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Category: Middle East

  • MIL-OSI Global: A film about long healing walk by the sea, the end of a dystopian series and a whimsical comfort watch – what to see, watch, read and listen to this week

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Naomi Joseph, Arts + Culture Editor

    At The Conversation, we are big believers in the health benefits of being near the sea. In fact, we have a whole series dedicated to how our health is intrinsically linked with that of the ocean, called Vitamin Sea. The idea of how the coast can heal is explored in the bestselling memoir The Saltpath, which has been adapted for the screen, and stars Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.

    Anderson plays Raynor Winn who documented the whirlwind period that began with her husband Moth being given a terminal diagnosis. In the same week, they also lost their home. In the face of this, the couple made a wild decision: to take a 630-mile year-long coastal walk from Somerset to Dorset, through Devon and Cornwall.

    The South West Coast Path has over 115,000 feet of ascent and descent, which is equivalent to scaling Mount Everest four times. In this piece, lecturer in the history of science and the environment, Lena Ferriday explores how this decision might not have been as mad as it might seem.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    The Winns’ decision to walk the path is part of a long history of people seeking wellness and recovery on England’s south-west coast. From taking in the clean air on long gentle walks to bathing in cold waters, it was common for the sickly to be prescribed a trip to the sea. And, as the Winns discover in this beautiful film, they find respite and connection in that history.

    Reply to this email to let us know if you have any thoughts on the healing qualities of the coast. We would also love you to answer our poll letting us what you think is the best nature memoir of our of favourite five. If your favourite isn’t there, email us its name.

    The Saltpath is in select cinemas now



    Read more:
    The Salt Path taps into a long history of searching for healing on England’s south-west coast

    The first season of The Handmaid’s Tale aired in 2017 in the early months of the first Trump presidency. Now in its sixth season, the drama is ending in the early months of the second Trump presidency. In that time, the show and its iconography have become synonymous with feminist resistance.

    When the Canadian writer Margaret Atwood first wrote The Handmaid’s Tale in 1985, Donald Trump was a mere real estate mogul. Some say it is eerie how she foresaw rising authoritarianism in the United States as well as the erosion of women’s rights. However, Atwood didn’t see the tale as science fiction, everything she wrote, she stressed, had already happened or was happening somewhere.

    In this piece, Canadian literature expert Sharon Engbrecht writes about Atwood has made many similar educated predictions about where the roots laid in history will come up in the future. While the last series does deviate somewhat from Atwood’s follow-up The Testaments, it is very much in-line with her view of the world. Hopefully, this last season ends in a much more hopeful place.

    The Handmaid’s Tale is airing on channel 4



    Read more:
    _The Handmaid’s Tale_ reflects Margaret Atwood’s eerie talent for reading the palm of power

    If you’re looking for something a bit more low stakes and whimsical then can we recommend checking out the film The Phoenician Scheme. Wes Anderson is a director with a very distinct vision, you can spot a work by him a mile away. This is what makes a director an auteur.

    Fans of his work have come to expect a few things from his films. The first is a star-studded ensemble. The second, a distinct colour palette. The third, boundless whimsy. The Phoenician Scheme has all of this, which as our expert in film Daniel O’Brien notes, will make some of you love it and others hate it.

    I like Wes Anderson films. They are incredibly charming and visually delicious. The Phoenician Scheme has more solid narrative than some of his recent films, which I, for one, welcome. It follows wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) after he makes his only daughter (Mia Threapleton), a nun, the sole heir to his estate before embarking on a new money-making scheme. Andersonian hijinks and shenanigans ensue as the pair dodge danger in the form of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.

    The Phoenician Scheme is in cinemas now

    The Coin by Yasmin Zaher is a bold debut novel about a young Palestinian woman who is struggling to keep it together. On the surface of things she has it all: she is a teacher at a New York city middle school, she is rich, stylish and meticulously clean. However, buried within her sits history that won’t leave her alone. To be precise, inside her sits an Israeli shekel that she accidentally swallowed on a family road trip during which her parents were killed.

    The knowledge of the coin and all it represents tears at the narrator, not letting her know peace. She is pushed to desperate acts in order to gain some sort of control over mind and body. But the coin does not relent. It won’t let her be. She is neither here nor there, in the US or Palestine. In this piece, literature expert Daniel G. Williams explains why he and his fellow judges awarded this debut the 2025 Dylan Thomas Prize.



    Read more:
    The Coin by Palestinian writer Yasmin Zaher wins the Dylan Thomas Prize – an expert from the judging panel explains why

    I love Pulp. One of my formative festival memories is watching a lanky Jarvis Cocker hump a giant neon Pulp sign while singing Disco 2000 at Reading festival. I was at a liberal arts uni at the time and the lyrics of Common People had never made more sense to me.

    As expert in popular music Mark Higgins writes, it’s a common misconception that Pulp were Brit Pop. In fact, they were founded in 1978 and their sound and whole shtick were quite a part from the 60’s mania of Britpop boy bands. Listening to the first single of this album Higgins notes, however, that the nostalgia for a better time seems to have hit Pulp belatedly as they wax lyrical about 90s.

    Next week, the band release their first album since 2001’s We Love Life. In the lead up to the release of their album More, I have been rediscovering their back catalogue and I would highly recommend you all do the same this sunny weekend.

    More by Pulp is out June 6



    Read more:
    Pulp are back and more wistfully Britpop than before

    – ref. A film about long healing walk by the sea, the end of a dystopian series and a whimsical comfort watch – what to see, watch, read and listen to this week – https://theconversation.com/a-film-about-long-healing-walk-by-the-sea-the-end-of-a-dystopian-series-and-a-whimsical-comfort-watch-what-to-see-watch-read-and-listen-to-this-week-257849

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – EP leaders visit Copenhagen ahead of the Danish EU Presidency

    Source: European Parliament

    European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, and political group leaders will visit Copenhagen on Tuesday to prepare the upcoming Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

    EP leaders will meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. They will also have an audience with Their Majesties King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark and meet with Folketinget.

    War in Ukraine, the climate crisis, and global trade tensions are putting significant strain on the EU’s capacity to act. On 1 July, Denmark assumes the Presidency of the Council of the EU, taking on a central role in shaping the direction of the Union.

    In preparation for assuming the Presidency of the Council, Copenhagen will welcome the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents (President Roberta Metsola and political group leaders) on Tuesday 3 June. The conference will discuss priorities of the forthcoming Danish Presidency with government officials and members of the Danish parliament (Folketinget).

    “Denmark takes the EU steering wheel at a time of war on our continent, global trade tensions and economic pressure. Security, sustainability and competitiveness are the right focus. From strengthening our defence to cutting red tape for business, from energy security to digital leadership – Europe must act. I look forward to working with the Danish Presidency to deliver,” says Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, ahead of the visit.

    Following their meeting, President Roberta Metsola and PM Mette Frederiksen will speak to the press at 11:25. It will be live on the EP multimedia centre and on EbS. Journalists can register their attendance via this link, where you can also find more information about the visit.

    Denmark will hold the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU from July to December 2025, after which Cyprus will assume the presidency.

    What is the Conference of Presidents?

    The Conference of Presidents in the European Parliament is the political body responsible for organising and coordinating the Parliament’s work. The Conference is composed of the President of the European Parliament, the leaders of the political groups in the European Parliament, and a non-voting representative of the non-attached Members.

    Traditionally, the Conference of Presidents travels to the country preparing to take over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, in order to engage in preparatory discussions and ensure a shared understanding of, as well as joint action on the upcoming priorities.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    June 2, 2025

  • India, Oman close to finalizing free trade agreement: Piyush Goyal

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India is nearing the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Oman, with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal indicating that an announcement could be made soon. The move is expected to significantly boost bilateral trade and investment flows between the two countries.

    “I think you will see some good news very soon on the Oman FTA,” Goyal told journalists during his ongoing official visit to France, where he is promoting Indian trade and investment interests. He is also scheduled to attend a ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Tuesday.

    Negotiations for the proposed India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) began in November 2023. Goyal’s visit to Oman in late January 2025, where he co-chaired the 11th session of the India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting with Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Oman’s Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion, marked a key step in advancing the talks.

    During the high-level meeting, both ministers reviewed bilateral relations and held in-depth discussions on cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, technology, food security, and renewable energy. They agreed to accelerate negotiations for the CEPA, with the aim of signing the agreement at the earliest.

    Describing the CEPA as a potential milestone in India-Oman relations, officials said the pact could significantly expand two-way trade and investments.

    Oman is India’s third-largest export destination among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations. In 2024-25, bilateral trade between the two countries stood at approximately USD 10.5 billion, with Indian exports worth USD 4 billion and imports valued at USD 6.54 billion.

    (With IANS inputs)

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Craig, Senators Klobuchar and Smith, Gov. Walz, Statewide and Local Officials Break Ground on US 169 Interchange Project

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)

    JORDAN, MN – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig (MN-02), Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and Governor Tim Walz joined statewide and local officials to break ground on the US 169 & Highway 282/County Highway 9 Interchange Project in Scott County. 

    The project was funded, in part, by an $8 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant, which was granted to Scott County and their project partners – the City of Jordan and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) –through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Rep. Craig and Senators Klobuchar and Smith played an integral role in securing the RAISE grant.

    “The federal, state and local partnership of this project, in particular, is incredibly critical,” said Rep. Craig in her remarks. “I remember the first time I visited down here, I looked at the possibilities and all I saw was economic opportunity for the state of Minnesota and for the Jordan area with this project, so it has been a true honor to work with so many mayors here to be able to get this across the finish line.”

    Once completed, the project will replace the last signalized highway intersection within 50 miles of the Twin Cities with an interchange, creating a 75-mile stoplight free zone to improve a key interregional corridor in Minnesota that is essential for commuters, local residents and business owners. 

    This will also include a grade-separated interchange at TH-282/County Highway 9 and a bridge over the Union Pacific rail line, as well as a roundabout, a multi-use path and underpass of US 169, floodway improvements, stormwater improvements, and frontage roads. 

    In 2021, Rep. Craig wrote a letter to former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg advocating for the RAISE grant application and in 2022, Rep. Craig secured $1.12 million for the City of Jordan US 169 Multi-Use Trail Underpassthrough the annual funding bill. 

    You can view Rep. Craig’s full remarks here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: 8 injured in Colorado ‘targeted terror attack’

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

    Eight people were injured Sunday in “a targeted terror attack” in Boulder, Colorado, authorities said.

    The suspect was identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, said Mark Michalek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denver office, on Sunday evening at a news conference.

    Boulder police confirmed Sunday night that eight people, namely four women and four men, were injured in the attack. Officials initially told news outlets that six victims had been taken to hospitals.

    The 45-year-old suspect was allegedly heard yelling “Free Palestine” while using a “makeshift flamethrower” during the attack. He was also reportedly heard yelling “They are killers” and “How many children you killed.”

    Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said at a news conference that Boulder dispatch received several calls reporting an incident at the county courthouse in downtown Boulder at approximately 1:26 p.m. local time (1926 GMT).

    Police officers found several victims suffering from burns and other injuries upon arriving at the scene.

    An organizer with Run For Their Lives, a group that holds weekly walks to raise awareness about Israeli hostages held in Gaza — told local television station KUSA that a man was waiting with bottles when they arrived at the historic courthouse near 13th and Pearl Streets.

    The suspect threw the bottles, burning multiple people, including a woman who was severely injured and had to roll on the ground to extinguish the flames, according to the report.

    One of the victims is a Holocaust survivor, said the report.

    In a social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel said, “We are aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado.”

    White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor Stephen Miller said in a social media post that the terror attack was committed by “an illegal alien.”

    Fox News reported that Soliman is an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa after entering the United States, citing Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sources.

    CNN reported authorities are working to determine whether the suspect may have suffered mental health issues.

    “He’s shirtless, screaming, used rudimentary (explosive) devices, and stuck around to be arrested,” a source told CNN.

    Colorado Governor Jared Polis condemned the attack as a “heinous and targeted act on the Jewish community” in a statement.

    “Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all, and I condemn this act of terror. The suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Today, NSU opened an internship program for foreign specialists in the field of engineering InteRussia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Today, June 2, NSU hosted the grand opening of the InteRussia 2025 internship program for foreign specialists. This is the second internship of this kind that is taking place at Novosibirsk State University. This time, 17 students from 14 countries, such as Chile, Jordan, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Albania, Serbia, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Indonesia, Ecuador, Uzbekistan and Tanzania, came to NSU.

    The internship is conducted by the Gorchakov Fund, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the ANO “Mezhdunarodniki” with the support of the Directorate of the World Youth Festival and the Presidential Grants Fund.

    For a month — from June 2 to June 29 — young researchers will be trained at the university in the promising areas of “Artificial Intelligence and Medicine” and “Modern Quantum and Information Technologies in Electronics and Photonics”. The school participants will work in one of two groups in accordance with the chosen area. The event will result in the preparation and presentation of their own scientific project.

    — We are organizing the internship for the second time, but we already see that our program is in great demand — this year, more than 160 applications were submitted, so the competition was almost 10 people per place. As a result, the best students who passed a tough and competitive selection came here. This year, we decided to make only two directions, and not three, as it was a year ago. We left the direction “Artificial Intelligence and Medicine”, since the 2024 internship showed that this topic is very interesting and in demand. We also added a new promising direction related to quantum mechanics. Among other innovations, we increased the duration of the internship from three to four weeks, — said Evgeny Sagaydak, Head of the Education Export Department at NSU.

    Artur Pogosov, Professor of the Department of Semiconductor Physics, Faculty of Physics, NSU, Head of the Department of General Physics Physics Department of NSU, in his welcoming speech to the participants, he spoke a little about the specifics of Akademgorodok and the special atmosphere that characterizes this unique place. He also spoke in more detail about the program of the direction that he supervises – “Modern quantum and information technologies in electronics and photonics”. It will include both lectures from scientists of the SB RAS Research Institute and NSU teachers, and practical computer sessions, during which, using special computational and modeling methods, listeners will be able to delve deeper into quantum mechanics, explore new crystals and new compounds, and model the processes occurring in them.

    Evgeny Pavlovsky, Head of the Laboratory of Streaming Data Analytics and Machine Learning Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of NSU and head of the Artificial Intelligence and Medicine department, noted that the students will have the opportunity not only to expand their knowledge, but also to present their projects, since one of the school’s goals is to ensure that the participants continue their research after completing their internship.

    The audience of the program was greeted by the leading specialist of the A.M. Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Support Fund Ilya Demkin. He thanked the partners for their cooperation, spoke about the activities of the Fund and about the internship program for foreign specialists in various fields of InteRussia. In addition, he noted that for the audience, participation in this event is an excellent opportunity to gain new knowledge in one of the best Russian universities, take thematic courses from leading experts, take part in innovative professional master classes in one of two areas, and exchange experience with colleagues from different countries.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: DNO Contemplates Hybrid Bond Issue

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    2 June 2025 – DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced it has engaged Arctic Securities AS, DNB Carnegie (a part of DNB Bank ASA) and Pareto Securities AS as Joint Bookrunners to arrange fixed income investor meetings. Subject to inter alia market conditions and acceptable terms, a new subordinated hybrid bond issue may follow.

    –

    For further information, please contact:
    Media: media@dno.no
    Investors: investor.relations@dno.no

    –

    DNO ASA is a Norwegian oil and gas operator active in the Middle East, the North Sea and West Africa. Founded in 1971 and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the Company holds stakes in onshore and offshore licenses at various stages of exploration, development and production in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Norway, the United Kingdom, Côte d’Ivoire and Yemen. More information is available at www.dno.no.

    This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock exchange notice was published by Jostein Løvås, DNO ASA Communication Manager, on the time and date set out above.

    The MIL Network –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Vodafone Qatar selects Nokia in major network modernization deal to drive expanded 5G coverage, reliability, and services

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release
    Vodafone Qatar selects Nokia in major network modernization deal to drive expanded 5G coverage, reliability, and services

    • The deal entails Core modernization, expanded 5G capacity, and enhanced broadband to strengthen network reliability, service offering, and efficiency.

    2 June 2025
    Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced a major agreement with Vodafone Qatar to lead a nationwide network modernization that will enable the operator to deliver faster, more secure, and highly adaptable 5G services to consumers and businesses across the country, while preparing the network for next-generation innovations.

    In a major expansion of the two companies’ partnership, Vodafone Qatar will leverage Nokia’s end-to-end technology to boost network capacity and reduce latency while accelerating time-to-market with new capabilities and introducing greater agility through automation and enhanced security measures.

    As demand for high-speed connectivity surges in Qatar’s rapidly growing digital economy where the ICT sector is forecast to grow at an 8.5% annual rate through 2030, the operator is committed to meet those needs. Nokia’s solutions will help transform the network with intelligent broadband access, new enterprise offerings provided through 5G slicing, and infrastructure that can easily evolve as digital applications advance.

    “Vodafone Qatar continuously embraces new opportunities to deploy emerging technologies as part of its commitment to driving digital transformation in Qatar, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. Our work with Nokia enables us to become more agile and responsive to the evolving needs of customers and businesses. By integrating advanced fiber, mobile, and cloud capabilities, we are shaping a smarter, more secure network that can support everything from customized home Wi-Fi to the latest enterprise technologies,” said Sheikh Hamad Abdulla Jassim Al-Thani, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Qatar.

    “This collaboration reflects the depth of our portfolio and the strength of our partnership with Vodafone Qatar. Through more flexible scaling, reliability, and near zero-touch automation that our advanced core and broadband solutions deliver, Nokia will provide greater network agility and service offerings, and provide our partner with all the tools they need to more efficiently manage and extract greater value from their network assets,” said Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services, Nokia.

    Nokia’s multi-cloud core software solutions, including Packet Core, Converged Charging, and Networks Data Analytics Function, running on the latest cloud technologies will bring cloud-native grade automation, agility, and scalability to Vodafone Qatar’s multi-access core network.

    Nokia Digital Operations software will boost the operator’s journey towards fully autonomous networks with end-to-end orchestration, 5G slicing automation, and AI-driven assurance, enabling rapid delivery and highest reliability of services.

    Nokia’s integration of automation across IP and optical networks, provided by NSP, combined with a five-year managed services agreement for core operations, will help accelerate service rollouts, reduce costs, and ensure a future-ready network architecture.

    Together, these advancements will set a new standard for end-to-end digital transformation in Qatar and reaffirm Nokia’s position as a trusted technology partner for service providers worldwide.

    Multimedia, technical information and related news
    Web Page: Cloud and Network Services
    Web Page: Mobile Networks
    Web Page: Network Infrastructure

    About Nokia
    At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

    As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation. 

    With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable, and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

    About Vodafone Qatar P.Q.S.C
    Vodafone Qatar P.Q.S.C. (“Vodafone Qatar”) provides a comprehensive range of services including voice, messaging, data, fixed communications, IoT and ICT managed services in the State of Qatar, for both consumers and businesses alike. The Company commenced commercial operations in 2009 and has 2.1 million mobile customers as of 31 March 2025. Its state-of-the-art network infrastructure is expanding to cover key locations in the country with fibre connectivity and 5G, along with an extensive digital ecosystem, which will contribute to Qatar’s continued growth and prosperity. Vodafone Qatar’s vision is deeply rooted in its mission to connect today’s ideas with the technologies of tomorrow by pioneering digital innovation and becoming people’s first choice in telecom and digital services. Please visit www.vodafone.qa for more details.

    Media inquiries
    Nokia Press Office
    Email: Press.Services@nokia.com

    Vodafone Qatar Media Relations
    Email: mediarelations.qatar@vodafone.qa

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    The MIL Network –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wilson Statement on the Murder of Two Members of the Israeli Embassy Staff

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Joe Wilson (2nd District of South Carolina)

    Washington, D.C. – Congressman Joe Wilson issued the following statement on the murder of two members of the Israeli Embassy staff in Washington, D.C.: 

         “My sincerest condolences to the families of the bright staffers whose lives were senselessly taken by a coward while attending an event representing peace and a positive future for Jewish communities around the world. Remarking on the ‘beautiful couple,’ Israel Ambassador Yechiel Leiter spoke of Israeli and American resilience and together overcoming moral depravity. 

         “I am grateful that Attorney General Pam Bondi, Washington, D.C. Chief of Police Pamela Smith, and the highest levels of law enforcement are dedicated to justice and eliminating the scourge of anti-Jewish hatred in our streets.”

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: CONGRESSMAN BISHOP STATEMENT ON THE KILLING OF ISRAEL EMBASSY EMPLOYEES IN WASHINGTON, DC

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)

    WASHINGTON – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) issued the following statement in response to the killing of two Israel Embassy employees last night in Washington, DC:

    “It is heartbreaking that these two young Israel Embassy employees who were attending an event dedicated to peace were cut down in the prime of their lives. Antisemitism and political violence have no place in a civilized society. May the memories of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim be a blessing.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese well-drilling technology turns Egypt’s deserts into farmland

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

    As summer begins, patches of lush farmland stretch across Egypt’s Western Desert, an area that, until recently, was dominated by sand and rocks. Thanks to the deep wells drilled by the Egypt branch of China’s Zhongman Petroleum and Natural Gas Group (ZPEC), wheat, alfalfa and potatoes now thrive in tidy rows under the desert sun.

    These wells, part of a broader effort to reclaim desert land for agriculture, have transformed the barren landscape into productive farmland, offering a model for sustainable development in arid regions and underscoring the potential of international cooperation in addressing food security and ecological restoration.

    The project is an example of the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. In Egypt, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has evolved into a platform for transformative collaboration, extending beyond infrastructure to encompass agriculture, technology and industry. By tackling pressing challenges such as food insecurity, unemployment and technological gaps, the initiative is helping to lay the groundwork for more resilient and sustainable growth.

    Drilling for resource of life

    Egypt, home to over 100 million people, grapples with the daunting task of expanding farmland in a country where only about 4 percent of the land is arable. To reduce reliance on food imports, the Egyptian government has stepped up efforts to reclaim desert land since 2015, with water sources development a crucial part of this push.

    ZPEC, operating in Egypt since 2016, has played a key role. Its teams — composed of Chinese and Egyptian employees — have drilled more than 680 wells across the country, from the Sinai Peninsula to Aswan.

    This photo taken on May 3, 2025 shows a well-drilling rig at night at the site of Owainat Water Well Project in the desert of New Valley Governorate, Egypt. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Zhao Baojiang, project manager for ZPEC’s Owainat well-drilling operation in Egypt, said his team has drilled 63 wells, each about 450 meters deep, in less than a year by overcoming such challenges as extreme temperatures, sandstorms, complex geology and logistical hurdles.

    “We’re having our first wheat harvest this year, and we’re very happy to cooperate with the Chinese company,” said Abou-elKhier Ibrahim, manager of the Owainat sector of the Future of Egypt agricultural project.

    Wheat, Egypt’s dietary cornerstone, is in high demand. According to a report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, per capita wheat consumption in Egypt averages about 146 kg annually.

    Mohamed Elhosary, electromechanical division manager of the Owainat sector of the Future of Egypt agricultural project, estimated that each feddan (about 0.42 hectares) of the farmland in Owainat can yield 3 tons of wheat.

    “The yield from each feddan is sufficient to cover the annual wheat consumption of at least 20 Egyptians,” Zhao Wutao, general manager of the ZPEC branch in Egypt, told Xinhua.

    Innovation brings benefits

    In Minya Province, 360 km south of Cairo, ZPEC is also supporting the farm of Canal Sugar Company, a joint venture between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The farm allocated a significant portion of its land to sugar beet production for a large-scale local refinery.

    ZPEC engineers faced technical hurdles there as well. According to Abumesalam Mohamed Gouda, operations manager of ZPEC’s Egypt branch, the groundwater layer in Minya’s desert is unstable, and large-diameter drilling poses risks of collapse and leakage.

    Workers operate on a well-drilling rig at the site of Owainat Water Well Project in the desert of New Valley Governorate, Egypt, on May 3, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    To address these issues, the company’s technical team introduced air foam drilling technology, which uses stable foam as drilling fluid to prevent leakage and increase efficiency. This method was later shared with local companies to help improve their performance.

    Hassan Gamal, technical manager of the Canal Sugar farm, said that the 193 wells drilled by ZPEC can irrigate 30,000 feddans (12,600 hectares) of land. In 2023 alone, the farm planted 22,000 feddans (9,240 hectares) of beets, which were processed into sugar and sold widely. “This wouldn’t have been possible without ZPEC’s wells,” he said.

    Beyond agriculture, ZPEC’s work has also supported local employment and skills training.

    Mohamed Gaber, who joined ZPEC as a worker five years ago, is now a platform manager. He credited his Chinese colleagues for teaching him skills and helping him navigate challenges. “I always strive to do my best with the support of teammates, and I’m proud to grow in such a team,” he said.

    Growing Partnership

    For many Egyptians, these projects represent more than infrastructure — they represent progress toward greater food security, stable income, and a hopeful future, experts said, expressing their eagerness to expand collaboration with Chinese enterprises.

    “This is a notable and very positive contribution by the Chinese company in advancing agricultural development in Egypt,” Ahmed Galal, dean of the Higher Institute for Agricultural Cooperation in Cairo, told Xinhua.

    “Any efforts in extracting water or increasing Egypt’s water resources directly lead to positive results for agricultural development in Egypt … We certainly hope it continues,” he said.

    The well-drilling project is just part of broader cooperation between Egypt and China under the BRI. Other projects include the Central Business District of Egypt’s new administrative capital, a textile city in Sadat City, and the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in Ain Sokhna. These ventures are seen by Egyptian experts as essential engines for job creation, industrialization and joint development.

    This photo taken on May 3, 2025 shows makeshift rooms for workers at the site of Owainat Water Well Project in the desert of New Valley Governorate, Egypt. [Photo/Xinhua]

    “China is now increasingly viewed as a development partner that contributes to job creation and improved living standards,” said Waleed Gaballah, a member of the Egyptian Association for Political Economy, Statistics and Legislation.

