and Development in Higher Education. Both agencies operate under the Ministry of Education of Brazil.

    Polytechnic University signed cooperation agreements with the Federal University of Fluminense and the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro.

    During working meetings and negotiations with rectors and representatives of university delegations, projects in the field of joint research, academic mobility, joint educational programs of double degrees and the organization of summer schools were discussed.

    In the context of changing global educational landscapes, Brazilian universities are becoming key centers for ensuring the scientific and technological sovereignty of the BRICS countries. Their competencies in the field of sustainable development, green economy, bioeconomy, agribusiness, artificial intelligence and other areas, supplemented by Russian fundamental science, form a unique ecosystem of cooperation, its integration into the BRICS educational space through the mechanisms of the BRICS Network University. They allow the creation of new formats of cooperation that combine academic mobility with applied research in areas that are strategic for the countries, noted Vladimir Shchepinin.

    A pleasant surprise was the delegation’s meeting with a 1988 Polytechnic graduate, Electo Eduardo Silva Lora. He is currently a professor and holds the post of head of the Scientific Institute at the Federal University of Itajuba, a leading university in the field of electric power and electrical engineering. Electo Silva Lora spoke excellent Russian and recalled his teachers, professors at the Polytechnic University, with great warmth. He expressed a desire to renew scientific and academic ties with his alma mater and is already interacting with colleagues from the Institute of Power Engineering.

    In addition, Olga Ergunova visited the leading business school of Latin America — FGV EBAPE (Getulio Vargas Foundation), holder of the prestigious “Triple Crown” of accreditations (AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS). She held business negotiations with the director-dean of the school, Professor Flavio Carvalho de Vasconcelos and the head of the international department of Yuna Fontoura.

    Representatives of the school expressed interest in cooperation with SPbPU. During the negotiations, specific steps were outlined: organizing academic exchanges, joint research in the field of innovation management, technological development and sustainable production.

    For FGV EBAPE, it is always valuable to establish connections with leading universities in the world, such as SPbPU. We are interested in developing academic mobility and joint research initiatives, especially in areas related to technology and innovation, – emphasized Flavio Vasconcelos.

    Universities in Brazil represent a huge potential for partnership. Of course, everyone understands the difficulties and cost of logistics between our continents, but even this does not become an obstacle for such innovative projects as, for example, the Smart Cities competition. A number of government agencies support the mobility of Brazilian students, and these opportunities should be used. Brazil has created the strongest scientific centers and technology hubs in the field of research into renewable energy, artificial intelligence, agricultural and food technologies, oil and gas. Colleagues are interested in joint publications, the development of postgraduate programs, international grants for joint research. There is a lot of work to do to turn today’s agreements into real projects with the participation of the Polytechnic University, – Ekaterina Belyaevskaya summed up.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Heilind Asia Pacific Gear Up for Fastener Expo Shanghai 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHANGHAI, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Heilind Electronics is one of the world’s leading distributors for interconnect, electromechanical, fastener and sensor products. Heilind Asia Pacific, headquartered in Hong Kong and established in December 2012, taking place from June 17 to 19 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) and will be showcasing a broad portfolio of advanced fastening products & solutions, designed to meet the evolving needs of industries such as automotive, industrial automation, energy, and consumer electronics.

    As part of our ongoing commitment to bringing top-tier interconnect and fastening innovations to Asia’s growing industrial market, join Heilind at Booth #1E510 in Hall 1.1, Heilind Asia Pacific is looking forward to engaging with engineers, procurement professionals, and partners across the supply chain. Technical specialists will be on-site to provide live demonstrations and application consultations.

    Event Details:

    Booth 1E510 Hall 1.1– Heilind Asia Pacific

    June 17–19, 2025

    National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)

    About Heilind Electronics
    Heilind Electronics is one of the world’s leading distributors for interconnect, electromechanical, and sensor products. As the industry’s preeminent distributor, Heilind stocks the largest inventory of connector products in North America. We are Heilind franchised for over 150 of the industry’s leading manufacturers and offer products in over 25 component categories including connectors, relays, sensors, switches, thermal management and circuit protection products, terminal blocks, antennas, wire and cable, wiring accessories, insulation and identification products. Heilind has locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China.

