NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Smt. Savitri Thakur to visit Meghalaya

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 14 APR 2025 7:08PM by PIB Shillong

    Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Government of India, Smt. Savitri Thakur, will be on a three-day official visit to Meghalaya from April 15 to 17, 2025.

    During her visit, the Minister will hold a review meeting with the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, focusing on Central Government-sponsored schemes and programmes under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. She will also meet the Governor of Meghalaya for a courtesy call and conduct a detailed district-level review in East Khasi Hills as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).

    On April 16, the Minister will visit key institutions and welfare centers in Shillong, including the One Stop Center at Ganesh Das Hospital, Shakti Sadan at Mawroh, and a Child Care Institution in Mawkasiang. She will then visit the Community Health Center, Anganwadi Centre at Mawsmai, and inspection of development projects under MGNREGA and PMAY(G) and also visit the Aqua Park cum Visitor Information Centre at Khliehshnong and inspect PMGSY roads in the area.

    ****

    (Release ID: 2121631) Visitor Counter : 84

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Review of Statutory Minimum Wage rate

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The following is issued on behalf of the Minimum Wage Commission:

    The Minimum Wage Commission (MWC) will submit to the Chief Executive (CE) in Council its recommendation report on the Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) rate by the end of February 2026 at the latest.
     
    The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, in exercise of the authority delegated by the CE, has required the MWC to submit its recommendation report on the SMW rate on or before February 28, 2026, in accordance with the Minimum Wage Ordinance (Cap. 608).

    The CE in Council has approved the implementation of the new annual review mechanism of the SMW including the following formula for deriving the SMW rate:
     
    The annual rate of adjustment in the SMW (%) = Headline Consumer Price Index (A) (CPI(A)) inflation# (subject to a lower bound of zero) + [(the growth rate of the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the latest year – the trend growth rate of the real GDP in the latest decade) × 20%] (economic growth factor*) 
    # It refers to the year-on-year rate of change in the headline CPI(A).
    * The economic growth factor is subject to an upper bound of one percentage point and a lower bound of zero.
     
    The Government expects that the first SMW rate derived under the new mechanism will take effect on May 1, 2026. The MWC will assist the Government in implementing the new mechanism.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ministry of Finance issues Renminbi Sovereign Bonds through Central Moneymarkets Unit of Hong Kong Monetary Authority

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Ministry of Finance issues Renminbi Sovereign Bonds through Central Moneymarkets Unit of Hong Kong Monetary Authority 
    The Ministry of Finance will issue Renminbi Sovereign Bonds through the Central Moneymarkets Unit of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Please find attached the tender notice and the tender information memorandum of the Renminbi Sovereign Bonds to be issued by the Ministry of Finance. Please also find attached the tender-related information provided by the Issuing and Lodging Agent through the HKMA.
    Issued at HKT 9:30

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Announces 31st Human Exploration Rover Challenge Winners

    Source: NASA

    NASA has announced the winning student teams in the 2025 Human Exploration Rover Challenge. This year’s competition challenged teams to design, build, and test a lunar rover powered by either human pilots or remote control. In the human-powered division, Parish Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas, earned first place in the high school division, and the Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, captured the college and university title. In the remote-control division, Bright Foundation in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, earned first place in the middle and high school division, and the Instituto Tecnologico de Santa Domingo in the Dominican Republic, captured the college and university title.
    The annual engineering competition – one of NASA’s longest standing student challenges – wrapped up on April 11 and April 12, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The complete list of 2025 award winners is provided below:

    First Place: Parish Episcopal School, Dallas, Texas
    Second Place: Ecambia High School, Pensacola, Florida
    Third Place: Centro Boliviano Americano – Santa Cruz, Bolivia

    First Place: Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina
    Second Place: Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
    Third Place: University of Alabama in Huntsville

    First Place: Bright Foundation, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
    Second Place: Assumption College, Brangrak, Bangkok, Thailand
    Third Place: Erie High School, Erie, Colorado

    First Place: Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
    Second Place: Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina
    Third Place: Tecnologico de Monterey – Campus Cuernvaca, Xochitepec, Morelos, Mexico

     Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

    Human-Powered

    High School Division: International Hope School of Bangladesh, Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh
    College/University Division: Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

    Remote-Control

    Middle School/High School Division: Bright Foundation, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
    College/University Division: Southwest Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, Oklahoma

    Remote-Control

    Middle School/High School Division: Assumption College, Bangrak, Bangkok, Thailand
    College/University Division: Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

    Human-Powered

    High School Division: Parish Episcopal School, Dallas, Texas
    College/University Division: Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina

    Remote-Control

    Middle School/High School Division: Bright Foundation, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
    College/University Division: Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

    Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina

    Human-Powered

    High School Division: Parish Episcopal School, Dallas, Texas
    College/University Division: University of Alabama in Huntsville

    Universidad de Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico (Human-Powered Division)

    Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Human-Powered Division)

    Human-Powered

    High School Division: Albertville Innovation School, Albertville, Alabama
    College/University Division: Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

    Remote-Control

    Middle School/High School Division: Instituto Salesiano Don Bosco, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
    College/University Division: Tecnologico de Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

    Human-Powered

    High School Division: International Hope School of Bagladesh, Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh
    College/University Division: Universidad Catolica Boliviana “San Pablo” La Paz, Bolivia

    Remote-Control

    Middle School/High School Division: ATLAS SkillTech University, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    College/University Division: Instituto Salesiano Don Bosco, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

    Human-Powered

    High School Division: Space Education Institute, Leipzig, Germany
    College/University Division: Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, Indiana

    Remote-Control

    Middle School/High School Division: Erie High School, Erie, Colorado
    College/University Division: Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina

    Human-Powered

    High School Division: Academy of Arts, Career, and Technology, Reno, Nevada
    College/University Division: Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

    Fabion Diaz Palacious from Universidad Catolica Boliviana “San Pablo” La Paz, Bolivia

    Deira International School, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    More than 500 students with 75 teams from around the world participated in the  31st year of the competition. Participating teams represented 35 colleges and universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations. Teams were awarded points based on navigating a half-mile obstacle course, conducting mission-specific task challenges, and completing multiple safety and design reviews with NASA engineers. 
    NASA expanded the 2025 challenge to include a remote-control division, Remote-Operated Vehicular Research, and invited middle school students to participate. 
    “This student design challenge encourages the next generation of scientists and engineers to engage in the design process by providing innovative concepts and unique perspectives,” said Vemitra Alexander, who leads the challenge for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. “This challenge also continues NASA’s legacy of providing valuable experiences to students who may be responsible for planning future space missions, including crewed missions to other worlds.”
    The rover challenge is one of NASA’s eight Artemis Student Challenges reflecting the goals of the Artemis campaign, which will land Americans on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration, preparing for future human missions to Mars. NASA uses such challenges to encourage students to pursue degrees and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
    The competition is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated – with many former students now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry.    
    To learn more about the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, please visit: 
    https://www.nasa.gov/roverchallenge/home/index.html

    Taylor GoodwinMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.256.544.0034taylor.goodwin@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DLNR News Release – ʻALALĀ LEARN ON THE FLY IN A MAUI FOREST, April 14, 2025

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DLNR News Release – ʻALALĀ LEARN ON THE FLY IN A MAUI FOREST, April 14, 2025

    Posted on Apr 14, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

    DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES

    KA ‘OIHANA KUMUWAIWAI ‘ĀINA 

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR     

    DAWN CHANG
    CHAIRPERSON

    ʻALALĀ LEARN ON THE FLY IN A MAUI FOREST

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

    April 14, 2025

    KĪPAHULU FOREST RESERVE, Maui – Five months after release into the Kīpahulu Forest Reserve in East Maui, a cohort of five ʻalalā (Hawaiian crows) is healthy and continues to discover and practice the instinctual behaviors unique to the species.

     The process wasn’t always straightforward and despite some challenges, the ʻalalā have shown resolve. In anticipation of the November 2024 release and the birds’ transition into the wild, several factors initially raised concerns for the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project (MFBRP) staff and project partners, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the University of Hawai‘i, and the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW).

