NewzIntel.com

Category: Scandinavia

  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Bolsters America’s Supply Chains, Critical Infrastructure, and Domestic Industry Through Arctic ICE Pact

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Representatives from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) met with Canadian and Finnish counterparts as part of a two-day summit for the ongoing Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact), a trilateral agreement to strengthen United States supply chains, increase domestic jobs, and improve U.S. shipbuilding capabilities to defend the American people.

    “ICE Pact is a key component of America’s economic future. President Donald Trump and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem understand that economic security is national security,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “By revitalizing U.S. shipyards, creating jobs, strengthening industrial capabilities, and opening up the Arctic’s vast potential to American businesses, the Trump administration is putting America’s prosperity and security first.” 

    During the two-day event, government leaders discussed with public and private stakeholders plans to advance four key areas: technical expertise and information exchange; workforce development; relations with allies and industry; and research and development.

    The three partner countries concluded this successful meeting with a commitment to reconvene in person by the end of the year for a meeting hosted by the U.S. government.

    Icebreakers are vital for America’s presence in the Arctic, a region increasingly contested by Russia and China due to its growing potential for oil and gas exploration, critical minerals, trade route traffic, fishing, and tourism. Russia maintains the largest icebreaker fleet in the world with 40-plus icebreakers and has made the Arctic its top naval priority; China is rapidly expanding its presence in this field as well and is collaborating with Russia on Arctic expansion efforts.

    In contrast, until last month, the United States Coast Guard operated just two icebreakers. In late May, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis began its maiden voyage to the Arctic. ICE Pact will steer more investment into U.S. industry to boost our icebreaker fleet.

    Plans developed during ICE Pact meetings will allow the U.S., Canada, and Finland to build American-made Arctic and polar icebreakers.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga to host ‘Yoga Bandhan’ on June 17

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), under the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, will host ‘Yoga Bandhan’ on June 17, as a highlight of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2025 celebrations. As one of the 10 Signature Events for IDY-2025, this initiative reflects India’s dedication to fostering global cooperation through institution-to-institution connections in Yoga, advancing collective well-being and cultural exchange.

    ‘Yoga Bandhan’ will unite prominent Yoga leaders from across the globe, including academicians, practitioners, authors, trainers, and studio founders, to promote people-to-people exchanges and strengthen international partnerships. Notable delegates include Josh Pryor, President & CEO of Yoga Australia and a Mysore Style Yoga practitioner; Gregor Kos, senior representative of Yoga in Daily Life from Austria; Danilo Forghieri Santaella, Head of Research at the Sports Center, University of São Paulo, Brazil; Yin Yan, Founder of Yogi Yoga in China; and Maj Ingemann-Molden, a Yoga expert from Denmark. Other distinguished participants include Slamat Riyanto, Chairperson of the Indonesian National Association of Yoga Practitioners; Vidya Volkova, Director of Shakti Yoga Studio in Kazakhstan; Manisekaran, Founder of the Malaysian Yoga Society; Sinthamani Arunasalam, Co-Founder of AKSINOM Yoga in Malaysia; and Irina Fursova, a Yoga therapist and Hatha/Iyengar teacher from Russia. The event will also welcome Sujata Cowlagi, Founder & Director of Pragya Yoga and Wellness in Singapore; Geo-lyong Lee, a 2019 Distinguished Indologist Award recipient from South Korea; Kugan Naidoo and Sivlutchime Naidoo, Yoga experts from South Africa; Jose Maria Marquez Jurado (Gopala), a renowned Yoga practitioner from Spain; Vimukthi Jayasundara, a filmmaker and visual artist from Sri Lanka; and Rocio Belen Bonacci, National Representative from Santa Fe Province, Argentina.

    The event will commence with an inaugural session featuring addresses by key dignitaries, including Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush; Monalisa Dash, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush; K. Nandini Singla, Director General of the ICCR; and Dr. Kashinath Samagandi, Director of MDNIY. Following the opening, delegates will take part in a guided tour of the MDNIY campus and engage in interactive sessions focused on knowledge sharing and communication.

    During their visit, international delegates will participate in cultural tours, institutional dialogues, dedicated Yoga sessions, and discussions on integrative wellness. They will also explore opportunities for collaboration with Indian institutions, with their visit culminating in the grand IDY celebration on June 21, 2025.

  • MIL-OSI Global: Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich: the Netanyahu government extremists sanctioned by the UK

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Leonie Fleischmann, Senior Lecturer in International Politics, City St George’s, University of London

    The UK’s decision to impose sanctions on two far-right Netanyahu government ministers has put it at loggerheads with the Trump administration over Israel. Announcing on June 10 that Britain would join Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway in sanctioning Israel’s minister for national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich, the UK foreign secretary David Lammy said the pair had “incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights”.

    US secretary of state Marco Rubio criticised the decision, releasing a statement the same day saying the sanctions did not “advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war”. He added: “We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.”

    Britain and its allies also called on the Netanyahu government to respond to extremist Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and to “cease the expansion of illegal settlements which undermine a future Palestinian state”. This has brought the spotlight back to the West Bank, where decades of settler violence towards Palestinians and a planning system which favours the Israeli settlers, have led to the gradual displacement of Palestinian communities.



    Read more:
    Israeli plan to occupy all of Gaza could open the door for annexation of the West Bank

    The announcement seemed to signal a possible breach in relations between the UK government and the Netanyahu government. But with conflict escalating between Israel and Iran, the UK’s chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has said the government may be willing to provide military support for Israel.

    Smotrich responded to the sanctions, speaking on his “contempt” at Britain’s decision and referring to Britain’s history of administration of what he called “our homeland”. He said: “Britain has already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland, and we will not allow it to do so again. We are determined to continue building.”

    In retaliation for the sanctions, Smotrich pledged to collapse the Palestinian Authority, by taking measures to prevent Israeli banks for corresponding with Palestinian banks. This has been vital for sustaining the Palestinian economy.

    UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, explains why the government has sanctioned the two Israeli ministers.

    Ben-Gvir and Smotrich and their ultra-nationalist followers actually represent a relatively small fraction of Israeli society, but they hold the balance of power in Netanyahu’s coalition, controlling 20 seats in Netanyahu’s 67-seat coalition. This has enabled them to consolidate decades of settler activity outside of parliamentary legitimacy into influencing government policy.

    Itamar Ben-Gvir

    Ben-Gvir is an admirer of the late racist rabbi Meir Kahane, who founded the far-right Kach party which was labelled a terrorist organisation in 2008 having been banned from running in parliamentary elections. In 2007 he was convicted for incitement to racism and being a supporter of a terrorist organisation.

    He subsequently told an event to honour Kahane that, while he admired Kahane, he would not try to pass laws to expel all Arabs from Israel and the West Bank or to create a regime which involved ethnic segregation. But Kahane’s violent anti-Arab ideology and desire to establish a theocratic Jewish state has influenced the next generation of ultra-nationalists.

    The national security minister has been convicted eight times for offences that include racism and support for a terrorist organisation. He gained prominence as a successful defence lawyer for Jews accused of violence against Palestinians. The political party he heads, Otzma Yehudit, advocates for the annexation of the entire West Bank without granting Palestinians Israeli citizenship.

    Ben-Gvir has become infamous for his provocative statements. In August 2023, he declared in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, that his rights trump those of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

    “My right, and my wife’s and my children’s right to get around on the roads in Judea and Samaria, is more important than the right to movement for Arabs,” he said, effectively advocating for a regime of apartheid. He has consistently pushed Netanyahu to maintain the war in Gaza, blocking past attempts to reach a ceasefire.

    Bezalel Smotrich

    Smotrich also has a history of making inflammatory statements. In February 2023, three days after settler vigilantes rampaged through the West Bank town of Huwara, he called for Israel to wipe the town off the map. He later apologised for this comment after being criticised by both the opposition leader, Yair Lapid, and the US government, saying he hadn’t meant it to be a call for vigilante violence.

    Smotrich believes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are part of the biblical land of Israel and rightfully belong to the Jewish people. He has dedicated his career to ensuring the establishment of Jewish settlements.

    In 2006, he helped establish a non-governmental organisation called Regavim as a pressure group to increase settlement of the West Bank. The left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz has criticised Regavim as “an organisation waging a total war on Palestinian construction in the West Bank”.

    Since Smotrich was given increased control over civil affairs on the West Bank in early 2023, the building of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank has accelerated. He is reported to have recently directed his office to “formulate an operational plan for applying sovereignty” over the West Bank.

    He told a group touring new settlements approved by the Israeli government that: “”We will not stop until the entire area receives its full legal status and becomes an inseparable part of the State of Israel. We are changing the face of the settlement enterprise not just as a slogan, but through real action.”

    Rightward shift

    The prominence of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich reflects a rightward shift in the Israeli electorate that has brought ultra-nationalist settler ideology into the mainstream. However, their meteoric rise is also due to their holding the balance of power, which has enabled Netanyahu to remain in office. That Netanyahu remains prime minister is widely believed to be partly responsible for the slow progress of his trials for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

    Before the November 2022 Knesset election, Netanyahu reportedly brokered a deal whereby Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Party and Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Home party joined forces. This ensured they won enough seats to ensure Netanyahu could form a coalition. And so these two extremists bent on thwarting any hope for Palestinian independence became kingmakers.

    While they have such influence over the Netanyahu government, there is no possibility for a Palestinian state. Instead it is more likely that the violence towards Palestinians and the dispossession of their land will continue to increase.

    Leonie Fleischmann 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. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich: the Netanyahu government extremists sanctioned by the UK – https://theconversation.com/itamar-ben-gvir-and-bezalel-smotrich-the-netanyahu-government-extremists-sanctioned-by-the-uk-258644

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EU agencies help take down largest illegal trading platform for drugs

    Source: European Union 2

    The dark web marketplace was active for over five years. Archetyp was one of the only platforms to allow the sale of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The marketplace had around 17 000 listings online, and with more than 600 000 users, it is considered one of the largest of its kind.

    Investigations into Archetyp revealed that its creator and current administrator is a German national residing in Spain. International cooperation between authorities, financial tracking and digital evidence analysis led to the identification of the people behind Archetyp. Investigators discovered the location of the servers, moderators and vendors on the marketplace. A coordinated action week was planned to dismantle Archetyp and arrest those responsible for selling and operating the platform, under the coordination of Eurojust and Europol.

    The action week took place between 11 and 13 June, targeting the platform’s administrator, moderators, key vendors and the servers running the website. Coordinated actions in five countries, carried out by around 300 officers, resulted in the arrest of the thirty year old administrator in Spain, seven other persons and the seizure of assets worth EUR 7.8 million. By taking Archetyp offline, authorities have dealt a severe blow to drug traffickers in Europe.

    Eurojust ensured the international investigation was efficient and effective. The Agency organised multiple coordination meetings, which enabled authorities to exchange critical information for the investigation. During the action days and the preliminary investigations, Eurojust coordinated the execution of mutual legal assistance and European Investigation Orders.

    Europol supported the investigation from the outset, facilitating the exchange of intelligence, conducting extensive cross-checks and helping to identify high-value targets. On the action days, Europol deployed a dark web specialist to Germany and set up a virtual command post to coordinate field activities and ensure real-time deconfliction across jurisdictions.

    The following authorities, with the support of the United States, carried out the operation:

    • Germany: Prosecutor General’s Office Frankfurt am Main – Cyber Crime Center; Federal Criminal Police Office
    • Netherlands: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rotterdam; National Police, Unit Police Unit Rotterdam
    • Spain: Investigative Court num 10 in Barcelona; International Cooperation Section of PPO Barcelona; National Police
    • Sweden: Swedish Prosecution Authority; National Public Prosecution Department, National Unit against Organised Crime in Gothenburg; Swedish National Police; National Operations Department / Swedish Cybercrime Unit
    • Romania: Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT); National Police

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Frozen, thawed: how Arendelle’s glacier would fare under modern climate change

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Harold Lovell, Senior Lecturer, Glaciology, University of Portsmouth

    As a glaciologist who thinks about ice a lot, rewatching the movie Frozen umpteen times with my six-year-old daughter provides ample opportunity for my imagination to run wild. The movie is set in the fictional kingdom of Arendelle, which is modelled on a fjord landscape, complete with a large glacier at the head of Arenfjord. Ice unsurprisingly plays a very prominent role in the story. Yet this glacier receives very little attention.

    Glaciers are receding across the world at an unprecedented rate. And on more than one occasion I have wondered how Arendelle’s glacier might have fared since the time of Frozen.

    To add some scientific rigour to this thought experiment, it is useful to approximate a real geographical location. Arendelle is inspired by the fjords of western Norway, a region where most of the glaciers flow from the Jostedalsbreen ice cap, the largest ice mass in mainland Europe.

    We can also approximate the date. Based on various clues, including the clothing and technology on show, it appears the events in Frozen take place one July in the mid-19th century. This means the glacier is depicted towards the end of the little ice age, a cool period lasting several centuries during which most northern hemisphere glaciers expanded to their largest size in recent history.

    In the movie, the glacier plunges from a high elevation plateau into the fjord below and looks steep and crevassed at the front. This implies a healthy, advancing glacier, in a similar condition to the many outlet glaciers of Jostedalsbreen that reached their little ice age maximum positions around this time.

    The short-term health of Arendelle’s glacier may have been further boosted by the unseasonal summer snowfall and cold temperatures that Elsa’s powers unleashed on the kingdom.

    Real glaciers are shrinking fast

    The fate of the fictional glacier since the little ice age would have been less positive, as demonstrated by the very real glaciers of Jostedalsbreen. This period has been characterised by accelerated climate warming, causing widespread glacier retreat and thinning.

    Since Elsa’s time, the real glaciers it’s based on have shrunk by about a fifth. Individual glaciers have retreated several kilometres at rates of up to 20 metres per year. This makes it likely that, without any further help from Elsa, Arendelle’s glacier would have retreated onto land within decades of the time of the film.