    Heilind Asia Pacific (www.heilindasia.com) commenced operations in Dec 2012. Besides being headquartered in Hong Kong, where it also has a distribution center and a value-added center, Heilind Asia now has 24 locations & 5 warehouses throughout Asia. Our industry leading service offering to customers in the Asia Pacific is the result of a commitment to the belief of “Distribution As It Should Be.”

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/90b27639-34ee-4c22-a54e-5d1dbdc242de

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: Ancelotti’s first Brazil win seals World Cup spot

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

    Vinicius Junior scored in the first half as five-time world champion Brazil secured a spot at next year’s FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 home win over Paraguay in its qualifier on Tuesday.

    The result marked new manager Carlo Ancelotti’s first victory since taking charge late last month and leaves Brazil third in the South American standings with 25 points, one ahead of fifth-placed Paraguay, with two matches remaining.

    “We’re very happy to have qualified for the World Cup, which was our objective,” Vinicius told TV Globo after the match.

    “Tonight wasn’t one of our best games but the most important thing in these qualifiers is to get over the line and do what’s needed to reach the World Cup. Now it’s time to celebrate.”

    The host took the lead on the stroke of halftime when Vinicius slid home from inside the six-yard box after Matheus Cunha’s cross from the right side of the penalty area.

    Brazil dominated for large periods at Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena but struggled to break down Paraguay’s disciplined defensive block.

    The visitor offered little in attack and its best chance of the first half was a speculative effort by Junior Alonso from 15 yards.

    Brazil went close to doubling its lead just before the hour through Bruno Guimaraes, whose deft chip was headed off the line by Juan Caceres.

    Dynamo Moscow right-back Caceres then put Brazil’s defense under pressure with a long throw to the goalmouth, where the ball fell to Alonso, whose powerful header flew just over the bar.

    But there were few other scoring chances as both teams appeared to prioritize defense over offensive ambition.

    The home side had 73% of possession but only four shots on target while Paraguay forced just one save from Brazil goalkeeper Alisson.

    Brazil will meet Chile and Bolivia in its final two qualifiers in September while Paraguay, which needs only one more point to qualify, faces Ecuador and Peru.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Almada rescues 10-man Argentina in 1-1 draw against Colombia

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

    Thiago Almada struck late as Argentina salvaged a 1-1 home draw against Colombia in their FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

    Liverpool forward Luis Diaz gave the visitors the lead against the run of play when he cut inside from the left wing and skipped past three defenders before coolly firing a shot past Emiliano Martinez.

    The host was forced to play the last 25 minutes with 10 men after Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Kevin Castano.

    Despite its numerical disadvantage, Argentina continued to dictate terms and pushed forward in search of an equalizer.

    Lyon midfielder Almada put his side on level terms nine minutes from time by receiving Exequiel Palacios’ pass and advancing into the box before drilling a low effort into the far corner.

    Reigning World Cup champion Argentina, which is already assured of a place at football’s showpiece tournament next year, remains top of South America’s qualifying group with 35 points, 13 ahead of sixth-placed Colombia.

    The top six teams earn direct entry to the World Cup while the seventh-ranked side advances to a playoff.

    Argentina will meet Venezuela and Ecuador in its last two qualifiers in September while Colombia will confront Bolivia and Venezuela.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Argentina’s Supreme Court Upholds 6-Year Sentence of Ex-President

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BUENOS AIRES, June 11 (Xinhua) — Argentina’s Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a six-year prison sentence against former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner for irregularities in public works contracts during her time in power.

    The country’s highest court rejected an appeal filed by Fernandez de Kirchner’s lawyers against lower court decisions upholding both the prison term and the lifetime ban on holding public office.

    The ruling was based on the so-called “Vialidad case,” which investigated the awarding of 51 road construction contracts in the southern province of Santa Cruz to companies owned by businessman Lázaro Báez during the government of Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007) and his widow, C. Fernández de Kirchner (2007-2015).

    Fernandez de Kirchner has repeatedly denied her guilt and called the trial a politically motivated prosecution. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Haiti Sees Record Displacement as 1.3 Million Flee Violence

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Geneva/Port-au-Prince, 11 June 2025 – Nearly 1.3 million people are now internally displaced in Haiti, a 24 percent increase since December 2024, according to a recently published Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This surge represents the highest number of people displaced by violence ever recorded in the country.

    “Behind these numbers are so many individual people whose suffering is immeasurable; children, mothers, the elderly, many of them forced to flee their homes multiple times, often with nothing, and now living in conditions that are neither safe nor sustainable,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General. “We need to act urgently. The strength of the Haitian people is humbling, but resilience cannot be their only refuge. This crisis cannot become the new normal.”

