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Category: Eurozone

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Spain: EIB Group and Santander join forces to unlock €370 million to support small businesses and mid-caps in the green transition, women entrepreneurship and the agriculture sector

    Source: European Investment Bank

    EIB

    • A total of €270 million will address various EIB Group policy objectives, including financing the green transition of SMEs and mid-caps and fostering women entrepreneurship.
    • An additional €100 million will be earmarked exclusively for financing projects in the agricultural sector.
    • The operation contributes to the EIB Group strategic priority of strengthening the European agriculture and bioeconomy sectors, to the competitiveness of European SMEs and mid-caps.

    The EIB Group – made up of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) – has signed a new €250 million securitisation operation with Santander to boost investment by small businesses (SMEs) and mid-caps companies in Spain and to support the agricultural sector and women entrepreneurship in the country. This investment will allow Santander to mobilise up to €370 million to improve access to financing for companies in strategic sectors, boost agricultural development, and support economic cohesion across regions. 

    Under the operation, the European Investment Fund (EIF) commits €200 million through a bilateral guarantee with ING, while the European Investment Bank (EIB) invests €50 million. The entire EIB Group investment is being made through a single securitisation in which other private investors have also participated.

    The EIF €200 million investment will unlock €270 million of additional financing, covering a broad spectrum of EIB Group policy objectives like supporting SMEs and mid-caps green transition, foster women’s entrepreneurship and extend green loans to private individuals.

    The EIB €50 million investment will mobilize €100 million to finance projects in the agricultural sector carried out by SMEs and midcaps operating in Spain. Investments are expected to cover a broad range of activities, such as sustainable and regenerative agriculture, working capital for climate resilience and adaptation crops varieties, infrastructure improvements and water management systems. Approximately 10% of the financing will specifically benefit young and newly installed farmers with the EIB enabling eligibility for financing the acquisition of agricultural land. The investment takes place under the Pan-European Agricultural Programme, an €3 billion package launched by the EIB in 2024 to support agricultural businesses, with a particular focus on businesses led by young entrepreneurs.

    This operation is one more demonstration of the EIB Group’s role of promoting financial instruments like securitisations that help unlock capital for green projects, reduce the risk borne by sponsoring financial institutions and strengthen the EU capital markets union.

    The agreement with Santander contributes to the eight strategic priorities of the EIB Group, specifically to strengthen agriculture and the bioeconomy sectors in Europe, support climate action, encourage women’s entrepreneurship,  promote economic, social and territorial cohesion and foster the EU capital markets union.

    Background information

    About the EIB Group

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.

    All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.

    In Spain, the EIB Group signed €12.3 billion of new financing for more than 100 high-impact projects in 2024, helping power the country’s green and digital transition and promote economic growth, competitiveness and better services for its people.

    High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.

    About Santander

    Banco Santander (SAN SM) is a leading commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain and one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. The group’s activities are consolidated into five global businesses: Retail & Commercial Banking, Digital Consumer Bank, Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB), Wealth Management & Insurance and Payments (PagoNxt and Cards). This operating model allows the bank to better leverage its unique combination of global scale and local leadership. Santander aims to be the best open financial services platform providing services to individuals, SMEs, corporates, financial institutions and governments. The bank’s purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way. Santander is building a more responsible bank and has made a number of commitments to support this objective, including raising €220 billion in green financing between 2019 and 2030. In the first quarter of 2025, Banco Santander had €1.4 trillion in total funds, 175 million customers, 7,900 branches and 207,000 employees.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – Montenegro and Moldova: MEPs applaud EU membership progress

    Source: European Parliament 3

    MEPs welcome Montenegro´s objective to join the EU in 2028 and praise Moldova’s EU membership efforts in resolutions adopted on Wednesday.

    Importance of political stability in Montenegro

    Parliament calls for political stability in Montenegro and substantial progress regarding electoral and judicial reforms as well as the fight against organised crime and corruption. In a report adopted by 470 votes in favour. 102 against and 77 abstentions, MEPs stress that Montenegro remains the leading candidate in the EU enlargement process and point to the overwhelming support of its citizens and the majority of political actors for joining the EU in 2028. Parliament welcomes the country’s full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, including EU sanctions against Russia, and commends Montenegro for its support for the international rules-based order at the United Nations.

    Fight against foreign interference

    Parliament is however seriously concerned by malign interference, cyber-attacks, hybrid threats, disinformation campaigns and efforts to destabilise Montenegro, including attempts to influence its political processes and public opinion. These discredit the EU and undermine the country’s progress towards EU membership.

    The rapporteur on Montenegro Marjan Šarec (Renew Europe, Slovenia) said: “It is important to note that the adoption of necessary legislation involved cooperation between both coalition and opposition parties. This reflects a high level of awareness that the European path is the only right one for Montenegro, with no viable alternative. Montenegro’s achievements thus far provide a solid foundation for addressing future challenges, which are numerous and far from easy. The fight against organised crime and corruption, judicial reform, and the prevention of influence from third countries are of critical importance for meeting democratic standards.”

    MEPs praise Moldova’s EU membership efforts

    Commending Moldova’s exemplary commitment to advancing its progress towards EU membership, a report approved by MEPs by 456 votes in favour to 118 against with 51 abstentions recognises that EU-Moldova relations have entered into a new phase. Cooperation has intensified alongside sustained efforts by the government in Chișinău to align Moldova’s laws with those of the EU (the so-called “EU acquis”). Despite significant internal and external challenges, such as the effects of Russia’s continuing war against neighbouring Ukraine and Moscow’s interference in Moldova’s democratic processes, MEPs welcome the Moldovan government’s progress on meeting the EU’s enlargement requirements and the country’s ambition to open negotiations on more enlargement-related issues. MEPs call on the European Commission to enhance its support for Moldova to achieve these objectives.

    Russian interference in Moldova’s democratic processes
    MEPs note that in both Moldova’s recent constitutional referendum on European integration and the 2024 presidential election Moldovans reaffirmed their support for EU membership and the government’s pro-European reform agenda. Despite being subject to a massive hybrid campaign by Russia and its proxies, MEPs say both the referendum and the election were held professionally and “with an extraordinary sense of duty and dedication”. They also note that the country’s parliamentary elections in autumn 2025 will be crucial for the continuation of Moldova’s pro-European trajectory and warn about the likely intensification of foreign, in particular Russian, malign interference and hybrid attacks.

    The rapporteur on Moldova Sven Mikser (S&D, Estonia) said: “We commend Moldova’s strong commitment to EU integration and acknowledge the country’s strategic importance for Europe. The Moldovan authorities have demonstrated remarkable determination to pursue reforms and align with EU values despite facing major challenges and external pressure by the Kremlin and its proxies.”

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: IAEA Director General’s Introductory Statement to the Board of Governors

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

    (As prepared for delivery)

    As the armed conflict in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the nuclear safety and security situation throughout the country continues to be highly precarious. The presence of the IAEA at all Ukrainian nuclear facilities has been and continues to be an invaluable asset to the international community and must be preserved.

    The IAEA remains present at Ukraine’s nuclear power plant facilities. Difficult conditions have in the past month complicated and delayed one rotation of experts, which was safely completed in recent days. Back in December, a drone hit and severely damaged an IAEA official vehicle during a rotation. As I reported to you in the special Board meeting shortly afterward, staff survived this unacceptable attack unharmed, but the rear of the vehicle was destroyed. Other episodes followed, confirming the dangerous situation.

    Around Ukraine, the Khmelnitsky NPP, the Rivne NPP and the South Ukraine NPP, continue to operate amid serious challenges, including on the electricity infrastructure, a major risk to the reliable and stable supply of power crucial for the safe operation of NPPs. The electrical grid’s ability to provide a reliable off-site power supply to Ukrainian NPPs was further reduced by damage sustained following military attacks in November and December 2024, a mission of IAEA experts that visited and assessed seven critical electrical substations concluded late last year. Considering the seriousness of the situation, I visited the Kyivska electrical substation last month to observe the damage sustained first hand. On what was my 11th visit to Ukraine since the start of the war, I also met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reiterating the IAEA’s commitment to supporting nuclear safety and security in Ukraine and our readiness to support the country’s plans to expand nuclear power at Khmelnytskyy NPP. Consultations with Moscow have also taken place and will continue, in the interest of nuclear safety and security at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.

    At Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), where the 6 reactor units are in cold shutdown, the status of the off-site power supply remains extremely vulnerable. For about one week ZNPP had to rely on a single off-site power line following the loss of its only remaining back-up line, confirming the extremely fragile situation. 

    Last month at the Chornobyl site a drone caused significant damage to the structure built to prevent any radioactive release from the reactor damaged in the 1986 accident and to protect it from external hazards. Although this attack did not result in any radioactive release, it nevertheless underlines the persistent risk to nuclear safety during this military conflict.

    Since the Board gathered for its last regular meeting in November 2024, the Agency has arranged 31 deliveries of nuclear safety, security and medical equipment and supplies to Ukraine, bringing the total so far to 108 deliveries valued at more than EUR 15.6 million. The Agency also has initiated the first phase of its support on safety and security of radioactive sources in Ukraine.

    We are grateful to all 30 donor states and the European Union for their extrabudgetary contributions, and I encourage those who can, to support the delivery of the comprehensive assistance programme, for which EUR 22 million are necessary.

    As reflected in my latest report to the Board on Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Ukraine, I would like to reiterate that all the IAEA’s activities in Ukraine are being conducted in line with relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly and of the IAEA policy-making organs.

    Madame Chairperson,

    In February, I travelled to Fukushima to participate in collecting water samples off the coast of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. I did this together with scientists from China, Korea and Switzerland as part of additional measures to promote transparency and build trust in the region during the ongoing release of ALPS-treated water from the plant. Additional measures focus on expanding international participation and transparency, allowing hands-on independent measurements of the concentration level of the water. This work is conducted within agreed parameters set by the IAEA in its role as an independent, impartial and technical organization.  IAEA officials and experts from laboratories from China, France, the Republic of Korea, and Switzerland also sampled ALPS -treated water – prior to dilution – from measurement/confirmation tanks on the premises at the site. The IAEA has maintained its independent monitoring and analysis efforts, confirming that tritium concentrations in the discharged batches remain far below operational limits.

    In December 2024, an IAEA Task Force concluded that the approach TEPCO, and the Government of Japan are taking continues to align with international safety standards.

    While in Japan, I also visited facilities where soil removed after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident is safely stored, managed, and recycled, an effort the IAEA has been supporting by working to ensure it meets international safety standards.

    You have before you the Nuclear Safety Review 2025 and the Nuclear Security Review 2025. Both documents present, in their respective areas, an analytical overview, the global trends, and the Agency’s main activities in 2024. They also identify the top priorities for the years ahead.

    This month the inaugural meeting of the Nuclear Security Working Group established under the Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative’s Regulatory Track will identify nuclear security topics of common interest amongst participating States and share regulatory approaches, good practices and lessons learned in ensuring the security of SMRs.

    Our preparatory work in advance of the launch of Atomic Technology Licensed for Applications at Sea (ATLAS) later this year is progressing. ATLAS will provide a framework to enable the peaceful maritime uses of nuclear technology, a prospect that is generating significant interest.

    Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention) later this month will participate in the 8th Review Meeting to study National Reports with the aim of improving safety in radioactive waste and spent fuel management.

    December saw the start of a new project supporting the establishment of sustainable regulatory infrastructure for radiation safety and the security of radioactive material in Central East Asia and the Pacific Islands.

    In June, Romania will host ConvEx-3, the IAEA’s highest level and most complex emergency exercise. In the event of an incident with transboundary implications, Member States will be called upon to implement a harmonized response and therefore this exercise will have a particular focus on regional collaboration.

    The International Conference on Nuclear and Radiological Emergency Preparedness and Response will be held in December in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    Madame Chairperson,

    Today, 417 nuclear power reactors operating in 31 countries make up almost 377 gigawatts of installed capacity, providing just under 10 per cent of the world’s total electricity and a quarter of its low-carbon supply.

    It is clear that countries are turning more and more to nuclear energy. In the IAEA’s high case scenario, global nuclear electricity generating capacity is seen increasing two and a half times by 2050.  Delivering on that promise will require public support. That is why the first IAEA International Conference on Stakeholder Engagement for Nuclear Power Programmes will gather governments, industry and practitioners from around the world in the final week of May. Mayors of municipalities with nuclear power facilities from around the world will share their experiences. No one is better placed to assess the impact and contribution to the community of nuclear facilities than those living there.

    Following our first Nuclear Stakeholder Engagement School, hosted by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy last November, we are now planning two more later this year. In addition, we have also established a new Stakeholder Engagement Advisory Service, which will help countries assess and strengthen their stakeholder engagement programmes.

    The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving and growing in all spheres of life, including in nuclear science and technology. AI data centres require a lot of energy and nuclear reactors provide clean, reliable, and adaptable options, including in the form of SMRs and micro reactors.  Meanwhile, the integration of AI into the nuclear sector offers the chance to streamline operations across the nuclear power project life cycle. In this context the IAEA will host the International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Energy this December. We look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to this important and first-of-a-kind event here at the Agency’s headquarters.

    Within the Secretariat we are also intent on making the most of AI while mitigating its risks, therefore we have established official guidelines, a portal and a community of practice.

    Our work on fusion continues apace with the publication of Experiences for Consideration in Fusion Plant Design Safety and Safety Assessment.

    Madame Chairperson,

    The Nuclear Technology Review before you highlights key advancements in nuclear applications that support Member States in addressing critical priorities. This year’s review places particular emphasis on innovations in food safety and authenticity, energy security, early disease detection and cancer treatment, environmental sustainability, and advanced manufacturing.

    In November, the IAEA hosted the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications and the Technical Cooperation Programme. The Ministerial Declaration recognized both the critical role of nuclear science, technology, and applications in tackling global challenges, and the important role of the Technical Cooperation programme as a key mechanism in transferring, expanding and further accelerating Member State access to nuclear technology, materials, equipment and expertise for peaceful purposes.

    I am pleased to report the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme achieved an implementation rate of 86% in 2024. We provided our emergency assistance to Türkiye and Syria, assessing damage to civil structures following the earthquakes and building the capacities of Turkish and Syrian experts in non-destructive testing. We initiated procurement to reinstate X-ray and laboratory services in Grenada and Honduras in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Sara, and we aided oil-spill clean-up efforts in Trinidad and Tobago.

    In 2024, the Rate of Attainment for contributions to the TC Fund was 95%, underscoring Member States’ commitment to our work. To ensure resources for the TC programme are sufficient, assured and predicable, I urge Member States to contribute on time, and in full, to the TC Fund.

    Our flagship initiatives are making progress across the globe. Under Atoms4Food, about 27 countries from all regions have officially requested support. Member States have pledged almost EUR 9 million, two thirds of which was contributed by Japan to support livestock production in Côte d’Ivoire, food safety in Mauritania, and molecular laboratories in Vietnam, among other projects.

    Our network of international partnerships has grown with Memoranda of Understanding having been signed with Anglo American, CGIAR, and the Inter-American Institute of Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA). The partnership with Anglo American focuses on combating soil salinization through climate-smart agricultural practices.

    While I was in Japan last month, I signed a partnership with Sumitomo Corporation, one of the world’s largest integrated trading companies, to cooperate particularly in the area of sustainable uses of nuclear related technologies for multiple areas, including healthcare, shipping, fusion and capacity building efforts.  

    Under Rays of Hope, the Anchor Centre in Argentina held its first capacity-building event to strengthen paediatric radiotherapy services in Latin America and the Caribbean, creating a regional network for knowledge exchange and support.

    In January 2025, the IAEA conducted its first national-level quality assurance audit in diagnostic radiology, reviewing 16 hospitals in Qatar.

    The International Conference on Advances in Radiation Oncology (ICARO-4) will take place in the first week of June, focusing on emerging radiotherapy techniques to address global health challenges.

    Under the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC), a novel surveillance technology for high-risk pathogens was transferred to the IAEA’s Animal Production and Health Laboratory in November and will soon be passed on to Member States. New funding pledges from the Republic of Korea, Portugal, and Japan are supporting ZODIAC’s coordinated research projects in Asia and Africa, as well as the development of AI-driven platforms for zoonotic disease monitoring.

    Under NUTEC Plastics 104 Member States are engaged in microplastic monitoring, with 42 developing recycling technologies. Four countries in Asia-Pacific and Latin America have validated radiation-based upcycling technology at lab scale, with private sector collaboration helping to build up operations. China is developing a pilot-scale facility, bringing the total number of countries promoting the technology to nine.

    In November this year, the International High-Level Forum on NUclear TEChnology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC-Plastics): Scaling Solutions and Partnerships for Global Impact will take place in the Philippines. I thank the Philippines Government for hosting this important milestone.

    The Global Water Analysis Laboratory Network (GloWAL) baseline survey has received 85 responses from 65 countries, informing future activities. Its first coordination meeting for the Spanish-speaking Latin America and the Caribbean is underway.

    Under ReNuAL 2, the construction of new greenhouses in Seibersdorf is nearing completion and the modernized laboratories will be ready to welcome staff soon.  

    Madame Chairperson,

    Regarding the issue of Iran’s nuclear programme, you have before you my latest report on verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015).

    Following my last report, Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% U‑235 has increased to 275 kg, up from 182 kg in the past quarter. Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon State enriching to this level, causing me serious concern.

    It has been four years since Iran stopped implementing its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including provisionally applying its Additional Protocol and therefore it is also four years since the Agency was able to conduct complementary access in Iran.

    You also have before you my report on the NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran says it has declared all nuclear material, activities and locations required under its NPT Safeguards Agreement. However, this statement is inconsistent with the Agency’s findings of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at undeclared locations in Iran. The Agency needs to know the current location(s) of the nuclear material and/or of contaminated equipment involved.