    How Jostedalsbreen’s glaciers have retreated from the little ice age (red outline) to today (blue).
    Andreassen et al. 2023

    In the late 1980s and early 1990s, an increase in winter snowfall in western Norway meant most major glaciers in the region began to advance up to a few hundred metres. The Arendelle glacier might therefore have grown again for a time, although probably not enough for the glacier to re-enter the fjord. While there are other explanations, the more imaginative mind might consider the possibility that a descendent of Elsa was responsible for this period of increased snowfall.

    Since the early 2000s, those same glaciers have shrunk significantly, retreating by up to 70 metres per year. That’s largely because higher air temperatures mean more ice is melting in summer. Several of Jostedalsbreen’s glaciers have retreated almost back onto the plateau, while others are disconnecting from the larger ice bodies that have been nourishing them for centuries.

    What would Arendelle’s glacier look like today?

    Retreat of this scale means the fictional glacier today might look something like Briksdalsbreen, now just a small tongue spilling over from the plateau ice behind. Indeed, it is quite possible that in 2025, designated by the UN as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, Arendelle’s glacier would no longer have been visible from Arendelle Castle.

    Briksdalsbreen, one of Jostedalsbreen’s outlet glaciers, shows what the Arendelle glacier might look today.
    Nataliya Nazarova / shutterstock

    So, if Arendelle’s glacier were real, it would be a shadow of its 19th-century self – much like its real-life Norwegian equivalents. By 2050, approximately 200 years after the time of Frozen, the glacier would probably have retreated onto the plateau. The ice cap would also have thinned considerably and might even be in the early stages of terminal break up.

    However, while this is one potential scenario for Jostedalsbreen in the 21st century, it is by no means certain. Climate scientists agree that concerted action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit warming.

    Magic helped Arendelle once. This time, it’ll take real-world action to ensure the real glaciers have a fighting chance of still being around by the time Frozen 3 is finally released.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Harold Lovell receives funding from NERC.

    – ref. Frozen, thawed: how Arendelle’s glacier would fare under modern climate change – https://theconversation.com/frozen-thawed-how-arendelles-glacier-would-fare-under-modern-climate-change-255539

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Kenya’s peacebuilding efforts hold valuable lessons for the rest of the world, but gaps remain

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Leonor Oliveira Toscano, PhD Candidate in Political Science, University of Oslo

    Kenya has been praised as a “model for the world” when it comes to peacebuilding efforts to manage outbreaks of violence within its borders. The country has systematically put in place a peacebuilding architecture rooted in a history of local peace initiatives. These date back to the early 1990s.

    Over this period, the Wajir Peace and Development Committee emerged in the country’s north-eastern region. The committee successfully addressed decades of inter-clan violence in Wajir, an arid county bordering Somalia. It also inspired the emergence of numerous local peace committees across the country.

    These committees have been set up in some other African countries – like Ghana, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Burundi – and continue to contribute informally to local peacebuilding in these states.



    Read more:
    Training local leaders in mediation can reduce violence: positive results in Nigeria

    In Kenya, the committees became institutionalised after post-election violence in 2007-08 and a mediation process led by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan. They now form part of the national peacebuilding architecture.

    Violence triggered by the contested 2007 presidential election outcome resulted in the killing of more than 1,000 people. The mediation process led to a power-sharing agreement signed by the presidential contenders Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga.

    The country’s peacebuilding architecture is now supported by several policies and frameworks. These include the constitution of 2010. The system that’s been built has the capacity to connect a wide variety of peacebuilding actors – both state and non-state, formal and informal – at all levels of society. This helps resolve conflict and build resilience.

    The Kenyan government initiated a review of the peacebuilding architecture in 2023. It involved a lengthy consultation process and high levels of participation among Kenyans. The National Steering Committee on Peacebuilding and Conflict Management led the way, assisted by an independent panel of 13 peacebuilding experts.

    Released at the end of 2024, the review looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the architecture.

    It offers a vision for building a robust peacebuilding system, along with an actionable roadmap. One lesson is that Kenya can use the capacities and unique approaches of different peacebuilding actors. At the local level, peace committees showed that they made contributions to early warning systems and building confidence in communities.

    However, insufficient resources and a consistent focus on electoral violence prevent the system from addressing other drivers of conflict.

    The strengths

    Local peace committees, with membership typically drawn from ordinary citizens, religious groups or local civil society organisations, play a crucial role. They support dialogue around conflict issues. They promote trust and understanding, and can build a constructive environment for conflict resolution.

    Their information gathering feeds into the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Conflict Early Warning and Response System (CEWARN) to prevent election violence. Local peace committees have contributed to negotiating local disputes. They have also helped de-polarise ethnic identities and facilitated local peace agreements. One example was the Modogashe Declaration. It sets ground rules to solve conflict and local disputes over pasture, water access and cattle rustling.



    Read more:
    Kenya violence: 5 key drivers of the decades-long conflict in the north and what to do about them

    We are researchers in Norway on a project focusing on civilian agency, local peace and resilience building. Our own interviews with committee members in Nakuru – a county greatly affected by the violence in 2007-08 – found that peace committee members continued to work together and share conflict-sensitive information with local stakeholders. These include administration officers and religious leaders, and covered periods during and after the 2022 elections.

    Further, local peace committees can offer women valuable opportunities for participation in conflict management. This contributes to their protection, for example from sexual violence.

    The weaknesses

    Despite these successes, Kenya’s peacebuilding architecture faces pressing challenges.

    First, local peace committees aren’t perfect. They can be manipulated by politicians seeking to build local support. They can also compete with traditional actors such as elders in conflict resolution.

    Kenya’s institutionalisation of local peacebuilding strengthened information flow across all levels. But it also threatens to undermine local peacebuilding agency and autonomy. Formalising local peace committees can spur an unhealthy monetisation of peacebuilding, with some members joining for financial gain. This threatens to erode the voluntary character of peacebuilding as a common good and undermine genuine priorities for peace.



    Read more:
    How women in Kenya mobilised for peace after surviving violence

    Second, elite-level politics in Kenya creates the persistent risk of electoral violence. This diverts attention and resources away from other long-standing causes of conflict. The drivers of violence in Kenya are varied and region specific. They include disputes over access to land, and marginalisation of ethnic and religious communities. Climate change threatens to worsen competition and conflict between pastoralists and farming communities.

    Our analysis of event data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data shows that communal violence is the deadliest form of political violence in Kenya. For their part, fatalities related to election violence have decreased. This underscores the urgent need to consistently invest in prevention and local peacebuilding beyond narrow electoral periods.

    Fatalities in Kenya by type of armed violence: 2010-2023

    Electoral competition can escalate violence between pastoralists and farmers, but it’s the persistence of communal conflicts that represents a serious threat. Communal violence particularly affects Kenya’s arid and semi-arid areas in the Rift Valley, eastern and north-eastern regions.

    What next

    Our interviews with local peace committee members show that funding for their activities diminishes outside election years. This hampers their capacity to address conflict outside these periods.

    Yet research has shown that local peacebuilding can build social resilience against recurrent communal violence. Peacebuilding interventions grounded in local realities are also vital for countering insurgent violence. This is especially important as counterterrorism operations by state forces often trigger cycles of violence rather than resolving underlying issues.



    Read more:
    Drivers of electoral violence in Kenya: red flags to watch out for

    Our research finds that Kenyans place significant trust in local peacebuilders, such as community leaders, elders and women. The review of the country’s peacebuilding architecture proposes a 40% quota for women, youth and people with disabilities in local peace committees.

    However, quotas alone may not be sufficient to address the political and cultural challenges that entrench inequality.

    Ultimately, political elites need to transform Kenya’s “win at all costs” politics. This way, the country’s mediators and peacebuilders can address the deep social and economic grievances that underpin cycles of violence.

    Leonor Toscano’s doctoral research is supported by the grant from the European Research Council’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (852816; PI: Jana Krause). Leonor Toscano conducted interviews with LPC members in Kenya.

    Jana Krause received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant number 852816 (ResilienceBuilding).

    Marika Miner’s post-doctoral research is also supported by the grant from the European Research Council’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (852816; PI: Jana Krause).

    – ref. Kenya’s peacebuilding efforts hold valuable lessons for the rest of the world, but gaps remain – https://theconversation.com/kenyas-peacebuilding-efforts-hold-valuable-lessons-for-the-rest-of-the-world-but-gaps-remain-257761

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Kenya’s peacebuilding efforts hold valuable lessons for the rest of the world, but gaps remain

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Leonor Oliveira Toscano, PhD Candidate in Political Science, University of Oslo

    Kenya has been praised as a “model for the world” when it comes to peacebuilding efforts to manage outbreaks of violence within its borders. The country has systematically put in place a peacebuilding architecture rooted in a history of local peace initiatives. These date back to the early 1990s.

    Over this period, the Wajir Peace and Development Committee emerged in the country’s north-eastern region. The committee successfully addressed decades of inter-clan violence in Wajir, an arid county bordering Somalia. It also inspired the emergence of numerous local peace committees across the country.

    These committees have been set up in some other African countries – like Ghana, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Burundi – and continue to contribute informally to local peacebuilding in these states.

    Read more: Training local leaders in mediation can reduce violence: positive results in Nigeria

    In Kenya, the committees became institutionalised after post-election violence in 2007-08 and a mediation process led by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan. They now form part of the national peacebuilding architecture.

    Violence triggered by the contested 2007 presidential election outcome resulted in the killing of more than 1,000 people. The mediation process led to a power-sharing agreement signed by the presidential contenders Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga.

    The country’s peacebuilding architecture is now supported by several policies and frameworks. These include the constitution of 2010. The system that’s been built has the capacity to connect a wide variety of peacebuilding actors – both state and non-state, formal and informal – at all levels of society. This helps resolve conflict and build resilience.

    The Kenyan government initiated a review of the peacebuilding architecture in 2023. It involved a lengthy consultation process and high levels of participation among Kenyans. The National Steering Committee on Peacebuilding and Conflict Management led the way, assisted by an independent panel of 13 peacebuilding experts.

    Released at the end of 2024, the review looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the architecture.

    It offers a vision for building a robust peacebuilding system, along with an actionable roadmap. One lesson is that Kenya can use the capacities and unique approaches of different peacebuilding actors. At the local level, peace committees showed that they made contributions to early warning systems and building confidence in communities.

    However, insufficient resources and a consistent focus on electoral violence prevent the system from addressing other drivers of conflict.

    The strengths

    Local peace committees, with membership typically drawn from ordinary citizens, religious groups or local civil society organisations, play a crucial role. They support dialogue around conflict issues. They promote trust and understanding, and can build a constructive environment for conflict resolution.

    Their information gathering feeds into the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Conflict Early Warning and Response System (CEWARN) to prevent election violence. Local peace committees have contributed to negotiating local disputes. They have also helped de-polarise ethnic identities and facilitated local peace agreements. One example was the Modogashe Declaration. It sets ground rules to solve conflict and local disputes over pasture, water access and cattle rustling.

    Read more: Kenya violence: 5 key drivers of the decades-long conflict in the north and what to do about them

    We are researchers in Norway on a project focusing on civilian agency, local peace and resilience building. Our own interviews with committee members in Nakuru – a county greatly affected by the violence in 2007-08 – found that peace committee members continued to work together and share conflict-sensitive information with local stakeholders. These include administration officers and religious leaders, and covered periods during and after the 2022 elections.

    Further, local peace committees can offer women valuable opportunities for participation in conflict management. This contributes to their protection, for example from sexual violence.

    The weaknesses

    Despite these successes, Kenya’s peacebuilding architecture faces pressing challenges.

    First, local peace committees aren’t perfect. They can be manipulated by politicians seeking to build local support. They can also compete with traditional actors such as elders in conflict resolution.

    Kenya’s institutionalisation of local peacebuilding strengthened information flow across all levels. But it also threatens to undermine local peacebuilding agency and autonomy. Formalising local peace committees can spur an unhealthy monetisation of peacebuilding, with some members joining for financial gain. This threatens to erode the voluntary character of peacebuilding as a common good and undermine genuine priorities for peace.

    Read more: How women in Kenya mobilised for peace after surviving violence

    Second, elite-level politics in Kenya creates the persistent risk of electoral violence. This diverts attention and resources away from other long-standing causes of conflict. The drivers of violence in Kenya are varied and region specific. They include disputes over access to land, and marginalisation of ethnic and religious communities. Climate change threatens to worsen competition and conflict between pastoralists and farming communities.

    Our analysis of event data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data shows that communal violence is the deadliest form of political violence in Kenya. For their part, fatalities related to election violence have decreased. This underscores the urgent need to consistently invest in prevention and local peacebuilding beyond narrow electoral periods.

    Fatalities in Kenya by type of armed violence: 2010-2023

    Electoral competition can escalate violence between pastoralists and farmers, but it’s the persistence of communal conflicts that represents a serious threat. Communal violence particularly affects Kenya’s arid and semi-arid areas in the Rift Valley, eastern and north-eastern regions.

    What next

    Our interviews with local peace committee members show that funding for their activities diminishes outside election years. This hampers their capacity to address conflict outside these periods.

    Yet research has shown that local peacebuilding can build social resilience against recurrent communal violence. Peacebuilding interventions grounded in local realities are also vital for countering insurgent violence. This is especially important as counterterrorism operations by state forces often trigger cycles of violence rather than resolving underlying issues.

    Read more: Drivers of electoral violence in Kenya: red flags to watch out for

    Our research finds that Kenyans place significant trust in local peacebuilders, such as community leaders, elders and women. The review of the country’s peacebuilding architecture proposes a 40% quota for women, youth and people with disabilities in local peace committees.

    However, quotas alone may not be sufficient to address the political and cultural challenges that entrench inequality.

    Ultimately, political elites need to transform Kenya’s “win at all costs” politics. This way, the country’s mediators and peacebuilders can address the deep social and economic grievances that underpin cycles of violence.