    While Port-au-Prince remains the epicentre of the crisis, gang violence is spreading beyond the capital. Recent attacks in the Centre and Artibonite departments have forced tens of thousands more residents to flee, many now living in precarious conditions and makeshift shelters. Although nearly a quarter of all internally displaced people are still living in the capital, increasing numbers of people are fleeing to other parts of the country in search of safety. In the North, the number of people forced from their homes has grown by nearly 80 per cent.

    In the Artibonite department, violence in Petite Rivière alone has driven thousands more from their homes, bringing the total number of displaced people in the area to over 92,000. In the Centre department, the situation is even more alarming. Fighting in towns like Mirebalais and Saut-d’Eau has more than doubled the number of people on the move in just a few months, rising from around 68,000 to over 147,000. Many now face life without access to health care, schools, and clean water, leaving already vulnerable families struggling to survive.

    As more people are forced to flee, the number of spontaneous displacement sites is also rising. Since December, these sites have jumped from 142 to 246. The sharpest increase is in areas that previously had none, like the Centre department, which now hosts 85 sites. Yet around 83 per cent are sheltering with host families, placing enormous strain on already overstretched households, especially in rural communities.

    IOM continues to play a leading role in the humanitarian response. In the past month, the Organization assisted over 20,000 people with essential household items such as buckets and cooking utensils, distributed over 3 million litres of clean water, and provided basic health services to 6,000 people. Additionally, IOM has reinforced its mental health support, reaching over 8,500 displaced people. IOM teams are currently deployed in the Centre department to assess the multisectoral needs and prepare the response.

    As needs grow, IOM reiterates its call to the international community to scale up support. Without immediate funding and access, millions remain at risk.  Humanitarian assistance is essential, but alone it is not enough. Sustainable solutions must address the root causes of displacement, improve access to essential services, and create viable alternatives to gang violence for youth. These measures are critical to breaking the cycle of violence and restoring stability.

    For more information, please contact IOM Media Centre.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 10th, 2025 VIDEO: Heinrich Joins Press Conference Blasting Republicans’ ‘Big Beautiful Betrayal’ for Raising Energy Prices

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in a press conference on how Trump and Republicans’ reconciliation bill will raise energy costs for working families, all to pay for tax handouts for their billionaire donors.

    VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) hosts a press conference blasting Trump and Republicans’ reconciliation bill for raising energy costs, June 10, 2025.
    Heinrich’s remarks as delivered are below:
    As Senator Schatz said, the conundrum we’re in with electricity right now is that we haven’t been in this supply demand space since air conditioners became a widely available technology.
    That was the last time we saw the kind of growth in demand that we’re experiencing right now. On the supply side, the place we find ourselves in right now is one where, if you want to order a combined cycle of natural gas turbine, if you ordered it yesterday, you’re going to get it in 2030 or 2031.
    If you want to build a new API, 1000 Nuclear Generating Station, as the President has said he does, it’s going to take you 5 to 10 years to actually build that.
    If you want to do the geothermal stuff that’s taking off in Utah, to some extent in New Mexico, that’s scaling slow: It’s going to be 5 to 10 years before that stuff is at scale.
    So if you look at this incredibly increased demand from artificial intelligence, from electrification, from the surge we’ve seen in manufacturing, and you look at the supply that’s coming onto the grid in 2024 and what’s coming on in 2025 well over 90% of that is actually renewables plus storage.
    And that’s the case because it’s the cheapest, fastest to permit and fastest to build.
    So if you start throttling back 90% of your supply at a time when demand is going through the roof, what’s the impact of that?
    And I’m here to tell you, the impact is electricity bills are going up.
    They are going up all across the country.
    And Republicans are going to own that because there is no world in which we throttle supply like they are doing right now, especially with this reconciliation bill, but in 5 or 10 other different ways as well, and you don’t see those electric bills go through the roof.
    IRA tax credits are the biggest piece of that but it’s not the only one.
    They basically eviscerated the agencies that finance or permit many of these things.
    They said they wanted to build nuclear.
    The only nuclear that’s been built in the last 30 years is what we just saw happen in Georgia, and that happened because the loan program office — where they’ve lost half the staff and defunded it in the president’s budget.
    If you want to produce oil and gas, you need somebody at the Bureau of Land Management who can actually pick up the phone about a permit.
    They have chased people out of the Bureau of Land Management.
    You add that to the kind of permitting abuse that we’ve seen with Empire Wind, a fully permitted multi-gigawatt project, and then you throw in some steel and aluminum tariffs just to make the natural gas projects that are in the books even more expensive.
    This is a perfect storm of higher electricity rates, and if they pass this reconciliation bill without changes, they’re going to own every bit of it.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • US Marines arrive in Los Angeles; California governor warns ‘democracy under assault’

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday under orders from President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions in America’s second largest city, as California’s governor warned “democracy is under assault.”

