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Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Meet four emerging filmmakers bending cultural and creative lines with iPhone 16 Pro Max

    Source: Apple

    Headline: Meet four emerging filmmakers bending cultural and creative lines with iPhone 16 Pro Max

    April 15, 2025

    UPDATE

    Meet four emerging filmmakers bending cultural and creative lines with iPhone 16 Pro Max

    The talent behind this year’s MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone projects delve into how India’s varied landscapes and cultures shaped their shorts

    Writer, director, and actor Konkona Sen Sharma believes that beyond technology, a filmmaker’s most important tool is courage.

    “With iPhone, there’s so much power contained in such a compact package that you can bypass the conventions of mainstream filmmaking,” says Sen Sharma, a two-time winner of India’s National Film Awards. “All you need is a great idea, and the guts and determination to follow through with it.”

    Alongside fellow Indian film industry icons Vikramaditya Motwane, Lijo Jose Pellissery, and Vetri Maaran, Sen Sharma is mentoring four emerging filmmakers selected by the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) to create short films for the 2025 MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone program.

    Now in its second year, the program empowers MAMI alumni to push the boundaries of technology and innovation, shooting their projects on iPhone 16 Pro Max and editing them on MacBook Pro with M4 Max. Two of last year’s participating films recently won 2025 Critics’ Choice Awards India for Best Short Film, Best Director (Short Film), and Best Writing (Short Film).

    “Shooting on iPhone allows for complete personal expression,” says Maaran, writer-director of the upcoming Tamil action thriller Vaadivaasal. He believes he is learning as much from his mentees as he is teaching them. “We’re living in the age of democracy in filmmaking.”

    This year’s MAMI Select filmmakers — Amrita Bagchi, Rohin Raveendran Nair, Chanakya Vyas, and Shalini Vijayakumar — are discovering new cinematic worlds through the lens of iPhone 16 Pro Max.

    “The unique voices of these filmmakers are beautifully contextualized through the four languages and regions of India in which they are rooted,” says MAMI festival director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

    “These are very passionate people with important stories to tell,” says Pellissery, the filmmaker behind Malayalam features like Ee.Ma.Yau. and Jallikattu. “Shooting on iPhone, they are pushing their own limits with fantastic results.”

    Each filmmaker leveraged the powerful capabilities of MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip to weave their stories together. “Shooting and editing within the Apple family of products gives you a stellar advantage: speed,” says writer-director Motwane, whose work in film and television includes Udaan and Black Warrant.

    That lightning-fast performance of MacBook Pro alongside the ease of use of iPhone 16 Pro Max is giving these artists even more creative control on and off set.

    Navigating childhood and change, legacy, and liberation, Bagchi, Nair, Vyas, and Vijayakumar recently premiered their stories in Mumbai.

    Creating Claustrophobia with Cinematic Mode

    With a background in design, acting, singing, and songwriting, Amrita Bagchi feels she was always destined to be a filmmaker. “It’s like a confluence of all the art forms,” she says.

    Bagchi, whose short film Succulent won the Grand Jury Prize at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles in 2022, hails from Kolkata, the city in West Bengal, India, that has produced cinematic stalwarts like Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen. It’s also the home of many a spooky story.

    Her new short film, Tinctoria, is a psychological thriller inspired by an actual historical event: the indigo revolt that arose in Bengal in 1859. It tells the story of a modern-day fashion mogul whose ancestral legacy is built on the skeletons of indigo farmers from the colonial era — the ghosts of whom quite literally come back to haunt her.

    To create the immersive, claustrophobic atmosphere of a thriller, Bagchi is engaging Cinematic mode for the film’s opening montage. “We’re tracking bubbles and plastic sheets flying through the air, and the depth of field is so clean,” she says. “Just like it’s shot on a huge, high-budget cinematic camera.”

    Bagchi believes her film could never have been shot through traditional means.

    “It was a very ambitious production, but with iPhone 16 Pro Max, I can constantly create and improvise,” she says. “That edginess of movement, it’s like visual rap.”

    With graphically demanding workflows — like overlaying the industry-standard Rec. 709 color space on ProRes Log footage captured on iPhone — she is surprised that her M4 Max MacBook Pro hasn’t lagged once.

    “It’s like a rocket machine,” she says. “On a tight schedule I can just shoot at 4K120 fps on my iPhone, and still have tremendous flexibility to change the pacing during the edit on my MacBook Pro.”

    The theme of legacy runs strong with Bagchi, and not just in her film. “We want to emulate pioneers like Satyajit Ray. He didn’t let the conventions of his time dictate his story,” she says.

    ProRes Paints a Coastal Canvas

    “Even though I grew up in New Delhi, I’ve always been exposed to Kerala’s brave, daring cinema,” says Rohin Raveendran Nair, a director, writer, and cinematographer whose credits include Netflix shows like Sacred Games and Black Warrant.

    Nair’s short film Kovarty takes him back to his roots in the coastal city of Alleppey. A love story tinged with magical realism, it showcases the relationship between a typewriter and typist. Qwerty, as the typewriter is christened, is slowly transformed by the lilting local accent into Kovarty. This acts as a metaphor for the film’s major theme: change.

    The prospect of shooting on iPhone 16 Pro Max was instrumental in Nair’s choice of narrative. “Using iPhone’s small form factor, I could place the camera inside the typewriter and capture its POV,” he says. “This, along with practical effects with fish wires, helps bring the device to life.”

    Nair is framing his point of view shots in a 4:3 aspect ratio to emulate the verticality of a sheet of paper. These are juxtaposed against a wider 2:1 aspect ratio when capturing the expansive backwater landscapes. For some old-world charm, he also uses a bloom filter to create a halo around the highlights.

    Nair believes iPhone 16 Pro Max will complement Alleppey’s vivid blue-greens.

    “One day our location is bright and sunny, the next it’s cloudy and gloomy,” he says. “The camera captures such rich detail with ProRes Log in all sorts of lighting situations.”

    Action Mode Helps Cut Through the Noise

    For his new short film Mangya, educator and thespian Chanakya Vyas found inspiration in an unusual place. “It may seem obsolete, but a newspaper is a great place to discover stories,” he says.

    Vyas — whose short film Loo was nominated for Best Short Film (Narrative) at the New York Indian Film Festival — went down a rabbit hole after reading an article about an avian flu outbreak in suburban Mumbai. That, combined with the devastating loss of his golden retriever, inspired his new short film.

    Mangya is a coming-of-age tale about an 11-year-old boy and his pet, the titular rooster. “Losing a pet is very different from the loss of another person,” muses Vyas. “What started out as a story about a lonely boy, eventually became one about letting go.”

    For a key scene in the film, Vyas is tracking his actor for 1,000 feet just before the break of dawn.

    “There’s no time to mount the camera on a traditional gimbal,” he says. “But with Action mode, I could even shoot multiple takes. The stabilization is just so impressive.”

    Recording clean sound in a country as loud as India can be tricky, but Vyas is incorporating the cacophony into his milieu.

    “We’re able to layer footsteps, the rooster crowing, and the whirring sound of a fan with distinct clarity with the studio-quality mics on iPhone 16 Pro Max,” he says. “The native audio is that good in its bit rate and cadence.”

    Out amid the chicken coops while on set, Vyas relies on the nano-texture display of his MacBook Pro, which dramatically reduces glare and distractions from reflections coming from the overhead sun as he reviews the continuity of his shots. Nano-texture is a game-changing experience when working outdoors.

    “For a director, the most important thing is how the footage will turn out,” Vyas says. “Thankfully the Liquid Retina XDR display on my MacBook Pro gives me an accurate representation of the actual colors we will see in the finished version.”

    Screaming in Slow Motion

    Growing up in a traditional Tamil-speaking home in Chennai, filmmaker Shalini Vijayakumar loved hearing stories about her mother’s large family. “Some used to be funny, others were sad,” she says.

    “Some were about an uncle who used to talk to ghosts,” she continues. “As a 6-year-old, I would imagine myself in my mom’s place — full of stories to tell.”

    Her influences all come together in her new short film, Seeing Red, a comedic horror film about the quashed emotions of the women in a large Tamil household.

    Set in the 1980s, the film begins with three different women screaming in horror after seeing a ghost. It ends with them screaming to express a collective, repressed rage. “It’s like a journey from being scared to being angry,” she says. “The actors enjoy just getting to shout at the top of their lungs. And I scream with them because I’m also letting it all out.”

    To depict the scream, Vijayakumar is inverting a traditionally masculine visual device from Tamil cinema using iPhone 16 Pro Max. “I call these the ‘mass shots’ where the heroes walk dramatically in slow motion,” she says. “I’m doing that for the women in 4K120 fps, and it looks fabulous.”

    For more tightly framed shots, the 120 mm lens on iPhone 16 Pro Max allows her to bring together her narrative, staging, and theme in a single shot that she composed using Procreate on iPad.

    “Using the 5x Telephoto lens, I’m able to place the men in front as they discuss the fate of the women in the background,” Vijayakumar explains. “There’s so much storytelling in that one frame through that particular lens.”

    For all the complexities of theme, technology, and technique, both Vijayakumar and Seeing Red possess an ephemeral lightness of spirit. “My hope is that everyone has fun and remembers that women screamed in it!”

    Vikramaditya Motwane, the award-winning director and program mentor, is convinced the four MAMI Select filmmakers can carry forward the legacy of visionaries like Orson Welles and Satyajit Ray. “These filmmakers can be the pioneers who take the camera to places we’ve never seen before,” he says.

    Watch these four short films on the MAMI YouTube channel.

    Press Contacts

    Renee Felton

    Apple

    rfelton@apple.com

    Apple Media Helpline

    media.help@apple.com

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Denis Manturov held the 13th meeting of the Russian-Indonesian Joint Commission on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Denis Manturov and Minister Coordinating for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Airlangga Hartarto held the 13th meeting of the Russian-Indonesian Joint Commission on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation. Its participants considered a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, industry, investment, transport and energy, as well as science, education and culture.

    Despite global challenges, bilateral trade between Russia and Indonesia is showing positive dynamics. Over the past five years, mutual trade turnover has grown by more than 80% (to $4.3 billion by the end of 2024), and last year Indonesia was among Russia’s three leading foreign trade partners in ASEAN. “At the same time, the potential for economic cooperation is much broader. This was confirmed, among other things, by the Russian-Indonesian business forum held yesterday in Jakarta. Business circles are demonstrating practical interest in developing mutually beneficial cooperation. Given the success of the format, I propose to continue the practice of combining such business events with commission meetings. I also consider it necessary to encourage the participation of Russian and Indonesian companies in major congress and exhibition events held in our countries,” Denis Manturov noted.

    The business dialogue between Russia and Indonesia contributes to the diversification of the trade structure. Thus, along with fuel and energy products, the export of food and mineral fertilizers is growing. In 2023, deliveries of Russian wheat resumed. “We expect to begin shipping meat products that will meet halal standards in the near future. We see opportunities for developing the export of forestry and metallurgy products,” the First Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

    The conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU and Indonesia, as well as the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters will allow further increase in trade turnover and simplify procedures for mutual access of goods to markets. Denis Manturov also emphasized the importance of ensuring uninterrupted mutual settlements.

    Special attention at the meeting was paid to the development of cooperation in the field of digital technologies. Domestic companies are ready to implement their own developments in the field of information security, artificial intelligence and smart city technologies in Indonesia. The First Deputy Prime Minister also confirmed readiness for dialogue on projects in the space industry, including technologies for remote sensing of the Earth, satellite navigation, manned spaceflight and personnel training.

    Cooperation in the spheres of culture, education, tourism and sports is developing successfully. Speaking about strengthening partnership relations in the media, Denis Manturov welcomed the plans of the Russia Today TV channel to jointly produce news content in Indonesian for local channels, which will allow objective coverage of both the Russian-Indonesian agenda and global events in the interests of the audience of our countries.

    Following the event, a final protocol was signed, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between Rosakcreditatsiya and the Indonesian Halal Product Quality Assurance Agency, which is aimed at improving the conditions for access of halal products to the Indonesian market. In addition, an Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Improving Quality and Business Excellence was signed between Roskachestvo and the Indonesian Association for Quality and Productivity Management, as well as an Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Sports between the Russian National Badminton Federation and the Indonesian Badminton Association.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Support Grows for ‘Beacon of Hope’ R&D Legislation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas)

    On Tax Day, organizations and innovators are continuing to show support for the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act, legislation introduced by Reps. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) and John Larson (D-Connecticut) that permanently allows for immediate research and development expensing looking back to 2022 when the provision expired. Reps. Estes and Larson were joined by Reps. Rudy Yakym (R-Indiana) and Suzan DelBene (D-Washington) and the bill has an additional 70 cosponsors evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. The statements below are in addition to support expressed by the National Association of Manufacturers and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers when Reps. Estes and Larson introduced the bill in March.

    “The Aerospace Industries Association is grateful for the continued bipartisan support of the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act, which will restore immediate research and development expensing — allowing innovation to flourish among America’s aerospace and defense companies and ensuring we continue to outpace our adversaries. We thank Congressman Estes and Congressman Larson for championing these efforts and supporting American business by reintroducing this important bill,” said Eric Fanning, president and CEO, Aerospace Industries Association.

    “Restoring full and immediate R&D expensing is essential to the future of American manufacturing and the competitiveness of the U.S. plastics industry,” said Chris Rager, vice president of government affairs, Plastics Industry Association. “Our sector supports over one million jobs and drives innovation in critical areas like healthcare, automotive, and sustainable packaging. This bipartisan measure will help ensure manufacturers can continue investing in next-generation technologies that strengthen our economy, advance sustainability, and keep the United States at the forefront of global innovation.”

