NewzIntel.com

Category: Scandinavia

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

    Source: Government of Qatar

    Stockholm, June 11 

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

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

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Mission facilitates participation of Parliament representatives in ODIHR workshop on gender equality

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Mission facilitates participation of Parliament representatives in ODIHR workshop on gender equality

    MPs Radinka Ćinćur and Artan Čobi at the ODIHR workshop “Realizing Gender Equality in and by Parliaments” in Helsinki, Finland, 3 June 2025. (Parliament of Montenegro) Photo details

    The OSCE Mission to Montenegro facilitated the participation of three representatives of the Parliament of Montenegro in the ODIHR workshop “Realizing Gender Equality in and by Parliaments.” The workshop, which was held from 3 to 4 June in Helsinki, was organized on the occasion of 30th anniversary of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action.
    Two MPs, Radinka Ćinćur and Artan Čobi, both members of the Gender Equality Committee, alongside Tamara Pešić, advisor in the same Committee, shared experiences and gained insights into good practices of parliaments regarding gender equality and gender mainstreaming.
    During the workshop, Pešić delivered a presentation on Parliament’s Gender Action Plan. She underscored Montenegro’s pioneering role as one of the first countries to developed such a document. However, she also acknowledged that significant efforts are still required to efficiently resolve persistent issues in the area of gender equality.
    The event convened over 80 parliamentary representatives and addressed topical issues such as including the roles of parliamentary bodies in promoting gender equality, gender mainstreaming within the legislative process, the engagement of male politicians in gender equality initiatives, and strategies for addressing violence against women in politics.
    A noteworthy outcome of the workshop was the drafting and endorsement of the “Helsinki Principles on Gender-sensitive Parliaments in the OSCE Region.” This document represents a commitment from parliaments to actively address identified challenges and establish guidelines for further action.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to modelling study on the impact of a weakened AMOC on the European climate

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

     A modelling study published in Geophysical Research Letters looks at the impact of a weakened AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) on European climate. 

    Prof Richard Allan, Professor of Climate Science, University of Reading, said:

    “Although scientists are moderately confident that the North Atlantic ocean overturning circulation will not fizzle out this century, given the dire consequences for global weather patterns it is important to test the ground for these unlikely but high impact possibilities, in the same way that we insure our homes against improbable calamity.  

    “Since warm upper ocean currents keep Europe milder than it would otherwise be, the simulations of an abrupt shut down in this circulation show temperatures drop like a stone in winter, while less influence in summer means hot extremes still worsen with greenhouse gas heating. Such marked winter cooling in the North Atlantic and Europe in contrast to a background of greenhouse gas warming across the rest of the world would also play havoc with wind patterns and weather systems over the continent and more widely across the globe.  

    “The new study is by no means the last word since it only considers one modelling centre’s simulations that may not be realistic and are not expected to play out in the real world over next few decades. But even the mere possibility of this dire storyline unfolding over coming centuries underscores the need to forensically monitor what is happening in our oceans and to continue building momentum across all sectors of society to cut greenhouse gas emissions which are driving our climate into dangerous, uncharted territory.”

     

    Prof Jon Robson, Research Fellow at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading, said:

    “A collapse in the strength of the AMOC would have serious implications, including for people living in Europe. This research adds to a growing worry that a collapse in the strength of the AMOC could mean sharp drops in European winter temperatures and increases in winter storminess across Northern Europe, even in a globally warming climate.

    “There remains, however, a long list of questions, including whether such a collapse is likely in the real world, how quickly it could unfold, and what the precise impacts would be. It is critical that we continue to deepen our understanding of such events and their implications using all available approaches and across a range of simulations.

    “Ultimately, continued greenhouse gas emissions only heightens the risks that we could unwittingly trigger such a calamity, further underlining the importance of reaching net zero.

    Dr Karsten Haustein, Climate Scientist, Leipzig University, said:

    “I believe their statement is a bit too assertive. I’d rather say ‘A strongly reduced AMOC state and intermediate global warming…could have a profound cooling effect on Northwestern Europe with more intense cold extremes.’

    “There’s a strong north-south gradient in how much the cold extremes intensify. The UK (as well as Ireland, Iceland) and Scandinavia are most affected, with little change for countries south of the North and Baltic Sea.

    “Most importantly though, it is absolutely vital to stress that warm extremes continue to increase. In other words, summer temperatures continue to go up, with heatwaves remaining or becoming the main threat linked to climate change. Accordingly, the seasonality of temperature extremes strongly increases over NW Europe, as the authors rightly point out.

    “In short, the climate in NW Europe is potentially becoming more continental, with colder winter and hotter summer extremes. Not great either, but a rather different message compared to their statement.

    “The study builds on existing evidence, but takes it a step further. Now greenhouse gas induced anthropogenic warming is included in the analysis, allowing to assess their balancing effect compared to scenarios without additional warming. The methods and model data are solid. Since only one climate model is used, they run two different experiments to account for the range of uncertainty (high and low freshwater flux forcing). Based on the results, it is fair to say that a collapse of the AMOC is still not a certain outcome under moderate warming conditions (RCP4.5).

    “In fact, their results indicate that moderate warming might not be enough for an AMOC collapse, which – even if it does occur – does not necessarily rescue NW Europe from intensified summer heat.

    Dr Alejandra Sanchez-Franks, Senior Research Scientist in Physical Oceanography, Marine Physics and Ocean Climate (MPOC), National Oceanography Centre, said:

    “While these modelling studies are of great value to our community, it is important to be aware that our observational ocean records have not yet captured a tipping point, so the results of this study and their immediate impact on the real world must be interpreted with caution.”

    Dr Dafydd Gwyn Evans, Senior Research Scientist in Physical Oceanography, National Oceanography Centre, said:

    “This is an interesting study that provides some useful information from a theoretical point of view, but we shouldn’t use the conclusions of this study to inform us as to how the AMOC and European climate will respond to potential short term AMOC changes. The study uses an idealised experiment with unrealistic freshwater changes to force an AMOC collapse. Very importantly, the author’s conclusions refer to the European climate 200 years after an AMOC change and do not describe what will happen to European temperatures and sea-ice in the years/decades following an AMOC collapse. Therefore, the study does not serve to tell us how an AMOC tipping point / collapse will affect us immediately.”

    Dr Bablu Sinha, Leader of Climate and Uncertainty, Marine Systems Modelling (MSM), National Oceanography Centre, said:

    “The results are physically plausible and in line with what we know from previous modelling studies and physical reasoning. We have always expected there to be opposing effects from greenhouse warming versus AMOC shutdown but as far as I know this is the first study that tries to quantify that (suggesting that moderate greenhouse warming would not be enough to outweigh the AMOC related cooling), even though there are many caveats. The study also highlights the important influence of sea ice changes on the climate impacts.”

    Dr Jenny Mecking, Research Scientist, National Oceanography Centre, said:

    “Given that observational data is limited theoretical climate modelling approaches need to be taken to properly investigate this topic.  Van Westen and Baatsen motivate the need for more detailed investigation into the combined impacts of global warming and AMOC decline on European extreme temperatures.”

    ‘European Temperature Extremes under Different AMOC Scenarios in the Community Earth System Model’ by Rene M. van Westen and Michiel L.J. Baatsen was published in Geophysical Research Letters at 2pm UK time on Wednesday 11 June 2025. 

    Declared interests

    Richard Allan: “no conflicts of interest”

    Jon Robson: “I do not have any interests to declare”

    Karsten Haustein: “No conflict of interest”

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: You’re probably richer than you think because of the safety net – but you’d have more of that hidden wealth if you lived in Norway

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Robert Manduca, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan

    You may be wealthier than you realize. Deagreez/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    How wealthy are you?

    Like most people, you probably would do some math before answering this question. You would add up the money in your bank accounts, the value of your investments and any equity in a home you own, then subtract your debts, such as mortgages and car loans.

    But many economists believe this approach, known as calculating your net worth, leaves out a big chunk of your wealth: the benefits you’ll get in the future from Social Security, if you live in the United States, or similar government benefits programs that help retirees pay their bills in other countries.

    As a sociologist who studies income and wealth inequality, I wanted to figure out just how much government safety net programs are worth to their recipients, and whether they truly can substitute for private savings.

    A $40 trillion trove

    A team of researchers recently estimated that future Social Security payments amounted to more than US$40 trillion as of 2019 – about $123,000 for everyone in the U.S. That huge number, which is not adjusted for inflation, was nearly one-third of the $110 trillion of Americans’ collective net worth in that year.

    In a recent peer-reviewed study, published in April 2025 in Socio-Economic Review, I found that even this expanded definition of wealth leaves some important things out: unemployment insurance, the child tax credit and other widely available benefits. People who have access to these programs don’t have to dip into their savings as much when unexpected costs come up.

    Social Security is by far the largest of these programs. As of 2019, the typical worker nearing retirement had banked about $412,000 in future Social Security benefits, I found – nearly as much as the $472,000 in private retirement savings such workers had. This estimate doesn’t include Social Security benefits to orphans, widows or people with disabilities.

    The value of Social Security retirement benefits varies according to workers’ income and work history, ranging from $271,000 for the poorest 10% of recipients to $669,000 for the richest 10%.

    Benefits from smaller safety net programs can also add up. Because some programs differ by state, I analyzed California and Texas, the two largest states. In California, I calculated that the average 45-year-old worker can count on almost $12,000 in unemployment insurance over 26 weeks, while in Texas the same worker would be eligible for more than $15,000 over the same period.

    Meanwhile, under current law, many families having a child in 2025 can expect to receive about $29,000 through the federal child tax credit over the course of that kid’s lifetime.

    Texas doesn’t mandate paid family leave, but California requires that each parent receive eight weeks of their salary. That’s worth another $13,000 to a family earning $90,000 a year – the median in my study – and more if the parents have higher incomes.

    Where there’s even more hidden wealth

    These somewhat hidden sources of wealth are worth far more in many other countries, especially Scandinavian ones. Norway provides a useful contrast.

    The typical Norwegian worker retires with more than $510,000 in public pension wealth, I calculated. The exact amount they collect will vary depending on what they’ve earned and how long they live, as is the case with Social Security. But, unlike in the U.S., if they get sick, Norwegians are eligible for a up to a year of paid sick leave – worth about $57,000 to the median worker.

    Norwegians can get unemployment insurance benefits for almost two years, amounting to $70,000 for the average worker, depending on their wages. And the combination of Norway’s child benefit and parental leave is worth between $60,000 and $80,000 from the time each child is born until they turn 18, depending on the parents’ exact income.

    In the past few years, researchers have estimated the wealth value of public pensions – though not other government benefits – in several countries, including Australia, Austria, Germany, Poland and Switzerland, among others.

    In many nations, this value rivals or exceeds that of all stocks, real estate and other private assets held by their residents combined.

    Because so many people are eligible for Social Security or its equivalent public pension programs in other countries, there is also much less inequality in total retirement wealth than in standard measures of net worth.