    Trump’s extraordinary measures of sending National Guard and Marines to quell protests, which broke out in response to his immigration raids, fueled demonstrations for a fifth day in Los Angeles, and sparked protests in several other cities.

    As Trump and Newsom traded fulminations, the city’s mayor said the protests were limited to about five downtown streets, but declared a curfew for parts of the downtown area due to violence and looting.

    Police arrested another 197 people on Tuesday – more than double the total number of arrests to date.

    Democratic leaders have raised concerns over a national crisis in what has become the most intense flashpoint yet in the Trump administration’s efforts to deport migrants living in the country illegally, and then crack down on opponents who take to the streets in protest.

    “This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk. That’s when the downward spiral began,” Newsom said in an a video address.

    “He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety. … Democracy is under assault.”

    Newsom, widely seen as preparing for a presidential run in 2028, has called the deployments an illegal waste of resources. He and the state sued Trump and the Defense Department on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federal troops. Trump in turn has suggested Newsom should be arrested.

    Trump, voted back into office last year largely for his promise to deport undocumented immigrants, used a speech honoring soldiers on Tuesday to defend his decision.

    He told troops at the Army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina: “Generations of Army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness.”

    “What you’re witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags,” Trump said, adding his administration would “liberate Los Angeles.”

    Demonstrators have waved the flags of Mexico and other countries in solidarity for the migrants rounded in a series of intensifying raids.

    Homeland Security said Monday its Immigration and Customs Enforcement division had arrested 2,000 immigration offenders per day recently, far above the 311 daily average in fiscal year 2024 under former President Joe Biden.

    UNREST IN THE STREETS

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday announced a curfew for one square mile (2.5 square km) of downtown Los Angeles that will run from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. locally (0300 to 1300 GMT) for several days.

    With five minutes until the curfew took effect, hundreds of protesters faced police with their hands raised, chanting “”peaceful protest.”

    Even so, state and local officials have called Trump’s response an extreme overreaction to mostly peaceful demonstrations.

    Bass emphasized at a press conference the distinction between the majority of demonstrators protesting peacefully and a smaller number of agitators she blamed for violence and looting.

    A curfew had been considered for several days but Bass said she decided to impose one after 23 business were looted on Monday night.

    “When these peaceful rallies end, and the protesters head home, another element moves in: opportunists, who come in under the cover of a peaceful protest to ravage and destroy,” Council member Ysabel Jurado, who represents the area, told reporters.

    As the mayor and the council member spoke, police and protesters were engaged in skirmishes outside.

    In what has become a daily ritual, police forced demonstrators away from the streets outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where many detained migrants are held. Multiple groups of protesters snaked through downtown Los Angeles, monitored or followed by police armed with less lethal munitions.

    Protests also took place in other cities including New York, Atlanta and Chicago, where demonstrators shouted at and scuffled with officers. Some protesters climbed onto the Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, while others chanted that ICE should be abolished.

    Christina Berger, 39, said it was heartbreaking to hear about children who are afraid of being separated from their families due to immigration raids, adding, “I just want to give some hope to my friends and neighbors.”

    MARINES AT THE READY

    About 700 Marines were in a staging area in the Seal Beach area about 30 miles (50 km) south of Los Angeles, awaiting deployment to specific locations, a U.S. official said.

    A U.S. official said there were 2,100 National Guard troops in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, more than half the 4,000 to be activated. The Marines and National Guard troops lack the authority to makes arrests and will be charged only with protecting federal property and personnel.

    Even so, California Attorney General Rob Bonta told Reuters the state was concerned about allowing federal troops to protect personnel, saying there was a risk that could violate an 1878 law that generally forbids the U.S. military, including the National Guard, from taking part in civilian law enforcement.