    “The American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act is a beacon of hope for U.S. manufacturers as we face unfair global competition,” said Eric Axel, executive director, American Medical Manufacturers Association. “By reinstating immediate R&D expensing, this bipartisan legislation empowers domestic makers of critical medical supplies to innovate, compete, and safeguard our public health and national security. It’s a crucial step towards ensuring America remains a leader in producing life-saving supplies, fostering economic resilience, and creating high-paying jobs nationwide.”

    “Our research and development efforts drive advancements in magnetic technologies used across food processing, recycling, and advanced manufacturing. These innovations not only help protect equipment and ensure safety—they also support good-paying, skilled jobs in Kansas. Restoring immediate expensing for R&D, as proposed in Congressman Estes’ legislation, would give manufacturers like us the certainty and resources we need to keep hiring, expanding, and staying competitive. We’re grateful for his leadership and strong support of Kansas manufacturers,” said Robert Bunting Jr., president & CEO, Bunting in Newton, Kansas.

    You can read the full text of the bill here.

    Background
     Rep. Estes has been a leader in advocating for American innovation. In the previous Congress, Reps. Estes and John Larson (D-Connecticut) reintroduced H.R. 2673 – the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act – on April 18, 2023. Rep. Estes delivered remarks on the House floor in April of 2023 and numerous organizations offered their support following the bill’s introduction. In June, Rep. Estes testified on the legislation in a Small Business Committee subcommittee, discussed the bill during a Ways and Means markup for the Committee’s Build It in America Act – an economic package that included a version of Rep. Estes’ bill and was reported out of committee and penned an op-ed for The Hill highlighting the then more than 100 cosponsors and touting the benefits of the legislation. In December, Rep. Estes spoke to Tax Notes about the expired provision and published an op-ed in Newsweek unpacking the positive outcomes – for individual taxpayers and across the economy – made possible by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 and explaining how his bipartisan bill offers a solution to the expired R&D expensing provision that would help restore America’s dominance in R&D and secure American jobs.

    In April of 2024, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Missouri) and Tax Subcommittee Chairman Mike Kelly (R-Pennsylvania) named Rep. Estes chair of the newly formed U.S. Innovation Tax Team, one of ten working groups comprised of committee members to study key tax provisions from the 2017 Trump tax cuts that are set to expire in 2025. Rep. Estes talked with innovators and manufacturers throughout Kansas in August and September and led a delegation with House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Missouri) and then-Tax Team Vice Chair Michelle Steel (R-California) to Silicon Valley later in September to meet with U.S. innovators and stakeholders about the upcoming TCJA expirations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cambodia’s haunted present: 50 years after Khmer Rouge’s rise, murderous legacy looms large

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Sophal Ear, Associate Professor in the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University

    Khmer Rouge forces collect weapons left behind by retreating soldiers as they enter Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975. Roland Neveu/LightRocket via Getty Images

    On April 17, 1975, tanks rolled into the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, to cheering crowds who believed that the country’s long civil war might finally be over.

    But what followed was one of the worst genocides of the 20th century. During a brutal four-year rule, the communist-nationalist ideologues of the Khmer Rouge killed between 1.6 million and 3 million people through executions, forced labor and starvation. It represented a quarter of the country’s population at the time.

    Fifty years on, the Khmer Rouge’s legacy continues to shape Cambodia – politically, socially, economically and emotionally. It’s etched into every Cambodian’s bones – including mine.

    Photo of author’s parents in Cambodia, taken in late 1960s.
    Sophal Ear, CC BY

    I write this not just as an academic or observer but as a survivor. My father died under the Khmer Rouge, succumbing to dysentery and malnutrition after being forced to work in a labor camp. My mother pretended to be Vietnamese to save our family. She escaped Cambodia with five children in 1976, crossing through Vietnam before reaching France in 1978 and finally the United States in 1985. We were among the lucky ones.

    Today, Cambodia is physically unrecognizable from the bombed-out fields and empty cities of the 1970s. Phnom Penh gleams with high-rises and luxury malls. And yet beneath the glitter, the past endures – often in silence, sometimes in cynical exploitation.

    Legacy of fear and control

    The Khmer Rouge came to power on a wave of disillusionment, corruption, civil war and rural resentment. Years of American bombing, the 1970 U.S.-backed coup that ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk, and the subsequent deeply unpopular U.S.-aligned military regime set the stage for the Khmer Rouge’s rise.

    A convoy of vehicles commandeered by the victorious Khmer Rouge drives through Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975.
    Roland Neveu/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Many Cambodians, particularly in the countryside, welcomed the Khmer Rouge, with its mix of hard-line communist ideology and extreme Cambodian nationalism, as liberators who promised to restore order and dignity. But for the next four years, the Khmer Rouge, under feared leader Pol Pot, brought terror to the nation through ideological purges, forced labor, racial genocide of minority groups and policies that brought widespread famine.

    People digging a water canal under the guard of an armed Khmer Rouge soldier in 1976.
    AFP via Getty Images

    The regime fell in 1979, when Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia and toppled the Khmer Rouge leadership, installing a new, pro-Hanoi government. But its shadows remain.

    The now ruling Cambodian People’s Party, in power for over four decades, has justified its grip on the country through the trauma of the genocide.

    “Peace and stability” have become mantras used to squash dissent.

    Every sham election becomes a referendum not just on policy but on avoiding a return to war. Critics of Cambodia’s rulers are framed as threats to peace and unity. Opposition parties have been dissolved, activists jailed, media muzzled.

    This political culture of fear draws directly from the Khmer Rouge playbook – minus the overt violence. The trauma inflicted by that regime taught people to distrust one another, to keep quiet, to survive by keeping their heads down. That impulse still shapes public life.

    Justice delayed, and still incomplete

    The Khmer Rouge tribunal – officially the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia – was supposed to bring closure. It has brought some.

    But it took decades to begin, cost over US$300 million and convicted only three senior Khmer Rouge leaders over the 1975–79 genocide. Many mid- and lower-level perpetrators walk free, some are still in government positions, some neighbors to survivors.

    For a nation where the majority of the population was born after 1979, there remains a glaring gap in education and public reckoning over the Khmer Rouge’s atrocities.

    Cambodia’s school curriculum still struggles to teach this period adequately. For many young people, it’s something their parents don’t talk about and the state prefers to frame selectively.

    Economic growth − uneven and fragile

    In raw numbers, Cambodia’s economic progress over the past two decades has been impressive.

    GDP growth averaged around 7% annually before the COVID-19 pandemic. Cities have expanded, and investment – especially from China – has flooded in.

    One of Phnom Penh’s high-end malls.
    Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images.

    But much of this growth is precarious. Cambodia’s economy remains dependent on garment exports, tourism and construction. This leaves it vulnerable to external shocks, such as the Trump administration’s imposition of 49% tariffs on Cambodian goods, now temporarily paused.

    Instead of building a resilient, diversified economy, Cambodia has relied on relationships – with China for investment, with the U.S. for markets – without investing enough in its own human capital. That, too, I believe, is a legacy of the Khmer Rouge, which destroyed the country’s intellectual and professional classes.

    Trauma passed down

    The psychological toll of genocide doesn’t disappear with time. Survivors carry the scars in their bodies and minds.

    But so do their children and grandchildren. Studies in postgenocide Cambodia have shown elevated rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among survivors and their descendants, resulting in intergenerational trauma.

    There are not nearly enough mental health services in the country. Trauma is often dealt with privately, through silence or resilience rather than therapy. Buddhism, the country’s dominant religion, offers rituals for healing, reincarnation and forgiveness. But this isn’t a substitute for systemic mental health infrastructure.

    Worse, in recent years, even the memory of the genocide has been politicized.

    Some leaders use it as a tool to silence dissent. Others co-opt it for nationalist narratives. There’s little room for honest, critical reflection. Some independent initiatives, such as intergenerational dialogue programs and digital archives, have tried to fill the gap but face limited support.

    This is, I believe, a second tragedy. A country cannot truly move forward if it cannot speak freely about its past.

    A tourist looks at portraits of victims of the Khmer Rouge at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh, formerly a Khmer Rouge torture center known as S-21.
    Tang Chhin Southy/AFP via Getty Images)

    The danger of forgetting

    April 17 is not a national holiday in Cambodia. There are no official commemorations. The government doesn’t encourage remembrance of the day Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge. But to my mind, it should. Not to reopen wounds, but to remind Cambodians why justice, democracy and dignity matter.

    The danger isn’t that Cambodia will return to the days of the Khmer Rouge. The danger is that it becomes a place where history is manipulated, where authoritarianism is justified as stability and where development is allowed to paper over injustice.

    As the world marks the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge’s rise, Cambodia must, I believe, reckon with this uncomfortable truth: The regime may be long gone, but its legacy lives on in the institutions, behaviors and fears that continue to shape Cambodia today.

    A personal reckoning

    When I look back, I think of my father – whom I never knew. I think of my mother, who risked everything to save us. And I think of the millions of Cambodians who live with memories they cannot forget, and the young Cambodians who deserve to know the full truth.

    My life has been shaped by what happened on April 17, 1975. But that story isn’t mine alone. It belongs to Cambodia – and it’s still being written.

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

    – ref. Cambodia’s haunted present: 50 years after Khmer Rouge’s rise, murderous legacy looms large – https://theconversation.com/cambodias-haunted-present-50-years-after-khmer-rouges-rise-murderous-legacy-looms-large-254125

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why does Putin insist Ukranians and Russians are ‘one people’? The answer spans centuries of colonisation and resistance

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University

    Russian president Vladimir Putin does not seem interested in peace: Sunday’s missile strike on Sumy, the worst civilian attack this year, proves he is determined to expand into Ukraine at any cost.

    This is a war of ideas, narratives and myths – one that can be traced to the mid-1500s, when Ivan the Terrible, Grand Duke of Muscovy declared himself the first “tsar” of all Russia.

    As part of his quest for power, Ivan the Terrible challenged King Sigismund I of Poland, who as Duke of Rus, ruled over territories that now comprise parts of modern-day Ukraine.

    Russian rulers have often repurposed history to build their power, according to historian Orlando Figes. Putin wrote a well known essay in 2021 that called Russians and Ukrainians “one people”. He was relying on old beliefs that Russia has the right to “restore” or reunite lands it once ruled.

    Ukraine has survived bans on its language, forced assimilation policies, and famines like the Holodomor, orchestrated by Stalin in the 1930s. The country declared independence from Russia in 1991. Now, teachers, artists and local leaders have joined soldiers in resisting Russia.

    Empire and a holy mission

    A broad expanse of the former medieval kingdom of Kyivan Rus incorporated territories in present-day Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, including Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. From 1386 until 1772, the majority of these lands came under the rule of Poland-Lithuania, governed by the Lithuanian Jagiellon dynasty, and their successors.

    Today, Russia often points to Kyivan Rus (which lasted from the 9th to the 13th century), claiming it is reuniting these ancient lands, as Ivan the Terrible claimed in the mid-1500s.

    Grand Duchy of Lithuania, ruled by the Jagiellon dynasty in the 13th to 15th centuries.
    Wikipedia, CC BY

    In 1547, Ivan declared Muscovy a tsardom and Moscow to be the “Third Rome” – in other words, the latest centre of true Christianity, after Rome and Constantinople. This idea made conquest seem like a holy mission. By the late 1700s, the Russian Empire had destroyed Poland-Lithuania in a series of territorial annexations and wars. It had spread far to the south and east, and now bordered with Prussia and Austria.

    Ukraine, with its rich farmland and cultural connection to Kyivan Rus, was a top prize. Russian leaders called Ukraine “Malorossiya”, or “Little Russia”, to claim it was just a small part of a larger, Russian whole. They banned Ukrainian-language publications, forced the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to answer to Moscow, and tried to stamp out any sense of a separate Ukrainian identity.

    However, Ukraine developed its own cultural identity, shaped by its Cossack traditions, its history under Polish–Lithuanian rule, and its separate experiences. Many Ukrainians argue their culture existed long before Muscovy evolved into an empire.

    Winter Scene in Little Russia.
    Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovsky/Wikimedia Commons

    Meanwhile, Russia had expanded into its next-door neighbours, then pretended these lands had always been part of Russia. Historian Alexander Etkind calls this process “internal colonisation”. This strategy helped Russia become a vast empire. But it also built lasting resentment, particularly in Ukraine.

    Famine and ‘fascists’

    The Soviet Union (USSR), established in 1922 in the wake of the successful Bolshevik Coup in 1917, claimed to be a union of equal republics. But in practice, Moscow stayed firmly in control.

    Ukraine had the label of “Soviet Republic”, but had little genuine independence. Soviet leaders demanded enormous amounts of grain, coal, and labour from Ukraine to support the rest of the USSR.

    A postcard printed in Germany by Ukrainian Youth Association for the 15th anniversary of Holodomor, 1933.
    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

    One of the darkest periods in Ukrainian history was the Holodomor, an orchestrated famine that spanned 1932–33, in which millions of Ukrainians died of hunger, after Stalin’s government seized huge amounts of grain from farmers. These policies aimed to break Ukrainian resistance and nationalist feelings.

    The Holodomor was an act of genocide against Ukrainians, though Russia disputes this interpretation.

    After World War II, the Soviet Union took over the Baltic states and parts of Poland, including regions now in western Ukraine. Although Ukraine became one of the more industrialised parts of the USSR, genuine displays of Ukrainian culture or independent thought were often met with harsh punishment. People who spoke out were labelled “fascists”, a term still used in Russia’s modern propaganda.