    Wealth vs. income

    Wealth is much more unequally distributed than income just about everywhere. In the United States, for example, the richest 5% of the population has 32% of all income, but 70% of all wealth.

    Wealth inequality has grown over time, and the Black-white wealth gap in the United States is particularly large. While typical Black families have incomes that are about 56% of what white families earn, they own only 18% as much wealth as the typical white family.

    For these reasons, many politicians, scholars and activists have proposed ambitious policies to reduce inequality in private wealth, such as a wealth tax. Another idea gaining in popularity is to start issuing “baby bonds,” which give each newborn a prefunded savings account.

    Wealth embedded in government benefits offers a complementary method of addressing wealth inequality. Even today, when Social Security and similar pension programs in other places are counted alongside private savings, inequality in retirement wealth is much lower than in privately held wealth alone.

    Less flexible source of wealth

    To be sure, the wealth you’re eventually due through Social Security and other government programs isn’t the same as the private assets you might own.

    You can’t sell or borrow against your future Social Security benefits to meet an unexpected expense or make a down payment on a home. And if you die before reaching retirement age, you won’t receive any payments from the Social Security system yourself, although your spouse or heirs may be eligible for survivor benefits.

    Also, government programs are not set in stone. Eligibility requirements can change, and benefit levels can be cut.

    For instance, if the Social Security trust fund is depleted, retirees could see their benefits decline. But private wealth is also never guaranteed to last: Stock values can fluctuate wildly, and inflation erodes the value of any cash you’ve saved over time.

    For these reasons, having a combination of private savings and government benefits offers the most promising way for everyone to prepare for their future. This can also help society address wealth inequality.

    Robert Manduca has received funding from the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.

    – ref. You’re probably richer than you think because of the safety net – but you’d have more of that hidden wealth if you lived in Norway – https://theconversation.com/youre-probably-richer-than-you-think-because-of-the-safety-net-but-youd-have-more-of-that-hidden-wealth-if-you-lived-in-norway-255833

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN participates in the Oslo Forum 2025 in Oslo, Norway

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, participated in the Oslo Forum 2025, held in Oslo, Norway, on 11 June 2025, where he delivered remarks on “Derisking disorder: Asia’s playbook for conflict prevention and management.”
    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN participates in the Oslo Forum 2025 in Oslo, Norway appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

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

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Human Rights Council to Hold its Fifty-Ninth Regular Session from 16 June to 9 July 2025

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its fifty-ninth regular session from 16 June to 9 July 2025 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. 

    The session will open at 10 a.m. on Monday, 16 June under the presidency of Ambassador Jürg Lauber of Switzerland.  The opening will be addressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who will present his annual report.  The Council will be meeting in room XX of the Palais des Nations.

    Over almost four weeks, the Council will consider more than 60 reports presented by the Secretariat of the United Nations and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, human rights experts and other investigative bodies on numerous topics and relevant to the situation of human rights in more than 40 countries.  In total, the Council will hold 32 interactive dialogues. 

    During the session, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner on his annual report under agenda item two; on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under agenda item four; and on Ukraine and Colombia under agenda item 10. 

    The Council will hold enhanced interactive dialogues under agenda item two with  the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and on the oral update of the Fact-Finding Mission on the human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Under agenda item four, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, with the participation of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

    On climate change, the Council will hold its annual panel on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights, followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on climate change. The Council will also hold its annual panel on technical cooperation and capacity-building. 

    Under agenda item three, the Council will hold its annual panel discussion on women’s rights, and a panel on safe drinking water and sanitation.  It will also hold interactive dialogues on summary executions, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, transnational corporations, education, health, leprosy (Hansen’s disease), sexual orientation and gender identity, migrants, internally displaced persons, prevention of genocide, trafficking, extreme poverty, discrimination against women and girls, violence against women and girls, judges and lawyers, and international solidarity.   

    The Council will also hear the presentation of the Secretary-General’s interim report on the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, under agenda item 10. Further, it will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea and the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel, under agenda item two; and with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi under agenda item four. The Council will also hear oral updates from the Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan under agenda item two and from the Commission of Inquiry on Syria under agenda item four. 

    Additionally, the Council will hold interactive dialogues under agenda item seven with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and under agenda item nine with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.  Under agenda item 10, it will hold an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic. 

    The final outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of 14 States will also be considered, namely those of Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Madagascar, Iraq, Slovenia, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    A detailed agenda and further information on the fifty-ninth session can be found on the session’s web page.  Reports to be presented are available here. All meetings of this session are broadcast on UN Web TV. 

    First Week of the Session

    The fifty-ninth regular session will open on Monday, 16 June under the presidency of Ambassador Jürg Lauber. After the opening, the Council will begin considerations under agenda item two, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, will present his annual report.  Subsequently, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. This will be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue on the oral update of the Fact-Finding Mission on the human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

    On Tuesday, 17 June, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s annual report, followed by an interactive dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel.  At the end of the day, it will hear the presentation of an oral update by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan. 

    On Wednesday, 18 June, the Council will commence discussions under agenda item three on the promotion and protection of all human rights, holding interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, which will conclude on Thursday, 19 June. This will be followed by interactive dialogues with the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. 

    On Friday, 20 June, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy (Hansen’s disease) and their family members, the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. 

    Second Week of the Session

    In its second week, the Council will conclude its interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons on Monday, 23 June.  It will then hold interactive dialogues with the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

    The Council will start Tuesday, 24 June, with the first part of its annual discussion on women’s rights, focusing on gender-based violence against women and girls in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.  In the afternoon, the second part of the annual discussion on women’s rights will be held, focusing on the commemoration of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy and on overcoming barriers to women’s leadership in peace processes.

    On Wednesday, 25 June, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity. 

    The Council will start Thursday, 26 June, with a panel discussion on the realisation of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, followed by the presentation of reports under agenda item three.  In the afternoon, it will start its consideration of reports under agenda item four on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention, hearing the presentation of an oral update by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, followed by interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, and on the oral update of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi. 

    On Friday, 27 June, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, and the oral update of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the situation of human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and the presentation of the High Commissioner’s oral update on the situation of human rights in Nicaragua.

    Third Week of the Session

    The Council will begin its third week on Monday, 30 June, with its annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights, focusing on facilitating just transitions in the context of addressing the impacts of climate change on human rights.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change.  It will then hear the presentation of the report of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises on the thirteenth session of the Forum on Business and Human Rights under agenda item five on human rights bodies and mechanisms.

    The Council will next start its consideration under item six of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Madagascar, Iraq, Slovenia, Egypt, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will conclude at the end of the day on Wednesday, 2 July. 

    On Thursday, 3 July, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, under agenda item seven on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, under agenda item nine on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance. 

    In the afternoon, the Council will begin discussions under item 10 on technical assistance and capacity-building, with interactive dialogues on the oral presentation of the High Commissioner regarding his Office’s periodic report on the situation of human rights in Ukraine, and on the interim report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the enhancement of technical assistance and capacity-building to assist Colombia in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition. 

    On Friday, 4 July, the Council will hold its annual panel discussion on technical cooperation and capacity-building, focusing on the role of technical cooperation and capacity-building in strengthening national structures which play a role in promoting and safeguarding human rights, particularly national human rights institutions and national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up. 

    This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the oral update of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic.

    In the afternoon, the Council will hear the presentation of the report of the High Commissioner relating to cooperation with Georgia.  It will then start taking action on draft resolutions and decisions. 

    Fourth Week of the Session

    The final week of the Council will be devoted to taking action on draft resolutions and decisions and the appointment of a member of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development and a member of the Working Group on arbitrary detention.  The session will conclude on Wednesday, 9 July.

    The Human Rights Council

    The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, made up of 47 States, which is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.  The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them.

    The composition of the Human Rights Council at its fifty-ninth session is as follows: Albania (2026); Algeria (2025); Bangladesh (2025); Belgium (2025); Benin (2027); Bolivia (2027); Brazil (2026); Bulgaria (2026); Burundi (2026); Chile (2025); China (2026); Colombia (2027); Costa Rica (2025); Côte d’Ivoire (2026); Cuba (2026); Cyprus (2027); Czechia (2027); Democratic Republic of the Congo (2027); Dominican Republic (2026); Ethiopia (2027); France (2026); Gambia (2027); Georgia (2025); Germany (2025); Ghana (2026); Iceland (2027); Indonesia (2026); Japan (2026); Kenya (2027); Kuwait (2026); Kyrgyzstan (2025); Malawi (2026); Maldives (2025); Marshall Islands (2027); Mexico (2027); Morocco (2025); Netherlands (2026); North Macedonia (2027); Qatar (2027); Republic of Korea (2027); Romania (2025); South Africa (2025); Spain (2027); Sudan (2025); Switzerland (2027); Thailand (2027); and Viet Nam (2025).

    The term of membership of each State expires in the year indicated in parentheses.

    The President of the Human Rights Council in 2025 is Jürg Lauber (Switzerland).  The four Vice-Presidents are Tareq Md Ariful Islam (Bangladesh), Razvan Rusu (Romania), Claudia Puentes Julio (Chile), and Paul Empole Losoko Efambe (Democratic Republic of the Congo).  Mr. Efambe also serves as Rapporteur of the Geneva-based body. 

    The dates and venue of the fifty-ninth session are subject to change.

    Information on the fifty-ninth session can be found here, including the annotated agenda and the reports to be presented.

    For further information, please contact Pascal Sim (simp@un.org), Matthew Brown (matthew.brown@un.org) and David Díaz Martín (david.diazmartin@un.org)

    ___________

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

     

    HRC25.006E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • Piyush Goyal concludes successful visit to Switzerland, begins economic diplomacy in Sweden

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal concluded a two-day official visit to Switzerland from June 9 to 10, and has commenced the Sweden leg of his European tour aimed at strengthening economic ties and fostering innovation-driven partnerships.

    The Switzerland visit focused on advancing India-Switzerland economic cooperation and operationalising the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) signed earlier this year between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Goyal held high-level meetings with Swiss government officials and industry leaders to chart a roadmap for TEPA implementation and explore new opportunities for trade and investment.

    During the visit, Goyal met with Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, and State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda. Discussions centred on regulatory cooperation, skills development, innovation partnerships, and measures to facilitate faster investment decision-making.

    The minister also engaged with Swiss industry leaders across sectors including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, precision engineering, defence, and emerging technologies. In sectoral roundtables and bilateral meetings, Goyal highlighted India’s growing economic strength, policy stability, infrastructure expansion, and the government’s efforts to create a conducive ecosystem for global investors. Swiss companies welcomed India’s expanding domestic market and policy reforms, viewing the country as a key destination for growth and manufacturing.