    Unwalled expanses of forest and the freedoms that come with that are new concepts for this group of birds bred in captivity. In addition, the habitat at the Kīpahulu field site on Maui is different from that of previous releases on Hawaiʻi Island and presented distinct pressures.

    An initial challenge to this effort included a cohort release that was several weeks later than planned, during the middle of the rainier and colder season. The inclusion of two innovative technologies – GPS (Global Positioning System) transmitters and automated supplemental feeders – never used before in ʻalalā releases, introduced additional obstacles for the birds to overcome. For these reasons, expectations were conservative from the start.

    “Reintroductions are never simple. They require constant adaptation, attention to detail, and a willingness to pivot when needed,” said Dr. Hanna Mounce, MFBRP program manager. “But despite these challenges we can’t lose sight of what’s been accomplished here. We now have birds exploring and establishing themselves in the wild. That alone is monumental.”

    Benchmarks established for the ʻalalā include the capacity to forage for native fruits and plants while utilizing the supplemental feeder stations. Their ability to use tree cover as shelter against wind and rain and their capacity to maintain social bonds that support cooperative behavior are additional measures of the cohort’s success.

    Another target emphasized by field staff was less tangible but just as important. The team understands that providing the ʻalalā time in the forest and developing familiarity and comfort with their new reality won’t come overnight. The birds needed time and room for self-discovery and to engage with their surroundings to fully adapt and find their footing.

    “Some of the behaviors that are instinctual in these birds are coming out over time,” said Martin Frye, MFBRP ʻAlalā research field supervisor. “It’s not just an automatic switch to start engaging in wild behaviors. For some birds this progression can happen quicker, for others at a slower pace. For them to fully express themselves, we need to give them as much time as possible.”

    As days turned to weeks and then months, the ʻalalā have shown resilience, adjusting to the elements of their new environment. Over the five-month span since release, the group has grown in several areas which has eased initial concerns.

    The ʻalalā have strengthened their flight muscles to take longer journeys and improved their takeoff and landing competency in the dense forest. The birds have also been observed foraging on native plants like pūkiawe, maile, kāwaʻu and ʻōlapa, sheltering in the trees during storm events, and performing bark flaking, where they probe crevices and pick at loose tree bark with their bills. Individuals have expanded their vocal range to produce different vocalizations than heard before in captivity. The ʻalalā are visiting the feeder stations nearby and supplementing their diet to stay healthy. The cohort continues to work together as a cohesive social group and learn from each other, which has been crucial to their development.

    The field team and project partners are excited at the prospect of introducing two additional ʻalalā – a male and a female, to the release site later this year. Those birds are currently being evaluated at the Maui Bird Conservation Center to measure their health and readiness to join the group in the wild. “These individuals are undergoing the same pre-release conditioning as the five birds released last fall, including anti-predator training, habituation to the automated feeding systems, and the use of mock transmitters to simulate the units they’ll be fitted with post-release,” said Tess Hebebrand, MFBRP aviculture specialist. Staff are also gauging the birds’ fitness and preparedness as they relate to cooperative social dynamics and how the birds interact.

    “We expect the ʻalalā already in the forest to show interest in the new individuals upon their arrival,” Hebebrand added. “To support the growing group, our team has been establishing additional feeder stations throughout the forest to promote spatial dispersion and provide increased foraging opportunities as the birds approach maturity.” 

    Open communication among partners has been key to this release process and will best inform future release efforts as well. “The success that we’ve had in this pilot project is largely built from previous efforts on Hawaiʻi Island and sharing lessons learned. In that way, our own development mirrors that of the ʻalalā, learning from each other over time,” shared Frye.

    Mounce added: “This cohort has been remarkable. They’re staying together, relying on the support systems we’ve put in place, and showing us that, with care and patience, recovery is possible.” 

     

    # # #

     

    RESOURCES

    (All images/video Courtesy: DLNR)

     

    HD Video – East Maui ʻAlalā update – web feature (March 2025):

    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vaguvz69c6i0cdxnyqgtg/East-Maui-Alala-update.mov?rlkey=tlqud3f88ciggbesruzym7b8n&st=0is1xg2r&dl=0

     

    HD Video – East Maui ʻAlalā update media clips (March 2025):

    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kiar0syr3jwtgtkkjtl8g/East-Maui-Alala-update-media-clips.mov?rlkey=xo9a0d5lsqj6bhf01byenlb1x&st=8569toit&dl=0

     

    Photographs – ʻAlalā update (March 2025):

    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/66j46hfhbfvu4n5os75ug/AL99pNN-2O7bRX4LAAIgcJY?rlkey=ypg3oxsu1djzl9zqtddbqs817&st=nbzwos55&dl=0

     

     

    Media Contact: 

    Ryan Aguilar

    Communications Specialist

    Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

    808-587-0396 

    Email: [email protected] 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Office of the Governor — Travel Release — Gov. Green Travels To American Samoa

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    Office of the Governor — Travel Release — Gov. Green Travels To American Samoa

    Posted on Apr 14, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom, Office of the Governor Press Releases

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI 
    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI 
     
    JOSH GREEN, M.D. 
    GOVERNOR
    KE KIAʻĀINA 
     

    GOVERNOR GREEN TRAVELS TO AMERICAN SAMOA

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    April 14, 2025

    HONOLULU – Governor Josh Green, M.D., will travel to American Samoa to join the community in commemorating the 125th Flag Day celebration. The event honors the historical moment on April 17, 1900, when the U.S. flag was first raised on Tutuila Island, marking the beginning of a political relationship between Tutuila, Aunu’u and the United States. The day recognizes American Samoa’s unique status and long-standing ties with the U.S., while celebrating the resilience, culture and identity of the Samoan people.

    Governor Green will leave today, April 14, and return to Honolulu on Friday, April 18. Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke will serve as acting Governor from the evening of April 14 through the morning of April 18. 

    # # #


    Media Contacts:  
    Erika Engle
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i
    Office: 808-586-0120
    Email: [email protected] 

    Makana McClellan
    Director of Communications
    Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi
    Cell: 808-265-0083
    Email: [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council’s business growth team provides support to hundreds of city businesses

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Forty five businesses benefitted through its grants programme – leading to the creation of 83 new jobs and the safeguarding of a further 179 jobs in Wolverhampton.

    The business growth team exceeded its targets using the £1.3 million UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) government funding it was allocated through Business Growth West Midlands to help companies with capital investment and energy efficiency measures.

    The total projected growth in turnover of the businesses it supported with grants is expected to equate to around £14.5 million in the year ahead.

    Also providing free local diagnostic and business support service, the team dealt with 700 business enquiries over the past 12 months and 200 diagnostic checks were carried out.

    Councillor Chris Burden, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said: “In Wolverhampton, we are utilising the UKSPF funding to support SMEs in maximising their offer and capitalising on opportunities being generated by investment in our city.

    “Throughout 2024/25 our business growth team has collaborated with small but highly ambitious businesses to help them make and secure investment, create and sustain jobs, develop new products and services, and access new UK and overseas markets.

    “Our city economy is underpinned by creative thinking, innovation, ambition, skills, and sheer hard work and we want to do everything we can to support this through our grants programme.

    “I would urge businesses to head to the business growth webpage and find out exactly what funding is available to them.”

    Gabitie and Ceandess are 2 of the Wolverhampton businesses supported by the grants.

    Metal processing company Gabitie specialises in steel structures and fabrications. Grant support towards the acquisition of a laser cutter and a standing seam cladding machine will enable the business to launch new ranges such as garden offices, and to focus on entering the lucrative domestic extensions market.

    Ceandess supplies and manufactures a range of fuel and oil fillers, base and filler assemblies, and fuel engine and hydraulic filter caps. The acquisition of a tube bending and forming machine will provide them with a strong platform to access the lucrative Australian and Canadian mining markets by offering formed tubes alongside their existing range.