    “Protecting personnel likely means accompanying ICE agents into communities and neighborhoods, and protecting functions could mean protecting the ICE function of enforcing the immigration law,” Bonta said.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday posted photos on X of National Guard troops accompanying ICE officers on an immigration raid. Trump administration officials have vowed to redouble the immigration raids in response to the street protests.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Opening Speech of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs  at the High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes

    Source: Government of Iran

    Your Excellency Mr. António Guterres,

    Your Excellency, Mr. Pekka Haavisto,

    Your Excellency, Mrs. María Juliana Ruiz Sandoval Ms. Ana Maneno, Mr. Mohammad Yahya Qanie,

    Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

    I am delighted to open this High-level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes, co-hosted by the State of Qatar, Colombia, Finland, and the United Nations, and co-organized by the office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Education Above All Foundation, and Search For Common Ground, in partnership with the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDPP), the UN Population Fund, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Network of Young Peacebuilders.

    I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the ground-breaking vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser – UN SDG advocate, and Founder and Chairperson of Education Above All (EAA) Foundation.

    Her Highness has worked tirelessly to promote the empowerment of youth in conflict-prevention and peace-building. I would also like to acknowledge the instrumental role of Education Above All in this regard.

    The State of Qatar encourages the participation of young people in all stages of peace processes, including in decision-making. With this in mind, the Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Sports has been directed to draft Qatar’s first National Youth Strategy.

    Drafted in consultation with our youth, the strategy is a declaration of a common national vision that defines the needs and priorities of Qatar’s youth.

    It is worthy of note that the first international Symposium on youth participation, held in Helsinki in March 2019, resulted in the launch of the first global policy paper on youth participation in peace processes.

    I trust this conference will follow this path in arriving at shared political commitments to advance the global Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda, and deliver concrete solutions for sustainable youth-inclusive processes world-wide.

    I am pleased that this conference will launch international guidelines to advance the global Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, and a five year-strategy on strengthening youth-inclusive peace processes, to be implemented at the national level.

    To conclude, the State of Qatar is committed to continue working closely with the United Nations to effectively implement the main outcomes of this conference as part of our joint efforts to strengthen global youth-inclusive peace processes.

    I thank you all for joining us, and look forward to our impactful deliberations here today.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • US, China reach deal to ease export curbs, keep tariff truce alive

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. and Chinese officials said on Tuesday they had agreed on a framework to put their trade truce back on track and remove China’s export restrictions on rare earths while offering little sign of a durable resolution to longstanding trade differences.
     
    At the end of two days of intense negotiations in London, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters the framework deal puts “meat on the bones” of an agreement reached last month in Geneva to ease bilateral retaliatory tariffs that had reached crushing triple-digit levels.
     
    But the Geneva deal had faltered over China’s continued curbs on critical minerals exports, prompting the Trump administration to respond with export controls of its own preventing shipments of semiconductor design software, aircraft and other goods to China.
     
    Lutnick said the agreement reached in London would remove some of the recent U.S. export restrictions, but did not provide details after the talks concluded around midnight London time (2300 GMT).
     
    “We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents,” Lutnick said. “The idea is we’re going to go back and speak to President Trump and make sure he approves it. They’re going to go back and speak to President Xi and make sure he approves it, and if that is approved, we will then implement the framework.”
     
    In a separate briefing, China’s Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang also said a trade framework had been reached in principle that would be taken back to U.S. and Chinese leaders.
     
    The dispute may keep the Geneva agreement from unravelling over duelling export controls, but does little to resolve deep differences over Trump’s unilateral tariffs and longstanding U.S. complaints about China’s state-led, export-driven economic model.
     
    The two sides left Geneva with fundamentally different views of the terms of that agreement and needed to be more specific on required actions, said Josh Lipsky, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center in Washington.
     
    “They are back to square one but that’s much better than square zero,” Lipsky added.
     
    The two sides have until August 10 to negotiate a more comprehensive agreement to ease trade tensions, or tariff rates will snap back from about 30% to 145% on the U.S. side and from 10% to 125% on the Chinese side.
     
    Investors, who have been badly burned by trade turmoil before, offered a cautious response and MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.57%.
     
    “The devil will be in the details, but the lack of reaction suggests this outcome was fully expected,” said Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone in Melbourne.
     
    “The details matter, especially around the degree of rare earths bound for the U.S., and the subsequent freedom for U.S.-produced chips to head east, but for now as long as the headlines of talks between the two parties remain constructive, risk assets should remain supported.”
     