    – Kenya’s peacebuilding efforts hold valuable lessons for the rest of the world, but gaps remain
    – https://theconversation.com/kenyas-peacebuilding-efforts-hold-valuable-lessons-for-the-rest-of-the-world-but-gaps-remain-257761

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Soledad Núñez: Address – CREO 2025 Forum

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    I would like to thank Cinco Días for their kind invitation to participate in this second edition of CREO, a forum for reflection and debate on Spain’s economic future and the challenges facing the financial system. Today two fundamental areas for our country’s development and growth have been addressed.

    First, the technology and innovation industry, which is key for driving a state-of-the-art, efficient and competitive economy.

    Second, the banking sector, which is essential in any economy for channelling the funds needed to make business investments and meet consumer needs.

    Starting with the banking sector, the first point to highlight is the prominent role it plays in our economy:1 the latest National Statistics Institute (INE) data show that the financial sector has contributed more than 5% of gross value added to the Spanish economy, above the European average. Moreover, it generates slightly more than 1% of employment in Spain. The banking sector is the main pillar of the financial industry, which also includes the insurance sector and other financial intermediaries.

    As you are all aware, the Spanish banking sector is in good health, having undergone a major transformation in recent years. Indeed, the current Spanish banking landscape looks little like that of 15 years ago. The great financial crisis triggered a series of legislative reforms, propelled by the Basel Capital Accord, which strengthened banking solvency and fuelled advances in other areas, such as governance. All this led to an improvement in risk management, which is key to ensuring the good health of the sector.

    Thanks to this prudent risk management, Spanish banks now have historically low non-performing loan ratios, profitability levels above the European average and significantly more robust solvency levels than in the past. These legislative and management changes have also been accompanied by a new supervisory framework: the Single Supervisory Mechanism for the leading banks, or so-called “significant institutions”, which in Spain account for 94% of total banking sector assets.

    As has already been noted during today’s session, the banking sector faces a range of challenges, some unique to it and others shared by the economy as a whole.

    Among the latter, the present uncertain global environment cannot go unmentioned. The new geopolitical setting, in which trade positions are still unclear, will undoubtedly affect the global economy. The projection models suggest that the direct impact on the Spanish economy will not be very significant. However, there could clearly be an indirect impact through other economies with which we have closer ties. In consequence, the banking sector will have to keep a close watch on credit risk developments, especially in the sectors that are, a priori, most exposed to changes in the new international trade order. Other risks – such as liquidity or market risk – should also be monitored in view of the potential impact of possible financial market instability owing to unexpected events.

    Another challenge faced by all economic sectors is adapting to the ongoing technological revolution, as the use of technology clearly affects the financial industry, albeit not exclusively. The emergence of new tools, new communication channels, new competitors, etc., poses a challenge for the banking sector, as banks will have to make major investments within a pre-defined strategic framework.

    New technologies – today notably including artificial intelligence – represent a business opportunity, paving the way for new banking products more in line with customers’ needs and delivered through new, faster channels. Although the use of artificial intelligence by banks is not yet widespread, it is a galvanising factor that will prompt efficiency gains, reducing costs and boosting profitability.

    Banks’ use of technology and artificial intelligence will have to be prudently managed, as they increase operational risk, owing to possible system failures or cyberattacks. Banks must be ready to quickly and diligently manage any such failures, as well as the risks associated with reliance on third-party providers for certain critical activities. Moreover, the use of artificial intelligence has ethical connotations that must also be considered, avoiding undue bias or inexplicable results.

    As it advances in this unstoppable digitalisation process, the banking sector, as an essential service provider, cannot leave anyone behind. This is why it must continue its efforts to ensure access to banking services for population groups who face the most barriers, whether due to a digital divide, physical distance from a bank branch or their lack of the basic financial knowledge to make sound economic decisions.

    The last challenge I wish to mention briefly here today is the sustainable transition of the banking sector. Although banking is not a highly polluting sector per se, it does play a leading role in enabling all productive sectors to transition towards a more sustainable economy. Sustainability and competitiveness are two essential and interlinked concepts; a sustainable economy tends to be more competitive because it uses fewer resources. The banking sector should play a leading role in providing appropriate funding for that transition, for which purpose it needs both data and metrics. In the current debate on regulatory simplification under way at various fora, one of the focal points is sustainability reporting. Certainly, we need to reflect on this and other requirements, but any attempt to simplify firms’ sustainability reporting must not compromise the harmonised or sufficient disclosure of critical metrics and data points for climate and nature-related risk management.

    We need to move towards a more sustainable and competitive economy, and the banking sector will play an essential role in that process.

    Moreover, as I mentioned at the start, the technology and innovation industry is key, to boost our economy and make it more competitive and productive.

    The role of the technology and communication sector is particularly crucial. Compared with the European Union (EU) average, it accounts for a smaller share of the Spanish economy in terms of gross value added (6% versus 8%) and employment (4% versus 4.5%). But our economy is very well positioned for technological change for various reasons. First, Spain has good digital skills; indeed, in 2023, 66% of the Spanish population aged between 16 and 74 had high digital skills, the fourth highest figure in the EU after the Netherlands, Finland and Ireland. It also has a good digital infrastructure, with a high penetration rate of high-speed networks. In 2023, 96% of households had access to high-capacity networks, the third highest figure in the EU.

    Second, Spanish firms are very open to adopting and using digital technologies. According to a recent survey by the European Investment Bank,2 innovation and digitalisation are the key to our firms’ competitiveness and Spain leads the way in the use of advanced digital technologies (80% versus 74%).

    Third, the industrial production index of high-tech manufacturing industries has risen more in recent years than among our main European peers. Indeed, since 2021 this sector has grown by more than 25% in Spain, compared with 12% in France and 2% in Germany.

    In short, integrating new technologies and artificial intelligence in the banking and tech sector presents significant opportunities for achieving efficiency gains, reducing costs and boosting profitability. But this progress must be prudently managed, taking into account operational and ethical risks, as well as the need for digital inclusion.

    Furthermore, the banking sector has an essential role to play in the transition towards a more sustainable economy, providing appropriate funding and correctly managing risks, drawing on data and metrics backed by clear sustainability reporting. Spain’s technological environment is well positioned to continue leading in innovation and digitalisation, with a highly skilled population and state-of-the-art digital infrastructure. As we move forward, collaboration between these sectors will be vital to drive a more competitive, productive and sustainable economy.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Province Awards Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project Funding

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Three organizations have been awarded funding under the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project to address childhood obesity and chronic disease in the province.

    The successful applicants are Acadia University, Upward Mobility Kitchens East Inc., and Wasoqopa’q First Nation. The total amount of funding is $1.05 million.

    “Reducing childhood obesity and helping young people to establish healthy habits will help reduce the burden on our healthcare system and make a lasting impact on the overall health of our province,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson. “These investments will provide more communities with the resources they need to raise healthy children.”

    The three projects, with funding amounts, are:

    • $320,643 to Acadia University in Wolfville to create a self-sustaining farm-to-school initiative that includes a greenhouse. It will address childhood obesity, food insecurity and declining physical activity by integrating nutrition education, sustainable agriculture and mental health support directly into the school curriculum at Northeast Kings Education Centre in Canning.

    • $334,384 to Upward Mobility Kitchens East Inc. to transform The Nook on Halifax’s Gottingen Street into a hub for youth-focused cooking classes and food literacy education. The Sharpen Up initiative will give youth the skills to take control of their nutrition, improve health outcomes and host community-centred meal events.

    The kitchen at the Nook (Province of Nova Scotia) Click or tap for larger image
    • $400,000 to Wasoqopa’q First Nation to create a space that fosters physical activity, mental resilience and community well-being through traditional Mi’kmaw teachings. The project includes an outdoor structure that supports traditional food sourcing, cleaning and preparation.

    Ninety-seven organizations applied for funding; nine were invited to submit a proposal and eight were received.

    The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project is a partnership between the Province and Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. that brought together healthcare, academic and economic leaders to identify barriers and challenges that contribute to poor health outcomes. It invited businesses and academic and community organizations to submit proposals for funding to address them. The initiative is delivered in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub and Life Sciences Nova Scotia.

    Quotes:

    “At Novo Nordisk Canada, we are committed to engaging as a valuable and dedicated partner in improving the lives of Nova Scotians and fighting childhood obesity. We are proud to partner on this important issue and excited by this first round of funding announcements; these projects have the potential to drive change for a healthier Canada.”
    — Vince Lamanna, President, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.

    “Over the past two years, we’ve delivered more than half a million meals to people in need in HRM, and we’re just getting started. After 15 years of building kitchens with purpose and running Sharpen Up in communities from New York to Vancouver, I’ve learned the most powerful thing we can give youth is belief, and the tools to back it up. Sharpen Up is not just a cooking class. It’s skill-building with real chefs, instilling confidence in yourself, and a chance to see all the pathways food can create through our non-profit and entrepreneur network. In a time when one in four kids in the Maritimes is food insecure, this kind of education and support is essential. I was raised in Dartmouth, and it’s an honour to come home and create this opportunity for my community.”
    — Mark Brand, founder, Upward Mobility Kitchens & A Better Life Foundation

    “When our Mi’kmaw youth are free to move, play and learn in culturally safe spaces, they build strength not only in body, but in spirit. When our Mi’kmaw families and community members have our own culturally safe spaces to learn through land-based knowledge and traditional food harvesting on our lands, we reclaim our health, our identity and our honour. We will build strong foundations for all our relations from our neighbouring communities and all Mi’kma’ki. That is true reconciliation.”
    — Melanie Robinson-Purdy, Director, Community Enhancement and Cultural Revitalization, Wasoqopa’q First Nation

    “The best way to build a healthier tomorrow is to begin upstream – where good food, joyful movement and self-worth take root early. Grow & Go is how we nurture that growth: from greenhouse to classroom, from kitchen to community. This is more than a project – it’s a path forward, and we invite others to walk and grow it with us.”
    — Tavis Bragg, project lead, Grow & Go; adjunct professor, Acadia University, and teacher, Northeast Kings Education Centre

    Quick Facts:

    • for profit, not-for-profit and public-sector organizations registered to do business in Canada were eligible to submit a proposal
    • the Province and Novo Nordisk Canada have each contributed $1.5 million toward the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project, with another call for proposals to be announced later
    • the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project is the result of a partnership with Denmark and is based on a concept from the Danish Business Promotion Agency; Danish Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs; Novo Nordisk; research institutions; and technology companies

    Additional Resources:

    Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project: https://www.lighthousens.ca/

    News release – New Partnership Will Address Childhood Obesity, Chronic Disease: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/03/05/new-partnership-will-address-childhood-obesity-chronic-disease

    News release – Nova Scotia Signs Health Agreement with Denmark: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2023/05/24/nova-scotia-signs-health-agreement-denmark

    Other than cropping, Province of Nova Scotia photos are not to be altered in any way.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: HERE Technologies Releases 2024 Annual Sustainability Report, Marking Five Years of ESG Progress

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • HERE demonstrates progress in responsible AI, emissions reductions and workforce inclusion.
    • New partnerships and customer solutions deliver measurable sustainability results.

    Amsterdam, The Netherlands – HERE Technologies, the leading location data and technology platform, today released its fifth annual Sustainability Report highlighting the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) progress and the growing role of location intelligence in global sustainability efforts.

    The 2024 report outlines the company’s advancements in helping customers decarbonize and electrify transportation, improve operational efficiency and plan more sustainable infrastructure. HERE also advanced internal goals around emissions reduction, workforce inclusivity and the responsible use of AI. 

    “As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’re proud of the real-world impact our technology delivers, both in reducing emissions and helping our customers meet ambitious sustainability goals,” said Denise Doyle, Chief Product Officer and Sustainability Executive Sponsor at HERE Technologies. “Location technology plays an essential role in achieving global decarbonization targets and we’re committed to building solutions that move the world forward sustainably.”

    Highlights from HERE’s 2024 Sustainability Report include:

    Enabling the EV future. HERE is helping to ease the shift to electric vehicles globally by partnering with automakers, such as Lotus, to deliver accurate, real-time EV range information. Location data is essential to tackling “range anxiety” and making EV adoption more practical for drivers. Together, Lotus and HERE are using leading edge technology to reduce carbon emissions and improve the driver experience.

    Additionally, HERE and industry analyst firm SBD Automotive co-published the second annual EV Index, which offers critical insights to consumers, automakers and policymakers developing charging infrastructure worldwide. 

    Helping customers achieve sustainability goals. From optimizing truck and fleet operations to smarter vehicle routing, HERE solutions are used to reduce environmental impact. PSA Singapore, which operates the world’s largest transshipment hub, has developed OptETruck, a cloud-based transport management solution with features like automated scheduling and asset pooling for truck drivers within the port. Powered by HERE Tour Planning and Location Services, OptETruck allocates jobs to drivers based on their location, offering real-time optimization of routes and truck assignments. OptETruck has the potential to cut empty truck runs within the Port of Singapore by 50%, equivalent to an estimated annual reduction of 10,000 metric tons of CO2, or planting 300,000 trees.

    Using AI in a responsible way. In 2024, HERE launched a Responsible AI Office and published a Responsible AI Policy to guide the ethical use of emerging technologies. These initiatives reinforce the company’s commitments to data privacy, transparency and accountability as AI becomes more central to HERE applications and its work in supporting more sustainable transportation systems.

    Furthering commitment to reduce environmental impact. HERE remains focused on its aggressive decarbonization goals, marking progress against all emissions reduction targets in 2024. Additionally, the Chicago office joined offices in The Netherlands, Germany and Finland in transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy and HERE reduced its environmental footprint at industry events like CES.

    Strengthening employee purpose and workforce inclusivity. HERE continues to strengthen its commitment to employee engagement and inclusivity. In 2024, the company hosted Purpose Week, its largest internal activation in a decade, connecting more than 600 employees across 31 global sites in volunteer efforts with 19 nonprofit partners. HERE also launched a new employee resource group, Grace, to support colleagues with diverse disabilities, and made measurable progress toward gender parity in leadership and workforce representation.