    A key highlight was Goyal’s participation at the 18th Swissmem Industry Day held in Zurich, attended by over 1,000 delegates representing Switzerland’s mechanical, electrical, and metal industries. In his keynote address, the minister invited Swiss companies, including SMEs and deep-tech innovators, to scale up investments in India by leveraging TEPA. He emphasised India’s demographic advantage, engineering talent, and robust supply chains, encouraging Swiss industry to anchor research and development, establish manufacturing bases, and co-create technologies for emerging markets.

    An immediate outcome of the visit was the swift resolution of a facilitation request from Endress+Hauser, a global process automation firm with a presence in India. The company had raised concerns about land availability near its Maharashtra facility. The issue was resolved within hours through coordinated efforts by the minister and Indian authorities, demonstrating the government’s commitment to investor-friendly governance.

    Goyal also held one-on-one meetings with several Swiss companies exploring expansion strategies, localisation, talent development, and MSME linkages. Interest was especially strong in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, industrial automation, clean technology, and healthcare innovation.

    The minister was accompanied by a high-level delegation from Indian industry bodies including ASSOCHAM, CII, and FICCI, reflecting a whole-of-government and whole-of-industry approach to economic diplomacy. In a meeting with the Switzerland chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Goyal appreciated their contribution to enhancing India’s reputation for financial excellence.

    The visit concluded on a note of shared optimism, with Swiss stakeholders reaffirming confidence in India’s rise as a global economic powerhouse and welcoming the government’s collaborative and reform-oriented approach.

    Moving on to Sweden, Goyal will co-chair the 21st session of the Indo-Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial and Scientific Cooperation with Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Benjamin Dousa.

    He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Benjamin Dousa and Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary to the Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. These discussions aim to reinforce the strong economic relationship and identify new opportunities aligned with India’s long-term economic objectives.

    Key engagements will include an India-Sweden business leaders’ round table and meetings with leading Swedish companies such as Ericsson, Volvo Group, IKEA, Sandvik, Alfa Laval, and SAAB. The discussions will focus on sectors where Sweden excels, including advanced manufacturing, green technologies, and sustainable solutions.

    Goyal will also meet members of the Indian diaspora and address media interactions to strengthen people-to-people ties and communicate India’s vision for the bilateral partnership.

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: South Korea is finally reckoning with its decades-long foreign adoption scandal

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Youngeun Koo, Assistant Professor, Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University

    Kim Tak-un was four years old when he was adopted by a Swedish family in 1974. Originally from South Korea, Tak-un had lived with his single father, a labourer who moved frequently for work. One day in the summer of 1974, while staying with his aunt, Tak-un wandered outside and disappeared.

    Local police considered him abandoned and referred him to an adoption agency, which arranged his adoption to Sweden within five months. When his father realised his son was missing, he searched everywhere, only to discover – too late – that Tak-un had already been sent overseas. Devastated, he demanded Tak-un’s return. When the adoption agency failed to respond, he went public with the story.

    In March 2025, South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission released initial findings from its investigation into the country’s 72-year-old international adoption programme. The full report is expected in the next few weeks as the investigation is now completed.

    Based on more than 360 cases submitted by Korean adoptees from 11 countries, the commission uncovered widespread human rights violations, including falsified documents, lack of parental consent, and cases of child switching – shaking up adoptees and their families.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Since the end of the Korean War (1950–1953), South Korea has sent over 200,000 children abroad, becoming the world’s largest country for adoption, even as it grew into an advanced economy.

    Existing studies have shown that international adoption from South Korea began as a response to the large number of mixed-heritage children born to Korean mothers and US soldiers during the war.

    It is estimated that thousands of such children were born, and South Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee, ordered their overseas placement on the grounds that they were “unfit” for a nation imagined as ethnically homogeneous.

    However, international adoption did not end once this perceived “emergency” was over. From the mid-1960s onward, it expanded to include children from other vulnerable backgrounds, including those affected by poverty, family breakdown, and out-of-wedlock births. This, and the role of international adoption, is explored in my upcoming book.

    This was closely tied to the policies pursued by South Korea’s military regimes. The most important figure was Park Chung Hee, a military general who came to power through a 1961 coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979.

    His regime prioritised rapid economic growth, relegating social welfare to the lowest priority. Childcare was treated as an individual, not a state, responsibility. As I point out in my earlier research, public systems to categorise and care for children – whether abandoned, lost, or runaway – were extremely limited, and authorities largely placed the burden on parents to retrieve their separated children. This is probably why, after only cursory checks, authorities referred Tak-un to an adoption agency.

    Tak-un’s case attracted media attention in Sweden as well. However, in an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the Swedish national board of health and welfare – which oversaw the Korean adoption programme – dismissed the claims, stating they were “99 percent certain” the story was false and insisting that Korean social workers had followed proper procedures.

    The trust that Swedish authorities placed in South Korean adoption procedures may have been because of the way the Korean social workers presented their work. As the first generation of Koreans trained in US-style professional social work, they framed international adoption as being about the child, the importance of a family, and emotional wellbeing.

    The research for my upcoming book shows that while they may have genuinely believed in international adoption as a valid form of child welfare, there were also practical reasons why this happened. With virtually no public funding for child welfare, many saw international adoption – where adoptive parents covered the costs of care – as an ideal way to apply their training.

    In interviews with me, now-retired social workers acknowledged flaws in South Korea’s broader child welfare system, such as the inability to verify a child’s true status. Yet, without public resources to build a reliable system or prioritise family reunification, they often treated international adoption as a first, rather than a last, resort.

    Moreover, the prevailing belief at the time that “normal” middle-class families offered the most stable environment for a child’s development provided further moral justification for sending children abroad.

    Western authorities often interpreted Korean social workers’ professionalism as evidence of shared liberal child welfare values and placed strong trust in their procedures. When serious flaws surfaced – as in Tak-un’s case – they were frequently dismissed as exceptions rather than signs of deeper systemic problems.

    Even when the facts were confirmed in 1975, Swedish authorities still refused to return the child. The Swedish consul-general in Seoul at the time, Lars Berg, argued that it was in Tak-un’s “best interest” to remain in Sweden, rather than be sent back to “an uncertain fate of the father without work and residence”.

    This reflected, in part, Sweden’s domestic realities: like many western societies at the time, Sweden faced a shortage of adoptable children, and international adoption had become an important way to meet the wishes of prospective parents.

    In the early 1970s, nearly half of all internationally adopted children arriving in Sweden came from South Korea. Which meant that when issues like Tak-un’s emerged, Swedish authorities prioritised the rights of adoptive parents, framing their defence in the language of child welfare.

    Sweden’s Adoption Commission has just released its own report on June 2, examining the country’s international adoption practices, including those involving South Korea. Echoing my research findings, it recommended an end to allowing Swedes to adopt children from abroad.

    So, what became of Tak-un? Ultimately, South Korean officials acquiesced to the Swedish authorities, and the Korean adoption agency was cleared of any wrongdoing. Tak-un never returned. The last trace in the archives is his birth father’s plea to hear from him.

    I located Tak-un, who now goes by his Swedish name and lives in a small town in Sweden. Despite attempts to reach him, he didn’t respond. It remains uncertain whether his father’s message ever reached him or if he knows anything about his early life in Korea.

    This silence is not merely personal. A system that claimed to act for the child’s welfare instead routinely erased adopted children’s pasts, ignored their birth families and decided their futures for them. Tak-un’s story isn’t just a painful exception – it is a haunting reminder of what was lost in the name of care.

    This project has been supported by funding from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), the Korea Foundation, the Academy of Korean Studies, the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University, the Clarke Chambers Travel Fellowship at the University of Minnesota, and the Presbyterian Historical Society Research Fellowship.

    – ref. South Korea is finally reckoning with its decades-long foreign adoption scandal – https://theconversation.com/south-korea-is-finally-reckoning-with-its-decades-long-foreign-adoption-scandal-255135

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Christopher Hui concludes UK visit

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui today proceeded to Oslo, Norway, after concluding a visit to the UK, where he showcased Hong Kong’s determination to expand international financial co-operation.

    Addressing a lunch event hosted by the UK’s Hong Kong Association yesterday, Mr Hui said Hong Kong’s vibrant capital markets offer global investors, including those from the UK, a gateway and access to invest in Asia’s burgeoning tech sector.

    He highlighted that the strengths of Hong Kong’s capital markets are supported by geopolitical developments and the Mainland’s technological advancements, and urged global investors to leverage the city’s deep market liquidity and robust regulatory framework.

    Mr Hui also remarked that Hong Kong’s integration into the London Metal Exchange’s global warehouse network in January this year not only enhances Hong Kong’s commodities infrastructure but also creates significant opportunities for UK firms.

    Riding on its proximity to Asia’s industrial markets, Hong Kong can partner with the UK to jointly tap growing demand for new-energy metals and support global industrial transformation and sustainable development, he added.

    Mr Hui also held a roundtable meeting yesterday with members of TheCityUK, a body representing the UK’s financial and related professional services industries, and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on establishing a partnership between it and the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC).

    He was joined in doing so by TheCityUK’s Leadership Council Chair Bruce Carnegie-Brown.

    The MOU was signed by FSDC Executive Director King Au and TheCityUK’s Managing Director of Public Affairs, Policy & Research John Godfrey. 

    Mr Hui said the MOU reflects a shared vision to harness the strengths of Hong Kong and the UK, creating opportunities that benefit both places and the global financial ecosystem.

    Earlier in the day, Mr Hui held a bilateral meeting with City of London Lord Mayor Alderman Alastair King, and briefed him on developments in Hong Kong’s financial services sector.

    Mr Hui also met PwC UK Chief Markets Officer Carl Sizer to discuss the role the auditing and accounting profession can play in helping Mainland enterprises go global.

    On Monday morning, Mr Hui attended a briefing session hosted by British independent think-tank Asia House, and spoke to its members about the latest financial developments in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area at large.

    He also responded to questions about Hong Kong’s financial outlook in a Q&A session moderated by Asia House Chief Executive Michael Lawrence.

    His other engagements on Monday included a meeting with senior management from ICBC Standard Bank, and another with Economic Secretary to the UK Treasury Emma Reynolds and other financial officials.

    He briefed the bank’s Chief Executive Officer Wang Wenbin and other senior executives about the international gold trading market and commodity trading ecosystem that Hong Kong is developing.

    At the meeting with the UK officials, Mr Hui reaffirmed the financial partnership between the Hong Kong and London, as two leading international financial centres, and gave an update on the situation in Hong Kong’s capital markets.

    In addition, Mr Hui paid a courtesy call on Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the UK Wang Qi.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

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

    By Russell Palmer, RNZ News political reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    He called for further action.

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: NVIDIA Partners With Novo Nordisk and DCAI to Advance Drug Discovery

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PARIS, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech — NVIDIA today announced a collaboration with Novo Nordisk to accelerate drug discovery efforts through innovative AI use cases. The work supports Novo Nordisk’s agreement with DCAI to use the Gefion sovereign AI supercomputer.

    The companies aim to create customized AI models and agents that Novo Nordisk can use for early research and clinical development and to apply advanced simulation and physical AI technologies.