    The window for expressions of interest in Wolverhampton Council’s latest round of business grants to support city businesses with capital investment and low carbon projects is now open and will close on 30 April, 2025.

    It is likely the average grant available will be up to £20,000 for projects costing £40,000 or more.
    Higher grants could be available depending on the impact of the investment – but grants will be capped at no more than 50% of the project cost.

    Full details of grant eligibility, impact measures and the application processes, along with details of some of the other new business support programmes, can be found at Business Growth Wolverhampton.

    Applications for the grants are on a competitive basis, subject to availability of funds, and distributed at the discretion of the council.

    If you need help with your grant application or have a general query, you can get in touch by emailing business.development@wolverhampton.gov.uk or calling the business support phone line on 01902 555572 between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Thursday or from 9am to 4.30pm on Fridays.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Human rights situation in the Philippines and EU-Philippines free trade agreement negotiations – E-001506/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001506/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Jonas Sjöstedt (The Left)

    The Commission announced the resumption of EU-Philippines free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations in March 2024.

    Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s rule, the human rights situation in the Philippines has not significantly improved; drug-related killings have continued, and impunity persists. Political persecution of human rights defenders has increased, with an alarmingly high number of enforced disappearances and targeted fabricated charges related to alleged terrorism financing. In 2023, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights questioned the Philippines’ continued trade perks with the EU.

    EU-Philippines FTA negotiations have resumed without a new human rights impact assessment (HRIA), despite the previous decision from the European Ombudsman that the Commission’s failure to carry out an HRIA, in relation to its negotiation of an FTA with Vietnam, constituted maladministration (1409/2014/MHZ).

    • 1.What is the Commission’s response to the human rights situation in the Philippines, taking into account the recent disappearances of multiple human rights defenders and environmental activists?
    • 2.How does the Commission take these concerns, including the decision from the European Ombudsman and human rights organisations, into account with regard to future EU-Philippines FTA negotiations?
    • 3.Why has the Commission not carried out a new HRIA, and what would be required for this to be considered?

    Submitted: 11.4.2025

    Last updated: 15 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: US and China headed for currency war: warns deVere CEO

    Source: deVere Group

    April 15 2025 – Trump’s tariff-led trade war is pushing the world’s two largest economies toward a new front: a currency war— “one that will be gradual, deliberate, and globally disruptive,” warns the CEO of global financial advisory giant, deVere Group (ref. https://www.devere-group.com )

    With US tariffs on Chinese goods now averaging 145%, Beijing is under growing pressure to respond. But with traditional trade retaliation options constrained, a new strategy is forming—one based on a controlled, step-by-step weakening of the yuan.

    The signs are already clear. The offshore yuan dropped to a record low of 7.4287 against the dollar. Onshore, the currency sank to its weakest since 2007. The People’s Bank of China, while insisting on stability, has been setting the yuan’s midpoint fix at levels not seen in years.

    Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, says: “China is unlikely to openly weaponize the yuan.

    “But under mounting tariff strain, they’re likely to let it slip—slowly and carefully. It won’t look like a headline war, but it will have headline consequences.”

    There’s little appetite in Beijing for a sharp devaluation.

    The memory of 2015’s capital exodus—when $700 billion fled Chinese markets after a sudden currency move—still haunts policymakers.

    A similar episode today could trigger “damaging capital flight” and erode already fragile domestic confidence.

    He continues: “Instead, China is walking a narrow path: using small, incremental devaluations to support exporters without inviting panic. It’s an approach aimed at shielding growth while maintaining the image of financial control. But even a modest yuan decline matters.”

    A weaker Chinese currency lowers the real cost of exports, softening the blow from US tariffs. It also pressures other Asian economies to consider devaluing in response, setting off ripple effects through emerging markets. For the US, it complicates inflation dynamics—import prices may fall, but global volatility may rise.

    “Currency shifts don’t happen in a vacuum,” explains Nigel Green.

    “They reshape capital flows, unsettle risk assets, and provoke reactions from other central banks. For global investors, ignoring this would be a serious error.

    “Unlike the free-floating dollar or yen, the yuan is tightly managed. 

    “Every day, the Chinese central bank sets a central reference rate, allowing only limited movement around it. That system gives Chinese authorities control and it also gives them the tools to engineer a slow, sustained decline without outright triggering alarm bells.

    “This approach fits a broader pattern in modern financial conflict: avoid sudden moves, but gradually change the terms of trade. The goal isn’t shock. It’s attrition.”

    The bigger concern is what comes next. If a slow yuan weakening begins to reverse capital inflows, Beijing could be forced to tighten controls further, or accelerate its depreciation. Either route could stoke fresh volatility across currencies, bonds, and equities.

    The deVere CEO says: “Investors should be watching the yuan as closely as they watch the Fed or earnings season. The slow-motion currency shift between the US and China is central to how this phase of global economic rivalry will play out.”

    He concludes: “I believe we’re entering a new stage of financial confrontation—less visible, but no less strategic. The yuan is becoming a pressure valve, and investors need to understand what’s coming.

    “The trade war may have opened with tariffs, but it won’t end there.”

    deVere Group is one of the world’s largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: AI guidelines issued

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Digital Policy Office (DPO) today released the Hong Kong Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technical & Application Guideline, covering the scope and limitations of applications, potential risks and governance principles of generative AI technology, including technical risks such as data leakage, model bias and errors that need to be addressed.

    The guideline provides practical operational guidance for technology developers, service providers and users in the application of generative AI technology.

    The Generative AI Research & Development (R&D) Center was commissioned earlier to study and suggest appropriate codes and guidelines on the accuracy, responsibility and information security in generative AI technologies and practices, based on practical applications and feedback collected from the industry.

    The DPO promulgated the guideline, having considered the research findings and recommendations, with the primary objective to balance AI innovation, application and responsibility, thereby constructing a governance framework with local characteristics suitable in the Hong Kong context for all stakeholders in the AI ecosystem.

    The DPO will monitor the latest technological and application developments in generative AI, while maintaining close collaboration with the R&D centre, academic institutions and industry groups. The guideline will be updated regularly for reference by all sectors.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Neighborhood diplomacy takes center stage as Xi begins visit to Southeast Asia

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

    HANOI, April 15 — In a world grappling with growing uncertainty and instability fueled by rising protectionism and unilateralism, China has reaffirmed the continuity and stability of its neighborhood diplomacy and its vision for lasting peace and shared development in Asia.

    That was the message delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, as he arrived in Vietnam on Monday for a state visit, the first leg of his five-day, three-nation tour of Southeast Asia. It is also his first overseas trip this year.

    “We will stay committed to the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness. We will continue to pursue the policy of forging friendship and partnership with our neighbours. And we will steadily deepen friendly cooperation with them to advance Asia’s modernization,” Xi said in a signed article published Monday in the Nhan Dan Newspaper of Vietnam.

    Pham Phu Phuc, former deputy head of the World News Desk at the Vietnam News Agency, welcomed China’s diplomatic approach.

    In light of unexpected and uncertain changes in the region and across the world in recent years, this vision emphasizes peace, sincerity, mutual benefit and shared development through cooperation, he said.

    Xi’s visit came as China and Vietnam mark the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year. During his talks with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam on Monday, Xi said that facing the changing and turbulent world, China and Vietnam have stayed committed to peaceful development and deepened their friendly cooperation, bringing much-needed stability and certainty to the world.

    In interviews with Xinhua, observers noted that the China-Vietnam partnership embodies a broader Asian ethos championed by China, emphasizing dialogue over confrontation, partnership over rivalry, and development over division.

    The Chinese leader’s visit underscores the commitment of both Vietnam and China to peaceful development and regional stability, said Bui Minh Long, managing editor of the Vietnamese daily newspaper Tien Phong (Pioneer). “I believe that closer Vietnam-China relations will become a stabilizing force in Southeast Asia.”