    For more information on HERE Technologies’ sustainability initiatives and to access the full 2024 Sustainability Report, please visit https://www.here.com/about/sustainability.

    Media Contacts
    Danielle Beer, U.S.
    danielle.beer@here.com

    Dr. Sebastian Kurme, Germany
    sebastian.kurme@here.com

    Vanessa Lee, APAC
    vanessa.lee@here.com

    About HERE Technologies
    HERE has been a pioneer in mapping and location technology for 40 years. Today, HERE’s location platform is recognized as the most complete in the industry, powering location-based products, services and custom maps for organizations and enterprises across the globe. From autonomous driving and seamless logistics to new mobility experiences, HERE allows its partners and customers to innovate while retaining control over their data and safeguarding privacy. Find out how HERE is moving the world forward at here.com. 

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bids Farewell to Finland Ambassador

    Source: Government of Qatar

    Doha, June 16, 2025

    HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met with HE Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the State of Qatar Pekka Voutilainen, on the occasion of the end of his tenures in the country.

    HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs thanked HE the Ambassador for his efforts in supporting and strengthening bilateral relations, wishing him success in his new duties.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI: Enphase Energy Rolls Out IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase, Delivering Three-Phase Backup Across More European Countries

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FREMONT, Calif., June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, today announced the launch of its most powerful and versatile battery yet, the IQ® Battery 5P™ with FlexPhase, for customers in Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase is an all-in-one AC-coupled system that delivers reliable backup power and supports both single-phase and three-phase applications, providing unmatched flexibility to meet diverse home energy needs. Enphase also launched the IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase in Poland, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland earlier this year.

    The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase starts at 5 kWh of capacity and can be configured up to 70 kWh. Each 5 kWh battery delivers continuous power of up to 3.84 kW in single-phase configuration and 1.28 kW per phase in three-phase configuration. The new battery can be configured to meet the needs of each homeowner, offering grid-tied support or backup power. It is designed to discharge up to two times the maximum continuous power for three seconds, enabling the operation of high-power devices during a grid outage when paired with the IQ® System Controller 3 INT. The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase comes with an industry-leading 15-year warranty in Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

    “Following recent blackouts in Spain, the need for reliable home energy solutions has never been higher,” said Miguel Rico Benitez, CEO at HogarSolar, a Platinum level installer of Enphase products in Spain. “There’s a growing urgency for reliable home energy solutions – and the IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase offers the performance and resilience households need now more than ever.”

    “The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase is a major step forward for energy storage in France,” said Thomas Poncet, owner of IdeeSys, an installer of Enphase products in France. “With powerful backup capabilities, scalable capacity, and long-term reliability, it’s exactly the kind of smart, future-ready technology our customers are looking for.”

    “Belgian homeowners are increasingly looking for smart, future-ready energy systems that can adapt to their unique needs,” said Kristof Lassaut, CEO of K.L. Green Energy, an installer of Enphase products in Belgium. “The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase delivers outstanding flexibility, whether it’s single-phase or three-phase, and brings the kind of long-term reliability our customers trust. And now, with the IQ System Controller available, homeowners can also get reliable backup power for added peace of mind.”

    “Adaptability is everything for Dutch homeowners when it comes to home energy, and the IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase delivers just that,” said Paul Cortvriend, owner of Savo Solar Systemen, an installer of Enphase products in the Netherlands. “We love that the battery accommodates both single-phase and three-phase systems, letting us customize the perfect backup solution for each home. Enphase continues to lead the industry with innovations like this.”

    “The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase was engineered to meet the growing demand for resilient, scalable home energy solutions across Europe,” said Sabbas Daniel, senior vice president of sales at Enphase Energy. “We’re excited to continue expanding access to our most powerful battery yet – bringing reliable, high-performance storage to more homeowners and helping accelerate Europe’s transition to a cleaner, more resilient energy future.”

    For more information about the IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase, please visit the Enphase website for Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium (French and Dutch), and the Netherlands.

    About Enphase Energy, Inc.

    Enphase Energy, a global energy technology company based in Fremont, CA, is the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems that enable people to harness the sun to make, use, save, and sell their own power — and control it all with a smart mobile app. The company revolutionized the solar industry with its microinverter-based technology and builds all-in-one solar, battery, and software solutions. Enphase has shipped approximately 81.5 million microinverters, and approximately 4.8 million Enphase-based systems have been deployed in over 160 countries. For more information, visit https://investor.enphase.com.

    ©2025 Enphase Energy, Inc. All rights reserved. Enphase Energy, Enphase, the “e” logo, IQ, IQ8, and certain other marks listed at https://enphase.com/trademark-usage-guidelines are trademarks or service marks of Enphase Energy, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements related to the expected capabilities and performance of Enphase Energy’s technology and products, including safety, quality, and reliability. These forward-looking statements are based on Enphase Energy’s current expectations and inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements as a result of such risks and uncertainties including those risks described in more detail in Enphase Energy’s most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other documents filed by Enphase Energy from time to time with the SEC. Enphase Energy undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations, except as required by law.

    Contact:

    Enphase Energy

    press@enphaseenergy.com

    This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Enphase Energy Rolls Out IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase, Delivering Three-Phase Backup Across More European Countries

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FREMONT, Calif., June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, today announced the launch of its most powerful and versatile battery yet, the IQ® Battery 5P™ with FlexPhase, for customers in Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase is an all-in-one AC-coupled system that delivers reliable backup power and supports both single-phase and three-phase applications, providing unmatched flexibility to meet diverse home energy needs. Enphase also launched the IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase in Poland, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland earlier this year.

    The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase starts at 5 kWh of capacity and can be configured up to 70 kWh. Each 5 kWh battery delivers continuous power of up to 3.84 kW in single-phase configuration and 1.28 kW per phase in three-phase configuration. The new battery can be configured to meet the needs of each homeowner, offering grid-tied support or backup power. It is designed to discharge up to two times the maximum continuous power for three seconds, enabling the operation of high-power devices during a grid outage when paired with the IQ® System Controller 3 INT. The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase comes with an industry-leading 15-year warranty in Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

    “Following recent blackouts in Spain, the need for reliable home energy solutions has never been higher,” said Miguel Rico Benitez, CEO at HogarSolar, a Platinum level installer of Enphase products in Spain. “There’s a growing urgency for reliable home energy solutions – and the IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase offers the performance and resilience households need now more than ever.”

    “The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase is a major step forward for energy storage in France,” said Thomas Poncet, owner of IdeeSys, an installer of Enphase products in France. “With powerful backup capabilities, scalable capacity, and long-term reliability, it’s exactly the kind of smart, future-ready technology our customers are looking for.”

    “Belgian homeowners are increasingly looking for smart, future-ready energy systems that can adapt to their unique needs,” said Kristof Lassaut, CEO of K.L. Green Energy, an installer of Enphase products in Belgium. “The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase delivers outstanding flexibility, whether it’s single-phase or three-phase, and brings the kind of long-term reliability our customers trust. And now, with the IQ System Controller available, homeowners can also get reliable backup power for added peace of mind.”

    “Adaptability is everything for Dutch homeowners when it comes to home energy, and the IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase delivers just that,” said Paul Cortvriend, owner of Savo Solar Systemen, an installer of Enphase products in the Netherlands. “We love that the battery accommodates both single-phase and three-phase systems, letting us customize the perfect backup solution for each home. Enphase continues to lead the industry with innovations like this.”

    “The IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase was engineered to meet the growing demand for resilient, scalable home energy solutions across Europe,” said Sabbas Daniel, senior vice president of sales at Enphase Energy. “We’re excited to continue expanding access to our most powerful battery yet – bringing reliable, high-performance storage to more homeowners and helping accelerate Europe’s transition to a cleaner, more resilient energy future.”

    For more information about the IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase, please visit the Enphase website for Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium (French and Dutch), and the Netherlands.

    About Enphase Energy, Inc.

    Enphase Energy, a global energy technology company based in Fremont, CA, is the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems that enable people to harness the sun to make, use, save, and sell their own power — and control it all with a smart mobile app. The company revolutionized the solar industry with its microinverter-based technology and builds all-in-one solar, battery, and software solutions. Enphase has shipped approximately 81.5 million microinverters, and approximately 4.8 million Enphase-based systems have been deployed in over 160 countries. For more information, visit https://investor.enphase.com.

    ©2025 Enphase Energy, Inc. All rights reserved. Enphase Energy, Enphase, the “e” logo, IQ, IQ8, and certain other marks listed at https://enphase.com/trademark-usage-guidelines are trademarks or service marks of Enphase Energy, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements related to the expected capabilities and performance of Enphase Energy’s technology and products, including safety, quality, and reliability. These forward-looking statements are based on Enphase Energy’s current expectations and inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements as a result of such risks and uncertainties including those risks described in more detail in Enphase Energy’s most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other documents filed by Enphase Energy from time to time with the SEC. Enphase Energy undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations, except as required by law.

    Contact:

    Enphase Energy

    press@enphaseenergy.com

    This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Largest illegal trading platform for drugs taken down

    Source: Eurojust

    The dark web marketplace was active for over five years. Archetyp was one of the only platforms to allow the sale of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The marketplace had around 17 000 listings online, and with more than 600 000 users, it is considered one of the largest of its kind.

    Investigations into Archetyp revealed that its creator and current administrator is a German national residing in Spain. International cooperation between authorities, financial tracking and digital evidence analysis led to the identification of the people behind Archetyp. Investigators discovered the location of the servers, moderators and vendors on the marketplace. A coordinated action week was planned to dismantle Archetyp and arrest those responsible for selling and operating the platform, under the coordination of Eurojust and Europol.

    The action week took place between 11 and 13 June, targeting the platform’s administrator, moderators, key vendors and the servers running the website. Coordinated actions in five countries, carried out by around 300 officers, resulted in the arrest of the thirty year old administrator in Spain, seven other persons and the seizure of assets worth EUR 7.8 million. By taking Archetyp offline, authorities have dealt a severe blow to drug traffickers in Europe.

    Eurojust ensured the international investigation was efficient and effective. The Agency organised multiple coordination meetings, which enabled authorities to exchange critical information for the investigation. During the action days and the preliminary investigations, Eurojust coordinated the execution of mutual legal assistance and European Investigation Orders.

    Europol supported the investigation from the outset, facilitating the exchange of intelligence, conducting extensive cross-checks and helping to identify high-value targets. On the action days, Europol deployed a dark web specialist to Germany and set up a virtual command post to coordinate field activities and ensure real-time deconfliction across jurisdictions.

    The following authorities, with the support of the United States, carried out the operation:

    • Germany: Prosecutor General’s Office Frankfurt am Main – Cyber Crime Center; Federal Criminal Police Office
    • Netherlands: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rotterdam; National Police, Unit Police Unit Rotterdam
    • Spain: Investigative Court num 10 in Barcelona; International Cooperation Section of PPO Barcelona; National Police
    • Sweden: Swedish Prosecution Authority; National Public Prosecution Department, National Unit against Organised Crime in Gothenburg; Swedish National Police; National Operations Department / Swedish Cybercrime Unit
    • Romania: Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT); National Police

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Largest illegal trading platform for drugs taken down

    Source: Eurojust

    The dark web marketplace was active for over five years. Archetyp was one of the only platforms to allow the sale of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The marketplace had around 17 000 listings online, and with more than 600 000 users, it is considered one of the largest of its kind.

    Investigations into Archetyp revealed that its creator and current administrator is a German national residing in Spain. International cooperation between authorities, financial tracking and digital evidence analysis led to the identification of the people behind Archetyp. Investigators discovered the location of the servers, moderators and vendors on the marketplace. A coordinated action week was planned to dismantle Archetyp and arrest those responsible for selling and operating the platform, under the coordination of Eurojust and Europol.

    The action week took place between 11 and 13 June, targeting the platform’s administrator, moderators, key vendors and the servers running the website. Coordinated actions in five countries, carried out by around 300 officers, resulted in the arrest of the thirty year old administrator in Spain, seven other persons and the seizure of assets worth EUR 7.8 million. By taking Archetyp offline, authorities have dealt a severe blow to drug traffickers in Europe.

    Eurojust ensured the international investigation was efficient and effective. The Agency organised multiple coordination meetings, which enabled authorities to exchange critical information for the investigation. During the action days and the preliminary investigations, Eurojust coordinated the execution of mutual legal assistance and European Investigation Orders.

    Europol supported the investigation from the outset, facilitating the exchange of intelligence, conducting extensive cross-checks and helping to identify high-value targets. On the action days, Europol deployed a dark web specialist to Germany and set up a virtual command post to coordinate field activities and ensure real-time deconfliction across jurisdictions.

    The following authorities, with the support of the United States, carried out the operation:

    • Germany: Prosecutor General’s Office Frankfurt am Main – Cyber Crime Center; Federal Criminal Police Office
    • Netherlands: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rotterdam; National Police, Unit Police Unit Rotterdam
    • Spain: Investigative Court num 10 in Barcelona; International Cooperation Section of PPO Barcelona; National Police
    • Sweden: Swedish Prosecution Authority; National Public Prosecution Department, National Unit against Organised Crime in Gothenburg; Swedish National Police; National Operations Department / Swedish Cybercrime Unit
    • Romania: Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT); National Police

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Nokia announces changes to Group Leadership Team

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Nokia Corporation
    Stock Exchange Release
    16 June 2025 at 14:00 EEST

    Nokia announces changes to Group Leadership Team

    • Federico Guillén to retire from Nokia on 31 December 2025. He will step down as President of the Network Infrastructure (NI) business group and as a member of the Group Leadership Team on 30 June 2025.
    • As part of a managed transition, David Heard, NI Chief Strategic Growth Officer, and former CEO of Infinera, is promoted to President of Network Infrastructure and joins the Group Leadership Team, effective 1 July 2025.
    • Victoria Hanrahan will join the Group Leadership Team as Chief of Staff to Nokia’s President and CEO, effective immediately.

    Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced changes to its Group Leadership Team. Federico Guillén will retire from Nokia on 31 December 2025. He will step down from his role as President of Nokia’s Network Infrastructure business group and from the Group Leadership Team on 30 June 2025.

    As part of a managed transition, David Heard, currently NI Chief Strategic Growth Officer, and former CEO of Infinera, has been promoted to President of Network Infrastructure and will join the Group Leadership Team, effective 1 July 2025. David will report to Nokia’s President and CEO, Justin Hotard, and be based in Dallas. Federico and David will work together to ensure a seamless transition.

    Heard joined Nokia with the acquisition of Infinera in February 2025. He was previously CEO of Infinera and, prior to that held the role of Infinera’s Chief Operating Officer, responsible for leading the innovation of new solutions and the overall operational excellence of the company. Before joining Infinera, Heard held senior positions across various technology companies in the U.S. including JDSU, BigBand Networks, Somera Communications, Lucent and AT&T gaining comprehensive experience of the telecoms industry and demonstrating a strong growth mindset and a commitment to innovation leadership.

    “I want to thank Federico for his exceptional leadership and contribution to Nokia. As the first President of Network Infrastructure, he has been instrumental in building a high-performing and profitable business with a strong customer focus, helping to position the business for long-term growth. His leadership during major portfolio changes, including the divestment of the Submarine Networks business and acquisition of Infinera, has laid a solid foundation for the future. We’re grateful for his service and wish him the very best on his next chapter,” said Justin Hotard, President and CEO of Nokia.

    “I’m excited to welcome David to the Group Leadership Team as the new head of our Network Infrastructure business. David has a proven track record of scaling businesses and driving innovation, and he brings a deep expertise of hyperscalers and AI-optimized solutions to the business. I’m confident he is the right leader to take Network Infrastructure forward,” Hotard continued.

    In addition, Victoria Hanrahan will join Nokia’s Group Leadership Team as Chief of Staff to the President and CEO, effective immediately. She will focus on driving strategic and operational initiatives, including operational excellence, improving cross-functional execution and ensuring organizational alignment across the Global Leadership Team. Victoria will report to Nokia’s President and CEO and be based in Espoo.

    Additional background information on all current members of the Group Leadership Team can be found at: www.nokia.com/en_int/investors/corporate-governance/group-leadership-team.

    David Heard, CV
    Born: 1968
    Nationality: US national
    Education:
    Masters, Management Science (Sloan), Stanford University Graduate School of Business
    Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of Dayton
    BA, Production & Operations Mgt, The Ohio State University
    Experience:
    2025 (February-June) Chief Growth Officer at Network Infrastructure, Nokia
    2020–2025 Chief Executive Officer, Infinera
    2017–2020 Chief Operations Officer and various senior positions, Infinera
    2015–2016 Cloud Service Provider (Executive Consultant – External), Dell
    2010–2015 President – Network & Service (Software) Enablement, JDSU
    2007–2010 Chief Operating Officer, BigBand Networks
    2004–2006 President & CEO, Somera Communications (Jabil)
    2003–2004 President – Switching Systems, Tekelec (Oracle)
    2000–2003 President & CEO Santera Systems Inc (now Oracle)
    1996–2000 GM & VP Wireless – Various Positions, Alcatel-Lucent
    1990–1996 VP of Access, AT&T (Lucent Technologies)
    Additional positions:
    2017–2022 Member of the Board of Directors, Motion Intelligence
    2012–2019 Chairman of the Board, Telecommunications Industry Association
    2015–2018 Board Director, Milestone Sports
    2006–2017 Member of the Board of Directors – Co-founder, Zyvex Performance Materials
    2002–2004 Member of the Board of Directors, Spatial Wireless (Alcatel Lucent)

    Victoria Hanharan, CV
    Born: 1988
    Nationality: US national
    Education:
    Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Marketing, Texas A&M University
    Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of Houston
    Experience:
    2015–2024 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

    • Vice President, Global Marketing – High Performance Compute & Artificial Intelligence (2023–2024)
    • Director, Chief of Staff – HPC & AI Business Unit (2021–2023)
    • Manager, Marketing Strategy (2019–2021)
    • Sr. Product Marketing Manager (2015–2019)

    2010–2015 St. Jude Medical

    • Product Marketing Manager, Neuromodulation Division (2013–2015)
    • Marketing Communications Coordinator (2010–2013)

    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 Communications
    Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications
    Phone: +358 10 448 4900
    Email: press.services@nokia.com

    Nokia Investor Relations
    Phone: +358 931 580 507
    Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Nokia announces changes to Group Leadership Team

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Nokia Corporation
    Stock Exchange Release
    16 June 2025 at 14:00 EEST

    Nokia announces changes to Group Leadership Team

    • Federico Guillén to retire from Nokia on 31 December 2025. He will step down as President of the Network Infrastructure (NI) business group and as a member of the Group Leadership Team on 30 June 2025.
    • As part of a managed transition, David Heard, NI Chief Strategic Growth Officer, and former CEO of Infinera, is promoted to President of Network Infrastructure and joins the Group Leadership Team, effective 1 July 2025.
    • Victoria Hanrahan will join the Group Leadership Team as Chief of Staff to Nokia’s President and CEO, effective immediately.

    Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced changes to its Group Leadership Team. Federico Guillén will retire from Nokia on 31 December 2025. He will step down from his role as President of Nokia’s Network Infrastructure business group and from the Group Leadership Team on 30 June 2025.

    As part of a managed transition, David Heard, currently NI Chief Strategic Growth Officer, and former CEO of Infinera, has been promoted to President of Network Infrastructure and will join the Group Leadership Team, effective 1 July 2025. David will report to Nokia’s President and CEO, Justin Hotard, and be based in Dallas. Federico and David will work together to ensure a seamless transition.

    Heard joined Nokia with the acquisition of Infinera in February 2025. He was previously CEO of Infinera and, prior to that held the role of Infinera’s Chief Operating Officer, responsible for leading the innovation of new solutions and the overall operational excellence of the company. Before joining Infinera, Heard held senior positions across various technology companies in the U.S. including JDSU, BigBand Networks, Somera Communications, Lucent and AT&T gaining comprehensive experience of the telecoms industry and demonstrating a strong growth mindset and a commitment to innovation leadership.

    “I want to thank Federico for his exceptional leadership and contribution to Nokia. As the first President of Network Infrastructure, he has been instrumental in building a high-performing and profitable business with a strong customer focus, helping to position the business for long-term growth. His leadership during major portfolio changes, including the divestment of the Submarine Networks business and acquisition of Infinera, has laid a solid foundation for the future. We’re grateful for his service and wish him the very best on his next chapter,” said Justin Hotard, President and CEO of Nokia.

    “I’m excited to welcome David to the Group Leadership Team as the new head of our Network Infrastructure business. David has a proven track record of scaling businesses and driving innovation, and he brings a deep expertise of hyperscalers and AI-optimized solutions to the business. I’m confident he is the right leader to take Network Infrastructure forward,” Hotard continued.

    In addition, Victoria Hanrahan will join Nokia’s Group Leadership Team as Chief of Staff to the President and CEO, effective immediately. She will focus on driving strategic and operational initiatives, including operational excellence, improving cross-functional execution and ensuring organizational alignment across the Global Leadership Team. Victoria will report to Nokia’s President and CEO and be based in Espoo.

    Additional background information on all current members of the Group Leadership Team can be found at: www.nokia.com/en_int/investors/corporate-governance/group-leadership-team.

    David Heard, CV
    Born: 1968
    Nationality: US national
    Education:
    Masters, Management Science (Sloan), Stanford University Graduate School of Business
    Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of Dayton
    BA, Production & Operations Mgt, The Ohio State University
    Experience:
    2025 (February-June) Chief Growth Officer at Network Infrastructure, Nokia
    2020–2025 Chief Executive Officer, Infinera
    2017–2020 Chief Operations Officer and various senior positions, Infinera
    2015–2016 Cloud Service Provider (Executive Consultant – External), Dell
    2010–2015 President – Network & Service (Software) Enablement, JDSU
    2007–2010 Chief Operating Officer, BigBand Networks
    2004–2006 President & CEO, Somera Communications (Jabil)
    2003–2004 President – Switching Systems, Tekelec (Oracle)
    2000–2003 President & CEO Santera Systems Inc (now Oracle)
    1996–2000 GM & VP Wireless – Various Positions, Alcatel-Lucent
    1990–1996 VP of Access, AT&T (Lucent Technologies)
    Additional positions:
    2017–2022 Member of the Board of Directors, Motion Intelligence
    2012–2019 Chairman of the Board, Telecommunications Industry Association
    2015–2018 Board Director, Milestone Sports
    2006–2017 Member of the Board of Directors – Co-founder, Zyvex Performance Materials
    2002–2004 Member of the Board of Directors, Spatial Wireless (Alcatel Lucent)

    Victoria Hanharan, CV
    Born: 1988
    Nationality: US national
    Education:
    Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Marketing, Texas A&M University
    Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of Houston
    Experience:
    2015–2024 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

    • Vice President, Global Marketing – High Performance Compute & Artificial Intelligence (2023–2024)
    • Director, Chief of Staff – HPC & AI Business Unit (2021–2023)
    • Manager, Marketing Strategy (2019–2021)
    • Sr. Product Marketing Manager (2015–2019)

    2010–2015 St. Jude Medical

    • Product Marketing Manager, Neuromodulation Division (2013–2015)
    • Marketing Communications Coordinator (2010–2013)

    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 Communications
    Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications
    Phone: +358 10 448 4900
    Email: press.services@nokia.com

    Nokia Investor Relations
    Phone: +358 931 580 507
    Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

    The MIL Network –

  • Seeking unity, G7 meets amid escalating Ukraine, Middle East conflicts

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Leaders from the Group of Seven nations begin annual talks on Monday amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East that add to global economic uncertainty, as host Canada tries to avoid a clash with U.S. President Donald Trump.

    The G7 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S., along with the European Union, are convening in the resort of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies until Tuesday.

    But beyond the serene and picturesque mountain setting, they confront challenges. The first five months of Trump’s second term upended foreign policy on Ukraine, raised anxiety over his closer ties to Russia and resulted in tariffs on U.S. allies.

    With an escalating Israel-Iran conflict, which is spiking global oil prices, the summit in Canada is seen as a vital moment to try and restore a semblance of unity between democratic powerhouses.

    “The most important goal will be for the world’s seven largest industrial nations to reach agreement and take action,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said before attending his first G7.

    That will not be easy. After years of consensus, the traditional allies have scrambled to keep Trump engaged and maintain unity.

    Canada has abandoned any effort to adopt an all-encompassing comprehensive communique to avert a repeat of a 2018 summit in Quebec, when Trump instructed the U.S. delegation to withdraw its approval of the final communique after leaving.

    Instead, Ottawa has sought to get consensus for a chair’s statement that summarizes the key discussions and six other pre-negotiated declarations on issues such as migration, artificial intelligence and forest fires.

    Talks on Monday will centre around the economy, advancing trade deals, and China.

    Efforts to reach an agreement to lower the G7 price cap on Russian oil even if Trump decided to opt out have been complicated by the surge in oil prices since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 12, two diplomatic sources said.

    The escalation between the two regional foes is on the agenda, with diplomatic sources saying they hope to achieve at least a joint statement to urge restraint and a return to diplomacy.

    “We are united. Nobody wants to see Iran get a nuclear weapon and everyone wants discussions and negotiations to restart,” France’s President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Greenland on Sunday before travelling to Canada.

    He added that given Israel’s dependence on U.S. weapons and munitions, Washington had the capacity to restart negotiations.

    Trump said on Sunday many calls and meetings were taking place to broker peace.

    RUSSIAN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

    Highlighting the unease among some of Washington’s allies, Trump spoke on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested the Russian leader could play a mediation role.

    Macron dismissed the idea, arguing that Moscow could not be a negotiator because it had started an illegal war against Ukraine.

    A European diplomat said Trump’s suggestion showed that Russia, despite being kicked out of the group in 2014 after annexing Crimea, was very much on U.S. minds.

    “In the eyes of the U.S., there’s no condemnation for Ukraine; no peace without Russia; and now even credit for its mediation role with Iran. For Europeans, this will be a really tough G7,” the diplomat said.

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will attend the summit on Tuesday. European officials said they hoped to use the meeting, and next week’s NATO summit, to convince Trump to toughen his stance on Putin.

    “The G7 should have the objective for us to converge again, for Ukraine to get a ceasefire to lead to a robust and lasting peace, and in my view it’s a question of seeing whether President Trump is ready to put forward much tougher sanctions on Russia,” Macron said.

    (Reuters)

  • Seeking unity, G7 meets amid escalating Ukraine, Middle East conflicts

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Leaders from the Group of Seven nations begin annual talks on Monday amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East that add to global economic uncertainty, as host Canada tries to avoid a clash with U.S. President Donald Trump.

    The G7 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S., along with the European Union, are convening in the resort of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies until Tuesday.

    But beyond the serene and picturesque mountain setting, they confront challenges. The first five months of Trump’s second term upended foreign policy on Ukraine, raised anxiety over his closer ties to Russia and resulted in tariffs on U.S. allies.

    With an escalating Israel-Iran conflict, which is spiking global oil prices, the summit in Canada is seen as a vital moment to try and restore a semblance of unity between democratic powerhouses.

    “The most important goal will be for the world’s seven largest industrial nations to reach agreement and take action,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said before attending his first G7.

    That will not be easy. After years of consensus, the traditional allies have scrambled to keep Trump engaged and maintain unity.

    Canada has abandoned any effort to adopt an all-encompassing comprehensive communique to avert a repeat of a 2018 summit in Quebec, when Trump instructed the U.S. delegation to withdraw its approval of the final communique after leaving.

    Instead, Ottawa has sought to get consensus for a chair’s statement that summarizes the key discussions and six other pre-negotiated declarations on issues such as migration, artificial intelligence and forest fires.