    RESOLVING RESTRICTIONS
     
    Lutnick said China’s restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals and magnets to the U.S. will be resolved as a “fundamental” part of the framework agreement.
     
    “Also, there were a number of measures the United States of America put on when those rare earths were not coming,” Lutnick said. “You should expect those to come off … in a balanced way.”
     
    U.S. President Donald Trump’s shifting tariff policies have roiled global markets, sparked congestion and confusion in major ports, and cost companies tens of billions of dollars in lost sales and higher costs. The World Bank on Tuesday slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 by four-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3%, saying higher tariffs and heightened uncertainty posed a “significant headwind” for nearly all economies.
     
    A resolution to the trade war may require policy adjustments from all countries to treat financial imbalances or otherwise greatly risk mutual economic damage, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on a rare visit to Beijing on Wednesday.
     
    PHONE CALL HELPED
     
    The second round of U.S.-China talks was given a major boost by a rare phone call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, which Lutnick said provided directives that were merged with Geneva truce agreement.
     
    Customs data published on Monday showed that China’s exports to the U.S. plunged 34.5% in May, the sharpest drop since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.
     
    While the impact on U.S. inflation and its jobs market has so far been muted, tariffs have hammered U.S. business and household confidence and the dollar remains under pressure.
     
    Lutnick was joined by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the London talks. Bessent departed hours before their conclusion to return to Washington to testify before Congress on Wednesday.
     
    China holds a near-monopoly on rare earth magnets, a crucial component in electric vehicle motors, and its decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets upended global supply chains.
     
    In May, the U.S. responded by halting shipments of semiconductor design software and chemicals and aviation equipment, revoking export licences that had been previously issued.
     
    China, Mexico, the European Union, Japan, Canada and many airlines and aerospace companies worldwide urged the Trump administration not to impose new national security tariffs on imported commercial planes and parts, according to documents released Tuesday.
     
    Just after the framework deal was announced, a U.S. appeals court allowed Trump’s most sweeping tariffs to stay in effect while it reviews a lower court decision blocking them on grounds that they exceeded Trump’s legal authority by imposing them.
     
    The decision keeps alive a key pressure point on China, Trump’s currently suspended 34% “reciprocal” duties that had prompted swift tariff escalation.
     
    (Reuters)

  • Brazil qualify for 2026 World Cup finals

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Brazil secured their spot at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Paraguay, taking the second of South America’s six automatic qualifying berths after champions Argentina booked their ticket in March.

    A goal from Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Jr. on the stroke of halftime in Sao Paulo made it a winning home debut for Brazil’s new coach Carlo Ancelotti.

    Brazil extended their record as the only team to play in every edition of the World Cup, with the five-times winners set to make their 23rd appearance in next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

    Ecuador can also secure a World Cup spot if they are able to avoid defeat in Peru.

    Earlier on Tuesday, Uruguay took a step closer to securing a spot with a 2-0 home victory over Venezuela at the Estadio Centenario, a victory which also snapped a four-match winless run in South American qualifiers.

    Uruguay dominated much of the first half but struggled to break down a well-organised Venezuelan defence until Rodrigo Aguirre put the hosts ahead in the 42nd minute, heading in at the far post from a Maxi Araujo corner.

    Giorgian De Arrascaeta doubled Uruguay’s lead just two minutes into the second half, firing a superb shot into the top-left corner to seal a win that secures Marcelo Bielsa’s side of at least an inter-confederation playoff berth.

    Argentina needed an 81st-minute equaliser from Thiago Almada to cancel out Luis Diaz’s goal and secure a draw with Colombia, avoiding a second straight defeat to Nestor Lorenzo’s side.

    Chile’s hopes of reaching the finals ended with a 2-0 loss in Bolivia. Chile coach Ricardo Gareca resigned after the match.