    Starved peasants on a street in Kharkiv during the famine.
    Widener Library, Harvard University

    Reclaiming Ukraine

    The USSR fell apart in 1991. Ukraine, along with other former Soviet republics, became independent nations. This was a major blow to Russia’s idea of itself as a world empire. For centuries, Moscow had seen Ukraine as central to its identity.

    The 1990s brought tough economic reforms and political changes in Russia. Then Vladimir Putin rose to power in the early 2000s, promising to restore Russia’s influence. He described the former Soviet states as the “near abroad”, suggesting Moscow still had special rights over these regions.

    In 2008, Russia went to war with Georgia. After winning, it recognised two breakaway provinces in Georgia, effectively keeping troops there.

    In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, claiming it was protecting Russian speakers. It also backed separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. The United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 68/262 in March 2014, declaring Russia’s annexation of Crimea illegal. The Kremlin continued its policies regardless.

    ‘Denazifying’ Ukraine?

    In February 2022, Russia expanded the conflict by launching an invasion of Ukraine. It described its actions as a mission to “denazify” the country, accusing Ukraine’s government of being controlled by Nazis – although president Zelenskyy has Jewish heritage.

    There was no evidence to support these claims. Still, Russian leaders used these slogans to justify their aggressive push. They also spoke of “traditional values” and “Orthodox unity”, painting themselves as defenders of a shared Slavic culture.

    The military objective was to capture the Donbas completely, create a land bridge to Crimea, and maybe advance further to Transnistria in Moldova, a pro-Russian separatist region.

    What Russia hoped would be a quick victory has become a long, brutal conflict. For many Ukrainians, independence is more than just avoiding control by Moscow. It is about creating a society built on democracy, human rights and ties to Europe.

    These values inspired the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv in 2013–14, where demonstrators demanded less corruption and closer links to the European Union. Russia used these protests to justify seizing Crimea in 2014.

    A message of self-determination

    The Kremlin’s insistence that Ukrainians and Russians are the same mirrors the older imperial model: expand, absorb and claim these territories were always part of Russia. Breaking free from this “mental empire” demands a deep shift in how Russians, Ukrainians, and the world view Eastern Europe’s past and present.

    When the Soviet Union collapsed, many hoped for a new era of cooperation in Eastern Europe. Instead, authoritarian politics and old beliefs about empire have led to a devastating conflict.

    By refusing to be pulled back into Russia’s orbit, Ukrainians send a message about self-determination. They reject the claim bigger nations can absorb smaller ones simply by invoking a shared past.

    Darius von Guttner Sporzynski 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 Putin insist Ukranians and Russians are ‘one people’? The answer spans centuries of colonisation and resistance – https://theconversation.com/why-does-putin-insist-ukranians-and-russians-are-one-people-the-answer-spans-centuries-of-colonisation-and-resistance-253043

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: RTI Earns 2025 Great Place To Work Certification™ in the U.S. and Spain for the Seventh Consecutive Year

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Real-Time Innovations (RTI), the infrastructure software company for smart-world systems, is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work® for the seventh year in a row. This award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at RTI. This year, 93% of US-based employees said RTI is a great place to work – 36 points higher than the average U.S. company.

    “This recognition is a testament to the individuals who make RTI what it is,” said Stan Schneider, CEO of RTI. “Nobody understands a company better than its employees. This certification validates our unwavering commitment to a collaborative culture, unwavering ethics, and excellent execution. I’m incredibly proud of the RTI team and the collective spirit that shapes our exceptional workplace.”

    The Great Place to Work survey highlights key factors that make RTI a great place to work. An impressive 97% of employees agree that when they join the company, they are made to feel welcome. Additionally, 96% believe they have equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of background, and feel that management is honest and ethical in its business practices, fostering a strong sense of trust across the organization.

    “Great Place To Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience,” says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the Vice President of Global Recognition at Great Place To Work. “By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that RTI stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees.”

    RTI’s “1RTI” culture fosters a collaborative and inclusive environment, where team members, regardless of location, feel connected and valued. In fact, 96% of employees agreed that people at RTI care about each other, and that management is approachable and easy to talk with. Flexibility and personal growth are also prioritized, with opportunities for professional development at every stage. By embracing different perspectives, RTI empowers employees to contribute to shared success, creating a culture where every talent is recognized and respected.

    According to Great Place To Work research, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a Certified great workplace. Additionally, employees at Certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, and are twice as likely to be paid fairly, earn a fair share of the company’s profits and have a fair chance at promotion.

    WE’RE HIRING!
    Looking to grow your career at a company that puts its people first? Visit our careers page at: rti.com/company/careers

    Don’t meet every single requirement? At RTI, we are dedicated to building an inclusive and authentic workplace so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t perfectly align with all qualifications in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or another one of our open roles.

    About RTI

    Real-Time Innovations (RTI) is the infrastructure software company for smart-world systems. RTI Connext® is the world’s leading software framework for intelligent distributed systems. Uniquely, Connext users can build systems that combine advanced sensing, fast control, and AI algorithms.

    With 2,000 customer designs, RTI excels at getting customers to production. RTI software runs over 300 autonomous vehicle programs, supports dozens of automotive ADAS and software-defined architectures, controls the largest power plants in North America, integrates over 500 major defense programs, drives a new generation of MedTech systems and robotics, and underlies Canada’s air traffic control and NASA’s launch control systems.

    RTI runs a smarter world.

    RTI is the market leader in products compliant with the Data Distribution Service (DDS™) standard. RTI is privately held and headquartered in Silicon Valley with regional offices in Colorado, Spain, and Singapore.

    Download a free trial of the latest, fully-functional Connext software today: www.rti.com/downloads

    About Great Place to Work Certification™

    Great Place To Work® Certification™ is the most definitive “employer-of-choice” recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience – specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place To Work-Certified.

    About Great Place To Work®

    As the global authority on workplace culture, Great Place To Work® brings 30 years of groundbreaking research and data to help every place become a great place to work for all. Their proprietary platform and For All™ Model helps companies evaluate the experience of every employee, with exemplary workplaces becoming Great Place To Work Certified™ or receiving recognition on a coveted Best Workplaces™ List.

    Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and follow Great Place To Work on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Vermont Businesses Talk Tariffs and Trump’s Trade War at Welch’s Roundtable

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    “This is essentially a tax on the consumer.”
    “Tariffs radically affect our manufacturing arm.”
    “We don’t know how they’re going to affect us, we just know they’re going to affect us.”
    “How can you navigate the playbook if you don’t know what the rules of the board are”
    “This is long-lasting damage to a relationship and emotional damage takes time to heal.”
    “What happens in five months, ten months, 12 months, two years?”
    “If a bunch of local kids aren’t going to get to learn to ski and snowboard because millionaires and billionaires are getting a tax cut that really doesn’t sit well with me at all.”
    STOWE, VT—On Monday, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), hosted a conversation at The Alchemist Brewery on the impact of President Trump’s trade war on Vermont’s outdoor and tourism economy. Vermont businesses voiced their frustrations with Trump’s tariffs, which are negatively affecting business in Vermont. 
    Senator Welch’s panel included representatives from The Alchemist Brewery, the Old Stagecoach Inn, Mad River Distillers, Burton, J Skis, Waterbury Sports & Power Play Sports, and Hen of the Wood. 
    “You’re running a real business, with real employees, with real customers, with real expenses. And every one of you has an obligation to your employees, you have an obligation to your shareholders and owners, you have an obligation to producing a quality product. And it’s pretty inspiring. That is, so much, in contrast with these tariffs. It’s about an abstract policy. It’s not grounded in the reality of your businesses—whether it’s retail, or food, or hospitality. And that’s what is so maddening to me. My colleagues—we represent everybody in the country, and there are a lot of different points of view—but we could have a group just like you in Texas, in Iowa. These are people who have your responsibility in those communities and they would be, I’m sure, saying the exact same thing. My challenge is to bring this to the attention of some of my colleagues who are willing to go down with the ship, which is what is going to happen with these tariffs. And these concrete examples that you’ve given are really compelling,” said Senator Welch at the conclusion of the event. 
    Read remarks shared during the event by Vermont business leaders:  
    “These tariffs are really going to affect us a lot. But I think I speak for all of us when I say we don’t know how they’re going to affect us, we just know they’re going to affect us. And that’s really the hardest thing as a businessperson—because you want to have a budget; you want to do projections; you want to plan for your year. But we can’t do that. What we do know is that these tariffs are happening. We do know prices are going to go up, but we don’t know how much.” said Jen Kimmich, co-founder of The Alchemist.  
    On tariffs that will impact production costs, Jen said: “We have a global economy that works. So that recycled aluminum goes from Brazil, goes to Canada where it is made into big, recycled aluminum sheets, and then it comes to the United States…Beyond that, our lids come from Mexico. Those are subject to a tariff, and we don’t know what’s going to happen. All of our malt comes from the U.K. It’s a special malt that we have grown by a small family farm we’ve invested in. Right now, it doesn’t get hit by a tariff because it’s a food product, but we’re told that it might.  
    “Beyond that, our other big concern is the decline in tourism, so that stings. Third, we have a looming recession. So even with these increasing prices and decreased business, we can’t increase prices. And number four—and this is the thing that concerns me the most, concerns our employees the most—is cuts to local organizations and social services. If Medicaid gets cut and Copley closes down, or Central Vermont, because they can’t stay profitable, then we’re screwed. We do not have a hospital within an hour of The Alchemist. What about our employees that have students that need special education? Our business—we’re scared. But that is a drop in the bucket compared to the fear I feel for our community, our state, and our country, when our services are cut. And then beyond those things, there’s ICE. We have a huge international population here in Stowe—people working—and I know people who are scared,” Jen concluded.  

    “We sell about 40% of our product in November and December, so we don’t really know how it’s going to affect us until it’s too late for the year-end. The recession, the lack of consumer confidence that’s coming, we need to really hedge our bets. We’ve already planned on cutting 70% of our marketing, and there’s really no other choice. We have to cut because we’re going to pay more for product. Our product is made in Canada, just over the border. I’m very proud to be making it in Canada. I’ve had a relationship with them over a decade…there’s no other factory in North America, that close to us, even as an option. We already placed our order last year for this product. No matter what policy changes are made we can do nothing about it at this point, because our product has been ordered for months. And what we pay we don’t know—depending on where that tariff is it could be anywhere from 10-25%,” shared Jason Levinthal, Founder of J Skis. “And unfortunately, a lot of people in America just don’t understand that this is essentially a tax on the consumer. That’s a huge challenge, and that message has to get out. It needs to be crystal clear, very simple. So, there’s more pressure to change than simply politicians telling them to change. It has to come from the people—the power of the people.” 

    “Tariffs radically affect our manufacturing arm by raising the price of raw materials. In our case, glass bottles and cardboard packaging sourced from Canada, and the sugar we use to make rum, which is imported from Africa…Although we don’t export abroad, many American whiskey companies do, and we expect there to be an oversupply of domestic whiskey this year that was bound for international markets, particularly Asia. That will now stay in the United States. We anticipate prices will fall even though our raw material prices will increase, as large companies need to liquidate the oversupply. And also keep in mind that everything we’re selling today was made years ago, so yes, we can lower our production because of rising costs but that won’t affect us for years.” said Mimi Buttenheim, President of Mad River Distillers. “On the home front we have retail stores in both Burlington and Stowe, which are typically filled with Canadian visitors over the summer…all of these factors are similar for the 22 members of the Distilled Spirits Council of Vermont. In addition, several of our members who export to Canada have had contracts stalled as the provinces have pulled American spirits off their shelves. 
    “For our small businesses, it’s the uncertainty that’s the worst part. Because our businesses are seasonal and occasion-based, and they’re susceptible to changing consumer sentiment. We don’t have large reserve coffers to fall back on,” Mimi Buttenheim concluded.  

    “This is having a major impact on our business…We have over 800 employees around the world, 400 of which are based in the Burlington area, and that’s inclusive of our retail store, but primarily manufacturing, sales, service, marketing, you name it. The way we look at this—the one thing is a distraction for our organization. Our time is being absorbed across all elements of the company to figure out what the hell is going on. We’re trying to navigate in the uncertainty of the reality that we are in. We source two-thirds of our product across far-east Asia—be it Vietnam, China, or in all areas of Europe—and this uncertainty plays everyday with some new level of potential cost. Some level of how we’ll be able to import goods. What are the rules on manufacturing when it comes to raw material? And how that’s all going to add up and impact the consumer…” John Lacy, CEO of Burton Snowboards, shared. “Knowing we’ve got two-thirds of our goods, and you’re looking at 46-145% increases on the cost of goods, it goes directly to the consumer…This is tough as a private company.”  
    “There’s not a lot of options to pick up and move. It takes three, four years. We had moved to Vietnam 8-10 years ago because it was a safe haven, according to our Administration. There’s nothing safe any longer. We are exploring other alternatives and different areas of manufacturing, but by the time we set up who knows what will happen next,” John Lacy continued. “…We’ve received a lot of input on things to do, but how can you navigate the playbook if you don’t know what the rules of the board are?”  