    “AI is essential for every industry, and there’s no other field that will benefit more from acceleration than drug discovery,” said Rory Kelleher, senior director of business development for life sciences at NVIDIA. “Working with Novo Nordisk, we’re advancing critical R&D applications with fundamental tools that can harness the full potential of generative and agentic AI to improve pharmaceutical development.”

    Novo Nordisk Taps Advanced AI to Accelerate Innovation
    DCAI’s Gefion supercomputer, powered by NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD™, provides Novo Nordisk an AI factory for running drug discovery and agentic AI workloads. Novo Nordisk will use NVIDIA BioNeMo™ for generative AI-powered drug discovery, NVIDIA NIM™ and NVIDIA NeMo™ microservices for building customized agentic workflows, and the NVIDIA Omniverse™ platform to create physically accurate simulation environments for developing physical AI applications.

    Novo Nordisk researchers will focus on several AI research programs, including using single-cell models to predict cellular responses to drug candidates and structures, as well as designing models to build molecules with drug-like properties. The companies will also collaborate on tapping Novo Nordisk’s vast global scientific literature to build biomedical large language models, enabling researchers to uncover correlations between genes, proteins and diseases.

    “By coupling NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform and expertise with Novo’s deep expertise in life sciences research and development, we aim to build custom models that will aid our scientists in developing new medicines faster and more efficiently,” said Mishal Patel, senior vice president, AI and digital innovation at Novo Nordisk. “Gefion will allow us to run experiments at an unprecedented scale.”

    Advancing Denmark’s Healthcare Ecosystem
    DCAI owns and operates Gefion, Denmark’s flagship AI supercomputer. DCAI is helping lower the barrier for accessing advanced computing capabilities and enabling companies in Denmark to pursue research and development across healthcare and drug discovery.

    “With Gefion’s computational power, we can tackle the toughest R&D challenges, with the ultimate goal of unlocking new possibilities for pharmaceutical research and development,” said Nadia Carlsten, CEO of DCAI. “By combining Gefion’s capabilities with NVIDIA’s expertise, our customers can accelerate innovation even further.”

    Gefion has already been used by multiple customers to advance healthcare and drug discovery.

    Teton, a Danish startup and member of the NVIDIA Inception program for cutting-edge startups, is tapping into Gefion to accelerate the development of its AI care companion for hospitals, using cameras and sensors installed in patient rooms to create real-time 3D digital twins. This allows nurses to monitor patients remotely and receive alerts about potential health issues. Teton’s technology aims to reduce workload burden on nurses — freeing them up for higher-value tasks — and improve patient care, with early trials showing up to a 25% reduction in nightshift duties.

    Last month, DCAI announced that one of the first pharma companies to use Gefion will tap the supercomputer to accelerate drug discovery and development in neurological and psychiatric disorders. Another venture-backed company is using Gefion to accelerate the development of oral alternatives to widely used biologics and to target proteins that are currently difficult or impossible to drug with available compounds.

    Gefion will also be used as part of an effort by Danish health organizations to unite previously siloed health data into a single national analysis platform, which will provide researchers with secure access to interconnected health data. Along with supercomputing resources, this will make it easier to analyze large datasets, identify disease patterns earlier and develop more personalized treatments.

    Watch the NVIDIA GTC Paris keynote from NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang at VivaTech, and explore GTC Paris sessions.

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

    For further information, contact:
    Janette Ciborowski
    Enterprise Communications
    NVIDIA Corporation
    +1-734-330-8817
    jciborowski@nvidia.com

    Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: working with Novo Nordisk, NVIDIA advancing critical R&D applications with fundamental tools that can harness the full potential of generative and agentic AI to improve pharmaceutical development; the benefits, impact, performance, and availability of NVIDIA’s products, services, and technologies; expectations with respect to NVIDIA’s third party arrangements, including with its collaborators and partners; expectations with respect to technology developments; and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic and political conditions; NVIDIA’s reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test NVIDIA’s products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to NVIDIA’s existing product and technologies; market acceptance of NVIDIA’s products or NVIDIA’s partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of NVIDIA’s products or technologies when integrated into systems; and changes in applicable laws and regulations, as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

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

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/92c0c3db-28ea-43c7-b0d5-9ac3b350edaf

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Baker Hughes Receives Award from Equinor to Industrialize Offshore Plug & Abandonment Operations in Oseberg East Field

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Baker Hughes awarded P&A agreement based on Mature Assets Solutions portfolio
    • Agreement will enable Equinor to drive efficiencies, industrialize P&A operations through end-to-end integration
    • Award marks first project as part of multi-year frame agreement for integrated well services

    HOUSTON and LONDON, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Baker Hughes (NASDAQ: BKR), an energy technology company, will provide Equinor plug and abandonment (P&A) services in the Oseberg East field on Norway’s continental shelf. Baker Hughes’ Mature Assets Solutions team will lead the integrated P&A campaign planning phase, as well as delivering integrated P&A services in execution across several wells in the North Sea.

    Baker Hughes has a history of successful integrated P&A projects, as well as its innovative portfolio of Mature Assets Solutions with a proven track record of increasing efficiency, accelerating timelines and reducing total operating costs. Through this integrated P&A program, Baker Hughes will plug and abandon wells and provide project management services on behalf of Equinor.

    “Our Mature Assets Solutions experts are well equipped to manage every phase of P&A and optimize operations to meet Equinor’s well abandonment goals,” said Amerino Gatti, executive vice president of Oilfield Services & Equipment at Baker Hughes. “As this project unfolds, we will collectively unlock new efficiencies that set new standards for well abandonment solutions, providing cost-effective solutions to Equinor through collaboration, technology, optimization and integration.”

    This project follows the March 2025 signing of a multi-year framework agreement between Baker Hughes and Equinor to provide integrated plug and abandonment services. To manage the project, Baker Hughes will establish a P&A Center of Excellence in Bergen and Stavanger. This hub of expertise will bring together project managers and subject matter experts to centralize P&A activities in the North Sea, ensuring the most economical and reliable solutions are implemented to responsibly abandon each well while maximizing operational efficiencies.

    Baker Hughes’ differentiating well abandonment portfolio include cutting-edge technologies, such as PRIME Powered Mechanical Applications, CICM (Casing Integrity & Cement Mapping), MASTODON™ casing retrieval system, and the Xtreme SJI mechanical slotting tool. Planning for Oseberg East is now underway, and the execution is scheduled to begin in 2026.

    About Baker Hughes
    Baker Hughes (NASDAQ: BKR) is an energy technology company that provides solutions to energy and industrial customers worldwide. Built on a century of experience and conducting business in over 120 countries, our innovative technologies and services are taking energy forward – making it safer, cleaner and more efficient for people and the planet. Visit us at bakerhughes.com.

    For more information, please contact:

    Media Relations
    Brian Reynolds
    +1 346-315-6663
    brian.reynolds@bakerhughes.com

    Investor Relations
    Chase Mulvehill
    +1 346-297-2561
    investor.relations@bakerhughes.com

    The MIL Network –

  • Piyush Goyal bolsters economic ties with Switzerland and Sweden, advances TEPA implementation

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal wrapped up a productive two-day visit to Switzerland on June 9-10, and began official engagements in Sweden on Tuesday, reinforcing India’s strategic economic partnerships with both nations.

    “The Switzerland leg of the visit focused on advancing India–Switzerland economic cooperation and operationalising the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) signed earlier this year between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA),” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

    During the visit, Goyal held high-level talks with Swiss leaders, including Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education, and Research, and State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda. The discussions focused on a roadmap for TEPA implementation, prioritizing regulatory cooperation, skill development, and innovation to enhance trade and investment.

    In Zurich, Goyal addressed over 1,000 European industry leaders at the 18th Swissmem Industry Day. He invited Swiss firms, including SMEs and deep-tech innovators, to invest in India, highlighting India’s demographic dividend, engineering talent, and robust supply chains. He positioned India as a global hub for manufacturing and R&D.

    Engagements with Swiss industries covered biotech, pharma, precision engineering, defense, and emerging technologies. Goyal emphasized India’s stable policies and infrastructure growth, urging firms to establish local manufacturing and co-develop technologies for the Global South. A standout outcome was the rapid resolution of a land availability issue for Endress+Hauser in Maharashtra, resolved within hours through coordinated efforts, earning praise as a model of responsive governance.

    Accompanied by representatives from ASSOCHAM, CII, and FICCI, Goyal underscored India’s whole-of-government approach. He also met the Switzerland Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, commending their role in elevating India’s global financial reputation.

    In Sweden, Goyal is set to co-chair the 21st Indo-Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial, and Scientific Cooperation (JCEISC) with Benjamin Dousa, Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. The session aims to deepen ties in advanced manufacturing, green technologies, and sustainable solutions.

    Bilateral meetings with Dousa and Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, alongside an India-Sweden Business Leaders’ Round Table, focus on expanding partnerships with companies like Ericsson, Volvo Group, IKEA, Sandvik, Alfa Laval, and SAAB. Goyal will also engage with the Indian diaspora and media to strengthen people-to-people ties and promote the India-Sweden vision.

    Reflecting on his Switzerland visit, Goyal in a post on X, wrote, “Wrapping up a successful two-day visit to the beautiful city of Bern, with warmth, fond memories & new partnerships. Highly impressed with the curiosity, interest, and trust of industry leaders in India’s growth story. Exciting opportunities lie ahead.”

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, held a pull-aside meeting with H.E. Sergiy Kyslytsya, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, on the sidelines of the Oslo Forum in Oslo, Norway, on 11 June 2025. Both sides exchanged views on the current ASEAN-Ukraine relations and underscored the importance of closer collaboration to further strengthen cooperation and relations between ASEAN and Ukraine for the benefits of people of both sides.
    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Europe Builds AI Infrastructure With NVIDIA to Fuel Region’s Next Industrial Transformation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • France, Italy and the United Kingdom Support Regional Technology and Cloud Providers Domyn, Mistral AI, Nebius and Nscale to Deploy More Than 3,000 Exaflops of NVIDIA Blackwell Systems for Sovereign AI
    • NVIDIA to Build AI Factory in Germany to Accelerate Industrial Manufacturing Applications in Europe
    • European Telcos Fastweb, Orange, Swisscom, Telefónica and Telenor Build AI Infrastructure With NVIDIA, Enabling Enterprises to Adopt and Build Agentic AI Applications
    • European Enterprises, Startups and Public Sector to Harness Regional NVIDIA Infrastructure to Develop and Deploy Agentic and Physical AI
    • NVIDIA Establishes AI Technology Centers Across Continent to Advance Research, Upskill Workforces and Accelerate Scientific Breakthroughs

    PARIS, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — —NVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech—NVIDIA today announced it is working with European nations, and technology and industry leaders, to build NVIDIA Blackwell AI infrastructure that will strengthen digital sovereignty, support economic growth and position the continent as a leader in the AI industrial revolution.