    A SHARED VISION

    During Xi’s visit to Vietnam in December 2023, the bilateral relationship reached a new height when both sides agreed to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance on the basis of deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

    On Monday, Xi proposed six measures to deepen the building of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future, including lifting strategic mutual trust to a higher level, building stronger security safeguards, expanding higher quality mutually beneficial cooperation, tightening the bond of people-to-people ties, conducting closer multilateral coordination, and engaging in more constructive maritime interactions.

    Building the China-Vietnam community with a shared future carries great global significance, Xi said in his meeting with To Lam, noting that as the two countries jointly pursue peaceful development, their combined population of over 1.5 billion is jointly advancing toward modernization, which will contribute to regional and global peace and stability while promoting common development.

    For Vietnamese scholars, Xi’s emphasis on the building of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future underscores a core pillar of China’s neighborhood diplomacy — forging strong partnerships with neighboring countries based on mutual respect, win-win cooperation and long-term commitment.

    This approach, they said, reflects China’s broader vision of a peaceful and prosperous region.

    Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa, a researcher at the Institute for Asia-Pacific Studies under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, said the effort to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance reflects both the continuation and the deepening of the enduring friendship between the two countries.

    “It is built on the foundation of political trust, the promotion of commonalities and especially the sharing of benefits and mutual concerns,” she said. “The ultimate goal is to bring benefits to the people of both nations, support each country’s development and contribute to regional peace and stability.”

    GREATER COMMON DEVELOPMENT

    Over the past year, the agreement on building the Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance has already injected fresh momentum into the bilateral relationship, said Nguyen Vinh Quang, vice president of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association, noting that businesses from both sides have demonstrated increased confidence in each other.

    Chinese direct investment in Vietnam exceeded 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, maintaining strong growth, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yongqian said on Thursday.

    Meanwhile, bilateral trade has surpassed 200 billion dollars for four consecutive years, reaching 260.65 billion dollars in 2024, a 13.5-percent increase year-on-year.

    Noting that both countries are committed to opening up, Xi said during his meeting with To Lam on Monday that both countries have played a constructive role in maintaining the stability and smooth operation of regional industrial and supply chains, as well as contributing to the advancement of economic globalization.

    Both China and Vietnam are beneficiaries of economic globalization, and the two sides should strengthen strategic resolve, jointly oppose unilateralism and bullying practices, and work together to uphold the global free trade system and maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains, Xi said.

    In recent years, the global governance system has faced serious challenges, as some nations have introduced regulations that contravene international law, said Tran Khanh, former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

    China and Vietnam can work together to uphold the global order based on international law, including an international trade system based on established international norms, he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s finance ministry to issue 12.5 bln yuan of RMB treasury bonds in HK

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

    BEIJING, April 15 — China’s Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday that it will issue this year’s second batch of renminbi-denominated treasury bonds in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on April 23.

    The scale of the bonds will be 12.5 billion yuan (1.74 billion U.S. dollars), according to a statement released by the ministry.

    The amount is the same as the previous issuance made on Feb. 19.

    Specific issuance arrangements will be announced on the website of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Central Moneymarkets Unit, the ministry said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Moscow-India Tourism Industry Congress to be held in Russian capital

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    From July 10 to 13, the capital will host the large-scale tourism congress OTOAI Convention for the first time. It is organized by the Association of Outbound Tourism Operators of India with the support of the Moscow Government. The forum will bring together hundreds of specialists from relevant departments and employees of leading Moscow and Indian companies.

    “Business negotiations and expert presentations are planned. Foreign participants will be presented with opportunities for recreation in Moscow, and will be shown popular routes and sights on sightseeing tours,” she reported.

    Natalia Sergunina, Deputy Mayor of Moscow.

    She recalled that India is among the top three countries in terms of the number of travelers from distant countries coming to Moscow. In 2024, the city was visited by 1.4 times more citizens of this country than in 2023.

    “The congress will be a significant event for India-Russia relations in the tourism sector. Moscow has an ideal combination of historical heritage and modernity. This is what Indian travellers are looking for today. Our partnership with the Moscow Tourism Committee will enable Indian visitors to go beyond traditional tourist destinations. Through the conference, we plan to create a platform for growth in mutual tourist flows, which will benefit tour operators from both countries and help position Moscow as a leading outbound tourism destination in India,” said Himanshu Patil, President of the Indian Association of Outbound Travel Operators.

    Developing partnerships

    In January, the capital’s delegation took part in a major industry exhibition, Outbound Travel Mart, in India. Moscow representatives held over 1,200 negotiations. Among the main events was the signing of an agreement on joint work to increase tourist flow between Moscow and Mumbai. In addition, a cooperation agreement was signed with one of the leading travel companies. Now, Indian colleagues will come to the Russian capital to discuss new projects.

    Last year, Moscow hosted the international forum Meet Global MICE Congress: BRICS Edition. It brought together approximately 1.3 thousand business tourism industry specialists from the BRICS countries. The event included about two thousand meetings with potential partners.

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152607073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taiwan FDI Statistics Summary Analysis (March 2025)

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    According to the statistics, 473 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with a total amount of US$2,255,756,000 were approved from January to March 2024. This indicates a decrease of 7.44% in the number of cases, but an increase of 100.20% in FDI amount compared to the same period of 2024.

    With regard to inward investment from Mainland China, 6 cases were approved with an amount of US$96,469,000 from January to March 2025. This indicates a decrease of 14.29% in the number of cases, but an increase of 818.52% in the FDI amount compared to the same period of 2024. From July 2009 to March 2025, 1,628 cases were approved with a total investment amount added up to US$2,989,637,000.

    In terms of Taiwan’s outbound investment (excluding Mainland China), 186 projects were registered from January to March 2025 with a total amount of US$12,232,898,000, indicating an increase of 3.91% in the number of cases, and an increase of 6.88% in the amount, as compared to the same period of 2024.

    As for Taiwan’s outward investment to Mainland China, 46 applications have been approved from January to March 2025, indicating a decrease of 40.26% compared to the same period of 2024. The approved investment amount is US$342,548,000, 62.98% less than he same period in 2024.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN receives Director-General of Arms Control Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China

    Source: ASEAN

    Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community, H.E. Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz received a call by the Director-General of the Department of Arms Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Mr. Sun Xiaobo, on 15 April 2025 at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. Both sides exchanged views on regional issues, including cyber security, humanitarian mine action, and ASEAN-China security cooperation.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Election Diary: for a few hours, it seemed possible the Russians might be coming

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

    For a few hours on Tuesday afternoon, it seemed just possible the Russians might be sending their planes to a base very near us.

    A claim on the military and intelligence site Janes that said the Russians were seeking to base several long range aircraft in Papua, a province of Indonesia, caused a massive flurry on the election trail.

    It gave heart to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton that national security might be brought into play as an election issue.

    Dutton was quick to recall how in 2022 the Labor opposition jumped on the Morrison government for apparently being caught by surprise at what was going on in the Pacific, when a security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands turned into a campaign issue.

    Had the Albanese government been caught unawares?

    The Janes report said: “Jakarta has received an official request from Moscow, seeking permission for Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) aircraft to be based at a facility in Indonesia’s easternmost province.

    “Separate sources from the Indonesian government have confirmed with Janes that the request was received by the office of Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin following his meeting with Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu in February 2025.

    “In the request, Russia seeks to base several long-range aircraft at the Manuhua Air Force Base, which shares a runway with the Frans Kaisiepo Airport, documents that have been presented to Janes reveal.

    “The airbase is situated in Biak Numfor in the Indonesian province of Papua, and it is home to the Indonesian Air Force’s Aviation Squadron 27, which operates a fleet of CN235 surveillance aircraft.”

    The government sought urgent clarification, while Dutton – now struggling in the polls – sought to score a quick political point without waiting for confirmation. Both government and opposition agreed on one thing, however: nobody wanted to see the Russians get such a foothold.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “We are seeking further information, we obviously do not want to see Russian influence in our region, very clearly.”

    “We have a good relationship with our friends in Indonesia, and we’re seeking further clarification.”