    Talks on Monday will centre around the economy, advancing trade deals, and China.

    Efforts to reach an agreement to lower the G7 price cap on Russian oil even if Trump decided to opt out have been complicated by the surge in oil prices since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 12, two diplomatic sources said.

    The escalation between the two regional foes is on the agenda, with diplomatic sources saying they hope to achieve at least a joint statement to urge restraint and a return to diplomacy.

    “We are united. Nobody wants to see Iran get a nuclear weapon and everyone wants discussions and negotiations to restart,” France’s President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Greenland on Sunday before travelling to Canada.

    He added that given Israel’s dependence on U.S. weapons and munitions, Washington had the capacity to restart negotiations.

    Trump said on Sunday many calls and meetings were taking place to broker peace.

    RUSSIAN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

    Highlighting the unease among some of Washington’s allies, Trump spoke on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested the Russian leader could play a mediation role.

    Macron dismissed the idea, arguing that Moscow could not be a negotiator because it had started an illegal war against Ukraine.

    A European diplomat said Trump’s suggestion showed that Russia, despite being kicked out of the group in 2014 after annexing Crimea, was very much on U.S. minds.

    “In the eyes of the U.S., there’s no condemnation for Ukraine; no peace without Russia; and now even credit for its mediation role with Iran. For Europeans, this will be a really tough G7,” the diplomat said.

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will attend the summit on Tuesday. European officials said they hoped to use the meeting, and next week’s NATO summit, to convince Trump to toughen his stance on Putin.

    “The G7 should have the objective for us to converge again, for Ukraine to get a ceasefire to lead to a robust and lasting peace, and in my view it’s a question of seeing whether President Trump is ready to put forward much tougher sanctions on Russia,” Macron said.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Opens Ninety-First Session in Geneva

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women this morning opened its ninety-first session, hearing a statement from a representative of the Secretary-General and adopting its agenda and programme of work for the session.  During the session, the Committee will review the reports of Afghanistan, Botswana, Chad, Ireland, Mexico, San Marino and Thailand, and adopt concluding observations on the reports of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, which it reviewed during a technical cooperation session held in Fiji in April.

    Andrea Ori, Chief of the Groups in Focus Section, Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Representative of the Secretary-General, said he was pleased to announce the opening of the session, after the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was able to confirm it only last month due to the ongoing liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations.

    Mr. Ori said this year marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 of 31 October 2000, a landmark document that recognised the disproportionate impact of conflicts on women and girls and the crucial role of women in conflict prevention, conflict management and sustainable peace efforts.

    Noting with concern that some 120 conflicts were currently affecting civilians and communities worldwide, and that women and girls were primarily targeted by gender-based violence as a tactic of war, Mr. Ori commended the Committee on its work to update general recommendation 30, which provided authoritative guidance to States parties on concrete measures to ensure that women’s rights were protected before, during and after conflict.

    Mr. Ori also announced with regret that the global funding crisis was affecting the Committee’s work directly. Due to the lack of funding, the Office of the High Commissioner was planning and operating under the assumption that no Committee would have a third session.

    He concluded by thanking the Committee for its unwavering commitment and dedication to advancing women’s rights and wished it a successful and productive session.

    Nahla Haidar, Committee Chairperson, said that the Committee was meeting in one of the most challenging times for the multilateral system, amidst devastating conflicts, a weakening of the rule of law, and scarce resources.  Human rights mechanisms needed to be protected more than ever for the benefit of all stakeholders.

    During the meeting, the Chair and Committee Experts discussed the activities they had undertaken since the last session.  Bandana Rana, on behalf of Brenda Akia, Committee Rapporteur and Chairperson of the Pre-Sessional Working Group, and Jelena Pia-Comella, Committee Rapporteur on follow-up to concluding observations, also briefed the Committee on their work.

    The Committee’s ninety-first session is being held from 16 June to 4 July.  All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage.  Meeting summary releases can be found here.  The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage. 

    The Committee will next meet at 3 p.m. this today, Monday, 16 June, with the representatives of national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations of Mexico, Thailand and Ireland, whose reports will be reviewed this week. 

    Opening Statement

    ANDREA ORI, Chief of the Groups in Focus Section, Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Representative of the Secretary-General, said he was pleased to announce the opening of the session, after the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was able to confirm it only last month due to the ongoing liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations.  The Committee’s pre-sessional working group, scheduled to be held after this session, and the sessions of both Optional Protocol Working Groups directly preceding this session were cancelled due to lack of funding.

    This year marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 of 31 October 2000, a landmark document that recognised the disproportionate impact of conflicts on women and girls and the crucial role of women in conflict prevention, conflict management and sustainable peace efforts, reflecting international human rights norms.

    Some 120 conflicts were affecting civilians and communities worldwide, and women and girls were primarily targeted by gender-based violence, in particular sexual violence, as a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instil fear in, and displace communities.  Situations of insecurity, organised violence and armed conflicts exacerbated pre-existing gender inequalities and placed women and girls at an increased risk of gender-based violence.  Mr. Ori commended the Committee on its work to update general recommendation 30 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations, which provided authoritative guidance to States parties on concrete measures to ensure that women’s rights were protected before, during and after conflict, and highlighted the importance of women’s meaningful participation in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding.

    Mr. Ori welcomed that the Committee’s Chair would participate in the first panel of the 2025 annual full-day discussion on the human rights of women at the fifty-ninth session of the Human Rights Council, to be held on 24 June 2025 under the theme “Gender-based violence against women and girls in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings”.  The second panel of the Council’s annual full-day discussion would focus on the theme “Commemoration of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy focusing on overcoming barriers to women’s leadership in peace processes”.  

    Mr. Ori said the global funding crisis was affecting the Committee’s work directly.  It was highly likely that, for those treaty bodies with three annual sessions, the Office of the High Commissioner would not be able to secure the funding to hold their third session.  The Office was therefore planning and operating under the assumption that no Committee would have a third session. The Office had received only 73 per cent of its approved regular budget in 2025, and 87 per cent of its approved regular budget in 2024. 

    The United Nations Office at Geneva’s conference services had also adopted cash conservation measures, which would impact the conference support provided to the United Nations human rights treaty bodies, with an overall reduction of 10 per cent.  With further reduction of the allotment, the mandated activities of treaty bodies would be even more affected in 2025 than in 2024. This would impact the treaty bodies’ ability to hold dialogues with States parties and to take decisions on individual communications, resulting in further delays and backlogs, and the Office was obliged to significantly reduce treaty body capacity building activities. 

    All this caused real damage to predictability, which was so important for States, civil society organizations and rights-holders to engage with treaty bodies.  Given the overall reduction in funds and availability of support services, “business as usual” was no longer possible and the treaty bodies needed to plan on “doing less with less”.

    The thirty-seventh annual meeting of Chairpersons of human rights treaty bodies was able to meet in Geneva from 2 to 6 June.  The Chairs dedicated the meeting to the liquidity crisis, which was affecting the very existence of treaty bodies, and to discussing what could be done to increase predictability under the current financial and human constraints. 

    Mr. Ori said he was aware that the Committee had a heavy programme ahead for the next three weeks, including constructive dialogues with eight States parties, the consideration of several individual communications, and the adoption of an addendum to general recommendation 30 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations.  He concluded by thanking the Committee for its unwavering commitment and dedication to advancing women’s rights and wished it a successful and productive session.

    Questions by Committee Experts

    A Committee Expert said that more than 123 million people were currently displaced worldwide due to conflict situations, the majority of whom were women and children.  What could be the role of the United Nations in the future if it could not prevent these conflicts?

    Another Committee Expert asked why tens of countries were not providing the funds they had promised to provide. Was the United Nations considering reassessing its priorities to ensure that the Committee could hold three sessions each year?

    A Committee Expert said that the members of the Committee did not take the current situation lightly.  It was a grand shame and a disgust.  How could Member States let this happen?

    A Committee Expert said that reducing the activities of the treaty bodies would further silence them at this important moment.  Human rights systems needed to be reenforced, and this required resourcing.  How could this silencing be prevented?

    NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chairperson, said that it was unacceptable that the work of the treaty bodies was becoming less and less visible.  The Committee hoped that something would happen that would allow it to hold its third session in September.

    Responses by the Representative of the Secretary-General

    ANDREA ORI, Chief of the Groups in Focus Section, Human Rights Treaties Branch, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Representative of the Secretary-General, said the Office of the High Commissioner shared the Committee’s concerns. This was a turning point in multilateralism and in international law.  There were more than 120 conflicts in the world, the primary victims of which were women and children.  Authoritarian regimes were taking advantage of and working to weaken the multilateral system.

    Some 40 per cent of the United Nations’ regular budget depended on two States.  If one of those States decided not to pay its dues, that shook the entire Organization.  This was a major factor in the instability of the United Nations system.  The Secretary-General was working to reform the system through the “UN80” initiative, looking for solutions that kept it functioning with limited resources.

    The UN80 initiative was focused on reform.  This was an opportunity to reform the whole system rationally, to allow it to meet the challenges of today.  As part of the initiative, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was merging and regionalising its functions.  The Office was thinking optimistically but planning for the worst. It needed to be proactive rather than reactive and consider alternatives to stabilise the human rights system. The Committee also needed to consider alternative ways of carrying out its activities and reviewing States parties. Together, the Office and the Committee could find solutions for the challenges they faced by taking proactive decisions.

    Statements by Committee Experts

    NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chairperson, said that the Committee had taken decisions to increase the production of lists of issues prior to reporting.  The United Nations system needed to not be reactive, and UN80 needed to implement thoughtful rather than patchwork reforms.

    The Committee was meeting in one of the most challenging times for the multilateral system, amidst devastating conflicts, a weakening of the rule of law, and scarce resources.  Human rights mechanisms needed to be protected more than ever for the benefit of all stakeholders.

    Since the last session, the number of States parties that had ratified the Convention had remained at 189.  On 15 May 2025, San Marino accepted the amendment to article 20, paragraph one of the Convention concerning the Committee’s meeting time, bringing the total number of States parties having accepted the amendment to 82.  A total of 126 States parties to the Convention were currently required to accept the amendment for it to enter into force.  The number of States parties that had ratified the Optional Protocol remained at 115, but Estonia was in the process of ratification.

    Ms. Haidar said she was pleased to inform that since the last session, Afghanistan, Australia, Cyprus and Guinea-Bissau had submitted their periodic reports to the Committee.  The interim government of Syria had decided to withdraw the combined third and fourth periodic reports that had been submitted by the previous regime and submit a new report under the traditional reporting procedure.  The total number of States parties that had opted out from the simplified reporting procedure since the 2022 decision to make the simplified reporting procedure the default procedure remained at 13. 

    The Committee adopted its agenda and programme of work for the session, and Ms. Haidar and Committee Experts discussed the activities they had undertaken since the last session. 

    BANDANA RANA, on behalf of BRENDA AKIA, Committee Rapporteur and Chair of the Pre-Sessional Working Group, introduced the report of the pre-sessional Working Group for the ninety-first session, which met from 28 October to 1 November 2024 in Geneva.

    The Working Group prepared lists of issues and questions in relation to the reports of Botswana, Cabo Verde, Czech Republic, El Salvador and Lesotho, in addition to lists of issues and questions prior to the submission of the reports of Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Malta under the simplified reporting procedure.  The pre-sessional Working Group had the reports of these States parties, except for those of Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Malta, to be submitted in response to the respective lists of issues prior to reporting.  It further had before it the general recommendations adopted by the Committee; draft lists of issues and questions and lists of issues prior to reporting prepared by the Secretariat; and other pertinent information, including concluding observations of the Committee and other treaty bodies.  In preparing the lists, the Working Group paid particular attention to the States parties’ follow-up to the concluding observations of the Committee on their previous reports.  The Working Group benefited from written and oral information submitted by entities of the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations, as well as by national human rights institutions.  The lists of issues and questions and lists of issues prior to reporting adopted by the Working Group were transmitted to the States parties concerned.

    NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chairperson, said that, in light of the backlog of State party reports pending consideration by the Committee accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee had decided to postpone the consideration of the States parties referred to in the report of the pre-sessional Working Group to future sessions, with the exception of Botswana.  The Committee instead decided to, during the present session, consider the reports of Afghanistan, Botswana, Chad, Ireland, Mexico, San Marino and Thailand, and adopt concluding observations on Fiji, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, following country exchanges held during the Pacific technical cooperation session in Suva, Fiji from 7 to 11 April 2025.

    JELENA PIA-COMELLA, Committee Rapporteur on follow-up to concluding observations, briefed the Committee on the status of the follow-up reports received in response to the Committee’s concluding observations.  She said that at the end of the Committee’s ninetieth session, follow-up letters outlining the outcomes of assessments of follow-up reports were sent to Belgium, Gambia, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland.  Reminders were sent to Honduras, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Ukraine, as their follow-up reports were scheduled for consideration at the ninetieth session but had not been received.  Ukraine’s report had since been received and would be scheduled for assessment by the Committee at its ninety-second session in October 2025.

    For the present session, the Committee would consider follow-up reports from Finland and Georgia, both received on time; Bahrain and Norway, received with a one-month delay; Armenia, with more than two months’ delay; and Mongolia, Namibia and the United Arab Emirates with more than five months’ delay.  Reminders regarding the submission of follow-up reports would be sent to Costa Rica, Hungary and Mauritania.

    ___________

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

     

    CEDAW25.011E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Europe-wide takedown hits longest-standing dark web drug market

    Source: Europol

    Between 11 and 13 June, a series of coordinated actions took place across Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, targeting the platform’s administrator, moderators, key vendors, and technical infrastructure. Around 300 officers were deployed to carry out enforcement actions and secure critical evidence.Archetyp Market operated as a drug marketplace for over five years, amassing more than 600 000 users worldwide…

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Making Migrants Count: Experts Convene in Malmö to Close Gaps in Migration Data

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Malmö, Sweden, 16 June 2025 – Migration experts, policymakers, statisticians, and data scientists from around the world are convening in Malmö, Sweden, for the Fourth International Forum on Migration Statistics (IFMS) from 16 to 18 June. 