    France, Italy, Spain and the U.K. are among the nations building domestic AI infrastructure with an ecosystem of technology and cloud providers, including Domyn, Mistral AI, Nebius and Nscale, and telecommunications providers, including Orange, Swisscom, Telefónica and Telenor.

    These deployments will deliver more than 3,000 exaflops of NVIDIA Blackwell compute resources for sovereign AI, enabling European enterprises, startups and public sector organizations to securely develop, train and deploy agentic and physical AI applications.

    NVIDIA is establishing and expanding AI technology centers in Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, the U.K. and Finland. These centers build on NVIDIA’s history of collaborating with academic institutions and industry through the NVIDIA AI Technology Center program and NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute to develop the AI workforce and scientific discovery throughout the regions.

    “Every industrial revolution begins with infrastructure. AI is the essential infrastructure of our time, just as electricity and the internet once were,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “With bold leadership from Europe’s governments and industries, AI will drive transformative innovation and prosperity for generations to come.”

    “France is committed to investing in AI to strengthen our economy, benefit our citizens and uphold our values,” said Emmanuel Macron, president of the French Republic. “By working closely with our nation’s leading technology innovators and NVIDIA, we are equipping researchers, entrepreneurs and public institutions with the tools they need to explore new ideas, tackle complex challenges and help shape the future of AI for France.”

    “Just as coal and electricity once defined our past, AI is defining our future,” said U.K. Tech Secretary Peter Kyle. “NVIDIA’s expansion of its technology center here in the U.K. will be vital in helping us to deliver on our AI ambitions, and their partnership in building the capabilities that will transform our AI Growth Zones into engines of opportunity. This is our Plan for Change in action, bringing together leading innovators to build the compute infrastructure that will drive growth across every region and secure the U.K.’s place as a global AI leader in the age of AI.”

    “This agreement represents a strategic step toward strengthening Italy’s technological sovereignty and ensuring that our businesses have secure and competitive access to data management,” said Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso. “The collaboration with top-tier partners such as NVIDIA and Domyn confirms the government’s commitment in supporting high-level alliances to foster innovation and the competitiveness of the national production system.”

    Building Europe’s Foundation for AI Infrastructure and Innovation
    Building AI infrastructure requires strategic investment in advanced systems, land and facilities, sustainable energy access, skilled experts and partnerships. To accelerate the development of these national resources, NVIDIA is working with leaders across France, the U.K., Germany and Italy.

    In France, Mistral AI is working with NVIDIA to build an end-to-end cloud platform powered by 18,000 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell systems in the first phase, with plans to expand across multiple sites in 2026. This infrastructure will enable organizations across Europe to quickly develop and deploy AI using optimized Mistral AI models and validated AI factory designs, accelerating the adoption of agentic AI applications.

    In the U.K., NVIDIA is collaborating with NVIDIA Cloud Partners Nebius and Nscale to unlock advanced AI capabilities for enterprises and businesses of all sizes. At London Tech Week, the cloud providers announced the first phase of their AI infrastructure development plans to deploy 14,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs to power new data centers, making scalable, secure AI infrastructure widely accessible across the U.K.

    In Germany, NVIDIA and its partners are building the world’s first industrial AI cloud for European manufacturers. This AI factory will be powered by NVIDIA DGX™ B200 systems and NVIDIA RTX PRO™ Servers featuring 10,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs to enable Europe’s industrial leaders to accelerate every manufacturing application, from design, engineering and simulation to factory digital twins and robotics.

    In Italy, NVIDIA is working with Domyn and the government to advance the nation’s sovereign AI capabilities. Domyn is developing its Domyn Large Colosseum reasoning model on its supercomputer, Colosseum, with NVIDIA Grace Blackwell Superchips, in alignment with its mission to support regulated industries in adopting AI.

    European Telcos Build AI Infrastructure With NVIDIA for Regional Enterprises
    NVIDIA is also working with leading European telecommunications providers — including Orange, Fastweb, Swisscom, Telefónica and Telenor — to develop secure, scalable sovereign AI infrastructure across the region.

    • Orange is accelerating the development of enterprise-grade AI, including agentic AI, large language models and personal AI assistants, using Orange Business’ Cloud Avenue, built on high-performance NVIDIA infrastructure.
    • Fastweb introduced MIIA — an Italian language model to support generative AI applications — trained and running on its NVIDIA DGX AI supercomputer.
    • Telenor is expanding its sovereign AI infrastructure in Norway with a new, renewable-powered data center, in addition to hosting a partner’s multilingual AI translation service, available in over 100 languages.
    • Swisscom is launching new AI services, including GenAI Studio and AI Workhub hosted on its sovereign AI NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD™-based infrastructure, empowering Swiss enterprises to rapidly build and scale AI applications.
    • Telefónica is piloting a distributed edge AI fabric across Spain with hundreds of NVIDIA GPUs to deliver low-latency, privacy-focused AI services.

    These collaborations enable enterprises to develop and deploy customized AI models and agentic applications at scale, tapping into telcos’ extensive networks and trusted role as critical infrastructure providers.

    NVIDIA AI Technology Centers Fuel Research, Upskilling and Scientific Progress
    NVIDIA is establishing and expanding technology centers in Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, the U.K. and Finland to accelerate AI skills development, research and infrastructure for the continent’s enterprises and startups.

    • The Bavarian AI center in Germany, intended to be established in collaboration with the Bayern KI consortium, will advance research in fields including digital medicine, stable diffusion AI and open-source robotics platforms to foster global collaboration.
    • The Sweden AI center will advance world-class AI research with support from NVIDIA experts and hands-on NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute training to help with upskilling.
    • The Italy AI center will expand to include new AI factory deployments with the CINECA consortium.
    • The Spain AI center will expand to include a new AI factory with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.
    • The U.K. AI center will accelerate the U.K.’s most groundbreaking research in embodied AI, materials science and Earth systems modeling.
    • The Finland AI center enables researchers to accelerate AI research and applications for computer vision, machine learning and AI for science.

    These strategic initiatives across Europe build on NVIDIA investments in building AI infrastructure worldwide, including in Taiwan and the Middle East.

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

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

    For further information, contact:
    Corporate Communications
    NVIDIA Corporation
    press@nvidia.com

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

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

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1aeac85d-7ea3-4ada-98c2-c199a10e8d84

    The MIL Network –

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

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The MIL Network –

  • India, Norway reaffirm commitment to sustainable ocean governance at UN conference in France

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh met with Norway’s Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Marianne Sivertsen Ness, in Nice, France, on Wednesday to advance bilateral cooperation in sustainable fisheries and ocean governance. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3).

    During their bilateral and delegation-level discussions, the two Ministers reaffirmed their countries’ long-standing partnership in marine resource management and the broader blue economy. The talks focused on shared priorities, including the sustainable use of marine resources, data sharing, and joint efforts to address overfishing and marine pollution, the Ministry of Earth Sciences said in a statement.

    Both sides emphasized the importance of global cooperation under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), with a focus on knowledge exchange, technology sharing, and capacity building. They also discussed expanding existing collaborations aligned with the development of a sustainable and inclusive blue economy.

    The India-Norway dialogue is viewed as a key step toward reinforcing multilateral efforts to ensure the long-term sustainability of global ocean resources, said the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SFST showcases to UK community Hong Kong’s determination to expand international financial co-operation (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said on June 10 (London time) during his visit to London, the United Kingdom (UK), that Hong Kong is at the forefront of global finance and the digital asset revolution. The city shares the same vision and has complementary expertise with the UK, allowing the two places to drive transformative economic growth through partnership in an era of innovation and sustainablity.
     
    Speaking at a luncheon held by the Hong Kong Association of the UK on June 10 (London time), Mr Hui highlighted Hong Kong’s commitment to three key pillars, namely the 3Es that define the city’s strategic vision as a premier international financial centre. The 3Es refer to extending financial value chain across equities, fixed income, currencies and commodities; embracing fintech and green finance; and enhancing opportunities for Chinese and international businesses.
     
    He said Hong Kong’s ability to offer a diversified, resilient and innovative financial ecosystem and the Government’s determination to extend the financial value chain are creating a robust development platform that serves both regional and international markets. The vibrant capital markets in Hong Kong, driven by geopolitical developments and the Mainland’s technological advancements, are also offering global investors, including those from the UK, a gateway and access to invest in Asia’s burgeoning tech sector by leveraging Hong Kong’s deep market liquidity and robust regulatory framework.
     
    While mentioning the UK’s expertise in commodities trading, Mr Hui remarked that Hong Kong’s integration into the London Metal Exchange’s global warehouse network in January this year not only enhances Hong Kong’s commodities infrastructure but also creates significant opportunities for UK firms. Riding on Hong Kong’s proximity to Asia’s industrial markets, Hong Kong can partner with the UK to jointly tap into the growing demand for new-energy metals and support global industrial transformation and sustainable development.
     
    Among the highlights of the UK leg was the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) and TheCityUK to establish a partnership in sharing insights and best practices to advance transition finance, collaborating on workforce development to address evolving market requirements, as well as establishing a framework to conduct an annual review to assess progress in collaboration and explore new opportunities. The MOU was signed by the Executive Director of the FSDC, Dr King Au, and the Managing Director of Public Affairs, Policy and Research of TheCityUK, Mr John Godfrey.
     
    Mr Hui, together with the Leadership Council Chair of TheCityUK, Mr Bruce Carnegie-Brown, witnessed the signing of the MOU on June 10 (London time). Mr Hui said that the MOU reflects a shared vision to harness the strengths of Hong Kong and the UK, creating opportunities that benefit both places and the global financial ecosystem.
     
    Prior to the signing ceremony, Mr Hui had a roundtable meeting with members of the TheCityUK, which represents an industry contributing over 12 per cent of the UK’s economic output and employing nearly 2.5 million people in financial and related professions. Mr Hui said that investors nowadays are gravitating towards markets that provide clarity, consistency and credibility, which are qualities that Hong Kong embodies in abundance. Moreover, Hong Kong continues to uphold the mission of striking a balance between innovation and investor protection through its regulatory framework in the process of integrating traditional financial services with innovative digital asset technologies for facilitating real economy activities. All in all, Hong Kong is an ideal partner for the UK to work with in unlocking horizons for growth and prosperity, especially in areas of wealth management and digital assets.
     
    Earlier in the day, Mr Hui had a bilateral meeting with the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Mr Alderman Alastair King, to update him on Hong Kong’s latest developments on the financial services front, which benefit from the unique convergence of global and Mainland advantages. He also met with the Chief Markets Officer of PwC UK, Mr Carl Sizer, to discuss the role the auditing and accounting profession can play to support Mainland enterprises going global.
     
    In the morning of June 9 (London time), Mr Hui attended a members briefing of a British independent think-tank, Asia House, to enlighten its members on the latest financial developments of Hong Kong as well as the Greater Bay Area at large. In a Q&A session moderated by the Chief Executive of Asia House, Mr Michael Lawrence, Mr Hui responded to members’ questions about Hong Kong’s financial outlook. The members were particularly interested in Hong Kong’s connectivity with international markets and the city’s fintech development.
     