    “As an inn, 95% of my business is tourism, and about 5% locals…Of that 95%, typically 15% are Canadian. We were all excited about having a banner ski season and it was good, but it wasn’t amazing. It was down about 4% over last year. When you start to look at it month-by-month and look at the timing of certain events and rhetoric, January was actually up 16%, February down 15%, March down 9%, the trend is continuing…But the other concern for me is some of the forward-leaning indicators—when we look at our web traffic, as people plan a vacation they’re doing web searches and that predicts our revenues for the rest of the year. Canada, last year, represented 27% of our web searches. This year it’s 4%. Last year, five of the top ten locations in our city data were Canadian cities. This year, there isn’t one in the top ten year-to-date. And as you look at the April data, as more of this has had chance to build, there is not a Canadian city in our top 150 cities. And Canadian search volume is 1.6%, down from 27%,” said Christa Bowdish, owner of the Old Stagecoach Inn. 
    Christa Bowdish shared a letter from a Canadian tourist that canceled because of President Trump’s rhetoric against Canada and Canada’s leaders, and then said: “It’s not just the tariffs. It’s not something that will be solved as soon as we conclude trade negotiations. This is long-lasting damage to a relationship and emotional damage takes time to heal. While people aren’t visiting Vermont, they’ll be finding new places to visit, making new memories, building new family traditions, and we will not recapture all of that.” 

    “My bigger concerns are more broad, big picture social concerns and bigger economic concerns—and how they’ll be making their way to Vermont. If Burton would have been hiring however-many people next year, and now maybe they’re not hiring anyone. Bigger companies that were going to grow. Kids out of school that thought they were going to have a job and now they’re not going to have one? What happens in five months, ten months, 12 months, two years? That’s where I get a little bit more nervous—the ups and downs of the economy and what happens to people coming to the state of Vermont,” said Eric Warnstedt, the Hen of the Wood. “We’ve had people that have been coming to us for almost 20 years: ‘We love you, thank you, just so you know we’re not coming this summer.’ That hurts, that’s disappointing. I think they know most of us are on their side and my hope is that maybe when some of the heat gets turns down, summer comes, maybe they’ll put that aside.”  

    “The big challenge for me is going to be supply chain issues. At my two stores, because we’re general sporting goods stores, I work with over 100 vendors who are making products literally across the globe—from Dubai, to China, to right down the road in Waterbury. So now a huge number of those products are going to be affected by these tariffs. Not a day that goes by I’m not getting an email from one of those vendors saying ‘Here’s what we think’ and of course—they don’t know what to do and they don’t know what’s going to happen because nobody knows what’s going to happen because it’s such a moving target,” said Caleb Magoon, Owner of Waterbury Sports & Power Play Sports. “Your quality of life and my bottom line are all being impacted by these decisions…We’re really worried about price increases. Some [vendors] are pausing shipments of their products. We got pretty good gear this year, and that was really nice, But if those products are paused before they get sent over here, we’re worried about availability in the fall. If I don’t have the product, I can’t sell it.” 
    “As Jason [of J Skis] said, these tariffs are a tax. They are a tax on you and me. We’re all going to pay for it. It’s all going to get passed on to us. And what really is unsettling to me is, where is that money going to go? If a bunch of local kids aren’t going to get to learn to ski and snowboard because millionaires and billionaires are getting a tax cut that really doesn’t sit well with me at all,” Caleb Magoon concluded. 
    View photos from the event here: 

    Media Note: A recording of the event is available on request.  
    Read more about the event. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Regular Press Briefing of the Ministry of National Defense on April 9, 2025 2025-04-15 Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military, on the afternoon of April 9, 2025.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense 2

    On the afternoon of April 9, 2025, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military. (Photo by Zhang Zhicheng)

    (The following English text is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.)

    Zhang Xiaogang: I have three pieces of information to announce on the top.

    Firstly, the Second Military Translation Challenge of the Chinese Armed Forces will be held at the College of International Studies, National University of Defense Technology from April to August. This year’s contest features an innovative competition system, updated language categories, and expanded scope of participants. It aims to support stronger exchanges and cooperation with foreign militaries and the building of a world-class military by enhancing defense language capabilities of the PLA.

    Secondly, the Ministry of National Defense will hold the 3rd International Security Cooperation Seminar for Foreign Military Attachés to China at the International College of Defense Studies of the National Defense University from April 10 to 11. Foreign defense attachés and the representatives of some international organizations will attend. During the event, civilian and military experts will be invited to deliver themed presentations, discussions and exchanges will be conducted on topics including strengthening international military cooperation and addressing regional security challenges, and a visit to model new rural communities will be organized. The seminar is to help foreign military attachés better understand China and the Chinese military, and to further enhance friendship and mutual trust.

    Thirdly, at the invitation of the Pakistan military, the PLA Army will send a unit to Pakistan to participate in the Pakistan Army Team Spirit (PATS)-2025 international military skills competition. The main subjects include nighttime reconnaissance and infiltration, ambush and counter-ambush, combat swimming, etc. It aims to test and improve combat capabilities of participating troops and strengthen exchanges and mutual trust among militaries of all participating countries.

    On the afternoon of April 9, 2025, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military. (Photo by Zhang Zhicheng)

    Journalist: It’s reported that President Xi Jinping and the Indian President have exchanged congratulatory messages, and agreed to advance a sound and steady growth of bilateral ties. How will the Chinese side grow its military relationship with India?

    Zhang Xiaogang: To celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and India, President Xi Jinping has exchanged congratulatory messages with the Indian President, which set the course of the bilateral relationship. As two ancient civilizations, major developing countries and important members of the Global South, China and India are both in a crucial stage of modernization. Being partners of mutual success serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples. The Chinese military stands ready to work with the Indian side to implement the important consensus reached between the two state leaders, strengthen communication and strategic mutual trust, safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas, promote a sound and stable mil-mil relations, and maintain peace in the region and beyond.

    Journalist: According to reports, the China-Cambodia Joint Support and Training Center at Port Ream has been officially inaugurated and put into operation. China and Cambodia militaries launched the “Golden Dragon-2025” joint exercise at the center. Could you tell us more about that?

    Zhang Xiaogang: The construction of the China-Cambodia Joint Support and Training Center at Port Ream embodies the principles of mutual respect and equal consultation between the two countries. It complies with domestic regulations of both countries, the relevant international law, and international practices, and will add new energy and dimensions to China-Cambodia mil-mil relations. The Chinese and Cambodian militaries will further strengthen substantive cooperation in areas such as joint training and exercises, personnel training, and professional exchanges, to continuously enhance their capabilities for maintaining regional peace and stability.

    Journalist: It is reported that during his recent visit to Japan, the US Secretary of Defense said Japan as a “warrior country” was indispensable for tackling “Chinese aggression” and complimented the “valor” of Japanese soldiers in the Battle of Iwo Jima. His remarks have aroused controversies in the US. Do you have any comment?

    Zhang Xiaogang: History shall not be forgotten, and the right and wrong must not be confused. The international community has long had a fair judgment on who launched wars, aggression and expansion, and who fought for peace during the Second World War. This year marks the 80th year of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Some people in the US are making a political stunt by distorting facts and whitewashing Japan’s militarism. It is a betrayal to soldiers who died in fighting fascists and has aroused public anger back in the US. It will surely be opposed by the international community and disdained by history. We urge relevant countries to stop spreading erroneous narratives, stop turning the Asia-Pacific into a hunting ground for geopolitical rivalry, stop stoking bloc politics and military confrontation, and stop undermining security and well-being of people in the region.

    On the afternoon of April 9, 2025, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military. (Photo by Zhang Zhicheng)

    Journalist: It is reported that the US Secretary of Defense reiterated US commitment to the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty to counter the so-called “China threat” on his visit to the Philippines. During his visit, the Philippines, the US and Japan conducted a joint patrol in the South China Sea. Recently, the US approved selling F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines. Do you have any comment?

    Zhang Xiaogang: On the pretext of honoring bilateral treaties, the US is meddling in the South China Sea issue, undermining China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and attempting to threaten and coerce China. This approach will simply not work. It needs to be pointed out that the Philippine side has repeatedly made infringements and provocations against China. Outside countries led by the US have made continued efforts to destabilize the South China Sea through playing up tensions and providing weapons. It fully exposed their true intention of making troubles in the region. For the Philippine side, “relying on foreign support to make waves at sea” will backfire and a pawn will only be used and discarded. We urge the Philippine side to give up unrealistic illusions and come back to the right track of dialogue and negotiation at an early date.

    Journalist: According to US media reports, the US Secretary of Defense signed a secret internal guidance memo, which identifies China as the “sole pacing threat,” allegedly prioritizing “denial of the mainland’s seizure of Taiwan” and strengthening US homeland defense. Please comment on that.

    Zhang Xiaogang: We have noted relevant reports. It seems that the US side’s “paranoia toward China” is increasingly severe. Viewing China as a threat is a serious strategic miscalculation that will only lead to disastrous consequences. It must be emphazised that China will and must achieve reunification. It is an unstoppable historical trend that no one or force can hold it back.

    On the afternoon of April 9, 2025, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military. (Photo by Zhang Zhicheng)

    Journalist: It is reported that Taiwan has received the first F-16V fighter jet ordered from the US, with an additional 65 scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2026. Some analysts suggest that this move is aimed at countering the increasingly modernized air force of the Chinese mainland. Please comment on that.

    Zhang Xiaogang: We have noted relevant reports. This is yet another instance of the double standard of the US where it broke its solemn political commitments, breached the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiqués, grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. I want to underline that the US arms sales to Taiwan cannot change the strength contrast between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait much less impede the historical and inevitable trend of China’s reunification. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have squandered taxpayers’ money, which should have been used to benefit the people, to fill the bottomless hole of harming and ruining Taiwan. The attempts to solicit US support for “Taiwan independence” and to resist reunification by force will only plunge Taiwan into a dangerous and precarious situation of war and ultimately lead to its own destruction.

    Journalist: According to reports, the G7 Foreign Ministers and the European Union’s High Representative issued a statement on the joint exercises around Taiwan island conducted by the PLA in early April. The statement accused China of making “provocative actions” that escalate tensions across the Strait, opposed any unilateral actions to threaten the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Please comment on that.

    Zhang Xiaogang: Relevant countries and organizations blatantly violate the one-China principle and grossly interfere in China’s domestic affairs. We strongly deplore and resolutely oppose this. The joint drills of the PLA Eastern Theater Command around Taiwan Island deter the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces with overwhelming power and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is a firm commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and safety and well-being of our compatriots in Taiwan.

    The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China and how to resolve it brooks no foreign interference. The PLA remains in a combat-ready posture to fight against “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and pursue national reunification. We will resolutely thwart any separatist attempt for “Taiwan independence” and external interference.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: National Security Education Day held

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Activities for 2025 National Security Education Day were launched at the Convention & Exhibition Centre today.

    In his keynote speech, delivered via video link at the opening ceremony, CPC Central Committee Hong Kong & Macao Work Office Director and State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong said China had achieved historic successes in national security work over the past decade, while Hong Kong had gone through an extraordinary journey from chaos to governance and then from governance to greater prosperity.

    Mr Xia highlighted three “beliefs” in his speech. The first belief is that the national security institutions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will resolutely shoulder the sacred mission of maintaining national security and further strengthen the solid barrier for national security.

    The second belief is that all sectors of Hong Kong can actively fulfil their obligation to maintain national security and jointly protect the city.

    While the third belief is that the business community and entrepreneurs can make Hong Kong their home, build their businesses, and contribute to both Hong Kong and the country with more practical actions.

    Mr Xia also mentioned that many Hong Kong officials have been unreasonably sanctioned by the US for their work in maintaining national security, but added that they are steadfastly fulfilling their duties and willing to sacrifice their own interests for the benefit of the country.

    He expressed hope that the Hong Kong business community and entrepreneurs would continue to play a leading role in driving economic development, carry forward the tradition of patriotism and love for Hong Kong, correctly understand the relationship between their own enterprises and the development of both Hong Kong and the nation, and uphold righteousness and never forget national interests.

    Chief Executive and Hong Kong National Security Committee Chairman John Lee supplemented that the international landscape is complex and fast changing, noting that threats to national security can appear suddenly.

    He called for vigilance when embracing immense challenges and making preparations in four areas: resolutely, fully and faithfully implement the “one country, two systems” principle; thoroughly implement the holistic approach to national security; continuously improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security; and actively promote by way of education across society the need to safeguard national security of our own accord.

    Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong Director and National Security Committee National Security Advisor Zheng Yanxiong also attended the activities.

    He emphasised in his speech the need to further strengthen the foundation for the awareness of safeguarding national security, to better co-ordinate high-quality development with high-level security, and to actively pursue Hong Kong’s important mission.

    To mark the 10th National Security Education Day, the National Security Exhibition Gallery launched an expo last month on national security education advanced by both the country and the Hong Kong SAR Government over the years.

    Meanwhile, about 3,000 tutors have completed training under the National Security Education District Tutor Training Scheme launched in November last year and shared national security messages with over 120,000 people in the community. 

    Additionally, the “Territory-wide Inter-school National Security Knowledge Challenge” has introduced an English section for non-Chinese speaking secondary school students this academic year.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Anderson Man Found Guilty of Impersonating Homeland Security Officer and Possessing Molotov Cocktails

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    INDIANAPOLIS— A federal jury has found Joshua W. Stearman, 42, of Anderson, Indiana, guilty of unlawfully possessing incendiary bombs, commonly referred to as Molotov cocktails, and falsely impersonating an officer or employee of the United States.

    According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, on December 12, 2023, at approximately 1:47 a.m., a police officer in Ingalls, Indiana, was dispatched to an address that had recently been vandalized multiple times, including with fires set in the driveway and inside the mailbox at that address. Dispatch received a report of a suspicious man walking toward the house carrying something but who ran back to his red Toyota RAV4 when the house’s security lights came on.

    The officer located the RAV4 and pulled it over. As the officer approached, Stearman pressed against the window his ID as well as an unknown government identification that included a government seal at the bottom. Repeatedly, Stearman claimed he was a Homeland Security Officer returning from a “mission.” Stearman was wearing black gloves with black duct tape around his wrists.

    Eventually, Stearman exited the vehicle and was placed in custody. Inside the vehicle, officers found four bottles containing a yellow-brown liquid that gave off an odor of fuel, as well as what appeared to be small pieces of wood or kindling inside of them. All four had a piece of cloth or fabric sticking out from under the cap. Officers also found a lighter in the vehicle.

    During the trial, experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) testified about their analysis of the four bottles. An ATF Forensic Chemist testified that she had analyzed the liquid inside the bottles, and each was found to contain gasoline. Then, an ATF Destructive Device Examiner testified how each of the bottles was designed to be used as an incendiary bomb: The wick is ignited by an open flame and the device is thrown against a surface, with the intent that the ignitable liquid and wooden sticks inside will spread fire to a combustible surface against which it was thrown.  Incendiary bombs, commonly known as Molotov cocktails, are a type of destructive device that is generally unlawful to possess under federal law.

    The ATF and Ingalls Police Department investigated this case, with valuable assistance provided by Lapel, Indiana Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt presided over the trial and will sentence Stearman at a later date.

    Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jayson W. McGrath and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nate Walter, who are prosecuting this case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Yatahey Man Faces Federal Charges for Sexual Assault

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Yatahey man is facing charges in federal court in connection with a violent sexual assault.

    According to court documents, on March 29, 2025, Jane Doe reported that she has been sexually assaulted the day before by Fernando Brown, 34, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. Following the assault, Jane Doe was transported to Gallup Indian Medical Center for treatment. When questioned by law enforcement, Brown allegedly admitted to continuing sexual activity after Jane Doe repeatedly told him to stop and also disclosed prior instances of physical violence against Doe.

    Brown is charged with aggravated sexual abuse and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted of the current charges, Brown faces up to life in prison.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Ramah-Navajo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jordan is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What caused the crisis at British Steel?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hossein Zarei, Assistant Professor of Operations Management, Aston University

    The two blast furnaces at British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant are the last of their kind in the UK. Baxter Media/Shutterstock

    The two blast furnaces at British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant in England are the last of their kind in the UK. The UK steel industry was once a world leader, powering the industrial revolution. But these days it is in crisis.

    The Chinese owner of the plant, Jingye Group, stopped ordering the raw materials needed for steel production and recently announced the furnaces would close down for good. Around 2,700 jobs are at risk at the plant – which is reportedly losing £700,000 a day.

    In response, the UK government introduced emergency powers to take control of production in a scramble to stop the furnaces from going cold. But its future remains uncertain.

    So why couldn’t the government just buy the raw materials needed to keep the furnaces burning? With steel, there are peculiarities around the production and supply chain.

    Virgin steel is the strongest form of the material and is used in key industries like railways, construction and manufacturing. It will be vital for the government’s ambitions to invest in UK infrastructure, from housing to green energy. Virgin steel is made using the extreme heat from a blast furnace, which must run 24 hours a day all year round.

    Manufacturing in other industries can be paused when demand goes down and then resumed once products are needed again. But for blast furnaces, if paused, the molten iron inside solidifies. And once reheated, it expands and cracks the furnace.

    To keep the blast furnaces running, it needs steady supplies (and “steady” is a key word here) of coking coal and iron ore. These are the two main raw materials needed for virgin steel.

    Planning for a steady supply requires inventory management, a science that aims to avoid either over-supply or shortages in the production process.

    Within inventory management, there are various models. For the steel industry, the “economic order quantity” model minimises the costs of ordering and holding raw materials to work out the best order size.

    When ordering costs go up, for example, due to increased shipping costs, the model adjusts the order size by buying larger batches. This should eventually keep the total inventory cost to a minimum.

    Ordering steel supplies builds on models like this, accompanied by other inventory management techniques. This ensures that costs are minimised while keeping enough iron ore and coking coal on hand to keep the furnaces burning.

    This is opposite to the “just-in-time” model, which recommends smaller quantities are ordered only when and where needed. Models like just-in-time are a better fit further downstream in supply chains, closer to the end customers. Here there is more variability in demand as customers’ tastes change.



    Read more:
    The past, present and uncertain future of the UK’s steel industry

    Virgin steel, on the other hand, follows a much more stable demand pattern. It prioritises cost-efficiency over agility.

    But problems arise when supply chains are distorted by external factors. The UK government has questioned whether Jingye was guilty of neglecting the plant. There is no doubt that if the furnaces in Scunthorpe went cold, the UK would become the only country in the G7 without the ability to produce its own virgin steel.

    It would then have to turn to China, the single largest global producer of steel (subsidised by the Chinese state), for imports.

    Where did it go wrong?

    Research on geopolitical tensions in supply chains shows that larger firms often adopt a “wait and see” strategy, rather than a proactive one in the face of these tensions. And geopolitical risks are less damaging to firms that have planned their supply chain resilience better, and that have greater cash holdings.

    Both of these were overlooked at British Steel, which has been struggling with financial problems and inefficient planning in recent years.

    Research on supply chains also shows that in the face of disruptions, firms can reconfigure their supplier networks. They can adopt a more diversified base of suppliers, create parallel supply chains, and consider reshoring (moving operations back from overseas).

    Again, the opposite is true for British Steel. It transitioned from domestic coking coal suppliers to international ones due to stricter UK environmental regulations and cheaper prices overseas.

    Another factor is lead times – the time from when an order is placed until it reaches the plant’s gate. Unlike the downstream of the supply chain, which is based on agile response to changing customer demands (the “pull” concept), the upstream of supply chains, where commodities like steel are manufactured, works in anticipation of demand (“push”) for the weeks and even months to come.

    Here, the lead times are long and cost-efficiency, not responsiveness, is the main objective. For steel production supplies, the lead time is around 45 days in normal times. The government has been able to secure emergency shipments from US, Australia and Sweden to tackle the supply shortage for now.

    But there are other factors that exacerbate British Steel’s problems. The 25% tariffs imposed by the US on steel imports and fears of a global trade war may drive down the already declining global demand for steel.

    The energy demands of blast furnaces are immense.
    ABCDstock/Shutterstock

    Second, producing virgin steel in blast furnaces is extremely energy-intensive compared to other methods of production like electric arc furnaces (although these cannot produce virgin steel). And the UK already has higher energy costs than rival steel-producing nations.

    Third, after years of apparent neglect, the Scunthorpe furnaces are now near the end of their lives. They should retire soon, even without Jingye’s decision to shut them down. All these elements have accelerated British Steel’s loss of competitive edge, leading to it filing those huge daily losses.

    Supply chain issues compounded by global tensions and an uncertain market create a perfect storm for the demise of British Steel. Government efforts to secure supplies are half measures that will merely keep the old furnaces operational for another few years. Whether it is eventually nationalised or acquired by a new parent company, the long-term sustainability of British Steel lies in investment in newer, greener virgin steel production methods – and getting a hold of the supply chain.

    Hossein Zarei 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. What caused the crisis at British Steel? – https://theconversation.com/what-caused-the-crisis-at-british-steel-254557

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: If we must bring back extinct species, let’s focus on the giant herbivores

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Timothy Neal Coulson, Professor of Zoology and Joint Head of Department of Biology, University of Oxford

    The American genetic engineering firm Colossal Biosciences recently announced to much fanfare it had “de-extincted” the dire wolf, a canine species that was wiped out around 10,000 years ago. However, the three animals it presented are actually modern grey wolves with some genetic modifications.

    Regardless of whether you consider them dire wolves or not, Colossal Bioscience made the interesting claim that it had genetically engineered lost ecological function. This made me ponder what ecological functions are missing from today’s ecosystems as a result of extinctions we have caused.

    By ecological function, I am referring to the way all animals have some sort of influence on the ecosystems they inhabit. Honeybees and many other insects pollinate flowering plants, beavers build dams that create ponds and alter the flow rate of streams, elephants knock over trees helping to keep savannas open, and ants and termites shift vast amounts of soil and help decompose plant litter.

    It is not clear to me what functions Colossal’s genetically engineered wolves might have that is different from grey wolves, but it is hypothetically possible they would hunt different animals in different ways or places. With only three wolves, they are unlikely to have the statistical power to compellingly demonstrate any new ecological effects. But nonetheless, the idea that these wolves may play different ecological roles from grey wolves is more compelling than the claim they have brought back the dire wolf.

    One group of animals that have ecological functions that are oversized as they, are those that weigh more than half a tonne. These animals have also been hit hard by humans, and many species went extinct in the past few tens of thousands of years.

    Each time our ancestors colonised new continents as they spread around the world from Africa, large animals were driven to extinction at a higher rate than smaller ones. Giant ground sloths, mammoths and elephants, giant bison and tapirs, even species of massive armadillos and camels all died out in the millennia after humans arrived in the Americas.

    The rhino-sized giant armadillo Doedicurus survived in South America until 7,000 or so years ago.
    Daniel Eskridge / shutterstock

    Australia lost all its large animals, including a giant wombat-relative called diprotodon, giant short-faced kangaroos, and a marsupial that resembled a huge tapir. Along with these massive herbivores, marsupial lions that evolved from a lineage of herbivores, terrestrial crocodiles, giant constrictor snakes and huge monitor lizards were also lost. Europe and Asia similarly lost many large species when our ancestors settled these lands.

    The whole world was once like Africa

    Africa is the only continent to maintain lots of large herbivores, including rhinos, elephants, hippos, giraffes and buffalo. However, even on the continent where we evolved, losses occurred. Gone is a giant gnu-like beast and at least one elephant species, extinctions both attributed by some scientists to our ancestors.

    In Africa, the remaining giant herbivores play important ecological roles that have been lost elsewhere in the world. Elephants knock down trees keeping savannas open, while hippos create grazing lawns on land and add nutrients to the water through their dung, fuelling aquatic food chains.

    Until relatively recently, much of the world had huge animals like Africa.
    Rita Willaert / flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

    All giant herbivores trample vegetation and riverbanks and are key players in nutrient cycling thanks to the vast quantities of faeces they produce. They can also help disperse seeds and generate a mix of different habitats. These processes can determine how often an area is burned by wildfire, the type of ecosystem in an area, and can indirectly affect weather patterns and climate.

    The loss of these large animals, particularly in Australia, led to very significant changes in ecosystems ranging from tropical forests to deserts. Cycles of fires and nutrients changed with the extinction of giant herbivores, and the loss of all the apex predators led to an increase in grazing and browsing pressure from smaller herbivores including kangaroos, wallabies and koalas. This made it harder to avoid woodlands turning into savannas and semi-arid lands.

    The absence of large native predators meant the remaining marsupials lost their fear. When cats, dogs and foxes were introduced by humans, they decimated populations of many marsupials, driving some extinct. Lesser bilbies, desert bandicoots and broad-faced potoroos are gone for good, having been easy prey for introduced carnivores.

    Rhino-sized diprotodon was the largest ever marsupial. It coexisted with humans in Australia for thousands of years.
    Ryan B / flickr, CC BY-NC

    An impressive feat for Colossal Biosciences would be re-engineering large animals to provide lost ecological functions. De-extincting large herbivores like diprotodons and short-faced kangaroos, or even predators like marsupial lions, would be a seriously impressive achievement, but I suspect will be forever beyond the reach of science.

    Jurassic Park is fiction, as is recreating the fauna of Australia 60,000 years ago. Even if we could do this, it is not clear the de-extincted animals would thrive given how much the ecology of Australia has changed since their extinction.

    Instead of trying recreate lost ecological function through the genetic tinkering of living animals that are unlikely to be allowed back into the wild any time soon, we should take a different approach. The focus should be on maintaining and restoring ecological function using existing species within the areas in which they live or once lived. The science of doing this may not be as exciting as the genetic engineering of Colossal Biosciences, but it will be easier to deliver and will be more ecologically useful.

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

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

    Timothy Neal Coulson is affiliated with the University of Oxford

    – ref. If we must bring back extinct species, let’s focus on the giant herbivores – https://theconversation.com/if-we-must-bring-back-extinct-species-lets-focus-on-the-giant-herbivores-254517

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How architecture shapes video game play

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gabriele Aroni, Senior Lecturer in Games Art at the School of Digital Arts, Manchester Metropolitan University

    When players enter the virtual worlds of video games, they are greeted by complex architectural environments. These virtual spaces do more than serve as mere backdrops for gameplay. The design of buildings, streets and entire cities guides player emotions, behaviours and even advances the narrative.

    As an architect specialising in digital media, I am interested in how video games use architecture to convey meaning. Virtual worlds in video games are often rooted in real-world architectural principles.

    Game rules are technically completely disjointed from our physical world: we could easily traverse a concrete wall as if made of air. However, how players understand how to play is the opposite. For instance, if I see a door in a game, I can assume that it can opened, or that it leads somewhere. Players need a frame of reference to understand games, and this is why most game environments resemble, at least in some way, real-world architecture.

    Video game architecture varies wildly. There are realistic historical cities like the ones in Assassin’s Creed or the contemporary Japan of Like a Dragon. Fantastic interpretations of architecture range from the ancient Chinese scenery of Black Myth: Wukong to the science fiction metropolis of Cyberpunk 2077.

    Visionary architectural sceneries are less common, as they are harder to relate to. Their design displays architectural forms that are so transformed in their size, shape or materials that they look distant from normal architectural conventions and the laws of physics. Examples of this can be seen in experimental independent games such as Manifold Gardenor NaissanceE.

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

    Much like real-world architecture, game architecture must work. There is a budget, even though it is based on how many polygons and textures buildings can be made of, rather than their construction costs. There is no building code to comply with, but distances and paths must follow the coded rules of the game.

    Take Assassin’s Creed II, where the protagonist runs and climbs buildings in 15th-century Florence. The reconstruction is relatively accurate, so much so that people who played the game can reasonably orientate themselves in the real Florence. But there are several adjustments which were necessary on technical and gameplay terms.

    The whole city and all of the buildings are noticeably scaled down to offer shorter distances to traverse and jump across. While not a large city, taking half an hour to traverse it on foot is an eternity in video game time.

    Environmental storytelling

    In addition to guiding gameplay, architecture in video games plays a critical role in telling stories. This is known as environmental storytelling. Unlike traditional forms of narrative, where story is told through dialogue or cutscenes, environmental storytelling allows the world itself to communicate plot and themes.

    In games, the design of spaces can hint at a game’s backstory, themes or the emotions players should feel at a given moment. For instance, in the cyberpunk game Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, shady corporations dominate the world. To establish this narrative, their buildings are designed to manifest their power through impenetrable monolithic structures which loom over the skyline of future Prague.

    Some games exclusively use their environments to tell their stories. This is the case in Manifold Garden, a puzzle game created by artist William Chyr. Players are catapulted in a world where space repeats in every direction and objects that fall down reappear from the top, including the player. Chyr was inspired by the visionary art of M.C Escher – you might know his artwork Relativity where staircases go off in all directions and appear upside down. Chrys was also inspired by real architects, such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Tadao Ando. As such, he used architectural elements to guide players in this strange world, such as placing windows strategically in order not to lose their orientation.

    All these elements are implemented most successfully when they are seamlessly blended into the game space and setting, while not being too conspicuous. In Mirror’s Edge, a game set in a sterile modern metropolis dominated by white skyscrapers, primary colours on common structural elements are used to indicate directions and interactable items, such as red pipes or doors. This way, players are easily and rapidly directed by objects that are not out of place, but distinct enough to be noticeable.

    When clues indicating what to do are too evident, they are usually not looked upon too well by players. For instance, in the recent games Resident Evil 4 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, splotches of yellow paint have been placed on the objects necessary to progress. This was met with ridicule from many players.

    So game architecture must always walk a fine line between presenting engaging environments and helping gameplay without being too obtrusive. As games continue to evolve, the role of architecture will remain central to the ways in which digital environments are designed to engage, challenge and inspire players.

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

    – ref. How architecture shapes video game play – https://theconversation.com/how-architecture-shapes-video-game-play-254632

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: State’s first Work Zone Speed Camera launches April 16 on I-5 near JBLM

    Source: Washington State News 2

    Cameras focus on safety by slowing speeders and protecting workers on Washington highways

    OLYMPIA – Washington transportation leaders are taking a bold step to protect road construction workers and drivers as the first Work Zone Speed Camera begins enforcement Wednesday, April 16, near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

    The trailer-mounted camera photographs vehicles speeding through active work zones. The Washington State Department of Transportation will rotate the camera between construction, maintenance and emergency projects where speeding is an issue. This safety tool aims to protect workers and the traveling public by encouraging drivers to follow work zone speed limits and reducing the number of speed-related crashes. The first site was selected because of ongoing safety concerns with people speeding through that Interstate 5 work zone.

    Signs will notify drivers when the camera is at a job site and when possible, a radar feedback sign will accompany the camera to remind drivers to slow down. The program will expand with two more cameras this spring and three more by summer.

    “Too many workers have been injured or killed, and statistics show drivers are not slowing down,” said Secretary of Transportation Julie Meredith. “This provides another tool to help ensure workers – and everyone on the roadway – comes home safe at the end of the day.”

    Program and enforcement details

    The cameras will only record infractions when workers are present on a job site. Work can take place day or night, so drivers should assume there are workers in all work zones, particularly if they are in the area where they see a sign notifying them about a camera ahead.

    After the camera detects a speeding vehicle, information will be forwarded to the Washington State Patrol. The photos do not include images of drivers. Troopers will determine if a violation was committed and, if so, issue an infraction. The vehicle’s registered owner will receive the infraction in the mail and can contest it, ask for a reduction or request a payment plan.

    When someone receives a notice of infraction, they will be directed to the program’s website to acknowledge the incident. There is no fine for the first work zone speed camera infraction; the second and every infraction after that is $248. The vehicle’s registered owner must respond to the notice of infraction online or through the mail, even if it carries no financial penalty. The infractions are recorded as non-moving violations and do not affect driving records or insurance. Unpaid fines will be added to vehicle registration renewals.

    The state Office of Administrative Hearings will oversee appeals for infractions. After people appeal, they can submit supporting evidence such as photographs or other documents for the judge to consider. Depending on the reason for the appeal, they will have either a brief adjudicative proceeding, which involves only documents, or a formal adjudicative hearing, where they can also provide testimony over the phone to a judge.

    Legislative, agency and industry partnerships

    The cameras result from partnerships and support by the state Legislature, several state agencies, law enforcement and union and industry groups. Legislation for the cameras took effect July 1, 2023, with an Amendment bill passed the following year.

    The money received from fines will pay for the program’s costs and any extra money will support WSP DUI and safety programs. The program runs through 2030 unless extended by the Legislature.

    Proven safety tool

    Through scanning light detection and ranging, called LiDAR, the camera detects vehicles traveling faster than the posted speed limit and takes images of the vehicle, its license plate and related information (e.g., speed limit, a vehicle’s recorded speed, location, date, time, etc.). Work zone speed camera vendor Elovate works with other states on similar programs, including Maryland and Indiana.

    Since 2020, Washington has averaged 1,345 work zone crashes every year. Meredith said the goal of the safety program is to reduce speeding, not issue tickets.

    “We would be ecstatic if these cameras never resulted in infractions,” she said, “because that would mean drivers instead changed their behavior.”

    This program is separate from the recently launched Highway Speed Camera Program, which is currently underway on I-5 and I-90 in Skagit and Spokane counties.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Help shape the future of rail in Washington: Online open house and survey launches April 15

    Source: Washington State News 2

    A growing state needs a smart transportation future – rail is key

    OLYMPIA – Washington is growing – fast. In the next two decades, millions more people will call this state home and demand for efficient, sustainable transportation will be greater than ever. Highways are already congested, freight movement is critical to our economy and communities need safe, reliable ways to connect.

    That’s why the Washington State Department of Transportation is updating the State Rail Plan. To ensure residents across the state have a voice in this future, WSDOT is seeking public feedback on rail-related issues that are important to communities to help shape the plan update.

    “Rail is a vital part of Washington’s transportation system, moving people and goods efficiently while reducing congestion and emissions,” said Jason Biggs, director of WSDOT’s Rail, Freight and Ports Division. “Public input is essential in shaping a rail system that supports our communities, economy and the environment.”

    Feedback from these outreach activities will help inform the plan update, which will be submitted to state and federal leaders in early 2026.

    State Rail Plan online open house and survey information

    When:  April 15 – June 24, 2025 (available 24/7)

    Where:  Online at the Washington State Rail Plan online engagement site

    Details:  This is a self-guided online open house available 24/7 from Tuesday, April 15, through Tuesday, June 24, to obtain feedback on the State Rail Plan. Visitors can explore background materials on statewide rail planning efforts and complete a brief survey to share how they currently use the rail system and what they’d like to see in the future. Both the background information and the survey are available in several different languages, including: English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Russian.

    Free internet access

    Free, temporary internet access is available to those who do not have broadband service in locations throughout the state. To find the nearest Drive-In WiFi Hotspot visit the Department of Commerce website at www.commerce.wa.gov/building-infrastructure/washington-state-drive-in-wifi-hotspots-location-finder/

    More ways to be involved

    In addition to the online open house, WSDOT will host several online webinars in May and June. These interactive sessions will give community members and interested partners the opportunity to learn more about passenger and freight rail topics, as well as ask questions and share ideas that will help shape Washington’s rail system. Register for the webinars on the online open house webpage.

    For ongoing future information, subscribe to receive email updates on the State Rail Plan and future engagement opportunities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Forging Futures: How Samsung’s PrePARe Programme is Pioneering a New Era of Research Leadership

    Source: Samsung

     
    In today’s rapidly evolving innovation ecosystem, the ability to translate academic research into real-world impact has become a defining need. Recognising this, Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore (SRI-B) launched the Ph.D. Internship Programme for Advanced Industrial Research (PrePARe) in 2022.
     
    The programme is designed to empower India’s brightest Ph.D. scholars with industry exposure, deep tech research opportunities, and mentorship from seasoned experts, enabling them to work on next-generation technologies such as Generative AI, Deep Learning, 6G, MIMO, AI in Wireless, and Computer Vision.
     
    Through PrePARe, Samsung is creating a unique platform where academic brilliance meets industrial scale. Scholars selected for this six-month internship are given the chance to contribute to high-impact projects that align with Samsung’s vision of building a better future through innovation.
     
    “We continue to strengthen our R&D capabilities with next-gen thinking and fresh ideas. PrePARe connects our seasoned experts with the top Ph.D. scholars to co-create impactful technologies. The programme offers interns an unmatched opportunity to tackle real-world challenges while shaping their careers. I wish them a meaningful and purpose-driven journey with us,” said Mohan Rao Goli, Corporate Vice President and Managing Director, SRI-B.
     
    Research scholars for this programme are selected from top-tier institutions including IISc, IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Madras, Hyderabad, Roorkee, BHU, Kharagpur), and IIITs (Hyderabad, Bangalore). They go through a rigorous selection process based on their research track record, relevance of their thesis, and innovation potential.
     
    More than 80 scholars have joined the programme so far, contributing to patents, publications, and future-ready tech solutions. At SRI-B, they are not treated as interns—they are seen as domain experts. Each is entrusted with meaningful projects that push the boundaries of applied research.
    For Chaitra D Desai, joining SRI-B as a Ph.D. intern was a turning point.
     
    “Beyond theoretical research, I am gaining robust experience working with large-scale datasets, optimizing models for edge devices, helping me inculcate a product-focused approach. Transitioning from academia to industry was an eye-opening experience,” she said.
     
    Chaitra is currently working on innovations in Robotics, AR/VR, and Autonomous Driving. Meanwhile, Bhogavalli Satwika is tackling a different challenge—integrating Radio Frequency (RF) sensing capabilities into the 5G framework to enhance network efficiency.
     
    The exposure to real-world innovation is what sets PrePARe apart. Interns work closely with SRI-B mentors, contribute to ongoing research projects, and present their findings to SRI-B leadership at the end of the programme—receiving critical insights on how their work fits into Samsung’s broader innovation strategy.
     
    Most of them also speak highly of the collaborative, high-performance culture at SRI-B.
     
    “The hands-on experience I get at Samsung will significantly improve my research,” said Sumit Sharma, while Yamini Shankar said, “I’m loving the collaboration and support my team empowers me with.”
     
    In just three years, PrePARe has emerged as a high-impact initiative one that not only nurtures academic talent but also enables them to contribute meaningfully to industry innovation. As these Ph.D. scholars push the boundaries of what is possible, they are not just gaining experience, together with Samsung, they are helping shape the technologies of tomorrow.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: S. 621, a bill to accept the request to revoke the charter of incorporation of the Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota at the request of that Community, and for other purposes

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    S. 621 would accept the request of the Lower Sioux Indian Community, a federally recognized Indian tribe in Minnesota, to revoke the community’s charter of incorporation. Using information from the Department of the Interior, CBO estimates that the administrative costs to implement S. 621 would not be significant; any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Margot Berman. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: G20 Finance Ministers set to meet in US

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Group of Twenty (G20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors are set to convene a two-day meeting on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Spring Meetings, taking place in the United States, later this month.

    The G20 is an international forum of both developing and developed countries, which seeks to find solutions to global economic and financial issues. 

    This meeting is part of the Finance Track under South Africa’s G20 Presidency, which will gather Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of G20 member countries, invited countries, and international organisations to discuss global economic challenges, financial stability, and policies aimed at fostering economic growth. 

    South Africa’s G20 Presidency commenced on 1 December 2024 and will run until 30 November 2025. It is taking place under the theme: “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.”

    The Finance Track is co-chaired by Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, and South African Reserve Bank Governor, Lesetja Kganyago. 

    G20 members include the world’s major economies, representing 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.

    The G20 comprises 19 countries (including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and since 2023, the African Union.

    The two-day meeting will take place from 23-24 April 2025, in Washington, D.C.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi calls for deepening China-Malaysia friendship in signed article

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

    KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that he looks forward to meeting with Malaysian friends to celebrate the friendship between China and Malaysia and plan for future cooperation.

    He made the remarks in a signed article titled “May the Ship of China-Malaysia Friendship Sail Toward an Even Brighter Future” published in local media including the English-language newspaper The Star ahead of his arrival in Malaysia for a state visit.

    The two countries must work together to give fresh momentum to their ship of friendship that has sailed through the long river of history, and ensure that it forges ahead steadily toward brighter horizons, he said.

    He also expressed the hope that the two peoples will visit each other as often as family.

    Xi urged China and Malaysia to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen cooperation on industrial and supply chains.

    The two sides must uphold the multilateral trading system, keep global industrial and supply chains stable, and maintain an international environment of openness and cooperation, he said.

    Xi said that China will work with Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to combat the undercurrents of geopolitical and camp-based confrontation, as well as the countercurrents of unilateralism and protectionism.

    Noting that China-ASEAN cooperation is the most results-oriented and most productive in the region, Xi said that China firmly supports ASEAN unity and community-building, and supports ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture.

    He also said that China fully supports Malaysia in its role as ASEAN chair for 2025.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rines Creek — Media notification: Emergency alert in areas of Colchester and East Hants as RCMPNS continues search for man who may be armed with firearm

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    An emergency alert has been issued for areas of Colchester County, Millbrook, Stewiacke, Indian Brook, and East Hants as RCMPNS continues to search for a man who may be armed with a firearm near Rhines Creek, Nova Scotia.

    The man was last seen running on foot from a motor vehicle crash on Highway 215, near Exit 10. The man is described as being 6 feet tall, 220 pounds, black hair, extensive tattoos, wearing a gold chain. If seen, do not approach, call 9-1-1.

    Instructions for the public: Do not provide a ride to anyone asking for one. Do not pick up hitch hikers. Call 9-1-1 to report emergencies or tips. Updates will be posted to RCMPNS website and social accounts as available.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: iQor Qares to Host 8th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iQor Qares will host its 8th Annual Charity Golf Tournament, “Swing for a Cause,” April 29-30, 2025, at the world-renowned Copperhead Valspar Classic Golf Course at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Florida. As the 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization for iQor CXBPO™, iQor Qares supports iQor employees, their families, and their communities around the world in need of financial assistance due to life-altering or catastrophic events.

    This year, the 8th Annual iQor Qares Charity Golf Tournament has raised more than $260,000 in pledges and donations from multiple sponsors, with platinum-level sponsorship from NICE and gold-level sponsorship from Capital One Auto Finance, Joy Systems, Sanas, and Sudo Labs.

    “Every year, I’m inspired by the generosity and spirit of our sponsors, partners, and iQor family who come together to support our mission,” said iQor Chief Culture Officer and Chair of iQor Qares Richard Eychner. “The impact of iQor Qares goes far beyond financial aid — it’s about showing up for one another in times of need. This tournament is a celebration of that compassion and commitment.”

    One hundred percent of the net proceeds from the event go to ease the burden on iQor employees facing financial hardship due to unforeseen catastrophic events. In 2024, iQor Qares assisted more than 795 iQor employees and their families, and in the first quarter of 2025, more than 219 iQor employees and their families received assistance. Donations have helped beneficiaries rebuild after natural disasters, provide medical and end-of-life care for loved ones, and address food insecurity, in addition to supporting their recovery from many other life-altering events.

    “The iQor Qares Charity Golf Tournament reflects the heart of our culture, people helping people,” said iQor President and CEO Chris Crowley. “I’m proud to see how our collective efforts make a real difference in the lives of our employees and their families around the world. This is what it means to be part of something bigger than ourselves.”

    For more information about iQor Qares or to donate directly, visit iQorQares.com. iQor Qares welcomes one-time and recurring credit card donations from individuals worldwide. Additionally, iQor employees in the United States and the Philippines have the option to enroll in payroll donations. Every contribution plays a meaningful role in fulfilling the iQor Qares mission.

    About iQor CXBPO™

    iQor CXBPO™ is a trusted partner in intelligent customer experience solutions, delivering exceptional results for global brands. With 40,000 employees across 10 countries, we combine 30 years of industry expertise with cutting-edge AI-driven innovations to optimize customer interactions at every stage. Our agile, scalable solutions ensure seamless omnichannel engagement, driving loyalty and measurable business success. Recognized as a Great Place to Work® and a leader in CX excellence, we elevate performance through a people-first approach, operational expertise, and secure, technology-enabled solutions. Learn more at iQor.com.

    Contact
    Nicole Gobbo
    Director of Communications

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: BexBack Launches 100x Leverage, No KYC, $50 Welcome Bonus and Double Deposit Rewards – Start Trading Today!

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Bitcoin continues to trade below $90,000 and analysts predict that the crypto market will remain volatile, holding spot positions may not generate short-term profits. Recent economic shifts, including policy announcements such as President Trump’s tariff decisions, have brought some stabilization, but the volatility remains. For investors seeking to maximize returns in these uncertain times, BexBack Exchange offers a powerful solution. With 100x leverage, a 100% deposit bonus, and a $50 welcome bonus for new users, BexBack empowers traders to seize market opportunities. And with no KYC requirements, it provides a seamless and efficient way to trade.

    100x Leverage: Make Doubling or Even 10x Gains in a Single Day Possible

    What Is 100x Leverage and How Does It Work?

    Simply put, 100x leverage allows you to open larger trading positions with less capital. For example:

    Suppose the Bitcoin price is $60,000 that day, and you open a long contract with 1 BTC. After using 100x leverage, the transaction amount is equivalent to 100 BTC.

    One day later, if the price rises to $63,000, your profit will be (63,000 – 60,000) * 100 BTC / 60,000 = 5 BTC, a yield of up to 500%.

    With BexBack’s deposit bonus

    BexBack offers a 100% deposit bonus. If the initial investment is 2 BTC, the profit will increase to 10 BTC, and the return on investment will double to 1000%.

    Note: Although leveraged trading can magnify profits, you also need to be wary of liquidation risks.

    How Does the 100% Deposit Bonus Work?
    The deposit bonus from BexBack cannot be directly withdrawn but can be used to open larger positions and increase potential profits. Additionally, during significant market fluctuations, the bonus can serve as extra margin, effectively reducing the risk of liquidation.

    About BexBack?

    BexBack is a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform that offers 100x leverage on BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, XRP, and more than 50 other major altcoins. Headquartered in Singapore, with offices in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina, BexBack holds a US MSB (Money Services Business) license and is trusted by over 500,000 traders worldwide. The platform accepts users from the United States, Canada, and Europe, and offers no deposit fees, along with exceptional customer service, including 24/7 support.

    Why recommend BexBack?

    No KYC Required: Start trading immediately without complex identity verification.

    100% Deposit Bonus: Double your funds, double your profits.

    High-Leverage Trading: Offers up to 100x leverage, maximizing investors’ capital efficiency.

    Demo Account: Comes with 10 BTC and 1M USDT in virtual funds, perfect for practicing leveraged trading without risk.

    Comprehensive Trading Options: Feature-rich trading available via Web and mobile applications.

    Convenient Operation: No slippage, no spread, and fast, precise trade execution.

    Global User Support: Enjoy 24/7 customer service, no matter where you are.

    Lucrative Affiliate Rewards: Earn up to 50% commission, perfect for promoters.

    Take Action Now—Don’t Miss Another Opportunity!

    If you missed the previous crypto bull run, this could be your chance. With BexBack’s 100x leverage and 100% deposit bonus and $50 bonus for new users (complete one trade within one week of registration), you can be a winner in the new bull run.

    Sign up on BexBack now, claim your exclusive bonus and start accumulating more BTC today!

    Website: www.bexback.com

    Contact: business@bexback.com

    Contact:
    Amanda
    business@bexback.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/79407705-26b3-4d2a-bfda-97c63787ef7f

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/553f712e-f71c-4a4a-9819-e0c799ad1aa8

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ca7f67e5-026e-4ff3-8382-70443dadc0a9

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/34e3583f-bf8f-4c28-82f5-80a782ee3f1f

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Caitlin Johnstone: Every day the Gaza holocaust continues, the empire tells the truth about itself

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone

    Every day the Gaza holocaust continues, the Western empire tells the truth about itself.

    The US government is telling you the truth about itself.

    Israel is telling you the truth about itself.

    Their Western allies are telling you the truth about themselves.

    The Western media are telling you the truth about themselves.

    One of the most important stages when preparing to leave an abusive relationship is the information-gathering stage. This is when you begin quietly observing and making note of your partner’s abusive behaviour, letting them tell you the truth about themselves with their actions rather than their words.

    The information-gathering stage is important because long-term abusive relationships are usually very confusing for the victim; if the abuse were simple and easy to understand, the relationship wouldn’t have continued into the long term.


    Every day the Gaza holocaust continues . . .    Video/audio: Caitlin Johnstone

    It’s therefore often helpful to cultivate a clear understanding of the lay of the land before trying to navigate your way out of it, especially if your abuser is particularly manipulative and adept at confusing you. This ensures that you will be able to view their manipulations with distrust, so you won’t get sucked in by them.


    As infuriating as it is to watch this genocide drag out month after bloody month, it would be a mistake to believe everyone is just passively witnessing it all.

    If you watched someone you love in the information-gathering stage prior to leaving an abusive relationship, you might get frustrated by what appears to be inertia and passivity on their part when what you want to see is them sprinting for the door with a suitcase. But they’re not inert or passive  —  they’re gathering information.

    Westerners are in a psychologically abusive relationship with the empire. Our minds are hammered with propaganda indoctrination from as soon as we are old enough to start learning about our world to ensure our compliance with the power structure that rules over us.

    It happens in school. It happens with the mass media. It happens with the Silicon Valley platforms we look to for information.

    And it gets confusing. All the information about our world and our place in it is distorted by mass-scale psychological manipulation for the benefit of the powerful. It’s hard for someone who’s been raised in such an environment to navigate their mind out of its indoctrination. It’s hard to know the truth.

    But in Gaza, the empire is telling us the truth. It’s exposing itself in all its naked loathsomeness.

    Our rulers murder children.

    Our rulers sponsor genocide and ethnic cleansing.

    Our rulers lie to us and manipulate us.

    Our rulers work to censor, silence, marginalise and deport anyone who criticises their criminality.

    We do not live in a free society that is guided by truth and morality. We live under the most murderous and tyrannical power structure on the face of this planet. And we should distrust everything about it.

    That’s what they’re showing us with the Gaza holocaust. More and more people are opening their eyes to it every day.

    And when enough eyes open, leaving the abusive relationship once and for all becomes a real possibility.

    Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian independent journalist and poet. Her articles include The UN Torture Report On Assange Is An Indictment Of Our Entire Society. She publishes a website and Caitlin’s Newsletter. This article is republished with permission.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Law Library Publishes New Report on Permitted Uses of Antimicrobials in Animal Agriculture

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    Antimicrobials are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. However, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in people and animals, especially food-producing animals, may lead to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), meaning “the ability of bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi to resist these medicines.” In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) named AMR one of the top 10 threats to global health. Similarly, in 2022, the European Union’s (EU’s) Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), together with the EU member states, identified threats resulting from AMR as one of the top three serious cross-border health threats in the EU. Data from the WHO shows that AMR resulted in over 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year in the U.S., and that more than 35,000 people die as a result.

    The Global Legal Research Directorate (GLRD) of the Law Library of Congress recently completed research on the permitted uses of antimicrobials in animal agriculture in selected jurisdictions, namely Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the EU, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, and Russia. The report that resulted from this research focuses on whether antimicrobials are allowed as food and feed additives to promote growth and increase yield, or to prevent, control, or treat disease in animals. In addition, it provides information on whether the surveyed jurisdictions follow a “One Health Approach” concerning AMR. One Health recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the environment are closely linked and interdependent. Lastly, the report includes statistics on antimicrobial use (AMU), antimicrobial consumption (AMC), and AMR.

    We invite you to review the information provided in our report here. 

    The report is an addition to the Law Library’s Legal Reports (Publications of the Law Library of Congress) collection, which includes over 4,000 historical and contemporary legal reports covering a variety of jurisdictions, researched and written by foreign law specialists with expertise in each area. To receive alerts when new reports are published, you can subscribe to email updates and the RSS feed for Law Library Reports (click the “subscribe” button on the Law Library’s website). The Law Library also regularly publishes articles related to agriculture and food, animals, and the food industry in the Global Legal Monitor.

    Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/PHILIPPINES – The nation consecrates itself to Divine Mercy: a “collective response of faith and hope”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Archdiocese of Manila

    Manila (Agenzia Fides) – In a context of growing social and political polarization, the Philippines is preparing to consecrate itself to Divine Mercy as a sign of national unity. The country’s Bishops’ Conference has called for a solemn act of consecration for Sunday, April 27, the Feast of Divine Mercy, which will be celebrated during Masses in all the country’s churches. Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, President of the Bishops’ Conference, described this consecration as “a collective response of faith and hope” to the “serious challenges” facing the nation and the world: widespread corruption, the erosion of truth, the growing rejection of the Church’s teachings on life and the family, as well as the threat of internal divisions and armed conflicts at the local and global levels. “The national consecration will be a profound expression of our trust in Divine Mercy, which remains our last refuge in these times of uncertainty and trial,” the Cardinal explained.“We entrust ourselves, our Church, and our nation to God’s infinite mercy, certain that in it we will find the healing, renewal, and hope we so deeply need,” he wrote. During the ceremony, a prayer of consecration will be recited, asking Jesus for mercy for wars, for sins against truth, justice, and fraternity, as well as for abuses against human dignity and the family. “Jesus, with complete faith and trust in your boundless ocean of love, we place ourselves under the protection of your merciful care,” the prayer continues: “We unite ourselves to your perfect offering, with the Holy Spirit, to the Father, so that we may be completely transformed in your mercy. Have mercy on us for the wars between nations and the terrors with which we torment one another. Have mercy on us for the widespread sin against the truth and the horrible sins against justice and human brotherhood. Have mercy on us for the blasphemy to which your Divine Mercy is subjected and the abominable deception of the weak and the poor. Have mercy on us for the abuses against human dignity, the sin against life, love, and family.” The initiative is inspired by the spirit of the Fifth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, held in Cebu in 2024, where the Filipino faithful reaffirmed their commitment to be “vehicles of the Lord’s compassion” and concrete witnesses of his mercy in all communities. They were also “true messengers of mercy.” The nation, it was stated at the end of the Congress, needs “works that translate the spirit of mercy into concrete acts: the baptized are called to be a living mercy for others.” Divine Mercy Sunday was instituted in 2000 by Saint John Paul II, coinciding with the canonization of Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun and mystic whose revelations inspired this devotion. It is celebrated annually on the second Sunday of Easter. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 15/4/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi calls on China, Vietnam to jointly oppose power politics, unilateralism

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

    HANOI, April 15 — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged China and Vietnam to jointly oppose power politics and unilateralism when meeting with Vietnamese President Luong Cuong during his state visit to Vietnam.

    Xi extended warm congratulations on the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 80th anniversary of the founding of Vietnam and the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South.

    Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Vietnam diplomatic ties and the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges, Xi said over the past 75 years, China-Vietnam relations have evolved from the traditional friendship featuring “camaraderie plus brotherhood” to a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, setting a good example of friendly mutual assistance, solidarity and cooperation between countries.

    Standing at a new historical starting point, China is ready to work with Vietnam in line with the overarching goals characterized by “six mores” to strengthen strategic communication, enhance solidarity and coordination, and join hands in advancing their respective modernization processes, so as to write a new chapter of unity, self-strengthening, mutual benefit and win-win results among socialist countries, and constantly demonstrate the regional and global influence of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

    Xi called on China and Vietnam to respond to the external uncertainties with friendly cooperation and socialist strengths.

    He said trade wars will undermine the international trading system, the stability of the global economic order and the legitimate interests of all countries in the world, especially developing countries.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Mysterious objects from other stars are passing through our solar system. Scientists are planning missions to study them up close

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Billy Bryan, Research Leader, RAND Europe

    NASA/ESA/STScI

    In late 2017, a mysterious object tore through our solar system at breakneck speed. Astronomers scrambled to observe the fast moving body using the world’s most powerful telescopes. It was found to be one quarter mile (400m) long and very elongated – perhaps 10 times as long as it was wide. Researchers named it ‘Oumuamua, Hawaiian for “scout”.

    ‘Oumuamua was later confirmed to be the first object from another star known to have visited our solar system. While these interstellar objects (ISO) originate around a star, they end up as cosmic nomads, wandering through space. They are essentially planetary shrapnel, having been blasted out of their parent star systems by catastrophic events, such as giant collisions between planetary objects.

    Astronomers say that ‘Oumuamua could have been travelling through the Milky Way for hundreds of millions of years before its encounter with our solar system. Just two years after this unexpected visit, a second ISO – the Borisov Comet – was spotted, this time by an amateur astronomer in Crimea. These celestial interlopers have given us tantalising glimpses of material from far beyond our solar system.

    But what if we could do more than just watch them fly by?

    Studying ISOs up close would offer scientists the rare opportunity to learn more about far off star systems, which are too distant to send missions to.

    There may be over 10 septillion (or ten with 24 zeros) ISOs in the Milky Way
    alone. But if there are so many of them, why have we only seen two? Put simply, we cannot accurately predict when they will arrive. Large ISOs like ‘Oumuamua, that are more easily detected, do not seem to visit the solar system that often and they travel incredibly fast.

    Ground- and space-based telescopes struggle to respond quickly to incoming ISOs, meaning that we are mostly looking at them after they pass through our cosmic neighbourhood. However, innovative space missions could get us closer to objects like ‘Oumuamua, by using breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) to guide spacecraft safely to future visitors. Getting closer means we can get a better understanding of their composition, geology, and activity – gaining insights into the conditions around other stars.

    Emerging technologies being used to approach space debris could help to approach
    other unpredictable objects, transforming these fleeting encounters into profound
    scientific opportunities. So how do we get close? Speeding past Earth at an average of 32.14 km/s, ISOs give us less than a year for our spacecraft to try and intercept them after detection. Catching up is not impossible – for example, it could be done via gravitational slingshot manoeuvres. However, it is difficult, costly and would take years to execute.

    The good news is that the first wave of ISO-hunting missions is already in motion:
    Nasa’s mission concept is called Bridge and the European Space Agency (Esa) has a mission called Comet Interceptor. Once an incoming ISO is identified, Bridge would
    depart Earth to intercept it. However, launching from Earth currently requires a 30-day launch window after detection, which would cost valuable time.

    The Comet Interceptor mission is scheduled to launch in 2029.
    ESA / Work performed by ATG under contract to ESA, CC BY-SA

    Comet Interceptor is scheduled for launch in 2029 and comprises a larger spacecraft and two smaller robotic probes. Once launched, it will lie in wait a million miles from Earth, waiting to ambush a long period comet (slower comets that come from further away) – or potentially an ISO. Placing spacecraft in a “storage orbit” allows for rapid deployment when a suitable ISO is detected.

    Another proposal from the Institute for Interstellar Studies, Project Lyra, assessed the feasibility of chasing down ‘Oumuamua, which has already sped far beyond Neptune’s orbit. They found that it would be possible in theory to catch up with the object, but that this would also be very technically challenging.

    The fast and the curious

    These missions are a start, but, as described, their biggest limitation is speed. To chase down ISOs like ‘Oumuamua, we’ll need to move a lot faster – and think smarter.

    Future missions may rely on cutting-edge AI and related fields such as deep learning – which seeks to emulate the decision making power of the human brain – to identify and respond to incoming objects in real time. Researchers are already testing small spacecraft that operate in coordinated “swarms”, allowing them to image targets from multiple angles and adapt mid-flight.

    At the Vera C Rubin Observatory in Chile, a 10-year survey of the night sky is due to begin soon. This astronomical survey is expected to find dozens of ISOs each year. Simulations suggest we may be on the cusp of a detection boom.

    Any spacecraft would need to reach high speeds once an object is spotted and
    ensure that its energy source doesn’t degrade, potentially after years waiting in
    “storage orbit”. A number of missions have already utilised a form of propulsion called a solar sail.

    These use sunlight on the lightweight, reflective sail to push the spacecraft through space. This would dispense with the need for heavy fuel tanks. The next generation of solar sail spacecraft could use lasers on the sails to reach even higher speeds, which would offer a nimble and low cost solution compared to other futuristic fuels, such as nuclear propulsion.

    The Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile should discover more interstellar objects.
    RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA/Y. AlSayyad

    A spacecraft approaching an ISO will also need to withstand high temperatures and possibly erosion from dust being ejected from the object as it moves. While traditional shielding materials can protect spacecraft, they add weight and may slow them down.

    To address this, researchers are exploring novel technologies for lightweight, more durable and resistant materials, such as advanced carbon fibres. Some could even be 3D printed. They are also looking at innovative uses of traditional materials such as cork and ceramics.

    A suite of different approaches is needed that involve ground-based telescopes and space based missions, working together to anticipate, chase down and observe ISOs.

    New technology could allow the spacecraft itself to identify and predict the trajectories of incoming objects. However, potential cuts to space science in the US, including to observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope, threaten such progress.

    Emerging technologies must be embraced to make an approach and rendezvous with an ISO a real possibility. Otherwise, we will be left scrabbling, taking pictures from afar as yet another cosmic wanderer speeds away.

    Billy Bryan works on projects at RAND Europe that are funded by the UK Space Agency and DG DEFIS. He is affiliated with RAND Europe’s Space Hub and is lead of the civil space theme, the University of Sussex Students’ Union as a Trustee, and Rocket Science Ltd. as an advisor.

    Chris Carter works on projects at RAND Europe that are funded by the UK Space Agency and DG DEFIS. He is affiliated with RAND Europe’s Space Hub and is a researcher in the civil space theme.

    Theodora (Teddy) Ogden is a Senior Analyst at RAND Europe, where she works on defence and security issues in space. She was previously a fellow at Arizona State University, and before that was briefly at Nato.

    – ref. Mysterious objects from other stars are passing through our solar system. Scientists are planning missions to study them up close – https://theconversation.com/mysterious-objects-from-other-stars-are-passing-through-our-solar-system-scientists-are-planning-missions-to-study-them-up-close-254404

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: IAEA and International Experts Sample Treated Water within Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Prior to its Release

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), along with experts from the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and Switzerland, collected samples today of ALPS treated water that had been diluted with seawater ahead of its discharge into the sea at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS).

    The activity is the latest mission carried out under the additional measures which focus on expanding international participation and transparency, allowing hands-on independent measurements of the concentration level of the ALPS treated water which TEPCO – operator of the FDNPS – began discharging in August 2023. In September 2024, the IAEA agreed with Japan to implement additional measures. Through additional measures, third parties can independently verify that water discharge levels are, and will continue to be, in strict compliance and consistent with international safety standards.

    Today’s sampling was the first mission of the additional measures under the IAEA framework to sample the diluted water from the discharge facilities at the plant. It follows a mission in February when IAEA Director General Grossi joined the activities with experts from China, the Republic of Korea and Switzerland to collect seawater samples from a boat in the vicinity of FDNPS. It also builds on the first practical steps of the additional measures carried out in October last year when international experts conducted seawater sampling.

    The experts from the China Institute for Radiation Protection, the Korean Institute for Nuclear Safety, the Institute of Natural Monopolies Research in Russia, and the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland collected samples from the discharge vertical shaft and seawater pipe header where ALPS treated water is diluted with seawater before being discharged through a  one-kilometre-long tunnel into the sea. The samples were taken from the 12th batch of ALPS treated water to be discharged. Last week, the IAEA confirmed that the tritium level in the 12th batch was far below Japan’s operational limit.

    The samples will be analysed by the IAEA laboratory, by laboratories in Japan and in the participating laboratories from China, Korea, Russia and Switzerland, all members of the IAEA’s Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) network, which were selected for their high level of expertise and analytical proficiency.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Zero Hash Powered $2 Billion+ in Tokenized Fund Flows within the Last Four Months

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zero Hash, the leading infrastructure for stablecoins and crypto, today announced it powered more than $2 billion in tokenized fund flows within the last four months – fueling the rise of on-chain capital markets.

    As adoption of tokenized funds accelerates, Zero Hash has emerged as a core enabler of the on-chain markets ecosystem. Its infrastructure underpins the payment rails for tokenized funds, including BlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) in partnership with Securitize, as well as Franklin Templeton’s BENJI Token and the Hamilton Lane Private Infrastructure Fund (HLPIF) in partnership with Republic. Zero Hash facilitates compliant, real-time, 24/7/365 funding across seven stablecoins, underpinned by 22 blockchains.

    Tokenization has the potential to fundamentally reshape financial markets by enabling instant, always-on settlement. Traditional payment systems, however, aren’t designed to support this level of availability and remain a bottleneck. Stablecoins unlock the true utility of tokenized assets, including stable instruments, enabling them to move as flexibly as the blockchain allows. Zero Hash payment rails are an essential tool for institutions looking to unlock blockchain technology and enable completely on-chain transactions, from asset origination to redemption, without having to manage the complexities of accepting stablecoins.

    In his annual Letter to Investors, BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink wrote, “Every stock, every bond, every fund – every asset – can be tokenized. If they are, it will revolutionize investing. Markets wouldn’t need to close. Transactions that currently take days would clear in seconds. And billions of dollars currently immobilized by settlement delays could be reinvested immediately back into the economy, generating more growth.” This vision is already in motion – and Zero Hash is powering the payment rails underpinning tokenized assets.

    “Tokenized finance is no longer theoretical. Institutions are deploying real capital to tokenization and need the payment infrastructure to match,” said Edward Woodford, CEO and Founder of Zero Hash. “Our rails enable fully on-chain transactions end-to-end, real-time, 24/7/365. Zero Hash abstracts the blockchain complexity and meets the regulatory standards required by the largest financial firms.”

    Zero Hash’s infrastructure is trusted by global businesses that require enterprise-grade stablecoin payment rails. This is because Zero Hash addresses two of the most pressing barriers to institutional adoption: regulatory compliance around source-of-funds transparency and technical complexity. Zero Hash’s abstracts away the complexity of multi-chain, multi-stable operations – allowing issuers to operate with the simplicity of account-to-account transfers, while their infrastructure handles the complexities behind the scenes.

    In less than four months, Zero Hash has facilitated over $2 billion in tokenized funding through partners including Securitize, Franklin Templeton, and Republic. The broader market reflects that momentum. The tokenized real-world asset (RWA) market grew ~85% year-over-year to hit $15.2 billion by the end of 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, another $5.44 billion was added – bringing total RWA value on-chain to $20.64 billion, as of April 11th (Source: rwa.xyz). Zero Hash’s on-ramped approximately 35% of all on-chain RWAs in Q1, solidifying its position as a foundational layer in the evolving capital markets stack.

    As institutional adoption deepens, Zero Hash continues to serve as the stablecoin infrastructure partner of choice for asset managers and platforms driving the future of financial services.

    About Zero Hash
    Zero Hash is the leading infrastructure provider for crypto, stablecoin, and tokenized asset settlement. Its embeddable, API-first platform enables regulated money movement across fiat, crypto, and stable instruments. Clients use Zero Hash to build solutions for cross-border payments, commerce, trading, remittance, payroll, tokenization, wallets, on/off-ramps, and more.

    Zero Hash Holdings is backed by investors, including Point72 Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and NYCA.

    Zero Hash Trust Company LLC has been approved by the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks as a non-depository trust company.

    Zero Hash LLC is a FinCen-registered Money Service Business and a regulated Money Transmitter that can operate in 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC are licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. In Canada, Zero Hash LLC is registered as a Money Service Business with FINTRAC.

    Zero Hash Australia Pty Ltd. is registered with AUSTRAC as a Digital Currency Exchange Provider, with DCE registered provider number DCE100804170-001. Zero Hash Australia Pty Ltd. is registered on the New Zealand register of financial service providers, with Financial Service Provider (FSP) number FSP1004503. Zero Hash Europe B.V. is registered as a Virtual Asset Services Provider (VASP) by the Dutch Central Bank (Relation number: R193684). Zero Hash Europe Sp. Zoo is registered as a VASP by the Tax Administration Chamber of Poland in Katowice (Registration number RDWW – 1212).

    Media Contact:
    Zero Hash
    Shaun O’Keeffe
    (855) 744-7333
    media@zerohash.com

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