    Dutton said it would be “a catastrophic failure of diplomatic relations if Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese didn’t have forewarning” about such a Russian move before it was made public.

    “This is a very, very troubling development. The prime minister and the foreign affairs minister should have the depth of relationship with Indonesia to have had forewarning of this,” Dutton said.

    “My message to President Putin is that he’s not welcome in our neighbourhood. We don’t share any values with President Putin, and we do not want a presence, a military presence, from Russia in our region, which would be destabilising for south-east Asia.”

    Late Tuesday, the air went out of the balloon.

    In a statement Defence Minister Richard Marles said, “I have spoken to my counterpart, HE Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin the Minister for Defence, and he has said to me in the clearest possible terms, reports of the prospect of Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia are simply not true”.

    Earlier Marles said that last year Australia signed a defence cooperation agreement with Indonesia, “which really is the deepest level defence agreement we’ve ever had with Indonesia”.

    “We are seeing increasing cooperation between Australia and Indonesia at a defence level.”

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

    – ref. Election Diary: for a few hours, it seemed possible the Russians might be coming – https://theconversation.com/election-diary-for-a-few-hours-it-seemed-possible-the-russians-might-be-coming-254604

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: HK, Armenia tax pact in effect

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Hong Kong’s Comprehensive Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (CDTA) with Armenia signed in June 2024 has come into force, and will be applicable to Hong Kong tax for any year of assessment beginning April 1, 2026.

     

    Under the agreement, companies and residents of both places will not have to pay tax twice on a single source of income.

     

    The agreement will also allow them to have certainty on tax liabilities and save tax when they engage in cross-border business activities, thereby helping to promote bilateral trade and investment.

     

    Hong Kong has signed CDTAs with 51 tax jurisdictions so far.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NSW Court of Appeal confirms letters of comfort don’t extend liability to a liquidator’s admissions of debt

    Source: Allens Insights (legal sector)

    Some liabilities may be enforceable but not provable 5 min read

    In Forex Capital Trading Pty Ltd (in liq) v Invesus Group Ltd [2025] NSWCA 64, the New South Wales Court of Appeal has confirmed that a parent company agreement under a letter of comfort to pay ‘debts … incurred’ by its subsidiary does not apply to proofs of debt admitted in liquidation.

    In this Insight, we look at the decision and what can be learned from it.

    Key takeaways

    • The court’s decision is a useful reminder that the amount for which a proof of debt is admitted by a liquidator does not always correlate with the amount for which a company is liable—eg there are some liabilities that may be enforceable against the company but not provable in the liquidation.
    • It also highlights the importance of precise drafting. While letters of comfort will not always provide a legally enforceable obligation, liquidators should keenly examine their content before making a decision.

    Background

    Forex Capital Trading Pty Ltd (FXCT) operated a business providing a platform for the sale of derivatives and foreign currency exchange products. Invesus Group Limited (IGL) was its ultimate parent company. During the course of a proceeding brought by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission against FXCT, IGL executed a letter of comfort in favour of FXCT and its directors. The letter of comfort applied regarding ‘any debts, including judgment debts, incurred by FXCT … prior to or after the date of this letter in respect of FXCT’s customers’. In the aftermath of that proceeding, in which FXCT had agreed to a penalty of $20 million, it was voluntarily wound up. FXCT’s liquidators admitted proofs of debt  submitted by former customers in the amount of $43,645,127.26, under a process approved by the Federal Court. The FXCT liquidators then commenced a proceeding against IGL for breach of the letter of comfort, to recover the amount owed to former customers.

    The decisions

    Supreme Court

    At first instance, the primary judge determined that IGL was not liable under the terms of the letter of comfort to former customers for debts admitted by FXCT’s liquidators. The court found that when a liquidator admits a proof of debt, the liquidator ‘is not creating a new liability of the company in substitution for an existing liability’. It explained that the liquidators’ admissions could not meet the definition of ‘debts’ under the letter of comfort, as the admission of a proof of debt could not alter the company’s underlying liabilities, and could not bind IGL.

    Court of Appeal

    On appeal, Justice Mitchelmore, with whom Justices Kirk and Adamson agreed, upheld the primary judge’s decision that the admissions of proofs of debt by the liquidator did not create a claim under the letter of comfort. Her Honour noted that a liquidator’s role under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) is to preside over the statutory scheme by which assets are distributed. By virtue of the winding up, creditors obtain a right to participate in the distribution but the process of administration of assets is not one by which rights against the company itself are obtained or enforced. 

    In coming to this decision, Justice Mitchelmore explained that:

    • The liquidator’s admission of proofs of debt of former customers did not affect the independent existence of those claims.
    • There was nothing in the letter of comfort that suggested IGL accepted it would be bound by the liquidator’s determination of claims by former customers.

    Useful points

    Again, the decision is a strong reminder that the amount for which a liquidator admits a proof of debt does not always correspond with the amount for which a company is liable, and also that precise drafting is crucial.

    If you wish to discuss anything raised in this Insight, please do not hesitate to contact one of our experts.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Services a major driving force behind China’s consumption growth: report

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

    HAIKOU, April 15 — China’s services consumption is not only rebounding but evolving rapidly, becoming a key driver of overall consumption growth, according to a report released by the China Institute for Reform and Development.

    The Hainan-based think tank published the report on Monday during this year’s China International Consumer Products Expo, the country’s only national-level exhibition focused on consumer goods, which is being held in the tropical island province.

    The report forecasts that by 2030, the per capita services consumption of China’s urban and rural residents could exceed 20,000 yuan (about 2,773 U.S. dollars), accounting for more than half of total consumption. The shift toward a services-oriented consumer society is expected to drive sustainable economic growth and transform consumption patterns.

    Services consumption has become a propeller of goods consumption, and a “goods-like services” trend is gaining momentum across the country, said Chi Fulin, head of the think tank.

    The report shows that traditional sectors are leading the recovery. Established go-tos for fun and relaxation, such as ski holidays and blockbuster films, are back in full swing.

    Winter tourism continues to gain popularity, particularly during peak travel periods. During the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, a total of 17.23 million visits were recorded across 934 ski resorts nationwide — a 10 percent increase from the previous year. For the 2024-2025 winter season, the number of people engaged in ice and snow tourism in China is estimated at 520 million.

    Earlier this year, China’s film industry also made a notable comeback. The 2025 Spring Festival box office hit a record 9.51 billion yuan, with 187 million moviegoers nationwide. Daily box office sales also reached new highs during the holiday season. The animated film “Ne Zha 2” made history by becoming the first Asian film to break into the global top five and top the global animation box office.

    While classic forms of services consumption like films and tourism continue to thrive, a new wave of digital experiences, led by generative artificial intelligence (AI), is rapidly reshaping China’s consumer landscape.

    According to the report, generative AI is enhancing and upgrading the consumer-end user experience as it is integrated into common internet applications, including instant messaging platforms, office software, and online customer service and creative tools.

    In December 2024, approximately 331 million people in China reported that they were aware of generative AI products, and about 249 million said they had used them. This surge in public engagement reflects the technology’s growing presence in everyday digital life, as well as its expanding influence on consumption patterns.

    Jiang Ying, chair of Deloitte China, anticipates that China will leverage its strength in rapid technological innovation further to boost demand. “China encourages the integration of emerging technologies like AI to enhance consumer experiences and create new consumption scenarios,” she added.

    In March, China made public a plan for special initiatives to increase consumption, as the world’s second-largest economy moves to make domestic demand the main engine and anchor of economic growth. The plan highlights services consumption quality enhancement.

    Chi emphasized that the next five to 10 years will be a critical period for China’s economic growth. He suggested that significant investments in people should be made to transform services consumption into a major force in the economy, making consumption a critical engine of sustained economic growth.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Highlights of Xi’s remarks during his visit to Vietnam

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

    HANOI, April 15 — Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hanoi on Monday for a state visit to Vietnam. During his visit, Xi held meetings with key Vietnamese leaders, including General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Tran Thanh Man.