    Mr Hui told the members that Hong Kong has been experiencing a flourishing financial market amid the challenging global financial landscape. The securities market of Hong Kong recorded an average daily turnover of US$31 billion for the first five months of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 120 per cent. The Government is also taking bold moves to boost fintech development, such as introducing the Stablecoins Ordinance which is scheduled to be enacted this August.
     
    During a lunch meeting with representatives of the ICBC Standard Bank on the same day, Mr Hui introduced to its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Wang Wenbin, and other senior management, the international gold trading market and commodity trading ecosystem that Hong Kong is shaping. Both parties had a very productive discussion about the vast potential that Hong Kong may bring about. The bank serves as a global banking platform for commodities, fixed income and currency products for clients.
     
    In the afternoon, Mr Hui met with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury of the UK, Ms Emma Reynolds, and other financial officials to reinforce the financial partnership between the two leading international financial centres. At the meeting, he gave them an update on the latest situation of capital markets in Hong Kong.
     
    Mr Hui also paid a courtesy call on Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom Mr Wang Qi.
     
    After concluding the UK leg, Mr Hui proceeded to Oslo, Norway, on June 11 (London time) to continue his visit.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Sanctioning extremist Israeli ministers is a start, but Australia and its allies must do more

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Whyte, Scientia Associate Professor of Philosophy and ARC Future Fellow, UNSW Sydney

    The Australian government is imposing financial and travel sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers: Itamar Ben-Gvir (the national security minister) and Bezalel Smotrich (finance minister).

    This is a significant development. While Australia has previously sanctioned seven individual Israeli settlers, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are the most high-profile Israeli nationals to face such sanctions.

    Civil society organisations have long called for sanctions against these ministers and others in the Israeli cabinet.

    Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong previously rebuffed such calls by saying that “going it alone gets us nowhere”. These latest sanctions have been imposed by a coalition of five states: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.

    A joint statement by the foreign ministers of these countries says Ben Gvir and Smotrich “have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.”

    Explaining the sanctions further, Wong told ABC Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are the “most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent Israeli settlement enterprise”.

    A history of violent statements

    There is no doubt both men are extremists.

    Ben-Gvir, who is responsible for Israel’s police force, was convicted of racist incitement in 2007.

    As national security minister, he has handed out thousands of assault rifles to West Bank settlers. He has also boasted he’s worsened the “abominable conditions” of Palestinian prisoners.

    Smotrich has overseen a dramatic expansion of unlawful settlements in the West Bank. He’s vowed to annex the occupied Palestinian territory, in violation of international law.

    He has also complained no one would allow Israel “to cause two million civilians to die of hunger, even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned.”

    Last month, he argued that “until the last hostage is returned, we should not even be sending water” to Gaza.

    The joint statement by the foreign ministers explains Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have been sanctioned for “inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”.

    The statement notes these measures “cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza”. However, it also goes on to express “unwavering support for Israel’s security” and vows to “continue to work with the Israeli government”.

    It does not note that the International Court of Justice has found Palestinians in Gaza are facing a plausible risk of genocide.

    Nor does it make clear Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are not bad apples; they are integral members of the far-right Israeli government that is responsible for the destruction of Gaza and the starvation of its people.

    Indeed, just this week, a UN independent fact-finding commission report found Israel was committing the “crime against humanity of extermination” in Gaza, among other war crimes.

    What are Magnitsky sanctions?

    Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have been sanctioned under Australia’s Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011. This act grants the foreign minister broad discretionary powers to impose sanctions.

    In 2021, the Australian government amended this act to allow the government to impose sanctions on specific “themes”, such as:

    • serious violations or serious abuses of human rights
    • threats to international peace and security
    • activities undermining good governance or the rule of law, including serious corruption.

    These targeted sanctions on human rights abuses are often called “Magnitsky-style sanctions” after the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in custody after exposing serious corruption in Russia. They enable a government to freeze the assets of and impose travel bans on individuals and specific entities, not just countries.

    Since coming into force, Australia has imposed the Magnitsky-style sanctions on numerous Russian military leaders, members of Myanmar’s junta, and the commander in chief of the Iranian Army.

    But Australia does not only sanction individuals from these countries. It also imposes country-wide sanctions on Russia, Myanmar and Iran.

    These broader sanctions restrict all trade in arms, including weapons, ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, as well as spare parts and accessories.

    Australia can – and should – do more

    The Australian Centre for International Justice, which had lobbied the government to sanction Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, welcomed the decision. It called it:

    an important demonstration of Australia’s commitment to upholding international law and human rights.

    But the centre’s acting executive director, Lara Khider, stressed the need for further concrete action. This includes “the imposition of a comprehensive two-way arms embargo on Israel”.

    Indeed, sanctions are not just political or diplomatic tools that states can apply at their discretion. International law can require states to apply sanctions, such as through a resolution of the UN Security Council.

    Last July, the International Court of Justice declared that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, including its imposition of a regime of racial segregation, is unlawful.

    In that advisory opinion, the court also clarified the legal obligations of all states concerning Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Such obligations include the duty on all states to “take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation”.

    Nothing less than a two-way trade and arms embargo is adequate now. Just as Australia imposes such sanctions on Russia, Myanmar and Iran, it must do the same for Israel.

    Jessica Whyte receives funding from the Australian Research Council. With Sara Dehm, she co-authored a submission to the 2024 inquiry into Australia’s sanctions regime which criticised Australia’s failure to impose sanctions on the state of Israel.

    Sara Dehm receives funding from the Australian Research Council. With Jessica Whyte, she co-authored a submission to the 2024 inquiry into Australia’s sanctions regime which criticised Australia’s failure to impose sanctions on the state of Israel.

    – ref. Sanctioning extremist Israeli ministers is a start, but Australia and its allies must do more – https://theconversation.com/sanctioning-extremist-israeli-ministers-is-a-start-but-australia-and-its-allies-must-do-more-258688

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • May was world’s second-hottest on record, EU scientists say

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The world experienced its second-warmest May since records began, a month in which climate change fuelled a record-breaking heatwave in Greenland, scientists said on Wednesday.

    Last month was Earth’s second-warmest May on record – exceeded only by May 2024 – rounding out the northern hemisphere’s second-hottest March-May spring on record, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a monthly bulletin.

    Global surface temperatures last month averaged 1.4 degrees Celsius higher than in the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period, when humans began burning fossil fuels on an industrial scale, C3S said.

    That broke a run of extraordinary heat, in which 21 of the last 22 months had an average global temperature exceeding 1.5C above pre-industrial times – although scientists warned this break was unlikely to last.

    “Whilst this may offer a brief respite for the planet, we do expect the 1.5C threshold to be exceeded again in the near future due to the continued warming of the climate system,” said C3S director Carlo Buontempo.

    The main cause of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Last year was the planet’s hottest on record.

    A separate study, published by the World Weather Attribution group of climate scientists on Wednesday, found that human-caused climate change made a record-breaking heatwave in Iceland and Greenland last month about 3C hotter than it otherwise would have been – contributing to a huge additional melting of Greenland’s ice sheet.

    “Even cold-climate countries are experiencing unprecedented temperatures,” said Sarah Kew, study co-author and researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute.

    The global threshold of 1.5C is the limit of warming which countries vowed under the Paris climate agreement to try to prevent, to avoid the worst consequences of warming.

    The world has not yet technically breached that target – which refers to an average global temperature of 1.5C over decades.

    However, some scientists have said it can no longer realistically be met, and have urged governments to cut CO2 emissions faster, to limit the overshoot and the fuelling of extreme weather.

    C3S’s records go back to 1940, and are cross-checked with global temperature records going back to 1850.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Advocacy – “Look busy – the people are angry” in the face of genocide – Government brings shame on us all! – PSNA

    Source: Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA)

    The government’s decision to sanction Israeli cabinet ministers is a cynical diversionary gesture, according to the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa.

    New Zealand has joined the UK, Australia, Canada, and Norway in banning the entry of Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

    PSNA Co-Chair, Maher Nazzal, says the just announced move is simply to placate New Zealanders angry at the government’s complicity with the mass killing of Palestinians and deliberate starvation of Occupied Gaza.

    “The New Zealand government statement was quite explicit that the sanctions were ‘not designed to sanction the wider Israeli government’ of which Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are ministers.”

    “The New Zealand government’s official statement is laying the blame for Israeli barbarity on just two ministers.  Our government is pretending that they alone are responsible for the military violence in the Gaza Strip, and Israel’s annexation of Palestinian land, expanding settlements, and forced displacement.”

    “All these war crimes are supported and stated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.  These measures are all being carried out by the Israeli government.  These two ministers are quite rabid, but they are not just freelancers or ‘bad apples’.”

    “Netanyahu himself is wanted for trial on war crimes charges, so why does he escape the travel ban?”

     Nazzal says Ben-Gvir and Smotrich would never plan to come to New Zealand anyway.

    “The last time such an individual visited in 2006 the Auckland District Court issued a warrant for his arrest to face war crime charges.” (That was Israeli General Moshe Ya’alon – the ‘Butcher of Qana’.  The warrant was quashed by the then Attorney-General Michael Cullen)

     “Even if the government sanctioned the entire Israeli cabinet, it would be meaningless.”

    “Israel has made Gaza hell on earth for Palestinians, and is making it worse by the hour.  We should be cutting trade ties – including military technology, which might be finding its way to Israel, or sending up satellites from Mahia used by Israel to spy on Gaza.

    “New Zealand has bilateral agreements with Israel over science and movie-making.  They should stop.”

    “The government needs to ban Israeli soldiers coming here for genocide holidays, instead of Winston Peters going out of his way to welcome them.”

    “And it goes without saying that the Israeli ambassador should be booted out.”

    Nazzal says the forced starvation in Gaza has reached a crisis point.

    “The choice for the international community is stark.  Let tens of thousands starve to death in the next few weeks, or impose a no-fly zone over Gaza and provide military protection for UNRWA aid convoys.”

    “In that context, by limiting the travel options for two Israeli politicians our government feels like it’s conveying a message of  “Look busy – New Zealanders are angry, we must be seen to be doing something, but really,  we don’t care.”

     

    Maher Nazzal

    Co-Chair PSNA

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Muscat will host sixth round of Iran-U.S. talks

    2025-06-10 – Senior officials of Iran and the U.S. will hold the sixth round of talks in Muscat on Sunday.

    Muscat is scheduled to host the sixth round of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington on Sunday.

    Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic and the United States will hold the newest round of talks in Muscat next Sunday, with Oman as the mediator.

    Regarding the latest program of Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, he said that the top diplomat will pay a visit to Norway to take part in the 22nd edition of the Oslo Forum.

    The Oslo Forum annually hosts global leaders, mediators, conflict parties, and experts to assess crises, support dialogue, and create pathways to peace.