    There is also a discrepancy in the material balance of uranium involved in uranium metal production experiments conducted at Jaber Ibn Hayan Mutlipurpose Laboratory, for which Iran has not accounted.

    Having stated it had suspended such implementation, Iran still is not implementing modified Code 3.1, which is a legal obligation for Iran.

    I am seriously concerned that the outstanding safeguards issues remain unresolved. They stem from Iran’s obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and need to be resolved for the Agency to be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.

    I deeply regret that Iran, despite having indicated a willingness to consider accepting the designation of four additional experienced Agency inspectors, did not accept their designation.

    There has been no significant progress towards implementing the Joint Statement of 4 March 2023. I call upon Iran urgently to implement the Joint Statement through serious engagement.

    In response to the Board’s request in its resolution of November 2024, I will produce a comprehensive and updated assessment on the presence and use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.

    High-level engagement is indispensable to making real progress. My visit to Tehran last November, and meetings with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicate that there may be room for constructive compromises. I hope to see them again soon and pursue effective dialogue and tangible results.

    The Board has before it for approval a draft Additional Protocol for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

    I have made it a priority to strengthen the legal framework for safeguards. Since the last Board meeting in November, Oman, Mongolia, Cyprus, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Zambia have amended their original Small Quantities Protocols and Saudi Arabia has rescinded its original SQP. The number of States with safeguards agreements in force remains 191, and 143 of these States have additional protocols in force. I call upon the remaining three States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons without comprehensive safeguards agreements to bring such agreements into force without delay. I also encourage States that have not yet concluded additional protocols to do so as soon as possible, and I reiterate my repeated calls for the remaining 14 States with SQPs based on the original standard text to amend or rescind them as soon as possible. Let me assure you that I will continue to use my good offices to strengthen the indispensable legal framework on which the continued peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology rest.

    The IAEA continues to monitor the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear programme.

    The Agency has observed that the 5MW(e) reactor at Yongbyon resumed operation in mid-October 2024, following a shutdown period of approximately 60 days. This shutdown is assessed to be of sufficient length to refuel the reactor and start its seventh operational cycle. Strong indicators of preparations for a new reprocessing campaign, including the operation of the steam plant serving the Radiochemical Laboratory, have been observed.

    In late-January 2025, the DPRK released photographs of General Secretary Kim Jong Un visiting “the nuclear material production base and the Nuclear Weapons Institute”. The depicted centrifuge cascades and infrastructure are consistent with the layout of a centrifuge enrichment facility and with the structure of the Yongbyon Uranium Enrichment Plant. This development follows the DPRK’s publication in September 2024 of photographs of an undeclared enrichment facility at the Kangson Complex. The undeclared enrichment facilities at both Kangson and Yongbyon, combined with General Secretary Kim’s call for “overfulfilling the plan for producing weapons-grade nuclear materials,” are of serious concern. There are indications that the uranium enrichment plants at Kangson and Yongbyon continue to operate, and there are indications that the light water reactor (LWR) at Yongbyon continues to operate. Additions to the support infrastructure have been observed adjacent to the LWR.

    There were no indications of significant changes at the Nuclear Test Site at Punggye-ri, which remains prepared to support a nuclear test.

    The continuation and further development of the DPRK’s nuclear programme are clear violations of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and are deeply regrettable. I call upon the DPRK to comply fully with its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions, to cooperate promptly with the Agency in the full and effective implementation of its NPT Safeguards Agreement and to resolve all outstanding issues, especially those that have arisen during the absence of Agency inspectors from the country. The Agency continues to maintain its enhanced readiness to play its essential role in verifying the DPRK’s nuclear programme.

    Concerning the safety of the LWR, we lack the necessary information to make an assessment. Safety should always be a paramount consideration when operating a reactor. Nuclear safety is a sovereign responsibility of the State and the IAEA supports the States in this area.

    Following the change of Government in the Syrian Arab Republic towards the end of 2024, I have written to the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. I requested cooperation with the Agency to enable us to fulfill our obligation to verify nuclear material and facilities under Syria’s safeguards agreement. I conveyed the importance of continuing and reinforcing cooperation between Syria and the Agency to address unresolved issues. Clarifying these issues remains essential to Syria demonstrating its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and international peace and security.

    I hope to be able to engage with the new government soon. Bringing total clarity to the situation regarding past activities in this field in Syria is indispensable to the realization of current efforts to modernize the country and put it on a firm path to peace and development.

    In April and May, the IAEA will participate in the Third Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in New York.

    Madame Chairperson,

    The IAEA’s Marie Sklodowska‑Curie Fellowship Programme has been expanding the talent base for the nuclear field since 2020 with 760 female students and graduates from 121 Member States so far having been supported in studying in 72 countries. In the current, fifth cycle, we selected 200 candidates from 109 countries. I would like to thank Member States that have contributed so far. For this programme to continue accepting new fellowship candidates it urgently needs further support. I ask those who can, to support this endeavor. 

    This year, we have planned three Lise Meitner Programme cohorts, in Argentina, Canada and Japan. They are focused on nuclear power, advanced nuclear technologies and research reactors.

    I am happy to report that we have reached parity, women now make up half the staff in the professional and higher categories. This is up from about 30% when I took office in 2019.

    I thank Member States who have paid their regular budget contributions, including some who paid in advance. It is important that all Member States pay their contributions in a timely manner. This will ensure liquidity of the regular budget throughout the year, allowing the Agency to carry out its activities effectively.

    You recently received for your consideration my proposed programme and budget for the 2026-2027 biennium.

    It has been prepared with due consideration of the constraints of the prevailing financial environment. Despite increasing demands and higher operational costs, I have decided for the third time in a row to propose a zero real growth budget. The proposal maintains balance among the different programmes and emphasises my commitment to ensuring our resources are managed with discipline, efficiency and restraint so that we maximize the impact of the Agency’s work.

    This being our first Board meeting of 2025, I want to conclude by saying that I look forward to making 2025 a successful year in which the IAEA benefits all Member States as we advance our common goals of peace and development.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Update 296 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

    Nuclear safety remains precarious at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and its six reactors cannot be restarted as long as the military conflict continues to jeopardize the situation at the site, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told IAEA Member States this week.

    Addressing the regular June meeting of the Board of Governors, the Director General briefed them about his 12th mission to Ukraine during the current conflict, which took place in early June, followed by a visit to Russia, which also focused on nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP.

    Addressing the Board meeting, he highlighted “the extremely vulnerable” status of the off-site power supply at the site, which for more than a month now has relied on one single power line for the electricity it needs to cool its reactors and spent fuel. Before the conflict, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) had access to ten power lines.

    In addition, Director General Grossi noted that the ZNPP reactors’ “reliance on groundwater for cooling remains an interim solution, whilst in their cold shutdown state”.  The plant has depended on 11 groundwater wells since the downstream Kakhovka dam was destroyed two years ago.

    In their meeting in Kyiv on 3 June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “made a point to recognize the importance of the IAEA’s permanent presence” at the ZNPP, the Director General told the Board, adding he had assured President Zelenskyy of the IAEA’s continued commitment to Ukraine’s nuclear safety and to helping it rebuild its energy infrastructure.

    The Director General added: “As the military conflict moves further into its fourth year, Ukraine needs support, and the IAEA is providing it … it is also crucial to prepare for the reconstruction phase.”

    At the ZNPP, the IAEA team based there has held several meetings with the ZNPP to discuss the site’s electrical system and also visited its 750 kilovolt (kV) switchyard.

    Apart from the sole remaining 330 kV back-up line that was disconnected due to military activities on 7 May, the site does not know the current condition of its five other 330 kV lines, which remain unavailable after they were damaged outside of the ZNPP area early in the conflict.

    The ZNPP said maintenance work was conducted at one of the four 750 kV power lines that was originally connected to the ZNPP before being damaged in 2022. Since the conflict, the ZNPP had lost access to three of its 750 kV lines.

    In addition, the ZNPP informed the IAEA about a planned project to pump water into the cooling pond from the Dnipro River in order to maintain a water level that is sufficient to cool one operating reactor initially, followed by a second unit, until the pond reaches its full capacity. According to the site, a pumping station will be constructed to supply water directly to the cooling pond until the plant can rebuild the Kakhovka dam.

    The exact location of the pumping station cannot yet be determined, as it depends on the security conditions, the ZNPP said, adding the project would only start once military activities cease.

    Separately this week, the IAEA team was informed that that the Russian regulator, Rostekhnadzor, over the next two weeks will perform pre-licensing inspection activities at ZNPP reactor units 1 and 2, whose current operational licences issued by Ukraine are due to expire in December this year and in February 2026, respectively. The IAEA team has requested to observe these activities and will seek additional information regarding items such as the scope of these undertakings and any criteria for assessing nuclear safety.

    Over the past several weeks, the IAEA team has also been monitoring a leak in one reactor unit’s essential service water system which delivers cooling water to the safety systems. The leak – which can occur in NPPs without any significant safety consequences – was discovered during maintenance and the team was informed that it was caused by corrosion. It has since been repaired.

    The IAEA team reported hearing military activities on most days over the past weeks, at varying distances away from the ZNPP including last week’s purported drone attack on the site’s training centre.

    The Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and the South Ukraine NPPs are continuing to operate amid the problems caused by the conflict. Three of their nine operating reactor units are still undergoing planned outages for refuelling and maintenance. The IAEA teams at these plants and the Chornobyl sites have continued to report on – and be informed about – nearby military activities, including drones observed flying nearby. Last Monday, the IAEA teams at Khmelnytskyy and Rivne were required to shelter.

    Over the past two weeks, the IAEA teams based at these four sites have all rotated.

    As part of the IAEA’s assistance programme to support nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, the Chornobyl site received essential items to improve staff living conditions and the National Scientific Centre Institute of Metrology received personal radiation detectors.

    These deliveries were funded by Austria, Belgium, France and Norway and brought the total number of IAEA-coordinated deliveries since the start of the armed conflict to 140.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Led by IAEA, International Team Samples Treated Water under Additional Measures at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) led a team of international experts to collect samples today of ALPS treated water stored at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) prior to the water’s dilution with seawater and its discharge to the sea.

    The sampling mission is the fourth under the additional measures, which focus on expanding international participation and transparency. These measures permit third parties to independently verify that water discharge which Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) – operator of the FDNPS – began in August 2023 continues to be consistent with international safety standards.

    International experts from Belgium, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and Switzerland, along with IAEA staff, conducted hands-on sampling of the water stored in tanks designated for the 14th batch of ALPS-treated water to be discharged.

    The IAEA initiated the first practical steps of the additional measures in October last year. This fourth mission follows the mission in April which sampled diluted water just prior to its discharge into the sea, and a mission in February when IAEA Director General Grossi presided over the additional measures to  collect seawater samples in the vicinity of FDNPS.

    The samples collected in today’s mission will be analysed by the participating laboratories – the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, the China Institute of Atomic Energy, the Korean Institute for Nuclear Safety, the Institute for Problems of Environmental Monitoring of the Research and Production Association “Typhoon” in Russia and the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland – as well as by the IAEA’s laboratory and TEPCO in Japan. All laboratories are members of the IAEA’s Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) network, which are selected for their high level of expertise and analytical proficiency.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Nuclear Techniques Make Waves at UN Ocean Conference

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

    IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi during the high-level event on combatting marine pollution at the United Nations Conference in Nice, France  (Photo: E. McDonald/IAEA)

    The IAEA highlighted the role of nuclear science in protecting our oceans at the 2025 United Nations Oceans Conference held last week in Nice, France.

    Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the conference convened over 10,000 participants, including scientists, diplomats and politicians, to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It aimed to accelerate progress towards SDG14, Life Below Water, through innovative technologies and action. The IAEA took center stage at the event to share how nuclear technology is boosting ocean health and tackling critical threats such as marine plastic pollution.

    The IAEA organized and participated in more than a dozen events at the conference, and on research vessels in the Port of Nice. Experts from the IAEA’s Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco highlighted how isotopic tools can help monitor and reduce plastic pollution in the ocean.

    Plastic waste is not only infiltrating our oceans, but also the human body in the form of microplastics. Without urgent action, the amount of plastic entering the ocean each year could reach 37 million metric tons by 2040, according to UN estimates, becoming a threat to marine and human life.

    Plastic pollution featured prominently throughout the conference, with a focus on the ongoing negotiations for the development of an internationally legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The negotiations for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-led treaty are expected to conclude later this year in Geneva, following five previous sessions.

    At the conference, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi spoke about the IAEA’s work to combat plastic pollution and emphasized the need to share data data between scientists, policymakers and environmental agencies.

    “Four years ago, at the last UN Ocean Conference, I announced NUTEC Plastics, an initiative that gives countries the tools they need to address the issue of marine microplastic pollution. Today, I am delighted to report that we have made significant progress with 99 countries involved, and we have been equipping more than 100 Member State laboratories all over the world. We are building the capacity that countries need to translate data into policies and action.”

    NUTEC Plastics is an IAEA flagship initiative that supports countries in researching microplastics and using nuclear techniques to improve recycling techniques.

    Director of the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories Florence Descroix-Comanducci (left), highlighted the work of the IAEA’s Marine environment laboratories at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in France (Photo: E.McDonald/IAEA)

    “Nuclear and isotopic techniques add incredible value to boost ocean health,” said Florence Descroix-Comanducci, Director of the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories. “Our laboratories in Monaco support Member States in the implementation and use of these techniques, and to develop harmonized methods to generate globally comparable data, especially in light of the forthcoming plastics treaty.”

    At events organized by the IAEA, panelists highlighted the need to address the top of the plastic life cycle to prevent further pollution, employing a “source to sea approach” to reduce marine litter and, by extension, marine plastic pollution. “Our metrics on marine litter are moving in the right direction,” said Martin Adams, Head of the Environment Department at the European Environment Agency. “Timely and relevant data are increasingly important, but we don’t need to know everything. We just need to know enough to act.” Other events organized by the IAEA focused on ocean-based carbon dioxide removal, ocean acidification, IAEA support for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and nuclear energy and ocean health.

    The IAEA’s unique expertise in nuclear applications is contributing to both mitigations, by using radiation technology for waste recycling, and monitoring, by using isotopic techniques to monitor and assess impacts of microplastic pollution. Through the NUTEC Plastics initiative, 99 countries are participating in marine monitoring of microplastics, and 52 around the world are developing innovative recycling technology.

    The International High-Level Forum on NUTEC Plastics, organized by the IAEA on 25–26 November 2025, in Manila, Philippines, will highlight the progress achieved to date, address current challenges, and chart course to strengthen regional and international cooperation in the sustainable management of plastic waste through innovative nuclear technologies.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Biggest-ever aid cut by G7 members a death sentence for millions of people, says Oxfam

    Source: Oxfam –

    • Aid cuts could cost millions of lives and leave girls, boys, women and men without access to enough food, water, education, health treatment
    • G7 countries are making deliberate and deadly choices by cutting life-saving aid, enabling atrocities, and reneging on their international commitments
    • Low and middle-income countries face reduced aid, rising debt, and trade barriers — a perfect storm that threatens development and recovery.

    The Group of Seven (G7) countries, which together account for around three-quarters of all official development assistance (ODA), are set to slash their aid spending by 28 percent for 2026 compared to 2024 levels.  

    It would be the biggest cut in aid since the G7 was established in 1975, and indeed in aid records going back to 1960, reveals a new analysis by Oxfam ahead of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada.

    “The G7’s retreat from the world is unprecedented and couldn’t come at a worse time, with hunger, poverty, and climate harm intensifying. The G7 cannot claim to build bridges on one hand while tearing them down with the other. It sends a shameful message to the Global South, that G7 ideals of collaboration mean nothing,” said Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar.

    2026 will mark the third consecutive year of decline in G7 aid spending – a trend not seen since the 1990s. If these cuts go ahead, G7 aid levels in 2026 will crash by $44 billion to just $112 billion. The cuts are being driven primarily by the US (down $33 billion), Germany (down $3.5 billion), the UK (down $5 billion) and France (down $3 billion).

    “Rather than breaking from the Trump administration’s cruel dismantling of USAID and other US foreign assistance, G7 countries like the UK, Germany, and France are instead following the same path, slashing aid with brutal measures that will cost millions of lives,” said Behar.

    “These cuts will starve the hungry, deny medicine to the sick, and block education for a generation of girls and boys. This is a catastrophic betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable and crippling to the G7’s credibility,” said Behar.

    Economic projections show that aid cuts will mean 5.7 million more people across Africa will fall below extreme poverty levels in the coming year, a number expected to rocket to 19 million by 2030.  

    Cuts to aid are putting vital public services at risk in some of the world’s poorest countries. In countries like Liberia, Haiti, Malawi, and South Sudan, US aid had made up over 40 percent of health and education budgets, leaving them especially exposed. Combined with a growing debt crisis, this is undermining governments’ ability to care for their people.

    Global aid for nutrition will fall by 44 percent in 2025 compared to 2022:

    • The end of just $128 million worth of US-funded child nutrition programs for a million children will result in an extra 163,500 child deaths a year.  
    • At the same time, 2.3 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition – the most lethal form of undernutrition – are now at risk of losing their life-saving treatments.
       

    One in five dollars of aid to poor countries’ health budgets are cut or under threat:  

    • WHO reports that in almost three-quarters of its country offices are seeing serious disruptions to health services, and in about a quarter of the countries where it operates some health facilities have already been forced to shut down completely.
    • US aid cuts could lead to up to 3 million preventable deaths every year, with 95 million people losing access to healthcare. This includes children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases, pregnant women losing access to care, and rising deaths from malaria, TB, and HIV.