    The following are some of the highlights of Xi’s remarks and statements.

    ON BUILDING A COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

    — As socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, China and Vietnam have formed a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

    — This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Vietnam, and is the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges, bringing new opportunities for advancing the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

    — The two sides should strengthen the strategic coordination and consolidate the political foundation for building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

    — Guided by the overall goals of achieving higher political mutual trust, more solid security cooperation, deeper practical cooperation, stronger public support, closer multilateral coordination and better management and resolution of differences, the two countries should work to advance their comprehensive strategic cooperation with high quality, ensure steady and sustained progress in building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future, and contribute even more to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

    — Facing an international landscape fraught with changes and turbulence, China and Vietnam should strengthen confidence in their paths and systems, enhance solidarity and coordination, continue to build the China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, join hands to march toward modernization, and inject more stability and positive energy into the world.

    — Building the China-Vietnam community with a shared future carries great global significance. As the two countries jointly pursue peaceful development, their combined population of over 1.5 billion is jointly advancing toward modernization, which will contribute to regional and global peace and stability while promoting common development.

    ON CHINA-VIETNAM RELATIONS

    — Standing at a new historical starting point, China is ready to work with Vietnam to stay true to their original aspiration of friendship, remain committed to their shared mission, seize the opportunities of the times, and carry out cooperation at a higher level, across a broader scope and at greater depth to better benefit the two peoples and contribute more to the region and the world.

    — Standing at a new historical starting point, the two sides should build on past achievements, forge ahead together and carry forward the profound traditional friendship featuring “camaraderie plus brotherhood.”

    — The top leaders of the two parties and countries should exchange views on bilateral relations and major issues of common concern in a timely manner, continue to build consensus, enhance mutual trust and steer the course steadily, so as to ensure the steady progress of China-Vietnam relations.

    — The two sides should take the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges as an opportunity to carry forward the “red gene” and make good use of the revolutionary resources to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, especially the young generation, and strengthen the friendly bond between the two countries.

    — The two countries should expand cooperation in traditional areas such as trade and investment, and expand cooperation in emerging industries such as 5G, artificial intelligence, clean energy and digital economy.

    — China and Vietnam should give full play to their geographical advantages of being connected by land and sea, strengthen the alignment of development strategies and tap the potential of industrial cooperation.

    — Both China and Vietnam are beneficiaries of economic globalization, and the two sides should strengthen strategic resolve, jointly oppose unilateralism and bullying practices, and work together to uphold the global free trade system and maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Bollywood star Aamir Khan hails comedy’s global appeal at Macao festival

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Aamir Khan, one of India’s most successful Bollywood actors, told China.org.cn that comedy serves as a powerful tool for healing and uplifting people, as he received the prestigious Mr. Humor Award at the second Macao International Comedy Festival on Saturday.

    Aamir Khan speaks to a China.org.cn reporter during the second Macao International Comedy Festival in Macao, April 12, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

    “I always feel that in order to go global, you have to be local,” he said. “The more local you are, I think, the more global you become. Because it’s very interesting for people from different parts of the world to experience a different culture, to experience a different life. The world has become smaller.”

    When asked how local humor translates to global audiences across different cultures, Khan said it happens naturally.

    “I think that human beings are very similar — it doesn’t matter which language we speak, which part of the world we are from,” he noted.

    “We have the same dreams and aspirations. We have the same emotions. We have the same concerns and fears as well. I think comedy is a genre which travels really well across the world,” Khan added. “In a film, perhaps foreign audiences don’t understand one or two things, but by and large, I think humor translates really well across languages, across cultures.”

    Khan, known for his roles in “3 Idiots” (2009), “PK” (2014) and “Dangal” (2016), traveled to China’s Macao Special Administrative Region to attend the festival. He received the Mr. Humor Award during Saturday night’s gala, an honor recognizing those who have made significant contributions to comedy.

    “Comedy is such a wonderful genre that connects with all of us,” he said, praising the festival’s diverse programming that included stage plays, stand-up performances and cinema.

    Khan said he was excited to attend the event, calling it an ideal chance to interact with Chinese comedians and actors.

    Aamir Khan receives the prestigious Mr. Humor Award from last year’s recipient, Takeshi Kitano, during a gala ceremony at the MGM Cotai Ballroom in Macao as part of the second Macao International Comedy Festival, April 12, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

    “I have always been a big fan of Jackie Chan, who’s done a lot of comedy,” Khan said. “He’s someone I’ve been watching for decades. He is superb in action, but what I really love about Jackie is his sense of timing in comedy.” The Bollywood star also mentioned that his recent favorite Chinese comedy is “Successor,” starring Shen Teng and Ma Li.

    Khan said he sees the comedy festival as a chance for future India-China collaborations.

    “For me, as an actor, it would be an honor and a great pleasure to work with the great Chinese comedians,” he said. “China is a country which has amazing, creative artists, and it would be really a wonderful experience to work with them.”

    The actor expressed deep respect for comedy as a genre and comedians, saying they bring smiles to people’s faces — something he considers one of the greatest contributions to society.

    Khan shared a personal experience to illustrate comedy’s impact. “About three or four years ago, I was under a lot of stress, and I was in a lot of emotional upheaval in my life. And I have to say that it is comedy which really helped me at that time,” he said.

    “If you can laugh, then you forget your troubles. There is a phrase called ‘laughter is the best medicine.’ It makes you okay when you laugh, you feel good. And I really believe in that,” Khan added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Where to pay your respects in the City this Anzac Day

    Source: South Australia Police

    Wanneroo, Quinns Rocks and Yanchep RSL sub-branches will once again honour Australian and New Zealand service men and women who served in World War I and the conflicts that followed this Anzac Day.

    Each sub-branch will host a Friday dawn service, supported by the City’s Flagship Funding.

    Mayor Linda Aitken said she was proud to support the services.

    “Anzac Day plays a significant role in Wanneroo’s history, and I thank our wonderful RSL Sub-Branches for honouring service men and women, past and present,” she said.

    “The Wanneroo district was far from Europe, but this did not shield our tiny community from the horrors of World War I and World War II.

    “This year marks 110 years since the ANZAC’s landed at Gallipoli in WWI, with the City losing nine men during the war.

    “I encourage our community to come together this ANZAC Day to honour the bravery, sacrifice and service of our veterans.

    “Attending a local dawn service is a meaningful way to pay your respects and show your support for those who have served, and continue to serve, our country.”

    Those Wanneroo men who paid the ultimate sacrifice were Percy John Ainger, a farmer who enlisted at 17, survived the Western Front but died soon after coming home.

    Richard Waltham, a farmer who died aged 22 in France. Ernest John Dudley White, the son of Henry and Mary-Ann White, the first caretakers of the Yanchep Caves and Hunting Lodge.

    Richard Smales, a 21-year-old gardener. William Cockman, gardener and son of Wanneroo pioneers James and Emma Cockman.

    Charles Knight. The Bennett brothers; Albert, Herbert George, and James Dunn.

    The City’s Flagship Funding supports not-for-profit community groups and organisations delivering community initiatives that recognise, celebrate and commemorate the City’s rich history and diverse culture.

    2025 Anzac Day Services

    Yanchep-Two Rocks RSL Sub-Branch

    Yanchep National Park

    Dawn Service, 5.30am for a 6am start

    Main Service, 10.30am for an 11am start

    Wanneroo RSL Sub-Branch

    Wanneroo Memorial Park

    Dawn Service followed by a march and gunfire breakfast, 5.45am

    Quinns Rocks RSL Sub-Branch

    Quinns Rocks Sports Club

    Dawn Service followed by a gunfire breakfast and two-up, 5.45am for a 6am start

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A weird phrase is plaguing scientific papers – and we traced it back to a glitch in AI training data

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Snoswell, Research Fellow in AI Accountability, Queensland University of Technology

    Google Deepmind / Unsplash

    Earlier this year, scientists discovered a peculiar term appearing in published papers: “vegetative electron microscopy”.

    This phrase, which sounds technical but is actually nonsense, has become a “digital fossil” – an error preserved and reinforced in artificial intelligence (AI) systems that is nearly impossible to remove from our knowledge repositories.

    Like biological fossils trapped in rock, these digital artefacts may become permanent fixtures in our information ecosystem.

    The case of vegetative electron microscopy offers a troubling glimpse into how AI systems can perpetuate and amplify errors throughout our collective knowledge.

    A bad scan and an error in translation

    Vegetative electron microscopy appears to have originated through a remarkable coincidence of unrelated errors.

    First, two papers from the 1950s, published in the journal Bacteriological Reviews, were scanned and digitised.

    However, the digitising process erroneously combined “vegetative” from one column of text with “electron” from another. As a result, the phantom term was created.

    Excerpts from scanned papers show how incorrectly parsed column breaks lead to the term ‘vegetative electron micro…’ being introduced.
    Bacteriological Reviews

    Decades later, “vegetative electron microscopy” turned up in some Iranian scientific papers. In 2017 and 2019, two papers used the term in English captions and abstracts.

    This appears to be due to a translation error. In Farsi, the words for “vegetative” and “scanning” differ by only a single dot.

    Screenshot from Google Translate showing the similarity of the Farsi terms for ‘vegetative’ and ‘scanning’.
    Google Translate

    An error on the rise

    The upshot? As of today, “vegetative electron microscopy” appears in 22 papers, according to Google Scholar. One was the subject of a contested retraction from a Springer Nature journal, and Elsevier issued a correction for another.

    The term also appears in news articles discussing subsequent integrity investigations.

    Vegetative electron microscopy began to appear more frequently in the 2020s. To find out why, we had to peer inside modern AI models – and do some archaeological digging through the vast layers of data they were trained on.

    Empirical evidence of AI contamination

    The large language models behind modern AI chatbots such as ChatGPT are “trained” on huge amounts of text to predict the likely next word in a sequence. The exact contents of a model’s training data are often a closely guarded secret.

    To test whether a model “knew” about vegetative electron microscopy, we input snippets of the original papers to find out if the model would complete them with the nonsense term or more sensible alternatives.

    The results were revealing. OpenAI’s GPT-3 consistently completed phrases with “vegetative electron microscopy”. Earlier models such as GPT-2 and BERT did not. This pattern helped us isolate when and where the contamination occurred.

    We also found the error persists in later models including GPT-4o and Anthropic’s Claude 3.5. This suggests the nonsense term may now be permanently embedded in AI knowledge bases.

    Screenshot of a command line program showing the term ‘vegetative electron microscopy’ being generated by GPT-3.5 (specifically, the model gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct). The top 17 most likely completions of the provided text are ‘vegetative electron microscopy’, and these suggestions are 2.2 times more likely than the next most likely prediction.
    OpenAI

    By comparing what we know about the training datasets of different models, we identified the CommonCrawl dataset of scraped internet pages as the most likely vector where AI models first learned this term.

    The scale problem

    Finding errors of this sort is not easy. Fixing them may be almost impossible.

    One reason is scale. The CommonCrawl dataset, for example, is millions of gigabytes in size. For most researchers outside large tech companies, the computing resources required to work at this scale are inaccessible.

    Another reason is a lack of transparency in commercial AI models. OpenAI and many other developers refuse to provide precise details about the training data for their models. Research efforts to reverse engineer some of these datasets have also been stymied by copyright takedowns.

    When errors are found, there is no easy fix. Simple keyword filtering could deal with specific terms such as vegetative electron microscopy. However, it would also eliminate legitimate references (such as this article).

    More fundamentally, the case raises an unsettling question. How many other nonsensical terms exist in AI systems, waiting to be discovered?

    Implications for science and publishing

    This “digital fossil” also raises important questions about knowledge integrity as AI-assisted research and writing become more common.

    Publishers have responded inconsistently when notified of papers including vegetative electron microscopy. Some have retracted affected papers, while others defended them. Elsevier notably attempted to justify the term’s validity before eventually issuing a correction.

    We do not yet know if other such quirks plague large language models, but it is highly likely. Either way, the use of AI systems has already created problems for the peer-review process.

    For instance, observers have noted the rise of “tortured phrases” used to evade automated integrity software, such as “counterfeit consciousness” instead of “artificial intelligence”. Additionally, phrases such as “I am an AI language model” have been found in other retracted papers.

    Some automatic screening tools such as Problematic Paper Screener now flag vegetative electron microscopy as a warning sign of possible AI-generated content. However, such approaches can only address known errors, not undiscovered ones.

    Living with digital fossils

    The rise of AI creates opportunities for errors to become permanently embedded in our knowledge systems, through processes no single actor controls. This presents challenges for tech companies, researchers, and publishers alike.

    Tech companies must be more transparent about training data and methods. Researchers must find new ways to evaluate information in the face of AI-generated convincing nonsense. Scientific publishers must improve their peer review processes to spot both human and AI-generated errors.

    Digital fossils reveal not just the technical challenge of monitoring massive datasets, but the fundamental challenge of maintaining reliable knowledge in systems where errors can become self-perpetuating.

    Aaron J. Snoswell receives funding from the Australian Research Council funded Discovery Project “Generative AI and the future of academic writing and publishing” (DP250100074) and has previously received research funding from OpenAI.

    Kevin Witzenberger receives funding from the Australian Research Council funded Discovery Project “Generative AI and the future of academic writing and publishing” (DP250100074)

    Rayane El Masri 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. A weird phrase is plaguing scientific papers – and we traced it back to a glitch in AI training data – https://theconversation.com/a-weird-phrase-is-plaguing-scientific-papers-and-we-traced-it-back-to-a-glitch-in-ai-training-data-254463

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Release: Food prices further stretching the family budget

    Source: New Zealand Labour Party

    Families already stretched by rising costs will struggle with the news food prices are going up again.

    “The weekly shop is a challenge for many families right now, and the rising price of staples like butter and mince won’t help,” Labour finance and economy spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said.

    The latest figures from Stats NZ show food prices rose 3.5 percent over the past year, with butter up a staggering 64 percent, milk up 16 percent and meat up more than five percent.

    “The Government’s only answer to rising costs has been tax cuts. They cost billions and have disappeared into rising weekly bills for New Zealanders,” Barbara Edmonds said.

    “They chose not to lift the minimum wage in line with inflation, taking those on the lowest wages in our country backwards. Rates and insurance have both increased for those who own their home.

    “Nicola Willis also won’t commit to not cutting the Best Start or Winter Energy Payments. These are vital safety nets which help new parents pay the bills and our most vulnerable heat their homes in winter.

    “Groceries are one of the biggest weekly costs for households, and right now, Kiwis are not getting the support they need to keep up,” Barbara Edmonds said.

    Stay in the loop by signing up to our mailing list and following us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Pronounced spike in low-level crimes in Singapore Straits 

    Source: International Chamber of Commerce

    Headline: Pronounced spike in low-level crimes in Singapore Straits 

    A total of 45 cases of piracy and armed robbery against ships were recorded in the first three months of 2025 – an almost 35 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.   

    Of the incidents reported, 37 vessels were boarded, four were hijacked and four had attempted attacks. The threat to crew safety remains high with 37 crew members taken hostage, 13 kidnapped, two threatened and one injured. 

    Rise of incidents in Singapore Straits 

    The Q1 report highlights a spike in recorded incidents in the Singapore Straits as 27 incidents were reported from vessels transiting these waters compared to seven for the same period in 2024.  

    While most incidents were considered low-level opportunistic crimes, crew members were at great risk with guns reported in 14 incidents. For the whole of 2024, guns were reported in 26 incidents globally. Ten crew members were taken hostage in six separate incidents, two were threatened and one was reported injured.  

    Ninety-two percent of all vessels targeted in the Singapore Straits were successfully boarded, including nine bulk carriers and tankers over 100,000 deadweight tonnage in size.  