    Iran and the United States have held five rounds of talks mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi, three in Muscat and two in Rome.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Opening Speech of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs  at the High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes

    Source: Government of Iran

    Your Excellency Mr. António Guterres,

    Your Excellency, Mr. Pekka Haavisto,

    Your Excellency, Mrs. María Juliana Ruiz Sandoval Ms. Ana Maneno, Mr. Mohammad Yahya Qanie,

    Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

    I am delighted to open this High-level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes, co-hosted by the State of Qatar, Colombia, Finland, and the United Nations, and co-organized by the office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Education Above All Foundation, and Search For Common Ground, in partnership with the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDPP), the UN Population Fund, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Network of Young Peacebuilders.

    I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the ground-breaking vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser – UN SDG advocate, and Founder and Chairperson of Education Above All (EAA) Foundation.

    Her Highness has worked tirelessly to promote the empowerment of youth in conflict-prevention and peace-building. I would also like to acknowledge the instrumental role of Education Above All in this regard.

    The State of Qatar encourages the participation of young people in all stages of peace processes, including in decision-making. With this in mind, the Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Sports has been directed to draft Qatar’s first National Youth Strategy.

    Drafted in consultation with our youth, the strategy is a declaration of a common national vision that defines the needs and priorities of Qatar’s youth.

    It is worthy of note that the first international Symposium on youth participation, held in Helsinki in March 2019, resulted in the launch of the first global policy paper on youth participation in peace processes.

    I trust this conference will follow this path in arriving at shared political commitments to advance the global Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda, and deliver concrete solutions for sustainable youth-inclusive processes world-wide.

    I am pleased that this conference will launch international guidelines to advance the global Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, and a five year-strategy on strengthening youth-inclusive peace processes, to be implemented at the national level.

    To conclude, the State of Qatar is committed to continue working closely with the United Nations to effectively implement the main outcomes of this conference as part of our joint efforts to strengthen global youth-inclusive peace processes.

    I thank you all for joining us, and look forward to our impactful deliberations here today.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia-US rift over sanctions on Israeli ministers further complicates Albanese-Trump expected talks

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Australia, together with the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, has imposed sanctions on two ministers in the Israeli government for “inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”.

    Australia and the other countries were immediately condemned by the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called for them to be lifted.

    The move comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to leave on Friday for the G7 in Canada, where he is expected to meet UN President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the conference.

    Australia’s signing up for the sanctions is just another complication for the anticipated meeting. The Australian government is under pressure from the US administration to significantly boost its defence spending. Meanwhile, Australia is seeking a deal to get some exemption from the Trump tariffs.

    The sanctions are on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

    They include bans on travel to Australia, a freeze on any assets they might have here, and a prohibition on anyone in Australia directly or indirectly making assets available to them.

    Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the two ministers “have been the most extremist and hard line of an extremist settler enterprise which is both unlawful and violent”.

    The Israeli ministers are accused of major violations of human rights, including escalating physical violence and abuse by Israeli settlers. A few days ago they marched through Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter with a group that chanted “death to Arabs”.

    In a social media post, Rubio said the sanctions “do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war”.

    “We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is.”

    Urging the reversal of the sanctions, Rubio said the US “stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel”.

    Asked whether he was concerned the sanctions would damage Australia’s relations with the US, Albanese told reporters he was not: “Australia makes its own decisions based upon the assessments that we make”. He pointed out the action was in concert with the Five Eyes countries of Canada, the UK and new Zealand.

    Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash  said sanctioning  democratically elected officials of a key ally was “very serious”.

    “Labor should be clear who initiated this process, on what basis they have done so and who made the decision”, Cash said. The government should also say what, if any, engagement it had had with the US on the matter, she said.

    Michelle Grattan 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. Australia-US rift over sanctions on Israeli ministers further complicates Albanese-Trump expected talks – https://theconversation.com/australia-us-rift-over-sanctions-on-israeli-ministers-further-complicates-albanese-trump-expected-talks-258691

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Some economists have called for a radical ‘global wealth tax’ on billionaires. How would that work?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Venkat Narayanan, Senior Lecturer – Accounting and Tax, RMIT University

    Rudy Balasko/Shutterstock

    Earlier this year, I attended a housing conference in Sydney. The event’s opening address centred on the way Australia seems to be becoming like 18th-century England – a country where inheritance largely determines one’s opportunities in life.

    There has been a lot of media coverage of economic inequities in Australian society. Our tax system has been partly blamed for this problem. The case for long-term, visionary tax reform has never been stronger. And one area of tax reform could be a wealth tax.

    First, let’s be clear about one thing. Unlike the superannuation tax reforms currently being debated for those with more than A$3 million in superannuation, the wealth tax we’re talking about would apply to a very different cohort: billionaires.

    A recent article in the Financial Times re-examined a proposal to impose such a tax on the world’s highest-net-worth individuals. It also pointed out these efforts would need to be globally coordinated.

    Such taxes could collect significant sums of money for governments. It’s previously been estimated a billionaire tax could raise US$250 billion (more than A$380 billion) globally if just 2% of the net worth of the world’s billionaires was taxed each year.

    The case for a wealth tax

    Inequality is on the rise and the argument for a wealth tax can’t be ignored – not least here at home. According to the Australia Institute, the wealth of Australia’s richest 200 people has soared as a percentage of our national gross domestic product (GDP) – from 8.4% in 2004 to 23.7% in 2024.

    If that sounds dramatic, the picture is far worse in the United States. So, what would a wealth tax look like in Australia (noting that in reality a globally coordinated effort would be needed)?

    The starting point for this is understanding of why high-net-worth individuals seemingly pay very low taxes.

    High net worth, low tax rate

    Income taxes only take into account any amounts that are received in the hands of the taxpayer – whether that is a company, a person or a trust.

    Most high-net-worth individuals do not receive much income directly but “store” their wealth in companies and other corporate structures.

    In Australia, the maximum applicable tax rate for companies is 30%. Note that the highest tax rate in Australia for individuals is 45% plus the 2% medicare levy, effectively 47%.

    Assets such as real estate may also be held by companies or trusts, and the increase in value of these assets is not taxed until they are sold (through capital gains tax).

    Even then, those gains may not be paid out directly to the high-net-worth individual who owns these entities.

    Unrealised gains

    So, how do we tax wealth that is sitting in various businesses (company structures) or other entities, but isn’t taxed at present because the “income” or “gains” from these are not taxable in the hands of the wealthy individuals who own them?

    This goes into the murky area of taxation of unrealised gains. Here, we need to tread very carefully. But we also need to recognise that we already do this, albeit rather subtly, and most of us are not billionaires.

    In your rates notice from your local council, for example, the increase in value of your residence or investment property is used to calculate your rates.

    The real difficulty, to carry on with this example, is that your residence or investment property is typically held in your name and so the tax can be directly levied on you.

    A luxury residence in Miami Beach, Florida, owned by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. The US is home to the most billionaires of any country in the world.
    Felix Mizioznikov/Shutterstock

    Making tax unavoidable

    As we’ve already explained, the bulk of the assets or net worth of wealthy individuals is not directly attributable to them. Does this mean we should give up altogether?

    Not quite. UNSW professor Chris Evans has pointed out that while we may not be able to effectively tax all the net worth of the wealthy, there are some things we can tax and they can’t avoid it.

    An obvious example is real estate. You can pack your bags and bank accounts and move to a low-tax country, but you can’t move your mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour.

    Real estate, both residential and commercial, provides one clear way in which we could implement a partial wealth tax. This method (which also has fewer valuation issues than value stored in a company in the form of retained profits) also counters the argument that the wealthy will simply move to other jurisdictions that won’t tax them.

    There is plenty of academic research looking at various wealth tax initiatives in other countries. We should learn from these, including the experience in Switzerland and Sweden.

    In Sweden, for instance, research found the behavioural effects of wealth taxation were less pronounced than those of income taxation, but the system had so many loopholes that evasion was an option for some people.

    Change faces headwinds

    In a very uncertain world that features ongoing wars and an unpredictable US president, any change that seeks to address issues of inequity is going to be met with resistance by those who hold power.

    Some billionaires in the US, however, have expressed their support for being taxed more in a letter signed by heirs to the Disney and Rockefeller fortunes. That offers some hope, and suggests the discussion about wealth taxes should not be relegated to the “too hard” basket.

    Some steps towards taxing the uber-rich would be better than the status quo.

    Venkat Narayanan 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. Some economists have called for a radical ‘global wealth tax’ on billionaires. How would that work? – https://theconversation.com/some-economists-have-called-for-a-radical-global-wealth-tax-on-billionaires-how-would-that-work-257632

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why does the US still have a Level 1 travel advisory warning despite the chaos?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate in Public Health & Community Medicine, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

    No travel can be considered completely safe. There are inherent risks from transportation, criminal activity, communicable diseases, injury and natural disasters.

    Still, global travel is booming — for those who can afford it.

    To reduce the chances of things going wrong, governments issue official travel advisories: public warnings meant to help people make informed travel decisions.

    Sometimes these advisories seem puzzling – why, for example, does the US still have the “safest” rating despite the ongoing volatility in Los Angeles?

    How do governments assess where is safe for Australians to travel?

    A brief history of travel advisories

    The United States pioneered travel advisories in 1978, with other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland following.

    Australia started providing travel advisories in 1996 and now runs its system under the Smart Traveller platform.

    To determine the risk level, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) draws on diplomatic reporting, assessments from Australian missions overseas about local security conditions, threat assessments from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and advice from Five Eyes intelligence sharing partners (Australia, the US, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada).

    The goal is to create “smart, responsible informed travellers”, not to restrict tourism or damage foreign relationships.

    DFAT has stressed its system is not influenced by “commercial or political considerations”.

    Soft power and safety

    In theory, these advisories are meant to inform travellers, keep them safe and reduce the burden on consular services.

    However, they can also subtly reflect politics and alliances.

    While travel advisories are presented as neutral, fact-based risk assessments, they may not always be free from political bias.

    Research shows governments sometimes soften their warnings for countries they are close with and overstate risks in others.

    A detailed analysis of US State Department travel warnings from 2009 to 2016 found only a weak correlation between the number of American deaths in a country and the warnings issued.

    In some cases, destinations with no record of US fatalities received frequent warnings, while places with high death tolls had none.

    In early 2024, Australia issued a string of warnings about rising safety concerns in the US and extremely strict entry conditions even with an appropriate visa.

    Yet, the US kept its Level 1 rating – “exercise normal safety precautions” – the same advice given for places such as Japan or Denmark.

    Meanwhile, Australia’s warning for France was Level 2 — “exercise a high degree of caution” — due to the potential threat of terrorism.

    Experts have also criticised Australia’s travel warnings for being harsher toward developing countries.

    The UK, a country with lower crime rates than the US, also sits at Level 2 — putting it in the same risk level as Saudi Arabia, Nicaragua and South Africa.