    The Forum provides a platform to share knowledge, experience, and best practices in improving migration data collection and better assessing its impacts. This year’s focus includes the gender dimensions of migration and leveraging innovative tools such as Big Data and artificial intelligence to track population movement more accurately. 

    “Behind every data point is a human story. Since 2014, over 72,000 migrants have died or gone missing on their journeys – a sobering reminder of the stakes involved,” said IOM Deputy Director General, Ugochi Daniels. “The IFMS plays a crucial role in bringing together global experts to ensure migration policies are grounded in evidence and save lives. As we look ahead, IOM is proud to lead the next edition of the Forum, continuing our shared mission to turn data into action for safer, more humane migration.” 

    Another major focus this year is the implementation of the revised United Nations Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration and Temporary Mobility. For the first time, these recommendations formally recognize a distinction between international migration and temporary mobility within global statistical frameworks, marking a significant milestone in understanding and reporting international migration. Implementation is now critical to ensure they translate into meaningful, comparable, and actionable data across countries. 

    Throughout the three-day Forum, experts from around the world will explore six core themes, ranging from developments in migration forecasting to the integration of data into policy processes. Sessions will also highlight how robust data can support regular migration pathways and dispel myths through fact-based narratives. 

    “This Forum is our direct contribution to Objective 1 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration: to strengthen the global evidence base on international migration by improving the collection, analysis and dissemination of high-quality, comparable migration data,” said Stefano Scarpetta, Director for Employment, Labour, and Social Affairs at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). “These days, more than ever, evidence-based policymaking is indispensable.” 

    “The expertise gathered in this Forum has a crucial role to play in making sure that perceptions about migration are aligned with facts,” said Ms. Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). “We must continue strengthening our evidence-based migration work to document the positive contributions of safe, orderly, and regular migration, while highlighting the risks associated with irregular and unsafe migration.” 

    Coinciding with the International Day of Family Remittances, this year’s Forum is organized by the OECD, in collaboration with IOM and UN DESA, with support from Malmö University and the Government of Sweden. The IFMS 2025 builds on the momentum of previous editions held in Paris (2018), Cairo (2020), and Santiago (2023), and marks a renewed commitment to evidence-based migration policy. 

    Plenary sessions of the Forum will be livestreamed via the event’s website. For the full agenda and registration details, visit: http://www.oecd-events.org/ifms2025 

    For more information, please contact: 

    Secretariat of the IFMS: ifms2025@oecd.org 
    United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA): 
    Helen Rosengren, rosengrenh@un.org 
    IOM Media Centre 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: Sydbank A/S share buyback programme: transactions in week 24

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Company Announcement No 27/2025

    		 Peberlyk 4
    6200 Aabenraa
    Denmark

    Tel +45 74 37 37 37
    Fax +45 74 37 35 36

    Sydbank A/S
    CVR No DK 12626509, Aabenraa
    sydbank.dk
    16 June 2025  

    Dear Sirs

    Sydbank A/S share buyback programme: transactions in week 24
    On 26 February 2025 Sydbank A/S announced a share buyback programme of DKK 1,350m. The share buyback programme commenced on 3 March 2025 and will be completed by 31 January 2026.

    The purpose of the share buyback programme is to reduce the share capital of Sydbank A/S and the programme is executed in compliance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016, collectively referred to as the Safe Harbour rules.

    The following transactions have been made under the share buyback programme:

      Number of shares VWAP Gross value (DKK)
    Accumulated, most recent
    Announcement

    983,000

    		  

    413,934,050.00
    09 June 2025 (public holiday)
    10 June 2025
    11 June 2025
    12 June 2025
    13 June 2025    		 –
    12,000
    12,000
    11,000
    11,000    		 –
    444.43
    445.49
    448.37
    448.54    		 –
    5,333,160.00
    5,345,880.00
    4,932,070.00
    4,933,940.00
    Total over week 24 46,000   20,545,050.00
    Total accumulated during the
    share buyback programme

    1,029,000

    		  

    434,479,100.00

    All transactions were made under ISIN DK 0010311471 and effected by Danske Bank A/S on behalf of Sydbank A/S.

    Further information about the transactions, cf Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on market abuse and Commission delegated regulation, is available in the attachment.

    Following the above transactions, Sydbank A/S holds a total of 1,030,375 own shares, equal to 2.01% of the Bank’s share capital.

    Yours sincerely
            
    Mark Luscombe        Jørn Adam Møller
    CEO        Deputy Group Chief Executive

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Israel’s attacks on Iran are already hurting global oil prices, and the impact is set to worsen

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Joaquin Vespignani, Associate Professor of Economics and Finance, University of Tasmania

    The weekend attacks on Iran’s oil facilities – widely seen as part of escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran – represent a dangerous moment for global energy security.

    While the physical damage to Iran’s production facilities is still being assessed, the broader strategic implications are already rippling through global oil markets. There is widespread concern about supply security and the inflationary consequences for both advanced and emerging economies.

    The global impact

    Iran, which holds about 9% of the world’s proven oil reserves, currently exports between 1.5 and 2 million barrels per day, primarily to China, despite long-standing United States sanctions.

    While its oil output is not as globally integrated as that of Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, any disruption to Iranian production or export routes – especially the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply flows – poses a systemic risk.

    Markets have already reacted. Brent crude prices rose more than US 6%, while West Texas Intermediate price increased by over US 5% immediately after the attacks.

    These price movements reflect not only short-term supply concerns but also the addition of a geopolitical risk premium due to fears of broader regional conflict.

    International oil prices may increase further as the conflict continues. Analysts expect that Australian petrol prices will increase in the next few weeks, as domestic fuel costs respond to international benchmarks with a lag.

    Escalation and strategic intentions

    There is growing concern this conflict could escalate further. In particular, Israel may intensify its targeting of Iranian oil facilities, as part of a broader strategy to weaken Iran’s economic capacity and deter further proxy activities.

    Should this occur, it would put even more upward pressure on global oil prices. Unlike isolated sabotage events, a sustained campaign against Iranian energy infrastructure would likely lead to tighter global supply conditions. This would be a near certainty if Iranian retaliatory actions disrupt shipping routes or neighbouring producers.

    Countries most affected

    Countries reliant on oil imports – especially in Asia – are the most exposed to such shocks in the short term.

    India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh rely heavily on Middle Eastern oil and are particularly vulnerable to both supply interruptions and price increases. These economies typically have limited strategic petroleum reserves and face external balance pressures when oil prices rise.

    China, despite being Iran’s largest oil customer, has greater insulation due to its diversified suppliers and substantial reserves.

    However, sustained instability in the Persian Gulf would raise freight and insurance costs even for Chinese refiners, especially if the Strait of Hormuz becomes a contested zone. The strait, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, provides the only sea access from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.

    Australia’s exposure

    Australia does not import oil directly from Iran. Most of its crude and refined products are sourced from countries including South Korea, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

    However, because Australian fuel prices are pegged to international benchmarks such as Brent and Singapore Mogas, domestic prices will rise in response to the global increase in oil prices, regardless of whether Australian refineries process Iranian oil.

    These price increases will have flow-on effects, raising transport and freight costs across the economy. Industries such as agriculture, logistics, aviation and construction will feel the pinch, and higher operating costs are likely to be passed on to consumers.

    Broader economic impacts

    The conflict could also disrupt global shipping routes, particularly if Iran retaliates through its proxies by targeting vessels in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, or Hormuz Strait.

    Any such disruption could drive up shipping insurance, delay delivery times, and compound existing global supply chain vulnerabilities. More broadly, this supply shock could rekindle inflationary pressures in many countries.

    For Australia, it could delay monetary easing by the Reserve Bank of Australia and reduce consumer confidence if household fuel costs rise significantly. Globally, central banks may adopt a more cautious approach to rate cuts if oil-driven inflation proves persistent.

    The attacks on Iran’s oil fields, and the likelihood of further escalation, present a renewed threat to global energy stability. Even though Australia does not import Iranian oil, it remains exposed through price transmission, supply chain effects and inflationary pressures.

    A sustained campaign targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure by Israel could amplify these risks, leading to a broader energy shock that would affect oil-importing economies worldwide.

    Strategic reserve management and diplomatic engagement will be essential to contain the fallout.

    Joaquin Vespignani is affiliated with the Centre for Australian Macroeconomic Analysis, Australian National University.

    – ref. Israel’s attacks on Iran are already hurting global oil prices, and the impact is set to worsen – https://theconversation.com/israels-attacks-on-iran-are-already-hurting-global-oil-prices-and-the-impact-is-set-to-worsen-259013

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: Italy name World Cup winner Gattuso as manager

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

    Former AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso has been appointed head coach of Italy’s national football team, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed Sunday, just days after Luciano Spalletti’s departure.

    Spalletti had taken charge of the Azzurri in August 2023 on a reported three-year deal, but resigned following a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign and a 3-0 loss to Norway in Italy’s opening 2026 World Cup qualifier earlier this month.

    Gennaro Gattuso, then head coach of Valencia, instructs players during the Orange Trophy match between Valencia CF of Spain and Atalanta of Italy in Valencia, Spain, on Aug. 6, 2022. (Photo by Pablo Morano/Xinhua)

    At a press conference prior to Italy’s second qualifier against Moldova, Spalletti announced he would step down after the match, despite Italy bouncing back with a 2-0 win.

    Gattuso, 47, spent the majority of his playing career with AC Milan, where he helped the Rossoneri to two Serie A titles and two UEFA Champions League crowns. He was also part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad.

    Since hanging up his boots in 2013, Gattuso has coached the likes of AC Milan, Napoli, Valencia and Marseille, and most recently spent the 2024/25 at the helm of Croatian side Hajduk Split.

    Italy currently sits third in World Cup Qualifying Group I with three points from two matches, while Norway leads the group with four straight wins.

    Only group winners from UEFA’s qualifiers will book direct spots to the 2026 tournament. Second-place teams will enter a playoff round – a scenario that has haunted Italy in recent years, with the Azzurri missing the last two World Cups after playoff defeats. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why Israel’s shock and awe has proven its power but lost the war

    COMMENTARY: By Antony Loewenstein

    War is good for business and geopolitical posturing.

    Before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington in early February for his first visit to the US following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, he issued a bold statement on the strategic position of Israel.

    “The decisions we made in the war [since 7 October 2023] have already changed the face of the Middle East,” he said.

    “Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further.”

    How should this redrawn map be assessed?

    Hamas is bloodied but undefeated in Gaza. The territory lies in ruins, leaving its remaining population with barely any resources to rebuild. Death and starvation stalk everyone.

    Hezbollah in Lebanon has suffered military defeats, been infiltrated by Israeli intelligence, and now faces few viable options for projecting power in the near future. Political elites speak of disarming Hezbollah, though whether this is realistic is another question.

    Morocco, Bahrain and the UAE accounted for 12 percent of Israel’s record $14.8bn in arms sales in 2024 — up from just 3 percent the year before

    In Yemen, the Houthis continue to attack Israel, but pose no existential threat.

    Meanwhile, since the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Israel has attacked and threatened Syria, while the new government in Damascus is flirting with Israel in a possible bid for “normalisation“.

    The Gulf states remain friendly with Israel, and little has changed in the last 20 months to alter this relationship.

    According to Israel’s newly released arms sales figures for 2024, which reached a record $14.8bn, Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates accounted for 12 percent of total weapons sales — up from just 3 percent in 2023.

    It is conceivable that Saudi Arabia will be coerced into signing a deal with Israel in the coming years, in exchange for arms and nuclear technology for the dictatorial kingdom.

    An Israeli and US-assisted war against Iran began on Friday.

    In the West Bank, Israel’s annexation plans are surging ahead with little more than weak European statements of concern. Israel’s plans for Greater Israel — vastly expanding its territorial reach — are well underway in Syria, Lebanon and beyond.

    Shifting alliances
     On paper, Israel appears to be riding high, boasting military victories and vanquished enemies. And yet, many Israelis and pro-war Jews in the diaspora do not feel confident or buoyed by success.

    Instead, there is an air of defeatism and insecurity, stemming from the belief that the war for Western public opinion has been lost — a sentiment reinforced by daily images of Israel’s campaign of deliberate mass destruction across the Gaza Strip.

    What Israel craves and desperately needs is not simply military prowess, but legitimacy in the public domain. And this is sorely lacking across virtually every demographic worldwide.

    It is why Israel is spending at least $150 million this year alone on “public diplomacy”.

    Get ready for an army of influencers, wined and dined in Tel Aviv’s restaurants and bars, to sell the virtues of Israeli democracy. Even pro-Israel journalists are beginning to question how this money is being spent, wishing Israeli PR were more responsive and effective.

    Today, Israeli Jews proudly back ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza in astoundingly high numbers. This reflects a Jewish supremacist mindset that is being fed a daily diet of extremist rhetoric in mainstream media.

    There is arguably no other Western country with such a high proportion of racist, genocidal mania permeating public discourse.

    According to a recent poll of Western European populations, Israel is viewed unfavourably in Germany, Denmark, France, Italy and Spain.

    Very few in these countries support Israeli actions. Only between 13 and 21 percent hold a positive view of Israel, compared to 63-70 percent who do not.

    The US-backed Pew Research Centre also released a global survey asking people in 24 countries about their views on Israel and Palestine. In 20 of the 24 nations, at least half of adults expressed a negative opinion of the Jewish state.

    A deeper reckoning
     Beyond Israel’s image problems lies a deeper question: can it ever expect full acceptance in the Middle East?

    Apart from kings, monarchs and elites from Dubai to Riyadh and Manama to Rabat, Israel’s vicious and genocidal actions since 7 October 2023 have rendered “normalisation” impossible with a state intent on building a Jewish theocracy that subjugates millions of Arabs indefinitely.

    While it is true that most states in the region are undemocratic, with gross human rights abuses a daily reality, Israel has long claimed to be different — “the only democracy in the Middle East”.