    G7 countries are not just reneging on commitments to global aid and solidarity, they are fuelling conflicts by allowing grave violations of international law, like in Gaza where people are facing starvation. Whether in Ukraine, the occupied Palestinian territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or elsewhere, civilians must always be protected, and aid is often the first line of protection they get. G7 countries are illuminating a double standard that risks more global instability, conflict and atrocities.  

    While G7 countries cut aid, their citizen billionaires continue to see their wealth surge. Since the beginning of 2025, the G7 ultra-rich have made $126 billion, almost the same amount as the group’s 2025 aid commitment of $132 billion.  

    At this pace, it would take the world’s billionaires less than a month to generate the equivalent of the G7’s 2025 aid budget.

    By taxing the super-rich, the G7 could easily meet their financial commitments to end poverty and climate breakdown, whilst also having billions in new revenue to fight inequality in their own countries.  

    “The world is not short of money. The problem is that it is in the hands of the super-rich instead of the public. Rather than fairly taxing billionaires to feed the hungry, we see billionaires joining government to slash aid to the poorest in order to fund tax cuts for themselves,” said Behar.

    Oxfam is calling on the G7 to urgently reverse aid cuts and restore funding to address today’s global challenges. More than 50 years after the United Nations set the target of 0.7 percent for aid spending, most G7 countries remain well below this.  

    Oxfam is also urging the G7 to support global efforts led by Brazil and Spain to raise taxes on the super-rich, and to back the call from the African Union and The Vatican for a new UN body to help manage countries’ debt problems.
     

    According to OECD Data Explorer, the combined annual aid expenditure of the G7 in 2024 was $156.694 billion. Canada spent $7.323 billion, the United States $61.821 billion, Japan $17.583 billion, France $15.047 billion, Germany $31.382 billion, Italy $6.534 billion, and the United Kingdom $17.005 billion.

    Donor Tracker estimates that the decline in combined annual aid spending of the G7 countries for the period 2024 to 2026 will be -$44,488 billion.

    In 2024, aid from G7 countries declined by 8 percent, and projections for 2025 point to a sharper drop of 19 percent.

    Modelling using finds that 5.7 million more Africans would fall below the US$2.15 extreme poverty income level in the next year if Trump’s administration succeeds in its aid-reduction ambition. This assumes a 20 percent reduction of aid to Africa, considering that some US aid would be maintained as the US alone accounted for 26 percent of aid to Africa before the cuts.

    The dismantling of USAID and major aid reductions announced by Western donors threaten to undo decades of progress on malnutrition. A 44 percent drop in funding from 2022 levels could lead to widespread hardship and death.

    Up to 2.3 million children with severe acute malnutrition risk losing life-saving treatment, warns the Standing Together for Nutrition Consortium.

    There are 2,968 billionaires in the world, and 1,346 live in G7 countries (45 percent). 
     

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • Yoga: India’s timeless gift of peace and holistic well-being to a badly divided world

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    ‘Yoga’ is now widely considered as one of India’s most profound gifts to the world. This enlightening practice embodies a timeless Indian tradition of physical, psychological and spiritual well-being. Embedded in ancient Indian philosophy, now majority of the people globally accept that it is much more than just physical postures- termed as ‘asanas’ in great Hindu religious traditions and scriptures.

    This holistic practice integrates breath control, meditation and a moral principle for a harmonious life, which is the ultimate goal of the ‘Hindu Sanatam Tradition’, which is the world’s oldest living spiritual and philosophical way of life. It is worth-mentioning here that unlike other religions of the world, Hinduism or Sanatam Dharma is not based on a single founder or scripture, rather it’s a cosmic and ever-evolving way of life rooted in the eternal truths of life.

    Yoga’s immense value to life, can be traced back in great Hindu scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, which is revered as one of the most influential spiritual books globally. Gita says- ‘Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self,’ which explains how holistic it is for our life irrespective of one’s roots, ideological affiliations or leanings.

    The Vedas- the oldest and most sacred scriptures of Hinduism, composed between 1500–500 BCE, contain the earliest references to Yoga, though not in the systematized form seen in later great texts like the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Vedic Yoga is more about mental discipline, meditation and the union of the individual soul with the cosmic reality. It is worth-mentioning that Vedas also form the foundation of Hindu philosophy, rituals and spirituality.

    Earlier, scholars dated the origins of Yoga to around 500 BCE, coinciding with the rise of Buddhism. However, archaeological discoveries from the Indus-Saraswati Valley Civilization suggest that yogic practices existed much earlier. Excavations have revealed seals depicting figures seated in meditative postures, strongly resembling yogic asanas. Additionally, artifacts such as the Mother Goddess idols indicate ritualistic and spiritual traditions that may have been precursors to Yoga. These findings push back the timeline of Yoga’s origins, linking it to one of the world’s oldest urban cultures.

    However, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, which is a foundational text of classical yoga and composed around 400 BCE, gave Yoga a greater meaning and wider relevance, re-establishing that Yoga is not just about physical postures but a complete science of mind control and self-realization. Yoga Sutras also systematically outlines the philosophy and practice of Rajya Yoga. It moves from ethical discipline to meditation and finally liberation, emphasizing direct experience over theoretical knowledge.

    The practice of Yoga also finds expression across a diverse range of ancient Indian texts and traditions including the Upanishads, Smritis, Puranas, Buddhist and Jain scriptures and the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. Theistic traditions such as Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Tantra further preserved and refined yogic wisdom, emphasizing mystical experiences and meditative disciplines. This widespread presence suggests the existence of a pure form of Yoga that deeply influenced the spiritual landscape of South Asia long before its formal systematization.

    The modern evolution and global dissemination of Yoga owe much to the profound contributions of revered spiritual masters like Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda and a few others. Among these spiritual Gurus, Swami Vivekananda played a pivotal role by introducing Yoga and Vedanta philosophy to international audiences through his historic address at the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago. His groundbreaking efforts not only revived ancient yogic wisdom but also established Indian spiritual traditions as a significant force in the global discourse on consciousness and self-realization.

    These visionary saints collectively bridged the gap between traditional yogic practices and contemporary spiritual seeking, ensuring Yoga’s enduring relevance across cultures and geographical boundaries. In last few decades, Yoga gained further momentum through the contributions of Swami Sivananda, T. Krishnamacharya, Swami Kuvalayananda, Sri Aurobindo, B.K.S. Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, who explored Yoga’s healing, psychological and spiritual dimensions.

    There came a marked change when on 27th September 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s UNGA address highlighted Yoga’s holistic benefits, leading to the UN’s unanimous declaration of 21st June as International Yoga Day. This Indian spiritual practice now draws participation from world leaders and celebrities in its annual global celebrations.

    Now, when world is facing a number of wars, conflicts and confrontations, Yoga being more than just physical exercises, acquires greater relevance as it offers people timeless values of harmony and well-being, transcending all boundaries and offering everyone a path to balanced living and inner peace, which is fast depleting.

    On the one hand, the asanas enhance flexibility and strength, while pranayama regulates vital energy and calms the nervous system. Meditation cultivates mental clarity and emotional balance, creating inner stillness amidst life’s challenges. Together, these elements form an integrated approach to health that addresses modern lifestyle diseases also at their core. In today’s fast-paced world, yoga provides an antidote to fragmented and conflict-ridden living.

    The practice of Yoga teaches balance between activity and rest, effort and surrender, individuality and interconnectedness. By integrating yoga into daily life, practitioners develop resilience, compassion and a deeper understanding of life’s unity. This complete system of self-care continues to gain global recognition as an essential tool for comprehensive wellness in our modern era.

    This global phenomenon is now practiced in nearly every country worldwide. The United States leads with over 36 million practitioners, followed by European nations like Germany, France and the UK, where yoga studios flourish. Australia and Canada have embraced yoga as part of mainstream wellness culture. In Asia, China, Japan and Singapore have seen exponential growth in yoga adoption, while traditional practices continue in Nepal and Sri Lanka. Middle Eastern countries like UAE and Israel host thriving yoga communities. Even conflict zones like Syria and Ukraine use yoga for trauma relief. African countries like South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria show growing interest.

    From megacities to remote villages, yoga’s universal appeal transcends borders, cultures and religions, making it truly global while maintaining its Indian spiritual roots. The UN’s recognition through International Yoga Day, has further cemented its worldwide acceptance as a great tool for holistic health.

  • MIL-OSI Global: How pterosaurs learned to fly: scientists have been looking in the wrong place to solve this mystery

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Davide Foffa, Research Fellow in Palaeobiology, University of Birmingham

    Ever since the first fragments of pterosaur bone surfaced nearly 250 years ago, palaeontologists have puzzled over one question: how did these close cousins of land-bound dinosaurs take to the air and evolve powered flight? The first flying vertebrates seemed to appear on the geological stage fully formed, leaving almost no trace of their first tentative steps into the air.

    Taken at face value, the fossil record implies that pterosaurs suddenly originated in the later part of the Triassic period (around 215 million years ago), close to the equator on the northern super-continent Pangaea. They then spread quickly between the Triassic and the Jurassic periods, about 10 million years later, in the wake of a mass extinction that was most likely caused by massive volcanic activity.

    Most of the handful of Triassic specimens come from narrow seams of dark shale in Italy and Austria, with other fragments discovered in Greenland, Argentina and the southwestern US. These skeletons appear fully adapted for flight, with a hyper-elongated fourth finger supporting membrane-wings. Yet older rocks show no trace of intermediate gliders or other transitional forms that you might expect as evidence of pterosaurs’ evolution over time.

    There are two classic competing explanations for this. The literal reading says pterosaurs evolved elsewhere and did not reach those regions where most have been discovered until very late in the Triassic period, by which time they were already adept flyers. The sceptical reading notes that pterosaurs’ wafer-thin, hollow bones could easily vanish from the fossil record, dissolve, get crushed or simply be overlooked, creating this false gap.

    Eudimorphodon ranzii fossil from Bergamo in 1973 is one of many pterosaur discoveries from southern Europe.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    For decades, the debate stalled as a result of too few fossils or too many missing rocks. This impasse began to change in 2020, when scientists identified the closest relatives of pterosaurs in a group of smallish upright reptiles called lagerpetids.

    From comparing many anatomical traits across different species, the researchers established that pterosaurs and lagerpetids shared many similarities including their skulls, skeletons and inner ears. While this discovery did not bring any “missing link” to the table, it showed what the ancestor of pterosaurs would have looked like: a rat-to-dog-sized creature that lived on land and in trees.

    This brought new evidence about when pterosaurs may have originated. Pterosaurs and lagerpetids like Scleromochlus, a small land-dwelling reptile, diverged at some point after the end-Permian mass extinction. It occurred some 250 million years ago, 35 million years before the first pterosaur appearance in the fossil record.

    Scleromochlus is one of the lagerpetids, the closest known relatives to the pterosaurs.
    Gabriel Ugueto

    Pterosaurs and their closest kin did not share the same habitats, however. Our new study, featuring new fossil maps, shows that soon after lagerpetids appeared (in southern Pangaea), they spread across wide areas, including harsh deserts, that many other groups were unable to get past. Lagerpetids lived both in these deserts and in humid floodplains.

    They tolerated hotter, drier settings better than any early pterosaur, implying that they had evolved to cope with extreme temperatures. Pterosaurs, by contrast, were more restricted. Their earliest fossils cluster in the river and lake beds of the Chinle and Dockum basins (southwest US) and in moist coastal belts fringing the northern arm of the Tethys Sea, a huge area that occupied today’s Alps.

    Scientists have inferred from analysing a combination of fossil distributions, rock features and climate simulations that pterosaurs lived in areas that were warm but not scorching. The rainfall would have been comparable to today’s tropical forests rather than inland deserts.

    This suggests that the earliest flying dinosaurs may have lived in tree canopies, using foliage both for take-off and to protect themselves from predators and heat. As a result of this confined habitat, the distances that they flew may have been quite limited.

    Changing climates

    We were then able to add a fresh dimension to the story using a method called ecological niche modelling. This is routinely used in modern conservation to project where endangered animals and plants might live as the climate gets hotter. By applying this approach to later Triassic temperatures, rainfall and coastlines, we asked where early pterosaurs lived, regardless of whether they’ve shown up there in the fossil record.

    Many celebrated fossil sites in Europe emerge as poor pterosaur habitat until very late in the Triassic period: they were simply too hot, too dry or otherwise inhospitable before the Carnian age, around 235 million years ago. The fact that no specimens have been discovered there that are more than about 215 million years old may be because the climate conditions were still unsuitable or simply because we don’t have the right type of rocks preserved of that age.

    In contrast, parts of the south-western US, Morocco, India, Brazil, Tanzania and southern China seem to have offered welcoming environments several million years earlier than the age of our oldest discoveries. This rewrites the search map. If pterosaurs could have thrived in those regions much more than 215 million years ago, but we have not found them there, the problem may again lie not with biology but with geology: the right rocks have not been explored, or they preserve fragile fossils only under exceptional conditions.

    Our study flags a dozen geological formations, from rivers with fine sediment deposits to lake beds, as potential prime targets for the next breakthrough discovery. They include the Timezgadiouine beds of Morocco, the Guanling Formation of south-west China and, in South America, several layers of rock from the Carnian age, such as the Santa Maria Formation, Chañares Formation and Ischigualasto Formation.

    Pterosaurs were initially confined to tropical treetops near the equator. When global climates shifted and forested corridors opened, pterosaurs’ wings catapulted them into every corner of the planet and ultimately carried them through one of Earth’s greatest extinctions. What began as a tale of missing fossils has become a textbook example of how climate, ecology and evolutionary science have come together to illuminate a fragmentary history that has intrigued paleontologists for over two centuries.

    Davide Foffa is funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Individual (Global) Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020; No.101022550), and by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851–Science Fellowship

    Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza receives funding from The Royal Society (Newton International Fellowship NIFR1231802)

    Emma Dunne 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. How pterosaurs learned to fly: scientists have been looking in the wrong place to solve this mystery – https://theconversation.com/how-pterosaurs-learned-to-fly-scientists-have-been-looking-in-the-wrong-place-to-solve-this-mystery-259063

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council Must Not Be Left as the Only Option for Riverside Theatre – We Need Ministerial Support

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    Statement by TUV vice chairman and Causeway Coast councillor Allister Kyle:

    “There has been much speculation in the media ahead of the recent meeting between the University of Ulster and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council about the future of the Riverside Theatre.

    “As someone who values the cultural and economic importance of the Riverside, I was deeply disappointed during the meeting to learn—following a direct question I put to University officials — that our council was the only potential funding partner they had approached.

    “That simply isn’t good enough.

    “It is particularly frustrating given that the Department for Communities’ annual arts funding programme shows over £1.6 million allocated to the Lyric Theatre this year — a venue closely linked to Queen’s University. Why is the Riverside Theatre, which has served this area for decades, not being given similar consideration?

    “That’s why I have successfully pushed for the council to write directly to the Minister for Communities, urging them to explore what support the Department can offer to secure the future of the Riverside.

    “Our council deserves its fair share. I will continue working to ensure that the Riverside Theatre is not sidelined or left behind.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Lufthansa Group and Airbus collaborate for business travel with SAF

    Source: Lufthansa Group

    The Lufthansa Group has been working on sustainable transformation in aviation for many years and offers companies a wide range of customized options for more sustainable flying. Now, the Lufthansa Group is entering into an agreement with Airbus in the field of more sustainable business travel. Since June 1, the “Sustainable Corporate Value Fare“ has been used by Airbus for all Lufthansa flights taken by its employees within Germany. This Lufthansa Group business fare enables offsetting of parts of the calculated CO2 emissions through the subsequent use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in future flight operations.

     

    Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer Lufthansa Group, says: 
    “Together with our customers and strong partners from the industry, we strive towards greater sustainability. I am particularly pleased and thankful that our long-standing partner Airbus has opted for a corporate fare with SAF, demonstrating its leading role also in the field of sustainability. For many companies and its employees, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important factor in travel decisions. As a leading airline group, we are the partner of choice for companies in achieving their goals with tailor-made solutions.”

     

    Raphael Duflos, Vice President Corporate Services Procurement at Airbus declares:

    “We have been working in close cooperation with Lufthansa Group since early 2024 to customize their ‘Sustainable Corporate Value Fare’ to meet the specific needs of Airbus travelers. They have helped us to create a meaningful offer incorporating Sustainable Aviation Fuels, starting in the German domestic market. We are confident that such ‘Sustainable Corporate Value Fare’ is going to be successful across the Business Travel ecosystem.”

     

    Customized options for more sustainable flying with SAF

    The Lufthansa Group offers several special fares for corporate customers: With the “Sustainable Corporate Value Fare”, business customers can offset up to 30 percent of the CO₂ emissions calculated for their individual flight through the use of SAF in flight operations. The Lufthansa Group also offers companies the opportunity to invest in larger quantities of SAF through SAF bulk deals.

     

    Background: The use of SAF in the Lufthansa Group 

    There is no refueling of individual flights with pure SAF. As a so-called “drop-in” fuel, SAF is compatible with fossil kerosene and can be blended with it without any problems. Before being transported to the airport, SAF is blended with fossil jet fuel or produced in a process known as co-processing (joint processing of biogenic residues with fossil oil) and then fed into the airport infrastructure. The Lufthansa Group ensures that the amount of SAF required to offset individual CO2 emissions is fed into the Lufthansa Group’s flight operations within six months of purchase. Over its entire life cycle, the SAF from biogenic residues used by the Lufthansa Group has a CO2 footprint that is around 80 percent lower than that of conventional kerosene made from fossil crude oil.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI: GTreasury Launches GSmart AI, Setting the Standard for Secure, Adaptable, and Agentic AI in Treasury Operations

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GTreasury, the global leader in Adaptable Treasury Solutions for the Office of the CFO, today announced the launch of GSmart AI, a comprehensive and purpose-built AI platform uniquely designed for treasury and finance operations. Leveraging best-in-class AI enterprise infrastructure, governance, and agent-driven workflows, GSmart AI empowers CFOs and treasurers to confidently navigate the increasingly complex treasury landscape by providing secure, actionable insights and agentic actions to amplify the value of GTreasury’s solutions, spanning connectivity, liquidity management, cash forecasting, payments, risk, netting, and other core treasury functions.