    He stressed China’s leadership in renewable energy, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing. “Providing access to these technologies at a reasonable cost to countries participating in the BRI could make a major shift in the way of life in their societies.”

    Echoing his view, Galal said he looks forward to more Chinese investment in his country, as the ongoing Egypt-China cooperation under the BRI is “fruitful and promising.”

    “We in Egypt truly need all such investments. I also hope this cooperation grows in all fields, because it is, first of all, mutually beneficial — a win-win situation in terms of shared gains and joint development,” he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China ready for challenge ahead of crucial away match in FIFA World Cup qualifiers

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

    China’s forward Zhang Yuning expressed confidence on Sunday, saying the team is ready to secure a victory in a decisive away match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers against Indonesia.

    Zhang praised the team’s preparation following its final public training session in Shanghai, saying, “We focused on key techniques like offense, defense, and set-pieces. We’ve performed well, but in matches, we must be able to adapt flexibly to on-the-spot situations.”

    “This is a battle for survival. Victory is the only option. There’s no room for retreat,” Zhang emphasized, adding that as the away side, China must turn pressure into momentum and showcase its strengths, training results, and team unity.

    Wang Yudong, a rising star on the squad, said, “The veterans always share their experience. My role is to focus on the game, using speed and skills to challenge the opponents and help create an edge for the team.”

    China is scheduled to face Indonesia on June 5, followed by its final group match at home against Bahrain on June 10 in Chongqing, southwest China.

    Currently, China sits at the bottom of Group C with six points, level with Bahrain and three points behind fourth-placed Indonesia. To advance to the playoffs as the group’s fourth team, China must win both remaining matches. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Eugene Doyle: Writing in the time of the Gaza genocide

    COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle

    I want to share a writer’s journey — of living and writing through the Genocide.  Where I live and how I live could not be further from the horror playing out in Gaza and, increasingly, on the West Bank.

    Yet, because my country provides military, intelligence and diplomatic support to Israel and the US, I feel compelled to answer the call to support Palestine by doing the one thing I know best: writing.

    I live in a paradise that supports genocide
     I am one of the blessed of the earth. I’m surrounded by similarly fortunate people. I live in a heart-stoppingly beautiful bay.

    Even in winter I swim in the marine reserve across the road from our house.  Seals, Orca, all sorts of fish, octopus, penguins and countless other marine life so often draw me from my desk towards the rocky shore.  My home is on the Wild South Coast of Wellington. Every few days our local Whatsapp group fires a message, for example:  “Big pod of dolphins heading into the bay!”

    I live in Aotearoa New Zealand, a country that, in the main, is yawning its way through a genocide and this causes me daily frustration and pain.  It drives me back to the keyboard.

    I am surrounded by good friends and suffer no fears for my security. I am materially comfortable and well-fed. I love being a writer. Who could ask for more?

    I write, on average, a 1200-word article per week. It’s a seven days a week task and most of my writing time is spent reading, scouring news sites from around the world, note-taking, fact-checking, fretting, talking to people and thinking about the story that will emerge, always so different from my starting concept.

    I’m in regular contact with historians, ex-diplomats, geopolitical analysts, writers and activists from around the world and count myself fortunate to know these exceptional people.

    This article is different, simpler; it is personal — one person’s experience of writing from the far periphery of the conflict.

    I don’t want to live in a country that turns a blind or a sleep-laden eye to one of the great crimes against humanity. I have come to the hurtful realisation that I have a very different worldview from most people I know and from most people I thought I knew.

    Fortunately, I have old friends who share in this struggle and I have made many new friends here in New Zealand and across the world who follow their own burning hearts and work every day to challenge the role our governments play in supporting Israel to destroy the lives of millions of innocent people. To me, these people — and above all the Palestinian people in their steadfast resistance — are the heroes who fuel my life.

    Writing is fighting
     Most of us have multiple demands on our time; three of my good writer friends are grappling with cancer, another lost his job for challenging the official line and now must work long hours in a menial day job to keep the family afloat. Despite these challenges they all head to the keyboard to continue the struggle.  Writing is fighting.

    There’s so little we can all do but, as Māori people say: “ahakoa he iti, he pounamu” – it may only be a little but every bit counts, every bit is as precious as jade.

    That sentiment is how movements for change have been built – anti-Vietnam war, anti-nuclear, anti-Apartheid — all of them pro-humanity, all of them about standing with the victims not with the oppressors, nor on the sideline muttering platitudes and excuses.  As another writer said: “Washing one’s hands of the struggle between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.” (Paolo Friere)  Back to the keyboard.

    My life until October 7th was more focussed on environmental issues, community organisation and water politics.  I had ceased being “a writer” years ago.

    One day in October 2023 I was in the kitchen, ranting about what was being done to the Palestinians and what was obviously about to be done to the Palestinians: genocide.  My emotions were high because I had had a deeply unpleasant exchange with a good friend of mine on the golf course (yes, I play golf). He told me that the people of Gaza deserved to be collectively punished for the Hamas attack of October 7th.

    I had angrily shot back at him, correctly but not diplomatically, that this put him shoulder-to-shoulder with the Nazis and all those who imposed collective punishment on civilian populations.  My wife, to her credit, had heard enough: “Get upstairs and write an article!  You have to start writing!”

    It changed my life. She was right, of course.  Impotent rage and parlour-room speeches achieve nothing. Writing is fighting.

    ’40 beheaded babies survived the Hamas attack’
     My first article “40 Beheaded Babies Survived the Hamas Attack” was a warning drawn from history about narratives and what the Americans and Israelis were really softening the ground for. Since then I have had about 70 articles published, all in Australia and New Zealand, some in China, the USA, throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and on all sorts of email databases, including those sent out by the exemplary Ambassador Chas Freeman in the US and another by my good friend and human rights lawyer J V Whitbeck in Paris.

    All my articles are on my own site solidarity.co.nz.

    As with historians, part of a writer’s job is to spot patterns and recurrent themes in stories, to detect lies and expose deeper agendas in the official narratives.  The mainstream media is surprisingly bad at this.  Or chooses to be.

    Just like the Incubator Babies story in Iraq, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in Vietnam, reaching right back to the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana in 1898, propaganda is often used as a prelude to atrocities.  The blizzard of lies after October 7th were designed to be-monster the Palestinians and prepare the ground for what would obviously follow.

    The narrative of beheaded babies promoted by world leaders, including President Biden, was powerfully amplified by our mainstream media; journalists at the highest level of the trade spread the lies.

    I have to tell you, it was frightening in October 2023 to challenge these narratives.  Every day I pored through the Israeli news site Ha’aretz for updates. Eventually the narrative fell apart — but by then the damage was done. Thousands of real babies had been murdered by the Israelis.

    Never before have so many of my fellow writers been killedFollowing events in Palestine closely, it still comes as a shock when a journalist I have read, seen, heard is suddenly killed by the Israelis. This has happened several times. When it does I take a coffee and walk up the ridiculously steep track behind my house and sit high above the bay on a bench seat I built (badly).

    That bench is my “top office” where I like to chew thoughts in my mind as I see the cold waves break on the brown rocks below.  High up there I feel detached and better able to ask and answer the questions I need to process in my writing.

    Why does our media pay little attention to the killing of so many fellow writers?  Why don’t they call out the Israelis for having killed more journalists than any military machine in history? Why the silence around Israel’s  “Where’s Daddy?” killing programme that has silenced so many Palestinian journalists and doctors by tracking their mobile phones and striking with a missile just when they arrive back home to their families?  Why does “the world’s most moral army” commit such ugly crimes? Where’s the solidarity with our fellow journalists?

    Is it because their skin is mainly dark?  Is that why, according to Radio New Zealand’s own report on its Gaza coverage, New Zealanders have more in common with Israelis than we do with Palestinians? RNZ refers to this as our “proximity” to Israelis. They’re right, of course: by failing to shoulder our positive duty to act decisively against Israel and the US we show that we share values with people committing genocide.

    Is this why stories about our own region — Kanaky New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands and so on, get so little coverage? I have heard many times the immense frustration of journalists I know who work on Pacific issues. The answer is simple: we have greater “proximity” to Benjamin Netanyahu than we do to the Polynesians or Melanesians in our own backyard. Really?

    Such questions need answers. Back to the keyboard.

    Solidarity
     I try not to permit myself despair. It’s a privilege we shouldn’t allow ourselves while our government supports the genocide.  Sometimes that’s hard.

    There’s a photo I’ve seen of a Palestinian mother holding her daughter that haunts me.  In traditional thobe, her head covered by her simple robe, she could easily be Mary, mother of Jesus. She stares straight at the camera. Her expression is hard to read. Shock? Disbelief? Wounded humanity?  Blood flows from below her eyes and stains her cheek and chin. Her forehead is blackened, probably from an explosive blast. She holds her child, a girl of perhaps 10, also damaged and blackened from the Israeli attack.  The child is asleep or unconscious; I can’t tell which.  The mother holds her as lovingly, as poignantly, as Mary did to Jesus when he came down from the cross.  La Pietà in Gaza.

    Why do some of us care less about this pair? Where is our humanity that we can let this happen day after day until the last syllable of our sickening rhetoric that somehow we in the West are morally superior has been vomited out.

    I’ll give the last word to another writer:

    “Verily I say unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

    Eugene Doyle is a writer based in Wellington. He has written extensively on the Middle East, as well as peace and security issues in the Asia Pacific region. He contributes to Asia Pacific Report and Café Pacific, and hosts the public policy platform solidarity.co.nz.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Beatty Statement on  Deadly Shooting Outside Capital Jewish Museum

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) released the following statement on the deadly shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum.

    “I am shocked and saddened by the deadly act of antisemitic violence near the Capital Jewish Museum, where an engaged couple—two young Israeli Embassy staffers—were senselessly murdered after attending an event.

    As we await further details, one thing is clear: antisemitism has no place in our country. It must be confronted—boldly and urgently—by all people of conscience.

    I stand with the families of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, and the Jewish community during this painful moment.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Hamas expresses readiness to begin new round of Gaza peace talks

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

    Hamas said on Sunday that it affirms its readiness to begin indirect negotiations over the Gaza ceasefire immediately.

    In a press statement, Hamas expressed its appreciation for the continued efforts by Qatar and Egypt to broker a ceasefire agreement.

    The movement said that it is ready to “immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations” to address the outstanding issues with “the other party.”

    Hamas said the objective of the talks would be to end the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza, ensure the delivery of relief aid to the Palestinian people, and achieve a permanent ceasefire accompanied by the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

    There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli side regarding the Hamas announcement.

    However, Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir has ordered the expansion of the ground operation into additional areas in both the southern and northern parts of the Gaza Strip, according to a statement issued by the Israel Defense Forces.

    He stated that the expansion of activity will continue until conditions are created for the return of the Israeli hostages and the decisive defeat of Hamas. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Hezbollah member killed in Israeli airstrike on S. Lebanon

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

    A Hezbollah member was killed Sunday evening in an Israeli strike targeting a vehicle in southern Lebanon, according to a statement from the Public Health Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health.

    Security sources told Xinhua that the slain Hezbollah member was Mohammad Ali Srour, from the village of Aita al-Shaab, located in the central sector of southern Lebanon. He was on the Debel road in Bint Jbeil district when the strike targeted him.

    The airstrike came despite a U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel that has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024. The deal ended more than a year of cross-border hostilities triggered by the war in the Gaza Strip.

    Nevertheless, the Israeli military continues to carry out occasional strikes inside Lebanon, which it says are aimed at neutralizing “threats” posed by Hezbollah. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 2, 2025

  • Russia and Ukraine step up the war on eve of peace talks

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    On the eve of peace talks, Ukraine and Russia sharply ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of their conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an ambitious attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia.

    After days of uncertainty over whether Ukraine would even attend, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Defence Minister Rustem Umerov would meet Russian officials at the second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday.

    The first round of the talks more than a week ago yielded the biggest prisoner exchange of the war – but no sense of any consensus on how to halt the fighting.

    Amid talk of peace, though, there was much war.

    At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia’s Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has claimed responsibility.

    Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4,300 km (2,670 miles) away.

    Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed “Operation Spider’s Web,” planned for more than a year and a half.

    The intelligence official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases.

    A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said. The SBU estimated the damage at $7 billion and said Russia had lost 34% of its strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields.

    Zelenskiy expressed delight at the “absolutely brilliant outcome,” and noted 117 drones had been used in the attack.

    “And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently,” he wrote. “This is our longest-range operation.”

    RUSSIA SAYS AIRCRAFT FIRES PUT OUT

    A Ukrainian government official told Reuters that Ukraine did not notify the United States of the attack in advance.

    Russia’s Defence Ministry acknowledged on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine had launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday.

    Air attacks were repelled in all but two regions — Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia – where “the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire.”

    The fires were extinguished without casualties. Some individuals involved in the attacks had been detained, the ministry said.

    Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, the highest nightly total of the war. Russia had also launched seven missiles, the air force said.

    Russia’s military reported new drone attacks into Sunday evening, listing 53 attacks intercepted in a period of less than two hours, including 34 over the border Kursk region. Debris from destroyed drones triggered residential fires.

    Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450 square km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months.

    U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Russia and Ukraine make peace and he has threatened to walk away if they do not – potentially pushing responsibility for supporting Ukraine onto the shoulders of European powers – which have far less cash and much smaller stocks of weapons than the United States.

    According to Trump envoy Keith Kellogg, the two sides will in Turkey present their respective documents outlining their ideas for peace terms, though it is clear that after three years of intense war, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart.

    Russia’s lead negotiator, presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, was quoted by TASS news agency as saying the Russian side had received a memorandum from Ukraine on a settlement.

    Zelenskiy has complained for days that Russia had failed to provide a memorandum with its proposals.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on prospects for a settlement and the forthcoming talks in Turkey, Lavrov’s ministry said.

    Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops. The United States says over 1.2 million people have been killed and injured in the war since 2022.

    In June last year, Putin set out opening terms for an immediate end to the war: Ukraine must drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and mostly controlled by Russia.

    According to a copy of the Ukrainian document seen by Reuters with a proposed roadmap for a lasting peace, there will be no restrictions on Ukraine’s military strength after a deal is struck. Nor will there be international recognition of Russian sovereignty over parts of Ukraine taken by Moscow’s forces, and reparations for Ukraine.

    The document also stated that the current front line will be the starting point for negotiations about territory.

    (Reuters)

    June 2, 2025

  • Man attacks Colorado crowd with firebombs, 6 people injured

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Six people were injured on Sunday when a 45-year-old man yelled “Free Palestine” and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in Boulder, Colorado where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza was taking place, authorities said.

    Six victims aged between 67 and 88 years old were transported to hospitals, the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said. At least one of them was in a critical condition, authorities said.

    “As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism,” Michalek said.

    Michalek named the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, who was hospitalized shortly after the attack. 

    FBI Director Kash Patel also described the incident as a “targeted terror attack,” and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be “a hate crime given the group that was targeted.” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved.

    “We’re fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody,” he said.

    The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, an organization devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel.

    In a statement, the group said the walks have been held every week since then for the hostages, “without any violent incidents until today.”

    The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the United States over Israel’s war in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in antisemitic hate crime as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel led by President Donald Trump to brand pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. His administration has detained protesters of the war without charge and cut off funding to elite U.S. universities that have permitted such demonstrations.

    In a post to X, a social network, Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Soliman had overstayed his visa and been allowed to work by the previous administration. He said it was further evidence of the need to “fully reverse” what he described as “suicidal migration.”

    When asked about Soliman, the Department of Homeland Security said more information would be provided as it became available.

    VICTIMS BURNED

    Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old at the University of Colorado who witnessed the Boulder incident, said she saw four women lying or sitting on the ground with burns on their legs. One of them appeared to have been badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by someone, she said.

    She described seeing a man whom she presumed to be the attacker standing in the courtyard shirtless, holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting.

    “Everybody is yelling, ‘get water, get water,’” Coffman said.

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, said it was an antisemitic attack.

    “This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism,” he said on X.

    The attack follows last month’s arrest of a Chicago-born man in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C. Someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel.

    The shooting fueled polarization in the United States over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

    Colorado Governor Jared Polis posted on social media that it was “unfathomable that the Jewish community is facing another terror attack here in Boulder.”

    (Reuters)

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Garamendi Demands President Trump Prioritize U.S. Leadership in Nuclear Nonproliferation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-08) led a bicameral letter expressing concern about President Trump’s understanding of the important role the United States plays in nuclear weapons safety and nonproliferation. This letter was co-led by the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group Co-Chairs, Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37), Representative Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA-02), and Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA-04).

    Nuclear nonproliferation refers to efforts to deter the spread of nuclear weapons. This happens via discouraging nuclear buildups by countries that already possess nuclear weapons and by working to prevent non-nuclear states from obtaining nuclear weapons.  

    A world with more nuclear weapons is a less safe world. By cutting funding for nonproliferation activities and firing professionals responsible for managing the United States nuclear weapons stockpile, the Trump administration has failed to demonstrate it appreciates this reality.

    In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “Nonproliferation is not just about stopping the spread of nuclear weapons – it also includes securing and disposing of dangerous materials, preventing radioactive materials from falling into the wrong hands, and ensuring compliance with international nuclear agreements and export controls. This work is essential to safeguarding public safety, strengthening global oversight, and preventing nuclear accidents or terrorism.”

    “Nuclear proliferation is a significant threat to U.S. and global security. At this critical juncture, U.S. allies are reevaluating their non-nuclear status, driven in part by concerns that the U.S. may no longer be a reliable partner. A world with more nuclear weapons is one in which every minor conflict has the potential to cause mass casualties, and where terrorists will have more opportunities to attempt to seize nuclear materials and weapons in nuclear-armed countries. A steadfast U.S. commitment to global nuclear security is more crucial than ever.”

    “Underinvestment in nuclear security threatens research and workforce development programs focused on addressing national security challenges such as uranium enrichment, weaponization by foreign actors, the risks posed by artificial intelligence to nuclear security, and technical assistance to U.S. companies developing advanced nuclear reactors.”

    The letter requests the President provide answers to the following questions: 

    • You have stated clearly your intention to “de-nuclearize.” Will your administration prioritize efforts to secure arms control agreements and nuclear nonproliferation?  

    • Does your administration remain committed to the principles of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty? Will you sanction or otherwise condemn any country that withdraws from the treaty to pursue a nuclear weapons program? 

    • Will your administration prioritize preventing uranium or other nuclear material from falling into the wrong hands? Will you commit to maintaining robust investments in global tracking and accounting for nuclear material? 

    • Which specific programs will be affected by the $185 million reduction of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account? Please provide details on specific programs and the amounts their funding will be reduced.  

    • How will the reduction of manpower and nonproliferation funding at NNSA impact its ability to prevent nuclear accidents or threats? 

    The full text of the letter can be found here and below.  

    Dear President Trump:

    We write to strongly urge your administration to prioritize nuclear nonproliferation, and to express concern that recent actions suggest a lack of appreciation for the vital role of U.S. leadership in these efforts.  

    Nonproliferation is not just about stopping the spread of nuclear weapons – it also includes securing and disposing of dangerous materials, preventing radioactive materials from falling into the wrong hands, and ensuring compliance with international nuclear agreements and export controls. This work is essential to safeguarding public safety, strengthening global oversight, and preventing nuclear accidents or terrorism.

    Your administration’s actions have signaled an underappreciation of critical nonproliferation work. These actions include the hasty firing of over 300 National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) employees overseeing the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile in February and the redirection of $185 million from the NNSA’s Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account in the recent full-year Continuing Resolution to the nuclear weapons activities account.  

    Reports also suggest your administration has suspended two key programs that provide vital assistance to international nuclear inspectors, including those monitoring Iran’s nuclear program. There are vacancies at several high-profile arms control and nonproliferation posts across the administration. The potential for large reductions in the workforce at the Department of Energy, including NNSA experts responsible for maintaining a safe and secure nuclear weapons stockpile, are cause for further concern.

    Nuclear proliferation is a significant threat to U.S. and global security. At this critical juncture, U.S. allies are reevaluating their non-nuclear status, driven in part by concerns that the U.S. may no longer be a reliable partner. A world with more nuclear weapons is one in which every minor conflict has the potential to cause mass casualties, and where terrorists will have more opportunities to attempt to seize nuclear materials and weapons in nuclear-armed countries. A steadfast U.S. commitment to global nuclear security is more crucial than ever.

    The 2024 Department of Defense Report on the Nuclear Employment Strategy states that “…deterrence alone will not address strategic dangers. Arms control, risk reduction, and nuclear nonproliferation are indispensable in preserving stability, enhancing predictability, deterring aggression and escalation, reducing the consequences if deterrence fails, and mitigating the risk of nuclear arms racing and nuclear war.”

    The Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) account at NNSA, which is being cut by $185 million, funds essential programs that protect U.S. national security. One is the Office of Global Material Security (GMS), which works globally to prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear or radioactive materials for attacks on the U.S. GMS also collaborates with international partners to secure nuclear materials and combat trafficking. In addition, the DNN account funds the Office of International Nuclear Safeguards, which ensures that countries comply with International Atomic Energy Agency agreements and do not divert nuclear materials to weapons programs or pursue undeclared nuclear activities.

    Underinvestment in nuclear security threatens research and workforce development programs focused on addressing national security challenges such as uranium enrichment, weaponization by foreign actors, the risks posed by artificial intelligence to nuclear security, and technical assistance to U.S. companies developing advanced nuclear reactors.  

    These actions raise serious concerns about your administration’s commitment to nuclear nonproliferation. As such, we respectfully request prompt answers to the following questions:

    • You have stated clearly your intention to “de-nuclearize.” Will your administration prioritize efforts to secure arms control agreements and nuclear nonproliferation? 

    • Does your administration remain committed to the principles of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty? Will you sanction or otherwise condemn any country that withdraws from the treaty to pursue a nuclear weapons program?
    •  

    • Will your administration prioritize preventing uranium or other nuclear material from falling into the wrong hands? Will you commit to maintaining robust investments in global tracking and accounting for nuclear material?

    • Which specific programs will be affected by the $185 million reduction of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account? Please provide details on specific programs and the amounts their funding will be reduced.  

    • How will the reduction of manpower and nonproliferation funding at NNSA impact its ability to prevent nuclear accidents or threats?  

    To ensure international security, the United States must invest in more than just weapons. We cannot afford to abandon our commitment to nuclear nonproliferation or the technical and policy programs that support it. Prioritizing nonproliferation strengthens deterrence, reduces the risks of nuclear accidents or intentional use, promotes international cooperation, and allows for the peaceful and responsible use of nuclear energy.  

    In today’s rapidly changing global environment, the United States commitment to nonproliferation is vital. Continued investment in these efforts will advance international security, stability, and cooperation. For America to lead in creating a safer world, we must reaffirm and uphold our commitment to nuclear nonproliferation.

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Soto, Salazar, Carbajal Re-Introduce Protect Patriot Spouses Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Darren Soto (D-FL)

    The Protect Patriot Spouses Act would help military families of mixed immigration statuses remain together in the United States

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL-09), Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), and Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) re-introduced H.R. 3524, the Protect Patriot Spouses Act, in support of the Juarez family and military spouses facing deportation. The bill would render military spouses eligible for adjustment to permanent resident status by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to remove the inadmissibility standard because of an unlawful entry into the United States by the migrant spouse. It would also allow eligible veteran spouses who have already been removed or voluntarily departed the United States to apply for an immigrant visa from abroad and then become authorized to return to the country while their application is pending.

     In August of 2018, Alejandra Juarez, a Polk County resident of over 20 years, was deported from the United States to Mexico. Alejandra’s husband, Sgt. Temo Juarez, is an Iraq combat veteran who served in the Marines and the Infantry Regiment of the Army National Guard. Together, they raised their two U.S.-born daughters, Pamela and Estela, in Davenport, Florida. Alejandra Juarez was previously granted humanitarian parole by the Biden Administration.

    “In 2018, seven years ago, I joined the Juarez family at the airport in Orlando on the day of Alejandra’s deportation. In that moment, I promised Alejandra and her daughters that we would never stop fighting for them to be reunited. Under the Biden Administration, we were thrilled to see Alejandra receive humanitarian parole and return to Central Florida to be with her family,” said Rep. Soto. “However, this was only a temporary fix, and families are under increased risk due to the current Administration. With the Protect Patriot Spouses Act, we will create a permanent solution for families in this situation.’”

    “The brave men and women who serve our country deserve our complete support and protection. The spouses and families of those who put their lives on the line to protect us should be honored by a grateful nation, not harmed by our broken immigration system,” said Rep. Salazar. “I am proud to join my colleagues, Representatives Soto and Carbajal, in introducing this critical legislation to protect the families of our veterans.”

    “As a veteran and immigrant myself, I find it unconscionable that someone could step up to serve in the military and be willing to sacrifice their life for our country, only to have their family torn apart,” said Rep. Carbajal. “I’m proud to join Congressman Soto in renewing this push to shape an immigration system that is fair, keeps families together, and recognizes the positive contributions immigrants make to our country.”

    During the 117th Congress, the Protect Patriot Spouses Act was included as a provision in H.R. 7946, the Veteran Service Recognition Act, which passed the House of Representatives in December of 2022.

    Earlier this week, Congressman Soto participated in a press conference with Reps. Carbajal and Lou Correa (D-CA-46) to discuss the importance of passing legislation that prevents the deportation and separation of military families. Click here to watch the press conference. 

    For the full text of the bill, please click here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scanlon, Judiciary Democrats Open Investigation into Trump’s Qatari Plane Deal

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon(PA-5)

    Washington, D.C.— Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, today joined Reps. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, in leading Judiciary Committee Democrats to demand that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and White House Counsel’s Office provide legal memoranda that reportedly blessed Donald Trump’s efforts to flout the clear text of the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause in order to justify his accepting a luxury private jet from the State of Qatar without seeking the consent of Congress.

    “President Trump is reportedly relying on memos that you authored, at his request, to accept a $400 million airplane from the State of Qatar—described in media reports as a ‘flying palace’ and ‘the most luxurious private jet in the world’—without obtaining, or even seeking, Congress’s consent. Any legal memo purporting to make such a claim would obviously fly in the face of the text of the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause, which explicitly prohibits the President from accepting any ‘present [or] Emolument . . . of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State’ unless he has ‘the Consent of Congress.’ Accordingly, we are writing to request that you provide the Committee on the Judiciary with these memos immediately as their analysis and conclusions are apparently the basis for the President’s decision to disregard the plain text of the Constitution,” wrote the members.

    On May 11, an ABC News report revealed President Trump’s plans to accept a $400 million private jet from the Qatari Royal Family to use as Air Force One—a lavish and unconstitutional gift which he intends to transfer to his personal presidential library foundation at the conclusion of his term.

    Reports indicate that the DOJ and White House Counsel’s Office are aiding Trump’s efforts to paper over this clear Constitutional violation and reportedly drafted an analysis for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arguing that it is legal for the Department of Defense to accept the aircraft as a gift and later turn it over to Trump’s presidential library.

    The Constitution is clear that Congress—not the Attorney General or the White House Counsel—has the exclusive authority to approve or reject a gift “of any kind whatever” given to the President by a foreign government.

    Attorney General Pam Bondi’s involvement in this matter is particularly egregious given her clear conflict of interest. Bondi was previously a registered foreign agent of the Qatari government, earning $115,000 per month to lobby on its behalf.

    Trump’s acceptance of this unprecedented and unconstitutional gift has sparked bipartisan criticism and outrage, with even Republican Members of Congress and conservative media raising concerns about national security risks and the appearance of corruption. Additionally, this allegedly “free plane” likely will cost taxpayers billions of dollars to overhaul to meet “all the survivability, security and communications requirements of Air Force One.”

    Judiciary Democrats requested that Attorney General Bondi and White House Counsel David Warrington provide all documents and communications related to or purporting to justify or provide legal analysis regarding the constitutionality of the President’s acceptance of the Qatari plane; all documents and communications related to an agreement between the State of Qatar and the United States regarding the transfer of the plane; and all documents related to whether Attorney General Bondi should recuse herself in matters related to emoluments from Qatar.

    The letter comes after Judiciary Democrats filed a Resolution demanding Trump comply with the Constitutional rules on foreign gifts by seeking the consent of Congress before accepting the Qatari plane.

    Find the full letter here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 2, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 2, 2025.

    Your smartphone is a parasite, according to evolution
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael L. Brown, Director of the Centre for Philosophy of the Sciences and Associate Professor of Philosophy, Australian National University vchal/shutterstock, The Conversation Head lice, fleas and tapeworms have been humanity’s companions throughout our evolutionary history. Yet, the greatest parasite of the modern age is no blood-sucking

    As the NRL edges into Darwin, does the AFL need to be more proactive in the NT?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney The Northern Territory government recently announced the Dolphins, the NRL’s newest team that entered the league in 2023, would play a home game at TIO Stadium in Darwin every year from 2026 to 2028. The Dolphins

    What is populism?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Moffitt, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Monash University In 2017, in the wake of Brexit and Donald Trump’s first election win, populism was named the “word of the year” by Cambridge University Press. Almost a decade later, we might have thought the term’s popularity

    Bougainville wants independence. China’s support for a controversial mine could pave the way
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna-Karina Hermkens, Senior Lecturer and Researcher, Anthropology, Macquarie University Bougainville, an autonomous archipelago currently part of Papua New Guinea, is determined to become the world’s newest country. To support this process, it’s offering foreign investors access to a long-shuttered copper and gold mine. Formerly owned by the

    Australia’s plan to protect its trade in war is flawed. We can’t do it with nuclear submarines
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Palazzo, Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW Canberra, UNSW Sydney If war breaks out someday between the United States and China, one of the major concerns for Australia is the impact on its trade. Our trade routes are long and

    Three years after the Jenkins report, there is still work to be done on improving parliament culture
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Maley, Senior Lecturer in Politics, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University Three and a half years ago, then-sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins’ Set the Standard report was handed to federal parliament, commissioned after Brittany Higgins’ allegations of sexual assault in Parliament House, which

    Police aren’t properly trained for mental health crises – but they’re often the first responders. Here’s what works better
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panos Karanikolas, Research officer, Melbourne Social Equity Institute, The University of Melbourne Rosie Marinelli/Shutterstock In an emergency, police are often the first called to the scene. But they are rarely equipped to deal with complex mental health crises. Following recent parliamentary inquiries and royal commissions there has

    These 5 roadblocks are standing in the way of energy-efficient homes
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaime Comber, Senior Research Consultant in Energy Futures, University of Technology Sydney Westend61, GettyImages We all want homes that keep us warm in winter and cool in summer, without breaking the bank. However, Australian homes built before 2003 have a low average energy rating of 1.8 stars

    With interest rates on the way down, could house prices boom? Here’s what research suggests
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Jenny Evans/Stringer/Getty With the Reserve Bank of Australia easing monetary policy, interest rates are on the way down. Already this year, mortgage pre-approvals had begun to rise, suggesting many aspiring home buyers are excited by the prospect of

    Scandalous mormons, dystopian Buenos Aires and Nicolas Cage down under: what to watch in June
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claudia Sandberg, Senior Lecturer, Technology in Culture and Society, The University of Melbourne As we head into a new month of streaming, here’s a fresh wave of TV ready to challenge, transport and entertain you. This month’s picks span genre and geography, from an eerie dystopian Buenos

    How Israel manufactured a looting crisis to cover up its Gaza famine
    By Muhammad Shehada Since the onset of its genocide, Israel has persistently pushed a narrative that the famine devastating Gaza is not of its own making, but the result of “Hamas looting aid”. This claim, repeated across mainstream media and parroted by officials, has been used to deflect responsibility for what many human rights experts

    PNG faces deadline for fixing issues with money laundering and terrorist financing
    ANALYSIS: By Scott Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG correspondent Papua New Guinea has five months remaining to fix its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) systems or face the severe repercussions of being placed on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) “grey list”. The FATF has imposed an October 2025 deadline, and the government is scrambling

    Phil Goff: Israel doesn’t care how many innocent people, children it’s killing
    COMMENTARY: By Phil Goff “What we are doing in Gaza now is a war of devastation: indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians. It’s the result of government policy — knowingly, evilly, maliciously, irresponsibly dictated.” This statement was made not by a foreign or liberal critic of Israel but by the former Prime Minister

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Scandalous mormons, dystopian Buenos Aires and Nicolas Cage down under: what to watch in June

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Claudia Sandberg, Senior Lecturer, Technology in Culture and Society, The University of Melbourne

    As we head into a new month of streaming, here’s a fresh wave of TV ready to challenge, transport and entertain you.

    This month’s picks span genre and geography, from an eerie dystopian Buenos Aires, to a witty, awkward cyborg hero. Reality TV also gets a scandalous twist with the return of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. And Deaf President Now! delivers a powerful documentary on a historical milestone for Deaf rights.

    There’s something for every kind of viewer — and every kind of mood.

    The Eternaut

    Netflix

    Argentine sci-fi The Eternaut opens with a group of old friends in Buenos Aires meeting to play the card game truco on a hot summer night – when things suddenly get eerie.

    The power goes out and a poisonous snowfall starts to blanket the city, killing thousands of people instantly. The survivors must get answers, quickly, as they start to grasp the true strength of their invisible enemy.

    Based on Héctor Germán Oesterheld’s 1950s comic of the same name, The Eternaut portrays apocalypse through a deeply local and political lens – and in doing so has struck a chord in Argentina.

    Directed by Bruno Stagnaro and led by Argentine film icon Ricardo Darín, as protagonist Juan Salvo, the series emphasises the power of collective heroism, and subtly critiques the current government’s uncompromising neoliberal approach.

    It also pulses with national pride. Buenos Aires is not glamorized; real neighbourhoods are shown as classic Argentine tango, rock and folk plays in the background. Most importantly, Argentine identity is celebrated through themes of community spirit, grassroots resistance, and ingenuity in times of crisis.

    The Eternaut feels both timely and timeless. Its slogan, “no one survives alone,” resonates for a country that has been long marked by both trauma and resistance efforts.

    Its emotional weight is further deepened by Oesterheld’s legacy, including the tragic disappearance of him and his family members under the military rule of the 1970s.

    With a second season on the way, this series is a powerful ode to Argentina.

    – Claudia Sandberg



    Read more:
    Why Netflix’s The Eternaut is one of the most important shows to come out of Argentina in recent years

    Murderbot

    Apple TV+

    Murderbot, Apple’s adaptation of Martha Wells’ science-fiction novella, All Systems Red (2017) is a satisfying combination of action, sci-fi and comedy. The show centres on a security unit (SecUnit) – an indentured private security cyborg – who secretly cracks the programming of its governing chip, granting itself autonomy.

    Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård), as it dubs itself, is both horrified and fascinated by humans. It’s far more afraid of eye contact, emotions and direct conversation than any physical danger. It’s also obsessed with mainlining media, particularly the ridiculous soap opera The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.

    Murderbot is hired, reluctantly, by some hippy scientists from a group of “freehold” planets – ones that exist outside the Corporation Rim – to act as protection on a scientific expedition. It goes quickly awry.

    Wells’ award-winning novella, the first in an equally good series, limits us to the first-person perspective of the sarcastic cyborg. The series expands this frame beautifully, building on the source material’s dry humour to create a world that is both goofy and grounded.

    And while there are serious themes at play, such as the way SecUnits are effectively enslaved, and the violent capitalist dominance of the Corporation Rim, the show is not heavy. Skarsgård offers a pitch-perfect performance of the awkward, anxious robot – its eyes flickering in horror as the scientists try to befriend it.

    The opening minutes of the first episode are clumsy and on-the-nose, but ignore them. This otherwise well-designed and well-directed show cracks along with brisk, highly-entertaining 22-minute episodes.

    – Erin Harrington

    The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, season two

    Disney+

    Season one of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had us hooked at the end of 2024. Now, the women have returned for an explosive 10-episode second season.

    The reality series follows a group of Mormon women living in Utah. While the title may have you anticipating stories of faith and motherhood, the show is more focused on the personal lives of Mormon mothers who rose to TikTok fame due to scandal and infamy.

    Season one saw the women grapple with balancing traditional Mormon values with their online lives and subsequent businesses (along with the fallout from a “soft-swinging scandal”). Season two further highlights infidelity, jealously and money.

    Old characters are brought back, with finger-pointing ex-husbands and former alienated friends adding to the fray. Police are called, insults are thrown and many of the women delve deeper into their pasts.

    The show flips flops between difficult moments such as processing the death of loved ones and difficult pregnancies, with parties and poorly executed party games. At one point the women play pregnancy roulette (a game no one should recommend), and take pregnancy tests which are anonymously read out to the group. Chaos ensues.

    And after watching, you can search for the TikTok accounts of the stars and watch new drama unfold in real-time – or watch them “correct” and expand on past situations based on their own perspectives – far removed from show’s editors.

    – Edith Jennifer Hill

    Deaf President Now!

    Apple TV+

    Deaf President Now! is a stirring documentary about an iconic student uprising at Gallaudet University, the world’s only Deaf university, in 1988. The film chronicles how Deaf students – tired of being led by hearing leadership – decided to take things in their own hands come the 1988 Gallaudet presidential election.

    With two of the three candidates being Deaf, the appointment of Elisabeth Zinser, a hearing candidate unfamiliar with Deaf culture, sparked outrage. Fuelled by decades of marginalisation, the students barricaded campus gates, burned effigies of Zinser and marched to the Capitol, calling for Deaf leadership in Deaf spaces.

    It worked. The protest forced Zinser’s resignation and ushered in Irving King Jordan, Gallaudet’s first Deaf president.

    The film juxtaposes historic footage with present-day interviews with key leaders of the movement, allowing them to tell their stories their own way. These reflections, delivered in American Sign Language (ASL), underscore how storytelling itself can become an act of resistance for Deaf people.

    At the same time, the documentary wrestles with a paradox. Co-directed by Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco and hearing filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, the film exemplifies how Deaf storytelling still often has hearing involvement, especially when the story is packaged for a mainstream audience.

    Nevertheless, the release of Deaf President Now! couldn’t have been more timely. With disability rights in the United States threatened under Trump, the film is a call to action. It reminds us Deaf culture isn’t just about language: it’s about Pride, self-determination and visibility.

    – Gemma King, Samuel Martin and Sofya Gollan



    Read more:
    Deaf President Now! traces the powerful uprising that led to Deaf rights in the US – now again under threat

    The Surfer

    Stan, from June 15

    In Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer, our unnamed protagonist (Nicolas Cage) is returning to his former Australian home from the United States. He is newly divorced, and trying to buy a beachside property to win back his family.

    He takes his teenage son (Finn Little) for a surf near the property, but they are run off by an unfriendly pack of locals.

    Returning alone to the beachside car park to make some calls, he is besieged there by the same gang, and this continues over the next several days. The gang is led by a terrifying middle-aged Andrew Tate-esque influencer, Scally (Julian McMahon), who runs the beach like a combination of a frat bro party and wellness retreat.

    It is impossible to think of an actor other than Cage who could make a character like this so enjoyable to watch. Cage’s distinctively American confidence has no resistance to the terrifying switches of Australian masculinity from friendly to teasing to violent.

    The Surfer is an absolute blast. A lot of the fun is in anticipating each dreadful humiliation – and it somehow turning out worse than you could have expected.

    The Surfer beautifully captures the natural surroundings, stunning views and shimmering heat of Australian coastal summer. At the same time, a confined, semi-urban feature like a beachside car park feels bleak and uninviting.

    As a film setting, it is both a spectacular wide-open vista and stiflingly claustrophobic – a perfect mechanism for The Surfer’s psychological horror.

    – Grace Russell



    Read more:
    Dishevelled, dehydrated delirium: new Aussie film The Surfer, starring Nicolas Cage, is an absolute blast

    Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story

    Netflix

    The story of serial killers, Fred and Rose West, has been highly narrativised since their shocking crimes were discovered in Gloucester in 1994. The horror of the Wests lies in the juxtaposition of their seemingly ordinary suburban family and what was hidden beneath the foundations of their home.

    Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story takes us back to the moment of that revelation via previously unheard interview tapes and recordings of the property search – and of Rose while she was kept in a safe house. Family home videos add to the disturbing sense of the couple’s duplicity.

    Interviews with the family of some of the victims emphasise the ongoing pain caused by the Wests, who preyed on vulnerable young women. Meanwhile, Fred’s interviews reinforce his determination to protect his wife: “I trained Rose to do what I wanted. That is why our marriage worked out so well.”

    Many details of the Wests’ true horror, however, are absent: the incredible torture suffered by the victims; Fred and Rose’s own childhoods of abuse and Fred’s earlier assault of young girls, including his own sister; and any reference to the couple’s surviving children and the extraordinary abuse they suffered.

    The horror of this new documentary is present in the couple’s habitual lies, their casual attitude to violence and murder, and their refusal to take responsibility for their many crimes. Yet it only scratches the surface of the Wests’ true horror story.

    – Jessica Gildersleeve

    The Four Seasons

    Netflix

    The Four Seasons follows three 50-something affluent couples as they holiday together over the course of a year.

    Friends since college, the group’s easy camaraderie is upended by Nick’s (Steve Carroll) bombshell decision to leave his seemingly unsuspecting wife, Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver), after 25 years of marriage. The announcement sends shockwaves through the other couples, testing their own relationships.

    Adapted from Alan Alda’s bittersweet 1981 comedy of the same name, the series preserves the film’s narrative conceit, unfolding over four seasonal mini trips. Episode one opens in full spring at Nick and Anne’s bucolic lake house.

    Given the luxury on display, you’d be forgiven for mistaking The Four Seasons as another entry in the “rich-people-behaving-badly” genre. But while there’s plenty of quips and snarky humour, what unfolds is ultimately much kinder – less a scathing indictment of wealth and more a gentle exploration of the banalities of love and middle age.

    The show’s creators make the most of the expanded running time to humanise the sextet. The open marriage between gregarious Italian Claude (Marco Calvini) and husband Danny (a marvellous Colman Domingo) updates the source material without sliding into tokenism or homonormativity.

    The prickly Type-A Kate (Tina Fey) and peacekeeper Jack (Will Forte) provide the series’ beating heart, in a relationship that feels lived-in and familiar.

    Despite its focus on ageing, loss, mortality and grief, The Four Seasons offers comfort viewing at its finest, best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a loved one who’s known you for decades.

    – Rachel Williamson

    Gemma King receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Claudia Sandberg, Edith Jennifer Hill, Erin Harrington, Grace Russell, Jessica Gildersleeve, Rachel Williamson, Samuel Martin, and Sofya Gollan do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Scandalous mormons, dystopian Buenos Aires and Nicolas Cage down under: what to watch in June – https://theconversation.com/scandalous-mormons-dystopian-buenos-aires-and-nicolas-cage-down-under-what-to-watch-in-june-257549

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ocasio-Cortez Statement on Worsening Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)

    Washington, DC – Today, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) released a statement following reports of the Israeli government blocking humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza.

    “Israel’s blockade of food and humanitarian assistance to Gaza is in violation of international law. Another 14,000 babies face severe malnutrition if the Israeli government does not reverse course. The United States can prevent this atrocity. We must pressure the Israeli government to open up more routes for humanitarian aid and finally uphold the law by stopping further weapons transfers to Israel.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China expands visa-free access to 5 Latin American countries

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

    BEIJING, June 1 — China on Sunday began implementing a trial policy that unilaterally grants visa-free entry to citizens of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. It is the first time that China has extended such access to nations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

    Under the policy, which will remain in effect through May 31, 2026, holders of ordinary passports from these five countries can enter China without a visa for up to 30 days for purposes including business, tourism, family visits, cultural exchange, and transit.

    The move is part of China’s broader efforts to expand visa-free access in line with its commitment to high-level opening-up. With this expansion, China now offers unilateral visa-free entry to 43 countries.

    Once made difficult by distance and complex visa procedures, travel between Latin America and China is increasingly accessible thanks to improved air connectivity and relaxed entry policies. In 2024, a direct flight was launched between Mexico City and south China’s Shenzhen, spanning a distance of over 14,000 kilometers to become China’s longest direct international passenger route.

    Other routes, such as the Beijing-Madrid-Sao Paulo, Beijing-Madrid-Havana and Beijing-Tijuana-Mexico City routes, have also strengthened links between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.

    Carolina Araya, a Chilean citizen and Spanish instructor at Anhui International Studies University in east China, was quick to share the news on social media after learning of the new policy, garnering many likes from friends and family.

    “With this visa-free policy, it will be so much easier for my parents to visit us,” she said. “I’m looking forward to welcoming them here in China.”

    Carola Ramon with the Argentine Council of Foreign Relations noted that recent years have seen growing cooperation between Argentina and China in areas such as student exchange, cultural collaboration and sports.

    She believes China’s visa-free entry initiative will enhance people-to-people ties and broaden exchange — not only between China and Argentina but across the broader China-Latin America region.

    Economic ties between China and Latin America have also deepened significantly. Bilateral trade has doubled over the past decade, surpassing 500 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Chinese exports, including electric vehicles, are increasingly popular in the region, while Latin American goods such as Chilean cherries and Argentine beef have become Chinese household staples.

    China has been steadily adjusting and optimizing its visa policies to boost cross-border mobility. Since late 2023, the country has rolled out a series of traveler-friendly measures. In late May, it announced that citizens of four Gulf countries — Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain — will also enjoy visa-free entry for up to 30 days, from June 9, 2025, through June 8, 2026.

    Additionally, China’s visa-free transit period has been extended to 240 hours for travelers from 54 countries.

    These policies have already had a notable impact. In 2024, China recorded 3.39 million entries under its unilateral visa-free policy, representing a 1,200 percent increase from the previous year. During this year’s May Day holiday alone, 380,000 people entered China visa-free, a 72.7 percent year-on-year jump.

    Yu Haibo, an associate professor of tourism management at Nankai University in Tianjin, said that China’s continued expansion of its visa-free policies reflects its commitment to high-standard opening-up.

    “These measures demonstrate China’s resolve to foster a more dynamic, inclusive and resilient form of economic globalization,” he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: UAE budget carrier Flydubai resumes flights to Damascus after years-long suspension

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

    A flight operated by the Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai landed at Damascus International Airport on Sunday, marking the resumption of direct commercial flights between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Syria after a year-long hiatus, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported.

    Flydubai had launched scheduled flights linking Dubai and Damascus, in a move aimed at enhancing regional connectivity and strengthening bilateral relations, SANA quoted Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport as saying.

    The inaugural flight was received by UAE Ambassador to Syria Hassan Ahmad al-Shihi, who was accompanied by an official delegation.

    On April 14, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority announced its decision to resume commercial air links with Syria.

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Dozens of Palestinians killed at US-Israel backed food distribution sites News Jun 01, 2025

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    Dozens of Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured today as they waited for food at the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers in Rafah and close to the Netzarim Corridor, according to the Ministry of Health.

    Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams joined the mass casualty response in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Patients told MSF they were shot at from all sides by drones, helicopters, boats, tanks, and Israeli soldiers on the ground.

    “Today’s events have shown once again that this new system of aid delivery is dehumanizing, dangerous, and severely ineffective,” said Claire Manera, MSF emergency coordinator. “It has resulted in preventable deaths and injuries of civilians. Humanitarian aid must be provided only by humanitarian organizations who have the competence and determination to do it safely and effectively.”

    The hospital corridors were filled with patients, but unlike what I have witnessed before, where most of the patients were women and children, today it was mainly men … They looked shattered and distraught after trying to secure food for their children, returning instead injured and empty handed.

    Nour Alsaqqa, MSF communications officer

    MSF teams at Nasser Hospital treated patients with serious injuries today. Some patients in critical condition are still undergoing surgery. With the blood banks almost empty, medical staff themselves have had to donate blood.

    “The hospital corridors were filled with patients, but unlike what I have witnessed before, where most of the patients were women and children, today it was mainly men,” said Nour Alsaqqa, MSF communications officer. “They lay in their beds in the hallways because the rooms are already packed with injured people. They had visible gunshot wounds in their limbs, and their clothes were soaked with blood. They looked shattered and distraught after trying to secure food for their children, returning instead injured and empty handed. Outside, there was shouting, sirens, a constant rush of new arrivals to the emergency room.”

    “Amid the chaos, we received confirmation that a colleague’s brother had been killed while attempting to collect aid from the distribution centre,” she said.

    The plan to militarize aid in Gaza is dehumanizing and ineffective

    Read more

    Mansour Sami Abdi, a father of four, described the chaos: “People fought over five pallets. They told us to take food—then they fired from every direction. I ran 200 meters before realizing I’d been shot. This isn’t aid. It’s a lie. Are we supposed to go get food for our kids and die?”

    “I was shot at 3:10 a.m.,”  says Mohammad Daghmeh, 24, a displaced person in Al-Qarara, Khan Younis. “As we were trapped, I bled constantly until 5:00 a.m. There were many other men with me. One of them tried to get me out. He was shot in the head and died on my chest. We had gone there for nothing but food—just to survive, like everyone else.”

    This is the second time this new system of aid distribution has led to bloodshed. On May 27, during the first afternoon of distribution in Rafah, Israeli forces shot dozens of people as wholly insufficient amounts of basic lifesaving supplies were distributed amid chaos.

    People fought over five pallets. They told us to take food—then they fired from every direction. I ran 200 meters before realizing I’d been shot. This isn’t aid. It’s a lie. Are we supposed to go get food for our kids and die?

    Mansour Sami Abdi, father of four

    As a result of the total siege that was imposed by the Israeli authorities on March 2, 100 percent of Gaza is now at risk of famine, according to the United Nations. Since May 19, the few hundred food trucks brought in—an insufficient fraction of what is needed—have spread despair among the 2 million plus people who have been largely deprived of food, water, and medication for three months now. Totally or partially blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza has aggravated the situation of all Gazans.

    MSF reinforces that, along with displacement orders and bombing campaigns that kill civilians, weaponizing aid in this manner may constitute crimes against humanity. Only a lasting ceasefire and the immediate opening of Gaza’s borders for humanitarian aid—including food, medical supplies, fuel and equipment—can ease this man-made catastrophe.

    We speak out. Get updates.

    MIL OSI NGO –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Statement by IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva on the Passing of Former IMF FDMD Stanley Fischer

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    Statement by IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva on the Passing of Former IMF FDMD Stanley Fischer

    June 1, 2025

    Washington, DC: Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today after news of the death of Mr. Stanley Fischer, former IMF First Deputy Managing Director:

    “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend Stan Fischer, who among many career achievements, served as the First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF between 1994 and 2001. Stan will be remembered for his enormous influence on the economics profession, first as a leading academic and teacher, then as an accomplished policymaker across many prominent posts. During his time at the IMF, he helped lead the Fund’s response to a number of significant challenges, including the Mexican crisis of 1994 and the 1997 Asian financial crisis. To this day, Stan is deeply admired by Fund staff, management and the membership for his intellectual leadership, personal integrity, and dedication to public service. He believed strongly in the Fund’s core mission, as he put it: ‘to promote principles of good economic citizenship, and provide a forum for countries to discuss issues of mutual interest.’

    “As an academic at the University of Chicago and MIT, Stan’s research had a profound effect on the field of macroeconomics, becoming a leading figure in the New Keynesian movement. Stan taught, mentored and influenced many leading policymakers and thought leaders. During his extraordinary policymaking career, he served as Chief Economist of the World Bank before becoming First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF. From 2005 until 2013, he served as Governor of the Bank of Israel, helping to steer the Israeli economy through the global financial crisis. He then became Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in 2014, serving in that role until 2017. As a central banker, he was a staunch proponent of inflation targeting frameworks, transparency, and central bank independence.

    “On behalf of the IMF, I extend my deepest condolences to Mr. Fischer’s three children Michael, David and Jonathan and their families. Stan led a life of exemplary public service, matched only by his innate goodness as a colleague, friend and human being.”

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Brian Walker

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    @IMFSpokesperson

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/01/pr-25169-statement-by-imf-md-kristalina-georgieva-on-the-passing-of-former-imf-fdmd-stanley-fischer

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Scandalous mormons, dystopian Buenos Aires and Nicolas Cage down under: what to watch in June

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claudia Sandberg, Senior Lecturer, Technology in Culture and Society, The University of Melbourne

    As we head into a new month of streaming, here’s a fresh wave of TV ready to challenge, transport and entertain you.

    This month’s picks span genre and geography, from an eerie dystopian Buenos Aires, to a witty, awkward cyborg hero. Reality TV also gets a scandalous twist with the return of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. And Deaf President Now! delivers a powerful documentary on a historical milestone for Deaf rights.

    There’s something for every kind of viewer — and every kind of mood.

    The Eternaut

    Netflix

    Argentine sci-fi The Eternaut opens with a group of old friends in Buenos Aires meeting to play the card game truco on a hot summer night – when things suddenly get eerie.

    The power goes out and a poisonous snowfall starts to blanket the city, killing thousands of people instantly. The survivors must get answers, quickly, as they start to grasp the true strength of their invisible enemy.

    Based on Héctor Germán Oesterheld’s 1950s comic of the same name, The Eternaut portrays apocalypse through a deeply local and political lens – and in doing so has struck a chord in Argentina.

    Directed by Bruno Stagnaro and led by Argentine film icon Ricardo Darín, as protagonist Juan Salvo, the series emphasises the power of collective heroism, and subtly critiques the current government’s uncompromising neoliberal approach.

    It also pulses with national pride. Buenos Aires is not glamorized; real neighbourhoods are shown as classic Argentine tango, rock and folk plays in the background. Most importantly, Argentine identity is celebrated through themes of community spirit, grassroots resistance, and ingenuity in times of crisis.

    The Eternaut feels both timely and timeless. Its slogan, “no one survives alone,” resonates for a country that has been long marked by both trauma and resistance efforts.

    Its emotional weight is further deepened by Oesterheld’s legacy, including the tragic disappearance of him and his family members under the military rule of the 1970s.

    With a second season on the way, this series is a powerful ode to Argentina.

    – Claudia Sandberg



    Read more:
    Why Netflix’s The Eternaut is one of the most important shows to come out of Argentina in recent years

    Murderbot

    Apple TV+

    Murderbot, Apple’s adaptation of Martha Wells’ science-fiction novella, All Systems Red (2017) is a satisfying combination of action, sci-fi and comedy. The show centres on a security unit (SecUnit) – an indentured private security cyborg – who secretly cracks the programming of its governing chip, granting itself autonomy.

    Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård), as it dubs itself, is both horrified and fascinated by humans. It’s far more afraid of eye contact, emotions and direct conversation than any physical danger. It’s also obsessed with mainlining media, particularly the ridiculous soap opera The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.

    Murderbot is hired, reluctantly, by some hippy scientists from a group of “freehold” planets – ones that exist outside the Corporation Rim – to act as protection on a scientific expedition. It goes quickly awry.

    Wells’ award-winning novella, the first in an equally good series, limits us to the first-person perspective of the sarcastic cyborg. The series expands this frame beautifully, building on the source material’s dry humour to create a world that is both goofy and grounded.

    And while there are serious themes at play, such as the way SecUnits are effectively enslaved, and the violent capitalist dominance of the Corporation Rim, the show is not heavy. Skarsgård offers a pitch-perfect performance of the awkward, anxious robot – its eyes flickering in horror as the scientists try to befriend it.

    The opening minutes of the first episode are clumsy and on-the-nose, but ignore them. This otherwise well-designed and well-directed show cracks along with brisk, highly-entertaining 22-minute episodes.

    – Erin Harrington

    The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, season two

    Disney+

    Season one of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had us hooked at the end of 2024. Now, the women have returned for an explosive 10-episode second season.

    The reality series follows a group of Mormon women living in Utah. While the title may have you anticipating stories of faith and motherhood, the show is more focused on the personal lives of Mormon mothers who rose to TikTok fame due to scandal and infamy.

    Season one saw the women grapple with balancing traditional Mormon values with their online lives and subsequent businesses (along with the fallout from a “soft-swinging scandal”). Season two further highlights infidelity, jealously and money.

    Old characters are brought back, with finger-pointing ex-husbands and former alienated friends adding to the fray. Police are called, insults are thrown and many of the women delve deeper into their pasts.

    The show flips flops between difficult moments such as processing the death of loved ones and difficult pregnancies, with parties and poorly executed party games. At one point the women play pregnancy roulette (a game no one should recommend), and take pregnancy tests which are anonymously read out to the group. Chaos ensues.

    And after watching, you can search for the TikTok accounts of the stars and watch new drama unfold in real-time – or watch them “correct” and expand on past situations based on their own perspectives – far removed from show’s editors.

    – Edith Jennifer Hill

    Deaf President Now!

    Apple TV+

    Deaf President Now! is a stirring documentary about an iconic student uprising at Gallaudet University, the world’s only Deaf university, in 1988. The film chronicles how Deaf students – tired of being led by hearing leadership – decided to take things in their own hands come the 1988 Gallaudet presidential election.

    With two of the three candidates being Deaf, the appointment of Elisabeth Zinser, a hearing candidate unfamiliar with Deaf culture, sparked outrage. Fuelled by decades of marginalisation, the students barricaded campus gates, burned effigies of Zinser and marched to the Capitol, calling for Deaf leadership in Deaf spaces.

    It worked. The protest forced Zinser’s resignation and ushered in Irving King Jordan, Gallaudet’s first Deaf president.

    The film juxtaposes historic footage with present-day interviews with key leaders of the movement, allowing them to tell their stories their own way. These reflections, delivered in American Sign Language (ASL), underscore how storytelling itself can become an act of resistance for Deaf people.

    At the same time, the documentary wrestles with a paradox. Co-directed by Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco and hearing filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, the film exemplifies how Deaf storytelling still often has hearing involvement, especially when the story is packaged for a mainstream audience.

    Nevertheless, the release of Deaf President Now! couldn’t have been more timely. With disability rights in the United States threatened under Trump, the film is a call to action. It reminds us Deaf culture isn’t just about language: it’s about Pride, self-determination and visibility.

    – Gemma King, Samuel Martin and Sofya Gollan



    Read more:
    Deaf President Now! traces the powerful uprising that led to Deaf rights in the US – now again under threat

    The Surfer

    Stan, from June 15

    In Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer, our unnamed protagonist (Nicolas Cage) is returning to his former Australian home from the United States. He is newly divorced, and trying to buy a beachside property to win back his family.

    He takes his teenage son (Finn Little) for a surf near the property, but they are run off by an unfriendly pack of locals.

    Returning alone to the beachside car park to make some calls, he is besieged there by the same gang, and this continues over the next several days. The gang is led by a terrifying middle-aged Andrew Tate-esque influencer, Scally (Julian McMahon), who runs the beach like a combination of a frat bro party and wellness retreat.

    It is impossible to think of an actor other than Cage who could make a character like this so enjoyable to watch. Cage’s distinctively American confidence has no resistance to the terrifying switches of Australian masculinity from friendly to teasing to violent.

    The Surfer is an absolute blast. A lot of the fun is in anticipating each dreadful humiliation – and it somehow turning out worse than you could have expected.

    The Surfer beautifully captures the natural surroundings, stunning views and shimmering heat of Australian coastal summer. At the same time, a confined, semi-urban feature like a beachside car park feels bleak and uninviting.

    As a film setting, it is both a spectacular wide-open vista and stiflingly claustrophobic – a perfect mechanism for The Surfer’s psychological horror.

    – Grace Russell



    Read more:
    Dishevelled, dehydrated delirium: new Aussie film The Surfer, starring Nicolas Cage, is an absolute blast

    Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story

    Netflix

    The story of serial killers, Fred and Rose West, has been highly narrativised since their shocking crimes were discovered in Gloucester in 1994. The horror of the Wests lies in the juxtaposition of their seemingly ordinary suburban family and what was hidden beneath the foundations of their home.

    Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story takes us back to the moment of that revelation via previously unheard interview tapes and recordings of the property search – and of Rose while she was kept in a safe house. Family home videos add to the disturbing sense of the couple’s duplicity.

    Interviews with the family of some of the victims emphasise the ongoing pain caused by the Wests, who preyed on vulnerable young women. Meanwhile, Fred’s interviews reinforce his determination to protect his wife: “I trained Rose to do what I wanted. That is why our marriage worked out so well.”

    Many details of the Wests’ true horror, however, are absent: the incredible torture suffered by the victims; Fred and Rose’s own childhoods of abuse and Fred’s earlier assault of young girls, including his own sister; and any reference to the couple’s surviving children and the extraordinary abuse they suffered.

    The horror of this new documentary is present in the couple’s habitual lies, their casual attitude to violence and murder, and their refusal to take responsibility for their many crimes. Yet it only scratches the surface of the Wests’ true horror story.

    – Jessica Gildersleeve

    The Four Seasons

    Netflix

    The Four Seasons follows three 50-something affluent couples as they holiday together over the course of a year.

    Friends since college, the group’s easy camaraderie is upended by Nick’s (Steve Carroll) bombshell decision to leave his seemingly unsuspecting wife, Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver), after 25 years of marriage. The announcement sends shockwaves through the other couples, testing their own relationships.

    Adapted from Alan Alda’s bittersweet 1981 comedy of the same name, the series preserves the film’s narrative conceit, unfolding over four seasonal mini trips. Episode one opens in full spring at Nick and Anne’s bucolic lake house.

    Given the luxury on display, you’d be forgiven for mistaking The Four Seasons as another entry in the “rich-people-behaving-badly” genre. But while there’s plenty of quips and snarky humour, what unfolds is ultimately much kinder – less a scathing indictment of wealth and more a gentle exploration of the banalities of love and middle age.

    The show’s creators make the most of the expanded running time to humanise the sextet. The open marriage between gregarious Italian Claude (Marco Calvini) and husband Danny (a marvellous Colman Domingo) updates the source material without sliding into tokenism or homonormativity.

    The prickly Type-A Kate (Tina Fey) and peacekeeper Jack (Will Forte) provide the series’ beating heart, in a relationship that feels lived-in and familiar.

    Despite its focus on ageing, loss, mortality and grief, The Four Seasons offers comfort viewing at its finest, best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a loved one who’s known you for decades.

    – Rachel Williamson

    Gemma King receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Claudia Sandberg, Edith Jennifer Hill, Erin Harrington, Grace Russell, Jessica Gildersleeve, Rachel Williamson, Samuel Martin, and Sofya Gollan do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Scandalous mormons, dystopian Buenos Aires and Nicolas Cage down under: what to watch in June – https://theconversation.com/scandalous-mormons-dystopian-buenos-aires-and-nicolas-cage-down-under-what-to-watch-in-june-257549

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK-Morocco Joint Communiqué: Strategic Dialogue 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK-Morocco Joint Communiqué: Strategic Dialogue 2025

    The Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom enter an Enhanced Strategic Partnership and sign a series of agreements driving mutual growth and security.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita received the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, in Rabat on 1st June 2025. Mr. Bourita and The Rt Hon David Lammy co-chaired, on this occasion, the 5th session of the Morocco-UK Strategic Dialogue. Following productive talks between the two Ministers, the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have secured a historic agreement to enhance their bilateral relationship.

    A historic partnership between two Kingdoms rooted in shared values

    1. The Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are bound by one of the world’s oldest diplomatic relationships, dating back over 800 years. From the first recorded contact between both Crowns, in the early 13th century, to present day exchanges, the longstanding and enduring ties between Moroccan and British Sovereigns have formed the bedrock of this unique alliance.

    2. Their Majesties King Mohammed VI and King Charles III continue to anchor Moroccan-United Kingdom ties. Their leadership has continuously fostered the stability and high-level commitment necessary to develop an ambitious, forward-looking strategic partnership.

    3. The privileged ties between both Kingdoms rest on a solid foundation of shared values and converging interests. From the Treaty of Peace and Commerce, signed over 300 years ago, to the UK-Morocco Association Agreement, which passed into effect in 2021, trade and economic cooperation continue to grow from strength to strength. People-to-people connections and flourishing cross-cultural exchanges nurture the bonds of friendship and mutual respect that ensure the resilience and growth of this relationship.

    4. Both countries reaffirmed the paramount importance of a rules-based international order and the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and their constant position on respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries, the non-use of force for the settlement of conflicts and their support for the principle of respect for self-determination.

    Securing a Historic Agreement: Ushering in a New Era of Bilateral Relations

    1. Building upon this exceptional shared history and its many bilateral achievements, the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland seek to usher in a new era of comprehensive and genuine strategic partnership. To this effect, both Ministers reaffirmed their mutual commitment to deepening collaboration across all dimensions: political, diplomatic, security, economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

    2. Marking a significant step towards a pioneering partnership fit for the future, the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland reaffirm their shared objectives in the realms of security, conflict resolution, green growth and socio-economic development, for the mutual benefit of their peoples.

    3. The Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland pledge to act as partners to jointly address regional and global challenges, and to uphold the principles ​​of peace, security, tolerance, and human rights. In this spirit, the two countries intend to optimize existing bilateral frameworks and adopt an ambitious, enduring roadmap across issues of common interest.

    Western Sahara: Supporting Morocco’s Autonomy Plan

    1. The UK recognises the importance of the question of Western Sahara for the Kingdom of Morocco and follows closely the current positive dynamic on this issue under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

    2. As a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, the United Kingdom agrees with Morocco on the urgent need to find a resolution to this long-held dispute, which would be in the interest of the parties. The stalled nature of the political process and ongoing conflict prevents the region from realising its full social and economic potential and hampers regional integration, security and development. The time for a resolution and to move this issue forwards is long-overdue, and would strengthen the stability of North Africa and the relaunch of the bilateral dynamic and regional integration.

    3. Both countries support, and consider vital, the central role of the UN-led process to bring the parties together and move the issue forward to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution and reaffirm their full support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Mr. Staffan de Mistura. To this end the UK is ready, willing and committed to lend its active support and engagement to the Personal Envoy and the parties to reach such a solution to this dispute.

    4. In that context the UK, in encouraging the relevant parties to engage, urgently and positively, with the UN-led political process, considers Morocco’s autonomy proposal, submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute.

    5. The UK and the Kingdom of Morocco expressed their shared conviction that renewed efforts were urgently needed to support the PESG in the search for a solution, underlying that the only viable and durable solution will be one that is mutually acceptable to the relevant parties, and is arrived at through compromise. They committed themselves to this goal, in the belief that, with goodwill on all sides, a solution could be found very soon. To that end, the UK will continue to act bilaterally, including economically, regionally and internationally in line with this position to support resolution of the conflict.

    6. The two Ministers discussed how to move the question forward, and, in that context, the UK welcomed Morocco’s willingness to engage in good faith with all relevant parties, to expand on details of what autonomy within the Moroccan State could entail for the region, with a view to restarting serious negotiations on terms acceptable to the parties.

    Enhancing bilateral cooperation: strengthening collective security, advancing green growth and deepening people-to-people bonds

    1. The Kingdom of Morocco and the UK agree to strengthen their bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the Strategic Dialogue, the Association Council, the Security Dialogue and the informal Human Rights Dialogue.

    2. In the field of security, the Kingdom of Morocco and the UK commit to enhanced efforts to address national security concerns. Both parties committed to increased collaboration on counter-terrorism and its root causes, including the return and rehabilitation of foreign terrorist fighters, tackling online radicalisation, counter-unmanned aerial systems (drones), cybersecurity and risks posed by Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies in particular their potential malicious use, security of critical infrastructure and major international events. Ministers agree that strengthened security cooperation in counterterrorism, illegal migration and serious organised crime will enhance mutual resilience from these threats and that this will be underpinned by an agreed information and intelligence exchange. In this regard, the UK welcomes Morocco’s election as Interpol Vice-President for Africa, reinforcing its role as a key player in both regional and international security efforts.

    3. In the field of Defence, the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will continue to work together to strengthen their defence cooperation, built upon the foundations of a dynamic programme of activity, agreed at the annual Joint Military Commission.  With both the Kingdom of Morocco and the UK being Atlantic maritime nations, the two countries agreed to look for opportunities to strengthen maritime collaboration. Both sides agreed to deepen Defence industry cooperation and partnership, including investments in industrial projects, leveraging UK Defence industry expertise and resources to deliver cutting-edge capabilities.

    4. On bilateral trade, the Ministers applauded the expansion of economic ties, which reached £4.2 billion in 2024, doubling since the entry into force of the UK-Morocco Association Agreement in 2021. Building on this positive momentum, both parties expect this new partnership to drive further trade growth, create quality jobs and reduce costs for consumers.

    5. The Parties reaffirmed their shared commitment to maintaining and expanding economic ties, paving the way for deeper collaboration and continuity of trade. The UK especially welcomes the support to strengthen public procurement co-operation between the parties.

    6. They acknowledged the importance of intellectual property to the UK’s export economy, and expressed support of efforts to safeguard the Moroccan market from counterfeit and low-quality imitation goods.  In this regard, the two sides agreed to examine the registration of a list of UK geographical indications in Morocco, ensuring the protection of emblematic quality products.

    7. Both parties welcomed the efforts to reach a decision on rules of origin and the progress made on the agricultural review, aimed at improving market access and enhancing trade. Their finalization will mark a major step in strengthening the UK-Morocco Agreement and deepening a fair and mutually beneficial partnership.

    8. Both Ministers recognise the untapped investment potential between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and agree to work together to unlock new investment opportunities. In this context, they commit to establishing a Morocco Business Alliance, driven by the private sector.

    9. Morocco also welcomes UK Export Finance’s £5bn commitment to support new business across the country. The UK and Morocco discussed the coverage of UK Export Finance. The UK can consider supporting projects in Western Sahara subject to meeting UKEF’s due diligence requirements. The UK recognises Morocco as a key gateway to Africa’s socio-economic development and reaffirms its commitment to deepening engagement with Morocco as a partner for growth across the continent.

    10. Regarding the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the UK reiterates its congratulations to Morocco on its successful bid to co-host the tournament. Morocco welcomes the UK Government’s technical support and efforts to promote associated commercial opportunities for UK businesses across the value chain. Both Ministers expressed their commitment to collaborate on priority infrastructure projects ahead of the tournament, including by utilising support from the UK Government, where relevant and jointly agreed, as well as expertise from the UK supply chain.

    11. In the field of water, climate and energy transition, both parties will enhance efforts to unlock green growth projects, remove barriers to clean energy deployment and connectivity, and mobilise climate and sustainable finance, including through the Energy Transition Council, the Breakthrough Agenda, and the Powering Past Coal Alliance. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recognises Morocco’s pioneering leadership in renewable energy and sustainable development, and its strategic efforts to become a regional energy and sustainable mining and fuels hub. Both sides commit to work closely on sustainable water management, building on Morocco’s national strategy for water resilience, and jointly encourage broader international financing and political backing for water security and climate action ahead of COP30. The UK welcomes Morocco’s support for, and participation in, the UK-led Clean Power Alliance. Both countries welcome the new collaboration of the UK Met office and Morocco’s Direction Generale de la Meteorologie as a positive example of collaboration on climate and related environmental services.

    12. In the healthcare sector, the Ministers discussed Morocco’s ambitious plans to expand its national capacity and to achieve universal health insurance. Morocco welcomes the UK’s support in advancing this goal, noting agreements between public and private bodies to strengthen partnership across hospital  building, medical equipment supply, and teaching links.

    13. Both parties commit to further deepening their cooperation in education, scientific research, and innovation, including through the promotion of mobility for students, researchers, and faculty, the establishment of co-financing mechanisms for joint research, and the expansion of British university campuses in Morocco. The UK welcomed Morocco’s announcement of automatic recognition of UK higher education qualifications for Moroccan students studying in the UK, as well as its intention to facilitate the establishment of UK higher education institutions and recognise UK degrees delivered in Morocco. Morocco recognises the UK as a partner of choice in its efforts to expand English language education and will match-fund the UK’s current annual investment in British Council pre-service training programmes for English language secondary school teachers and inspectors.

    14. They welcomed the Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) which will give new impetus to the bilateral partnership and deepen collaboration in several areas of common interest including healthcare, water, energy, transport, defence and procurement.

    15. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland welcomes and is supporting the major reforms undertaken by Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, for a more open and dynamic society and economy. Both countries note the constructive cooperation between the Bank of England and Bank Al-Maghrib in areas such as cyber security, regulatory alignment, and Central Bank Digital Currency. Both parties will continue to collaborate – alongside relevant multilateral institutions – by sharing expertise and advancing cooperation in financial policy reforms, climate risk, financial stability, and economic diplomacy.

    16. Furthermore, the UK commends the progress achieved by Morocco in the field of human rights under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, both at the national level and on the international stage. The UK congratulated Morocco on its successful presidency of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council in 2024, and both Ministers welcomed Morocco’s participation at the UK’s Wilton Park Conference on Women’s Political Empowerment in January 2025. They also welcomed the second UK-Morocco Informal Dialogue on Human Rights, held in Rabat on 30 April 2024, during which the two countries discussed areas of mutual interest, including freedom of expression, empowerment of women, media freedom, and judicial reforms. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to empowering women and girls across all areas of bilateral cooperation and confirmed their intention to hold a third session of the dialogue before the end of 2025 in London.

    17. Both parties welcome the burgeoning cultural and sport exchange, and the people-to-people ties that underpin this partnership. Both nations will support emerging cultural spaces and festivals, youth and community engagement, and friendly matches between their national football teams.

    18. The two Ministers celebrated the increase in people-to-people contacts between the two kingdoms. Given the record number of Moroccan and British visitors in both directions, and in line with the strengthening of bilateral relations, they agreed to build on existing visa processes and to make meaningful improvement for visitors from both countries.

    Fostering cooperation on regional and international issues of common interest

    1. The UK regards Morocco as a credible and trusted partner, playing a key role in promoting stability and development at both the regional and international levels.

    2. The UK welcomed Morocco’s efforts through initiatives launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to progress peace, stability and socio-economic development in Africa, notably, notably, “the Initiative of the Atlantic African  States Process”; and the “International Royal Initiative to facilitate access for Sahel countries to the Atlantic ocean”. Both parties expressed their concern about security threats in the Sahel region, the proliferation of non-state actors, and reports of multiple human rights violations. Both parties consider that the fight against violent extremist organisations in the Sahel requires a holistic response that includes development, trade and investment and the protection of the civilian population alongside security. Both parties agreed to explore cooperation on these issues in this regard.

    3. With regard to the Middle East, the UK commends the key role played by His Majesty King Mohammed VI as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee. Both countries reaffirm their shared commitment to advance a comprehensive peace in the region, including by building on our close cooperation to support regional stability. Both sides reiterate their support for a two-State solution, leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, based on 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as a shared capital.

    In the context of the UK Foreign Secretary’s visit to Morocco, and following the Strategic Dialogue with His Excellency Nasser Bourita, several agreements have been signed to deepen ties between the two kingdoms, driving mutual growth and security.

    The following have been agreed:

    1. 2030 World Cup Government to Government Partnership Agreement, signed between the UK Department of Business and Trade, and Morocco’s Minister Delegate of Budget, to progress UK-Morocco collaboration on critical infrastructure projects ahead of tournament.

    2. Memorandum of Understanding signed between the UK Department for Business and Trade and Morocco’s Ministry of Equipment and Water to strengthen bilateral cooperation on water and ports infrastructure, promoting UK expertise in sustainable water management, smart logistics, and green port technologies.

    3. Agreement between the UK Department for Business and Trade and Morocco’s Ministry of Interior to advance sustainable infrastructure and partnerships between the UK and Moroccan local authorities across several priority sectors, including water management, sustainable waste management, and urban mobility.

    4. Noting the ongoing strength of the UK Morocco Association Agreement, driving record bilateral trade volumes, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the UK Department of Business and Trade and Morocco’s Ministry of Industry and Trade to promote procurement co-operation.

    5. A Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Morocco covering higher education, scientific research, and innovation.

    6. Memorandum of Understanding signed between the UK Department for Business and Trade and Morocco’s Ministry of Health to enable UK private sector engagement to support Morocco’s healthcare transformation programme. confirming comms lines

    7. UK Export Finance Memorandum of Understanding with SGTM to explore opportunities of partnership in Morocco and wider Africa

    8. UK Export Finance, and TAQA Morocco have signed a memorandum of understanding to support TAQA Morocco’s transition to a low-carbon power generation portfolio in line with the sustainable roadmap of the Kingdom of Morocco. This will contribute to give additional access to competitive, innovative and accelerated financial conditions to enhance the Kingdom of Morocco’s competitiveness.

    9. A Memorandum of Understanding on climate collaboration and related environmental services between the UK Met Office and Morocco Meteorological Office

    10. A intent to collaborate with Vicenne to introduce UK digital health solutions to the Moroccan market and support innovation in partnership with the Ministry of Health.

    11. A intent to collaborate with the Mohammed VI Foundation of Health and Science aims to promote UK expertise in medical equipment, hospital design, and academic partnership to support healthcare development in Morocco.

    12. An invitation to the Moroccan Airports Authority to visit the UK and explore partnership opportunities amidst Morocco’s airport transformation plans.

    The following agreements will be agreed and signed in the coming days:

    • A Memorandum of Understanding between UK defence and security trade association ADS Group and the Moroccan Agency of Investment and Export Development to strengthen links between UK and Morocco defence industries.

    • A Memorandum of Understanding between BAE Systems and the National Defence Administration of Morocco and the Moroccan Agency of Investment and Export Development on investment and capability across the defence sector.

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    Updates to this page

    Published 1 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 2, 2025
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