    But Israel’s entire political system, built with massive Western support and grounded in an unsustainable racial hierarchy, precludes it from ever being fully and formally integrated into the region.

    The American journalist Murtaza Hussain, writing for the US outlet Drop Site News, recently published a perceptive essay on this very subject.

    He argues that Israeli actions have been so vile and historically grave — comparable to other modern holocausts — that they cannot be forgotten or excused, especially as they are publicly carried out with the explicit goal of ethnically cleansing Palestine:

    “This genocide has been a political and cultural turning point beyond which we cannot continue as before. I express that with resignation rather than satisfaction, as it means that many generations of suffering are ahead on all sides.

    “Ultimately, the goal of Israel’s opponents must not be to replicate its crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, nor to indulge in nihilistic hatred for its own sake.

    “People in the region and beyond should work to build connections with those Israelis who are committed opponents of their regime, and who are ready to cooperate in the generational task of building a new political architecture.”

    The issue is not just Netanyahu and his government. All his likely successors hold similarly hardline views on Palestinian rights and self-determination.

    The monumental task ahead lies in crafting an alternative to today’s toxic Jewish theocracy.

    But this rebuilding must also take place in the West. Far too many Jews, conservatives and evangelical Christians continue to cling to the fantasy of eradicating, silencing or expelling Arabs from their land entirely.

    Pushing back against this fascism is one of the most urgent generational tasks of our time.

    Antony Loewenstein is an Australian/German independent, freelance, award-winning, investigative journalist, best-selling author and film-maker. In 2025, he released an award-winning documentary series on Al Jazeera English, The Palestine Laboratory, adapted from his global best-selling book of the same name. It won a major prize at the prestigious Telly Awards. This article is republished from Middle East Eye with permission.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why Israel’s shock and awe has proven its power but lost the war

    COMMENTARY: By Antony Loewenstein

    War is good for business and geopolitical posturing.

    Before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington in early February for his first visit to the US following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, he issued a bold statement on the strategic position of Israel.

    “The decisions we made in the war [since 7 October 2023] have already changed the face of the Middle East,” he said.

    “Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further.”

    How should this redrawn map be assessed?

    Hamas is bloodied but undefeated in Gaza. The territory lies in ruins, leaving its remaining population with barely any resources to rebuild. Death and starvation stalk everyone.

    Hezbollah in Lebanon has suffered military defeats, been infiltrated by Israeli intelligence, and now faces few viable options for projecting power in the near future. Political elites speak of disarming Hezbollah, though whether this is realistic is another question.

    Morocco, Bahrain and the UAE accounted for 12 percent of Israel’s record $14.8bn in arms sales in 2024 — up from just 3 percent the year before

    In Yemen, the Houthis continue to attack Israel, but pose no existential threat.

    Meanwhile, since the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Israel has attacked and threatened Syria, while the new government in Damascus is flirting with Israel in a possible bid for “normalisation“.

    The Gulf states remain friendly with Israel, and little has changed in the last 20 months to alter this relationship.

    According to Israel’s newly released arms sales figures for 2024, which reached a record $14.8bn, Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates accounted for 12 percent of total weapons sales — up from just 3 percent in 2023.

    It is conceivable that Saudi Arabia will be coerced into signing a deal with Israel in the coming years, in exchange for arms and nuclear technology for the dictatorial kingdom.

    An Israeli and US-assisted war against Iran began on Friday.

    In the West Bank, Israel’s annexation plans are surging ahead with little more than weak European statements of concern. Israel’s plans for Greater Israel — vastly expanding its territorial reach — are well underway in Syria, Lebanon and beyond.

    Shifting alliances
     On paper, Israel appears to be riding high, boasting military victories and vanquished enemies. And yet, many Israelis and pro-war Jews in the diaspora do not feel confident or buoyed by success.

    Instead, there is an air of defeatism and insecurity, stemming from the belief that the war for Western public opinion has been lost — a sentiment reinforced by daily images of Israel’s campaign of deliberate mass destruction across the Gaza Strip.

    What Israel craves and desperately needs is not simply military prowess, but legitimacy in the public domain. And this is sorely lacking across virtually every demographic worldwide.

    It is why Israel is spending at least $150 million this year alone on “public diplomacy”.

    Get ready for an army of influencers, wined and dined in Tel Aviv’s restaurants and bars, to sell the virtues of Israeli democracy. Even pro-Israel journalists are beginning to question how this money is being spent, wishing Israeli PR were more responsive and effective.

    Today, Israeli Jews proudly back ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza in astoundingly high numbers. This reflects a Jewish supremacist mindset that is being fed a daily diet of extremist rhetoric in mainstream media.

    There is arguably no other Western country with such a high proportion of racist, genocidal mania permeating public discourse.

    According to a recent poll of Western European populations, Israel is viewed unfavourably in Germany, Denmark, France, Italy and Spain.

    Very few in these countries support Israeli actions. Only between 13 and 21 percent hold a positive view of Israel, compared to 63-70 percent who do not.

    The US-backed Pew Research Centre also released a global survey asking people in 24 countries about their views on Israel and Palestine. In 20 of the 24 nations, at least half of adults expressed a negative opinion of the Jewish state.

    A deeper reckoning
     Beyond Israel’s image problems lies a deeper question: can it ever expect full acceptance in the Middle East?

    Apart from kings, monarchs and elites from Dubai to Riyadh and Manama to Rabat, Israel’s vicious and genocidal actions since 7 October 2023 have rendered “normalisation” impossible with a state intent on building a Jewish theocracy that subjugates millions of Arabs indefinitely.

    While it is true that most states in the region are undemocratic, with gross human rights abuses a daily reality, Israel has long claimed to be different — “the only democracy in the Middle East”.

    But Israel’s entire political system, built with massive Western support and grounded in an unsustainable racial hierarchy, precludes it from ever being fully and formally integrated into the region.

    The American journalist Murtaza Hussain, writing for the US outlet Drop Site News, recently published a perceptive essay on this very subject.

    He argues that Israeli actions have been so vile and historically grave — comparable to other modern holocausts — that they cannot be forgotten or excused, especially as they are publicly carried out with the explicit goal of ethnically cleansing Palestine:

    “This genocide has been a political and cultural turning point beyond which we cannot continue as before. I express that with resignation rather than satisfaction, as it means that many generations of suffering are ahead on all sides.

    “Ultimately, the goal of Israel’s opponents must not be to replicate its crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, nor to indulge in nihilistic hatred for its own sake.

    “People in the region and beyond should work to build connections with those Israelis who are committed opponents of their regime, and who are ready to cooperate in the generational task of building a new political architecture.”

    The issue is not just Netanyahu and his government. All his likely successors hold similarly hardline views on Palestinian rights and self-determination.

    The monumental task ahead lies in crafting an alternative to today’s toxic Jewish theocracy.

    But this rebuilding must also take place in the West. Far too many Jews, conservatives and evangelical Christians continue to cling to the fantasy of eradicating, silencing or expelling Arabs from their land entirely.

    Pushing back against this fascism is one of the most urgent generational tasks of our time.

    Antony Loewenstein is an Australian/German independent, freelance, award-winning, investigative journalist, best-selling author and film-maker. In 2025, he released an award-winning documentary series on Al Jazeera English, The Palestine Laboratory, adapted from his global best-selling book of the same name. It won a major prize at the prestigious Telly Awards. This article is republished from Middle East Eye with permission.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Israel’s attacks on Iran are already hurting global oil prices, and the impact is set to worsen

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joaquin Vespignani, Associate Professor of Economics and Finance, University of Tasmania

    The weekend attacks on Iran’s oil facilities – widely seen as part of escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran – represent a dangerous moment for global energy security.

    While the physical damage to Iran’s production facilities is still being assessed, the broader strategic implications are already rippling through global oil markets. There is widespread concern about supply security and the inflationary consequences for both advanced and emerging economies.

    The global impact

    Iran, which holds about 9% of the world’s proven oil reserves, currently exports between 1.5 and 2 million barrels per day, primarily to China, despite long-standing United States sanctions.

    While its oil output is not as globally integrated as that of Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, any disruption to Iranian production or export routes – especially the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply flows – poses a systemic risk.

    Markets have already reacted. Brent crude prices rose more than US 6%, while West Texas Intermediate price increased by over US 5% immediately after the attacks.

    These price movements reflect not only short-term supply concerns but also the addition of a geopolitical risk premium due to fears of broader regional conflict.

    International oil prices may increase further as the conflict continues. Analysts expect that Australian petrol prices will increase in the next few weeks, as domestic fuel costs respond to international benchmarks with a lag.

    Escalation and strategic intentions

    There is growing concern this conflict could escalate further. In particular, Israel may intensify its targeting of Iranian oil facilities, as part of a broader strategy to weaken Iran’s economic capacity and deter further proxy activities.

    Should this occur, it would put even more upward pressure on global oil prices. Unlike isolated sabotage events, a sustained campaign against Iranian energy infrastructure would likely lead to tighter global supply conditions. This would be a near certainty if Iranian retaliatory actions disrupt shipping routes or neighbouring producers.

    Countries most affected

    Countries reliant on oil imports – especially in Asia – are the most exposed to such shocks in the short term.

    India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh rely heavily on Middle Eastern oil and are particularly vulnerable to both supply interruptions and price increases. These economies typically have limited strategic petroleum reserves and face external balance pressures when oil prices rise.

    China, despite being Iran’s largest oil customer, has greater insulation due to its diversified suppliers and substantial reserves.

    However, sustained instability in the Persian Gulf would raise freight and insurance costs even for Chinese refiners, especially if the Strait of Hormuz becomes a contested zone. The strait, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, provides the only sea access from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.

    Australia’s exposure

    Australia does not import oil directly from Iran. Most of its crude and refined products are sourced from countries including South Korea, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

    However, because Australian fuel prices are pegged to international benchmarks such as Brent and Singapore Mogas, domestic prices will rise in response to the global increase in oil prices, regardless of whether Australian refineries process Iranian oil.

    These price increases will have flow-on effects, raising transport and freight costs across the economy. Industries such as agriculture, logistics, aviation and construction will feel the pinch, and higher operating costs are likely to be passed on to consumers.

    Broader economic impacts

    The conflict could also disrupt global shipping routes, particularly if Iran retaliates through its proxies by targeting vessels in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, or Hormuz Strait.

    Any such disruption could drive up shipping insurance, delay delivery times, and compound existing global supply chain vulnerabilities. More broadly, this supply shock could rekindle inflationary pressures in many countries.

    For Australia, it could delay monetary easing by the Reserve Bank of Australia and reduce consumer confidence if household fuel costs rise significantly. Globally, central banks may adopt a more cautious approach to rate cuts if oil-driven inflation proves persistent.

    The attacks on Iran’s oil fields, and the likelihood of further escalation, present a renewed threat to global energy stability. Even though Australia does not import Iranian oil, it remains exposed through price transmission, supply chain effects and inflationary pressures.

    A sustained campaign targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure by Israel could amplify these risks, leading to a broader energy shock that would affect oil-importing economies worldwide.

    Strategic reserve management and diplomatic engagement will be essential to contain the fallout.

    Joaquin Vespignani is affiliated with the Centre for Australian Macroeconomic Analysis, Australian National University.

    – ref. Israel’s attacks on Iran are already hurting global oil prices, and the impact is set to worsen – https://theconversation.com/israels-attacks-on-iran-are-already-hurting-global-oil-prices-and-the-impact-is-set-to-worsen-259013

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Gender Parity & Tokenization Explained | WEF | Top Stories Week

    Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)

    This week’s top stories of the week include:

    0:15 Gender parity: who leads the way? – Only 10 countries have closed their gender gaps by 80% or more – and Iceland, which has retained top spot for the 16th year in a row, is the only one to have surpassed the 90% mark. The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 tracks progress on #genderparity across 4 dimensions in 148 countries. Women’s inclusion at work is about more than a moral principle: it has been proven to drive economic growth.

    2:41 Tokenization, explained – The traditional world of investing is getting an update, with the arrival of something called ‘tokenization’. Tokenization means creating digital representations of assets via the blockchain so they can be traded, tracked and managed more easily. The tokens are effectively ‘digital deeds’, says Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock. But what are the advantages of tokens?

    4:26 How robots stopped an eco disaster – A software platform powered by AI uses the data to build a precise digital model, which can give astonishingly detailed insights into the health and integrity of vital infrastructure such as bridges and power plants, and can ultimately save lives, cut the costs and risks associated with maintenance, and reduce CO2 emissions. Jake Loosararian, Co-founder and CEO, Gecko Robotics, explains how it all works.

    8:30 How one town saved its reef – From near collapse to a conservation miracle: Cabo Pulmo’s ancient reef was dying 30 years ago. Today, it’s a thriving underwater paradise fuelling wildlife and local ecotourism. How did it happen? Collaboration – between government, scientists and the local community.
    ____________________________________________

    The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba-AivAFxAk

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Foreign Minister Valtonen to meet ministers from Kenya, Benin, Costa Rica and Thailand

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

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    Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya Musalia Mudavadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica Arnoldo André Tinoco and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand Russ Jalichandra in connection with the Kultaranta Talks on 16–17 June.

    At the Kultaranta presidential summer residence, the ministers, together with Foreign Minister Valtonen, will engage in a panel discussion entitled “Accumulation of Shocks at the Global Level – What the West Should Understand” on 16 June. They will discuss regional and international developments that challenge the rules-based international order.

    “With many transformations taking place in the world, I am pleased that we will have views from different continents at Kultaranta. We have several shared interests despite the long distances between us,” says Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.

    In their bilateral meetings, the ministers will discuss, among other topics, bilateral relations, topical regional and multilateral issues and economic and trade cooperation.

    The Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) will broadcast the Kultaranta Talks live on Yle TV1 and Yle Areena.

    More information about the Kultaranta Talks: Press release by the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

    – on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.

    MIL OSI Africa –