    CFOs and treasury teams face an evolving mix of complex data, unpredictable market conditions, and increasing regulatory pressure. Reliable AI support is a strategic necessity, and GTreasury’s GSmart AI addresses these demands with powerful capabilities, built-in compliance, and full transparency into every action it takes.

    “For AI to create real value for CFOs, it has to be based on clear design principles of security, removing inefficiencies, fast problem solving, and quick delivery,” said Renaat Ver Eecke, Chief Executive Officer, GTreasury. “GSmart AI, born from our recent investment in our Development Hub in Dublin, Ireland, amplifies our solutions, empowering CFOs and treasury teams to confidently take advantage of powerful insights and value without sacrificing compliance or oversight. We’re proud of our recent investment and expansion in development, which advances our vision of adaptable solutions that provide financial leaders with the clarity to act.”

    The value of GSmart AI lies in its adaptable and scalable capabilities, where AI actively reduces manual effort by performing routine-but-time-consuming treasury tasks, proactively identifying risks and variances, and recommending strategic actions to support more informed decision-making. Its flexible architecture empowers treasury teams to deploy and schedule AI agents tailored to specific operational needs, ensuring maximum adaptability and relevance.

    “With GSmart AI, we’ve built an enterprise-class AI platform that not only analyzes data but actively infers, reasons, and acts on behalf of treasury professionals, amplifying the value of our solutions,” said Mark Johnson, Chief Product Officer, GTreasury. “GSmart AI provides CFOs and treasurers full visibility and control, with clear traceability of every AI-generated output back to its source data. The depth of governance and explainability embedded into GSmart AI distinctly set our platform apart from generalized AI solutions or any other treasury technology.”

    GSmart AI’s differentiated value includes full alignment with ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO/IEC 27001 standards, readiness for the upcoming EU AI Act, and stringent data sovereignty practices. The platform strictly isolates client data, ensures no client data is used in AI model training, and maintains complete transparency through comprehensive audit logs and observability tools.

    Among the key features and benefits of GSmart AI:

    • Enterprise-class infrastructure: A scalable, API-driven agentic platform designed specifically for the complex needs of treasury and finance.
    • Security and compliance: Comprehensive encryption, zero-trust architecture, data residency controls, and rigorous global regulatory compliance including GDPR and CCPA.
    • Complete transparency and auditability: Full visibility into AI operations with explainable outputs linked directly to source documentation, backed by automated security monitoring and audit logging.
    • Client control and data sovereignty: Full user control over AI features through feature flags, explicit opt-in workflows, and strict client-specific data isolation.

    GSmart AI integrates seamlessly within GTreasury’s adaptable treasury management platform, providing flexible and intuitive interaction with existing solutions and workflows.

    To learn more about GSmart AI and request a demo, visit https://www.gtreasury.com/solutions/ai/treasury-ai-platform.

    About GTreasury

    GTreasury provides CFOs and Treasurers with The Clarity to Act on strategic financial decisions with the world’s most adaptable treasury platform, empowering them to face the challenges of today and tomorrow. Because each company faces different points of complexity and needs, our industry-leading solutions are purposefully designed, and amplified by GSmart AI, to support every stage of treasury complexity, from Liquidity Management and Cash Forecasting to Payments, Risk, and Netting. With GTreasury, financial leaders gain comprehensive connectivity across all banks and ERPs to build an orchestrated data environment, enabling rapid value realization with implementations up and running in weeks. Plus, our unmatched industry expertise ensures clients’ continued success through dedicated guidance and top-tier support. Trusted by over 1,000 customers across 160 countries, GTreasury provides treasury and finance teams with the ability to connect, compile, and manage mission-critical data to optimize cash flows and capital structures. To learn more, visit GTreasury.com.

    GTreasury is headquartered in Chicago, with locations serving EMEA (Dublin and London) and APAC (Sydney, Singapore, and Manila).

    Contact
    Kyle Peterson
    kyle@clementpeterson.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b5d13173-97cc-4049-bb43-ab390988e8d0

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Companjon is a top AI innovator, an AIFintech100 company for the second consecutive year

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • The market leader in Cancel for Any Reason in the EEA region is a top 100 insurtech innovator for the second year running.
    • AI-powered Dynamic Product & Pricing Engine delivers hyper-personalised protection and unlocks 25% M-o-M growth.
    • Newly launched Companjon One API gives partners access to all insurance products and developments through a single connection.

    DUBLIN, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Companjon, the market-leading Insurtech+, is an AIFintech100 company for the second year in a row. The award acknowledges Companjon’s pioneering work in building AI-powered insurance solutions that scale across industries and geographies.

    The core of Companjon’s innovation is the company’s Dynamic Product & Pricing Engine, which uses AI and machine learning to analyse up to a billion data points per quote to offer hyper-personalised products to customers. By leveraging AI/ML technologies, Companjon is able to unlock a sustainable, 25% growth month over month. It also uses sophisticated AI models and automation for fast and precise claim handling.

    This year’s recognition also highlights “Companjon One API”, a recent innovation that delivers all Companjon insurance products, updates, and testing capabilities through a single, simplified connection. By reducing integration complexity and cost, One API allows partners to embed insurance into their international products more easily than ever before.

    With these technologies, Companjon became a market leader in Cancel for Any Reason insurance in the EEA region and delivered over 400 million transactions year-to-date.

    Companjon CEO, Matthias Naumann, said: “Being an AIFintech100 again is a strong signal that our approach is working. From our Dynamic Product & Pricing Engine to the newly launched Companjon One API, everything we build is designed to make the lives of our partners easier. That’s how we stay ahead in embedded insurance, and why our partners see measurable gains in revenue and customer experience. These innovations also enable us to unlock outstanding growth and stay market leaders in CFAR in the EEA.”

    FinTech Global CEO, Richard Sachar, said: “We applaud Companjon for being an AIFinTech100 company for a second year in a row. Their continued leadership in AI-powered, embedded insurance is redefining how financial services deliver value. Companjon continues to push boundaries with scalable, dynamic products that create real value for businesses and customers at the same time. We look forward to seeing what they achieve next, and how they will transform the insurtech space even further with the introduction of the Companjon One API.”

    About Companjon

    Companjon is a leading B2B2C Insurtech start-up specialising in fully digital, AI-driven embedded insurance. Its modern, end-to-end insurance solutions enable companies to delight their customers and drive more business value from stronger brand loyalty and new ancillary revenue opportunities. Companjon designs, builds, and underwrites its dynamic solutions on a 100% cloud-based platform capable of issuing 32,000 policies per second. They also introduced “Companjon One API”, which can deliver all their products and AI capabilities through a simplified connection. It has been recognised as one of the World’s Top Insurtech Companies 2024 by CNBC and one of the world’s most innovative insurtechs by FinTech Global for four consecutive years (2021-2024).

    Companjon seeks to change the way people think about insurance by creating seamless and positive experiences when things don’t go as planned: being right there when ‘life’ happens. The company is registered in Ireland and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

    www.companjon.com

    Media Contact:
    Simone Vottari
    +353 86 032 4630
    press@companjon.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future is so uncertain

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow, Victoria University

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone beyond his initial aim of destroying Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. He has called on the Iranian people to rise up against their dictatorial Islamic regime and ostensibly transform Iran along the lines of Israeli interests.

    United States President Donald Trump is now weighing possible military action in support of Netanyahu’s goal and asked for Iran’s total surrender.

    If the US does get involved, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s tried to instigate regime change by military means in the Middle East. The US invaded Iraq in 2003 and backed a NATO operation in Libya in 2011, toppling the regimes of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi, respectively.

    In both cases, the interventions backfired, causing long-term instability in both countries and in the broader region.

    Could the same thing happen in Iran if the regime is overthrown?

    As I describe in my book, Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic, Iran is a pluralist society with a complex history of rival groups trying to assert their authority. A democratic transition would be difficult to achieve.

    The overthrow of the shah

    The Iranian Islamic regime assumed power in the wake of the pro-democracy popular uprising of 1978–79, which toppled Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s pro-Western monarchy.

    Until this moment, Iran had a long history of monarchical rule dating back 2,500 years. Mohammad Reza, the last shah, was the head of the Pahlavi dynasty, which came to power in 1925.

    In 1953, the shah was forced into exile under the radical nationalist and reformist impulse of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. He was shortly returned to his throne through a CIA-orchestrated coup.

    Despite all his nationalist, pro-Western, modernising efforts, the shah could not shake off the indignity of having been re-throned with the help of a foreign power.

    The revolution against him 25 years later was spearheaded by pro-democracy elements. But it was made up of many groups, including liberalists, communists and Islamists, with no uniting leader.

    The Shia clerical group (ruhaniyat), led by the Shah’s religious and political opponent, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, proved to be best organised and capable of providing leadership to the revolution. Khomeini had been in exile from the early 1960s (at first in Iraq and later in France), yet he and his followers held considerable sway over the population, especially in traditional rural areas.

    When US President Jimmy Carter’s administration found it could no longer support the shah, he left the country and went into exile in January 1979. This enabled Khomeini to return to Iran to a tumultuous welcome.

    Birth of the Islamic Republic

    In the wake of the uprising, Khomeini and his supporters, including the current supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, abolished the monarchy and transformed Iran to a cleric-dominated Islamic Republic, with anti-US and anti-Israel postures. He ruled the country according to his unique vision of Islam.

    Khomeini denounced the US as a “Great Satan” and Israel as an illegal usurper of the Palestinian lands – Jerusalem, in particular. He also declared a foreign policy of “neither east, nor west” but pro-Islamic, and called for the spread of the Iranian revolution in the region.

    Khomeini not only changed Iran, but also challenged the US as the dominant force in shaping the regional order. And the US lost one of the most important pillars of its influence in the oil-rich and strategically important Persian Gulf region.

    Fear of hostile American or Israeli (or combined) actions against the Islamic Republic became the focus of Iran’s domestic and foreign policy behaviour.

    A new supreme leader takes power

    Khomeini died in 1989. His successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ruled Iran largely in the same jihadi (combative) and ijtihadi (pragmatic) ways, steering the country through many domestic and foreign policy challenges.

    Khamenei fortified the regime with an emphasis on self-sufficiency, a stronger defence capability and a tilt towards the east – Russia and China – to counter the US and its allies. He has stood firm in opposition to the US and its allies – Israel, in particular. And he has shown flexibility when necessary to ensure the survival and continuity of the regime.

    Khamenei wields enormous constitutional power and spiritual authority.

    He has presided over the building of many rule-enforcing instruments of state power, including the expansion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its paramilitary wing, the Basij, revolutionary committees, and Shia religious networks.

    The Shia concept of martyrdom and loyalty to Iran as a continuous sovereign country for centuries goes to the heart of his actions, as well as his followers.

    Khamenei and his rule enforcers, along with an elected president and National Assembly, are fully cognisant that if the regime goes down, they will face the same fate. As such, they cannot be expected to hoist the white flag and surrender to Israel and the US easily.

    However, in the event of the regime falling under the weight of a combined internal uprising and external pressure, it raises the question: what is the alternative?

    The return of the shah?

    Many Iranians are discontented with the regime, but there is no organised opposition under a nationally unifying leader.

    The son of the former shah, the crown prince Reza Pahlavi, has been gaining some popularity. He has been speaking out on X in the last few days, telling his fellow Iranians:

    The end of the Islamic Republic is the end of its 46-year war against the Iranian nation. The regime’s apparatus of repression is falling apart. All it takes now is a nationwide uprising to put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

    Since the deposition of his father, he has lived in exile in the US. As such, he has been tainted by his close association with Washington and Jerusalem, especially Netanyahu.

    If he were to return to power – likely through the assistance of the US – he would face the same problem of political legitimacy as his father did.

    What does the future hold?

    Iran has never had a long tradition of democracy. It experienced brief instances of liberalism in the first half of the 20th century, but every attempt at making it durable resulted in disarray and a return to authoritarian rule.

    Also, the country has rarely been free of outside interventionism, given its vast hydrocarbon riches and strategic location. It’s also been prone to internal fragmentation, given its ethnic and religious mix.

    The Shia Persians make up more than half of the population, but the country has a number of Sunni ethnic minorities, such as Kurds, Azaris, Balochis and Arabs. They have all had separatist tendencies.

    Iran has historically been held together by centralisation rather than diffusion of power.

    Should the Islamic regime disintegrate in one form or another, it would be an mistake to expect a smooth transfer of power or transition to democratisation within a unified national framework.

    At the same time, the Iranian people are highly cultured and creative, with a very rich and proud history of achievements and civilisation.

    They are perfectly capable of charting their own destiny as long as there aren’t self-seeking foreign hands in the process – something they have rarely experienced.

    Amin Saikal 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. Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future is so uncertain – https://theconversation.com/irans-long-history-of-revolution-defiance-and-outside-interference-and-why-its-future-is-so-uncertain-259270

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK House Price Index for April 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK House Price Index for April 2025

    The UK HPI shows house price changes for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

    1000 Words/Shutterstock.com

    The April data shows:

    • on average, house prices have fallen 2.8% since March 2025
    • there has been an annual price rise of 3.5% which makes the average property in the UK valued at £265,000

    England

    In England the April data shows, on average, house prices fell by 3.7% since March 2025. The annual price rise of 3% takes the average property value to £286,000.

    • London experienced the most significant monthly increase with a movement of 2.6%
    • The North East saw the biggest monthly price fall, with a reduction of -8.1%
    • The North East experienced the greatest annual price rise, up by 6.4%
    • The South West saw the lowest annual price growth, with a rise of 0.9%

    The regional data for England indicates that:

    Price change by region for England

    Region Average price April 2025 Annual change % since April 2024 Monthly change % since March 2025
    East Midlands £237,000 3.8 -3.6
    East of England £332,000 2 -3.8
    London £567,000 3.3 2.6
    North East £156,000 6.4 -8.1
    North West £205,000 3.1 -6.4
    South East £380,000 3 -2
    South West £301,000 0.9 -3.8
    West Midlands £240,000 2.6 -4.6
    Yorkshire and the Humber £200,000 4 -6.1

    Repossession sales by volume for England

    The lowest number of repossession sales in February 2025 was in the South West.

    The highest number of repossession sales in February  2025 was in the North East.

    Repossession sales February 2025
    East Midlands 5
    East of England 2
    London 10
    North East 22
    North West 9
    South East 10
    South West 1
    West Midlands 11
    Yorkshire and the Humber 9
    England 79

    Average price by property type for England

    Property type April 2025 April  2024 Difference %
    Detached £467,000 £447,000 4.5
    Semi-detached £283,000 £270,000 4.7
    Terraced £234,000 £229,000 2.2
    Flat/maisonette £222,000 £223,000 -0.4
    All £286,000 £278,000 3

    Funding and buyer status for England

    Transaction type Average price
    April 2025 Annual price change % since April 2024 Monthly price change % since March 2025
    Cash £272,000 2.2 -4
    Mortgage £292,000 3.4 -3.5
    First-time buyer £239,000 2.7 -4.7
    Former owner occupier £350,000 3.5 -2.4

    Building status for England

    Building status* Average price February 2025 Annual price change % since February 2024 Monthly price change % since January 2025
    New build £446,000 26.5 12.1
    Existing resold property £286,000 4.3 0.5

    *Figures for the 2 most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

    London

    London shows, on average, house prices increased by 2.6% since March 2025. House prices have shown an annual price increase of 3.3% meaning the average price of a property is £567,000.

    Average price by property type for London

    Property type April 2025 April 2024 Difference %
    Detached £1,189,000 £1,108,000 7.3
    Semi-detached £729,000 £680,000 7.2
    Terraced £638,000 £609,000 4.8
    Flat/maisonette £449,000 £445,000 0.9
    All £567,000 £548,000 3.3

    Funding and buyer status for London

    Transaction type Average price
    Apr 2025 Annual price change % since April 2024 Monthly price change % since March 2025
    Cash £617,000 3.5 5.4
    Mortgage £556,000 3.3 1.8
    First-time buyer £481,000 2.2 0.9
    Former owner occupier £716,000 1.2 5.4

    Building status for London

    Building status* Average price February 2025 Annual price change % since February 2024 Monthly price change % since January 2025
    New build £596,000 19.1 10.3
    Existing resold property £555,000 1.2 -1.3

    *Figures for the 2 most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

    Wales

     Wales shows, on average, house prices rose by 0.3% since March 2025. An annual price increase of 5.3% takes the average property value to £210,000.

    There were 5 repossession sales for Wales in February 2025.

    Average price by property type for Wales

    Property type April 2025 April 2024 Difference %
    Detached £330,000 £313,000 5.5
    Semi-detached £211,000 £197,000 7.1
    Terraced £166,000 £159,000 4.9
    Flat/maisonette £128,000 £128,000 -0.1
    All £210,000 £200,000 5.3

    Funding and buyer status for Wales

    Transaction type Average price April 2025% Annual price change % since April 2024 Monthly price change % since March 2025
    Cash £208,000 4 -0.4
    Mortgage £211,000 5.9 0.6
    First-time buyer £180,000 5.5 -0.3
    Former owner occupier £251,000 5.1 1

    Building status for Wales

    Building status* Average price
    February 2025 Annual price change % since February 2024 Monthly price change % since January 2025
    New build £377,000 25.6 10.8
    Existing resold property £204,000 3.4 -0.6

    *Figures for the 2 most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

    UK house prices

    UK house prices rose by 3.5% in the year to April 2025, down from the revised estimate of 7% in the 12 months to March 2025. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK decreased by 2.7% between March 2025 and April 2025, compared with a increase of 0.5% from the same period 12 months ago (March 2024 and April 2024).