    Read more:
    In Trump’s America, the shooting of a journalist is not a one-off. Press freedom itself is under attack

    Inconsistencies and grey areas

    The problem is, the advisory levels themselves are vague: a Level 2 warning can apply to countries with very different risk profiles.

    It’s used for places dealing with terrorism threats like France, or vastly different law and respect for human rights such as Saudi Arabia, or countries recovering from political unrest such as Sri Lanka.

    Until early June 2025, Sweden was also rated Level 2 due to localised gang violence, despite relatively low risks for tourists. Its rating has since been revised down to Level 1.

    Travel advisories often apply a blanket rating to an entire country, even when risks vary widely within its borders.

    For instance, Australia’s Level 1 rating for the US doesn’t distinguish between different regional threats.

    In June 2025, 15 people were injured in Boulder, Colorado after a man attacked a peaceful protest with Molotov cocktails.

    Earlier in 2025, a major measles outbreak in West Texas resulted in more than 700 cases reported in a single county.

    Despite this, Australia continues to classify the entire country as a low-risk destination.

    This can make it harder for travellers to make informed, location-specific decisions.

    Recent travel trends

    Recent data indicate a significant downturn in international travel to the US: in March 2025, overseas visits to the US fell by 11.6% compared to the previous year, with notable declines from Germany (28%), Spain (25%) and the UK (18%).

    Australian visitors to the US decreased by 7.8% compared to the same month in 2024, marking the steepest monthly drop since the COVID pandemic.

    This trend suggests travellers are reassessing risk on their own even when official advisories don’t reflect those concerns.

    The US case shows how politics can affect travel warnings: the country regularly experiences mass casualty incidents, violent protests and recently has been detaining and deporting people from many countries at the border including Australians, Germans and French nationals.

    Yet it remains at Level 1.

    What’s really going on has more to do with political alliances than safety: increasing the US travel risk level could create diplomatic friction.

    What travellers can do now

    If you’re a solo female traveller, identify as LGBTQIA+, are an academic, come from a visible minority or have spoken out online against the country you’re visiting, your experience might be very different from what the advice suggests.

    So, here are some tips to stay safe while travelling:

    • Check multiple sources: don’t rely solely on travel advisories – compare travel advice from other countries

    • Get on-the-ground updates: check local news for coverage of events. If possible, talk to people who’ve recently visited for their experiences

    • For broader safety trends, tools like the Global Peace Index offer data on crime, political stability and healthcare quality. If you’re concerned about how locals or police treat certain groups, consult Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, or country-specific reports from Freedom House

    • Consider identity-specific resources: there are travel guides and safety indexes for LGBTQIA+ travellers like Equaldex, women travellers (Solo Female Travelers Network) and others. These may highlight risks general advisories miss.

    Travel advisories often reflect whom your country trusts, not where you’re actually safe. If you’re relying on them, make sure you understand what they leave out.

    Samuel Cornell receives funding from an Australian Government Research Training Program
    Scholarship.

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

    – ref. Why does the US still have a Level 1 travel advisory warning despite the chaos? – https://theconversation.com/why-does-the-us-still-have-a-level-1-travel-advisory-warning-despite-the-chaos-258182

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Security Defence – AST Networks Showcases Innovative Defence Communication Solutions at Exclusive British Embassy Event in the Netherlands

    Source: ATS Networks

    AST Networks, a global provider of satellite communication and marine electronics, recently participated in a prestigious Defence Industry Exhibition and Reception held in the Netherlands, hosted by Her Excellency Joanna Roper CMG, British Ambassador to the Netherlands, and Commander James Wallington-Smith, commanding officer of HMS Sutherland. This high-profile event brought together leading British defence companies to engage with key European stakeholders in the defence maritime sectors.

    Held aboard HMS Sutherland, a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate, the event served as an important diplomatic and commercial platform for strengthening international collaboration, innovation exchange, and sovereign defence capabilities. For AST Networks, the exhibition provided an unparalleled opportunity to engage with military and governmental representatives from the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, and beyond.

    Showcasing Satellite Communications and Marine Electronics Excellence

    AST Networks presented a suite of cutting-edge technologies, designed to enhance mission-critical communication in the most demanding environments. Some of the featured solutions included:

    • SAL SPU-200: A compact and rugged anti jamming and spoofing comms unit designed for maritime operations.
    • ICOM IC-SAT100 PTT Radios: Reliable, one-to-many satellite Push to Talk radios enabling real-time voice communication across vast distances.
    • Encrypted Thuraya XT-PRO Radios: Secure and versatile satellite handsets designed for global deployment.
    • Iridium 9575 PTT Radios: Combining satellite voice with Push to Talk capabilities on the robust and reliable Iridium network.

    Whilst all the products generated strong interest, the SAL SPU-200 was especially well received, an apt highlight given the navel setting and the growing demand for agile, deployable safety systems in maritime operations.

    Strengthening International Partnerships and Defence Readiness

    The event enabled businesses to connect with a broad range of stakeholders, including defence attachés, navel commanders, Ministry of Defence officials, and government technology advisors. These interactions have already led to ongoing conversations and invitations for AST Networks to deliver further product demonstrations and in-country engagements.

    Empowering Defence Through Global Communication and Support

    AST Networks specialises in delivering resilient, flexible, and scalable satellite communications and marine electronics systems tailored to meet the critical needs of defence, maritime, and emergency services sectors. Whether operating in remote locations, at sea, or across contested communication environments. AST’s solutions ensure users remain connected, informed, and mission ready. With decades of experience and a proven track record across global defence projects, AST Networks offers:

    • Fully managed communication systems for land and sea operations.
    • Custom-built integration of satellite and hybrid communication systems with existing infrastructure.
    • Remote monitoring, diagnostics, and control through their advanced INTEGRA platform.
    • Compliance with the highest security and encryption services, supporting government and defence requirements.
    • 24/7 Technical support across the globe.

    AST Networks distinguish themselves through their proven and unmatched commitment to customer support. With 24/7 – 365 days a year – technical support, real-time troubleshooting, and rapid response, AST Networks ensure operational continuity – no matter the hour, the mission, or the location.

    “Our participation in this event demonstrates not only the strength of British innovation in the defence sector, but also our unwavering dedication to supporting the evolving requirements of allied forces,” said Vic Litaunieks, Government Liaison Officer with AST Networks. “We’re proud to deliver solutions that help our partners stay connected, secure, and safe, whether at sea, in the field, or at base.”

    Looking Ahead

    As AST continues to expand their global footprint, events such as this reinforce the importance of international collaboration, knowledge sharing, and trusted partnerships in an increasingly complex defence environment. The team looks forward to building on the relationships established during the event and continuing to support the Netherlands and wider European defence community in advancing secure communications and mission resilience.

    About AST Networks

     AST Networks is a global leader in satellite communications, safety services, and intelligent maritime electronics solutions. From commercial shipping and offshore energy to defence and polar research, AST Networks delivers cutting-edge systems that keep vessels connected, secure, and compliant — wherever they are in the world.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: US criticises allies as NZ bans two top far-right Israeli ministers

    RNZ News

    The United States has denounced sanctions by Britain and allies — including New Zealand and Australia — against Israeli far-right ministers, saying they should focus instead on the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

    New Zealand has banned two Israeli politicians from travelling to the country because of comments about the war in Gaza that Foreign Minister Winston Peters says “actively undermine peace and security”.

    New Zealand joins Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in imposing the sanctions on Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

    Peters said they were targeted towards two individuals, rather than the Israeli government.

    “Our action today is not against the Israeli people, who suffered immeasurably on October 7 [2023] and who have continued to suffer through Hamas’ ongoing refusal to release all hostages.

    “Nor is it designed to sanction the wider Israeli government.”

    The two ministers were “using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution”, Peters said.

    ‘Severely and deliberately undermined’ peace
    “Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have severely and deliberately undermined that by personally advocating for the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, while inciting violence and forced displacement.”

    The sanctions were consistent with New Zealand’s approach to other foreign policy issues, he said.

    Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (left) and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich . . . sanctioned by Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway because they have “incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable,” says British Foreign Minister David Lammy. Image: TRT screenshot APR

    “New Zealand has also targeted travel bans on politicians and military leaders advocating violence or undermining democracy in other countries in the past, including Russia, Belarus and Myanmar.”

    New Zealand had been a long-standing supporter of a two-state solution, Peters said, which the international community was also overwhelmingly in favour of.

    “New Zealand’s consistent and historic position has been that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a violation of international law. Settlements and associated violence undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution,” he said.

    “The crisis in Gaza has made returning to a meaningful political process all the more urgent. New Zealand will continue to advocate for an end to the current conflict and an urgent restart of the Middle East Peace Process.”

    ‘Outrageous’, says Israel
    Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the move was “outrageous” and the government would hold a special meeting early next week to decide how to respond to the “unacceptable decision”.

    His comments were made while attending the inauguration of a new Israeli settlement on Palestinian land.

    Peters is currently in Europe for the sixth Pacific-France Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Nice.

    US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters: “We find that extremely unhelpful. It will do nothing to get us closer to a ceasefire in Gaza.”

    Britain, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Australia “should focus on the real culprit, which is Hamas”, she said of the sanctions.

    “We remain concerned about any step that would further isolate Israel from the international community.”

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ and Gaza – Peters appearing to do something, when doing nothing

    COMMENTARY: By Steven Cowan, editor of Against The Current

    The New Zealand Foreign Minster’s decision to issue a travel ban against two Israeli far-right politicians is little more than a tokenistic gesture in opposing Israel’s actions.

    It is an attempt to appease growing opposition to Israel’s war, but the fact that Israel has killed more than 54,000 innocent people in Gaza, a third under the age of 18, still leaves the New Zealand government unmoved.

    Foreign Minister Peters gave the game away when he commented that the sanctions were targeted towards two individuals, rather than the Israeli government.

    Issuing travel bans against two Israeli politicians, who are unlikely to visit New Zealand at any stage, is the easy option.

    It appears to be doing something to protest against Israel’s actions when actually doing nothing. And it doesn’t contradict the interests of the United States in the Middle East.

    Under the government of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, New Zealand has become a vassal state of American imperialism.

    New Zealand has joined four other countries, the United States, Britain, Australia and Norway, in issuing a travel ban. But all four countries continue to supply Israel with arms.

    Unions demand stronger action
    Last week, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions demanded that the New Zealand government take stronger action against Israel. In a letter to Winston Peters, CTU president Richard Wagstaff wrote:

    “For too long, the international community has allowed the state of Israel to act with impunity. It is now very clearly engaged in genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

    “All efforts must be made to put diplomatic and economic pressure on Israel to end this murderous campaign.”

    THE CTU has called for a series of sanctions to be imposed on Israel. They include “a ban on all imports of goods made in whole or in part in Israel” and “a rapid review of Crown investments and immediately divest from any financial interests in Israeli companies”.

    The CTU is also calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador.

    This article was first published on Steven Cowan’s website Against The Current. Republished with permission.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –