NewzIntel.com

Category: Middle East

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the Group of Friends on Gender Parity and the Circle of Women Permanent Representatives [as delivered]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Excellencies, Dear Friends,

    I am very pleased to join you today and with the permission of the distinguished Ministers of Social Development of Qatar and of Education of Rwanda, I want to express my deep gratitude to Her Excellency Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, and His Excellency Ernest Rwamucyo, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations, for what has been their remarkable leadership and their continued support and commitment to gender equality – at the United Nations and beyond.

    The Group of Friends has been a driving force in our journey towards gender parity.

    I look forward to our continued and strengthened partnership during this pivotal year – to celebrate hard-won achievements, confront persistent and emerging challenges, and most importantly, accelerate action to achieve gender equality.

    Excellencies,

    2025 is meant to be a year of celebration.

    25 years since the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security;

    And 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the Fourth World Conference on Women – milestones which ignited global action.

    But the truth is, 2025 is also a year of reckoning.

    Five years from 2030, we are far from delivering on the promises of the Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 5: achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

    The environmental and climate crises are disproportionately affecting them.

    And women across the globe continue to endure the worst impacts of war – while being excluded from most of the peace talks.

    Political representation is also stagnating.

    In 2024 – a year that saw a record number of elections worldwide, only five women were elected as Heads of State.

    Worse – we are witnessing an aggressive backlash against gender equality – threatening hard-won progress on women’s human rights and fundamental freedoms.

    We cannot afford to stand still.

    We must push back against this pushback.

    We must secure women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in all decision-making processes – including on peace and security and humanitarian action.

    We must protect, support and amplify the voices of civil society and grassroots organizations, who are on the front lines of defending women’s rights worldwide.

    We must renew our commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action under the Beijing+30 framework – and I call on everyone to accelerate its full and effective implementation.

    Last September, Member States have adopted the Pact for the Future.

    The Pact reaffirms that gender equality holds the key to unlock progress on the 2030 Agenda and sustainable development.

    It calls for greater investment in the SDGs, expanding debt relief measures, and strengthened support from Multilateral Development Banks so that governments can invest in the programmes their people need — including education, training, job creation and social protections that foster gender equality.

    And the Global Digital Compact calls for closing the gender digital divide, ensuring women and girls everywhere can access and benefit from the opportunities of a rapidly evolving global economy.

    Gender equality is a thread that runs through the Pact — and I call on all Member States to spare no effort to implement its commitments.

    This includes the revitalization of the Commission on the Status of Women to promote the full and effective implementation of the Platform for Action.

    Excellencies,

    As we look to the challenges all around us, we must also look inside our organization.

    With four years left to reach my goal of a 50/50 balance across the UN System by 2028, I am proud of how far we’ve come.

    With the support of so many of you today, we have seen historic breakthroughs since I launched the System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity.

    In 2017, only five United Nations entities had reached parity.

    Today, that number is 28 – a testament to our collective institutional efforts.

    We are seeing an unprecedented number of women serving in the UN System.

    We have achieved and, more importantly, maintained gender parity among senior leadership and Resident Coordinators since 2020.

    And for the first time in the UN’s history, we have also reached parity in the international professional categories. 

    Excellencies and Friends,

    Despite these significant strides, progress remains uneven – with critical obstacles along the way.

    We still see concerning gaps at the P5 and D-1 levels [and D-2 levels].

    This threatens to undermine our future pipeline of senior leaders.

    Progress has also been slow in non-headquarters and field locations.

    While we have sustained gender parity among Resident Coordinators, women make up only 14 per cent of RCs at the Assistant Secretary-General level.

    And in a majority of peacekeeping operations, the share of women does not exceed 35 per cent.

    We must nurture and promote talent everywhere – and at every level.

    But achieving gender parity is not about numbers alone.

    Representation without transformation is not enough.

    Lack of parity perpetuates power structures that go against gender equality.

    Too many institutions, including our own, remain shaped by patriarchal systems of power that restrict women’s equal access to leadership, economic opportunities, and legal protections.

    If we want a UN that truly represents the people it serves, our organizational culture, policies and decision-making must continue to evolve.

    The UN is committed to leading by example – ensuring a workplace built on the principles of dignity, equality, and respect.
     
    The Field-specific Enabling Environment Guidelines, the UN System-wide Knowledge Hub on addressing sexual harassment, and the UN System-wide Dashboard on Gender Parity are helping us steer organizational change.

    And more than 650 UN Gender Focal Points across the entire UN System are working alongside leadership to dismantle barriers and build truly inclusive and supportive workplaces.

    But we must do more.

    That’s why I launched the UN System-wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan – establishing a robust governance that ensures coordination across 43 UN entities and integrating reporting into existing accountability framework to raise the bar for gender mainstreaming.

    A more gender-equal UN will be a more effective UN.

    One that serves all women and girls, champions political commitment, mobilizes investments, strengthens partnerships, and ensures real accountability.
    And one that reflects the more equal world we want to shape.

    Excellencies, dear friends,

    Gender equality is more than an aspiration.

    It is a human right and a fundamental requirement for breaking cycles of poverty, violence and inequality.

    Advancing gender equality paves the way for a more just, peaceful, and sustainable future for all.

    The road will require bold leadership and collective action.

    To break barriers.

    To safeguard women’s rights and freedoms.

    And drive true, lasting transformation.

    In this context, gender parity is non-negotiable.

    We must serve – and deliver for – all women and girls.

    So let us pursue our collective efforts, turn commitments into ambitious results, and push forward, together.

    And I thank you.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Post-Assad Syria faces critical test over eliminating chemical weapons

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Peace and Security

    The fall of the Assad regime has created a historic opportunity to rid Syria of chemical weapons and ensure long-term compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the UN’s top disarmament official told the Security Council on Friday.

    Briefing ambassadors, Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, welcomed steps taken by the country’s new authorities to engage with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and work toward full compliance with international law.

    “Syria has started to take its steps towards this objective,” she said, emphasising the importance of seizing this moment to close all outstanding issues related to the country’s chemical weapons dossier.

    Ms. Nakamitsu was briefing the Council pursuant to resolution 2118.

    High Representative Nakamitsu briefing the Security Council.

    Horrific legacy

    Adopted unanimously in September 2013, the resolution mandated the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme following a deadly sarin gas attack in Ghouta, which reportedly killed 1,127 people and left more than 6,000 with serious health complications.

    The resolution required Syria to fully declare and destroy its chemical arsenal under OPCW supervision and warned of consequences, including under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which provide for enforcement measures to address threats to international peace and security.

    Since Syria joined the CWC in 2013, the chemical weapons watchdog has repeatedly raised concerns about the accuracy and completeness of its declarations, Ms. Nakamitsu said.

    Despite 20 amendments to its initial submission, the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team found that the former regime had failed to provide sufficient and accurate information.

    As a result, 19 unresolved issues remain, including concerns over undeclared chemical warfare agents and munitions. In addition, OPCW investigations documented multiple instances of chemical weapons use in Syria, several of which were carried out by Syrian Armed Forces.

    “It is ‘undeniable’ that the previous authorities in Syria did not declare the full extent of its chemical weapons programme and that they continued to use, and possibly produce, chemical weapons after joining the Convention,” Ms. Nakamitsu told the Council, citing reports from the OPCW Technical Secretariat.

    UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

    High Representative Nakamitsu briefs the Security Council.

    New chapter of cooperation

    “The situation left by the previous Syrian authorities is extremely worrying,” she continued, noting the willingness signalled by Syria’s new authorities to turn the page.

    During a visit to Damascus on 8 February, the OPCW Director-General met top Syrian officials, who assured him of their commitment to dismantling the chemical weapons programme, she added.

    The caretaker Foreign Minister formally appointed a focal point for chemical weapons issues within the government and held meetings with OPCW on implementing its “9-point Action Plan for Syria.”

    An OPCW technical team is expected to be deployed to Damascus, to work on setting up a permanent presence in the country and planning joint site inspections.

    Fighting in coastal areas

    In spite of the promising developments, Ms. Nakamitsu cautioned that the road ahead will be challenging, as Syria continues to face significant humanitarian, security and recovery challenges.

    Developments on the ground exemplify these concerns, with heavy fighting reported in coastal areas between Syrian Caretaker Authority forces and soldiers loyal to the former regime. According to media reports, at least 70 people have been killed.

    Among them was a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff member who was caught in a crossfire on his way back from work.

    UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen warned of the volatile situation on the ground, stressing the urgent need for restraint.

    “We are still determining the precise facts, there is clearly an immediate need for restraint from all parties, and full respect for the protection of civilians in accordance with international law,” he said in a statement.

    UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

    A wide view of the Security Council meeting on chemical weapons in Syria.

    International support needed

    Back in the Security Council, Ms. Nakamitsu reminded ambassadors that Syria will need “strong support” from international partners.

    “In order to accomplish all the tasks needed to rid Syria of all chemical weapons, the OPCW Technical Secretariat and the new authorities in Syria will require strong support and additional resources from the international community,” she said.

    She urged Council members to unite in supporting this unprecedented effort, emphasising that the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria is not just a national priority but a matter of regional and global security.

    “The United Nations stands ready to provide support however we can and will continue to do our part to uphold the norm against the use of chemical weapons – anywhere, at any time,” she concluded.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Rounds Reintroduce Legislation to Ban Foreign Adversaries from Buying American Farmland and Agricultural Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
    03.07.25
    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven this week joined Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) in reintroducing the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act, legislation to ban individuals and entities controlled by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from purchasing agricultural land and businesses located near U.S. military installations or sensitive sites.
    “Foreign adversaries are buying up U.S. farmland which is a threat not only to our food security, but our national security. Our legislation will prevent these bad actors from purchasing farmland and agricultural businesses near our strategic assets to better protect our nation from those with malign intentions,” said Hoeven.
    The PASS Act is also cosponsored by Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).
    In February 2025, President Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) to promote foreign investment while protecting America’s national security interests. In the NSPM, the President specifically mentioned adopting new rules to stop China from “buying up America.”
    Specifically, the PASS Act would:
    Ban purchases of agricultural land by individuals/entities controlled by North Korea, China, Russia and Iran near military installations and sensitive sites.
    Make the Secretary of Agriculture a voting member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for all covered transactions involving the purchase of agricultural land, biotechnology, and any other transaction related to the agriculture industry in the United States.
    Give the U.S. Department of Agriculture the ability to refer cases to CFIUS for review if there is reason to believe an agriculture land transaction may raise a national security concern.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: One of Atlanta Police Department’s Most Wanted Fugitives Sentenced for Multiple Counts of Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ATLANTA – Jordan Pack has been sentenced for two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

    “Pack continued to possess firearms and commit violent offenses after being previously convicted of a violent felony,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “This case is another example of the effective law enforcement partnerships in our district that enable the successful prosecutions of dangerous repeat offenders like Pack.”

    “This sentence reflects ATF commitment to ensure that those with a history of crime are held accountable”, said Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons.  Convicted felons possessing firearms presents a danger to the community and ATF along with our law enforcement partners will work hard to remove them from our community.”  

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: In October 2008, Jordan Pack was convicted of Armed Robbery (involving a firearm) in the Superior Court of Douglasville, Georgia. He was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment, with 10 years to serve in custody and the remainder to be served on probation. He was released from prison in April 2018.

    On October 22, 2021, officers responding to a motor vehicle collision in Dacula, Georgia, arrested Pack for giving false identifying information to a police officer. A crossbody satchel that Pack was wearing at the time of his arrest contained live .38 caliber ammunition, and officers later learned that, after the accident, Pack had discarded a .38 caliber Taurus revolver under a nearby vehicle. Upon recovering the revolver, officers discovered that the firearm was loaded with the hammer cocked.

    Later, on June 17, 2022, Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers responded to the scene of a shooting at a single-family home in Northwest Atlanta. A female resident of the home advised that, following a domestic dispute, Pack had threatened to shoot her. He then retrieved a firearm from his vehicle, fired multiple shots into the air, and fled the scene. Both the victim and her young child were present in the home at that time. Officers recovered five spent .45 caliber shell casings from the driveway of the home.

    On August 10, 2022, officers with the APD fugitive unit located Pack at an apartment complex in Southwest Atlanta. Pack was working at the location as an armed security guard (under the alias “William Tate”) and in possession of a Tokarev 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun. During a search of Pack incident to his arrest, officers recovered a .45 caliber Highpoint semi-automatic pistol which was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition in a high-capacity magazine, a pair of brass knuckles, a pocketknife, a canister of bear mace, and a large machete. In addition, during a search of Pack’s vehicle, officers seized the Tocarev shotgun, two magazines, 14 rounds of 12-gauge shotgun shells, and several .45 caliber cartridge casings.

    On March 6, 2024, Chief District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. sentenced Jordan Pack, also known as “William Tate,” 35, of Atlanta, Ga., to 66 months of incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release. Pack pleaded guilty to the charges on November 12, 2024. 

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Atlanta Police Department.

    Assistant United States Attorney Joshua May, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jesika French and Norman Barnett, prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Washington Field Office Statement on the 18th Anniversary of the Abduction of Robert A. Levinson

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    Sunday, March 9, marks the 18th anniversary of the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert A. “Bob” Levinson from Kish Island, Iran, in 2007. Bob served his country as a Drug Enforcement Administration agent for six years and then as an FBI special agent for 22 years. He retired in 1988.

    March 9 also marks National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, a time for our country to pause and remember all American citizens unjustly held abroad—including Bob.

    “Our job is to protect the American people and to hold accountable those who harm our citizens, so this case hits especially close to home for all of us at the FBI, where Bob served for so long,” FBI Director Kash Patel said. “It’s been 18 years since Bob’s abduction, and Iran has continued to target U.S. citizens, including the president, other government officials, and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran. Our nation will not tolerate threats to any Americans, at home or abroad, and we demand that Iran make good on its past promises to provide answers about what happened to Bob.”

    Bob should be celebrating his 77th birthday with his wife, children, and grandchildren next week. Instead, Bob’s family, friends, and colleagues mark yet another year without him. As the FBI remembers Bob, we renew our commitment to resolving his case and holding the Iranian regime responsible for its role in Bob’s disappearance. The investigation continues to develop new leads and intelligence, and the FBI will pursue all options to hold every Iranian official who was involved to account.

    As part of our ongoing efforts, the FBI recently released seeking information posters featuring two senior Iranian intelligence officials who were allegedly involved in Bob’s abduction: Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai. They worked for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) at the time of Bob’s abduction, detention, and probable death.

    The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $5 million for information that leads to Bob’s location, recovery, and return. If you have information, please email levinsonfbireward@fbi.gov. You can also contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or submit a tip via tips.fbi.gov.

    Additionally, the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information that leads to Bob’s location, recovery, and return as well as information that leads to the identification, location, arrest, or conviction of any person responsible for his abduction, including Baseri and Khazai, who are wanted for their alleged involvement in Bob’s disappearance.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Chaotic cosmic clones and the Joker reinvented – what to watch and read this week

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anna Walker, Senior Arts + Culture Editor

    When director Robert Eggers asked him what kind of movies he was interested in, Robert Pattinson said: “I only wanna do strange things.” It seems he’s taken the same approach to stardom as fellow teen star, Daniel Radcliffe – make your name in a big-budget franchise, then spend the rest of your career starring in the interesting, the unexpected and downright weird.

    Since his turn as the sparkle-skinned teen vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies, Pattinson has played a tortured lighthouse keeper, a celibate space prisoner and a city slicker who barely leaves his limousine. Even his iteration of Batman was kooky – a tragic, lonely hero in smudged black eye make-up.

    The trailer for Mickey 17.

    So, it’s no wonder that he jumped at the chance to star in Mickey 17. The latest film by renowned Korean writer-director Bong Joon-ho, it follows a mission to establish a human settlement on an inhospitable alien planet in the year 2054. In this imagined future, it has become possible to replicate human beings with total accuracy using an advanced form of 3D printing.

    Although outlawed on ethical grounds back on Earth, human printing is legal in the remote regions of space. There, disposable workers known as “expendables” can be reprinted on demand each time they perish. Our reviewer, an expert in science fiction, said: “Like Bong’s earlier films, Mickey 17 combines artful world-building, an impeccable cast, social satire, anarchic humour – and a taste for the grotesque.”

    Mickey 17 is in cinemas now



    Read more:
    Mickey 17: this absurdist, dystopian clone drama is highly entertaining – despite its flaws

    Villains and heroes

    Pattinson’s Batman has yet to face the Joker, the character’s arch nemesis, and a recurring role that is even more prized among actors than Bruce Wayne. But Vera Drew, who co-writes, directs and stars as several iterations of the character in her new film The People’s Joker, hasn’t let a casting director get in the way of her ambitions.

    The trailer for The People’s Joker.

    In this surreal, hilarious – and very much unofficial – film, Drew plays a mix of both Harley Quinn and the Joker. It’s a queer twist on the DC universe, and a metaphor for the difficulties she encountered as a transgender teen.

    For our reviewers, experts in comic books and their adaptations, it was a breath of fresh air. Proof that, in the era of Marvel’s box office dominance, there is still room for unique remixes of familiar superhero stories.

    The People’s Joker is touring cinemas across the UK



    Read more:
    The People’s Joker remixes familiar characters to create a new kind of comic book movie

    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 most streamed TV series on Netflix this week is the new drama Toxic Town – and deservedly so. It tells the true story of a group of women from Corby in Northamptonshire, UK, who gave birth to children with limb differences in the 1980s and 90s. The children were born with shortened arms or legs or missing fingers.

    The drama follows their battle to uncover the cause and their subsequent fight for justice. It makes for compelling viewing, with standout performances from former Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker and White Lotus’s Aimee Lou Wood.

    The trailer for Toxic Town.

    We asked a pair of climate researchers to review the show. They found it to be a “stark warning about the dangers of weak environmental protections”. Far from being a thing of the past, they argue that we could return to the toxic times seen in Corby if we fail to prioritise stringent environmental safeguards.

    Toxic Town is now streaming on Netflix



    Read more:
    Netflix’s Toxic Town offers a stark warning on environmental rollbacks

    Timely storytelling

    For more culture with a message this week, we highly recommend No Other Land. Winner of the Oscar for best documentary feature film, it chronicles the efforts of Palestinian townspeople to combat an Israeli plan to demolish their villages in the West Bank and use the area as a military training ground.

    The trailer for No Other Land.

    The film was directed by four Palestinian and Israeli activists and journalists including Basel Adra, who is a resident of the area facing demolition. The film’s subject matter has made it difficult to attract distributors in many countries, including the US. British viewers, though, can stream the film for free on Channel 4.

    No Other Land is now in select cinemas and streaming on Channel 4



    Read more:
    A Palestinian-Israeli film just won an Oscar − so why is it so hard to see?

    Show Don’t Tell is the new short story collection from Curtis Sittenfeld. She’s the American writer behind Rodham, the 2020 novel that reimagined the life of Hilary Clinton. Offering slices of life in the American Midwest, it’s a profound exploration of individual and social conflict at a time when the US is on the verge of momentous political change.

    Many of Sittenfeld’s characters are experiencing a low-level sense of dread. Some are obsessed with death. But the stories remind us that, considering the chaotic past decade, where catastrophe and complex political issues have dominated American lives, fear and anxiety are an entirely reasonable emotional response.

    Our reviewer, an expert in American literature and history, read all 12 stories in one sitting. She found them to be moving, witty and achingly real.



    Read more:
    Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld is moving, witty and achingly real

    – ref. Chaotic cosmic clones and the Joker reinvented – what to watch and read this week – https://theconversation.com/chaotic-cosmic-clones-and-the-joker-reinvented-what-to-watch-and-read-this-week-251646

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Federal Council decides to impose additional freeze on assets of Bashar al-Assad’s entourage

    Source: Switzerland – Federal Council in English

    During its meeting on 7 March 2025, the Federal Council decided to impose an additional freeze on the assets of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his entourage. The Assad government fell last December after 24 years of rule. With this measure, the Federal Council wants to ensure that, regardless of developments in the area of sanctions, no funds of the former Assad government can flow out of Switzerland.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Syria: Up to one million people plan to return home in desperation

    Source: United Nations 2

    Migrants and Refugees

    Up to one million desperate Syrians living in camps and displacement sites across the country’s northwest intend to return home within the next year – sparking deep concerns of a new humanitarian crisis.

    According to UN refugee agency, UNHCR, 600,000 people could be on the move in the next six months, according to its latest survey.

    UNHCR spokesperson Celine Schmitt said on Friday that people will need “housing, jobs, schools, hospitals, electricity and clean water” – all of which are lacking after 14 years of civil conflict.

    She described meeting one mother living in a tent with her children having fled from the rubble of her former home, without access to water, or employment – with the nearest school two kilometers away.

    Yearning for home

    The mother said she was “planning to take her tent and to go back home and put the tent next to her house, just to be back home…She was asking for small humanitarian help to be able to restart, to rebuild her life.”

    Twenty-three districts in Syria could see their populations at least double, placing additional strain on already overstretched basic services and infrastructure.

    The survey showed that 51 per cent of households intend to return to their areas of origin, with 93 per cent planning to go home within three to twelve months.

    The survey took place between 26 January and 23 February, surveying 4,800 households – more than 29,000 individuals – in 514 displacement sites across northwest Syria.

    As of January, more than 3.4 million IDPs were still in the northwest. The intention to return is particularly strong among IDPs in Idleb, where two in three households are opting to head home. Former frontline areas in the Idleb and Aleppo governorates are the primary intended destinations.

    UN support for returnees

    UNHCR and partners are providing transport, legal assistance and support in repairing damaged homes as well as mattresses, blankets and winter clothing for the tough months ahead.

    “Nearly 14 years after the crisis began, Syria is at a crossroads, urgently needing support for rebuilding as years of conflict have devastated the economy and infrastructure, leaving 90 per cent of the population reliant on aid,” said Ms. Schmitt.

    “There is now hope and a historic opportunity. UNHCR calls on the international community to make a firm commitment to support Syrians with essential aid for returnees and by investing in early recovery.”

    © UNHCR/Hameed Maarouf

    Temporary shelters stand in rows in rural Aleppo in Syria.

    Seven million displaced overall: IOM

    A new report released on Friday by the UN migration agency, IOM, shows that around 750,000 IDPs have already returned to their places of origin in Syria since November 2024. – but some seven million remain displaced.

    IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) – the first such report on Syria since 2022 – shows that one in five displaced people in Syria are residing in tents or makeshift shelters, facing harsh living conditions.

    Around 28 per cent of those who returned to their places of origin are residing in damaged or unfinished buildings.

    “Syria remains a major humanitarian crisis, and the needs are immense.” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.

    “IOM is dedicated to helping the people of Syria on their journey to recovery, and collecting and analyzing data like we’ve done in this new Displacement Tracking Matrix report is one of the key ways we will do that.”

    As it re-establishes its presence in Damascus, IOM is reactivating its data collection operations in Syria so it can address critical knowledge gaps and enhance humanitarian coordination.

    Returns from Lebanon, Türkiye and Iraq

    Since January 2024, a total of 571,388 individuals have returned to Syria from abroad, of whom 259,745 returned to the country after November 2024, when events that led to the toppling of the Assad regime in early December gathered pace.

    About 76 per cent of arrivals from aboard returned to their place of origin, while others returned to another location likely due to significant damage and security concerns in their place of origin, said IOM.

    Fifty percent of Syrians returning from outside the country came from Lebanon, 22 per cent from Türkiye and 13 per cent from Iraq.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: People in Gaza still need a massive scale-up of humanitarian supplies

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Sarah Vulstyeke is a project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). She recently returned from the Gaza Strip, Palestine, where she coordinated operations with an MSF team in northern Gaza, where MSF runs mobile clinics to provide medical assistance to people through general consultations, treatment of non-communicable diseases, changing wound dressings, and health promotion. 

    During the first and second weeks of February, MSF mobile clinics were sent to Jabalia camp and Beit Hanoun. Around 1,200 consultations were conducted, with 11.6 per cent being children under five years. Just over 23 per cent of the consultations were upper tract respiratory infections and 169 dressings were done. Sarah describes what our team saw.

    “When we arrived at the first health centre in the north of Gaza in early February to assess the situation, it was a slap in the face for all of us. There was nothing left to assess: we were shocked and felt helpless after realising how much infrastructure, how many buildings and lives, had been destroyed. 

    Right after the ceasefire [which took effect on 19 January 2025], one of our priorities was to look at how we could support access to basic healthcare for people in Gaza, especially in the northern part of the Strip. Jabalia camp had been besieged and heavily bombed by Israeli forces since 6 October 2024, and Israeli authorities dramatically reduced the quantity of essential aid authorised to enter. 

    Tens of thousands of people remained trapped in the north with barely any access to healthcare since last October; while hundreds of thousands returned there after the implementation of the ceasefire during end of January 2025.  

    A crowd of people wait for medical consultations at the MSF-supported Sheikh Radwan healthcare centre in Gaza City. Gaza Strip, Palestine, February 2025.
    Nour Alsaqqa/MSF

    The devastation we found in Jabalia is hard to describe; there was nothing left, only rubble. We tried to assess the conditions of health centres. But we visited the first one, and it was flattened. Then the second, the third… Everything was in ruins and reduced to piles of rubble. It’s breathtaking and heartbreaking. Looking at the scale of the destruction, we had no other choice but to act quickly. 

    The biggest challenge was to start and set up medical activities amid the rubble. It took a week to clear up enough rubble with our rented bulldozer, just to set up a temporary structure. The first week, we parked by the side of the road and began our activities. 

    Later, we were able to set up tents and shelters where patients could wait for their consultation. The weather was freezing, but still hundreds of patients came every day.  

    People in Gaza, as well as our teams, are determined to try to rebuild what was lost, despite the unbearable difficulties they face every day. The situation is still very precarious, and we are really worried about the consequences that a blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza could have. 

    People in Gaza still need an immediate and massive scale-up of humanitarian supplies, and it is unacceptable that an entire population is now once again being prevented from receiving humanitarian aid.” 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Women always suffer in times of conflict. Yet the arms industry is accused of gender washing war

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rosie Walters, Lecturer in International Relations, Cardiff University

    A displaced Yemeni woman makes food for her children in the camp where they live in the city of Taiz. akramalrasny/Shutterstock

    International Women’s Day, marked each year on March 8, is all about celebrating women and furthering efforts towards gender equality. Companies are keen to join these conversations and shout about their achievements on a day when minds are focused on female empowerment. But this has led to accusations of hypocrisy.

    In 2021, one user on X created the Gender Pay Gap bot. Until 2023,this automated account reposted companies’ supportive messages about International Women’s Day, quoting information about their gender pay gap. The bot’s posts received tens of thousands of views and shares, showing an appetite for calling out misleading corporate claims about women’s empowerment.

    Activists and researchers label these misleading actions “gender washing”. It describes communications and practices that present corporations as taking action on gender inequalities even as they engage in things that may be harmful to women and girls.

    Gender washing takes many forms. It might be, for example, sponsoring girls’ education programmes without addressing known practices of child labour and sexual harassment in supply chains. Or it could be applying for corporate social responsibility awards while facing lawsuits for discrimination against female employees.

    Our research examines global arms manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. It is estimated that the global arms trade as a whole was worth US$138 billion (£109 billion) in 2022 (the last year for which data are compiled).

    It is hard to say how many people are killed by these weapons, but at a minimum it numbers in the tens of thousands each year. Beyond this, the after-effects of weapons use include displacement, starvation and health emergencies, as has been seen in Yemen.

    Arms manufacturers continue to produce and sell weapons that cause untold suffering (including to women) across the world. But interestingly, arms manufacturers also issue communications celebrating International Women’s Day.

    Careers in science and tech

    Where previous research highlights how gender washing shows corporations or their products in a positive light, our research revealed bigger effects. We found that, through joint communications with governments and militaries, arms manufacturers were engaged in the process of gender washing war itself.

    By posting for International Women’s Day, these companies portray the technologies and corporate operations of warfare as empowering to women and girls. They show women succeeding in science and technology careers, and girls receiving inspirational talks and science education, while saying nothing about what that science is being used for.

    For example, Lockheed Martin Middle East and Africa shared a video on X showing a group of female engineers at the company’s innovation centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The post states that the company is “committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers through real-world #STEM education”.

    The video shows a group of women wearing traditional Emirati dress in futuristic labs. They are interacting with touchscreen images of helicopters flying over deserts, examining a drone and sitting next to magnifying glasses. The soundtrack is like something out of a Hollywood action movie.

    But the women do not speak for themselves. We are supposed to assume that, thanks to Lockheed Martin, they are being educated in cutting-edge technology and empowered to pursue careers in science. They get hands-on experience using the very military technologies being deployed in many parts of their region.

    Lockheed Martin’s sale of weapons to warring parties in the Middle East, including arms sold to Saudi Arabia with devastating consequences for Yemeni women, is presented as a learning opportunity, “inspiring” women of the Middle East into science careers.

    For its part, Lockheed Martin said in its 2023 gender pay gap report that it had closed the salary gap by 12.1% since 2017. It also said its investment in STEM activities helped it to focus on a future pipeline of female talent.

    We also found that some corporations attempt to join progressive conversations without actually saying anything at all. We label this “constructive silences”. This is where companies say nothing of substance on gender issues, and do not reveal any efforts to tackle gender inequalities within their own practices. But nonetheless they tap into conversations about International Women’s Day that might enhance their reputations.

    A post on X from Lockheed Martin India uses International Women’s Day hashtags. But there is no clear link to the accompanying text, which does not mention women specifically. Nor is there any connection to initiatives to address gender inequalities. Instead it talks about how “an inclusive environment” helps employees to “develop innovative solutions”.

    This matters because – through social media – arms manufacturers present technologies of war as a force for public good. It is easier to deflect criticism of the harms created by your products when you can point to your efforts supporting women’s empowerment.

    These posts for International Women’s Day, and other gender-washing practices, make it easier for governments to continue subsidising the arms industry, buying and using weaponry, and issuing licenses for the sale of weapons in conflicts across the globe. All the while, they give the impression that the corporations producing those weapons are educating and empowering women and girls.

    This International Women’s Day, take a look for yourself. Think about which companies are professing care for women and what harms might they be obscuring.

    In a statement to The Conversation, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin said: Lockheed Martin’s core business safeguards human rights by advancing cutting-edge technologies that help US and allied defence forces promote deterrence and protect their people. We adhere to strict and ethical business practices guided by US government laws, regulations and policies related to international military sales and the use of products sold to international customers. Our company culture is collaborative and respectful, which allows all of our team members to impactfully contribute to our mission-critical work.

    Raytheon and Northrop Grumman were also approached for comment about the claims made in this article, but did not respond by the time we published.

    Rosie Walters receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Learned Society of Wales.

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

    – ref. Women always suffer in times of conflict. Yet the arms industry is accused of gender washing war – https://theconversation.com/women-always-suffer-in-times-of-conflict-yet-the-arms-industry-is-accused-of-gender-washing-war-249775

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Egypt on edge: finding a delicate balance between Gaza and Trump

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By May Darwich, Associate Professor of International Relations of the Middle East, University of Birmingham

    US president Donald Trump famously called Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi his “favourite dictator” in 2019, but their relationship has been complex. Trump’s return to the White House for a second term has sent ripples of concern through Cairo. In January 2025, Trump proposed a resolution to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza: forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. Trump simultaneously threatened to withdraw US aid if these countries didn’t comply with the proposal. Sisi’s Egypt will need to navigate Trump’s ambition without sacrificing the regime’s own survival. May Darwich, who has studied Arab states’ foreign policies and alliances in the Middle East, explains what’s at stake.

    How dependent is Egypt on the US?

    Over time, Egypt has received more US foreign aid than any country besides Israel. It has received US$78 billion for economic assistance and US$90 billion in military assistance since 1946.

    A peace agreement with Israel in 1979 concluded the war between the two countries. Israeli forces withdrew from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Since then, the US has provided Egypt with a fixed amount of US$1.5 billion, of which US$1.3 billion is military aid, every year. It goes to financing Egypt’s purchase of weapons systems from US defence contractors.

    US aid has been a cornerstone of Egyptian-US relations for decades.

    Since 1979, Egypt has been a central pillar of US policies in the Middle East. Military aid is deemed essential to ensure that the regime in Egypt aligns with US interests. At the same time, this aid is widely seen as contributing to the survival of Egypt’s authoritarian regime.

    But history shows that Egypt can soften the potential impact of the US freezing assistance during periods of strained relations.

    The US suspended some military assistance to Egypt after the regime change in 2013. During that time, el-Sisi, who was elected president in 2014, received support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He also increased weapon imports from France and Russia.

    After a period of review, the Barack Obama administration released aid to Egypt to preserve US interests. As US secretary of state John Kerry once explained:

    We are getting a return on that investment that is not inconsequential. The army also is helping us enforce security in the Sinai (in Egypt). The army is also helping us enforce the Gaza peace.

    Should this relationship come under strain again, Egypt could learn to become even more independent. China’s influence in Egypt is growing, and the Gulf states that enjoy a close relationship with Sisi may also decide to commit funding.

    How has Egypt balanced its interests with Arab states, Israel and the US?

    The signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty in 1979 marked a shift in Egyptian foreign policy. The treaty aligned Egypt with the west in recognising Israel. This decision, however, led to Egypt’s isolation in the Arab world and its expulsion from the Arab League (it was readmitted in 1989).

    When Mohamed Hosni Mubarak assumed power following Anwar el-Sadat’s assassination in 1981, Egypt had to balance its partnership with the US, maintain peace with Israel and reconcile its relations with Arab states.

    Egypt condemned Israeli aggression against Palestinians and against Lebanon in 1982 and 2006, and froze efforts to normalise relations with Israel. This reinforced its pivotal position in Arab circles without jeopardising its peace with Israel.

    Meanwhile, Egypt helped US military assets to move across the region and oil to flow through the Suez Canal. It maintained peace and stability with Israel by pressuring Palestinian resistance movements into de-escalation. This balancing act allowed Egypt to become a mediator between Palestine and Israel.

    Egypt under Sisi has made efforts to maintain the balancing act. However, the ongoing Gaza war has intensified Egypt’s challenges. These include refugee flights and instability at its border. The war has also threatened Egypt’s longstanding role in the Middle East region.

    How has the Gaza war threatened Egypt’s balancing act?

    The onset of the Gaza war in October 2023 put Egypt on edge. Cairo is apprehensive about Israel’s potential strategy of forcibly locating Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula, which is on its territory. Egyptian officials have deemed that scenario as a red line. Cairo doesn’t want to be seen as undermining the Palestinian cause.

    Also, Egyptians harbour concerns that the presence of a substantial Palestinian population in Sinai – which links Africa to Asia, and borders Israel and Gaza – could transform the region into a launchpad for attacks on Israel. This would compel Egypt to either suppress such activities or face retaliation from Israel.

    This concern stems from a 1955 incident. The Israeli army raided an Egyptian military camp in the Gaza strip, which was then under Egyptian control. Seventeen soldiers were killed following a Palestinian militant’s killing of an Israeli. A plan to move Palestinians to Sinai sparked protests in the Gaza strip, bringing the Egyptian military in direct confrontation with Palestinians.

    This historical event has continued to shape Egyptian foreign policy, which rejects any relocation of Palestinians in Sinai.

    The current war has highlighted structural weaknesses in the already precarious Egyptian economy. The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea that began in 2024 caused a sharp drop in revenues from the Suez Canal, a critical source of foreign revenue for Egypt.

    Sisi played on European fears that what happened in Gaza could harm Egypt’s economic situation and lead to mass migration to Europe. But cash infusions won’t solve the deep-seated economic challenges facing the country.

    Cairo’s role as a mediator between the west, Israel and the Arab world is facing renewed challenges. Other mediators, like Qatar, have emerged.

    What could affect Egypt’s response to Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians?

    Trump’s proposal places the Egyptian regime in a precarious position. If Egypt agrees to the plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, it would signify a dramatic departure from its foundational foreign policies. It could also reignite discontent among its population.

    Rejecting the proposal would strain Egypt-US relations, potentially undermining the support for Sisi’s regime, which might then have to seek aid from other countries.

    The Gaza conflict underscores Egypt’s historical and political entanglement with the Palestinian issue.

    – Egypt on edge: finding a delicate balance between Gaza and Trump
    – https://theconversation.com/egypt-on-edge-finding-a-delicate-balance-between-gaza-and-trump-251375

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Egypt on edge: finding a delicate balance between Gaza and Trump

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By May Darwich, Associate Professor of International Relations of the Middle East, University of Birmingham

    US president Donald Trump famously called Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi his “favourite dictator” in 2019, but their relationship has been complex. Trump’s return to the White House for a second term has sent ripples of concern through Cairo. In January 2025, Trump proposed a resolution to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza: forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. Trump simultaneously threatened to withdraw US aid if these countries didn’t comply with the proposal. Sisi’s Egypt will need to navigate Trump’s ambition without sacrificing the regime’s own survival. May Darwich, who has studied Arab states’ foreign policies and alliances in the Middle East, explains what’s at stake.

    How dependent is Egypt on the US?

    Over time, Egypt has received more US foreign aid than any country besides Israel. It has received US$78 billion for economic assistance and US$90 billion in military assistance since 1946.

    A peace agreement with Israel in 1979 concluded the war between the two countries. Israeli forces withdrew from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Since then, the US has provided Egypt with a fixed amount of US$1.5 billion, of which US$1.3 billion is military aid, every year. It goes to financing Egypt’s purchase of weapons systems from US defence contractors.

    US aid has been a cornerstone of Egyptian-US relations for decades.

    Since 1979, Egypt has been a central pillar of US policies in the Middle East. Military aid is deemed essential to ensure that the regime in Egypt aligns with US interests. At the same time, this aid is widely seen as contributing to the survival of Egypt’s authoritarian regime.

    But history shows that Egypt can soften the potential impact of the US freezing assistance during periods of strained relations.

    The US suspended some military assistance to Egypt after the regime change in 2013. During that time, el-Sisi, who was elected president in 2014, received support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He also increased weapon imports from France and Russia.

    After a period of review, the Barack Obama administration released aid to Egypt to preserve US interests. As US secretary of state John Kerry once explained:

    We are getting a return on that investment that is not inconsequential. The army also is helping us enforce security in the Sinai (in Egypt). The army is also helping us enforce the Gaza peace.

    Should this relationship come under strain again, Egypt could learn to become even more independent. China’s influence in Egypt is growing, and the Gulf states that enjoy a close relationship with Sisi may also decide to commit funding.

    How has Egypt balanced its interests with Arab states, Israel and the US?

    The signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty in 1979 marked a shift in Egyptian foreign policy. The treaty aligned Egypt with the west in recognising Israel. This decision, however, led to Egypt’s isolation in the Arab world and its expulsion from the Arab League (it was readmitted in 1989).

    When Mohamed Hosni Mubarak assumed power following Anwar el-Sadat’s assassination in 1981, Egypt had to balance its partnership with the US, maintain peace with Israel and reconcile its relations with Arab states.

    Egypt condemned Israeli aggression against Palestinians and against Lebanon in 1982 and 2006, and froze efforts to normalise relations with Israel. This reinforced its pivotal position in Arab circles without jeopardising its peace with Israel.

    Meanwhile, Egypt helped US military assets to move across the region and oil to flow through the Suez Canal. It maintained peace and stability with Israel by pressuring Palestinian resistance movements into de-escalation. This balancing act allowed Egypt to become a mediator between Palestine and Israel.

    Egypt under Sisi has made efforts to maintain the balancing act. However, the ongoing Gaza war has intensified Egypt’s challenges. These include refugee flights and instability at its border. The war has also threatened Egypt’s longstanding role in the Middle East region.

    How has the Gaza war threatened Egypt’s balancing act?

    The onset of the Gaza war in October 2023 put Egypt on edge. Cairo is apprehensive about Israel’s potential strategy of forcibly locating Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula, which is on its territory. Egyptian officials have deemed that scenario as a red line. Cairo doesn’t want to be seen as undermining the Palestinian cause.

    Also, Egyptians harbour concerns that the presence of a substantial Palestinian population in Sinai – which links Africa to Asia, and borders Israel and Gaza – could transform the region into a launchpad for attacks on Israel. This would compel Egypt to either suppress such activities or face retaliation from Israel.

    This concern stems from a 1955 incident. The Israeli army raided an Egyptian military camp in the Gaza strip, which was then under Egyptian control. Seventeen soldiers were killed following a Palestinian militant’s killing of an Israeli. A plan to move Palestinians to Sinai sparked protests in the Gaza strip, bringing the Egyptian military in direct confrontation with Palestinians.

    This historical event has continued to shape Egyptian foreign policy, which rejects any relocation of Palestinians in Sinai.

    The current war has highlighted structural weaknesses in the already precarious Egyptian economy. The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea that began in 2024 caused a sharp drop in revenues from the Suez Canal, a critical source of foreign revenue for Egypt.

    Sisi played on European fears that what happened in Gaza could harm Egypt’s economic situation and lead to mass migration to Europe. But cash infusions won’t solve the deep-seated economic challenges facing the country.

    Cairo’s role as a mediator between the west, Israel and the Arab world is facing renewed challenges. Other mediators, like Qatar, have emerged.

    What could affect Egypt’s response to Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians?

    Trump’s proposal places the Egyptian regime in a precarious position. If Egypt agrees to the plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, it would signify a dramatic departure from its foundational foreign policies. It could also reignite discontent among its population.

    Rejecting the proposal would strain Egypt-US relations, potentially undermining the support for Sisi’s regime, which might then have to seek aid from other countries.

    The Gaza conflict underscores Egypt’s historical and political entanglement with the Palestinian issue.

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

    – ref. Egypt on edge: finding a delicate balance between Gaza and Trump – https://theconversation.com/egypt-on-edge-finding-a-delicate-balance-between-gaza-and-trump-251375

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK deepens cooperation with France on people smuggling

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    The UK deepens cooperation with France on people smuggling

    The UK and France sign a roadmap to deepen cooperation on people smuggling.

    The UK and France have further deepened their small boats cooperation with the signing of the Upstream Working Group Roadmap yesterday (6 March) at the Ministry of Interior.

    The UK’s Border Security Commander, Martin Hewitt, and France’s Special Representative on Immigration for the Minister of State, Patrick Stefanini, met in Paris to agree stronger measures, focussing on stemming irregular migration flows into both France and the UK. 

    The signing follows the Home Secretary’s visit to the Northern French coast last week where she met with French Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, to agree a series of new, stronger enforcement measures.

    The Franco-British Upstream Working Group marks a significant step in ongoing efforts to combat organised immigration crime. The roadmap has 4 priority issues:

    • disrupting the criminal gangs at the heart of organised immigration crime
    • deterring illegal migrants from taking the dangerous journey to France and the UK
    • ensuring the effective and prompt return of irregular migrants to source and transit countries
    • tackling the root causes of irregular migration

    The 2 co-chairs welcomed British and French joint efforts and set a date for the next Upstream Working Group plenary meeting, due to take place in May 2025. 

    Border Security Commander, Martin Hewitt, said: 

    When I first took on my role as Border Security Commander, one of my key priorities was to strengthen our work with partners across the world to tackle the criminal networks facilitating illegal migration to the UK. 

    In just a few short months, we have fundamentally enhanced our international cooperation, but it is our close cooperation with French partners that remains, as ever, the cornerstone to stopping the gangs and preventing loss of life. 

    Beyond France, the Border Security Command has deepened coordination with law enforcement to smash the criminal people smuggling gangs, securing vital agreements with other international partners including Germany, Western Balkan nations and Iraq.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: We must seize this opportunity to destroy Assad’s chemical weapons programme: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    We must seize this opportunity to destroy Assad’s chemical weapons programme: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Statement by Fergus Eckersley, UK Minister Counsellor, at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria

    The last time this Council met to discuss chemical weapons in Syria, Bashar al-Assad was still in power.

    Two days later, he fled and his brutal regime was overthrown.

    The fall of Assad marks a new chapter for Syria and presents a golden opportunity to destroy his remaining chemical weapons programme, verified by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

    However, the situation in Syria is fragile and we must make sure we seize this window of opportunity to remove the threat posed by these weapons once and for all.

    The UK is concerned about recent clashes in Syria, which must not be allowed to escalate into wider violence. We urge all parties to refrain from further violence and exercise restraint at this critical time.

    The OPCW Director-General’s visit to Damascus on 8 February was an important step forward. 

    And we are greatly encouraged by the commitments already made by the Syrian interim authorities to fully cooperate with the OPCW and to secure chemical weapons sites.

    The attendance of Syria’s interim Foreign Minister, at the OPCW’s Executive Council this week was a very significant moment. 

    We welcome his renewed commitments on chemical weapons, including to “put an end to this painful legacy and ensure Syria becomes a nation aligned with international norms.”

    The next step is to support Syria to meet its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, including to declare and destroy remaining chemical weapons stockpiles working with the OPCW.

    The OPCW Director-General set out the scale of the challenge ahead to the OPCW’s Executive Council this week.

    And this Council has an important role to play in supporting the OPCW’s work.

    First, we underscore the importance of implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention alongside the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2118.

    Second, the international community must provide the financial and technical assistance to the OPCW that it needs.

    The UK has committed more than $1m to the OPCW Syria Missions since the fall of Assad to support their immediate work.

    Finally, as Syria’s interim authorities seek to bring stability to the country and address security threats, it is vital that Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected.

    This is why we urge Israel to de-escalate their actions in Syria. 

    Such military action risks destabilising an already fragile security situation. 

    We call on all parties to provide the safe conditions for the OPCW to conduct its work.

    Madam President, with political will from the new authorities in Syria and this Council, there is an opportunity to deal with this issue once and for all, and to finally achieve the total elimination of chemical weapons in Syria. 

    We must take that opportunity.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Activities of the Secretary-General in Egypt, 2-5 March

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Cairo from New York on Monday, 3 March.

    He first held a meeting with António Costa, President of the European Council.  They discussed cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union on various issues of global importance.

    On Tuesday, 4 March, the Secretary-General met with João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola and Chair of the African Union.  They exchanged views on peace and security issues and developments across the continent.

    Afterwards, the Secretary-General had a bilateral meeting with General Joseph Aoun, President of Lebanon.  They discussed the latest developments in Lebanon, the situation in the region and the importance of the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).

    In the afternoon, the Secretary-General met with Ahmad Hussein al-Sharaa of Syria.  They exchanged views about the historic opportunity to chart a new course for Syria, as well as the challenges facing the country.

    Later, the Secretary-General addressed the Extraordinary Arab Summit on the situation in the Middle East/Gaza.  He said that “this Summit is an important signal that the world has a collective responsibility to support efforts to end this war, relieve profound human suffering and secure lasting peace”.  He added that “we need a clear political framework that lays the foundation for Gaza’s recovery, reconstruction and lasting stability” and “that framework must be based on principles and respect for international law”.

    The Secretary-General departed Cairo on 4 March, and arrived in New York early on Wednesday, 5 March.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Garantex Cryptocurrency Exchange Disrupted in International Operation

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Note: View the indictment here.

    Two Administrators Charged with Operating Multibillion-Dollar Crypto Money Laundering Service

    The Justice Department announced today a coordinated action with Germany and Finland to disrupt and take down the online infrastructure used to operate Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange that allegedly facilitated money laundering by transnational criminal organizations — including terrorist organizations — and sanctions violations. Since April 2019, Garantex has processed at least $96 billion in cryptocurrency transactions.

    Garantex Splash Page

    In conjunction with the operation targeting Garantex, the Department also announced the unsealing of an indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia against Aleksej Besciokov, 46, a Lithuanian national and Russian resident, and Aleksandr Mira Serda (previously Aleksandr Ntifo-Siaw), 40, a Russian national and United Arab Emirates resident. Mira Serda and Besciokov are charged with money laundering conspiracy, and Besciokov is charged with conspiracy to violate sanctions and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.

    According to court documents, between 2019 and 2025, Besciokov and Mira Serda controlled and operated Garantex. Besciokov was Garantex’s primary technical administrator and responsible for obtaining and maintaining critical Garantex infrastructure, as well as reviewing and approving transactions. Mira Serda was Garantex’s co-founder and chief commercial officer.

    Garantex received hundreds of millions in criminal proceeds and was used to facilitate various crimes, including hacking, ransomware, terrorism, and drug trafficking, often with substantial impact to U.S. victims. According to the indictment, Besciokov and Mira Serda knew that criminal proceeds were being laundered through Garantex and took steps to conceal the facilitation of illegal activities on its platform. For example, when Russian law enforcement sought records relating to an account registered to Mira Serda, Garantex provided incomplete information in response and falsely claimed the account was not verified. In reality, Garantex had associated the account with Mira Serda’s personal identifying documents, even while disclosing identifying information related to other accounts requested by Russian law enforcement.

    On April 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Garantex for its role in facilitating money laundering of funds from ransomware actors and darknet markets. According to court documents, despite the widespread publicity of the sanctions and Garantex administrator’s personal knowledge of them, Besciokov and his co-conspirators violated those sanctions by continuing to transact with U.S.-based entities. Further, Besciokov and his co-conspirators redesigned Garantex’s operations to evade and violate U.S. sanctions and induce U.S. businesses to unwittingly transact with Garantex in violation of the sanctions. For example, Garantex moved its operational cryptocurrency wallets to different virtual currency addresses on a daily basis in order to make it difficult for U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges to identify and block transactions with Garantex accounts.

    Despite doing substantial business in the United States and operating as a money transmitting business, Garantex failed to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as required.

    On March 6, U.S. law enforcement, led by the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), executed a seizure order authorized by a judge in the Eastern District of Virginia against three website domain names used to support Garantex’s operations. According to court records unsealed today, Garantex.org, Garantex.io, and Garantex.academy were associated with the administration and operation of Garantex. The seizure of these domains will prevent these sites from being used for money laundering and additional crimes. Individuals visiting those sites now will see a message indicating that the site has been seized by law enforcement.

    As part of the coordinated actions, German and Finnish law enforcement seized servers hosting Garantex’s operations. U.S. law authorities have separately obtained earlier copies of Garantex’s servers, including customer and accounting databases. In addition, U.S. law enforcement has also frozen over $26 million in funds used to facilitate Garantex’s money laundering activities.

    Besciokov and Mira Serda are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Besciokov is also charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and with conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.    

    Supervisory Official Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Michael Centrella of the USSS’ Office of Field Operations, and Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division made the announcement.

    USSS and the FBI are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Tamara Livshiz of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s National Security Division and Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance.

    The Justice Department also recognizes the critical cooperation of the German Federal Criminal Police Office, the Frankfurt General Prosecutor’s Office, the Dutch National Police, Europol, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, and the Estonian National Criminal Police.

    Finally, the Department thanks Tether and blockchain analytics firm Elliptic for their proactive assistance in this investigation.

    Any individual who believes he/she is a victim whose funds were laundered through Garantex or who may otherwise have a claim to restrained funds should reach out to law enforcement via email address GarantexClaimants@secretservice.gov.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM call with President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission: 7 March 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    PM call with President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission: 7 March 2025

    The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the leaders of Canada, Turkey, Norway and Iceland this morning.

    The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the leaders of Canada, Turkey, Norway and Iceland this morning.

    The Prime Minister applauded the progress the European Union had made at the European Council yesterday, saying it was a historic step forward and another sign of Europe stepping up.

    Closer collaboration between the European Union, its partners and our combined defence industrial base was vital as Europe stepped up to counter egregious Russian aggression, the Prime Minister added.

    Updating on the intensive diplomacy between the US, UK, France and Ukraine, the Prime Minister welcomed the potential for peace talks in Saudi Arabia next week.

    The leaders also discussed the Coalition of the Willing and looked ahead to the Chiefs of Defence meeting in Paris on Tuesday. It would be another important moment to drive forward planning, they agreed.

    The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Over 180 Migrants Feared Dead After Shipwrecks Off Yemen’s Coast

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Yemen/ Geneva, 7 March 2025 – Two boats carrying over 180 migrants capsized off the coast of Yemen’s Dhubab district in Ta’iz Governorate on Thursday, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s field reports. The incident occurred amid some of the worst weather in years, as described by local reports.

    The vessels, which were attempting the dangerous journey from the Horn of Africa, sank in rough seas, a known risk during this season. Among those on board were at least 124 men and 57 women. While two Yemeni crew members were rescued, all passengers and the remaining crew are feared dead, with no bodies recovered so far.

    The boats capsized after smugglers failed to heed to weather warnings issued by Yemen’s Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority, which had advised against travel due to strong winds and high waves. Migrants arriving at Migrant Response Points in Yemen have reported that smugglers are becoming more reckless, knowingly sending boats into dangerous conditions to avoid patrols.

    “These latest shipwrecks are a sobering reminder of the grave dangers migrants endure in search of a better future,” said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Yemen. “Smugglers continue to gamble with human lives, pushing people onto dangerous journeys despite clear weather warnings, There is a critical need for adequate protection and safe alternatives for migrants. Without urgent action, more lives could be lost and more families will be left grieving.”

    Those who do survive the journey to Yemen often find themselves trapped in a dire situation. Migrants transiting through the country are frequently exposed to violence, detention, forced labour, and other forms of exploitation. Many face kidnapping and extortion at the hands of traffickers and armed groups, while others become stranded with no means to continue their journey or return home.

    Yet, despite these dangers, thousands continue to make the journey each year. More than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen last year alone. Since 2014, IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded over 3,400 deaths and disappearances along the Eastern Route, including more than 580 women and 100 children. 1,400 of these deaths were caused by drowning.

    IOM continues to provide lifesaving assistance to migrants in Yemen, including food, medical care, protection services and voluntary Humanitarian return. However, the scale of needs far surpasses available resources. With funding cuts severely impacting humanitarian efforts, IOM fears that more migrants will be left indefinitely stranded in Yemen, with little access to food, shelter, or medical care.

    As the humanitarian situation deteriorates, IOM urges greater international action to protect migrants and address the underlying drivers of irregular migration. Urgent support is needed to establish safer migration pathways and prevent further loss of life.

     

    Note to Editors:

    IOM’s Missing Migrants Project is the only open-access database on migrant deaths and disappearances worldwide and the sole indicator (10.7.3) to measure safe migration in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Together with other humanitarian and development organizations and governments, IOM coordinates the 2025 Regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa (MRP) to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of migrants along the Eastern Route.   

    For more information, please contact: 
     

    In Yemen: Monica Chiriac, mchiriac@iom.int 

    In Cairo: Joe Lowry, jlowry@iom.int

    In Geneva: Kennedy Okoth, kokoth@iom.int

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Garantex Cryptocurrency Exchange Disrupted in International Operation

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    Note: View the indictment here.

    Two Administrators Charged with Operating Multibillion-Dollar Crypto Money Laundering Service

    The Justice Department announced today a coordinated action with Germany and Finland to disrupt and take down the online infrastructure used to operate Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange that allegedly facilitated money laundering by transnational criminal organizations — including terrorist organizations — and sanctions violations. Since April 2019, Garantex has processed at least $96 billion in cryptocurrency transactions.

    Garantex Splash Page

    In conjunction with the operation targeting Garantex, the Department also announced the unsealing of an indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia against Aleksej Besciokov, 46, a Lithuanian national and Russian resident, and Aleksandr Mira Serda (previously Aleksandr Ntifo-Siaw), 40, a Russian national and United Arab Emirates resident. Mira Serda and Besciokov are charged with money laundering conspiracy, and Besciokov is charged with conspiracy to violate sanctions and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.

    According to court documents, between 2019 and 2025, Besciokov and Mira Serda controlled and operated Garantex. Besciokov was Garantex’s primary technical administrator and responsible for obtaining and maintaining critical Garantex infrastructure, as well as reviewing and approving transactions. Mira Serda was Garantex’s co-founder and chief commercial officer.

    Garantex received hundreds of millions in criminal proceeds and was used to facilitate various crimes, including hacking, ransomware, terrorism, and drug trafficking, often with substantial impact to U.S. victims. According to the indictment, Besciokov and Mira Serda knew that criminal proceeds were being laundered through Garantex and took steps to conceal the facilitation of illegal activities on its platform. For example, when Russian law enforcement sought records relating to an account registered to Mira Serda, Garantex provided incomplete information in response and falsely claimed the account was not verified. In reality, Garantex had associated the account with Mira Serda’s personal identifying documents, even while disclosing identifying information related to other accounts requested by Russian law enforcement.

    On April 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Garantex for its role in facilitating money laundering of funds from ransomware actors and darknet markets. According to court documents, despite the widespread publicity of the sanctions and Garantex administrator’s personal knowledge of them, Besciokov and his co-conspirators violated those sanctions by continuing to transact with U.S.-based entities. Further, Besciokov and his co-conspirators redesigned Garantex’s operations to evade and violate U.S. sanctions and induce U.S. businesses to unwittingly transact with Garantex in violation of the sanctions. For example, Garantex moved its operational cryptocurrency wallets to different virtual currency addresses on a daily basis in order to make it difficult for U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges to identify and block transactions with Garantex accounts.

    Despite doing substantial business in the United States and operating as a money transmitting business, Garantex failed to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as required.

    On March 6, U.S. law enforcement, led by the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), executed a seizure order authorized by a judge in the Eastern District of Virginia against three website domain names used to support Garantex’s operations. According to court records unsealed today, Garantex.org, Garantex.io, and Garantex.academy were associated with the administration and operation of Garantex. The seizure of these domains will prevent these sites from being used for money laundering and additional crimes. Individuals visiting those sites now will see a message indicating that the site has been seized by law enforcement.

    As part of the coordinated actions, German and Finnish law enforcement seized servers hosting Garantex’s operations. U.S. law authorities have separately obtained earlier copies of Garantex’s servers, including customer and accounting databases. In addition, U.S. law enforcement has also frozen over $26 million in funds used to facilitate Garantex’s money laundering activities.

    Besciokov and Mira Serda are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Besciokov is also charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and with conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.    

    Supervisory Official Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Michael Centrella of the USSS’ Office of Field Operations, and Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division made the announcement.

    USSS and the FBI are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Tamara Livshiz of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s National Security Division and Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance.

    The Justice Department also recognizes the critical cooperation of the German Federal Criminal Police Office, the Frankfurt General Prosecutor’s Office, the Dutch National Police, Europol, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, and the Estonian National Criminal Police.

    Finally, the Department thanks Tether and blockchain analytics firm Elliptic for their proactive assistance in this investigation.

    Any individual who believes he/she is a victim whose funds were laundered through Garantex or who may otherwise have a claim to restrained funds should reach out to law enforcement via email address GarantexClaimants@secretservice.gov.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Britain can still be a bridge between the US and Europe – here’s how Starmer can prove it

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nick Whittaker, Subject Lead in Social Sciences & Law, University of Sussex

    The US-EU relationship is at its most fragile point since the build-up to the Iraq war in 2003. While President Donald Trump openly questions Nato and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s desire for peace, EU leaders have continued to voice their unequivocal support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

    Between the two lies Britain. In a flurry of diplomacy, Keir Starmer has attempted to navigate the country’s tricky position: close to the US diplomatically, while staying aligned with the EU’s Ukraine policy.

    I argue that Starmer could use Britain’s island identity – separated from its closest neighbours just enough to allow a global outlook – to his advantage. Acting as an effective link between the US and the EU could turn this time of crisis into an opportunity. What Britain may lack in material capabilities, it can make up for in skilful diplomacy.

    Britain’s position as a “geopolitical bridge” stretches far back into the last century. As Britain was decolonising and reckoning with the growing power of the US and a uniting European continent, acting as a bridge was an effective way of ensuring relevance and maintaining alliances while its status as an imperial great power waned.

    This position was especially favoured by Labour politicians keen to emphasise how a socialist Britain could act as a link between the capitalist and communist worlds. In (sometimes reluctantly) arguing for Britain’s entry into the European Economic Community, some Conservatives posited membership as allowing Britain to bridge the Atlantic, given the UK’s strong postwar ties with the US.

    Even older is the idea of Britain as an “offshore balancer”. The UK’s proximity to the European continent meant it has always had an eye on political developments there. It has thus sought to maintain alliances in order to prevent Europe being dominated by one power (Napoleonic France, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union) who could threaten the island sanctuary.

    With Britain no longer in the EU, this time of heightened transatlantic tensions provides an opportunity to reclaim these geopolitical stances (and some lost relevance) as a vital interlocutor between America and Europe.

    Nato on the brink

    Trump is notoriously erratic and unpredictable, yet one of his most consistent motifs has been to question Nato and “free-riding” allies. Herein lies the spectre of the most terrifying British nightmare: an American withdrawal from Nato.

    Britain and the US have, historically, both articulated their role as that of offshore balancer in relation to continental Europe. The threat against which they have been balancing since the end of the second world war is the Soviet Union and then Russia.

    If the Trump administration ceases to regard Russia as a threat or sees no utility in acting in its historic balancing role, the UK-US relationship will be placed under serious threat. For all of the importance of Anglo-Saxon identity tropes, kith and kin and the special relationship, alliances are best nurtured in conditions of shared interests.

    Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.

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    Nato has been the real cornerstone of UK foreign, defence and security policy since the North Atlantic treaty’s inking in 1949, and is beloved of both Labour and Conservative politicians. US abandonment would be devastating. Thus it is Starmer’s greatest challenge and opportunity.

    The reality is that Nato is centred on continental Europe and always has been. Starmer can gain common ground with Trump at this critical juncture by emphasising Britain’s islandness, and the US’s similar separation from the continent.

    Starmer could position Britain as a mid-Atlantic interlocutor, close to Europe but not of Europe – appealing to the antipathy of some in the Trump administration about the continent. And his government has already gained Trump’s approval by increasing defence spending, an act that will also please nervous European governments.

    Global Britain?

    At this moment, Britain seems closer to the EU than it has been since 2016. Foreign and defence policy remain, to some extent, unfulfilled gaps in the EU’s portfolio. If Starmer can forge a close relationship around these issues, he can undercut some of the disappointments around Brexit, such as Britain being viewed as less relevant internationally and losing a seat at European security discussions.

    Notwithstanding the latest increase in defence spending, the British Army is smaller than it has been for several hundred years. Cuts to foreign aid, along with the merging of international development with the Foreign Office have prompted questions around Britain’s international clout.

    Yet its leaders remain high profile and listened to, with Starmer managing to cut a dignified figure in an era of posturing strongmen. He will need to convince Trump and his team that Europe (and Nato) is worthy of their time and attention. He must emphasise their common ground as offshore balancers, capable of providing a counterweight to Russia.

    EU leaders will also need to be reassured of Britain’s commitment to the continent after Brexit. Pressing harder for a UK-EU security pact is one way Starmer could signal this.

    Starmer’s White House visit was seen as a diplomatic success, but the mood has changed after Zelensky’s visit.
    Number 10/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

    Trump repeatedly emphasises the personal aspect of politics, seeing states and alliances through a prism of which leaders are willing to flatter him or, at the very least, be “respectful”. Starmer grasped this early on and thus has a shot at forging a productive relationship with Trump, however painful it might be for some in his party.

    Yet the stakes are much higher than disgruntled backbenchers. The Labour party, with its internationalist roots, is deeply proud of the foreign policies of Clement Attlee and Ernest Bevin (although less so of Tony Blair’s). Although it may be stressed in different terms to their Conservative opponents, the party is just as concerned with retaining relevance and influence on the world stage.

    If this Labour government can find a way to successfully act as a bridge – by interesting Trump in Europe and convincing the EU that they are a reliable partner – then this not only salves some of the wounds of Brexit, it also potentially keeps Nato alive, for now.

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

    – ref. Britain can still be a bridge between the US and Europe – here’s how Starmer can prove it – https://theconversation.com/britain-can-still-be-a-bridge-between-the-us-and-europe-heres-how-starmer-can-prove-it-251405

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Women and girls are on the frontline of climate change – but their stories are seldom heard

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sanam Mahoozi, PhD Candidate in Journalism, City St George’s, University of London

    Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

    Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. They are more likely to suffer health consequences as a result of floods, droughts, heatwaves, air pollution, wildfires and other environmental disasters.

    At the same time, women also tend to be responsible for securing food, water and energy for the rest of their families. When extreme weather makes these resources scarce, their lives and livelihoods are at risk.

    Despite all of this, women are alarmingly underrepresented in climate change and environmental reporting. A global analysis by the non-profit Media Diversity Institute found that only one in four sources quoted in online news stories about climate change, published between 2017 and 2021, were women. That means the stories being told about climate change are mostly through the eyes and experiences of men.

    I study how the media covers environmental issues in authoritarian countries like Iran and throughout the Middle East and North Africa, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions, which faces extreme heat, water shortages and sand and dust storms.

    As part of research for my recently completed PhD, I have found that women are rarely quoted as sources in news about climate change and environmental degradation, and those that do speak up are often threatened.

    Not enough women ‘on record’

    Finding sources in authoritarian countries is already difficult, but finding women who are willing to share their testimonies with journalists is even harder.

    In Iran, environmental issues are highly politicised. Discussing water shortages or air pollution can be interpreted as criticism of the government. Anyone speaking to a journalist can expect intimidation, arrest or even death. Naturally, many sources hesitate to talk. But for women, the barriers are even greater.

    In 2024, I reported on a heatwave in Iran where temperatures exceeded 50°C in some provinces. Through “off-the-record” conversations, I learned that the extreme heat was causing women to suffer heatstroke, menstrual problems, even miscarriages.

    Yet, when I analysed the media coverage, there was little mention of this. Most articles focused on how the government had to shut down schools and offices.

    I reached out to women in different parts of Iran, including mothers, students and medical professionals. Some spoke to me anonymously, but even women in leadership positions within the government or environment sector wouldn’t talk for fear of a reaction from the state intelligence apparatus.

    This is a pattern I’ve seen throughout my research and reporting. If women cannot safely speak out, their struggles remain invisible.

    Women are leading, but where’s the coverage?

    Here’s the irony: while women are missing from climate reporting, they are in fact leading many environmental efforts. Evidence suggests that women are more likely than men to volunteer for environmental causes or act in an environmentally friendly way, for example. Countries with more women in political leadership tend to have stronger climate policies.

    Though, there is some imbalance in media coverage of women too. For example, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has been recognised in media consumed mostly in wealthier countries in Europe, North America and Australasia (what is often called the global north). But in Asia, Africa and Latin America (often called the global south) where climate change is hitting hardest, I have found women leading environmental movements rarely get the same level of attention.

    This is despite the fact there are numerous women environmental leaders in this part of the world. In Iran, wildlife and conservation activists Niloufar Bayani and Sepideh Kashani were imprisoned and tortured for over six years after being falsely accused of espionage by the intelligence arm of the Islamic revolutionary guard corps.

    Their work was dedicated to protecting Iran’s environment, particularly the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah, highlighting the risks faced by those advocating for conservation under repressive regimes. Bayani wrote a manifesto about the climate crisis and educated women in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison in 2023, when she was still serving a decade-long sentence.

    Another woman, Juliet Kabera of Rwanda, is an advocate for banning plastic bags and single-use plastics and attended global treaty negotiations to tackle plastic waste and cut global production. These women, and their work and sacrifices, are often missing from media coverage about the environment.

    My PhD research on environmental reporting in the Middle East and North Africa, which echoes other work in this area, found that women are often depicted as victims of climate disasters rather than experts, leaders or solution-makers. Women in the global north are more frequently included in discussions about climate policy, activism or research, than their counterparts in the global south.

    When the media misses the perspectives of women living through crises, we miss their ideas and experience. As a result, environmental policies may not reflect the breadth of the problem, or address the needs of those who are most affected.

    If women are more impacted by climate change and are leading the fight, why aren’t they also leading the conversation in the media?

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

    – ref. Women and girls are on the frontline of climate change – but their stories are seldom heard – https://theconversation.com/women-and-girls-are-on-the-frontline-of-climate-change-but-their-stories-are-seldom-heard-251631

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why a US minerals deal with Ukraine won’t deter Russian aggression

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Patrick E. Shea, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Global Governance, University of Glasgow

    The US vice-president, J.D. Vance, recently told Fox News that “the very best security guarantee” to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine again was “to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine”.

    The implication is that the much-debated minerals deal, in which an investment fund managed by Kyiv and Washington would receive revenue from Ukraine’s natural resources, would create American economic interests in Ukraine. American security interests, it is suggested, could soon follow.

    Vance’s comments came with the deal hanging in the balance. A meeting at the White House on February 28, where the deal was expected to be signed, turned into a shouting match between Vance, the US president, Donald Trump, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.

    Zelensky has since attempted to patch up relations with the Trump administration, announcing that he is ready to sign the deal at “any time and in any convenient format”. And Vance, when asked whether an agreement was still on the table, said Trump “is still committed” to reaching a deal.

    Having access to Ukrainian minerals is an important opportunity for America’s missile system electronics and electric vehicle industries. Ukraine is, for example, home to around one-third of all European lithium deposits, the key component in batteries.

    This access is particularly important now that China, which currently accounts for a high proportion of certain US mineral imports, has imposed a ban on exporting rare minerals to the US in retaliation for Trump’s tariff policies.

    But, while Ukraine’s minerals are tempting to the US and other world powers, a deal with Trump won’t help Ukraine’s security situation.

    Trump’s approach has two main flaws. First, research shows that investment typically follows security commitments, not the other way around. Investors seek markets that are stable and protected, rather than hoping their investments create those conditions.

    Previous US presidents have touted similar strategies without success. President William Howard Taft (1857-1930) championed “dollar diplomacy” in the early 20th century, promising that American investments would create stability across Latin America by “substituting dollars for bullets”.

    The reality proved quite different. Throughout this period, the US frequently used military force to protect oil interests in Latin America. But, because these interventions focused on extraction sites rather than defending entire countries, instability continued elsewhere in the region.

    Trump’s “America first” mantra suggests a similar pattern of defending American assets, and not necessarily the countries in which the assets reside.

    Second, the overall US commitment to protect American assets abroad is uncertain. The US has, since the end of the cold war, been selective about when and how it uses military force to protect overseas assets.

    Since 1991, the US military has intervened to protect American property in only four documented instances: Haiti in 2004, Lebanon in 2006, Egypt in 2011 and Yemen in 2012. These cases involved embassies and other smaller properties during periods of civil unrest, rather than defending economic interests.

    Recent presidents, including Trump, have been reluctant to use force to protect threatened American investments. US agribusiness giant Cargill, for example, had to close its operations in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region following Russia’s invasion in 2014.

    Building state capacity

    That said, economic relations with America can indeed bolster a partner state’s security. But my own research shows that this is largely through indirect channels, rather than the threat of military intervention.

    For example, US government departments, such as the US patent and trademark office, provide comprehensive training to partner states. Programmes involve training judges, police officers, prosecutors and policymakers to enforce intellectual property protections, administer land registries, combat counterfeiting and develop legal frameworks that protect investments.

    This capacity building not only helps American investors in these countries, but also improves the partner state’s overall capacity. More effective and capable bureaucracies are better able to manage and finance their military capabilities.

    Following Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine, the US launched the agriculture and rural development support program. The initiative aimed to develop Ukraine’s institutional capacity for managing property rights and attracting diverse investments.

    The US Treasury brought in loan advisory firm First Financial Network to help Ukraine navigate its financial crisis after the invasion, while simultaneously building frameworks for foreign investment.

    By 2020, this partnership facilitated US investment firm Allrise Capital’s purchase of Odessa’s Chornomorets football stadium. This deal was described by John Morris, the president of First Financial Network, as demonstrating Ukraine’s ability “to sell assets to the international community”.

    These efforts did not deter Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. But they helped the Ukrainian government implement several administrative reforms in the years leading up to the invasion, including more efficient tax collection and professionalisation of civil servants. The government was better prepared for war than it would otherwise have been.

    The Ukrainian and Russian armies have been locked in battle for over three years.
    Kutsenko Volodymyr / Shutterstock

    If the US wants to enhance Ukraine’s security through economic means, the Trump administration would need to make two drastic changes.

    First, it would need to reinstate programmes that promote American investment abroad. After assuming office, Trump froze and began dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAid). The agency’s capacity-building efforts have security consequences.

    Second, for the US to have both an economic and security impact, Trump needs to reassure America’s allies. Assurances are not Trump’s speciality. On February 26, for example, Trump declined to say whether the US would defend Taiwan if it was attacked by China.

    Research suggests that investments follow alliances. But markets do not care about agreements alone. They respond to other signals too, like explicit statements of support. These statements of support also help to reassure allies and deter rivals.

    Unless Trump changes how he operates on the international stage, the economics of the mineral deal will not help Ukraine’s security situation.

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

    – ref. Why a US minerals deal with Ukraine won’t deter Russian aggression – https://theconversation.com/why-a-us-minerals-deal-with-ukraine-wont-deter-russian-aggression-251436

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/TANZANIA – Erection of the diocese of Bagamoyo, Tanzania, and appointment of first bishop

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Friday, 7 March 2025

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has erected the new diocese of Bagamoyo, Tanzania, with territory taken from the metropolitan archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam and the diocese of Morogoro, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Dar-es-Salaam.The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Stephano Lameck Musomba, O.S.A., until now titular bishop of Perdices and auxiliary of Dar-es-Salaam, as first bishop of the newly-erected diocese.Bishop Stephano Lameck Musomba, O.S.A., was born on 25 September 1969 in the village of Malonji, metropolitan archdiocese of Mbeya. He studied philosophy and theology at the Jordan University of Morogoro and was awarded a licentiate in patrology from the Augustinianum Patristic Institute in Rome.He entered the Order of Saint Augustine and received priestly ordination on 24 July 2003.He has held the following offices: parish assistant (2003-2004 and 2014-2016) and parish priest (2018-2021) of Immaculate Conception in Mavurunza in Dar-es-Salaam; formator in the House of Formation of the Order in Morogoro (2008-2009 and 2016-2018); lecturer in the Faculty of Theology of Jordan University in Morogoro (2008-2009); parish priest of Saint Augustine in Ternboni in Dar-es-Salaam (2009-2014); and prior of the Community of Saint Monica (2018-2021).He was appointed titular bishop of Perdices and auxiliary of Dar-es-Salaam on 7 July 2021, and received episcopal consecration the following 21 September.The Diocese of Bagamoyo [nom. lat. Bagamoyensis] was dismembered from the Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam and the Diocese of Morogoro and made suffragan of the Metropolitan See of Dar-es-Salaam. The See of the Diocese is in the city of Bagamoyo. The Cathedral church of the new ecclesiastical circumscription will be the church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in Bagamoyo. (Agenzia Fides, 7/3/2025)

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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Foreign National Extradited From Spain To Face Charges For Alleged International “Tech Support Fraud Scheme”

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence J. Cameron announced today that Bikramjit Ahluwalia, 39, a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates living in Dubai, was extradited from Spain and will appear in federal court in Charlotte later today. Ahluwalia, also known as “Biku,” “Internetteam5000,” “Don Bonsa,” and “Bobby,” is charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to damage a protected computer, and wire fraud for his alleged role in an extensive “tech support fraud scheme.”

    Generally, a tech support fraud scheme causes malicious pop-ups to appear on unsuspecting users’ computers, warning their devices have been infiltrated by a virus or another serious computer issue, convincing users to purchase unnecessary repair services or technical support using a telephone number or a link on the victims’ computer screens.

    According to allegations in the indictment, Ahluwalia and his co-defendant, Andrew Brolese, owned Digital Marketing Support Services (DMSS), a Seychelles-based company that published and sold malicious pop-ups as a means of generating customer traffic for overseas call centers from victims of their tech support scheme. From April 2016 to March 2021, Ahluwalia and Brolese and their conspirators targeted victims throughout the United States, some of whom were 55 and older. It is alleged that the victims targeted in the scheme experienced computer pop-ups that mimicked fatal system-error screens, also known as “blue screens of death,” malicious pop-ups suggesting malware had been installed on their computers, or urgent warnings for technical issues related to the victims’ services, software, or devices. The indictment alleges that victims targeted by the malicious pop-ups were then instructed to call a number to receive technical services to help resolve their issues. As alleged in the indictment, the various overseas call centers, upon receipt of the victim call traffic, would use the misrepresentations in the pop-ups, false diagnoses of computer issues, and other deceptive sales techniques to trick the victims into paying hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars to the call centers to receive unnecessary technical support for the non-existent computer issues.

    The indictment alleges that Ahluwalia and Brolese conspired with others to sell incoming calls from targeted victims seeking purported tech support to companies around the world, including to an individual who owned companies in the Western District of North Carolina. It is further alleged that Ahluwalia and Brolese received over $31.2 million in illicit payments from the tech support scheme, through wire transfers made to DMSS’s bank accounts located overseas.

    Ahluwalia is expected to appear for his initial hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler in Charlotte at 10:15 a.m.

    Ahluwalia’s charges for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. The maximum sentence for money laundering is 20 years in prison, and for the charge of conspiracy to damage a protected computer is five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    The investigation was led by the Nashville Cyber Task Force which comprises the Knoxville Office of the FBI and the Knoxville Police Department. We thank the government of Spain for their substantial assistance arresting and extraditing Ahluwalia. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the extradition of Ahluwalia from Spain.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Warren with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: The G20: how it works, why it matters and what would be lost if it failed

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Danny Bradlow, Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria

    South Africa took over the presidency of the G20 at the end of 2024. Since then the world has become a more complex, unpredictable and dangerous place. The most powerful state in the world, the US, seems intent on undermining the existing order that it created and on demonstrating its power over weaker nations. Other influential countries are turning inward.

    These developments raise concerns about how well mechanisms for global cooperation, such as the G20, can continue to operate, particularly those that work on the basis of consensual decision making. Danny Bradlow sets out how the G20 works, and what’s at stake.

    What’s the G20’s purpose?

    The G20 is a forum in which the largest economies in the world meet regularly to discuss, and attempt to address, the most urgent international economic and political challenges. The group, which includes both rich and developing countries, accounts for about 67% of the world’s population, 85% of global GDP, and 75% of global trade.

    The G20, in fact, is a misnomer. The actual number of G20 participants in any given year far exceeds the 19 states and 2 international entities (the European Union and the African Union) that are its permanent members. Each year they are joined by a number of invited “guests”. While there are some countries, for example Spain and the Netherlands, that are considered “permanent” G20 guests, the full list of guests is determined by the chair of the G20 for that year. This year, South Africa has invited 13 countries, including Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. They are joined by 24 invited international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the United Nations and eight African regional organisations, among others.

    The G20 should be understood as a process rather than a set of discrete events. Its apex is the annual leaders’ summit at which the participating heads of state and government seek to agree on a communiqué setting out their agreements on key issues. These agreements are non-binding and each of the participating states usually will implement most but not all the agreed points.

    The communiqué is the outcome of a two track process: a finance track, consisting of representatives of the finance ministries and central banks in the participating counties, and a “sherpa” track that deals with more political issues. In total these two tracks will involve over 100 meetings of technical level officials and policymakers.

    Most of the work in each track is done by working groups. The finance track has seven working groups dealing with issues ranging from the global economy and international financial governance to financial inclusion and the financing of infrastructure. The sherpa track has 15 working groups dealing with issues ranging from development and agriculture to health, the digital economy, and education.

    The agenda for the working group meetings is based on issues notes prepared by the G20 presidency. The issues notes will discuss both unfinished business from prior years and any new issues that the president adds to the G20 agenda.

    The working group chairs report on the outcomes of these meetings to the ministerial meetings in their track. These reports will first be discussed in meetings of the deputies to the ministers. The deputies will seek to narrow areas of disagreement and sharpen the issues for discussion so that when they are presented at the ministerial meeting the chances of reaching agreement are maximised.

    The agreements reached at each of these ministerial meetings, assuming all participants agree, will be expressed in a carefully negotiated and drafted communiqué. If the participants cannot agree, the minister chairing the meeting will provide a chair’s summary of the meeting. These documents will then inform the communiqué that will be released at the end of the G20 summit. This final communiqué represents the formal joint decision of the participating heads of state and government.

    The G20 process is supplemented by the work of 13 engagement groups representing, for example, business, labour, youth, think tanks, women and civil society in the G20 countries. These groups look for ways to influence the outcomes of the G20 process.

    What is the G20 troika and how does it operate?

    The G20 does not have a permanent secretariat. Instead, the G20 president is responsible for organising and chairing the more than 100 meetings that take place during the year. The G20 has decided that this burden should be supported by a “troika”, consisting of the past, present and future presidents of the G20. This year the troika consists of Brazil, the past chair; South Africa, the current chair; and the US, the future chair.

    The role of the troika varies depending on the identity of the current chair and how assertive it wishes to be in driving the G20 process. It will also be influenced by how active the other two members of the troika wish to be.

    The troika helps ensure some continuity from one G20 year to another. This is important because there is a significant carryover of issues on the G20 agenda from one year to the next. The troika therefore creates the potential for the G20 president to focus on the issues of most interest to it over a three year period rather than just for one year.

    How successful has the G20 process been?

    The G20 is essentially a self-appointed group which has designated itself as the “premier forum for international economic cooperation”.

    The G20 was first brought together during the Asian financial crisis in the 1990s. At that time, it was limited to a forum in which ministers of finance and central bank governors could meet to discuss the most important international economic and financial issues, such as the Asian financial crisis.

    The G20 was elevated to the level of heads of state and government at the time of the 2008 global financial crisis.

    The G20 tends to work well as a cooperative forum when the world is confronting an economic crisis. Thus, the G20 was a critical forum in which countries could discuss and agree on coordinating actions to deal with the global financial crisis in 2008-9.

    It has performed less well when confronted with other types of crises. For example, it was found wanting in dealing with the COVID pandemic.

    It has also proven to be less effective, although not necessarily totally ineffective, when there is no crisis. So, for example, the G20 has been useful in helping address relatively technical issues such as developing international standards on particular financial regulatory issues or improving the functioning of multilateral development banks. On other more political issues, for example climate, food security, and funding the UN’s sustainable development goals, it has been less effective.

    There’s one less obvious, but nevertheless important, benefit. The G20 offers officials from participating countries the chance to interact with their counterparts from other G20 countries. As a result, they come to know and understand each other better, which helps foster cooperation between states on issues of common interest. It also ensures that when appropriate, these officials know whom to contact in other countries and this may help mitigate the risk of misunderstanding and conflict.

    These crisis management and other benefits would be lost if the G20 were to stop functioning. And there is currently no alternative to the G20 in the sense of a forum where the leading states in the world, which may differ on many important issues, can meet on a relatively informal basis to discuss issues of mutual interest. Importantly, the withdrawal of one G20 state, even the most powerful, should not prevent the remaining participants from using the G20 to promote international cooperation on key global challenges.

    In this way it can help manage the risk of conflict in a complex global environment.

    – The G20: how it works, why it matters and what would be lost if it failed
    – https://theconversation.com/the-g20-how-it-works-why-it-matters-and-what-would-be-lost-if-it-failed-251500

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The G20: how it works, why it matters and what would be lost if it failed

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Danny Bradlow, Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria

    South Africa took over the presidency of the G20 at the end of 2024. Since then the world has become a more complex, unpredictable and dangerous place. The most powerful state in the world, the US, seems intent on undermining the existing order that it created and on demonstrating its power over weaker nations. Other influential countries are turning inward.

    These developments raise concerns about how well mechanisms for global cooperation, such as the G20, can continue to operate, particularly those that work on the basis of consensual decision making. Danny Bradlow sets out how the G20 works, and what’s at stake.

    What’s the G20’s purpose?

    The G20 is a forum in which the largest economies in the world meet regularly to discuss, and attempt to address, the most urgent international economic and political challenges. The group, which includes both rich and developing countries, accounts for about 67% of the world’s population, 85% of global GDP, and 75% of global trade.

    The G20, in fact, is a misnomer. The actual number of G20 participants in any given year far exceeds the 19 states and 2 international entities (the European Union and the African Union) that are its permanent members. Each year they are joined by a number of invited “guests”. While there are some countries, for example Spain and the Netherlands, that are considered “permanent” G20 guests, the full list of guests is determined by the chair of the G20 for that year. This year, South Africa has invited 13 countries, including Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. They are joined by 24 invited international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the United Nations and eight African regional organisations, among others.

    The G20 should be understood as a process rather than a set of discrete events. Its apex is the annual leaders’ summit at which the participating heads of state and government seek to agree on a communiqué setting out their agreements on key issues. These agreements are non-binding and each of the participating states usually will implement most but not all the agreed points.

    The communiqué is the outcome of a two track process: a finance track, consisting of representatives of the finance ministries and central banks in the participating counties, and a “sherpa” track that deals with more political issues. In total these two tracks will involve over 100 meetings of technical level officials and policymakers.

    Most of the work in each track is done by working groups. The finance track has seven working groups dealing with issues ranging from the global economy and international financial governance to financial inclusion and the financing of infrastructure. The sherpa track has 15 working groups dealing with issues ranging from development and agriculture to health, the digital economy, and education.

    The agenda for the working group meetings is based on issues notes prepared by the G20 presidency. The issues notes will discuss both unfinished business from prior years and any new issues that the president adds to the G20 agenda.

    The working group chairs report on the outcomes of these meetings to the ministerial meetings in their track. These reports will first be discussed in meetings of the deputies to the ministers. The deputies will seek to narrow areas of disagreement and sharpen the issues for discussion so that when they are presented at the ministerial meeting the chances of reaching agreement are maximised.

    The agreements reached at each of these ministerial meetings, assuming all participants agree, will be expressed in a carefully negotiated and drafted communiqué. If the participants cannot agree, the minister chairing the meeting will provide a chair’s summary of the meeting. These documents will then inform the communiqué that will be released at the end of the G20 summit. This final communiqué represents the formal joint decision of the participating heads of state and government.

    The G20 process is supplemented by the work of 13 engagement groups representing, for example, business, labour, youth, think tanks, women and civil society in the G20 countries. These groups look for ways to influence the outcomes of the G20 process.

    What is the G20 troika and how does it operate?

    The G20 does not have a permanent secretariat. Instead, the G20 president is responsible for organising and chairing the more than 100 meetings that take place during the year. The G20 has decided that this burden should be supported by a “troika”, consisting of the past, present and future presidents of the G20. This year the troika consists of Brazil, the past chair; South Africa, the current chair; and the US, the future chair.

    The role of the troika varies depending on the identity of the current chair and how assertive it wishes to be in driving the G20 process. It will also be influenced by how active the other two members of the troika wish to be.

    The troika helps ensure some continuity from one G20 year to another. This is important because there is a significant carryover of issues on the G20 agenda from one year to the next. The troika therefore creates the potential for the G20 president to focus on the issues of most interest to it over a three year period rather than just for one year.

    How successful has the G20 process been?

    The G20 is essentially a self-appointed group which has designated itself as the “premier forum for international economic cooperation”.

    The G20 was first brought together during the Asian financial crisis in the 1990s. At that time, it was limited to a forum in which ministers of finance and central bank governors could meet to discuss the most important international economic and financial issues, such as the Asian financial crisis.

    The G20 was elevated to the level of heads of state and government at the time of the 2008 global financial crisis.

    The G20 tends to work well as a cooperative forum when the world is confronting an economic crisis. Thus, the G20 was a critical forum in which countries could discuss and agree on coordinating actions to deal with the global financial crisis in 2008-9.

    It has performed less well when confronted with other types of crises. For example, it was found wanting in dealing with the COVID pandemic.

    It has also proven to be less effective, although not necessarily totally ineffective, when there is no crisis. So, for example, the G20 has been useful in helping address relatively technical issues such as developing international standards on particular financial regulatory issues or improving the functioning of multilateral development banks. On other more political issues, for example climate, food security, and funding the UN’s sustainable development goals, it has been less effective.

    There’s one less obvious, but nevertheless important, benefit. The G20 offers officials from participating countries the chance to interact with their counterparts from other G20 countries. As a result, they come to know and understand each other better, which helps foster cooperation between states on issues of common interest. It also ensures that when appropriate, these officials know whom to contact in other countries and this may help mitigate the risk of misunderstanding and conflict.

    These crisis management and other benefits would be lost if the G20 were to stop functioning. And there is currently no alternative to the G20 in the sense of a forum where the leading states in the world, which may differ on many important issues, can meet on a relatively informal basis to discuss issues of mutual interest. Importantly, the withdrawal of one G20 state, even the most powerful, should not prevent the remaining participants from using the G20 to promote international cooperation on key global challenges.

    In this way it can help manage the risk of conflict in a complex global environment.

    Danny Bradlow, in addition to his position at the University of Pretoria, is working as a G20 senior advisor to the South African Institute of International Affairs and is co-chair of the T20 Taskforce on Financing of Sustainable Development.

    – ref. The G20: how it works, why it matters and what would be lost if it failed – https://theconversation.com/the-g20-how-it-works-why-it-matters-and-what-would-be-lost-if-it-failed-251500

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Orion Funded Launches Orion V2 with New Funding Models, Trader Dashboard, and AI-Powered Tools

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Orion Funded has announced the launch of Orion V2, an update to its proprietary trading program that introduces new funding models, an enhanced trader dashboard, and AI-powered trading tools.

    The Orion V2 update introduces a revised funding model in which traders pay a portion of the challenge fee at the start of their evaluation and complete the remaining payment upon successful funding. Previously, traders were required to pay the full amount upfront. This adjustment restructures the cost framework for evaluation and funding.

    Orion Funded was recognized with the Best Challenge Prop Firm Award by Funded Trading, an industry-ranking platform. The award highlights firms that offer evaluation structures designed to align with trader interests. The award details can be found at FundedTrading.com.

    “Orion V2 is the evolution of our commitment to transparency, and trader success. While most firms follow the same outdated models, we are here to truly change the space, revolutionizing the funding process, reducing conflicts of interest, and giving traders the best opportunity to succeed with the most innovative model in the industry,” said David Viota, CEO of Orion Funded.

    Key Updates in Orion V2

    • Updated Challenge Funding Model – Traders now have the option to pay a portion of the evaluation fee upfront, completing payment upon funding.
    • Customizable Evaluation Options – New add-ons allow traders to adjust evaluation structures.
    • Redesigned Trader Dashboard – A new interface providing real-time performance tracking and data analysis.
    • WebTrader Integration – Traders can now access Orion Funded’s platform directly through a web-based trading terminal.
    • AI-Powered Trading Tools – New analytics and risk management features supported by artificial intelligence.
    • Orion University – A structured education platform with expanded learning resources.

    Institutional Trading Pathway

    Orion Funded continues to offer selected traders the opportunity to engage with Zenith Global, a trading firm managing its own capital, through the Pro & Ultimate Program. This initiative provides a structured pathway for traders who meet specific criteria to transition from proprietary trading to institutional trading roles.

    “We believe in creating real career opportunities for traders. The best-performing traders should have a pathway to professional, institutional-level trading, and that’s exactly what we’re offering,” said David Viota, CEO of Orion Funded.

    Expansion in the Spanish-Speaking Trading Community

    Orion Funded has also expanded its presence within the Spanish-speaking trading community, offering live mentorship, educational content, and a dedicated community platform. Additionally, Orion Room, the #1 trading podcast in Spanish, continues to provide traders with insights, interviews, and expert discussions.

    Orion V2 is now available for traders worldwide. Further details can be found at orionfunded.com.

    About Orion Funded

    Orion Funded is a proprietary trading firm that provides traders with access to capital through one-phase, two-phase, and instant funding models. The firm offers a range of funding options, trading analytics, and educational resources designed to support trader development.

    Contact
    Chief Executive Officer
    David Viota
    Orion Funded
    david@orionfunded.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b764c18f-174e-4194-8e87-d32dc4d9a6d6

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Yemen: Devastating impact on women and girls – OCHA Briefing | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on the situation in Yemen.

    ——————————————

    In his briefing to the Council, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said, “severe funding cuts have been a body blow to our work to save lives.”

    Fletcher said, “individual countries to decide how to spend their money. But it is the pace at which so much vital work has been shut down that adds to the perfect storm that we face.”

    He told the Council that in Yemen and elsewhere, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will need to cut expenses “dramatically,” and evaluate “the implications of the tough choices we are making on which lives not to save.”

    Fletcher pointed out that “the crisis has a disproportionate and devastating impact on women and girls” who have suffered “from systematic discrimination and exclusion for decades.”

    He said, “I am not here to defend programmes, spreadsheets and institutions, but people.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssIdkH75jrU

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Yemen: Parties will have to agree on a nationwide cease fire – Special Envoy | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Briefing by Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen on the situation in the Middle East, during the Security Council, 9873rd meeting.

    —————————————–

    The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, told the Security Council that “in order to reach a just and inclusive peace in Yemen, it is essential that the mediation space for the Yemenis under the auspices of the UN is preserved”.

    During his briefing to the Council, Grundberg reported that “while a resumption of large-scale ground operations in Yemen has not occurred since the UN-mediated truce of April 2022, military activity continues,” and expressed concern at reports of shelling, drone attacks, infiltration attempts and mobilization campaigns witnessed in Ma’rib as well as in other areas such as Al Jawf, Shabwa and Ta’iz.

    He reiterated his call on the parties “to refrain from military posturing and retaliatory measures that could risk plunging Yemen back into widespread conflict where civilians will again pay the price.”

    Grundberg said, “the parties will have to agree on a nationwide cease fire, and a mechanism on how to implement it. They will also have to make difficult but necessary concessions and agree on compromises notably on the difficult economic situation in the country.”

    He stressed that “there will have to be a political process that includes a broad spectrum of Yemenis that will allow this conflict to settle once and for all enabling Yemenis to live their life in peace.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTejfwYOfyk

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: English rendering of PM’s address at Republic Plenary Summit 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 11:07PM by PIB Delhi

    Namaskar!

    You all must be tired, your ears must be tired of Arnab’s loud voice, sit down Arnab, it is not the election season yet. First of all, I congratulate Republic TV for this innovative experiment. You people have brought the youth here by involving them at the grassroots level, by organizing such a big competition. When the youth of the country get involved in the national discourse, there is novelty in thoughts, it fills the entire environment with a new energy and we are feeling this energy here at this time. In a way, with the involvement of youth, we are able to break every bond, go beyond limits, yet there is no goal that cannot be achieved. There is no destination that cannot be reached. Republic TV has worked on a new concept for this summit. I congratulate all of you for the success of this summit, I greet you. Well, I also have a little selfishness in this, one, for the last few days I have been thinking that I have to bring one lakh youth into politics and that one lakh are such who are first timers in their families, so in a way, such events are preparing the ground for this aim of mine. Secondly, there is my personal benefit, the personal benefit is that those who will go to vote in 2029 do not know what the headlines of newspapers used to be before 2014, they do not know, there used to be scams of 10-10, 12-12 lakh crores, they do not know and when they will go to vote in 2029, there will be nothing before them for comparison and therefore, I have to pass that test and I have full faith that this ground which is being created will make that work strong.

    Friends, 

    Today the whole world is saying that, it is the century of India, you haven’t heard this.  India’s achievements, India’s successes have raised a new hope in the whole world. The India about which it was said that it will sink itself and take us down with it, that India is today driving the growth of the world. What is the direction of India’s future, we come to know this from our work and achievements today. Even 65 years after independence, India was the world’s eleventh largest economy. In the last decade, we have become the world’s fifth largest economy, and now we are going to become the world’s third largest economy at the same speed.

    Friends, 

    Let me also remind you of what happened 18 years ago. The reason for this figure being 18 years is special because those who have turned 18, who are becoming voters for the first time, do not know about the period before 18 years, that is why I have taken that figure. 18 years ago, i.e., in 2007, India’s annual GDP reached one trillion dollars. In simple words, this was the time when economic activity in India was worth one trillion dollars in a year. Now look at what is happening today? Now almost one trillion dollars’ worth of economic activity is happening in a single quarter. What does this mean? The amount of economic activity that was happening in India in a year 18 years ago is now happening in just three months. This shows how fast today’s India is progressing. I will give you some examples, which show how big changes have come in the last decade and how the results have come. In the last 10 years, we have succeeded in bringing 25 crore people out of poverty. This number is more than the total population of many countries. You can also remember the time when the government itself accepted, the Prime Minister himself said that if one rupee was sent, only 15 paise reached to the poor, who used to eat up that 85 paise and then there is today’s era. In the last decade, more than 42 lakh crore rupees have been transferred to the accounts of the poor through DBT, Direct Benefit Transfer, DBT. If you do the calculation of 15 paise out of a rupee, then what will be the calculation of 42 lakh crore? Friends, today when one rupee goes out from Delhi, 100 paise reaches the last place.

    Friends, 

    10 years ago, India was nowhere in the world in terms of solar energy. But today India is among the top-5 countries in the world in terms of solar energy capacity. We have increased the solar energy capacity by 30 times. Solar module manufacturing has also increased by 30 times. 10 years ago, we used to import even Holi pichkaris and children’s toys from abroad. Today our toy exports have tripled. Till 10 years ago, we used to import even rifles for our army from abroad and in the last 10 years, our defence exports have increased 20 times.

    Friends,

    In these 10 years, we have become the world’s second largest steel producer, the world’s second largest mobile phone manufacturer and the world’s third largest startup ecosystem. In these 10 years, we have increased our capital expenditure on infrastructure five times. The number of airports in the country has doubled. In these ten years, the number of operational AIIMS in the country has tripled. And in these 10 years, the number of medical colleges and medical seats has also almost doubled.

    Friends, 

    The temperament of today’s India is different. Today’s India thinks big, sets big targets and today’s India shows great results. And this is happening because the thinking of the country has changed, India is moving ahead with big aspirations. Earlier our thinking was like, it’s okay, it happens, let it be, whatever happens, let it be, whoever has to do something will do it, do your own thing. Earlier the thinking had become so narrow, I will give you an example of it. There was a time, if there was a drought somewhere, if it was a drought-affected area, then people used to give memorandums when Congress was in power, so what did the villagers demand, that sir, famines keep happening, so at this time during famine, relief work should start, we will dig pits, take out the soil, fill it in other pits, this is what people used to demand, someone would say what did he demand, that sir, please get a hand pump installed in my area, they used to demand a hand pump for water, sometimes what did the MPs demand, give him a gas cylinder a little early, MPs used to do this work, they used to get 25 coupons and the Member of Parliament used those 25 coupons to oblige for gas cylinders in his entire area. One MP 25 cylinders in a year and all this was happening till 2014. MPs used to demand that Sir, this train that is going, please give it a stoppage in my area, a stoppage was being demanded.

    I am saying all these things which were happening before 2014, not very old. Congress had crushed the aspirations of the people of the country. That is why the people of the country had even stopped having hope, they had accepted that nothing will happen from them, what are they doing. People used to say that brother, okay, if you can do only this much, then do only this much. And today you see, how fast the situation and thinking are changing. Now people know who can work, who can bring results, and this is not the common citizen, if you listen to the speeches in the House, then the opposition also gives the same speech, why is Modi ji not doing this, it means they think that this is what will do.

    Friends, 

    The aspiration that we have today is reflected in their words. The way of speaking has changed. What do people demand now? Earlier people used to ask for stoppages, now they come and say, start a Vande Bharat train at my place too. I had gone to Kuwait some time back, so when I normally go out to the labour camp there, I try to go to my countrymen wherever they work. So, when I went to the labour colony there, I was talking to our labourer brothers and sisters who work in Kuwait, some have been working there for 10 years, some for 15 years. Now see, a labourer from a village in Bihar has been working in Kuwait for 9 years and comes here once in a while. When I was talking to him, he said, Sir, I want to ask a question. I said, please ask. He said, Sir, please build an international airport near my village at the district headquarters. I was so glad that a labourer from my country’s village in Bihar who has been working in Kuwait for 9 years also thinks that now an international airport will be built in his district. This is the aspiration of a common citizen of India today, which is driving the whole country towards the goal of developed India.

    Friends, 

    The strength of any society or nation increases only when restrictions are removed from its citizens, obstacles are removed, walls of hindrances fall. Only then the strength of the citizens of that country increases, even the height of the sky becomes small for them. Therefore, we are constantly removing the barriers that previous governments had put before the citizens. Now I give an example of the space sector. Earlier, everything in the space sector was the responsibility of ISRO. ISRO certainly did a great job, but the remaining potential in the country regarding space science and entrepreneurship was not being utilized, everything was confined to ISRO. We courageously opened the space sector for young innovators. And when I made the decision, it did not make the headline of any newspaper, because there is no understanding either. Republic TV viewers will be happy to know that today more than 250 space startups have been formed in the country, this is the wonder of the youth of my country. These startups are today making rockets like Vikram-S and Agnibaan. The same happened in the sector of mapping, there were so many restrictions, you could not make an atlas, technology has changed. Earlier, if you had to make a map in India, you had to make rounds of government offices for years. We removed this restriction as well. Today, data related to geo-spatial mapping is paving the way for new startups.

    Friends, 

    Nuclear energy, the sector related to nuclear energy was also kept under government control earlier. There were restrictions, constraints, walls were erected. Now in this year’s budget, the government has announced to open it for the private sector. And this has strengthened the path to add 100 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2047.

    Friends, 

    You will be surprised to know that there is an untapped economic potential of Rs 100 lakh crore, even more than that, lying in our villages. I am repeating this figure before you again – Rs 100 lakh crore, this is not a small figure, this economic potential is present in the form of houses in the villages. Let me explain it to you in a simpler way. Now here in a city like Delhi, if your house is worth 50 lakhs, one crore, 2 crores, you also get a bank loan on the value of your property. If you have a house in Delhi, then you can take a loan of crores of rupees from the bank. Now the question is, houses are not only in Delhi, there are houses in villages too, there are owners of houses there too, why does it not happen there? Loans are not available on houses in villages because in India there were no legal documents for houses in villages, proper mapping could not be done. Therefore, the country and its citizens could not get the proper benefit of this power of the villages. And it is not just India’s problem, people in the big countries of the world do not have property rights. Big international organizations say that the country which gives property rights to its people, its GDP increases.

    Friends, 

    To give property rights to the houses in villages in India we have started a Swamitva scheme. For this, we are conducting drone surveys in every village and mapping every house in the village. Today, property cards of village houses are being given to people across the country. The government has distributed more than two crore property cards and this work is going on continuously. Earlier, due to the absence of property cards, there were many disputes in the villages, people had to go to courts, all this has ended now. Now the villagers are getting loans from banks on these property cards, due to this the villagers are starting their own business, doing self-employment. Just the other day I was talking to the beneficiaries of this Swamitva Yojana on video conference. I met a sister from Rajasthan. She said that after getting my property card, I took a loan of Rs. 9 lakhs in the village and said that I started a business and I have repaid half the loan and now it will not take me much time to repay the entire loan and there is a possibility of getting more loans, what a confidence level.

    Friends, 

    The biggest beneficiary of all the examples I have given is the youth of my country. The youth, who are the biggest stakeholders of developed India. The youth, who are the X-Factor of today’s India. This X means Experimentation Excellence and Expansion, Experimentation, that is, our youth have moved beyond the old ways and created new paths. Excellence means that the youth have set global benchmarks. And expansion means that innovation has been scaled up by our youth for 140 crore countrymen. Our youth can provide solutions to the country’s major problems, but this capability has not been utilized properly earlier. Earlier governments did not even think that youth can also provide solutions to the country’s problems through hackathons. Today we organize the Smart India Hackathon every year. So far 10 lakh youth have become a part of it. Many ministries and departments of the government have put forward many problems related to governance before them, told them to tell us what could be the solution. In the hackathon, our youth have developed about two and a half thousand solutions and given them to the country. I am happy that you have also taken this culture of hackathon forward. And I congratulate the youth who have won and I am happy that I got a chance to meet those young people.

    Friends, 

    In the last 10 years, the country has experienced a new age of governance. In the last decade, we have transformed the impact less administration into impactful Governance. When you go to the field, people often say that they have received the benefit of a particular government scheme for the first time. It is not that those government schemes did not exist earlier. Schemes existed earlier as well, but last mile delivery at this level is being ensured for the first time. You often conduct interviews of beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Earlier, houses for the poor were sanctioned on paper. Today, we build houses for the poor on the ground. Earlier, the entire process of building a house was government driven. The type of house to be built, what materials would be used, was decided by the government. We have made it owner driven. The government puts money in the beneficiary’s account, the beneficiary himself decides what kind of house will be built. And we also held a country-wide competition for house design, put forward models of houses, involved people for designing, and decided things with public participation. Due to this, the quality of houses has also improved and houses are also getting completed at a faster speed. Earlier, half-constructed houses were built by joining bricks and stones, we have built the house of the poor’s dreams. These houses have tap water, gas connection under the Ujjwala scheme, electricity connection under the Saubhagya scheme, we have not just built four walls, we have built life in those houses.

     Friends, 

    National security is a very important aspect for the development of any country. In the last decade, we have worked a lot on security. You remember, earlier, breaking news of serial bomb blasts used to be shown on TV, there used to be special programmes on the network of sleeper cells. Today, all this has disappeared from both the TV screen and the Indian soil. Otherwise, earlier when you used to travel by train or go to the airport, you used to get warnings like, if there is an unclaimed bag lying there, do not touch it, today these 18-20 year old young people may not have heard that news. Today, Naxalism is also counting its last breaths in the country. Earlier, more than a hundred districts were in the grip of Naxalism, but today it is limited to less than two dozen districts. This was possible only when we worked with the spirit of nation first. We brought governance to the grassroot level in these areas. Within no time, thousands of kilometers long roads were built in these districts, schools and hospitals were built, 4G mobile network reached and the country is seeing the results today.

    Friends, 

    Today, Naxalism is being cleared from the jungles due to the decisive decisions of the government, but now it is spreading its roots in the urban centers. Urban Naxals have spread their network so fast that the political parties which were opposed to urban Naxals, whose ideology was once inspired by Gandhiji and which was connected to the roots of India, today Naxals have made inroads in such political parties. Today, the voice of Urban Naxals and their own language is heard there. From this, we can understand how deep their roots are. We have to remember that Urban Naxals are staunch opponents of both India’s development and our heritage. By the way, Arnab has also taken up the responsibility of exposing Urban Naxals. Development is necessary for a developed India and strengthening the heritage is also necessary. And that is why we have to be cautious of Urban Naxals.

    Friends, 

    Today’s India is touching new heights while facing every challenge. I am confident that all of you at Republic TV Network will always give a new dimension to journalism with the spirit of Nation First. With this belief that you should continue to catalyze the aspiration of a developed India through your journalism, I thank you very much and wish you all the best. Thank you!

     

    DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered

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