    -Reuters

  • MIL-OSI: Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. Announces Pricing of Secondary Offering of American Depositary Shares by HSBC Bank plc

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BUENOS AIRES, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (Nasdaq: GGAL; Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos S.A./A3 Mercados S.A.: GGAL, the “Company”), one of Argentina’s largest financial services groups, announced today the pricing of the previously announced underwritten secondary offering (the “Offering”) by HSBC Bank plc (the “Selling Shareholder”) of 11,721,449 American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) representing 117,214,490 Class B ordinary shares of the Company, par value Ps.1.00 per share (“Class B ordinary shares”) at a public offering price of $54.25 per ADS. The ADSs are not authorized for public offering in Argentina by the Argentine National Securities Exchange Commision (Comisión Nacional de Valores – “CNV”) and are not being offered or sold publicly under the Argentine Capital Markets Law No. 26,831, as amended and complemented.  The documents related to the Offering have not been filed with, reviewed or authorized by the CNV, and therefore the CNV has not made any determination as to the truthfulness or completeness of those documents.

    All of the ADSs were offered by the Selling Shareholder. The Selling Shareholder will receive all of the proceeds from the Offering. The Company is not selling any ADSs in the Offering and will not receive any proceeds from the Offering.

    Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC are acting as the representatives of the underwriters of the Offering.  The Offering is expected to close on June 12, 2025 subject to customary closing conditions.

    The Offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (including a prospectus) filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). A final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus describing the terms of the Offering will be filed with the SEC, copies of which may be obtained, when available, from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10014, and from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, by telephone at (866) 471-2526, or by email at prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com. These documents may also be obtained free of charge by visiting EDGAR on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

    This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

    Cautionary Note Concerning Forward Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those regarding the expected closing of the Offering. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of such words as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue” or other similar terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from current expectations and beliefs, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could impact the expected timing, completion or other terms of the Offering; the impact of general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally, as well as the other risk factors set forth under the caption  Item 3.D. “Risk Factors” in our most recent annual report on Form 20-F, and from time to time in the Company’s other filings with the SEC. The information contained in this press release is as of the date indicated above.  The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

    About Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A.:

    Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (Nasdaq: GGAL; Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos S.A./A3 Mercados S.A.: GGAL) is the main financial services holding company in Argentina, which seeks to create long-term value through its companies, providing savings, credit, investment, insurance, advice and digital solutions opportunities to people, companies and organizations, prioritizing customer experience and sustainable development.

    With more than 110 years of experience, Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. is a group of financial services companies in Argentina, integrated by Banco de Galicia y Buenos Aires S.A.U. (Banco Galicia), GGAL Holdings S.A. (Galicia Más Holdings), Tarjetas Regionales S.A. (Naranja X), Sudamericana Holdings S.A. (Galicia Seguros), Galicia Asset Management S.A.U. (Fondos Fima), IGAM LLC (Inviu), Galicia Securities S.A.U. (Galicia Securities), Agri Tech Investment LLC (Nera), Galicia Ventures LP and Galicia Investments LLC (collectively referred to as Galicia Ventures), and Galicia Warrants S.A. (Warrants).

    Investor Contact:

    Mr. Pablo Firvida
    Investor Relations Officer
    www.gfgsa.com 
    +5411 6329 4881
    inversores@gfgsa.com 

    THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE OFFERING WILL BE NOTIFIED IN ARGENTINA PURSUANT TO AN HECHO RELEVANTE, SOLELY FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES, BUT SUCH NOTICE WILL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE IN ARGENTINA.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: Events to mark Int’l Day for Dialogue among Civilizations held at UN

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

    Actors perform martial arts during an art performance at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations.

    The events included a thematic dialogue titled “Promoting dialogue among civilizations, strengthening global solidarity and cooperation,” which was organized by the permanent missions to the United Nations of China, Egypt, Peru, Spain and Uzbekistan as well as the UN Alliance of Civilizations.

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a video message at the thematic dialogue. In his message, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that dialogue among civilizations is a bond of peace, a driver for development, and a bridge of friendship, saying that it is high time to promote dialogue among civilizations.

    He called for efforts to uphold equality and promote intercultural exchange.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message that dialogue is essential for building bridges of understanding and trust, noting “This International Day is a call to action — to listen, to speak, to connect.”

    Calling for recommitment to the ideals and principles of the United Nations Charter, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang said, “Let us celebrate the unity and diversity of civilizations, and promote tolerance, dialogue and inclusiveness toward a better world for all.”

    UN under-secretary-general and high representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos, along with senior diplomats from Egypt, Peru, Spain, and Uzbekistan, also stressed the importance of dialogue among civilizations.

    Another event, an art performance, titled “Beyond borders: Weaving cultures through artistic expressions,” featured performances of music, dance and martial arts, highlighting humanity’s common aspirations for harmonious development.

    Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. 

    MIL OSI China News –