    The UK Property Transactions Statistics showed that in April 2025, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the estimated number of transactions of residential properties with a value of £40,000 or greater was 65,000. This is 28% lower than a year ago (April 2024). Between March 2025 and April 2025, UK transactions decreased by 63.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis.

    The highest house price monthly increase was in London, where prices rose by 2.6% since March 2025. The highest annual growth was in the the North East, where prices increased by 6.4% in the year to April 2025.

    See the economic statement.

    The UK HPI is based on completed housing transactions. Typically, a house purchase can take 6 to 8 weeks to reach completion. As with other indicators in the housing market, which typically fluctuate from month to month, it is important not to put too much weight on one month’s set of house price data.

    Access the full UK HPI.

    Background

    1. We publish the UK House Price Index (HPI) on the second or third Wednesday of each month with Northern Ireland figures updated quarterly. We will publish the May 2025 UK HPI at 9:30am on Wednesday 16 July 2025. See the calendar of release dates.
    2. We have made some changes to improve the accuracy of the UK HPI. We are not publishing average price and percentage change for new builds and existing resold property as done previously because there are not currently enough new build transactions to provide a reliable result. This means that in this month’s UK HPI reports, new builds and existing resold property are reported in line with the sales volumes currently available.
    3. The UK HPI revision period has been extended to 13 months, following a review of the revision policy (see calculating the UK HPI section 4.4). This ensures the data used is more comprehensive.
    4. Sales volume data is available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions that require us to create a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read revisions to the UK HPI data.
    5. Revision tables are available for England and Wales within the downloadable data in CSV format. See about the UK HPI for more information.
    6. HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency supply data for the UK HPI.
    7. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency calculate the UK HPI. It applies a hedonic regression model that uses the various sources of data on property price, including HM Land Registry’s Price Paid Dataset, and attributes to produce estimates of the change in house prices each month. Find out more about the methodology used from the ONS and Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency.
    8. We take the UK Property Transaction statistics  from the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monthly estimates of the number of residential and non-residential property transactions in the UK and its constituent countries. The number of property transactions in the UK is highly seasonal, with more activity in the summer months and less in the winter. This regular annual pattern can sometimes mask the underlying movements and trends in the data series. HMRC presents the UK aggregate transaction figures on a seasonally adjusted basis. We make adjustments for both the time of year and the construction of the calendar, including corrections for the position of Easter and the number of trading days in a particular month.
    9. UK HPI seasonally adjusted series are calculated at regional and national levels only. See data tables.
    10. The first estimate for new build average price (April 2016 report) was based on a small sample which can cause volatility. A three-month moving average has been applied to the latest estimate to remove some of this volatility.
    11. The UK HPI reflects the final transaction price for sales of residential property. Using the geometric mean, it covers purchases at market value for owner-occupation and buy-to-let, excluding those purchases not at market value (such as re-mortgages), where the ‘price’ represents a valuation.
    12. HM Land Registry provides information on residential property transactions for England and Wales, collected as part of the official registration process for properties that are sold for full market value.
    13. The HM Land Registry dataset contains the sale price of the property, the date when the sale was completed, full address details, the type of property (detached, semi-detached, terraced or flat), if it is a newly built property or an established residential building and a variable to indicate if the property has been purchased as a financed transaction (using a mortgage) or as a non-financed transaction (cash purchase).
    14. Repossession sales data is based on the number of transactions lodged with HM Land Registry by lenders exercising their power of sale.
    15. For England, we show repossession sales volume recorded by government office region. For Wales, we provide repossession sales volume for the number of repossession sales.
    16. Repossession sales data is available from April 2016 in CSV format. Find out more information about repossession sales.
    17. We publish CSV files of the raw and cleansed aggregated data every month for England, Scotland and Wales. We publish Northern Ireland data on a quarterly basis. They are available for free use and re-use under the Open Government Licence.
    18. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. Its vision is: “A world-leading property market as part of a thriving economy and a sustainable future.”
    19. HM Land Registry’s purpose is: “We protect your land ownership and provide services and data that underpin an efficient and informed property market.”
    20. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership valued at £8 trillion, enabling over £1 trillion worth of personal and commercial lending to be secured against property across England and Wales. The Land Register contains more than 26.5 million titles showing evidence of ownership for more than 89% of the land mass of England and Wales.
    21. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.
    22. Follow us on @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook

    Contact

    Press Office

    Trafalgar House
    1 Bedford Park
    Croydon
    CR0 2AQ

    Email HMLRPressOffice@landregistry.gov.uk

    Phone (Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm) 0300 006 3365

    Mobile (5:30pm to 8:30am weekdays, all weekend and public holidays) 07864 689 344

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • Zelenskiy leaves G7 with no Trump meeting or fresh arms support from US

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy left the Group of Seven summit on Tuesday with new aid from host Canada for its war against Russia but said diplomacy is in “crisis” having missed the chance to press U.S. President Donald Trump for more weapons.

    The G7 wealthy nations struggled to find unity over the conflict in Ukraine after Trump expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and left a day early to address the Israel-Iran conflict from Washington.

    A Canadian official initially said Ottawa had dropped plans for the G7 to issue a strong statement on the war in Ukraine after resistance from the United States.

    Emily Williams, director of media relations for Prime Minister Mark Carney, later said no proposed statement on Ukraine had ever been planned.

    Carney had started the day by announcing Ottawa would provide C$2 billion ($1.47 billion) in new military assistance for Kyiv as well as impose new financial sanctions.

    Zelenskiy said he had told the G7 leaders that “diplomacy is now in a state of crisis” and said they need to continue calling on Trump “to use his real influence” to force an end to the war, in a post on his Telegram account.

    Although Canada is one of Ukraine’s most vocal defenders, its ability to help it is far outweighed by the United States, the largest arms supplier to Kyiv. Zelenskiy had said he hoped to talk to Trump about acquiring more weapons.

    After the summit in the Rocky Mountain resort area of Kananaskis concluded, Carney issued a chair statement summarizing deliberations.

    “G7 leaders expressed support for President Trump’s efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” it said.

    “They recognized that Ukraine has committed to an unconditional ceasefire, and they agreed that Russia must do the same. G7 leaders are resolute in exploring all options to maximize pressure on Russia, including financial sanctions.”

    Canada holds the rotating G7 presidency this year. Other leaders do not need to sign off on G7 chair statements.

    Trump did agree to a group statement published on Monday calling for a resolution of the Israel-Iran conflict.

    “We had a declaration given the exceptional, fast moving situation in Iran,” Carney told a closing news conference.

    A European official said leaders had stressed to Trump their plans to be hard on Russia and Trump seemed impressed, though he does not like sanctions in principle.

    Three European diplomats said they had heard signals from Trump that he wanted to raise pressure on Putin and consider a U.S. Senate bill drafted by Senator Lindsey Graham, but that he had not committed to anything.

    “I am returning to Germany with cautious optimism that decisions will also be made in America in the coming days to impose further sanctions against Russia,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

    G7 leaders agreed on six other statements, about migrant smuggling, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, wildfires, transnational repression and quantum computing.

    KREMLIN SAYS G7 LOOKS ‘RATHER USELESS’

    Trump said on Monday he needed to be back in Washington as soon as possible due to the situation in the Middle East, where escalating attacks between Iran and Israel have raised risks of a broader regional conflict.

    A White House official on Tuesday said Trump explained that he returned to the U.S. because it is better to hold high-level National Security Council meetings in person, rather than over the phone.

    Upon arriving at the summit, Trump said that the then-Group of Eight had been wrong to expel Russia after Putin ordered the occupation of Crimea in 2014.

    The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Trump was right and said the G7 was no longer significant for Russia and looked “rather useless.”

    Many leaders had hoped to negotiate trade deals with Trump, but the only deal signed was the finalization of the U.S.-UK deal announced last month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained at the summit after Trump left.

    Carney also invited non-G7 members Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil, as he tries to shore up alliances elsewhere and diversify Canada’s exports away from the United States.

    Carney warmly welcomed Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday, after two years of tense relations between Canada and India.

    (Reuters)

  • Zelenskiy leaves G7 with no Trump meeting or fresh arms support from US

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy left the Group of Seven summit on Tuesday with new aid from host Canada for its war against Russia but said diplomacy is in “crisis” having missed the chance to press U.S. President Donald Trump for more weapons.

    The G7 wealthy nations struggled to find unity over the conflict in Ukraine after Trump expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and left a day early to address the Israel-Iran conflict from Washington.

    A Canadian official initially said Ottawa had dropped plans for the G7 to issue a strong statement on the war in Ukraine after resistance from the United States.

    Emily Williams, director of media relations for Prime Minister Mark Carney, later said no proposed statement on Ukraine had ever been planned.

    Carney had started the day by announcing Ottawa would provide C$2 billion ($1.47 billion) in new military assistance for Kyiv as well as impose new financial sanctions.

    Zelenskiy said he had told the G7 leaders that “diplomacy is now in a state of crisis” and said they need to continue calling on Trump “to use his real influence” to force an end to the war, in a post on his Telegram account.

    Although Canada is one of Ukraine’s most vocal defenders, its ability to help it is far outweighed by the United States, the largest arms supplier to Kyiv. Zelenskiy had said he hoped to talk to Trump about acquiring more weapons.

    After the summit in the Rocky Mountain resort area of Kananaskis concluded, Carney issued a chair statement summarizing deliberations.

    “G7 leaders expressed support for President Trump’s efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” it said.

    “They recognized that Ukraine has committed to an unconditional ceasefire, and they agreed that Russia must do the same. G7 leaders are resolute in exploring all options to maximize pressure on Russia, including financial sanctions.”

    Canada holds the rotating G7 presidency this year. Other leaders do not need to sign off on G7 chair statements.

    Trump did agree to a group statement published on Monday calling for a resolution of the Israel-Iran conflict.

    “We had a declaration given the exceptional, fast moving situation in Iran,” Carney told a closing news conference.

    A European official said leaders had stressed to Trump their plans to be hard on Russia and Trump seemed impressed, though he does not like sanctions in principle.

    Three European diplomats said they had heard signals from Trump that he wanted to raise pressure on Putin and consider a U.S. Senate bill drafted by Senator Lindsey Graham, but that he had not committed to anything.

    “I am returning to Germany with cautious optimism that decisions will also be made in America in the coming days to impose further sanctions against Russia,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

    G7 leaders agreed on six other statements, about migrant smuggling, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, wildfires, transnational repression and quantum computing.

    KREMLIN SAYS G7 LOOKS ‘RATHER USELESS’

    Trump said on Monday he needed to be back in Washington as soon as possible due to the situation in the Middle East, where escalating attacks between Iran and Israel have raised risks of a broader regional conflict.

    A White House official on Tuesday said Trump explained that he returned to the U.S. because it is better to hold high-level National Security Council meetings in person, rather than over the phone.

    Upon arriving at the summit, Trump said that the then-Group of Eight had been wrong to expel Russia after Putin ordered the occupation of Crimea in 2014.

    The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Trump was right and said the G7 was no longer significant for Russia and looked “rather useless.”

    Many leaders had hoped to negotiate trade deals with Trump, but the only deal signed was the finalization of the U.S.-UK deal announced last month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained at the summit after Trump left.

    Carney also invited non-G7 members Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil, as he tries to shore up alliances elsewhere and diversify Canada’s exports away from the United States.

    Carney warmly welcomed Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday, after two years of tense relations between Canada and India.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI China: Beyond blind boxes: What’s behind Labubu’s global craze?

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

    A resident takes photos of a Labubu toy at the Taipa exhibition area of “POP MART MACAO CITYWALK” in south China’s Macao, June 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    In the pre-dawn chill outside a New York mall, young fans camped overnight, eager to get their hands on a Labubu doll. In Paris, shoppers carrying Labubu shopping bags posed for photos in front of the Louvre. In Seoul’s Myeongdong shopping area, long queues formed not for K-pop stars, but for Labubu. Its theme song echoed in Spanish streets.

    At the center of this global craze is a small, sharp-eared figure with jagged teeth and an ambiguous expression — Labubu, a curious creation from China that is capturing the imagination of global youth.

    The frenzy surrounding Labubu has sparked long queues, thriving secondary markets, and rental services, with some transactions standing out due to their scale. A one-of-a-kind mint-green, human-sized Labubu sold for 1.08 million yuan (about 150,531 U.S. dollars) at a Beijing auction last week, setting a new record for the blind box toy as it transitions from pop craze to coveted collectible.

    From “world factory” to “global creative center”

    This nine-toothed, punk-cute creature from Pop Mart is more than just a toy. It has become a cultural and commercial force. In 2024, Pop Mart’s “The Monsters” series swept through global markets, generating over 3 billion yuan in revenue, a 726.6 percent increase from the previous year and the company’s most successful IP to date.

    It is rare for a comic or toy IP to break the culture wall and be embraced by both Asian cultures as well as mainstream Western pop stars and sports stars, according to Jessie Xu, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, which significantly raised its target price for Pop Mart shares on the strength of Labubu’s performance.

    Labubu’s rise marks more than a viral toy trend: it signals a broader shift in China’s role on the global stage. No longer just a manufacturing hub, China is emerging as a source of original cultural exports. “Labubu’s success marks China’s transition from ‘world factory’ to ‘global creative center’,” noted a recent commentary on the website of China’s Qiushi Journal, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, reflecting on the nation’s economic evolution beyond low-cost production.

    What makes this spiky-toothed imp resonate from Seoul to Spain? Designed by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, Labubu defies the traditional traits that are associated with being cute. With large ears and a fixed grin featuring nine pointy teeth, its oddball charm resonates with a young generation that sees itself in its mischievous, soft-hearted persona.

    “Labubu’s image aligns closely with the way today’s consumers express themselves,” said Yu Yiqi, an associate researcher at Fudan University, adding that its blend of mild rebellion — defiant yet harmless — has made this unconventional IP more recognizable, accepted, and embraced by consumers.

    Pop Mart amplified Labubu’s appeal on a global scale. In Thailand, the furry doll was granted the title of “Amazing Thailand Experience Explorer” by tourism authority. In Singapore, a Merlion-themed edition sold out almost instantly. What began as a toy has evolved into a kind of cultural conduit, quietly connecting young people across borders.

    Toys themed on Labubu, a popular furry doll from Chinese toy company Pop Mart, are pictured during the opening ceremoy of a new offline store of Pop Mart in Bangkok, Thailand, July 5, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    The long game of patience, precision 

    Labubu’s explosion wasn’t overnight.

    “In 2010, Beijing got its first Pop Mart store. I was 23,” 38-year-old Pop Mart’s CEO Wang Ning recalled. Early days were fraught. With little recognition, the startup struggled to secure collaborations with established IPs.

    Yet it developed a simple method to spot potential hits. At art fairs, artist booths with the longest lines were seen as a clear sign of consumer interest. By gathering strong creative talent early on, the little-known company quickly made a name for itself.

    As the youngest self-made founder on Forbes’ 2024 list of Best CEOs in China, Wang’s age has led many to view Pop Mart as a young company. In reality, it has been quietly building its presence in the designer toy space for 15 years. Since launching its international expansion in 2018, Pop Mart has steadily advanced its global strategy, with operations now spanning nearly 100 countries and regions.

    Labubu’s success would not have been possible without meticulous iteration. Pop Mart and Lung spent a considerable amount of time refining Labubu, from the initial “Forest Concert” series to the recently released “Big into Energy” series, gradually shaping its “punk-cute” identity into a distinct cultural symbol.

    The toymaker is not alone in embracing the long game. The animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 took five and a half years to complete, with more than 4,000 people involved and nearly 2,000 visual effects shots. The hit video game Black Myth: Wukong was developed for over six years, with its creators pouring vast artistic resources into delivering high-end visuals and performance for players.

    Precision matters. Wang fixated on the smallest details, from store layouts designed to guide browsing flow, to display case placement intended to catch the eye, and maintenance schedules aimed at enhancing the customer experience. “Innovation is the fundamental guarantee for enterprises to withstand storms and achieve sustainable development,” the Qiushi website commentary noted, underscoring the relentless focus behind Labubu’s success.

    Made in China, designed for the world 

    Labubu’s rise to becoming a globally coveted product is rooted in China’s vast manufacturing ecosystem. “As a global manufacturing powerhouse, China has a complete industrial chain and a mature industrial environment, offering significant comparative advantages,” Wang said.

    More than 70 percent of Pop Mart’s production comes from factories in Dongguan, south China’s Guangdong Province, the heart of China’s toy manufacturing industry. The city is home to some 4,000 toy companies and 1,500 supporting suppliers. It is responsible for producing a quarter of the world’s animation merchandise and 85 percent of China’s designer toys.

    When Labubu introduced an innovative blend of vinyl and plush materials, factories in Dongguan delivered with remarkable precision. They even created separate molds for each individual component. “If you can make Pop Mart, you can make any designer toy in the world,” a manufacturing partner said.

    As a leading arts hub in Asia and a regular host of Art Basel, Hong Kong provided the artistic foundation. It was here that Wang discovered talented illustrators like Lung. This model of collaboration between art and manufacturing has propelled China’s designer toy industry from contract production to value creation.

    Customers purchase products at a POP MART store in London, Britain, on May 21, 2025. The trendy toys recently launched by Chinese pop culture brand POP MART have drawn fans worldwide, which stands as a prime example of a new wave of innovative Chinese products, revolutionizing global perspectives on “Made in China” within the toy industry. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China’s pro-consumption policies have provided strong tailwinds for the designer toy industry. A national action plan released in March calls for cultivating “trendy domestic goods,” while the Ministry of Commerce has been promoting “IP plus consumption” by developing creative retail spaces and cultural landmarks. The country’s designer toy market, valued at roughly 60 billion yuan in 2023, is projected to reach 110.1 billion yuan by 2026, with annual growth rate exceeding 20 percent.