    IMB Director Michael Howlett said:

    “The reported rise of incidents in the Singapore Straits is concerning, highlighting the urgent need to protect the safety of seafarers navigating these waters.  Ensuring the security of these vital routes is essential and all necessary measures must be taken to safeguard crew members.” 

    Caution advised in the Gulf of Guinea  

    Although the number of reported incidents within the Gulf of Guinea waters and adjoining littoral states continues to be at its lowest in nearly two decades, the IMB urges continued caution as crew members remain at risk.   

    All 13 kidnapped crew were reported in these waters in two separate attacks – with a total of six incidents reported in the first quarter of the year. In March, pirates hijacked a bitumen tanker southeast of Santo Antonio, in Sao Tome and Principe, kidnapping 10 crew members – while a fishing vessel south of Accra, Ghana, was boarded by armed pirates who kidnapped three crew members. 

    “While we welcome the reduction of incidents, the safety of crew members in the Gulf of Guinea remains at greater risk. It is essential to maintain a strong regional and international naval presence to address these incidents and ensure the protection of seafarers,”

    Mr Howlett said. 

    Somali piracy threat remains 

    Between 7 February and 16 March 2025, two fishing vessels and a dhow were hijacked off the coast of Somalia. In these incidents, 26 crew members were taken hostage, demonstrating the continued capabilities of Somali pirates. Reports indicate all crew have been released along with the vessels. 

    The IMB advises ships navigating these waters to exercise caution and to strictly follow the latest version of the Industry Best Management Practice (BMP). 

    Download your copy of the 2025 Jan – Mar Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships report here. 

    About the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre 

    Since its founding in 1991, IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre has served as a crucial, 24-hour point of contact to report crimes of piracy and lend support to ships under threat. Quick reactions and a focus on coordinating with response agencies, sending out warning broadcasts and email alerts to ships have all helped bolster security on the high seas. The data gathered by the Centre also provides key insights on the nature and state of modern piracy. 

    IMB encourages all shipmasters and owners to report all actual, attempted and suspected global piracy and armed robbery incidents to the Piracy Reporting Centre as a vital first step to ensuring adequate resources are allocated by authorities to tackle maritime piracy.   

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Media and Education – NZBS puts media teachers in the hot seat

    Source: Ara Institute of Canterbury

    Media educators visiting The New Zealand Broadcasting School (NZBS) from secondary schools across New Zealand this week might find themselves doing a live cross or designing a lighting rig.
    60 delegates in Ōtautahi for the NAME (National Association of Media Educators) conference are experiencing two days of activities organised by NZBS staff at Ara Institute of Canterbury.
    Programme organiser Alice Rae-Flick said they can expect industry-standard tech, hands-on learning and current sector intel.
    “Our sessions are designed to explore the future of media and ensure educators are familiar with the excellent resources we have here,” Rae-Flick said. “Teachers from around the motu will experience for themselves our hands-on approach and our industry connections.”
    The conference kicked off on Tuesday April 15th with an NZBS-organised industry panel at Rangi Ruru Girls’ school featuring prominent media professionals. Andrew Szusterman, (South Pacific Pictures), Caitlin Marett (The Girls Uninterrupted Podcast), Clive Antony (Antony and Mates agency), and Adam Percival (The Breeze Radio Host and TV Producer) delved into the future of media and the skills students need to thrive in the field.
    On Wednesday April 16th the action was moving to Ara’s City campus, where attendees will be assisted by NZBS students in hands-on activities like news-reading, presenting voice-breaks, using Mojo-kits, creating ads, and podcasting.
    “Media teachers from around the motu will meet ākonga who can speak about how small class sizes and opportunities to connect with industry make a real difference throughout their degree,” Rae-Flick said. “Our team also plan to speak to our impressive placement stats and industry demand for our graduates.”
    Thanks to Ara’s relationship with Rubber Monkey, Australasia’s premier supplier of professional video, audio, photographic, and creative technology products, delegates will have the chance to win an $1800 RODEcast kit, including a microphone and stand.
    Peter Sawyer, Dean of Education Culture and Services said it was a privilege to host some of New Zealand’s top secondary school media educators at Ara.
    “Partnering with the NAME Conference is more than a chance to showcase our industry-connected, highly regarded programmes at NZBS, it’s an opportunity to stand alongside the educators shaping the next generation of storytellers and media innovators,” Sawyer said.
    “We’re looking forward to catching up with them and sharing why NZBS is the launchpad for a future in Broadcasting Communications.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Protect yourself and others this winter with your annual flu vaccination

    Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

    Victorians are being reminded to book in their annual flu vaccination ahead of winter peak season, with free flu vaccines now available for children under five years old and other at-risk groups.

    Victorian Chief Health Officer Dr Tarun Weeramanthri is encouraging more Victorians to get their annual flu vaccine, with reported cases of flu and other respiratory viruses already on the rise.

    Dr Weeramanthri said babies and toddlers need special protection from the flu, as they are more likely to get severe illness and need treatment in hospital.

    “The flu can be serious, especially for children which is why the vaccine is free for children under five,” Dr Weeramanthri said.

    “For vulnerable groups in the community the flu can be deadly and for others it can result in severe health effects and long recovery periods.”

    “It’s critically important to stay up to date with your vaccines – the influenza virus changes throughout the year and that’s why new vaccines are developed for each season. Vaccination is the best thing you can do to protect yourself, your family, friends and people at most risk in the community.”

    Flu vaccination is recommended for anyone six months and older and is free for at risk groups including children aged six months to five years, people over 65 years, pregnant women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people with medical conditions that put them at increased risk of severe flu.

    People can get their vaccine at general practices, pharmacies, local council immunisation clinics, Aboriginal Health Services and often at their workplace.

    There have been more than 11,000 notified influenza cases in Victoria this year already, which is almost twice as many as for the same time last year. It remains early in this year’s flu season and numbers are expected to rise more steeply in the winter months.

    Dr Weeramanthri highlighted the flu is highly contagious and while it most often causes mild to moderate illness with symptoms such as fever and cough, severe illness can develop. Babies, children, older people, and people with underlying medical conditions were amongst the most vulnerable.

    “Having an annual flu vaccine will not only reduce your chances of catching the flu but also reduce the severity of your illness if you become infected,” he said.

    Flu vaccines can be given at the same time as other National Immunisation Program vaccines, such as the new free maternal RSV vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine.

    In addition to vaccination, simple steps can help stop the spread of respiratory illnesses such as washing hands, coughing or sneezing into your elbow, wearing a mask, and staying home when sick.

    More information on flu vaccination is available on Better Health ChannelExternal Link.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Result of the Daily Variable Rate Repo (VRR) auction held on April 15, 2025

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    Tenor 1-day
    Notified Amount (in ₹ crore) 25,000
    Total amount of bids received (in ₹ crore) 9,564
    Amount allotted (in ₹ crore) 9,564
    Cut off Rate (%) 6.01
    Weighted Average Rate (%) 6.01
    Partial Allotment Percentage of bids received at cut off rate (%) NA

    Ajit Prasad          
    Deputy General Manager
    (Communications)    

    Press Release: 2025-2026/99

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Serious crash, SH1 Leithfield

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Emergency services are at the scene of a serious single-vehicle crash on SH1, Leithfield, near the intersection with Mays Road. 

    Police were called about 5.15pm. 

    The road will be closed, with diversions in place.

    Motorists are asked to avoid the area if possible.

    ENDS 

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 124-2025: Electronic certification (eCert) – IPPC ePhyto Hub paperless Import exchange for USA and the Republic of Korea

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    15 April 2025

    Who does this notice affect?

    Importers, Customs brokers and Accredited persons operating under approved arrangement class 19.2.

    What has changed?

    From 16 April 2025, grain and horticulture phytosanitary certificates from the United States of America (USA) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) will be received as electronic phytosanitary certificates (ePhyto). This is an expansion for…

    MIL OSI News –