    Greater openness is also fueling the cultural exchange crucial to IP growth. China has expanded its unilateral visa-free access program, allowing travelers from 47 countries to stay for up to 30 days. This has drawn a growing number of international visitors seeking firsthand experiences of Chinese culture. The immersive contact not only deepens global understanding of China’s lifestyle, but also fosters an environment where homegrown IPs like Labubu can flourish and succeed on the international stage.

    Yet, white-hot demand breeds challenges. Frenzied queues in London reportedly led to scuffles, forcing Pop Mart to briefly suspend UK Labubu sales. Similar safety concerns prompted a temporary halt in the Republic of Korea.

    Pop Mart has publicly distanced itself from speculative frenzy in the second-hand market, reiterating that the company has never — and will never — participate in any form of resale activities involving collectible toys. It also urged consumers to approach purchases with rational expectations.

    Though often attributed to psychological triggers like unpredictable rewards and fear of missing out, the fascination with blind boxes, according to Wang, stems from something deeper.

    “What really matters is the designer toy, the IP, and the story behind blind boxes,” he said, noting that Pop Mart is in the business of trendy designer toys, not just surprise packaging. “It’s not the blind box that hooks people — it’s the characters inside, which represent some of China’s most attractive consumer IPs.”

    “Not every IP will become a hit,” said Yu. “What matters is that Pop Mart takes a systematic approach to selecting, managing, and supporting IPs, grounded in its role as a trendsetter. Trends rise and fall, but a company needs a steady pipeline to consistently deliver value and meet consumer demand.”

    From scouting more than 350 artists worldwide to growing 13 IPs with each’s annual revenue exceeding 100 million yuan, Pop Mart has a clear goal: to keep its IPs alive and constantly evolving. Once aspiring to be “Disney of China,” the company is now working to become “Pop Mart of the world.”

    “Labubu isn’t Pop Mart’s first red-hot IP,” Yu said. “Nor will it be the last.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: River Plate cruise, Dortmund and Inter draw at Club World Cup

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

    European sides were left frustrated at the FIFA Club World Cup on Tuesday as Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan shared the points with Fluminense and Monterrey, respectively.

    South America’s River Plate claimed the day’s most emphatic victory with a 3-1 defeat of Urawa Red Diamonds while Mamelodi Sundowns edged Ulsan 1-0.

    Marcel Sabitzer (R) of Borussia Dortmund vies for the ball during the Group F match between Fluminense FC of Brazil and Borussia Dortmund of Germany at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 in New Jersey, the United States, June 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

    In New Jersey, Brazil’s Fluminense was left to rue its profligacy in a goalless draw with Germany’s Borussia Dortmund.

    The Rio de Janeiro outfit looked more likely to score at MetLife Stadium but could not find a way past Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who made a series of fine saves.

    “We showed that we are a great club and that we are going to be difficult opponents for anyone,” Fluminense’s Colombian midfielder Jhon Arias told reporters.

    “We were aware of Borussia’s quality and the level of European football, but we were superior for most of the match. That gives us peace of mind and confidence to continue playing like we did today.”

    Argentina’s River Plate began its Group E campaign with a 3-1 victory over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds in Seattle.

    The Buenos Aires club opened the scoring when Facundo Colidio timed his run to perfection to meet Marcos Acuna’s cross with a thumping header from the edge of the six-yard box.

    Sebastian Driussi doubled the advantage shortly after, nodding home following a defensive miscue.

    Urawa pulled a goal back through Yusuke Matsuo, who converted from the penalty spot after Takuro Kaneko was brought down by Acuna.

    Substitute Maximiliano Meza restored the two-goal cushion, rising to meet Acuna’s corner with a bullet header that beat goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa at his near post.

    “The most important thing was to win, but we know we have to improve,” River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo said.

    “We suffered from nerves, which is understandable. But our upcoming matches are going to be more demanding and we have to be ready.”

    In Orlando, a first-half goal from Iqraam Rayners gave South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns a 1-0 win over South Korean side Ulsan.

    Rayners ran onto Lucas Ribeiro’s inch-perfect pass before calmly toe-poking a right-footed shot into the far corner.

    “In this competition, it’s not easy to achieve victories,” Sundowns manager Miguel Cardoso said. “Today, I think we released a lot of energy in the right way.”

    In the day’s late match at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Inter Milan was held to a 1-1 draw by Monterrey after Lautaro Martinez cancelled out an early Sergio Ramos goal.

    The Mexican side struck first when former Real Madrid defender Ramos rose highest to send a header past Argentine goalkeeper Esteban Andrada after Oliver Torres’ corner.

    Martinez leveled just before halftime, combining with Carlos Augusto to slot home from point-blank range.

    The Italian Serie A giants dominated possession after the break but were denied by Monterrey’s disciplined defensive block. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: IOC reviews achievements of Bach’s presidency

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

    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday released the latest edition of the Olympic Review, highlighting the achievements of the Olympic Agenda reforms under the leadership of President Thomas Bach.

    Bach is set to hand over the presidency to Kirsty Coventry on June 23, and Issue 124 of the Olympic Review also marks Coventry’s election as the IOC’s 10th president.

    President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach attends a ceremony marking one year until the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in Saint-Denis, near Paris, France on July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

    In the Review, Bach reflects on the journey that began with Olympic Agenda 2020 and continued through Olympic Agenda 2020+5. “This edition offers a moment to look back on all that we have achieved together,” he writes. “From thoughtful reflections to personal tributes, this issue captures the essence of our collective efforts: staying true to our values, putting athletes first and opening our doors ever wider to the world.”

    Featured articles include a retrospective on Olympic Agenda, stories on sport and health partnerships, athlete-centered reforms, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, safeguarding in sport, and testimonials.

    “As the Olympic Movement looks ahead to Milano Cortina 2026 and beyond, this edition of Olympic Review is a testament to the power of unity in diversity and the enduring values of Olympism,” the IOC said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lesley Cowley OBE appointed as Chair of Building Digital UK

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Lesley Cowley OBE appointed as Chair of Building Digital UK

    Lesley Cowley OBE has been appointed by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle to chair Building Digital UK (BDUK).

    Lesley Cowley OBE has been appointed by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle to chair Building Digital UK (BDUK) – the government agency responsible for rolling out fast and reliable broadband and mobile coverage to hard-to-reach places across the UK.

    The British businesswoman is widely regarded as an accomplished leader in the digital and technology sectors, offering decades of experience leading a variety of public services and businesses.

    The role will see Lesley advise and support BDUK’s executive team on the delivery of BDUK’s two main programmes: Project Gigabit, the government’s rollout of lightning-fast broadband to areas that would otherwise be stuck with slower speeds, and the Shared Rural Network, a joint programme with mobile network operators to boost 4G mobile coverage in rural communities all over the country.

    Chair of BDUK Lesley Cowley OBE said:

    It is a privilege to join Building Digital UK at such a pivotal moment in its journey. The challenge of ensuring every corner of the UK benefits from fast, reliable digital infrastructure is one I am deeply passionate about.

    BDUK is a critical enabler of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, helping to grow the economy while ensuring communities are not left behind in the digital age. Working alongside the talented team at BDUK, we will continue to deliver on our mission of creating a more connected, inclusive, and digitally empowered nation.

    Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

    Lesley’s commitment to making a positive difference to public facing services, together with her track record in leading digital transformation and delivering innovative solutions, make her an outstanding choice for Chair of Building Digital UK.

    She will be instrumental in helping us deliver on our growth mission, by continuing to drive forward our ambitious plans for better connectivity across the every part of UK, making communities and businesses better off.

    Lesley will take up the post on 1 July 2025, taking over from Hazel Hobbs who has served as interim Chair since August 2024.

    Her previous executive career culminated in her role as Chief Executive Officer of Nominet, the .uk domain name registry, where for over a decade she led significant growth and evolution from a technical organisation into a key player in the global internet space. She was appointed OBE in recognition of her services to the internet and digital economy.

    In her subsequent career, Lesley was the first Chair of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Chair of Companies House and Lead Non-Executive Director and then first ever Chair of The National Archives. Her current roles include Chair of ACL Ltd and a Non-Executive Director of Public Digital Ltd., both private companies.

    She was the Institute of Directors UK NED of the Year Winner, 2019 and has a strong track record of driving technology transformation and customer-first approaches.

    ENDS

    Notes to editors

    Chair appointment

    The appointment is for a term of three years.

    Building Digital UK

    Building Digital UK (BDUK) is an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). It is responsible for the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband and the expansion of 4G mobile coverage in hard-to-reach areas of the UK. BDUK works with suppliers and communities to ensure that people can access fast and reliable digital connectivity that can transform their lives and drive economic growth.

    Project Gigabit

    Project Gigabit is a government-funded programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband. It targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers’ commercial plans, reaching parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on upgrades to next-generation speeds.

    The connections delivered by Project Gigabit will benefit rural and remote communities, as well as tackling pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas. Project Gigabit is crucial to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and kickstart economic growth across the country.

    Shared Rural Network

    Jointly funded by the government and the UK’s main mobile network operators, the Shared Rural Network is delivering new 4G coverage to places where there is either limited or no 4G coverage at all.

    The public and private investment in a shared network of phone masts is driving increases in coverage across all four nations, with the biggest coverage improvements in rural parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Contemporary Antiquity. Premiere of the play “Lysistrata” at the Shalom Theatre

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    “Lysistrata” is a story about women who spoke out against the situation of their time and backed up their words with deeds. A fantastic story for Ancient Greece, when women not only decided to intervene in state affairs, but also proposed a program of social transformation and achieved stunning success in this.

    After 75 years, the only professional Jewish theater in the country for all nationalities returned to the center of the capital, opening its second venue this winter at 23 Novoslobodskaya Street. As a basis for the first premiere in the new building, Shalom’s artistic director, director Oleg Lipovetsky, chose the ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, one of the most famous ancient authors whose works have survived to this day. We tell you what came of it.

    Antiquity is a synonym for eternity

    It is known that the ancient Greeks loved comedy and tragedy equally. Playwrights competed at the festivities in honor of Dionysus, showing the public the passions and twists of various plots. In comedies, buffoonery, obscenities and masks became the expression of acute social issues, allowing authors to express themselves in a satirical form, polemicizing with opponents – poets, politicians, philosophers. Aristophanes himself mercilessly ridiculed the public figure Cleon, whom his contemporaries suspected of corruption and theft, carrying out the feud with him through such works as “The Riders” and “The Babylonians”. And in “Clouds” the playwright mercilessly went over the teachings of the sophists, popular at that time. At the same time, comedy was supposed to entertain and distract the public from pressing problems, and therefore brought laughter and joy specific to its time. According to Oleg Lipovetsky, a person’s heart opens when he laughs, and if his heart is open, you can talk to him about serious things. This form of presentation remains relevant to this day.

    Aristophanes wrote Lysistrata during the protracted Peloponnesian War, when the Athenians were suffering from defeats in battle and misfortunes that had befallen the city. Ancient Greece was fragmented, the city-states formed coalitions and fought desperately among themselves. The peaceful inhabitants were struggling with hunger, their souls and bodies demanded circuses and bread. Then Aristophanes decided to invent a heroine who would change the course of history, at least in his imagination.

    Women’s revolt in ancient Greek

    Exhausted and enraged by the endless civil strife, Lysistrata gathers representatives of other cities for a women’s council to convince them of the need to take radical measures in the name of saving Greece: to refuse any intimacy with their chosen ones until they stop the bloodshed and return home in peace. Here one could reproach the comedy writer for manipulating basic instincts, but the ancient Greeks were not only not embarrassed by such details, but also encouraged them in every possible way, including detailed visual embodiments through props on the stage.

    Oleg Lipovetsky’s stage version culturally reworks Aristophanes’ plot, repeating and developing it. Here the beautiful Biotinians, Corinthians, Milesians and Thebans gather at the call of the Athenian Lysistrata, here they almost faint from her daring proposal, and here, following the mighty Spartan, they agree to support the uprising. Here it is necessary to note the brilliant performance of Yevgeny Ovchinnikov, who embodies the athlete Lampito, and the eloquent homage to the ancient Greek theater, where all roles, including female ones, were played by men.

    Then the comedy plays out like clockwork: in one corner of the ring there is a group of enraged and at the same time confused men in military uniform with a touch of Greek cyberpunk, in the other – gorgeous young ladies, stubbornly determined to hold the Acropolis at any cost. Their eclectic attire also refers to famous dystopias, eloquently hinting at the true timelessness of what is happening. Male and female collide like fire and water, and this battle of the elements shakes the rectangular space of the stage, supported by antique columns. The action, however, is not limited to these limits, boldly moving to the upper tiers of the hall, taking the heroes to the side benches and encouraging them to interact with the audience: at any moment the viewer can be asked about his health and asked for a glass of water for those in need. Thus, the director, as usual, gets rid of the fourth wall in the theatre, and this technique works without fail, involving the viewer even more in what is happening.

    “The Distaff of the Union” as a Powerful Symbol of Creation

    Aristophanes speaks of creation, and Elizaveta Potapova’s Lysistrata echoes him, calling for weaving a single canvas of peaceful coexistence from all the cities. Each character has individual traits, liveliness and depth thanks to the fine work of the actors, who create multi-layered images even in secondary roles, filigree playing out witty inserts-sketches that expand the action, but it is the main character who reveals her motivation most fully. Oleg Lipovetsky adds a detail to his version that makes the heart ache: at the peak of the farcical game, after an important scene at a meeting of politicians, where women have come to express their point of view, and the subsequent musical suffering for loved ones, there is suddenly silence. And in this silence appears little Lysistrata, together with her adult version, heartfeltly telling the backstory of the character. The reception against the background of the fast, energetic rhythm of the performance sounds deafening.

    There is no difference between the long past and the distant future, there is no greater thirst for man than the desire to live. In the play’s program, the compilers provide a brief historical background on other similar strikes, when women acted in a similar way to achieve social, political and cultural changes. The results are impressive!

    And who are the judges?

    There is an interesting character in the play, played by Sergei Shadrin. “Everything should work for the story, I work for it,” the actor emphasizes. The chorus, also a referee, also a mediator, also a celestial being in the literal and figurative sense, since it wears a gilded crown on its head, lives mainly on the upper tier of the hall and comes on stage only for short but bright performances (as was the case, for example, with the song “Call me, call” in the film “Carnival”). There are quite a few allusions from different areas of art here, which will be interesting for an attentive viewer. This helps to connect even more emotionally to the process through a cultural code that finds expression in recognizable references.

    The chorus does not simply direct the action, reworking the classical structure of the composition of ancient Greek comedy and intentionally preserving only certain parts of it so that modern audiences are more accustomed to watching. It asks important questions at the right time and supports the characters in the difficult task of finding a common language, becoming a meta-figure that does not condemn everyone else, but understands, accepts and reconciles. A higher power that gives meaning to what is happening.

    Oleg Lipovetsky said this about his play “My God!”: “There is a phrase there: “Believing is so painful that religion is like a pearl.” Do you know how a pearl is made? A grain of sand gets into a mollusk, and it envelops it because it hurts. It’s the same here: theater cannot exist without form, without the packaging in which we present these thoughts. Content is metal, and the form in which we forge the metal, the edge, is already form, it is theater.” In the play “Lysistrata,” the content is love, and its form only needs room for a step forward.

    You can buy tickets atMos.ru.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channelthe city of Moscow.

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

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Frank Elderson: Europe at a crossroads: it is high time to complete the Single Market

    Source: European Central Bank

    Keynote speech by Frank Elderson, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the ECB, at the SRB Legal Conference 2025

    Brussels, 18 June 2025

    Thank you for your kind invitation. It is a pleasure to join you this morning to discuss the key obstacles to completing the single European market from the ECB’s perspective.

    40 years ago Jacques Delors presented a now-famous “White Paper”, outlining a bold and comprehensive vision for completing the single European market. This historic document identified 279 obstacles, many of them legal in nature, that stood in the way of the free movement of goods, people, capital and services across Europe.

    Delors’ White Paper did not come out of nowhere – it was conceived as a solution to tackle the challenges plaguing Europe in 1985: eurosclerosis[1], competitiveness crisis, paralysing political tensions. These issues dominated the headlines of the time.

    Policymakers overcame these obstacles with the Single European Act building on a clear and actionable timeline. And the rest, as they say, is history.

    Fast-forward 40 years and we now stand at a similar crossroads in Europe, this time facing even greater challenges. Geopolitical fragmentation is on the rise, sparking demand for more strategic autonomy to ensure we remain the masters of our own destiny. Our economies are undergoing profound structural changes as we navigate the clean energy and digital transitions. Meanwhile, there is a growing concern we are losing out on competitiveness, which risks threatening European standards of living.

    I will start my remarks today by taking a look at why deepening the Single Market matters. I will then cover some of the main obstacles hindering the Single Market from developing its full potential and conclude by outlining a possible way forward.

    In this, I am guided by Jacques Delors’ insight from 40 years ago, which could not be more relevant today – “The time for talk has now passed. The time for action has come.”

    Deepening the Single Market is key for prosperity and our mandates

    Over the past decades the Single Market has delivered remarkable economic results and substantially improved the wellbeing of more than 440 million citizens across the continent.

    ECB economists have found that the Single Market has added between 12% and 22% to long-run EU GDP[2]. We saw a remarkable five-fold increase in the intra-EU trade of goods between 1993 and 2021[3]. And, importantly, the Single Market forms the bedrock of a predictable investment and business environment, founded on the rule of law.[4]

    Yet, markets remain fragmented and too many internal barriers are preventing the Single Market from developing its full potential.

    This is particularly the case for services, which account for around 75% of the EU’s GDP. Soberingly, 60% of barriers to trade in services are still the same as they were 20 years ago. And, worryingly, intra-EU services trade is no higher than services trade with non-EU countries, suggesting that the Single Market for services operates significantly below its potential.

    This self-induced straightjacket comes with a significant price tag.

    The IMF estimates that internal barriers to the Single Market are, on average, equivalent to a tariff of 44% for goods and a staggering 110% for services. These figures underline an ironic reality: while much of our focus is directed at the potential economic impact of external tariffs applied to goods traded with non-EU trading partners, we risk overlooking the far greater burden of self-imposed internal barriers. These barriers are weighing on our economy every single day. Fortunately, unlike external tariffs imposed on us by non-EU countries, the decision to address internal barriers lies entirely within our own competence.

    One might ask: why should deepening the Single Market concern the ECB?

    The establishment of a fully integrated single market could enhance the effectiveness of our monetary policy. The euro area’s single monetary policy cannot be tailored to national circumstances. Economic theory identifies this as one of the inherent costs for countries joining a monetary union. However, merging currencies can still yield substantial net benefits when countries’ economic cycles are closely synchronised, as this ensures that the ECB’s single monetary policy is appropriate for all euro area countries.[5] A deeper internal market works as a catalyst for such synchronisation by aligning the economic structures of the countries subject to a single monetary policy. This is achieved either through enhanced risk sharing and the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour.[6]

    A more integrated single market is also crucial for effective banking supervision. Although we have a Single Rulebook in the banking union, national variations remain within this single prudential rulebook. In addition, foundational elements of the prudential framework, such as accounting standards, securities and insolvency laws, continue to differ across Member States, which adds unnecessary complexity. A more integrated banking system with more harmonised rules would yield significant benefits: it would make the allocation of credit inside the Single Market more efficient while providing opportunities for banks to grow and compete across borders.[7]

    Deepening the internal market also offers broader advantages. It could enhance euro area competitiveness by enabling businesses to scale up, achieve economies of scale and allocate resources more efficiently. Increased competition drives innovation and productivity, while harmonised regulations lower costs and reduce administrative burdens for firms across borders. This environment attracts investment, strengthens supply chains and enhances the euro area’s strategic autonomy by reducing dependence on external markets. These advancements not only support the effectiveness of our monetary policy and banking supervision but also address the challenges of an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape.[8]

    But we cannot succeed if we have 27 different policies for our firms and industries.

    We cannot succeed if we fail to recognise professional qualifications across the EU.

    And we certainly will not succeed if we allow a self-defeating spiral of national fragmentation to take hold. Instead, any meaningful debate on growth, productivity and strategic autonomy must begin – and end – with a firm commitment to completing the Single Market and to do so in a timely manner.

    Deepening the Single Market is a legal imperative

    Completing the Single Market is not only necessary in light of the challenges of our times – it is also a legal imperative anchored in the EU Treaties.

    Let me first recall that the ultima ratio of the Single Market is its completion. As long as barriers persist to the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital, the Single Market remains an unfinished promise.

    Second, the completion of the Single Market is not just an aspiration – it is a legal obligation. Article 3.4 of the Treaty on European Union states unequivocally that “the Union shall establish an internal market”. Hence, the Single Market is nothing less than an explicit objective of the Union under the Treaties.

    And third, the Treaties are very clear that the Single Market is a key lever to foster citizens’ welfare and promote the Union’s interests in the world.[9] This is important at a time when increasing strategic autonomy has become essential in light of geopolitical rifts and shifts.

    Thus, completing the Single Market is not merely something that is “nice to have”, something we might do when the moment is right, something that depends on the political winds and tides. It is a legal imperative strongly anchored in the Treaties.

    So, if the Treaties are crystal clear about the need to complete the internal market, one may ask: what are the main impediments to its full completion? And, more importantly, what can be done to address them?

    The “troubling three” for the ECB

    To be clear, Member States and EU institutions are in the driving seat when it comes to addressing the barriers hindering the Single Market – not central bankers or prudential supervisors. However, the ECB very much welcomes the recent momentum to deepen the internal market, and I would like to reflect on this important endeavour from our perspective.

    Encouragingly, the challenge of completing the internal market is well understood. The Commission has accelerated its work on making the Single Market simpler, seamless and stronger.[10] As a first step, the EU and the Member States must work together to prevent the emergence of new barriers. However, to achieve meaningful progress, the EU must also remove the barriers that obstruct the functioning of the Single Market.

    In this regard, the European Commission’s new single market strategy provides a clear and focused roadmap by identifying the “terrible ten” – the most significant barriers that must be addressed.[11] This prioritisation is both pragmatic and effective. While clearly all barriers need to be removed in the long term, the Commission’s strategy wisely concentrates efforts on those whose resolution promises the greatest economic impact.

    Let me highlight three key points relevant for delivering on our mandate.

    Overly complex EU rules

    The first one is complexity. The key issue here is not complexity per se, but excessive complexity. As Albert Einstein wisely said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler”. This principle applies equally to regulation.

    EU market legislation must often balance a wide array of diverse market interests and national policy preferences, which inevitably results in complexity and diverging rules. In this context, we welcome ongoing simplification efforts provided they do not compromise the fundamental purpose of the rules.[12]

    In this respect, it is important to emphasise that reducing complexity is best achieved through European harmonisation, not by lowering regulatory requirements. Harmonisation not only simplifies the legal framework but also makes it more seamless and, when based on best practices, stronger. As I stated earlier this year: don’t cut rules, harmonise them.[13] After all these decades of European integration there is still no better way to simplify and to lower the regulatory burden than to reduce 27 regimes to one.

    Lack of Single Market ownership by Member States

    Another main obstacle to advancing the internal market lies in the fact that it is a shared competence between the EU and the Member States.[14] Member States have legitimate policy interests that may have unintended consequences for the Single Market. Think about areas like consumer protection or health and safety. In these fields, national preferences differ, driving fragmentation and complexity in EU regulation.

    Member States also contribute to market fragmentation through delayed transposition, incorrect application, or overly burdensome and unnecessarily divergent implementation of EU law – a practice commonly referred to as “gold-plating”, although it would be more fitting to speak of “lead-plating” as from a European perspective this practice results in something that is not shiny like gold but heavy like lead.

    Such practices are also evident in banking supervision because the prudential framework also consists of EU directives that need to be transposed into national law.

    For example, in several areas, including licensing and governance, rules differ across Member States because laws transposing EU directives are not fully harmonised. Dealing with a wide array of different national rules is far from ideal for the single European supervisor. Further harmonising the regulatory framework for the banking sector would further enhance our effectiveness as a bank supervisor.

    While harmonisation within the internal market has typically been achieved through directives, there is an increasing reliance on regulations to legislate in the financial sector. Regulations offer a clear advantage: they do not require transposition into national legislation, thereby avoiding delays, transposition deficits and the risk of national preferences diluting the intended benefits of internal market rules. In areas where full harmonisation is currently politically or technically unfeasible, alternative approaches, such as introducing a “28th regime”, could provide a practical and effective interim step.

    Complicated business establishment and operations

    Finally, the establishment and operation of companies across the EU remains unnecessarily complex and costly, largely due to the fragmentation of legal rules across Member States. This hinders businesses, particularly start-ups, from scaling up effectively.

    A related challenge persists in the banking sector where cross-border banking integration remains limited despite the banking union’s Single Rulebook, Single Supervisory Mechanism and Single Resolution Mechanism.

    The advantages of deeper cross-border banking integration are clear.

    Eliminating barriers to integration would enable banks to achieve economies of scale and enhance risk diversification, with cross-border mergers offering opportunities for greater profitability. However, the current limited level of cross-border integration restricts the potential for private risk-sharing within the European banking market. This fragmentation also hampers banks’ ability to optimise liquidity management, ultimately increasing risks to financial stability.[15]

    European banking supervision has taken important steps to tackle obstacles to cross-border banking integration. For example, we issued a guide affirming that cross-border mergers within the euro area will be treated the same as domestic mergers.[16] We clarified that European banking supervision will not hinder banks wishing to convert subsidiaries into branches.[17] Additionally, we made it clear that banks operating across borders through subsidiaries can apply for liquidity waivers to pool liquidity across legal entities. In short, we made it as clear as we could and let me repeat this message just as clearly today: as long as regulatory prudential requirements are met, we will not stand in the way of cross-border banking consolidation and cross-border integration more generally, very much to the contrary.

    However, despite these efforts, progress on financial integration in the euro area remains limited. This indicates that remaining obstacles are influenced by factors unrelated to banking supervision. In this context, reaching a political agreement on the banking union’s third pillar, a European deposit insurance scheme, is more critical than ever. Moreover, avoiding undue fragmentation of the single market and unjustified impact on the freedoms of the Treaty is critical.

    Beyond progress on the banking union, advancing the capital markets union is equally critical, as the two are intrinsically linked and mutually reinforcing.[18] A stronger banking union, for instance, helps prevent shocks from spreading to broader capital markets, while robust capital markets diversify funding sources and reduce banking risks.

    Currently, financial institutions looking to expand across borders face a fragmented landscape of national specificities and procedures, for example, securities, accounting and insolvency laws. Addressing these barriers through the harmonisation of securities laws, accounting frameworks and corporate insolvency rules is essential to fostering a truly integrated financial market.

    Encouragingly, the Commission’s savings and investment union (SIU) proposal, with the capital markets union as a key pillar, brings renewed momentum to these efforts. Swift implementation of the full SIU strategy requires decisive action. At EU level, this includes advancing policy initiatives on supervision, as well as trading and post-trading infrastructure. At national level, reforms such as taxation of cross-border investments remain crucial.

    Conclusion

    Before concluding, let me offer one final practical suggestion drawing from our own experience with the Economic and Monetary Union. The success of the euro was, in part, built on the foundation of a clear and well-defined timeline in the Maastricht Treaty setting out a roadmap for economic convergence and the creation of a common currency.

    Similarly, the adoption of the Single Market in 1993 crucially built on the timeline contained in the Single European Act of 1986, which was championed by Jacques Delors.

    Also today, in light of the mounting challenges we face, we do not have time to waste.

    Also today, we need to move forward and complete the Single Market.

    To effectively drive progress, we need a clear and time-limited roadmap, which includes concrete interim milestones and – crucially – a final “mobilising deadline”, as the governor of the Banque de France has called it.[19]

    We must undertake this endeavour jointly – EU institutions, Member States, businesses – ultimately all of us. Because, ultimately, completing the Single Market concerns all of us.

    As Jacques Delors wisely said “Europe is not just about markets. It is about a way of life.”

    To protect that European way of life and to foster prosperity, strategic autonomy and competitiveness, our best course of action is to timely complete the Single Market.[20]

    Thank you for your attention.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: Nokia launches Autonomous Network Fabric to help customers accelerate network automation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press release
    Nokia launches Autonomous Network Fabric to help customers accelerate network automation

    • Nokia Autonomous Network Fabric brings together all the capabilities required to accelerate the journey to full network automation in an open, cloud-native, multi-vendor environment.
    • Key features include a library of cross-domain correlated data products, telco-trained models (LLM/LAM/ML), integrated security, and AI apps for automation workflows.
    • Nokia announces an expanded collaboration with Google Cloud that will make Nokia’s Autonomous Network Fabric available to deploy anywhere customers need it, on Google Cloud, on premises, and in hybrid cloud environments.

    18 June 2025 
    Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced its Autonomous Networks Fabric, the industry’s first suite of telco-trained AI models, integrated security, and AI apps to accelerate network automation and enable operators to easily roll out new services. Autonomous Network Fabric is a unifying intelligence layer that weaves together observability, analytics, security, and automation across every network domain; allowing a network to behave as one adaptive system, regardless of vendor, architecture, or deployment model. 

    Additionally, Nokia is announcing an expanded collaboration with Google Cloud to enable customers to deploy Nokia’s Autonomous Network Fabric as a SaaS application running on Google Cloud, on-premises with Google Distributed Cloud, and in hybrid cloud environments.
    Over the past few years, operators have started to move toward fully autonomous networks. However, they are held back by legacy systems, siloed processes, and fragmented data. With Nokia’s Autonomous Network Fabric, operators now have a fully integrated suite that features unified data management, 360-degree observability, and explainable AI. Nokia’s Autonomous Network Fabric enables automation at scale, reducing the complexity of automation while allowing operators to improve reliability and operational cost savings by quickly testing new ideas and integrating those that deliver desired benefits.  

    “As networks become more autonomous, they will require different forms of AI—from classical algorithms to language-based systems and intelligent agents—to each contribute distinct capabilities for operators. Nokia’s new tools can help operators to manage their infrastructure, services, and cyber risks by applying AI that is trained on industry-specific data and enriched with real-time situational awareness,” said Andy Hicks, Senior Principal Analyst, GlobalData. 

    Nokia’s Autonomous Networks Fabric will leverage Google Cloud’s generative AI, including Google Cloud’s Vertex AI and BigQuery, to deliver agentic-driven workflows for network operations. This includes real-time monitoring and visibility into network traffic patterns, improving subscriber experience, anomaly detection, zero-touch remediation of performance issues, and support for elastic scale-out and disaster recovery to the cloud.

    Nokia and Google Cloud are making it easier for telecom companies to run Nokia’s 5G core network on Google’s cloud infrastructure. They are also joining forces with a major European operator to build a smarter, more automated network. By combining Nokia’s telecom data and automation capabilities with Google’s AI tools, they aim to create an environment where developers can innovate and rapidly scale network automation.

    “In an era of increasingly complex and vulnerable networks, customers are eager for fully autonomous networks, which depend on good data. There is no good AI without good data. Nokia’s Autonomous Network Fabric lays the foundation and applies our deep network expertise and agentic AI-optimized workflows together with Google Cloud to accelerate customer outcomes,” said Kal De, SVP Product and Engineering, Cloud and Network Services, Nokia.

    “This is another step in our deep partnership with Nokia to strengthen network reliability, proactively detect and resolve network issues, and turn data into value for predictable and high-performing networks. Nokia’s Autonomous Network Fabric taps Nokia’s deep telecom domain knowledge combined with Google Cloud’s AI tools to provide operators with a comprehensive approach for accelerating network automation,” said Muninder Singh Sambi, Vice President and General Manager, Networking and Security, Google Cloud.

    With Nokia’s Autonomous Network Fabric, customer will benefit from the following capabilities:

    Unified Data Management: All relevant network data is collected, curated, correlated, and published as data products leveraging a data mesh architecture. Data is virtually federated with the ability to design and construct new data products rapidly in a low-code/no-code environment. Operators can use logic or AI/ML to create cutting-edge data assets that can be used and reused to power automation. 

    360-degree Observability: The Autonomous Network Fabric federates the use and distribution of data and AI across the organization, monitoring chain of custody from end to end. This ensures quality and consistency in automation. 

    Explainable AI: Powerful telco-trained LLMs support all automation through a rich knowledge engine that gives a clear reasoning for how data is interpreted, how issues are analyzed, and why certain actions are recommended.

    Visit Nokia at Booth 306 at Digital Transformation World to find out more about the future of autonomous networks and see a live demo of Nokia AN Fabric in action.    

    Multimedia, technical information and related news 
    Product Page: Nokia Autonomous Networks 
    Product Page: Nokia Data Suite

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

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

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

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

    Follow us on social media 
    LinkedIn X Instagram Facebook YouTube  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Institutional Demand Supports Crypto as Bitwise marks five-year anniversary of listing its first European product

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Five-year anniversary of Bitwise Physical Bitcoin ETP (BTCE) listing – first spot crypto ETP on Deutsche Börse Xetra
    • Use of German regulator approved prospectus, and an innovative, robust product structure contributed to broader market adoption
    • Adding value: €100 invested into BTCE at launch would now be worth over €1,0001– long-term trends continue to support investor interest in digital assets

    June 18, 2025. Frankfurt: Bitwise today celebrates the five-year anniversary of its first European product: the Bitwise Physical Bitcoin ETP (BTCE), the world’s first-ever centrally cleared Bitcoin ETP. The listing on 18 June 2020 marked Bitwise’s debut in European markets and became a catalyst for a wave of listings of crypto products on Xetra, Europe’s largest ETF trading venue.

    Bradley Duke, Head of Europe at Bitwise, said: “Reaching the five-year mark is not just a milestone, it is also a point of reflection on our long-term vision and commitment to building transparent, reliable, and secure access to digital asset investments for European investors. Bitwise is 100% focused on crypto, but many of our experts come from traditional finance, putting us in a unique position to accompany investors on their journey into this new and unique investment class. We thank the pioneering investors and partners who believed in this asset class early on, and we look forward to continuing to serve the evolving needs of the market.”

    Stephan Kraus, Head of ETF & ETP at Deutsche Boerse, said: “We congratulate Bitwise on the fifth anniversary of its Bitcoin ETP on Xetra. The listing of this pioneering product marked the start of our segment for crypto ETNs and was an important step towards giving investors access to the performance of cryptocurrencies in a regulated market environment. It was also the first centrally-cleared product of its kind in the world. As the largest trading venue for crypto ETNs in Europe, we greatly appreciate the partnership with Bitwise, and look forward to continued collaboration.”

    A market benchmark for product design and transparency

    BTCE is now one of Europe’s largest physically backed Bitcoin ETPs by assets under management and the most actively traded. Its structure — featuring full physical backing, physical redemption option, and a strict no-lending policy — has set a new standard for crypto ETP design and reflects the priorities of investors who demanded greater transparency from the outset. Bitwise is grateful to the early adopters who set high expectations and helped raise the standard across the industry.

    Transparency remains central to Bitwise’s approach. Weekly balance reports are published by an independent administrator, and the blockchain addresses of Bitwise’s primary BTC and ETH product custody wallets are publicly disclosed, enabling any investor to verify collateral levels independently. To further reduce operational risk, Bitwise pioneered a safeguard mechanism requiring all crypto and securities asset movements to be approved by an independent transaction administrator, who holds a legally enforceable veto right embedded in the Bitwise ETP structure.

    Bitwise’s management company is ISO/IEC 27001:2017 certified, reflecting its commitment to operational integrity. With no proprietary trading, Bitwise remains fully aligned with client interests.

    As cryptoassets become an accepted component of diversified portfolios, Bitwise continues to support investors with practical tools and evidence-based insights. Internal analysis shows that adding a 5% allocation to Bitcoin within a traditional 60/40 portfolio between 2014 and 2025 would have increased average annual returns from 6.2% to 10.6%, with limited impact on volatility, drawdowns, or risk-adjusted returns.
    Today, more than 250 crypto ETPs are listed across XETRA and other leading European exchanges. Bitwise’s offering has grown in tandem with investor demand, expanding beyond single asset strategies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana to include diversified crypto baskets and index-based staking ETPs.

    Bitwise products are designed to integrate seamlessly into professional portfolios, offering exposure to cryptoassets through regulated vehicles— without the operational risks of holding a physical wallet. They are also accessible to individual investors via leading brokerage platforms, with features such as physical redemption included as standard.

    Fundamental trends supporting the demand for crypto assets

    Bitwise believes that a number of fundamental trends may support the value of crypto assets over the long term. In portfolio context, digital assets can be deployed as effective hedge against inflation that is not as susceptible to fiscal or global trade political agendas as traditional currencies. Crypto is more widely accepted by Gen Z investors, who are about to benefit from a wealth transfer from some of the richest generations that ever existed. Many coins have use cases that are independent of their use as a currency. And finally, crypto assets are a welcome solution for the unbanked or underbanked, particularly in parts of the world that are politically unstable. With crypto, access to a smartphone and the internet is enough to make payments.

    Bitwise is continuing to launch innovative new products regularly, such as the Bitwise Diaman Bitcoin & Gold ETP launched in March. Bitwise ETPs can be seamlessly integrated into standard brokerage or ETF portfolio accounts and are often eligible for SIPP and ISA inclusion, making them accessible for long-term investment planning in the UK.

    Resources:

    Dedicated website for the 5 year anniversary of BTCE

    About Bitwise

    Bitwise is one of the world’s leading crypto specialist asset managers. Thousands of financial advisors, family offices, and institutional investors across the globe have partnered with us to understand and access the opportunities in crypto. Since 2017, Bitwise has established a track record of excellence, managing a broad suite of index and active solutions across ETPs, separately managed accounts, private funds, and hedge fund strategies – spanning both the U.S. and Europe.

    In Europe, for the past five years Bitwise (formerly ETC Group) has developed an extensive and innovative suite of crypto ETPs, including Europe’s most traded bitcoin ETP, or the first diversified Crypto Basket ETP replicating an MSCI digital assets index.

    This family of crypto ETPs is domiciled in Germany and issued under a base prospectus approved by BaFin. We exclusively partner with reputable entities from the traditional financial industry, ensuring that 100% of the assets are securely stored offline (cold storage) through regulated custodians.

    Our European products comprise a collection of carefully designed financial instruments that seamlessly integrate into any professional portfolio, providing comprehensive exposure to crypto as an asset class. Access is straightforward via major European stock exchanges, with primary listings on Xetra, the most liquid exchange for ETF trading in Europe. Retail investors benefit from easy access through numerous DIY/online brokers, coupled with our robust and secure physical ETP structure, which includes a redemption feature. For more information, visit http://www.bitwiseinvestments.eu

    Media contacts:

    JEA Associates
    John McLeod
    00 44 7886 920436
    john@jeaassociates.com

    Important information
    This press release does not constitute investment advice, nor does it constitute an offer or solicitation to buy financial products. This press release is issued by Bitwise Europe GmbH (“BEU”), a limited company domiciled in Germany, for information only and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. BEU gives no explicit or implicit assurance or guarantee regarding the fairness, accuracy, completeness, or correctness of this article or the opinions contained therein. It is advised not to rely on the fairness, accuracy, completeness, or correctness of this article or the opinions contained therein. Please note that this article is neither investment advice nor an offer or solicitation to acquire financial products or cryptocurrencies.

    Before investing in crypto Exchange Traded Products (“ETPs”), potential investors should consider the following:
    Potential investors should seek independent advice and consider relevant information contained in the base prospectus and the final terms for the ETPs, especially the risk factors. ETPs issued by BEU are suitable only for persons experienced in investing in cryptocurrencies and risks of investing can be found in the prospectus and final terms available on www.bitwiseinvestments.eu. The invested capital is at risk, and losses up to the amount invested are possible. ETPs backed by cryptocurrencies are highly volatile assets and performance is unpredictable. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The market price of ETPs will vary and they do not offer a fixed income or match precisely the performance of the underlying cryptocurrency. Investing in ETPs involves numerous risks including general market risks relating to underlying, adverse price movements, currency, liquidity, operational, legal and regulatory risks.

    1 Bloomberg, BTCE GY, data from 18 June 2020 to 27 May 2025

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: China showcases its top aviation products at 55th Paris Air Show

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

    People visit the booth of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) during the 55th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 17, 2025.

    The 55th edition of the Paris Air Show officially opened on Monday and will run until June 22. China is showcasing some of its top aviation products at the exhibition. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   >  

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Tackling Hatred in Society: EU citizens influencing EU policies

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    Watch how 150 randomly selected EU citizens are tackling hatred in society by shaping EU policies.
    Follow the story of Gemma, from Sicily, Martin, from Slovakia and Daniel, from Germany, and find out how they actively participated in designing the future EU policies aimed at combating hatred and discrimination in our society.
    During in-person working groups and online meetings, the citizens have analysed and debated so that at the end to present 21 concrete recommendations to the European Commission on how to tackle hatred in society

    00:00 Meet the heroes
    00:17 The lessons learned

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eIaXbJp9ip4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Combating hate in society: How people are shaping EU policies

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    Imagine the EU asks you to help with combating hate in society by shaping its policies. Do you say yes?

    Gemma – a lovely Italian grandma, Martin – an actor and drag performer from Slovakia, Daniel – a cargo office agent from Germany, and 147 other randomly selected EU citizens didn’t just imagine it—they lived it. Over three weekends in Brussels, they engaged in fruitful debates and discussions on how to tackle hatred in society.
    The result? 21 concrete recommendations presented to the European Commission.

    Want to discover how their insights influenced the discussion? Follow their journey on the European Citizens’ Panel on Tackling Hatred in Society.
    ▬▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

    00:00 Introduction
    01:57 The state of Hate in Society
    03:36 Bringing people together
    04:12 Going beyond prejudice
    04:55 How hate can take lives
    05:49 Accepting Differences
    06:50 People’s recommendations

    Watch on the Audiovisual Portal of the European Commission: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-264626

    Follow us on:
    -X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission
    -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeancommission/
    -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanCommission
    -LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-commission/
    -Medium: https://medium.com/@EuropeanCommission

    Check our website: http://ec.europa.eu/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acymq8B02Yg

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Gay and bisexual men will soon be able to donate blood and plasma

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yasmin Mowat, Clinical Project Manager, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney

    AnnaStills/Getty Images

    Many gay and bisexual men have been excluded from donating blood and plasma (the liquid portion of blood) for decades because of rules developed during the HIV crisis in the 1980s.

    The Australian Red Cross’ blood donation arm, Lifeblood, has announced these restrictions will be lifted. This opens donation pathways for many gay and bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men.

    What’s changing for plasma donation?

    From July 14, Lifeblood will remove sexual activity-based restrictions for plasma donation for medicines made with plasma, except for those who’ve recently had sex with a partner known to have HIV or another blood-borne virus.

    This world-first “plasma pathway” policy will allow most people, including gay and bisexual men, to donate plasma immediately regardless of sexual activity, provided they meet other criteria.

    What’s changing for other blood donation?

    The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved a gender-neutral risk assessment for blood and platelet donations.

    Under this system, all donors, regardless of gender, will be asked if, in the past six months, they have had sex (excluding oral sex) with a new partner or more than one partner.

    If they answer “yes” to either question, they will be asked if they’ve had anal sex in the past three months. Those who say “yes” will be deferred from donating whole blood for six months, due to the higher risk of HIV transmission during anal sex and the time it takes for HIV to be detected in a test. But they will still be eligible to donate plasma.

    So gay and bisexual men in long-term, monogamous relationships will no longer need to abstain from sex for three months to donate whole blood.

    Why were past restrictions in place?

    In the 1980s, HIV transmission through blood transfusions prompted urgent public health responses. Australia, like many countries, introduced an indefinite deferral for men who have sex with men, the population most affected by HIV.

    This policy significantly reduced transmission of HIV via blood transfusions before HIV testing became available.

    Routine blood donation testing for HIV began in 1985, but initial tests could not detect HIV for up to three months after infection.

    As testing improved, the deferral was reduced – first to 12 months in 2000, then to three months since last sexual activity in 2021.

    Why the changes?

    Rates of new HIV infection have fallen substantially since the 1980s. In 2023, 722 new HIV cases were reported nationwide (2.7 per 100,000 population).

    Modern tests can now detect HIV within one week of exposure, dramatically reducing the risk of transfusion transmission.

    However, the blanket deferral still applied regardless of individual risk – such as if the men had only one partner. As a result, many low-risk men remained excluded.

    Why the different rules for blood and plasma?

    Whole blood is separated into red cells, plasma and platelets. This is the regular process of giving blood, where blood is drawn, then it goes through the testing process to check it’s safe.

    These components are mainly used for transfusion directly to patients without further processing.

    Whole blood is mainly used for transfusions.
    Peter Porrini/Shutterstock

    Plasma, the yellow liquid part, contains proteins used in treatments for immune disorders, severe burns and other conditions.

    During plasma donation, a machine separates the plasma (the yellow liquid part) from the red blood cells and other parts of blood. The machine keeps the plasma, and returns the red blood cells to the donor through the same needle.

    Plasma for plasma medicines, the blood product in most demand in Australia, is processed using extra techniques that kill viruses and bacteria, allowing for less-strict donation rules compared to whole blood.

    How many more people will become eligible under the new rules?

    A national survey we jointly conducted with Lifeblood found an estimated 57% of Australians, and 63% of Australian men, were eligible to donate blood. Among men who reported sex with men, eligibility was only 40%.

    Under the new plasma pathway, overall eligibility is projected to rise to 61%, and to 74% for gay and bisexual men – an increase of around 626,500 newly eligible plasma donors. This will include people taking HIV-PrEP (HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis), which protects against HIV infection.

    The impact of gender-neutral risk assessments on blood donation eligibility is less certain.

    How will people feel being asked about their sexual history?

    The same survey found most Australians supported being asked how many partners they have had and whether they’d had anal sex to see if they were eligible to donate. However, support varied across age, religion and country of birth.

    Understanding and responding to these differences will be important for community engagement and maintaining trust in the blood supply.

    Will this affect the safety of the blood supply?

    The gender-neutral questions aim to identify high-risk sexual activity, regardless of someone’s gender or sexual orientation. The questions still restrict anyone from donating who has recently had anal sex with multiple or new sexual partners.

    Similar policies have been adopted in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands, with no evidence of increased risk to the blood supply.

    What happens next?

    From July 14, the rules for plasma donation will change, allowing plasma donation regardless of sexual activity.

    The TGA’s approval of gender-neutral blood assessments has only just been granted. Lifeblood will now need to update systems, seek government approvals, train staff and inform the public before this change can be rolled out.

    Ongoing evaluation will be essential to monitor the impact on donor numbers, safety and public perception, and to ensure blood donation policies are evidence-based and equitable.

    Yasmin Mowat recieves funding from a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Grant, implemented with Lifeblood.

    Bridget Haire has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

    Skye McGregor receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

    – ref. Gay and bisexual men will soon be able to donate blood and plasma – https://theconversation.com/gay-and-bisexual-men-will-soon-be-able-to-donate-blood-and-plasma-259136

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future so uncertain

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow, Victoria University

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone beyond his initial aim of destroying Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. He has called on the Iranian people to rise up against their dictatorial Islamic regime and ostensibly transform Iran along the lines of Israeli interests.

    United States President Donald Trump is now weighing possible military action in support of Netanyahu’s goal and asked for Iran’s total surrender.

    If the US does get involved, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s tried to instigate regime change by military means in the Middle East. The US invaded Iraq in 2003 and backed a NATO operation in Libya in 2011, toppling the regimes of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi, respectively.

    In both cases, the interventions backfired, causing long-term instability in both countries and in the broader region.

    Could the same thing happen in Iran if the regime is overthrown?

    As I describe in my book, Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic, Iran is a pluralist society with a complex history of rival groups trying to assert their authority. A democratic transition would be difficult to achieve.

    The overthrow of the shah

    The Iranian Islamic regime assumed power in the wake of the pro-democracy popular uprising of 1978–79, which toppled Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s pro-Western monarchy.

    Until this moment, Iran had a long history of monarchical rule dating back 2,500 years. Mohammad Reza, the last shah, was the head of the Pahlavi dynasty, which came to power in 1925.

    In 1953, the shah was forced into exile under the radical nationalist and reformist impulse of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. He was shortly returned to his throne through a CIA-orchestrated coup.

    Despite all his nationalist, pro-Western, modernising efforts, the shah could not shake off the indignity of having been re-throned with the help of a foreign power.

    The revolution against him 25 years later was spearheaded by pro-democracy elements. But it was made up of many groups, including liberalists, communists and Islamists, with no uniting leader.

    The Shia clerical group (ruhaniyat), led by the Shah’s religious and political opponent, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, proved to be best organised and capable of providing leadership to the revolution. Khomeini had been in exile from the early 1960s (at first in Iraq and later in France), yet he and his followers held considerable sway over the population, especially in traditional rural areas.

    When US President Jimmy Carter’s administration found it could no longer support the shah, he left the country and went into exile in January 1979. This enabled Khomeini to return to Iran to a tumultuous welcome.

    Birth of the Islamic Republic

    In the wake of the uprising, Khomeini and his supporters, including the current supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, abolished the monarchy and transformed Iran to a cleric-dominated Islamic Republic, with anti-US and anti-Israel postures. He ruled the country according to his unique vision of Islam.

    Khomeini denounced the US as a “Great Satan” and Israel as an illegal usurper of the Palestinian lands – Jerusalem, in particular. He also declared a foreign policy of “neither east, nor west” but pro-Islamic, and called for the spread of the Iranian revolution in the region.

    Khomeini not only changed Iran, but also challenged the US as the dominant force in shaping the regional order. And the US lost one of the most important pillars of its influence in the oil-rich and strategically important Persian Gulf region.

    Fear of hostile American or Israeli (or combined) actions against the Islamic Republic became the focus of Iran’s domestic and foreign policy behaviour.

    A new supreme leader takes power

    Khomeini died in 1989. His successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ruled Iran largely in the same jihadi (combative) and ijtihadi (pragmatic) ways, steering the country through many domestic and foreign policy challenges.

    Khamenei fortified the regime with an emphasis on self-sufficiency, a stronger defence capability and a tilt towards the east – Russia and China – to counter the US and its allies. He has stood firm in opposition to the US and its allies – Israel, in particular. And he has shown flexibility when necessary to ensure the survival and continuity of the regime.

    Khamenei wields enormous constitutional power and spiritual authority.

    He has presided over the building of many rule-enforcing instruments of state power, including the expansion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its paramilitary wing, the Basij, revolutionary committees, and Shia religious networks.

    The Shia concept of martyrdom and loyalty to Iran as a continuous sovereign country for centuries goes to the heart of his actions, as well as his followers.

    Khamenei and his rule enforcers, along with an elected president and National Assembly, are fully cognisant that if the regime goes down, they will face the same fate. As such, they cannot be expected to hoist the white flag and surrender to Israel and the US easily.

    However, in the event of the regime falling under the weight of a combined internal uprising and external pressure, it raises the question: what is the alternative?

    The return of the shah?

    Many Iranians are discontented with the regime, but there is no organised opposition under a nationally unifying leader.

    The son of the former shah, the crown prince Reza Pahlavi, has been gaining some popularity. He has been speaking out on X in the last few days, telling his fellow Iranians:

    The end of the Islamic Republic is the end of its 46-year war against the Iranian nation. The regime’s apparatus of repression is falling apart. All it takes now is a nationwide uprising to put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

    Since the deposition of his father, he has lived in exile in the US. As such, he has been tainted by his close association with Washington and Jerusalem, especially Netanyahu.

    If he were to return to power – likely through the assistance of the US – he would face the same problem of political legitimacy as his father did.

    What does the future hold?

    Iran has never had a long tradition of democracy. It experienced brief instances of liberalism in the first half of the 20th century, but every attempt at making it durable resulted in disarray and a return to authoritarian rule.

    Also, the country has rarely been free of outside interventionism, given its vast hydrocarbon riches and strategic location. It’s also been prone to internal fragmentation, given its ethnic and religious mix.

    The Shia Persians make up more than half of the population, but the country has a number of Sunni ethnic minorities, such as Kurds, Azaris, Balochis and Arabs. They have all had separatist tendencies.

    Iran has historically been held together by centralisation rather than diffusion of power.

    Should the Islamic regime disintegrate in one form or another, it would be an mistake to expect a smooth transfer of power or transition to democratisation within a unified national framework.

    At the same time, the Iranian people are highly cultured and creative, with a very rich and proud history of achievements and civilisation.

    They are perfectly capable of charting their own destiny as long as there aren’t self-seeking foreign hands in the process – something they have rarely experienced.

    Amin Saikal 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. Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future so uncertain – https://theconversation.com/irans-long-history-of-revolution-defiance-and-outside-interference-and-why-its-future-so-uncertain-259270

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –